Western Morning News (Saturday)
Lib Dem leadership rivals seek party votes
LIBERAL Democrat leadership hopefuls Layla Moran and Sir Ed Davey come west – virtually – today in their bid to claim the soul of their party and try to reclaim its lost heartland. They are holding online hustings tonight – the first in a programme that runs through to August 21.
The ballot closes on August 26, and the outcome is expected to be announced on August 27.
The pair offer strongly contrasting CVs. Sir Ed was first elected to Parliament in 1997, and served in the 2010-15 coalition with the Conservatives – an experience that left his party badly damaged.
The MP for Kingston and Surbiton is currently acting leader. He said that a party review after last December’s election defeat had shown that the coalition was no longer at the forefront of voters’ minds.
With Vince Cable – a leading figure in the 2010 coalition – as party leader last May, the Lib Dems had a good showing in the council and European elections, Sir Ed said.
“At the December election we focused too much on Brexit,” he said. “We failed to get the message about what about.”
Ms Moran, a former maths and physics teacher, entered Parliament in 2017, when she achieved a historic 15% swing to take the Oxford West and Abingdon seat from the Conservatives.
She said that the past three years had seen an unprecedented level of political activity – and an accelerated political apprenticeship for herself as a member of the Public Accounts Committee.
Her work on the committee had allowed her to scrutinise and understand the workings of government, she said.
She had also learned the value of cross-party working in her successful campaign to achieve compensation for the families of NHS and the election was social care workers who had died as victims of Covid-19.
Ms Moran agreed with Sir Ed that the Lib Dems had failed to get their message across in December.
After that election she visited Devon and Cornwall and spoke to voters. “They didn’t know what the party stood for,” she said.
“They loved the local brand of the Lib Dems, but had lost trust in the national brand. We need to win back the trust of the electorate.”
Ms Moran said that most of the EU’s high standards on animal welfare and food hygiene came from the UK and farmers in the South West led the way. She said she would hold Boris Johnson to account. “There’s a real worry that Mr Johnson will sell out our farmers.”
Sir Ed said: “Given that our economy is probably entering the worst recession for 300 years, the Lib Dems don’t feel the Chancellor has done nearly enough.” His party would push for £150 million investment n the green economy, which would bring jobs to the South West.
Ms Moran criticised the government for the stamp duty holiday, which she said would increase the number of second home owners in Cornwall at a time when so many local people felt left behind.