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Politics Home Article | Lib Dems Fear Frustrated MPs Could Defect To The Greens
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There is concern within the Liberal Democrats that some of their MPs could defect to the Greens amid restlessness over the direction of the party.
A senior Liberal Democrat MP told PoliticsHome that at least two Lib Dem MPs — both representing traditionally Conservative constituencies in southern England captured during the party’s 2024 surge — could be tempted to switch to Zack Polanski’s party.
Ed Davey led the Lib Dems to a record 72 seats at the last general election, which made them the third biggest party in the House of Commons. Their gains came largely at the expense of Tories in so-called ‘blue wall’ parts of the country.
Since then, however, there has been growing disquiet within the parliamentary party, with Lib Dem MPs privately questioning the strategic direction and complaining that they have failed to capitalise on the success of 2024.
This restlessness has been fuelled by Polanski’s Greens overtaking the Lib Dems in recent polls. Polanski, previously a Lib Dem, has been credited with sharpening the Greens’ message and expanding their appeal beyond traditional environmental voters.
YouGov this week put the Liberal Democrats in fifth place nationally on 14 per cent, trailing behind Reform, the Conservatives, the Greens and Labour.
“Ed is the most successful leader the party has ever had. He’s won more MPs than ever before, and has a story that genuinely connects with the public. But he’s lost all momentum,” one Lib Dem MP told PoliticsHome.
The same MP added: “There’s a huge opportunity in the centre for the Lib Dems. Ed’s team needs to stop holding back now and really go for it. Otherwise, we’ll just disappear.”
“Everyone’s frustrated,” added a different Lib Dem MP.
Davey has made opposition to Donald Trump a key part of his political agenda, regularly calling on the Labour government to be firmer with the US President.
Internal plans obtained by The Spectator reveal a belief among Lib Dem strategists that their strong opposition to US strikes on Iran will pay dividends at the 7 May local elections.
One memo leaked to the publication reads: “For the first time since the Iraq war… we have a chance to turn a distinctive and principled Liberal Democrat position on foreign affairs into significant election gains.”
However, critical Lib Dems MPs say that, beyond their position on the Trump administration, a lack of a clear policy platform is leaving them with little to talk about.
A Green Party Source told PoliticsHome: “Zack has made it clear that his door is open to anyone who shares the Green Party’s values – but right now he is focused on electing a wave of green councillors, mayors and Sennedd members in May.”
As the party gets together for its spring conference in York this weekend, MPs are starting to wonder whether Davey, who has been Lib Dem leader since 2020, is the right person to lead the party into the next general election.
However, as things stand, there is no sense that his position is under serious threat, nor that there is an obvious successor.
The party’s deputy leader, Daisy Cooper, former leadership contender, Layla Moran, and party president, Josh Babarinde, elected in 2024, are names mentioned by MPs as potential future leaders.
In a recent interview with The House magazine, the Liberal Democrat MP Roz Savage hinted at her own frustrations when asked whether Davey remained the best person to lead the party.
“I can’t say anything about that on the record,” she replied.
One of her colleagues told PoliticsHome: “It’s what everyone’s thinking, she’s just the first to say something publicly.”
Lisa Smart, the Lib Dem MP for Hazel Grove, who is helping devise party strategy, urged colleagues to get behind their leader.
“Ed is the most popular party leader in the country and the strongest voice in Parliament when it comes to standing up to Donald Trump or building closer ties with Europe,” she told PoliticsHome.
“Of course, we have a big bit of work to do coming up with bold new policies as we get closer to the next election, and I’m really proud of all my Liberal Democrat colleagues working hard to do that.”
She added: We are focused on winning, because that’s how we stop Reform, elect more Liberal Democrat MPs and change the country. We have a huge opportunity to win more seats, but also a duty to stop Nigel Farage getting anywhere near Number 10.”
One of the strategic questions facing the Lib Dems is what political direction to pursue as part of their bid to build on their success at the 2024 general election.
There are some MPs, like Savage, who describe themselves as being on the left of the party.
However, there are those who believe the party should continue prioritising former Conservative voters through more centre-right positions on issues like fiscal responsibility.
“We need to be making the case to Conservative voters that we can be trusted on the economy or they won’t vote for us,” said one Lib Dem MP.
