Devon council chief savages Sir Ed Davey's leadership as Lib Dems conference opens with poll stuck at 10%

From the Newshound archive · first published 21 September 2026.

The head of Devon County Council publicly dismissed Sir Ed Davey in withering terms as the Liberal Democrats gathered in Brighton for their annual conference. The party's national poll rating has barely budged all year at 10%, leaving them fifth behind the Greens, with many voters still unsure what the party stands for. Despite the dismal national picture, Lib Dem strength in the east of England has surged, with a record seven MPs and more than 550 councillors in the region. Young Tory defectors are also turning up at conference, claiming Kemi Badenoch's rightward shift has left them without a home.

Grumbles about Davey's leadership are openly circulating at conference, with a new poll confirming voters can't say what the Lib Dems are for.

The party has gone from 311 councillors in the east after its 2015 wipeout to leading 14 local authorities today, including Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire.

In South Cambridgeshire this year, the Lib Dems won all but two of the seats up for grabs — and took every one of Watford's 12 contested seats.