Category Archives: News

Caron Lindsay

Are you planning on being an agent at the General Election?

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 2nd August 2023 - 5:56 pm

If so, you’re an absolute hero. The job of agent, keeping the candidate and campaign on the right side of the law, recording donations and making the returns to the Electoral Commission is essential. It’s hard work and it doesn’t end on polling day. I feel like we need to appreciate those who act as agents more.

For this coming election, all election agents need to be certified by the Party as required by the Electoral Commission.  This is a really good thing as it means that every agent will have been through training and will know where to get help should they need it during the campaign. It also makes the job a lot less scary if you feel that you have the right tools at your disposal.

One or two day courses are being run all over the country in the next few months. I’ve signed up for one in, I think, November in Scotland.

It’s really important that every local party identifies who is going to be their agent soon and signs them up for a course.

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Caron Lindsay

Jo Swinson and Duncan Hames welcome third son

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 2nd August 2023 - 11:43 am

Former Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson and her husband Duncan Hames are getting used to being outnumbered by their children at the moment. On Friday night, their third son, Robin arrived.

Last night, his proud mum announced his arrival on Instagram

Welcome to the world, our baby boy Robin! Born at home on Friday night, a happy and healthy 8lb 3oz bundle of love.
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The best things come to those who wait, and though he didn’t appear until 17 days after his due date, he didn’t hang about in the end: first contraction to delivery a very intense 1hr 45mins!
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We’ll never know if it was the dates, raspberry leaf tea, curries, pineapple, birth ball bouncing, multiple sweeps, the more fun ways to induce labour or just the fact that he had to come out sometime. But – well – my waters broke 4 hours after @duncan.hames and I watched Barbie, maybe that was #kenough?

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The Voice

ALDC Campaigner awards – submit your nominations now

By The Voice | Sat 29th July 2023 - 11:29 am

Last week, we invited you to submit your nominations for the Party Awards which will be presented at Conference.

This week, ALDC invited nominations for their equivalent of the Oscars for Lib Dem campaigners. You don’t have to be a member of ALDC to nominate but, let’s face it, if you have anything at all to o with campaigning, you should be a member of ALDC anyway, because you are more likely to win.

From their website:

Each year, we recognise the outstanding work and achievements of Liberal Democrat councillors, campaigners and campaign teams through our Campaigner Awards. And nominations are now open for 2023, sponsored by our print partners, Election Workshop.

THE  CATEGORIES

Best literature – We’re looking for local parties’ examples of well-designed literature with strong messaging, photos and layout. We want to see your best.

Best local election campaign – We’re looking for local parties that have fought effective and strong 2023 local election campaigns. Tell us about your winning strategy. What innovative new ideas did you use? What great literature did you deliver? Did you develop a digital strategy and run a successful online campaign? How did you raise the funds to support your campaign?

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Charles Quinn

ALDC by-election report, 27th July

By Charles Quinn | Fri 28th July 2023 - 5:25 pm

It has been a busy week for by-elections with a number of principal and town council elections and some great Lib Dem victories and performances.

We start with a couple of excellent town council Lib Dem wins.

On Sevenoaks Town Council, Lionel O’Hara gained Northern ward for the Lib Dems from the Conservatives. Impressively this gain now means that the Lib Dems hold every single town councillor and district councillor in Sevenoaks! Congratulations to Cllr O’Hara and the team in Sevenoaks for truly turning the town GOLD!

Sevenoaks TC, Northern
Liberal Democrat (Lionel O’Hara): 351 (73%)
Labour: 131 (27%)

We also held Summerlands ward on Yeovil Town Council with a fantastic 58% of the vote. Congratulations to Cllr Kayleigh Fieldsend and the local team in Yeovil.

Yeovil TC, Summerlands
Liberal Democrats (Kayleigh Fieldsend): 329 (58%)
Independent: 128 (22.6%)
Green Party: 71 (12.5%)
Unaligned: 33 (5.8%)

We have excellent town, parish and community council by-election wins every week up and down the country. Let us know if you have a town or parish election coming up that you are contesting, or a good win, by emailing [email protected] and we will make sure we report it.

We stood in 4 principal by-elections on Thursday – improving our vote share in all of them.

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The Voice

By-Election winner Sarah Dyke to visit Mid Bedfordshire

By The Voice | Wed 26th July 2023 - 9:12 am

It’s just five days since Sarah Dyke became MP for Somerton and Frome in that stunning by-election win.

But she may not hold the crown of most recent by-election winner for long.

Emma Holland-Lindsay hopes to win in Mid Bedfordshire if and when Nadine Dorries ever gets round to resigning.

Emma’s campaign is going well and the odds of a Lib Dem victory are becoming more favourable, shortening to 8/15, while Labour have seen their odds slashed to 4/1 after they failed to win in Uxbridge.

It sounds like that “two horse race” phrase might be used soon….

Here’s our newest MP on her trip east:

Last week marked another stunning success for the Liberal Democrats, now the momentum is with us as we take on this out-of-touch Conservative government.

I’m so proud to be handing the by-election baton to Emma Holland-Lindsey who will make an incredible local champion for people in Bedfordshire.

Just like in Somerset, people here are fed up with having an absent MP failing to stand up for them in Parliament. Families are facing soaring mortgage costs and struggling to see a GP, while there is an endless Conservative circus in Westminster.

It’s clear it’s a two-horse race between the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives in Mid-Bedfordshire.

Emma added:

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Mark Valladares

Lib Dem Lords’ maiden speeches – Earl Russell

By Mark Valladares | Tue 25th July 2023 - 12:16 pm

I noted a few weeks ago that it has been a very long time since there was a Liberal Democrat maiden speech in the Lords but, following the recent hereditary Peer by-election, John Russell took the opportunity to make his maiden speech during a debate on climate change yesterday evening…

My Lords, I rise to speak very aware of the history of this great Chamber, and very aware of my small part in the narrative. I am honoured to be a Member of this House and I wish to thank everyone, particularly the doorkeepers, who have made me so

…

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The Voice

Unsolved burglaries soar to more than 580 a day

By The Voice | Tue 25th July 2023 - 10:01 am

A staggering 213,279 burglaries went unsolved across England and Wales in the 2022/2023 financial year – an average of 584 a day, new analysis by the Liberal Democrats of Home Office statistics released last week has revealed.

The figures show that in 2022/2023, a grand total of 213,279 burglary investigations across England and Wales were closed without a suspect being identified, accounting for 76.8% of all cases.

The South Yorkshire force recorded the worst outcomes, with a staggering 84.4% of all recorded burglaries going unsolved. They were followed closely by Hampshire Police (83.1%) and the Met (81.6%).

The Liberal Democrats have slammed the …

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Mark Valladares

24 July 2023 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Mon 24th July 2023 - 11:00 pm
  • Lib Dems demand GP rescue plan as one in six left waiting two weeks for appointment
  • Rhodes Fires: Call to protect holidaymakers by adding to no travel list

Lib Dems demand GP rescue plan as one in six left waiting two weeks for appointment

  • One in six (16.5%) GP appointments had waits of two weeks or more over past year
  • The South West was the worst-affected region with one in five (20%)
  • Liberal Democrats call for GP rescue plan over summer including campaign to urge retired GPs to return back to work

One in six GP appointments over the past year involved waits of two weeks or more, House of Commons Library commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.

The figures show the length of time between when a GP appointment was booked and when it took place, with data covering the year to May 2023.

The data shows the South West was the worst-affected region with one in five GP appointments taking place two weeks after being booked over the year. Gloucestershire (24.6%) and Dorset (23.6%) were the top two worst areas for two-week waits in the country. This was more than double the 9.2% of two-week waits in Liverpool.

The Liberal Democrats are calling on the Health Secretary Steve Barclay to launch a GP rescue plan over the summer, including a campaign to urge retired GPs back to the workforce.

It comes after the party’s successful by-election campaign iin Somerton and Frome. The newly elected Lib Dem MP Sarah Dyke campaigned hard on the issue of access to GP appointments in Somerset.

The Liberal Democrats are calling for a new right for patients to see a GP within a week, or within 24 hours if in urgent need. This would be achieved by increasing the number of GPs by 8,000.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey commented:

The Conservative government’s neglect of our local health services is having real consequences for so many. People unable to get a GP appointment are being left waiting in pain, anxious about when they will get the care they deserve.

This week the people of Somerton and Frome spoke for the whole country. They are fed up with this failing government and fed up with ministers who just don’t get it or don’t care.

Conservative ministers must listen for once and come up with a plan to tackle the GP crisis before Parliament returns. That should include a recruitment campaign over the summer to encourage retired GPs back to work.

Ministers should also back the Liberal Democrat plan to guarantee everyone a GP appointment within seven days for a first appointment, or 24 hours if it’s urgent. Anything less would be failing patients up and down the country.

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Caron Lindsay

Party Awards – just over a month to get your nominations in

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 23rd July 2023 - 11:55 am

There’s just over a month to get your nominations in for the party awards which will be presented at Autumn Conference.

You need to get your nominations together by 24th August.

All the information you need about how to do this is here.

The awards being presented in Bournemouth are:

The President’s Award

Eligibility: open to any Party Member elected to public office and who has demonstrated excellence and commitment.

Criteria: the winner will be recognised for outstanding commitment and service to the Party. Local, regional, and state parties should be seeking to nominate people who deserve recognition for their hard work, long service, and demonstrable dedication to the party, at whatever level. It is expected to be special awards to be awarded from the Party for whom public recognition is overdue. Nomination portal

The Harriet Smith Liberal Democrat Distinguished Service Award

Background: this award is named for Harriet Smith, who campaigned and worked tirelessly for the Party, notably alongside Paddy Ashdown, with the Federal Conference Committee, and in the Bath party. A beloved figure, she is also missed from the Conference revue and by the team at the Liberator Magazine.

Eligibility: open to any Party Member never elected to public office.

Criteria: the Harriet Smith Award shares its conditions with the President’s award. Nomination portal

The Belinda Eyre-Brook Award

Background: this award is named for legendary campaigner Belinda Eyre-Brook, whose achievements with the Party include being Ed Davey’s agent in 1997, overturning 15,000 Tory Majority, and establishing one of the party’s longest-serving MPs.

Eligibility: given to recognise and celebrate the efforts of people working for our elected representatives in their local areas – from local party employees to political assistants to council groups, to people working in MPs’ constituency offices.

Criteria: the winner of this award will care about their local area and be committed to the success of Liberal Democrats within it. Turning local political priorities into electoral success, and priorities for elected officials is a key part of the work of successful local Party figures – as is linking with the national party. Nomination portal

The Dadabhai Naoroji Award

Background: this award is named for the ‘Grand Old Man of India’, Liberal MP, and joint founder of the Indian National Congress, Dadabhai Naoroji. His work highlighting the reality of British rule over India and campaign for justice is an example to us all and his place in history, as the first non-white and first Indian Parliamentarian, is assured.

Eligibility: presented annually to the local Party that has done most to promote ethnic minority participants to elected office as Councillors, Assembly Members, Members of Parliament or Members of European Parliament.

Criteria: this award is designed to encourage local parties to work towards the goal of increasing their ethnic diversity to more accurately reflect the areas they represent, and to recognise those that already make a great effort to involve different communities in their work. Nomination portal

The Penhaligon Award

Background: this award is named for former MP David Penhaligon, a cherished former stalwart of the Cornish Party who took the seat of Truro in 1974. David was a prominent figure in the party and the nation and will always be remembered for his succinct advice to local campaigners: “‘stick it on a piece of paper and stuff it through a letterbox’.

Eligibility: any local Party

Criteria: presented to the local party anywhere in the world which demonstrates the most impressive increase in membership and exemplary activities to deliver and involve members and supporters. It recognises the hard work done to build a Party which is attractive and effective at a local level. Nomination portal

The Patsy Calton Award

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The Voice

Look how hard Lib Dem MPs work!

By The Voice | Sun 23rd July 2023 - 9:53 am

As MPs head off on their Summer break, which will often include weeks of visiting every community in their constituencies, the House of Commons Library has produced a sort of “end of term report” which shows how much they have contributed in this Parliament from December 2019 to the beginning of this month.

To access the data, you need to go to this page and put in their constituencies. You will then see the four graphics for each of them.

You can see how many debates they have taken part in, how they voted, how many questions they have asked, how many words they have spoken, what Committees they are on and there’s even a word cloud which shows the words they use most. It’s hardly a surprise that people, health and community feature so strongly. As well as the names of their constituencies.

When you consider that the average length of a novel is around 90,000 words, and most of our MPs are well over that, it shows just how much they contribute to life in Parliament.

A few MPs’ local papers have highlighted that they are the hardest working MPs in their area.

The Edinburgh Reporter stated that Christine Jardine was Lothians’ busiest MP:

Earlier this year, Ms Jardine was re-selected as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Edinburgh West at the next general election, having first taken the seat from the SNP in 2017.

Christine Jardine MP said:  “It is a real privilege to represent the people of Edinburgh West in the House of Commons, and I see these figures as little more than a spur to do so much more.

“For me the most important thing is being available to constituents and anyone who lives in Edinburgh West can make an appointment to meet me in my office or at my surgeries around the constituency, to discuss any issues they may be having.

“So often what we do in Parliament is as a result of issues that constituents bring to the office, rather than any party policy or point to be made.

“But for me, these figures also prove that when people elect a Liberal Democrat, they get a Member of Parliament that will always fight their corner in Westminster.

“I am committed to making our community a better place to live and work for everyone, and I will continue to stand up for what is right for Edinburgh West.”

Behind a paywall, the Courier highlighted that Wendy Chamberlain was the hardest working MP in Fife and Tayside.

These figures are truly impressive when you consider that they only spend around 40 weeks of the year in Parliament and they do so much more work in their constituencies attending events, holding surgeries. That’s not to mention what they do on the media, going on things like Any Questions and Newsnight and the local press or what they do for the party, going to dinners and regional and state party conferences.

Here’s how many words each of our team has spoken in this Parliament, and the percentage of votes they have taken part in.

The OGs

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Charles Quinn

ALDC By-Election Report 20th July 2023

By Charles Quinn | Fri 21st July 2023 - 6:35 pm

While attention may well have been on this week’s three Parliamentary by-elections, there have also been Council by-elections across Britain with some great holds for the Lib Dems and some very tight and dramatic results.

Firstly we would like to say a huge congratulations to Cllr Raymond ‘Truck’ Evans and Ceredigion Lib Dems for holding Llanfarian ward on the Ceredigion County Council.

We know the local team worked extremely hard for the win, beating Plaid Cymru by 8 votes. Such a narrow victory shows that every single leaflet and every single door knocked on really does count!

Congratulations once again to Councillor Evans and the local team.

Ceredigion CC, Llanfarian
Liberal Democrat (Raymond Evans): 298 (48.2%, -19.8)
Plaid Cymru: 290 (46.9%, +15.0)
Conservative: 30 (4.9%, +4.9)

Our second win of the evening came on Dorchester Town Council as Cllr Kate Reid held the seat of Dorchester East for the Lib Dems.

It was a competitive election with all 4 main parties standing plus an independent. But well done to Kate and the local team for polling exactly double the number of votes as the Green Party in second place.

Congratulations Cllr Reid on a great win!

Dorchester TC, Dorchester East
Liberal Democrat (Kate Reid): 480 (39.6%)
Green Party: 240 (19.8%)
Independent:181 (14.9%)
Conservative: 168 (13.9%)
Labour: 142 (11.7%)

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Mary Reid

Rosie Jones is a brave woman

By Mary Reid | Fri 21st July 2023 - 4:14 pm

Yesterday evening I watched Rosie Jones’ programme on Channel 4 about ableist trolling and would strongly encourage you to watch it too. In case you haven’t come across the term before I rather like this explanation:

Ableism is the discrimination of and social prejudice against people with disabilities based on the belief that typical abilities are superior. At its heart, ableism is rooted in the assumption that disabled people require ‘fixing’ and defines people by their disability. Like racism and sexism, ableism classifies entire groups of people as ‘less than,’ and includes harmful stereotypes, misconceptions, and generalizations of people with disabilities.

There is meta-irony in the fact that Rosie Jones has been trolled for her choice of title for the programme: “Rosie Jones: Am I a R*tard?”. In fact she spends the first few minutes explaining why she decided to go with those words, and even before the programme started the continuity announcer had warned us that it contained offensive language.

But the shock value was justified. Some time ago the she had used a company to remove offensive material from her Twitter feed, but in the programme she asked them to show her what she had been missing. I do hope she was receiving counselling at this point, because it was pretty awful.

She homed in on the use of the term “retard”, and then decided to report one of the comments to Twitter as a test case and ask them to remove it. Twitter responded suspiciously quickly and said that they couldn’t see anything offensive in the use of the term. She became very angry at that point, on behalf of the many disabled users who might have also reported similar tweets. When she discussed that response with a social media expert she learnt that it was an automated response, so she needed to find a way to speak to a real person. So she delivered a cookie (geddit?), decorated with the offending tweet, to the headquarters of Twitter UK, and that seemed to do the trick.

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The Voice

Get these clowns out of No 10!

By The Voice | Fri 21st July 2023 - 10:55 am

Liberal Democrats teased us with this cryptic graphic earlier this morning.

What did it mean? (Hint: We’re going to need a bigger tractor)

Well, now we know what the two queries stand for:

A circus cannon and “Get these clowns out of No 10!”

 

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The Voice

The reactions and the speech

By The Voice | Fri 21st July 2023 - 10:24 am

Last night’s result in Somerton and Frome was astonishing, wasn’t it?  Ed Davey released a comment soon after the result was announced.

This stunning victory shows the Liberal Democrats are firmly back in the West Country.

Sarah Dyke will be an incredible local champion for the people of Somerset who have been neglected for far too long. She will fight for stronger local health services, better access to GPs and a fair deal for rural communities during this cost of living crisis.

The people of Somerton and Frome have spoken for the rest of the country who are fed up with Rishi Sunak’s out-of-touch Conservative government.

Then Twitter got pretty busy.

And here is the moment when the result was announced.

Here is Sarah Dyke’s victory speech:

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The Voice

++BREAKING NEWS++ Massive success in Somerton & Frome

By The Voice | Fri 21st July 2023 - 2:56 am

“I think we’re going to need a bigger tractor”

The news from Somerton & Frome has surpassed even our most optimistic predictions.

  • Sarah Dyke, Liberal Democrat: 21,187 (54.6%)
  • Conservative: 10, 179 (26.2%)
  • Green: 3,944 (10.2%)
  • Labour: 1009 (2.6%)

That’s a 29% swing from Conservatives to Liberal Democrats.

Huge congratulations to Sarah Dyke MP, and to everyone involved in the campaign.

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The Liberator Collective

Liberator 418 is out!

By The Liberator Collective | Wed 19th July 2023 - 12:50 pm

What’s inside this issue?

You can download Liberator 418 for free here: 

https://liberatormagazine.org.uk/recent-issues/

 

“PAPERS PLEASE”.

Voter ID has caused a damaging fall in the number of people who can vote and must be reversed before the assault on democracy worsens, says Shaun Roberts

 

THE DIVIDE STARTS TO BREAK.

Stephen Farry MP reports on the Alliance party’s progress in Northern Ireland as its politics slowly sheds past sectarianism

 

HOW TO SUP WITH STARMER’S DEVILS

It may be necessary to have a tacit ‘progressive alliance’ at the next election but Liberal Democrats should remember that Labour is only slightly better than the Tories, says Peter Wrigley

 

HOW LABOUR KEPT CHERWELL BLUE

Labour scuppered a progressive majority alliance at Cherwell District Council, the last bit of blue in Oxfordshire, says David Hingley

 

WILL THE LAW FINALLY STICK TO THE TEFLON DON?

Donald Trump is in legal trouble, but there could be Republican candidates who are even worse, says Martha Elliott

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NewsHound

LIb Dem led Powys County Council continues free school meal holiday scheme

By NewsHound | Wed 19th July 2023 - 9:07 am

In the middle of a cost of loving crisis, any extra demands on household income can be catastrophic for some families.

The Summer holidays should be a carefree time of play and fun for children. For parents on the lowest incomes, though, it can be incredibly difficult to find the money to provide an extra daily meal if their children are on free school meals.

In Wales, the Labour (just have a think about that for a minute) Government ended the scheme to give families entitled to free school meals vouchers during the Summer holidays. This policy was, of course, introduced during the pandemic by our own brilliant education secretary Kirsty Williams.

However, three Welsh Councils, including Lib Dem led Powys, have decided to take over the scheme so that children do not go hungry during the Summer.

Our Councillor Jake Berriman said:

The late notice that councils across Wales were given about this scheme stopping would have had a detrimental impact on low-income families. Not only would they lose out on the voucher scheme but they would also have had a very limited time to adjust their family finances accordingly.

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The Voice

Last day of campaigning in Somerton and Frome – how you can help elect Sarah Dyke

By The Voice | Wed 19th July 2023 - 6:55 am

Imagine how great it would feel to wake up on Friday morning to find that the voters of Somerton and Frome had elected Sarah Dyke as the 15th Lib Dem MP, and the fourth Lib Dem by-election winner in just over two years? You can be part of the campaign either on the ground or from the comfort of your own home. All the information you need to help is here.

Our campaigners have been flocking to this gorgeous bit of Somerset from all over the country.

Scottish Lib Dem Leader Alex Cole-Hamilton is spending the week there:

Eastleigh PPC Liz Jarvis seems to have hardly been away from Somerset these past few weeks:

The place seems to be turning Lib Dem orange:

The Guardian is really positive about our chances:

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The Voice

Nick Harvey to head up European Movement

By The Voice | Tue 18th July 2023 - 8:26 am

Former Lib Dem MP Nick Harvey is to become CEO of the European Movement.

He had been MP for North Devon from 1992-2015. He was armed forces minister during the first two years of the coalition. He was Chief Executive of the Federal Party during Vince Cable’s leadership.

He was always seen as a bit of a eurosceptic in the party, as he had been the only Lib Dem MP to vote against the Maastrict Treaty back in 1992. However,  in his new role, he wants to take Britain back into the EU.

He  said: 

I am absolutely delighted to be joining the European Movement at this pivotal point and looking  forward to the huge challenge of helping put Britain back at the heart of Europe. The EMUK  executive and staff team have worked wonders to get on the front foot again in recent years, with  growing membership and campaigning strength. With public opinion on the European issue shifting  all the time, my aim is to take our message out to new places and people who may have been hard  to reach previously, to restore our cultural, political and economic relationship with Europe.

Vince Cable,  who is Vice-President of The European Movement and former Lib Dem Leader and Business Secretary, added 

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Mark Valladares

NHS waiting lists: One in eight patients in some areas waiting over a year for treatment

By Mark Valladares | Mon 17th July 2023 - 9:10 am
  • Analysis reveals “stark postcode lottery” with Manchester and Brighton hardest hit by waits of one year or more
  • 15% increase in year-long waits across the country, despite government pledge to end them by 2025
  • Lib Dems warn patients are being left waiting in limbo and the NHS is “on its knees”

One in eight NHS patients in some areas of England have been waiting a year or more for treatment, new analysis by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.

The party said the figures revealed patients are facing a stark postcode lottery, with waits of a year or more far more common in some areas …

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Charles Quinn

ALDC by-election report, 13th July 2023

By Charles Quinn | Fri 14th July 2023 - 7:10 pm

This week saw 4 principal council by-elections. There were Lib Dem candidates in all 4 which is a really good benchmark to hit. In all elections the Lib Dem share of the vote moved forwards.

We also celebrated some very impressive gains in Town Council by-elections in Melksham and Chippenham. Congratulations to the local teams there.

Two by-elections took place in Newham LBC. Thank you to David Terrar (Boleyn ward) and Claire Pattie (Well End ward) for making sure there was a Lib Dem choice on the ballot paper. The Lib Dems had not contested the last election in both wards – so this is great progress. In Well End we jumped immediately to 3rd place leapfrogging both the Green Party and Reform UK.

Newham LBC, Boleyn ward
Independent: 1153 (42.5%, +42.5%)
Labour: 871 (32.1%, -27%)
Green Party: 572 (21.1%, +3.5%)
Conservative: 69 (2.5%, -15.6%)
Reform: 23 (0.8%, +0.8%)
Liberal Democrat (David Terrar): 22 (0.8%, +0.8%)

Independent GAIN from Labour

Newham LBC, Well End ward
Labour: 1659 (61.1%, +12.5)
Conservative: 739 (27.2%, +12.3)
Liberal Democrat (Claire Pattie): 138 (5.1%, +5.1%)
Green Party: 123 (4.5%, -4.5)
Reform: 58 (2.1%, -0.2)

Labour HOLD

On Norfolk County Council we had a great result in West Depwade ward – gaining an extra 7.4% of the vote and finishing just 250 votes away from topping the poll. Thank you and congratulations to Ian Spratt on a great result. The Green Party gained the ward from the Conservatives.

Norfolk CC, West Depwade
Green Party: 663 (29%, +19.7%)
Conservative: 582 (25.4%, -18.2%)
Liberal Democrat (Ian Spratt): 409 (17.9%, +7.4%)
Independent: 405 (17.7%, -6%)
Labour: 228 (10%, -2.8%)

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The Voice

London Mayoral shortlist

By The Voice | Thu 13th July 2023 - 5:08 pm

Two candidates have been shortlisted for the selection of our candidate for London Mayor. They are Rob Blackie and Chris French.

London members are invited to a hustings on Sunday 23rd July. Voting will open after that, closing on 9th August. The result will be declared in September.

We have been sent this information about the two candidates:

Rob Blackie advises startup technology companies, working on challenges such as accelerating cancer treatments and tackling climate change. In 2022 Rob founded the award-winning Breaking Putin’s Censorship Campaign – fighting Russian propaganda about the Ukraine war.  Rob is number 2 on the Liberal Democrats London Assembly List for the 2024 elections.

Chris French is a community advocate, working daily with the NHS, local authorities and the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise sectors in tackling health inequalities in the capital.  A former Met Police Special Constable, Chris is the founder of Lambeth Links, the LGBTQ+ forum for Lambeth and Chair of infrastructure charity, LGBT Consortium. Chris is the Lambeth and Southwark London Assembly candidate for the 2024 elections.

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Nick da Costa

Federal Conference Committee report – agenda selection for Autumn Conference

By Nick da Costa | Thu 13th July 2023 - 10:13 am

The Federal Conference Committee met on Saturday to run through a number of items leading up to the Autumn Conference in Bournemouth, which is being held from 23 to 26 September. If you have not yet registered for the conference you can do so via this link. As in Spring we also have an online registration option, which includes streaming of the auditorium and online voting.

Just jumping a little ahead as well, the Federal Conference Committee has announced the 2024 dates and venues for Spring and Autumn Conferences.

Spring Conference

15 to 17 March 2024 to be held in York

Autumn Conference

14-17 September 2024 to be held in Brighton

At our meeting this Saturday we discussed a number of items relating to the upcoming and future conferences, including the agenda selection (which I will come onto shortly), and also set-piece speeches and the structure and format of conference. We also reviewed some of the options for future conferences as well and will be announcing more on this once we have confirmed venues and options.

As part of the agenda selection process, we also reviewed a number of standing order amendments that the Federal Conference Committee will be submitting ourselves, as part of our Constitution and Standing Orders Tidy Up Working Group. This initial round is based on feedback from members and also the Committee.

Aside from this meeting, the FCC’s Innovation Working Group will be meeting in the next few weeks to start preliminary works on ideas and concepts that will then be introduced at the Conferences in 2024 and onwards. One of the areas the Working Group will most certainly consider will be further enhancements to the hybridisation at Conference.

Conference is an excellent opportunity to engage with members from all across the country, to influence the party policy and strategy, and to a huge array of fringe and training events, which I recommend those attending to take full advantage of.

The agenda for conference, including the text of motions, policy papers and timings, will be published soon. As per usual, the Conference will include a range of different and interesting policy motions and debates, the Leader’s Speech, various committee and parliamentary reports, the Leader’s Q&A, plus a couple of policy consultations and a few set-piece speeches. As confirmed earlier this year, Kira Rudik (Leader of our sister party in Ukraine, member of the Ukrainian Parliament, and Vice President of ALDE) will be speaking at Conference, and also taking part in a Q&A fringe session as well.

It is possible that this is the last Autumn Conference in advance of a General Election, we have also asked the Chair of the Federal Elections and Campaigns Committee, Baroness Kath Pinnock, Director of Field Campaigns, David McCobb, and the Party CEO, Mike Dixon, to provide a General Election Briefing as an auditorium session.

We received a large number of motions from across the party, and are extremely grateful for the time and effort that members make in formulating policy motions and ideas for debate at Conference. We really wish that we could select so many more that ended up on the final list, but as always time at conference is at a premium and a large number of motions, although selected in the first round, did not make it through the second round when we then started to look at reducing timings.

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Mark Valladares

10 July 2023 – today’s press release

By Mark Valladares | Mon 10th July 2023 - 7:30 pm

Privileges Committee: Sunak must back amendment on sanctions for Dorries and Rees-Mogg

The Liberal Democrats have called on Rishi Sunak to confirm that he will support potential sanctions against Nadine Dorries, Jacob Rees-Mogg and five other Conservative MPs for undermining the Commons’ partygate investigation into Boris Johnson.

It comes ahead of a debate in the Commons on the Privileges Committee report this afternoon, including on a Liberal Democrat amendment that would refer the seven MPs for potential sanctions.

If passed, the amendment would refer the seven MPs back to the committee, to decide whether their conduct amounted to contempt of Parliament. If …

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Charles Quinn

ALDC by-election report, 6th July 2023

By Charles Quinn | Fri 7th July 2023 - 10:33 pm

There were 3 principal council by-elections this week. One on Tuesday and two more on Thursday.

We start off with the fantastic Liberal Democrat win in Maidstone Central ward on Kent County Council. In a super-marginal ward, newly elected Councillor Chris Passmore and the Lib Dem team were able to fight off strong challenge from the Green Party.

Congratulations to Chris and the team for such a hard-fought and well-deserved win. It was very close with just 11 votes in it. Every door knocked on, and every bit of literature delivered really counted!

The campaign also received a fighting fund grant from ALDC. Congratulations again to the team in Kent.

Kent CC, Maidstone Central
Liberal Democrat (Chris Passmore): 1,860
Green Party: 1,849
Conservative: 1,564
Labour: 914
Reform: 278
Independent: 56

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Mark Valladares

6 July 2023 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Thu 6th July 2023 - 10:55 pm
  • Sunak must show some backbone & commit to voting to suspend Pincher
  • Horizon deal: Refusing to sign up would be “needless act of self-harm”
  • Layla Moran calls for sanction of Hong Kong officials
  • Covid inquiry court ruling: Victory for transparency and humiliating defeat for Sunak

Sunak must show some backbone & commit to voting to suspend Pincher

Responding to the news that the House of Commons standards committee has said Chris Pincher should be suspended, Liberal Democrat Chief Whip Wendy Chamberlain MP said:

Chris Pincher adds his name to the long list of disgraced former Conservatives caught up in sleaze and scandal.

After missing so many vital votes in Parliament, Rishi Sunak must finally show some backbone and confirm he will vote to suspend Chris Pincher.

Sunak promised to govern with integrity, he must vote with it.

Horizon deal: Refusing to sign up would be “needless act of self-harm”

Responding to reports that the UK and EU have reached a draft deal on Horizon Europe but that Rishi Sunak has not yet signed it off, Liberal Democrat Europe Spokesperson Layla Moran MP commented:

Refusing to sign up to research cooperation with Europe would be a senseless act of self-harm.

We’ve seen too many false dawns over Horizon Europe, every day that is wasted means more scientists deprived of funding.

The Government has trashed our relationship with Europe, put up needless trade barriers and prevented scientists from cooperating on everything from tackling climate change to curing cancer.

It’s vital that Rishi Sunak approves this deal as soon as possible – it’s a no brainer.

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The Voice

Half a million comments!!

By The Voice | Thu 6th July 2023 - 8:15 am

Today we reached an amazing milestone. Since Lib Dem Voice was first started in 2006 we have published 500,000 comments.

Lib Dem Voice was created by Rob Fenwick, and its Founding Editors were Alex Foster and Will Howells.  Regular contributors included  Mark Pack (whatever became of him?) and Richard Huzzey. Over the years quite a few Lib Dems have been privileged to edit these pages.

Huge thanks go to you, our readers, for engaging with our blog and adding your thoughts to the discussions.

Our 500,000th comment was posted today by Michal Siewniak on this post. He writes:

75 years of the NHS. Wow, what a milestone! The only global service of its kind when it was first set up. It served and treated for decades millions of people. The establishment of the NHS was a model for other countries across the world, which tried to replicate it. The NHS brought together expertise, professionalism and diversity of its incredible talented and dedicated workforce. The NHS needs us now; we need to do everything, despite various challenges, to keep it alive and find a way to ensure that it stays “fit for purpose” and sustainable. easy task? No, but we must give it a go. Too many people rely on it and too many of us will need it now or in the future.

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Mark Valladares

5 July 2023 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Wed 5th July 2023 - 10:30 pm
  • Ed Davey warns social care “avalanche” threatens to bury NHS as figures reveal hospitals hardest hit by delayed discharges
  • Ofwat chief exec admits water bills will go up: Time for a proper regulator with teeth
  • Sunak has “thrown in the towel” one year on after resigning from Johnson government

Ed Davey warns social care “avalanche” threatens to bury NHS as figures reveal hospitals hardest hit by delayed discharges

  • Ed Davey gives speech to LGA Conference warning of impending catastrophe for NHS unless government fixes social care crisis
  • New analysis reveals hospitals lost 128,000 bed days in May to delayed discharges, up 40% compared to last year
  • NHS trusts hardest hit by delayed discharges include Liverpool, Leeds, East Sussex and Surrey
  • Lib Dem Leader calls for a Carer’s Minimum Wage to fix social care staffing crisis

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey will tomorrow warn that a social care “avalanche” is “threatening to bury the NHS”, in a speech to the Local Government Association’s annual conference.

It comes as new research has revealed the hospitals hardest hit by delayed discharges, with thousands of bed days being lost because medically fit patients are stuck in hospital waiting for care.

The House of Commons Library analysis commissioned by the Liberal Democrats reveals the NHS lost over 128,800 bed days to delayed discharges from hospital in May, up 32% on the same period last year. The vast majority (82%) of bed days lost involved patients who been stuck in hospital for three weeks or more.

The NHS trusts with the highest number of bed days lost to delayed discharges were Liverpool University Hospitals (8,146), East Sussex (4,505), Leeds Teaching Hospitals (4,370), University Hospitals Sussex (4,450) and Frimley in Surrey (3,748).

Delayed discharges take place when medically fit patients are unable to leave hospital, often due to a lack of social care.

The Liberal Democrats are calling for the introduction of a Carer’s Minimum Wage, £2 above the minimum wage, to tackle huge shortages in the social care sector. This would help address the staggering 165,000 vacancies in social care, which are leaving far too many patients stranded in hospitals waiting for the care they need.

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Mary Reid

Liberal Democrats celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the NHS

By Mary Reid | Wed 5th July 2023 - 10:29 am

Today is the 75th birthday of our much beloved, but beleaguered, NHS.

Ed Davey said:

With parents who passed away when I was young, looking after my Gran, now caring for my disabled son, throughout my life the NHS has been there. Often through really tough times and the more joyful birth of my children.

I am fiercely proud that it remains one of the most iconic services we have in the UK free to everyone.

The best birthday gift of all would be to put the NHS back on a stable footing, by increasing the number of available GP appointments, ending the long waits for ambulances, and closing the growing divide between those that can access dental care and those who can’t.

Daisy Cooper is our spokesperson for Health, Wellbeing and Social Care and she has written a longer post here. In it she says:

High-quality healthcare, free at the point of use, is essential for individual freedom and good health gives people the freedom to live the lives they choose. And that’s why as Liberals we have always championed the NHS.

We were there at its founding, and helped forge this national institution on the proposals set out in the Beveridge report in 1942.

And we’re here now still fighting for those values across the country.

The next election will give us a real chance to show the country what the Conservative’s dereliction of duty means for their health, and what our plans are to do something about it.

The Liberal Democrats are proud to be champions of the NHS and we will always fight to ensure that the care everyone receives is based on their need, not their ability to pay.

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Doreen Huddart

ALDE Party Congress 2023 – the local government cut

By Doreen Huddart | Sun 2nd July 2023 - 2:02 pm

In addition to all the MEPs, Prime Ministers and Grandees there were also quite a few local Councillors like me in attendance.

The Committee of Regions continued to focus on Local Government issues by mounting a couple of specific interest Fringe sessions.

One regular event is entitled the Liberal Mayors Summit, and despite the poor attendance of Mayors and Group Leaders from the UK ,even when we were in the EU, I’ve fortunately managed to sneak in on a couple of occasions. There were about 20 attending this year, from metropolitan areas across the EU, with representation from well-known cities like Warsaw, Stockholm, St Omer, Bucharest, Split, Budapest, Vienna and smaller less well-known ones from across the EU states. It was good to realise that the Liberal influence is present in so many local authority areas.

The main guest was the very popular Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice President of the European Commission who had delivered a speech about plans to regulate IA.

The agenda included issues about SMEs, and combatting gender-based violence but the item which generated most contributions and took up the majority of time was about The European Year of Skills. Every attendee around the table had prepared a contribution on this subject and I found there was such resonance with issues our own towns and cities are experiencing, I thought it would be of interest to our colleagues here in the UK.

As the discussion went round the table, we heard from every representative about problems that their authority faced in planning for the future. These were an ageing population, a lack of well qualified staff and skilled personnel to fill vacancies, while experiencing an incoming surfeit of unskilled migrants. An interesting example was given of an authority above the Arctic Circle in the North of Finland, which had recognised that it needed to bring in new people if its business and activities were to thrive.

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