Ed Davey drives a tractor in a new Lib Dem stunt as he promises to bring down the Blue Wall

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has vowed to tear down the Tories’ Blue Wall as he embarks on his latest general election campaign stunt – driving a big yellow tractor.

During a visit to Chippenham in Wiltshire, Sir Ed did circuits of a field in a JCB tractor alongside parliamentary candidate Sarah Gibson.

Speaking afterwards, he said: “We’ve talked about the Home Counties Blue Wall, we’ve talked about the West Country Blue Wall and this is the Blue Wall in rural Britain.

“And the yellow tractor is coming after him.”

Sir Ed’s Lib Dems became known during the general election campaign for their flashy stunts.

They included the party leader taking part in a visit to Thorpe Park in Surrey, paddleboarding on Windermere in the Lake District, surfing in Bude, Cornwall and speeding down the Ultimate Slip n Slide near Frome in Somerset.

Sir Ed said driving the tractor highlighted his party’s commitment to farming and farming communities and that the Lib Dems were the Tories’ opponents in rural Britain.

“Farmers and rural communities have been let down quite a bit by the Tories and when we talk to people, either farmers or people in rural Britain, they say the Tories don’t seem to care anymore and have taken them from self-evident,” he said. said.

“They like what the Liberal Democrats have said.

“There’s a big issue about agriculture that we’re talking about today, rural communities and rural health, and the yellow tractor is breaking down the Blue Wall in those rural areas.

“In rural areas, if you want to beat the Tories, you vote Lib Dem.”

Asked for his message to voters on the last full day of campaigning before the country goes to the polls, Sir Ed said: “Please vote Lib Dem.

“You will get a great local champion who will fight for your community and family in Parliament.

You will also get someone who cares about the health service and care system in your area and save the NHS and our care system in Westminster.

“We are talking about building a caring nation. I like to think I spoke up about social care when no one else did and brought care out of the shadows.

“On top of that, we talked about our economic policies to get our economy back on track, to deal with the cost of living, and we talked about the environment and ending the sewer scandal.

“So whether it’s health and care, whether it’s the economy, whether it’s the environment and tackling sewage, please vote Liberal Democrat on Thursday – it could make a real difference to our country.”

He said his party would continue to hold the next government to account even if, as expected, Labor won a landslide.

“I think Parliament works when you have an effective opposition to whoever is in government.

“The Tories clearly cannot do that – they have failed in government and would fail in opposition because they are so divided.

“They argue with each other, they move to the right, they play with Reform.

“I think they can’t stand in opposition to the government and I think the Lib Dems can, and if you vote Lib Dem you get a great local champion to represent your community, but you also get a big group. of new Lib Dem MPs who can fight for the fair deal and make sure Parliament delivers to save the NHS, get our economy back on track and end the sewage scandal.”

Sir Ed also spoke about his own caring responsibilities, for his son John and previously for his mother Nina, who died of cancer aged 15.

“When my wife and I decided to talk a little bit more about our son John and his disability, we had a backlash and people said, ‘Can we talk more about this, and thanks,'” he said.

“The more we talked about it, the more we recognized that if you support family carers, you support the professional carers who work in our care homes, who work for older people and people with disabilities.

“So those personal stories, whether they’re mine or millions of people who have similar stories, I hope I’ve helped them.

“But I also hope I’ve said that politicians need to take this issue much more seriously and stop ignoring people.

“If they do, it helps our whole country if we get the right care, if we become a caring nation.”