Sir Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, joined SNP, Labour and Conservative leaders on Thursday evening (20 June) in a two-hour Question Time special.
Sir Ed, Keir Starmer, Rishi Sunak and John Swinney were questioned by members of the audience on issues ranging from Brexit, migration, the NHS and spending.
Recent polling suggests that the Liberal Democrats could end up with 48 seats in the forthcoming general election.
Their main pledge to voters has long been to bring in a “fair deal” which includes broader promises like a “prosperous economy”, a “flourishing environment”, good access to public services and a “truly fair democracy”, as well as strengthening the UK’s position on the global stage.
On Thursday, the party announced a major new plan to reform NHS dentistry, which it says is in need of urgent reform.
The rescue plan, worth £750 million each year, aims to improve patients access to dental care, ensure free check-ups for children and to quash the “exodus” of NHS dentists.
“Across the country, millions of people are going without basic dental care, with many even turning to pulling their own teeth out due to the lack of services,” said Sir Ed.
“It is an utterly appalling situation that has to be brought to an end.
“The Conservative government has pushed dentistry to the brink and it is children and parents who are paying the price of their neglect. Years of this Conservative government kicking the can down the road is creating an exodus of dentists from the NHS.
“The Liberal Democrats have an ambitious plan to fix the dental contract and tackle the crisis in dental care. Every vote for the Liberal Democrats is a vote to get rid of this appalling Conservative government and fix the NHS and care.”
What is Ed Davey’s background?
Sir Ed has served as leader of the Liberal Democrats since 2020. He served in the Cameron-Clegg coalition as Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change from 2012 to 2015 and as Deputy Leader to Jo Swinson in 2019.
He has been the MP for Kingston and Surbiton in Greater London since 2017.
Sir Ed was born in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, in 1965.
His father died when he was four and eight years later, he and his brothers cared for their mother when she became terminally ill.
After both his parents died before he was 16, he was raised by his grandparents. He was a pupil at Nottingham High School, an independent school, before studying philosophy, politics and economics (PPE) at Jesus College, Oxford.
Before being elected to the House of Commons, he was an economics researcher and financial analyst.
Sir Ed and his wife, Emily, who was the Liberal Democrat candidate for North Dorset in 2005, had their first child, John, in 2007. John has severe learning and physical disabilities due to an undiagnosed neurological condition and requires round-the-clock care. This is provided by Sir Ed, his wife and external carers.
His experience as a carer has been a key factor in his advocacy for carers.
In a recent interview with the Mirror, he opened up about his son, John.
“It’s been the biggest challenge of my life,” he said.
“And thanks to my amazing wife we’ve coped and John is doing amazingly well and is a source of inspiration for me.
“I know what it’s like to be a carer every day. I deal with massaging him, with his care needs.
“I look at how other parents, my constituents, and the caring challenges they face… I just feel we don’t support them enough.”
He added: “Too often carers get a raw deal, as I’ve seen through my own experience caring for close family during my life. I’m determined to change that and build a truly caring society.”
Sir Ed and his family live in Surbiton in south-west London.
He is a supporter of Notts County Football Club.
Why was Ed Davey knighted?
Sir Ed was knighted in 2016 for “political and public service” after serving in the Coalition government’s cabinet. He lost his seat in the 2015 general election.
In recent months, however, there have been calls from some Tory, Independent and SNP MPs for him to stand down and return his knighthood.
Sir Ed was one of several ministers responsible for the Post Office and has faced questions over his initial refusal to meet with campaigner Sir Alan Bates over the Horizon scandal.
Although Sir Ed did meet Sir Alan five months after his initial request, documents indicate that he was advised to meet him for “presentational reasons”.
However, Sir Ed told the BBC’s Today programme it “wasn’t the case” that he had agreed to meet Sir Alan because of potential bad publicity.
“That’s what the officials put in the submission to me just before the meeting, but I wanted to meet him because after his second letter, I felt I should hear his concerns,” he said
Sir Ed added that he was the first minister to meet Sir Alan and that he took his concerns “very seriously”.
He said: “When I put those concerns to the Post Office, concerns about the Horizon IT system, I’m afraid I was lied to,” he said.
The Liberal Democrats have argued that it is unfair for Sir Ed to be singled out, saying that he was one of several postal ministers from all three major parties to hold office during the course of the scandal.
Sir Ed apologised for failing to see through the Post Office’s “lies”, stating that he, like many others, was deceived “on an industrial scale”.
Election 2024
The general election campaign has finished and polling day has seen the Labour Party romp to an impressive win over Rishi Sunak‘s Tories.
Sir Keir Starmer and other party leaders have battled to win votes over six weeks, and i‘s election live blog covered every result as it happened. Tory big beasts from Penny Mordaunt to Grant Shapps saw big losses, while Jeremy Corbyn secured the win in Islington North.
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK also outdid expectations with four MPs elected.
But what happens next as Labour win? Follow the i‘s coverage of Starmer’s next moves as the new Prime Minister.