Lib Dems 'are official opposition' in North East
BBCThe Liberal Democrats are now the official opposition party in north-east England, according to their leader Sir Ed Davey.
During a visit to Newcastle to celebrate becoming the largest party on the city council, he also said they "held off a Reform tsunami in Sunderland and Gateshead" to take second place.
After the Lib Dems won 25 seats in Newcastle - narrowly ahead of Reform UK and the Green Party who each claimed 24 - Davey said his party now had a "heavy responsibility" to show they could "lead the city".
Davey said "we can't work with Reform" in any coalition because "we don't share any of their values", adding that he would also be "worried" about working with the Green Party.
All out elections took place across Newcastle, Sunderland and Gateshead councils on Thursday, meaning every single seat in the council was up for grabs.
Reform UK took control of Sunderland and Gateshead, in both cases ending more than 50 years of Labour control.
On Wearside, the Lib Dems came in second with 12 seats compared with Reform's 58. Labour came in third with only five.
Meanwhile, in Gateshead, Reform won 38 seats, with the Lib Dems winning 13, Labour 12 and the Green Party clinching three.
Davey said he was "proud" of what the Lib Dems had achieved in the region and would speak with their group leader in Newcastle, councillor Colin Ferguson, to "make difficult decisions" in the interest of the city.
While also acknowledging "a few losses" in this week's local elections, he said: "This battle in the North East, which is between Reform and the Liberal Democrats, I think we will show the way and I'm confident we're going to keep growing."
