Sir Ed Davey vowed to “bring down” the so-called blue wall today as he set out his pitch to disgruntled Tory voters.
The Lib Dem leader made jokes about Boris Johnson’s reshuffled cabinet and took aim at individual ministers in his speech to the party’s virtual autumn conference.
The last general election was a disaster for the Lib Dems, their former leader Jo Swinson stepped down after losing her seat and the party was left with just 11 MPs.
However, buoyed by the party’s success in the recent Chesham and Amersham by-election, Davey is now targeting traditional Tory voters who are fed up with Johnson’s government.
He said: “In Chesham and Amersham, we knocked out one blue brick.
“Now it’s up to us to tear it down. From Cheadle to Cheltenham, from Winchester to Wokingham, from Stockport to Sutton, from Hitchin to Harrogate, from Westminster to Wimbledon and from Eastbourne to Esher and Walton.
“Let us bring the blue wall down. Let us rebuild our country. Let us fight for a fair deal. We can do it. And we will.”
The former coalition minister claimed people who have voted Tory all their lives feel “completely let down” and outlined childcare, potholes and care bills as some of the issues raised on the doorstep.
Davey added: “It’s the same frustration I’ve been hearing for months now from families and businesses across the UK, but especially from traditionally Conservative voters along the blue wall.
“They just don’t feel that Boris Johnson represents them. Or shares their values. They’re not convinced the prime minister is competent – or worse still, decent.”
Davey launched a personal attack on Johnson accusing him of a “total lack of shame or decency”, saying the Conservative Party had become an “ugly, ugly sight” under his leadership.
He also called for a £15 billion covid catch-up plan for education, slammed the cut to foreign aid and reiterated their long-running call for electoral reform.