Why the Liberal Democrats are standing against anti-Brexit Labour candidates

Politics Explained: Jo Swinson has come in for criticism over her refusal to stand down candidates in seats where the Lib Dems’ presence could help Boris Johnson’s Tories, but it is part of a wider strategy, writes Benjamin Kentish

When the Liberal Democrats agreed to help Boris Johnson secure a pre-Christmas general election, they insisted that doing so was the only way to stop Brexit.

With it looking likely that the prime minister had the numbers needed to pass his Brexit deal, they said an election to oust the Tories from power was the only way to stop that happening.

Since then, however, they have decided to field candidates in seats where the Tories and Labour are neck and neck – a move, critics say, that will split the anti-Brexit vote and increase the chances of Johnson winning a majority on 12 December.