The reaction has been predictable, with the leadership recruiting the usual suspects to go public in support of Ed Davey. Their social media posts are all suspiciously similar., and also slightly ridiculous, but ... what is really interesting is how few of them have gone public in this way.
The politics.co.uk website lists just 17 out of 72 prepared to pin their support of Davey to a public mast. The rest appear to be keeping their powder dry.
There are currently 71 Lib Dem MPs, and the 17 has gone up to 18, but this is still a significant point. There are few signs that "the vast majority of our MPs ... are furious at this distraction" as some of those 18 claim.
The feeling that the Lib Dem leadership has "lost the dressing room" is widespread at Westminster. As someone said on Bluesky yesterday, wise supporters of Ed Davey continuing as leader will listen to our MPs to understand why this has happened and what can be done to put it right.
So far there have been few signs of this happening.
Lost the dressing room! The parties enemies will make hay of our troubles.SO. The party HAS to seek a solution FAST
ReplyDeleteThe solution is obvious. Ed should make a graceful exit, and not force the party to drive him from office as Ming Campbell and Charles Kennedy were.
DeleteOh for the days of Jo Grimond when I first joined the Liberal Party. The current party shouldn't replace a lightweight with a lightweight.
ReplyDeleteThat's the main issue as far as I am concerned. I don't know much about most of the new Lib Dem MPs. I quite like Daisy Cooper and Josh Barbarinda but as Deputy leader and Party President they have inevitably come out in favour of Ed staying in office.
ReplyDeleteWe need a capable leader with a safe constituency; we don't want a repetition of 2019 when Jo Swinson lost her seat. Although she has expressed an intention to stand as our London Mayoral candidate, I think that Sarah Olney could be a good candidate for the leadership.
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