It has been quite a 14 years for the Liberal Democrats – from the coalition in 2010 to near total wipe-out in 2015. Things barely improved in the two elections after that. They even managed to lose then-leader Jo Swinson’s seat in 2019. Five years on, the party has secured 71 seats, a gain of 63 and the party’s highest ever total. They haven’t quite managed to become the official opposition but return to the new parliament as the third-largest party.
The Lib Dems have benefited from ruthless targeting
One of their gains includes David Cameron’s old seat of Witney on a swing of over 15 per cent. They also took the Henley constituency (now Henley and Thame), once occupied by Boris Johnson, as well as Theresa May’s former constituency of Maidenhead. Elsewhere, they scored a 25 per cent swing to gain Harpenden and Berkhamsted, and took Tunbridge Wells off the Conservatives too.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in