Ed Davey's leadership of the Liberal Democrats is facing a growing revolt after a second senior figure left the frontbench within a week, while the party's deputy leader insisted the vast majority of MPs still back him.

A second frontbench departure

Charlie Maynard, the party's Treasury spokesperson, handed in his resignation on Friday in an attempt to unseat Davey, after months of frustration that the party is failing to cut through with voters.

The resignation was first reported by the Financial Times and came four days after Alison Bennett, the Lib Dem care and carers spokesperson, stood down from the frontbench.

Deputy leader rallies behind Davey

Daisy Cooper, the party's deputy leader, immediately backed Davey, saying he enjoyed the support of the vast majority of MPs, who were furious at the distraction and wanted him to lead them into the next election.

Cooper also pointed to Davey's conference warning that the party is in the fight of its lives against the right, who want to turn the country into their version of Trump's America.

Results and polling pressure

The tension sits against a gap between the party's electoral record and its standing in the polls:

• •Davey has led the party since 2019, first as acting leader and officially from August 2020.
• •At the 2024 general election he steered the party to its most successful result in more than 100 years.
• •The party now has 71 MPs and is the third biggest in the House of Commons.
• •Yet it has slipped to fourth or fifth in national opinion polls, behind the Greens and Reform UK.

Mounting internal criticism

At the party's September conference in Brighton, Davey played down criticism from a Liberal Democrat council leader questioning whether he was the right person to lead. Julian Brazil, leader of Devon county council, said the party was sleepwalking into irrelevance and lacking ambition.

Davey responded with a £17bn income tax cut plan aimed at shoring up support among former Conservative voters, paid for entirely by increased growth created through rejoining the EU's single market and customs union.

He also resisted Labour's proposals to change the pension triple lock to help pay for a national care service, announced in Andy Burnham's Labour conference speech. One senior or backbench Lib Dem said his defence of the current policy gaslights an entire generation into believing it is for their benefit.

Maynard's resignation follows Bennett's frontbench departure, while the leadership insists Davey retains the support of the vast majority of MPs.