The 2020 Liberal Democrats leadership election was held in August 2020, after
Jo Swinson
Joanne Kate Swinson (born 5 February 1980) is a former British Liberal Democrat politician who was Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 22 July to 13 December 2019. She was the first woman and the youngest person to hold the position, as well ...
, the previous
leader
Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets v ...
of the
Liberal Democrats, lost her seat in the
2019 general election. It was initially set to be held in July 2020, but due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
it was delayed by six weeks, having been at first postponed until May 2021.
Candidates including
Wera Hobhouse and
Christine Jardine
Christine Anne Jardine (born 24 November 1960) is a Scottish Liberal Democrat politician serving as the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Women and Equalities, the Cabinet Office and Scotland since July 2022. She was elected as the Member o ...
initially declared their intention to stand but later withdrew. By 9 July, the date nominations officially closed, the only candidates were
Ed Davey
Sir Edward Jonathan Davey (born 25 December 1965) is a British politician who has served as Leader of the Liberal Democrats since 2020. He served in the Cameron–Clegg coalition as Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change from 201 ...
and
Layla Moran
Layla Michelle Moran (; born 12 September 1982) is a British Liberal Democrat politician serving as the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and International Development since 2020, and serving as the Member of Parliament for O ...
. Davey was announced as the winner on 27 August with 63.5% of the vote.
Background
Jo Swinson
Joanne Kate Swinson (born 5 February 1980) is a former British Liberal Democrat politician who was Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 22 July to 13 December 2019. She was the first woman and the youngest person to hold the position, as well ...
became leader of the Liberal Democrats in a
leadership election in July 2019, following the resignation of
Vince Cable
Sir John Vincent Cable (born 9 May 1943) is a British politician who was Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 2017 to 2019. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Twickenham from 1997 to 2015 and from 2017 to 2019. He also served in the Cabinet as ...
. In that election, she beat
Ed Davey
Sir Edward Jonathan Davey (born 25 December 1965) is a British politician who has served as Leader of the Liberal Democrats since 2020. He served in the Cameron–Clegg coalition as Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change from 201 ...
, who became deputy leader of the party in an uncontested election among Liberal Democrat MPs.
Swinson lost her
East Dunbartonshire constituency to
Amy Callaghan
Amy Callaghan (born 21 May 1992) is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for East Dunbartonshire since the 2019 general election. She unseated the then Liberal Democrat leader, Jo Swinson, with a n ...
of the
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party (SNP; sco, Scots National Pairty, gd, Pàrtaidh Nàiseanta na h-Alba ) is a Scottish nationalist and social democratic political party in Scotland. The SNP supports and campaigns for Scottish independence from th ...
in the
2019 general election by 149 votes. She had first won the seat when it was re-created in
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; " Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discover ...
, but lost it to
John Nicolson
John MacKenzie Nicolson (born 23 June 1961) is a Scottish journalist, broadcaster and Scottish National Party (SNP) politician.
Since the 2019 general election he has been the SNP Member of Parliament (MP) for Ochil and South Perthshire. He w ...
of the SNP in
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...
, before regaining it in the
2017 general election.
The party leader is required to be a
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
. As per the party's constitution, when the leader loses their seat, the
deputy leader and the
party president automatically become acting co-leaders. Davey and
Sal Brinton
Sarah Virginia Brinton, Baroness Brinton (born 1 April 1955), known as Sal Brinton, is a British politician who served as president of the Liberal Democrats from 2015 to 2020. In November 2010 she was nominated to the House of Lords, taking her ...
hence took over from Swinson as joint acting leaders, with
Mark Pack
Mark Anthony Pack (born 27 July 1970) is a British politician who has served as the president of the Liberal Democrats since 1 January 2020. After the party's leader, Jo Swinson, lost her seat in the 2019 December election, Pack served as act ...
replacing Brinton at the start of 2020 when her term ended.
The party won eleven seats in the 2019 general election, one fewer than the number they won in
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
, but with an increased national vote share. The party's general election campaign was criticised by the former Liberal Democrat MP
Norman Lamb
Sir Norman Peter Lamb (born 16 September 1957) is a British politician and solicitor. He was the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament (MP) for North Norfolk from 2001 to 2019, and was the chair of the Science and Technology Select Committee ...
, who blamed the result on the party's platform of
opposition to Brexit. Some Liberal Democrat MPs criticised the general election campaign for being "hubristic" with its initial message that Swinson could be the country's next prime minister.
Procedure
A timetable was set at a meeting of the party's governing body, the
Federal Board, on 18 January 2020. Nominations were due to open on 11 May, after the
local elections which were due to be held on 7 May 2020, and close on 28 May; voting would begin on 18 June and close on 15 July. The timetable allowed time for a review of the party's performance in the 2019 general election.
In March 2020, the election was postponed to May 2021, after the local elections which had been postponed to that month due to the
coronavirus pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
. Reaction to this decision was largely negative amongst the party membership. The party's Federal Appeals Panel found that, although the Federal Board was correct to suspend the election, it did not have power to set the May 2021 date. The panel directed the board to keep the suspension under continuous review until "the exceptional circumstances that exist at present cease".
On 20 May 2020, the party announced that the Federal Board had reversed their decision to delay the election until 2021. Voting would take place between 30 July and 26 August so that a new leader would be in place for the party's
federal (Autumn) conference.
Liberal Democrat leadership elections officially use the
single transferable vote
Single transferable vote (STV) is a multi-winner electoral system in which voters cast a single vote in the form of a ranked-choice ballot. Voters have the option to rank candidates, and their vote may be transferred according to alternate p ...
system, but they are effectively conducted under the
alternative vote
Instant-runoff voting (IRV) is a type of Ranked voting, ranked preferential Electoral system, voting method. It uses a Majority rule, majority voting rule in single-winner elections where there are more than two candidates. It is commonly referr ...
, as there is only one winner. All party members are entitled to vote under a
one member, one vote
In the parliamentary politics of the United Kingdom and Canada, one member, one vote (OMOV) is a method of selecting party leaders, and determining party policy, by a direct vote of the members of a political party. Traditionally, these objectives ...
method. Candidates must be an MP, and must be nominated by at least one other Liberal Democrat MP. Proposed candidates must also have 200 supporters across 20 or more local parties, including the
Young Liberals.
The 117,924 ballots issued for the contest was the largest number in the party's history.
Timetable
The party announced the election's timetable on 20 May.
* 24 June: Nominations open
* 9 July: Nominations close
* 30 July: Voting opens
* 13:00, 26 August: Voting closes
* 11:30, 27 August: Results announced
Campaign
The ''New Statesman'' reported in January 2020 that
Daisy Cooper
Daisy Cooper (born 29 October 1981) is a British Liberal Democrat politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for St Albans since 2019. She has served as the deputy leader of the Liberal Democrat parliamentary party since 2020 ...
,
Ed Davey
Sir Edward Jonathan Davey (born 25 December 1965) is a British politician who has served as Leader of the Liberal Democrats since 2020. He served in the Cameron–Clegg coalition as Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change from 201 ...
,
Wera Hobhouse and
Layla Moran
Layla Michelle Moran (; born 12 September 1982) is a British Liberal Democrat politician serving as the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and International Development since 2020, and serving as the Member of Parliament for O ...
were considering standing as candidates.
In December 2019 and January 2020, Davey was the betting favourite to win, followed by Moran.
Christine Jardine
Christine Anne Jardine (born 24 November 1960) is a Scottish Liberal Democrat politician serving as the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Women and Equalities, the Cabinet Office and Scotland since July 2022. She was elected as the Member o ...
said in January that she was planning to be a candidate, but withdrew in April.
Cooper said that she was considering running in the election in January, but decided against running in May after the party decided to hold the election in 2020.
Cooper went on to endorse Davey, which was seen as a setback for Moran, who like Cooper was seen as being on the left-wing of the party.
In January, Hobhouse said that she was considering running in the election. In the previous month, she had expressed concern about how she'd be treated as a party leader given that she was an immigrant. She announced that she would run as a candidate on 5 February, in an article for the website ''PoliticsHome'' in which she argued that the party should campaign from the centre-left and consider the possibility of the United Kingdom rejoining the European Union.
In May, she called for the party to "abandon equidistance", where "equidistance" refers to the idea that the Lib Dems should campaign from a position equally between the
Labour Party and the
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
. She said that she would start working with the Labour Party and the
Green Party
A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence.
Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation ...
immediately if she were elected leader. On 23 June, she withdrew from the contest and announced that she was backing Moran to be leader, saying that the latter was "the only candidate who can break with our party's damaging legacy from
the coalition and adopt a
centre-left
Centre-left politics lean to the left on the left–right political spectrum but are closer to the centre than other left-wing politics. Those on the centre-left believe in working within the established systems to improve social justice. The c ...
position to defeat the Conservatives at the next election."
Moran announced that she would stand as a candidate on 8 March, saying that the party needed a "positive vision", with more emphasis on the policy areas of education, the environment and political culture.
She said in an interview with ''
Business Insider
''Insider'', previously named ''Business Insider'' (''BI''), is an American financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Insider''s parent company Insider Inc. has been owned by the German publ ...
'' that the Liberal Democrats should be "more radical than Labour" and ruled out a coalition with the Conservative Party as long as
Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...
was its leader.
She said she would require a commitment to electoral reform before agreeing to join a coalition with Labour, and that she wanted activists from both parties to work together to take seats from the Conservatives. She had previously criticised the party's approach to the
2019 general election, saying that the party's policy of preventing
Brexit
Brexit (; a portmanteau of "British exit") was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 CET).The UK also left the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or ...
meant that voters did not trust the party.
In an online virtual hustings event with Welsh members, she said it was a top priority to make sure that
Kirsty Williams
Victoria Kirstyn Williams (born 19 March 1971) is a Welsh politician who served as Minister for Education in the Welsh Government from 2016 to 2021. She was a Member of the Senedd (MS) from 1999 to 2021. She previously served as the Leader of ...
held her seat in the
2021 Senedd election
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
, and said that the decision in Wales to strike a deal with
Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru ( ; ; officially Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales, often referred to simply as Plaid) is a centre-left to left-wing, Welsh nationalist political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from the United Kingdom.
Plaid wa ...
and the
Greens for each party not to stand candidates in some constituencies in favour of other parties had been bad for activists' morale.
She proposed a
Kitemark system to label products made by companies with higher ethical standards. She also supported the introduction of a
universal basic income
Universal basic income (UBI) is a social welfare proposal in which all citizens of a given population regularly receive an unconditional transfer payment, that is, without a means test or need to work. It would be received independently of a ...
.
In June, acting leader Davey launched his bid to become leader saying that his "experience as a carer can help rebuild Britain after coronavirus".
He proposed the establishment of a
basic income
Universal basic income (UBI) is a social welfare proposal in which all citizens of a given population regularly receive an unconditional transfer payment, that is, without a means test or need to work. It would be received independently of a ...
to support carers, and said that the Liberal Democrats should be "the party of social care".
Davey ruled out a formal electoral agreement with the Labour Party, but said that he would prioritise defeating the Conservatives, and ruled out working with the Conservatives following the next election.
He proposed a plan to reduce carbon emissions from domestic flights to zero by 2030 through investment in research and technology. In a hustings event with Welsh members, he said that the
2021 Senedd election
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
was a priority and he expected success for the Liberal Democrats.
On 24 June, the first day of nominations, both Davey and Moran received sufficient nominations to progress to the ballot. When nominations closed in July, Davey had more nominations both from members and from MPs than Moran.
Between the final two candidates, Moran is considered to be the more left-wing.
Alongside former leader
Nick Clegg
Sir Nicholas William Peter Clegg (born 7 January 1967) is a British media executive and former Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom who has been president for global affairs at Meta Platforms since 2022, having previously been vicepr ...
and many of the Lib Dems who served in the governing
Conservative-Lib Dem coalition of 2010–2015, Davey is associated with the party's right-wing
Orange Booker branch. The record of the coalition, which caused a decline in popularity of the Lib Dems after 2015, has been defended by Davey. Conversely, Moran is considered to represent a break from the coalition years.
Candidates
Declared
The following MPs declared their intention to stand:
Withdrawn
The following MPs declared their intention to stand but later withdrew.
Declined
*
Daisy Cooper
Daisy Cooper (born 29 October 1981) is a British Liberal Democrat politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for St Albans since 2019. She has served as the deputy leader of the Liberal Democrat parliamentary party since 2020 ...
, MP for
St Albans
St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...
*
Tim Farron
Timothy James Farron (born 27 May 1970) is a British politician who served as Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 2015 to 2017. He has also served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Westmorland and Lonsdale since 2005, before which he worked ...
, MP for
Westmorland and Lonsdale
Westmorland (, formerly also spelt ''Westmoreland'';R. Wilkinson The British Isles, Sheet The British IslesVision of Britain/ref> is a historic county in North West England spanning the southern Lake District and the northern Dales. It had an ...
Endorsements
Leadership candidates were endorsed by various notable politicians. Former party leader Jo Swinson remained neutral in the campaign.
Ed Davey
Current MPs
*
Daisy Cooper
Daisy Cooper (born 29 October 1981) is a British Liberal Democrat politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for St Albans since 2019. She has served as the deputy leader of the Liberal Democrat parliamentary party since 2020 ...
, MP for
St Albans
St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...
*
Tim Farron
Timothy James Farron (born 27 May 1970) is a British politician who served as Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 2015 to 2017. He has also served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Westmorland and Lonsdale since 2005, before which he worked ...
, MP for
Westmorland and Lonsdale
Westmorland (, formerly also spelt ''Westmoreland'';R. Wilkinson The British Isles, Sheet The British IslesVision of Britain/ref> is a historic county in North West England spanning the southern Lake District and the northern Dales. It had an ...
, former Liberal Democrat leader and former party president
*
Christine Jardine
Christine Anne Jardine (born 24 November 1960) is a Scottish Liberal Democrat politician serving as the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Women and Equalities, the Cabinet Office and Scotland since July 2022. She was elected as the Member o ...
, MP for
Edinburgh West
*
Sarah Olney
Sarah Jane Olney (' McGibbon; born 11 January 1977) is a British Liberal Democrat politician and former accountant who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Richmond Park since 2019, and previously from 2016 to 2017. Olney has served as ...
, MP for
Richmond Park
Richmond Park, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, is the largest of Royal Parks of London, London's Royal Parks, and is of national and international importance for wildlife conservation. It was created by Charles I of England, C ...
*
Munira Wilson
Munira Wilson (' Hassam; born 26 April 1978) is a British Liberal Democrat politician who was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Twickenham at the 2019 general election. She succeeded the former Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cab ...
, MP for
Twickenham
Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boroug ...
Peers
*
Menzies Campbell
Walter Menzies Campbell, Baron Campbell of Pittenweem, (; born 22 May 1941), often known as Ming Campbell, is a British Liberal Democrat politician, advocate and former athlete. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for North East Fife from ...
, peer, former Liberal Democrat leader, former MP for
North East Fife
*
Dorothy Thornhill
Dorothy Thornhill, Baroness Thornhill, (born 26 May 1955) was the first directly elected mayor of Watford, Hertfordshire, England. She was the Liberal Democrats' first directly elected mayor, and was also the first female directly elected may ...
, peer and former mayor of Watford
*
Jim Wallace
James Robert Wallace, Baron Wallace of Tankerness, (born 25 August 1954) is a Scottish politician serving as a Liberal Democrat life peer in the British House of Lords since 2007 and Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland ...
, peer, former leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords, former
deputy first minister of Scotland
The Deputy First Minister of Scotland ( gd, Leas-Phrìomh Mhinistear na h-Alba; sco, Heid Meinister Depute o Scotland) is the second highest ranking minister of the Government of Scotland, behind the First Minister of Scotland. The post-hold ...
, former leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, former MSP for
Orkney
Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...
and former MP for
Orkney and Shetland
Former MPs
*
Sarah Wollaston
Sarah Wollaston (born 17 February 1962) is a British former Liberal Democrat politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Totnes from 2010 to 2019. First elected for the Conservative Party, she later served as a Change UK and Liberal ...
, former MP for Totnes, for the Conservative Party, Change UK, and the Liberal Democrats
Former MEPs
*
Dinesh Dhamija, former MEP for
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
*
Shaffaq Mohammed
Shaffaq Mohammed (born 21 July 1972) is a British politician who served as a Liberal Democrats Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Yorkshire and the Humber from 2019 to 2020.
Early life
Shaffaq Mohammed was born in Pakistani admin ...
, former MEP for
Yorkshire and the Humber
Yorkshire and the Humber is one of nine official regions of England at the first level of ITL for statistical purposes. The population in 2011 was 5,284,000 with its largest settlements being Leeds, Sheffield, Bradford, Hull, and York.
It is ...
and Liberal Democrat group leader on
Sheffield City Council
Sheffield City Council is the city council for the metropolitan borough of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It consists of 84 councillors, elected to represent 28 wards, each with three councillors. It is currently under No Overall Contr ...
*
Luisa Porritt
Luisa Manon Porritt (born 23 May 1987) is a British Liberal Democrat politician. She served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for London from 2019 to 2020. She was the party's candidate for the 2021 London mayoral election, though she ...
, former MEP for
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
and councillor on
Camden Borough Council
Camden London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Camden in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. Camden is divided into 18 Wards of the United King ...
*
Caroline Voaden, former MEP for
South West England
South West England, or the South West of England, is one of nine official regions of England. It consists of the counties of Bristol, Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly), Dorset, Devon, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. Cities and ...
*
Irina von Wiese
Irina Stephanie von Wiese und Kaiserswaldau (born 11 September 1967) is a British politician, who was a Liberal Democrat Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for London between 2019 and the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the EU.
Career
...
, former MEP for
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
Other politicians
*
Siobhan Benita
Siobhan Benita (' Pook; born 11 October 1971) is a British former civil servant. She was an independent candidate in the 2012 London mayoral election. She was then the Liberal Democrat candidate in the London mayoral election originally plan ...
, former candidate for
mayor of London
The mayor of London is the chief executive of the Greater London Authority. The role was created in 2000 after the 1998 Greater London Authority referendum, Greater London devolution referendum in 1998, and was the first Directly elected may ...
*
Caroline Pidgeon
Caroline Valerie Pidgeon (born 29 September 1972) is a British politician serving as the Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the London Assembly since 2018, and a Londonwide Member of the London Assembly (AM) since 2008.
Early life and educat ...
, Member of the
London Assembly
The London Assembly is a 25-member elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds super-majority, to amend the Mayor's annual budget and to reject ...
*
Peter Taylor Peter Taylor may refer to:
Arts
* Peter Taylor (writer) (1917–1994), American author, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
* Peter Taylor (film editor) (1922–1997), English film editor, winner of an Academy Award for Film Editing
Politic ...
,
mayor of Watford
The Mayor of Watford is the head of the borough council of Watford, Hertfordshire, England. The holder of the position is a directly elected mayor using the supplementary vote every four years. The current mayor of Watford is Peter Taylor, who w ...
Layla Moran
Current MPs
*
Wendy Chamberlain
Wendy Anne Chamberlain (born 20 December 1976) is a Scottish politician serving as Deputy Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats since 2021. She was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for North East Fife at the 2019 General Election.
As of ...
, MP for
North East Fife
*
Wera Hobhouse, MP for
Bath
*
Jamie Stone, MP for
Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
Peers
*
Lynne Featherstone
Lynne Choona Featherstone, Baroness Featherstone, (''née'' Ryness; born 20 December 1951) is a British politician, businesswoman and Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords.
Prior to entering politics, Featherstone was a successful bus ...
, peer, former MP for
Hornsey and Wood Green
Hornsey and Wood Green is a Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, constituency in Greater London created in 1983 and represented in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Ki ...
Former MPs
*
Martin Horwood
Martin Charles Horwood (born 12 October 1962) is a British Liberal Democrat politician who represented South West England in the European Parliament from 2019 to 2020. He previously served as the Member of Parliament for Cheltenham from 2005 t ...
, former MP for
Cheltenham
Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...
, former MEP for
South West England
South West England, or the South West of England, is one of nine official regions of England. It consists of the counties of Bristol, Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly), Dorset, Devon, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. Cities and ...
*
Julian Huppert
Julian Leon Huppert (born 21 July 1978) is a Liberal Democrat politician in the United Kingdom and former Member of Parliament for Cambridge from 2010 to 2015.
He succeeded David Howarth, who stood down after one term as an MP. At the 2015 gene ...
, former MP for
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
*
Stephen Lloyd, former MP for
Eastbourne
Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. Eastbourne is immediately east of Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in Great Britain and part of the la ...
Nominations
Nominations opened on 24 June. Both of the remaining candidates attained the nominations needed to progress to the membership ballot.
The table below lists the number of nominations for each candidate. The total number of MPs represents the eleven Liberal Democrat MPs minus the two leadership candidates and
Alistair Carmichael
Alexander Morrison "Alistair" CarmichaelFull name is given as "CARMICHAEL, Alexander Morrison, commonly known as Alistair Carmichael" in the returning officer'2010 general election declaration (born 15 July 1965) is a Scottish politician and s ...
, who as chief whip remained neutral.
Results
Ed Davey was announced as the new leader of the Liberal Democrats on 27 August.
This was the largest margin of victory in a contested race since the
1988 leadership election, where
Paddy Ashdown
Jeremy John Durham Ashdown, Baron Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon, (27 February 194122 December 2018), better known as Paddy Ashdown, was a British politician and diplomat who served as Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 1988 to 1999. Internati ...
won with 71% of the vote.
Aftermath
In his victory speech, Davey said that the Liberal Democrats must "wake up and smell the coffee" and "start listening" to ordinary people and those who "don't believe we share their values." He also stressed his experience in the
coalition government
A coalition government is a form of government in which political parties cooperate to form a government. The usual reason for such an arrangement is that no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an election, an atypical outcome in ...
, and his commitments to tackle
climate change
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
. Moran later congratulated Davey on Twitter, saying "I look forward to working with him to campaign for a better future for Britain."
Cooper was subsequently chosen by the Parliamentary Party as their new deputy leader.
See also
*
2020 Labour Party leadership election
*
2020 Green Party of England and Wales leadership election
Notes
References
{{UK Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats leadership election
Liberal Democrats (UK) leadership elections
Jo Swinson
Liberal Democrats (UK) leadership election 2020
August 2020 events in the United Kingdom
Liberal Democrats leadership election