Sir Ed Davey urges voters to take leap of faith as he jumps off platform in latest election stunt
SIR Ed Davey urged voters to take a leap of faith yesterday as he launched himself off a platform for his latest election stunt.
The Lib Dem leader was winched up 160ft in the air by a crane in Eastbourne, East Sussex, before bungee jumping off and screaming: “Do something you’ve never done before, vote Liberal Democrat.”
Later in the day he joined a Zumba dance class in Wokingham, Berks, with candidate Clive Jones.
So far during the campaign, Sir Ed’s eye-catching stunts have included paddleboarding in Cumbria, aqua-aerobics in Gloucestershire and zooming down a waterslide in Somerset.
Meanwhile, a Post Office victim featured in ITV’s drama has blasted Liberal Democrat “buffoon” Sir Ed for his silly election stunts instead of trying to win back trust.
Ex-subpostmaster Lee Castleton — who lost his livelihood in the Horizon scandal — says he has not been impressed with the party leader’s goofy campaign exploits.
The Lib Dem leader was hauled over the coals in June for his role in the Horizon scandal — after initially refusing to meet with campaigners such as Sir Alan Bates — when he was Post Office minister.
Appearing on the BBC, Sir Ed was shown a video message of Mr Castleton, who slammed him for his “buffoonery”.
The wronged subpostmaster, played by Will Mellor in ITV’s Mr Bates vs The Post Office, said: “It’s really, really important we trust him and trust is never going to be built by swinging around on ropes or paddleboarding in Cumbria.
But Sir Ed defended his bizarre election strategy and insisted the stunts highlighted serious issues.
