Serving battered fish on Palace Pier in Brighton, Sir Ed Davey denied his party has had their chips as he called for a 10p cut in fuel duty to ease cost of living pressures. 

Speaking before the Liberal Democrats’ annual conference on Saturday, the party leader said taxes were at a ‘historic high’ but that they must come down. 

After one of his MPs said the Lib Dems were ‘struggling for relevance’, Sir Ed said his party would be ‘increasingly talking about tax cuts’ as they are a ‘main vehicle’ for helping voters to cut their costs. 

He called on Prime Minister Andy Burnham to introduce a ‘temporary’ 10p cut to fuel duty, which Mr Davey said could be paid for using increased Government tax receipts from the rising cost of energy through windfall taxes and higher VAT on petrol and diesel.

Sir Ed, who is in the seaside town for the Lib Dem party conference this weekend, served up platters of fried goods to his supporters as he maintained they are the ‘most united’ party in British politics. 

It comes after a damning poll which suggested just half of voters who supported the Lib Dems would back them again at the next election.

The same research, by Ipsos, showed Prime Minister Andy Burnham is twice as popular with his base as Sir Ed, and the Lib Dems are currently polling in fourth place nationally on just 9 per cent.

Today the leader hit back at claims by Lib Dem MP Roz Savage that the party is struggling to stay current for voters, saying he understands how MPs get ‘frustrated’ after they are elected to their posts and realise the limits of what they can achieve within the political system.

Sir Ed, who is in the seaside town for the Lib Dem party conference this weekend, served up platters of friend goods to his supporters as he maintained the Lib Dems are the ‘most united’ party in British politics

It comes after MP Roz Savage wrote an essay describing the party as ‘struggling for relevance’

South Cotswolds MP Ms Savage made the remark in an essay ahead of the party’s annual conference, which kicks off today.

She also said the party must rediscover its ‘insurgent spirit’ rather than being the ‘polite custodians of a system that leaves people feeling powerless’.

The MP had an unusual route into politics after deciding at 34 to leave behind her marriage and career to pursue exploration and campaigning to protect the environment.

Since then, the MBE holder has completed great feats of endurance including rowing across the Atlantic and Indian oceans.

She is also recognised as a UN Climate Hero, and is a fellow of both the Royal Geographical Society and the Explorers Club. 

Sir Ed responded to her comments today and said: ‘No, I heard Roz (Savage), and I really value her, but I think she’s wrong on that.

‘If you look at our election results up and down the country, we now run more councils than the Conservatives.’

He added: ‘Actually, I sense we’re the most united party in British politics and that’s the impression I get going round talking to members here.

Sir Ed has sought to boost his party’s profile with attention-grabbing stunts and ramped them up before the last general election

Sir Ed will pitch the party as ‘willing to fight’ at a rally on Saturday as the party conference gets underway

‘Listen, MPs get elected and they get frustrated because they can’t change the world.

‘I’m afraid that’s the political system. I’ve been used to it for a little while and people are learning about that frustration.

‘But we want to change that political system. It’s holding everyone back, particularly holding our country back.’

He pointed to the £72million in donations Reform recently secured from crypto billionaires and foreign influence from Elon Musk as examples of what changes to the system need to stop.

Sir Ed has sought to boost his party’s profile with attention-grabbing stunts and ramped them up before the last general election in which the Lib Dems returned a record number of MPs.

But it has struggled to maintain a strong presence as Reform UK and the Green Party have often managed to generate more headlines.

The party was described as ‘weak’ in new YouGov polling by just more than half of those asked, and while the survey signalled the public largely sees the Lib Dems as moderate, 43 per cent said it is unclear what they stand for.

It noted the Lib Dems have trailed other parties in voting intention polls for most of the last year and have seen ‘no real growth in support since the last general election’.

The party is seeking to firm up a platform for the next election, with health and the economy at the centre of the four-day conference in Brighton.

Sir Ed said his party would not be caught on the back foot by a snap election if Prime Minister Andy Burnham calls one in a bid to consolidate his position.

He said the party had already set up its manifesto working group, with Cheadle MP Tom Morrison as the chairman.

Sir Ed said: ‘So, we’ll be ready if it comes early. But, you know, it still could be up to three years away. So, potentially a lot of work to do.’

He said the Lib Dems have a ‘distinctive position’ in British politics with their goals to take the UK back into the single market and the customs union, which they believe is key to growing the economy and bringing down taxes, as well as focus on the NHS.

It follows the Ipsos polling this week which found that among the Lib Dems’ own supporters, net satisfaction ratings for Sir Ed lag behind other political figures across the spectrum, including Mr Burnham, Nigel Farage, and Kemi Badenoch.

This is reflected in the poll, with 14 per cent of Lib Dem voters dissatisfied with their leader, 33 per cent unsure and 53 per cent satisfied, giving Sir Ed a net satisfaction rating of +39.

Meanwhile Tory leader Mrs Badenoch has a net satisfaction rating of +46, Zack Polanski gets a net +72 rating from Green Party members, and Mr Farage gets a net +73 rating from Reform UK members.

And the poll found Prime Minister Mr Burnham has a net satisfaction rating of +61 among Labour backers, with 7 per cent dissatisfied, 25 per cent unsure, and 68 per cent satisfied with his leadership.

While 35 per cent of Britons view Sir Ed as an honest person and 31 per cent see him as in touch with ordinary people, only 21 per cent feel he has the right plans for Britain.

The party is positioning itself to take on Reform as well as its typical rivals the Conservatives in upcoming polls, and Sir Ed will pitch the party as ‘willing to fight’ at a rally on Saturday.

He will say that Reform is hoping that they will give up out of tiredness or depression, but that a ‘bigger orange wall’ is needed to stop Nigel Farage’s path to Downing Street.