Sir Ed Davey has declined to rule out striking a coalition deal with Labour to prevent Nigel Farage from entering Downing Street, declaring the Liberal Democrats could “stop Reform by ourselves” by winning key seats that would deny them a parliamentary majority.
Speaking exclusively to Sky News political editor Beth Rigby at the Liberal Democrat conference in Bournemouth, the party leader refused to categorically exclude a future agreement with Sir Keir Starmer, stating he would “wait to see the result of the next election” before making any decisions about potential arrangements with Labour.
When pressed repeatedly on whether he would enter a coalition to keep Reform UK from power, Sir Ed said: “Look, when it comes to deals with other parties beyond Reform, let’s wait to see the result of the next election.” However, he was unequivocal in ruling out any arrangement with Mr Farage’s party, which currently leads in national polls with support hovering around 25-27 per cent compared to the Liberal Democrats’ 11-16 per cent.
“That’s not going to happen. The truth is with the Reform Party, they represent values which are the complete polar opposite,” Sir Ed declared, accusing Mr Farage of attempting to import Donald Trump’s divisive politics into Britain.
The Liberal Democrat leader’s comments come as his party faces a challenging political landscape. Despite achieving their best result in a century at the 2024 general election with 72 MPs, recent polling shows Reform UK maintaining a significant lead, with an Ipsos survey in June showing Farage’s party on 34 per cent – nine points ahead of Labour and 23 points ahead of the Liberal Democrats.
Sir Ed insisted his party could act as a crucial bulwark against Reform without needing formal pacts, arguing that Liberal Democrat victories in key constituencies could mathematically prevent Mr Farage from securing a majority. If Liberal Democrats keep winning seats and build on our best result for 100 years, we can stop Reform by ourselves,” he claimed.
“We can deprive them of the seats that they would need to form a majority. And then the arithmetic of them getting to power falls to pieces,” he explained, highlighting how many seats the Liberal Democrats won from the Conservatives in 2024 might otherwise have fallen to Reform.
The Kingston and Surbiton MP expressed deep concern about American political influence in Britain, particularly through Mr Farage’s close relationship with President Trump. “I think people are worried about the direction of our country, because often in the past, sometimes we have seen a bit of American influence in our country. We’re seeing a lot more of it,” he warned.
People look at Trump’s America and what he’s doing to it and are really fearful for democracy,” Sir Ed added, pointing to YouGov polling showing just 19 per cent of Britons view the US President favourably.
When challenged about whether he felt a “moral responsibility” to prevent Reform from gaining power through progressive alliances, Sir Ed maintained that strategic targeting of seats would be more effective than formal agreements. “We didn’t have pacts last time. We’re not going to have pacts in the future,” he stated firmly.
The Liberal Democrat leader has emerged as the only major English party leader to explicitly criticise President Trump, even refusing an invitation to the state banquet during the American president’s recent visit to Windsor Castle. He has also courted controversy by branding Trump ally Elon Musk a “criminal” for allegedly “allowing online harm to children” on his social media platform X.
When asked if he was concerned about potential legal action from Musk – who previously called Sir Ed a “snivelling cretin” – the Liberal Democrat leader remained defiant, refusing to apologise for his remarks and denying they were irresponsible despite no criminal charges being filed against the tech billionaire.
Sir Ed’s strategy appears focused on attracting disaffected Conservative voters who are “appalled” by both Kemi Badenoch’s rightward shift and Nigel Farage’s populist politics. Recent polling suggests some success, with the Liberal Democrats reaching 16 per cent in February 2025 surveys – their highest rating since November 2019.
The conference in Bournemouth has seen the Liberal Democrats attempt to “reclaim patriotism” from Reform, with Sir Ed arriving to the sound of a marching band and Union flags being prominently displayed. He branded Mr Farage a “plastic patriot” who “doesn’t love our country” and wants to make Britain “like Trump’s America.”
Addressing criticism of his famous campaign stunts – which included bungee jumping and paddle boarding during the 2024 election – Sir Ed defended his approach despite reports that some MPs wanted him to “drop bullshit stunts and raise your game.”
“What happened was the cameras came there and they interviewed me and allowed me to give my serious points,” he explained. “And when I was able to give the serious points on behalf of Liberal Democrats, we got our best result for 100 years.”
He insisted the stunts helped demonstrate that Liberal Democrat politicians were “not just stuffy old politicians” but “ordinary people” whilst still allowing serious policy discussions. “The huge number of MPs who want to be part of my stunt suggests that they want to be part of it,” he added with characteristic optimism.
When asked directly whether he would lead the party into the next election, Sir Ed gave an unequivocal “Yes,” despite the Liberal Democrats trailing significantly in polls behind Reform, Labour, and even struggling to maintain clear distance from the embattled Conservatives.
The Liberal Democrat leader’s positioning reflects the complex arithmetic facing British politics. With Reform UK’s surge in popularity – particularly among former Conservative voters and previous non-voters – traditional assumptions about coalition-building may need revisiting. Recent constituency-level analysis shows the sharpest electoral competition exists between Liberal Democrats and Reform, with a correlation of -0.72, meaning where one party succeeds, the other typically struggles.
Sir Ed’s confidence in stopping Reform “seat by seat” relies on the Liberal Democrats’ traditional strength in local campaigning and their appeal to socially liberal, pro-European voters who find both major parties wanting. However, with Reform maintaining consistent leads in national polling since April 2025, the mathematical challenge appears daunting.
The Liberal Democrat leader’s refusal to definitively rule out cooperation with Labour whilst categorically rejecting any arrangement with Reform suggests a pragmatic approach to future hung parliament scenarios. Former party leader Sir Nick Clegg recently advised the party to prepare for potential coalition government, though such preparations may seem premature given current polling.
As the conference continues, Sir Ed faces the challenge of maintaining relevance in a political landscape increasingly dominated by Reform UK’s insurgent populism and Labour’s struggles in government. His strategy of positioning the Liberal Democrats as defenders of “British values” against Trump-style politics may resonate with some voters, but whether it can translate into the electoral mathematics needed to genuinely “stop Reform” remains to be seen.
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Image Credit:
Ed Davey in the House of Commons (cropped) — photo by Maria Unger / UK Parliament, CC BY 3.0
