Lib Dems – Starmer's reset speech tone deaf on Wales Cole-Hamilton responds to Swinney writing to opposition parties Lib Dems – Starmer's reset speech tone deaf on Wales Commenting on Keir Starmer's 'reset speech', Welsh Liberal Democrat Westminster Spokesperson David Chadwick MP said: Keir Starmer's speech today showed just how out of touch Labour has become with communities in Wales. Despite years of Labour failure in Cardiff Bay and last week's election results, the Prime Minister did not even mention Wales, let alone offer the fresh thinking people are crying out for. To make matters worse, Labour has rubbed salt ...
[IMG: Lib Dem MSPs arrive at Parliament] I headed to the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood in Edinburgh this lunchtime to see the much bigger group of 10 Lib Dem MSPs arrive in the company of Wendy Chamberlain, our Scottish Deputy Leader who chaired our Scottish Election campaign. I somehow managed not to make a complete idiot of myself and cry all over them, but it did feel quite emotional to see the hard work we had put in pay off. I also felt for those who had narrowly missed out. The new MSPs have three days of induction. I think ...
We Lib Dems have some reflecting to do after this week's local and devolved elections. Yes, we made gains for a record eight years running – so yes, we now have more devolved parliamentarians and councillors, and run more English councils than we did before. But for the first time in a few years, our gains were not spectacular: we flirted with Labour, but ultimately they pulled ahead of us on numbers. We once again toyed with oblivion in Wales. And both the Green Party and Reform UK outperformed us on gains. Why? The two "insurgent" parties are poles apart ...
"Am I alone in thinking our response to the local election results is a little too self-congratulatory?" asked David Vigar on Liberal Democrat Voice this morning. We can safely say he is not alone, judging by comment on that blog and further afield. Next up on Lib Dem Voice was Shaun Ennis: No one has ever asked me to devise an idea for Ed Davey's next stunt. But if I was approached from on high, I might suggest having him wade through a river of treacle. That's how it feels trying to spread the Liberal Democrat message in the North ...
Mon 11th
17:30
Mathew on Monday: Starmer's time is up - Labour needs a new Leader and a new direction
There are moments in politics when you can see the tide has irreversibly turned. Keir Starmer's much-hyped speech this morning was one of those moments – not because it miraculously reset his premiership, but because it confirmed just how exhausted and politically diminished it has become even after less than two years. Some Labour MPs are today saying it is "too little, too late" and the number calling for him to set out a timetable for his departure grows by the hour. The problem for the Prime Minister is not merely that Labour has suffered very bruising electoral setbacks (to ...
This election has revealed issues with the Party's messaging approach, policy approach, and electoral distinctiveness. These need to be reckoned with very soon if the Party is going to remain relevant. This election cannot be regarded as a victory Many senior figures are calling this a victory. That we have "held off Reform, won more councillors than the Greens, and trounced the Conservatives." - quoting directly from Ed Davey's Instagram page. This take feels detached from reality. We haven't held off Reform; despite only gaining overall control of a handful of councils, they've elected over 1000 new councillors. We haven't ...
The latest election results have predictably consumed Westminster's commentariat. Much of the focus has been on Nigel Farage, his rhetoric, his appeal and his ability to reshape the political battlefield. But in that fixation something far more significant is being overlooked. We are no longer debating the future direction of the United Kingdom. We are confronting the real prospect of its end. Two political forces have collided and together they create a moment of genuine constitutional crisis. This is not another cyclical shift in British politics. It is a structural break that challenges whether the union can continue in its ...
On the 7th May, while we made some good gains in Scotland, and held strong in some areas in England, there are many who have left these elections feeling dissatisfied with their current results. While our results show stability and consolidation, this simply doesn't cut it in regions we were expecting major gains. Where this can be shown is through London, and as I have been campaigning across London, I have been feeling the dichotomy of jubilation and disappointment many are facing. In spite of a great ground game across London, we fell short in key target areas and this ...
No one has ever asked me to devise an idea for Ed Davey's next stunt. But if I was approached from on high, I might suggest having him wade through a river of treacle. That's how it feels trying to spread the Liberal Democrat message in the North of England these days. It's been an underwhelming set of elections in our part of the country. Despite some notable and very important exceptions such as Stockport, Preston and Sefton, the Liberal Democrats have failed to cut through with what has been a predominantly nationally motivated electorate. And we've lost some great ...
Am I alone in thinking our response to the local election results is a little too self-congratulatory? Of course we should broadcast our success in increasing our councillor count yet again and congratulate everyone who worked hard to make it happen. But for me, the main message of the elections is that Britain now faces the nightmare prospect of a far-right totalitarian government. William Hill now has Reform 11-10 on to win the most seats in 2029. The next takeaway is that we, the Liberal Democrats, have a critical role in stopping it. Almost exactly a year ago, Lib Dem ...
I love publishing guest posts here on Liberal England. Why not try writing one yourself? It could be on how the Liberal Democrats should respond to the new political landscape, on politics more generally or... anything really. Why not an article about a local campaign or quirky piece of history? Please drop me an email if you'd like to discuss your idea first. I'd hate you to spend time on a piece I really wouldn't want to publish. Here are the last 10 Liberal England guest posts:Reform are still gaining councillors and Labour and the Tories are still losing them ...
I've been away for the past fortnight, mostly riding on trains, occasionally walking around small, but interesting, towns, many a bit off of the beaten path. This rather lovely piece of local government architecture is Tartu Town Hall, which has a carillon in its bell tower. if you're in the area, I recommend dropping by. What that meant is that I missed our reinstated local elections here in Suffolk, unlike so many of you out there across the country. Were the results good ones for the Liberal Democrats? Well, after my esteemed colleague, Caron Lindsay, offered us her streams of ...
The Observer reports that the anti-racism group Hope Not Hate (HNH) has warned that a dozen new Reform councillors, including one was elected to both a district and county council, who have allegedly expressed white supremacist, antisemitic or anti-Muslim views have been elected to councils across the country. The paper says that social media posts logged by the campaign organisation ranged from the use of neo-Nazi symbols to antisemitic conspiracy tropes and references to Muslims as "rats": Among them was Stuart Prior, who won two seats; one on Rochford district council and one on Essex county council. He won despite ...
The March of the Elephants is a project to create a trail of varied elephant-inspired artworks around the town of Bishop's Castle in Shropshire. Why elephants in Bishop's Castle? Visit Shropshire explains one reason: During the 18thcentury it was home to Robert Clive, better known as Clive of India, infamous for his exploits and an Indian elephant became his emblem. In 1781 Robert Clive's eldest son Edward built a Market Hall for Bishop's Castle. The Hall was a two-storey building with a 'Venetian' or three-part window on the front elevation, above which stood the carved Clive family coat of arms. ...
