Author Archives: Iain Gill

Iain Gill is Head of the International Office in LibDem HQ and Director of the LibDem Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) programmes.
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The Referendum Pledge Challenge: Week 2 winners

By Iain Gill | Wed 22nd June 2016 - 6:30 pm

The Referendum Pledge Challenge has been in full swing for a couple of weeks now and parties across the UK have been embracing it and earning themselves some serious cash.

As you will have heard we challenged every local party to use their pledge cards, make calls and knock on doors all with the express aim of entering data into Connect so we can contact voters on polling day and, ultimately, increase turnout.

Some of last week’s winners have continued to press on and have once again found themselves on the leader board.

This week’s worthy prize winners are:

Edinburgh West who will win £1,000 for a tremendous effort and marching ahead in the race to enter contacts.

Posted in News | Tagged referendum pledge challenge | 1 Comment

Referendum Pledge Challenge – the week 1 winners

By Iain Gill | Thu 16th June 2016 - 11:15 am

Last week the referendum pledge challenge was launched. We threw down the gauntlet to local parties, setting them the challenge to get voters in their area to pledge to vote REMAIN.

In return, local parties could earn themselves up to £3,000 during the last three weeks of the campaign!

Take up of the challenge has been fantastic – local parties up and down the country have thrown themselves into it and have got behind the scheme.

This was a chance for us as a party to try a new way of campaigning and to really influence the outcome of this referendum. As we know, this referendum is now scarily close – a high turnout is vital to ensure REMAIN wins the day.

No doubt many of you have already begun focusing on this week’s challenge but here’s who’s triumphed in the first week:

£1000 Cardiff – for embracing the challenge and coming top in the UK!

£750 to Hull, Wiltshire & Hazel Grove – for taking up the challenge and securing a significant number of pledges and emails.

£500 each to Tower Hamlets, Wimbledon, Bedford, Berwick, Cambridge, Sheffield & Southwark – to reward their significant level of activity asking the Referendum question in this short period.

Posted in News | Tagged eu referendum and referendum pledge challenge | Leave a comment

#Intogether’s National Day of Action to make positive case to remain in the EU

By Iain Gill | Wed 11th May 2016 - 4:00 pm

With the local elections behind us, the time has come to turn our full attention as a Party to the upcoming Europe Referendum which is just 6 weeks away. On 23^rd June, Britain must decide what kind of country we want to be: inward-looking and cut off from the world or proudly leading from the front, at the heart of Europe.

Tonight, Tim Farron, speaking in London, will make the positive, progressive case for Britain remaining in Europe, recognising the future benefits of close relations with our neighbours and natural partners, and how investing in each other’s economies and sharing in prosperity can make Britain even greater than it is now.

This Saturday we are hosting our first National Day of Action of the #INtogether campaign and the response from local parties has been overwhelming! We have 199 street stalls planned across the country, with well over 150 local parties taking part.

Posted in News | Tagged #INtogether, eu, featured and national day of action 14 may | 10 Comments

The EU referendum: a great opportunity for the Lib Dems

By Iain Gill | Thu 7th January 2016 - 10:10 am

International Office_with text I am thrilled to announce that I have been appointed to manage our Party’s EU Referendum campaign!

With Britain’s future in Europe hanging in the balance, 2016 is a watershed year for this country. For Britain to remain an outward-looking, progressive and prosperous nation at the heart of the international community, we need to secure our future in Europe.

The Liberal Democrats are unique in being the only national party in the UK who are unequivocally in favour of remaining in Europe and have a long history of committed internationalism. This referendum is a challenge but also an opportunity for us to prove that liberalism and international are more important than ever before for Britain.

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged eu referendum | 21 Comments