Jewish communal leaders and politicians have welcomed the election of Jo Swinson as leader of the Liberal Democrats, with MP Luciana Berger saying her victory would be “the only good political news this week.”
Ms Swinson - a business minister in David Cameron’s coalition government - won 47,997 votes, compared to challenger Ed Davey’s 28,021, in the contest to replace Sir Vince Cable as leader of the resurgent party.
The new Lib Dem leader has repeatedly ruled out entering into a coalition with a Jeremy Corbyn-led Labour and repeated her assessment that “Corbyn is a Brexiteer “ during an interview with BBC Radio Four’s Today on Tuesday.
Ms Swinson, who is her party's first female leader, has also attacked the Labour leader’s “inability to act on antisemitism” and during her campaign for the new role also described the BDS anti-Israel movement as “counter-productive.”
Welcoming Ms Swinson’s victory, Board of Deputies President Marie van der Zyl said: “We have enjoyed good relations with past [Lib Dem] leaders who have worked with us to ensure the interests of our community are protected, such as by adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism and ensuring those who propagate antisemitic tropes are dealt with firmly.”
Liverpool Wavertree MP Ms Berger was forced to clarify her welcoming remarks towards Ms Swinson on social media, as Labour supporters attacked the Lib Dem leader for being part of the Coalition government
In a Twitter thread,Ms Berger wrote: "My responsibility is to our country. At this perilous political time we need all MPs standing up, speaking out and voting accordingly. The truth is that too few are.
“I haven’t forgotten about austerity and the choices the LDs backed/instigated with the Tories in government. Every day I see the effects of the cuts in my casework and #mentalhealth campaigning.
“But four years on from the end of the Coalition, I’m clear that the impact of a No Deal/hard Brexit to which we are headed, with Johnson as PM, will have even more devastating consequences for my constituency and the millions of people across the UK who deserve & need so much more.
“This moment demands what’s right for the country, not a blinkered, slavish dedication to a tribal two party politics, which is currently serving no one other than a relatively small number of people (who are members of those parties).
“So again - well done Jo. I really welcome your election. I will work with you and anyone else that is going to stand up in the national interest.”
