Federal Conference Committee (FCC) met this afternoon to go through the amendments, emergency motions and topic issues submitted for spring conference. Thank you to all those who submitted items for consideration – unfortunately, the deadlines for spring conference are very tight compared to autumn, so we do not have time to give everyone the individual feedback on amendments and motions we usually would. The full text of selected amendments and emergency motions will appear in Conference Daily.

Emergency motions are selected by ballot and papers should be returned to the ballot box in the auditorium on Saturday morning. Full details will appear in Saturday’s Conference Daily.

In all, 16 amendments, 13 emergency motions/topic issues and 5 questions to committees were considered by FCC. With the exception of the titles of emergency motions, the summaries are my own so apologies if any errors have crept in. The amount of time for debating each motion is listed, as this is a good indication to the number of amendments we can debate. A 45 minute motion can realistically only have one debated amendment, whereas a 90 minute motion might have up to three.

F4 – A Rational Approach to Harm Reduction – Sex Work Policy Paper (60 minutes)

To be debated:

Remove quashing of kerb crawling convictions (Merton)

Not taken:

Legalisation of more BDSM activity (11 members)

F5 – Tackling Overcrowding in the Prison System (45 minutes)

To be debated:

Education; Rehabilitation; Favouring of community sentences (Kingston Borough)

Drafted in:

Rehabilitation (10 members)

F7 Reserved EU/Brexit Emergency Motions or other Topical Issues slot (Selected by FCC)

Selected:

Negotiating the Future: Next Steps for Brexit (10 members)

Not taken:

EU Citizen’s Right to Stay in the UK (Beaconsfield, Wycombe, Young Liberals)

Topical Issue: The UK’s relationship with the EU

F8 – The Crisis in Health and Social Care (60 minutes)

To be debated:

Staffing levels and reinstatement of nursing bursary (NE Cambridgeshire, SE Cambridgeshire)

Drafted in:

Fund national roll our of “Pharmacy First” (Stockton)

Not taken:

Break down the provider/commissioner split; accountability to local councillors (Islington)

Report from independent party working group (Newcastle under Lyme)

Update for current budget (Newcastle under Lyme)

Update last lines to mention “All EU citizens” (Merton)

F11 – Towards a World Free of Nuclear Weapons (75 minutes)

 To be debated:

Phase out Trident, cancel replacement Successor programme (138 members)

Not taken:

Separate Vote Request on lines 35-37

F13 Emergency Motions/Topical Issues (In order motions go to all member ballot)

In order:

Unaccompanied Asylum-seeking Children (10 members)

Protecting Small Businesses and Pubs: Response to Government Budget (St Albans, Lewes, ALDC, 41 members)

Downgrading Donald Trump’s State Visit to the UK (Beaconsfield, Wycombe)

Second Scottish referendum (11 members)

Cuts to Housing Benefit for Young People (11 members)

Not in order/not selected:

Towards Sanctuary Cities (25 members)

Democracy and Constitutional Reform (13 members)

Topical Issue: Jobs in the Heartland: How to rebuild the West Country

Topical Issue: A credible alternative to nuclear weapons

Topical Issue: The UK’s Response to the Trump Presidency

F16 – The Role of Faith in State-Funded Schools (75 minutes)

To be debated:

Ban Religious Instruction in state-funded schools; encourage a secular environment (48 members)

Drafted in:

Text updates (NE Cambridgeshire and SE Cambridgeshire)

Not taken:

Secularise all existing state-funded faith schools (Wycombe and 16 members)

F17 Associate Citizenship of the European Union (40 minutes)

To be debated:

Guarantee EU citizens’ rights in the UK (Brussels and Europe Lib Dems)

5 questions were submitted to reports – all were in order.

* Zoe O'Connell is Vice Chair of Federal Conference Committee and Vice Chair of LGBT+ Liberal Democrats.