Ed Davey warns Britain could see US-style school shootings if Farage becomes prime minister

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey sparked fury on Tuesday by claiming Britain could see US-style school shootings if Nigel Farage becomes prime minister. In a combative address at the party’s conference in Bournemouth, Davey warned that schools may have to teach children what to do in case of a mass shooting if the Reform UK chief enters Number 10. He argued that Reform wants to turn the United Kingdom into “Donald Trump’s America.”

In a nearly hour-long speech that named Mr Farage more than 30 times, Davey accused Reform of seeking to roll back gun laws and warned that the consequences would be felt in schools, communities and public life. The Lib Dem leader told delegates that the next election would decide “us or Nigel Farage,” presenting the choice as a contrast between a party he said would defend the NHS, climate action and social protections, and a movement he said seeks to emulate a more permissive US model on firearms.

Reform UK rejected the charge that it would weaken gun controls. In a statement, Reform’s head of policy, Zia Yusuf, called Davey’s remarks “despicable” and “a new low in political rhetoric.” The party said its position is not to change gun laws and criticized the Lib Dem leader for what it described as an obsession with Mr Farage. Reform MP Lee Anderson went further, telling the Mail that Davey is “the biggest joke in British politics,” and suggesting the Lib Dem leader should reassess his focus on Mr Farage.

A Reform source noted that Farage has previously courted attention for his stance on firearms. It pointed to a 2014 remark in which Farage suggested the handgun ban introduced after the Dunblane massacre should be reviewed, arguing that criminalising handguns left only criminals with access to guns. The source said Farage has since not publicly reversed that stance, and asked whether Reform would explicitly rule out rolling back gun laws in its manifesto.

The Lib Dems defended Davey’s remarks by highlighting Mr Farage’s past associations with gun-rights positions in the United States. They argued he has campaigned alongside some of the “most extreme” pro-gun politicians in the US and cited his alliance with Donald Trump, who the Lib Dems say has rolled back gun laws in the United States. A party insider said the content of the speech was not removed from the conference feed, although it was not officially carried as a formal policy plank.

Davey tied his warnings to a broader critique of what he described as a shift toward “Trump’s America” under Farage’s influence. He warned against widening social and economic inequality, expanding fossil-fuel dependence, and “rolling back” gun controls to the point where schools would feel compelled to prepare students for mass-shooting scenarios. His speech invited a stark choice for voters: support a government he framed as defending public services and climate action, or back a reform movement he characterized as leaning toward a more permissive, US-style approach to firearms and governance.

The remarks come as the UK has not experienced a mass shooting in a school since Dunblane in 1996, a fact often cited in debates about gun policy. Farage has previously argued for reforms to the UK’s licensing regime, arguing that gun control measures should be reassessed to address perceived safety concerns, while critics have warned that such changes could jeopardize public safety. The 2014 comments cited by Lib Dem allies reflect a longer-running dispute over whether past gun-control measures should be maintained, tightened, or loosened in response to crime and security anxieties.

Farage’s allies have pushed back against the framing of the debate as a false choice between hardline gun policy and public safety. They have argued that Reform UK’s platform centers on law and order, economic renewal, and sovereignty, and that Davey’s rhetoric risks inflaming tensions without offering concrete policy clarity. The exchange underscores how gun policy remains a potent political fault line in the UK, even as the country has not faced a national-scale mass shooting in decades.

As the election cycle progresses, the Lib Dems intend to position themselves as the principal opposition to Reform UK, arguing that the choice before voters is about safeguarding essential public services and democratic norms versus embracing a platform they say would mirror an increasingly divisive and gun-centric political environment. In Bournemouth, Davey pressed the contrast, urging voters to consider the long-term implications of a Farage-led administration for public health, education, and the rule of law.