Swinson says she won’t quit even if Lib Dems end up with fewer MPS
Jo Swinson says she will stay on as Liberal Democrat leader even if the party’s tally of MPS shrinks in Thursday’s election.
Asked if she would resign if her party ended up with fewer MPS, Ms Swinson said: “No, I was elected as leader of the Liberal Democrats four months ago, that’s a big job to be done and four months in I’ve made a start.”
Talking about the high-profile defections from other parties, she added: “I’ve already secured more MPS.”
On her personal ratings, she said: “I’m taking a very clear position on Brexit, I want to remain in the EU and I do recognise that some people aren’t going to like that.”
Asked if some of the criticism she faced was sexist, she said: “You and I both exist within public life where we recognise that there are double standards that apply. I knew that when I took on the job, I want things to change.”
Referring to her nieces, she added: “I want the world that they inherit to be one that is less sexist.”
Ms Swinson signalled that the party would be more open to an accord with Labour in a hung parliament if Jeremy Corbyn stood down.
She has insisted the Lib Dems would not put either Mr Corbyn or Boris Johnson into Downing Street in the event of no party securing a majority.
But asked about how she would react if Mr Corbyn quit as Labour leader after the poll result, she said: “Obviously we don’t know who the personalities would be in that circumstance, but we will obviously take a view on that depending on what circumstance we find ourselves in.
“I have been working with people from the Labour Party, and people from the Conservative Party, and the SNP, and Plaid Cymru, and the Green Party to try and stop Brexit and try and secure a people’s vote so that we can remain in the EU.
“I’ve been doing that for the last couple of years and I will certainly be continuing to do that.
“Obviously, Jeremy Corbyn... is completely unfit to be prime minister, as is Boris Johnson for a whole host of different reasons.
Asked what the “naughtiest” thing she had done was, she said: “I did smoke a fair bit of cannabis at university. I don’t know whether that counts as particularly naughty, but your readers and viewers will be able to make up their own mind on that.”
Pressed to define a “fair bit” of cannabis, Ms Swinson said: “It wasn’t just one, and I did inhale.”