Liberal Democrat Leader Sir Ed Davey celebrated the party's victories

Liberal Democrat Leader Sir Ed Davey celebrated the party's victories by serving ice cream in the warm weather in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, expressing gratitude to voters after the local elections.

The Liberal Democrats have assumed control of Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and Shropshire County Councils, securing numerous seats from the Conservatives and relegating them to third place. In total, the Lib Dems have gained more than 150 seats—predominantly from the Conservatives—resulting in over 350 councillors elected on Thursday. They have also emerged as the largest party on Devon County Council, which now operates under no overall control, and made substantial advancements in Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. Sir Ed Davey praised the local election outcomes as a "fantastic set of results" for his party.
In his remarks, Sir Ed noted, "For the first time ever, we have surpassed the Conservatives in local elections, positioning us to potentially overtake them in the next general election. The Conservatives are becoming a thing of the past, but we must continue to push forward. The Labour Party has also faltered both in government and during these elections." The Lib Dems are among the few parties, alongside Reform UK, to take control of a council in this year's elections, which have seen a decline in support for both Labour and the Conservatives.
In Devon, the party gained 18 council seats, mainly at the Conservatives' expense, becoming the leading party. However, the Lib Dems failed to secure any mayoral positions, finishing second to Reform in Hull and East Yorkshire, despite having managed Hull City Council for the past three years.

As counting continued, Sir Ed expressed to broadcasters that the results were "surpassing my expectations." He claimed that the Lib Dems have now taken the mantle of the "party of Middle England" from the Conservatives—a goal the party laid out at the beginning of the local elections—asserting that voters have opted for "our community politics over the Conservative Party's neglect and disdain." The elections on Thursday covered 23 councils across England, particularly in rural and suburban regions where the Conservatives have traditionally been dominant, as well as electing six mayors. This year's local elections were fewer than usual due to the government's postponement of polls in nine areas undergoing council reorganization.

Sam Francis