Who is Sir Ed Davey? The Liberal Democrat leader who cared for his terminally ill mother as a child

Sir Ed Davey is the leader of the Liberal Democrats - a position he took on after his predecessor lost her seat in the 2019 general election.

He has overseen a series of Lib Dem by-election victories since the 2019 election, the latest coming in Somerton and Frome, and through a series of amusing stunts, is vying for more seats to turn yellow on 4 July.

Born in Nottinghamshire in the 1960s, Sir Ed has been a vocal campaigner for investment in the NHS and social care throughout his parliamentary career, having been a carer for his terminally ill mother as a teenager, and now for his disabled son.

He served as postal affairs minister and then energy secretary during David Cameron's coalition government.

But what else has he achieved in his political career so far?

A fast rise through the ranks

Sir Ed entered the House of Commons for the first time in 1997, elected as the MP for Kingston and Surbiton - then just Surbiton - at the age of 32. He remained in the seat for 18 years, only losing it briefly to Tory MP James Berry between 2015 and 2017.

He won the seat back in 2017 and held it in 2019.

Amid several frontbench spokesperson roles, Sir Ed was postal affairs minister between 2010 and 2012, which has since seen him embroiled in the Post Office scandal.

He has defended his position, but civil servants have accused him and others of a "blame game" over the wrongful convictions of hundreds of postmasters as a result of faults in third-party software.

Sir Ed was then promoted to energy secretary, where he remained until the end of the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition in 2015.

He made his first bid for the party leadership in 2019 after Sir Vince Cable stepped down, but lost to his Jo Swinson - with 36.9% of the vote to Ms Swinson's 63.1%. He was appointed deputy leader a few months later.

However, Sir Ed became Lib Dem interim leader after Ms Swinson lost her seat in that year's general election. He made a second leadership bid in June 2020 - and won.

'Voice of carers'

Sir Ed has described himself as a "lifelong campaigner for strong public services, a fair economy and a thriving natural environment". He says the "core values" that "drive him" are compassion, community and fairness.

He has been a carer for most of his life - first for his mother, who died aged 36 when he was a teenager, then for his grandmother, and his young son, John.

Upon becoming party leader in 2020, the politician vowed to be "the voice of carers" and "fight for investment in the NHS and social care".

In an emotional election campaign video, he says: "Seeing life through my son's eyes, I could not be more passionate about sorting out care in this country."

He adds that in spite of "millions" of unpaid family carers across the country: "The government has just ignored them and not listened to them."

Early childhood - and the loss of his parents

The Liberal Democrat leader became a carer for his terminally ill mother Nina Davey at a young age. She died when he was 15, and Sir Ed was brought up by his maternal grandparents.

His father, John, died of cancer when Sir Ed was four years old.

Appearing on Loose Women in 2022, the MP said he often felt lonely growing up - because his role as a carer meant he couldn't take part in after school activities.

"At school I think one or two friends knew about it, but there was a sense of slightly being isolated or different," he said.

He attended Jesus College, Oxford, where he studied philosophy, politics, and economics.

Life outside politics

Sir Ed married fellow Liberal Democrat member Emily Gasson in 2005. She stood unsuccessfully as the Lib Dem candidate in North Dorset for that year's general election.

They welcomed their first child, a son, John, in 2007. He was born with an undiagnosed neurological condition meaning he cannot walk or talk.

The Liberal Democrat leader and his wife had a daughter, Ellie, six years later.

Sir Ed has previously explained that he and Emily care for their disabled son with some help from external carers, with the politician saying that John, now 15, will likely need full-time care for the rest of his life.

He said: "I like to be engaged because he's my lovely boy. So most of my caring is done in the morning or the weekends."

2024 campaign trail

Sir Ed has quickly become known during the current election campaign for his series of amusing stunts as he travels around the country.

The trail began with him repeatedly falling off a paddleboard on Lake Windemere in Cumbria to demonstrate the severity of the sewage crisis.

When in the rural Welsh town of Knighton, Powys, to appeal to farmers, he rode a bike with no feet on the pedals down a steep hill.

According to Sky correspondent Matthew Thompson, who is joining him on the campaign trail, the stunts are a bid to ensure the Liberal Democrats "aren't overshadowed" by Labour and the Conservatives.