UK Lib Dem leader warns of ‘Trump satellite state’

Sir Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, has opened the party’s autumn conference in Brighton by saying an “unholy alliance” between Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch would turn Britain into a “Trump satellite state”.

The Liberal Democrats said Farage’s route to Downing Street ran straight through the seats the party holds, whether bought outright or handed over by Badenoch.

“While families are struggling to afford the basics and small businesses are being crippled by this government, the Conservatives and Reform can only offer anger, division, and another con to line their own pockets,” Davey said.

The alliance between the Reform UK leader and the Conservative leader was “the only way either can get into power”, Davey added.

Together, they would “trash our NHS, turn our communities against each other, cause untold damage to our environment, and trample over traditional British values of fairness, tolerance, and decency”.

Four sitting and 21 former Conservative MPs, including six former cabinet ministers, have defected to Farage’s party since the general election, the Liberal Democrats said, adding that Conservative candidates must now sign up to Reform’s agenda to be selected.

Davey said a bigger Orange Wall was “the only thing that can stand between Britain and this dangerous experiment, and we will not let them pass”.

The Liberal Democrats were “the only party with a plan to take the brakes off the British economy, get money back into people’s pockets, and defend the traditional values that make our country great”, Davey added.

The Liberal Democrats said Davey started the week at a fish and chip shop in Brighton, framing a fish and chip supper’s price as the test both parties fail.

Families who work hard and play by the rules were being priced out of that meal, the party said. Small businesses that serve them were being “taxed to the brink by a Labour government with no plan for growth”.

Davey added: “Britain feels broken because it’s being held back. This conference, we’ll be setting out our vision to fix our broken politics and change our country for the better.”

On 19 September, Davey was also due to close the conference’s first day by addressing the party rally, under the theme “Why I Care, Why I Fight”.

In the speech, Davey was expected to say: “As Liberals, we believe in the intrinsic worth of every single human being. And we are willing to fight for it…”

“What they’ll hear is thousands of Liberals speaking with one voice, to say: We care. And we fight,” Davey was also expected to say.