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Our live coverage of the final day of the Lib Dem conference is coming to a close soon.

Party leader Sir Ed Davey used his speech in Bournemouth to take aim at Reform UK.

He urged delegates not to let Nigel Farage turn the UK into a version of Trump's America.

Davey referenced the Reform UK leader within seconds of the start of the speech, the BBC's Chris Mason points out.

He went on to argue that future battle was between the Lib Dems and Reform, with voters turning away from the "old" Tory and Labour parties.

Davey also took time to say the UK had to stand up to tech billionaire Elon Musk, who he accused of meddling in the UK's democracy.

He finished by calling for people to change the country "for good".

Thanks for following along, you can continue to read more about Davey's speech in our main story.

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The Lib Dems are "not a serious opposition party," says Kemi Badenoch, in response to Ed Davey conference speech.

"In the past year, the Lib Dems have backed Keir Starmer in Parliament over 120 times," she writes on X.

Reform leader Nigel Farage has also commented, accusing Davey of being "obsessed with me".

Could people with no right to be in the UK be returned pre-Brexit?published at 16:24 BST 23 September

16:24 BST 23 September

By Tamara Kovacevic

During his conference speech, Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey told his party: “In the EU, the United Kingdom could legally and fairly return people with no right to be here.”

He has made this claim before, referring to an EU scheme, known as the Dublin III Regulation, which the UK was part of until the end of the Brexit transition in 2020 when it formally left the bloc.

The scheme determined which EU country was responsible for processing asylum claims, taking into account where applicants first tried to enter without permission and factors such as family reunion.

He is right that the scheme enabled the UK to return some people with no right to be in the UK back to the EU.

However, the numbers were never very high and some people were brought to the UK under the scheme, too.

According to Home Office figures, external, in 2015 – the year before the Brexit vote – 510 people were returned to the EU while 131 were transferred to the UK under the scheme.

In the last two years of the scheme, between 2018 and 2020, the UK returned 577 and received 2,811 people.

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• After taking the stage to Tony Christie's Is This The Way to Amarillo?, Davey reflected on his party's "incredible, historic" general election results last year
• We must "aim high", he said as he set a target to win more seats than the Tories at the next election (it currently has 72 to the Conservatives' 119)
• In an appeal to disgruntled Tory voters, he said their values were now "reflected best" by the Lib Dems. He also went for Labour, accusing Keir Starmer of having "no vision for our future"
• But it was Reform UK that got the most air time (Nigel Farage was mentioned 31 times, per our tally). "Don't let Trump's America become Farage's Britain," was the repeated refrain throughout
• Reform later accused Davey of "spouting total madness" in response to him saying the party would roll back gun laws in the UK should they win power
• Setting out his vision for Britain, Davey conjured " village greens and cricket pavilions" - and, later, proposals to halve energy bills by 2035 and forge closer ties with the EU

• On global affairs, Davey discussed Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East. He said "what is unfolding in Gaza is genocide" as he urged the UK to "do all it can to make Netanyahu stop"

Davey's punchy speech is already provoking a reactionpublished at 15:47 BST 23 September

15:47 BST 23 September

Chris Mason
Political editor

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Within seconds of this speech beginning, Ed Davey referred to the Reform UK leader Nigel Farage.

The Liberal Democrats argue that both the Conservatives and Labour have tested the patience of voters – and so now it’s a battle between them and Reform.

The possibility of a Reform government is used by the party to try to drive donations to the Lib Dems from their members.

And this is a speech where a reference to Farage is barely a paragraph or two away at any point.

This is a punchy address – Davey knowingly painting in primary colours and determined to be heard in our noisy politics.

He has claimed that Nigel Farage wants to liberalise the UK’s gun laws and suggests that would mean "schools have to teach our children what to do in the case of a mass shooting".

Farage did talk about his criticisms of the country’s gun laws in 2014. But Reform insist they have no intention of changing them if they were in government.

The Lib Dems say this is about holding Nigel Farage to account. But does it amount to scaremongering?

There were no end of questions from reporters to Davey's team about this line in our briefing about the speech at lunchtime.

Whatever your view, the speech is grabby and already provoking a reaction.

Kate Whannel
Reporting from the Lib Dem conference

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Ed Davey leaves the stage to applause underneath a shower of yellow confetti.

Some of the MPs left on stage are dancing and clapping along to the music.

“He got it right,” says one activist heading for the exit. “Now let’s go and knock on some doors.”

Coming to the end of his conference speech, Ed Davey continues to repeat the phrase: "Our United Kingdom. Not Trump's America. Not Farage's Britain."

Interspersed with repetition of this phrase are promises of a country with a thriving economy that fixes the NHS and tackles climate change.

"We are in a battle for the very future of our country," he suggests, after the "chaos" of the Conservatives, the "disappointment" of Labour and the "danger and lies" of Reform.

Ed Davey then wraps up his speech, concluding: "We love our country, and together we can change it for good."

The conference hall erupts into applause.

Image source, Reuters

Davey tells the conference the Lib Dems have to stand with Western allies in the face of adversity.

"No matter what Donald Trump does next, the United Kingdom’s support for Ukraine must never waver," Davey notes.

He then turns to talk about the conflict in the Middle East, where Davey says he shares Israel's condemnation of Hamas but adds: "Nothing – nothing – can justify what the Netanyahu government is doing to innocent men, women and children in Gaza.

"The actions of the Netanyahu government go well beyond self-defence. They are clear breaches of international law."

Davey then continues: "What is unfolding in Gaza is a genocide. And the United Kingdom must do all it can to make Netanyahu stop."

• For context: A UN-commissioned report released last week accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, but Israel denies the accusation

How far do Lib Dems go in pushing pro-European stance?published at 15:31 BST 23 September

15:31 BST 23 September

Damian Grammaticas
Political correspondent, reporting from the Lib Dem conference

A question for the Lib Dems is how far do they go in highlighting their pro-European outlook?

In the past couple of years they have sometime seemed a bit shy of being too vocal, fearing being tarred as wanting to "undo Brexit" and go against the "will of the people".

But we’ve just heard Davey defend the European Convention on Human Rights, and lay out that he wants to be putting us back on the path to the Single Market.

But if he’s being a bit more bold it may be because polls suggest support for Brexit has declined since the referendum.

And also because many of those who might be more pro-European are Labour voters, voters the Lib Dems also want to appeal to.

Davey then lauds some of his party's achievements on "standing up for family carers", including the Lib Dems' work on the Carer's Allowance scandal, which is now awaiting the results of a government review.

He expresses his hope that this review will become a moment for the government to "finally overhaul the way we support family carers".

• For context: Some carers have been forced to pay back thousands of pounds after being overpaid for years

The Lib Dem leader also says his party wants a guarantee for every cancer patient to start urgent treatment within two months.

He says Trump's White House poses the biggest threat to cancer care, and encourages disillusioned researchers to leave the US for the UK, where he says he wants funding to be boosted and a dedicated fellowship scheme set up.

Kate Whannel
Reporting from the Lib Dem conference

There are big cheers in the hall as Davey calls for an improved relationship with the EU.

The subject hasn’t been much discussed compared to previous conferences, but it still provokes strong emotions among party members.

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Davey looks forward by talking through what the Lib Dems want to do.

This includes growing the UK economy, creating jobs and rebuilding the relationship with the European Union.

Davey says his party wants to tear down "Conservative trade barriers" and build a new customs union with the EU.

"And beyond Europe, we have set out plans to form a new economic Coalition of the Willing to stand up to Trump’s tariffs."

The Lib Dem leader notes that the party also wants to cut energy bills in half by 2035.

Kate Whannel
Reporting from the Lib Dem conference

Don’t let Trump’s America become Farage’s Britain, Davey tells the conference repeatedly.

He now sets out his vision for Davey’s Britain.

It’s one of Lionesses, Formula One, Windermere, Loch Ness, Male Voice Choirs, county shows, school fairs, fish and chips, village greens, cricket pavilions and waterslides, he says.

There are strong echoes of a speech given more than 30 years by then PM John Major, who waxed lyrical about “long shadows on county grounds, warm beer, invincible green suburbs, dog lovers and pools fillers".

The British people, Ed Davey says, now face a choice.

He says this is between the UK's traditional values, and "dark forces" that have threatened the country before.

Nigel Farage, he says, is on the side of Elon Musk, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.

Davey says how on the other hand, the Lib Dems are "on the side of the British people", to applause from the conference hall.

The Lib Dem leader accepts that "a lot needs fixing", listing sewage in rivers and crumbling hospitals and schools among other issues.

But, he says we shouldn't lose sight of the UK's incredible strengths, including "village greens and cricket pavilions", as well as being the place Hollywood chooses to make blockbuster movies like Barbie and Spider-Man.

The country has "the best rollercoasters and water slides on the planet", he says in a nod to his stunts.

Image source, Reuters

Tech billionaire Elon Musk features next in Davey's speech as he accuses the X owner of "inciting far-right violence on our streets" – a reference to Musk's appearance by video link at protest organised by Tommy Robinson, which saw up to 150,000 people march through central London.

"But we know why Elon Musk was so keen to meddle in our democracy, don’t we? It’s not because he cares about the British people," Davey says.

"It’s not about our rights and our freedoms. It’s all about Musk’s ego, his power and his wealth."

Davey reflects on Musk taking over the social media platform, formerly Twitter, which he says has "become a much more dangerous place for children".

"A Wild West on social media, that only benefits Musk and his bank account– while our children suffer. I say no," Davey says, as he adds the UK "must stand up to Elon Musk".

On Reform, Davey next takes aim at Nigel Farage's record on immigration.

This includes criticism of Farage's campaign to leave the EU, which was then implemented by the Conservatives. He suggests this resulted in 27 return agreements being ripped up.

And, Davey suggests that Farage now wants to send asylum seekers who have fled the Taliban back to Afghanistan "to be murdered by them".

He says this is "unpatriotic", before repeating his claims that Farage gets "an easy ride" from the media - including the BBC.

"So much that is broken in our country today is broken thanks to Nigel Farage," he adds.

In response to Davey's comments, the BBC says: "These continuing attacks on BBC journalism are completely groundless - it is simply false to say that we give any political party any less scrutiny than another. We report impartially and hold power - and those who seek to have power - to account. Anyone who looks at the breadth of our coverage will see many examples of political investigations, factchecking, analysis and scrutiny, as well as robust interviews and a wide range of views."

Brian Wheeler
Reporting from the Lib Dem conference

Moments ago, Ed Davey warned that gun laws would be "rolled back" if Nigel Farage became prime minister.

The Lib Dem leader's spokesperson denies Davey is guilty of scaremongering by warning of mass school shootings.

They say it is a reference to comments made by Farage in 2014 when he was Ukip leader, in which he said the ban on handguns in the UK was “ludicrous”.

The Lib Dems say they are determined to hold Farage to account for his past statements.

Reform UK say Davey is “spouting total madness” and they have no intention of changing gun laws in the UK should they win power.

Davey tells the conference the Lib Dems offer a different change compared to the one offered by Reform UK and Nigel Farage.

He says the Lib Dems want to "transform our economy, our public services and our politics", which Davey describes as "the real change people crave".

Davey then pivots to say Farage wants to change the UK "away from the country we love" and towards "Trump's America".

The Lib Dem leader claims under Farage's plans there would be no NHS and gun laws would be "rolled back".

"Trump’s America. Don't let it become Farage's Britain," Davey continues.

Davey's reluctance to attack Starmer seems to be fadingpublished at 15:03 BST 23 September

15:03 BST 23 September

Kate Whannel
Reporting from the Lib Dem conference

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In the early months of the Labour government, Davey seemed reluctant to attack Starmer – certainly in comparison to the other opposition parties.

That reluctance seems to be fading.

Davey doesn’t mention the PM by name but he tells the conference the government has lurched from crisis to crisis.

Davey then turns his attention to Labour, which he says has "no vision" for the future of the UK.

The Lib Dem leader suggests that the government has harmed pensioners, farmers and carers.

Davey says as a result, neither of the "old parties", Labour nor the Tories, can win back people's trust.

So it comes down to us. Or Nigel Farage's party, he adds.