On Friday he called for new legislation to remove a former prince from the line of succession. Today in Edinburgh he called for the Prime Minister to sue President Trump for $100 billion.
Sir Ed Davey was in the capital for the second time in just eight days when he entered the small downstairs room at Dynamic Earth filled with party members, to address the Scottish Liberal Democrats on the second day of their spring conference.
On a mild February morning there were no stunts for photographers, no mention of a former prince, or proposals for legislation to remove him from the line of succession.
Instead he called on Sir Keir Starmer to sue Donald Trump for $100 billion “for the damage he has caused to Scotland and to our country. It is not just us Liberals who have looked on at Trump’s behaviour and beliefs with horror. It is the vast majority of Scots and Brits and people across parties who have agreed with us as we Liberal Democrats have led the UK’s opposition to Trump.”
Carrying on with the theme of wrong ‘uns Sir Ed mentioned once more the problem is Farage and his Reform party which is according to recent polls beating the Liberal Democrats into a joint fourth place with the Conservatives in Scotland.
Sir Ed continued: “There is one man, one man who sees Trump not as a threat, not as a danger, but as an inspiration, a role model – Nigel Farage.
“Farage and Reform who share Trump’s admiration for Vladimir Putin. Farage and Reform who want to divide people, not bring people together. Farage and Reform who look to Trump’s America with private health care, loose gun laws and increasing authoritarian rule, and want to bring all that to Scotland and the UK, friends, we cannot let Trump’s America become Farage’s Britain.”
He claimed that the change that people now need is a straight choice between Liberal Democrats and Reform. If voters choose the Liberal Democrats that change will start with the economy. He said: “People are struggling against a cost-of-living crisis. Sky-high energy bills, food prices, housing costs and unfair taxes.
“And businesses are being hampered by the Brexit trade barriers and red tape, Labour’s tax rises and the SNP’s anti-business agenda.
“We need to show people we can build a modern economy that is genuinely innovative, dynamic and fair.”
In Scotland he said that the SNP have been “in power for too long, and in Scotland people and businesses have been doubly let down. Let down by failing Conservative and Labour governments in Westminster, and let down by a failed SNP government here in Holyrood.”
He opened with a tribute to Ming Campbell and Lord Wallace of Tankerness, both missed by their Liberal Democrat colleagues, and it ended with a standing ovation as you might expect. This was a rousing speech intended to rally the troops and which Alistair Carmichael, MP, was overheard saying to him it was the best he had ever been.
The Leader of the Liberal Democrats since 2020 was introduced by Edinburgh West MP, Christine Jardine, who reminded the audience that Sir Ed played a major role in setting out what became the Paris Climate Agreement. She said: “He came into position of leader with a very strong track record, but he inherited a party that only had 11 MPs and we are now standing in a position where we have 72 MPs. He brought the same commitment to leading the part that he brought to his role as energy secretary. He has succeeded in growing the party to the point where we now have six MSPs rather than four when he became leader. We are looking to this election as an opportunity we haven’t had for a decade.”
