Lib Dems rally in York ahead of pivotal elections in England, Scotland and Wales
Over the weekend, the Liberal Democrats met in York for their Spring Conference, the smaller of their two annual conferences. It is a short and sharp event starting on Friday evening and concluding early Sunday afternoon, consisting of policy debates, training events and fringe sessions throughout the day and into the evening.
More than usual, this conference was a rally for the party faithful ahead of elections in May. With councils up for re-election across England and London, and devolved parliaments in Scotland and Wales the party sees a significant opportunity.
The Liberal Democrats have set themselves lofty ambitions of making further inroads into London, taking advantage of relative weakness in Labour polling since the General Election. (See: Cratus’ “The battle for the East End”) The party will aim to make its gains across the western side of the city, with a strong performance expected as far into the capital as Lambeth and Camden.
They hope this will also be replicated in other large cities, where the party sees a chance to grow its foothold in parts of England that have seen few Lib Dems since the coalition government of 2010-2015.
Beneath this ambition however is an undercurrent of anxiety. The party has been polling in fifth place recently in national polls, behind the Green Party which is buoyed by its win at the Gorton and Denton by-election.
This is a product of the party’s strategy to maximise its returns through the ‘First Past the Post’ electoral system by relying on highly concentrated support which can win lots of MPs on a relatively low national vote share. This is no comfort to many activists and even some MPs which have taken to the media to voice their dissatisfaction with the party direction.
Many see a once in a generation opportunity with Labour and the Conservatives both incredibly weak, but fear that the Liberal Democrats are missing the boat. If ambitions are met in May these fears may be quelled, but if not, things could get difficult for leader Sir Ed Davey.
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