Party Strategy – Turning Electoral Breakthrough into Lasting Liberal Strength

Chair: Duncan Brack; Aide: Cllr Sandra Gidley; Hall Aide: Jennie Rigg

Submitted by: Federal Board 
Mover: Josh Babarinde MP (President of the Liberal Democrats) 
Summation: Cllr Carl Cashman

Conference welcomes the fact that Liberal Democrats have achieved historic electoral successes since the last party strategy in 2021: we secured the party’s best ever general election result, becoming the largest Liberal force in the House of Commons in a hundred years; secured our longest ever winning streak, with net gains in eight consecutive rounds of local elections; more than doubled our representation at Holyrood, and consolidated our presence in the Senedd.

But Conference understands that historic results do not guarantee a historic future; our task now is to turn electoral breakthrough into lasting Liberal strength.

Conference acknowledges that:

1. This success is a testament to the dedication of our members, volunteers, candidates, elected representatives, peers, donors and staff.
2. Their commitment to community politics, listening to and empowering people and working tirelessly for the communities they serve, remains one of our greatest strengths.
3. The next stage requires us to match that local strength with a clearer national Liberal identity and a modern communications operation.

Conference also understands that there are many parts of the country where campaigners have worked with equal dedication but have not yet seen the results their efforts deserve – we recognise their commitment, and we are clear that building strength beyond our existing areas is essential to being a party for the whole of Britain.

Conference believes that our party is ambitious to go further still, and the party strategy, built with members, is one of the key instruments through which we will fuel those ambitions.

Conference notes that:

1. The Federal Board launched a party strategy consultation in 2025 with an initial consultative session, followed in 2026 by consultative workshops and a survey, together generating over 1,500 individual contributions to the party strategy process.
2. Across that evidence, members gave a clear message: the party must be even more confident in its Liberal identity, even clearer in its national message, even stronger in its organisation and even more disciplined in turning strategy into action.

Conference further notes the following findings from the party strategy consultation:

1. Members overwhelmingly anchor the party’s purpose in championing Liberal values and individual freedom, fairness, equality and social justice, and representing, serving and listening to communities across the UK.
2. Members define success primarily in terms of electoral growth and more seats, delivering real policy and societal outcomes, and achieving genuine power and influence in government at all levels, with that growth built from a stable base, particularly in local government.
3. Members identify the party’s greatest opportunities for a competitive advantage as developing a clear national narrative and distinctive messaging; demonstrating honesty, integrity and competence; and being a credible, Liberal alternative to populism and nationalism.
4. Members believe that the party’s greatest need is to communicate a clear identity through distinctive messaging, especially given the fast rise of Reform and the Green Party, and the resilience of Labour, the Conservatives, the SNP and Plaid Cymru.
5. Members believe that the party’s electoral appeal should be firmly grounded in Liberalism; the problem is not our values, but our failure to communicate them clearly, practically and emotionally; well-communicated Liberalism is the strongest electoral offer available to us and to the country.
6. Members believe that how we engage with other parties must start from our Liberal distinctiveness, be judged issue by issue, and proceed only from a position of strength, with clearly defined limits and full transparency with members, volunteers, elected representatives and peers; preserving our identity is non-negotiable – members overwhelmingly reject pre-election pacts, and believe that post-election local arrangements should remain a matter for local stakeholders, reflecting a core tenet of Liberalism.
7. Members identify investment in communications, media and messaging, especially social and digital media capability, alongside investment in volunteers and grassroots capacity, as urgent strategic priorities rather than optional organisational improvements.

Conference reaffirms that the Liberal Democrats’ purpose is to build a Liberal society in which every individual has the freedom to live the life they choose, supported by strong public services, a fair economy and a democracy that genuinely works for everyone, ensuring that no one is enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity.

Conference therefore agrees the following party strategy for the Liberal Democrats, rooted in confident Liberalism, disciplined campaigning, modern communications, reaching out to all communities in our country and a determination to win power to change lives:

1. Our aims are to:
   1. Secure the election of as many Liberal Democrats as possible at local, devolved and Westminster levels, so that we can exercise power, deliver Liberal policy outcomes and build a fairer, freer and more democratic Britain.
   2. Support party organisations in Scotland, Wales and England in maximising their success in Westminster, devolved and local elections to deliver on their respective manifestos.
   3. Become the largest party in local government in England, and one of the two largest parties in local government across the United Kingdom, by investing in year-round local campaigning, candidate development, council group support, regional capacity and the structures needed to fight new unitary and large-area elections effectively.
   4. Remove from power any local, devolved or Westminster government that threatens liberal democracy, and work towards a Britain in which the Liberal Democrats are a party of government; this includes stopping Reform UK and the far right from being in power at any level, while building a positive Liberal alternative to the politics of nationalism, authoritarianism, grievance and division.
   5. Expand our electoral coalition beyond our current base at any given layer of government, with a particular focus on wards, divisions, constituencies and electoral regions in the North, Midlands, Wales and urban Britain.
   6. Deliver a strategy rooted in our core Liberal values, including individual freedom, fairness, opportunity, equality, internationalism, democratic reform and care for the environment.
   7. Build a modern party that reflects the diversity of the society that we are ambitious to represent, with particular focus on reaching communities currently under-represented among our members, volunteers, elected representatives and peers.
   8. Grow our membership, activist and candidate base, especially among younger people and underrepresented communities, so that the party has the people, skills and energy needed to campaign, win and govern in every part of Britain.
2. We will achieve these aims most effectively by:
   1. Developing a compelling, clear and distinctive national narrative, grounded in Liberal values, that has emotional as well as rational appeal, and that clearly and visibly differentiates the Liberal Democrats from other parties, particularly those with populist and nationalist tendencies.
   2. Resisting the politics of nationalism, authoritarianism, division and grievance, wherever they arise, and offering instead Liberal politics rooted in freedom, fairness, internationalism, hope and respect for every individual.
   3. Maintaining a strong tradition of community politics and a ground game of relentless door-knocking and literature distribution, while recognising that building stronger national messaging alongside a professional social media and digital operation is no longer optional but essential to reaching new communities of voters.
   4. Consolidating places where we are stronger, so that we can enhance our electoral sustainability, and so that volunteers from those ‘fortresses’ are more sustainably able to offer support to developing seats.
   5. Working with Liberals across Europe and the world to defend pluralism, the rule of law, and the open, internationalist values on which Europe’s future prosperity and security depend.
3. Our top priorities to help us fight and win elections – and win office – will be:
   1. Building a clear, simple and emotionally resonant national identity for the party, ensuring that voters and internal Liberal Democrat stakeholders feel confident answering the question of what the Liberal Democrats stand for, and that our message is consistent, repeatable and distinctive.
   2. Investing significantly in digital and social media capability, treating it as a strategic priority equivalent to our ground game, through:
      1. Building a significantly larger and more effective social media team at Liberal Democrat HQ.
      2. Developing high-quality video content and a presence on platforms that better enable us to reach younger voters, transient populations and those who can be difficult to access through our traditional ground game.
      3. Training and supporting local volunteers and candidates to use digital tools effectively, extending our ground game strengths into new channels.
   3. Renewing and strengthening our grassroots capacity, recognising members, volunteers, volunteers, candidates and local parties as essential electoral infrastructure, by:
      1. Recruiting and retaining members, volunteers, candidates, donors and staff, especially from under-represented communities, and giving them a rewarding experience of the party beyond election periods.
      2. Selecting candidates for elections at the earliest possible opportunity and ensuring that they have access to the training, mentoring and campaign support they need to succeed.
      3. Supporting developing local parties with the resources, expertise, staff support and shared tools they need to grow.
      4. Investing in training that teaches first principles as well as practical tools, so that campaigners can adapt to a volatile, multi-party environment.
      5. Prioritising a recruitment drive for younger members, volunteers and candidates, especially those from under-represented backgrounds, with clear paths into training, responsibility, decisionmaking and public office.
      6. Removing unnecessary administrative barriers to action across the party, enabling members, volunteers, candidates, elected representatives, peers, donors and staff to deliver their part in fulfilling the party’s objectives.
      7. Spotting and supporting local talent early, with active succession planning and team-building so that local parties do not become over-dependent on one or two key individuals.
   4. Taking our efforts to promote diversity to a higher level, with an ambition to reflect all parts of the society we seek to represent, at every level of the party and public office; this will involve Implementing the recommendations of the 2024 General Election Review on gender equality, racial equality, disability equality, LGBTQ+ equality, and the representation of young people.
   5. Completing implementation of the diversity recommendations from the Thornhill and Alderdice Reviews, particularly those relating to racial equality and diversity.
   6. Investing in socio-economic diversity, so that workingclass Liberal Democrat talent can thrive at every level of the party.
   7. Striving for gender parity among Liberal Democrats at every level of government.
   8. Reaching out to under-represented communities, recognising that community politics must mean listening to, empowering and engaging with all communities, not only those we have been most successful at reaching to date.
   9. Continuing to build a sustainable and diversified financial base for the party, with a fundraising narrative that appeals to existing and new party donors with a compelling, clear and distinctive national message.
   10. Investing further in information technology, data, and campaign systems that are reliable, user-friendly and designed around the needs of campaigners, enabling better targeting, easier collaboration, stronger digital campaigning and more effective use of member and voter data.

Conference resolves that to support the delivery of these priorities, we will also:

1. Provide members and volunteers with an excellent experience of the party, recognising that a growing, motivated and diverse membership is essential to our electoral success, including by:
   1. Recognising that the experience of members, volunteers and volunteers differs greatly depending on where they live, the strength and capacity of their local party, and the support available from regional, state and federal party bodies, and ensuring that parties receive the differing levels of support they need to improve that experience.
   2. Providing opportunities for members to develop and promote Liberal political priorities locally and nationally.
   3. Supporting members to stand for election to public bodies.
   4. Providing high-quality training, mentoring and development opportunities to help members, volunteers and candidates build the skills needed to support the party’s objectives.
   5. Supporting members to work with others who share their interests, including through party bodies, Affiliated Organisations and other groupings.
   6. Reducing barriers to participation within the party, including participating in roles within the party, policymaking and Federal Conference.
   7. Modernising the member experience, so that all are welcomed, valued, retained and offered meaningful opportunities to contribute beyond election periods.
   8. Ensuring the complaints system is fair, proportionate, timely and confidential where appropriate, while maintaining the integrity and independence of individual processes.
2. Ensure that this strategy is implemented effectively by:
   1. Engaging members, volunteers, elected representatives, peers, donors and staff as partners in delivering this strategy, communicating trade-offs honestly and ensuring that ownership is shared at every level of the party.
   2. Embedding the strategy across the party, through state, regional and local structures, and with parliamentarians, candidates and councillors, and using internal communications.
   3. Reporting back to Federal Conference on progress against this strategy, including delivery against agreed measurable milestones, key areas of progress, areas where further action is required and any proposed changes to the strategy.
   4. Further developing our ‘one party’ approach and culture, so that every part of the Liberal Democrat family, including members, volunteers, candidates, councillors, parliamentarians, directly elected mayors, staff, state parties, regional parties, local parties, Affiliated Organisations and donors, works together to achieve our shared objectives.
   5. Continuing to make progress on measuring, reducing and offsetting carbon emissions that arise from party operations, towards the aim of eventually operating at net zero emissions, and embedding sustainability in the way we run our party.

Applicability: Federal

Mover: 7 minutes; summation of motion and movers and summation of any amendments: 4 minutes; all other speakers: 3 minutes. For eligibility and procedure for speaking in this debate, see page 10 of the agenda. You can submit a speaker's card online here or in person.

In addition to speeches from the platform, voting members will be able to make concise (maximum one-minute) interventions from the floor during the debate on the motion. See pages 10-11 of the agenda for further information.

The deadline for amendments to this motion is 13.00 Monday 7 September; see pages 11-12 of the agenda for more information.

Those selected for debate will be printed in Conference Extra and Sunday’s Conference Daily. The deadline for requests for separate votes is 09.00 Saturday 19 September; see page 9 of the agenda for more information.