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The leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats has said he has been a victim of “anti-English hate”.

Alex Cole-Hamilton made the comment in an interview for BBC Radio Scotland’s Scotcast podcast which will be aired on Tuesday evening.

He said: “Nationalism has a dark underbelly to it, which is about we’re all right going it alone, identity politics.

“Patriotism is loving your country, but also recognising that you’re part of a family of nations, and I don’t think there’s anything mutually exclusive about that, or in congress about that.”

Mr Cole-Hamilton was born in England and moved to Scotland with his family when he was eight for his father’s job as an academic.

He said despite living in Scotland so long and the fact his wife and children are Scottish, he has been the victim of “anti-English hate” and online threats.

He said: “There are outriders of the SNP and the wider nationalist movement who just betray the project, the reasonable proposition that John Swinney is trying to create. I mean, I know that because the police came to see me.

“I don’t look at my online notifications but the police came to see me and said, ‘we think you should carry an attack alarm because of some of the anti-English hate that you’re getting’, and that was quite an alarming wake-up call.

“When I say patriots love their countries, nationalists hate their neighbours, I’ve been the victim of some of that anti-English hate. Victim is a strong word, but it is a reality in our politics. I wish it were not.”

Mr Cole-Hamilton also recalled an incident shortly afterwards in which someone was in his neighbourhood trying to find him.

He continued: “A few months later, somebody was going door-to door in my cul-de-sac trying to find where we lived.

“Thankfully my neighbours all had my back and said they knew who I was but I didn’t live anywhere near here. So he was sent packing, but yeah it’s a worry.”