Jo Swinson could lead the Lib Dems back into government

On every measure, the Lib Dems are now doing well, having recovered from the trauma of 2015, when they were almost wiped out

She is unmarked by the scars of coalition and well placed to take the party to its next stage (Getty)

Jo Swinson is a lucky general. She became leader of the Liberal Democrats when they were at their strongest since going into government nine years ago, and after a four-year exile in the wilderness.

Perhaps it was not all luck. She decided not to run against Vince Cable for the leadership when she came back to the House of Commons in the 2017 election. She seemed to be passing up a good chance to lead the party, but she might not have beaten Cable, who was elected unopposed.

And now she takes over as a new leader, less marked by the scars of coalition government, and well placed to take the party to its next stage. She is not a totally fresh face: she was a minister in the Conservative-led coalition, and so Labour and the Scottish Nationalists assail her for voting for the bedroom tax and the tripling of tuition fees. These assaults seem to have less effect on her than on Cable, though, partly because she was less visible, being out of parliament 2015-17.