The leader of the Liberal Democrat party said that businesses would be “funding [their] own funeral” if they were to continue to support the Conservatives.

The MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, was speaking at the party conference in Brighton on Tuesday.

Mr Farron said that the Lib Dems were now the “party of business” in the wake of the EU Referendum.

He criticised Theresa May’s premiership and said that Labour had "left the stage" under Jeremy Corbyn.

Mr Farron said: “Make no mistake, the Conservative party has lost the right to call itself the party of business.

“It has lost the right to call itself the party of the free market

“It no longer supports business, no longer understands the need for calm economic pragmatism, but instead pursues the nationalist protectionist fantasies of the Brexit fundamentalists who have won the day.

He added: “Indeed, my message to any business in this country, large or small, is if you are backing today’s Conservative party, you are funding your own funeral.

“There is only one party now that believes in British business – large and small; that believes in entrepreneurship and innovation: the Liberal Democrats

“We are the free market, free trade pro-business party now.”

Mr Farron also insisted the Lib Dems are ready to raise taxes to save the NHS and determined to reverse the rush to Brexit.

The Lib Dem leader told delegates: "Tony Blair's government gave us the national minimum wage. It gave us working tax credits. It gave us NHS investment and a massive school building programme.

"I disagree with him a lot, but I will not criticise him for those things. I admire him for those things.

"I kind of see Tony Blair the way I see The Stone Roses, I preferred his early work."