Davey: Tory ‘disdain and neglect’ led to rise of Reform
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey addressed delegates and activists at his party’s spring conference in Harrogate.
The Conservative Party’s “disdain and neglect” has allowed for the rise of Reform UK, Sir Ed Davey has said.
The Liberal Democrat leader said Nigel Farage has “nothing to say” and that his party is peddling “superficial, simplistic, snake-oil solutions”.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has a “sneering attitude”, he said, referring to her recent comments that a typical Lib Dem is “somebody who is good at fixing their church roof”.
“That Conservative disdain and neglect is also what has opened the door to Reform, and that’s why it’s so important that we Liberal Democrats are rooted in our communities, getting things done, fixing the church roof – and much more besides,” he told delegates and activists at the Liberal Democrat spring conference.
“Showing people that politics can work for them, that who they vote for can make a difference, that their voice matters.
“That is how you defeat the populists, how you drain away the cynicism that feeds them, how you win back people’s trust and restore their hope.”
He said Lib Dem MPs spend a lot more time in their constituencies than Mr Farage spends in Clacton, but quipped “it’s a bit of a low bar”.
Sir Ed received applause from delegates and activists in Harrogate when he quoted Mrs Badenoch and said: “A typical Liberal Democrat will be somebody who is good at fixing their church roof” and “people in the community like them”.
He said it revealed the “sneering attitude” of the leader of the Conservatives.
“The sneering attitude that says fixing church roofs is somehow beneath her, even beneath politics altogether.
“That what happens in our communities is trivial, insignificant compared to debating the true meaning of conservatism on Twitter.
“But it goes far beyond Kemi Badenoch and church roofs. It’s the whole Conservative Party – whether in Westminster or in town halls and county halls across the country – they have abandoned our communities.
“The Conservatives left schools and hospitals to crumble, left whole areas without enough GPs or dentists, left water companies to pump filthy sewage into our rivers and seas, and they have left decent, traditional Conservatives without a political home.”
He said Mr Farage would seek to turn the UK into a “Donald Trump tribute act” if given the chance.
Sir Ed told the party’s spring conference: “This is no time for a nationalist. We need real British patriotism instead.
“At home and abroad, our country has big problems to solve.
“And let’s be absolutely clear: Nigel Farage is not the least bit interested in solving them.
“If Farage had his way, he would turn our great country into little more than a Donald Trump tribute act.”
The Reform UK leader has “nothing to say” about fixing social care, the challenges facing the NHS, making sure people can see a doctor or a dentist, ambulance delays or crumbling hospitals, he said.
“What worries us most about Farage and reform is the deeply destructive, divisive brand of politics they deploy, the weaponisation of difference, the demonisation of diversity, the scapegoating of the other.
“The superficial, simplistic, snake-oil solutions they peddle.
“We know where it will all lead if we don’t stop it.”
Paul Holmes, shadow local government minister, said Conservative councils were “getting on with the job of delivering lower taxes and better local services” while Lib Dems are “clocking off early”.
He said: “In places like South Cambridgeshire, they have brought in four-day working weeks for council staff, leaving residents paying full price for part-time service.
“In Westminster, Lib Dem MPs vote for Labour’s ideological attacks on our schools, back higher taxes and turn a blind eye to policies that punish small businesses.
“On the big national questions, the Liberal Democrats are either missing in action or have become Labour’s cheerleaders in Parliament.
“Time and again, the Liberal Democrats have shown they are unserious, unprincipled and unfit to hold Labour to account. Under new leadership, the Conservative Party is focused on delivering results, defending our communities and offering the honest, credible opposition this country needs.”
