Ed Davey has said he is the political leader who can halt Nigel Farage’s path to power, as he accused the Reform UK leader of being a “plastic patriot”.
The Lib Dem leader insisted he was not afraid of the Reform UK frontman, whose party is ahead of both Labour and the Tories in the polls.
His bold claim came as Techne UK’s latest poll revealed that 1 in 8 of those who voted Lib Dem at last year’s election have already switched to Reform.
But although Mr Farage’s party has rocked Sir Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch and left the Conservatives and Labour on the ropes, the Lib Dems are slowly gaining in the polls.
As the Lib Dems handed out toys at their annual conference in Bournemouth, casting Mr Farage as a “plastic patriot” in Lego form, Mr Davey said that his party appealed to many people dissatisfied with how the country is being run but did not want to support the ex-Ukip boss.
The Lib Dems offered them an alternative to backing Reform UK in a bid to send a message to Downing Street, he said.
In an interview with the Independent, Sir Ed said: “So I think our style of community politics, our message on health and care, cost of living, and pride in your local community, actually appeals to some people who would otherwise vote Reform. And the more we get that out… I think it will peel (voters) off and stop Reform.
“I think we are part of the answer to stopping Reform and, unlike the other two parties who seem to want to mimic them, we’re going to stop Reform, but stay true to our values.”
He insisted he was not afraid of the threat from Mr Farage. “No, not for the Liberal Democrats… I think we can hoover up some of his vote… People are fed up. Because their real incomes haven’t been going up, because public services aren’t any good. Yes, they thought the Tories let them down and got rid of the Tories . Now Labour is not doing a very good job and they’re fed up. “
He said Reform was offering a change, but not one that was “true to British values”.
“I think people want a decent, caring country that provides good public services, but they want to know if there is another party they can believe in that can deliver that change –and that’s us.“
But he conceded that “some of the people who follow Farage and Tommy Robinson, I don’t think we’ll be able to get to that sort of vote”.
He also suggested that the home secretary should look at whether to ban Elon Musk from the UK in the wake of last week’s row over his comments at a rally in London led by far-right activist Mr Robinson, which attracted tens of thousands of people, where he issued a chilling “fight back or you die” message.
He said there was “ a very, very strong case” for Shabana Mahmood to look at the issue.
The home secretary can exclude those expressing views on a number of grounds, including those which foster hatred which might lead to inter-community violence in the UK.
The power can be used whether or not the person’s nationality would normally allow them to travel to the UK visa-free, and 369 people were excluded in the 12 years to 2022.
Sir Ed also said that as a patriot himself, he would have attended the state banquet with US President Donald Trump that he boycotted last week, if he were prime minister.
He said: “The truth is, if you’re the PM, of course, you’ve got to meet other heads of state”.
He said it was important to “engage with people you don’t agree with. That’s how life works, and America has been a long-standing ally”.
He said he had intended to go to the banquet, mostly out of respect for the King, and “I really wrestled with the decision not to go”.
But he said he said “it was Gaza that did it for me, and Trump’s ability to call Netanyahu to get him to stop the fighting and get the aid in”.
“If you were the prime minister, of course, you have to engage with them. I’m not the prime minister, I was a leader of an opposition party, and I had the freedom, if you like, to do what I did, and I’m pleased I did what I did.”
