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Who’s on manoeuvres to succeed Ed Davey as Lib Dem leader?

With the first public airing of concerns about the leader, several of his MPs are said to have their eyes on the top job

Rats in a Sack

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey. Photo: Alishia Abodunde/Getty Images

With the Liberal Democrat conference seeing the first public airings of long-bubbling concerns about Ed Davey’s leadership among frustrated footsoldiers, the question lurks: who might succeed him?

Davey is in no mood to quit – especially not with the very real prospect in sight of being deputy prime minister after the next general election – but the Lib Dems’ men in white sandals have proven brutal before and his MPs are increasingly wondering if they went into national politics to be photographed pointing at potholes.

The party has a small pool to draw from – of its 72 MPs, 55 were elected for the first time just two years ago. But it doesn’t mean the parliamentary group lacks ambition. Deputy leader Daisy Cooper is said to harbour hopes of the top job, but is thought by colleagues to be a bit lightweight despite some punchy media appearances. 

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Meanwhile, in December 2024 this column wrote: “Rats in a Sack hears the name to watch is Eastbourne MP Josh Babarinde, which should pretty much damn him.” The name of Babarinde, who is now party chairman, is still heard in leadership chat, but is thought by many to lack the requisite experience (plus the last Lib Dem chair to go on to lead the party was the ultimately hapless Tim Farron).

Foreign affairs spokesman Calum Miller is another name being mentioned, but as a newbie MP has no real constituency within the party and those in the know describe him as “the next leader but one”.

The final candidate said to be on manoeuvres is Lisa Smart, MP for Hazel Grove. Alas, she blotted her copybook when, as the party’s home affairs spokeswoman, she wrote an article in favour of “rethinking” the party’s policy of opposing digital ID cards – an absolute touchstone issue for Liberal Democrats. Davey quickly relieved her of her portfolio and packed her off to the non-job of shadowing the Cabinet Office.

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Meanwhile, Davey has another problem with his group in the House of Lords, who have never much liked him anyway (m’luds don’t think the leader draws on their centuries of wisdom enough). 

While the Labour government has suggested it is open to creating more Lib Dem peers, if only to dilute Tory votes in the second chamber, Davey has unilaterally imposed a ‘one out, one in’ policy for his party – meaning a sitting Lib Dem would have to retire – and that no-one aged over 60 will be appointed.

This has thoroughly pissed off peers – many of whom, considerably older than 60, would be happy to shuffle off into retirement, but have asked for a guarantee that any replacement would be a genuine expert in those policy areas in urgent need of experience, rather just mates of Davey. No guarantee, apparently, has been forthcoming.

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