British children will be forced to undergo drills to prepare for mass shootings if Nigel Farage becomes prime minister, Sir Ed Davey has claimed.
In a highly controversial attack on the Reform UK leader, Sir Ed warned Mr Farage would roll back gun laws in a bid to turn Britain into a version of Donald Trump’s America.
In a keynote speech at the Lib Dem conference in Bournemouth Sir Ed claimed that Mr Farage represented the “forces of darkness” supporting Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
He painted the Liberal Democrats as the party to stop Reform’s rise to power at the next election.
Responding to Sir Ed, Reform stressed that looser firearm rules are not party policy, despite Mr Farage having called in 2014 for them to be relaxed. A party source said Sir Ed had “squandered his big moment by spouting total madness”.
In a broadside at Mr Farage, Sir Ed said: “Nigel Farage asks ‘whose side are you on?’ Well we know the answer. Nigel Farage is on the side of Elon Musk, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. Liberal Democrats are on the side of the British people. Because, unlike Farage, I actually love Britain. I’m proud of our country.”
Outlining what he claims the country would become under Mr Farage, he went on: “Imagine living in the Trump-inspired country Farage wants us to become. Where there’s no NHS, so patients are hit with crippling insurance bills. Or denied healthcare altogether.
“Where we pay Putin for expensive fossil fuels and destroy our beautiful countryside with fracking – while climate change rages on.
“Where gun laws are rolled back, so schools have to teach our children what to do in case of a mass shooting. Where social media barons are free to poison young minds with impunity.”
As Ukip leader a decade ago, Mr Farage called for the relaxation of firearm laws, describing a ban on handguns brought in after the Dunblane massacre as “ludicrous”. But Reform UK has not set out plans to loosen Britain’s gun laws, despite Sir Ed’s warning.
Sir Ed also warned that under Mr Farage the government would “trample on our basic rights and freedoms, unconstrained by the European Convention on Human Rights”.
And he warned that Reform will usher in a country “where Andrew Tate is held up as an example to young men, where racism and misogyny get the tacit support of people in power, where everything is in a constant state of chaos”.
“That is Trump’s America. Don’t let it become Farage’s Britain,” Sir Ed said.
Sir Ed has sought to take advantage of Sir Keir Starmer’s reluctance to criticise high-profile right-wingers such as Donald Trump and Elon Musk, painting himself as an opponent of populism. In a sign of who Sir Ed has in his sights, his speech mentioned Mr Farage 30 times and did not refer to the prime minister.
It took aim at Mr Trump 24 times and Tory leader Kemi Badenoch just once.
He has also clashed with the BBC about what he views as its bias towards coverage of Mr Farage and Reform, despite the party having just five MPs compared with the Liberal Democrats’ 72.
He closed the Lib Dem jamboree in Bournemouth with an appeal to patriotic voters, insisting he loves Britain and the union jack, and urging voters to back his vision for Britain as “the land of the Lionesses, fish and chips and village greens”.
Despite its challenges, Sir Ed said: “We shouldn’t lose sight of the many incredible strengths this United Kingdom has going for it. The best farmers, carmakers and universities in the world. The place Hollywood comes to make Barbie, Spider-Man and Mission Impossible. The land of the Lionesses and the home of Formula One.
“Windermere and Loch Ness. Male voice choirs and Hogmanay. County shows and school fairs. Fish and chips. Village greens and cricket pavilions. And let me tell you – the best rollercoasters and waterslides on the planet.
“So much to celebrate about our country. But above all, our strength lies in the British people and our shared British values. We are a nation that believes in tolerance, decency, and respect for both individual freedom and the rule of law. That is our United Kingdom.”
