Two takeaways from Ed Davey’s conference speech

Sir Ed Davey has just finished his conference speech in Brighton. No party is likely to hold a more upbeat political jamboree this year than the one which the Lib Dems have just concluded. With a record 72 MPs, July’s result ensured Davey became his party’s most successful leader since the days of Asquith and Lloyd George. So it’s no surprise that much of his speech effectively comprised a victory lap, in which he thanked the many, many people involved in his party’s triumphs across the blue wall. There were name checks too for Davey’s predecessors: Liberal legends of old like Charles Kennedy and Paddy Ashdown.

This being a Lib Dem speech, there were also plenty of bad jokes received with good humour. He noted his Question Time appearance in which he revealed he met his wife Emily at a party working group on housing.