Lib Dem love in! Sir Danny Alexander joins Nick Clegg for a photo with ‘old pal’ George Osborne – sparking complaints the ex-Treasury minister is ‘hurting’ his party’s chances in the EU elections
- Lib Dems currently riding high in polls, attracting support of Remain supporters
- Some critics claimed that the photo would help undermine the party’s chances
- They lost many supporters when they agreed to join the Tories in a Coalition
A former Liberal Democrat Cabinet minister was yesterday accused of undermining his party’s chances in the European elections by positing a picture of himself with George Osborne.
Sir Danny Alexander, chief secretary to the Treasury in the Coalition government, tweeted the photograph of himself alongside his ‘old friends’, the Tory ex-chancellor and former Lib Dem leader Sir Nick Clegg.
The Lib Dems are currently riding high in the polls, attracting the support of Remain supporters annoyed at Labour’s equivocal stance on Brexit.
Sir Danny Alexander, chief secretary to the Treasury in the Coalition government, tweeted the photograph of himself alongside his ‘old friends’, the Tory ex-chancellor and former Lib Dem leader Sir Nick Clegg
Last night Labour gleefully pointed out that Sir Danny’s picture reminding voters of the Coalition years may not help the Lib Dems’ electoral prospects.
The party’s education spokesman Angela Raynor said: ‘Excellent timing, Danny, just to remind people who were the architects of austerity in the awful Coalition government.
‘I am glad you are delighted to see some “old friends”. Unfortunately those still living with the fallout from austerity are not so delighted to see you all again.’
Before he was elected to Parliament in 2005, Sir Danny was head of communications at the Cairngorms National Park Authority.
The Lib Dems lost the support of many of their supporters when they joined the Tories in Coalition between 2010 and 2015, ushering in the age of austerity.
Their abandonment of a manifesto promise not to introduce tuition fees sparked particular anger, and they were reduced to a rump of just eight MPs at the 2015 election.
Last night Labour gleefully pointed out that Sir Danny’s picture reminding voters of the Coalition years may not help the Lib Dems’ electoral prospects. Pictured: Jeremy Corbyn
Sir Danny went on to work for the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
Sir Nick – who stepped down as Lib Dem leader after the 2015 general election – now works for Facebook as its head of global affairs and communications.
Mr Osborne faced criticism for taking on multiple jobs after he was sacked as chancellor by Theresa May in 2016. He is now editor of the London Evening Standard.