Mr Farron used an appearance answering questions on the Lib Dem conference stage in Bournemouth to attack Mr Cameron’s “increasingly unpleasant, illiberal, frankly un-British rhetoric about refugees” and his “utter short-termism over the European Union referendum”.
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“My sense is that there are liberals in other parties who are not yet Liberal Democrats”.
Charles Clarke, the former home secretary, said there was “absolutely no chance of defections” and claimed Mr Farron was making “mischief”.
Mr Farron told the Evening Standard he had received “unsolicited texts” from well-known Labour figures “distressed” about the direction Mr Corbyn was taking them.
He claimed that Mr Corbyn’s victory and Labour’s shift to the left is “certainly an opportunity” and “certainly a way back” for the Lib Dems.
“The first fruits of those millions of people in Britain who know in their hearts they are liberal and have stepped up to the mark to become Liberal Democrats”.
“I think we may get some people coming across”.
Farron, who accused Corbyn of “fantasy economics”, is seeking to rebuild his party after it hemorrhaged support as a result of governing in coalition with Cameron’s Conservatives from 2010 until this year.
Mr Cable later rowed back on his comments, saying he wanted the Lib Dems to rebuild and lead the fight against the Tories from the Left but insisted it was important to keep an “ear” out for new “political formations”.
“It’s time that Britain had an economically credible and socially just opposition, and that’s the Liberal Democrats”, Farron said in an interview with Sky News.
Party members are gathering on the south coast for their first meet up since the election disaster in May which saw 48 of their 56 MPs lose their seats.
Highlighting the new members, Mr Farron will say: “By their simple act of joining us they proclaim that fear and division will not win, that liberalism can and must win”. It only takes a passing glance at Corbyn’s shadow cabinet, his record of rebellion and his dislike of party whips to bring rebel MPs in line (leading to suggestions that he may abandon the Labour whip altogether, as the Green Party have), to see that he is keen for more open discussion within the Labour Party on issues of policy.
The town’s last visit from a governing party was in 2007 when Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown seemed poised to announce an early General Election before backing away from the idea.
“We suffered a hard defeat in May, and are so anxious about what the Tories will do for the next five years, especially to students”.
“The Tories will slaughter them”.
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“I’m talking about the massive majority of people in this country who are voters but aren’t elected to any particular office, many of whom consider themselves to be supporters of the Tories or perhaps Labour”.
