Sir Ed Davey says Lib Dems are 'beginning to cut through' to North West voters
Sir Ed Davey says he will use next year's local elections to win more support for the Liberal Democrats across the North West, building on their success at the General Election.
Speaking to Granada Reports at the party's annual conference in Brighton, the Liberal Democrat leader believes his party has rebuilt trust lost during the coalition, and their message is "beginning to cut through" with northern voters.
It follows a General Election which gave the party two new MPs in the North West - bringing their total up to three - after a stunt filled campaign including bunjee jumping, paddle boarding, painting and pottery.
Wins elsewhere means the Lib Dems are now a considerable presence in parliament, with 72 MPs, and working to be a serious political force.
But Sir Ed says he isn't about to leave the stunts behind, telling ITV News that humour in politics "can be a good thing" and that his stunts "got people more interested" in the Lib Dems' policies.
"What we need to do is engage with people, to listen to them about their priorities, whether it is on the health service or the environment and sewage, and show that we are interested in their concerns.
"During the general election when we did all of those stunts, they enabled us to get over our messages.
"This is my eighth election and I've never known an election where people are talking about Liberal Democrats policies as much as they are, whether that's on sewage or children and young people's mental health.
"I think it shows that we don't take ourselves too seriously, but we take our voters concerns seriously.
"If people are more interested and have a bit more humour in their politics, I think it can only be a good thing."
The party's main success was in their traditional heartlands - but Sir Ed was keen to stress that they are "absolutely not" just a party for the wealthy South.
"I'm so proud of Lisa Smart winning in Hazel Grove, and then of course Tom Morrison in Cheadle, and both of them are already campaigning for local NHS issues... I'm pleased that we have got fresh voices and stronger voices."
The North West didn't see anything like the same surge in support for the Liberal Democrats as that witnessed in the South West or South East, but Sir Ed Davey says he believes the party will make further gains in what is now quite a red red wall.
"Do I want it to be greater? Yes I do and I think it will be.
"We got a good result in Burnley, for example, and I think what you will see over this parliament is in local council elections, in big cities and towns, you will see across the North West Liberal Democrats coming back."
"Now the key thing is to repay the voters, by showing we are taking their concerns seriously - like the NHS, like the winter fuel payments - and if we do that, if we show that we are listening to people and responding to their concerns and actually doing something about it, I think we can win in many, many more places."