Ed Davey urges US cancer scientists to come to UK

The UK government should offer discount visas to US cancer scientists who have had their research cancelled by the Trump administration, Sir Ed Davey will say.

“The UK should step up and say: If Trump won’t back this research, we will,” the Liberal Democrat leader will say in a speech to his party’s conference in Bournemouth on Tuesday.

He will propose the setting up of a fellowship scheme for US scientists seeking to escape the US government’s “anti-science agenda”.

The Lib Dem leader has stepped up his attacks on the US president this week and accused Reform UK leader Nigel Farage of wanting to turn the UK into “Trump’s America”.

His staunch criticism of Farage, President Trump and his allies is expected to be a big theme of Sir Ed’s keynote speech on the final day of his party’s conference.

In February, the US government cut billions of dollars from overheads in grants for biomedical research as a part of broader cost-saving measures.

The US government said it was “vital to ensure that as many funds as possible go towards direct scientific research costs rather than administrative overheads”.

At the time, the boss of the American Society of Clinical Oncology said the move “would be devastating to the pace and progress of cancer research in America”.

“Slashing federal research funding at a time when science is revolutionising cancer care risks leaving millions of patients without the promise and potential of life-saving breakthroughs,” said Clifford Hudis.

According to a poll conducted by the Nature journal, 75% of its readers were considering leaving the US and heading to Europe or Canada as a result of the actions of Trump.

The Liberal Democrats have not set out what level of discounts the UK government should offer to researchers wanting to come to the UK. Costs to purchase a visa can exceed £1,000.

In his conference speech, Sir Ed will argue that the UK should be “stepping into the vacuum left by Trump’s anti-science agenda – leading the world in the fight against cancer”.

The Liberal Democrat leader is also expected to criticise Reform UK party members for applauding a US decision to cut research for mRNA vaccines.

Twenty-two projects had been examining how the vaccine technology could counter viruses such as bird flu.

Sir Ed will say: “It is hard to express the cruelty and stupidity of cutting off research into medicine that has the power to save so many lives.”

In addition to criticising Trump, Sir Ed has also been increasingly vocal in his attacks on the billionaire and former Trump ally Elon Musk.

On Sunday, he called on the UK’s communications regulator Ofcom to “go after” Musk over “crimes” he claims are being committed on the tech mogul’s social media platform X.

Sir Ed has also accused Musk of “inciting violence” when he addressed a rally in London via video link. In response, the X owner called the Liberal Democrat leader a “craven coward”.

Asked by Sky News if he was worried about legal threats from Musk, Sir Ed said: “If he … sues me, let’s see how he fares, because I don’t think he’ll win.”

The Lib Dems have become well known for their political stunts alongside a policy offer focused on social care and other priorities under Sir Ed’s leadership.

It brought them success at last year’s general election, with the party winning 72 seats in the House of Commons – its highest ever share.

But the Lib Dems have struck a more serious tone at this year’s conference, as the party considers it’s next move ahead of local elections next year.

On the opening night of the conference, former Lib Dem leader Tim Farron draped himself in a flag and called on members to “reclaim patriotism” from the far right.

Farron told a hall full of activists to “stop being so flaming squeamish and English” and reclaim the UK’s flags from groups who seek to “divide and destroy”.

Unusually for the Lib Dems, they have gone out of their way to claim that they are the true patriots, in contrast to Farage, who they have dubbed a “plastic patriot”.

In an interview with the BBC, Sir Ed said his party has a moral duty to keep Farage and his Reform UK party out of power.