For over a century, Liberal Democrats have fought to reform leasehold – a system that still leaves millions of people trapped, overcharged, and powerless in their own homes. Today, 1 in 5 homes in England are leasehold.

The cladding scandal laid bare the true cost of leasehold’s failures. Leaseholders have paid excessive fees, lived in unsafe buildings and faced mounting frustration as developers and managers evade responsibility. Nearly a decade after Grenfell, building safety remains a crisis, and rogue developers continue to exploit loopholes while residents foot the bill.

The average new build now has 157 defects – nearly doubling since 2005. And complaints about building insurance claims have hit record highs. 

We need to get tough on building standards, clamp down on unregulated property management and finally end the great property rip off for leaseholders.

Today, Liberal Democrat members passed new policy with a plan for bold reforms to protect homeowners and hold the industry to account:

• Establish a new property regulator to license and enforce standards for property managers and agents.
   
• Strengthen accountability in the construction industry with clear rights for homebuyers and tougher oversight of building inspectors.
   
• Cap unreasonable service and estate management charges and abolish ground rents on all existing leases.
   
• Give leaseholders the power to take collective ownership of management companies and common areas.
   
• Empower local authorities to adopt shared roads and public spaces, sanction developers who fail to deliver, and enforce repairs.

The time for empty promises is over. Leasehold leaves people vulnerable, trapped by unfair charges, and unsafe in their homes. 

The Liberal Democrats are committed to abolishing leasehold entirely, capping ground rents and ensuring dangerous cladding is removed without cost to residents.

We will hold developers and property managers accountable. 

We will give residents control and end the rip off.

Leaseholders deserve fairness, safety, and dignity in their homes – and these reforms are a vital step towards that goal.

Hong Kongers living in the UK, and across the world, face an increasingly robust and alarming campaign of transnational repression directed by Beijing. 

From bounties placed on the heads of Hong Kongers living here, to efforts by the Chinese Communist Party to establish a ‘super embassy’ in the heart of London, these threats are very real and growing.

Yet the Labour Government risks repeating the mistakes of the Conservatives by failing to take the threat posed by China seriously enough. It is vital that we stand firmly with Hong Kongers and pro-democracy Chinese activists, making clear to Beijing that their extraterritorial intimidation will not be tolerated.

Liberal Democrats have always championed the rights of Hong Kongers.

Today our members passed new policy, calling for stronger, clearer support for Hong Kongers – both for those already in the UK and those considering the British National Overseas pathway:

• Implement targeted sanctions against officials responsible for bounties on pro-democracy activists in the UK.
   
• Retain the 5-year settlement pathway for all BNO visa holders.
   
• Block the application for the Chinese ‘mega embassy’ in London.
   
• Establish a dedicated Police hotline for reporting incidents of political intimidation, and reaffirm that bounty hunting is illegal in the UK.
   
• Place all Chinese Communist Party and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region officials, plus CCP-linked organisations, on the ‘enhanced tier’ of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme.
   
• Appoint a Home Office Departmental Tsar for the protection of pro-democracy activists.

The threat to Hong Kongers and pro-democracy activists is real and growing. The Government must learn from the failures of the past and act decisively to protect our values, support the brave individuals seeking refuge here, and resist Beijing’s transnational intimidation.

Image: Studio Incendo, CC BY 2.0

Today, Liberal Democrat members have voted to approve the final report of our party’s Policy Review.

This has been a massive project that the party’s been working on since the General Election – with contributions from thousands of our members – and I hope you’ll find the results both interesting and inspiring.

For the past year, I’ve had the privilege of chairing the fantastic Policy Review team, made up of activists, councillors, parliamentarians and policy experts from across the party and around the country.

I am incredibly grateful to them all for the time, dedication and effort they put into this important work for our party.

Together, we examined the opportunities and challenges facing the UK today, analysed how well existing Liberal Democrat policies address them, and took a huge amount of evidence from think tanks, academics and policymakers.

But our most important job was listening to you: Liberal Democrat members and supporters.

We ran an enormous programme of engaging with members at federal and regional conferences, as well as through an online consultation that received thousands of responses.

We heard what you think about the vision you want for the future of our country, and the areas where we need bold new policies to make that vision a reality.

So I want to say a big thank you! This report is your report. Its findings are your findings. I’m immensely proud of it, and I hope you are too.

You can read it here, please share it with anyone you think might be interested:

Ed Davey
Leader of the Liberal Democrats and Chair of the Policy Review

In the UK, access to public paths is shrinking. Thousands of miles of disused railway lines, canal towpaths and green spaces sit unused or blocked off.

Liberal Democrats have a vision to transform these forgotten routes into vibrant public paths for everyone to enjoy.

By creating a national legal framework to unlock thousands of miles of new walking, cycling, and horse-riding routes, we can connect communities, boost local economies, and improve health across the country.

That’s why today, Liberal Democrats members have passed new policy, to:

• Introduce a national legal framework to turn disused railway lines into public rights of way, making grassroots trail campaigns easier, faster, and fairer to all parties, with fair compensation for landowners.
   
• Create a long-term fund and incentives for local authorities and communities to reclaim unused land – including railway sidings, airfields, and industrial sites – for walking and cycling routes, allotments, and green spaces.
   
• Promote outdoor education by ensuring every child experiences residential outdoor learning during their school years.
   
• Improve canal and river towpaths in partnership with the Canal & River Trust, enhancing habitats and public access.
   
• Refresh and popularise the Countryside Code to boost respect for nature and countryside etiquette.

We believe every person should have guaranteed, fair access to Britain’s beautiful green spaces, coastlines, and waterways. The Conservatives failed to deliver the investment and legal backing needed, we will fix that.

By unlocking disused routes and investing in nature and outdoor education, we can build a healthier, greener, and more connected UK.

The climate and nature crises are the defining challenges of our time. Yet despite the obvious urgency, both Conservative and Labour governments have failed to prepare the UK adequately for the damage already underway. Moreover, Reform and the Conservatives are now recklessly hellbent on making things worse by ditching our climate commitments, sacrificing the planet for future generations.

They have both ignored opinion polls which consistently show that a clear majority of people across the UK are worried about climate change and want the government to do more to tackle it.

The Liberal Democrats believe the UK can lead the world in fighting climate change, restoring nature, and building a cleaner, fairer economy. But this transition must be affordable, equitable, and create opportunities for communities and workers, not hardship.

Today, Liberal Democrat members have passed policy to deliver a green transition that is good for people, good for the planet, and good for prosperity:

• Tackle the climate and nature emergencies equally, rather than pitting one against the other, through integrating climate, nature and resilience policies.
   
• Halve electricity bills  by investing in renewables, expanding grid capacity, and reforming the energy market to decouple gas and electricity costs. 
   
• Set zero carbon standards for all new buildings and accelerate electric vehicle adoption with expanded charging infrastructure.
   
• Establish a new UK-EU Energy and Climate Security Pact to link emissions trading schemes and boost international cooperation.
   
• Introduce a social energy tariff and provide free home energy upgrades for low-income households.
   
• Launch a National Climate Assembly to involve citizens directly in climate decisions.
   
• Invest in green skills and apprenticeships, and fund innovation in sustainable farming, land use, and zero carbon flight.
   
• Protect communities from climate impacts by developing clear adaptation strategies and increasing funding for local resilience.

The scale of the challenge is immense, but so is the opportunity.

The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in Europe, with many species at risk of extinction. The net zero economy is growing fast, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs, but we must ensure no community or worker is left behind. Renewable energy investments can lower bills, while nature-based solutions like flood defences save billions in damage costs.

These policies will protect our environment, strengthen our economy, and create a fair transition – so future generations inherit a healthier planet and a stronger society.

The Liberal Democrats will hold the government to account and deliver climate action that puts people and the planet first.