Ed Davey calls for ‘new Magna Carta’ to protect British rights and commitments

Britain should have a new written constitution to make it “resistant to authoritarian creeps like Donald Trump”, Sir Ed Davey has said.

The Liberal Democrat leader called for a “new Magna Carta” to protect the UK’s commitments to human rights, the NHS and freedom of expression from being dismantled, as he made a speech at the party’s spring conference.

Sir Ed also used the speech to say Britain should decouple its nuclear deterrent from dependence on American maintenance because US President Mr Trump has proven the country is no longer a dependable ally.

The Lib Dem leader hit out at Reform UK and its leader Nigel Farage in his conference speech in York as he called for a new written constitution.

Magna Carta, often seen as a foundational document for the British state, checked the rule of King John and is a key plank in the growth of parliamentary authority.

Sir Ed said the current political climate “demands” a similar new settlement, adding: “Not a literal rewriting of an 800-year-old document, but a renewed national commitment – enshrined in law – to the values that have always made Britain worth defending.

“The rule of law, with the courts always independent of political interference.

“A commitment to universal human rights that cannot be ripped up at the whim of a populist like Farage.”

Hitting out at Labour’s plans to limit jury trials to more serious offences, he added: “Trial by jury. Yes, still a fundamental right that we hold dear.

“A democracy that is transparent, accountable, and resistant to the authoritarian creep we see in other countries, and resistant to authoritarian creeps like Donald Trump.

“And it should go much further than the old Magna Carta, to enshrine the rights we have asserted over generations since: A free press, genuinely free; freedom of expression, and yes, that means on social media too; the proud British and liberal commitment to universal healthcare, free at the point of use – something else Farage wants to scrap.”

Sir Ed restated the Lib Dem commitment to change the voting system, adding: “And yes, conference, giving everyone equal power and an equal voice through proportional representation.”

Elsewhere in his speech, Sir Ed argued Britain’s Trident missile system was not a truly independent nuclear deterrent because the weapons are American-made and rely on US maintenance.

“Britain’s nuclear deterrent must be genuinely, verifiably ours – not dependent on Trump or whoever his successor may be,” Sir Ed said.

Referring to Mr Trump’s ongoing actions which have upset the global order, the Lib Dem leader said: “Trump has proven we can’t rely on America as a dependable ally.”

Sir Ed’s call to decouple Trident from US support comes amid the ongoing American-Israeli war against Iran in the Middle East that has caused shock waves in energy markets across the world.

The US president has been openly critical of the UK’s decision not to get involved in the war and threatened to halt all trade with US ally Spain after its government denied American access to its airbases during the conflict.

Mr Trump has also clashed with Spain’s traditional allies in Europe over his desire to annex Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark.