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London Liberal Democrats

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
London Liberal Democrats
Leader in the London AssemblyHina Bokhari
Preceded byProgressive Party (1888–1926)
Liberal Party (1926–1988)
Headquarters8–10 Great George Street,
London, SW1[1]
Youth wingLondon Young Liberals
Ideology
Political positionCentre[7][8] to
centre-left[3][9][10]
National affiliationLiberal Democrats
Colours  Orange[11]
House of Commons (London Seats)[12]
6 / 75
London Assembly[12]
2 / 25
Councillors[12][13]
244 / 1,817
Council control in London[12][13]
3 / 32
Directly elected borough mayors in London[13]
0 / 5
Website
londonlibdems.org.uk/

The London Liberal Democrats are the regional party of the Liberal Democrats that operates in Greater London. The organisation is a part of the English Liberal Democrats. The party holds 6 of the 75 seats representing London in the House of Commons, 2 of the 25 seats in the London Assembly, and 244 of the 1,817 London borough councillors. Additionally, the party controls 3 of the 32 London borough councils.[12][13]

Current representatives

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Members of Parliament

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The London Liberal Democrats won 6 of 75 London seats in the House of Commons at the 2024 United Kingdom general election. The table below shows the party's current Members of Parliament (MPs).[12]

MPConstituencyFirst electedMajorityMajority %
Ed DaveyKingston and Surbiton1997, 201717,23534.1%
Bobby DeanCarshalton and Wallington20247,90516.9%
Paul KohlerWimbledon202412,61022.9%
Sarah OlneyRichmond Park2016, 201917,15533.3%
Luke TaylorSutton and Cheam20243,8018.0%
Munira WilsonTwickenham201921,45740.0%

London Assembly members

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The London Liberal Democrats won 2 of 25 seats in the London Assembly at the 2024 London Assembly election. The table below shows the party's current Assembly Members (AMs).[12]

AMConstituencyFirst electedMajorityMajority %
Hina BokhariLondonwide List2021N/AN/A
Gareth RobertsSouth West202416,0197.8%

Councillors

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The London Liberal Democrats won 243 of 1,817 borough seats and majority control of 3 of 32 boroughs at the 2026 London local elections. The party currently has 244 councillors and controls 3 boroughs, as shown in the table below.[12][13]

CouncilCouncillorsLeaderRole in Council
Barking and Dagenham
0 / 51
No seats
Barnet
0 / 63
No seats
Bexley
0 / 45
No seats
Brent
11 / 57
Paul LorberOpposition
Bromley
6 / 58
Julie IrelandOpposition
Camden
10 / 55
Tom SimonOpposition
Croydon
2 / 70
Opposition
Ealing
13 / 70
Gary MalcolmOpposition
Enfield
0 / 63
No seats
Greenwich
0 / 55
No seats
Hackney
0 / 57
No seats
Hammersmith and Fulham
0 / 50
No seats
Haringey
8 / 57
Luke Cawley-HarrisonOpposition
Harrow
0 / 55
No seats
Havering
0 / 55
No seats
Hillingdon
0 / 53
No seats
Hounslow
1 / 62
No seats
Islington
0 / 51
No seats
Kensington and Chelsea
3 / 50
Linda WadeOpposition
Kingston upon Thames
44 / 48
Andreas KirschOverall control
Lambeth
9 / 63
Donna HarrisOpposition
Lewisham
0 / 54
No seats
Merton
19 / 57
Anthony FaircloughOpposition
Newham
0 / 66
No seats
Redbridge
0 / 63
No seats
Richmond upon Thames
54 / 54
Gareth RobertsOverall control
Southwark
12 / 63
Victor ChamberlainOpposition
Sutton
51 / 55
Ruth DombeyOverall control
Tower Hamlets
1 / 45
No seats
Waltham Forest
0 / 60
No seats
Wandsworth
0 / 58
No seats
Westminster
0 / 54
No seats

Electoral performance

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UK general elections

[edit]
Gold indicates the constituencies won by the London Liberal Democrats at the 2024 general election.

The table below shows the London Liberal Democrats results at United Kingdom (UK) general elections since the London Government Act 1963 created the administrative area of Greater London in 1965. Results between 1966 and 1979 are for the Liberal Party, while results between 1983 and 1987 are for the SDP–Liberal Alliance.[14] [15] [16] All UK general elections use first-past-the-post voting.

The party's best result was at the 2005 general election, when it won 8 of 74 seats in London. The London Liberal Democrats won 6 of 75 seats at the most recent general election in 2024.

Election Leader Votes Seats Status
No. % ± No. ±
1966 Jo Grimond 356,925 9.3 Decrease 3.1
1 / 102
Steady Opposition
1970 Jeremy Thorpe 246,060 6.9 Decrease 2.4
0 / 102
Decrease 1 Opposition
Feb-1974 814,239 20.8 Increase 13.8
0 / 92
Steady Opposition
Oct-1974 594,699 17.0 Decrease 3.8
0 / 92
Steady Opposition
1979 David Steel 437,521 11.9 Decrease 5.1
0 / 92
Steady Opposition
1983 Roy Jenkins and David Steel 853,360 24.7 Increase 12.8
2 / 84
Increase 2 Opposition
1987 David Owen and David Steel 770,117 21.3 Decrease 3.4
3 / 84
Increase 1 Opposition
1992 Paddy Ashdown 542,733 15.1 Decrease 6.2
1 / 84
Decrease 2 Opposition
1997 486,013 14.6 Decrease 0.5
6 / 74
Increase 5 Opposition
2001 Charles Kennedy 482,888 17.5 Increase 2.9
6 / 74
Steady Opposition
2005 638,333 21.9 Increase 4.4
8 / 74
Increase 2 Opposition
2010 Nick Clegg 751,561 22.1 Increase 0.2
7 / 73
Decrease 1 Cons–LD
2015 272,544 7.7 Decrease 14.4
1 / 73
Decrease 6 Opposition
2017 Tim Farron 336,725 8.8 Increase 1.1
3 / 73
Increase 2 Opposition
2019 Jo Swinson 562,564 14.9 Increase 6.1
3 / 73
Steady Opposition
2024 Ed Davey 367,424 11.0 Decrease 3.9
6 / 75
Increase 3 Opposition

European Parliament elections

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Gold indicates the boroughs won by the London Liberal Democrats at the 2019 European Parliament election.

During the United Kingdom's membership of the European Union (1973–2020), Greater London participated in European Parliament elections, held every five years from 1979 until 2019.[17] The table below shows London Liberal Democrat results in elections to the European Parliament. Results in 1979 are for the Liberal Party, while results in 1984 are for the SDP–Liberal Alliance. From 1979 to 1994, London members of the European Parliament (MEPs) were elected from ten individual constituencies by first-past-the-post voting; from 1999 to 2019, MEPs were elected from a London-wide regional list by proportional representation. The party's best result was at the final election in 2019, when it won 3 of 8 seats in London.

Election Leader Votes Seats Pos.
No. % ± No. ±
1979 David Steel 175,945 11.4 N/A
0 / 10
N/A 3rd
1984 David Owen and David Steel 302,427 18.1 Increase 6.7
0 / 10
Steady Steady 3rd
1989 Paddy Ashdown 98,255 5.3 Decrease 12.9
0 / 10
Steady Decrease 4th
1994 199,017 12.1 Increase 6.9
0 / 10
Steady Increase 3rd
1999 133,058 11.7 Decrease 0.5
1 / 10
Increase 1 Steady 3rd
2004 Charles Kennedy 288,790 15.3 Increase 3.6
1 / 9
Steady Steady 3rd
2009 Nick Clegg 240,156 13.7 Decrease 1.6
1 / 8
Steady Steady 3rd
2014 148,013 6.7 Decrease 7.0
0 / 8
Decrease 1 Decrease 5th
2019 Vince Cable 608,725 27.2 Increase 20.5
3 / 8
Increase 3 Increase 1st

Regional elections

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Greater London Council elections

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The table below shows the results obtained by the London Liberal Party in elections to the Greater London Council (GLC). The GLC was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council which had covered a much smaller area. The GLC was dissolved in 1986 by the Local Government Act 1985 and its powers were devolved to the London boroughs and other entities. All GLC elections were conducted under the first-past-the-post voting system. The party's best result was at the 1973 GLC election, when it won 2 of 92 seats.

Election Leader Votes Seats Status
No. % ± No. ±
1964 238,967 10.0 N/A
0 / 100
N/A No seats
1967 189,868 8.8 Decrease 1.2
0 / 100
Steady No seats
1970 103,838 5.4 Decrease 3.4
0 / 100
Steady No seats
1973 Stanley Rundle 244,703 12.5 Increase 7.1
2 / 92
Increase 2 Opposition
1977 174,405 7.8 Decrease 4.7
0 / 92
Decrease 2 No seats
1981 Adrian Slade 323,856 14.4 Increase 6.6
1 / 92
Increase 1 Opposition

London Assembly elections

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Gold indicates constituencies won by the London Liberal Democrats at the 2024 London Assembly election. The party won one constituency and one London-wide party list seat, for a total of two seats.

The table below shows the London Liberal Democrats results at London Assembly elections since the Greater London Authority was established in 2000. Assembly elections use the additional member system, a form of mixed member proportional representation, with 14 directly elected constituencies and 11 London-wide top-up seats.

The party's best result was at the 2004 London Assembly election, when it won 5 of 25 seats. The London Liberal Democrats won 2 of 25 seats at the most recent London Assembly election in 2024, including the first constituency seat ever won by a party other than Labour or the Conservatives (South West).

Election Leader Constituency Party Total Seats ±
No. % Seats No. % Seats
2000 Graham Tope 299,998 18.9
0 / 14
245,555 14.8
4 / 11
4 / 25
N/A
2004 332,237 18.4
0 / 14
316,218 16.9
5 / 11
5 / 25
Increase 1
2008 Mike Tuffrey 330,018 13.7
0 / 14
252,556 11.2
3 / 11
3 / 25
Decrease 2
2012 Caroline Pidgeon 193,842 8.8
0 / 14
150,447 6.8
2 / 11
2 / 25
Decrease 1
2016 195,820 7.5
0 / 14
165,580 6.3
1 / 11
1 / 25
Decrease 1
2021 266,595 10.3
0 / 14
189,522 7.3
2 / 11
2 / 25
Increase 1
2024 Hina Bokhari 271,049 11.0
1 / 14
215,682 8.7
1 / 11
2 / 25
Steady

London Mayoral elections

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The London Liberal Democrats won no London Assembly constituencies at the 2024 London mayoral election. Gold on the inset map indicates constituencies where the London Liberal Democrats placed third.

The table below shows the London Liberal Democrats results in London Mayoral elections since the Greater London Authority was established in 2000. Elections between 2000 and 2021 were conducted using the supplementary vote system, which allowed voters to transfer votes from first to second preference candidates. The 2024 election used the first-past-the-post system.[18]

The London Liberal Democrats have never won a London mayoral election. The party's best result was at the 2004 London mayoral election, when it won 15.3% of the first preference vote. The party won 5.8% of the vote at the most recent election in 2024.

Election Candidate 1st Round 2nd Round Result
No. % ± No. % ±
2000 Susan Kramer 203,452 11.9 N/A Eliminated Lost
2004 Simon Hughes 284,647 15.3 Increase 3.5 Eliminated Lost
2008 Brian Paddick 235,585 9.8 Decrease 5.6 Eliminated Lost
2012 91,774 4.2 Decrease 5.6 Eliminated Lost
2016 Caroline Pidgeon 120,005 4.6 Increase 0.4 Eliminated Lost
2021 Luisa Porritt 111,716 4.4 Decrease 0.2 Eliminated Lost
2024 Rob Blackie 145,184 5.8 Increase 1.4 Lost

Local elections

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Orange indicates the boroughs won by the London Liberal Democrats at the 2026 London local elections.

The table below shows the London Liberal Democrats results at London borough council elections since the London Government Act 1963 created the administrative area of Greater London in 1965. Results between 1964 and 1978 are for the Liberal Party, while results between 1982 and 1986 are for the SDP–Liberal Alliance.[19] All borough council elections use the first-past-the-post voting system.

The party's best result was at the 2006 London local elections when it won 316 of 1,861 seats and control of 3 of 32 boroughs. The London Liberal Democrats won 243 seats and control of 3 boroughs at the most recent elections in 2026.

Election Leader Votes Councillors Councils
No. % ± Seats ± Majorities ±
1964 Jo Grimond N/A
16 / 1,859
N/A
0 / 32
N/A
1968 Jeremy Thorpe 387,181 7.3
10 / 1,863
Decrease 6
0 / 32
Steady
1971 253,255 4.2 Decrease 3.0
9 / 1,863
Decrease 1
0 / 32
Steady
1974 244,725 13.1 Increase 8.9
27 / 1,867
Increase 18
0 / 32
Steady
1978 David Steel 150,298 7.1 Decrease 6.0
30 / 1,908
Increase 3
0 / 32
Steady
1982 Collective SDP Leadership and David Steel 530,340 24.6 Increase 17.5
124 / 1,914
Increase 94
0 / 32
Steady
1986 David Owen and David Steel 539,848 24.0 Decrease 0.6
249 / 1,914
Increase 125
3 / 32
Increase 3
1990 Paddy Ashdown 344,125 14.2 Decrease 9.8
229 / 1,914
Decrease 20
3 / 32
Steady
1994 490,259 22.0 Increase 7.8
323 / 1,917
Increase 94
3 / 32
Steady
1998 362,913 20.8 Decrease 1.2
301 / 1,917
Decrease 22
2 / 32
Decrease 1
2002 Charles Kennedy 353,833 20.6 Decrease 0.2
307 / 1,861
Increase 6
3 / 32
Increase 1
2006 Menzies Campbell 443,772 20.7 Increase 0.1
316 / 1,861
Increase 9
3 / 32
Steady
2010 Nick Clegg 835,217 22.4 Increase 1.7
246 / 1,861
Decrease 70
2 / 32
Decrease 1
2014 267,769 10.6 Decrease 11.8
116 / 1,861
Decrease 130
1 / 32
Decrease 1
2018 Vince Cable 323,074 13.0 Increase 2.5
152 / 1,861
Increase 36
3 / 32
Increase 2
2022 Ed Davey 335,415 13.7 Increase 0.7
180 / 1,817
Increase 28
3 / 32
Steady
2026 12.4 Decrease 1.3
243 / 1,817
Increase 63
3 / 32
Steady

The table below shows the London Liberal Democrats' best election results for each London borough council, as well as the party's current seat totals.[20]

Best historic result by borough
Borough Election Best seats Role in council Current seats
Barking and Dagenham 1986
5 / 48
Opposition
0 / 51
Barnet 1964
6 / 63
3rd Party
0 / 63
Bexley 1994
14 / 62
3rd Party
0 / 45
Brent 2006
27 / 63
Joint control
with Conservatives
11 / 57
Bromley 1998
27 / 60
Joint control
with Labour
6 / 58
Camden 2006
20 / 54
Joint control
with Conservatives
10 / 55
Croydon 2026
2 / 70
3rd Party
2 / 70
Ealing 2026
13 / 70
Opposition
13 / 70
Enfield 1974
1 / 60
3rd Party
0 / 63
Greenwich 1986
5 / 62
3rd Party
0 / 55
Hackney 1998
17 / 60
3rd Party
0 / 57
Hammersmith and Fulham 1982
2 / 50
3rd Party
0 / 50
Haringey 2006
27 / 57
Opposition
8 / 57
Harrow 1994
29 / 63
Minority
0 / 55
Havering 1990
6 / 63
4th Party
0 / 55
Hillingdon 1986
6 / 63
3rd Party
0 / 53
Hounslow 1994
5 / 60
3rd Party
1 / 62
Islington 2002
38 / 48
Overall control
0 / 51
Kensington and Chelsea 2026
3 / 50
3rd Party
3 / 50
Kingston upon Thames 2022
44 / 48
Overall control
44 / 48
Lambeth 2002
28 / 63
Joint control
with Conservatives
9 / 63
Lewisham 2002
17 / 54
Opposition
0 / 54
Merton 2026
19 / 57
Opposition
19 / 57
Newham 1982
6 / 60
Opposition
0 / 66
Redbridge 2006
9 / 62
Opposition
0 / 63
Richmond upon Thames 2026
54 / 54
Overall control
54 / 54
Southwark 2002
30 / 63
Joint control
with Conservatives
12 / 63
Sutton 2026
51 / 55
Overall control
51 / 55
Tower Hamlets 1990
30 / 50
Overall control
1 / 45
Waltham Forest 2006
19 / 60
Opposition
0 / 60
Wandsworth 1982
1 / 61
3rd Party
0 / 58
Westminster City 2010
0 / 61
No presence
0 / 54

See also

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References

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  1. "Revealed: The Liberal Democrats' new HQ". Lib Dem Voice. 21 May 2011. Archived from the original on 24 May 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
  2. Hans Slomp (2011). Europe, A Political Profile: An American Companion to European Politics [2 volumes]: An American Companion to European Politics. ABC-CLIO. p. 343. ISBN 978-0-313-39182-8.
  3. 1 2 Alistair Clark (2012). Political Parties in the UK. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 86–93. ISBN 978-0-230-36868-2.
  4. Andrew Heywood (2011). Essentials of UK Politics. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 126–128. ISBN 978-0-230-34619-2.
  5. "Brexit". Liberal Democrats. 17 April 2018.
  6. Elgot, Jessica (28 May 2017). "Tim Farron: Lib Dems' pro-European strategy will be proved right". The Guardian.
  7. Mark Kesselman; Joel Krieger; William A. Joseph (2018). Introduction to Comparative Politics: Political Challenges and Changing Agendas. Cengage Learning. p. 71. ISBN 978-1-337-67124-8.
  8. Mance, Henry (13 March 2016). "Lib Dems aim for centrist voters with tax platform". Financial Times. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  9. Thomas Quinn; Judith Bara; John Bartle (2013). "The UK Coalition Agreement of 2010: Who Won?". In Justin Fisher; Christopher Wlezien (eds.). The UK General Election of 2010: Explaining the Outcome. Routledge. p. 180. ISBN 978-1-317-96554-1.
  10. Peter King (2011). The New Politics: Liberal Conservatism Or Same Old Tories?. Policy Press. p. 1. ISBN 978-1-84742-853-0.
  11. "Brand". Liberal Democrats.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Our Team across London". London Liberal Democrats. London: Liberal Democrats. Retrieved 2026-02-19.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 "London Councils 2026 (Total 33)". Open Council Data UK. Lawson Data Services Ltd. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  14. "Historical Data and Plots". Electoral Calculus. Electoral Calculus Ltd. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
  15. "General Election Results of 9 June 1983". UK Parliament. UK Parliament Public Information Office. June 1984. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
  16. "General Election Results 11 June 1987". UK Parliament. UK Parliament Public Information Office. 1989. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
  17. Cracknell, Richard; Uberoi, Elise; Burton, Matthew (9 August 2023). "UK Election Statistics: 1918–2023, A Long Century of Elections" (PDF). House of Commons Library. pp. 65–67. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  18. Cracknell, Richard; Uberoi, Elise; Burton, Matthew (9 August 2023). "UK Election Statistics: 1918–2023, A Long Century of Elections" (PDF). House of Commons Library. p. 78. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  19. "London Elections Reports". London Datastore. London: Greater London Authority. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
  20. "London Councils 2026 (Total 33)". Open Council Data. Lawson Data Services Ltd. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
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