I’ll block Brexit, vows Swinson, first female leader of the Lib Dems
JO SWINSON vowed to do ‘whatever it takes to stop Brexit’ last night after she won a landslide victory to become the first woman leader of the Liberal Democrats.
The former deputy leader beat her rival Sir Ed Davey in the battle to replace Sir Vince Cable by nearly 20,000 votes.
She used her first speech as leader to position herself as a candidate for prime minister – declaring that ‘stopping Boris [Johnson], and stopping Brexit’ was her number one priority.
The East Dunbartonshire MP, 39, said she was ‘delighted, honoured, absolutely over the moon’ to become the party’s first female leader.
Miss Swinson said: ‘Tomorrow, Boris Johnson is likely to take the keys to number Ten and set us on a path to a damaging no Deal Brexit. Stopping Boris, and stopping Brexit, is my number one priority as leader. That job starts with winning the Brecon and Radnorshire by-election to bring Jane Dodds to Parliament, cut Johnson’s wafer-thin majority and take us a step closer to stopping Brexit.’ Describing Mr Johnson, the frontrunner in the contest to be the next Conservative leader, as ‘unfit to be prime minister’, she said her party was ready to return to government. I stand before you today not just as leader of the Lib Dems, but as a candidate to be prime minister. There is no limit for my ambition for our party, our movement and our country.’
Former cabinet minister and Kingston and Surbiton MP Sir Ed tweeted yesterday: ‘Huge congratulations @joswinson – you will be a great leader to take our message of hope, respect and love for others across the country and build a Liberal Britain.’
Miss Swinson, who had been the bookies’ favourite to take the party crown, beat Sir Ed by 47,997 votes to 28,021 in a ballot of party members which had a 72 per cent turnout. Jo Swinson won 63 per cent of the vote, while Sir Ed won 37 per cent.