Sir Ed Davey has blamed Brexit for the rise in migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats and accused the Conservatives and Reform UK of exploiting the issue politically. He urged the UK to negotiate with the European Commission to rejoin the EU migration and asylum pact, arguing it would allow returns to the EU state of departure and act as a deterrent. Davey defended the triple lock on pensions, called for a cap on party donations and said the Lib Dems will set out cost-of-living measures at their conference.
Ed Davey Blames Brexit for Rise in Channel 'Small Boat' Crossings and Calls to Rejoin EU Migration Pact
[BBC]
Sir Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, has attributed the rise in migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats to the UK's departure from the European Union, and accused both Reform UK and the Conservative Party of exploiting the issue for political gain.
Speaking in a series of interviews with BBC local radio ahead of the Liberal Democrats' annual conference, Sir Ed — now in his seventh year as party leader — discussed immigration alongside the cost of living, pensions, crime and his party's record in local government.
Brexit, Returns And The EU Migration Pact
On the increase in small boat crossings, Sir Ed said:
"We didn't have the small boats problem before Brexit. It's been caused by the Conservatives... caused by Nigel Farage. They should hang their heads in shame. And what really irritates me is they exploit it for their own political benefit."
He urged the government to open negotiations with the European Commission to join the EU's migration and asylum pact, arguing that membership would allow the UK to return migrants to the EU state from which they travelled — as was possible before Brexit — and act as an "effective deterrent."
Statistics And International Cooperation
Sir Ed cited official figures showing that, under the current Labour government, small-boat arrivals have fallen by 44% while deportations have increased by 8%. He welcomed the reduction but said it "wasn't nearly enough" and emphasised that success so far had relied on international cooperation, which he wants to strengthen.
Domestic Priorities: Cost Of Living, Pensions And Donations
Looking ahead to the Lib Dems' autumn conference, Sir Ed promised a "serious" agenda with measures to tackle the cost of living. He told BBC Radio Kent the party would set out plans to help households under pressure.
On pensions, he reiterated the party's opposition to scrapping the triple lock, telling BBC Radio Shropshire that it remained "sustainable" and had helped reduce pensioner poverty. The triple lock, introduced in 2011, guarantees the state pension rises each year by the highest of average wage growth, inflation or 2.5%.
On political funding, Sir Ed called for a cap on donations following two £32m contributions to Reform UK, and defended past donations the Lib Dems accepted while urging reform of the rules governing party finance.
Local Government And National Strategy
Pressed on the party's record in local government, he asked for patience with Lib Dem councillors and said there was "no magic wand" to instantly turn round councils recently taken over from other parties. Nationally, he claimed the party was in its strongest position in more than a century and argued that in some constituencies only the Lib Dems could prevent Reform UK from winning seats.
He also warned about the effect of large political donations and what he described as foreign interference linked to Reform UK, and voiced support for increased funding for Cleveland Police.
Key quotes:
- "When you see something working you want to be part of it. And if it would give us the right to return everyone who came in small boats, surely we'd want to do that, wouldn't we?"
- "The others were getting huge amounts from their donors... I want to change the rules."
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