The London Economic
Ed Davey has slammed what he described as the worst Tory government “I’ve ever seen” in an exclusive interview with The London Economic.
The leader of the Liberal Democrats was speaking less than a week after police arrested scores of people amid dramatic clashes with far right protesters on Armistice Day.
Supporters of the activist Tommy Robinson and football hooligans broke through police lines in Whitehall, central London, moments before the two-minute silence at 11am.
Former home secretary Suella Braverman, who was sacked from her role earlier last week, has been accused of fuelling far-right violence after branding pro-Palestinian demonstrators as “hate marchers” and “Islamists”.
It comes as the prime minister was forced to distance himself from Ms Braverman’s claim in an article published on The Times which accused the Metropolitan Police of holding “double standards” and being more tolerant of left-wing protests.
Davey described the former home secretary’s remarks as “outrageous”, branding the MP for Fareham unfit for office.
He said: “I think it was a huge mistake by Rishi Sunak to appoint her in the first place. Let’s remember that she’d resigned because of breaching the ministerial code just days before he reappointed her.
“He should never have appointed her because her track record as home secretary has been shocking. The way she tried to interfere with the independence of the police I think crossed the line for many people, including some conservatives.”
For the Lib Dem leader, Ms Braverman’s sacking is just the latest in a string of scandals to have plagued the Tory party in recent months.
Citing a recent spate of by-election victories, Davey re-emphasised the need for a general election with voters able to select political parties with clear answers to the issues impacting communities.
“What I hope happens is there’s an election as soon as possible, and we kick this appalling government out and people like Suella Braverman are pushed to the far back benches, so we don’t have to listen to her.
“I tell you, I think this is the worst Conservative government I have ever seen. The lack of any vision, the multiple mistakes, lack of integrity and honesty suggests to me a lot of lifelong conservatives want to see the back of them.”
Watch the interview in full below:
Related: Exclusive: Ed Davey brands Tory dithering on asylum situation a ‘deliberate policy’
