Lib Dems members rebuff leadership with vote to keep housebuilding targets

Overwhelming conference vote defies Ed Davey strategy of reshaping policy to court wavering Tory voters

Liberal Democrat members have handed a very public rebuke to Ed Davey before his key speech to the party conference, rebelling in large numbers over a plan by the leadership to scrap national targets for housebuilding.

In a first tangible sign of internal pushback against the Davey-led idea of shaping the Lib Dems' policy platform to tempt wavering Conservative voters to backing the party in so-called blue wall" seats, members voted to maintain a target of 380,000 homes a year.