Davey: Lib Dems are the ‘antidote’ to right-wing populism
He also said Reform UK wants to ‘lick the boots of Donald Trump’.
Sir Ed Davey has described the Liberal Democrats as the “antidote to right-wing populism”.
The Lib Dem leader said Reform UK wants to “lick the boots of Donald Trump” as he answered questions from members at the party’s spring conference in Harrogate.
Sir Ed said “we shouldn’t be complacent” about Nigel Farage and “the things he says, how he divides people”, which is “anathema to us”.
He added: “Essentially, my argument is that we are the antidote to right-wing populism. Liberalism is the antidote.
“It’s the opposite of … people like Trump and Farage and his ilk, whether it’s Marine Le Pen or the AfD in Germany or Orban in Hungary, the whole cabal of them.”
“And we have got to do as much as we can. The responsibility on us is greater than I can ever remember, because other parties who used to be strong in our country aren’t speaking out.”
He said the “danger” of Reform UK means “we have got a job on our hands”.
He added: “Friends, I know we’re up for it. I know you’re up for it. We have to be the ones pushing back against its populism.”
He also said Reform UK wants to “lick the boots of Donald Trump”.
“Let’s remember the radical nature of Reform. They want to lick the boots of Donald Trump. They want Trump America here in the UK. And I think it’s our job to point that out to people on the doorstep,” he added.
He said Mr Farage is “not a radical reformer”, but is “betraying what Britain stands for”.
Sir Ed labelled Kemi Badenoch’s recent declaration that reaching net zero emissions by 2050 is not possible as “defeatism”.
He said: “Now, to be fair to her, she’s not saying … that it’s not happening. She just says it’s all too difficult to sort it out by 2050.
“Now that is just defeatism … the Conservative Party is not prepared to have that ambition to get this done when it is so important, existential to our world.”
A Conservative Party spokesperson said: “Ed Davey needs to get real – his obsession with Net Zero and his total failure to stand up to this disastrous Labour government are hammering families across the country. What is the point of the Lib Dems?
“Under Kemi Badenoch’s leadership, the Conservatives are telling the truth. Net Zero by 2050 is impossible without either bankrupting the country or surrendering our energy security to hostile foreign states.
“And unlike Ed Davey, we won’t deceive the public with fantasy promises we know we can’t keep. That’s not ‘defeatism’, it’s leadership.”
