Sir Ed Davey elected new Liberal Democrat leader

The 54-year-old former Cabinet minister has told his party to “face the facts” of three disappointing general election results

Sir Ed Davey has been elected the new leader of the Liberal Democrats and has immediately admitted that the party “must change” after they have lost touch with “too many voters”.

Following a month-long ballot from party members, Sir Ed secured 42,756 of the votes to beat out fellow MP Layla Moran (24,564 votes) to become the new Lib Dem leader.

A former Cabinet minister during the time of the Lib Dem-Conservative coalition government, Sir Ed Davey had been the acting leader for the Lib Dems since the general election last year.

The 54-year-old man, who is a father of two, now becomes the party’s fourth permanent leader to be elected by the party in a little over five years.

This comes after the PM effectively sacks the senior Whitehall official for the Department for Education, shortly after blaming a “mutant algorithm” for the A-level grades controversy following exams being cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sir Ed has said that those within his party should “wake up and smell the coffee” and has outlined the challenge that the Liberal Democrats face in trying to reconnect with those within the wider UK public, following yet another poor performance for the party in December’s election.

The Lib Dems had been without an officially permanent leader since the general election last December, when Jo Swinson, the party’s previous leader, lost her seat in the House of Commons.

The last election in December was a huge disappointment for the Liberal Democrats, with the party winning only 11 seats in the commons, which is one seat less than their 2017 result.

“We have to wake up and smell the coffee,” the MP for the Kingston and Surbiton constituency told party members, after he was announced as being the new Lib Dem leader on Thursday.

“Nationally, our party has lost touch with too many voters.”

“Yes, we are powerful advocates locally. Our campaigners listen to local people, work hard for communities and deliver results.”

“But at the national level, we have to face the facts of three disappointing general election results.”

“The truth is voters don’t believe that the Liberal Democrats want to help ordinary people get on in life.”

“Voters don’t believe we share their values. And voters don’t believe we are on the side of people like them.”

“Nationally, voters have been sending us a message. But we have not been listening.”

“It is time for us to start listening. As leader I am telling you: I have got that message. I am listening now.”

Sir Ed has paid tribute to the “passionate campaign” of his leadership rival Layla Moran, the MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, and he also promised her a “big role in my team”.

The Prime Minister has abandoned advice that pupils should not be wearing face coverings in secondary schools in England. Boris Johnson has performed his latest U-turn in the face of growing pressure from teaching unions, headteachers and medical experts.