Lib Dem MP quits frontbench job over Ed Davey's leadership

Liberal Democrat MP Charlie Maynard has resigned from the party's frontbench and wants to see Sir Ed Davey replaced as leader.

As first reported by the Financial Times , external , the Witney MP left his role as Treasury spokesman on Friday.

Those close to Sir Ed privately acknowledge that there is what they see as a "small group" of Liberal Democrat MPs who are not happy with his leadership, of which Maynard is one.

Daisy Cooper, the deputy leader of the party, said: "The vast majority of our MPs support Ed, want him to lead the party into the next election, and are furious at this distraction." The BBC has approached Maynard for comment.

Lib Dem MP and former leader Tim Farron also defended Sir Ed, saying under his leadership the party was in a position to match or even beat the "record numbers of MPs" the party won at the last election.

"To think we're helped by this kind of rubbish, you'd need to be smoking the kind of stuff even we aren't in favour of legalising," he quipped.

Several other Lib Dem MPs, including some frontbenchers, also gave Davey their backing in social media posts on Friday evening.

Julian Brazil, a Liberal Democrat council leader who has previously been critical of Sir Ed, said Maynard had "put his head above the parapet - we'll see if other people follow".