Could Davey's Lib Dems.reshape the next election?

Liberal Democrats complain they don't get the media coverage they deserve, and certainly not by comparison with Reform UK.

- SEAN O'GRADY

They have a point, though it would be difficult for Ed Davey, delivering his measured leader's speech to the party conference in Bournemouth yesterday, to complain about getting upstaged by another gobsmacking performance from Donald Trump at the UN General Assembly. No matter, it never stopped Liberal and SDP/Liberal Alliance breakthroughs in the past. They can look forward to the next few years...

How are the Liberal Democrats doing?

Fine, but could be even better. They have long since leaned now to play the first-past-the-post electoral system, such that their current representation in the Commons, of 72 seats is actually more or less proportional to their share of the vote at last year’s election (12.2 per cent) - up by 64 seats on a vote a mere 0.6 per cent higher than in 2019.

Meanwhile, unlike the Conservatives and Labour, Lib Dem support seems immune to the rise of Reform UK, and their poll showing is up a bit on last year - say 14 per cent or so. They also control more councils than the Tories.

Where can the Lib Dems make further progress?