UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Lib Dem leader Ed Davey announced an initiative to monitor Reform UK’s performance in local councils, citing weak opposition from Labour and Conservatives.
As reported by The Guardian, the Liberal Democrats have launched a “Reform Watch” unit to scrutinize Nigel Farage‘s party in local governance, criticizing other major parties for hesitating to hold Reform accountable.
The initiative will assess whether Reform-controlled councils cut back on services, especially in areas like special needs, mental health, and climate action.
What did Ed Davey say about Reform’s impact on services and climate action?
According to Ed Davey, the monitoring will primarily aim to evaluate if Reform-controlled councils look to slash services. He stated that Farage’s remarks about an excessive number of special needs and mental illness diagnoses had caused “concern” among many families.
Cultural issues, like Reform preventing councils from displaying the Ukraine flag and limiting climate-related projects, would also be key concerns.
Mr Davey stated,
“When you look at what councils do on climate change, the vast bulk of the work is insulating people’s homes. So is Nigel Farage essentially going to say to less well-off people: ‘We’re not insulating your home, you can pay higher energy bills, and that we’re pleased about that because that can make climate change worse.’ Is that the Reform position?”
He intended to position his party as the opposition to Reform, continuing its firm stance against Donald Trump, unlike the more reserved positions from Labour and Conservatives.
Mr Davey said, “We’re going to take the fight to them, whether it’s exposing the fact that Farage is a huge cheerleader for Donald Trump and wants money from Elon Musk, all those sorts of things.”
The Lib Dems made gains in local elections but trailed behind Reform in key areas, including the Hull and East Yorkshire mayoralty, securing second place in Warwickshire.
He argued that their outcomes were not underwhelming, adding,
“We were expecting to do very well in South Warwickshire, which we did. In North Yorkshire, we weren’t expecting to do that well. It was Labour and Tories’ failures that let Reform in. They didn’t make any progress in our areas. Where we were really active, Reform was put in their place.”
According to Davey, another complication was the fragmented nature of the tight multiparty races, which led to the Lib Dems winning a council seat with under 19% of the vote.
He stated that while Reform had not yet posed a significant challenge to Lib Dem areas, it remained a possibility, adding,
“We’re not complacent. We don’t think the fight against Reform is going to be necessarily easy.”
Mr Davey added, “Are we worried about the rise of Reform. Of course we are. The question is, what’s the best way to respond to that? And I don’t think it’s to copy them. I think it’s to tackle them head on. From what I can see, we’re the only party who seem to be up for that. The others seem to be a bit afraid of them.”
Who will lead the Lib Dems’ “Reform Watch” initiative?
The Lib Dems secured over 160 new councillors and gained control of three new councils. They are now the largest party in three other councils and came second to Reform in four areas. These results will be central to their monitoring project, aiming to track Reform’s mayoral and council actions.
The initiative is led by:
- Amanda Hopgood (County Durham opposition leader)
- Antony Hook (Kent opposition leader)
- Mike Ross (Hull City Council leader)
What did Ed Davey urge Lib Dems leaders to press the Prime Minister on?
Sir Ed Davey has asked Liberal Democrat council leaders to push the Prime Minister for urgent action on social care reform.
He said,
“We must speak with one voice. I encourage all of you to write to the Prime Minister in the coming days to set out the urgent need for social care reform and the impact of the delay on your councils.”
Mr Davey stated,
“The commission must wrap up within the year. That’s what the public and our councils deserve.”
Lib Dems seats in local elections
- Liberal Democrats gained 224 seats, electing a total of 868 councillors.
- Took control of 3 councils: Hull (from Labour), Woking, and Gosport (from Conservatives).
- Gained majorities in new councils: Somerset (+37, total 61) and Westmorland & Furness (+13, total 36).
- In Scotland, elected 87 councillors (+20), including strongholds in Highlands, Fife, and Edinburgh.
- In Wales, won 69 seats, with 24 in Powys (+10), becoming the largest party there.