Welsh Liberal Democrats have called on ‘One-Nation Conservatives’ to back them as the party pitches to become the new home of business and decency.

Welsh Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader David Chadwick MP used his keynote conference speech on the weekend to appeal directly to disillusioned One-Nation Conservatives and business-minded voters, declaring that the Liberal Democrats are now “the only serious, centre-ground alternative for Wales.”

Addressing members in Wrexham, Chadwick said the Conservative Party is “disintegrating before our eyes”, accusing it of abandoning its traditions of responsibility and respect for institutions in a rush to copy Reform UK’s populist rhetoric.

He pointed to Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch’s call to pull the UK out of the European Convention on Human Rights as proof that the Conservatives have “turned their backs on the rule of law and international cooperation.” The party’s talk of dismissing judges for supposed “activism”, he said, showed “a government veering into anarchy while wearing a blue rosette.”

Chadwick told delegates that as the Conservatives collapse, many moderate voters and entrepreneurs are looking for a political home that values both enterprise and fairness; not a bad parody of Trump’s America.

He argued that the Welsh Liberal Democrats are now the party of business and the economy, championing free markets, free trade, and small businesses that drive local prosperity. The party, he said, would focus on cutting bureaucracy and post-Brexit red tape, supporting exporters, and creating an environment where innovation and investment can thrive alongside strong public services.

Chadwick also said the party would welcome anyone “who believes in decency, responsibility and a thriving private sector that serves communities, not just shareholders.”

David Chadwick MP, Deputy Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, said:“The Conservative Party that once stood for stability, enterprise and community no longer exists.

“It has been reduced to a hollow slogan machine, obsessed with culture wars, blind to community, and utterly lost on the economy.

“The Welsh Liberal Democrats are ready to take up that mantle. We are the new party of business; pro-market, pro-enterprise, pro-community.

“To every decent, One-Nation Conservative in Wales: You don’t have to choose between extremism and irrelevance.

“If you still believe in fairness, in community, in the rule of law and responsibility, in building a Wales with a thriving private sector, there is a home for you here. You can choose Welsh Liberalism - a politics of hope, of ambition for our country and of basic decency.”