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The leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Ed Davey, has described his party as a middle-ground alternative to the more extreme positions represented by Reform UK and the Green Party, following a series of electoral gains across England and Scotland. The Lib Dems secured an additional 153 council seats in England, taking control of both Stockport and Portsmouth councils. In Scotland, the party also increased its representation in the Scottish Parliament by six seats.
Despite these advances, the Liberal Democrats’ progress was not as pronounced as that of Reform UK and the Greens, who made larger gains in recent elections. The Lib Dems largely capitalized on declining support for the two major parties, Labour and the Conservatives. During a visit to Edinburgh, Sir Ed reflected on the current state of British politics, acknowledging a shift away from the traditional two-party system. He argued that voters are seeking meaningful change, but rather than turning to populist extremes, he believes many are choosing the Liberal Democrats as a party aligned with British values.
Responding to questions about whether the Lib Dems might be losing momentum, Sir Ed pointed out that this marks the eighth year in a row of net gains for the party in English council elections, and highlighted their strongest Scottish performance in nearly two decades. He admitted that while populist parties on both ends of the political spectrum have also seen success, he expects that once voters understand their policies better, they will recognize these as unrealistic or divisive.
In specific local results, the Liberal Democrats took advantage of Labour’s losses to secure full control of the councils in Stockport and Portsmouth, fending off a challenge from Reform UK in both areas. The party also solidified its hold on councils in Sutton and Richmond-upon-Thames, where it now occupies every seat. Although they gained seats in Hampshire, no single party gained overall control due to stronger performances by Reform UK. Meanwhile, in the Scottish Parliament elections, the Liberal Democrats boosted their total number of seats to 10, winning key constituencies such as Edinburgh Northern and Strathkelvin and Bearsden from the SNP, as well as overturning a large SNP majority in Sky, Lochaber and Badenoch. In Wales, party leader Jane Dodds retained her seat in the Senedd, remaining the sole Liberal Democrat representative there
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