Ed Davey's Tory Removals: The Liberal Democrats and the 2024 General Election

Abstract

AbstractThe 2024 general election represented a remarkable comeback for the Liberal Democrats. Less than a decade on from the coalition and the 2015 election debacle, Sir Ed Davey's party reclaimed third‐party status in the House of Commons with seventy‐two MPs—the largest total for the Liberal Democrats or their Liberal Party predecessors since the 1920s. This article explores how Davey's disciplined campaign strategy enabled the Liberal Democrats to make sweeping gains from the Conservatives across southern England on an even bigger scale than in 1997. A clear anti‐Conservative stance, combined with an upbeat national campaign focussed on social care and sewage, helped the Liberal Democrats to attract a broad swathe of floating and tactical voters in seats where the party was best placed to beat the Tories, though its performance outside these constituencies was much weaker. After a long period focussed on electoral survival, Davey now has a golden opportunity to re‐establish the Liberal Democrats as a parliamentary force and to articulate a broader liberal policy agenda.