Political opinion from A LibDem Perspective: We must restore our broken politics

Politics is in a mess. The two so-called ‘old parties’ are in decline. Labour’s parliamentary strength sees them with double the MPs their vote share should give them, but their lack of direction and low poll ratings undermine their parliamentary legitimacy. The Tories lost two thirds of their MPs in 2024 and are struggling for relevance. The ‘insurgents’ from right and left appear more interested in grabbing headlines than proposing genuine workable solutions.

The recent County Council elections sadly illustrated so much that has gone so wrong. Vast sums have been donated by overseas bitcoin billionaires who hope to influence future UK government policy in their favour. Their chosen party fought the recent campaign almost entirely on national, not local issues, principally immigration which they know is not within the remit of the County Council. Many candidates did not live in the communities they sought to represent and had no track record as proven ‘community champions’ that have traditionally been the backbone of local politics. Their campaign war chest enabled them to blitz their chosen demographic with multiple mailed leaflets constantly stoking the fires of distrust and division.

Worse followed when ‘post-match’ dealings saw the Tory rump of just three Councillors hand over the keys of County Hall to Reform, who attracted less than 30% of the votes and a minority of the Councillors. The Tories supported Reform in every vote at the initial meeting of the new Council thus providing them with a majority. Their combined popular votes across the County came to less than 50% yet the Tory trio were happy to hand over near total power to a completely untried and untested group of Councillors who now have the responsibility of clearing up the Tories’ own financial mess and guiding us through the challenging task of preparing for the new Unitary Authority. By contrast the Tory trio could have supported an Alliance similar to Rother’s with a strong core of experienced Councillors with deep knowledge of the County and its problems. They chose not to.

Early signs are not promising.  When challenged about the lack of women in their Cabinet their leader said they all had mothers, sisters or daughters so they knew what ‘ladies’ thought without having to have them in Cabinet. We wait to see if they copy their colleagues in Kent who have reduced the costs of caring for the elderly by moving them to cheaper care homes regardless of accessibility for their relatives- a cruel measure that is known to reduce life expectancy.

The good news is that this Council has a life expectancy of just two years. Next year there will be elections for the new Unitary Authority. Liberal Democrats will be working tirelessly to offer a fair and positive choice to voters. As Leader of the Opposition I shall ensure Reform – and their soul mates the Tory trio- are held to account.

Cllr Kathryn Field