Welsh Liberal Democrats target disillusioned Tory moderates

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have made a direct appeal to disillusioned Conservatives and business-minded voters, claiming their party now represents the only serious centre-ground alternative in Welsh politics.

Deputy Leader David Chadwick MP used his keynote speech at the party’s annual conference in Wrexham to argue that the Conservatives are “disintegrating before our eyes”, accusing them of abandoning responsibility and respect for institutions in favour of aping Reform UK’s populist rhetoric.

He pointed to Kemi Badenoch’s call for the UK to leave the European Convention on Human Rights and Conservative proposals to sack judges accused of “activism” as evidence of a party “veering into anarchy while wearing a blue rosette.”

‘Culture wars’

“The Conservative Party that once stood for stability, enterprise and community no longer exists,” he told delegates. “It has been reduced to a hollow slogan machine, obsessed with culture wars and utterly lost on the economy.”

Mr Chadwick, who was elected as the MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe at last year’s general election, said the Liberal Democrats would step into the space vacated by the Tories, presenting themselves as the new home for business, entrepreneurship and moderate politics.

He promised support for small firms, exporters and innovators by cutting bureaucracy, tackling post-Brexit red tape and backing free trade.

“We are the new party of business – pro-market, pro-enterprise, pro-community,” he said. “To every decent, One-Nation Conservative in Wales: you don’t have to choose between extremism and irrelevance. There is a home for you here.”

‘Out of ideas’

The Welsh Lib Dems are positioning themselves as an alternative not only to the Conservatives but also to Welsh Labour, who Chadwick criticised as “tired and out of ideas” after 25 years in power in Cardiff Bay. He accused Labour ministers of managing decline rather than inspiring renewal, pointing to long NHS waiting lists and what he called a lack of urgency on education and the economy.

Framing the 2026 Senedd election as a choice between “fear versus hope”, Chadwick said Reform UK offered only “false promises and division” while his party would provide ambition and honesty.

“The next election won’t be Labour versus Conservative,” he told members. “It will be about whether Wales chooses fear or hope. The Welsh Liberal Democrats are ready to give Wales the leadership, the dignity, and the future it deserves.”

The most recent Senedd voting intention poll, released last month, projected the Lib Dems would finish in fourth place with two MSs.