Arabic version: تشارلي ماينارد يستقيل من منصب في الصف الأمامي للديمقراطيين الأحرار

According to BBC News, Liberal Democrat MP Charlie Maynard has resigned from the party’s frontbench and wants Sir Ed Davey replaced as leader. The Witney MP left his role as Treasury spokesman on Friday.

Maynard is the second Liberal Democrat to leave the frontbench this week, following Alison Bennett’s resignation as spokesperson for care and carers. Bennett did not confirm why she stepped down, though it is understood her decision was not for personal reasons.

Daisy Cooper, the party’s deputy leader, said the “vast majority” of Liberal Democrat MPs supported Sir Ed and wanted him to lead the party into the next election. She said they were “furious at this distraction”. The BBC said it had approached Maynard for comment.

Former party leader Tim Farron defended Sir Ed, saying the Liberal Democrats were positioned to match or beat their record number of MPs at the last election. Julian Brazil, a Liberal Democrat council leader who has previously criticised Sir Ed, said Maynard had “put his head above the parapet” and that the coming days could show whether there was wider support for a leadership challenge.

Sir Ed has led the party for six years and oversaw its biggest election success in 2024, when it won 72 seats. Under party rules, a leadership contest can be triggered if a majority of all Liberal Democrat MPs pass a vote of no confidence in the leader.