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Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron today vowed to park his party’s “tanks on Tory lawns” as he launched their general election campaign in south-west London.

The pro-EU party is aiming to snatch back two more of their former seats in the area from the Conservatives after successfully taking Richmond Park from Zac Goldsmith in last December’s by-election.

Sources shied away from putting a number on how many seats they could win but the party believes their strongest chance of revival is in the capital where near electoral wipe-out in 2015 left them with just one seat.

Lining up to lead the charge is ex-Business Secretary Sir Vince Cable who is standing in Twickenham, which he held from 1997 to 2015, and former Energy Secretary Sir Ed Davey, who is challenging Tory James Berry’s slim majority in Kingston and Surbiton, having been its MP from 1997 to 2015. Mr Farron told the Evening Standard that London will be a “key electoral battleground” and warned MPs from all parties “we are coming for you”.

However launching his campaign in Richmond Park rather than one of their key battleground areas could be seen as a defensive opening move and a sign they are fighting to hold existing seats as well as make gains.

Mr Farron said: “We intend to park our tanks on Tory lawns. London will be a key electoral battleground. It voted overwhelmingly to remain part of the European Union at the referendum yet the vast majority of Londoners have been betrayed by their MP, be that MP Conservative or Labour.

“Those two parties have conspired together to push through a hard Brexit that London didn’t vote for.”

He said Londoners deserve a party that is fighting to keep Britain in the EU and in the single market. “There are a number of former held seats and a large number of other seats where suddenly we are in with a real shout and intend to give it a damned good go. There will be a lot of Tory MPs, and no doubt a few Labour ones, who will be sweating today as they see the Liberal Democrat fightback,” he said.

Sir Vince, 73, said it would be a “happy reunion” if he and other party grandees came back into politics, with a third knighted Lib Dem, Sir Simon Hughes, standing in his old Bermondsey seat, which he lost in 2015 to Labour’s Neil Coyle.

He said: “We are good friends so it will be a happy reunion if we all get back in. I’ve got plenty of energy, stamina and commitment for the next five years.”

He ruled out a coalition with Labour, claiming the two party’s views are too different.