There are moments in politics when you can feel not just the temperature of the debate shift, but the very foundations of our democracy tremble.

Last week, in the House of Commons, Ed Davey delivered one of those rare speeches that cut through the noise.

Calm, principled, and grounded in the best traditions of British Liberalism, Ed reminded Parliament and the country why the European convention on Human Rights – which Britain helped create, championed by none other than Winston Churchill – remains essential to who we are as a nation.

It shouldn’t need saying, but in 2025 it still tragically does: human rights are not a luxury, nor an inconvenience to be discarded when considered by some to be out of fashion.

They are the bedrock of our freedom, dignity and fairness.

They protect each and every one of us, not just in moments of high politics, but in the quiet moments when we suddenly find ourselves reliant on the protections we too often take for granted.

You don’t always know when you’ll need rights like the right to a fair trial, to family life, or freedom from discrimination.

But when you do need them, you really need them.

And yet the drumbeat against these fundamental protections grows ever louder.

Nigel Farage’s Reform UK – a party that proudly positions itself as anti-rights and, it would seem, anti the rule of law – now threatens to drag our country down a dangerous path.

They talk breezily about leaving the ECHR as if it were a minor administrative tweak, not the ripping up of a promise we made to the world and to our own citizens after the horrors of war – a promise that every human being, whatever their background, status, or present circumstances, deserves dignity, equality, and justice.

For all of the bluster, this isn’t about sovereignty or “taking back control.”

It’s about weakening protections for ordinary people while handing more power to the already powerful.

This isn’t patriotism.

It’s authoritarianism dressed up as populism.

Liberal Democrats know better, and we must say so proudly.

We stand in the great British tradition of liberty under the rule of law, of fairness for all, and of defending the vulnerable – not scapegoating them for political gain.
The ECHR isn’t some foreign imposition.

It’s a British achievement.

A legacy of Churchill.

A beacon of hope to countries emerging from tyranny across Europe.

Leaving it would not make us stronger – it would leave us smaller.

Human rights protect us all.

They are not for one group or another – they are for every citizen, every family, every person who may one day find themselves needing justice, protection, or support.

Those rights were hard-won.

They must be fearlessly defended.

As Liberals we have always believed that the measure of a society is how it treats its people – all of its people, and especially its most persecuted and vulnerable.

Now, more than ever, we must say loud and clear: Britain must remain in the European Convention on Human Rights.

Our freedoms depend on it.

In praise of David Edwards

Hope in politics isn’t always loud.

Sometimes it looks like quiet determination, patient organising, and a belief in people that never wavers.

In the East Midlands hope has a name – David Edwards.

When David became Chair of the Lib Dems in our region a year ago things were, let’s be honest, in a difficult place.

Years of Brexit headwinds, local challenges, and the loss of our outstanding MEP Bill Newton-Dunn in 2020 had left the East Midlands without any kind of Liberal Democrat parliamentary representation.

For many, it would have been easy to simply manage decline.

Instead David chose to rebuild, along with the wider executive and our regional staff.

And rebuild he has.

With warmth, humility, and a vision grounded in community and service, one which I very much share, he has taken what had arguably become a largely moribund regional party structure and breathed life back into it.

This hasn’t been done through grandstanding or ego, that’s not David’s style, but rather through listening, engaging, encouraging, and empowering – and putting in the hard yards behind the scenes.

The true mark of leadership in our party.

Most importantly David has helped us to believe again.

Believe that the East Midlands can – and will – send a Liberal Democrat back to Parliament.

And at the heart of that hope is the campaign to elect my friend and local ward Borough and County Councillor Michael Mullaney as the next MP for Hinckley and Bosworth.

Michael embodies the best of local liberalism: tireless, rooted in community, and absolutely determined to deliver for local people.

With David’s leadership, Michael’s fantastic campaigning zeal, and the right support from across our party, that ambition moves from hopeful dream to realistic prospect.

David is, quite simply, a lovely bloke.

He cares deeply for our regional staff and passionately for our party.

He doesn’t seek the limelight – he seeks progress.

He believes in people, in fairness, and in the power of community politics to really change lives.

That spirit is contagious.

It lifts all of us.

So here’s to David Edwards – a leader who has chosen service over swagger, hope over cynicism, and renewal over resignation.

With his steady hand and our shared effort, I have no doubt that the East Midlands Liberal Democrats can climb once again.

…And that when we do it will be because people like David quietly made it possible.

Standing up for emergency care – because every family deserves better

Speaking of the East Midlands, this weekend we held our regional Autumn Lib Dems Conference in beautiful Matlock in Derbyshire.

I had the privilege – and the responsibility – of moving a motion close to my heart: improving emergency care in our NHS.

For me this isn’t abstract policy. It’s personal.

Too many families, including my own, know the fear, the uncertainty, and the heartbreak that can come when urgent care isn’t there quickly enough.

I know it all too well after what happened to my dear mum.

She died two days after waiting eleven hours for an ambulance, after a fall at home in July 2022.

When emergency services falter, it’s not a statistic – it’s a loved one, a moment you never get back, a life changed forever.

And while we rightly celebrate the extraordinary dedication of NHS staff – who go above and beyond every single day – we must also be honest: the system is struggling. Response times stretch painfully. People wait far too long in distress.

Too many fall through the cracks.

Liberal Democrats have always believed that the NHS should be there for you when you need it most – not just in principle, but in practice.

That means proper investment, better support for frontline staff, and a serious plan to tackle the unacceptable delays in urgent and emergency care.

It means dignity, compassion, and timely help for every person in need.

Most of all, it means remembering that behind every policy debate are families, memories, and the people we love.

I’m proud our regional party backed this motion.

Proud that we are a party that listens, that cares, and that is willing to act.

And determined to keep fighting for an NHS that never leaves anyone behind – not in theory, but in reality.

For our communities. For our families.

And for everyone who deserves help when they need it the most.

* Mathew Hulbert is a former Councillor, is a regular commentator on TV and Radio, and is Co-Host of the Political Frenemies podcast.