This week Nick reflects on two speeches in two weeks: the first to the party’s conference in Glasgow, the second to the UN general assembly. In one he announced free school lunches for the youngest children in English schools; in the other he announced an extra £100m of aid to help Syrian refugees. As Nick says, “We all hate the idea of a child going hungry. Be they a refugee on the borders of Syria, or the neglected child of a troubled family in an inner city: the world’s children deserve our protection.” You can read the letter in full, below…

Last week, I was at our party conference in Glasgow. This week I’m writing to you on a flight back from the UN in New York, where I spoke at the General Assembly and discussed Syria, Iran UK and arms control.

From setting out our liberal agenda in Britain to setting out our liberal agenda in the world: my speech in New York was all about how we can defend the virtues of liberal, open societies against closed, insular ones. You can read the speech in full here.

One of our biggest priorities is aid to help Syrian refugees. It felt good to be representing the UK, persuading other nations to match our efforts to support to those hounded from their homes by this terrible civil war. We announced an extra £100m of funding, bringing the total we have donated so far to half a billion pounds, second only to the US.

At the meeting of the Security Council, I voted on behalf of us all for tougher rules on the sale of small arms and light weapons. Guns are such a rarity in the UK that it can be easy to forget how these weapons can destabilise a society, fuel conflict and help prop up rogue regimes. As many as half a million people are killed every year by these weapons: we must make every effort to control them.

These are issues that are at the heart of what we believe as Liberal Democrats. Being there in the room when dozens of countries agree to make progress is our kind of internationalism in practice.

I was also lucky enough, during my few days in New York, to visit a school in Harlem that is turning around the lives of some incredibly disadvantaged young people. Last week I was thrilled to announce free school lunches for the youngest children in English schools: here in Harlem, at this school, they send the children home with a packed supper, because there’s little chance of a meal at home.

We all hate the idea of a child going hungry. Be they a refugee on the borders of Syria, or the neglected child of a troubled family in an inner city: the world’s children deserve our protection. That simple belief is core to my politics, and I’m sure to yours. It will always be a priority in everything we do.

Best wishes,

Nick Clegg

PS Thanks to everyone who is taking part in one of the Jobs Campaign Day of Action events today, getting out the message that our Government has helped create over a million jobs and is now working to create a million more.

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