TORIES WILL HAVE TO TAKE LIB DEM THREAT SERIOUSLY

WITH his irrepressible energy and toothy grin Tim Farron resembles the Duracell bunny in more ways than one.

The Lib Dem leader, who revelled in the award of the “Remoaner of the year” title for his unremitting carping about Britain’s Brexit vote, is certain to provide some regular light relief during the coming election campaign.

Yet for once Tory strategy chiefs are having to take Mr Farron’s fringe party seriously. While he may not have the potential to repeat the “Cleggmania” craze that his predecessor managed at the 2010 poll, he could still cause the governing party some damage in parts of the country.

Tories captured swathes of Lib Dems seats at the polls two years ago, notably in the South-west. Sitting MPs in many of those constituencies now fear the party they deride as the “yellow peril” may be poised to snatch them back.

“A lot of my constituents actually liked the coalition government. I am quite worried,” one Tory MP in a marginal seat threatened by a Lib Dem comeback told me. “They voted for me last time but, having voted to remain in the EU, don’t like the idea of a big Tory majority and want more pressure on the Prime Minister to keep Britain in the EU single market.”

At the last election the Tories barely mentioned the Lib Dems at all in their national campaign while stealthily crushing them in a ground war in the target seats. That strategy, masterminded by the Tory poll guru Sir Lynton Crosby, saw the Lib Dems lose 49 Commons seats.

Mrs May’s team now has to decide whether to ignore the Lib Dems once again or target them for an all-out attack. The latter approach could risk drawing attention to Mr Farron and his band.

The Tories need to take care that the temptation to highlight the Lib Dem’s obsession with blocking Brexit could actually increase their support in some constituencies that backed remaining in the EU in last year’s referendum.

While the chances of the Lib Dems holding the balance of power after June 8 are slim, Mr Farron could prove an irritant to the Tories in some parts. They may have to work out a way of tackling the yellow peril.