Anyone who was at the last two Liberal Democrat conferences should remember the two debates that were held on the party's position on the future relationship between the UK and the EU. In a passionately argued debate last September, conference resolved that the party should support a longer-term objective of UK membership of the the EU, but we rejected a proposal for an immediate campaign to reverse Brexit, which, it was argued, was more likely to alienate voters sick of the recent history of Brexit-inspired division and bitterness. Conference also called for the closest possible alignment between the UK and the EU on trade, security, environmental, social, judicial, educational and scientific issues.
COP26 is a huge climate summit attended by leaders from across the globe, hosted right here in the UK. It's a chance for the UK to show real leadership in tackling the climate crisis
ButBoris Johnson won't take it seriously. We're sick of years of Conservative complacency on the climate. So the Liberal Democrats have launched their own Green Recovery Plan.
We all remember seeing the horrific scenes of the burning tower at Grenfell on the news over four years ago.
The tragic loss of 72 lives was a dark moment for our country and the cladding scandal that emerged emboldened me to stand up for the rights of all those living in unsafe buildings.
That event also was a lightning rod for the wider public and put a sharp focus on the quality of housing that many people live in - particularly in more densely populated urban areas.
Being involved in politics should be fun and rewarding. But it can be stressful and at times any of us may need to turn to others for help or support.
Often that support can best come from colleagues in your local party or a party body you are active in. But sometimes help is needed elsewhere, and this piece sets out the main places to turn.
Federal Conference Committee met via Zoom call on Saturday, 10 July for the agenda selection for our Autumn Conference 2021. The meeting was a lengthy one, which was in part due to the large selection of motions received.
A few announcements before the report; as you may be aware Geoff Payne, departed the FCC in early May, and I am delighted to have been elected the new Chair of FCC. All of us wish Geoff the very best for the future. A recount was held for the vacant place on the Committee, and I am delighted that Keith Melton has joined as our new member of the Federal Conference Committee. Chris Adams has also been elected in the vacant Vice-Chair position and will take responsibility for the General Purposes Sub Committee.
In 1928, The Equal Franchise Act granted equal voting rights to women and men over the age of 21. But in 2021 the Tory government could turn back the clock with its Elections Bill and plans for mandatory voter ID. This could undermine the right to vote across the UK and already the Welsh Government has spoken out in strong terms against these plans and will resist them in devolved elections.
Sarah Green's brilliant victory in Chesham and Amersham shows the huge political opportunity for us - as long as we can continue to apply the lessons from our 2019 election post-mortem.
As part of this, a trio of motions have been submitted for our autumn federal conference. One is from the Federal Board (FB) on the party's strategy. The other two are from the Federal Policy Committee (FPC), on the party's values and our policy platform. Hopefully all three can be debated in sequence, so we agree values, strategy and platform in a joined-up way.
Just over twenty years ago a system for regulating the finances of party parties was established. There had to be transparency in the sources of a party's funds and donations can only be accepted from clearly defined 'permissible doners'.
Yet the Conservative Party has accepted £2.6m in donations from 'shadowy' groups with anonymous funders since Boris Johnson became prime minister.
The government's claim that "everyone eligible to vote will be able to do so" (Millions in UK face disenfranchisement under voter ID plans, 4 July) is highly misleading. Its own figures show that millions of people may lack the necessary photo ID to be able to vote. It is an unnecessary waste of perhaps £20m to create a barrier to voting supposedly to tackle a virtually nonexistent problem.
The Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to keep masks mandatory on public transport after 19th July.
Munira Wilson MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Health, believes it would be a small price worth paying to protect others:
"Many people, especially the vulnerable, do not yet feel confident enough to travel on crowded public transport. There are millions who have still not been double jabbed, and are therefore at greater risk of both becoming ill themselves and spreading the virus to others.
"Keeping masks mandatory on public transport which can often become overcrowded is the right thing to do.
"We have all made tough sacrifices throughout this pandemic, and asking people to wear masks on public transport a little while longer to protect others, is a small price worth paying.
"I fear that the Government's desire to remove all restrictions on the 19th July is driven more by internal battles within the Conservative party rather than sound scientific advice.
"The Health Secretary is too busy trying to appease members of his own party who have been determined to put an early end to restrictions no matter the costs to the public's health. He should stop prioritising politics over science."
