And it’s good knight from me: sirs Ed and Keir take up gauntlet

Sir Ed Davey’s victory in the Liberal Democrat leadership race means that both leaders of the opposition are knights of the realm – despite their anti-establishment patter.

The MP for Kingston and Surbiton, who like Sir Keir Starmer has positioned himself as the “politician to the proletariat”, gratefully accepted his knighthood in 2016 for “political and public service”, thanks largely for his role in the coalition government that has caused his party’s fortunes to plummet ever since.

Having served as a minister for five years under David Cameron, he now insists he would never go into coalition with the Tories again.

Yet if the latest polling is anything to go by – his chances of getting anywhere near the Downing Street Rose Garden like his predecessor Nick Clegg appear more remote than ever.

As polling guru Prof John Curtice put it, Surr’ed has inherited a party whose popularity remains at “rock bottom” having won just 11 seats at the 2019 general election. After securing just 12 per cent of the popular vote in December, Lib Dem support has waned even further, falling to a 50-year low, with just six per cent support in recent opinion polls.

Little wonder then, that the father of two admitted yesterday that it was time for the party to “wake up and smell the coffee”. Fair trade coffee, of course. For if Carlsberg did right-on MPS, Sir Ed would surely emerge, whiffing of sustainably sourced hops.

Having gained a reputation for being one of Westminster’s wokest, as his Wikipedia entry makes clear: “Davey self identifies as a liberal”.

A staunch advocate of democracy, participation, human rights and the fight against poverty, those egalitarian credentials appeared to come unstuck when he began advocating “revoking” Brexit after the 2016 EU referendum in a move criticised by many as being neither liberal nor democratic.

Which is part of the Lib Dems’ problem. Still regarded as the “antibrexit party”, the yellows need to form a domestic policy agenda beyond niche, knee-jerk issues – and fast.

Sir Ed will also need to shake off the party’s hitherto “inescapable” association with the Conservatives, along with the ghost of its about-turn on tuition fees. Having been a party member for 30 years, only time will tell if a new leader with old ties will be able to reinvigorate a party that many voters cannot seem to disassociate with its past failures.