My party will never put ‘unfit’ Corbyn into No 10, says Swinson
JO SWINSON said she would never put Jeremy Corbyn into Downing Street, as she questioned whether the Labour leader would write letters of last resort to instruct submarine commanders to launch a nuclear counterattack.
Launching the Liberal Democrats’ general election campaign yesterday, Ms Swinson said she was “absolutely categorically ruling out” Lib Dem votes to put Mr Corbyn into No10.
“On so many grounds, Jeremy Corbyn is not fit for the job of Prime Minister. On the biggest issue of the day [of Brexit], he has prevaricated and will not give a straight answer. Even now if you ask him whether he is Remain or Leave he will not tell you how he would vote,” the Lib Dem leader said.
“His plans for the economy would take us back to the Seventies. I believe he would be a threat to our national security. I count in that, that one of his first tasks would be to write instructions to commanders in our submarine fleet.”
Mr Corbyn, a lifelong campaigner for nuclear disarmament, has previously declared he would instruct defence chiefs never to use the Trident nuclear weapons system, although during the last election he said he would write the letters to submarine commanders.
Flanked by Luciana Berger, the Jewish MP who defected from Labour to the Lib Dems, she also accused Mr Corbyn
of a “dereliction of duty” over his failure to crack down on anti-semitism within his party. “Any party leader should be examining their conscience,” she said.
“I am excited to stand here as your candidate for Prime Minister because a Liberal Democrat government will stop Brexit and build a brighter future,” she said. “When I look at Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn, I am absolutely certain that I could do a better job than either of them.”
She accused Mr Johnson of lying to MPS, the Queen and the country over Brexit and proroguing Parliament. “He is modelling himself on Donald Trump and Britain deserves better than Britain’s Donald Trump,” she said.
Although publicly indicating the party will not strike any deals with Mr Corbyn or Mr Johnson, the Liberal Democrats have left open the door to post-election negotiations if the parties had different leaders.
“The two parties as currently configured are not fit for office. We are going out to be the biggest party in the House of Commons. It is up to people to decide what happens after that. We can’t be clearer about these two parties as they are now,” said a senior Liberal Democrat frontbencher.
It came as Nicola Sturgeon opened the door to a Dup-style deal to prop up a Corbyn government in exchange for a second Scottish independence referendum next year. The First Minister refused to rule out a formal “confidence and supply” agreement with the Labour leader, whereby SNP MPS would put him in Downing Street in return for her key demands being met.
An MP has complained of “discrimination” after learning she is not entitled to a £22,000 parachute payment following her switch from Labour to the Liberal Democrats.
Angela Smith said she was “horrified” that she would not be entitled to the cash if she lost at the general election, because she will be fighting a different seat.
The MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge is now preparing to fight the Altrincham and Sale West constituency – currently held by the Conservatives.
But this means she cannot claim up to £22,000 in Loss of Office Payment (Loop) if she loses.