By-elections 2023: Have the Lib Dems finally scrubbed away the stains of the Clegg years?

Dare to dream, but after 13 years things may finally be on the up and up for Britain’s centre left, writes Sean O’Grady

The Lib Dems scored a huge victory in Somerton and Frome (Sky News)

Perhaps it’s all the excitement overnight, a lack of sleep, or a combination of the two, but I’ve been thinking. A now-established Liberal revival, the dawn of a long-awaited realignment of the left – and some highly significant lost deposits – make this a moment to celebrate for British progressives.

Without very much encouragement from their respective party leaderships, Labour and Liberal Democrat supporters are deciding that the most important thing they can do with their vote is to cast it for the party best placed to get the Tories out. And they have been doing so in numbers that should make the Tories wince. There is no Lib-Lab electoral pact, because it isn’t required. The two parties will continue to campaign accordingly and strategically.