Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey vows to steal Tory and Labour votes at local elections in campaign launch
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has vowed to steal votes from Labour and the Conservatives at the local elections – as he launched his campaign by driving a tractor through blue hay bales.
Sir Ed made his entrance on a farm in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire on a yellow tractor while wearing a wax jacket as he made his party’s intentions clear – they want to smash the Conservative ‘blue wall’.
He was then driven down the high street to a group of Lib Dem supporters, where he promised to fight for people struggling with the cost of living, to reverse cuts to essential public services and to reform the NHS.
“We’re finding that lifelong Conservatives are saying they’ve had enough, that they’re never going to vote Conservative again and they’re switching to the Liberal Democrats,” he said.
He accused the Conservatives of being “out of touch, out of ideas and out of excuses”.
“Let’s all send a message to these Conservatives. It’s time that they were out of government,” he added.
“And that’s why so many people across the country are turning to the Liberal Democrats.
“They know that the Liberal Democrats work hard for their communities here, their concerns, and never take them for granted.”
Sir Ed also said those who normally vote Labour are switching to the Lib Dems and he believes his party is going to make “many, many more gains”.
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Sir Ed Davey
Speaking to Sky News moments after the launch, Sir Ed said he had been speaking to lifelong Conservatives “who are pretty angry” with the party, which makes him believe the Lib Dems stand a good chance of local election gains.
And he claimed voters would not simply choose the Lib Dems because they’re disheartened with the Tories or Labour, saying their policies are “very popular” and they have proven they stand up for their local communities.
Sir Ed added recent Lib Dem wins at byelections show they do not just do well at local elections but can do so in general elections as well.
“People are seeing the Liberal Democrat vote is a powerful vote in many parts of the country,” he said.
Conservative Party chairman Greg Hands hit back at the Lib Dems as he said they are “charging more for council tax, band for band, than the Conservatives while delivering worse local services”.
“The Liberal Democrats should focus on local people’s priorities instead of waging war on motorists, cutting weekly bin services, and wasting taxpayers’ money on vanity projects,” he said.
“Only the Conservatives can be trusted to deliver for your local area. Filling potholes. Cutting crime. Collecting your bins on time. All while keeping your council tax low.”
In June last year, Lib Dem Richard Foord won the Tiverton and Honiton by-election, overturning a 24,000 Tory majority.
This followed Conservative MP Neil Parish’s resignation after he admitted twice watching pornography on his mobile phone while in parliament.
The Conservatives also lost their majority in December 2021, when Lib Dem Helen Morgan was elected in North Shropshire. The by-election here was caused by the resignation of Owen Paterson amid a lobbying scandal.
And in June 2021, Lib Dem Sarah Green secured an historic win in Chesham and Amersham, previously a Conservative stronghold since its creation in 1974. The by-election was triggered by the death of former Tory cabinet minister dame Cheryl Gillan.
World
Trump criticises Putin after potentially ‘historic’ meeting with Zelenskyy before Pope’s funeral
Donald Trump has criticised Vladimir Putin and suggested a shift in his stance towards the Russian president after a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy before the Pope’s funeral.
The Ukrainian president said the one-on-one talks could prove to be “historic” after pictures showed him sitting opposite Mr Trump, around two feet apart, in the large marble hall inside St Peter’s Basilica.
The US president said he doubted his Russian counterpart’s willingness to end the war after leaving Rome after the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican.
Follow live updates: 200,000 mourn at Vatican
In a post on his Truth Social platform, he said “there was no reason” for the Russian president “to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days”.
The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral
He added: “It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying!!!”
The meeting between the US and Ukrainian leaders was their first face-to-face encounter since a very public row in the Oval Office in February.
Mr Zelenskyy said he had a good meeting with Mr Trump in which they talked about the defence of the Ukrainian people, a full and unconditional ceasefire, and a durable and lasting peace that would prevent the war restarting.
Other images released by the Ukrainian president’s office show Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron were present for part of the talks, which were described as “positive” by the French presidency.
Mr Zelenskyy‘s spokesman said the meeting lasted for around 15 minutes and he and Mr Trump had agreed to hold further discussions later on Saturday.
The world leaders shared a moment before the service
Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet in the Basilica
But the US president left Rome for Washington on Air Force One soon after the funeral without any other talks having taken place.
The Ukrainian president’s office said there was no second meeting in Rome because of the tight schedule of both leaders, although he had separate discussions with Mr Starmer and Mr Macron.
The French president said in a post on X “Ukraine is ready for an unconditional ceasefire” and that a so-called coalition of the willing, led by the UK and France, would continue working to achieve a lasting peace.
There was applause from some of the other world leaders in attendance at the Vatican when Mr Zelenskyy walked out of St Peter’s Basilica after stopping in front of the pontiff’s coffin to pay his respects.
Donald Trump and the Ukrainian president met for the first time since their Oval Office row. Pic: Reuters
Sir Tony Brenton, the former British ambassador to Russia, said the event presents diplomatic opportunities, including the “biggest possible meeting” between Mr Trump and the Ukrainian leader.
He told Sky News it could mark “an important step” in starting the peace process between Russia and Ukraine.
Professor Father Francesco Giordano told Sky News the meeting is being called “Pope Francis’s miracle” by members of the clergy, adding: “There’s so many things that happened today – it was just overwhelming.”
The bilateral meeting comes after Mr Trump’s peace negotiator Steve Witkoff held talks with Mr Putin at the Kremlin.
They discussed “the possibility of resuming direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine”, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said.
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Russia and Ukraine have not held direct talks since the early weeks of the war, which began in February 2022.
Mr Trump has claimed a deal to end the war is “very close” and has urged Mr Zelenskyy to “get it done” in a post on his Truth Social platform.
He has previously warned both sides his administration would walk away from its efforts to achieve a peace if the two sides do not agree a deal soon.
Meanwhile, the Polish armed forces said a Russian military helicopter violated its airspace over the Baltic Sea on Friday evening.
“The nature of the incident indicates that Russia is testing the readiness of our air defence systems,” they said in a post on X.
On an extraordinary day, remarkable pictures on the margins that capture what may be a turning point for the world.
In a corner of St Peter’s Basilica before the funeral of Pope Francis, the leaders of America and Ukraine sit facing each other in two solitary chairs.
They look like confessor and sinner except we cannot tell which one is which.
Leaning forward hands together in their laps, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy stare at each other in one photo.
In another, the Ukrainian president seems to be remonstrating with the US president. This is their first encounter since their infamous bust-up in the Oval Office.
The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral
Other pictures show the moment their French and British counterparts introduced the two men. There is a palpable sense of nervousness in the way the leaders engage.
We do not know what the two presidents said in their brief meeting.
But in the mind of the Ukrainian leader will be the knowledge President Trump has this week said America will reward Russia for its unprovoked brutal invasion of his country, under any peace deal.
Mr Trump has presented Ukraine and Russia with a proposal and ultimatum so one-sided it could have been written in the Kremlin.
Kyiv must surrender the land Russia has taken by force, Crimea forever, the rest at least for now. And it must submit to an act of extortion, a proposed deal that would hand over half its mineral wealth effectively to America.
The world leaders shared a moment before the service
Afterwards, Zelenskyy said it had been a good meeting that could turn out to be historic “if we reach results together”.
They had talked, he said, about the defence of Ukraine, a full and unconditional ceasefire and a durable and lasting peace that will prevent a war restarting.
The Trump peace proposal includes only unspecified security guarantees for Ukraine from countries that do not include the US. It rules out any membership of Ukraine.
Ukraine’s allies are watching closely to see if Mr Trump will apply any pressure on Vladimir Putin, let alone punish him for recent bloody attacks on Ukraine.
Or will he simply walk away if the proposal fails, blaming Ukrainian intransigence, however outrageously, before moving onto a rapprochement with Moscow.
If he does, America’s role as guarantor of international security will be seen effectively as over.
This could be the week we see the world order as we have known it since the end of the Second World War buried, as well as a pope.
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