John McDonnell vows to 'convert' Jo Swinson to backing Jeremy Corbyn as caretaker PM
3 min read
John McDonnell has predicted that he can "convert" Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson over to backing Jeremy Corbyn as a caretaker Prime Minister.
The Shadow Chancellor once again rejected pleas for a government of national unity headed up by a senior MP as he insisted only the Labour leader could lead an alternative to Boris Johnson's administration.
But Ms Swinson's spokesperson said Mr Corbyn did not "have the numbers" to head up a government.
Labour and the Lib Dems have been at odds for weeks over who could lead a government aimed at stopping a no-deal Brexit should Mr Johnson be brought down in a vote of no-confidence.
Labour has insisted that Mr Corbyn, as leader of the official opposition, should take the reins, while the Lib Dems have argued that he could not command the support of many in his own party.
Instead, Ms Swinson has publicly floated the idea of Tory grandee Ken Clarke or Labour veteran Harriet Harman stepping us as an interim Prime Minister.
But Mr McDonnell told reporters: "The rules are the rules. We are not into a government of national unity."
And, asked whether Ms Swinson's refusal to support Mr Corbyn had made the talks more difficult, the Shadow Chancellor said: "No. I was brought up a Catholic. I'm a great believer in the powers of conversion."
In a sign of the ongoing tension between the two parties, a spokesperson for Ms Swinson shot back: "Jo is a great believer in the power of mathematics. Jeremy Corbyn does not have the numbers and needs to make clear who he would support if we need an emergency government."
Meanwhile Lib Dem MP Chuka Umunna - who quit Labour earlier this year - tweeted: "Given 21 former Tory MPs and at least 8 others clear there are no circumstances under which they would vote Jeremy Corbyn in as Prime Minister then the numbers don't add up and an alternative compromise candidate will be needed."
The Chancellor's intervention comes after opposition parties failed to agree on a course of action to bring down Mr Johnson's government in crunch talks earlier this week.
Speaking after the cross-party summit in Westminster, Mr Corbyn - who rejected an SNP bid to bring a motion of no-confidence this week - said he would only back such an effort "at a point we can win it and take no-deal off the table".
The SNP's Ian Blackford said: "What we absolutely are united on is that we want to stop no-deal. We are going to continue to meet over the coming days."
But Mr McDonnell said Labour was now "unlikely" to table a no confidence vote until after a crucial EU summit scheduled for 17 October.
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