The secret behind Ed Davey’s stunts

Each new day at Liberal Democrat conference means one thing: another stunt with the party’s MPs. Flower-arranging, morning swims and a marching band have all featured thus far. Most have gone down well with the party’s MPs. They gamely play along whenever Ed Davey’s apparatchiks press-gang them into another photo opportunity. ‘More Orange Order than Orange Book’ was the verdict of one on Davey’s baton-twirling arrival in Bournemouth. Another compared it to a scene from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off .

Such appreciation is not shared by all though. In the run-up to conference, one MP told the i newspaper that the time for such ‘bullshit stunts’ was over. Similar sentiments are shared by conference attendees and the travelling press pack. But Davey’s team are unrepentant. Within his offic