The Liberal Democrats face the disastrous prospect of losing all their MEPs at the European elections, one of the party’s most senior figures admitted.
Tim Farron, the Lib Dem president, warned that the party faced the “fight of our lives”. Losing its 12 MEPs would be a huge embarrassment for Britain’s most pro-European party, which is expected to lead the campaign to keep the UK inside the European Union ahead of a referendum on the issue.
It would also heap further pressure on Nick Clegg, the Lib Dem leader, who has seen his party’s popularity plummet following its decision to join the Tories in a coalition government.
Mr Farron warned that the party’s “very presence in the European Parliament could be at stake” in a