We will work constructively with everyone who shares our progressive aims: Davey on Starmer’s election
Here’s how Liberal Democrat interim co-leader Ed Davey has responded to Keir Starmer’s election as Labour Party leader:
Congratulations to Keir Starmer.
We all now have an opportunity to move forward and away from the divisive politics of recent years.
Lib Dems will always work with whoever we can to pursue our liberal values, build more caring, just society, tackle #ClimateEmergency.
In this crisis, progressive parties must explore common ground, as we work with the government to save lives & defeat #Covid19UK threat.
Starmer was a crucial voice in moving Labour towards more pro-EU position; his internationalist instincts chime more closely with ours than Corbyn’s ever did.
There is opportunity for common ground.
The Lib Dems believe in:
🔶 Building a country where everyone can get on in life
🔶 Fighting #ClimateEmergency
🔶 Reforming our broken political systemOur party will work constructively with everyone who shares these progressive aims.
As the chapter closes on one Labour leader, we hope the new one can see the Labour Party play a constructive role in building an effective multi-party opposition.
That will be the litmus test of Keir Starmer’s leadership.
One comment to add from myself: the very strong comments about rooting out anti-Semitism in Starmer’s acceptance speech are particularly welcome.
If you sign up for my blog posts digest you’ll get a handy one-a-day email with links to all the latest posts. You can also sign up for a range of other lists, including Liberal Democrat Newswire – a monthly newsletter about the party. Just pick the options you’d like on the sign-up form.
– and it will be even better when we have our new Leader, and s/he can go forward with authority in progressing how the new political future will work.
Lets get on with electing our Leader. Hustings can be done by podcast, Q&A can be done by Zoom.. other platforms are available.. If they can organise a choir on-line then, with our collective brains, there is no reason why we can’t do this.!
If we delay until after next May then we will be wiped out, we need our new Leader to lead us INTO the next elections. That will then show the strength of our support and convince doubters within the Labour party that they must go for electoral reform. If we stand back and wait to sort out our leadership it shows the country that we are not a serious force to be reckoned with, and Labour will continue to think they can form a majority, and continue to say that we are the only reason stopping them.
We have to change their mind-set from thinking they can knock us aside, into understanding that they do have to work with us. The only way to achieve that is by having our new Leader in place before the end of this year.
Could not agree more with Peter.
We MUST get our leadership sorted and now
I agree with Peter – and Ed. There’s enough on which I agree with Keir. However, I find it depressing that when we state three key distinctive points, along with climate emergency and political reform, the best we can do is “building a society where everyone can get on in life” – vague, woolly, sounding materialist and offering nothing to people approaching the end of their lives. Couldn’t we refer to fighting poverty or intolerance?