The leader of the Lib Dems had visited the Lake District with local candidate and former party leader Tim Farron, as part of his election campaign.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey falls into the water while paddle-boarding on Lake Windermere
Peter Byrne / PA
He admitted one of his plunges into the water was intentional but he “just kept falling in” after that. He added that there was a “serious message” behind the stunt.
During his visit to the Lake District, Sir Ed said local environmental experts should be part of water companies’ boards to ensure sewage spills are taken seriously, as he accused Conservative ministers of “sitting on their hands”.
Speaking afterwards, Sir Ed said: “I think my belief is that politicians need to take the concerns and interests of voters seriously but I’m not sure they need to take themselves seriously all the time and I’m quite happy to have some fun.”
The Lib Dems pledged that if they were to win the general election, local environment experts within the community would sit on utility firms’ boards as non-executive directors to “improve public accountability and transparency”.
The party has also unveiled plans to abolish Ofwat and introduce a new water regulator to tackle the sewage crisis, in addition to banning bonuses for water company chief executives.
It comes after United Utilities was criticised over news of a massive sewage spill at Windermere in February.
Sir Ed said: “These disgraced firms are destroying our treasured lakes and rivers with their filthy sewage dumping – hitting human health, harming our precious environment and damaging the local tourism economy all at the same time.
“Enough is enough. It’s time to get tough on the water industry and a key part of that change must be new ways to hold these firms to account, putting power in the hands of the local communities suffering from this scandal.
“Local environmental experts on company boards could hold water bosses’ feet to the fire and local people would finally have a say in how their water company is run.”
Paddle-boarding at Windermere is just one of many election stunts that Sir Ed has held recently to get the public’s attention.
Here are his best campaign moments so far.
Ed Davey going down a waterslide in Somerset
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey was filmed going down a waterslide
Sky News
He slid down three times before opting for a yellow bodyboard for a final run.
“I don’t particularly like his party, but there’s something surprisingly heart-warming about watching Ed Davey going down a waterslide,” one user said on X.
Speaking on the deeper reasons behind the stunt, he said “We have got hundreds and thousands of children and young people waiting for treatment for their mental health and it is actually appalling and if you talk to their parents/talk to their parents, they are worried not just about their health now but what it’s going to do to their education in the future, their future life chances, their future opportunities.
“And they want a party to say how are we going to fix that.
“So we’ve come up – talking to experts – with this set of ideas to ensure every school is going to have a qualified mental health professional to work with the staff so we can gather early intervention and make sure these young people get the treatment to deserve when they need it.”
He said it would be funded with a higher “digital service tax” on companies such as Amazon, Google, and big social media companies.
Ed Davey riding a bicycle down a steep hill in Knighton in Wales
Sir Ed Davey riding a bike during a visit to Knighton, Wales
Jacob King / PA Wire
The Lib Dem leader could be seen riding a bike while on the campaign trail. He was joined by Jane Dodds, the leader of the Welsh Lib Dems and David Chadwick, the party’s candidate for the area who were also riding bikes.
The Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe seat – which has been newly created for the 2024 election – covers Knighton, and is a key battleground for the Liberal Democrats.
Addressing his supporters, Sir Ed said the people of Wales have been “taken for granted” for too long by the Tories.
He said: “Families across Wales are working hard, they are looking after their families, loved ones, they’re playing by the rules.
“But they’re finding it increasingly hard to make ends meet.”
Sir Ed also said he was confident the party could make gains in Wales.