There is one word that nearly everyone uses about Swinson: prepared. She has always been someone that is ultra organised and likes to be extensively briefed before taking part in TV interviews or House of Commons debates. A number of sources told us that the briefing pack she wanted for her BBC Question Time appearances was three or four times bigger than those given to other Lib Dem colleagues.

"I’ve never come across someone who over-prepares for everything like her," one source said. "She wants everyone's viewpoint so you’re never sure where an idea comes from." Allies said this was in part due to a lack of confidence, especially early on (she entered parliament aged 25), and partly because of her nature. "She’s become more confident in herself over the years," one said. "It’s still there, and will always be there, but not to the same extent."

Fellow Lib Dem MP Christine Jardine, who has known Swinson for over a decade, told BuzzFeed News: "I don’t think you can ever be over-prepared. We have seen in other parties the problems it can cause if you’re not properly prepared. Jo doesn’t say anything without being fully briefed and being aware of the implications of what she’s saying. That's one of her biggest strengths."

But her high expectations of staff can cause problems. Two separate sources recalled seeing a young female member of staff in tears after one meeting with Swinson and said there were other incidents where staffers felt she had been "brusque" and "unappreciative". "I have a very distinct memory of how she made a female member of staff cry just by being overbearing and over-demanding," one source said.

This was particularly grating to the staff involved, the insider said, because at the same time they were receiving press releases about Swinson's new book Equal Power, a dissection of gender inequality.

A spokeswoman for Swinson said she was unaware of the specific incident and so was unable to comment. A source close to Swinson said she was "passionate, diligent and had high standards", and pointed out that women leaders are often portrayed as "difficult" while men are "decisive and strong".

Caron Lindsay, a Lib Dem activist and long-time friend of Swinson, said she had never heard of staff being upset. "She expects a lot of the people around her," Lindsay told us. "She will say what she thinks and she doesn’t bear a grudge. People make mistakes, you have to say something, and sometimes that can feel critical."

She recalled how Swinson had made demands of party activists during the 2005 general election campaign, when she was first elected for East Dunbartonshire in Scotland. “She said, 'I need you to take out 300 leaflets in the morning and 300 in the afternoon'," Lindsay said. "We all did it and that's what we needed to do to win the seat. Any manager sets objectives of their staff and the people around them."

A friend of Swinson, who worked on her leadership campaign, said she would grow into the role of leader. "If I was going to offer a criticism of Jo, she is very demanding — not only of herself but of others, the quality of what they produce, the time she expects them to give," they said. "And she is pretty by the book. I’d like to see her be more creative, show some more of that passion, she needs to act instinctively and with a bit more flair."

Swinson grew up in East Dunbartonshire, just outside Glasgow, before studying management at the London School of Economics (she graduated with a first class degree aged 20). One of her first jobs was as a marketing manager for Viking FM, a radio station based in Hull, where she organised a school tour with rock band Busted as well as pub crawls to promote the station’s new breakfast show.

