"Don't mention the Brexit!"
Sir Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, has faced criticism and been compared to the comedic character Basil Fawlty over his handling of the Brexit issue. In a series of interviews, Sir Ed avoided taking a clear stance on rejoining the EU, leading to frustration within his party. Describing the party as "proudly pro-European," Sir Ed emphasized the need to rebuild the UK's relationship with Europe. However, he stated that rejoining the EU is currently not on the table.
No single market, no customs union
During the interviews, Sir Ed reiterated that the UK rejoining the EU's single market or customs union is also "not on the table." This comes despite the Liberal Democrats campaigning in the last election to reverse the Brexit decision, a stance that proved unsuccessful.
Party activists call for more clarity
At the Liberal Democrats' conference, party activists expressed their frustration with Sir Ed's reluctance to discuss rejoining the EU. Some criticized him for trying to avoid the topic, with one member heckling him on stage. An MP candidate called for the party to prioritize their position on Brexit and be more vocal about it.
"Basil Fawlty impression"
Tory MP Jonathan Gullis compared Sir Ed to Basil Fawlty, the iconic character from the TV show "Fawlty Towers," mocking his "don't mention the Brexit" desperation. Gullis suggested that Sir Ed recognized that voters do not agree with his views and implied that he may have been influenced by Sir Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party, to downplay the issue in order to secure a position in a potential coalition government.
Activist rebellion blocks housing target policy
In another setback for Sir Ed, a rebellion by activists at the conference blocked a proposal to make scrapping housing targets a key policy. A heated debate on the national housing target of 380,000 collapsed into infighting before the motion was ultimately overturned.
