Willie Rennie: Lib Dem "Action Man" who has helped party punch above its weight

Willie Rennie has been the Action Man'' of the Holyrood election campaign.

The 48-year-old Scottish Liberal Democrat leader has hurled himself down zip-wires and giant slides and sped about in a go-kart, all with the aim of winning over the voters.

And it seems his efforts have paid off with his victory in the North East Fife constituency.

The 2016 Scottish election came after a turbulent few years for the Liberal Democrats, who spent the first eight years of devolution in a coalition executive with Labour.

But the 2011 ballot saw them return just five MSPs - down from 16 in 2007 - while at the 2015 general election the only Liberal Democrat to survive the SNP landslide was former Scottish secretary Alistair Carmichael.

That result came as the party continued to pay the price for the decision to enter coalition government with the Conservatives at Westminster in 2010, and while Scotland was still coming to terms with post-referendum politics.

After going down to five MSPs in 2011, Tavish Scott stood down as leader of the party and was succeeded by Mr Rennie, who was the only new Lib Dem to gain a seat.

The win marked his return to front-line politics, having been elected MP for Dunfermline and West Fife in a bombshell by-election victory over Labour in 2006 before losing the seat back to them in 2010.

In the last five years with Mr Rennie at the helm, the Liberal Democrats have punched above their weight at Holyrood - a point he is not shy about making.

''We have only had five MSPs but boy have we punched above our weight, he said.

''I think we have achieved more with five MSPs than probably all the SNP backbenchers put together.''

Generous in his praise for all of his colleagues, he has particularly highlighted Alison McInnes's work on holding the SNP Government to account over policing among the successes of the past five years.

• Electionlive