Lib Dems sleepwalking to irrelevance under Davey, says council leader

Image caption, Julian Brazil is leader of Devon County Council

A Liberal Democrat council leader has said the party is "sleepwalking into irrelevance" and questioned whether Sir Ed Davey was the right leader.

Julian Brazil, the leader of Devon County Council, told the BBC the party was "lacking ambition" and "not saying the things that people can relate to".

Asked whether Sir Ed was the right leader for the party, Brazil said "I wish he was" but "all the evidence is no".

A Lib Dem spokesperson said the party was in "an incredibly strong position" under Sir Ed's leadership because he was focused on the "issues that really matter" such as the cost of living and the health service.

"Under Ed's leadership we had our best result for a century, and achieved a record breaking streak of remarkable local election results," they added.