Tag Archives: 2026 autumn conference

Getting ready for Conference – Directory now out

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 16th August 2026 - 2:42 pm

There are two ways you can prepare for party Conference.

Six weeks out, when the agenda and the directory come out, you could sit down with a nice cup of tea and work out a tentative plan for how you are going to spend the 4 and a bit days in Brighton.

If you are new to Conference, the agenda has all the motions up for debate – (you can read more about that here) so you can start to plan whether you might like to put in an amendment or a request for a separate vote before the deadline on Monday 7th September at 1pm.

The directory has all the details of things like the exhibition, the fringe and the marvellous array of training on offer. There will be at least five things in every time slot that you want to do and that’s before you even think about catching up with your friends.

The other way of doing it is to follow my all to often example. Leave it all to the last minute and end up filling in your schedule in the excellent Conference app on the way down while you are trying to write speeches and fill in speaker’s cards. Ditto with packing. Rather than plan what I’m going to wear and travelling light, I usually end up throwing every piece of clothing I possess into a big suitcase half an hour before I leave the house. Or I panic that I don’t have enough to wear and buy things I really don’t need on next day delivery.

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Conference Agenda is out!

By The Voice | Sat 8th August 2026 - 10:58 am

It’s just six weeks until Lib Dems gather in Brighton for our Autumn Conference. Yesterday afternoon, the Conference agenda came out.

Over the four days we will see debates on such subjects as:

Ending Violence against women and girls
Mortality of children in temporary accommodation
Maternity care
Party strategy
Defending Democracy
Food security
Water companies
AI
Making music matter
Rural and coastal education

There will be keynote speeches from:

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Autumn Conference 2026: Agenda Selection Report

By Nick da Costa | Thu 9th July 2026 - 12:31 pm

The Federal Conference Committee (FCC) met on Saturday to review motion submissions and begin finalising the agenda for Autumn Conference 2026, which will take place in Brighton from 19 to 22 September 2026. We are very much looking forward to returning to Brighton for what promises to be a busy and engaging Conference.

This Conferences comes roughly midway through the Parliament but very early in the premiership of Andy Burnham. He will spend the summer setting out his agenda and trying to maintain a sense of change and momentum. There are already some (small) signs of a Labour bounce and we shall see what happens with Farage’s fight against Count Binface.

However, as we are all aware, the task facing Burnham is daunting and his honeymoon could be very short. The political landscape continues to change, and could change drastically between now and Conference.

We received several updates in advance of Autumn Conference and also welcomed a new member of the Federal Conference Committee, following the resignation of Sarah Teather. Cllr Sandra Gidley was the winner of the recount, and rejoins the FCC after a short hiatus of about 10 years.

Motions Submissions and Agenda Planning

As ever, we received a strong and diverse range of submissions, reflecting the breadth of engagement across the party. In total, the FCC received:

61 policy motions
10 business motions
1 constitutional amendment

Following very detailed discussion and several rounds of selection, the FCC agreed to include on the agenda:

20 policy motions
Up to 3 slots for emergency motions or topical debates
1 business motion.

We are extremely grateful to all members, local parties, and Associated Organisations who took the time to draft and submit motions. The quality and thoughtfulness of submissions were high, which inevitably made the selection process challenging.

Alongside policy debates, there are mandatory business items. As always, we wish we could include more debates, but we have done our best to maximise discussion within the limited time available.

Transparency and the Motions Bundle

In line with the FCC’s commitment to transparency, we are publishing:

A list of all motions submitted, indicating whether they were selected and providing brief reasons for non-selection. These have just been summarised, those people who submitted motions will have had fuller feedback from the relevant FCC member. (please note that motion titles may be edited before final publication).
The full bundle of motions considered by the FCC, which we hope members will find useful and informative. Please note that line numbers and correct numbering will be added when we produce the final agenda.

For motions selected for debate, there may be some minor drafting amendments made between now and publication.

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Surviving your first Conference – a neurodivergent guide

By Jude Parker | Wed 23rd July 2025 - 11:55 am

With autumn conference (taking place in Bournemouth from 20-23 September) approaching, I’ve been looking back and thinking about what I might’ve found useful to know as a first timer. The directory was full, I knew nothing and I wanted to do everything. It took a few goes before I got the hang of it. In this article, I’ve not attempted to explain the exact definition of a fringe event or the correct procedure for a reference back (there are other guides to these things). Instead, I’ve considered the “survival” aspect as it pertains to the neurodivergent community and, at the end, given some guidance on what you can afford to miss.

Look after your basics and prepare in advance

Before you get there, you will (probably) need to book accommodation. As well as cost, consider:

Distance from venue (especially if you’re likely to need to go back during the day)
Facilities (do you need to be able to make a packed lunch? Then a fridge is very useful)

Once you get to Bournemouth, consider how you will deal with various needs before they arise. Especially those that might be more complex for you. As soon as you get to the BIC, find:

The toilets
A few options for quiet corners you can hide in if you get overwhelmed
The exits (in case the quiet corners don’t work)
Stairs (this isn’t for everyone, but I find running up stairs is good for sensory regulation. Most conference centers have more than one staircase so if I need lots of stairs I can do loops)
A lunch option that works for you. If there isn’t one in the building, leave and find a shop BEFORE lunch time

I would recommend also doing this for the Marriott, the Conference Hotel.

Plan your meals

For me, food is the hardest need to meet at conference. Many people say you can save money by choosing lunchtime fringes that provide catering. I don’t do that, and am not recommending you do it for several reasons:

The directory only tells you a session has catering. There is no distinction made between “full sandwich buffet” and “we have tea, coffee & squash”
It’s common for fringes to fill up, or to close the door to new people at the start. If the catering doesn’t work for you (because it’s not actual food, or because you don’t like it) you can’t join something else in that timeslot.
Some of the most interesting fringes I’ve been to were run by groups who frankly couldn’t afford catering

I recommend bringing your lunch with you. Either make a packed lunch in your accommodation or acquire a supermarket meal deal on your way in. if possible, aim for something that will still be somewhat appetising when you’re full of adrenaline. I also find I function better if I manage to meet a certain nutritional minimum. At this point, I should probably add a disclaimer. Thus,

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