Prior to the general election, there were bold assertions claiming that the Liberal Democrats might outdo the Conservatives Party in terms of seats, and potentially become the official opposition. While this was not fulfilled, the Lib Dems marked their best performance since 1923 when a catastrophic division between David Lloyd George and Herbert Asquith lead to the collapse of Liberals as the governing party until they partnered with the Tories in the 2010 coalition.
Surpassing their previous record of 62 seats achieved under the leadership of Charles Kennedy in 2005, the Lib Dems secured 71 seats. In the 2010 hung parliament, they managed to win 57 seats.
In a similar vein to how many minor parties in Ireland have been perceived, the Lib Dems were considered the shield of the coalition government and nearly became extinct in 2015. Their downfall persisted in the 2019 election where their pledge to redo the Brexit referendum was poorly received by the public, leading to their winning of a mere 11 seats.
The 2024 outcome was produced with a mere increase of 0.6 per cent in vote share moving from 11.6 per cent to 12.2 per cent. The achievement was made even more delightful due to the fact that the party defeated several notable Tory cabinet ministers, such as education secretary Gillian Keegan, justice secretary Alex Chalk, culture secretary Lucy Frazer, and science minister Michelle Donelan.
The party employed a strategy of focusing on seats in their strongholds where they were most likely to win – in southwest London and Southwest England. This strategy was termed the A30 corridor as it related to the roadway extending from West London to Cornwall.
Ed Davey celebrated a personal victory, boasting the most moving life story among all party leaders. Struck by the tragedy of becoming an orphan after losing his mother to cancer as a teenager and having a son with severe disabilities requiring constant care, he prioritized care in the Liberal Democrats manifesto.
Despite engaging in several high-risk activities like bungee jumping, paddleboarding and riding rollercoasters, Davey’s courage did not make him look like a fool to the public.
The Liberal Democrats have often fallen prey to the UK’s first-past-the-post voting system. An attempt to change the system through a referendum proposed by them in 2011 was wholeheartedly rejected. This time, however, this system proved favourable for them.
The Liberal Democrats emerged as the surprising winners due to erosion of the Tory party’s support by the Reform party. The party, as per polling expert Professor John Curtice, fortuitously gained 19 seats due to this rare occurrence. Importantly, the proportion of seats they acquired (11 per cent) was almost identical to their vote share (12.2 per cent).
Being ardent Eurosceptics, the Liberal Democrats are expected to push for stronger connections to the European Union. Yet, the extent of their influence given Labour’s sizeable majority is still unclear.