Jo Swinson is to accuse Boris Johnson of putting EU citizens in the UK at risk of abuse and hate crimes through a Vote Leave-style “dog whistle” approach to immigration, as the Liberal Democrat leader appealed to supporters to deny the Conservatives a majority.

On a campaign trip to Bath on Tuesday, a seat held by her party, Swinson will condemn the prime minister for his language towards EU citizens, such as saying that too many of them felt able to “treat the UK as if it’s part of their own country”.

In a speech to a rally, Swinson is to say that having promised EU nationals in the UK that he would guarantee their rights in law, the Conservative leader had broken that promise and “is now stoking hostility towards them”.

“Johnson’s dog-whistle comments are putting millions of people in this country at greater risk of hate crimes and abuse. That is simply unacceptable – especially from someone asking to be our prime minister,” Swinson will say, according to extracts of her speech released in advance.

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“Throughout this campaign, the Conservatives have falsely portrayed EU citizens as criminals, benefit scroungers and a drain on our schools and NHS.

“When the prime minister talks about migrants threatening our jobs, our public services or our safety, he is telling us to think of them not as neighbours, colleagues and friends, but as enemies.

“Language that demonises people from other countries has no place anywhere in our society – and certainly no place in No 10. Liberal Democrats reject the politics of hatred and division. The UK we know and love is an open, inclusive country, and we will always fight to keep it that way.”

Vote Leave, the official pro-Brexit group in the 2016 referendum, was criticised for using fears of further immigration as a campaign tool, and for falsely warning that Turkey would imminently join the EU.

Swinson’s combative language marks the start of a final electoral push for a party that has faced a sometimes tricky campaign. The Lib Dems’ poll ratings have been squeezed from around 20% to nearer 13%.

After the speech in Bath, where the incumbent is the Lib Dems’ Wera Hobhouse, the party leader was scheduled to campaign in the north-east Somerset constituency of Conservative Jacob Rees-Mogg.

Swinson has faced criticism for her campaign tactics, notably her decision to initially present herself as a candidate to be prime minister, and the Lib Dem pledge to revoke Brexit in the event that they won an absolute majority in the Commons.

As the election has gone on, Swinson has gradually edged back from both positions. Speaking on Monday, she stressed that “the most likely way we can stop Brexit is though a people’s vote”.

Asked by the BBC if she had abandoned the idea of revoking Brexit, she said: “It’s only in the circumstances of a Liberal Democrat majority government, which would of course in itself be democratic, but where we are now, that obviously doesn’t look likely.”