Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn’s campaign operation was ridiculed by Tim Farron on Tuesday night as he attended an event in Cornwall hosted by the local journalists who accused the Conservatives of barring them from filming May’s visit.
The incident occurred during Theresa May’s visit to Cornwall, where Cornwall Live reporters said they were prevented from filming the prime minister and kept in a holding room while she toured a factory in Helston.
Farron was introduced at a Q&A event by Jacqui Merrington, the digital editor of Cornwall Live, who had criticised the tight control of May’s visit, saying it was “a different level in terms of restrictions”.
Opening the event, she said it was “great to be on stage for this event rather than behind a locked door, and obviously we’re not banned from filming tonight”. A live blog of the visit with a picture of the door, taken by Cornwall Live reporters, went viral during May’s visit.
Farron promised journalists would not be restricted at his event, at Penwith College in Penzance. “Thank you to Cornwall Live for hosting today’s event,” he said. “My campaign, this campaign, is about as being as open and available as possible and not locking journalists in a room, checking their questions in advance or locking people out of my events.”
Conservative sources strongly deny locking the reporters in a room and said they were allowed to interview May. The source said it was standard practice for the prime minister’s visits for one cameraman to provide footage, which was then shared amongst reporters.
Farron, who is seeking to win back the Cornwall constituencies for the Liberal Democrat after the party’s catastrophic 2015 election results, also mocked the Conservatives’ branding – which puts Theresa May’s name front and centre across placards and leaflets rather than the Conservatives.
“What is very stark is the prime minister dare not utter the name Conservative,” he said. “The word has barely left her lips. Is she embarrassed of it? I’m proud of my party, I’m proud of the Liberal Democrats, and we are the only real alternative to her.”
Jeremy Corbyn also caused some controversy on Tuesday after BuzzFeed alleged they had been prevented from covering a Labour event by aides who said they did not approve of the headline thatthe website chose to run about the Labour leader.
That piece said Corbyn would not be stepping down were he to lose the June election, though the Labour leader later claimed he was talking about staying on in the event of Labour winning.
“We have a prime minister who is ashamed of her party and a Labour party ashamed of their leader,” Farron said.
Amid questions from the audience on the fishing industry and climate change, Farron said it was clear May was nonetheless heading for a landslide. “The Tories are going to win Labour seats in the Midlands,” he said. “The Tories will take you, in Cornwall, for granted. My mission today is to convince that you need a strong Cornish champion, a Liberal Democrat champion.”
The Lib Dem leader will continue his tour of Cornwall on Wednesday, visiting a primary school in Launceston to launch the party’s manifesto pledge to reverse real-terms school funding cuts.
