Davey says Lib Dems ‘strong force’ as conference to firm up election platform

What it is about

Who published it, and when

How it spread - 23 original reports, 2 reprints

1. Sat, 19 September 2026

   3 reports
   • standard.co.uk06:09
     Davey says Lib Dems ‘strong force’ as conference to firm up election platform

     It comes as one of Sir Ed Davey’s MPs said the party was ‘struggling for relevance’.

     1 reprint

     • lynnnews.co.uk19 Sept, 04:00their copy
   • The Guardian World07:00first to report
     Lib Dems have ‘moral responsibility’ to block Reform, says Ed Davey as party gears up for snap election

     Exclusive: Lib Dem leader bullish ahead of party conference despite static poll ratings and MPs’ frustrations The Liberal Democrats have begun work on a new manifesto in case of a possible snap election, as Ed Davey said he understood the frustrations of some of his MPs who fear that the party’s message is currently at risk of being lost. But Davey also urged his party not to panic at static polling numbers, arguing that with tactical voting and fragmented political loyalties, he fully expects...

     1 reprint

     • aol.co.uk19 Sept, 07:00their copy
   • The Guardian World21:37
     Ed Davey takes aim at Reform and Elon Musk as Lib Dem conference begins

     Leader says party ‘won’t give up the fight’ to defeat ‘nasty populism’ in first-day speech to delegates in Brighton The Liberal Democrats’ leader, Sir Ed Davey, took aim at Nigel Farage and Elon Musk on the first day of his party’s annual conference, saying Lib Dems would not give up the fight to defeat “nasty populism” and Reform UK’s “£72m arsenal of hate and lies”. On stage at Brighton Centre, Davey called on the assembled delegates not to be deterred in the face of Reform’s hope “that the...

2. Sun, 20 September 2026

   6 reports
   • Bloomberg Politics06:00
     Lib Dems Fight for a Breakthrough in Britain’s Fractured Politics

     As the Liberal Democrats gather for their annual conference in Brighton this weekend, leader Ed Davey is under pressure to answer a simple question: why isn’t Britain’s third-largest political party doing better?

   • The Guardian World06:00
     ‘Flip the table and rise up’: Lib Dems’ president in combative mood as party gathers in Brighton

     Josh Babarinde wants to target big tech and crypto billionaires while giving power and cash back to the public Standing outside Toynbee Hall in the East End of London, Josh Babarinde doesn’t exactly look like a rabble-rouser. But despite the well-cut suit and disarmingly large smile, the president of the Liberal Democrats is, apparently, up for a fight. “There are big modern giants that are getting in the way of people’s ability to thrive, and it is the job of Liberal Democrats to address...

   • Japan Times08:46edited after publishing
     Liberal Democrats fight for a breakthrough in Britain’s fractured politics

     previouslyLib Democrats fight for a breakthrough in Britain’s fractured politics

     Britain's Liberal Democratic Party is holding its annual conference in Brighton this weekend.

   • The Guardian World16:09edited after publishing
     Lib Dems propose big tech levy to fund £250m online crime agency

     previouslyLib Dems use conference to set out £2bn plan to cut fuel duty

     Proposal one of many at conference responding to concern voters unaware of party’s policies or what it stands for The Liberal Democrats say they will tax big tech to finance a new online crime agency, as they try to address concerns that not enough voters know what the party stands for. The plan, to be announced at the party conference on Monday by the Lib Dems’ home affairs spokesperson, Max Wilkinson, would create a new Online Crime Agency focused on offences including child sexual abuse...

   • aol.co.uk16:57
     Davey says ‘no ceiling’ on how many MPs Lib Dems want to gain

     Sir Ed Davey has said there is “no ceiling” on the number of MPs he wants the Lib Dems to win at the next general election. The Lib Dems returned a record 72 MPs at the last general election, but has since struggled to capture the same level of attention as other parties. The party is seeking to firm up a platform for the next general election at its four-day conference. But new research concluded the party has a “fundamental challenge of cut through”. Despite having nine times as many MPs as...

   • The Guardian World18:04
     Feeling ‘forced out’ by Badenoch? Lib Dems conference welcomes young Tory defectors

     Self-described moderates say Ed Davey’s party offers them a home as Conservatives shift further right Climbing the party-branded stairs of the Brighton Centre with a Liberal Britain tote bag over his shoulder, Cody Butler looks quite at home at the Liberal Democrats’ annual jamboree. But asked how he is finding it, the 21-year-old replied: “Odd.” The former Tory activist resigned as chair of the One Nation Conservative Network and left his old party in July, arguing that centrists, remainers...

3. Mon, 21 September 2026

   2 reports
   • Politico Europe07:30
     How can leaders on the ropes bounce back?

     Can the Liberal Democrats withstand the political turbulence around them? As delegates gather in Brighton for their party conference, Sam Coates gauges the pressure on Sir Ed Davey’s party as it faces a squeeze from the Greens and the Andy Burnham bounce. Elsewhere, the prime minister prepares to go to New York for the UN […]

   • Anadolu Agency (AA)17:52
     UK Liberal Democrats see chance to overtake Conservatives as right-wing vote divides

     Liberal Democrat leader says division between Conservatives and Reform UK could help his party win more seats in next election

4. Tue, 22 September 2026

   4 reports
   • Politico Europe02:00
     The UK coalition the Lib Dems don’t want to talk about

     Britain’s centrist force is coy about reentering government after a previous stint ended catastrophically.

   • The Guardian World08:00
     Caution versus ambition: strategy debate dominates Lib Dem conference

     Party strategists say careful targeting of seats has paid off and should continue, but some say a wider vision is needed One of the more dramatic moments in a Liberal Democrat conference otherwise short of them came late on Sunday, when the party frontbencher Lisa Smart told the polling veteran John Curtice that, in effect, he no longer understood modern politics. Curtice had warned the Lib Dems they risked being left behind, with the lack of a coherent national message seeing them all but...

   • The Guardian World13:28
     Lib Dems quietly commission review into religious inclusion amid case brought by dropped candidate

     Lord Newby is to chair the inquiry, commissioned in response to the discrimination case brought by David Campanale who is claiming £790,000 in damages The Liberal Democrats have quietly commissioned a review into the treatment of figures who hold religious views within their ranks, weeks after the Guardian revealed the religious discrimination claim against the party by the former candidate David Campanale. Campanale, a former BBC journalist, was selected in 2021 as the party’s candidate for...

   • Bloomberg Politics15:44
     Liberal Democrats Spy Path to Power as Kingmakers in Divided UK

     Trailing fifth in the polls and starved of attention in Britain’s crowded, divided and noisy politics, the UK’s Liberal Democrats exhibit a quiet confidence that belies their current standing.

5. Thu, 24 September 2026

   1 report
   • Anadolu Agency (AA)17:20
     UK on course for hung Parliament as Labour leads in seats: Poll

     YouGov projection puts Labour 1st, Conservatives 2nd, Reform UK 3rd, with no party securing overall majority

6. Sun, 27 September 2026

   1 report
   • The Guardian World23:01
     Failure to protect free speech could cost Labour votes at next election, says Liberty

     Polling for rights group shows issue is concern for voters and many feel recent policies have had negative effect Free speech will be a big concern for voters at the next general election, with the government’s current approach on the issue perceived by many to be bad for Britain, polling suggests. Three in five people said a political party’s position on free speech would affect how they voted at a general election. The human rights organisation Liberty, which commissioned the polling from...

7. Fri, 2 October 2026

   1 report
   • leftfootforward.org12:25
     Green Party must ‘up its game’ on economic policy, Jamie Driscoll says

     The former Labour mayor of the North of Tyne Jamie Driscoll has said that Green Party needs to 'up its game' on economic policy. Driscoll - who now serves as a Green Party councillor in

8. Fri, 9 October 2026

   2 reports
   • The Guardian World16:46
     Ed Davey faces growing revolt against leadership as senior Lib Dem MP quits

     Treasury spokesperson Charlie Maynard reportedly resigned in attempt to unseat leader as party slips in polls Ed Davey is facing a growing revolt against his leadership of the Liberal Democrats, after the resignation of a senior frontbench figure on Friday. Charlie Maynard, the Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson, has resigned in an attempt to unseat Davey after months of frustration over concerns that the party is failing to cut through with voters, the Guardian understands. Continue...

   • aol.co.uk19:50
     Lib Dem MP quits front bench ‘in bid to topple Sir Ed Davey’

     A senior Liberal Democrat MP has quit the party’s front bench in what is reported to be an effort to topple leader Sir Ed Davey. The party confirmed that Charlie Maynard, the MP for Witney , had quit as a Treasury spokesman on Friday. The Financial Times reported that the resignation is intended to trigger Sir Ed’s removal. Mr Maynard is reported to have asked parliamentary colleagues to back a vote of no confidence in the leader. Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper backed Sir Ed, saying the...

9. Fri, 16 October 2026

   1 report
   • Politico Europe02:00
     Britain’s Lib Dems are having a mini-meltdown. Here’s what’s going on.

     A surprise resignation followed by an extremely long show of unity: Britain's centrist force — a potential key player in a future coalition — doesn’t seem ready to topple its leader just yet.

10. Sun, 18 October 2026

    1 report
    • The Guardian World11:00
      ‘Damp squib’: Ed Davey can breathe easy as Lib Dem leadership challenge fails to materialise

      Lengthy meeting heard grumbles about ‘blue wall’ policies and ‘Ming vase’ tactics but no real rancour As political showdowns go, this week’s gathering of Liberal Democrat MPs, billed by some as a crunch moment for Ed Davey, was a touch underwhelming. “I had expected a damp squib,” one attender put it. “It was damper than I thought.” Far from generating a mass of opposition to Davey’s leadership, let alone a formal challenge to his position, the lengthy gathering in a Commons committee room on...

11. Mon, 19 October 2026

    1 report
    • rutland-times.co.uk10:39
      Cooper rules out future leadership bid and insists Lib Dems strong under Davey

      The deputy leader insisted the party would go from ‘strength to strength’ under Sir Ed.