Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey has warned voters in the home counties that they will “regret it for a long time” if they fail to back his party in the upcoming local elections, claiming that a vote for Labour or the Greens could hand victory to Reform UK. Speaking ahead of Thursday’s polls, Davey identified five councils – East Surrey, West Surrey, Hampshire, West Sussex and Huntingdonshire – where the Lib Dems could win overall control, and described a “straight fight” between his party and Reform in many former “blue wall” seats.
More than 5,000 councillors will be elected, with projections suggesting the Lib Dems could gain 500 seats while Labour may lose up to 1,800. The Greens are also expected to make significant gains, with some forecasts putting their increase at 1,700 seats. Pollsters More In Common predict the Lib Dems will take the newly created East and West Surrey councils. Davey emphasised the importance of tactical voting, stating: “If we are going to stop Reform, we are the party most capable of doing that, it is on a knife edge in some of these areas.”
Davey argued that the Lib Dems are better placed than the Greens to defeat Reform, as they can attract disillusioned Conservative voters. “There is a big difference between us and the Greens,” he said. “The Greens are basically taking votes from Labour. We are taking votes off the Tories to stop Farage.” He noted that in parts of northern England, such as Stockport and Hull, polling shows a direct contest between the Lib Dems and Reform, and urged voters in Portsmouth to consider backing his party for the same reason.
The Lib Dem leader also criticised the lack of opposition to Donald Trump and weakness over the war in Iran, saying these issues had damaged both Reform and the Conservatives. He accused Tory leader Kemi Badenoch of tacking too far to the right, alienating traditional one-nation, pro-European Conservatives. “They look at us and see us standing up for Britain against Trump’s bullying,” Davey said. He reiterated that voters who do not want “Trump-style policies” should vote tactically, including backing the Lib Dems in areas where they are polling second behind Reform.
Davey highlighted local issues such as fly tipping, potholes and sewage pollution as key campaign themes, and also proposed cutting VAT for hospitality to address the rising cost of a pint, which has reportedly reached £10 in parts of London. He noted that Donald Trump frequently comes up in doorstep conversations, with many voters associating Nigel Farage with the US president. “The fact Farage was cheerleading for Donald Trump and calling for us to get into the war has angered many,” Davey added.
