Category Archives: News

The Voice

Could you help make Lib Dem policy on economy, international security, democracy or primary healthcare?

By The Voice | Thu 10th April 2025 - 10:25 am

The Federal Policy Committee is looking for party members to sit on four new policy working groups.  You need to apply by Monday 21 April.

These groups will consult, consider evidence and bring policy papers to future conferences.

The subjects are:

A thriving economy:

Boosting productivity and getting the economy growing strongly and sustainably is critical for improving people’s living standards and wellbeing, expanding opportunity, and raising money to spend on public services and defence.

A new policy working group will build on our 2024 general election manifesto to further develop our distinctive Liberal Democrat narrative on why the economy has been performing so poorly, how to turn it around, and how to make sure everyone feels the benefits of growth equitably.

Apply here.

International security:

Last year, the party endorsed a wide-ranging policy paper on international security covering defence and security, diplomacy, international development and soft power. We knew then that a Trump return to the White House would pose new challenges.

Now that the grave challenges to the future of NATO, European security and more are starting to become clear, and will continue to evolve, a new policy working group will review our previous approach in the light of the world of ongoing developments, to outline our distinctive Liberal Democrat response to Trump, Putin and the other global challenges we face.

Apply here.

Defending and strenghening British democracy

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The Voice

Welsh Lib Dems select candidates for key targets

By The Voice | Wed 9th April 2025 - 9:55 am

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have announced their lead list candidates for five of their top target constituencies in the 2026 Senedd election at their Spring Conference in Cardiff at the weekend. The Senedd will now be elected entirely by proportional representation using closed party lists and the D’Hondt system. This replaces the previous system of first past the post constituencies and a top up list. Wales has been divided up into 16 constituencies, each electing 6 MSs.

Party Leader Jane Dodds MS will head the party’s list in the Brecheiniog Tawe Nedd constituency. Cllr Rodney Berman and Cllr Sam Bennett, the party’s group leaders on Cardiff and Swansea councils, have been selected to lead the lists in Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf and Gwyr Abertawe constituencies respectively.

In Ceredigion Benfro, local business owner Sandra Jervis will lead the party’s list, while the Gwynedd Maldwyn list will be headed up by Llanidloes County Councillor Glyn Preston. 

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The Liberator Collective

Liberator 428 is out

By The Liberator Collective | Tue 8th April 2025 - 12:04 pm

The new issue of Liberator is out.

Liberator 428 is out and can be downloaded for free here:

In Liberator 428 we have Commentary, news in Radical Bulletin, Letters, Lord Bonkers’ Diary and:

TRUMP DRIVES US BACK TO EUROPE.

America’s pivot away from Europe got noisier under Trump but is a long term policy change. Time for a European Defence Union, says Nick Harvey

GIVING UP ON SOFT POWER

Deliberately cruel actions by the Trump administration mean the end of international development aid and the influence of its former donors in developing countries, says Rebecca Tinsley

THE CRUEL CONMAN IN THE WHITE HOUSE

Martha Elliott explains Donald Trump’s assault on America’s constitution and separation of powers

IT WON’T WORK THIS TIME EITHER

Labour is set to follow a series of failed planing reforms that will erode local democracy, weaken nature protection, and fail to deliver sufficient homes, says Bridget Fox

SPEAKING OF FREEDOM

Jonathan Calder delves into a new book on radical Liberalism in an age of crisis

WOULD PADDY DO THIS?

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The Voice

Davey on Starmer speech: “End this trade war through strength not timidity”

By The Voice | Mon 7th April 2025 - 7:00 pm

Responding to the Prime Minister’s speech on supporting UK businesses following Trump’s tariffs, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

Donald Trump has launched an assault on the global economy which threatens thousands of British jobs and family finances with another pasting in the midst of a cost of living crisis.

The Government needs to break from its policy of cowering in the corner and stand tall with our Commonwealth and European allies against Trump’s tariffs through a new economic coalition of the willing.

The strategy of hoping Donald Trump will be nice to us has not survived contact with reality.

…

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Caron Lindsay

WATCH: Alex Cole-Hamilton’s speech from Scottish Conference

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 6th April 2025 - 8:56 am

I’m just about to head down the road home from  a very buoyant and confident Scottish Conference in the beautiful Highland capital of Inverness. I shall have more reflections later, but first here is Alex Cole-Hamilton’s leader’s speech.

Here’s the livestream which picks up some interesting snippets of conversation in the build up. The first phases also include the fundraiser from our new chief executive Paul Trollope and introduction from Edinburgh Northern PPC Sanne Djikstra-Downie.

The full text is below.

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Charles Quinn

ALDC By-election Report, 3rd April

By Charles Quinn | Fri 4th April 2025 - 7:50 pm

This has been our most successful week of by-elections for quite some time. There were only 3 contests this week – and 2 of them resulted in Liberal Democrat gains! Quite spectacular gains too. So let’s celebrate some cracking results that will hopefully be just the start of a very successful month for us!

First of all congratulations to Cllr Susan Grounds and the team on Neath Port Talbot Council who gained Ystalyfera and Cwmllynfell ward from Plaid Cymru. Not only did we not stand in this seat in the previous election in 2022 – this is our first principal council by-election gain in Wales since 2019.

From a standing start we picked up 34% of the vote and jumped ahead of both Plaid and Labour whose votes collapsed by 26.5% and 30% respectively.

Neath Port Talbot Council, Ystalyfera and Cwmllynfell
Liberal Democrats (Susan Grounds): 383 (34%, new)
Plaid Cymru: 340 (30.2%, -26.5%)
Reform: 150 (13.3%, new)
Labour: 143 (12.7%, -30.6%)
Independent: 98 (8.7%, new)
Conservative: 12 (1%, new)

We also gained Park ward on City of Lincoln Council from Labour. Cllr Sarah Uldall increased the Lib Dem vote by 28.5% and beat Labour by a solid margin of 84 votes. We finished over 300 votes behind last time. Congratulations to Sarah and the team in Lincoln on a superb gain.

Lincoln City Council, Park
Liberal Democrats (Sarah Uldall): 366 (35.7%, +28.5%)
Labour: 280 (27.3%, -36.1%)
Reform: 180 (17.5%, +17.5%)
Conservative: 87 (8.5%, -9%)
Green Party: 87 (8.5%, -1.8%)
TUSC: 25 (2.4%, new)

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The Voice

Ed Davey’s speech to the Scottish Lib Dem Conference.

By The Voice | Fri 4th April 2025 - 4:41 pm

Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP, Jamie Greene MSP, Ed Davey MP (Photo: Elaine Ford)

Scottish Lib Dems are delighted that the Conservative MSP, Jamie Greene, has joined the Liberal Democrats.

Our newest MSP, Jamie Greene!

With Jamie on our team, Scottish Liberal Democrats will keep making our voices heard on the issues that matter – getting you fast access to health care, lifting up Scottish education and growing our economy.

#sldconf

— Scottish Liberal Democrats (@scotlibdems.org.uk) April 4, 2025 at 3:28 PM

Ed Davey began his Leader’s speech at the Scottish Conference by welcoming him.

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Mary Reid

Join a Policy Working Group

By Mary Reid | Fri 4th April 2025 - 1:29 pm

Would you like to serve on one of the party’s Policy Working Groups? I have been on two groups in the past and they were a fascinating experience. We interviewed industry experts as well as policy specialists and had many challenging discussions as we put together the drafts of our eventual policy paper and motion to conference. Halfway through the process we consulted with members at federal conference.

If that appeals to you, and you already have some knowledge of the policy areas concerned, here are four new opportunities:

  • A Thriving Economy
  • International Security
  • Defending and Strengthening British Democracy
  • Primary Healthcare

The deadline for all applications is 21st April.

A Thriving Economy

Boosting productivity and getting the economy growing strongly and sustainably is critical for improving people’s living standards and wellbeing, expanding opportunity, and raising money to spend on public services and defence.

A new policy working group will build on our 2024 general election manifesto to further develop our distinctive Liberal Democrat narrative on why the economy has been performing so poorly, how to turn it around, and how to make sure everyone feels the benefits of growth equitably.

Apply here to join the Thriving Economy working group.

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Caron Lindsay

Two brilliant by-election gains

By Caron Lindsay | Fri 4th April 2025 - 8:21 am

We have brilliant news to start our day today.

I do love it when GB News blazes that Reform are all out to win three by-elections and then we win two of them, gaining seats from Labour in, wait for it, Neath Port Talbot, and Lincoln.

The most remarkable gain was in Wales, in the Ystalyfera & Cwmllynfell Ward

Susan Grounds – Lib Dem – 383 34%
Plaid Cymru – 340 30.2%
Reform – 150 13.3%
Lab – 143 12.7%
Ind – 98 – 8.7%
Con 12 – 1%

We had never stood a candidate in this ward until this by-election. What a result! A great tribute to the work and profile of Welsh parliamentarians and a dedicated campaign team.

Thirty years or so ago, I spent a bit of time campaigning in Park ward in Lincoln. We did have a councillor there for a while back then. So it was great to see us gain a seat from Labour there last night.

Sarah Uldall, Lib Dem 366 35.7%
Lab – 280 27.3%
Reform – 180 17.5%
Con – 87 8.5%
Green – 87 8.5%
TUSC 25 2.4%

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The Voice

Scottish Lib Dems select Andrew Baxter for top Highland target

By The Voice | Thu 3rd April 2025 - 10:46 am

Andrew Baxter has been selected as the party’s candidate for its key target of Skye, Lochaber & Badenoch at next year’s Scottish Parliament election.

The seat significantly overlaps with the UK Parliament constituency of Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire which was won by Liberal Democrat Angus MacDonald at the recent election.

Andrew Baxter is a well-known and hard-working community campaigner in South Lochaber, campaigning tirelessly on issues such campaigning tirelessly for rural communities to get a better deal from Highland Council and the Scottish Government and fighting for long-overdue investment in the Corran Ferry service. He has previously worked as a tour guide and ran his village post office in Kinlochleven for 17 years.

He now works in Fort William as Chief of Staff for Angus MacDonald MP.

At the recent Fort William and Ardnamurchan by-election in November 2024, Andrew was successfully elected with 58.9% of first-preference votes to the SNP’s 25.5%.

The current MSP for the seat is Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes.

Andrew said:

So many people feel like nothing works anymore and that politicians aren’t on their side.

I am committed to listening to the people and communities that make up Skye, Lochaber & Badenoch and giving my all to make sure they have the representation they deserve.

Under the SNP, our NHS has deteriorated, local schools are left in disrepair, and the cost of living has risen, making day-to-day life harder for everyone.

It’s time for change. I want to build on the success of Angus MacDonald in the recent UK parliament election and work to make life easier, fairer and more affordable for everyone who lives here.

Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

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Samuel Jackson

The Liberal Democrats are more than the new ‘Party of Middle England’

By Samuel Jackson | Thu 3rd April 2025 - 8:51 am

Ed Davey and Lib Dem MPs and activists with many diamonds launch election campaign On Monday, as our leader Ed Davey launched the Liberal Democrats’ 2025 local election campaign in Oxfordshire, he said that he wants our party to replace the Conservatives as the ‘party of Middle England’. This year, elections will be held in nineteen counties and local authorities whose councils are controlled outright by the Conservatives, most of which are located in southern England. These communities last voted for their local governments in 2021, when the Conservatives nationally had been buoyed by the fulfilment of Brexit and the coronavirus vaccination rollout but before Partygate, the mini-budget, the cost-of-living crisis and assorted scandals by their MPs.

We cannot fault Ed for wanting to pursue this strategy: it has a proven track record. Following our by-election gains in Chesham and Amersham, North Shropshire, Tiverton and Honiton, and Somerton and Frome, we got a total of seventy-two MPs elected to the Commons in 2024 by targeting Conservative constituencies primarily in the South of England. The Conservatives’ new leader Kemi Badenoch has done little to reposition the party either as an effective opposition or a government-in-waiting and is under the Damoclesian threat of removal in the face of losses in the local elections. We can understand the rationale behind this, but this should not be the be all and end all of our campaigning.

We must endeavour to extend our party’s geographic reach. As we targeted Blue Wall seats in 2024, eighty-two per cent of our current MPs represent constituencies in Southern England, a lopsided distribution that cannot be tenable in the long term. As there is a huge power and economic imbalance within the UK weighted in the South’s favour, our party may well come to be viewed as out of touch or elitist if we maintain this imbalance within our own parliamentary party.

While there is work to be done in Scotland and Wales – for which I will let more experienced and qualified voices speak – we should  consider the North of England. We have demonstrated our desire and ability to expand in the North. In 2024, we flipped the Conservative-held Westminster seats of Harrogate and Knaresborough, Cheadle, and Hazel Grove, centred on relatively affluent market towns similar to typical Southern Blue Wall seats. Despite the seeming focus on the south during this year’s local election, it is the North where we may bring a boon for our party. Hull City Council Leader Mike Ross is campaigning to become the first metro mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire, a position through which we can enact policies on a countywide scale and garner the same visibility and clout as Labour figures like Andy Burnham and Tracy Brabin. As there are local elections taking place in Conservative-controlled Northern authorities including County Durham and Lancashire, should we not be challenging them there as well?

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The Voice

Ed Davey: UK must stand firm against Trump’s attempts to divide and rule

By The Voice | Wed 2nd April 2025 - 11:28 pm

Ed Davey has responded to Donald Trump’s announcement of tariffs with various countries.

He said:

Today Donald Trump has launched a destructive trade war that threatens the jobs and living standards of people across the UK and around the world.

We need to end this trade war as quickly as possible – and that means standing firm with our allies against Trump’s attempts to divide and rule. The Prime Minister should bring our Commonwealth and European partners together in a coalition of the willing against Trump’s tariffs, using retaliatory tariffs where necessary and signing new trade deals with each other where possible.

If the Government gives in to Trump’s threats, it will only encourage him to use the same bullying tactics again and again.

On Peston he called for an EU/UK customs union and for an economic coalition of the willing to stand up to Trump. He also said we should work with our Commonwealth allies.

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Mark Pack

Mark Pack’s Monthly Report to members

By Mark Pack | Wed 2nd April 2025 - 9:45 am

Our electoral system cannot cope

Securing 30% of the vote in a general election used to be a general election losing vote share for Labour or the Conservatives. But it is now quite possible that the winner of the next Westminster general election will not top 30%, and that we will have four political parties within 10-15 points of each other. First past the post is really not designed for that…

This comes with two important implications for ourselves. One is the continuing importance of local elections, both in their own right and also as a way of establishing credibility for Westminster Parliament (and indeed Scottish Parliament and Welsh Senedd, along with Mayor) contests. Even if we finished a long way back on vote share in the previous election, gains at local election level can put us in the race – and show voters that we are in the race.

The other is the continuing importance of bar charts. Tactical voting was not just a one-off to remove the Conservatives from 10 Downing Street last year. As we have seen in council by-elections since last summer, it continues to be important – just as it continued to be so after the 1997 Conservative landslide defeat too. (In fact, anti-Conservative tactical voting was still a big factor in 2005, two general elections and one Iraq war on from 1997.)

So don’t mothball those bar chart templates quite yet.

Speaking of bar charts, here is one that shows how impressively our local campaign teams over-perform in council by-elections:

Federal Conference…

Many thanks to everyone involved in putting on such a well-run Federal Conference in Harrogate. Another impressive team effort by staff and volunteers!

Among the important measures passed were F9, Free to be who you are, which reaffirmed our support for trans rights and F10, about reforming our Parliamentary candidate process. This reached the two-thirds majority required (it looked like it passed about 80%-20%) and so now moves to the stage of state party approval.

I know it is an issue which raised many passions, and people were particularly heartfelt about the need for consultation – an important point for us all as we move on to the next stage.

Much of the debate focused on the two-thirds of constituencies which did not get to select their own candidate in the last Parliament. Helping more of them select, and in enough time to train and support their candidates, is an important task for this Parliament. Helping more of our non-target seats get candidates in place sooner, and then properly supporting and training those candidates, could be a massive step change in how we spread the breadth of our success across the country.

Conference also ratified the new set of election regulations for our big internal elections due this autumn (timetable here). The Board has also reappointed David Crowther to a new three year term as Federal Returning Officer.

If you did not make it to Conference – or did but want to relive any of the moments – you can watch again on the party’s YouTube channel.

Extra thanks to Jeremy Hargreaves, Nicholas da Costa and Daisy Cooper for kindly stepping in to cover things for me after I had to miss the event due to a bout of ill health.

See you all in Bournemouth in September!

Our fabulous Party Awards winners

Harrogate also saw our latest round of Party Awards, with a fabulous quartet of colleagues having their contributions recognised:

Albert Ingham Award

Named in honour of one of our party’s election agent greats, this award goes to Ed Thornley for his work on a cracking by-election win in Edinburgh in November. Thanks to Ed’s dedication, skill and commitment over five long months, we started in fourth place on 12% of the vote and ended up with more than treble that – with nearly double the vote of the second place candidate.

Bertha Bowness Fischer Award

This award is named after the pioneering female Liberal election agent and this time is awarded to someone who has already made their mark despite only recently joining us – Lou Timlin. Lou joined in 2023 but has already been a campaigner, diversity officer, Fleet super user, press officer and elected a councillor too. Following someone’s bereavement, she even stepped in at no notice to be agent in Wokingham for the general election – helping us win the seat on a 19% swing.

Laura Grimond Award

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Charles Quinn

ALDC’s by-election report 27 March 2025

By Charles Quinn | Sun 30th March 2025 - 2:55 pm

There were 3 principal council by-elections this week. We stood candidates in all of them and achieved some really positive results. We also had success in a number of Town and Parish council by-elections too.  

First of all congratulations to our candidate Howard Evans and the Lib Dem team in Swansea who finished second in the Penllergaer by-election. Despite not fielding a candidate when this seat was last contested, we finished second out of seven candidates beating Labour, the Conservatives, Reform and the Green Party. The seat was held by Swansea Independents. But it is a brilliant achievement by Howard and the team to go straight into second place beating all the major parties. 

Swansea Council, Penllergaer
Independent: 646 (63.9%, -23.9%)
Liberal Democrats (Howard Evans): 138 (13.6%, new)
ReformUK: 108 (10.7%, new)
Labour: 67 (6.6%, -5.6%)
Conservative: 31 (3.1%, new)
Green Party: 18 (1.8%, new)
Gwlad: 3 (0.3%, new)

Next up we go to Maldon DC and the by-election in Maldon North. Here we achieved another second place, missing out from gaining the ward from the Conservatives by just 53 votes. Well done and thank you to our candidate Robert Jones on a fantastic performance in a difficult election with Reform and the Green Party standing when they previously did not. Well done to Robert and the team on a brilliant second place and we’re sure you’ll get them next time. 

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Michal Siewniak

“Microwave society”

By Michal Siewniak | Sun 30th March 2025 - 12:30 pm

Every day is a school day as someone once said to me. And it is very true. Each day gives us a fantastic opportunity to reflect on life, our behaviour and attitude. It is true that it is not always easy to change as we all have a personality and unique DNA, which in many ways defines how we act or conduct ourselves in a wide range of situations.

A week or so ago, I was having a conversation with a few work colleagues. It was nice, informal as one of our staff members was about to start a maternity leave. It was a very positive experience, for a number of reasons. In order to build a strong team, it is really important to find these small moments to create a space where people can freely talk and get to know each other. In addition, not always having an agenda does help!

During our 1-hour long gathering, we covered all sorts of topics; upbringing, the usage of mobile phones, education, mentoring, food and cooking. I found one of the comments particularly striking; do we really live in a “microwave society”?

We rush, we have no time to look after “number one” and one another. The ongoing challenges in relation to finances don’t help. It is becoming impossible to make ends meet. We often work at two places to pay the bills and keep the head above water. It is true that quite a few things around us suffer as a result of it; cooking a meal together is a story of the past. Modern technology doesn’t help either. Everything is ready for us, we don’t have to think but only read a label and put a meal in a microwave, oven or an air-fryer. We want everything, often now. Has it all affected our ability to develop essential life skills? How does it impact our lives and our potential to develop our competence, expertise in some key areas?

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Tom Arms

Tom Arms’ World Review

By Tom Arms | Sun 30th March 2025 - 8:30 am

Tariffs

There is a major contradiction at the core of the tariffs that Donald Trump announced this week.

Trump says that the tariffs have the dual purpose of revitalising American industry—especially the car industry—and raising billions in tax revenues which will allow him to cut other taxes.

The problem is that one will cancel out the other. If, as hoped, Americans eschew foreign cars to buy American, then other countries will stop exporting their cars (and car components) to the US. Thus the revenue from tariffs will substantially decline.

Trump vs Europe

If Europe wanted more reasons to re-evaluate its relationship with the US, Signalgate has provided them.

Trump has imposed tariffs. Vice President Vance used the Munich Security Conference to attack European values. But that was in public. Sometimes what is said behind closed doors—among like-minded friends—is more revealing.

Vance expressed some blunt opinions on America’s European allies. He said any airstrikes would benefit Europe more than America. He that three percent of US cargo passed through the Suez Canal compared to 40 percent of European goods.

“I just hate bailing Europe out again,” said the Vice President. “Let’s just make sure our messaging is right here.”

Hegseth also was not a European fan. “I fully share your loathing of European free-loading,” he said. It’s PATHETIC. But Mike is correct, we are the only ones on the planet (on our side of the ledger) who can do this. Nobody else even close.”

The two men went on to agree that they should find a way to force the Europeans to pay for the attack on Yemen.

US targets foreign students

Turkish PhD Student Rumeysa Ozturk was on her way to dinner at a Boston restaurant when six people with their faces covered by scarves, hoodies and large dark sunglasses surrounded her.

“We are police, and you are under arrest,” they told the 30-year-old Tufts University student. They failed to show any identification, quickly cuffed Ms Ozturk and bundled her into an SUV. The incident was captured on a surveillance camera.

Ms Ozturk is the latest foreign student to be arrested for protesting against Israel’s war in Gaza. Her specific crime appears to have been writing an op-ed for the student newspaper supporting calls for Tufts University to divest from companies with ties to Israel.

Within hours, a Boston judge, issued an order prohibiting her removal from Massachusetts. Sorry, came back the reply from the Department of Homeland Security, she is already in a Louisiana detention centre. Oh, and by the way, her, student visa has been revoked.

The same fate has befallen two other foreign students—Mahmoud Khalil from Columbia University and Bada Khan Suri from Georgetown University. Each of them exercised their right of free speech under the US constitution’s First Amendment and were arrested for doing so. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this week that there “at least” another 300 foreign students whose visas have been revoked for “anti-Semitic behaviour.”

Foreign visitors—including students—have to abide by American laws. But they are also protected by American law. This includes the right of free speech, legal representation and a fair hearing. But without a student visa they cannot stay in the country to defend themselves.

Taliban talk

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Tom Arms

Observations of an ex pat: More security boo-boos expected

By Tom Arms | Sat 29th March 2025 - 8:30 am

Signalgate–as it is now called—will almost certainly be the first of many security breaches by this second Trump Administration.

There are several reasons for this: Trump’s own cavalier attitude towards secret information; the president’s extreme distaste of government employees (the “deep state”); Elon Musk’s purge of the civil service and the low calibre and inexperience of the people he has appointed to high office.

No one expects political appointments to know all the dos and don’ts of the security business less than two months into the job. They shouldn’t even necessarily know that it is highly dangerous to discuss an attack plan in a glorified What’s App group call.

That is why there are paid officials who have been doing the job for years. One of the main purposes of a civil servant is to handle the mechanics of a meeting. It is the officials’ job to make certain that the right people are invited at the right time and, if classified material is being discussed, to a secure location and that the discussion is conducted so that it is leak-proof. It is important job. Lives depend on it.

I once attended a press conference on weapons procurement at the British Ministry of Defense. Journalise after journalist asked the minister about performance details of various weapons. The minister repeatedly turned to his accompanying civil servant and asked: “May I answer that?” The civil servant politely replied: “No, minister.” He did his job.

The problem is that Elon Musk has fired many of the people who did that sort of job. Or they have resigned in disgust. Or they are too frightened to speak up for fear of losing their job.

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The Voice

WATCH: Helen Morgan’s speech to #ldconf

By The Voice | Fri 28th March 2025 - 9:47 am

Our Health and social care spokesperson Helen Morgan made a keynote speech to Conference this weekend.

Watch here.

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Caron Lindsay

WATCH: All the fun of the Conference Rally

By Caron Lindsay | Thu 27th March 2025 - 1:41 pm

The quality of my life dramatically improved when I realised i didn’t actually have to sit through the rally. I could go and have a quiet dinner out with friends and then watch it on You Tube later.

Here is Friday night’s event which had a real live member of the Tracy Family from Thunderbirds. Honest.  It wasn’t Wokingham MP Clive Jones dressed up, honest.

Enjoy.

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Alan Grant

Why liberals should back CANZUK

By Alan Grant | Thu 27th March 2025 - 10:24 am

Reading the Financial Times is not for the easily troubled. At once the news it is mission-bound to report is confusing, intimidating, and depressing when the reader becomes aware of just how much money we don’t have and trivialities on which the rest of it is being spent. 

However, amidst the gloom of flicking through the pink ‘un these days, there is the occasional flicker of light, such as the recent article featuring Sir Ed Davey in which the Lib Dem leader endorsed a great idea – a closer working relationship between Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and our own United Kingdom. 

The notion has a snappy name, it’s called CANZUK, and liberals should support it.

But, CANZUK has an image problem in liberal minds. The idea has previously been misrepresented as a colonialist retread and championed by those who suggested it’s a better alternative to the European Union. The reality is far from that. 

In fact, it is a drawing together of the nations of the world who have gained the most from the fine tradition of British liberty found in the pages of Mill, Hume, Smith, and Locke and whose lineage disappears into the fog of time on these islands. As for being an alternative to the EU, why think so small? 

A throat-clearing is required here. I believe that Brexit was a huge mistake and has left us poorer, more isolated, less confident, and more exposed to global shocks. I am no Brexiteer and would prefer it had never happened. 

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Caron Lindsay

WATCH: Layla Moran on Peston

By Caron Lindsay | Thu 27th March 2025 - 6:30 am

Layla Moran appeared on the Peston programme last night to talk about, amongst other things, the Spring statement.

Watch here:

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The Voice

Watch: Daisy Cooper respond to the Spring Statement

By The Voice | Wed 26th March 2025 - 11:09 pm

Watch our Treasury Spokesperson Daisy Cooper respond to the Spring Statement:

The text is below:

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Caron Lindsay

Liberal Democrats respond to the Spring Statement

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 26th March 2025 - 4:15 pm

Rachel Reeves’ Spring statement was so depressing. There is no denying that Labour inherited a whole herd of pigs in pokes when it came to the Government finances, but the way in which they have dealt with it has been so wrong both in the October budget and now. A friend of mine accused the Chancellor of writing George Osborne fan fiction. He’s not wrong.

Faced with the choice of taxing tech giants, banks and large corporations or cutting the lifelines of some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in the country, they chose the latter.

Today’s announcement of further cuts to social security for sick and disabled people prompted our DWP spokesperson to criticise the Chancellor:

He said:

Jennie, his beautiful and lovely guide dog, stayed resolutely on her side of the Commons after last week’s friendly overtures to the opposition. 

The Government acknowledges in an impact assessment that its changes will push an additional quarter of a million people, including 50,000 children, into relative poverty.

The potential impact of these reforms on poverty projections has been estimated using a static microsimulation model. Using this model, we estimate there will be an additional 250,000 people (including 50,000 children) in relative poverty after housing costs in 2029/30 as a result of modelled changes to social security, compared to the baseline projections.

For me, it’s just too cruel to cut vital income to people who are sick, who can’t in many instances get treatment, and force them to participate in a job market when the odds are stacked against them as additional costs being forced on to employers via the National Insurance increase.  Are employers seriously going to take making reasonable adjustments seriously if they are hiring? I won’t hold my breath.

Tim Farron told Times Radio that the Chancellor had loads of opportunities to create growth but hadn’t taken them.

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The Voice

WATCH: Ed Davey’s speech to Conference

By The Voice | Wed 26th March 2025 - 9:30 am

Enjoy Ed Davey’s speech to Conference in Harrogate:

The text is below:

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The Voice

WATCH: Mike Ross’s speech to #ldconf

By The Voice | Tue 25th March 2025 - 11:30 am

Mike Ross is one of our best hopes of winning a mayoral election in May.

The Hull Council leader is our candidate for Hull and East Riding Mayor.

We run the Council in Hull and have a long track record of vigorous, incessant campaigning there.

Here is Mike’s keynote speech to Conference this weekend.

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Mary Reid

In the dog house

By Mary Reid | Fri 21st March 2025 - 8:25 am

So this happened:

Wendy Chamberlain, our Chief Whip, called Jennie in for a reprimand.

We now have an official statement from Jennie.

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Mary Reid

Conference Extra

By Mary Reid | Thu 20th March 2025 - 10:37 am

Tomorrow Lib Dems will be gathering in Harrogate ready for Spring Conference. Whilst the formal opening will be on Saturday at 9am, there are a couple of events on Friday. There will be a Consultative Session on the Policy Review at 4.45pm and the Conference Rally at 6.30pm.

Conference Extra is a vital document if you want to make sense of the debates, because it includes all the amendments to motions.  You can read or download Conference Extra here. It should be read in conjunction with the Agenda and Directory. Conference Extra also lists all the questions submitted on reports, plus proposed emergency motions.

Debates include:

F4: Science, Innovation and Technology. Note that part of the motion was omitted in the Agenda and Directory. The extra lines are in Conference Extra. There are three amendments.

F9: Free to be who you are. There is a drafting amendment, plus three amendments for debate.

F10: Implementing the Lessons of the General Election Review. This is a constitutional amendment which has generated a lot of discussion. It proposes changes to the processes for selecting Parliamentary Candidates. There are two amendments.

F14: The UK’s response to Trump. There is a drafting amendment, plus three amendments for debate.

F22: Emergency Motion. Members attending in person or online will be able to vote to select which motion will fill this slot. The choices are between:

  • Dropped Targets – A Threat to Care
  • Local Elections – Democracy Delayed is Democracy Denied
  • New Hospitals Programme – A Broken Promise
  • Restoring International Development Assistance
  • Securing a Path to Citizenship for Refugees

F23: Animal Welfare in the Food System. There are two amendments.

F25: Ending the Crisis; A Fair Deal for Children with SEND. There are two amendments.

The Leader’s speech will be on Sunday at 11.45am.

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Mark Valladares

19 March 2025 – yesterday’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Thu 20th March 2025 - 7:30 am
  • US-Russia call: Putin is “stringing Trump along”
  • NICs vote: Labour MPs vote for “health tax” on GPs, pharmacies and care homes
  • Conservative local election launch: “buck stops” with Badenoch
  • “Time for a fair deal for farmers” – Carmichael to introduce Food Supply Chain Fairness Bill
  • Scottish Government admits it failed to conduct safeguarding review
  • Minister visited Skye House just months before cruelty allegations surfaced
  • Severn Estuary Commission Report – Get on with Building the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon
  • Rennie responds to damning evidence session on funding crisis at Dundee University

US-Russia call: Putin is “stringing Trump along”

Responding to Putin’s phone call with Trump, Calum Miller MP, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs Spokesperson, said:

Donald Trump’s fawning call with Putin couldn’t be more different to his and JD Vance’s shameful bullying of Zelensky in the Oval Office.

It’s clear Trump is being played by Putin – stringing him along and currying favour even as his savage war machine continues to push deeper into Ukraine.

Now is the time for the UK and our allies in Europe and the Commonwealth to redouble our efforts to support Ukraine’s defence and achieve a lasting peace.

NICs vote: Labour MPs vote for “health tax” on GPs, pharmacies and care homes

Responding to the Government voting to reject a Liberal Democrat amendment which would have exempted health and care providers from the national insurance rise, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:

Labour MPs today have voted for a health tax on GPs, dentists, pharmacies, hospices and care homes, and it is patients who will pay the price.

The Liberal Democrats are proud we have led the fight to exempt health and care providers from this misguided tax hike, and we will not give up now.

On April 6th worried social care providers and GP surgeries are going to be hit with bills they simply cannot afford. Rachel Reeves must finally see sense, U-turn on this disastrous policy and exempt health and care providers from this damaging jobs tax.

Conservative local election launch: “buck stops” with Badenoch

Commenting on the Conservatives’ local election launch tomorrow (20th March) a Liberal Democrat spokesperson said:

The buck stops with bungling Badenoch. If she fails to deliver in the local elections, the writing will truly be on the wall for her and for the Conservative Party.

Whilst they compete with Reform and tilt ever further to the right, the Liberal Democrats are focused on delivering for residents on issues including the cost of living, sewage in our rivers and the emergency in our NHS and care.

We’re hearing on the doorsteps that people haven’t forgiven the Conservatives for all the damage they’ve done. If Kemi speaks to voters tomorrow, she will doubtless hear the same. Voters have a clear choice in May, and across the country, including in Buckinghamshire, they are turning to the Liberal Democrats as community champions who will stand up for them.

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Mark Valladares

18 March 2025 – yesterday’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Wed 19th March 2025 - 11:30 pm
  • Badenoch speech: Scrapping net zero would ‘undermine national energy security’
  • Helen Maguire: Not enough has been done to address abuse against women in our Armed Forces
  • Children’s Bill: Labour vote against free school meals “deeply disappointing”
  • Scotland’s disease burden forecast to increase by more than half

Badenoch speech: Scrapping net zero would ‘undermine national energy security’

Responding to Kemi Badenoch’s speech today claiming that Net Zero by 2050 is ‘impossible’, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader, Daisy Cooper said:

Kemi Badenoch is taking a leaf straight out of Nigel Farage’s playbook while turning her back on the millions of former Conservative voters who care about protecting our environment.

Scrapping net zero and renewable energy targets will simply increase our reliance on foreign fossil fuels, lining the pockets of the likes of Vladimir Putin and his cronies.

Whether it’s abandoning plans for clean energy, slashing maternity pay or undermining the UK’s national energy security, bungling Badenoch’s plans would leave our country worse off.

Helen Maguire: Not enough has been done to address abuse against women in our Armed Forces

Commenting on the Ministry of Defence’s announcement of a new Task Force to tackle violence against women in the military, Liberal Democrat Defence Spokesperson and Iraq Veteran, Helen Maguire MP, said:

We welcome today’s announcement of a Task Force targeting violence against women and girls in the military. It’s shameful, though, that not enough has been done to address what appears to be widespread abuse in our Armed Forces.

It is shameful how previous policies have continued to fail these brave women. There have been abject failures in leadership in our Armed Forces and from government over many years on this.

The Liberal Democrats have argued consistently that much more must be done to safeguard women in the military. Labour needs to move urgently to fully implement the remaining recommendations in the 2021 Atherton Report. This is the least we owe to the women serving courageously across our services.

Children’s Bill: Labour vote against free school meals “deeply disappointing”

Responding to Labour voting against a Liberal Democrat amendment to automatically enrol eligible children for free school meals, Liberal Democrat Education spokesperson Munira Wilson MP said:

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Caron Lindsay

Statement from LGBT+ Lib Dems

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 19th March 2025 - 4:30 pm

LGBT+ Lib Dems co-chairs Charley Hasted and Luke Allan have issued a statement concerning distressing incidents that took place at Federal Conference in Brighton. 

At the Liberal Democrat Federal Conference in Autumn 2024, a volunteer for Liberal Voice for Women harassed two members of LGBT+ Liberal Democrats on two separate occasions. The volunteer in question admitted waiting until our members, one of whom was an autistic woman less than half his age, were alone on our exhibition stall to target them. We are pleased that a disciplinary panel recognised his behaviour for what it was and upheld a complaint against him.

We are disappointed, though, that when his behaviour was raised with members of LVfW- including members of their committee, both at the time and after the fact, our concerns about this man’s behaviour towards a vulnerable woman were roundly dismissed by them.

For an organisation that claims to care about women’s safety, it is hypocritical in the extreme for them to dismiss concerns about a man’s behaviour towards a woman being harassing or intimidatory, when the basis for their dismissal seems only to be his age and/or that they agree with the opinions that led to him harassing our members.

LGBT+ Lib Dems stands firmly behind the principle that targeted harassment of the kind our members experienced is unacceptable, regardless of the age or views of the person doing it. Moreover, we have been consistently clear that we expect our volunteers to behave decently towards all attendees at Conference, and have worked productively with Party Leadership at various levels to ensure this is the case, and try and minimise conflict.

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