Lib Dem conference blends spectacle with policy push as Ed Davey leans into stunts

The Liberal Democrats staged a blend of spectacle and policy at their autumn conference in Bournemouth, with leader Sir Ed Davey leaning into theatrical stunts even as the party pressed its agenda on climate policy, taxation and governance. The event underscored a party trying to balance showmanship with a serious policy push ahead of a busy political year.

Autograph hunters lined the hotel foyer as Newcastle United players staying in the same hotel ahead of a Premier League match drew attention. Davey arrived at the Bournemouth venue at the head of a marching band, wearing a beekeeping outfit and posing with a frame of a beehive, a reminder of the conference's "buzz" motif. Reporters were invited to watch Lib Dem MPs playing crazy golf and taking a dip in the sea.

Two-thirds of voters reportedly viewed Davey as, in one observer’s phrasing, a pillock, according to BBC political presenter Laura Kuenssberg. Yet when asked on stage whether it was "time to retire the stunts," activists shouted "Nooo" and Davey smiled, patting his pot belly before offering an aw-shucks line about spreading "a little bit of joy." He coyly suggested, then denied, that he had been asked to appear on TV’s Strictly Come Dancing, and he teased plans for another bungee jump while praising his TikTok videos. He even invoked the children's cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants in the course of the day. Davey wore Converse sneakers as he moved onstage to the tune of Disney’s Jungle Book, and reporters noted the platform’s creaking stage as he delivered jokes and self‑deprecating remarks about his own humility.

Alex Cole-Hamilton, the party’s leader in Scotland, later said the Lib Dems would "always act like grown-ups" even as the conference featured high-energy spectacle. The morning session featured a parade of vivid personalities: a world-weary delegate in a Trotsky beard addressing a podium while muttering about internal committees; another speaker complaining that the party sometimes displayed "dysfunctional internal divisions" even as they pressed ahead with policy; and a wheelchair user being pulled on stage by a guide dog as a reminder of the party’s emphasis on accessibility. A delegate who tried to finish a speech about Gaza kept speaking even as time ran out, walking back to her seat to complete her remarks.

Deputy leader Daisy Cooper emerged as a central figure in the day’s policy push. She used a forceful, primary-school-teacher cadence to advocate for a £7 billion windfall tax on big banks and to insist the party would back Net Zero, arguing that climate policy could also drive economic opportunity. Cooper’s performance contrasted with the party’s more skeptical voices toward Conservative governance, as delegates denounced Conservative MPs as "Right-wing nutters" and debated the threat posed by Reform UK, which some speakers portrayed as a serious challenge to democracy. The crowd’s mood ranged from sharp criticism of rival parties to calls for pragmatic governance, with one activist urging the Lib Dems to be more like Switzerland and others extolling cross-border cooperation as a metaphor for working with different regions.

In remarks that drew audible reactions, Davey defended the use of performative stunts as a means to engage voters while stressing policy priorities. He entered and exited the stage to the soundtrack of I’m The King Of The Swingers from Disney’s Jungle Book, faced occasional creaks from the stage, and repeatedly emphasized that his goal was to spread joy rather than to court controversy. He acknowledged public skepticism but pressed that bold, visible efforts could help mobilize support for a platform that includes reform of economic policy and a robust stance on climate action, even as he was pressed about civil rights and the handling of trans campaigning by some party members.

The conference scenes also highlighted tensions within the party over strategy and positioning ahead of a year that will test Lib Dems’ appeal beyond their traditional bases. When the discussion turned to Reform UK’s rising presence, speakers argued that the party’s growth could press the broader center-left reform agenda to be more audacious about democratic safeguards and oversight. Some delegates framed democracy as the central issue in measuring Reform UK’s influence, while others warned against drifting into mere rhetoric without delivering concrete policy.

The day’s proceedings wrapped with a broader reflection on the Lib Dems’ identity as a political force capable of governing while maintaining a sense of levity. The juxtaposition of policy arguments with staged theatrics underscored the party’s attempt to balance seriousness with accessibility in a crowded British political landscape. As the conference continued, attendees were left with a clear impression: Ed Davey’s leadership style remained unapologetically media-savvy, and the Lib Dems were intent on translating attention to action through a policy agenda that includes climate action, fiscal fairness, and a sober public debate about democracy and reform.