Author Archives: The Voice

Alex Cole-Hamilton announces new spokesperson team

By The Voice | Wed 10th June 2026 - 7:55 am

Alex Cole-Hamilton has announced the Scottish Liberal Democrats new spokesperson team, declaring that they are “ready to roll up their sleeves and get things done”.

And the party’s social media gurus clearly had the World Cup in mind when they did their comms on this:

The spokesperson line-up will be as follows:

• Andrew Baxter – Rural Affairs

• Yi-pei Chou Turvey – Justice

• Sanne Dijkstra-Downie – Climate, Environment & Energy

• Duncan Dunlop – Education, Children & Young People

• David Green – Public Service Reform, Europe, External Affairs & Culture

• Adam Harley – Health & Care

• Morven-May MacCallum – Housing, Social Security & Local Government

• Liam McArthur – Economy, Finance & Tourism

• Willie Rennie – Chief Whip & Transport

Alongside his duties as leader, Alex will take on the equalities brief.

Alex said:

Posted in News | Tagged holyrood, MSPs and scottish liberal democrats | 1 Comment

WATCH: Daisy Cooper’s plan to cut energy bills

By The Voice | Tue 9th June 2026 - 10:55 am

Yesterday, Daisy Cooper announced measures to cut energy bills. Under Lib Dem plans everyone would get £100 off their bills with more targetted support for, for example, households with disabled people or children or low incomes. Watch her speech here.

She said:

Energy is not a luxury. It’s a basic human need. It’s essential. Every single household in Britain should be able to afford their basic everyday energy needs regardless of what happens in global energy markets, and regardless of who happens to be sitting in Number 10.

For too long, governments have responded to every energy crisis with short-term schemes and sticking plasters, while big corporations have made a fast buck.

That is why we are going after the big energy network operators who are gaming the system, to fund our new Essential Energy Guarantee. It is an absolute scandal that a weak regulator has allowed these monopolies to make billions in windfall profits at the expense of bill payers.

Labour’s leadership contenders have a choice: turn a blind eye to the windfall profits of energy network operators and big banks, or step in to guarantee basic dignity for families. Commit to introducing our Essential Energy Guarantee within your first 100 days.

Our Energy Spokesperson, Pippa Heylings MP, added:

This opportunity is an open goal for giving families the energy bills relief they have been hoping to see for far too long. The unfair profits accumulated by energy network companies must be reigned in and used for the public good.

This is the newest part of a package of common sense policies put forward by the Liberal Democrats: solar on every new home, a new home insulation upgrade programme, breaking the link between electricity and gas prices, and removing the renewables obligation levy.

Time after time we have put no-brainer recommendations to this government but the pace has remained painfully slow. This time they must not sit on the idea, and instead save families struggling with the cost of living now.

The small print

Posted in News | Tagged cost of living, daisy cooper and energy | 15 Comments

Michael Meadowcroft

By The Voice | Tue 2nd June 2026 - 9:08 am

Embed from Getty Images
It is with great sadness that we note the passing of Michael Meadowcroft.

The West Leeds Dispatch reports:

“Former Liberal MP for Leeds West, alderman, journalist and political affairs consultant, Michael Meadowcroft, has died at the age of 84 after a short illness, his family have announced.”

We will, of course, carry a full obituary for Michael in due course.

For now, we link to a 2020 piece Michael wrote for Liberal Democrat Voice which politely gave the party a kick up the proverbial, ending with these words:

Posted in Obituaries | Tagged michael meadowcroft | 30 Comments

Sanne Dijkstra-Downie’s maiden speech in the Scottish Parliamnt

By The Voice | Fri 29th May 2026 - 12:11 pm

Sanne spoke yesterday in the debate on Scotland’s energy.

Posted in News | Tagged sanne dijkstra-downie and scottish parliament | 3 Comments

New policy working groups – are you interested?

By The Voice | Thu 28th May 2026 - 10:25 am

Three new policy working groups have been set up by the Federal Policy Committee, and they are seeking members. The working groups will take evidence and prepare policy proposals to submit to Autumn Conference 2027. The deadline for applications to join one of the groups is 8th June.

Click here for more information about how policy is developed in the Liberal Democrats.

The new groups are:

Victims of Crime

Victims of crime have been let down for too long. Many wait hours for a police response; many never see their crime investigated or the perpetrator charged; many wait years for the trial, prolonging the trauma.

A new working group will develop policies that cut across traditional policy silos to look at policing, the justice system and other public services from a victims’ perspective.

Apply here

Rural Issues

Rural communities face distinctive challenges and are being let down on everything from transport to health services to crime. They have been failed by a Conservative Government that took rural communities for granted and a Labour Government that clearly doesn’t understand them.

A new working group will develop distinctive Liberal Democrat policies that would protect rural communities’ public services and ensure they have access to decent public transport, affordable housing, adequate broadband connectivity, or protection from crime.

Apply here

Empowering Local Communities

For a hundred years, Liberals and Liberal Democrats have been fighting for fair votes, to give everyone equal power in our democracy and hold all Members of Parliament properly to account. We want to shift more power out of the centre in Whitehall, so local decisions are made by and for the people and communities they affect.

A new policy working group will develop our vision of a society where residents and community groups have far more control over the decisions that affect their communities. This will be a cross-cutting, thematic working, embracing voluntary community activity as well as elected local government.

Apply here

Posted in News | Tagged policy working groups | Leave a comment

Tanvir Ahmad selected to fight Arbroath and Broughty Ferry by-election

By The Voice | Mon 25th May 2026 - 3:35 pm

Scottish Liberal Democrats have announced that Tanvir Ahmad has been selected as candidate for the Arbroath and Broughty Ferry by-election which was caused by the election of Stephen Gethins to Holyrood earlier this month.

Tanvir brings over 20 years of experience leading major projects in the technology and telecoms sectors. He has a proven record of building partnerships with global organisations, bringing new innovations to market, and creating opportunities for growth both at home and abroad. Alongside his professional career, he is a Royal Navy Reservist, a grassroots community campaigner who has managed a youth centre for minority communities, and holds both Honours and Masters degrees in International Relations.

At the 2026 Holyrood election, he almost doubled the Scottish Liberal Democrat vote share in the constituency of Dundee City East, campaigning on issues including tackling vandalism and anti-social behaviour, improving housing and supporting households affected by the RAAC scandal.

Tanvir said:

I am delighted to have been selected to contest the Arbroath and Broughty Ferry by-election.

Too many families in our area are living in poverty, and child hunger is a daily reality. Young people have seen services cut and opportunities dry up, while households are struggling with rising bills and insecure jobs. That has to change.

People have been let down by the SNP, the Conservatives and the Labour party.

Last week, Labour voted against Liberal Democrat proposals for a customs union with the European Union and relaxed sanctions on Russia. That’s not good enough.

Scottish Liberal Democrats believe in fairness for everyone, no matter who you are or where you come from.

I want to fight child poverty and give families the support they deserve. I want to create opportunities for young people through apprenticeships, skills, and safe spaces. And I want to back local businesses to grow, creating secure, well-paid jobs.

People across the constituency feel like things aren’t working. People deserve a change with fairness at its heart and that is what I will be campaigning to deliver.

Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

Posted in News | Tagged arbroath and broughty ferry by-election and tanvir ahmad | 1 Comment

Jake Austin is our candidate in Makerfield

By The Voice | Mon 25th May 2026 - 2:30 pm

Jake Austin has been selected as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Makerfield in the upcoming by-election, pledging to champion local issues that matter most to residents. Jake is passionate about revitalising our high streets, ⁠improving public transport across the North West, and providing affordable homes for the next generation.

Jake was born and raised in Hindley, and has lived in Greater Manchester his whole life. Hei is a Liberal Democrat Councillor and works in fundraising.

In 2024, Jake was the Liberal Democrat candidate in the Greater Manchester Mayoralty election, increasing the Liberal Democrat vote share against Andy Burnham from the 2021 election.

Jake said:

Posted in News | Tagged jake austin and makerfield by-election | 2 Comments

Camden legend Flick Rea has died

By The Voice | Mon 25th May 2026 - 12:45 pm

We are very sad to say that Camden Liberal Democrat legend Flick Rea has died just 4 days after her 88th birthday. She was incredibly loved by many in the party and will be very much missed.

Flick was a Camden Councillor for the Fortune Green Ward from 1986 to 2021 and had two spells as Group Leader. She had started out as an actress, training alongside Glenda Jackson.

In 2022, she was appointed an Honorary Alderman of the London Borough of Camden. You can watch her acceptance speech here.

Posted in News | Tagged flick rea | Leave a comment

Lords Parliamentary Party reshuffle – who’s who in the new Parliamentary session

By The Voice | Fri 22nd May 2026 - 9:32 am

Readers may have noticed over the past few days a few personal announcements as to what certain Peers will be doing now, so we thought that we’d better provide readers with a complete list. And, with thanks to Humphrey Amos from the Lords’ Whips Office, we can announce that our Lords Spokespeople are as follows:

Leader – Jeremy Purvis

Deputy Leaders – Kath Pinnock and Mike Storey

Chief Whip – Dave Goddard

Attorney General – Martin Thomas

Business and Industry – Chris Fox

Cabinet Office – Mark Pack

Culture, Media and Sport – Jane Bonham-Carter, Dominic Addington (Sport) and Liz Barker (Voluntary and Charity Sector)

Defence – Julie Smith

Education – Shaffaq Mohammed and Sue Garden (Higher and Further Education)

Energy and Net Zero – John Russell

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – Olly Grender

Equalities – Meral Hussein-Ece and Paul Scriven (LGBT issues)

Posted in News and Parliament | Tagged liberal democrat lords | 1 Comment

Is this the first public call for Ed to go?

By The Voice | Mon 18th May 2026 - 9:55 am

It is being reported that the our Council Leader in Colchester, David King, has called for a change of leadership. Talking to the BBC’s Simon Dedman, he said;

We need to let the party take the time to look to the future, and that’s my appeal to Sir Ed. It’s politely saying, time’s up.

Whether or not this is simply a reaction to disappointing results in Colchester – the Party lost Shrub End and Stanway wards to Reform – or indicative of a wider movement remains to be seen.

Posted in News | Tagged lib dem leadership | 13 Comments

Sunday fun: the uninvited guest at Ed Davey photocall

By The Voice | Sun 10th May 2026 - 10:55 am

Yesterday, Ed Davey came up to Edinburgh to celebrate our very good election results

He and Alex Cole-Hamilton filmed a video and had an unexpected guest.

Enjoy.

Posted in News | Tagged Alex Cole-Hamilton, ed davey and humour | Leave a comment

And that’s a wrap – thanks everyone!

By The Voice | Thu 7th May 2026 - 10:00 pm

Millions of steps taken, thousands of doors knocked on and phone calls made. There will be a lot of very tired Lib Dems this evening.

Many of us will have to wait till tomorrow to know the results. Only a few areas are counting tonight and we’ll round up those results in the morning.

Alex Cole-Hamilton has said a big thank you to the teams who have been out across Scotland today:

As polls close I would like to thank all of the Scottish Liberal Democrat candidates and activists who have worked so hard to deliver a positive and energetic campaign from

…

Posted in News | Tagged 2026 holyrood elections, 2026 local elections and 2026 senedd elections | Leave a comment

How to support Tom Gordon, Helen Morgan and Wendy Chamberlain in the London Marathon

By The Voice | Sat 25th April 2026 - 2:30 pm

Three of our MPs will be on the carb loading today as they prepare to take part in the London Marathon tomorrow.

Tom Gordon, Helen Morgan and Wendy Chamberlain are tackling the 26 mile, 385 yard course starting in Blackheath and finishing on the Mall.

Here at LDV Towers we have our app set up to track them, despite our slight reservations about technology that allows you to do this. Helen’s number is 62224, Tom’s is 59608 and Wendy’s is 72506.

It would be incredibly …

Posted in Op-eds | 1 Comment

Ed Davey: Hillary Clinton told me to “stand up to bullies” like Reform UK

By The Voice | Tue 14th April 2026 - 4:19 pm

Embed from Getty Images

Posted in News | 2 Comments

Greene: Offord must tell Scots if he’ll risk free prescriptions

By The Voice | Mon 13th April 2026 - 11:10 pm

Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate for Inverclyde, Jamie Greene, has called for Reform UK’s Malcom Offord to come clean on whether he would make Scots pay for medicine.

In 2025, Lord Offord wrote in a Centre for Policy Studies paper that “dialogue” was needed on making people in Scotland pay prescription charges.

Mr Greene claimed that it was Offord’s responsibility to tell the Scottish people exactly what the consequences of voting for Reform UK would be for hard-pressed Scots.

Reform’s UK boss Nigel Farage has a history of flirting with NHS charging and privatisation, once advocating that the health service moves …

Posted in News, Press releases and Scotland | Tagged jamie greene, NHS and reform uk | 2 Comments

Wendy Chamberlain to run London Marathon

By The Voice | Sun 12th April 2026 - 2:15 pm

It says something about Wendy Chamberlain’s capacity for hard work that in amongst being Chief Whip, an energetic constituency MP, and running the Scottish elections that she’s going to be running the London Marathon two weeks today.

Here she is talking to Radio 5 Live about it this week:

Obviously we wish Wendy all the best in her endeavour, but we should all really put our money where our mouths are too. Wendy is using her run as an opportunity to raise money for two charities very close to her heart.

Wendy has been raising the issue of PANS PANDAS ever since a constituent came to her not long after she was elected. Donate here.

PANS PANDAS UK is a charity that was established by a dedicated group of parents with children that are affected by these conditions who were determined to make a difference to how these conditions are understood by both the general public and the medical profession.

I came across the conditions during my constituency work when I was contacted by a family who were struggling to support their daughter and navigating health and education challenges. I became a member of the All Party Parliamentary Group for PANS PANDAs and led a debate in Parliament. Following the General Election in 2024 I secured a meeting for the charity with the relevant health minister.

Support for PANS PANDAS remains very patchy with families often dependent on having a supportive GP who is willing to consider the conditions as the cause of the very distressing symptoms that include OCD, tics, restrictive eating behaviours, anxiety and enuresis. The money raised from my maraton efforts will be used to support further research.

And we know from her Carer’s Leave Act how much supporting carers means to her. She is also raising money for Fife Carers’ Centre. Donate here.

Posted in News | Tagged featured, london marathon and wendy chamberlain | Leave a comment

Campaigner to take part in Kiltwalk to raise money for Scottish Autism

By The Voice | Tue 7th April 2026 - 4:41 pm

Lib Dem campaigner, Michael Gregori, is taking part in the Glasgow Kiltwalk on Sunday, 26th April, in support of Scottish Autism — one of Scotland’s leading charities dedicated to supporting autistic people and their families.

The Glasgow Kiltwalk brings together thousands of participants from across Scotland each year. Walkers take on routes through the heart of the city to raise funds and awareness for causes close to their hearts. Every penny donated and every mile walked goes toward strengthening local charities and the communities they serve.

By participating in the event, Michael Gregori aims to raise vital funds and shine a light on the invaluable work Scottish Autism does every day to enhance the quality of life for individuals on the autism spectrum. The charity provides essential care, education, advocacy, and support services to both autistic people and their families across Scotland.

Posted in News | Leave a comment

Depeerage packages

By The Voice | Wed 1st April 2026 - 7:30 am

Ninety-two hereditary Peers of the Realm are packing up their ermine and saying farewell to their traditional home from home. As Liberal Democrats we are pleased that Parliament has taken one more step towards the full reform of the House of Lords – although we won’t rest until we have a fully elected Upper House.

But spare a thought for those departing peers. They are the product of families who have served this country for many hundreds of years, with many lifetimes of experience in scrutinising legislation. Many of them have been highly effective members and will be missed as individuals. Some will, no doubt, be returning as appointed life peers but the majority will just have to leave that exciting life behind them and go back to their mundane homes and families. We should acknowledge the contribution they have made to our country and help them to make the transition.

Liberal Democrats are proposing that departing hereditary peers should be offered a Depeerage Package. The exact contents are under debate but are expected to include the following:

Free lifetime access to the bars and dining rooms in the Palace of Westminster
Counselling services and yoga therapy for withdrawal symptoms
Access to a specialist private care home if needed
Severance lump sum calculated as two daily allowances for each year of service in the Lords.
Dedicated 24 hour help line – at least for the first year.
A farewell goodie bag containing aromatherapy oils, Jaffa cakes and a House of Lords teddy bear.

If you have any suggestions for additional items please tell us in the comments below.

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged hereditary peers | 8 Comments

Davey: Lib Dems have the wind in our sails

By The Voice | Tue 31st March 2026 - 7:30 am

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton and Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey yesterday declared that the wind is in the party’s sails as they took to the water on a visit in Edinburgh.

After sailing a boat under the iconic Forth bridges, the party leaders set out their desire to “smash the Scottish Conservatives and dismantle the acid yellow wall of the SNP” to a horde of party activists.

The party is targeting ten constituency seats across Scotland having proven that it can gain seats from the SNP, while taking seats on the peach regional ballot paper by targeting moderate voters shocked …

Posted in Press releases and Scotland | Tagged 2026 scottish parliament elections, Alex Cole-Hamilton and ed davey | Leave a comment

WATCH: Hina Bokhari speak to yesterday’s Together Alliance march in London

By The Voice | Sun 29th March 2026 - 2:03 pm

Yesterday, Together Alliance, a coalition of civil society groups aimed at standing up to the far right held a march in London at which our Leader in the London Assembly, Hina Bokhari, spoke.

Watch her speech here.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Hina Bokhari OBE AM (@hinabokharild)

Posted in News | Tagged hina bokhari, islamaphobia and racism | 8 Comments

The Party President reports back… February/March 2026

By The Voice | Fri 27th March 2026 - 5:28 pm

Here at Liberal Democrat Towers, we know that Party President, Josh Babarinde MP exists – we’re on his constituency mailing list bringing us news of his campaigns in sunny Eastbourne – nice place, pity that Sussex County Cricket Club dropped Saffrons Week more than two decades ago…

But, if you’d been wondering what he’s been doing since he was passed a copy of “On Liberty” by his predecessor, Baron Pack of Crouch Hill (you did let him have it, didn’t you, Mark?), we can report that he’s allowed something to be placed on …

Posted in Party Presidency | Tagged josh babarinde | Leave a comment

Welsh Party Leaders debate in Haverfordwest… want to be there?

By The Voice | Wed 25th March 2026 - 1:22 pm

Here at LDV Towers, we receive all sorts of interesting invitations, most of which we can’t respond to. You know, we’re busy people with jobs and other commitments.

But here’s one that we’ve been asked to share with you…

The BBC Wales Your Voice Live: Ask the Leader is on Wednesday, April 8th in Haverfordwest.

The audience will have the opportunity to put questions to the leaders of the Welsh Conservatives, Plaid Cymru and Welsh Liberal Democrats ahead of the Senedd election in May.

BBC Cymru are looking for audience members and, as they are …

Posted in Events and Wales | Tagged Hustings, jane dodds and welsh elections 2026 | 1 Comment

Maiden speech: Baroness Sarah Teather

By The Voice | Mon 23rd March 2026 - 9:30 pm

On 11 March, as some of us were making our way towards York, the former MP for Brent East, and subsequently, Brent Central, Sarah Teather, was getting to her feet during a debate on the Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Bill…

My Lords, I am grateful for the opportunity to make my maiden speech here during this Second Reading debate. Supporting children and tackling the impact of poverty and disadvantage have been core themes of my work, both in the other place and in my charity and NHS board roles since.

I will turn to the substance of the Bill in a moment and say some personal words about myself at the close. First, I hope noble Lords will indulge me in offering some heartfelt thanks. I am indebted to the many people who have guided me so patiently in my first few weeks. Having done my apprenticeship at the other end, this place is at once both familiar and very different. I am still navigating by reference to glimpses of green carpet that border red, meaning getting anywhere is taking me twice as long as it should.

I am particularly grateful to Black Rod’s team and to the doorkeepers, who made heroic efforts to support my husband, who is a wheelchair user, at my introduction, as they have today. He is here to listen, along with my parents, and I am very grateful to them for being here. I thank the clerks, the Lord Speaker, the attendants and my supporters — my noble friends Lord Dholakia and Lady Kramer — and the youthful staff team in the Lib Dem Whips Office, who are a daily source of facts, sanity and humour.

The Bill is hugely welcome. While some might say that it is not before time, I want instead to recognise the work done by the Minister in this House—the noble Baroness, Lady Sherlock—and the Secretary of State in the other place to bring this Bill forward. I served as Children and Families Minister, and I recall the uphill task of co-ordinating child poverty strategy across departmental silos and coalition “differences of opinion” as somewhere between cat herding and global hostage negotiation—skills that might yet come in handy if we end up in protracted ping-pong here.

Posted in Parliament | Tagged maiden speeches and sarah teather | Leave a comment

What’s on at Conference today?

By The Voice | Sun 15th March 2026 - 8:37 am

Today at Conference, after a hotly contested emergency motions ballot, Conference will be debating a motion by the Young Liberals which would introduce a ratings system for social media for under 18s. You can read it in Conference Extra here.

Local Government finance and a motion on how to deal with Trump’s increasingly illegal and dangerous policies are also on the agenda before Conference ends with Ed Davey’s keynote speech.

Here’s the full agenda:

09.00–09.30

F15 Emergency motion – Social media for under 18s

09.30–10.00

F16 Question and Answer Session: Parliamentary Parties

10.00-10.15

F17 Speech: Peter Taylor, Elected Mayor of Watford

Posted in News | Tagged 2026 spring conference | Leave a comment

Scottish Lib Dems support gaming industry

By The Voice | Tue 24th February 2026 - 9:55 am

The gaming industry contributes £188.4 million annually to Scotland’s economy and provides 2181 full time jobs but it’s been facing some challenges in recent years, not least from funding streams drying up thanks to Brexit. A motion introduced by our candidate and, we hope, future MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Neil Alexander. Neil knows what he is talking about as he worked in the industry for 8 years. By the way, Neil’s social media output is the best in the business. Follow him on Instagram here.

The motion calls for:

Establish regional “hubs” across all areas of Scotland for both digital media and video games industry, providing low-cost office space for both sectors, rather than the rent-a-desk options currently available.
Create a Games Innovation Centre to act as a central hub for research, development and expertise sharing, supporting new start-ups with vital business skills.
Launch a new pilot fund to support targeted sector growth for newer start-up studios.
Condition access to any public funding or support body on games companies adhering to fair work practices, such as Fair Work First, to ensure the fair treatment of all employees within the industry across Scotland.
Develop a new educational strategy which actively engages industry-leading experts and supports the next generation of high-quality university courses, putting practical experience, such as guaranteed industry placements.
Explore business rates exemptions for digital media and video games start-ups for the period of a first product release window while these companies establish a steady revenue stream.

Here’s Neil’s speech proposing the motion:

Posted in News | Tagged 2026 scottish spring conference, economy, gaming, inverness and nairn and neil alexander | Leave a comment

Sanne Djikstra-Downie on the importance of Pupil Support Assistants

By The Voice | Mon 23rd February 2026 - 11:55 am

Sanne Dijkstra-Downie will, we hope, be an MSP in May. She is standing in the target constituency of Edinburgh Northern and heads the Lothians list.

At Scottish Conference this week, she spoke in our pre-manifesto debate to highlight one particular commitment which is particularly important to her – the provision of Pupil Support Assistants in schools. The pre-manifesto commits us to:

Boost in-class support in every school by inflation-proofing Pupil Equity 270 Funding, hiring more pupil support assistants (PSAs), and ensuring teachers 271 are given proper stable contracts instead of short-term and zero hours work.

Sanne said:

As one of your candidates in May I am so pleased to stand here to speak in support of our pre manifesto, and I absolutely love that line – change with fairness at its heart.

I know we talk a lot about change, and we talk a lot about fairness.

But I especially love the word “heart” in there. Because heart is what we as Liberal Democrats bring to our politics every single day.

And I want to speak to a very specific commitment in our pre manifesto that to me personifies that heart – something means a lot to me personally. And that is our commitment to more pupil support assistants in schools.

In all my time as a parent and as a councillor working closely with my local schools, I have never heard anyone say: we have too many PSAs. We have too much support or even enough support. Quite the opposite.

PSAs support our children’s learning and our children’s wellbeing. Their job is so wide ranging that Edinburgh Council’s own job description for PSAs runs to 8 pages.

PSAs are there to support kids without additional needs, and with additional needs, and they are especially valuable for those kids who have a slightly harder time at school, for whatever reason.

Posted in News | Tagged 2026 scottish spring conference, additional support needs, education, pre-manifesto, schools and SEND | Leave a comment

Willie Rennie’s tribute to Jim Wallace

By The Voice | Wed 4th February 2026 - 1:58 pm

It is part of Jim Wallace’s legacy that three of our MSPs worked for him in some capacity. Willie Rennie was the Chief Executive of the Scottish Lib Dems who helped us win 17 seats in the new Scottish Parliament in 1999. He then went to Holyrood to head up our operation there for the first term.

This is his tribute to Jim yesterday:

The text is below:

Posted in News | Tagged jim wallace, tributes and willie rennie | Leave a comment

Alex Cole-Hamilton’s tribute to Jim Wallace

By The Voice | Wed 4th February 2026 - 12:58 pm

Alex Cole-Hamilton also worked for Jim Wallace – in the Scottish Parliament Liberal Democrat staff pool.

Here is his tribute in yesterday’s Scottish Parliament session, detailing when Jim and his wife Rosie first met. The rest of the speeches can be seen here.

The text is below.

Posted in News | Tagged Alex Cole-Hamilton, jim wallace and tributes | Leave a comment

Federal Board seeks volunteers for 26 vital roles

By The Voice | Thu 22nd January 2026 - 7:30 am

It’s that time, at the start of every Federal Committee term of office, when the Federal Board seeks volunteers to fill key roles in the party, ranging from members of the Finance and Audit Committees, to the person who chairs the Committee that selects our election strategy, to working on membership, training and diversity.

In the olden days, these roles were advertised in a manner akin to Arthur Dent’s experience in Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy:

Yes,” said Arthur, “yes I did. It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying ‘Beware of the Leopard.”

When I was on Federal Board I made sure that these roles were advertised to a wider audience on here and today, new President Josh Babarinde has emailed party members with details.

This is your chance to directly influence the Party’s direction in a volunteer committee role.

Following the election of our new Federal Board, we’re seeking dedicated members to fill 26 vital positions that will shape our strategy, values, and effectiveness as an organisation.

These aren’t just administrative roles – you’ll be working alongside passionate party members to ensure the Liberal Democrats remain an effective, supportive, and inclusive force for change.

Positions available:

Posted in News | Tagged federal board and party roles | 4 Comments