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Britain’s Liberal Democrats have started planning for a wild card risk to their general election campaign next year: an eruption of “Edmania”.
The prospect of party leader Sir Ed Davey suddenly becoming wildly popular and lulling activists into a false sense of security over voter support was one of a range of scenarios considered by campaign staff last month, according to party insiders.
In a sign the party, which is polling a distant third nationally, is switching into election gear, it hosted an away day for around 120 key staff working in their campaigning, digital and press teams at a central London hotel on November 17.
They war-gamed the possibility that the relatively low-key Davey could mimic the trajectory of former leader Nick Clegg, who spawned the ‘Cleggmania’ trend that saw the party’s popularity spike in opinion polls ahead of the 2010 election.
The mania proved to be a mirage, however; the Lib Dems saw their total number of seats fall in the vote, even though they went on to join the Tories in forming a coalition government.
Nonetheless, some thirteen years later, apparatchiks at the party away day examined a fictional scenario in which a clip of Davey recounting his experience of being a carer went viral and radically boosted his appeal with the public.
They considered how this bout of Edmania could trigger complacency during the campaign, which could in turn dent the Lib Dems’ results at the polls.
Other improbable challenges examined at the event included the risk of a donor recommending the party rebrand itself as “Dem Libs” on social media to appeal to the youth vote.
Less improbably, staffers also considered the circulation of cyber-manipulated images purporting to show Davey and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer hosting secret talks about an electoral pact, amid growing concern about the potential proliferation of deep fakes in the general election campaign.
Davey has been at pains to insist his party would not enter into a tactical voting deal with Labour in certain seats in order to defeat Tory candidates. Lib Dem insiders fear that the idea of even an informal pact could appear presumptuous and alienate the party’s voter base.
The Lib Dem policy and press teams also brainstormed their response to more quotidian hiccups at a second event a few days later. In a session aimed at sharpening press briefing lines for broadcast interviews, attendees were given Post-it notes mapping out different scenarios demanding a response.
One involved defending a Lib Dem MP who had accidentally sworn on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
Officials said the events were part of crucial preparations for the party shifting into election gear.
A Lib Dem spokesperson said: “The Conservatives have said they are on an election footing from January 1st. We are ready to go and hope the election comes as soon as possible.”
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