Liberal Democrat MP Charlie Maynard has resigned from his position on the party's frontbench and stated that he wants to see Sir Ed Davey replaced as leader.

First reported by the Financial Times, the Witney MP stepped down from his role as a Treasury spokesman on Friday. Individuals close to Sir Ed privately acknowledge the existence of a small faction of Liberal Democrat MPs who are dissatisfied with his leadership, with Maynard identified among them.

Daisy Cooper, the deputy party leader, responded to the resignation by stating that the vast majority of Liberal Democrat MPs support Sir Ed, want him to lead the party into the next general election, and feel furious about the distraction. The BBC reached out to Maynard for a statement regarding his departure.

Under existing Liberal Democrat rules, a leadership challenge can be initiated if a vote of no confidence passes by a majority among all party MPs. To officially enter a contest, a candidate must secure nominations from at least 10 percent of the parliamentary party, excluding the candidate, alongside backing from 200 members spread across a minimum of 20 local parties.

Sir Ed has served as leader for six years and guided the party to its largest electoral victory in the 2024 general election by securing 72 seats. Despite that milestone, the party has struggled to capitalize on the momentum, with national polling numbers remaining relatively subdued.

Recent internal tensions have also flared over the leadership's position on the state pension triple lock, the policy guaranteeing annual pension increases based on inflation, wage growth, or 2.5 percent, whichever is highest. Last week, Sir Ed criticized Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham's proposal to adjust the triple lock, claiming it would risk pushing more pensioners into poverty.

Sir Ed argued that failing to protect the mechanism would result in inadequate retirements for working millennials. However, the stance drew internal pushback, with one Liberal Democrat MP dismissing the argument as nonsense and another noting that many younger workers do not anticipate receiving a state pension by the time they reach retirement age.