Who is Ed Davey?
Ed Davey was first elected MP for Kingston and Surbiton in 1997. In the 2010 to 2015 coalition government he served as a business and postal affairs minister and then as Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when the government agreed terms for the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station. He lost his seat in 2015, regained it in 2017 and was elected party leader in 2020, defeating Layla Moran. At the 2024 general election the Liberal Democrats won 72 seats, their best result in about a century. At the September 2026 conference he said a hung parliament was likely at the next election and ruled out working with Reform UK. In October 2026 he remained leader after a reported attempt to force a confidence vote did not go ahead.
Previously: MP for Kingston and Surbiton (1997-2015, since 2017) · Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (2012-2015) · Minister for Employment Relations, Consumer and Postal Affairs (2010-2012)
Documented positions
- Seeks a Growth and Defence Partnership with the EU, including membership of the Single Market and a Customs Union.Source: libdems.org.uk
- Proposes raising the tax-free personal allowance to £15,000, funded by the forecast growth from closer EU ties.Source: libdems.org.uk
- Backs long-term council funding for social care, a Carer's Minimum Wage and guaranteed respite breaks for unpaid carers.Source: libdems.org.uk
- Supports raising core defence spending to 3% of GDP by 2030 and deepening military and financial aid to Ukraine.Source: libdems.org.uk
- Proposes replacing Ofwat with a Clean Water Authority and converting failing water firms into mutually owned public benefit corporations.Source: libdems.org.uk
- Backs expanding renewables and battery storage and a state-backed Energy Security Bank offering loans for insulation and heat pumps.Source: libdems.org.uk
- His party adopted a 2026 policy calling for a cross-party parliamentary review of how the law protects trans people and a new EHRC code of practice.Source: libdems.org.uk
Record
As Energy Secretary, Davey worked to increase competition among energy suppliers. As postal affairs minister he corresponded with and met Alan Bates of the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance in 2010 but accepted Post Office assurances about the Horizon system; he later told the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry he was sorry for not seeing through the lies. As leader he has positioned the party against both Reform UK and the Conservatives and has criticised US President Donald Trump. In October 2026 Witney MP Charlie Maynard left the front bench in what was reported as a bid to trigger a confidence vote; after a meeting of Lib Dem MPs on 13 October no vote took place.
Supporters cite the party's 2024 seat gains and its focus on health and care. Critics point to polling that has stalled near 2024 levels, and his Post Office record remains contested.
In their words
“Energy security is national security.”
