Ed Davey launches local election campaign with hourglass stunt 

EMBARGO: Immediate release

• Lib Dem Leader unveils hourglass stunt in Blue Wall Hertfordshire, declaring “Time’s running out for Rishi Sunak”

• Ed Davey focusses his party’s campaign on local health and social care services, sewage pollution in rivers and the cost of living crisis.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey has launched his party’s English local elections campaign with an hourglass stunt, declaring “Time’s running out for Rishi Sunak”, and calling on the country to vote for change in May. 

Ed Davey visited the Blue Wall battleground of Harpenden in Hertfordshire, which is set to be a marginal constituency at the next election. He will begin his local election tour this week, visiting every corner of the country as the party looks to make further gains on local councils. 

The Liberal Democrats made major gains across Hertfordshire from the Conservative party in last year’s local elections. In 2023, the Liberal Democrats gained over 400 council seats across the country.

At today’s launch, Ed Davey unveiled a blue and gold hourglass in front of Liberal Democrat activists. After turning it upside down, the sand revealed the words ‘Time’s Running Out Rishi!’ He was joined by St.Albans MP and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats Daisy Cooper, and Victoria Collins, the party’s parliamentary candidate for Harpenden and Berkhamsted. 

The Liberal Democrats will focus their local elections campaign on local health and social care services, as well as the local environment and the ongoing cost of living crisis. 

Speaking after the stunt, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

“Time’s running out for Rishi Sunak. He might have bottled a May General Election.

“He might hope the tide will turn, squatting in Downing Street for a few more months.

“But even the Prime Minister can’t deny people across England the chance to have their say in local elections on the Second of May.

“Rishi Sunak’s government is running out of road because people know it is time for change.

“And people are voting for us because it is time for the Liberal Democrats.”

ENDS

Notes To Editors:

Clip here

Full text of Ed Davey’s speech at the rally in Harpenden:

***CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY***

Time’s running out for Rishi Sunak.

He might have bottled a May General Election 

He might hope the tide will turn, squatting in Downing Street for a few more months 

But even the Prime Minister can’t deny people across England the chance to have their say in local elections on the Second of May.

When I speak to lifelong Conservative voters, they tell me that the party no longer speaks for them. Time and time again, they are being failed by this appalling Conservative Government.

This Government has plunged our NHS into crisis. Left vulnerable people waiting hours for an ambulance, weeks to see a GP or a dentist, and months to start treatment for cancer. 

They’ve made the cost-of-living crisis so much worse.

Sending mortgage rates soaring.

Hitting families with unfair tax rises.

And leaving out pensioners altogether in their Budget this month.

They’ve trashed our precious natural environment, letting water companies get away scot-free, as they dump millions of tonnes of raw sewage into our rivers and onto our beaches.

Rishi Sunak’s government is running out of road because people know it is time for change.

And people are voting for us because it is time for the Liberal Democrats.

We are listening.

This year we’ve already knocked on more than a million doors –

We’ve heard from you about all the things that are broken in our country right now.

We’re ready to get to work and fix them.

And we’re hearing too that so many people, in all parts of the country, are switching to the Liberal Democrats.

People who have voted Conservative all their lives – fed up with this Government and choosing the Liberal Democrats to stand up for them.

People who usually vote Labour but feel let down and taken for granted by Labour locally – backing Liberal Democrats to be their local champions.

That’s how we secured four record breaking historic by-election victories.

It’s how we secured such fantastic local election results over the past two years.

And it’s how I know we’ll get many more brilliant Liberal Democrat councillors elected in May too.

Strong local champions to fight for their communities –

To work hard for you, all year round – to never ever take you for granted

It is time to get this Conservative government out of power and to deliver a fair deal.