The Liberal Democrats went into yesterday’s elections in positive spirits, confident they could make meaningful gains. That was despite much of the attention being on the progress expected by Reform and the Green party.
As I write this, that confidence is generally being justified. The Lib Dems have a net gain of more than 80 new councillors in England. They are ahead of the Tories and snapping at the heels of Labour in terms of the total number of local representatives won at these elections. Given they were not coming from the negligible baseline that Reform and the Greens were, that is an impressive return.
Crucially, the Lib Dems are winning control of councils, too. They are set to run at least 13 local authorities going forward. Furthermore, in Watford, Peter Taylor has retained the mayoralty. None of that is to be sniffed at.
One notable victory came in Stockport, previously under No Overall Control. ‘We’re taking councils, winning council seats and growing areas we can target at the next general election,’ enthuses Tom Morrison, the MP for Cheadle. ‘I’m genuinely excited about where we can go.’
Perhaps the centrist dad act can work after all.
Reflecting on the progress the party has made, a senior source told Coffee House: ‘I think we’ve done really well, particularly in Conservative facing areas. The results in Sutton and Surrey look amazing.’ After these results, the problem might be that there will not be that many Tories to target moving forward.
As well as the win in Stockport, that same source noted success in Hampshire, where the Lib Dems gained a majority on Portsmouth Council, also previously under No Overall Control. This ‘is a really big deal,’ explains the source. ‘Reform threw the kitchen sink at it.’ Perhaps the centrist dad act can work after all.
Reacting to the results, Sir Ed said that voters are ‘looking for a party that is true to British values of decency, tolerance, respect of the rule of law, and real practical plans’. The Lib Dems do always try to pitch themselves as the reasonable ones. With the main two parties damaged, this could stand them in could stead for direct battles with populists like Reform and the Greens in the future.
In London, there has been some progress too, even in areas where the Lib Dems have been strong for decades, such as Sutton. The party now occupies almost every seat on that council.
‘The Liberal Democrats have controlled Sutton for 40 years and went into this election with just a one-seat majority,’ explains Carshalton and Wallington MP Bobby Dean. ‘To come out with 51 out of 55 seats and every single ward having Lib Dem representation is incredible.’ I feel sorry for the four Lib Dem candidates who didn’t get over the line there.
It’s not all good news, though. On the campaign trail in Merton, South London, leader Sir Ed Davey told me ‘we’re going into Mitcham and Morden, where, I’ll be frank with you, we haven’t campaigned much in the past.’ He explained that ‘we’ve targeted a number of wards, and I think we can do well.’
It hasn’t quite played out like that. While the Lib Dems have had some success in a couple of target wards, the patch still returned 32 Labour councillors to the Lib Dems’ 19. In that area, there has been frustration from Lib Dems with what they consider their opponent’s loose relationship with the truth, amidst accusations of council tax rises.
Worth noting, too, that while results continue to come in, there doesn’t seem to be much to shout about in Scotland, with a gain of one. They do now have representation in Wales’s Sennedd, though.
There is no doubt that this set of results will boost party morale. The question, though, is what the Lib Dems will actually do on the back of this success. One important factor is that having these extra councillors gives them a lot more campaigning infrastructure heading into the next general election. To a party that doesn’t have as much money as some of its rivals, that is important.
The Lib Dems also consider it vital that they can demonstrate their achievements and offer real life examples of what happens if you vote for them and actually give them power. As their election broadcast demonstrated, the party is perfectly happy to be known for ‘fixing the church roof’, despite Kemi Badenoch’s dig.
However, given the little impact they’ve made with 72 MPs, does any of this really matter? Maybe Badenoch was right. Let the Lib Dems sort the potholes and leave the grownups to do things in Westminster.
For now, though, Sir Ed Davey’s party has plenty to celebrate. And probably quite a lot of potholes to fill.
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