The Liberal Democrat leader told the BBC’s Andrew Neil her party had been wrong to back the so-called bedroom tax in the coalition government and “we should have stopped it”.

Although some cuts were needed when her party came into office in 2010, she suggested austerity had gone too far.
Her party was committed to spend more on welfare and childcare, she added.

During the 30-minute interview, to be broadcast on BBC One at 19.30 GMT, Ms Swinson was repeatedly challenged on her party’s record in government between 2010 and 2015 and her personal backing for cuts to benefits and Sure Start children’s centres.

She acknowledged she had voted nine times for the bedroom tax, the controversial policy which saw working-age families in council or housing association homes docked housing benefit if they were deemed to have more bedrooms than they needed. …

… Pressed by Mr Neil on whether the almost 10 years of austerity was a “necessary evil or terrible mistake”, she replied: “Clearly too much was cut, clearly not enough was raised from taxation.