Lib Dem MP quits frontbench job over Ed Davey's leadership

Liberal Democrat MP Charlie Maynard has resigned from the party’s frontbench, saying he wants Sir Ed Davey replaced as leader. Reported first by the Financial Times, the Witney MP stepped down as Treasury spokesman on Friday. Party sources privately acknowledge a “small group” of Liberal Democrat MPs unhappy with Davey’s leadership, with Maynard among them. Daisy Cooper, deputy leader, said the vast majority of MPs support Ed Davey and are “furious at this distraction.” Under Lib Dem rules, a leadership contest can be triggered if a vote of no confidence is passed by a majority of all MPs, with specific nomination thresholds and backing requirements. Davey has led for six years and won 72 seats in the 2024 general election.