The remarkable rebirth of the Lib Dems will demand some tough choices – and sooner than you might think

Editorial: Jo Swinson is flying, but she needs to widen her party’s policy offer beyond Brexit and make sure the stance on working with Labour is clear. Otherwise she will see her party dragged down

The Lib Dem leader needs to make sure this isn’t another false dawn (PA)

They’re going to need a bigger minibus.

The defection, or re-defection, of Luciana Berger from Labour to the Independent Group/Change UK and, now, to the Liberal Democrats brings the party’s Commons strength up to 16. It’s still quite a come down from the high water mark of 63, achieved under Charles Kennedy’s leadership, but remarkable progress all the same.

For the first time in a decade, the Liberal Democrats have some solid cause to feel optimistic. With excellent showings in by-elections and the European contests, and the high-profile defection of Phillip Lee from the Tories (theatrically interrupting Boris Johnson’s Commons statement to the G7 summit), they seem to be on a roll.