A very Lib Dem coup

Desperate Sir Ed Davey will plead with his party not to launch a coup against him at a showdown meeting in Westminster this evening. A whopping four hours have been carved out for MPs to air their grievances over the party’s failure to cut through with the public – and for Davey to convince his fellow wets why they should stick by him and his juvenile stunts. So far, more than 40 MPs have requested to speak, with Roz Savage, who oversees the parliamentary party, set to chair the gathering. Ahead of the showdown, Davey told MPs: I’ve cleared the rest of my evening so we can go on as long as it takes for everyone to have their say. Sources close to Sir Ed insist he is in listening mode and that the majority of the party remains behind him. Others, however, are convinced the numbers are there to force a vote of no confidence. Rebels need the backing of 18 MPs to trigger a vote. So far, around 20 have publicly pledged allegiance to the buffoon, while some 51 remain undeclared. Though no MP has explicitly called for Davey to go in public, behind the scenes the plotters are getting organised. Treasury spokesperson Charlie Maynard resigned from his post three days ago in a bid to kickstart the coup. Among those understood to be preparing for a possible battle are Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper – seen as a stronger communicator and Lib Dem President Josh Babarinde, who was elected in 2024. The question now is who will be brave enough to make their intentions public?