Do you know somebody who is good at fixing the local church roof? Who is well liked in your community? Well, if we are to go by the comments of the leader of the Conservative party, Kemi Badenoch, they are quite likely to be standing as a Liberal Democrat candidate in next week’s local elections.
Yes, that’s right. According to Badenoch, a Lib Dem is “somebody who is good atfixing their church roof. And … the people in the community like them.”
Reader, I will let you in on a secret. I think she meant it as an insult. But I’ll happily wear it as a badge of honour – as will more than 1,000 Lib-Dem candidates standing across England for election on 1 May. And don’t her comments tell you all you need to know about the state of the Tory party in 2025? Completely out of touch, serially online and with a sneering attitude to serving your community.
The Conservatives were deservedly kicked out of office last year by the British public. But, sadly, whole swathes of the country are still having to put up with the dire record of failing Tory-run councils and councillors. And in so many parts of England – from Cornwall to Cambridgeshire – it is the Lib Dems who are the main challengers. We are a party that views being achampion for local people– fixing a church roof or a pothole, or helping clean up a local river – as something worth fighting for.
I have been travelling across the country these past few weeks – albeit via some unusual modes of transport: swan boats, diggers, teacups and, of course, a horse (of the hobby variety). And so many of the local people I’ve met have told me about how they want to kick the Conservatives out of local government in their area.
But I have also been struck by the disappointment at the new Labour government. Before I embarked on arollercoaster rideat the Big Sheep theme park in Devon last week, the owner explained to me how, while they were looking forward to a new government after years of struggling through a cost of living crisis, Labour’s changes have actually made things worse. The hospitality industry in the south-west, and across so many parts of the country, is being hammered. Wherever I go, there has been a sense of despondency – whether about the cut to the winter fuel payment, which has forced pensioners to choose between heating or eating, or the failure to solve the longstanding crisis in social care.
Anger at the Conservatives, despondency at Labour. It is in these conditions that the easy soundbites of Nigel Farage and Reform UK can start to sound compelling. But theoccasional memberfor Clacton and his ilk offer no real solutions.
Let’s be frank: if you want to fix the NHS, why would you put your trust in a man who has in the past said he wanted to replace healthcare that’s free at the point of use with an insurance-based model(whatever hemay say now)? If you care about high-quality British food, why would you support someonewho is in favourof allowing US chlorinated chicken on to UK supermarket shelves? And if you love your country, why stick with someone who would rathersuck up to Vladimir Putin– the world leader he admires most – than stand up for Britain?
In the Hull and East Yorkshire mayoral election, what everyone expected to be a Lib Dem v Labour fight is turning into one between theLib Dems and Reform. That’s why the bookies’ odds now show Reform and the Lib Dems in the top two, with Labour trailing in fourth place as eight to one outsiders. When you compare the records of the two parties, there is no contest. We have a strong record of running Hull council – and many other local authorities across the country – and of being an effective opposition in East Riding. Meanwhile, Farage can’t even run his own party. He and his MPs are fighting like rats in a sack. He is overseeing a bin fire – yet wants you to believe that Reform can be trusted with running your local bin collections.
The fundamental difference is that the Lib Dems work hard for our communities. We are winning up and down the country. So, on 1 May, remember, whether it’s a church roof that needs fixing, local crime that needs cutting, or a GP or dentist you need help to see,Liberal Democratswill be fighting for a fair deal for you and your community.
Ed Davey is the leader of the Liberal Democrats and MP for Kingston and Surbiton
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