Liberal Democrats Reports to Conference Autumn 2026 Brighton ________________ Contents Federal Committee Reports * Federal Conference Committee - Nick da Costa (Chair) * Federal Policy Committee - Councillor Dr Mohsin Khan, Councillor Lucy Nethsingha, and Helen Morgan MP (Vice Chairs) * Federal Council - Tim Pickstone (Chair) * Federal International Relations Committee - David Chalmers (Chair) * Federal Board Report - Josh Babarinde MP (Party President) Appendices * Vice President with responsibility for ethnic minority communities - Victoria Collins MP * Federal Finance and Resources Committee - Mike Cox (Chair and Party Registered Treasurer) * Federal Communications and Elections Committee - Mark Pack (Chair) * Federal People and Development Committee - Ellie Hudspith (Chair) * Federal Audit and Scrutiny Committee - Dave Radcliffe (Chair) * Joint Candidates Sub Committee - Alison Suttie (Chair) Parliamentary Reports * The Commons - Wendy Chamberlain MP (Chief Whip) * The Lords - Dave Goddard (Chief Whip) Reports from Federal Bodies * Liberal Democrats Ltd - Mike Cox (Chair) * Campaign for Gender Balance - Julia Cambridge (Chair) * Racial Diversity Campaign - Janice Turner and Mo Waqas (Co-Chairs) * Federal Appeals Panel - Harry Samuels (Chair) * The Complaints Process - Neil Christian (Lead Adjudicator) Updates from State Parties * English Liberal Democrats - Caroline Pidgeon (Chair) * Scottish Liberal Democrats - Jenni Lang (Convenor) * Welsh Liberal Democrats - Tim Sly (President) ________________ Federal Committee Reports Federal Conference Committee - Nick da Costa (Chair) The Federal Conference Committee (FCC) is responsible for organising our two annual Conferences, including selecting items for the agenda. I am delighted to welcome you to Autumn Conference 2026 in Brighton, taking place from 19 to 22 September. We are very pleased to be returning to Brighton, and to the Brighton Centre, for what promises to be a busy, lively and engaging Conference. This Conference 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 Nigel 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. If this is your first Conference, welcome! And if you have been coming for many years, welcome back. Conference only works because of the energy, curiosity, good humour and determination of our members. Conference Debate and How We Treat Each Other Conference is where we come together as a democratic, member-led Party to debate, disagree, persuade, and decide. Many of the issues we debate are complex, emotive and deeply important. Members will, quite rightly, come to them with strong views. That is a strength of our Party. But it also means that we all have a responsibility to debate in a way that is respectful, generous, and constructive. We will not always agree with each other. Indeed, if Conference is doing its job properly, we should expect disagreement. But we should disagree well: by listening carefully, arguing honestly, treating each other with respect, and remembering that those on the other side of a debate are fellow Liberal Democrats acting in good faith. The FCC’s job is to help ensure that Conference remains a space where members can participate fully, safely and confidently. I would ask all members to help us uphold that spirit throughout Conference. FCC Membership Since Spring Conference, there has been one change to the membership of the Federal Conference Committee. Following the resignation of Sarah Teather, a recount was held and Councillor Sandra Gidley was elected to the Committee. I am delighted to welcome Sandra back to the FCC after a short hiatus of around 10 years. Agenda and Motion Selection As ever, time in the auditorium is limited, and the FCC had to make some difficult decisions in selecting motions for debate. This year, we received: * 61 policy motions * 10 business motions * One constitutional amendment Following detailed discussion and several rounds of selection, the FCC agreed to include: * 20 policy motions * Up to three slots for emergency motions or topical debates * One 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 which must be included on the agenda. As always, we wish we could include more debates, but we have done our best to maximise discussion within the limited time available. Keynote Speeches In addition to the Leader’s Speech, Conference will feature several keynote speeches across the weekend. One of these has been proposed jointly by the Association of Liberal Democrat Councillors (ALDC) and the Local Government Association (LGA), and will be delivered by Councillor Lisa Spivey, Leader of Gloucestershire County Council. Lisa is one of our few female council leaders, now one year into administration after beating the Conservatives, and building on local and parliamentary successes. Drafting Advice and Participation The FCC continues to offer a Drafting Advice Service, supporting members in improving the structure, clarity, and conference-readiness of motions and amendments. While the Committee does not provide policy advice, members seeking feedback on substance may wish to contact relevant spokespeople, policy working groups, or Associated Organisations. I would strongly encourage anyone thinking of submitting a motion or amendment in future to use the drafting advice service. It is there to help members turn good ideas into motions that are clear, focused and ready for Conference to debate. FCC Helpdesk and Training As always, the FCC is here to help you get the most out of Conference. Whether you have questions about the agenda, submitting motions or amendments, speaking in debates, or simply how Conference works, please come and talk to us. The FCC Helpdesk will be running at the following times: * Saturday: 10:30 - 11:30 * Saturday: 13:00 - 14:00 * Sunday: 10:30 - 11:30 * Monday: 10:30 - 11:30 We are delighted that colleagues from other Federal Committees will be joining us during these sessions. We are also running two FCC-led training sessions at Autumn Conference: ● How to survive Federal Conference - A practical session for first-timers, and for anyone who wants to get more out of Conference. ● Bringing your policy ideas to life - A joint FCC/FPC (Federal Policy Committee) session on how policy is developed within the Liberal Democrats, how members can get involved, and how to turn ideas into policy motions. Training at Conference Training is one of the most valuable parts of Conference, and I strongly encourage members to make the most of the programme on offer. Whether you are a new member, an experienced campaigner, a councillor, a parliamentary candidate, a Local Party officer, or simply someone who wants to build confidence and learn more about how the Party works, there will be sessions designed to help you develop your skills and get more involved. Conference is not only about debates in the auditorium. It is also a chance to learn from each other, share experience from across the country, and take practical ideas back to your Local Parties and campaigns. My thanks go to the trainers, Associated Organisations, Party bodies and staff who deliver such a strong and varied programme. Fringe Sessions We have an exciting range of fringe sessions at this Conference. Due to high demand, we have taken additional space at the Hilton Hotel, next to the Grand, in order to accommodate more sessions. We will also be running a Climate Change Day and a Youth and Skills Day, which will feature a range of themed fringe and other events over the Conference weekend. Access and Inclusion We remain fully committed to making Conference accessible to all members. The Conference Access Fund provides essential support with accommodation, travel, and childcare for members who would otherwise be unable to attend. It also enables us to provide complimentary carers’ passes and deliver accessibility support throughout Conference. I want to be very direct about this: the Access Fund is vital, and we do not always receive enough donations to meet the level of need. For some members, the Access Fund is not a nice extra. It is the difference between being able to attend Conference and being excluded from it. It is the difference between being able to speak in a debate, attend training, take part in fringe meetings, meet other members, and help shape our Party - or not being able to take part at all. Conference is one of the most important parts of our internal democracy. It is where members make policy, hold the Party to account, learn from each other, and build the relationships that sustain our campaigning movement. If we are serious about being a member-led Party, then we must also be serious about making sure that members are not priced out of taking part. That is why donations to the Access Fund matter so much. Even small donations make a meaningful difference. If 500 members who are able to do so donated just £5, that would raise £2,500. That collective effort could help cover accommodation, travel, or childcare costs for members who would otherwise be unable to attend. I am extremely grateful to everyone who has already donated. Your generosity really does open the door for others. But I also want to say clearly: we need more donations, and we need members who are able to contribute to do so. Please consider donating to the Conference Access Fund: www.libdems.org.uk/conference/access-fund When many members give a little, together we make Conference possible for many more. Thanks On behalf of the whole Committee, I would like to thank all those who make Conference possible. Thank you to the Conference Office, Policy Team, advisers, media colleagues, suppliers, and venue teams for their professionalism, care and hard work. Thank you to our volunteer stewarding team, whose calmness, commitment and good humour are essential to the smooth running of Conference. I would also like to thank all members of the FCC for their time, care and thoughtful contributions during what was a full and productive agenda-setting process. Finally, thank you to every member who comes to Conference, submits motions, speaks in debates, asks questions, attends training, volunteers, visits the exhibition, goes to fringes, and helps make our Party what it is. We look forward to seeing many of you in Brighton for what promises to be another lively, constructive, and engaging Liberal Democrat Conference. ________________ Federal Policy Committee - Councillor Dr Mohsin Khan, Councillor Lucy Nethsingha, and Helen Morgan MP (Vice Chairs) The Federal Policy Committee (FPC) is responsible for researching and developing policy and overseeing the Federal Party’s policy-making process. This includes producing policy papers for debate at Conference and drawing up (in consultation with the parliamentary Party) the Federal election manifesto for Westminster elections. Policy working groups The Policy Review Leading the Way, which was debated and approved at the Autumn 2025 Conference, set out a programme of working groups for the rest of the Parliament, and the FPC’s work plan is based upon that. The FPC’s current work programme includes the papers proposed in Leading the Way, plus two additional papers included in response to amendments moved at Conference: Education and Regional Inequalities. The programme is as follows: Subject Conference International Security Autumn 2026 Defending Democracy Autumn 2026 Primary Health Care Autumn 2026 Thriving Economy Spring 2027 Empowering Consumers Autumn 2027 Victims of Crime Autumn 2027 Rural Affairs Autumn 2027 Empowering Communities Autumn 2027 Education Spring 2028 Small Businesses Autumn 2028 Health and Care Autumn 2028 Regional Inequality Autumn 2028 TBC Spring 2029 In addition to these regular policy papers, the FPC will also be presenting a Pre-Manifesto Document nearer to the time of the next election. FPC has decided that it will require all of our working groups in future to take special account of issues of racial inequality and the needs of young people. We have three working groups which were established last summer and which will be bringing policy papers for discussion at Brighton. These are: Defending Democracy, chaired by Sarah Lewis; Primary Healthcare, under Dr Kate O’Kelly as Chair; and International Security, chaired by Dr Ben Jones. FPC is very grateful indeed to all the members of these working groups for their time and work, especially their chairs, and has spent a lot of time reviewing and finalising their proposals to bring to Conference. These will be debated as set out in the Conference Agenda. A fourth group, A Thriving Economy, chaired by Julia Goldsworthy, has been rolled over to the Spring Conference next year, but will be holding a consultation session at Brighton. The FPC is in the process of setting up four new working groups to report to the Autumn Conference 2027. These are on the topics of Empowering Consumers (Chair: Neil Stockley), Empowering Communities (Chair: Paul Burstow), Victims of Crime (Chair: Eleanor Kelly), and Rural Communities (Chair: Ed Molyneux). All of these groups will publish consultation papers and hold consultations sessions at Spring Conference. We encourage members to engage with this consultation process. You can find further information about all of these groups, their remits and memberships at: www.libdems.org.uk/members/make-policy Reviewing our processes We want to ensure our processes are as efficient and powerful as possible. We have recently re-invigorated the Equalities Impact Assessment process, with Councillor Katie Mansfield as a new Chair of the Assessment Group and ensuring that working groups engage with wider, diverse sections of the Party earlier and often. We are also keen to ensure we promote racial diversity effectively, including through the participation of Party members from racially diverse backgrounds in our working groups. We particularly want to ask all readers to encourage Party members from under-represented groups to apply for working groups. The approach we take to reviewing applications and appointing groups is set out at: www.libdems.org.uk/members/make-policy (under ‘How are FPC working groups selected?’). Supporting members’ discussion of policy We are always very keen to promote discussion of policy among members. All working groups publish a consultation paper and hold a consultation session at at least one Federal Conference. They are also happy to provide a speaker to groups across the Party to speak and gather views about their work. Thanks to the Party’s digital staff team, the webpage www.libdems.org.uk/members/make-policy offers an excellent up to date picture of current Party policy development and we urge interested members to take a look at it. In addition, the pages at: www.libdems.org.uk/conference/papers, show all policy motions passed by Conference over the last twenty years, as well as all policy papers back to number one. We hope this will be a helpful resource for the many Party members who want to look up existing policies in specific areas. For those interested in following the ongoing work of the committee, we recommend: www.facebook.com/groups/federalpolicycommittee which offers the chance to ask questions of the committee as well as see regular reports from our meetings. Conclusion As well as discussing these areas with working groups the committee has continued to discuss overall political developments and their impact on our policy programme. We have recently had a discussion with Calum Miller MP, the Foreign Affairs spokesperson on European issues. None of this would be possible without the hard work of the staff in the Policy Unit, who do the bulk of the work of writing policy papers, Christian Moon the Head of Policy, and Alexander Payne the Policy Manager. We are very grateful to them as always. ________________ Federal Council - Councillor Tim Pickstone (Chair) The role given to the Federal Council is to scrutinise decisions of the Federal Board, whose role is to set Party strategy. A new Federal Council was elected to serve from 1 January 2026, for a three-year term. I am grateful to the previous members and officers of the Council for their work over the last term. The Council meets online and includes 21 members who are directly elected by all Party members. In addition, England, Scotland, and Wales each appoint three members, councillors elect three members, Young Liberals elect three members, and so do the Parliamentary Group (MPs and Peers). At its first meeting the Council elected me as Chair, and elected Caron Lindsay and Councillor Victor Chamberlain as Vice-Chairs. We are also supported by staff at Federal Party headquarters, to whom I am very grateful. The Council has met three times since its election. We have started a cycle of question and answer sessions with the Chairs of the Federal Committees, beginning with the Chair of the FCC and the Federal Party President. These sessions help the Council understand the work of the Federal Party and support our scrutiny role. The Council has received the decisions and papers of the Board after each Board meeting. The constitution empowers the Council to call in decisions of the Board, and we have considered the call-in of two decisions made by the Federal Board since January. The membership of the Council is broad and diverse, with members from different parts of the Party bringing a range of specialisms, interests, and expertise. We are united in wanting the Party to succeed and in playing our part as a critical and constructive friend to the executive. ________________ Federal International Relations Committee - David Chalmers (Chair) The Federal International Relations Committee (FIRC) is responsible for generally managing the Party’s relationships with like-minded parties and individuals in other countries and international institutions. It also advises the Party on International issues and supports international collaborations and training. As a result of the constitutional changes brought in last year, FIRC only gives an annual report to Autumn Conference. Hence it is a year since I last reported to Party members on our international work. In this report I shall endeavour to give an overview of our activities over the past twelve months. Last year in September, which seems a long time ago now, we met for our Autumn Conference in Bournemouth - which from an international perspective was very successful. The exclusive briefings by our foreign affairs and defence spokespeople for diplomats and international guests are always well received, and have helped to build our reputation as the political Party with internationalism as one of its core values. Last year we introduced a similar briefing session on our foreign policy for Party members, which we hope will become a regular feature at future Conferences. In addition to visitors from several of our sister parties including those in Germany, Netherlands, and Ukraine, we were delighted to be joined by Lizzy Adundo from The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) in Kenya, who was allowed to speak in the debate in favour of the motion on international women’s rights. This motion, which was passed overwhelmingly by Conference, came about as a result of close collaboration with Liberal Democrat Women, and following conversations and meetings with women politicians from around the world. It highlights the important role of our international work in bringing about change, offering much needed support for human rights. In October I led our Party delegation to the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) Congress, which was held in Brussels, where we brought forward a successful motion on the situation in Israel and Gaza, based on our own Conference debates, something which had eluded previous meetings of our European liberal family. As has become a regular feature of these events we co-hosted, with our Norwegian sister Party Venstre, a meeting of the non-EU parties to co-ordinate our priorities and exert our collective influence. In November I led the Liberal Democrat delegation to the Liberal International Executive Committee, which took place in the Dutch capital, The Hague. The Liberal Democrats submitted a successful motion on the war in Ukraine. The motion garnered much appreciated support from all parties, including those from Africa, Asia, and the Americas for Ukraine’s battle with Russia. These events are an important opportunity to network and to engage with our sister parties from all corners of the globe. Last year being no exception, we hosted an important debate with our sister parties from the region on the defence and security situation in Asia Pacific. Last Autumn the Federal Elections saw myself re-elected to FIRC (and for a second term as Chair), alongside several re-elected colleagues. Several new faces joined our international team and our delegation to the ALDE Council. The Committee decided to elect two Vice Chairs - Hannah Bettsworth and Adrian Hyyrylainen Trett, and in February we held an away day at Federal Party headquarters in London to set out our strategy, and map our work practice for the next three years. Following our electoral success in the 2024 general election, which saw the Liberal Democrats returned as the third Party in Parliament, funding from the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD), which had been restricted for several years, became available for our projects - if not quite to the extent that we had expected, after the Labour Government’s decision to cut international aid. However we have used what funding we received to strengthen liberalism across the world - in particular in the Western Balkans, and to support the women of Georgia fighting for democracy. The Fellowship Programme, which enabled several politicians from our sister parties to attend Autumn Conference, culminated in a weekend at Oxford University. The weekend incorporated capacity building, training, and idea sharing to strengthen young emerging political leaders from Asia, Africa, and Europe, thereby building the Liberal Democrat international footprint as a Party our partners go to for support. In February I held a training session in Pristina for local councillors from our Kosovan sister Party the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), as they prepared to enter a coalition government in the capital after recent elections. In March we co-hosted the seminar “Democracy under Pressure” in Podgorica, with our sister Party from Montenegro, which brought together politicians from across the region. Over the past year I have also visited Serbia, North Macedonia, and most recently Bosnia Herzegovina, where I attended Sarajevo Pride, using the opportunities to meet with our sister parties and civil society groups in each country. In early September, I have been invited to speak and march in Belgrade Pride. In ALDE we are increasingly recognised as giving a voice to non-EU parties and our strong position on human rights - most notably supporting those on women and the LGBT+ community - is well received by many of our sister parties who seek to follow our progressive style of liberalism and combat populism. Our successes in the 2024 general election and subsequent local and national elections, have not gone unnoticed by our liberal sister parties across Europe and around the world, as many continue to look to us for guidance and inspiration. This year we have welcomed senior delegations from Norway and Ukraine seeking to learn from our campaign techniques and will be welcoming many visitors from our sister parties to Brighton - not only to experience Glee Club! On 4 and 5 July I led our Party’s delegation to the ALDE Congress in Vienna, Austria, which saw Baroness Julie Smith - our defence and security spokesperson in the Lords - elected as Vice President, alongside Yevheniia Kravchuk from Ukraine’s Servant of the People, Yoko Alender from Estonia’s Reformierakond, Fatimazhra Belhirch from Netherlands’ Democrats 66 (D66), Jouni Ovaska from Finland’s Keskusta, and Lucia Plavakova from Slovakia’s Progresivne Slovensko. Svenja Hahn, an MEP from Germany’s Free Democratic Party (FDP), was re-elected for a second term as President. Baroness Sal Brinton stepped down as ALDE Vice President having reached her term limit after serving seven years on the ALDE Bureau, but as a part of her legacy ALDE adopted the Vienna Declaration in support of disability rights, which calls on our sister parties to ensure accessibility and that opportunities in society are open to all citizens, including those with disabilities. In the coming years we shall work to bring on board all parties as signatories to the Disability Declaration. Yi-pei Chou Turvey MSP received the ALDE Rising Star Award. As I have reported previously the European Authority ruled that the votes of non-EU parties in ALDE are not to exceed one third of the votes cast on the Bureau, in Congress or at the Council, which has determined that for 2026 the Liberal Democrats have nine voting delegates on ALDE Council and 44 voting delegates at the ALDE Congress. We still remain the second largest Party in terms of votes cast and are determined that the ALDE Party remains a European Party and are ready to challenge any efforts to reduce it to an EU Party. In Vienna we once again organised and co-hosted, alongside our sister parties from Iceland and Norway, a meeting of all the non-EU Party members to ALDE. On this occasion, we also invited parties from EU member states to join us and debate the red lines and opportunities for developing closer relationships between those countries both inside and outside the EU. Our ALDE Congress delegation included, as in previous years, several first timers. I am proud that we are recognised as bringing the most diverse, most engaged, and most effective of all Party delegations. Any Party member, who is interested in joining further delegations to the ALDE Congress need just apply when applications open, usually two months before the event. The next ALDE Congress will take place next summer - date and location to be confirmed. It is a great way to experience European politics first hand. The Affiliated Organisations (AOs) with an international aspect to their work, notably Liberal Democrat European Group (LDEG) and Liberal International British Group (LIBG) have continued to hold meetings in person and online throughout the year. They are the best way for Party members to get involved in international debates. To find the AO that best fits your interests I would advise checking out their exhibition stands and go along to their debates in Brighton. The spectrum of our international work at all levels of the Party makes us distinctive from other political parties in our country. As part of our efforts to maintain relations with our sister parties across Europe, this past year I have attended and spoken at the Conferences of the FDP in Germany, the Swiss Green Liberals, People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), and D66 in Netherlands, where I was able to meet with the newly elected Dutch Prime Minister, Rob Jetten. In February a group of us attended the Renew Group meeting in the European Parliament and were exceptionally allowed to contribute to the debate on Defence and Security. In March, at the invitation of the ALDE Group, I visited the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) where our Liberal Democrat Parliamentarians are active and recognised for their important contributions, after so many years absence. Phil Bennion has continued working with our sister parties across Africa and Asia in his role as Vice President of Liberal International. Baroness Sal Brinton, as its Chair, has continued to increase the effectiveness of the Liberal International Human Rights Committee - recently producing a human rights tool kit for political parties. Sal is supported in her work by Adrian Hyyrylainen Trett, who also sits on the Committee and the Board of ALDE LGBTi Liberals. The European Liberal Youth (LYMEC), the youth wing of the ALDE Party, has continued to go from strength to strength under its new Bureau, with FIRC member Sean Bennett recently elected as Vice President. Representing more than 100,000 young liberals across 40 countries and boasting an annual calendar of over 50 events, conferences, trainings, and high-level meetings across the continent, LYMEC acts as a key partner for all European liberal parties. We will continue to nurture our productive relationship with youth wings of ALDE and beyond, working through Young Liberals, LYMEC, and the International Federation of Liberal Youth (IFLRY) - organisations that ensure the voices of young people are not only heard, but acted upon. In these unstable and fast changing times, the strength of our liberal youth is paramount to securing a bright future for liberalism across the globe. I should add that over a third of our recent ALDE Congress delegation were aged under 30. Liberal Democrats Abroad (LDA), as the organisation for members living outside the UK, has been working extensively on the Representation of the People Bill, to improve the terrible experience of voting from abroad. They have briefed our parliamentarians, given both written and oral evidence to the Commons scrutiny committee, and campaigned with Liberal Democrat MPs in support of the amendments they tabled to the bill on behalf of overseas electors. LDA has maintained a consistent presence at Federal Conferences to educate activists and parliamentarians on the issues faced by 5.5 million overseas citizens. Operationally, LDA participated in meetings with Party Federal Party headquarters to resolve infrastructure challenges that have prevented overseas volunteers from signing up and becoming involved. FIRC has continued to work closely with our parliamentary team in the Commons and the Lords, and in collaboration with our colleagues on the Federal Policy Committee, to initiate foreign policy and ensure that the voice and priorities of Party members are heard, respected, and included in the international work of our Party. It was, after all, you who elected us to do this job. As stated at the beginning of this report it was not going to be an easy task to cover all our international work over the past year in one annual report - but hopefully you will not be disappointed, and I apologise now for the things and to the people I may have left out. Finally I would like to thank all the elected members of FIRC for their support and hard work through the year, in particular my Vice Chairs Adrian Hyyrylainen Trett and Hannah Bettsworth, and FIRC Secretary Eleanor Rylance - without whom none of international work would be possible. I point out in each of these reports over the years that the absence of an International Officer or any administrative support for the work of our federal committee continues to present severe challenges. Our delegations to ALDE and Liberal International manage to run smoothly - just about - and the international programme in Brighton does come together, but none of this would happen without the voluntary support of FIRC members, who are working on behalf of you - all the members of our Party. ________________ Federal Board Report - Josh Babarinde MP (Party President) The Federal Board (FB) is responsible for directing, coordinating and overseeing the implementation of the Party’s strategy and the work of the Federal Party. You can see the last two previous reports to Conference from Board here: * Spring Conference 2026 (page 15): www.libdems.org.uk/conference/papers/spring-2026/reports-to-conference * Autumn Conference 2025 here (page 9): www.libdems.org.uk/conference/papers/autumn-2025/reports Election Reflection The results of the May elections are down to the hard work of so many across our Party, and this report begins by thanking every single one of you who made them happen. The highlights included: * We gained control of four councils: East Surrey, Portsmouth, Stockport, and West Surrey. * We held control of 11 councils, including Kingston upon Thames, Richmond, and Sutton. * We gained 155 councillors in total, with a massive 844 elected! * We are now the largest Party in 11 councils, and the second largest in a further 18. * We held the Mayoralty of Watford, sweeping all 12 seats contested there and re-electing Peter Taylor as Mayor. * We now hold every seat on Richmond upon Thames Council, 54 out of 54, gaining four from the Greens and one from the Conservatives. * We had our best ever result in Sutton, gaining 22 seats to hold 51 of 55 and removing every Conservative councillor from the council. * We beat the Conservatives for the third year of local elections running, with strong gains in former Conservative heartlands like Surrey, seeing off the threat from Reform. * We elected 10 MSPs to Holyrood, an increase of six, with double-figure gains from the SNP, with Adam Harley becoming the first Liberal Democrat MSP ever elected in Strathkelvin and Bearsden, on a 25% increase in vote share. * Jane Dodds was re-elected to the Senedd, consolidating our presence in Wales. * We spoke to 25% more voters this campaign than four years ago. * The percentage of vacancies we contested this year is up 7%, including our best local election candidate showing in London since 1986. * We knocked on 83% of the doors reached during the last General Election polling day, a remarkable figure given how many areas had no elections this time round. There were some great results to celebrate. This was a record-breaking set of results, our eighth consecutive round of gains as a Party. Our members, activists, councillors, staff, and parliamentarians pulled out all the stops. It was an incredible effort and I am so so proud to be a part of it. But I know that only tells part of the story. We guttingly didn’t make it over the line in all the places we deserved to, especially in parts of the North, the Midlands, Wales, and Urban Britain. We must be ambitious about taking our liberalism deeper into these parts of the country. Politics is crying out for a serious, positive, liberal message, and we must leave no stone unturned. Thank you! None of this happens without a huge number of people putting in the work, often unseen, and we want to properly thank them. So my thanks go first to our Party staff across Britain, who do so much of the unseen work that makes campaigns possible in the first place, and without whom the Federal Board would not be able to manage! Then our members, supporters, activists, parliamentarians, and councillors. Our results are built by thousands of people giving up evenings and weekends, term after term, to knock on doors and make the case for what our Party stands for. Whether you gave one evening or ran a campaign from start to finish, these results are yours as much as anyone's. I also want to recognise everyone who put themselves forward and didn't win this time. There were brilliant candidates who gave everything to campaigns and didn’t get what they deserved. Seeing some of them lose to candidates and parties who put in a fraction of the effort we did was utterly gutting. Standing for election takes real courage, and every candidate who knocked on doors, made the case for our Party, and came up short deserves our thanks. These efforts are crucial in laying the foundations for our Party growing in new areas. You are part of what makes this Party what it is, and I hope you'll keep standing with us. A New Party Strategy With populism and nationalism on the rise, with a crowded multi-Party system intensifying, and one of the largest political realignments in our lifetimes, we needed a new Party strategy to meet this new moment. Developing a strategy for the Party in each parliament is a constitutional responsibility of the Federal Board under Article 5, and we are pleased to report on a process that has, over the past eighteen months, been one of the most thorough consultations our Party has undertaken. Initial member consultation sessions in March 2025 laid the groundwork, but the Board put the rocket boosters on it this year in our ‘Summer of Strategy’ to make sure members got a direct say in the decisions and priorities that will shape our Party for this Parliament. At our February Board meeting, we agreed on a strategy paper and took the decision to press ahead once the May elections were behind us. Following those elections, May's Board meeting confirmed the process for taking the work forward, and June is where it really came together: a further round of member consultation, including workshops and townhalls, fed into a Federal Board meeting I chaired, where we went through that feedback in detail and agreed a draft strategy motion. Over July and August, we went back to members again, this time consulting on the draft strategy text itself. I want to thank every member who took the time to feed into this process, whether speaking at a townhall, submitting a survey, or writing to me directly. A few things came through clearly and consistently across that consultation, which you will see reflected in the motion. Members were clear that our identity is rooted in liberal values and individual freedom, paired with fairness, equality, and social justice, and that principle and popularity aren't in tension, that confident, well-articulated liberalism is itself our strongest electoral offer. Communication came up in every part of the consultation as the overriding priority: members want a short, bold, repeatable national message, delivered consistently, alongside the community politics and doorstep campaigning that has always been core to how we build support. On electoral strategy, members want ambitious, national growth that consolidates our 2024 gains, with real investment in the North, Midlands, Wales and urban Britain, built on the local government foundations that have always been our pathway to Westminster. I was blown away by the enthusiasm of our members throughout this process. I read through swathes of responses, and had the pleasure of sitting in on many of the conversations and debates that shaped this strategy. In true liberal fashion, this strategy has been in your hands from start to finish. The strategy sets out how we resource, organise, and equip our Party to meet our ambitions. How we build the foundations that make everything else possible, based on our members' priorities. A Party with the right values but the wrong infrastructure does not win elections, and this strategy is our attempt to address that. This means a clearer national message. A stronger national narrative that protects and builds on the extraordinary work our activists are doing on the ground every single day. An overhauled approach to social media. A strong push on membership recruitment. A commitment to fighting in the areas where we are not yet breaking through, and giving Local Parties the support they need to do so. I believe this is the right document for this moment. Liberalism is the answer to populism, but only if we build a Party that is genuinely fit to make that case at scale, and to sustain it into the 2030s. We must be hopeful and optimistic about what liberal democracy can achieve, while recognising the deep responsibility we carry at this moment in our country's history to defend it. And we are the Party to make that case. This motion will be put in front of this Conference for a vote. A Beefed-up Digital Team We are proud to have trebled our digital team at Federal Party headquarters as part of the effort to enhance our social media voice. Our content creators have already begun to craft new content for social media platforms to lift the Party’s profile directly. The team will also be developing resources and training for grassroots Liberal Democrat campaigners to use to turbocharge social media more locally, too! This aligns well with the direction of travel members set out in the Party strategy consultation. Affiliated Organisations The Federal People Development Committee (FPDC) has approved the application of a new Affiliated Organisation - the Liberal Democrat Health and Care Association (LDHCA). LDHCA was formed to bring together healthcare professionals, service users, and industry experts into one focused forum to discuss healthcare-related issues, campaign on a wide range of health matters, and develop policy that reflects the latest research and best practice. Federal Conference Review Federal Conference is where the Party sets policy, holds Party leadership to account, upskills our campaigners, and comes together as a movement. For many members, it is also their single biggest point of contact with the wider Party. Federal Conference is the Party's flagship member experience, and one of the biggest investments of member time, volunteer effort and Party money we make each year. At a time when growing and retaining our membership is a priority, the Federal Board wishes to ensure our Conferences are doing as much as they can to attract members, engage them, and keep them. Federal Board believes there is significant untapped potential to be unlocked from our Federal Conference set-up, especially in an age where newer technology offers refreshed opportunities to convene and organise, where a social media boom means Conference’s voice can be amplified more than ever. There are also a number of pain points that Federal Conference has, which are important to address. For many members, it’s hard to reach, hard to afford, or hard to navigate as a first-timer; the timing of Spring Conference doesn't always sit well alongside campaigning for the May elections each year; we face greater competition for commercial income, with Reform UK and Green Party ‘challenger’ Conferences innovating quickly; and Spring Conference incurs significant losses. Federal Board is therefore commissioning a review to help us identify how to best harness the opportunities described earlier, while rising to the challenge of the tensions that Federal Conference has. Member consultation is at the heart of this review, so that you can help shape an exciting and ambitious future for our Party Conferences. The review will report back to the Federal Board in the winter with its recommendations. ________________ Appendices Vice President with responsibility for ethnic minority communities - Victoria Collins MP The Vice President with responsibility for ethnic minority communities is directly elected by members. In this role, they sit on the Federal Board, Federal People and Development Committee (FPDC), and the Joint Candidates Sub-Committee (JSCS). They also chair an FPDC Sub Committee on diversity. What a whirlwind it’s been since Spring Conference. We’ve seen historic changes to our Liberal Democrat constitution, unlocking unprecedented support for our candidates with a new candidates team. We also ran massive election campaigns across England, Scotland, and Wales and alongside all that, we’ve even seen yet another Prime Minister step down. We had some excellent results in the May elections from storming results in Scotland, to taking control in places like Stockport and Portsmouth and from Milton Keynes to Newcastle where we’re the biggest Party. I know, however, we also lost, and missed out on, too many good councillors. If we are serious about being the Party that represents modern Britain, we have to earn it everywhere, in our cities, across the north, and in communities that have not yet turned to the Liberal Democrats. That is the task in front of us. It is also why representation matters so much, because a Party that reaches everyone has to be built by people who reflect everyone. Diversity at the Heart of our Candidate Support This has been a landmark year. Members backed the constitutional change known as F10, and it finally gave us something the Party has needed for a long time: a proper candidates office, with a full time team behind it. I did not wait around to get started. Right at the beginning of the year I worked with our Diversity Lead to map candidate support from top to bottom, working out where people were being helped well and where the gaps and opportunities were. Once F10 passed, the priority was helping to set up that new team and setting them up to succeed from day one. My job as Vice President has been to feed into all of it, and to make sure diversity is not bolted on at the end. It sits at the very heart of how the office works. This includes support, including safeguarding and wellbeing support, to improving our candidates process and forward planning. One team, pulling together For too long our Affiliated Organisations, our candidates teams and Federal Party headquarters have worked in parallel rather than as one big team. That is changing. A big part of my focus has been getting our diversity AOs, the new candidates team, and Federal Party headquarters into the same room and pointing in the same direction. When our AO chairs and diversity leads sit alongside the candidates team, we are all working in the same direction, we spot problems sooner and fix them faster. One team, one goal, in a way we have simply never managed before. Programmes that back people Warm words do not select candidates. Practical support does. So we are building programmes that do the actual work. Our flagship diversity programme, Stellar, exists to back candidates from underrepresented backgrounds and give them what they need to put themselves forward with confidence. Alongside it we have bolstered up mentoring, so that those who need it get the valuable advice they need, and we have gone out to support and boost the seats that need it most. This is the vital, patient work of building a pipeline. It is how you change a Party for good, not just for one election. Becoming the Party of modern Britain None of this is about ticking boxes. It is about making sure that anyone who wants to stand, whatever their background, can walk into thisParty, feel genuinely welcome, understand what to do next, and get real help doing it. We should be the Party of every corner of this country and every community. That means finding brilliant candidates in the places we have too often overlooked, and giving Local Parties everywhere the confidence that great people are ready to step forward. That’s why I’ve also been joining Action Days and events around the country and doing a series of events to boost our candidates and seats. There is a mountain still to climb but we are climbing it. Looking ahead The rest of 2026 and into 2027 is about turning a strong start into lasting change. My priorities are clear. Grow our talent pool of candidates, get them to the right seats or wards and give them the support they need. Grow Stellar and our mentoring so they reach further. Embed diversity right at the centre of the candidates office and of board level strategy, not off to one side. And keep reaching into our urban and northern seats, because that is also where so much of our future lies. When the next selections come round, every Local Party should have strong candidates to choose from, and every one of those candidates should feel backed. Thank you None of this happens without so many of you, and a great many have given their time and heart to it this year. Thank you to our new candidates team, to our Affiliated Organisations and their chairs, to colleagues at Federal Party headquarters, and to everyone who has shared honest views with me, including the hard ones. Thank you to the volunteers, activists, and to the candidates who put their head above the parapet. We can’t do this without you. Stand up and be counted Here is my main ask: if you are thinking of standing as a candidate, put yourself forward. If you know someone, especially from an underrepresented background, who would make a brilliant candidate, please ask them. Ask them soon. Then ask them again, because the best people usually need to be asked more than once. Point them towards our new candidate support so we can help them take the first step. If you want to get involved, or you want to talk about diversity work in your Local Party, email me at: vice.president@libdems.org.uk. Let's build the Party of modern Britain together. ________________ Federal Finance and Resources Committee - Mike Cox (Chair and Party Registered Treasurer) The Federal Finance and Resources Committee (FFRC) is responsible to the Federal Board for planning and administering the budget and finances of the Federal Party, as well as overseeing the administration of the Federal Party. FFRC presents audited Annual Accounts to Conference and oversees the Party’s compliance with external regulatory bodies, including the Electoral Commission. The FFRC is chaired by the Registered Party Treasurer, a statutory role under electoral law, with responsibility for money out. This role is distinct from the Party Treasurer, who has responsibility for money in. It is my privilege to present this report to the Autumn 2026 Conference as the Registered Treasurer of the Liberal Democrats. This report outlines the Party’s financial performance, compliance status, and strategic financial priorities. 2025 was the first full year following our historic general election result in 2024. The Party moved from the exceptional income and campaign activity of an election year to the task of supporting 72 Liberal Democrat MPs, sustaining our campaigning capacity and preparing for the elections ahead. Financial overview Income Total income for the year was £8.44 million (2024: £12.56 million). The reduction reflects the exceptional level of general election-related income received during 2024. Income in 2025 comprised: * Donations: £2.62 million * Membership subscriptions: £1.61 million * Conference income: £1.18 million * Recharges to State Parties and other Party bodies: £2.61 million * Policy Development Grant: £336,035 * Notional income: £73,433 * Other income and investment income: £24,833 in aggregate. The Party continued to benefit from a strong and loyal membership base of 83,174 members and registered supporters at year-end. Expenditure Total expenditure was £9.33 million (2024: £11.41 million). Significant expenditure categories included: * Staff salaries & associated costs: £4.94 million * Campaigning expenditure: £694,114 * Information technology investment: £827,574 * Conference expenditure: £602,472 * Establishment costs: £605,198 * Grants to Party bodies and associated organisations: £594,948. The Party employed an average of 118 staff members during the year, compared with 105 in the previous year, reflecting the expanded support requirements associated with a significantly larger Parliamentary Party and growing operational responsibilities. Deficit for the Year The Party reported an operating deficit of £893,159. After finance costs and taxation, the final deficit for the year was £962,014, compared with a surplus of £1,063,343 in 2024. This outcome was anticipated following the exceptionally strong general election year in 2024. The deficit reflects the Party's strategic decision to invest resources accumulated during the election cycle into strengthening campaigning capacity, parliamentary support, technology infrastructure and organisational resilience. Balance sheet, cash and the office move At 31 December 2025, the Party’s net assets were £983,682, compared with £1.95 million at the end of 2024. Cash balances were £204,983, compared with £1.25 million a year earlier. Tangible fixed assets increased from £100,320 to £490,007. Much of this increase arose from the necessary and unplanned relocation of the Federal Party headquarters after the previous premises became unavailable. The move involved substantial one-off costs and should not be viewed simply as discretionary investment or an improvement in the underlying financial position. It was, however, necessary to maintain the Party’s operations from suitable premises. The reduction in cash therefore reflects both the planned use of election-cycle reserves and the costs associated with the office move, alongside continued expenditure on the Party’s technology and operational infrastructure. The Party continues to participate in a joint banking facility with associated Liberal Democrat organisations which remained unused during the year, providing additional financial flexibility if required. Compliance and governance FFRC continued to oversee the Party’s finances, budget, risk management, financial controls, and compliance obligations under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act. The audited financial statements received an unmodified audit opinion, and the Party continued to meet its reporting responsibilities to the Electoral Commission. We also continued to support treasurers and officers across the Party in meeting increasingly demanding regulatory and reporting requirements. Looking Forward The Party enters 2026 from a position of political strength following our record Westminster representation and continued local government success. Financially, the focus for 2026 will be: * Rebuilding operational surpluses. * Strengthening unrestricted reserves. * Supporting the work of 72 Liberal Democrat MPs. * Investing in future election campaigns. * Growing membership and fundraising income. * Maintaining rigorous financial governance and controls. Although 2025 recorded a planned deficit, this reflected conscious investment decisions following the general election and was undertaken from a position of financial strength. The Party remains well-placed to support continued political growth and future electoral success. Acknowledgements My thanks go to the members of FFRC, to the Federal Finance Team led by Fern McLurg, to the Compliance Team led by Simon Drage, and to regional and local treasurers for their continued hard work and stewardship. Contact Questions about this report may be sent to mike.cox@libdems.org.uk Summary Financial Review The Party's financial results for 2025 reflect the transition from the exceptional general election year of 2024 to the first full year of the new Parliament. While income reduced from the unusually high levels achieved during the election campaign, the Party invested significantly in supporting 72 Liberal Democrat MPs, strengthening campaign infrastructure, enhancing technology systems and expanding operational capacity. The income and expenditure table can be found on the next page. ________________ Income and Expenditure Summary for 2025 Category 2025 £’000 2024 £’000 Income Membership subscriptions 1,608 1,566 Donations (small & major) 2,618 7,505 Recharges to Party bodies 2,609 1,602 Conference 1,175 1,102 Grants 336 433 Investment returns 10 25 Notional and other income 88 331 Total Income 8,444 12,563 Expenditure Campaigning and promotions 694 2,504 Staffing and contractor costs 5,470 5,011 Conference 602 658 Grants & Membership costs 628 570 Office & administration 704 1,183 Technology infrastructure 828 828 Fundraising costs 185 244 Governance 26 60 Notional and other costs 88 184 Depreciation and financing 113 168 Interest 67 87 Tax 2 2 Total Expenditure 9,407 11,500 Operating (Deficit)/Surplus (962) 1,063 Notes: figures are rounded to nearest £’000. ________________ Federal Communications and Elections Committee - Mark Pack (Chair) The Federal Communications and Elections Committee (FCEC) oversees the implementation of the Party’s strategy in relation to elections, campaigns, and communications. The FCEC also oversees, via the Joint Candidates Sub-Committee, the Party’s readiness to field candidates in Westminster elections. Earlier this year, the Federal Board appointed me as the new chair of FCEC, following Kath Pinnock’s decision to stand down from the role. The Party made local election gains in every round of elections during Kath’s time in post, as well as securing our best general election result for a century. So huge thanks are due to Kath for all her work and commitment during her time in post, and her continuing dedication to promoting liberal democracy, both as a councillor and a member of the House of Lords. Thank you also to all the Party staff who work with FCEC, especially Rachel Minshull for supporting the committee’s work and the two main directors the committee has worked with, Dave McCobb and Paul Haydon. Paul has stood down as our Director of Communications deciding now is the time for a break from the relentless pressure of the 24 x 7 media cycle on the frontline of politics. Many thanks for all his work and success in that role. The most important work the committee does is carried out over each summer, after this report has to be submitted. This is the review of the seat tier status for every Parliamentary constituency, carried out in close consultation with the relevant regional and state parties along with our staff team. This time around we will have a careful balancing act to manage. Everyone is rightfully keen for us to be ambitious about the scope of our potential seat wins at the next Westminster general election. We will therefore be looking carefully at how many seats can be prompted up the tiering league table. But we also know - as 2019 showed all too painfully - that simply giving the label of ‘target seat’ to somewhere which does not have the capacity to deliver an intensive grassroots effort frequently results in wasted money, squandered time, and dashed hopes. Our ambition will need to remain rooted in reality. We have also started work on drawing together the lessons from the various post-May election reviews being carried out, both reviews looking at particular geographic areas (such as the Welsh election review which I am helping with) and also those looking at particular aspects of our work (such as the review of our canvassing analysis). We have co-opted Jeremy Hargraves to then be the FCEC’s representative to Federal Policy Committee, using his expertise and experience to help us join up our policy and campaigning work. In a similar vein, a big theme of the candidate reforms that the Party has voted to adopt is to better join up our candidate and campaign planning. We therefore agreed to co-opt Alison Suttie, chair of the Joint Candidates Sub-Committee (JCSC). Our third co-option was of former FCEC chair Tim Razzall to bring experience of previous Parliaments to our work, and the final appointment was of myself as the FCEC representative on the Federal Conference Committee (FCC). In between reports to Federal Conference, regular reports about FCEC’s work appear on the Party’s website, in the news section at: www.libdems.org.uk/news. ________________ Federal People and Development Committee - Ellie Hudspith (Chair) The Federal People and Development Committee (FPDC), working with State Parties and other Party bodies as appropriate, has responsibility for coordinating, planning and supervising the training strategy for the Federal Party, the diversity engagement strategy, membership recruitment, retention and activation strategy and working with Affiliated Organisations (AOs). We've had a busy start to our term, with lots of new faces joining FPDC both as directly appointed members and representatives from AOs and other Party bodies. Most of our initial meetings have focussed on getting to know each other and establishing priorities for the term ahead. At the time of writing, we've decided to re-establish our two main sub-committees: one for membership, and one for training. Our membership sub-committee will look at membership recruitment, experience and retention, and will carry on existing work to improve our data collection on why people join the Party and what they want as a member. Our training sub-committee will look at our current training strategy and adjustments that we need to make, if and when the Party's new strategy is adopted at this Conference. We’re also working with our Vice President, Victoria, to align our diversity work and understand where we can choose work streams that complement her own projects. Following the adoption of our new Whistleblowing Policy in the last FPDC term, we've been working to implement the new regime. That's involved opening volunteer recruitment for the Appropriate Persons who will investigate reports. By the time we reach Brighton, we are hoping to have kicked off a project looking at support and best practice for AOs and Party bodies. This ties in well to the five-yearly AO review process that the Federal Board tasked us to design and implement, and will look at how we can provide central resources and support, so that AOs and Party bodies can get on with campaigning instead of administration. The Vice-Chairs for this FPDC term are Charley Hasted and Vikas Aggarwal. The three of us would also like to thank Rachel Minshull for all the support and advice she gives us to make everything run smoothly, and the whole of the Best Practice team at Federal Party headquarters for their regular updates to, and attendance at, FPDC. Application for consideration for Affiliated Organisation status Party Groups wishing to become AOs must meet the criteria and follow the process previously agreed by Conference, available here: www.libdems.org.uk/f29-f34. Bodies wishing to become an AO must be reported to Conference before they can be finally approved by the Party. We have agreed the initial application from the Liberal Democrat Health and Care Association (LDHCA) which was formed to bring together healthcare professionals, service users, and industry experts into one focused forum to discuss healthcare-related issues, campaign on a wide range of health matters, and develop policy that reflects the latest research and best practice. ________________ Federal Audit and Scrutiny Committee - Dave Radcliffe (Chair) The Federal Audit and Scrutiny Committee (FASC) commissions and oversees internal audit work related to the work of the Federal Party, as part of which it oversees the Party’s risk management operations and its Risk Register. It is also responsible for commissioning the Party’s auditors. FASC members were appointed by the Federal Board after interviews in January and February. I’d like to thank those members who served on the previous FASC - Matthew Green, Simon Marlow, and Elsie Gisslegård. And of course a warm welcome to the three new members: Oliver Moss, Ian Hudson and, Nick Clark, who join myself, Rebecca Cave, and Valerie Stainton. Our ex officio members are the President, Mike Cox (Registered Treasurer), Tilly McAuliffe (Federal Treasurer), and the Party Leader (or their nominee). Because of the late appointment in the audit cycle and large local elections, the committee has met three times since March. The Committee has considered the audit findings report on the 2025 Federal Party accounts from UHY Hacker Young. These were signed off by the Registered Treasurer and subsequently submitted to the Electoral Commission. By the time of Conference, these accounts will have been published by the Electoral Commission. The 2025 accounts cover the year after the general election and therefore show a deficit as we use the surplus generated during the general election, before income starts to increase during the current year. Our external auditors test the Party’s financial planning, and various scenarios. This leads to the positive conclusion that the Party continues to be a going concern. The Committee monitors the Party risk register on a quarterly basis with the Chief Executive, noting the progress that is being made in managing risk, as well as reducing the levels of risk that the Party carries. The risk register was extensively updated following the 2024 general election, with a larger parliamentary Party the new risks relate to our campaigning capacity and a political strategy that operates in the current political environment. During our most recent review, we gained assurances on the Party finances, and how the Federal Finance and Resources Committee (FFRC) is managing these risks through their regular monitoring. Technology continues to be a risk, with our reliance on NGPVan who supply Connect, and with the performance issues that were experienced during the May 2026 elections. We are assured that the Party has alternatives in the market to review. The 2027 election cycle will be a challenge given the previous achievements in 2023, and we need to ensure the best political strategy is in place in the fast changing political environment (at the time of writing this report, Burnham has become the new Prime Minister, and Farage is currently not an MP). The committee is also continuing a deeper review of several key risks. One specific concern is Local Party Treasurers and their reporting under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA), given the potential for fines and reputational damage. Separately, there are challenges around HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) compliance and corporation tax. With around 400 treasurers in post, several related issues arise: difficulty filling these roles, late reporting, and broader compliance risks. To address this, we have considered introducing mandatory training, potentially modelled on the approach used for election agents. We also looked at ways to improve onboarding for new treasurers and how a peer support or "buddy" system might work in practice. There needs to be a balance of support vs enforcement (carrots and sticks) that can operate for a large cadre of volunteers. ________________ Joint Candidates Sub-Committee - Alison Suttie (Chair) The Joint Candidates Sub-Committee (JCSC) sets the standards and processes for, and maintain oversight of, the Party’s readiness to train and field candidates in all elections to the House of Commons as well as any public elections to the House of Lords or its successor. Chair’s Introduction I would like to put on record my thanks to all the members of JCSC over the last calendar year, who have been as follows: * English Representative - Dave Raval (2025) and Neil Fawcett (2026) * Scottish Representative - Charles Dundas * Welsh Representative - Julian Tandy * Vice President / Diversity Representative - Amna Ahmad (2025) and Victoria Collins MP (2026) * Parliamentary Representative - Wendy Chamberlain MP * Federal Communications and Elections Committee (FCEC) Representative - Lord Mark Pack All of them have made valuable contributions to the work of JCSC during their tenure and I thank them for their hard work and commitment. I would also like to thank the Federal Party headquarters staff who have supported the work of the committee over the reporting period, especially Rachel Minshull who supported the meetings of the committee and managed the legacy candidates function, and Elspeth McCobb who supported us through a period of organisational change and led for us on the recruitment and set-up of our new Candidates Office. The new role of JCSC In March 2025, Federal Conference agreed that JCSC should take on responsibility for the selection of Westminster candidates, replacing the previous three-state approach. This constitutional change of powers was ratified by Wales shortly afterwards, by Scotland in Autumn 2025 and by England in February 2026. This means JCSC has been through a transitional period over most of the last year, assuming responsibility for Westminster candidate matters one state at a time until the end of February this year. During that period JCSC had been putting in place updated rules and procedures to ensure a smooth transfer of responsibilities, and that any change in powers did not delay any candidate selections already underway. We have also overseen the recruitment and development of our new enhanced Candidates Office, headed by Claire Halliwell, who started in post in May 2026. Our new staff team will work alongside our existing pool of volunteers to deliver an ambitious programme of Prospective Parliamentary Candidate (PPC) selections, driven by a clear timetable that is linked to our general election readiness timetable. Westminster Selection progress JCSC set an ambitious target to have PPCs in place across all Westminster constituencies by mid-2027. We are collectively determined to have candidates in place as early as possible to maximise the opportunity for them to grow, build and lead their local teams. During the transitional period, the pace of PPC selections has remained lower than we would have liked. In Scotland and Wales we made the active choice, jointly with our partners in the Scottish and Welsh Parties, to start Westminster selections as soon as possible after the devolved elections in May 2026, given we draw on the same pool of candidates for both Westminster and devolved parliaments. A draft timetable for selections in England was developed in consultation with the English Regions and with the support of Federal Party headquarters Field Staff. This timetable has now been revised, and a similar process carried out in Scotland and Wales. We have updated the PPC selection rules to allow the new Candidates Office, Candidates Chairs, Local Parties, and Returning Officers to run selections to clear timetables and deadlines. A further update to the rules to reduce the administrative burden on Local Parties and volunteers is, at the time of writing, out for consultation. If agreed this will allow us to significantly increase the pace of selections by leveraging the full value of our new enhanced staff team whilst maintaining oversight of selections by our experienced pool of Returning Officers, who in turn will be better supported in their work. Throughout all of this we are clear that our main objective is to ensure more PPCs are selected earlier, and chosen by the members of the constituencies they wish to contest. Since taking on its new responsibilities, JCSC has also overseen a number of Parliamentary by-election selections under the new arrangements, helping ensure the Party was able to respond quickly, including introducing a protocol for selecting candidates for future likely, but not yet confirmed, by-elections. At the start of July we launched our “Refer a Great Candidate” function to enable anyone to recommend someone to us that they think would be a great Liberal Democrat PPC. We have also undertaken an internal awareness raising campaign, encouraging members to come forward early to get approved for the next general election. Future work JCSC has also met to discuss its future work plan, which will include the following: * How to improve the diversity of our candidate pool and selected PPCs; * Training existing Returning Officers on our modernised rules and processes; * Recruiting and training new Returning Officers, E-Ballot Administrators and Candidate Assessors to increase the size of the pool of volunteers supporting our candidate functions - to make them more sustainable for the longer-term; * Ensuring we have modern, fit for process policies in place across all areas of candidate work, including snap general election readiness; and * Ensuring there is a proper programme of remote support in place for selected candidates between selection and the election, in conjunction with FCEC. A vote of thanks to our volunteers None of JCSC’s work would be possible without the commitment of our Regional Candidates’ Chairs, Returning Officers, Candidate Assessors, E-Ballot Administrators, Assessors, and many other volunteers who continue to give significant amounts of their time to support the Party's democratic processes. JCSC is extremely grateful for their dedication. ________________ Parliamentary Reports The Commons - Wendy Chamberlain MP (Chief Whip) It is great to be back in Brighton for another Autumn Conference. Welcome to all our amazing members, dedicated activists and staff, and parliamentary colleagues. I want to thank my colleagues across the Commons and the Lords, and the staff teams in Westminster and in our constituencies who support us so tirelessly. My thanks too to our representatives in the devolved administrations and our Local Government family, whose hard work and dedication continue to drive real change for the people we represent. I also want to congratulate everyone who stood and campaigned during the local elections that we had in May. All your hard work made this the Party’s eighth set of gains in a row, and allowed us to take control of councils in Stockport, Portsmouth, East Surrey, and West Surrey, and win us every seat in Richmond! And a big thank you to all of you whose hard work in the Scottish Parliament elections saw us double our 2021 result. This included an impressive comeback in the Highlands, where we won two constituencies along with list comebacks in the Borders and North East. Parliamentary successes: We are now half way through the Parliamentary term, and our MPs have had some huge wins in the Commons along the way. That includes one of our most dramatic victories in recent memory when Al Pinkerton’s 10 Minute Rule Bill on negotiating a UK-EU Customs Union passed with a majority of just one vote. This was a big win for the Liberal Democrats, pushing the Government to commit to real change to help end the economic crisis our country has faced since Brexit. That same month, Danny Chambers’ Animal Welfare Bill came into law, introducing the biggest reforms on animal welfare in a generation, strengthening enforcement against puppy smuggling, and protecting the lives and welfare of animals imported into the UK. This showed how effective Private Members Bills (PMBs) can be and we’ll be closely monitoring the progress of recent Liberal Democrat ballot winners Andrew George, Clive Jones, Munira Wilson and Steff Aquarone in the coming months. Liberal Democrats have often led the way with PMBs. In January, Olly Glover’s 10 Minute Rule Bill pushed for a Passengers’ Charter to guarantee wifi, clean loos, and automatic compensation for rail passengers. Meanwhile Wera Hobhouse, whose previous PMB in 2019 made upskirting illegal, launched a new PMB in March on covert filming to better protect women and force social media platforms to remove content and ban repeat offenders. Additionally, Sarah Olney’s long-running campaign to give victims access to free court transcripts saw success when the Government put forward an amendment to the Sentencing Bill in January. Sarah had already secured this for victims of rape and sexual assault, but now all victims will benefit. Standing up to social media giants has also been a recurring theme of Liberal Democrat work in the Commons. MPs, including Munira Wilson and Victoria Collins, forced the Government to ban mobile phones during the school day and will be making sure that the big tech companies aren’t let off the hook for keeping children (and adults) safe. From standing up to Trump, to championing children with special educational needs, and supporting our high streets, anyone who tunes into the House of Commons Chamber will see that it is the Liberal Democrats who are acting as the effective opposition by challenging the Government without resorting to populism and rhetoric. The same is true behind the scenes on Bill Committees where our MPs examine and amend legislation in serious detail. Just look at the Health Bill Committee where Helen Morgan and Danny Chambers ensured the spotlight remained on mental health, maternity care, corridor care, and social care. Meanwhile, Martin Wrigley has personified persistence when it comes to holding Palantir to account. And on committee corridor Alistair Carmichael and Layla Moran have led the way chairing the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and Health and Care Select Committees respectively, leading major inquiries on land use and mental health. Alistair’s excellent efforts on the Family Farm Tax forced the Government to climb down, while Layla strongly stood up for patients in the aftermath of the UK-US pharmacy deal. Staffing update: We have had a lot of changes in the Commons Whips Office this year, losing some incredible staff but also gaining amazing new ones. Our Head and Deputy Head of the Whips Office, Jack Coulson and Mel Gordon, have both sadly moved on to pastures new. Jack and Mel led the Whips team with such skill, care and commitment - expertly navigating a new Parliament with 72 MPs - and they will both be hugely missed by all. However, Will Cowie has joined as my Chief of Staff, Harry Leather has taken over as Head and Olivia Hutchinson has joined as Deputy Head. Harry and Olivia have both joined from Liberal Democrat MPs’ offices, and Will has joined from the Parliamentary Advisers Unit (PAU) - they bring their valuable experience into the Whips Office. I look forward to continuing our efforts in this Parliament alongside them. Additionally, we have welcomed many new members to the Commons Parliamentary Advisors (CPA) team since last autumn. We’ve said goodbye to Toby Davis, Alex Twemlow, and Joe Brazier, and welcomed Nina Neuherz (covering Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Education, and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport); Jack Woollands (Health and Transport); Felix Lunn (Home Office, Women & Equalities, Attorney General, Justice, Scotland); Toby Baillon (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and Wales), and Harry Moreby (Foreign Affairs, Defence, Cabinet Office, Northern Ireland). Harry is covering for Ella Lewis while she in turn stands in for Rebecca Barton-Singer in the PAU during her maternity leave. They have all already done incredible work throughout this Parliamentary session, and I am extremely grateful to them for their continued efforts. Finally, I want to thank Emma Stevenson who as Head of the CPA has steered us expertly through 12 months of turnover, often back-filling multiple different roles at once. ________________ The Lords - Dave Goddard (Chief Whip) The Parliamentary Party in the Lords has started the new session of Parliament and we have picked up where we left off at the end of the previous one - by continuing to work hard on legislation and to push issues of importance to the Party. We are playing our role supporting the MPs in their political endeavours, whether this is through legislative campaigns or wider Party issues. At the time of writing, Andy Burnham has just become the new Prime Minister, and we wait to see how this will impact on the legislative programme currently going through Parliament. Leadership and Party Whips Jeremy Purvis has now been Leader of the Group for a year, and he continues to put the relationships between our peers and our MPs, and the belief that good working relationships benefit the wider Party, front and centre of his leadership. I was honoured to be elected Chief Whip back in January. It is for others to judge how my tenure is progressing, but I am putting an emphasis on team work at the heart of everything I am doing. I pay tribute to all the work my predecessor, Ben Stoneham, did for the group. Kath Pinnock and Mike Storey, continue as our co-deputy leaders, and provide great support. We continue to have a nine-strong team of whips, supporting me and the Whips’ Office in our work, and I am very grateful for everything they do to make sure we punch above our weight in the House. Highlights of our Parliamentary Work In the dying days of the last parliamentary session at the end of April, we managed in the Lords to squeeze out a number of great concessions from the Government on issues that are important to us. In the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act, we forced a move to legally require social media measures to consider additive design harms, and secured a power to ban social media giants from collecting our children’s data. In the Sentencing Act we secured important changes to the Unduly Lenient Sentences Scheme, to allow an extension to the scheme in specific circumstances and to introduce a statutory duty to inform victims of their rights in relation to the scheme. The government brought forward an amendment to provide transcripts of sentencing remarks to victims on their request, free of charge. This is a significant step forward in Sarah Olney's long-running campaign for free court transcripts. In the English Devolution and Communities Act, we secured an amendment to ensure that rural affairs and coastal communities have to be specifically considered in relation to devolved powers and funding; as well as achieving changes that strengthen the powers councils have to block new gambling licences in high-risk areas. Since the start of the new parliamentary session in May, Liberal Democrat peers have played a constructive and influential role in scrutinising legislation, securing improvements across a range of important Bills. The passing of the Hereditary Peers Act, where Conservatives and Crossbenchers in particular lost dozens of Peers, has increased our impact in the Lords. We now hold the balance of power through our votes. Across the spectrum of legislation, Liberal Democrat peers have shown what constructive, values-driven opposition looks like, always asking not just what the legislation says, but who it serves. On the Social Housing Bill, we made the case for building new social housing while supporting necessary reforms to Right to Buy. We argued that any reform of the Right to Buy scheme must be matched by a genuine commitment to replacing the homes lost, ensuring that social housing remains available for the families who need it most. On the Civil Aviation Bill, Liberal Democrat peers stood apart in making the case for stronger passenger rights. We pushed hard for greater continuity with EU passenger protections - including on delay compensation - to ensure that UK travellers are not left worse off following Brexit. We also made a strong case for transforming the aviation experience for disabled passengers, arguing that accessibility must be treated not as an afterthought, but as a fundamental requirement of a modern, inclusive transport system. In the National Security (State Threats) Bill, Jonathan Marks, Dee Doocey, Lindsay Northover, Sarah Ludford, and Claire Tyler were all part of the team. The bill gives the Home Secretary the power to designate state-linked groups, like the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), in a process akin to proscription of a terrorist organisation. Lindsay Northover worked with Crossbench peers to secure government support for her amendments to protect humanitarian organisations. We secured amendments to the Bill to provide a defence of humanitarian activity to the new offences connected with designation. Dee Doocey secured an important commitment from the government to ask the Independent Reviewer of State Threats Legislation to particularly consider the risk that the development of highly advanced artificial intelligence by foreign powers poses to our national security. In the debates on the Armed Forces Bill, we built on our success in the Renters' Rights Act by pushing to extend the Decent Homes Standard - already won for service family accommodation - to Single Living Accommodation as well. No member of our armed forces should live in housing that falls below the standard we would expect for any other tenant. We also made the case strongly for our policy on Defence Bonds, offering a credible and innovative route to funding the investment our defence capabilities require. On the Railways Bill, we have continued the work begun by our MPs in the Commons, bringing a passenger-first perspective to the debate on rail nationalisation. We have argued that bringing the railways into public ownership is only worthwhile if it delivers real improvements for passengers, and that means modernising the entire experience. We pushed for transparent and accessible ticketing, air-conditioned trains, proper charging facilities, and a railway network that is genuinely fit for the modern age and competitive with other forms of transport. Nationalisation must be a means to an end, not an end in itself. On the Financial Services Bill, Liberal Democrat Peers have championed measures to ensure the financial system works better for consumers and local economies. We have pressed the Government to increase support for Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFIs), which play a vital role in providing finance to small businesses and underserved communities that are often overlooked by mainstream lenders. We have also argued that responsibility for reimbursing victims of fraud should fall more heavily on the technology companies whose platforms are used to facilitate scams, helping to create stronger incentives to tackle online fraud at its source. On the Steel Nationalisation Bill, we worked closely with colleagues in the House of Commons and secured significant concessions to strengthen parliamentary oversight and protect the public interest. Our amendments and negotiations have helped ensure greater parliamentary scrutiny of any future nationalisation arrangements, improving transparency and accountability. We have also pushed for robust mechanisms to ensure that steel companies are properly valued, safeguarding taxpayers from unnecessary costs. These changes will help support the long-term future of Britain’s steel industry and the communities whose jobs and prosperity depend upon it, including in many areas where the Liberal Democrats have strong growth potential: South Wales, South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and the North East. On the Commercial Payments Bill, we have focused on delivering fairer outcomes for small businesses. Late payments remain a major challenge for many firms, affecting cash flow, growth and investment. We have therefore worked to strengthen the powers of the Small Business Commissioner, enabling them to hold larger organisations more effectively to account when they fail to pay suppliers on time. Alongside this, we have worked closely with representatives of the creative industries to protect the sector’s distinctive arrangements for royalties and copyright licensing, ensuring that creators and rights holders continue to receive fair payment for their work. In the Sporting Events Bill, we have sought to strengthen protections for both spectators and host communities. We have pressed the Government to ensure that major sporting events are delivered safely, successfully and with lasting benefits for the areas in which they take place. We have also argued that events of national significance should remain accessible to the widest possible audience, including through greater protection for free-to-air broadcasting, helping to ensure that everyone can share in these national occasions. Away from legislation, Liberal Democrat peers have continued to combine thoughtful policy development with active participation in debates since the start of the new session. Our parliamentary debate day provided an excellent opportunity to explore two major policy challenges. Barbara Janke led a wide-ranging discussion on the future of primary, acute and community healthcare, examining how services can be better integrated and improve patient outcomes. William Wallace led on a timely debate on the growing threats to democratic institutions in the United Kingdom, including disinformation, foreign interference and declining public trust in politics. The outcome of these discussions will inform our legislative approaches to the forthcoming Health Bill and the Representation of People Bill. Ros Scott also secured short debate on the treatment of, and research into, severe myalgic encephalomyelitis that brought welcome attention to the needs of those living with severe and very severe ME, highlighting the importance of improving clinical care, research and accountability for delivery of the Government's ME action plan. Alongside this, Liberal Democrat peers have continued to secure Oral Questions on a wide range of issues, ensuring Ministers are regularly challenged and held to account across health, the economy, foreign affairs, and public services. We have been delighted to welcome our newest Liberal Democrat peers: Sarah Teather, Mike Dixon, and Rhiannon Leaman. All three have made an energetic start to their time in the House, contributing to questions and debates and quickly becoming active members of our group. Their expertise across health, education, local government, public service, and the volunteer sector has already strengthened the breadth of experience within the Parliamentary Party, and we look forward to seeing their contributions continue to grow as the session progresses. Digital Comms: Projecting Outwards In April the Whips' Office took on a dedicated Digital Communications Officer, the first time the Lords operation has had someone in this role, with a 12-month strategy now underway to build our social media presence from the ground up. This covers an established but underperforming X account, a newly launched Bluesky presence, with LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and a WhatsApp broadcast channel for local activists still to come, each suited to a different audience from journalists and sector specialists through to the wider membership. The purpose is to ensure the work our peers do in the Lords is visible to Party members and to Westminster and beyond, rather than going unremarked in a chamber that gets a fraction of the Commons' attention. We now have the capacity to produce short form video in-house, with our own microphones, lighting and editing, and footage of peers' interventions has already established itself as our strongest performing format. Early analytics on X are positive, with engagement running well ahead of typical benchmarks for political accounts. There is a great deal still to build, not least the platforms yet to launch, and we look forward to reporting fuller progress at future Conferences. Peers and Staff We remain an active group of almost 75 peers, but we were all devastated at the end of January by the death of our friend and colleague Jim Wallace. Jim was an immense figure in liberal politics, in Scottish politics, in UK politics and in our own Party. He was a greatly valued colleague and friend and was a wise and principled parliamentarian who was one of the most significant Scottish politicians of his generation, with an enormous legacy left in Scotland. The Party owes him so much. Last autumn we also lost our former Leader Ming Campbell. Ming was a fighter and a campaigner all his life - whether that was on the sports track, in the court room, the House of Commons or the House of Lords. He was a hugely important part of the Liberal Democrat group in the Lords and was respected throughout Westminster for his experience, internationalism, and his ability to construct a convincing argument. Again, the Party is much in his debt. We miss both Jim and Ming hugely. In the last few months, we also said goodbye to Lorely Burt and John Thurso, the former, who chose to retire from the Lords, and the latter, who was caught by the passing of the Hereditary Peers Act. Both have given great service to the Party, in both the Lords and the Commons, and we thank them for that, and wish them all the best for the future. As ever I would like to extend my thanks to the staff in the Lords team who support us so well in our work. I am also very grateful to the Political Advisers, all the staff in the Commons Whips’ Office, the Leader’s Office and the Party’s press office and communications and digital teams for all the support they give us. ________________ Reports from Federal Bodies Liberal Democrats Ltd - Mike Cox (Chair) In common with most political Parties, the Federal Party is registered as an ‘Unincorporated Association’ for company regulation purposes. Since 1988, we have also maintained a non-trading ‘Limited Company’ structure, ‘Liberal Democrats Ltd.’ (The Company), registered in England (Company number 02231620). Where needed, the Company allows us to enter into formal legal contracts (e.g. office leases) which require an ‘Ltd.’ structure. The records of the Company are available from Companies House. The responsibilities of the Company are set out in Article 9.7 of the Federal Constitution. The Directors delegate operation of the Party's Legacy Fund to the Federal Finance and Resources Committee. Over the past year the Company has continued to fulfil its corporate and Party duties as well as its legal obligations with Companies House. The current serving directors of the Company are Dave Radcliffe, Chair of the Federal Audit and Scrutiny Committee (FASC), Ian Hudson (FASC), and Nicholas Clark (FASC). Rachel Minshull remains as Company Secretary. ________________ Campaign for Gender Balance - Julia Cambridge (Chair) The Campaign for Gender Balance (CGB) exists to develop and support women interested in standing for public office within the Liberal Democrats. Since Spring Conference, the CGB has continued to strengthen its work to support and increase the representation of women across the Liberal Democrats. At Spring Conference, CGB delivered three training sessions over two days. These sessions were well attended, generated positive feedback, and created valuable opportunities to connect with women across the Party. Those relationships have already translated into practical support for women progressing through both the approval and selection processes. Local government remains one of the most important routes into public service and political leadership. We congratulate every woman who stood in the May 2026 local elections and thank those councillors who concluded their service after years of commitment to their communities. Their contribution has strengthened both local government and the Party. Although the next general election may still be some years away, developing a strong and diverse pipeline of approved women candidates remains a strategic priority. Preparing women well in advance of selection opportunities is essential if the Party is to maximise the diversity and strength of its future parliamentary representation. We also anticipate further parliamentary by-elections and continue to encourage women to complete the approval process so that strong candidates are ready to stand in every region of the United Kingdom. We thank Jackie Pearcey for standing as the Liberal Democrat candidate in the Gorton and Denton by-election and Councillor Mel Sullivan for representing the Party in the Aberdeen South by-election. Their willingness to step forward demonstrates the commitment and talent of women across our Party. CGB continues to monitor the development of the enhanced approval process and looks forward to contributing constructively to its implementation, ensuring that new arrangements continue to promote fairness, accessibility, and diversity. Our network of Approval Mentors continues to support women through the approval process, while our Selection Mentors provide practical guidance and encouragement to women seeking selection for parliamentary and other elected positions. These mentoring programmes remain central to CGB's work in developing confidence, skills, and experience among prospective candidates. CGB is proud to be represented on the Federal People Development Committee (FPDC) and values the opportunity to work collaboratively with colleagues across the Party, including the Racial Diversity Campaign RDC) and the Vice President with responsibility for ethnic minority communities. Building an inclusive Party requires partnership across all diversity organisations, recognising that improving representation benefits everyone. A comprehensive review of CGB's training programme and supporting materials is underway. Updated resources will begin to be introduced at Autumn Conference, where we hope to deliver up to six sessions. In addition, the Future Women MP Weekend is being redesigned with the aim of delivering a refreshed in-person programme during 2027. This year also marked an important transition for CGB as Candy Piercy stepped down from her leadership role. Candy has made an exceptional contribution over many years to increasing the representation of women within the Liberal Democrats. Through her leadership, mentoring and encouragement, she has supported countless women to develop the confidence and skills to seek elected office. Her legacy is reflected in the many women serving as councillors, candidates, and parliamentarians today, and we are delighted that she will continue to support the work of CGB in a different capacity. On behalf of the Campaign for Gender Balance, we record our sincere thanks to Candy for her outstanding service and enduring commitment to advancing women's representation within the Party. ________________ Racial Diversity Campaign - Janice Turner and Mo Waqas (Co-chairs) The Racial Diversity Campaign’s (RDC) goal is to see more people Black, Asian, and multi Ethnic people become, not only parliamentary candidates, but parliamentary candidates for our target seats. The new leadership of RDC was confirmed just a matter of days before the deadline for this report, following an appointment process that had lasted approximately six months. Janice Turner and Mo Waqas were appointed as co-chairs, with Julia Ogiehor having earlier been confirmed as vice-chair. At the 2024 general, election just five of the 72 Liberal Democrat MPs elected were ethnic minority, about 7%, compared to about 18% of the population of England, Wales, and Scotland. The Party had 70 ethnic minority approved candidates at the time. During the 2025 Autumn Conference, RDC ran a training session for ethnic minority candidates on safety and resilience, led by the then vice-chair Mo Waqas. It is a sad fact that ethnic minority candidates endure a higher level of abuse, and it is regrettable but essential that it is addressed. The session was well attended by 30 people. On 10 April, RDC hosted an Eid celebration in Stockport which was well attended and included Mo Waqas, Lord Mohammed, Victoria Collins, Hina Bukhari AM, Kamran Hussain, and Khalil Yusif. RDC’s first activity following appointment was to conduct an audit as quickly as possible to establish the situation in relation to the number of potential and approved ethnic minority candidates, which of the most winnable constituencies had yet to select a candidate, and the areas where RDC could most effectively bring about positive change. Training and mentoring of candidates in the manner of the Campaign for Gender Balance was set out in the 2018 Alderdice Review (which brought RDC into being) as an important intervention. RDC intends to work with the Candidates Office and the Vice President with responsibility for ethnic minority communities to ensure that this is resumed. The excellent Stellar programme had not been run since the general election and RDC intends to ensure that it is up and running again. RDC will also work with the new Joint Candidates Sub-committee to ensure that the candidate approval and selection processes are optimum, for example in ensuring that the pools of assessors and returning officers are as diverse as we intend our pool of candidates to be. Both co-chairs were involved last year in a concerted drive to increase ethnic minority applications to become a Prospective Parliamentary Candidate (PPC). The Liberal Democrat Campaign for Race Equality (LDCRE) and the Party’s diversity manager, Nicole Turner, reached out to Party activists and councillors. This was followed by an event for those interested in becoming a PPC. We are delighted to report that as of July 2026, the number of ethnic minority approved candidates had increased by about 40% and was just short of 100, for the first time in the Party’s history. RDC aims to assist the approved candidates to become PPCs standing at the next election, and to assist all those not yet approved to complete the process. The Alderdice Review, whose recommendations were accepted by the Party, clearly stated that for the Liberal Democrats to reflect the diversity of the UK it requires action to be taken at all levels, particularly at local level. Increasing the diversity of the membership of Local Parties will be a major driver of more diverse representation on councils, on Party committees, and in Parliament. So responsibility for achieving greater diversity at all levels of the Party, and in Parliament, lies with everyone, whether a Local Party executive, regional committee, federal committee, or the new Joint Candidates’ Sub-committee. Responsibility does not rest exclusively with RDC. RDC wants to encourage and help to facilitate new strategies around the Party and wants to hear from any group that would like to discuss this or would like assistance. ________________ Federal Appeals Panel - Harry Samuels (Chair) The Federal Appeals Panel (FAP) is established under Article 22 of the Federal Constitution and adjudicates over a variety of disputes that are within the jurisdiction given by Article 22.3. The FAP acts as a safeguard to ensure that bodies act within the limits assigned to them by the Federal Constitution, and the rights of members under the Federal Constitution are respected. It therefore plays an important role in maintaining good governance within the Party. The FAP is made up of 18 members - nine of whom are chosen by the Federal Board and confirmed by Conference, with three being elected by each State Party. Members of the FAP are all volunteers. The Chair of the Federal Appeals Panel shall be elected by the Panel from amongst those of its members chosen by the Federal Board. The FAP is there to protect the rights of Party Members and is directly accountable to Conference. The Chair of the FAP is required by Article 22.6 to publish an annual report to Autumn Conference, containing the Panel’s procedures, all its decisions on the interpretation of the Constitution, and a summary of its other rulings since its last annual report. New panel FAP has commenced a new term of five years since the last report to Conference. FAP wishes to record its thanks to the outgoing Chair, David Graham, for his careful and assiduous work over the last five years, and to all outgoing members. In January 2026, Harry Samuels was appointed as Chair; Andrew Smith and Jerry Cope were appointed as Vice-Chairs. A full chart of the current composition of the FAP (including new appointees and state appointees) is available at: www.libdems.org.uk/complaints/federal-appeals-panel/organisation. Procedures FAP’s published procedures were adopted by Conference in 2021. They are reproduced in full at: www.libdems.org.uk/complaints/federal-appeals-panel/procedures. Report on cases I am required by Article 22.6 of the Federal Constitution to report on all decisions by FAP about the interpretation of the Constitution made since the last report. I am also required to summarise other decisions made by the Panel. I do so below, noting that all final decisions were made by the outgoing Panel, before handover to the new Panel. Published decisions are available to read on the Party website; what follows is only a brief summary of each. For the avoidance of doubt, I have not summarised appeals to the FAP which have been discontinued by the applicant. Cases before handover Constitutional interpretation Keynes & Ors v Federal Returning Officer was a joint appeal in Cases 67, 70 and 73. The Applicants challenged the Federal Returning Officer’s application of the STV rules in relation to casual vacancies on federal committees. The panel allowed the appeal. The FAP held that the proper interpretation of the Election Regulations (which are in turn referred to in the Federal Constitution) required the original count to be re-run, passing over the preferences for the vacating representative. However, resolving the dispute between the parties, FAP concluded that the count should include rather than exclude all the originally elected candidates in that process. In Case No. 74, Hollowood v Federal Returning Officer, the Applicant sought a prospective ruling as to how the Federal Returning Officer should apply the quota provisions of Article 2.5 of the Federal Constitution at the (then forthcoming) internal elections. In particular, the Applicant stated that this request was to “ensure that there is no danger of any outcomes of the elections unlawfully disadvantaging one or more candidates on the basis of the protected characteristic of sex”. Permission to proceed was refused; the application was held, at that stage (the application having been submitted on 17 July 2025), to be premature and potentially academic. In Case No. 76, North v Federal Returning Officer, the Federal Appeals Panel allowed an appeal against a ruling of the Returning Officer relating to the quotas in Articles 2.5 and 2.6 of the Federal Party Constitution. It was declared that the Returning Officer had no power to issue the interpretation given, which had purported to reinterpret and reword the quotas. The decision is available here. Other appeals In Case No. 71, Bliss v Young Liberals, the Applicant sought permission to appeal against a decision of the Executive of the Young Liberals, which was subsequently upheld by the Young Liberals Appeals Panel. The application was refused; it was held that the FAP has no jurisdiction over an application of this nature. In Case No. 72, Re Hobson, the Applicant sought to appeal against his removal from the Welsh Party’s approved list of candidates for the Senedd and the Westminster Parliament. The application was refused on the ground that the Applicant had not exhausted all other remedies. A publication decision on Case No. 75 does not appear to have been made yet, despite the fact that it has concluded. It concerned an appeal against a decision of Federal Conference Committee. Cases following handover At the time of writing, only one case, relating to a Local Party’s refusal to readmit a member after the lapse of their membership, is currently live before the FAP. It has been an unusually quiet period. Timescales Prior to the conclusion of the last FAP term, all live cases were resolved. Only one appeal is pending, and that appeal is within the target timeframe for consideration. Future At its initial meeting, the FAP has discussed streamlining its published procedures and introducing new and more user-friendly forms for applicants. Such streamlining is particularly desirable following the removal of significant elements of FAP’s jurisdiction over disciplinary appeals. Further updates will be available on the FAP section of the Party website in due course, and any changes to the published procedures will be put before Conference for approval in line with the Federal Constitution. Conclusion I would like to thank my colleagues for their assistance, and the staff for their support. ________________ The Complaints Process - Neil Christian (Lead Adjudicator) I am asked to provide a report to Federal Conference pursuant to the “Liberal Democrats: Independent Complaints Procedures (Version: September 2025)” Part 4 paragraph 2. This report shall include, for the reporting year: * information on the numbers of Complaints; * the number of Party members suspended; * the number of Party members expelled; * the number of cases Appealed to the Disciplinary Appeals Panel; * the number of cases ongoing and the number concluded; * the number of concluded Complaints which were dismissed, referred back for additional information and referred to a Complaints Panel; * the average number of days taken to conclude each Complaints Process; and * the sanctions imposed, if any, in each concluded case. These figures are based on the period 01/07/2025 to 30/06/2026. The information is gathered from the standards office records. The numbers of Complaints * Received 293 The number of Party members suspended * 40 cases sent for interim suspension consideration * 28 cases resulted in Respondent's suspension (27 Respondents) * 12 cases resulted in the Respondent retaining full membership during course of Complaint (8 Respondents) The number of Party members expelled * 23 Respondents (24 cases) * 2 Respondents related to criminal behaviour * 2 Respondents (3 cases) related to bullying/harassment and intimidation * 19 Respondents for support of / standing for another UK based political Party The number of cases Appealed to the Disciplinary Appeals Panel * 13 appeals * 10 by Complainants * 3 by Respondents The number of cases ongoing and the number concluded * Ongoing 95 * Concluded 257 The number of concluded Complaints which were dismissed, referred back for additional information and referred to a Complaints Panel; * Declined 120 * Dismissed 52 * Referred back for further info 58 * Sent to Complaints Panel 59 The average number of days taken to conclude each Complaints Process * 50 working days The sanctions imposed, if any, in each concluded case * Sanctions (46 cases) * Expulsion - 28 (26 Respondents) * by SAT - 20 * by Panels - 8 * Apology - 3 (3 Respondents) * Training - 5 (5 Respondents) * Warning / Caution - 13 (13 Respondents) ________________ Updates from State Parties English Liberal Democrats - Caroline Pidgeon (Chair) The Liberal Democrats in England is a federation of 11 Regional Parties, together with the English Young Liberals, who are the youth and student wing of the Liberal Democrats. English Governance Review At the June English Council meeting, members voted for a new governance structure for the English Party, following a review led by Chris White and Ruth Dombey. This decision delivers a significant package of reforms to the Party's structures in England. The English Council itself will be replaced by a new English Party Board - a slimmed-down, mission-focused structure putting the collective voice of regional parties at its heart; and a new English Assembly which will offer the opportunity for all members in England - not just a select 150 - to be part of the key decision making in our State Party. It will also lead to the Chair, Chair of Candidates and the Diversity Officer being elected for the first time by each member in England, along with our representatives on Federal and other bodies. This is a significant change for the state Party and an interim Board is ensuring everything is in place ahead of the full new structure starting in 2027. Regional innovation fund Our Treasurer, David Craddock, working with Vice Chair Hannah Kitching, has been working closely with regions to support their campaigning work and the work and funding for Regional Development Officers which has increased. A new £50,000 innovation fund was agreed to support membership and other campaign initiatives in the regions, and three regions have had bids accepted - North East, London and Devon and Cornwall. In collaboration with Federal Campaigns, we are providing £20k funding across the northern regions for a co-ordinating administration role. All of these initiatives will be assessed for impact and wider learnings shared. ________________ Scottish Liberal Democrats - Jenni Lang (Convenor) It has been an eventful time since the Scottish Party last reported to Conference. Scottish Elections The Scottish Party ran an outstanding campaign led by Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP, whose strong media presence and fundraising allowed us to invest early in staff and literature. The campaign team, chaired by Wendy Chamberlain MP, used data and local insight to target resources effectively. Results: We more than doubled our MSPs from four to 10. * Constituency Wins: Caithness, Sutherland & Ross; Skye, Lochaber & Badenoch; Strathkelvin & Bearsden; Edinburgh Northern. * List Wins: South of Scotland; North East Scotland and the Highlands While we narrowly lost Shetland to the SNP, recovery efforts are already under way to win the seat back in future. We also came within a hairsbreadth of winning Inverness and Nairn, making it a great target at the next election. Massive thanks to the Policy Team and Policy Committee for producing our manifesto, the Comms team for high-impact coverage, Campaign Managers Des Buchanan and Tracey Cooper, and every organiser, candidate, and volunteer who made this victory possible. Headquarters Our 2025 restructure is yielding clear results. Strategic investments in staff and office space are strengthening support for Local Parties and reducing the reliance on volunteers. Paul Trollope has been pivotal in driving Party growth in his combined role as CEO and Head of Campaigns. Under Ed Thornley, the expanded headquarters team - now including Anna Aitken, Susannah McWhirter, and Kathryn Milne - will continue supporting Local Parties through the next cycle. Internal Elections Run by Anna Aitken, with support from Rachel Minshull ( Federal Party headquarters), internal elections ran smoothly. Congratulations to our elected officers: * Convener: Jenni Lang * Treasurer: Mike Gray * President: Caron Lindsay * Policy Convener: Neil Casey * Campaigns & Candidates Convener: Charles Dundas * Conference Convener: Fraser Graham We also welcomed several new members across all committees. Conferences Autumn Conference in Glasgow (where we ratified Federal Motion F10 from Spring Conference 2025) and Spring Conference in Edinburgh both saw strong attendance and built vital momentum ahead of the election. Looking Ahead * 150 Rising: Focus shifts to expanding our councillor base ahead of the 2027 local elections. Selection and campaigning are already active. * Local Party Review: We are reviewing local structures to cut administrative burden and free up capacity for grassroots campaigning and recruitment. ________________ Welsh Liberal Democrats - Tim Sly (President) Welsh Spring Conference The Welsh Spring Conference was held in Cardiff on 6 to 8 March and was well attended with over 100 attendees and a large number of exhibitors and external bodies. Motions debated included Protecting Patients Prescribed Medical Cannabis and Other Essential Medicines from Discrimination in Wales, Developing Predictable, Low-Impact Local Energy Generation in Wales and The Welsh Economy. There was also a member-led discussion to shape the priorities and ideas in the Senedd election manifesto. Senedd Elections 2026 The Senedd elections in May represented a disappointing result for the Welsh Party. We fielded a full slate of six candidates in each of the sixteen constituencies, five of which were officially designated as targets. Welsh Party leader Jane Dodds successfully retained her Senedd seat in Brecheiniog Tawe Nedd, however we narrowly missed out in our two other top targets, Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf and Gŵyr Abertawe, where Rodney Berman and Sam Bennett respectively lost out despite vigorous and sustained campaigning in both seats over a prolonged period. In the other target seats, as well as many other seats around Wales, our candidates made progress but failed to reach the threshold under the D’Hondt system against stiff opposition from Plaid Cymru, the Green Party and Reform UK. The Welsh Party has commissioned an independent review of the Senedd election which is being led by Lord Mark Pack and Baroness Christine Humphries. This includes a survey of Welsh Party members conducted immediately after the election, which received several hundred responses. The aim is to have the review completed by the autumn. By-Election successes. In recent months, there have been several by-election successes in Wales. In Swansea, Beth Rowe scored an impressive win in the Fairwood by-election, increasing the number of Liberal Democrat councillors on Swansea City Council to 14. In Powys, Colin Millichap defeated Reform to win Yscir with Honddu Isaf and Llanddew ward to bring the total number of Liberal Democrat councillors to 18. Congratulations to both Beth and Colin and to all the other Welsh Liberal Democrat by-election candidates who stood in recent elections. Governance review The Welsh Party has initiated a review of Party governance and structures which is being led by the Vice President, Councillor Sam Bennett. This aims to improve the governance of the Party while looking to simplify Party structures wherever possible. The work is ongoing and will report to the Board later in the year.