The Lib Dem leadership race is descending into farce

In the midst of the coronavirus crisis, the finer details of the contest to choose who will be the next leader of the Liberal Democrats might have understandably passed you by. It was supposed to be taking place, well, right about now, with all Lib Dem members getting to vote for who ultimately is to replace Jo Swinson. Ed Davey and party president Mark Pack are currently interim co-leaders of the party, a strange situation that was meant to be only temporary and that you’d think they would want to change as quickly as possible. Instead, in the wake of the pandemic, the Lib Dems have pushed the leadership election back: to May 2021. Or at least, that’s what has been pencilled in. This being the Lib Dems, a subcommittee of a subcommittee will have to ratify that, although even some people who work in Lib Dem HQ still have no idea which subcommittee of a subcommittee gets the final decision here.