Lib Dems tell those offended by 'Bollocks to Brexit' messaging to get a sense of humour

The Lib Dems' manifesto featuring the "Bollocks to Brexit" messaging is discussed on Good Morning Britain. Photograph: ITV. - Credit: Archant

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable has defended adopting the ‘Bollocks to Brexit’ message for the European elections as the party’s pro-Remain agenda becomes a talking point in the news.

The message, which has been used by anti-Brexit campaigners including The New European, has been used to tap into the anger of those that want to Remain in the EU.

Now Sir Vince Cable is hoping that the message will have more cut-through with the voters than rival Remain parties like Greens and Change UK.

Explaining the rationale behind the messaging, Sir Vince said: “We are unambiguous, we argue we should stop Brexit, we’ve argued for a people’s vote, we’re not apologetic about it.

“Some people may not like that, but I think others admire the honesty and clarity of our position.”

But some have suggested that the messaging is “offensive” or a “swear word”, pointing to the fact that OFCOM rates the word “medium” in offensiveness, and cannot be used before the watershed on television.

Sir Vince told Good Morning Britain people were too “easily offended” if they were unhappy with the party’s use of the message, and said it was a “clear, honest” way to outline his position on Brexit.

“There is also something called humour, okay maybe as a country we have lost our sense of humour but it is an attempt to put in a more pungent way, what an awful lot of people think.

“It is clear, it is honest. There are wallflowers who get offended by this thing.

Lib Dems use ‘Bollocks to Brexit’ messaging. Photograph: Twitter. – Credit: Archant

“Some people will be offended, some people are easily offended.

“Other people will think ‘well actually, these guys are absolutely straight forward about what they believe’.

“I think on balance, it is the right thing to do.”

Asked whether he thought that the Lib Dems would suffer from Change UK being on the ballot paper in the European elections, he said that the party had been written off before, and that he expected that people would opt for the “strongest of the Remain parties” which he said was the Lib Dems.

He added that they had been “fighting for a People’s Vote for the longest”.

Cable also said that the pro-Remain parties had “not yet come to a conclusion” in talks on a Remain unity candidate in Peterborough, but that it would be an independent candidate that would run if there was cross-party agreement.

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