The Guardian View on the Lib Dem: Talk about parts of England Editorial

R.He is close to the two largest parties in the House of Commons in the 2025 autumn conference season. Each of the Labor Party and conservatives feel dismay due to the collapse in supporting voters and the rise of reform in the United Kingdom. Party anxiety, internal disputes and even popular revolutions appear possible in each of their conferences.

The third largest party, liberal Democrats, have no such concerns. They start their conference in Bournemouth this week in a flexible mood. After winning 72 seats in 2024 – the best result by any third -century third party – the Sir Ad Davi party reinforced those gains in the local English elections 2025. While the Labor Party and the Conservative Party lost votes and seats to reform the United Kingdom, the Libyan Democrats have reversed, obtained seats and seized three councils of provinces. As a result, Sidi Ed Claim The Democrats LIB was now the “Middle East England”.

Well, perhaps. What is undoubtedly true is that LIB Democrats have reasons for future confidence as well as past satisfaction. However, good electoral offers should not be exaggerated – the average number of cute circles is only 14 % In the polls. It also hides the serious challenges and dilemmas facing the party with a greater depth than it may appear at first sight. As a voting teacher Sir John Cortis He recently indicated that the Libyan Democrats are actually the Middle Party in England more than one side of the sharp gap in the British policy opened by the United Kingdom.

This reality-that LIB Democrats are now better working better in areas that remain from Britain, while struggling with leave-redefining a familiar dilemma. Not for the first time in their history, Libyan Democrats must decide between providing a fundamental alternative to work or a more medium alternative to conservatives. The difference now is that the first river system rewards the LIB Democrats in the remaining areas where the voice of conservatives collapsed. Sir Ed thus More focused On the sidelines of Lib-Con, for three continuous reasons: the need to defend many of the conservative party seats that were captured in 2024; The fact that most of the targeted seats after 2014, Lib Dem, is the Conservative Party; Conservative drifting to the right under Kimi Badnouch.

However, many deputies and activists feel this focus on former former Conservative Party voters, which is to miss the fluctuation of times, when there are sounds that must be on the left as well. Lack of popularity I left many former voters looking for a new house. Sir Ed bowed to this mood by boycotting Trump’s dinner to visit the state, showing sympathy for Angela Rainer, complaining about the media bias in favor of Nigel Faraj, and speaking outside Gaza. However, the issue must be faced more fundamentally in the Scottish and Wallsian elections next spring and in the general elections after that. Unless the LIB Democrats also make these voters an economic and environmentally economic offer, they can move to another place.

However, the completion of conservative conservatives is now under a challenge than ever since the early eighties. LIB Democrats are placed to benefit. If Sir Ed reads it correctly, he can pay the number of his deputies near 100 marks in 2028-29. If that happens, and there was a suspended parliament, Dems LIB may again carry the balance of power, as they did in 2010. In this event, the decision between the left and the right will not be avoided anymore.