Political Purgatory: What Makes a Lib-Dem?

By Andrew Watson

First published on CityLiveGlasgow

Last week saw MP’s return to the House of Commons following the Supreme Court ruling that Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s prorogation of parliament was unlawful. The Tories are now in dire straits and with no parliamentary majority, much of the discussion amongst the commentariat has centred on a potential vote of no confidence.

Opposition parties met on Monday to discuss tactics for preventing a no-deal Brexit. These discussions came just days after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she was ‘Open to Corbyn’ as temporary caretaker Prime Minister. The summit resulted in little progress, with Liberal Democrat Leader Jo Swinson reiterating her opposition to the idea of a temporary government could be led by the Labour Leader, Jeremy Corbyn.

Swinson’s insistence on this issue seems as vehement as it is puzzling, as the Lib Dems are the party of remain and revoke. Swinson herself claimed: “No-deal Brexit is like burning your own house down”, so why the insistence on political arson? The answer is simple; pure strategy. Swinson has attempted to play on her opposition to Corbyn as a point of political principle. Despite the Labour party committing to a second referendum in the event of a Labour Government, Swinson and her party remain averse to even a temporary Corbyn Premiership to stop no-deal.

Lib Dem strategy is, however, apparently lacking in other areas of principle. Recent recruits to the party have come from across the political spectrum. Former Conservative MP Phillip Lee defected to the Lib Dems at the beginning of September. Lee is the MP who tabled an unsuccessful amendment on the Immigration bill, backed by MPs like Dominic Raab, that would have seen immigrants tested for “prescribed pathogens”, including HIV before permission could be granted for emigration. This hardly seems to be an indication of liberal values from the Liberal Democrats new MP.

Lee with Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson

Lee, who was elected as a Conservative MP for Bracknell, also abstained on same-sex marriage, even when his own party’s leadership backed the policy. His illiberal ideals don’t end there. Lee almost always voted against devolution, electoral reform, investigation into the Iraq war and measures to prevent climate change.

He also frequently voted in favour of a stricter asylum system and a reduction in welfare benefits. Lee certainly wasn’t a Tory Moderate. So what’s the criteria for being a Lib Dem these days? Lib Dem Leader Swinson told Channel 4 News that she was delighted Lee was joining at a crucial time in British politics.

She said: “He brings almost 10 years of parliamentary experience and decades of professional expertise. He shares our commitment to prevent a disastrous no-deal Brexit, and to stop Brexit altogether”

If Swinson is willing to ignore Lee’s opposition to key policy areas for the Lib Dems, then what do the Liberal Democrats stand for other than stopping Brexit? The lack of vision beyond Brexit raises the question of trust in the Lib Dems.

Trust is not a topic many Liberal Democrats are confident broaching. In 2017 Former Labour MP Chuka Umunna declared on Twitter: “You can’t trust a word the Lib Dems say”. Umunna defected from the Labour party earlier this year to launch Change UK, before escaping to the Liberal Democrats upon the parties implosion. In two years Umunna seems to have forgotten what he was criticising.

Umunna’s tweets

The Lib Dems plummeted in the 2015 general election after they repeatedly failed to deliver on their manifesto commitments. However, not only did they fail to deliver, on some pledges they completely U-turned. In their 2010 election campaign, the party committed to voting against increasing tuition fees. By the end of the coalition, tuition fees have trebled, with 27 of the 57 Lib Dems who had pledged not to increase fees, voting in favour of increases.

If the Lib Dems are ever to be trusted beyond Brexit, they will need to craft a viable liberal political vision, a difficult task for such a Broad-church amongst 17 MP’s. Now parliament has returned it will become apparent in the coming weeks whether the Lib Dems can hold it together, or if the party will be stretched thin by ideological differences.