“A lot of Tory MPs have to be critically examining their consciences, particularly some who have been very
critical about no deal and have now accepted ministerial roles. I think they have to think long and hard
about what path they are trying to set this country on.”
Speculation is rife that Mr Johnson, buoyed by a “Boris bounce” for Tories in the polls, may call an early
election to secure the majority he needs to get his Brexit plans through parliament.
But Ms Swinson said she had no fear of a snap poll, in which she said her party could potentially win
hundreds of seats and become the largest group in the Commons on a “stop Brexit” platform.
She has already ruled out a coalition with Mr Johnson or Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn in such circumstances,
but said she was ready to explore options for a government of national unity with centrist pro-European
MPs from all sides of the House.
“Absolutely there are other people in other parties who we have already worked with on the issue of Brexit,
where it might be possible to work on a broader coalition across different parties or a government of
national unity-type scenario,” she said. “There are like-minded people who share our values who we could
be working with, but a strong Liberal Democrat party needs to be at the heart of that.”
Having gained her first by-election scalp less than a fortnight after becoming leader, Ms Swinson was
bullish about Lib Dem prospects, telling The Independent: “There’s no limit to my ambitions. The message
from the polling we have is that hundreds of seats are in play for the Liberal Democrats now.”
Ms Swinson said Brecon – where Lib Dems unseated the Tories thanks in part to Greens and Plaid Cymru
standing aside in a “Remain Alliance” – had stopped the “Boris bounce” within days of him taking over.
Force to Brecon with: by-election victor Jane
Dodds stands behind Swinson after her victory
(Getty)She said she was open to future co-operation with other Remain parties, but insisted this would be on a
“bespoke” basis, depending on circumstances in individual seats, rather than in a formal pact. And she
noted that in “the vast majority” of cases, the Remain candidate best placed to win would be a Lib Dem.
Despite Mr Corbyn’s recent move towards a clearer pro-referendum stance, Ms Swinson held out no
prospect of Lib Dems standing aside to help Labour beat Tories in seats such as Dover – where MP Charlie
Elphicke faces sexual assault charges, which he denies – or Uxbridge, where there have been calls for a
Remain alliance to kick Mr Johnson out of the Commons.
“If you want to be able to have an election where voters have a chance to back someone who will try to stop
Brexit, clearly the Liberal Democrat candidate will fit that bill,” she said. “It’s not at all clear that a Labour
candidate will.”
While polling suggests Mr Johnson is winning supporters back from Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party, Ms