Liberal Democrats win record number of seats as Sir Ed Davey hails 'exceptional' result

The Lib Dem leader says he "rather enjoyed" the election campaign as he was re-elected in his Kingston and Surbiton seat.

Lauren Russell

News reporter @laurenvrussell

Friday 5 July 2024 13:03, UK

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Sir Ed Davey 'humbled' to keep seat
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Sir Ed Davey has hailed the Liberal Democrats' "exceptional" results in the general election as the party won the highest number of seats ever.

When the polls closed on Thursday night it was clear the Lib Dems were on to win many more seats than the 11 seats it had in the last parliament.

However, the exit poll's prediction of a 61-seat win for the party was surpassed, with 71 seats by 8am.

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Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said it was "an exceptional result" and vowed: "This will not be a one off."

The Lib Dems took the constituencies of two of the four former Conservative prime ministers from the last 14 years - Lord Cameron in Witney and Lady May in Maidenhead.

Other gains from the Tories include Wells and Mendip Hills, Dorking and Horley, Wimbledon, Yeovil, Hampshire North East and Norfolk North.

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The Lib Dems also unseated multiple prominent Tory cabinet ministers.

Alex Chalk, the justice secretary, lost to Max Wilkinson in Cheltenham.

The party also took Chichester - with Jess Brown-Fuller beating Education Secretary Gillian Keegan with a majority of 12,172 votes.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey at the London Art Bar in central London, where party supporters are watching the results of the 2024 General Election. Picture date: Friday July 5, 2024. PA Photo. See PA story POLITICS Election. Photo credit should read: James Manning/PA Wire
Image: Ed Davey celebrating election results. Pic: PA

While Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer lost her seat in Ely and East Cambridgeshire and Michelle Donelan lost to Liberal Democrat Brian Mathew taking her place in Melksham and Devizes with a 2,406 majority.

The Lib Dems had set out to target the so-called "Blue Wall" of Conservative seats in the southwest and southeast of England, and its strategy appears to have paid off.

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Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey at King's Centre in Chessington, south west London, after he was declared the winner of Kingston and Surbiton constituency in the 2024 General Election. Picture date: Friday July 5, 2024. PA Photo. See PA story POLITICS Election. Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA Wire
Image: Pic: PA

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey was re-elected in his Kingston and Surbiton seat with 25,870 votes, ahead of his Conservative rival Helen Edward on 8,635.

Speaking at The King's Centre in Chessington, in southwest London, Sir Ed said the party had put voters' concerns "at the heart of our campaign", adding that he had "rather enjoyed" the six-week run-up to the election.

Throughout the campaign, he has conducted a series of stunts such as paddle boarding, bungee jumping and conducting an interview on a fairground teacup ride.

"I think it's possible to have a serious debate as well as having a bit of fun. I don't take myself as a politician seriously. I want to take the concerns of the British people seriously," Sir Ed said after his re-election.

"I hope that the style we've gone about it has encouraged people to join the Liberal Democrats.

"It's certainly encouraged them to vote for us. This is an exceptional result, a historic result for the Liberal Democrats."

Eyewitness: The Lib Dems begin celebrating a successful night

By Matthew Thompson, Sky correspondent

The sun is just about coming up outside the Lib Dem election watch party in central London. And it dawns on what looks like a bright day for the party.

Party leader Sir Ed Davey arrived to rapturous applause, a boisterous chorus of Sweet Caroline, and he even indulged in some… shall we say enthusiastic dancing, even if it wasn’t quite worthy of Strictly.

And the party has good reason to be happy. As it stands, projections of around 60 seats are close to their upper expectations. As one senior source said to me: "If you'd offered me 60 seats three months ago, I'd have bitten your arm off."

One thing that stands out though is that their share of the vote, with over half the votes counted, hasn't budget at all from their calamitous 2019 performance. On national share, at least, they trail some distance behind Reform, in fourth place.

Nobody in this room is currently very bothered about that. They're too busy celebrating a successful night, as well they might.

But to progress at the next election, or even to hold on to what they've gained, you wonder if they might need to spend some time thinking about how to broaden the party's appeal.

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He added that Lib Dem policies on issues like health and the cost of living crisis have "been heard louder and clearer because of the way we presented ourselves in this positive light".

Sir Ed has represented Kingston and Surbiton since 1997, apart from in 2015 when he lost to Conservative James Berry in a backlash against the coalition government.

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