Hitting exercise balls with pensioners, enjoying rollercoaster rides and playing a game of giant Jenga are not the campaign activities we are used to seeing from British politicians.
But Sir Ed Davey appears to be making his bid for the nation’s hearts as he launched the Liberal Democrats’ manifesto with an action-packed bang; and it has already gone viral.
The party leader has become the subject of countless memes on social media and has become the unlikely new obsession of millennials and Generation Z online.
People who admit they were not initially planning to vote Liberal Democrats have been won over by the 58-year-old father of two.
“Ed Davey is making it very hard not to like him right now,” one wrote on the one who is most in contact”. The public deputy I have ever seen in my life.
Sir Ed Davey appears to be making his bid for the hearts of the nation as he launched the Liberal Democrats’ manifesto with an action-packed bang – and it’s already gone viral.
Elsewhere, another poster said that while Rishi Sunak was “losing the polls and the press from every angle”, Ed Davey was “having the best school summer holidays ever”.
Social media edits have also mocked the stunts, joking that the Liberal Democrat leader is now likely to arrive at press conferences in gym equipment, roller skates or a complicated martial arts maneuver.
Betting company Ladbrokes has even set up a betting pool on what activities Ed Davey is likely to take part in ahead of the July 4 general election, with options including riding a wild horse, bungee jumping or being shot from a canyon.
“I’m seriously tempted to vote for @LibDems,” read another post from
“To be fair, Ed is just doing things I want to do that are very relatable,” another added.
“People think Rishi is trying to lose so he can have a long summer vacation, but Ed Davey is just using the campaign as his summer vacation,” one joked.
Elsewhere a comment read: “I have to admit your campaign is great.”
A virus x The Liberal Democrats’ post today also branded Davey as having “golden retriever energy”, and even dubbed him a “good lad”, with supportive comments and more than 1,400 likes.
Meme account Insane Moments in British Politics shared clips of Davey singing We Will Rock You on a drum kit made from an exercise ball as part of a bizarre photo shoot last week, which alone has 1.9 million views on x.
The party leader has become the subject of countless memes on social media and has become the unlikely new obsession of millennials and Generation Z online.
The rush of new fans is no different to the 2015 election campaign, when another Ed was on the scene: Ed Milliband. In the photo, a tweet praising Ed Davey
A viral post by the Liberal Democrats’
Meme account Insane Moments in British Politics shared clips of Davey singing We Will Rock You on drums made from an exercise ball as part of a bizarre photo shoot last week, which alone has 1.9 million views on x.
The party leader took part in a DrumFit class at Abbotswood Court Care Village in Romsey, Hampshire, as part of the Liberal Democrats’ campaign tour.
In the footage, Sir Ed can be seen drumming to the Queen hit while singing: ‘We will, we will rock you!’ with a huge smile on his face.
Meanwhile, clips of him doing interviews in various extravagant settings, including a teacup ride, have also racked up thousands of likes online.
The rush of new fans is no different to the 2015 election campaign, when another Ed was on the scene: Ed Miliband.
A teenager started the #Milifandom movement, which saw thousands of teenagers, mainly women, take to social media to praise the former Labor leader during his campaign.
Davey hasn’t received the same treatment yet, but he began his campaign with a clear pivot toward young voters. Pictured: Davey playing crazy golf at Wokingham Family Golf on Saturday
The Liberal Democrats’ manifesto promises to repair the UK’s “broken relationship with Europe” as part of a series of measures aimed at improving economic stability and delivering growth.
Student, Abby Tomlinson, who described ‘Milifandom’ as ‘a movement against the distorted representation of Ed in the media’, started the unlikely Miliband cult in the run-up to the election.
Abby’s thank you campaign skyrocketed after she coined the hashtag and expression ‘Milifan.’
In less than 24 hours, more than 20,000 posts appeared under the hashtag #Milifandom, from photos of Miliband alongside descriptions such as “adorable and charming” to images of his face photoshopped into images of more conventional sex symbols, such as film actor James Bond. Daniel Craig.
Davey hasn’t received the same treatment yet, but he began his campaign with a clear pivot toward young voters.
The Liberal Democrats opened the door to US-style cannabis shops in Britain yesterday as the party launched an election manifesto also seeking to see the UK return to the EU.
Betting company Ladbrokes has even set up a betting pool on what activities Ed Davey is likely to take part in ahead of the July 4 general election, with options including riding a wild horse, bungee jumping or being shot from a canyon.
The leader of the Liberal Democrats flipping burgers in a back garden on the general election campaign in Wiltshire
Davey pets Jenny, the Torbay parliamentary candidate’s guide dog, during the campaign
Under the party’s health plans, it would seek to tackle the spread of high-potency ‘skunk’ through criminal gangs by allowing ‘licensed retailers’ to sell less potent marijuana to over-18s.
It would also treat the use of harder drugs as a medical rather than a criminal issue, diverting those arrested for carrying small amounts for personal use into treatment rather than the judicial system.
Sir Ed Davey took time off from an election campaign billed by Liberal Democrat leader Munira Wilson as an “adrenaline-filled UK extreme sports tour” to launch the manifesto in London, before announcing he was going up to a roller coaster.
He admitted the party’s “long-term” aim was to return the UK to the “heart of Europe”, presenting a program of proposals focusing on health and social care closer to home.
Also among the proposals briefly mentioned was the removal of the requirement for medical reports before changing gender.
The 116-page manifesto, titled For Fair Treatment, includes £9.4bn capital gains tax raid against banks and the super-rich to help finance for free Be careful in England.
But four pages from the end of the document was a promise to start work to rejoin the EU Single Market, which includes freedom of movement for EU citizens.
Facing cameras at today’s launch, Sir Ed said: ‘We’re not going to pretend this is going to be easy. “The Conservative Party has poisoned our relationships with our closest allies to such an extent that it has undermined trust.”
The Liberal Democrats’ manifesto promises to repair the UK’s “broken relationship with Europe” as part of a series of measures aimed at improving economic stability and delivering growth.
