Kate Pothalingam answers our questions in Brighton

THE chairwoman of Islington’s Liberal Democrats has said she hopes the “change of mood” among members will finally give her party a look-in at the next council elections.

Kate Pothalingam was speaking to the Tribune as cheerful Liberal Democrats flooded Brighton to celebrate their historic 72 MPs at this year’s party conference.

She said: “There’s a sense of potential, of having worked hard and achieved something. The feedback from Islington members is that they’ve felt that change of mood, and that it’s something very tangible.”

Lib Dem members celebrated over four days, with new MPs joining party big hitters like Daisy Cooper to look back at the general election campaign and discuss how to solidify their larger presence at Westminster.

Conference stalls included a Tetris game where players could try to clear 72 lines to smash the blue wall, and an election props “hall of fame” was on display.

Party members told the Tribune that they rejected any claims that people didn’t know what they stood for or were seen as boring outside of the political bubble.

Leader Ed Davey has won media attention by performing a series of stunts that ranged from paddle-boarding to roller-coaster rides in order to attract attention.

“When were the Lib Dems ever boring?”, said Luisa Porritt, a former London mayoral candidate and former MEP for the capital. “We’ve seen some highs and some lows but the party has really got a spring in its step. I think that Ed has really shown that we can have fun as a party as well as get a serious message across.”

Ed Davey arrives at conference on a jet ski

On whether the Lib Dems lacked a clear political identity, Ms Porritt said: “I’ve always felt that this ‘wishy-washy’ reputation is a bit unfair. When I joined the Lib Dems back in 2016 it’s because the Lib Dems took a really strong stance on Brexit, a stance that no other parties were taking at the time. That was not wishy-washy.”

Meanwhile, Ms Pothalingham said the Lib Dems now have “everything to fight for” in Islington.

The party has been locked out of the council for 10 years after losing all its seats after the national coalition with the Tories, but Ms Pothalingam said the unpopularity of Labour’s policies was already turning voters away.

A recent by-election in Hillrise ward saw the Lib Dems come in third place, behind Labour and an independent candidate.

Ms Pothalingam said: “It’s not an area where we’ve campaigned a lot recently. It was a seat that we’ve held in the past when Liberal Democrats controlled Islington Council, but when we went out on the door, two things struck me. One was people who said we like the Lib Dem policy on the two-child benefit cap, and what about winter fuel payments. They were referencing Labour Party policies that they were unhappy with, so that’s potential for us.”

The Lib Dems might be excited about any possibility of regaining a few councillors, but there are limits to what will unfold in the run-up to the 2026 elections.

Ms Pothalingam said she was hesitant to adopt Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey’s daredevil antics to attract media and voter interest.

“Nothing to do with heights,” she said when asked if she would be prepared to perform any stunts,

“I’ve swum the Serpentine, I’d be happy to do that again, but stunts, I’m not sure.”

Next stop Liverpool

THE Islington Tribune will be in Liverpool next week covering Labour’s first party conference since taking power.

You can see our reports in next week’s paper and see our films at youtube.com/peeps.online

The following week we will be in Birmingham for the Tories’ conference, where a new leader is due to be paraded.