Both the SNP and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK are using the same “populist playbook” as Donald Trump is in the US, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has said.
He spoke out about the “battle against the populism and nationalism of Reform and the SNP” as he addressed his party’s Scottish conference in Inverness, with Sir Ed warning that the future of liberal democracy in the UK was now at stake.
His speech came after the Liberal Democrats revealed that former Tory MSP Jamie Greene – who only quit the Scottish Conservatives on Thursday – had defected and joined the rival party.
That takes the Liberal Democrats tally at Holyrood to five MSPs – with Sir Ed welcoming his party’s newest MSP to the “Liberal Democrat family”.
Our newest MSP, Jamie Greene!
— Scottish Lib Dems (@scotlibdems) April 4, 2025
With Jamie on our team, Scottish Liberal Democrats will keep making our voices heard on the issues that matter - getting you fast access to health care, lifting up Scottish education and growing our economy.#sldconf pic.twitter.com/bQPtLjVrID
He said: “It’s great to have Jamie here. He’s just one of thousands of former Scottish Conservatives now turning to the Liberal Democrats.
“Former Conservatives who have seen their old party move further and further away from the fundamental decent values we share, who have heard Conservative leaders sound more like Donald Trump and Nigel Farage, who feel let down and taken for granted by today’s Conservative Party.”
Under leaders such as Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Kemi Badenoch, he said the Tories no longer reflected the “fundamental values of fairness, decency, freedom and respect for the rule of law”.
The Liberal Democrat leader spoke out as he used his speech to launch a staunch attack on both the SNP and Reform – saying that Mr Farage “looks up to” both Russian President Vladimir Putin and American President Mr Trump.
Speaking about the Reform leader – whose party is enjoying surging support in polls both across the UK and in Scotland, Sir Ed said: “Those are the people whose interests he would serve – they wouldn’t serve people here in Inverness, the people across Scotland, the interests of people across the United Kingdom.”
The Liberal Democrat added: “With all the volatility in the world at the moment, Putin’s war on Ukraine, Trump’s trade war, the rise of China, and the global climate change crisis, this is no time for a nationalist.
“What people need are real patriots. And that is who we are.”
He hit out at “populist” politicians, claiming they can “manipulate new forms of media to spread lies, sow fear and stir division”.
Sir Ed stated: “That is the populist playbook. It’s the same playbook Donald Trump is using in the United States.
“The same one the SNP have been using for years here in Scotland.
“And now Reform are using it for their own purposes across the UK.”
He criticised Mr Farage’s stance on the NHS, claiming that the Reform UK leader “simply doesn’t believe in the fundamental NHS principle of universal healthcare free at the point of use”.
Meanwhile, he spoke about the “mess the SNP have made of the NHS and social care here in Scotland”.
Sir Ed, however, said: “We Liberal Democrats will always defend an NHS free at the point of use and we will also campaign for better social care too, in Scotland and across the UK.
“We will campaign against Farage, against Reform, against anyone who puts people’s health and care services at risk.”
Accusing the Conservative Party of “desperately chasing Reform’s tail”, and claiming that Labour are also “sounding more and more like them every day” Sir Ed insisted it was up to his Liberal Democrats “to take them on”.
He told the conference: “We are the only ones with the courage and the conviction to stand up and offer something different.
“We’re the only ones who can truly defeat the populism and cynicism, and restore trust in our democracy.
“The only ones who offer real hope.”
He went on to tell supporters that Liberal Democrats could counter the rise in populism with “good old-fashioned community politics” and by “working hard for our communities, rolling up our sleeves and getting things done”.
Sir Ed said that “showing people that politics can deliver for them” was “what Liberal Democrats are all about”.
He added: “It’s how we win, and it’s what sets us apart from the other parties.
“And it’s what our opponents hate most about us.”
Saying that Liberal Democrats “get the job done” he added: “Whether in local councils, in Holyrood or in Westminster, Liberal Democrats are tireless local champions for our communities.”
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