The first policy speech of the first in-person autumn conference since 2019 brought a smile to my face and very positively answered the question “What is Tim Farron for?”

“F5 Combatting Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery” kicked off conference after we conducted the religious rites of the Liberal Democrat religion (Amendments to standing orders and reports to FCC/FPC).

“There is no such thing as an illegal asylum seeker” was Tim’s opening salvo.

He linked to our preamble: “no-one shall be enslaved” and yet that we have 100,000 people living as modern slaves in our country.

He then highlighted how the Tories are ignoring those people, making their predicament worse by action or inaction.

He lambasted the Illegal Immigration Act (ILA) saying that it will trap asylum seekers by putting them into the shadows and more at the mercy of illegal traffickers.

Tim said that he is prepared to put up with a Tory government that is wrong but not one that is wicked.

He said that the sure sign that the ILA is wrong is that, in the lobbies for voting against it, he found himself rubbing shoulders with his “old mate” Theresa May. Tim reckons that if she thinks it is wrong, then it must be.

This speech made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. Standing in over-crowded trains, walking miles back and forwards along the promenade, braving standing order amendments…. it was all worth it.

Conference, welcome back!

* Paul Walter is a Liberal Democrat activist and member of the Liberal Democrat Voice team. He blogs at Liberal Burblings.