Congleton Liberal Democrats

Conference, it is a tremendous honour for me to address you for the first time as the leader of our Scottish party.

I'm conscious that today I am addressing some of my political heroes.

I cannot overstate the sense of responsibility I feel to the great Scottish Liberals on whose shoulders I stand, and whose legacy I inherit, among them friends and mentors like Jim Wallace, Jo Swinson and Charles Kennedy.

During the awful violence in May, Britain was absent from the world stage - despite our historic responsibilities to the region.

That's why today we have set out a route map for the UK Government to follow in its engagement with the region. It is vital that long-term underlying tensions are to be addressed if we hope to achieve a lasting peace rather than a short term truce.

Leader of the Welsh Lib Dems Jane Dodds gave her speech at conference today! We've put together some highlights below or you can read the speech in full here.

She started with a reminder of a longstanding democratic tradition in Wales and the 1999 election to the Welsh Assembly

"Almost 600 years after the first Welsh Parliament was established in June 1404, the people of Wales once again had its own national democratic institution"

As Liberal Democrats we are hare holding the Government to account for its foreign policy failure over Afghanistan.

20 years on from the US-led invasion, the Taliban have swept into Kabul. They seized power illegitimately without the consent of the Afghan people.

The UK has a moral duty to the people of Afghanistan"

The Government has only managed to negotiate one new trade deal - with Australia - since leaving the EU. It has simply "rolled over" 23 existing trade agreements that we were already parts of. This simply isn't good enough.

A thriving economy needs thriving international trade. UK companies doing business in the EU need our help now. We are also at risk of losing our long-established status as a finance hub. Put simply, the government must get its act together.

We've passed through some great changes to our Party constitution today that will update how party groups - previously known as SAOs and AOs work.

The changes will expand the rights of party groups, simplify the process of setting one up and ensure that party groups get more support and are better integrated into the party.

Our society is a brilliant one. Our democratic system goes back hundreds of years and we are committed to the fair rule of law. We have a fantastic tradition of education, creativity and innovation.

We have incredibly strong institutions. This is clear in the fact our National Health Service has bent over backwards to support us through this pandemic. As much as possible we contribute to key international organisations to support a cooperative global system.

Lib Dem leader Ed Davey gave his keynote speech to conference today! We've pulled some of the highlights for you - but if you want to read the full speech you can find it here.

Boris Johnson's Conservative Government is steering us all into another terrible crisis.

Ed started on the supply chain crisis

Conference, our country needs us.

Our country needs the Liberal Democrats, fighting harder for a better future and a fair deal.

Because after five years of Brexit division and disruption -

And eighteen months of this awful pandemic -

Boris Johnson's Conservative Government is steering us all into another terrible crisis.

We have seen the Conservative Government fail over and over again. Indifference and inaction in Westminster has caused the deaths of over 150,000 people from Covid, and counting.

Even senior members of the Government did not follow the lockdown and social distancing rules. It is clear they see it as one rule for them, and another for the rest of us.