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Liberal Democrats

Origins

The party originated from an electoral alliance established between the Liberal Party (descended from the Whigs) and the Social Democratic Party (an offshoot of the Labour Party). In 1988, the parties merged as the Social and Liberal Democrats, adopting their present name just over a year later.

They have seven core values: liberty, equality, democracy, community, human rights, internationalism, and environmentalism.

Ed Davey has been the leader of the party since August 2020, when he won the leadership election. He first won an MP seat in 1997 in Kingston and Surbiton (where he still stands today) and has since held a series of party positions, including deputy leader to Jo Swinson, as well as cabinet positions within the 2010 coalition government, where he was Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change. He currently 

Previous election results

The party has previously served as the junior party in a coalition government with the Conservative party (2010-2015); with Scottish Labour (1999- 2007); and with Welsh Labour (2000- 2003 and 2016-2021).

Since 2015, the party has not succeeded in recapturing its previous success from before the coalition with the Conservative Party, which damaged the standing of the party. Poor performance in the 2019 general election saw former party leader Jo Swinson lose her seat. The party had fifteen MPs before an election was called. However, under the leadership of Ed Davey, the party has won hundreds more seats on local councils, especially in the 2022 and 2023 local elections. In the recent local elections, they gained 104 councillors, increasing their total to 522 councillors (which is more than the Conservative party) and they gained control of two councils. Davey has also become the first leader since Paddy Ashdown (the first leader of the party) in the 1990s to win 4 by-elections in the space of one Parliament.

Election results

The Liberal Democrats made significant gains in the 2024 general election, winning 72 seats, an increase of 64 seats. These were prominently from previously Conservative areas, but they also won seats in Scotland from the SNP.  A large portion of these seats were in the South East, where they took them from Conservatives. These significant gains put the Lib Dems in a very strong position to influence the government, with a significant set of parliamentary votes that can help or hinder potential bills. Considering the close third position they hold, they could use this position to create alliances with other opposition MPs and Labour backbenchers to push key environmental policies where the government isn’t.

Key voter demographics 

Polling from YouGov shows that support is largely consistent across age groups, at 9-12% and across genders. Per this polling, in terms of education and age, the party was most popular with people 50 plus who are highly educated (degree or above) and unpopular with 35- 49-year-olds who have a GCSE or below. At the last election, the party won its highest vote share in the South East of the country (18.2%).

Environmental Policy

As one of the core values of the party is ‘environmentalism’, policy here is a key area for the party. They have listed key environmental policies here which include investing in renewable energy and creating a Net Zero Delivery Authority. Other key policies include free retrofits for low-income households, improving standards of new homes, requiring pension funds to comply with climate goals, ending sewage discharges, passing a Clean Air Act, investing in sustainable transport, increasing the size of the protected area network and supporting farmers in restoring woodland and peatland.

In 2023, a policy paper motion titled ‘Tackling the Nature Crisis’ was passed by the party at their conference. This document also explains the environmental policy plans and aims of the party. Key areas of this include introducing a ‘right to nature’, reducing the UK’s environmental impact globally and reducing resource consumption and managing land, bodies of water and planning in a way that supports nature.

In 2025, a policy paper motion titled ‘For People, For Planet’ passed the party conference. The document acts as a mechanism for the party to refresh certain policies in-between manifestos, and let their members have a say in the policy making process. The approach to their environment policy is based on three themes. The first one is putting people first, by developing solutions with communities rather than imposing changes on them, as seen in the establishment of a Just Transition Commission to support those working in declining fossil fuel industries onto new jobs. Secondly, tackling the climate and nature emergencies equally through integrating all policies together, rather than putting them against each other. And thirdly, leading on the world stage by organising international coalitions of the willing to work on both global goals and targeted activities. Several policies were also sharpened, including a headline pledge to cut energy bills by half within a decade, delivered through a ten year emergency home upgrade programme. As well as a policy to support the roll-out of small modular nuclear reactors if they can provide a cost-effective and safe part of a decarbonised generation mix.

Key climate and nature manifesto commitments

  • Investment in renewable power and Home Insulation 

  • Home Energy Upgrade Programme to provide long-term help with the cost of living by cutting energy bills

  • A 'Joint Climate Council of the Nations' to coordinate UK-wide action

  • Energy: Ban on new coal, removing blockers to wind/solar energy, making it easier for councils to run their own green energy schemes

  • Introducing a duty of climate care for British businesses

  • A permanent Chief Secretary for Sustainability in the Treasury

  • Nature: replacing Ofwat, expanding the Office for Environmental Protection, creating a new Air Quality Agency 

  • Agriculture: Advocating for nature- based solutions to rural environmental protections 

  • Transport: support for rail and rural bus routes, increasing the accessibility of charging points for electric cars, reforming taxation of international flights to focus on those who fly the most, banning domestic flights where there is a 2.5hr rail route with an exception for alternatively fueled routes and no more airport expansion 

Recent parliamentary activity

The Lib Dems have been a significant voice in holding the Labour government to account on climate and nature issues. Water has been a contested issue, with the party tabling 44 amendments to the government's Water Bill, forcing votes on banning water company executive bonuses and scrapping the regulator Ofwat. The government's subsequent decision to abolish Ofwat was claimed by the party as a win, though the government framed it as adopting Sir Jon Cunliffe’s independent commission's recommendation, rather than pressure put on by the Liberal Democrats.

They have also opposed the government on planning reform and aviation, criticising the Planning and Infrastructure Bill for weakening nature protections and backing House of Lords amendments that Labour ultimately whipped its MPs to vote down before the bill passed in December 2025. Campaigning against the Chancellor's backing of a third runway at Heathrow on the grounds it would undermine the UK's net zero targets was also a clear dividing line.

There has however, been some agreement with the government. On the Great British Energy Bill, Lib Dems welcomed a government reversal on the Great British Energy Bill, led by crossbench peer Lord Alton, on banning solar panels linked to Chinese slave labour. More broadly, the Lib Dems align with a lot of Labour’s net zero policies, including the rolling out of small modular nuclear reactors, as mentioned in their "For People, For Planet” policy paper.