Liberal Democrats rule out coalitions with either Boris Johnson or Jeremy Corbyn
As has become traditional at the start of a general election campaign, the Liberal Democrats have set out their position on coalitions:
Lib Dems rule out any form of post election coalition with Jeremy Corbyn or Boris Johnson
— norman smith (@BBCNormanS) October 30, 2019
Speaking on Radio 4, Jo Swinson said:
I can’t be clearer. Neither Boris Johnson nor Corbyn is fit to be Prime Minister.
Our country deserves a better choice, and I am standing as candidate to be Prime Minister.
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Good news
Good. But it does beg the question ‘Who would you do a coalition with?’ We have to be very, very careful.
Clear, but cuts down our options, if there is a hung Parliament.
PS Just voted for you as President.
She has again been careful with the wording – no coalition with Johnson or Corbyn. She has not specifically ruled out a coalition with the Labour or the Tory party if they change their leadership (and policies of course). We need lots of new MPs and then use whatever strength we have in the new parliament to maximise our political impact.
Very important to understand that “We won’t join a coalition led by Corbyn or Johnson” is not the same thing as saying “We won’t work with other parties.” It’s not even the same thing as saying “We won’t work with Labour or the Tories.” Stupid journalists failed to understand this when Jo said it during the leadership election, and they went around saying “She has refused to work with other parties.”
It’s possible to ‘work with’ other parties without joining a coalition.