Lib Dem leader says his party is best placed to provide strong opposition and rules out pacts with Labour and the Greens

Tim Farron has predicted the Conservatives are on course for a landslide victory and the only question to be settled in the election is which party can form a strong opposition.

In an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the Liberal Democrat leader ruled out electoral pacts with Labour and the Greens but said he was “relaxed” about Lib Dems in Brighton standing aside in favour of the Green party co-leader, Caroline Lucas.

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But he said the Lib Dems were the only party with any prospect of gaining seats from the Conservatives, and were better placed than Labour to oppose the government.

He said: “There will be a Conservative landslide. There is no point in pretending otherwise. The Liberal Democrats are the only opposition party basically left standing with a decent result in the local election results, in a place with fire in our bellies and a clarity of purpose to challenge what is the real vacancy in British politics – and that is for there to be a decent opposition.”

Farron used the phrase “strong opposition” at least eight times in a manner that appeared deliberately chosen as an alternative echo to Theresa May’s electoral mantra of “strong and stable government”.

He said: “The worst governments are the ones with the weakest oppositions. The Liberal Democrats are in a very strong position now to fill that space.”

Farron said he was heartened by the Lib Dems’ performance in last week’s local elections, when their vote share increased by 7%. He added: “In the Labour party led by Jeremy Corbyn you now have an opposition which is not only not an alternative government, but not even an effective opposition.”



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Asked if he backed the decision of Lib Dems in Brighton Pavilion to stand aside for the Greens, Farron said: “The local party in Brighton made a choice and their democratic right to choose to withdraw in order to support Caroline Lucas. I’m relaxed about that. I’ve always been a fan of Caroline Lucas.”

But he added: “The Liberal Democrats will engage in no pacts, no deals. There will be no coalition involving Labour or Conservatives or any other party following the election.”

Farron pledged to spend £7bn on schools and colleges by reversing the corporation tax cut and scrapping the married couples’ tax allowance. He also said the Lib Dems would save £100bn by keeping Britain in the single market. He said: “That wise choice means we would have the money we need to spend on our schools and our hospitals. Our priorities are health and education.”