By GB News (Politics) | Created at 2026-09-19 20:08:13 | Updated at 2026-09-20 06:15:46
10 hours ago
Sir Ed Davey took aim at Reform UK's £72million warchest in a furious tirade during his Autumn Conference speech this evening.
The Liberal Democrat leader said the party "doesn't speak for the real United Kingdom" as he fired out an explosive rant over Donald Trump, France's Marine Le Pen and Germany's AfD at his party's annual gathering.
Urging liberals to "join him in his fight against populism", he called on supporters to join the "fight against Reform, and their £72 million arsenal of hate and lies.
"The fight to defeat the nasty populism of Trump, Le Pen, the AfD and the rest."
He even hit out at tech mogul Elon Musk, accusing him of "learning racism in apartheid South Africa" and subsequently "funding racism around the world".
The MP also doubled down against the Liberal Democrats' attempt to take on Reform UK.
Sir Ed, whose leadership is said to have been questioned over the party's recent lull in the polls, also condemned the populist party's recent donations from two cryptobillionaires.
He said: "Reform know they don’t speak for the real United Kingdom, that they don’t represent the majority of the British people.
The Liberal Democrat leader said Reform UK falis to 'represent the majority of the British people'
LIBERAL DEMOCRATS/YOUTUBE
"They wouldn’t need £72million if they did, would they?"
As it stands, the Liberal Democrats are trailing behind Labour, Reform, the Tories and even the Greens in some of the UK's top polls.
In a recent survey by Delta Poll, the Liberal Democrats are forecast to win eight per cent of the vote if a General Election were to be held today.
Meanwhile, Andy Burnham would win 29 per cent, Mr Farage would take home 25 per cent and Kemi Badenoch would nab 19 per cent of the vote share.
Mr Farage's party is leading in several polls, while the Liberal Democrats are trailing behind in fourth and fifth place
PA
And, finally, the Greens would edge ahead of Sir Ed's party, winning nine per cent, in a blow to the Liberal Democrats.
Nevertheless, Sir Ed said earlier today his party was ready to fight a possible snap election and insisted it would build on its previous record of 72 MPs in July 2024.
But even his own MPs are beginning to outwardly express their disdain for their party's direction, with South Cotswolds MP Roz Savage paving the way.
"Why are we as a party struggling for relevance at precisely the moment when so many people feel powerless?" Ms Savage wrote in an exposing essay ahead of the party conference.
The MP called on the party to revive its "insurgent spirit" and ditch their presentation of "polite custodians of a system that leaves people feeling powerless".
Despite the damning feedback, Sir Ed simply said his MP was "wrong" and insisted the Liberal Democrats could act as a "firewall" against Mr Farage's party.
"If you look at our election results up and down the country, we now run more councils than the Conservatives," he told the BBC.
"We have got an historic opportunity to win many more seats and a moral responsibility to stop Reform."
