The Lib Dem paradox

Are the Lib Dems finished? It’s not the first time that question has been asked. In fact, it’s a fairly regular refrain. With the days when the Liberal Democrats reliably won around 40 to 60 seats a distant memory, the party has struggled since the coalition years to find relevance. Ahead of the 2019 snap election, the party appeared to be in a good position. After big gains in the European elections, the then leader Jo Swinson had a chance to capitalise on two polarising leaders in Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn and hoover up votes from the centre. Instead the party won fewer seats than in 2019 and Swinson lost her own seat.

It’s in part for these reasons that the leadership contest now underway to find Swinson’s successor has failed to set the heather alight. However, as I say in this week’s Spectator, that doesn’t mean it’s unimportant. In December’s general election the party came second in 91 seats, and appears to be within striking distance in a large number of these.