Sir Ed Davey has said people are “changing their mind” on Tesla electric cars and he would not buy one.
Asked if people should boycott Tesla – run by Trump adviser Elon Musk – the Liberal Democrat leader said: “Let’s get tariffs on them first.”
Sir Ed told Sky News: “People who would have liked to believe that Teslas were the way forward are now saying, ‘well, hold on a minute, we don’t want to be associated with someone with these horrible views’.”
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The Lib Dems have called for the UK government to put retaliatory tariffs on Tesla and other American goods because President Donald Trump is “not a reliable ally”.
Launching their local election campaign in Henley-on-Thames, Sir Ed said the Lib Dems were now “the party of Middle England”.
He denied this meant they were the “posh party” or that their appeal was limited to those with middle or higher incomes.
Asked who he sees as Middle England, Sir Ed said: “Vast amounts of people, everybody needs good care, everybody needs a good health service, we’re appealing to everybody.”
To mark the launch of his party’s campaign, Sir Ed was taught how to “hobby horse” – and was photographed jumping over miniature fences on a stick horse at the walled garden of an Oxfordshire golf club.
The Lib Dem leader has become known for his love of stunts. Pic: PA
May’s local elections should bring a good set of results for the Lib Dems, with the party aiming to overtake the Conservatives in the number of councils they run.
Lib Dem officials said the party currently leads 37 councils with a majority, compared with 49 run by the Conservatives.
They are helped by the fact that 20 Tory local authorities are holding votes this year, including in areas…
