Lib-Dem slump ‘disappointing’ admits Nick Clegg

Nick Clegg suffered a fresh blow today as the number of Liberal Democrat councillors fell below 3,000 for the first time since the party was formed 24 years ago.

The Lib-Dems lost control of councils in Cardiff, which they had run with Plaid Cymru; Birmingham, where they were in power with the Tories; and Cambridge where they remain the largest party.

The party is still flatlining, with latest figures showing it was due to get 16 per cent of the local election vote, the same as last year. However, in a glimmer of hope for disillusioned activists, party chiefs were confident that they were set to make net gains against the Tories having suffered heavy losses at the local elections last year.

Mr Clegg admitted the results were “disappointing” but he added: “I believe that, over time, people will come to acknowledge our unique role, the Liberal Democrats, in this Government as the only party that combines responsibility on the economy with social fairness.”

But he faced growing pressure to distance the Lib-Dems from the Tories in coalition and from Chancellor George Osborne’s austerity drive. Party chairman Tim Farron admitted that the Coalition’s unpopularity, as it makes the deep spending cuts, had caused another grim night for his party.

He apologised to councillors who had lost their seats, saying: “I am sorry, genuinely sorry. Those guys lost their seats last night not through their fault but through our fault, because of where we are nationally being in government.”

The Lib-Dems lost their few remaining seats in at least 14 town halls including Sunderland and Salford as they suffered big losses in the North, with another poor result in Manchester. But they gained seats from the Tories in others, including in Brentwood, Southport, and Cheadle.

Backbencher Andrew George urged Mr Clegg, to focus on key Lib-Dem issues and not instead be distracted by “lower order” matters such as Lords reform.

While accepting it had been a bad night for the Lib-Dems, Foreign minister Jeremy Browne said the party had “held up very well” where it had been running councils. Lord Prescott tweeted: “The Lib-Dems have less than 3000 councillors for the first time ever. Welcome to #ArmaCleggon.”