Our campaign has already got off to a flying start in the by-election caused by Owen Paterson’s disgrace.

The local party had already made impressive progress in this May’s local elections. They secured a clear second place and created many marginal Conservative-Liberal Democrat wards.

Now we have a brilliant opportunity to turbo-charge that growth in our support and to see just how angry voters are about sleaze and sewage. Ed Davey is already on his third visit there.

Whether it’s by helping in person, on the phones or with your wallet, please do help too. You can donate online or sign up to volunteer. Thank you!

Thank you also to Simone Reynolds and Simon Drage, respectively our candidate and agent for the Old Bexley and Sidcup by-election. More details here.

Have your say in how the party is run

There are two musts for how our party is run. It must be run in a way that is true to our values, and it must be run in a way that helps us work together to be successful.

Sadly, our 2019 General Election Review (the Thornhill Review) found major flaws in how the party operated. That cost us votes and seats.

Since its publication, the Federal Party has been making many changes in response, as I’ve covered in previous reports. But there is still important work to do.

One of the Review’s key findings was about the Federal Board itself:

There is no clear ‘leadership team’ where the three pillars of the party – political, operational, federal – can make cohesive decisions, simply, quickly, and effectively. The Federal Board – 40+ members – is not, cannot, and should not be that team.

So the Board is consulting on options for Board reform, and will put one or more to Spring Conference for members to make a decision.

As part of this we are running a consultation survey. Please do give your views via the consultation survey here.

You can also read this summary of our current arrangements.

The survey will close on Wednesday 8th December 2021.

Why we must stand more candidates in council elections

Earlier this month I wrote for the party website about the importance of increasing the number of council elections we contest: “The merits of standing in a council by-election we have a chance of winning are obvious. So too for wards which we might hope to win in the future and where the by-election is a chance to accelerate that progress. But there are also huge benefits in standing even in wards that we are not likely to win for a very long time yet (if ever).”

You can find out what those benefits are in my full piece here.

Voting underway for Vice President

Voting is open in the election for our Vice President responsible for working with ethnic minority communities. If you’ve not yet received a ballot either by email or post, please email elections@libdems.org.uk and the team will be happy to help.

The six candidates manifestos are on the party website, along with details of the hustings.

Members have until noon on Friday 10th December to vote.

The Liberal Democrats have always understood that thriving businesses and motivated entrepreneurs are central to our communities, innovation, quality of life and international standing we all want.

It was the Liberal Democrats who pioneered wind power generation, foresaw the banking crisis, and are today prepared to work to rebuild the trading environment damaged by Brexit and the pandemic. 

LDBN are a community of likeminded business people who know the Lib Dems are the natural political home for business. We support the party with our fees, our expertise and our insights into the practical challenges facing businesses today.

Membership of LDBN ranges from £2,500 to £25 per year, with member packages tailored to all stages in your career. 

Being a member gives you access to special events, insider briefings on our campaigns and the chance to join discussions on issues that affect the future of our economy.

We hope you will join us and become an LDBN member today.

Join LDBEN!

Will you help us grow LDBN even further by sending this message to your friends and family, and encourage them to join too? 

Thank you. 

Voting opened today in the election for our first ever Vice President responsible for working with ethnic minority communities. Over the next few days, members will receive an email or letter advising them of how to vote for the candidate of their choice and members have until 1200 on Friday December 10th.

You can read the manifestos the candidates have produced for the election here:

Amna Ahmad.

Roderick Lynch.

Tahir Maher.

Julliet Makhapila.

Rabi Martins.

Marisha Ray.

*Candidates appear here in alphabetical order by surname.

Owen Patterson has resigned in a cloud of Tory sleaze. He’s handed us a golden opportunity to send a message to this Conservative government – but we need to grab it now.

The Lib Dems are in the best possible position to compete with the Tories. We are the clear alternative to the Tory vote. 

The 2019 General Election Review (the Thornhill Review) set out how we must change in order to succeed at future elections. Since its publication, in many areas we have made strides, but there is still much to do.

The Party is currently consulting with members on our governance. Yet more Tory sleaze this week highlights how important for the country it is that we, once again, become a competitive liberal voice in the UK.

As part of that consultation, we are hosting a range of events. These include two chances to take part in a Q&A session with Dr Mark Pack and Baroness Dorothy Thornhill.

If you would like to join us, you can register for one of our sessions:

• 20:00-21:00, Tuesday 9th of November
• 18:00-19:00, Monday 22nd of November

We look forward to seeing you there.