Ed Davey told Lib Dem members that Nigel Farage would make the UK “Trump’s America” if he were elected prime minister, with claims that Reform would destroy the NHS and roll back gun laws among the main messages made by the Liberal Dem’s leader in his conference speech.
Speaking to the party faithful in Bournemouth, Davey said the Liberal Democrats would be “on the side of the British people” and that the party would “fire up our economy again”, though he provided few policy details for growth.
In tirades against Farage, Elon Musk and the BBC, Davey attacked figures who wanted to “break” the UK during his speech as he compared policy proposals by the Tories and Reform UK to President Trump’s administration.
“Imagine living in the Trump-inspired country Farage wants us to become, where there’s no NHS, so patients are hit with crippling insurance bills,” Davey said.
“Don’t let it become Farage’s Britain, where we pay Putin for expensive fossil fuels and destroy our beautiful countryside with fracking – while climate change rages on… where gun laws are rolled back, so schools have to teach our children what to do in case of a mass shooting.”
Farage hit back at the accusations made by Davey almost instantly as he said the comments were “pathetic”.
Davey urged to push for wealth tax
Fringe events included calls by Patriotic Millionaires UK in favour of a wealth tax to raise £7bn a year as well as calls for a windfall tax on big banks and higher capital gains taxes.
During his speech on Tuesday afternoon, Davey also hit out at the BBC for giving the Farage “so much time and attention” and an “easy ride” in its coverage. The BBC’s political editor, Chris Mason, last week hit back at the accusation, accusing Davey of deploying’s “Trump’s criticism” of the media.
The Liberal Democrats leader’s comments also centred on the “damage of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss”, as well as Elon Musk’s ownership of X.
“After Musk took over and slashed the platform’s child-safety teams, X has become a much more dangerous place for children – the promotion of self-harm, of grooming, of sexual exploitation – all happening on Elon Musk’s watch.”
“No wonder he wants to get rid of the laws to tackle it. And Nigel Farage says we should give Musk what he wants.”
Other parts of Davey’s flagship speech included vows to improve the UK’s healthcare system by prioritising treatments for cancer and supporting the care sector.
In media interviews, Davey has refused to say whether his party would enter a coalition with another party at the next General Election, which is only due in 2030.
The Liberal Democrats party conference also ran a “ReformWatch” question and answer session for attendees.
Farage did once oppose strict gun controls more than ten years ago, as he called for a “proper” system on licensing, but in response to Davey’s speech Reform said there would be no change to the law under a Farage government.
Reform UK has also remained quiet on its plans for the NHS though a Policy Exchange report has advocated in favour of a social insurance scheme to replace a taxpayer-funded system.