East Dunbartonshire MP was favourite to succeed Tim Farron but says she will fight for Lib Dem deputy leadership instead

Jo Swinson, the former equalities minister and previously the bookmakers’ favourite for the Liberal Democrat leadership contest, has announced that she will not be a candidate in the election to replace Tim Farron.

Instead Swinson will run for the party’s deputy leadership, she announced in a blog post for Lib Dem Voice.

Her decision means that that next Lib Dem leader is most likely to be either Sir Vince Cable, Sir Ed Davey or Norman Lamb, although not one of those three former coalition ministers has yet confirmed that he is standing.

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Swinson, who is 37 and who has only just returned to parliament after losing her seat in 2015, suggested that she did not feel experienced enough for the top role, although she also hinted that she was planning a pitch for the job in the future.

“Four weeks ago today, I ran a marathon,” she wrote. “Training for and running marathons teaches you a lot about planning, perseverance, and resilience. Creating lasting political change is a marathon, not a sprint.

“Feminist that I am, I have of course wondered what a bloke in my position would do. It’s obvious. Most blokes in my shoes would run for leader like a shot.

“It’s true that my many years of encouraging women to have the confidence to go for that exciting new role have taught me that women often don’t go for things when they should. But just as often I have observed men going for the promotion when they shouldn’t. Just because a man would do it, doesn’t make it the right thing to do.”

Swinson said that when Farron resigned, her instincts told her to go for the deputy leadership vacancy. If no other candidate applies by Tuesday, she will be elected to the post unopposed.