Ed Davey launches campaign to lead Lib Dems

Ed Davey has launched his campaign to be Lib Dem Leader in a video posted on Twitter.

He has a new website, Ed for Leader.

Ed's plan has three main themes:

Winning campaigns

Fighting for Liberal values

Tackling the climate emergency

And for those of you who have just joined the party, here's a bit more about him:

Ed first got active in politics after reading Seeing Green by Jonathan Porritt as a teenager - and green issues have remained close to his heart ever since. After serving as the Economics Adviser to Paddy Ashdown, Ed won his seat of Kingston and Surbiton in 1997, when it was 106th on the target list.

From there, Ed has helped Liberal Democrats across the country, at all levels, get elected, including a diverse and majority female group in his home borough.

Ed lost both his parents as a child - and was a young carer for his mum before she passed away when he was 15, So Ed knows how challenging life can be - and how important the NHS is. Caring for the less fortunate has been the hallmark of his political career - for constituents and his campaigns for the bereaved, the disabled and the homeless.

In Coalition Ed began as a Business Minister, laying the groundwork for Shared Parental Leave under Vince Cable. In 2012 Ed became the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change where he quadrupled renewable power and made the UK the world leader in offshore wind. In Europe, Ed led climate change negotiations and won ambitious news targets people never thought would be agreed - so directly helping to get the Paris Climate Treaty.

After losing in 2015, Ed campaigned hard for Remain at the referendum, and gained his seat back in 2017. Since then Ed has been fighting for us to keep our place in Europe, pushing for a proper response to the Climate Emergency, and helping Liberal Democrats get elected across the country.