Robert Peston Robert Peston

Jo Swinson’s anti-populist pitch

I emerged with three thoughts from my interview with the Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson, which is three more thoughts than I often have after interviewing a senior politician.

First, her attack on Labour was massively personalised as an attack on Jeremy Corbyn, who she says is not fit to be PM, rather than on the party itself.

Second, she refused to “discuss hypotheticals” when I asked whether her condition for Lib Dems propping up a Labour government was that Labour would have to find a way for someone other than Corbyn to move in to No.10.

Which was probably as close to a confirmation as she can give that she expects in some way to support a minority Labour government if Boris Johnson’s lead in the polls can be cut back, while maintaining the conceit that she is fighting to win the election.

Robert Peston
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Robert Peston
Robert Peston is Political Editor of ITV News and host of the weekly political discussion show Peston. His articles originally appeared on his ITV News blog.

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