15 May Lib Dems drop hint that they could back Starmer to oust the Tories
THE Lib Dems have no plans for a coalition with Labour “at the moment”, one of the party’s MPs told GB News as she repeatedly refused to rule out backing Sir Keir Starmer.
Speculation of a deal has been rife since the local elections earlier this month.
The Tories lost more than 1,000 councillors and lost control of 48 authorities in devastating results that saw Labour become the biggest party of local government across the UK.
However, pollsters have suggested that Labour did not win by a big enough margin in order to secure a majority at the next general election.
The outcome has led to increased questions being asked about whether Labour and the Lib Dems could work together after the national ballot.
And in a development that is likely to only lead to further speculation, Scottish Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine this morning failed to reject entering a coalition.
She told GB News’s The Camilla Tominey Show: “When the general election comes, we will be talking about the general election. But we will not be talking about a coalition.
“We have no plans at the moment to enter a coalition with anyone.
“We want to win as many seats as we possibly can at the next election. That’s where our focus is, that’s what we are doing.
“We are focusing on winning as many seats as we possibly can so people get better representation than they have had during this Conservative Government.”
Pushed on whether a deal could be struck with Labour to ensure there wasn’t another Conservative Government after the next election, Jardine refused to be drawn on what her party would do.
“We are not talking about coalitions, we are working hard. We are not taking voters for granted the way the Conservative party do,” she said.
“We are working for every vote in the general election whenever it might come.”
Insisting that the party was as eager to take seats from Labour as the Tories, she added: “We will be contesting every single seat in this country, against every single party and we will be doing everything we can to increase the number of Liberal Democrat seats.
“We’re in second place in 80-90 seats across the country to all parties.
“And we will be doing everything we can to win in seats like Sheffield Hallam which we want to take from Labour. We just recently took Hull council from Labour.”
