Ed Davey remains Lib Dem leader after MPs air concerns

Sir Ed Davey remains Liberal Democrat leader after a lengthy meeting of the party's MPs in Westminster. The parliamentary party meeting, delayed by the conference recess, started at 5pm and finished just before 9pm. It was not four hours of continuous discussion because division bells repeatedly took MPs away to vote, with each interruption taking 15 to 20 minutes.

The meeting followed the resignations of two frontbenchers in the past week or so. They stepped down discreetly and did not publicly explain why. Their concerns are understood to have been about Davey, the party's policy direction and his leadership. Team Davey accepts there were grumblings and that a small number of MPs privately believe a change at the top is needed. But most of the parliamentary party did not support replacing him.

The deeper frustration is about attention. The Lib Dems went from 15 MPs before the last general election to 72 after it, making them the biggest third party in the Commons in a century. MPs feel they still do not get enough coverage. They blame fragmented media and social media algorithms that reward extreme and provocative opinions, while seeing their own politics as mild mannered. A campaign called Balance the BBC was part of that argument.

Some MPs link the attention problem to leadership. Others are reassured by changes around Davey. James Holt, who worked for the Lib Dems during the coalition years and later for Harry and Meghan, has returned as political director. Ruth Younger is the new chief of staff. MPs privately say these appointments are good and should help the party function as a larger unit.

Some of the unrest is put down to growing pains. Many Lib Dem MPs are new to Westminster and few have experience of the coalition government. Ed Davey and Alistair Carmichael are among the few who served in coalition. Tim Farron, a former leader, was around then but did not serve in government. That raises questions about both freshness and experience.

Labour and Andy Burnham are moving onto Lib Dem territory, with talk about the European Union, changing the voting system for Westminster elections and social care in England. Some Lib Dems see this as an attempt to eat their lunch. Others say Labour's offers are a pale imitation of what the Lib Dems want, and that it is useful to have the government arguing on their turf.

At Prime Minister's Questions, opponents cheered in a pantomime style when Davey stood up. When deputy leader Daisy Cooper mentioned a local campaign, MPs seized on it as a suggestion that she might have higher ambitions. Davey's allies hope the long meeting has parked the leadership question for now. The underlying concern about attention and direction has not gone away.