Tim Farron: Theresa May heading for '˜landslide' win at election

Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron has said the Conservatives are heading for a 'landslide' in the General Election on Thursday as he again ruled out joining a coalition with any other party.

Liberal Democrats leader Tim Farron speaking at a BBC Question Time debate in Edinburgh. Picture: Victoria Jones/PA Wire

Appearing before a BBC Question Time audience in Edinburgh, he said the issue of a coalition would not arise as Theresa May was set to get a big majority in the new parliament.

“We are not going into coalition. I made that very, very clear.

“Whether one likes it or not, Theresa May is heading for a landslide on Thursday,” he said.

“I wish she wasn’t, but she called the election for that very purpose.”

His comments appeared in part designed to counter claims by the Tories that, with Labour gaining ground in the opinion polls, the Lib Dems and the SNP would prop up Jeremy Corbyn in a “coalition of chaos” in the event of a hung parliament.

While the polls suggest the Lib Dems may struggle to build on their tally of nine MPs in the last parliament, Mr Farron insisted they should not be written off.

He pointed to the SNP as an example of how rapidly political fortunes can change.

“If the polling is to be believed, one third of the folks in here support the SNP. Two years ago you had six MPs,” he said.

“Whether I like it or not you have made a significant difference in that time so don’t write off people because they have got a current number of MPs in single digits.”

He said that even in opposition it was possible for parties to make a practical difference in parliament.

“If you want, for example, to stop the dementia tax, cuts in education and in hospitals, then being in opposition gives you the chance to prevent all of those things,” he said.