General elections are strange things, particularly for the Lib Dems. For a few weeks, broadcasters are compelled to actually give them attention. This time around, the party has decided not just to wait for outlets to fulfil their legal obligations. Instead, they are making a splash, literally, with leader Sir Ed Davey taking part in a host of high-profile stunts.
We’ve seen the former environment secretary on, and then off, a paddle board, hurtling down a slip ‘n’ slide and banging an exercise ball with pensioners to ‘We Will Rock You’. There’s also been a giant Jenga set. All-in-all, it seems like Sir Ed is having much more fun than his rivals. The question is whether, in serious times, this is all appropriate.
The party is essentially exploiting the First-Past-the-Past electoral system it wants to get rid of
Former Lib Dem leader Tim Farron is, at least, fully supportive of the stunts. ‘I think they’re great,’ he told me. ‘Ed does fun, eye catching things, so journalists turn up and he gets the chance to then get his message across on serious issues. I was a few yards from him on a paddle board on Windermere and witnessed Sky, ITV and BBC paddling out to him to ask him about cost of living, the NHS and (of course) sewage.’
Farron added that he’s ‘not sure we’d get that kind of visibility and access to getting across our key messages if we just did dull visits.’
While Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer argue over tax and national security, large parts of the Lib Dem campaign have been, if not completely anti-politics, then somewhat apolitical. Sure, they have highlighted a few key topics, such as social care and capital gains tax, both part of today’s manifesto launch, but have avoided getting into the national slanging match.
Of course, providing journalists with a bit of fun has had the added benefit of them barely asking Sir Ed about his time as Post Office minister and his role in the Horizon scandal. (He refused to meet campaigners for a long period of time when in office, something for which he has now apologised.)
The upbeat tone of the campaign is cover for a very ruthless approach in other ways too. The party is being extremely strict in how and where they deploy their resources. They are scarred by the disaster of the 2019 election in which they dropped down to 11 seats, with leader Jo Swinson losing her place in the Commons. Consequently, they have been very disciplined in only expending money and energy in realistically winnable seats this time around.
The party is essentially exploiting the First-Past-the-Past electoral system it wants to get rid of. They would seemingly be happy to receive fewer votes overall if votes they received were in the marginal seats they are fighting.
One of those is Carshalton and Wallington in greater London, where Tom Brake lost to the Conservatives by just 629 votes last time Britain went to the polls. Current Lib Dem candidate Bobby Dean has been working the patch for three years. While the Tories are collapsing in the polls, ‘we’ve maintained focus,’ Dean tells me, and the party is ‘relentless about learning the lessons from 2019’. As for those stunts, Dean insists that they offer a ‘bit of light relief’ in what has been a pretty miserable campaign so far.
But things may be changing gear a bit. The Lib Dems have put out a moving and effective Party Political Broadcast, with Sir Ed discussing his life as a carer. Dean feels he’d earned the space to do that thanks to the more light-hearted moments earlier in the campaign.
Lisa Smart, the party’s candidate in Hazel Grove, greater Manchester, agrees, revealing that when she was out knocking on doors constituents ‘mentioned how they knew Ed cares for his son…I genuinely don’t think his care announcement would have had as much coverage had he not given the broadcasters some fun, interesting visuals to accompany the important policy announcements.’
Farron’s comments also hint at a somewhat more serious tone coming to the Lib Dem campaign, triggered by that broadcast.
As Rishi Sunak stumbles and Sir Keir Starmer tries not to do anything that is going to upset anyone, it is Sir Ed Davey and the Lib Dems who look like they are having the most enjoyable time out on the campaign trail. The Lib Dems are convinced that their unconventional campaign will pay dividends on 4 July. But only time will tell if that confidence is misplaced or not.
Join Fraser Nelson, Katy Balls and Kate Andrews for a post-election live recording of Coffee House Shots in Westminster, Thu 11 July. Bar opens 6.30pm, recording stats 7.15pm
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