Chuka Umunna's Quotes Slamming The Lib Dems Read To Party Leadership Candidate
14 June 2019, 13:28 | Updated: 14 June 2019, 13:37
A Lib Dem leadership candidate is read highly critical comments about the party made by the MP who recently defected to them.
Former Change UK MP Chuka Umunna has recently defected to the Liberal Democrats, a party who he himself has been highly critical of and their coalition involvement in austerity policies.
LBC presenter Tom Swarbrick spoke to one of the party's leadership candidates Ed Davey and put some of these comments from Mr Umunna to him.
Tom began by citing a quote from 2017 where Mr Umunna said: "The Liberal Democrats are trying to bury their recent past as the enablers of Tory austerity, but working people will not forget or forgive the damage they did in government and what it is still doing to our communities."
Mr Davey responded "I think he will learn when he gets to know us what we did in government to stop the Tories slashing our public services and slashing welfare benefits far faster and deeper."
But Tom continued with another 2017 quote where Mr Umunna said: "What the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives have done to our public services since 2010 and the cuts to support on those on low incomes, the disabled and others in need is unforgiveable."
Mr Davey said: "What he will do when he listens to us and sees the evidence is that the biggest cuts to things like education have happened since 2015 because the Liberal Democrats actually protected schools in the coalition.
In 2013, Mr Umunna said: "Over and over again, they have said one thing and done another that's why nobody believes a word Nick Clegg and Vince Cable says."
Tom also asked: "He said when he joined Change UK that you can't change the status quo if you're going to rejoin it - what makes you think he's going to stick in the Liberal Democrats?
Mr Davey replied by saying that he has thought Mr Umunna was a suitable fit for his party for some time.
"I've seen his record over the years and he's basically a liberal.
"He has real liberal tendencies and real liberal views, and that's why I'm really delighted to welcome him."
