Lib dem leader 2015

Jo Swinson arrives at probably the best time to be a Liberal Democrat for a decade. In May the party posted a record European election result, attracting both Labour and Conservative voters disaffected by their own parties’ divisions over Brexit. A few weeks earlier local elections saw the party gain hundreds of seats and control of a series of councils in England. The party hovers near the top of the polls. Ms Swinson’s job will be to keep it there. This has been a remarkable turnaround. In 2015, as the Oxford academic Tudor Jones notes in his forthcoming book The Uneven Path of British Liberalism, the Lib Dems suffered an electoral collapse as great as the two great vanishings that the Liberal party managed in the 20th century. What almost finished the Lib Dems off was not just their hand in austerity, but the party’s perceived political irrelevance in the minds of a majority of British voters. If history was any guide, the road back to significance would have been … [Read more...] about The Guardian view of the new Lib Dem leader: the vision thing

Jeremy Corbyn has claimed the local election results indicated voters want MPs to “get a deal done” on Brexit, after his party suffered losses. Labour had hoped the results would signal it was poised to take power at a general election, with the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, suggesting on Thursday night it might gain 400 seats. But, with the results all in on Friday evening, the party had suffered a net loss of more than 80 seats compared with its 2015 figures. Asked about the results, in which the Conservatives suffered much bigger losses, Corbyn told ITV: “I think it means there’s a huge impetus on every MP, and they’ve all got that message, whether they themselves are leave or remain – or the people across the country – that an arrangement has to be made, a deal has to be done, parliament has to resolve this issue. I think that is very, very clear.” His comments echoed remarks from McDonnell, who had earlier claimed the message … [Read more...] about Corbyn says local elections show voters want deal done on Brexit

brexit countdown_bg Created with Sketch. Boris Johnson opened up a 14 point poll lead over the Labour Party as it was claimed he will 'sabotage' a Brexit delay if he is unable to secure a deal with the EU before the October 31 deadline.  The Conservative Party is polling at 35 per cent in a new YouGov survey with Labour far behind on 21 per cent, the Lib Dems on 19 per cent and the Brexit Party on 12 per cent. The poll suggests that Mr Johnson's hardline pledge to take Britain out of the bloc by Halloween with or without a deal is resonating with Leave voters and illustrates why Downing Street is so keen on an early general election.  But while Mr Johnson may be surging in the polls, his Brexit strategy continues to cause chaos in Westminster amid claims he will ignore an anti-No Deal law and trigger a showdown in the Supreme Court rather than break his 'do or die' promise.  The Prime Minister will try to agree a new deal with Brussels at a summit on October 17 … [Read more...] about Boris Johnson opens up 14 point poll lead over Labour as he ‘plots to “sabotage” a Brexit delay and trigger a Supreme Court showdown’ after Amber Rudd QUITS the government