Tag Archives: 2026 autumn conference

Tanya Park

Drawing a line on Britain’s extreme wealth problem

By Tanya Park | Wed 16th September 2026 - 1:55 pm

Fifty families in Britain hold as much wealth as 34 million people.

This Autumn Conference, join us for A Just Society’s first fringe event, held jointly with Patriotic Millionaires UK. We’ll be asking what that concentration of wealth does to our politics, our media and our society, and where the line should be drawn.  

It follows Sunday’s debate on Defending Democracy. That motion names billionaires who use money and media to influence British politics as a threat to our democracy, and proposes caps on donations and spending. Our fringe picks up where the motion stops. Capping donations closes one route from wealth to political power. Wealth on this scale has others: owning media companies and platforms, funding think tanks, paying for lobbying and litigation.

Liberals have always been wary of concentrated power in the state. The question on Monday evening is whether we should be as wary of it in private hands.

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Jonathan Brown

Making the most of the Government’s belated action on illegal Israeli settlements

By Jonathan Brown | Thu 10th September 2026 - 9:28 am

Most of the country clearly believes that the Government’s newly announced actions to be taken to curb the illegal Israeli settlements are overdue… but very welcome nonetheless. It’s not universal, with the Board of Deputies of British Jews condemning the change, but liberal Jewish groups, such as Yachad, made the obvious but important point that “These new policies do not target Israel; they target the occupation. They draw a clear distinction between the legitimacy of the State of Israel and the settlement enterprise which is illegal under international law.”

As a Liberal Democrat, and as Vice Chair of the Liberal Democrat Friends of Palestine, I am really pleased that the Government finally appears to be taking strong action in support of international law, bringing it broadly into line with Lib Dem policy that’s been in place since 2021. I’m proud that Liberal Democrats have led the way on taking a tough, principled stand that respects the rights and aspirations of both Israelis and Palestinians, while expecting and demanding that both sides abide by their obligations under international law.

I’m saddened however that the media and the public have so little awareness of our position, despite the best efforts of our Parliamentarians in the Houses of Commons and the Lords. I regret to say that I believe our failure to take this message strongly out of parliament and to the people has contributed to us underperforming in opinion polls and elections over the last year and more.

Both for reasons of seizing the moment politically – doing what we can to advance a just peace – AND to boost our standing with the public, I think it’s crucial that we take the opportunity that our Autumn Conference provides, not only to debate Israel-Palestine but to further advance party policy.

The Lib Dem Friends of Palestine have submitted an emergency motion addressing the role of the settlements and settlers in the collapse of the two state solution and making life – obviously and deliberately – unbearable for Palestinians. The deadline for submissions was prior to the Government’s announcements, but I’m pleased nevertheless that we correctly anticipated most of what Miliband introduced. We welcome the Government’s actions but recognise that it will all come down to implementation and our motion sets out in some detail how Liberal Democrats should engage constructively in the process of designing and enforcing the rules. Our motion also goes further in a few places where it would be useful to do so, namely calling for the suspension of all military cooperation and the UK-Israel Trade and Partnership Agreement while Israel remains in defiance of international law with regards the illegal settlements. We also propose exploring a programme of progressively banning travel to the UK by Israeli settlers, beginning with the most extreme.

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Patrick Stillman

Winning Britain’s Cities: A Liberal Vision for Urban Britain

By Patrick Stillman | Sun 30th August 2026 - 11:55 am

The Liberal Democrats have achieved something remarkable in recent years. The strategy that delivered 72 MPs in 2024 demonstrated once again the extraordinary power of community politics, strong local candidates, and disciplined targeting. The mood at the last two conferences have been of celebration, but there’s a growing disquiet amongst many following the May local elections: what comes next?

In Britain’s cities, liberal values ought to have enormous resonance. These are places shaped by diversity, mobility, economic opportunity, civil liberties, and the daily negotiation of how people with very different lives live alongside one another. Yet despite pockets of success in May, our reputation of being the party that “fixes the church roof” struggled to cut through. 

In areas where we campaigned hard, had established local candidates, and our eyes on the prize of sizable opposition groups or even control of Councils, our gains were considerably smaller than they might have been. Across London in 2026, Liberal Democrat vote share fell to 12.4%, below both 2022 and 2018, while inner London recorded its weakest Liberal Democrat vote share since 1978. This happened despite a major effort to stand candidates across the capital and despite Labour fighting in an exceptionally difficult national environment. 

The same pattern appeared at ward level. In several places, Liberal Democrat campaigns followed the local election playbook: repeated literature, extensive canvassing, and significant local activity, while Green candidates secured substantial support with limited or in some cases no visible local campaigning.

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Geoffrey Payne

Social Liberal Forum heading to Brighton i360 for high-flying pre-Conference event

By Geoffrey Payne | Fri 21st August 2026 - 12:39 pm

The Social Liberal Forum (SLF) has unveiled a pair of high-profile keynote speakers for its signature Pre-Conference Social ahead of the Liberal Democrat Autumn Conference in Brighton.

Taking place on Friday, 18th September 2026, at the iconic Brighton i360, the evening will feature guest appearances from Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Energy Security and Net Zero Pippa Heylings MP, alongside former Cambridge MP David Howarth, who will be launching his new book, Being Liberal: The Liberal Disposition in Contemporary British Politics.

A High-Altitude Start to Conference Weekend

Set 450 feet above the Sussex coastline aboard …

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Caron Lindsay

Getting ready for Conference – Directory now out

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

Front cover of directory Autumn 2026There 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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The Voice

Conference Agenda is out!

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

Front cover of Autumn 2026 Conference agenda with photos of Ed Davey and other MPs and Brighton seafrontIt’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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Nick da Costa

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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Jude Parker

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:

  1. The directory only tells you a session has catering. There is no distinction made between “full sandwich buffet” and “we have tea, coffee & squash”
  2. 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.
  3. 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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