Day 2 at Autumn Conference saw two big policy motions passed, speeches by MPs Layla Moran and Munira Wilson, and a Q&A with new Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey.
Didn’t have time to catch it all? Here’s what you might have missed on Day 2, as well as what’s coming up on Day 3…
Motion calling on urgent change to COVID-19 strategy passes
The coronavirus pandemic has changed every single one of our lives. We need long-term, joined-up thinking to recover and build our resilience – thinking that, time and time again, the Government has shown it isn’t capable of.
With this motion, Lib Dem conference has called on the government to rethink its COVID-19 strategy in order to protect our country from future coronavirus outbreaks and any future pandemics. Read the motion in full here.
Motion to a create a federal United Kingdom passes
Federalism & making decisions at the local level for local people is at the heart of what we as liberals believe in. It is in the DNA of our Party.
That’s why today we have reaffirmed our commitment to a federal UK and broader political reform #LDconf🔶https://t.co/uXzOX8Tewq— Liberal Democrats (@LibDems) September 26, 2020
Coronavirus and Brexit, two of the biggest issues facing the UK, have demonstrated the inadequacies of our current constitutional arrangements. With growing support for reform across our nations and regions, it’s time to act.
Conference has voted for this action, with calls to transfer additional powers to the Senedd Cymru (Welsh Parliament) to bring it broadly in line with the Scottish Parliament, as well as a creation of a Declaration of Rights as a foundation document of a Federal United Kingdom.
Read the motion in full here.
Ed Davey answers members’ questions
In his Leader’s Q&A session, Ed answered questions on topics like how we can rebuild the party, what needs to happen in Britain post-coronavirus and how we move forward to tackle the climate emergency amongst others.
Catch up with some of the key questions here.
Munira Wilson condemns the health inequalities exposed by COVID-19
In Munira Wilson’s first conference address as Health, Wellbeing and Social Care spokesperson, she took the government to task over their coronavirus failures and set out a bold vision for public health moving forward.
Munira called for Boris Johnson to put public health at the top of his agenda in the long-term, starting with assigning a Minister for Wellbeing who can scrutinise the government’s actions and ensure they are fundamentally in keeping with health and wellbeing.
Read her speech in full here.
Layla Moran sets out her liberal vision for a Global Britain
In her first keynote address as Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Foreign Affairs, Layla Moran condemned plans to cut foreign aid amidst COVID-19.
She also urged that the UK can’t just sit by and watch while a genocide is being engineered against the Uyghurs in China, and called on the government to ban the sale of products produced in the labour camps in Xinjiang.
What’s coming up today…
The policy motions up for debate today are:
- F18: Racial Justice Cannot Wait
- F19: Save the BBC
- F21: A Green Recovery from the COVID-19 Pandemic
- F23: The UK and Europe
There will also be an emergency motion on opposing the government’s ‘power grab’ on planning, plus a speech from Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats Willie Rennie.
To find out the times for these sessions, head to the Autumn Conference agenda.