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| Turnout | 72.1% ( 16.1%)[a] | ||||||||||||
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The2019 Liberal Democrats leadership election was held following the announcement of the resignation ofVince Cable as leader on 24 May 2019, after just under two years as leader of theLiberal Democrats in theUnited Kingdom. The two candidates to succeed Cable wereEd Davey andJo Swinson.
The result was announced on 22 July 2019 with Swinson winning with over 62% of the vote.[1]
Vince Cable had previously stated his intention to stand down before thenext general election. Shortly before the party's 2019 Spring Conference, he announced that he would ask the party to hold the leadership election in May 2019, following the2019 local elections.[2][3] The party was expected to run a 9-week campaign starting after theEuropean Parliament elections.[4]
On 24 May, the day after the European elections (but before the results were counted on 26 May) and the same day that Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative PartyTheresa May announced her upcoming resignation, the Liberal Democrat leadership election was formally started.[5]
The running of the leadership election was determined by Article 17 of the Liberal Democrat constitution.[6] Liberal Democrat leadership elections use thealternative vote (instant runoff) system, with all party members being entitled to vote under aone member, one vote system. As of 8 June the party membership was 105,480.[7]
Nominations closed on 7 June and the new leader was scheduled to take over on 23 July. Nominees were required to be an MP, have the backing of at least 10% of the Parliamentary party (i.e. one other MP), and be supported by at least 200 members spread across at least 20 different local parties.[5]
Cable had put a proposal to the party'sSpring Conference to change the rules to allow non-MPs to seek the leadership; however, this was rejected. Thus the pool of potential candidates were the 11 MPs in the party at the time of the close of nominations.[8] A proposal to allow registered supporters, as well as members, to vote in the leadership contest was also rejected.[9]
Party members registered before the close of nominations were able to vote via postal or electronic ballots; these were issued on 28 June and 1 July respectively. Voting closed on 22 July and the winner announced that evening.[10][11]
In February 2019, eleven MPs from theLabour Party andConservative Party resigned to form the centristIndependent Group, soon to be renamed as Change UK. Among potential leadership candidates,Jo Swinson was seen as most open to working with the Independent Group, whileEd Davey was least open.[12]
Layla Moran, having been elected to parliament in 2017, was seen as the candidate least related to theCameron–Clegg coalition government.[12] Initially, most focus was on Swinson, Moran and Davey as likely contenders. However, in mid-May Moran announced that she would not be entering the contest.[13] Following theMay 2019 European Parliament elections, in which the Liberal Democrats performed extremely well, coming second and beating both the Conservative and Labour parties, Swinson and Davey were expected to be the candidates, with Swinson favoured by bookmakers.[14][15] Swinson called on supporters ofChange UK and theGreens to work with the Liberal Democrats, but stopped short of calling for a formal alliance between the parties.[15]Stephen Bush, writing for theNew Statesman, argued that the expected campaign issues—the legacy of the coalition and the threat of Change UK—were both largely rendered moot by the success of the Liberal Democrats in thelocal and European elections.[16]
Davey launched his campaign on 30 May with a focus on revoking the UK's withdrawal from the European Union and on environmental issues by "de-carbonising capitalism". He hinted at more interest in encouraging defections to the Liberal Democrats than pacts with other parties, like Change UK. He also defended the record of the coalition.[17] Swinson announced her campaign later that day too. Later that week, she said the party could be open to local electoral agreements to support other pro-Remain politicians, but that the Liberal Democrats were the "obvious rallying point" for those opposed to Brexit.[18]
Liberal Democrat Chief WhipAlistair Carmichael announced that the MPs, while they may make individual endorsements like Christine Jardine, will stay largely neutral in the election and two MPs will nominate each candidate in order to show that MPs will work with whoever becomes leader.Christine Jardine andTom Brake nominated Swinson, andWera Hobhouse andJamie Stone nominated Davey. Carmichael and Cable remained neutral in the campaign.[19]
Roles inbold are currently held.
| Candidate | Last political roles | Announced | Nominated by |
|---|---|---|---|
 Ed Davey | MP forKingston and Surbiton(1997–2015, since 2017) Home AffairsSpokesperson(since 2017) Energy Secretary(2012–2015) Foreign AffairsSpokesperson(2007–2010) | 30 May 2019[17] | Wera Hobhouse andJamie Stone |
 Jo Swinson | MP forEast Dunbartonshire(2005–2015, 2017–2019) Deputy Leader(2017–2019) Foreign AffairsSpokesperson(2017–2019) | 30 May 2019[20] | Christine Jardine andTom Brake |
The following MPs were discussed in the media as potential leadership candidates, but they declined to stand:
Ed Davey andJo Swinson were invited to take place in a series ofhustings organised by the party. Each of the fourteen events was held in a different location across Britain.[62]
| Date | Region | Venue | Map |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 May 2019 | London | City of London Academy,London | |
| 1 June 2019 | South East England | United Church,Winchester | |
| 1 June 2019 | Western Counties | King Edward's School,Bath | |
| 7 June 2019 | Scotland | MacRobert Building,Aberdeen | |
| 8 June 2019 | Scotland | Stockbridge Parish Church,Edinburgh | |
| 8 June 2019 | North East | The Assembly Rooms,Newcastle upon Tyne | |
| 14 June 2019 | North West | St Thomas Centre,Manchester | |
| 15 June 2019 | Yorkshire and the Humber | DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel,Leeds | |
| 15 June 2019 | East Midlands | Jubilee Campus,Nottingham | |
| 17 June 2019 | Online hustings | ||
| 21 June 2019 | Devon &Cornwall | Duke of Cornwall Hotel,Plymouth | |
| 22 June 2019 | Wales | Metropole Hotel,Llandrindod Wells | |
| 27 June 2019 | South East England | Sofitel London Gatwick,Crawley | |
| 28 June 2019 | East of England | Sidgwick Site,Cambridge | |
| 29 June 2019 | West Midlands | Stratford-upon-Avon School,Stratford-upon-Avon | |
| 10 July 2019 | London | National Liberal Club, London | |
| Date(s) conducted | Polling organisation/client | Sample size | Jo Swinson | Ed Davey | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June/July | Lib Dem Newswire | 2,863 Lib Dem members | 40% | 20% | 40% |
| 60% | 40% | — |
| Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 YJo Swinson | 47,997 | 62.8 | ||
| Ed Davey | 28,021 | 36.7 | ||
| Spoilt ballots | 411 | 0.5 | ||
| Total | 76,429 | Turnout | 72.1 | |
The electorate numbered 106,075, meaning that 76,429 Liberal Democrat members cast a vote, and 29,646 did not.
I'm backing Ed because he has always helped Liberal Democrats across the country to win – and his plan for Green Investment can rejuvenate areas in Yorkshire and the Humber while limiting our impact on the environment
Over many years, Ed has led the way on making the case for radical action on the environment. He is right to argue strongly for the environment to be at the very heart of our party's agenda going forward
I'm backing Ed because of his campaigning energy and commitment to Liberal causes, from equality to Climate Change, will show the country that the Liberal Democrats are back in the game.
I've known Ed since before he was an MP, and his grasp of policy, and how to communicate it, is second to none. That's why I'm backing Ed.
We need a leader who builds diverse teams which win, and inspire innovative solutions to the challenges of our age. I'm proud to support Ed Davey – a great Liberal Democrat
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Ed is a thoroughly likeable and warm person who has the breadth of experience, the liberal vision and, as a great communicator, is promoting the kind of policies, particularly on climate change, this country so desperately needs.
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I have known Ed for a long time and trust him with the leadership of my party. His three year experience as Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change will be invaluable as we face the huge climate crisis, and give us unbeatable credibility.
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Ed is experienced, energetic and engaged. His record in Kingston shows that he's an inspired campaigner. His record on climate change in government shows that he knows how to get things done.
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