Lib Dems will target 'blue coast' seats - Davey

The Liberal Democrat leader enjoyed an ice cream on Eastbourne beach with the party's local candidate Josh Babarinde

Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey says his party is targeting the “blue coast” in the general election campaign.

"We think the South East is a very strong area for us,” he said during a visit to Eastbourne, East Sussex, on the second day of campaigning.

Speaking to BBC South East, he only named Eastbourne and Chichester, in West Sussex, as coastal seats the party is hoping to win in the region.

The party has previously said it wants to break down what it calls the “blue wall” – traditionally Conservative-voting seats in the south of England.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a 4 July general election in a statement outside Downing Street on Wednesday.

Sir Ed named Tunbridge Wells, In Kent, as an inland seat the party could win after they took control of the council in May.

The Conservatives secured a majority of 14,645 in Tunbridge Wells at the last general election in 2019. The sitting MP, Greg Clark, said on Friday he would not be standing again.

The Lib Dem leader ruled out forming a coalition with the Conservatives after the election, but would not be drawn on whether he would form a power-sharing agreement with Labour, dismissing it as a “Westminster bubble” question.

Sir Ed believes the Liberal Democrats have a chance of winning the Eastbourne seat

“I’m not thinking about after the election, to be honest,” he said.

When asked about how he would enact his policies, he said: “You can change the law if you have good, strong, local champions for your MP.”

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