Sir Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, blamed Brexit for the continuing crossings of migrants in small boats across the English Channel and accused Reform UK and the Conservatives of using the issue for political gain.

Speaking during a round of interviews with BBC local radio stations ahead of the party’s annual conference, which begins on Saturday, Davey said the Liberal Democrats would press the government to pursue further steps with the EU to improve returns of people entering the UK.

Channel Crossings And Brexit

Answering questions on immigration, the cost of living, pensions and crime, Davey said the “small boats problem” did not exist before the UK left the EU.

He argued that the situation had been caused by the Conservatives, adding that Nigel Farage’s Reform UK also had responsibility. Davey said both groups were “exploiting” the crossings and that this was wrong.

Davey said he wanted the next stage of action to build on wider international cooperation, arguing that progress had been made but not enough.

EU Negotiations On returns

The Liberal Democrat leader called on ministers to open negotiations with the European Commission to join an EU pact on migration and asylum.

Under that framework, Davey said migrants could be sent back to the EU member state they had travelled from, describing it as a deterrent. He said such a return approach had been possible before Brexit.

Latest figures cited by Davey showed that, under the current Labour government, small boat arrivals have fallen by 44% and deportations have increased by 8%. He said the changes were the product of cooperation with other countries, but that further measures were still required.

Davey said he would push for “tough action” and argued that joining the EU scheme would allow the UK to return people more effectively when they arrive in small boats.

Cost Of Living And Pensions

Davey also promised the party conference would be “serious” and said the Liberal Democrats would focus on tackling the cost of living, which he said had been damaging for many households.

On pensions, he told BBC Radio Shropshire that his party would not support abolishing the triple lock. He said the policy remained sustainable and argued it had helped reduce pensioner poverty.

The triple lock, introduced in 2011, ensures the state pension rises by either average wage growth, inflation or 2.5%, whichever is highest. While all the major parties currently support the measure, Davey acknowledged that some calls have been made to reconsider it because of pressure on the public finances and concerns about youth employment.

Donations And Local Government

Davey was also questioned about donations to political parties, after Reform UK received two donations of £36m last week. He contrasted the new total with the previous record of £8m accepted by the Liberal Democrats from Lord Sainsbury in December 2019.

He said there should be a cap on donations and said he had argued for one throughout his career. Davey said legislation had been blocked when the Liberal Democrats were in government with the Conservatives, adding that Labour and the Conservatives voted against the proposals.

He said the rules applied differently to the parties’ recent funding, but argued that each side should change how donations are governed.

During the interviews, Davey was pressed on the Liberal Democrats’ record in local government. He said on multiple stations, including BBC Radio Shropshire, WM and Somerset, that there was no instant “magic wand” to reverse councils’ performance after the party took them over from other groups.

Nationally, he said the Liberal Democrats were in their strongest position for more than a century.

Ahead of the next general election, Davey said in some areas only his party could stop Reform UK, describing it as a “moral responsibility”. He said voters were concerned about what he described as Reform’s racism, its divisive approach, and what he said were the effects of large money and foreign interference linked to Reform.

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17 September 2026

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Never heard of him before but what a <deleted>!