In November party members will be voting to elect our next Party President. At Lib Dem Voice we welcome posts from each of the candidates – one to launch their candidature plus a maximum of one per week during the actual campaign.

In all the 30 years I have been a member of the Liberal Democrats, there has not been a time like this.  The rise of Reform, the resurgence of racism and hate, populism, nationalism and refusal to acknowledge facts are taking our country to a very dangerous place.  Never has it been more important for us to be a strong liberal voice, fighting for our values.   I am standing for President because I believe I have the skills and the experience to ensure we are and continue to be that strong liberal voice.

This is not just a fight for seats at Westminster, important though it is that we build on our amazing 2024 election result.  The rise of Reform goes beyond Westminster and we are already seeing their impact on people’s lives in the areas of the councils they control.  We must ensure we maximise a liberal presence in the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Senedd next year.  In England, the Labour government is reshaping local government to concentrate power in the hands of strategic mayors, and we need to campaign effectively in those contests, as well as in local elections generally.  We saw earlier this year at the local elections that the collapse of the traditional Labour and Tory vote has led to Reform taking control of councils.  But we also saw that where the Lib Dems are active and campaigning we can beat Reform.   

The job of the President is to make sure the party is in the very best shape it can be to fight that fight, and that all members of the party are able to contribute to it.  Our party’s strength lies in its members, your skills, your enthusiasm, and your dedication.  It is not always straightforward to navigate the party’s systems and processes, to find out what’s going on or how you can help.  Some improvements have been made in recent years but we need to make it much easier for people to engage.  That would be one of my priorities.

I believe that we stand the best chance of success if we are true to our liberal values, not just in our policies and campaigns but also in the way we run the party.  As long ago as the party’s 1997 manifesto, our aim was to build a nation of self-reliant individuals, living in strong communities, backed by an enabling government.  That is also the vision I have for our party internally.

As President, I would seek to be genuinely inclusive of everyone and celebrate diversity.  I would look to involve people as much as possible in the decisions that affect them,  doing things with people not to them.  I would want us to consider all the evidence when making decisions, and make sure those decisions are for the long-term, and are made at the lowest possible level.   I would want us to treat each other with respect and be able to trust each other and have each other’s backs.  And I would want us to be open to challenge, and willing to listen.

Underpinning all of that, the role of the President is also about making sure the party is properly run.  We are a multi-million pound organisation.  We must obey election law, employment and equalities legislation, the rules on donations, operate fair processes, deal with complaints, pay our bills, observe health & safety, and have policies on safeguarding and whistleblowing, to name just a few things. The President oversees all of that, chairing the Federal Board and having a role on almost every federal committee.  Whoever is President needs to have the competence and the skills to do the job.  I have extensive experience as a chair, including having chaired the Association of Liberal Democrat Councillors for the maximum 4 years, and being the current chair of the Disciplinary Sub-Group, which manages the complaints system.  I have also served on a number of different federal committees, including the Federal Communications & Elections Committee.   I was awarded an MBE for my political service and Ed Davey gave me the first Leader’s Award in 2021, to recognise my exceptional leadership skills.  I made the point in my acceptance speech that leadership is all about teamwork, and that applies to the role of President too.

There is much more I could say about my vision and experience – you can see more on my website prue4president.co.uk.  And if you have any questions please feel free to email me on [email protected] 

Thank you for reading this.  

* Prue Bray (she/her) has been a member of the Lib Dems since 1994. She has been a councillor in Wokingham since 2000. She was the Chair of the Candidates Committee in England during the 2017 and 2019 General Elections and the 2019 European elections, Vice Chair of the Party in England and was chair of ALDC until November 2024. She writes in a personal capacity.