Britain’s Liberal Democrats Score Big Election Gains

He bungee jumped from 160 feet, rode a stomach-churning roller coaster, plunged down a water slide and toppled into a lake while attempting to paddleboard.

As leader of the Liberal Democrats, a small, centrist party, Ed Davey spared himself few indignities to secure news media coverage during a British election campaign dominated by bigger parties.

The appearances, alongside Mr. Davey’s heartfelt reflections on caring for his disabled son, have lifted his profile and that of the Lib Dems, who made significant advances in this election. The party won 71 seats, its best showing in a century, regaining its stature as the third largest party in Parliament.

As recently as the 2015 election, the party’s hold in Parliament had been reduced to eight seats.

In a statement, Mr. Davey, 58, said the striking reversal was the product of a “positive campaign with health and care at its heart.”

“I am humbled by the millions of people who backed us to both kick the Conservatives out of power and deliver the change our country needs,” Mr. Davey wrote on social media.