Read all about the latest in Westminster politics in Who's Top Who's Not.
Soaring high – Daisy Cooper
At the Liberal Democrats’ Conference, Daisy Cooper turned her attention to climate and energy policy, setting out plans for a new Energy Security Bank designed to make energy-saving measures for households funded by a time-limited windfall tax on big banks. Following her lead, Lib Dems passed a motion on the “green transition”, pledging zero carbon standards for all new buildings, a UK-EU Energy and Climate Security Pact, a social energy tariff, and a National Climate Assembly.
Politically, this is clever from the Lib Dems. By stepping into the space of ‘serious but ambitious’, the Lib Dems can court environmentally minded voters who also want fiscal prudence. Think all those formerly-Tory home counties seats they won last year.
The Energy Security Bank may not transform household energy bills overnight, but as a political statement, it signals competence, fairness, and a willingness to make banks pay. It shows that the party provides practical-sounding solutions, progressive credentials, and just enough distance from the main parties to carve out relevance.
Whether it resonates beyond conference season is another matter, but at least it gives them a strong line for the doorsteps: greener, fairer, and bank-financed.
Middle ranking – Ed Davey
The final day of the Liberal Democrat conference saw Ed Davey come out swinging, mainly at Nigel Farage, right-wing groups and President Trump.
Davey warned that Reform UK poses a “serious threat to democracy,” urged Tory voters to “come and talk to us” and argued that after Labour bungled much of its first 12 months in government. This ambition to be at the forefront of politics was backed up in the speech, with Davey saying his mission is to win more seats in parliament than the Conservatives at the next election.
And in his grand finale, Davey urged Britain to be proud of itself, stand up to injustice, face down extremism, and embrace good old Lib Dem values, which, if memory serves, mostly involve hoping people remember they exist.
While Davey’s speech was punchy and aspirational, the Lib Dems face an uphill battle. Their appeal remains limited, and positioning themselves as the alternative to Farage might energise some voters, but is unlikely to shift the broader electoral landscape. The rhetoric signals ambition, but translating that into real-world seats will require more than bold words: it needs a strategy and visibility that the party has historically struggled with.
Sinking quickly – Rachel Reeves
It’s looking bleaker and bleaker for Rachel Reeves as 26th November – the Autumn Budget date circled in doom-red ink – creeps ever closer.
This week, the OECD published its Economic Outlook interim report. There is a tiny sliver of cheer: the UK’s growth forecast for this year puts us ahead of Germany, France, Italy, Japan and Canada.
But that’s where the good news checks out, because the UK’s growth projections for this year and next have been slashed by the OECD, dropping 0.3 and 0.1 percentage points respectively for 2025 and 2026. The OECD also raised the UK’s inflation forecast to 3.5% for this year from its previous forecast of 3.1%, noting that Britain is one of the countries seeing a sharp rise in food prices.
Reeves faces a challenge and a half, and if she didn't know it before, she certainly does now. Not only are the economics tricky, but the politics are tricker still. If our Chancellor is going to reduce inflation and government borrowing costs, then she must convince her own MPs to back spending cuts. But too many MPs can't stomach that and would rather raise taxes, something that could kill off any hopes of real economic growth. And with her neighbour in Downing Street having a torrid September, many are questioning if the PM and Chancellor have the necessary political authority.