The National:

AS exhibited by their disastrous General Election performance, the popularity of the LibDems is not exactly sky-high.

One of their remaining MPs has done his utmost to continue their downward trend by wading slap bang into the middle of an Old Firm debate – a sure-fire way to maintain your unpopular status.

Farron put his foot in it after replying to associate editor of the Spectator Toby Young, one of the few people in the UK who could realistically claim to be less popular than the LibDems – a man who stopped believing in the friendship "myth" after only four people turned up on his stag do.

Young claimed that Boris Johnson and top schemer Dominic Cummings “knew better” than to think their gaffe-littered election campaign was going badly.

Former LibDem leader Farron replied: “You are half right at best – BJ and DC are basically Celtic: anyone can win the title if your opposition is abysmal ... and then you get humiliated in Europe.”

Big mistake, Tim.

As it was quickly pointed out, Celtic topped their Europa League group this year. In fact, Scottish teams have performed so well in Europe this season that they need just two more wins in the competition to virtually guarantee an additional Champions League qualifying spot in the Scottish Premiership.

Rangers fans, too, seemed unhappy with the assumptions about Celtic’s domestic competition.

Sticking with Farron’s theme, his party was soon hit with a supposedly unfavourable Scottish football comparison of its own.

But that comparison was rejected too. “Not in their wildest Jaggy dreams could the LibDems be anywhere near as good as the mighty Maryhill Magyars,” an SNP inside source chortled.

It seems the LibDems just can’t get anything right.