ALDE Party member Liberal Democrats recorded their eighth consecutive year of local election gains in the UK, winning a net increase of 155 councillors in this month’s local elections, a total of 844 council seats this electoral cycle.
Party leader Sir Ed Davey described the results as the longest “record winning streak” in the party’s history and said voters are increasingly turning to the Liberal Democrats as an alternative to political extremes.
The results indicate growing support for more moderate and reform-focused politics. Speaking at a rally after the results, Davey said that millions of people want a kind of change that’s about building things up, not burning them down, and that now more than ever, the liberals are the only party who are offering that positive change.
“We held off Reform, won more councillors than the Greens and trounced the Conservatives. Right across the country people are backing us to deliver the real change they deserve,” he added.
British liberals made clear that voters are now faced with a choice between the change offered by populist parties of the left and right, or the change that is true to British values from the Liberal Democrats.
Davey argued that once the public sees beyond the populist policies, they will realise their strategy is based on “either pipe dreams or politics of division.” In contrast, the Liberal Democrats seek to be a stabilising force in UK politics which can act as a viable alternative to chaos.
Calum Miller MP continued along these lines: “I think what we’ve seen over the last few months is some very raucous and loud politics from parties on the extremes with sometimes quite simplistic messages. What people know they’ll get from the Liberal Democrats is a party who have strong principles and who are standing up to this.”
For liberals, the priority going forward is not to feed the fragmented political environment, but to offer credible governance and provide change without division. Liberal Democrats are prepared to do this, having positioned themselves as the party of hope throughout their campaign.
At a time when populist and extremist politics are gaining traction across Europe, liberal politics offers a centre of gravity rooted in stability, showing voters that change does not have to come through division, but through working together.
Check out Liberal Democrats’ local election film here.
Hear from our experts:
Andrew’s take:
“An eighth consecutive year of gains in local elections is a historic accomplishment for the party and further evidence that despite the lack of national media attention the party continues to do what the party does best and works hard to be local champions and get things done.”
Andrew Burgess, Senior Political Adviser 