31 minutes agoShareSaveKate WhannelPolitical reporter andPaul Seddonpolitical reporterShareSaveLiberal 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”.In contrast, he said Farage wanted the UK to “be like Trump’s America”.In last year’s general election, the Lib Dems won 72 seats while Reform won five, however in recent months Farage’s party has led opinion polls. 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.Asked if his party was obsessed with or frightened by Farage, Sir Ed said: “I am certainly not frightened – the issue is we need to expose him. “I think the more he comes under scrutiny the more he will be seen to fail.”Sir Ed argued that a Reform government would make the UK more “like Trump’s America” adding: “I think that’ll be harsh and it’s not true to British values.”He said his party offered “the change that is in tune with those values – to have a decent caring country”. He said voters had “lost trust” in a Labour government that had “failed” and his party could provide an alternative. During the interview, Sir Ed was asked about his recent criticisms of the BBC and its coverage of Reform UK.The Lib Dem leader has accused the BBC of failing to provide enough scrutiny of Farage’s party and claimed during an interview with LBC that it had “copy-and-pasted” Reform UK press releases in online articles.When asked whether he was making false accusations and using the same kind of Trumpian language he had criticised, Sir Ed said: “No, I don’t think we are.”And what we’re saying when we talk about Trump and Trump’s America is the way …
Article Attribution | Read More at Article Source
[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nn31 minutes agoShareSaveKate WhannelPolitical reporter andPaul Seddonpolitical reporterShareSaveLiberal 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”.In contrast, he said Farage wanted the UK to “be like Trump’s America”.In last year’s general election, the Lib Dems won 72 seats while Reform won five, however in recent months Farage’s party has led opinion polls. 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.Asked if his party was obsessed with or frightened by Farage, Sir Ed said: “I am certainly not frightened – the issue is we need to expose him. “I think the more he comes under scrutiny the more he will be seen to fail.”Sir Ed argued that a Reform government would make the UK more “like Trump’s America” adding: “I think that’ll be harsh and it’s not true to British values.”He said his party offered “the change that is in tune with those values – to have a decent caring country”. He said voters had “lost trust” in a Labour government that had “failed” and his party could provide an alternative. During the interview, Sir Ed was asked about his recent criticisms of the BBC and its coverage of Reform UK.The Lib Dem leader has accused the BBC of failing to provide enough scrutiny of Farage’s party and claimed during an interview with LBC that it had “copy-and-pasted” Reform UK press releases in online articles.When asked whether he was making false accusations and using the same kind of Trumpian language he had criticised, Sir Ed said: “No, I don’t think we are.”And what we’re saying when we talk about Trump and Trump’s America is the way …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]
