Federal Council

Tim Pickstone - Chair of Federal Council

Directly elected Councillor representative

Councillor Tim Pickstone has served as a Liberal Democrat Councillor for over 25 years, and is currently our group leader on Cumberland Council, and a parish Councillor (Nicholforest Parish Council). He is the Chief Executive of the Association of Liberal Democrat Councillors and serves as the Lead Member for Improvement on the LGA Liberal Democrat Group. 

Adrian Hyyrylainen-Trett - Directly Elected Member

Adrian Hyyrylainen-Trett joined the Liberal Democrats in 2006 and has been a well known LGBTQ+  activist, campaigner, candidate and hard working party Member over nearly twenty years of party Membership.

Adrian joined Leyton & Wanstead Liberal Democrats where he first stood as a Council Candidate in 2010 and 2014, followed by then moving to Lambeth Borough Party where he stood in 2015 and 2018 as a Council Candidate. In the meantime, Adrian led the Party’s campaign on same-sex marriage, writing the motion to conference as Chair of  LGBT+ Liberal Democrats for which he chaired from 2010 to 2013 and again in 2016 as well as Vice President of LGBT+Liberal Democrats from 2015 to 2019.

In 2015, Adrian became the first openly HIV+ Candidate to stand in a UK General Election in Vauxhall, and then subsequently in Ipswich in 2017 and 2019. They have just been recently selected to stand in Old Bexley & Sidcup for the General Election in 2024.

Along with Adrian’s equalities recognised leadership their other main interest is on International and Global affairs for which Adrian currently sits on the Federal International Relations Committee as an Elected Member since 2023, having been a Co-opted Member from 2017 -2022, and is now elected as Chair of Global South, Commonwealthh and International Development Sub Committee (previously they were FIRC Secretary), and also  they also are both the Liberal International British Group (LIBG)  and Liberal Democrat representative on Liberal International Human Rights Committee (LI HRC)  as joint spokesperson for LGBTQ+ rights. Adrian previously chaired LIBG from 2018 to 2021 and was Vice-Chair of LDEG from 2014-2016  and returned to Vice Chair for communications in 2023.

Adrian also works voluntarily in the House of Lords as Equalities Research Advisor to Baroness Burt of Solihull and is also Chair of the Membership Committee for the National Liberal Club.

Aidan Van de Weyer - Directly Elected Member

Aidan has been a Liberal Democrat Councillor on South Cambridgeshire District Council since 2013. He led the 2018 election campaign which saw the Lib Dems take control of the Council, serving as Deputy Leader from 2018 to 2021.

He also ran the office of one of the Lib Dem MEPs in 2019. Aidan was an agent in a target seat in the 2017 and 2019 General Elections and helped run the Cambridgeshire local election campaign in 2021, which saw the Lib Dems take over the leadership of the County Council.

Aidan works as a town planner, specialising in large-scale renewable energy projects.

April Preston - Directly Elected Member

Candy Piercy - Directly Elected Member

Candy was a founder member of the Lib Dems and is probably best known in the Party as a trainer, mentor and coach.

Having been an Agent at all levels of elections, she was Deputy Director of Campaigns for the Lib Dems for nearly ten years. Candy was the winning Agent for the 1998 Winchester By-election, turning a majority of 2 at the previous year's General Election, into a majority of nearly 22,000! At that point she decided to go out on a high and stopped working formally for the Party.

Candy has been one of the driving forces behind the Campaign for Gender Balance (CGB) which runs training, coaching & mentoring aimed at getting more women elected to Westminster, the Scottish and Welsh Parliaments and to every level of local government.

She has a special interest in all forms of diversity, writing and delivering the Party’s training on Unconscious Bias. Candy also supports and trains on behalf of the Racial Diversity Campaign, CGB’s sister organisation.

Candy has trained political activists in over 30 new democracies around the world for organisations such as the EU and UN. She was awarded an MBE in 2014 for services to politics and international democracy.

Caroline Leaver - Directly Elected Member

Caron Lyndsay - Directly Elected Member

Caron is Vice Chair of Federal Council

Caron is a former Treasurer and Campaigns and Candidates Convener of the Scottish Liberal Democrats. She is currently the Scottish Party’s representative on the Federal People Development Committee. As a member of Liberal Democrat Women, LGBT+ Lib Dems and LDCRE, she is particularly interested in increasing diversity at all levels of the party.

Caron is also Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice.

Charley Hasted - Directly Elected Member

Charley is an NHS emergency services worker and an unpaid carer from Lambeth. They hold a number of positions in non-profit organisations, mainly based on LGBT+ and Disability activism.

They got into politics in 2004/5 after becoming Chair of Greenwich Young People's Council, finally joining the Party in 2010, whilst studying for a degree in Human Rights Law. Charley spent most of the coalition being visibly LibDem in the NUS (which was an experience). This along with their background as youth worker and teaching assistant, gave them a keen interest in youth empowerment and education. Their other interests include disability issues (transport and inclusive green policy), health and human rights.

Charley has since stood in council and parliamentary elections. They were the first Trans masculine person to stand for local election in the UK; the first Trans PPC in Wales in 2017; and as a 2021 GLA List candidate, the first non-binary person to run for the GLA. In their free time Charley can usually be found reading, gaming, singing and racking up a lengthy list of accidental electoral firsts. You can find them on Twitter @CharleyHasted.

Dominic Martin - Directly Elected Member

Dominic spent most of his professional career in politically restricted roles at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, where he served in India, Argentina, the United States and France. He joined the Liberal Democrats shortly after the 2016 Brexit referendum. 

Dominic was Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for East Hampshire in 2024, narrowly failing to overturn a massive Conservative majority. In November 2024, he was reselected as candidate for East Hampshire, now one of the most marginal seats in the country, at the next general election

Dominic was Chair of Islington Liberal Democrats from 2021-23 and is currently a member of the Federal Party Policy Working Groups on the Economy and International Security. He is a former Trustee of Transparency International UK, the UK’s leading anti-corruption charity.

Donna Harris - Directly Elected Member

Gareth Roberts - Directly Elected Member

Hannah Perkin - Directly Elected Member

Hannah works full time as a Development Officer for the South East Region Liberal Democrats and ALDC.

She is a Councillor at Swale Borough Council and also Chair of Standards there. Hannah is also a Councillor at Faversham Town Council, where she Chairs the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Committee, and the Faversham Disability Forum.

Hannah has a background in hospitality management, volunteer coordination and communications; and is a trustee of her local foodbank and Citizens Advice Service.

Humaira Sanders - Directly Elected Member

Humaira joined the Party in 1984 and was elected to the university’s Students Union for the SDP/Liberal Alliance. Her degree is in Economics and she is a Chartered Accountant. She worked as a Fund Manager for over 10 years.

Most recently Humaira’s focus has been on helping to improve racial diversity in the Party, working on ways to reach out to ethnic minority voters, encourage and mentor ethnically diverse Party members, and to improve our processes to make the Party more open and welcoming. 

She has been a vocal member of FPC for the last two years and continues as the LDCRE Rep to FPC. She has been the Policy Officer for the Lib Dem Campaign for Race Equality (LDCRE) for the last four years. Previously she was a member of the Working Policy Group for Immigration, Asylum and Identity, and for The 21st Century Economy.  

Humaira is a member of the London Lib Dems Executive. She has been an English Council Rep for London and a member of the English Council Executive. She was Chair of her local branch of Ealing in London for 3 years, and was a member of the branch Exec for over 10 years, during which time she was Policy Officer for the branch and helped to put together the local manifesto.

Janice Turner - Directly Elected Member

Jenny Wilkinson - Directly Elected Member

Jenny is a qualified accountant with over 30 years of experience working for a major business advisory firm, supporting a range of public and private organisations across a number of sectors. Specialising in Forensic Accountancy for over 20 years, a significant part of her work has been focused on tackling fraud and corruption. She now works in Risk, supporting leadership with regulatory compliance and ethical decision-making.

Since joining the Party in 2015, Jenny has held many internal roles locally, regionally and nationally. She has been an Adjudicator in the Party’s disciplinary processes and worked with the first Vice President on diversity issues. She is currently Chair of the Humanist & Secularist Liberal Democrats and an is leading a project for the West Midlands Regional Party to improve engagement with ethnically diverse communities across the region. Jenny has stood in local, mayoral, European and Parliamentary elections, most recently as Parliamentary Candidate for Kenilworth and Southam in the 2024 General Election.

Outside of politics, Jenny is a founding trustee and Treasurer of a small charity, former Chair of a local Scouts group, and spent 8 years as a Governor of a local infant school. 

Keith Moffit - Directly Elected Member

Rachel Barker - Directly Elected Member

Richard Cole - Directly Elected Member

Sarah Cheung Johnson - Directly Elected Member

Sarah Cheung Johnson is a former District Councillor on South Cambs District Council and former chair of China, East and South East Asia. She was part of the core campaign team for the newly created St Neots & Mid Cambs constituency General Election 2024 campaign which elected Ian Sollom MP as well as various local and regional elections, with a focus on Social Media campaigning.

Sarah has previously worked as a Journalist in Asia, in Investment Banking Technology and is currently working for the University of Cambridge on a project on Industrial Innovation Policymaking.

Sarah is British HK Chinese, lives with her mixed neurodivergent and neurotypical family in Cambridgeshire and is particularly passionate about supporting minorities both within the Party and our communities.

Simon McGrath - Directly Elected Member

Simon joined the Liberal Party at University in 1976 because of its opposition to apartheid and support for gay rights and civil liberties. Since then he has had a number of roles including being Chair of the Association of Liberal Trade Unionists, Parliamentary and Council candidate and local party officer.

He has been a Councillor in the London Borough of Merton since 2018 and is Secretary and Whip of the Lib Dem Opposition Group on the Council.

Simon is a strong believer in “4 cornered Liberalism “ – Political, Social, Personal and Economic, and is on the Board of Liberal Reform.

Teresa Cooper - Directly Elected Member

Victor Chamberlain - Directly Elected member

Victor is Vice Chair of Federal Council

Victor has been a local councillor in the London Borough of Southwark since 2018 and has served as the Leader of the Opposition since 2022. Victor has over a decade of experience as a local councillor in London and Manchester and serves as Deputy Chair of the Neighborhoods Committee at the Local Government Association. Victor is also the Honorary Treasurer of the Electoral Reform Society. Victor's professional background is in communications and public affairs in the built environment sector. Victor has previously worked for the Association of Liberal Democrat Councillors and Campaigners (ALDC) and the parliamentary party.

Ed Sainsbury - English Party Representative

Simon Robinson - English Party Representative

Toby Keynes - English Party Representative

Christine Murdoch - Scottish Party Representative

Fraser Graham - Scottish Party Representative

Stephen Harte - Scotland Rep

Stephen joined the Scottish Liberal Party at university before the 1987 election and has been a member of the Scottish Liberal Democrats since it's merger.  

Serving on the Executive of the Scottish Lib Dems, he is also Vice-Chair of the Discipliniary Sub-Group which safeguards the independence and efficiency of the Party’s complaints system.

Stephen has been a long standing campaigner for LGBT+ rights and seeks to be an effective trans ally in these difficult times. 

He lives with his partner and cat in Edinburgh and works as a lawyer in the energy industry.

Anne Williams - Welsh Party Representative

Claire Waller - Welsh Party Representative

Jon Buree - Wales Rep

Jon was previously Chair of the Welsh Conference Committee in 2019 and takes up that post again in 2023. He has been a member of the Party and its predecessor for over 40 years.

A campaigner and activist from Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, Jon was a member of Llanelli Town Council (1991-95).

He is a former Secretary of the Welsh Party National Executive Committee. During 2020-23, Jon served as Vice-Chair of the Welsh Board; the Welsh Rep on the Federal Conference Committee; and the Welsh Rep on the Federal People Development Committee.

Jon is currently retired after spending some years caring for family members.

Abrial Jerram - Young Liberals Representative

Abrial is an undergraduate student in biology and chemistry with extensive doorstep campaigning experience.

He cares strongly about making sure young people are heard across the party and that their priorities shape campaigning, communications, and internal decision making. He believes the Liberal Democrats must offer something relevant to young members and voters if the party is to succeed long term.

Abrial has spoken to thousands of voters on the doorstep and brings those conversations into his work within the party, helping ensure decisions reflect what members and voters are saying.

Harvey Jones - Young Liberals Representative

Harvey joined the party in 2018, and until recently worked in the Westminster office of a Liberal Democrat MP, providing research and admin support. He first got involved with Welsh Young Liberals at university, and has since served as their Comms Officer and Chair. 

Most recently, Harvey was YL’s Comms Officer during the 2024 General Election. He has campaigned for Liberal Democrats across the country, including supporting winning campaigns in Edinburgh and Fife. 

Away from politics, he can be found watching F1, reading historical fiction, or walking.

Harvey Thomas-Benton - Young Liberals Representative

Harvey is a Young Liberal, and currently, serves at their Secretary. They have previously been on the Young Liberals Diversity Committee and Policy Committee. They studied their masters in international relations at the University of Bristol. They have a keen interest in policy, international politics and LGBTQ+ rights. 

Daisy Cooper MP - Parliamentary Rep (Commons)

Wendy Chamberlain MP - Parliamentary Rep (Commons)

Wendy was elected as the MP for North East Fife in December 2019. She holds the Scotland; Wales; Northern Ireland; Constitutional Affairs; and International Development Portfolios at Westminster, and is the Party Chief Whip.

Following her degree in English from Edinburgh University, she joined Lothian and Borders Police in 1999, serving for 12 years as a Police officer. After a period in a variety of operational policing roles, Wendy moved into HR and Learning & Development, during which time she worked for the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland and in the Business Management Unit of the Scottish Police College. She also worked part-time as a Communications Lecturer for the then Lauder College (now Fife College) in Dunfermline.

Wendy left the Police in 2011 and following a career break to look after her young children, joined the MoD contractor, Right Management, working at MoD Caledonia, Rosyth, as the Scottish Regional Employment & Training Manager on their military resettlement contract, supporting service veterans into positive employment outcomes.

In 2015, she commenced employment as a Capability and Development Manager with a global drinks manufacturer. Always engaged in her local community, Wendy has held committee roles on a variety of parent bodies and became the first female Board Member of the Camanachd Association (the governing body for the amateur sport of shinty) in 2017.

FASC Chair - Dr David Radcliffe

Dave was a member of Birmingham City Council for 10 years, and was the first chair of the Council’s Audit Committee from 2006 to 2012. During this period, the Council turned around a finance department that was failing to return accounts to statutory deadlines and to a poor standard.

He has worked at the University of Birmingham for over 20 years, which includes a period of being secretary to the University’s Audit Committee. His current role involves providing assurance to university governors on use of data and statutory returns (an equivalent of a statement of internal controls).

Dave has been a Lib Dem member for 20+ years, during which he was a Councillor, and stood for Parliament a number of times.