Ed Davey accused Reform UK and the Conservatives of importing “divisive, Trump-style politics” as he launched the Liberal Democrats' local election campaign on May 7, promising the party would focus on “getting things right for your community”.
He also raised concerns that support for the energy bill being considered by the British government would not include middle-income people, who he said would be “squeezed” by price increases caused by the war on Iran.
Davey's party is hoping to build on its success last year, when it pushed the Conservatives into third place and won more than 160 new seats, almost entirely at its expense.
Liberal Democrat candidates are expected to focus on tried-and-tested issues, including cleaning up local rivers polluted by sewage. The other two priorities of her platform for the May 7 election are improving local health services and reducing energy costs.
Davey called for a “targeted” government response to those struggling with energy bills, saying he was concerned that Labor was not thinking about people on middle and modest incomes who are struggling with a potential £500 rise in energy bills on top of rising mortgage costs and rising petrol prices.
“So the government needs to think more broadly. But nobody wants the richest people to get the money they need and that was a big mistake by Liz Truss, who wasted a lot of money,” he added.
At the party's launch event in the Surrey village of East Horsley, Davey opened his speech by saying that Tory leader Kemi Badenoch had once dismissed the Liberal Democrats as people who repaired church roofs. While she had meant it as a sneer, he said he welcomed the description.
“Some politicians are too busy pointing fingers rather than rolling up their sleeves and getting things done,” he said. “They want to import divisive, Trump-style politics into our communities.”
Davey takes part in a 'bake-off' style cooking event at Lovelace Lodge in East Horsley, Surrey. Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA
“We don't do divisions. We care about potholes, police officers, GP appointments and clean rivers. If you vote Liberal Democrats on May 7, you'll get a local boss who will sort things out for your community.”
Community politics means “doing the hard work that actually makes people’s lives better,” the LibDem leader said.
“Get people the doctor and dental appointments they need, stand up to the water companies who pour dirty sewage into our rivers, bring life back to our high streets and help people reduce their cost of living.”
The party said the local election campaign focused on five policies, including a plan to halve energy bills within a decade, saving households an average of £870 a year.
The others are a guarantee of the right to see a GP within seven days, supporting high streets by cutting VAT for hospitality businesses, a ban on water suppliers from discharging raw sewage and ensuring “visible” local policing.
A new YouGov poll published on Tuesday showed the Liberal Democrats' voting intentions in Westminster at 13% – a fall of 1% and the lowest figure in this parliament.
However, Davey's party now has more local councilors than the Conservatives and is expecting further breakthroughs in May, which would mean a record eighth local election win.
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