Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey has launched a blistering attack on Reform UK, branding the party a home for racists and bigots and warning that a victory for Nigel Farage would bring Trump-style policies to Britain. Speaking at the Lib Dem annual conference, Davey repeatedly targeted Farage, accusing him of wanting to dismantle the NHS, enable racism and misogyny, and relax gun laws to the point where schools would have to teach children how to respond to a mass shooting.
Davey’s speech, which included no new policies, sought to position the Liberal Democrats as the only party capable of blocking what he called “the forces of darkness” led by Farage. He directly linked Farage to Donald Trump, arguing that a Reform government would implement similar policies, including rolling back gun laws. The latter claim stems from comments Farage made in 2014 when he called for a relaxation of the handgun ban, though a Reform source denied it was party policy, dismissing the Lib Dems as “an irrelevant laughing stock”.
Davey also condemned Reform’s plans to end the asylum system, saying: “Sending men, women and children who have fled the Taliban back to Afghanistan to be murdered by them, and even paying the Taliban to do it – that isn’t patriotic. That isn’t British. That isn’t who we are.” He appealed to liberal-minded Conservative voters put off by the party’s shift to the populist right, saying: “My message to you is this – come and talk to us.”
The Lib Dem leader’s rhetoric marks a significant escalation in the party’s attacks on Reform, as strategists increasingly view Farage’s party as their main opponent. Davey concluded: “We are in a battle for the very future of our country. And it’s not a battle we can afford to lose.”
