Overview

• Davey set out proposals to close asylum hotels within six months by opening temporary processing centres and rapidly hiring and training more caseworkers, with MP Lisa Smart saying training would take weeks.
• The party sharpened its language on illegal migration while keeping humanitarian planks, pledging faster decisions, deportation for those with no right to remain, expanded safe and legal routes, and the right to work while claims are processed.
• Positioning against Reform UK, Davey called Nigel Farage "not a patriot" after his comments in Washington and cast the Lib Dems as defenders of British values distinct from both Conservatives and Labour.
• Seeking to broaden support, Davey made a direct pitch to disaffected Conservatives, citing lifelong Tory voters switching to the Lib Dems and presenting the party as united and serious despite criticism of his campaign stunts.
• The conference opened in Bournemouth with a high‑profile entry led by a marching band as protests near local asylum hotels underscored the political salience of the issue, and Davey questioned the BBC’s focus on Farage’s airtime.