Liberalism is fighting for its life. There is only one way to survive | Martin Kettle

Parties that draw on liberal traditions face a choice: find common ground, or keep on losing to conservatives

You can be forgiven for not knowing there’s a Liberal Democrat leadership contest going on. You can also, to a degree, be forgiven for not caring very much either. For the record, the candidates are the acting leader, Ed Davey, who is a green and a centrist, and the education spokeswoman, Layla Moran, who is more on the party’s left. The result, due on 27 August, is likely to be met with almost total indifference outside the party’s own ranks.

It isn’t hard to see why. The Lib Dems have not recovered from the 2010-15 coalition. A decade ago they had 57 MPs. Today they have 11. Hopes of a revival in the 2019 election proved fanciful. Foolish enthusiasm for an early election, the failure of the party’s Brexit revocation policy, Jo Swinson’s heavy-footed leadership and some bad seat-targeting combined to roll that latest Lib Dem bandwagon back down to the bottom of the electoral hill.

Related: Radical proposals in Lib Dem policy review suggest shift to the left

Related: Keir Starmer faces a daunting challenge. But opportunities beckon for Labour

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