Author Archives: Mary Reid

Mary Reid

Slow and steady growth

By Mary Reid | Sat 9th May 2026 - 3:16 pm

Many of us are imagining what it might be like to experience a major surge in support like that being enjoyed by Reform UK at the moment, and to a lesser extent by the Greens. However I have always argued that slow steady growth is much more sustainable, especially for a centrist party based on strong values rather than populism, and there are some good examples from this week.

I am looking at East Surrey and West Surrey, where the councillors have been elected to set up the new unitaries in 2027 to replace Surrey County Council.

The last full elections to Surrey County Council were in 2021; 81 seats were up for grabs with these results: 47 Con (58%), 14 Lib Dem (17%), 2 Lab (2.5%), 2 Green (2.5%) and 16 other (20%). The others are mainly Residents Associations.

And yet on Thursday we won both of the new authorities.

On Thursday, there were 162 new seats in total in East and West Surrey. The combined results were: 96 Lib Dem (59%), 30 Con (19%), 14 Ref (8.5%), 8 Green (5%) and 14 other (8.5%).  How did that happen?

To understand the apparent leap in our seats from 17% to 59% we have to track all the smaller gains made in the intervening years. This wasn’t a sudden and unexpected victory but a steady build-up over time.

For a start we were beavering away at the County Council by-elections as they occurred. By the time of this election the Conservatives were already down to 38 (from 47) and we were up to 18 (from 14).

But a more revealing picture emerges when we look at the gains in the eleven District Councils within Surrey. All of them elect by thirds so the effects were cumulative over time. By this year we had taken control of Woking, Mole Valley and Surrey Heath and we had become the largest party in Elmbridge, Guildford, and Waverley, so we were effectively running more than half the districts.

On top of that we made some important gains in Westminster in 2024. Prior to that we had no Lib Dem MPs in the county. Of the 13 constituencies we won six, and welcomed Chris Coghlan in Dorking and Horley, Will Forster in Woking, Zoe Franklin in Guildford, Monica Harding in Esher and Walton, Helen Maguire in Epsom and Ewell and Al Pinkerton in Surrey Heath.

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Mary Reid

Good luck!

By Mary Reid | Thu 7th May 2026 - 8:06 am

So what are you doing reading this? Shouldn’t you be out telling or knocking up on the doorsteps?

OK, so I do know that not everyone has the opportunity, or the capacity, to do either of those tasks, and, of course, if that applies to you then your support is also precious.

During the day the BBC follows some pretty strict guidelines about what they can report – which is why there is always a story about dogs in polling stations. Things only really swing into action at 10pm.

So what should we be looking for after polls close?

In Wales the counts for the Senedd elections will begin on Friday morning, although returning officers are allowed to verify the votes the night before, which may speed things up a bit. Once the count begins Wales has adopted the D’Hondt system for the first time.  Six members are elected for each of the 16 constituencies, but voters can only select the party list they wish to support rather than individual members.

In Scotland the counts for the Scottish Parliament won’t begin until Friday morning either. Scottish elections are always logistically challenging because of the many very remote locations, so expect some delays. Voters will be selecting their MSPs using the Additional Member System. The country is divided into 73 constituencies, each of which elects a member under FPTP.  The constituencies are clustered into eight regions and they each elect 7 further members, with voters selecting a single party list.  A modified D’Hondt system allocates these additional members to reflect the overall balance of the votes. (Londoners will recognise this as the method for electing the London Assembly)

In England, there is a patchwork of local council elections in 136 local authorities. These include district councils, unitaries (some newly formed), metropolitan boroughs, county councils and all the London boroughs. Most of these are all-in all-out every four years, but some are electing by thirds. It is important to note that the seats being contested today only cover about a third of all the principal council seats in England. In addition six directly elected mayors are up for election. Some councils will be counting overnight, some on Friday.

Only Northern Ireland has a quiet day, with no elections taking place.

Mark Pack – election guru and past Party President – has an interesting analysis here: 6 ways to judge the Liberal Democrat election results.

We would love to hear from you in the comments about counts that are worth watching out for. I will kick off by saying that my money (metaphorically) is on the London Borough of Merton; it is one of those rare instances where we have won a Westminster seat – Paul Kohler in Wimbledon – before gaining control of the council. And it is counting overnight so we should get the result by breakfast on Friday.

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Mary Reid

Watch our party political broadcast for the local elections

By Mary Reid | Fri 10th April 2026 - 9:27 am

And here it is:

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Mary Reid

New policy working group: Empowering Consumers

By Mary Reid | Fri 13th February 2026 - 7:40 pm

The party is seeking members for a new policy working group, called Empowering Consumers.  The group will be aiming to prepare policy proposals for Spring Conference next year.

If you would like to know how policy is decided in the Liberal Democrats, and how policy working groups fit in, then there is a useful guide here.

In brief, policy groups meet in person and online and take evidence from professional and industry experts before crafting a policy paper. The paper is then distilled down to provide a substantial set of proposals which form a conference motion. They also carry out a consultation of conference members before finalising their findings.

The brief for the Empowering Consumers group is:

People often feel powerless in the face of not only public services, but also utility companies, arms-length government bodies and many large businesses. They don’t feel able to hold them to account, and too often don’t see anyone else doing it effectively on their behalf

A new cross-cutting, thematic working group will develop concrete policies to deliver on our liberal promise to put real power in people’s hands and hold the already powerful properly to account.

If you are interested in joining the group then you can apply here.

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Mary Reid

BREAKING NEWS Whip removed from Chris Rennard pending investigation

By Mary Reid | Fri 6th February 2026 - 8:40 pm

 

Note that we are not allowing comments because of the pending investigation.

 

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Mary Reid

Carl Cashman on the BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! podcast

By Mary Reid | Thu 5th February 2026 - 7:54 pm

Slightly left field interview here with Carl Cashman, Leader of the Lib Dems on Liverpool City Council.

Is he correct?

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Mary Reid

Our latest party political broadcast

By Mary Reid | Wed 28th January 2026 - 9:38 pm

This was broadcast earlier this evening, but in case you missed it, here it is again:

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Mary Reid

More Lib Dems awarded New Year Honours

By Mary Reid | Wed 31st December 2025 - 12:45 pm

Yesterday we congratulated four Liberal Democrat members who had been given honours in the New Year list. Thanks to Mark Pack we can now add two further names.

John Housley has been awarded the British Empire Medal in this year’s New Year Honours List, in recognition of his services to the community in Chapeltown. He has served as Chairman of Ecclesfield Parish Council on three separate occasions over a long period of service as a councillor.

David Lerner, an active member of Liberal Democrat Friends of Israel, has also been awarded the British Empire Medal for services to the Jewish community in the London Borough of Harrow.

Congratulations to both of them along with thanks for all they do for their communities.

Do let us know if we have missed any others.

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Mary Reid

Lib Dem councillors win 2025 Cllr Awards

By Mary Reid | Thu 20th November 2025 - 10:17 am

The winners of the Cllr Awards for England and Wales were announced by the Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) at an event on Tuesday night. Of the five awards two were won by Liberal Democrats, while a third was awarded to a former Lib Dem.

The Innovator of the Year award went to Cllr Alex Ehmann (centre of photo) of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.  His citation says:

Councillor Alexander Ehmann of the London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames has elevated transport and air quality agendas by focusing on residents’ involvement in the design process. He is leading the council’s transformation of its transport strategy with the development of the Richmond 2040 plan. And he was responsible for an innovative new entry treatment for school streets, which is now being adopted by other London Boroughs.

Cllr Harry Boparai (second from left) from Spelthorne Borough Council and Surrey County Council was gained the Community Champion award.

Councillor Harry Boparai from Surrey County Council and Spelthorne Borough Council is a tireless, hands-on problem-solver praised for his impact on everyday quality of life. His focus is on the issues that matter to residents, from tackling rogue landlords and fly-tipping to improving road safety. Well-known for his practical support of local causes, he plays a leading role in protecting green spaces, heritage projects, and supporting organisations working with young people.

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Mary Reid

Good practice in palliative care

By Mary Reid | Fri 14th November 2025 - 12:05 pm

Note that this post includes end of life details which you may want to avoid.

The Assisted Dying Bill has raised questions about the quality of palliative care under the NHS. Whatever your views on assisted dying it should never be a substitute for good care at end of life.

Recently I and my family have had a positive experience of palliative care in an NHS hospital, and I am wondering how widespread this is.

My husband, Ian, died last month in Kingston Hospital. It was not unexpected – he had spent almost half of this year in hospital, six visits in total. During the year he was transferred to the Elderly Care (aka Geriatric) team, who took a refreshingly holistic approach to his multiple health conditions. However each time he was admitted his health and mobility dropped down a notch, so he eventually he became effectively bed bound.

Just before he was admitted for the last time he told me that he had had enough and it was time to go. From his hospital bed he made last minute changes to his funeral plans which he had drawn up under Covid. In fact he rather surprised some visitors by discussing it in some detail, asking them to contribute in some way.

Eventually it became clear that the treatment was no longer effective. Our sons were staying with me by that stage, and I asked if one of us could stay all night. They moved Ian into a single room so we could come and go as we pleased.

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Mary Reid

Lib Dems shortlisted for the Cllr Awards

By Mary Reid | Thu 25th September 2025 - 9:50 am

Each year the Local Government Information Unit runs the Cllr Awards. This year three Lib Dems have been shortlisted for England and Wales, though none in Scotland.

The LGIU doesn’t give any background to the nominations, so we have unashamedly gathered some information together courtesy of ChatGPT. Do please add more details in the comments.

Community Champion

Cllr Harry Boparai

Harry serves on both Surrey County Council and Spelthorne District Council. He was the Liberal Democrat candidate (PPC) for Spelthorne in the 2024 General Election.

His profile on the Surrey Lib Dem site tells us:

Harry has a particular interest in improving services for young people and tackling anti-social behaviour, and represents Spelthorne on the Surrey Police & Crime Panel.

His profile on the Spelthorne Lib Dem website tells us more about his many achievements as a district and county councillor – including some literal grass roots activism.

Leader of the Year

Cllr Bridget Smith

Bridget has been a councillor in South Cambridgeshire District Council since 2008 and was elected as Council Leader in 2018, having led the Lib Dem Group since 2014. Under her leadership South Cambs successfully trialled a four day working week for staff, which has now become permanent.

Bridget is also Vice‑Chair of the District Councils’ Network.

Innovator of the Year

Cllr Alexander Ehmann

Alexander serves as Chair of the Transport and Air Quality Services Committee on the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, which has seen a marked improvement in air quality.   It is also an area that could be heavily impacted by any expansion of Heathrow Airport.

 

Congratulations and Good Luck to all of them.

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Mary Reid

Discrepancies in access to adapted vehicles leaves some people housebound

By Mary Reid | Fri 12th September 2025 - 12:17 pm

Yesterday Adrian Ashton raised some questions about Carer’s Allowance.

Today I want to focus on another anomaly that affects people with disabilities and their carers, relating to access to adapted vehicles.

People of working age can apply for Personal Independence Payment (PIP). We know that the eligibility criteria for PIP is controversially under scrutiny by the Government at the moment but that is not my issue in this post. PIP is not means tested, is tax free and is meant to cover the additional expenses that a person may have because of their disability. The PIP Daily Living Allowance is paid at one of two levels depending on the needs of the applicants. The lower level is £73.90 pw and the higher level is £110.40 pw.

When someone on PIP reaches retirement age they continue to receive PIP. However if someone becomes disabled for the first time after reaching retirement age they are instead paid Attendance Allowance. Now Attendance Allowance is also not means tested, is tax free and is paid at the same rates as the PIP Daily Living Allowance.

So what’s the problem? Well it is crucially something that I have not yet mentioned. People receiving PIP get a further top-up known as the Mobility Allowance. This is paid at £29.90 at the lower level and £77.05 at the higher level, and the higher level opens access to the Motability scheme. Under the Motability scheme the higher Mobility Allowance can be used to lease a customised vehicle.

The key thing to note is that people on Attendance Allowance do not receive the Mobility Allowance so cannot access the Motability Scheme.

For example, consider two people who each suffered major injuries in a car accident which left them using a wheelchair with considerable care needs. The first was 64 at the time and was eligible for higher level PIP and could lease a wheelchair accessible vehicle through Motability at no extra cost to themselves. They can continue with PIP and Motability into old age. The second was 68 at the time of the accident and became eligible for Attendance Allowance, but did not get a vehicle and did not get an allowance towards one.

This anomaly affects fulltime carers as well as people with disabilities. If the cared-for person falls into the second category and cannot be left alone then the carer is also stuck at home without a suitable vehicle.

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Mary Reid

Hina Bokhari urges London mayor to do more to tackle Islamophobia

By Mary Reid | Fri 4th July 2025 - 8:53 am

A couple of weeks ago Hina Bokhari AM (our Leader on the London Assembly) wrote: “Britain is a tinderbox and our efforts to confront Islamophobia are not good enough“.

She has now followed that up with a letter to the Mayor Of London, which has caught the attention of the BBC: “London mayor urged to do more to tackle Islamophobia“. In her letter she wrote:

The threats we face as Muslim Londoners are not abstract or hypothetical – they are immediate, real, and growing.

For many of us, this is not merely about perception or politics. It is about safety. Muslims today live in legitimate fear. Whether walking down the street, engaging online, or simply existing visibly as Muslims, we find ourselves bracing for abuse, harassment or worse.

Hina calls on Sadiq Khan to set up training on Islamophobia.

We need to eradicate Islamophobia, and that will only happen through training. I don’t think people really understand what Islamophobia is, or believe it exists. Some of the attacks I’ve been getting online have been about the fact that people think there is no such thing as Islamophobia.

If we had training then at least people would know what we mean by Islamophobia.

She has been doing the rounds of the TV studios highlighting the issue, even though it is obviously difficult for her.

Some of the reactions to this on social media have been disgusting and totally prove her point. 

Hina Bokhari is a hero and needs all the support and love we can give her.

 

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Mary Reid

Lib Dems gain control of Wokingham

By Mary Reid | Fri 6th June 2025 - 5:35 pm

Just a year ago we won the Parliamentary seat of Wokingham with a huge swing. And today, as a result of a Council by-election, we have gained overall control of Wokingham Borough Council.

By the way, don’t confuse Wokingham in Berkshire with Woking in Surrey, which we also control.

The received wisdom was that Lib Dems had to win a Council before they could hope to win a constituency, but now we are seeing the reverse effect. The key thing is that a winning campaign at either level, if carried out with care and foresight, can build local capacity which can be …

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Mary Reid

On capitalisation

By Mary Reid | Thu 22nd May 2025 - 1:21 pm

This is not a treatise on economics, but a minor rant about the use of capital letters.

American media often like to capitalise every word in their headlines. For example: Trump Lectures South African President in Televised Oval Office Confrontation (New York Times) and Trump Claimed This Photo Proved ‘Genocide’ Of White South Africans, But There’s 1 Big Problem (HuffPost)

There are some exceptions to this practice in the US: see Trump confronts South African president, pushing claims of genocide (Washington Post). However in the UK none of our media capitalise headlines. For example: Trump ambushes South African president with video and false claims of anti-white racism (The Guardian) and Trump makes South African president squirm by playing ‘white genocide’ video montage during astonishing Oval Office moment (Daily Mail).

Being a kind of language nerd, on my editorial days I tend to carefully remove unnecessary capitals from the headlines of posts submitted to Lib Dem Voice.

I am equally strict about American spellings of words when the context does not justify it.  “Defense” written instead of “defence” is a common error, and don’t get me started on “gotten”.

There is one exception to my rules – our wonderful contributor Tom Arms. Tom is an American, hence the Ex-Pat. I do leave his spelling intact, but I still can’t resist removing capital letters from headlines.

In his day as editor on Lib Dem Voice Mark Pack campaigned about the use of spaces after full stops – only one allowed, not two. For my part, I have been known to have a prolonged discussion with one of our academic contributors on the correct use of single and double speech marks, to the amusement of the other members of the LDV team. Mark and I are both published authors so we have had the experience of justifying our writing style and use of terminology to copyeditors and proof readers, which does help us to consolidate our position on these rather esoteric issues.

We don’t expect that level of linguistic nit-pickery in our contributors – but I would ask you, please, to avoid assigning random capital letters in your headings and general text. And do not use American spellings for good English words.

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Mary Reid

Registration open for Conference – with new Day Passes

By Mary Reid | Fri 16th May 2025 - 2:42 pm

Registration has now opened for the Autumn Federal Conference which will be held in Bournemouth from 20th to 23rd September.

As usual Early Bird registration rates are available until 12th June. You can find all the categories and prices here.

There is one change this time which will benefit members who are unable to attend for the whole conference. A Day Pass will now entitle the member to vote and speak in debates. In the past Day Visitors were not allowed to vote, which always surprised me. Mind you, Day Passes are not cheap at £60, and you can only book one. If you want to attend for 2 or 3 days out of the four you should book a Weekend or a Full Pass.

Here are the deadlines for submitting motions for debate.

Drafting advice: 13:00, 11/06/2025
Motion deadline: 13:00, 25/06/2025
Drafting advice (amendments, emergency motions): 13:00, 26/08/25
Amendments, emergency motions, topical issues, questions deadline: 13:00, 08/09/25
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Mary Reid

Excellent news from Plymouth

By Mary Reid | Thu 15th May 2025 - 4:42 pm

Councillor Dylan Tippetts (left) with Stuart Bonar, Chair of Plymouth Liberal Democrats

Plymouth City Council has been without a Lib Dem councillor for over 20 years – until this week, when Councillor Dylan Tippetts joined the Lib Dems.

When he resigned from Labour last Friday Dylan stated that the party “has thrown transgender people under the bus and has taken us back decades.” The Guardian has the story here: Labour ‘throwing trans people under the bus’, says transgender councillor.

Dylan said:

I first got into politics to give people a voice who may not otherwise have one. For me, that means always standing up for equal rights for all.

In the face of rising far-right populism, the Liberal Democrats are not running away from the battle for equal rights for all. They are the party of fairness, even when the going gets tough. I’m proud to be joining the Liberal Democrats and joining the battle for the future of our city and the future of our country.

I meant what I said to the trans community when I got elected. Your voice matters. I will always make sure trans voices are listened to and valued in this period of turbulence and division our country faces.

In Compton ward, I am proud to have stood with residents on difficult planning issues, when the buses got cut, and when basic services haven’t been delivered. Thank you to the wonderful people of Compton, Mannamead, Mutley and Hartley Vale for your support over the past three years. I look forward to continuing to stand with you and working to make things better for you until the end of my term.

Welcome to Dylan!

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Mary Reid

A letter to Pride

By Mary Reid | Thu 15th May 2025 - 1:12 pm

I sent this letter to the Pride organisers yesterday.

I was proud to be described as an LGBT+ ally some years ago at a Pride event – indeed I have been supporting LGBT issues all my adult life at both a personal and institutional level.

I have also been proud of what my party, the Liberal Democrats, has achieved in this area – from opposing Section 28 to proposing the Alan Turing Law, bringing in equal marriage and championing trans rights.

I was therefore deeply shocked and unhappy that political groups are being banned from Pride marches this year. In our case LGBT+ Lib Dems have been in the forefront of the party’s campaigns. It feels like a terrible snub for them to be banned from an event that they have always enthusiastically supported. Without the Lib Dems some of the freedoms that are now enjoyed by people on Pride marches would not have happened.

I should also add that all of us, of whatever political party or none, should also be encouraging LGBT+ groups within other less supportive parties. For some it is a deeply uncomfortable place to be, but their groups are essential to bring about a change of culture from within.

I would therefore ask you to reconsider the decision to ban political groups from Pride events this year.

They have just replied to say:

“We are currently in talks with your colleagues on the way forward.”

Let’s hope the ban is lifted.

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Mary Reid

Update on election results

By Mary Reid | Fri 2nd May 2025 - 5:43 pm

We have much to be pleased about. As I write Lib Dems have 327 County Council places, up 131 on the previous results in those seats. The big story, of course, is that Reform has gained 575 while the Conservatives have lost 566 and Labour lost 160.

As hoped, the good news is that we have gained Oxfordshire with 36 seats out of 69, and Cambridgeshire with a knife-edge 31 seats out of 61. Congratulations to both teams!

Late news: We also control Shropshire, with 39 seats and counting out of 74. Brilliant news!

On top of that we are the largest party in Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire, Wiltshire, and Devon.

In Gloucestershire we have 27 seats, just one short of overall majority, so we will undoubtedly be forming the administration.

In Hertfordshire, we have 31 seats out of 78, so negotiations will probably be underway with the smaller parties, in this case Labour and Green who hold 5 seats each.

In Wiltshire, we have 43 seats out of 98, though it is not obvious where potential partners may lie.

In Devon, we have 27 out of 60 seats, and we have wiped out Labour.

Counting is still underway in Cornwall, but it is clear that it will result in NOC. At the moment we lead with 22 seats.

A recurring pattern in other counties are Conservatives losses to NOC, but with Reform coming through as the largest party. There may well be some interesting coalition discussions going on between the two parties.

Mike Ross put up a great challenge for the Hull and East Yorkshire Mayoral Election, but sadly came second with 37,510 behind the Reform Candidate on 48,491.

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Mary Reid

So what can we expect today?

By Mary Reid | Fri 2nd May 2025 - 8:21 am

Results have been relatively quiet overnight. And there is a hiatus this morning until the next wave of results start after lunch.

Most Councils are counting today, which makes sense from a human resources standpoint but is rather frustrating for those of us who love the drama of election night. Some ward results are trickling in, but we will have to wait until this afternoon to see whether we have managed to take control of councils in those areas where we bucked the trend last summer and gained Westminster constituencies before winning the local council. Watch Devon, Oxfordshire and Shropshire, all expected to declare late afternoon.

As far as the Metro Mayor elections are concerned, most are fights between Reform and Labour, although Greens are hopeful in West of England.  However one stands out as a three cornered contest with Lib Dems in with a chance – Hull and East Yorkshire. Our candidate there is Mike Ross, who is Leader of Hull City Council and predictions have placed him second, behind Reform, with Labour close behind.  Mike is well known to party members as a popular and effective Chief Steward at Federal Conferences. The result is expected mid afternoon today.

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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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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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Mary Reid

Ed Davey: Why I Care – and why care matters

By Mary Reid | Fri 28th February 2025 - 12:43 pm

Ed Davey has been writing a book entitled Why I Care: And Why Care Matters, which has been taken up by the publisher HarperCollins. Note that this is a holding cover …

The Bookseller has an article about it, although it is incorrect in stating that it is Ed’s debut – in 2001 he wrote Making MP’s Work for Our Money: Reforming Parliament’s Role in Budget Scrutiny, and he has contributed to several other volumes.

The Bookseller give us a quote from the Editorial director for HarperNorth Jonathan de Peyer:

Ed’s story, which he has so bravely made a key element of his party’s campaigning on the issue of social care, touched millions during the general election. But there’s so much of it we don’t know, and so much about Ed’s efforts to support and empower carers, and to reform the sector, that deserves wider attention. This book is a real passion project for all involved and will galvanise public debate about an issue that touches almost all of us.

The book will be published in May and you can pre-order it here.

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Mary Reid

Agenda for Spring Conference

By Mary Reid | Thu 13th February 2025 - 2:07 pm

Spring Conference will be in Harrogate from 21st to 23rd March.

You can now see the agenda here. Policy motions cover:

  • Science, Innovation and Technology
  • Free to be Who You Are
  • The UK’s Response to Trump
  • Animal Welfare in the Food System
  • Ending the Crisis: A Fair Deal for Children with SEND

Plus a Constitutional Amendment on Implementing the Lessons of the General Election Review.

That means it’s time to start thinking about amendments to motions – the deadline is 10th March.

There is still time to register for conference, either in person on online. You can register here.

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Mary Reid

An opportunity to help shape party policy

By Mary Reid | Fri 7th February 2025 - 5:38 pm

Lib Dem members decide on policy at Conference. Some of the policy motions are submitted by members or by local parties, but some of motions are the result of a quite long drawn out process carried out by Policy Working Groups.  Typically these working groups spend around 18 months gathering evidence and ideas and then carrying out informal consultations, before putting together a detailed report and Conference motion. There is more information about how all this works here.

Every so often the Federal Policy Committee puts out a call for members of new Policy Working Groups. They are looking for people with expertise in the areas of interest – as professionals, academics, service users or with other relevant life experiences.

Currently the Federal Policy Committee is trying to recruit members to two new working groups, one looking at Mental Health and the other at High Streets and Town Centres.

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Mary Reid

Take care!

By Mary Reid | Fri 24th January 2025 - 9:20 am

Wishing all our contributors and readers a safe day, especially those in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Storm Éowyn will undoubtedly leave a mess to be cleared up by local Councils. If you can, do tell us how your Council is coping.

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Mary Reid

LibLink: Ed Davey on Elon Musk and his malign powers

By Mary Reid | Thu 23rd January 2025 - 8:42 pm

Ed Davey has written an article for The Guardian under the headline “Elon Musk has shown his hand. If politicians like me won’t curb his malign powers, who will?”

He writes:

Much of the coverage of Musk centres on his bizarre actions and declarations, and the controversies that have followed. It’s easy to tune it all out as the dronings of a bore. But he’s so much worse than that. He’s already one of the most powerful people on the planet. He’s the world’s wealthiest man, with a fortune of more than $400bn. And despite turning millions of people away from Twitter with his damaging changes to the platform (not least trying to rebrand it as X), he still controls what hundreds of millions of people around the globe see on their feeds.

…

As a liberal, I am instinctively deeply alarmed by the concentration of so much power in the hands of one individual. Even if I liked Musk, I’d say it was dangerous. I see it as the fundamental purpose of liberals – whether capital L members of the Liberal Democrats, or like-minded people beyond our party and around the world – to hold the powerful to account and put real power in the hands of ordinary people.

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Mary Reid

Congratulations to Duncan and Grace!

By Mary Reid | Fri 17th January 2025 - 9:16 am

Lib Dems are renowned for their love of real ale, so perhaps it is no surprise that nine years ago Duncan Borrowman and Grace Goodlad decided to transform a failing pub into a community hub dedicated to real ale and craft beers. Many a party activist has made their way to The Bailey Head in Oswestry, especially during the by-election campaign in North Shropshire.

And now the couple have just been awarded the highest accolade in the pub world – CAMRA’s Pub of the Year.

The BBC reports:

“You’ve got to have good beer to win, but that’s not enough on it’s own,” Grace said.

“It’s all the other bits, the added value, that’s what makes the difference I think.”

“You’re judged on your beer quality, and Duncan runs the cellar so that’s definitely down to him,” she told the BBC.

“But then it also looks at things like hygiene, the welcome you get from staff, staff’s knowledge…whether or not you’re involved in supporting the local community.”

The pair estimates they had about 30 visits from judges before winning the award, but at the time had no idea they were being judged.

As if that didn’t take up enough of their lives, both Duncan and Grace are standing as candidates for Shropshire Council, Grace in Oswestry South and Duncan in Llanymynech.  Winners, both of them!

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Mary Reid

Could you be the Returning Officer for our party elections?

By Mary Reid | Thu 16th January 2025 - 12:19 pm

Every three years the Liberal Democrat embark on a series of elections to Federal (ie national) Committees. These include the Federal Board, Federal Council (which scrutinises the Board), Federal Policy Committee, Federal Conference Committee and Federal International relations Committee. In addition, the roles of President and Vice President are also up for election.

The party is recruiting a voluntary Returning Officer to oversee all these elections later this year. Full details of the requirements can be seen here Volunteer role: Returning Officer (Federal Elections). In short, they are looking for “an organised, authoritative and impartial person” who can oversee the team of staff who will carry out the administration of the elections.

Person specification

The successful candidate will possess experience of project management involving multiple stakeholders, ideally in circumstances where arbitration, conflict resolution, or adjudication have been required.

They will have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, even in difficult circumstances. Attention to detail, calmness under pressure and good judgement are required.

Interestingly, the party is hoping to widen its pool of potential Returning Officers.

Experience as a Returning Officer, either within the Party or externally, is not required but advantageous.

If you are interested then read this page. Applications close on 4th February.

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