Jo Swinson: We need the diversity of modern Britain to be the party of modern Britain

Kate Proctor talks to Lib-Dem leadership candidate Jo Swinson
Liberal Democrat leadership candidate Jo Swinson said she wanted to reset the party's culture
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Kate Proctor5 July 2019
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The front-runner in the Liberal-Democrat leadership race today admitted her party has a “problem” with getting people from black and Asian backgrounds to stand as MPs.

In an exclusive interview with the Evening Standard, Jo Swinson, inset, said she wanted to reset the party’s culture and would work “extra hard” to make people feel included in politics.

This would involve setting a strict criteria for selecting candidates at all levels of governance.

“We need to have this discussion frankly in the party that if we want to represent modern Britain, we need to be modern Britain,” she said.

“We need to be really honest that we have a problem and understand the levels where that problem is. Our membership is not as diverse and representative of the population as it needs to be.”

She added that she hoped that at council and activist level, data on the extremely low number of black and Asian members could be compiled to help the party make positive changes.

The only ethnic minority people at the top of the party are the newly elected MEPs for Yorkshire and the Humber, Shaffaq Mohammed and Dinesh Dhamija, and recent recruit Chuka Umunna MP — who defected from Labour via Change UK — and Layla Moran, whose mother is Palestinian.

In the South West region, the local party was instructed to pick two black and Asian candidates but went on to select five white ones. They were also instructed to have one LGBT+ candidate and a disabled candidate.

The leadership contest follows the resignation of Sir Vince Cable in May. A vote of party members will close on July 23 and the new leader will take office immediately afterwards.

Ms Swinson, who served as women and equalities minister in the coalition, said she would be “hard-headed” about celebrating success — such as their two ethnic minority candidates who won seats at the European elections.

The mother-of-two, 39, has served as the party deputy for the past two years and is an ardent EU Remainer and campaigner for a second referendum. She was elected as MP for East Dunbartonshire in 2005 aged 25, becoming the “baby of the house”.

She lost her seat in the 2015 election, winning it back from the Scottish National Party at the 2017 snap election.

Her rival for the leadership, Sir Ed Davey, the former secretary of state for energy, has said he wants to see a government of national unity to try to stop a no-deal Brexit and get a second vote.

Ms Swinson believes his plan is “not easy” and instead her focus is on getting 40 Tory MPs – particularly ministers — to shift towards a People’s Vote.

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