Lib Dems gain the most seats on anti-brexit ticket

Sir Vince Cable’s authority is endorsed as his party’s EU stance proves to be a winner in Remain areas

THE Liberal Democrats emerged as the surprise winners of the local elections as they gained more councillors than any other party.

Sir Vince Cable’s party had secured at least 77 extra seats last night as the party took control of councils in Richmond and Kingston, both areas that backed Remain in the EU referendum.

Senior party figures believe the results will be a “fillip” for Sir Vince and that they will “reinforce his authority”.

However, he has also been warned that he needs to do more to “make his voice heard” nationally so that the party can turn local election momentum into general election success.

Sir Vince said the party had performed well in “very different parts of the coun- try” and not just in areas receptive to the Liberal Democrats’ anti-brexit message.

He said the party was “very much on the way back”, and had seen that it could deliver.

He told Sky News: “Actually I think everybody has been underestimating us. They didn’t realise that we had the capacity to come back so strongly, which we are now doing.”

Sir Vince had been under pressure to show that he could lead the party to electoral success after it suffered distinctly underwhelming results at the snap general election in 2017.

One senior party source told The Daily Telegraph that while the party had “done well” it was “important that we don’t oversell this”. But the source said the result would help bolster Sir Vince’s leadership credentials.

“I think it’s a fillip for Vince Cable – it is a great boost for him,” the official said.

“The best way to describe these results is that they are a springboard, but we have to remember we are not the finished article.

“It will reinforce Vince Cable’s authority and encourage people in areas we thought were dead.”

Another party source said Sir Vince needed to “make his voice heard” and make the case for the party on the national stage.

“I think Vince Cable and everyone else is perturbed that the default position is to ignore the Liberal Democrats,” the source said. “The key challenge now will be cutting through.”

Lord Campbell of Pittenweem, the former Lib Dem leader, described the results as “extremely encouraging”.

“They underline the impact of Vince Cable’s leadership and the fact that the Liberal Democrats are now back everywhere in the country,” he said.