Diversity, Inclusion and Representation

Chair: Duncan Brack; Aide: Chloe Hutchinson; Hall Aide: Baroness Teather

Submitted by: Federal Board
Mover: Josh Babarinde MP (President of the Liberal Democrats)
Summation: Victoria Collins MP (Vice President responsible for working with ethnic minority communities)

Conference notes with regret that:

1. The diversity quotas in Articles 2.5 and 2.6 (c) of the Federal Constitution - introduced in 2016 to improve the representation of women and LGBT+ members on Federal Committees - had to be suspended for the 2025 Federal elections, after the party received legal advice from two King's Counsels that applying them would be ruled unlawful by the courts, following the Supreme Court judgment in April 2025.
2. The process of suspending those quotas led to the count for Federal Committee elections being delayed by three weeks - a deeply unsatisfactory situation for candidates and all members.

Conference welcomes the fact that many brilliant women and LGBT+ members have nevertheless been elected to Federal Committees.

Conference resolves that before the next round of Federal elections in 2028, the party must ensure that it has clear, lawful rules in place to avoid a repeat of this predicament.

Conference reaffirms the constitutional principle that all members should have an equal opportunity of participating at every level of the party.

Conference believes that the party's rules should always be consistent with Liberal Democrat values and principles, as set out in the Federal Constitution and most recently affirmed at Spring Conference 2025 in conference motion 'Free to be Who You Are' and at Autumn Conference 2025 in policy paper 161, Leading the Way.

Conference therefore calls on the Federal Board to:

1. Conduct a review of diversity, inclusion and representation on Federal Committees (including Federal Council), including:
   1. An analysis of the composition of the Federal Committees, and the impact of diversity quotas on representation since they were introduced in 2016.
   2. An examination of the barriers to full and equal participation in Federal Committee elections particularly faced by members with protected characteristics.
   3. Proposals for changes that are needed to remove or reduce barriers that may exist for members with particular protected characteristics on Federal Committees, with the aim of addressing under-representation of those characteristics on Federal Committees.
   4. Extensive consultation with the Federal People and Development Committee, all relevant Affiliated Organisations, and the party membership.
   5. Advice from legal experts on the lawfulness of potential measures to remove or reduce barriers that may exist for members with particular protected characteristics, with the aim of addressing under-representation of those characteristics on Federal Committees.
2. Report the findings of its review to Conference in Spring 2027.
3. Submit for debate at the same Conference any constitutional amendments that are necessary to implement its recommendations.

Applicability: Federal.

Mover: 7 minutes; summation 4 minutes; all other speakers: 3 minutes. For eligibility and procedure for speaking in this debate, see pages 10-11 of the agenda. You can submit a speaker's card online here or in person.

The deadline for amendments to this motion is 13.00 Monday 2 March; you can submit amendments online here, see pages 9–10 of the agenda for more information. Those selected for debate will be printed in Conference Extra and Saturday’s Conference Daily. The deadline for requests for separate votes is 09.00 Thursday 12 March; see page 9 of the agenda for more information.