THE Liberal Democrats are poised to announce yet more defectors to their ranks as they gather on the UK’s southern coast for what is expected to be a bullish and buoyant annual conference of “unity and clarity”.
Since the summer, the fourth party at Westminster has seen its number of MPs boosted to 17 with the addition of five backbenchers, who have switched sides; three former Labour and Independent members - Chuka Umunna, Luciana Berger and Angela Smith - plus one former Conservative and Independent member - Sarah Wollaston - and former Tory minister Philip Lee.
All eyes are on the current Independent MPs Heidi Allen and Gavin Shuker while there are also five backbenchers in the Independent Group for Change led by another former Tory minister Anna Soubry.
When asked if Jo Swinson was set to unveil more Commons recruits, her deputy, Ed Davey told The Herald with a laugh: “How about if I say: I couldn’t possibly comment.”
When it was suggested private talks were going on with some of the 21 Tory rebels, sacked by Boris Johnson, over the vote to block a no-deal Brexit, the London MP was equally coy, saying: “There are many conversations happening at Westminster at the moment. You’re right there have been talks with people from across the spectrum.” He then quipped: “I don’t think there have been any SNP MPs.”
As the Brexit argument becomes ever more polarised between Leave and Remain, Sir Ed said his party’s unequivocal stance for Remain was paying dividends; the party is around 18 per cent in the polls and its membership has topped 120,000. It also won the Brecon and Radnor by-election and held off the SNP threat to retain the Shetland seat at Holyrood.
“It’s pretty clear we are getting support from lifelong Conservative and lifelong Labour people, who have never voted for us in the past,” he boasted.
Unlike the upcoming Labour and Conservative conferences, which are set to be divided and fractious over Brexit, the deputy Lib Dem leader said he was looking forward to a thoroughly harmonious conference by the seaside, which starts today.
“Jo and I fought the friendliest leadership contest there has ever been. In our party, the deputy leader agrees with the leader; apparently, it’s unusual in other parties and we are working away like a house on fire,” he said in a clear swipe at the rift between Jeremy Corbyn and Tom Watson on Labour’s approach to Brexit. "A message of unity and clarity will come over to people.”
The conference is expected to see some new financial commitments on education and welfare with a strong theme of protecting the environment running through the agenda.
But the key message will be the Lib Dems’ new shift on Brexit: to campaign in the forthcoming election to scrap Britain’s withdrawal altogether.
Sir Ed insisted the party’s position was more nuanced, explaining the Lib Dems first and foremost wanted a second referendum in which they would campaign wholeheartedly for Remain. But if there were a general election, then this would be dominated by Brexit and voters would want a clear prospectus. “People just want to get this done,” insisted the deputy leader.
He admitted for the first time in his political life he was “thinking the unthinkable,” that his party might win the election. “I really, really think that; we have some polling evidence for that.”
Sir Ed added: “That would be a huge, historic democratic mandate for a very strongly Remain party and so what the conference motion says is that our general election policy will be ‘vote Lib Dem, stop Brexit’.
“We will revoke, we will save the UK, get on and invest in our health service; we won’t have the huge cuts that Brexit promises…to our health service, to our schools and police force...We will get on with tackling the real problems in our country on day one. That’s finality; the Brexiteers have got no finality.”
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