General Election 2019: Jo Swinson insists she can still be PM despite slide in polls

Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson has insisted she can still be Prime Minister despite a slide in recent polls for her party.

Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson poses with her mother Annette in front of the party's tour bus while on the campaign trail in Glasgow. Picture: Aaron Chown/PA Wire

The East Dunbartonshire MP, who recently came under fire from the likes of Nicola Sturgeon and singer Amy McDonald over her stance on nuclear weapons, was speaking at a campaign event in Glasgow, where she stated that “not a single vote has been cast” in the election and that she was still in with a chance of leading the country.

Since the early days of the campaign, Ms Swinson has said she is “running to be Prime Minister”.

The latest Ipsos MORI poll shows support for Ms Swinson’s party has dropped by 4% between October and November, now standing at 16%.

Ms Swinson insisted it was still possible for her to walk into Downing Street after the December 12 election.

She said: “Not a single vote has been cast. This is an election and people get to choose, so it’s absolutely possible.

“People can choose better than Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn.”

Optimism

The Lib Dem leader was optimistic about the campaign so far, saying: “I think we’re doing really well.

“We’re out on doorsteps and seeing what’s happening in our seats across the country.

“We’ve got lots of opportunities to get our message out.”

• READ MORE: Amy Macdonald blasts Lib Dem’s Jo Swinson for nuclear comments

When asked what she would class as a “good performance”, Ms Swinson said the party was looking to win as many contests as it can.

She added: “There are seats where Liberal Democrats are in contention where we have never had a chance of winning before.

“That’s partly because things have changed fundamentally because of Brexit.

“There are so many people who are worried about our future.”

Under fire

Ms Swinson faced criticism this week after she said she would be content to launch a nuclear strike if she was Prime Minister and it was required of her.

Following the Lib Dem leader’s answering of the nuclear question, Nicola Sturgeon described the use of deterrent as “immoral, ineffective and a waste of money”.

Speaking in Glasgow, Ms Swinson stood by her answer, suggesting a deterrent can only be effective if there is a chance it will be used.

She said: “The Liberal Democrats support a nuclear deterrent and we support multilateral disarmament.

“I answered the question honestly and clearly and I think that if a deterrent is effective, then that has to be the situation.”

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