Many of us in the capital woke up on the 8th May with mixed feelings. We made significant gains in boroughs like Ealing, Brent and Sutton, but felt short of our ambitions in other boroughs, with the Greens upsetting our momentum and the Labour and Conservative vote proving more resilient than expected.

So what does this mean for our next election? Recent polling shows us at 10% in the mayoral race – one of our best results in decades, yet still last among the major parties. But our success in London shouldn’t be judged on our mayoral results, it should be measured on three things

1.     London Assembly Seats, where for the first time in history we could become essential to passing the Mayor’s budget.
2.     Strengthening prospects in target Westminster and council seats, and preventing other parties from obtaining bar charts that steal our momentum.
3.     Building up on-the-ground infrastructure across London, which remains a key factor to our winning formula.

Our next scheduled election is regional, and our Regional Party will be central to setting the strategy that helps make or break momentum. Having spent two years on the Regional Executive, with campaigning experience across local parties of every size, from Lewisham and Merton to Richmond, I’ve seen how the Region could do more to lift us everywhere.

Building a London Brand 

London’s transient population has weakened the effectiveness of localism; London-wide and national issues increasingly weigh more heavily on voters than they used to. We also have to be realistic about our national message: most of our promising prospects remain in the Blue Wall, so we’re unlikely to see the federal party shift that dial in London’s favour.

Since the last GLA election, we’ve doubled our MPs and added dozens of councillors, many fighting on shared priorities for Londoners. Whether it’s Lambeth Lib Dems’ win for tenants on housing disrepairs, Luke Taylor MP championing the Bakerloo extension or Cllr Anton Georgiou calling out Labour’s deal with the Tories. We have the stories and actions, but we must do more to collaborate to turn these into a cohesive regional message.

That’s where the Region must be more proactive, taking ownership of our messaging ahead of the London Elections and getting better at amplifying local successes. Reposting local content isn’t enough. We need to work with local parties to turn their successes into a shared regional narrative, and improve how our councils, GLA team and MPs collaborate.

Digital Campaigning Strategy

On-the-ground campaigning alone is no longer enough to win across London – the air war matters more with each election. The Green Party and Reform UK have shown how social media can be used effectively, with Labour and the Conservatives already catching up. We cannot be left behind.

A London brand with coordinated messaging must include a much-expanded digital presence, particularly on short-form video. Social media is replacing email for many voters, and for London’s younger, transient population it’s often the only channel that reaches them at all.

The Region must equip key members and volunteers across London with the skills and support to produce this content – building on Charlie Clinton’s work on digital campaigning, turning great local content like Southwark and Camden’s into regional narratives, and championing the organic reach already coming from members like Elin Kingston and Sarah Anderson.

Better Coordination, More Effective Cooperation

Not every local party has the resources to run this kind of campaign alone. Earlier this year we tried to coordinate some of our resources and messaging, but only to a limited extent, enough to learn from but not yet enough to rely on. Two things would help to achieve this.

1.   Expanded use of Campaign Packs and Bulk Buys

Our policing materials, produced after police front-counter closures were announced, showed how we can deliver a common front on an issue residents across London care about. We should do this more often, with plans ready in advance. Many local parties are stretched, and London elections draw less member interest than local or general ones; bulk buys can bring costs down for everyone and incentivise the messaging discipline.

2.     Improve Campaign Steering

We won’t win the London elections without increasing our vote everywhere, and some areas need extra focus, both to get out the vote and to build our future prospects. The Region should give clear strategic advice and direct resource to where it grows us, including directing surplus capacity yo smaller local parties.

Of course, to deliver all these, the region will need to work closely with local group leaders. These resources don’t work effectively if there is no buy in from local parties.

The region will need to work closely with local group leaders, because these resources don’t work effectively if there is no buy-in from local parties.

Can YOU be part of the change?

We remain a volunteer-led party, and none of the above can happen without a strong team on the London Region to deliver it.

If you are passionate about London and want to help build a strong regional campaign, consider standing in our internal elections this Autumn (details to come). If you have any questions about the Regional Party, don’t hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected] or @joshlm_uk on Instagram.

* Josh Lucas Mitte is the Secretary of the London Regional Executive and former Chair of the English Young Liberals (2024 – 2026).