Cable: This proves Lib Dems are back in the game
THE Liberal Democrats are ‘back in the game’ as the party became the main beneficiary of the Brexit protest vote, they said last night.
The party took 703 local council seats as voters punished the Tories and Labour over failure to leave the EU.
Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable hailed the result last night and told the Mail that his party was ‘not a busted flush’. He said there is ‘an urgent need to rebuild British politics and clear up the present mess’.
He added: ‘With the Lib Dems firmly back in business, we want to work with those who share our values to bring about a powerful movement in the centre ground.’
The Lib Dems were the big winners in terms of councils, taking ten, largely at the expense of the Conservatives. The party also did surprisingly well in a number of Leave seats, making gains in Barnsley and Sunderland and got more votes than Labour in Hull – despite its Remain stance.
Their success across the country means that arch-Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg now has a Lib Dem councillor where he lives in North East Somerset. In Sheffield Hallam – Nick Clegg’s former seat, which he dramatically lost to Labour in 2017 – the party said it had topped the poll.
Last night, the Lib Dems had a projected vote share of 19 per cent, representing a real resurgence – though this figure is still below the pre-Coalition one.
It was the best result in the history of the Lib Dems, with the party saying the support sent a message about voters’ views on Brexit.
Speaking in Chelmsford, Essex, yesterday, Sir Vince said the party’s success in seizing control of the Tory council reflected a ‘story across the country’.
He said: ‘The Lib Dems were written off at one point but we’re coming back very, very strongly. We’re the big winners of the night throughout the country.
‘Voters have sent a clear message
‘The party is not a busted flush’
that they no longer have confidence in the Conservatives, but they are also refusing to reward Labour while the party prevaricates on the big issue of the day: Brexit.’
He also tweeted: ‘In big cities and rural england – in both Leave and remain areas – we have shown ourselves the strongest campaigning force and the big winners of the night. three party politics is back.’
His party overturned a previous 45- seat Conservative majority in Chelmsford, gaining 26 seats, while the tories lost 31. the election is sir Vince’s swansong as leader after he vowed to stand down after the results.
Among the areas the party took control of were the traditional tory stronghold of Cotswold district council, where the Lib Dems became the biggest single party, winning 18 of the 34 seats.
In Bath and North east somerset the party gained 23 seats to easily overturn the previous tory majority, winning 37 of the 59 seats. the party also gained Winchester, Vale of White Horse, Mole Valley, Hinckley and Bosworth, North Devon and North Norfolk.
though the party argued that the results were due to its remain stance, analysis showed it only did slightly better in remain-voting areas than those that supported Leave in 2016.