Declan Ganley, founder of Libertas, comes home.

Declan Ganley was back in the UK yesterday campaigning on behalf of his candidates in the East of England. The Libertas founder, who was born and raised in Watford, visited his childhood home in a northern suburb of the town and later campaigned in the town centre. Surrounded by former friends and family Mr Ganley said he had fond childhood memories of the area: “People say it takes a whole village to raise a child and this was my village.”

After canvassing shoppers in the high street he commented that it reinforced his awareness of how much people in the UK distrusted their European leaders and that's why Libertas was a movement about us and not them, saying he was encouraged by their reaction to the Libertas message.

Speaking later at a debate at Peterhouse College Cambridge to an audience of students he challenged them to name the people in Brussels who make most of our laws but was met by silence. A central theme that he came back to was that Libertas are not anti but pro-european saying "if people came to LIbertas expecting euro-scepticism they'd be disappointed. We're not euro-sceptic but euro-optimistic." Adding that 'my mother was always optimistic that I might one day get to Cambridge but hadn't really thought it would happen. But it has. And so can change in Europe".

Professor Brendan Simms, who prior to the meeting admitted he had not been totally convinced by Libertas' arguments, said he felt he had heard the future of politics in Europe.