The Lib Dem hopefuls ruled out every having a coalition (Picture: Getty)

Liberal Democrat leadership candidates said they would not go into coalition with Jeremy Corbyn or Boris Johnson because they’ll ‘damage the country’.

Jo Swinson and Sir Ed Davey branded the men as ‘Brexiteers’ but insisted their party is committed to ‘stopping Brexit’.

Both MPs are in the running to succeed Sir Vince Cable, who will step down on July 23 and nominations to replace him close on June 7.

They said a coalition with Labour under Corbyn’s leadership or one with the Tories under potentially Johnson’s rule were not an option.


Sir Ed said he was more focused on tackling climate change than working out the best way for the UK to leave the EU.



Ms Swinson, when asked on Channel 4 News who she’d consider a coalition with, said: ‘Not with Boris Johnson, not with Jeremy Corbyn.

Jo Swinson told Channel 4 the idea was not an option (Picture: Getty)

Sir Ed Davey, who is also running, rejected the idea too (Picture: SWNS)

‘Both of those men are Brexiteers, their vision will damage this country.

‘Of course, as Liberal Democrats, we want electoral reform and that is a strategically important goal to achieve.’

Sir Ed agreed, saying the Lib Dems would not work with either, adding: ‘Certainly not Boris Johnson or Jeremy Corbyn.’

He said: ‘I am not putting a cap on Liberal Democrat ambitions.

‘I would fight as leader for every Liberal Democrat vote, get as many Liberal Democrat MPs as possible, and will then make judgements after that election about the right way forward.

The pair called Corbyn a ‘Brexiteer’ (Picture: PA)

They added the men will ‘damage the country’ (Picture: Reuters)

‘But I can tell you this, their criteria would be stopping Brexit, the criteria would be tackling the climate emergency.’

Since polls closed in last week’s European Parliamentary elections, the Liberal Democrats said 6,000 new members joined the party, bumping up the figure to 11,000 new members this month.

The party says its membership now stands at more than 100,000.

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