Liberal Democrats claim victory as they take 300 council seats

‘Lib Dems are back in business!’: Jubilant Liberal Democrats claim victory as they take 300 council seats while Tories and Labour suffer Brexit backlash

• Party sees voters who deserted them after coalition return in local elections
• Vince Cable’s party win more than 300 seats and take control of nine councils
• They cash in on remain voters disillusioned with the main two parties 
• Questions remain over whether they’ll fair as well when up against Brexit Party

The Liberal Democrats claim they are ‘back in business’ after taking hundreds of council seats from Labour and the Tories.

The party’s support had crashed in the wake of Nick Clegg’s disastrous decision to go into coalition with David Cameron in 2010, and they currently have just 11 MPs in the House of Commons.

But by 9am this morning, the Lib Dems had won more than 300 council seats and taken control of nine councils, suggesting they may be experiencing a resurgence.

Council candidate Chris Wiggins wins a seat for the Lib Dems in Peterborough. The party has gained hundreds of council seats across the country

The party cashed in on the main two parties’ failure to deliver Brexit as voters turned to them as one of few alternatives. 

Experts say their message that they want to stop Brexit meant they picked up lots of support from remain voters.

The question for the party will be whether they can do as well in the European elections, when they will be up against the Brexit Party as another alternative to the main two.

The Lib Dems have also traditionally struggled to turn control of local councils into Parliamentary seats.

Despite those uncertainties, MP and former minister Sir Ed Davey said the results were ‘equivalent to our best strides forward ever in our history’.

‘We are clearly back in the game,’ he said. ‘People have been frustrated with the appalling Tory Government, who have let them down not just on Brexit but with cuts to police and schools, and a split opposition with such poor leadership.

‘They have been crying out for a strong alternative. The Liberal Democrats have proven we are that strong alternative to the Tories and Labour.’

He added: ‘On the back of this we think this is a real clear signal to the British people that if you want to stop Brexit you vote Liberal Democrat.’ 

Political expert Sir John Curtice said the party seemed to be recovering from the post-coalition turmoil rather than cashing in on remain sentiment.

He told the BBC: ‘When you actually look, is there any evidence that the Liberal Democrats are doing better in remain areas than in leave areas? The truth is that the evidence seems to be lacking.

‘So it seems easier to interpret this as evidence of Liberal Democrats recovering from the coalition, being the party of protest, and that’s the basis of their success, rather than necessarily a rush of enthusiasm for the idea of a second EU referendum.’ 

The Lib Dems won Winchester, Chelmsford, Bath and North East Somerset, Somerset Wesand Taunton, Vale of White Horse, Cotswold and Hinckley and Bosworth from the Tories. 

Lib Dem leader Vince Cable said: ‘Voters have sent a clear message that they no longer have confidence in the Conservatives, but they are also refusing to reward Labour while the party prevaricates on the big issue of the day: Brexit.’

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