Lib Dems have moral duty to defeat Farage, says Davey

"Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has said his party has a moral duty to keep Nigel Farage and his Reform UK party out of power. Speaking to the BBC at his party's autumn conference, Sir Ed said voters were turning away from Labour and the Conservatives and some were attracted by Reform. However, he argued that the Liberal Democrats could be the alternative by offering "radical change... in tune with British values"."

"Sir Ed told the BBC's political editor Chris Mason his party had "momentum" but acknowledged that was "not quite reflected in the polls as much as I would like to see". "We have a challenge. We have got to take the fight to Reform." Asked how he could win over Reform voters, Sir Ed said people were worried about illegal immigration and that his party was urging the government to call a national emergency to deal with the backlog in processing asylum claims."

""If we get rid of that asylum backlog and close the asylum hotels, I think that would reassure many communities." He argued that in addition to immigration, voters were also worried about the cost of living and said the Lib Dems had policies which would bring down energy bills. At its autumn conference in Bournemouth, the Liberal Democrats have been handing out Lego models of "plastic patriot" Nigel Farage."

The Liberal Democrats present themselves as a moral alternative determined to keep Nigel Farage and Reform UK out of power by promoting radical change aligned with British values. Reform UK has led recent polls despite holding far fewer parliamentary seats than the Lib Dems. The party highlights momentum but recognizes a polling challenge and plans to contest Reform's support. Policy priorities include declaring a national emergency to clear asylum backlogs and close asylum hotels to reassure communities, alongside measures to reduce energy bills and address cost-of-living pressures. Conference activities included symbolic messaging about Nigel Farage.

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