Ed Davey launches “Tory Removal Service” poster as he calls for May 2024 election

Embargo: For Immediate Release

• Lib Dem Leader unveils ‘Tory Removal Service’ poster at campaign rally in Guildford

• Ed Davey calls for a return of the Fixed Term Parliament Act to force an election and stop Rishi Sunak “clinging on to power” 

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey has unveiled a new ‘Tory Removal Service’ campaign poster, as he announces a new plan to force a May 2024 election and stop Rishi Sunak clinging on to power.

To kickstart his Surrey campaign tour, Ed Davey drove a poster van advertising ‘Ed Davey’s Tory Removals’ through Guildford, before addressing Lib Demcampaigners, activists and the party’s local parliamentary candidate Zöe Franklin.  The poster describes the Liberal Democrats as the “Blue Wall’s Premium Conservative MP unseating service”, with services including repairing NHS waiting times, ending raw sewage discharges and tackling the cost of living crisis. 

Ed Davey then called for a May 2024 general election, warning that Rishi Sunak shouldn't be allowed to cling on to power for another twelve months. The LiberalDemocrats are tabling a Bill to bring back the Fixed Term Parliaments Act, which would automatically force a General Election on 2nd May this year. The party is challenging Rishi Sunak to back the change, warning that the only reason he would reject it is he knows he’s going to lose.

Following the rally in Guildford, the Liberal Democrat Leader will today be campaigning in Jeremy Hunt and Michael Gove’s Surrey constituencies. At the local elections last May, the Liberal Democrats took control of Michael Gove’s local Surrey Heath Council and overtook the Conservatives to become the biggest party on Waverley Borough Council in Jeremy Hunt’s constituency.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

“The Liberal Democrats are the leading Conservative MP removal service in the Blue Wall and beyond. Four historic by-election wins and sweeping gains in last May’s local elections show that voters across the country are turning to us for change. 

“People are fed up with waiting for promised hospitals that are never built, an end to sewage being dumped in our rivers and real action on the cost of living.

“It shouldn’t be up to Rishi Sunak to cling on for another twelve months, desperately hoping for something to turn up and causing even more damage as he tries to keep his fractured party behind him.

“That’s why we're tabling a law to force a General election in May, so we can send the movers into Number 10 and get rid of this out-of-touch Conservative Government.”

ENDS

Notes To Editors

Images of the poster and flyer can be downloaded here.

Details of Ed Davey’s Private Members’ Bill:

Ed Davey will present the Fixed-term Parliaments Bill as soon as Parliament returns on 8th January. The Bill would bring back the Fixed-term Parliaments Act, taking the power to set the date of the election away from the Prime Minister and putting it back in the hands of Parliament. As with the 2011 Act, it sets the date for general elections as “the first Thursday in May in the fifth calendar year following that in which the polling day for the previous parliamentary general election fell” – meaning the next general election would be on 2nd May this year.

Short title: Fixed-term Parliaments Bill

Long title: An Act to make provision about the dissolution of Parliament and the determination of polling days for parliamentary general elections; and for connected purposes.

Full text of Ed Davey’s speech at the rally in Guildford:

***CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY***

Happy New Year!

This is it…

2024.

The year voters finally get to pack up this awful, out-of-touch Conservative Government,

Throw their disastrous policies onto the skip,

Clean the sleaze stains out of the carpet,

And move the lot of them out of Number 10!

Today I’m launching Ed Davey’s Tory Removals. The Blue Wall’s premium Conservative MP unseating service. 

Britain can’t wait for the change we need.

People are fed up of waiting.

Waiting hours for an ambulance. Weeks to see a GP. Months or even years for an operation.

Waiting for real action to tackle the cost of living.

Still waiting, after all this time, for the first sign of the new hospitals we were promised.

Waiting for an end to sewage being dumped into our rivers and onto our beaches.

And waiting for a General Election, to finally change things.

We shouldn’t have to wait any longer.

It shouldn’t be up to Rishi Sunak to cling on for another twelve months.

Desperately hoping for something to turn up.

Causing even more damage as he tries to keep his fractured party behind him.

He knows his time is running out. Why do you think he hasn’t called an election already?

But it shouldn’t be his choice – it should be Parliament’s.

That’s why we’re tabling a law to take the power to call a General Election out of the Prime Minister’s hands and give it back to Parliament.

And force a General Election on the second of May – when it should be.

The only reason for Rishi Sunak to reject it is because he knows he’s going to lose.

He’s seen the Liberal Democrats score four historic by-election victories.

He’s seen our incredible local election results.

He knows that we are the strongest campaigning force in British politics, and we’re ready to go.

So let’s have a General Election on the second of May, and let’s make it moving day for this Conservative Government!