Sir Ed Davey hails ‘exceptional’ election result
He said the Liberal Democrats had put voters’ concerns ‘at the heart of our campaign’.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sir Ed Davey has hailed the Liberal Democrats’ “exceptional” election result.
He said the party had put voters’ concerns “at the heart of our campaign”, adding that he had “rather enjoyed” the six-week run-up to the election.
During the campaign he conducted a series of stunts, such as paddle boarding, bungee jumping and conducting an interview on a fairground teacup ride.
Sir Ed won Kingston and Surbiton with 25,870 votes, ahead of his Conservative rival Helen Edward on 8,635.
Speaking at The King’s Centre in Chessington, south-west London, following the announcement, he said: “I think we’ve fought a positive campaign. I like to think that people enjoyed how we put over our ideas.
“But our policies on health and care, on helping people with the cost-of-living crisis, and on tackling the sewage scandal, they’ve been heard louder and clearer because of the way we presented ourselves in this positive light.
“I think it’s possible to have a serious debate as well as having a bit of fun. I don’t take myself as a politician seriously. I want to take the concerns of the British people seriously.
“I hope that the style we’ve gone about it has encouraged people to join the Liberal Democrats.
“It’s certainly encouraged them to vote for us. This is an exceptional result, a historic result for the Liberal Democrats.”
Earlier in the night, Sir Ed’s Conservative opponent Helen Edward told the PA news agency his stunts were “embarrassing”, adding: “I wouldn’t have chosen to do that.”
In his acceptance speech, Sir Ed thanked his “wonderful family”, paying tribute to his wife and children.
He said: “Emily, I love you and I could not have done this without you. Ellie and John, I love you so much.”