Lib Dems now ‘party of middle England’, says Davey as party makes gains

As the Tories faced a Reform UK surge in the North and parts of the Midlands, the Lib Dems put the squeeze on their vote further south.

Sir Ed Davey celebrated as his party gained more than 100 seats at the local elections (Gareth Fuller/PA) (PA Wire)

The Liberal Democrats have replaced the Conservatives as “the party of middle England”, Sir Ed Davey said as he celebrated the local election results.

As the Tories faced a Reform UK surge in the North and parts of the Midlands, the Lib Dems put the squeeze on their vote further south, gaining more than 100 councillors.

Sir Ed said: “We have overtaken the Conservatives at these local elections, putting us on track to overtake them at the next general election too.

“From Wiltshire to Oxfordshire, from Shropshire to Devon, the Liberal Democrats have replaced the Conservatives as the party of middle England.”

Thursday’s elections saw the Lib Dems take control of Shropshire from the Conservatives and take overall control of Oxfordshire and Cambridgeshire, while it became the largest party in Hertfordshire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Devon.

Sir Ed credited his party’s success to former Tory voters “appalled by the Conservatives lurching to the extremes and cosying up to Nigel Farage”.

He added: “Today voters across the country have chosen our community politics over the Conservative Party’s neglect and disdain.”

The Lib Dems now control four county councils outright, having already run Somerset Council since 2022, and its success in southern areas poses a threat to the Conservatives as they attempt to recover after last year’s general election defeat.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch told reporters on Friday the Lib Dems were one of several “threats”, but insisted her party could win by remaining “true to its principles and its values”.