Davey denies Lib Dems leading opposition to new homes

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has denied his party is leading efforts to oppose new homes being built.

In an interview with the BBC's Nick Robinson, Sir Ed was challenged with examples where Lib Dem councillors or MPs had argued against housebuilding plans in their areas.

In response, he gave his own examples of where he said the party was building more homes or being criticised for building too many.

The Lib Dem leader said he supported a "community-led approach", where more affordable homes were built in the right places, alongside infrastructure like schools, GP surgeries and transport.

He argued the current planning system was not building the homes the country needed and was "doing it to the developers tune".

It was put to Sir Ed that Lib Dem-run councils had opposed plans to build more than 3,000 new homes on an airfield in Oxfordshire, while he had described proposals to build thousands of homes in Surrey near his constituency as "eye-watering" numbers.

Sir Ed told the BBC he did not know about individual examples.

However, he offered his own "counter-examples", including Kingston, south-west London, where he said the Lib-Dem run authority had the largest council housebuilding programme in 40 years.

Sir Ed is standing again to be MP for Kingston and Surbiton and his wife is portfolio holder for housing on the local council.

He added that Lib Dem councillors in Cambridgeshire were being criticised by local Conservatives for building too many houses.

Challenged over whether Lib Dems generally lead the opposition to new homes being built, Sir Ed said: "What you’ve said is wrong and I can give you counter-examples."

In a wide-ranging interview, Sir Ed was also pressed over his party's position on Brexit.

In the 2019 general election, the Lib Dems stood on a platform to "stop Brexit" and saw its number of MPs fall to 11.

However, the issue has not featured prominently in the current campaign.

The party's manifesto, which sets out what it would do if it wins the election, promises to "fix the UK's broken relationship with Europe".

It also says the party would seek to rejoin the single market, which allows goods, services and people to move freely between member states, with EU membership its "longer-term objective".

Sir Ed was asked if the price of access to the EU market would be free movement of people.

“I don't think the single market with free movement of labour is going to happen in the next Parliament," he said.

"What I do think is going to happen is a good trade deal, certainly if the Liberal Democrats had our way."

He insisted there was "a trade deal to be had which is short of the single market" but would also "tear up some of the red tape" and extra costs facing businesses.

The Lib Dem manifesto also promises to negotiate a Youth Mobility Scheme with the bloc, allowing Britons aged 18-35 to live and work in EU countries for up to three years and vice versa.

Pressed over whether this gave the message that accepting more European workers coming to the UK was a price he was willing to pay to improve relations with the EU, Sir Ed said: "I think immigration needs to come down."

He pointed out the UK already has a Youth Mobility Scheme with countries including Korea, Japan and Australia.

However, he stressed the number of visas offered through any EU scheme would be capped so would not amount to free movement of labour.

During the interview, Sir Ed was also challenged over his record as a minister in the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government between 2010 and 2015.

Asked why he had never criticised the austerity period, when the government delivered huge cuts in spending on public services, Sir Ed admitted the party faced "tough decisions".

"I had a choice, as did every Liberal Democrat minister, did I stay there or did I go?" he said.

"I think it could have been quite easy to go, and criticise the government from the media studios, and then potentially get re-elected, rather than losing my seat in 2015.

"I, as many other colleagues did, we rolled up our sleeves and tried to fight for the things we fought for."

He said that in government the Lib Dems managed to limit welfare cuts and prevent benefits and pensions being frozen.

Sir Ed added: "I am not proud of every decision I had to take, but my point is if you wanted to change things, you had to roll up your sleeves and not quit."

You can find a full list of candidates for the Kingston and Surbiton constituency here.

The BBC has interviewed all the major party leaders in the run-up to the election in The Panorama Interviews with Nick Robinson. You can watch the interview with Sir Ed Davey at 19:30 on BBC One or BBC iPlayer.