Education opens up opportunities, shows us what we are capable of and challenges our preconceptions. When education is accessible it can be a great equaliser, however with cuts from 2010 then it is no longer fit for purpose.
Our economy is changing. It is crucial that our education system evolves at the same rate.
Q: Do you forgive David Cameron for calling the 2016 referendum?
A: No, I don't forgive him. Much of the problems we currently face come from David Cameron's shocking misjudgement and putting the interests of the Conservative party above the national interest. He did it when he announced the referendum in the first place, he did it when he won a majority. And this is clearly a pattern with Conservative prime ministers. The future of our country is at stake - people are losing jobs, feeling the impact of the falling pound and they're worried about our public services. Over 5000 of our nurses are from EU countries. There are 3 million EU citizens living now with uncertainty and a disturbing spike in hate crime. On so many grounds such as these, David Cameron cannot be forgiven.
Dignity and respect should be at the core of our criminal justice system.
This is crucial if we are serious about reducing reoffending rates, supporting young people who have grown up in poverty and caring for people with poor mental health.
No one is born wanting to break the law. And yet, our criminal justice system does far too little to help people build a life free from crime.
Our health and social health services are at crisis point in the UK.
They have been at crisis point for years now - and it is a credit to our brilliant healthcare workers that our NHS has continued to take care of millions of us every year
It is a credit to our brilliant healthcare workers that our NHS has continued to take care of millions of us every year
Well, hello Conference and hasn't everything changed since we last met in March!
Wow! Just wow! We asked you to all go on the Stop Brexit march on 20 March to make it clear we are the strongest Remain party.
You did that.
It was my privilege to help lead thousands and thousands of Liberal Democrats along with Vince Cable at that march that had over a million people on the streets of London.
In our country right now, around 6.5million people are classified as carers. And an enormous 700,000 of those are young people. What they do often goes under the radar, but has a huge impact on the people they care for.
Our new policy will unlock the potential of those young people with care responsibilities
What is it with Labour's fixation on delivering Brexit at any cost?
Labour MP Emma Lewell-Buck went on an ITV podcast last night. And when asked about potential coalition partners with Labour, she chose…
Nigel Farage's Brexit Party.
This is really disturbing. Nigel Farage openly stokes racism, hatred and division, but some people in the Labour Party are so determined to deliver Brexit they'd put him in Government. https://t.co/aIikMcb5Rz
Last week, I and twenty brave colleagues took the ultimate step of defying the Conservative whip to make crashing out on October 31st illegal. In an unprecedented move, Boris Johnson withdrew the whip from us all.
I won't be seeking to get it back. It is with great sadness that I've come to realise the Conservative Party is no longer the party I joined more than twenty years ago.
