Category Archives: News

Act quickly – you might be able to transfer your York hotel booking to next year

By Geoff Payne | Fri 13th March 2020 - 1:55 pm

No-one was more disappointed than we were that our Spring Conference was cancelled – although that it was undoubtedly the right thing to do. The reasons in full are here

The Conference Office has today sent a message out to everyone who registered setting out their options for their registration fee. The choices are:

1. Donate your fee to the Conference Fund for the Liberal Democrats. Please note that the event insurance that we had does not cover any of our costs for conference – contagious diseases are now a standard exemption from all event policies,
2. Obtain a complimentary four day (week pass) to Autumn Conference: 26-29 September 2020 in Brighton,
3. Obtain a full refund.

We have negotiated with LNER to secure refunds on train bookings for those who booked direct.

Importantly, we have also accelerated our contractual negotiations with regard to Spring 2021. That means that we can now announce that we will be in York again next March. The dates are 19th-21st March. We hope that announcing that now will allow people to transfer hotel bookings with minimal or no cost.

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Mary Reid

How to reduce the costs of cancellation of Spring Conference

By Mary Reid | Fri 13th March 2020 - 12:55 pm

An email has just been sent to everyone who had booked for Spring Conference.

As you will know, the Federal Board took a decision to cancel Spring Conference earlier this week.  You can find its statement setting out the reasons here: https://www.libdems.org.uk/spring-conference

We appreciate that you were looking forward to conference, as were we.  Under the circumstances, we would like to offer you the following options with regards to your conference registration fee:

1. Donate your fee to the Conference Fund for the Liberal Democrats.  Please note that our event insurance will not cover any of our costs for conference as it

…

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Mary Reid

Yesterday’s by-elections

By Mary Reid | Fri 13th March 2020 - 11:58 am

Huge congratulations to Ollie Patrick who held on to Parrett in South Somerset with 52% of the vote and to Manuela Perteghella who gained Welford-on-Avon with 43%!

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Mary Reid

Coronavirus and elections

By Mary Reid | Thu 12th March 2020 - 6:57 pm

The Electoral Commission has recommended that the May local elections be postponed until the Autumn.

The Government has not yet responded but we will bring you the news when we hear.

Tomorrow ALDC will also be updating their advice to campaigners and canvassers in the light of today’s announcements from the Government. Again we will share as soon as we know.

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The Voice

Breaking: Spring Conference cancelled

By The Voice | Wed 11th March 2020 - 9:47 pm

The Party’s Federal Board has tonight decided to cancel the Spring Conference due to take place this weekend.

In a joint statement, Party President Mark Pack, Chief Executive Mike Dixon and Federal Conference Committee Chair Geoff Payne said:

Following careful consideration of the latest health advice and risks, the Federal Board has tonight decided to cancel our federal conference this weekend.

It’s not a decision that was taken lightly as conference plays a key role in our democratic party as well as being an important training and information exchange event. However, the health of our members and supporters, the staff who work on conference and the wider public is far more important.

We have noted today’s announcement from the WHO, treating this as a pandemic and calling for “urgent and aggressive action”, and also how other organisations have started cancelling events, such as the Royal College of Psychiatrists stopping all meetings with over 100 people. We have also paid close attention to the public health advice from the NHS, and note that some of the advice, such as around keeping distant from people who are ill, is in practice very hard to follow given the format of our conference involves large numbers of strangers sitting close to each other for extended periods of time.

We are aware that many people, particularly those in high-risk groups, have said in the last few days that they are not coming to conference. Conference operates on the principle of ‘one member, one vote’. We very much want to avoid a situation where people feel unable to particulate in our democratic decision-making because of fears over their health.

It’s a matter of regret that for many people coming to the conference it will not be possible to cancel travel and accommodation arrangements and recover the costs. The party itself will also have to incur significant costs and refunds. We hope though people will understand the priority being given to people’s health.

We will offer refunds on conference registration, though we hope that given the costs the party will have to pay anyway that members who can afford it will be willing to waive the refund and make it a donation to the party instead. Details of how to reclaim registration fees will follow in the next few days.

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NewsHound

Budget reveals weakness of the UK economy – the Lib Dem reaction to the budget

By NewsHound | Wed 11th March 2020 - 4:32 pm


Embed from Getty Images

Responding to the Budget, Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said:

This Budget reveals the UK economy was alarmingly weak even before Coronavirus. The Government is desperate to blame anyone or anything but the reality is that it’s the Conservatives’ Brexit which is costing Britain’s economy dearly.

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NewsHound

Government urged to take extra measures to help homeless people impacted by coronavirus

By NewsHound | Mon 9th March 2020 - 11:59 pm

The Liberal Democrats have urged the Government to make clear what additional measures it will take to help homeless people as the COVID-19 situation continues to escalate.

Writing to the Secretary of State for Housing and the Secretary of State for Health, Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran warned the homeless are “some of the most vulnerable people in our society.”

The Liberal Democrat MP has asked for “an action plan” from the Government, including clarity on whether health checks be administered, especially for rough sleepers, and if emergency accommodation can be provided so that people can self-isolate.

Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran said:

“We …

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NewsHound

Government must announce public health grant amidst Coronavirus crisis

By NewsHound | Mon 9th March 2020 - 10:03 pm

Today the Liberal Democrats have called on the Health Secretary to announce the public health grant amidst the Coronavirus crisis.

Having failed to tell local councils how much the public health grant will be, the Tories have made it all but impossible for councils to ensure our communities have proper healthcare.

Even if it was business as usual this would be shameful, but with the Coronavirus it is nothing short of an abdication of duty. Public health information is vital to lowering the Coronavirus peak, but even more alarming is the inability for local councils to try and address the inevitable gaps …

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The Voice

Ydych chi am helpu i redeg Democratiaid Cymru?

By The Voice | Sat 7th March 2020 - 10:42 am

Do you want to help run the Welsh Liberal Democrats? Nominations for some key committee posts have just opened and will close on 25th March.

Ordinary Member of the Membership Development Committee – 1 vacancy to be filled

Ordinary Member of the Board – 1 vacancy to be filled

Ordinary Member of the Finance & Resources Committee – 2 vacancies to be filled

If that appeals you can find full details on the party website.

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Lord Roger Roberts

Lord Roger Roberts writes … employees from 26 countries work for the House of Lords

By Lord Roger Roberts | Thu 5th March 2020 - 3:26 pm

I didn’t have to wait too long for an answer to my question on how  the House of Lords would function without the work of folk from other countries.

They are straight answers  from the house authorities, very different from some departmental answers!

Employees come from 26 different countries – we can’t manage without each other!

Nearly 200 of House of Lords employees would not have reached the £25,000 proposed minimum income level for Immigration clearance.

Those who read will make up their own minds. The House of Commons will give us its own answer.

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NewsHound

Liberal Democrats act to stop airport expansions

By NewsHound | Wed 4th March 2020 - 12:59 pm

Embed from Getty Images

The photo above was widely used in the media. It features two of our MPs, Munira Wilson and Sarah Olney, plus our London Assembly member Caroline Pidgeon, celebrating Royal Courts of Justice in London last Thursday, after a decision by the Court of Appeal on legal challenges to the UK government’s approval of plans to expand capacity at Heathrow airport.

The Court of Appeal ruled in favour of green campaigners who oppose a third runway at London’s Heathrow airport, Europe’s busiest. The court said the UK government that had given the Heathrow extension the green light in 2018 had failed to take into account the Paris Agreement to limit climate warming.

A Lib Dem press release on that day said:

This ruling is a victory for common sense. At a time when we should be promoting greener transport, we cannot allow the expansion of the country’s single biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions.

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The Voice

Sarajevo remembers Paddy, while new think tank builds on his work

By The Voice | Mon 2nd March 2020 - 11:00 am

Robert Woodthorpe Browne has tweeted a photo of this memorial to Paddy, which was unveiled in Sarajevo on February 27th, which would have been Paddy’s 79th birthday:

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Sheila Ritchie

Scottish internal elections

By Sheila Ritchie | Fri 28th February 2020 - 7:36 pm

We’ve got a raft of vacancies open on various Scottish Liberal Democrat committees.

Being on a committee is a really potent way of having your say on how our party is run. If you’re keen to get more involved, why not take a look?

Scottish Executive Committee – responsible for the day-to-day management and conduct of the party.

8 vacancies remaining to be filled

 

Scottish Policy Committee – responsible for researching and developing policy, as well as putting together election manifestos.

2 vacancies remaining to be filled

 

Scottish Conference Committee – responsible for organising Scottish conference

3 vacancies remaining to be filled

 

Never stood before? Don’t worry – the federal party has put together a guide to the process that you might find useful: https://www.libdems.org.uk/getting-nominated

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Mary Reid

By-election results this week

By Mary Reid | Fri 28th February 2020 - 2:43 pm

Good news this week from Duxford in Cambridgeshire, where Peter McDonald won a County Council seat with a massive 26% swing! Congratulations to him and his team.

An even bigger swing to us in Whittlesford in South Cambridgeshire, but not quite enough to unseat the Conservative in a two horse race.

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The Voice

Former Liberal Party leader, Lord Steel, leaves the Liberal Democrats

By The Voice | Wed 26th February 2020 - 8:00 pm

The BBC reports:

Former Liberal Democrat leader (sic – he was leader of the Liberal Party) David Steel has quit the party and the Lords after an inquiry said he “turned a blind eye” to claims of child abuse.

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Tahir Maher

Press Briefings and Top Lines – 26th February 2020

By Tahir Maher | Wed 26th February 2020 - 6:30 pm

Press Briefing:

Johnson plan tears through UK business – Davey

Speaking ahead of the UK Government releasing its negotiating position in Brexit trade deal talks with the EU, Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said:  

“Never before has a country entered trade negotiations with the aim of making trade more difficult and more expensive. Yet Boris Johnson doesn’t seem to care that he’s gambling with other people’s jobs and businesses. This is a scorched earth policy.

“The lack of consultation with businesses, civil society and Parliament shows the sheer arrogance of this Tory Government. This is a trade mandate that tears through UK businesses in pursuit of a dystopian fantasy dreamt up by Dominic Cummings.

“The Government’s mandate threatens the livelihoods of countless people and leaves the back door wide open for a catastrophic no-deal Brexit in 2021. The Liberal Democrats will fight to protect Britain’s trade with Europe and defend jobs and businesses across the UK.”

ENDS

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NewsHound

Siobhan Benita and team are working full-on in London

By NewsHound | Sun 23rd February 2020 - 4:07 pm

This weekend our London Mayoral candidate, Siobhan Benita and her team have been campaigning very hard all over the city:

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NewsHound

Being homeless shouldn’t be a crime

By NewsHound | Sun 23rd February 2020 - 10:52 am

The party is quite rightly campaigning to change the Vagrancy Act so that homelessness is not a crime. This is an initiative that has been spear-headed by Layla Moran:

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The Voice

Whoever you are, the Liberal Democrats will stand up for you

By The Voice | Sat 22nd February 2020 - 4:40 pm

The party’s latest party political broadcast provides a good summary of our aims as we move past “Stop Brexit”:

The accompanying blurb also gives a good statement of our priorities:

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Mary Reid

This week’s by-election

By Mary Reid | Fri 21st February 2020 - 12:15 pm

There was just one by-election this week. It was in a Conservative held seat in Coulby Newham ward in Middlesbrough.

Well done to the Lib Dem candidate, Tom Carney, who took 18.4% from Labour from a standing start.

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Mark Pack

Mark Pack writes… Lisa Smart takes over as chair of the Lib Dem Communications and Elections Committee

By Mark Pack | Sun 16th February 2020 - 3:45 pm

Welcome to Cllr Lisa Smart (on the right in the photo), freshly elected as the new chair of the Federal Communications and Elections Committee (FCEC).

She’s written a piece for the party website introducing herself and her priorities:

Last week I received a call at home. I’d been fighting for a blue disabled parking badge for a local man with a hidden disability. He’d filled in all the forms, the reply came back, “Sorry, computer says no…” He’d complained, the reply still came back, “Sorry the computer still says no.” Then something

…

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The Voice

Election Review team announced

By The Voice | Sun 16th February 2020 - 12:22 pm

A short while ago the Federal Board announced that Dorothy Thornhill would be leading the Review of the recent General Election.

Dorothy was the first directly elected Mayor of Watford, a post she held for 16 years until 2018. Since 2015 she has served as a Lib Dem peer in the House of Lords.

Dorothy has now announced the members of her Review team, and a wonderfully diverse bunch they are:

Carole Ford I joined in 2015 and since then have stood as a council, Scottish parliament and GE candidate.  I am the Scottish spokesperson on Children and Young People,

…

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Mary Reid

By-election news

By Mary Reid | Fri 14th February 2020 - 1:57 pm

There were six local by-elections yesterday.

First the good (ish) news:

Milford, Waverley council, Surrey, caused by the death of an independent councillor. As you can see the winner was endorsed by the Lib Dems.

But I’m afraid it was not good news in the rest of them.

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The Voice

Siobhan Benita launches her campaign to be Mayor of London

By The Voice | Thu 13th February 2020 - 7:23 pm

Today Siobhan Benita has launched her campaign under the slogan “Love London Better”. And what a breath of fresh air she would be in the capital.

As she said:

London dares to be different. It has so far delivered three very different Mayors who have captured Londoner’s hearts and minds in different ways. What could be more different than a Liberal Democrat female mayor? It’s time.

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Adrian Sanders

Get Liberalism done

By Adrian Sanders | Thu 13th February 2020 - 10:00 am

It’s over, finished, done, our membership of the EU has ceased to be. This is very sad for our wonderful team of MEPs and their staff, it’s heart-breaking for those who support the idea of ever closer union, and very worrying for anyone concerned that the uncertainties of the future are going to harm our country, economy and standing in the world.

Dwelling on what might have been has become something of a preoccupation for many Liberal Democrats, myself included. I won’t forget where I believe responsibility lies for our and the nation’s current predicament. Sir Nick Clegg and his advisors were directly answerable for losing so many seats in 2015 that handed Cameron a majority that enabled him to hold the EU referendum.

Brexit gives many of us a chance to close one very disappointing and depressing chapter and to open a new, positive one. It is a golden opportunity for all of us to realign both our purpose and our image. If anyone is in any doubt as to why this is necessary just look at where we were before the 2010 General Election and compare to today.

Alongside the loss of thousands of Councillors and political control over billions of pounds of national, regional and local government spending, losing our place as the third party in the Commons cannot be understated. We have not overcome the loss of House privileges, media coverage and money that came with it, and our ability to do so has been hindered by competition from other parties such as the Greens, Ukip/Brexit, and Independents as well as the Nationalists who became the third party in 2015 and have held on to it.

We have been defined by the coalition years and our opposition to Brexit to the exclusion of all else for far too long. The time has come, to coin a previous slogan – to get Liberalism done.

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David Warren

An Arsenal Of Democracy

By David Warren | Wed 12th February 2020 - 3:00 pm

In 1940 US President Franklin D Roosevelt coined the phrase ‘An Arsenal Of Democracy’ as a reaction to the twin threats of Fascism and Communism in a time when large parts of the globe were living under brutal dictatorships. That century had seen the Bolsheviks triumph in Russia, the Nazis in Germany and the Francoists in Spain. Portugal was under authoritarian rule, and France invaded by the Germans lived under the yoke of Hitler’s appalling regime. In Europe, Britain stood alone in what were the darkest days of WW2. It wasn’t until America entered the war that the tide started to turn and with the war eventually won democracy was restored to many of the places that had lived under authoritarian rule. The collapse of the Eastern Bloc, 45 years later, brought freedom to even more countries and some celebrated ‘the end of history’, but they were wrong. In many ways, 1990 could be viewed as a high point.

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Duncan Brack

Review of Federal committee elections

By Duncan Brack | Wed 5th February 2020 - 12:00 pm

‘Review of federal committee elections’ is probably not a title guaranteed to quicken readers’ pulses – but it’s important to the functioning of our party’s democracy, so please read on!

Last year’s elections to the federal party’s committees – the Federal Board, Policy Committee, Conference Committee, International Relations Committee and ALDE council – broke new ground, especially in the efforts to engage as many party members as possible, and also through the management of the process online. It was also a substantial achievement to run it during what turned out to be a general election period, in October and November.

There were, however, also some serious difficulties, including the publishing of some candidates’ manifestos and not others, requiring the election to be paused and some voters to re-cast their votes, and other information required not being provided at all.

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Paul Walter

The detail behind the YouGov poll showing Ed Davey ahead in the leadership stakes – thanks to @ProfTimBale

By Paul Walter | Sat 1st February 2020 - 11:55 am

Last Tuesday, I referred to a New Statesman article about a YouGov poll showing Ed Davey well ahead in the future Liberal Democrat leadership contest.

I mentioned in the piece that I was unable to find the data behind the poll.

Julian Heather (@JulianHeather1) kindly messaged Professor Tim Bale at Queen Mary, University of London.

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Mark Valladares

31 January 2020 – today’s press release

By Mark Valladares | Fri 31st January 2020 - 9:52 pm

Jane Dodds: Conservatives are backtracking on their commitment to end austerity

The Welsh Liberal Democrats are calling on the UK Government to apologise for backtracking on a key election commitment to end austerity just two months after the General Election.

Prior to the election, the Conservatives had proclaimed on a number of occasions that “Austerity is over”.

Their 2019 manifesto, upon which this Government was elected, promised the same as well as pledged numerous increases in public spending.

However, over the past two days, there have been numerous reports that the Government is, in fact, preparing to cut spending by up to 5% per …

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Mark Valladares

A ray of hope in West Suffolk

By Mark Valladares | Fri 31st January 2020 - 11:23 am

It would be fair to say that Suffolk has not been a bright spot for Liberal Democracy for some years, and West Suffolk has been weak even in that context, with no representation on the District Council or its predecessors since 2015.

However, with a recent membership surge, the resignation of the newly elected MP for Aberconwy from both the District and County Councils offered an opportunity to get local members engaged. Our candidate, Jonny Edge, is a local school governor, and with support from some experienced old hands – many thanks to …

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