Tim Farron savages Tory plans to sell off housing association homes

Jeremy Corbyn, who was elected as new leader of labour party on 12 September, is expected to reveal the plan of renationalising the railways.

He hopes that he will be able to take advantage of a “vast space” in the centre ground caused by Labour’s election of left-winger Mr Corbyn and Mr Cameron’s policies since taking office without the restraints imposed on him by the Lib Dems.

Sir Vince’s comments came after Lib Dem leader Tim Farron claimed his party offers the only credible alternative to a generation of Tory rule despite the Lib Dems’ disastrous general election result.

British Baroness Jenny Tonge has said she is considering joining the Labour Party following the election of Jeremy Corbyn as party leader.

But it was shadow foreign secretary, Hillary Benn, who said on the BBC show that instead of labour’s, conservatives were ideological. It was a key Liberal Democrat demand extracted in exchange for the Tories failed Shares For Rights scheme.

Backbencher Stephen Kinnock told BBC Radio 4’s World at One: “What we need very soon is cohesion”.

“It is his referendum, he’s put it to the country, as we all know”.

Lady Tonge said she had known Mr Corbyn for a long time, sharing support for Palestine and meeting Hamas leaders on a joint trip to Gaza.

Speculation about defections has run at fever pitch since Mr Farron told the Standard last week that he had been in phone and text contact with Labour figures in despair at Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership.

“I would just say to those MPs that are saying things on the record and off the record, please respect the mandate he has been given”, he said. So I am proud of what we did in government and I am determined that we will return to government‘.

He said: “My view, being entirely realistic, is that this is a 10-year journey”.

Both Renzi’s Democratic Party and Corbyn’s Labour sit with the party of European socialists in the European Parliament.

Mr Farron said the party would “tolerate” people choosing to take their own position “but I am very clear, as somebody who is a northern Briton, somebody born in Lancashire and now part of my community in Cumbria, that Scotland is absolutely integral to my identity and believe that Britain is better together”.

Richard Wyn Jones, professor of Welsh Politics at Cardiff University, will warn also tonight of tensions and difficulties between an opposition Labour Party at Westminster and a governing one in Wales.

The new shadow Transport Secretary, Lilian Greenwood, will head a party taskforce to develop the plans, consulting with transport and disability-access campaigners, passenger groups, local authorities, rail-industry representatives and rail employees.