Deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Party |
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 Daisy Cooper since 13 September 2020 |
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| Reports to | Leader of Liberal Democrats |
| Appointer | Liberal Democrats |
| Term length | Four years |
| Inaugural holder | Russell Johnston |
| Formation | 3 March 1988 |
The office of deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats (officially deputy leader of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Party) is a position within the Liberal Democrats, a liberal political party in the United Kingdom. The position of Deputy Leader has never formally existed in the party constitution, however since the party's foundation, the Liberal Democrat parliamentary group in the House of Commons have usually elected a Deputy Leader. Although often referred to as the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats, this post is actually only Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrat parliamentary group in the House of Commons and not Deputy Leader of the Lib Dems as a whole.
Daisy Cooper was elected by her fellow MPs to the post of Deputy Leader following Ed Davey's election to the post of leader in September 2020.
List of Deputy Leaders of the Liberal Democrats
| # | Name | Portrait | Constituency | Term began | Term ended | Concurrent Office(s) | Leader(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sir Russell Johnston (1932–2008) |
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Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber | 16 July 1988 | 13 April 1992 | President of the Scottish Liberal Democrats | Ashdown | |
| 2 | Sir Alan Beith (1943–) |
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Berwick-upon-Tweed | 13 April 1992 | 12 February 2003 | Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesman Shadow Leader of the Commons |
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| Kennedy | ||||||||
| 3 | Sir Menzies Campbell (1941–) |
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North East Fife | 12 February 2003 | 2 March 2006 | Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs | ||
| Campbell1 | ||||||||
| 4 | Sir Vince Cable (1943–) |
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Twickenham | 2 March 2006 | 26 May 2010 | Spokesperson for the Treasury Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills President of the Board of Trade |
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| Cable2 | ||||||||
| Clegg | ||||||||
| 5 | Sir Simon Hughes (1951–) |
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Bermondsey and Old Southwark | 9 June 2010 | 28 January 2014 | Minister of State for Justice and Civil Liberties | ||
| 6 | Sir Malcolm Bruce (1944–) |
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Gordon | 28 January 2014 | 8 May 2015 | Chair of the International Development Committee | ||
| Office not in use 8 May 2015 – 20 June 2017 | ||||||||
| Farron | ||||||||
| 7 | Jo Swinson (1980–) |
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East Dunbartonshire | 20 June 2017 | 22 July 2019 | Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs | ||
| Cable | ||||||||
| 8 | Sir Ed Davey (1965–) |
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Kingston and Surbiton | 3 September 2019 | 27 August 2020 | Spokesperson for the Treasury Spokesperson for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy |
Swinson |
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| Himself and Pack (acting)3 | ||||||||
| 9 | Daisy Cooper (1981–) |
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St Albans | 13 September 2020 | Incumbent | Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Education | Davey | |
Notes:
- 1 Campbell served as acting leader between the resignation of Charles Kennedy on 7 January 2006 and his own election as leader on 2 March 2006.
- 2 Cable served as acting leader between the resignation of Menzies Campbell on 15 October 2007 and the election of Nick Clegg on 18 December 2007.
- 3 After leader Jo Swinson lost her seat in the 2019 General Election, Ed Davey in his role as Deputy Leader and Mark Pack as Party President became acting co-leaders until a leadership election could be held in 2020.
See also
- Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party (UK)
- Deputy Leader of the Labour Party (UK)
