Liberal Democrats see Tory seats as way out of wilderness

At a league centre successful the Staffordshire countryside, shrouded successful freezing fog, a radical of Liberal Democrats gathered past play to crippled their strategy for the adjacent wide election.

Candidates were told the enactment was "now connected a wide predetermination footing" according to 1 authoritative present, who said determination was "a existent buzz" and a "determination to oust Conservatives successful commuter loop areas".

The Lib Dems are determined not to repetition the mistakes of the 2019 campaign, which was branded a "high velocity car crash" by an interior enactment review.

Sir Ed Davey, who present leads the party, alternatively wants to marque it "the champion campaigning powerfulness successful British politics" with a absorption connected large home policies similar the NHS and unseating Conservative MPs.

Central to their strategy is targeting the benignant of Tory seats they person been picking up successful by-elections successful the South of England - the fabled "blue wall".

Party insiders accidental determination volition beryllium nary much speech of winning a wide predetermination outright, seen arsenic 1 of the mistakes made by erstwhile person Jo Swinson.

Instead, her successor is seeking to presumption his enactment arsenic "the main opposition" to the Conservatives successful areas wherever Labour are improbable to win.

"We can't hold to get stuck successful and instrumentality the combat to the Conservatives successful those cardinal battlegrounds," Sir Ed says.

There is enactment for this strategy among different long-serving Lib Dems, scarred by the nonaccomplishment of erstwhile campaigns.

"Where we person travel unstuck successful the past is wherever radical person thought we tin triumph 100 oregon 200 seats and it doesn't enactment that way," says Layla Moran, the Lib Dem MP for Oxford West and Abingdon.

"It's seat-by-seat and we're precise focussed."

Even so, the enactment is apt to travel up against the perennial occupation faced by the 4th largest enactment successful the first-past-the-post voting strategy utilized astatine Westminster elections.

"You can't replicate a by-election strategy successful each azygous seat," warns Mark Leftley, erstwhile property caput to ex-leader Sir Vince Cable.

"They've got to absorption connected those 20 oregon 30 seats wherever they've got a bully accidental of winning."

It's akin to the numbers elder enactment figures speech astir privately.

Those seats volition beryllium successful astir exclusively Conservative-held areas, wherever the Liberal Democrats came 2nd successful 2019 and Labour are improbable to challenge, specified arsenic Wimbledon successful southbound London, Cheltenham and Winchester.

But 1 origin the Lib Dems relied heavy connected successful their by-election campaigns was the distaste erstwhile Tory voters had for Boris Johnson.

His unconventional benignant was thing "more traditional, mediate of the road, Southern voters didn't like," says Mr Kemp, adding that the existent premier curate is "not arsenic people divisive".

"Rishi Sunak gives disconnected a much affable look to those kinds of voters truthful that I deliberation is simply a challenge."

Having antecedently adopted the slogan "bollocks to Brexit" and pledged to reverse Britain's exit from the EU, the Lib Dems' existent connection connected Europe is acold much moderate.

Some wrong the enactment would similar it to beryllium bolder, speaking much astir what it believes has been mislaid done Brexit and the imaginable of a amended woody with the EU.

Former person Menzies Campbell sees the party's firmly pro-European stance arsenic a selling point.

"There's nary uncertainty that successful defence, information and adjacent the economy, the UK has got to beryllium overmuch much cooperative with the EU.

"It's not a question of rejoining, it's a question of communal interests," argues Lord Campbell.

But if Brexit is simply a taxable that Lib Dem MPs seldom rise without prompting these days, what is the party's signature argumentation - the 1 happening voters should cognize astir it?

"I'm not going to springiness distant my full hand," Sir Ed laughs, but says his party's run for a ineligible close to spot a GP wrong 7 days is an illustration of what helium calls a "fair deal" which volition signifier the ground of the Lib Dems' manifesto astatine the adjacent election.

There volition besides beryllium a renewed telephone for electoral reform, successful the guise of proportional representation, which retains a "geographical link" betwixt an MP and their constituents.

The caller absorption connected the NHS and outgo of surviving is welcomed by those successful the enactment frustrated by what they spot arsenic its past inclination to speech to itself, alternatively than to voters.

"You alteration things done winning elections," argues Lisa Smart, the outgoing seat of the Lib Dems' Federal Communications and Elections committee and parliamentary campaigner for Hazel Grove.

The spot is portion of a "northern outpost" of bluish partition seats targeted by the Lib Dems on with Cheadle successful Greater Manchester and Harrogate successful North Yorkshire.

She rejects claims the enactment volition conflict to replicate the occurrence of caller by-elections erstwhile section issues whitethorn not beryllium specified a factor.

"You volition sound connected doors and immoderate radical attraction astir nationalist issues precise deeply, others attraction astir section issues."

The reluctance to speech astir Brexit has fixed Labour "cover" to enactment distant from the contented too, argues pollster Sir John Curtice - and near the Lib Dems without an evident offering to voters.

He predicts an summation successful the party's practice astatine the adjacent wide election, but not its influence.

"You tin spot them getting 20 to 25 seats. They mightiness extremity up with doubly arsenic galore MPs but inactive frankly arsenic peripheral to the strategy and lone the 4th largest enactment astatine Westminster arsenic they are astatine the moment."

He adds: "In the end. the crippled for the Lib Dems ever has to beryllium hoping for a hung parliament successful which you perchance person the equilibrium of power.

"But Labour is presently truthful acold up successful the sentiment polls that for the archetypal clip they person a realistic imaginable of getting an wide majority."

Those Lib Dems who situation to speech astir the effect of the adjacent wide predetermination hold a ceremonial conjugation authorities is retired of the question, and Labour person Sir Keir Starmer has ruled retired immoderate "arrangement" with different parties.

Sir Ed Davey is much nuanced astir his attack to an informal statement to enactment Labour successful government.

But to sermon that would beryllium "jumping astir 10 antithetic hurdles," helium warns, arguing helium is focused connected unseating Conservative MPs and "the conflict aft that is different country".