PA
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has said people are “absolutely ecstatic” as the party’s autumn conference began in Brighton on Saturday.
At its first conference since the party won 72 MPs in July’s general election, Sir Ed described the mood as “very excited”.
He said: “People are absolutely ecstatic about the historic result the Liberal Democrats won.
“72 MPs makes us the biggest Liberal or Liberal Democrat parliamentary party for over 100 years.
“The third party again, and the strongest third party for over 100 years. So we want our voice to get heard.”
The result meant that they are the third largest party in Parliament behind Labour in government, and the Conservatives who won 121 MPs.
Sir Ed added: “I think you’ll hear at sunny Brighton us talking about the health service and care every single day.
“We made that the centre point of our manifesto at the election and we’re going to keep doing that. That’s what people voted for when they voted Liberal Democrat.”
As the conference opened on Saturday lunch time, Sir Ed rode a jet ski in Brighton, before speaking to the press.
Sir Ed became known during the general election campaign for stunts, which included bungee jumping and paddleboarding.
At a rally on Saturday evening, Sir Ed thanked party activists, and said that they have been “amazing” in securing the party’s general election results
Speaking on stage in Brighton next to an illuminated ‘72’, he told campaigners that “you have been amazing through those difficult years, and you have been amazing winning our best result in our party’s history, so thank you, thank you”.
He was speaking after deputy leader Daisy Cooper had told the event that “now” is the time to “deliver” for voters who “put their trust” in the Lib Dems.
“We’re ready for what comes next,” she said.
“Now is our time, now is our time to deliver for every single voter who put their trust in us when they cast their ballots for the Liberal Democrats.
“Now is our time to deliver for every single constituent we represent, regardless of how they voted, and conference, now is our time to deliver for every single person in this country.”
Saturday night’s rally featured a number of the party’s newly elected MPs sharing anecdotes from the election campaign, including Josh Babarinde, who represents Eastbourne, recalling bungee jumping with the party leader shortly before polling day.
“An instructor said ‘3,2,1, jump’ and I went nowhere. My hands remained locked on this railing in the sky,” he recalled, before he then jumped as part of the stunt.
Earlier in the conference centre, chief whip Wendy Chamberlain laid out the party’s desire to push for changes to Parliament’s procedures to give them more influence as the third largest bloc in the Commons.
Addressing the conference, Ms Chamberlain said: “Being the third party is a big responsibility. We have a far greater ability to affect change now than we did in previous recent parliaments. We want to be a constructive opposition.”
She added: “Our Parliament gives a special platform for the largest opposition party over and above the third party, but the election result we have just seen raises questions about whether that is the fairest way forward.
“After all, in the past 100 years, the gap between the second and the third parties has never been smaller.”
The Liberal Democrat autumn conference will continue in Brighton until Tuesday.
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