Charlie Maynard quits Liberal Democrat treasury role amid Davey challenge reports
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Multiple senior Liberal Democrat frontbenchers have publicly backed leader Ed Davey after Charlie Maynard quit as Treasury spokesman amid reported coup attempts. Deputy leader Daisy Cooper said the "vast majority" of MPs wanted him to remain and were "furious at this distraction", whilst senior figures including the health, defence, trade and science spokespeople released coordinated statements of support. The incident has prompted the party to describe itself as engaged in internal "civil war".
The coordinated frontbench response suggests senior MPs believe Davey remains the best choice to lead the party forward, despite frustrations over lack of polling progress since the 2024 general election. Lib Dem MPs won a record 72 seats in 2024, but latest YouGov polling shows the party at 11 per cent – marginally below their election share – raising questions about how to build on that success. Senior figures have warned against further distractions as the party seeks to position itself as the main opposition to Reform UK.
- Senior Lib Dem frontbenchers publicly back Ed Davey after Maynard's Treasury resignation.
- Party described as in "civil war" over lack of poll progress since 72-seat 2024 win.
- Deputy leader calls reported challenge a distraction from fighting Reform UK threat.
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The Liberal Democrats had their best general election result in decades in 2024, winning 72 seats in parliament. Since then, however, the party has struggled to maintain its momentum, with recent opinion polls suggesting support has fallen to 11 per cent, below the share of the vote it received at that election.
This has created frustration among some MPs who feel the party is not making progress. Charlie Maynard, a Liberal Democrat MP and Treasury spokesman, has now resigned from his role, with reports suggesting he is attempting to gather support among fellow MPs to challenge party leader Ed Davey.
The reported challenge reflects broader discontent about the party's performance since its 2024 success. Other senior Liberal Democrats, including deputy leader Daisy Cooper, have publicly supported Davey and suggested the focus should be on opposing rival party Reform UK rather than on internal disputes.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The Liberal Democrats achieved a historic breakthrough with 72 seats in 2024, but have since fallen to 11 per cent in polling—below their actual election share. Some MPs legitimately question whether the current leadership is capitalising on and consolidating this remarkable result, or whether a fresh direction could better build on the party's newfound position as a serious political force rather than watching gains erode.
The case against
The party has just secured its strongest election result in decades, and leadership stability is essential to consolidate this breakthrough and build from it. Post-election polling fluctuations are normal and do not justify destabilising internal contests; the focus should instead be on unified opposition to Reform UK and demonstrating competent governance. Davey has had minimal time to embed his leadership, and constant internal challenges would damage the party's credibility and distract from its policy agenda.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Now the Lib Dems plunge into civil war as frontbencher quits amid rumours of coup against Ed Davey”.