Sunday, October 11, 2026
Can Davey survive as leader?
This politics website reports that Maynard left his role as a Treasury spokesman on Friday afternoon amid wider criticism of Davey among Liberal Democrat MPs. He follows Alison Bennett, the Liberal Democrat MP for Mid Sussex, who left her role as care and carers spokesperson on 5 October without issuing a public explanation.
As I posted here, earlier this month, Tom Gordon, the Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said that Davey had “missed the point” in a BBC Radio 4 Today programme interview in which he strongly criticised Andy Burnham’s speech to Labour conference. Gordon told his leader to “think again”.
Gordon was joined in that criticism by Vicky Slade the MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole who posted on BlueSky: 'Pensioners will gain more from free social care than a linking rise of state pension to earnings. Proud of triple lock in coalition but we must plan for future not venerate the past.'
Maynard cannot really be more than a stalking horse. He has no profile within the party and many of us had to look him up to see who he is, but his actions reflect a deeper dissatisfaction amongst the parliamentary party and the wider membership. Tuesday's meeting of Lib Dem MPs is going to be interesting.
The reaction has been predictable, with the leadership recruiting the usual suspects to go public in support of Ed Davey. Their social media posts are all suspiciously similar., and also slightly ridiculous, but, as can be seen on the map above, what is really interesting is how few of them have gone public in this way.
The politics.co.uk website lists just 17 out of 72 prepared to pin their support of Davey to a public mast. The rest appear to be keeping their powder dry.
The fact is of course that the Liberal Democrats had their best result since Lloyd George because of widespread disillusionment with the sitting Tory government, and they did it despite Ed Davey's ridiculous stunts, not because of them. That is reflected in the fact the party polled fewer votes in 2024 than they did in 2019.
Since that election, Davey, who, rather bizarrely, is credited by the usual suspects of leading us in the fight against hate and the far right, has been largely anonymous. Even worse, there is no clear vision as to what the party stands for, nothing that sets us apart from the rest. It is little wonder that the party is in fifth place, with opinion poll ratings hovering just above single figures.
I think it is quite clear by now that Davey is not capable of turning things around. His defence of the triple lock and his promotion of tax cuts in the face of huge pressure on government finances and the need for investment in public services is simply unsustainable, especially when he is also advocating spending more on defence and social care. And don't even get me started on his ludicrous advocacy of keeping Winston Churchill on the £5 note.
I can't say who should replace Davey, but at least if there is a contest we can evaluate candidates on their vision for the country and the party. It is time for Davey to stand aside to allow such a contest to take place.
