After more than a decade of disastrous government under the Conservatives, Britain is ready for change. Yet while the Tories are imploding, and despite the lack of much enthusiasm for Keir Starmer’s Labour party, the Liberal Democrats, whose annual party conference is underway in Bournemouth, have so far failed to capitalise.
Labour is unwilling to embrace the bold policies needed to get the UK out of its deepening rut. The closer the country gets to an election, the more eager the party has been to abandon the progressive measures it was previously committed to, from raising taxes for the wealthy and tech giants, to investing heavily in green infrastructure and abolishing the Conservatives’ cruel welfare policies. And despite the growing backlash against Brexit and the huge damage it has caused, Starmer – who once campaigned for a second referendum in Jeremy Corbyn’s cabinet – now refuses to consider rejoining the single market and customs union.
People are crying out for a real alternative. For the Lib Dems, Labour’s timidity is an opportunity to provide the optimistic and radical vision that Britain’s political debate is sorely lacking.
The party’s current strategy is to play it safe, focusing on a handful of target seats while avoiding saying or doing anything that might rock the boat. While this has yielded some successes, including impressive victories in recent byelections, the party has failed to cut through on the national stage. Voters ready to boot out the Conservatives either don’t think about the Lib Dems or, if they do, see no compelling reason to vote for them rather than Labour.
To regain relevance, the party needs to be more ambitious. With modest poll ratings and a small number of MPs, the Lib Dems can afford to be bolder than Labour, who have more to lose. And with a hung parliament a very real possibility following the next election, the Lib Dems could push Labour to be more progressive in a coalition or other informal governing arrangement.
So what would a progressive liberal agenda for the UK look like? At a high level, it would consist of three pillars: reintegration with Europe, redistribution of economic power, and a comprehensive green industrial strategy.
On Europe, the right course is clear. As the party that led the fight for a second referendum on Brexit, the Lib Dems have the legitimacy and authority to campaign for Britain’s reinstatement into the EU’s common market. While the public (and the EU for that matter) may not be ready to reopen the thorny question of membership, mounting regret for the Brexit vote suggests that voters would respond positively to much deeper economic alignment – something that Labour’s opposition to rejoining the single market and customs union makes practically impossible.
When it comes to redistributing economic power, the Lib Dems should position themselves as the only party ready to take on entrenched wealth and corporate dominance. The UK suffers from some of the highest levels of income and wealth inequality in the developed world, as well as a concentrated economy dominated by a handful of firms in technology, finance and supermarkets among other sectors. This stratified system undermines living standards, throttles entrepreneurial dynamism and innovation, and fuels political anger and alienation.
With both Labour and the Tories unwilling to take on these entrenched elites, the mantle falls on the Lib Dems, whose liberal philosophy – ultimately rooted in empowering individuals in the face of concentrated power – is well suited to the task. In practice this would entail ensuring the wealthy and large corporations pay their fair share of tax, and taking on monopolies through aggressive enforcement of competition policy. The additional resources raised through higher taxation should be used to ensure citizens have access to the education, healthcare, housing and generous safety net they need to make the most of their potential.
As for the environment, simply committing to reversing the Tories’ recent backtracking would go a long way. Like Labour, the Lib Dems should aim higher and put forward a comprehensive green industrial strategy that accelerates the shift to net zero, while spreading jobs and prosperity across the UK. Unlike Labour though, the Lib Dems should avoid the trap of prioritising short-term “fiscal discipline” over the public investment urgently needed to “green” the economy. The Joe Biden administration – which has combined sweeping public investment in green technologies with proposed taxes of the super-wealthy and measures to rein in corporate monopolies – provides a template.
None of these policies will be without their opponents – as is true of all necessary reforms. But they would draw on a long liberal tradition of taking on established interests, from levying taxes on wealthy landowners to fund the creation of the modern welfare state, to opposing the Iraq war and leading calls to break up the tech giants.
This would give voters desperate for real change something to be hopeful about: a real alternative. And give the Lib Dems a chance to once again shape the future of the country, this time for the better.
• Max von Thun was a political adviser to the Liberal Democrats from 2017 to 2019. He is Europe director at the Open Markets Institute, an anti-monopoly thinktank
