Liberal Democrats gathering for their conference in Brighton this weekend are as stunned as everyone else by their record-breaking performance in the general election. Seventy-two members of parliament is the strongest Liberal representation for a century and the best third party performance since the First World War.

The Liberal Democrats did so well by concentrating their vote in winnable seats and thus undermining their long-held demands for proportional representation or “fair votes”.

In this election, first past the post worked in their favour. They got 12 per cent of the votes and 11 per cent of the MPs. Rather better than Reform UK and the Greens who got 14 per cent and 6 per cent of the votes and less than 1 per cent each of MPs, though not as stonking as Labour with 34 per cent of the votes and 63 per cent of MPs.

How did they do it? The Liberal Democrat president Mark Pack says their important task this week is setting up a review of their general election performance. It will report by the end of this year, chaired by Tim Farron MP, a short-lived former leader.

Living up to his party’s reputation for opportunism, Pack says the Liberal Democrats need to be flexible. But what does that mean? More and bolder fairground stunts by its leader Ed Davey? Which way should the Lib Dems face now: left, right or in both directions?

Everything fell right for the Liberal Democrats on election day this year. The Conservatives lost the election, and were set on doing everything to make themselves more unpopular.

Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party looked unthreatening but unproven – a prerequisite for tactical voting between Labour and Lib Dem........

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