On 27th August 2006, LDV burst onto the blooging scene with a post suggesting that Simon Hughes was “certain to be challenged for the party presidency.”

Word reaches the Voice that weeks before the position had been advertised in Lib Dem News, party officials in Cowley Street received a call requesting a copy of the nomination papers for party President – the caller was not acting on behalf of Simon Hughes.

Word also reaches us that one potential candidate is positioning himself to blitz Autumn Conference with an army of supporters bearing nomination papers, to seize the momentum.

A Presidential contest is no bad thing – though there is an argument that there are better ways to spend the money. The Voice has been told that a proposal is being put to the Federal Executive to double the campaign expenditure limit – to  £5000 per candidate.

Clearly this put off any rival as a month later...

Multiple unofficial, but reliable, sources tell the Voice that Simon Hughes will not face an election for the post of Party President.

PS This time I am assured the Voice is right, unlike the other time. I really am right this time. 100%. There’s a press release coming, and everything.

UPDATE: The party’s official announcement is here.

For other elections (Federal Executive, FCC etc) the timetable now is as follows:

• The final opportunity for candidates to withdraw their nomination has passed

• The final opportunity for candidates to submit manifesto artwork has passed

• Ballot papers will be sent out on 16 October

• They should be returned by 3 November

• The results will be announced on 6 November

Well, at least we were noticed. By September 2006, LDV was  posting several times a day and since then has been there through the tension of leadership elections, the anxiety and rage of the coalition years, the dark days that followed and the rebuild to our best ever General Election result in 2024.

We’ve reported on births, deaths, marriages, party controversies, policy ideas, conferences, speeches. We’ve showcased Lib Dem achievements at all levels of Government. We’ve tried to encourage our party to be the best it cam be. We’ll be looking back on our two decades as part of the Liberal Democrat community over the next, well, for as long as we feel like it.

We also want to look forward and try to expand our operations again. Running the site does not come cheap and our costs have increased significantly over the years, so we haven’t been able to host the fringe meetings at Conference that we did for a few years.

So that’s where the LDV 20th Anniversary appeal comes in. Could you give us a one-off donation, or pay us a monthly contribution, say £20 per month? We don’t have the resources of blogs supporting other parties – and in some ways we like that because it preserves our independence. You can find out everything you need to donate here.  Thank you!

* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings. You can find her on Bluesky at caronmlindsay.bsky.social