Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron appealed to Labour voters in his party conference speech, making a case for his party as the strongest possible opposition to the Conservatives.
Farron said Labour had “left the stage” under Jeremy Corbyn and promoted the Liberal Democrats as a viable alternative. He said he understood asking Labour voters to join his party was a “big ask”, but said he felt he had to try in order to mitigate Conservative power.
Farron praised some of ex-Labour leader Tony Blair’s policies but said Corbyn was “obsessed with re-fighting the battles of the past”, and that British politics was “crying out to be filled by a real opposition.”
Tim Farron was elected leader of the Liberal Democrats in 2015 after Nick Clegg’s resignation. The Lib Dems enjoyed several years in the spotlight as part of a coalition between 2010 and 2015 but has since seen popularity tank on the back of a number of policies that went against their manifesto, including the introduction of higher university fees.
Ex-deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg also spoke at the party conference on Monday, taking the opportunity to lambast the current government for their lack of plan since the European Referendum. Clegg, who is now the Liberal Democrat party’s EU Spokesperson, said the Tories were “up a Brexit creek without a paddle, a canoe or a map – they have absolutely no clue”.
The main parties are split on what should happen next post-Brexit; Liberal Democrats are campaigning for a referendum on the terms of the Brexit deal, although the former Lib Dem business secretary Vince Cable said the party “must accept” the referendum result instead of focusing attention on a second vote. Labour leader candidate Owen Smith has also spoken out in favour of a second referendum, with Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May continuing to say that ‘Brexit means Brexit’.