Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, has called for an urgent program to clear the backlog of asylum applications and to provide compassionate treatment to refugees. This announcement comes ahead of the Liberal Democrat conference in Bournemouth, where the party aims to attract disillusioned Conservative and Labour voters.
Speaking before the conference, which begins on Saturday, Davey highlighted a shift in his party’s policy focus, alongside issues like health, care, and pollution, which were central during the last election. The Liberal Democrats are set to finalize a list of new target seats, primarily Conservative-held seats, with confidence in retaining most of their 72 MPs from the last election.
Davey expressed his desire to change the discourse around asylum by criticizing the government’s handling of a significant backlog of unprocessed asylum cases. He called for a nationwide emergency response, similar to the response to COVID-19, to clear the backlog of over 70,000 cases within six months. The proposal includes the establishment of “Nightingale” processing centers and a tripling of staff handling cases.
Davey argued that this investment would ultimately save the government money by reducing the need for temporary accommodations like hotels, while also being the right thing to do from a humanitarian standpoint.
He also stated that while some asylum seekers do not have the right to remain in the country, those with the right should be welcomed and treated adequately. Davey added that slow progress in dealing with the backlog and the previous Conservative government’s policy of letting claims pile up were misguided and the Conservatives should apologize.
The Liberal Democrats enter the conference united, with Davey downplaying concerns about a lack of leadership focus. Despite a highly successful election result in 2024, the party is now facing challenges from the rise of Reform and the issues faced by the two main parties, Conservative and Labour.
Davey’s approach to attract disillusioned voters includes a robust stance on international issues like the situation in Gaza and US policy under Donald Trump, which led him to boycott a recent state dinner for the US president.
The party’s new target seats include constituencies where the Liberal Democrats came third in the last election, such as East Surrey and Exmouth and East Exeter. Davey believes that the split in the right-wing voting bloc and Labour’s disappointment among voters could lead to Liberal Democrats taking votes from both parties and causing an upset. He is particularly focused on issues such as health, care, and the cost of living, where he claims the Conservative party is lacking.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/sep/20/ed-davey-liberal-democrats-asylum-backlog-election-targets
