SNP activists in Edinburgh have accused their Lib Dem counterparts of misleading voters in a campaign “lying to voters” with a misleading leaflet.

The leaflet currently being delivered to constituents in Edinburgh Western features a photo of a woman. It also features words of a voter, saying she will be switching from Conservative to the Lib Dems at this election, because last time she “ended up with the SNP’s Michelle Thomson”.

However, SNP activists say the woman on pictured the leaflet is in fact Helen Leslie, a veteran Lib Dem member, who was pictured out campaigning at last year’s General Election for defeated MP Mike Crockart.

It is not known how Leslie voted.





A spokeswoman for the Lib Dems did not deny that the woman on the leaflet was one of their activists, but claimed the views on the leaflet were “an accurate reflection” of a constituent in Edinburgh Western.



Toni Giugliano, SNP candidate for Edinburgh Western said: “You’d have thought the Lib Dems would have learned their lesson from the Alastair Carmichael fiasco. They need to come clean about why someone who is clearly a Lib Dem supporter is posing as a Tory voter. It’s behaviour like this that brings politics and politicians into disrepute. I challenge the Lib Dems to drop their negative campaign of lies and smears and focus on the issues that matter to the people of Edinburgh Western.”

A Scottish Lib Dem spokeswoman said: “This leaflet is an accurate reflection of how an Edinburgh Western constituent voted in last May’s General Election and was published with her full consent.

“People can see the election result last year to know that the choice in Edinburgh West is between Liberal Democrats and the SNP.”

Last May saw the SNP overturn the Lib Dems majority of 3,800 when Thomson beat incumbent Crockart. In that election the Tories were far behind in a distant third place.

That victory came after seat was gained by SNP at the Scottish elections in 2011. However, Lib Dem candidate Alex Cole Hamilton believes Thomson being the subject of a police investigation, may help his party take back the seat.

Thomson was forced to resign the SNP’s whip in September last year when Police Scotland announced they would investigate alleged irregularities over mortgages.