Antoinette Sandbach joins the Liberal Democrats

The Member of Parliament for Eddisbury, Antoinette Sandbach, is joining the Liberal Democrats. One of the twenty-one Conservative MPs to have had the whip withdrawn after rebelling over Brexit, she had previously supported Remain in the European referendum.

She will be standing for the party at the general election in Eddisbury, with the former Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for the seat, Ian Priestner, tweeting his welcome for the news.

Antoinette Sandbach said:

This general election will be the most important in my lifetime. People have a very clear choice. The Conservative party offers years of uncertainty whilst the Liberal Democrats will stop Brexit.

I’m so proud to stand alongside other Liberal Democrat candidates across the country to fight for a brighter future with Jo Swinson, our candidate to be Prime Minister.

I will stand on my strong local record, helping to secure local investment, fighting for fair funding for our schools and to secure additional funding in local health services.

Our country deserves so much better than Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn. I can’t wait to get to work, win this election and then deliver for my constituents and our country.

Leader of the Liberal Democrats Jo Swinson said:

I am delighted to welcome Antoinette to the Liberal Democrats. She is a passionate campaigner, and will be a fantastic candidate at the General Election and a great addition to our party. Her defection clearly shows that the Liberal Democrats are the strongest party of Remain and attracting support from right across the political spectrum.

Antoinette is one of the millions of people who are tired of the two old parties, led by people who will take our country backwards, not forwards. It is only the Liberal Democrats that will stop Brexit and build the brighter future that our country deserves.

As is now traditional, the news had been trailed by Jo Swinson in a musically-themed tweet: