Lib Dems offer alternative to extremes of Reform and Greens, Davey says

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has said his party offers an alternative to the "extremes" of Reform UK and the Greens, as he hailed gains across England and Scotland.

The Lib Dems gained 153 councillors in England, winning control of Stockport and Portsmouth council, and six seats in the Scottish Parliament.

However, the party's gains were more modest than those of Reform UK and the Green Party of England and Wales, with the Lib Dems primarily benefitting from a slump in support for Labour and the Conservatives.

In Hull, a Reform UK surge saw the Lib Dems lose control of the council, while Nigel Farage's party thwarted their hopes of winning in Tory-run Hampshire.

Speaking on a visit to Edinburgh on Saturday, Sir Ed said: "There's no doubt that British politics is in flux, the old two parties have failed, people looking for change.

"I think the option for British people is the change of the populist parties on the extremes of left and right - Reform and the Greens - or change that is true to British values from the Liberal Democrats.

"Many people voted for that type of change and I'm going to champion that."

Challenged over whether his party was losing momentum, Sir Ed it was the eighth consecutive year of net gains for the Lib Dems in English council elections, while the party had its best result for nearly 20 years in Scotland.

He added: "Clearly, the populist parties on the extremes of left and right have also done well.

"But I think the more that they are exposed and the more people see their policies, they will realise they are either pipe dreams or the politics of division."

In Stockport and Portsmouth, where the Liberal Democrats were already the largest party, Labour losses saw the Lib Dems win control of the council, despite a challenge from Reform UK.

The Lib Dems also cemented their dominance in Sutton and Richmond-upon-Thames, south-west London, where they now hold every seat on the council.

In south-east England, the party profited from a drop in support for the Conservatives, winning the two new councils of East and West Surrey.

However, despite winning nine more seats on Hampshire Council, bigger gains for Reform UK left no party in overall control.

In the Scottish Parliament election, the Lib Dems increased their number of seats to 10, winning Edinburgh Northern and Strathkelvin and Bearsden off the SNP.

The Lib Dems also overturned a large SNP majority in Sky, Lochaber and Badenoch.

However, there was a shock loss for the party to the SNP in their traditional stronghold seat of Shetland.