To overcome the chunters of dissent, the ever-cheery Ed Davey needs to turn up the volume

Sir Ed Davey opened his party conference accompanied by a marching band, which could be taken as a mocking reference to the Donald Trump state visit, which the Lib Dem leader ostentatiously boycotted. He'll be grateful someone noticed this wheeze, because nine-tenths of the Lib Dem’s battle is attracting attention.

- Andrew Rawnsley

The general election breakthrough last year was a big change for a party whose MPs could be comfortably fitted into a minibus not so long ago. Sir Ed was one of just 11 MPs when he took over as leader, now the Lib Dems boast 72, making them the largest third force in the Commons since the old Liberal party was led by Asquith in the early 1920s. The party has majority control of more councils than the Conservatives. Yet this rebirth of Liberal England was first eclipsed by the scale of Labour's parliamentary landslide and has since been overshadowed by Reform’s surge in the polls. When one pollster recently showed a picture of Sir Ed to a sample of voters, just 37% could name him, even though he has led his party for five years and served in government. By contrast, 89% correctly identified Nigel Farage. Dressing up in wet suits and throwing himself off paddle boards has turned Sir Ed into the relentlessly cheery stuntman of British politics, but there are clearly limits to how far you can get with the game-for-a-laugh centrist dad vibe. Sir Ed shares the astonishment of Labour people that the government’s popularity has plunged so steeply. He is delighted that the Tories are floundering and show scant interest in competing for centrist voters. Yet the Lib Dem poll rating averages 14%, only a couple of points up on its vote share last July.

‘The aura of conquering hero with which he was bathed at last year’s conference has faded somewhat and there is a chunter of dissent from some within the party's ranks about its management, direction and impact. When Lib Dem MPs were asked to choose a chair for their parliamentary party earlier this month, Anna Sabine, the leader’s parliamentary private secretary, was defeated by 44 votes to 27. The winner, Steff Aquarone,