Mark Gettleson

The Lib Dems struggle to replace old political blood with new

The Liberal Democrat resilience in countless marginal seats has confounded many commentators. While perhaps winning half the number of votes as Ukip nationwide, it is far from inconceivable that they will win five to ten times the number of seats. Take Sutton & Cheam, for instance, where despite having a majority of just 1,608 votes, Paul Berstow seems all but certain to retain his seat.

This has, quite correctly, been attributed to the personal following of Lib Dem incumbents – and their ability to build an often robust local campaigning machine around their cult of personality. People of all sides of the political spectrum flock to banners, irrespective of their underlying party loyalty. And the parochial nature of this support also means that these local baronies are more immune to an electoral apocalypse brought on by national issues.

But as Liberal Democrat support often hinges on a popular local MP, when that individual departs, much of the support goes with it. Of

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