Jo Swinson

Joanne Kate Swinson (born 5 February 1980) is a Scottish former politician who was Leader of the Liberal Democrats from July to December 2019. Swinson was Member of Parliament (MP) for East Dunbartonshire from 2005 to 2015 and 2017 to 2019. In September 2020, Swinson became Director of Partners for a New Economy (P4NE). Born in Glasgow, Swinson studied at the London School of Economics and briefly worked in public relations before being elected to the House of Commons aged 25, becoming the youngest MP at the time. She was a Liberal Democrat Spokesperson covering various portfolios, including Scotland, Women and Equalities, Communities and Local Government, and Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. In 2010, after the Liberal Democrats entered into a coalition government with the Conservative Party, Swinson became Parliamentary Private Secretary to Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, and was later appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Employment Relations and Postal Affairs. She lost her seat in the 2015 election, but regained it in the snap election held two years later. Shortly after returning to Parliament, she was elected unopposed as Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats. In July 2019, following the retirement of Vince Cable, Swinson defeated Ed Davey in the leadership election. Swinson led her party through the 2019 general election, suggesting she could lead a Liberal Democrat majority government that would revoke Article 50 and cancel Brexit. Instead, the Liberal Democrats sustained a net loss in seats, including Swinson's own to Scottish National Party candidate Amy Callaghan. Swinson's unseating disqualified her from continuing as party leader — she is the only leader of the modern Liberal Democrats to have been disqualified this way. At less than five months, her tenure as leader is the shortest in the party's history, and she was succeeded by Davey.