During the opening of the Liberal Democrat annual conference at the Brighton Centre, party leader Sir Ed Davey delivered a speech focused on countering the influence of Reform UK and tech billionaire Elon Musk. Davey characterized the political climate as a struggle against "nasty populism" and explicitly targeted Reform UK, referring to the party’s campaign resources as an "arsenal of hate and lies."

Davey urged his party members to remain resilient, suggesting that political opponents hope that persistent anger and misinformation will eventually cause the Liberal Democrats to abandon their efforts. He framed the party’s current political stance as a moral imperative, praising his colleagues for their dedication to the cause. While the speech focused heavily on ideological opposition to Reform UK's platform, it also included a pointed critique of Elon Musk, though the specific context of the criticism regarding Musk was not detailed in the initial reports of the address. The speech served to set the tone for the conference, positioning the Liberal Democrats as a primary opposition force against the rise of populist movements in the United Kingdom.