Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has praised the results of his local election, describing the Richmond landslide as a huge vote of confidence in his party.
The Lib Dems extended a majority for the first time in their history in the area, as the Tories lost 10 of their 11 seats to his party.
Following the seismic night, the Green Party are now the official opposition – 91-year-old Geoffrey Samuel the Conservatives’ sole presence on the council.
Sir Ed was pleased as the Lib Dems showed some signs of recovery in vote share after the 2015 general election.
Speaking to the BBC, Sir Ed labelled the results as “a historic night for the Liberal Democrats”.
He added: “This is very positive news. A huge vote of confidence in Liberal Democrat-run councils like Richmond, where it’s a complete takeover.
“We are making big gains in conservative heartlands. Voters could use their ballots to send a message to Boris Johnson that he failed to provide leadership on the cost of living crisis.
“They’ve sent that message.”
Although overall turnout across the country is expected to be down, the Lib Dems will be pleased with the party’s performance by Friday morning.
As of 11am, the Lib Dems have made a net gain of 58 councillors, the highest of any party so far.
They have also swiped control of Hull Council from Labour.
Sir Ed has served as the leader of the Lib Dems since 2020, having been deputy to predecessor Jo Swinson.
He was first elected as an MP in 1997.
The future of Boris Johnson’s tenure was predicted to be decided by Labour’s performance.
However, it is the growth of the Liberal Democrat vote that could see the Prime Minister’s position come under threat from disgruntled Tory MPs.
