Meet Jo Swinson, the anti-Brexit kingmaker in Britain’s election
Robert Carter
Press TV, London
Meet Jo Swinson, the current leader of Britain’s centrist Liberal Democrats and the first female to hold the post ever in the party’s history. Swinson was elected in July 2019, when the then aging leader Vince Cable designed to throw in the towel and resign from politics.
Paving the way for the deputy leader to win the top party post.
Swinson, who was elected leader with a whopping 63% of the vote, has been hailed as a breath of fresh air within the party.
Under her leadership, party membership has risen to a record 115,000 members, with many supporters attributing this rapid growth to what they called 'the Swinson surge'.
And Swinson has made clear to her new following that the party is aiming to win it all.
There is no doubt that the Lib Dems have been in desperate need of a revival, ever since the party was virtually wiped out in 2014, following their stint in government under Nick Clegg’s leadership.
In recent years, the Lib Dems have positioned themselves as staunch remainers. Capitalising on the pledge to keep Britain firmly in the European Union and reverse the 2016 Brexit referendum, which has left 16 million pro remain Brits desperate for a second chance.
Throughout the year, Swinson has been on the offensive, snapping at the heels of the Brexiteer Prime Minister Boris Johnson but also at the leader of the biggest opposition party; Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn.
As a result, Swinson entered into this election campaign with high hopes of exploiting the power vacuum brought on by the Brexit crisis. However, polling suggests she has failed to make the intended impact on voters.
With YouGov polls still showing a massive gap between the third place Lib Dems and the 2nd placed UK Labour.
Even for the most optimistic Swinson supporter, winning a majority seems far-fetched.
But what is more likely is a coalition partnership with either Labour or the Conservatives. That scenario would see Swinson as kingmaker of the next government and, at least for a time, the most powerful woman in the country.
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