GE2019: Liberal Democrat leader's far West County offensive finally gets underway

A little more than two weeks out from polling day the Liberal Democrat leader is in Cornwall for her first visit of this election campaign.

The party went into the 2015 election with three of the six seats in the county (St Ives, St Austell & Newquay and North Cornwall), but was wiped out in the whole of the West Country after the election as the Coalition Government came to an end.

In recent months the party has become increasingly hopeful in the West Country after their success in local and European elections.

But that confidence seems to have decreased during this campaign, and that can be seen by the lack of visits from the Lib Dem leader - until now Jo Swinson has only visited one West Country constituency - North East Somerset.

For years the party considered the West Country as its heartland, but its decision to campaign to revoke Article 50 - effectively cancelling Brexit - has put the party at odds with the way a number of constituencies here voted in the 2016 referendum.

One candidate in a leave voting constituency told me they, "had their head in their hands" when the party changed its Brexit policy.

The Lib Dems held a lot of the West Country before the 2015 election.

Jo Swinson is expected to visit Gloucestershire too, but both of her visits are planned in remain voting areas.

This week the party has rowed back from its hope to form the next Government and is instead targeting Conservative held seats they believe they can win, perhaps that is why the leader is focusing on these remain areas rather than going to leave voting targets.

In past elections it has been almost impossible to avoid Lib Dem visits to the West Country but that's not been the case this time round.

Liberal Democrats leader Jo Swinson during the launch of her party's manifesto. Credit: Yui Mok/PA Images

The remain voting seats the party is hoping to take at this election are Cheltenham, possibly Truro & Falmouth, and to keep Bath. But its leave voting targets include St Ives, North Cornwall, North Devon and Wells.

The party believes if Brexit is cancelled then the country will get billions of pounds of a "remain bonus" which it would spend on public services.

Today (Nov 26) the party has announced plans to expand the 'Blue Belt' of Marine Protected areas to cover at least 50% of the UK's territorial waters, including overseas territories, by 2030, already there are a number planned around the West Country coast.

Liberal Democrat election boards. Credit: PA

This week is shaping up to be a major week of campaigning in the West Country. Nigel Farage was in Plymouth on Monday (Nov 25) and with the Lib Dems in Cornwall, expect more high profile visits this week as the Election 2019 battle is fought out in the South West.