Lib Dems to make social care their top priority after party's best ever result

The Liberal Democrats plan to use their best-ever contingent of 71 MPs to push Keir Starmer to begin crossparty talks on a new plan for social care, saying the issue was raised repeatedly by voters during their election campaign.

- Peter Walker

Lib Dem insiders said Ed Davey's party, which unseated four cabinet ministers as well as dozens of other senior Conservatives, would also seek to make sure the position of unpaid carers was considered properly by the Labour government.

With one Commons seat yet to declare, the party had won 71 seats, above the previous record of 62 under Charles Kennedy's leadership in 2005. The last time they won more than this was as the Liberal party in 1923, led by Herbert Asquith.

Among the Tories they removed were Gillian Keegan, the education secretary, Alex Chalk, the justice secretary, Lucy Frazer, the culture secretary, and Michelle Donelan, the science minister.

They also won seats against the Conservatives in the constituencies formerly held by three ex-prime ministers: Theresa May, David Cameron and Boris Johnson.

Davey led Lib Dems' hugely successful campaign by combining camera-friendly stunts such as bungee jumping and falling off a paddleboard with a careful focus on policy areas, one of which was based around carers.

The Lib Dem leader made this a key part of his personal message, releasing an election broadcast that showed Davey at home helping to care for his teenage son, John, who is disabled.