Sir Ed Davey did not pull his punches on Tuesday as he wrapped up the Liberal Democrats’ conference. The party leader made it clear that the Tories would be the Lib Dems’ main opponent at the next general election. Corrupt, chaotic and careless were among the nicer things he called Conservative leaders. He drew laughter by claiming that a party member, who is a clown, had a point when he complained that it was unfair on his profession for the Lib Dem leader to keep comparing the Tories to his colleagues. However, there was no disguising his seriousness about getting rid of the current ruling “shambles”.
The Lib Dems won’t form the next government, but they can help oust the Tories. Sir Ed is building a social base in the so-called “blue wall” seats in south-east England of Conservative-leaning voters put off by ministerial incompetence and shabby public services. The party’s endorsement of proportional representation to ensure every vote counts has the advantage of increasing the present distance from both the main parties for potential electoral advantage. The Lib Dem strategy to peel off Tories in marginal seats has been working so far. When Sir Ed took over in 2020 the party had 11 MPs. Today it has 15 after a string of stunning byelection victories.
