Just over a decade ago, liberalism appeared hegemonic in British politics. Tony Blair, David Cameron and Nick Clegg shared a belief in free markets, personal freedom and liberal globalisation. Those outside this complacent consensus – the Labour left and the Tory right – were regarded as irrelevant and outmoded. Yet liberalism’s victory proved to be a false dawn. In Britain, its adherents have been cast to the margins, as they have elsewhere in Europe. The election of Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader in 2015 and the UK’s vote to leave the EU were, in different ways, repudiations of market liberalism. Mr Corbyn rejects the free movement of capital; the Brexiteers reject the free movement of people.
No party better exemplifies the retreat of liberalism than its chief exponents: the Liberal Democrats. Yet these should be propitious times for the party. Both Labour and the Conservatives support Brexit and have rejected demands for a second referendum. And millions of centrist voters complain of being unrepresented or “politically homeless”. This should create an opportunity for the Lib Dems, but under the leadership of Vince Cable, the party is struggling to poll above ten per cent.
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