Clearprint Conference

Extra
Spring Conference
Harrogate 21-23 March 2025
Updates to the Conference Agenda and Directory, information from the
Federal Conference Committee (FCC), amendments, emergency motions, and
questions to reports. Please read in conjunction with the Conference Agenda
and Directory.

Please keep Conference Extra with you throughout conference and get hold
of a copy of Conference Daily each day - they will be vital to your
understanding of the day’s business - available at

www.libdems.org.uk/conference_papers

and via the Conference App.

Limited hard copies of Conference Daily will be available at conference from

the Information Desk.

Contents
Agenda Extra:
Free wifi is available at all of
Saturday 22 March 3 our official venues:
Sunday 23 March 18 HCC
Emergency Motions Ballot 21 Network name: VENUE-WIFI
Speakers Cards Information 29 No password required

Federal Conference Committee 30 Crowne Plaza

Network name: Crowne_Plaza
Federal Policy Committee 31 No password required

Federal Board 32

Published by The Conference Office, Liberal Democrats, 1 Vincent Square, London, SW1P 2PN.

Layout by Frankie Roberts, [email protected].

Agenda Extra
Updates and amendments to the Agenda printed in the Agenda & Directory.

Saturday 22 March
F2 Federal Conference Committee Report: questions and
accountability
Q1. Submitted by Sir Simon Hughes
There was last year a very long delay in publishing written answers to
questions submitted to Conference. Please can all answers be published
within 21 days of the last day of Conference in future?

Q2. Submitted by Brandon Masih

The Science Motion, as per the first drafts publication on the Facebook
Federal Conference Group, is much longer in its calls for sections than what
made the agenda in the end. Could FCC explain whether such shortening
after submission is normal and why that means the motion text no longer
discusses AI much?

Q3. Submitted by Abrial Jerram

F4 is, on the whole, extremely vague yet was selected despite much high
quality competition. Would you have selected it for debate if it had not been
submitted by FPC?

Q4. Submitted by Christopher Johnson

What has your committee done and what can it do to tackle discrimination
(e.g. misogyny, ableism, transphobia) in the party?
Saturday 22 March cont.
F3 Federal Policy Committee Report: questions and accountability
Q1. Submitted by Christopher Johnson
What has your committee done and what can it do to tackle discrimination
(e.g. misogyny, ableism, transphobia) in the party?

Q2. Submitted by Abrial Jerram

Would you agree that F4 and it's accompanying policy paper is very vague and
if so, is that deliberate?

F4 Science, Innovation and Technology (Science Policy Paper)

The following clauses at the end of the motion were accidentally omitted from the
printed Agenda. The FCC has therefore agreed to draft them in. All the proposals in
these lines were included in Policy Paper 158.
90 5. Ensure AI works for the common good – balancing innovation with
91 ethical responsibility – with a National AI Strategy including by:
92 a) Introducing a robust regulatory environment, learning from
93 experience of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology
94 Authority, with flexible monitoring, inspection, auditing and
95 enforcement powers that would oversee ethical and
96 transparent standards for AI.
97 b) Supporting open approaches to AI to democratise and
98 championing transparency.
99 c) Defending and expanding the rights of the public with regard
100 to automated decision making.
101 d) Reaching an international agreement on the governance and
102 use of AI.
103 e) Strengthening rules around copyright so that creators are
104 treated fairly, with record keeping duties and robust,
105 independent auditing of data and content use for AI
106 developers.
107 f) Strengthening our democratic processes and investing in new
108 technologies to detect illicit or harmful uses of AI.
Saturday 22 March cont.
109 6. Fixing our crumbling public services with a comprehensive public
110 sector technology policy and investment plan, notably by:
111 a) Investing in skills, training and new technology across the
112 public sector, with long term investment and planning.
113 b) Improving health and care with a new approach to personal
114 data, a new agreement with the European Medicines Agency
115 and a comprehensive technology adoption programme.
116 c) Ensuring our criminal justice system is able to make the most
117 of new technology, with appropriate safeguards on AI to tackle
118 biases and discrimination.
119 d) Empowering local government, with investment in skills and
120 training and a technology sandbox.
121 7. Harnessing the power of technology to tackle the big social
122 challenges of our time, notably by:

123 a) Generating sustainable, inclusive economic growth through a

124 long term, consistent industrial and people strategy.
125 b) Tackling regional inequality through a digital inclusion strategy,
126 national investment in digital infrastructure and investing in
127 local government.
128 c) Tackling social inequalities, particularly gender, ethnic,
129 disability and class inequality, so that science and technology
130 bring benefits to all.
131 d) Tackling the digital divide with local and national plans for
132 digital inclusion.
133 e) Investing in green technologies to help mitigate and adapt to
134 the climate crisis.
Applicability: Federal, except for 2. (lines 51-63), 6. (lines 109-120) and 7. (lines
121-134) which are England only.

Amendment One
12 members
Mover: Manuela Perteghella MP
Summation: Lord Clement-Jones (Lords Spokesperson for Science and
Innovation)
Saturday 22 March cont.
1 After line 23, insert:
2 Conference notes with disappointment the Labour Government's
3 confused approach to AI in its Copyright and AI consultation that has
4 unnecessarily created division between the creative and technologies
5 sectors.
6 Conference further notes that the significant benefits and uses AI can
7 bring to support creativity in the music, film, TV, gaming, arts and
8 media sectors must work in tandem with continuing to protect rights
9 holders.
10 After line 50, insert a new 2.:
11 2. Maintain a balance between enabling AIs to develop and
12 defending the fundamental rights of those who create and own
13 content by:
14 a) Increasing confidence in the transparency of AI development.
15 b) Introducing new record keeping duties and robust,
16 independent auditing of data and content use for AI
17 development.
18 c) Pushing for an active Government role in ensuring creators
19 receive appropriate and proportionate remuneration when
20 copyright material is ingested into generative AI models for
21 training purposes and derive the full benefit of technology
22 such as AI made performance synthesization and streaming.

Amendment Two
12 members
Mover: Max Wilkinson MP (Spokesperson for Culture, Media and Sport)
Summation: Bobby Dean MP
1 After line 31, insert:
2 Conference notes the damaging effects of the concentration of
3 enormous power in the hands of US tech oligarchs, and regrets recent
4 moves away from crucial online safety and misinformation measures
5 by Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and others.
6 Conference condemns the Labour government’s decision to isolate
Saturday 22 March cont.
7 the UK on the global stage, by siding with Trump in failing to sign the
8 Statement on Inclusive and Sustainable Artificial Intelligence for
9 People and the Planet recently agreed in Paris.
10 After line 134, add:
11 Conference calls on the Government to adopt the principles of the
12 Paris AI agreement within a National AI Strategy.

Amendment Three
16 members
Mover: Brandon Masih
Summation: Brandon Masih
1 After line 31, insert:
2 Conference also condemns the Home Office for its February 7th
3 technology capability notice (TCN), where they requested
4 technologically impossible demands of exclusive access to user data
5 stored via Apple’s iCloud system, putting user data at risk and
6 subsequent withdrawal of end-to-end encryption under Advanced
7 Data Protection (ADP) from some forms of iCloud data for new UK
8 users and those who have not enabled ADP prior to February 24th.
9 Conference further believes that exclusive, secure access to personal
10 data in a digital world via encryption is paramount for rights to privacy
11 and should not be abridged via encryption backdoors.
12 After line 134, add:
13 Conference further calls for any TCN issued by the Home Office in
14 relation to sweeping access to iCloud to be withdrawn, requests Apple
15 to subsequently restore the option of ADP to all UK Apple consumer
16 and calls on the Government to confirm no future plans on utilising
17 encryption backdoors on other communication platforms.

F6 Reports of the Parliamentary Parties

Q1. Submitted by Brandon Masih
Is there a concern that parliamentarians may undermine the arguments we
have in opposing Labour policy, considering one front bencher has, on social
Saturday 22 March cont.
media, described a matter of terminology on one Government tax policy as
‘Orwellian’?

Q2. Submitted by Emily Tester

How can the Parliamentary Party best challenge the rise of the far right, in the
UK with Reform and abroad?

Q3. Submitted by Caroline Juss

Do you feel that Parliament is adapting to having the smallest official
opposition and the largest third party in history? What impact are the smaller
parties having?

Q4. Submitted by Abrial Jerram

The issue of housing and planning will soon take centre stage in Parliament.
What steps will MPs take to avoid the perception that we are compromising
our values by putting the views of those who own homes ahead of those who
are trapped by the housing crisis, noting that, by and large, Liberal Democrat
MPs represent affluent areas which could make this hazard more dangerous?

Q5. Submitted by Sir Simon Hughes

Can the Commons Whips please make sure that parliamentary and
constituency phone numbers and emails for all MPs are always available to
House of Commons switchboards and published on websites and answered
promptly? Thank you.

Q6. Submitted by Tony Vickers

What are we doing to enfranchise the 3.5m UK citizens abroad entitled to
vote, 94% of whom aren't currently registered?

Q7. Submitted by Christopher Johnson

What has the Parliamentary Party done and what can it do to tackle
discrimination (e.g. misogyny, ableism, transphobia) in the party?
Saturday 22 March cont.
F9 Free to be Who You Are
The FCC has agreed to make the following drafting amendments to the motion:
1 After line 10, insert:
2 v) Human rights are indivisible, so defending the rights of LGBTQ+
3 people is crucial to upholding the human rights of all.
4 At the end of line 27, insert ‘..., and a number of British Overseas
5 Territories not recognising same-sex marriage.’
6 At the end of line 65, insert: ‘..., including central government support
7 for local authorities to give consideration for LGBTQ+ supported
8 housing for older LGBTQ+ people, as has been successful in Lambeth
9 and Manchester, when looking to expand the supply of social
10 housing.’

Amendment One
12 members
Mover: Lord Pack (President of the Liberal Democrats)
Summation: To be announced
1 After line 27, insert:
2 Conference reaffirms its commitment to ensuring that young trans
3 people can access the high-quality healthcare they deserve in a timely
4 manner, noting the central finding of the Cass Review that they “must
5 have the same standards of care as everyone else in the NHS, and
6 that means basing treatments on good evidence" while also
7 recognising the toxic debate around aspects of the review and the
8 distress and uncertainty it has caused for members of the trans
9 community.

Amendment Two
13 members
Mover: Cllr Donna Harris
Summation: Sarah Dyke MP
1 After line 58, insert:
2 d) Reviewing the Care Quality Commission’s grading system, to
3 ensure that all inspections take into account LGBTQ+
Saturday 22 March cont.
4 residents' experience in a given care home, and that fresh
5 inspections swiftly follow any allegations of abuse.
6 e) Introducing a ‘pride in care’ quality mark and LGBTQ+ care
7 champion scheme for councils.

Amendment Three
Young Liberals
Mover: Rebecca Jones
Summation: Ulysse Abbate
1 After line 137, add:
2 Conference further notes with concern that the current waiting lists
3 for trans people attempting to access Gender Identity Clinics (GICs) in
4 the UK is on average five years, and in many cases even longer.
5 Conference believes that:
6 a) Trans people have a right to be seen by a specialist within 18
7 weeks, as set out in the NHS constitution
8 b) Trans people deserve further support while on an NHS waiting list
9 in relation to mental health support and Gender Affirming Care.
10 Conference therefore calls for:
11 I. The NHS to provide further support to trans people on waiting
12 lists, including more mental health support.
13 II. The NHS to commission further gender identity clinics and pilot
14 schemes to bring down waiting lists.
15 III. The NHS to be supported and encouraged to work with private
16 Gender Identity specialists to a greater extent, to provide shared
17 care agreements for transgender people.
18 IV. The Government to increase funding and capacity in NHS GICs.
Saturday 22 March cont.
F10 Constitutional Amendment: Implementing the Lessons of the
General Election Review
Amendment One
12 members
Mover: Cllr Chris White
Summation: Baroness Grender
1 After line 1 insert:
2 A. State and Regional Candidate Chairs, their committees and the
3 other volunteers supporting their work are the backbone to our
4 Westminster candidate system. They are central to our efforts as a
5 party to find and support candidates and we are grateful for their
6 continued hard work.
7 B. We recognise the need to create the best possible Westminster
8 candidate system for our State and Regional Candidate Chairs,
9 their committees and other volunteers to operate within and for
10 them to receive the best possible support.
11 After line 45 insert:
12 8. It is for local party members to determine who their Liberal
13 Democrat candidate is in Westminster elections. There is no
14 proposed change to this. As is currently the case, the
15 responsibility to decide who is a Liberal Democrat Westminster
16 candidate in each constituency will continue to rest with local
17 party members.
18 9. The delivery of our Westminster candidate function depends on
19 the vital work of our Regional Candidates Committees (in England)
20 and State Candidate Committees in England, Scotland and Wales
21 and their other volunteers. There is no proposed change to this.
22 As is currently the case; these committees and volunteers will
23 continue to delivern their important work and, for Regional
24 Candidates Chairs in England, continue to sit on the State
25 Candidate Committee.
26 At the end of line 100, insert:
27 In carrying out its role under (d), the JCSC shall establish a
28 Consultative Group, including representatives from each State
29 Candidates Committee, who may include one or more Chairs of
Saturday 22 March cont.
30 Candidate Committees created by Regional Parties. The Consultative
31 Group shall offer advice to the JCSC, and the JCSC shall respond to any
32 advice offered.

Amendment Two
Liberal Democrat Women
Mover: Cllr Donna Harris
Summation: To be announced
1 After line 19, insert:
2 E. Despite making up 51% of the population, women only made up
3 28% of Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidates in the General
4 Election: a lower percentage than the Conservative, Labour, and
5 Green parties.
6 At the end of line 35, insert: ‘... and diversity must be embedded into
7 the candidates process and made a key priority’.
8 After line 35, insert new 5.:
9 5. Recognising the significant underrepresentation of women among
10 Liberal Democrat candidates, it is essential to take action to
11 enhance their representation both within the candidate pool and
12 across the party as a whole.
13 After line 45, insert new 9.:
14 9. Clearly defined metrics help to create an open and transparent
15 working environment, while acting as a motivator for Local Parties
16 and candidates.
17 After line 98, insert new f. and g.:
18 f. To develop and implement candidate diversity action plans, led by
19 the Vice President responsible for working with ethnic minority
20 communities.
21 g. To produce clearly communicated, realistic workload expectations,
22 including a comprehensive schedule and pathway at every seat
23 level, set out clearly in the candidates’ compact.
Saturday 22 March cont.
F14 The UK’s Response to Trump
Aide: Cllr Hannah Kitching
Hall Aide: Lord Mohammed
The FCC has agreed to make the following drafting amendments to the motion:
1 Delete iii) (lines 12-13) and insert:
2 iii) Trump’s suspension of military aid to Ukraine, and lack of
3 commitment to NATO.
4
In iv) (line 15) after ‘Greenland’ insert: ‘...and his threat to annexe
5
Canada as the US 51st state.’
6
7 After line 15, insert new v):
8 v) Trump’s reckless comments proposing that Palestinians be
9 removed from Gaza and ‘resettled’ elsewhere - which would
10 constitute a grave violation of international law - undermining the
11 already fragile ceasefire and disregarding the legitimate right of
12 Palestinians for their own state.
13 After line 28, insert new x), xi) and xii):
14 x) Trump’s cancellation of USAID, which could lead to China
15 increasing its influence in the Global South.
16 xi) The disgraceful verbal assault by Trump and Vance on President
17 Zelensky in the Oval Office on 28 February 2025.
18 xii) The Trump Administration’s actions to roll back the rights of
19 LGBTQ+ people in the US, in particular towards trans people, as
20 well as those of women and ethnic minorities.

Amendment One
12 members
Mover: Helen Maguire MP (Spokesperson for Defence)
Summation: Baroness Smith of Newnham (Lords Spokesperson for Defence)
1 After line 37, insert:
2 Conference welcomes the Government's decision to raise defence
3 spending to 2.5% of GDP, but expresses concern that doing so by
4 cutting Official Development Assistance will ultimately make the UK
Saturday 22 March cont.
5 less secure.
6 Delete E. b) (lines 69-70) and insert:
7 b) Committing to spending 2.5% of GDP as soon as possible - to
8 be funded by raising the Digital Services Tax from 2% to 10% -
9 and holding cross-party talks to agree a consensus on how to
10 reach spending 3% of GDP on defence.
11 After line 84, insert:
12 d) Support the creation of a Rearmament Bank, together with
13 our European and other allies, to enable greater access to
14 finance for defence programmes.

Amendment Two
12 members
Mover: James McCleary MP (Spokesperson for Europe)
Summation: David Chalmers (Chair of the Federal International Relations
Committee)
1 At end of line 39, insert: ‘...and that enhancing economic ties with the
2 EU, including by cutting red tape and boosting trade links, is essential
3 for insulating the UK from Trump’s unpredictability as well as growing
4 our economy’.
5 At end of line 57, insert: ‘...and, as the culmination of the third stage in
6 our roadmap, negotiate a new UK-EU Customs Union by 2030 at the
7 latest.’

Amendment Three
Yorkshire and Humber
Mover: Samuel Jackson
Summation: Adrian Ramsdale
1 After line 53, insert new B.:
2 B. Ensure Ukraine’s participation in peace negotiations as an equal
3 partner to safeguard against a coerced and detrimental peace
4 settlement.
Saturday 22 March cont.
F15 Federal Board Report: questions and accountability
Q1. Cllr Donna Harris
Under Section 106 of the Equality Act, the party will soon have to publish
anonymised diversity data around candidates as well as their approval,
nomination and selection. How does the party plan to meet these
transparency requirements?

Q2. Eleanor Kelly

As part of our response to the General Election review, Liberal Democrat
Women requested data concerning the gender, region and seat status of
candidates. Nearly six months later, this has not been fully provided. When
can we expect it? How will the President support robust diversity data
monitoring, not only for members as outlined in his report, but also for
candidates?

Q3. John Grout and Christopher Johnson

Is the Federal Board taking steps to protect the Party and plan for the Party's
survival in the event that a data breach of NGP VAN is engineered by hostile
actors as a pretext for shuttering the company and/or the US Democratic
Party?
Should we look at developing a new canvassing software with our European
parties in order to reduce our reliance on American companies following the
US President's recent statements on Ukraine?

Q4. Submitted by Abrial Jerram

Do you believe the same willingness to reinvent ourselves that took place
after 2019 is needed post 2024 General Election in acknowledgment of the
fact that the next general election is going to be nothing like the last?

Q5. Submitted by Sir Simon Hughes

Please can all party elections require that members can vote by post as well
as email, and that all local council selections have rules to maximise gender
balance and diversity?
Saturday 22 March cont.
Q6. Submitted by Andy Williams
Are there plans to standardise MPs local party tithes in future. Given that they
seem to range from sensible to zero?

Q7. Michael Berwick-Gooding

Please can you state how many people in the consultation wanted no change
to the number of nominators required to stand for a Federal Party Committee
and how many people wanted an increase?

Q8. Christopher Johnson

What has your committee done and what can it do to tackle discrimination
(e.g. misogyny, ableism, transphobia) in the party?

Q9. Submitted by John Grout

What, in the Board's opinion, is the acceptable level of harm it is prepared to
inflict on a vulnerable minority (and the party's reputation), to avoid litigation
from those determined to exterminate them, in contravention of the party's
values?

Q10. Submitted by Gareth Epps

Is there nothing the party will not agree to do when issued legal threats by
people who do not share our values?

Q11. Submitted by Leon Duveen

Yet again, the Party has been blackmailed by threat of expensive legal action
into accepting a stall from a group that opposes basic Liberal Democrat
principles. This is an intolerable situation and what is the Federal Board doing
to make sure that such groups that do not respect the fundamental values of
our Party are not allowed to have a stall or hold fringe events at our
Conference?
Saturday 22 March cont.
Q12. Submitted by Sir Simon Hughes
How many complaints against members as of 1 March 2025 are awaiting a)
hearings and b) decisions for longer than 3, 6, 9 and 12 months, and can
speedy decisions be ensured in future.

Q13. Submitted by Sir Simon Hughes

Since 1 March 2020, as of 1 March 2025 a)how many legal cases have been
initiated by members or former members against the party, b)how many
concluded, c)how many with awards or judgements against the LDs and d) at
what total cost?

Q14. Submitted by Sir Simon Hughes

Since 1 March 2020 and until 1 March 2025 how many complaints have been
made against party members in each year, how many have been concluded,
how many are still unresolved and what is the maximum time for a decision.

Q15. Submitted by Sir Simon Hughes

Will the President and all party officers confirm the right of all LD PPCs and
MPs as a matter of personal liberal conscience to express views and vote
against abortion, assisted dying, euthanasia and the legal right to change sex,
and to be respected for doing so.

Q16. Submitted by Robert Reiss

The public version of the party style guide was last updated in September
2018. To assist local parties in maintaining coherence with federal party
branding, will the style guide be reviewed and updated as a priority?

Q17. Submitted by Tony Vickers

Is Lib Dems Abroad working with British Overseas Voters Forum, given the
likely high propensity for Brits based abroad to vote Liberal Democrat?
Saturday 22 March cont.
Q18. Submitted by Janey Little
Part of the rationale behind F10 Constitutional Amendment: Implementing
the Lessons of the General Election Review, is to improve diversity. If the
amendment passes, can you detail how this is going to be enacted under the
new JCSC framework? Or if the amendment fails, the plans to improve
diversity if it remains within the old model?

F16 Electoral Regulations

Please note that the changes to the electoral regulations can be found on pages
19-37 of the printed Reports document and pages 13-25 of the online Reports
document.
See: https://www.libdems.org.uk/conference/papers/spring-2025/reports-to-
conference

F18 Federal Communications and Elections Committee Report:

questions and accountability
Q1. Christopher Johnson
What has your committee done and what can it do to tackle discrimination
(e.g. misogyny, ableism, transphobia) in the party?

F19 Campaign for Gender Balance: questions and accountability

Q1. Christopher Johnson
What has your committee done and what can it do to tackle discrimination
(e.g. misogyny, ableism, transphobia) in the party?

F20 Federal International Relations Committee Report: questions and

accountability
Q1. Christopher Johnson
What has your committee done and what can it do to tackle discrimination
(e.g. misogyny, ableism, transphobia) in the party?
Saturday 22 March cont.
Q2. Christopher Johnson
As we enter the 110th anniversary of the Greek, Armenian and Assyrian
Genocides, is it not time our party and our country recognise them?

F21 Federal Council Report: questions and accountability

Mover: Cllr Prue Bray
Q1. Christopher Johnson
What has your committee done and what can it do to tackle discrimination
(e.g. misogyny, ableism, transphobia) in the party?

Sunday 23 March
F22 Emergency Motion
There will be a ballot for one motion to be debated in this agenda slot. Please
see pages 21-28 below.

F23 Animal Welfare in the Food System

Amendment One
10 members
Mover: Baroness Grender (Lords Spokesperson on Environment, Food and
Rural Affairs)
Summation: To be announced
1 After line 48, insert new 4.:
2 4. Its commitment to implement new targets to ensure 50% of food
3 supplied to the public sector is produced by British farmers or
4 certified to higher animal welfare and environmental standards.
5 After line 116, insert new b) and c):
6 b) An annual report on the level of high welfare food supplied to
7 the public sector is laid before Parliament.
Sunday 23 March cont.
8 c) The Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering
9 Services (GBSF) are properly monitored and enforced.

Amendment Two
10 members
Mover: Elliot Chapman-Jones
Summation: To be announced
1 At end of line 77, insert:
2 ‘…, including more funding for peer-to-peer learning to reward farmer
3 networks for sharing knowledge and skills’.
4 After line 77, insert new b):
5 b) Ensuring that the Growth and Skills Levy takes into account
6 the importance of agricultural skills to provide access to
7 apprenticeships in the sector and support the next generation
8 with expertise in animal welfare.

F25 Ending the Crisis: A Fair Deal for Children with SEND
The FCC has agreed to make the following drafting amendment to the motion:
1 In IV (line 88), after ‘local government’, insert: ‘and trade unions’.

Amendment One
17 members
Mover: Andy McGowan
Summation: Lee Dargue
1 After line 33, insert new xii) and xiii):
2 xii) The lack of support for children with SEND, particularly during
3 school holidays, has a significant impact on parent carers and
4 siblings, including their health, wellbeing and opportunities.
5 xiii) Research by Carers Trust and the We Care campaign shows that
6 parent carers do not have access to their statutory right to
7 assessments and, if needed, support.
Sunday 23 March cont.
8 After line 96, add new VI.:
9 VI. Take measures to improve access to support for parent carers and
10 siblings including through:
11 a) Working with local government to ensure that parent carers
12 have access to Parent Carers’ Needs Assessments and support
13 in every local authority.
14 b) Ensuring that any future carers strategy or reforms to SEND
15 specifically consider the needs of parent carers and siblings.
16 c) Making sure that Ofsted inspections of local authorities
17 specifically assess how councils are identifying and supporting
18 parent carers.
19 d) Including young carers as a priority group within any holiday
20 activity programmes.

Amendment Two
Liberal Democrat Disability Association
Mover: Katharine Macy.
Summation: To be announced.
1 At end of V. (line 96), insert: ‘...,while ensuring quality of transport and
2 education is not lowered’.
3 After line 96, add:
4 VI) Support Higher and Further education by allowing pre-16
5 diagnosis of disabilities such as neurodivergence like dyslexia,
6 ADHD and autism to be accepted to access Disability Student
7 Allowance and reasonable adjustments
Emergency Motions Ballot
One of the following motions will be selected by ballot to be debated at F22 on
Sunday 22 March. The emergency motions ballot will be held electronically.
Members of conference will receive a ballot by email at 17.00 on Friday 21 March,
and should complete it online by 13.00 on Friday 22 March.

Emergency Motion 1: Dropped Targets - A Threat to Care

13 members
1 Conference notes:
2 i) The 2025 mandate to NHS England, delivered on the 30th January
3 2025, which abolished almost half (14 of 32) of the NHS targets.
4 ii) Its delivery to Parliament in the form of a Written Ministerial
5 Statement, without any oral statement or debate, which did not
6 allow for proper scrutiny of such large-scale organisational
7 changes.
8 iii) Its impact on key areas such as mental health, women’s health,
9 dementia diagnosis and access to community services, where
10 performance targets have been abolished.
11 iv) Many in the health sector’s concerns that these areas will be
12 rapidly deprioritised, and patients will suffer.
13 v) The two million people on mental health waiting lists and the lack
14 of a credible plan to ensure these patients get the help they need.
15 vi) The failure of the government to meet the now-eliminated
16 dementia diagnosis target since 2020, and the Darzi investigation’s
17 assertion that the government must improve quantity and quality
18 of care for dementia patients.
19 vii) The over 30 million British women who will no longer have
20 mandated access to a women’s health hub to access smear tests,
21 breast checks, contraception, menopause advice and more.
22 viii) The refusal of the government to consider reinstating the dropped
23 targets or debate the issue in Parliament.
24 Conference believes:
25 a) The Conservatives brought our NHS to breaking point through
Emergency Motions Ballot
26 mismanagement and underinvestment, leading to spiralling
27 waitlists, an unending cycle of winter crises, and despite the
28 continual readjustment of targets down to easier and easier
29 levels, a repeated inability to meet many.
30 b) Labour has inherited a challenging legacy but their lack of
31 ambition when it comes to fixing the NHS has been shocking.
32 c) Addressing unacceptably long wait times and improving access to
33 primary care and A&E services cannot come at the cost of proper
34 treatment of dementia patients, those struggling with mental
35 health, and women’s wellbeing.
36 d) The deprioritisation of these key areas signals the government’s
37 complacency for our NHS and, shamefully, will result in many
38 patients not receiving the care they urgently need.
39 e) Without properly supporting social care, community care, general
40 practices, dentistry, pharmacies, and early intervention and
41 prevention practices, the pressure on A&E services and hospitals
42 will continue to rise.
43 f) Mental health should be treated with equal priority to physical
44 health.
45 Conference accordingly calls on the Government to:
46 1. Reinstate the dropped targets on mental health, dementia
47 diagnosis, women’s health and access to community services.
48 2. Improve early access to mental health services by establishing
49 mental health hubs for young people in every community and
50 introducing regular mental health check-ups at key points in
51 people’s lives when they are most vulnerable to mental ill-health.
52 3. Create a statutory, independent Mental Health Commissioner to
53 represent patients, their families and carers and champion parity
54 of esteem within the NHS.
55 4. Develop a sustainable funding strategy for community services, to
56 put them on a stable footing for years to come and reduce
57 pressure on emergency services and hospitals by investing to
58 save.
59 5. Fully implement the immediate and essential actions (IEAs) raised
60 by the Ockenden report to ensure women do not have to continue
Emergency Motions Ballot
61 to suffer unsafe maternity care.
Applicability: England.

Emergency Motion 2: Local Elections: Democracy Delayed is Democracy

Denied
Association of Liberal Democrat Councillors and Campaigners and 10 members
1 Conference notes that:
2 i) On 5th February 2025, the Government announced that local
3 elections in nine councils would be postponed for at least a year.
4 ii) The last general election demonstrated sweeping electoral change
5 in this country.
6 iii) The local authorities whose elections have been postponed have
7 not had elections since 2021 in what was a wholly different
8 political climate.
9 Conference believes:
10 a) The Government should have reversed their decision to postpone
11 local elections this May.
12 b) Voters have been denied their democratic right to vote for their
13 local representatives, some of whom may now serve for seven
14 years.
15 c) Local people are entitled to local authorities that represent their
16 values and beliefs.
17 d) The Government has failed to provide clarity about when the
18 postponed elections will take place, even suggesting that some
19 areas will have two elections in two years; one in 2026 for the
20 council due to be abolished and another in 2027 for the new
21 council due to be established.
22 e) Devolution is about shifting power out of the centre in
23 Westminster and Whitehall, so that decisions are made by and for
24 the people and communities they affect.
25 Conference reaffirms the Liberal Democrat commitment to
26 representative local government.
Emergency Motions Ballot
27 Conference calls on the Government to:
28 1. Reverse their disastrous decision to postpone local elections in
29 nine areas this May.
30 2. Adopt proportional representation for all local elections in
31 England.
32 3. Agree that local government reorganisation should only take place
33 when there is full consultation with existing structures and when
34 local consensus is reached.
Applicability: England.

Emergency Motion 3: New Hospitals Programme - A Broken Promise

13 members
1 Conference notes:
2 i) The announcement on the 20th January 2025 that the
3 implementation of the New Hospitals Programme would be
4 delayed, with 18 of the 40 hospitals not set to begin construction
5 until after 2030, the original completion deadline.
6 ii) The implications of the delays for repairs backlogs at the 18
7 hospitals not due to start construction until at least 2030, which is
8 projected to spiral from £2.1bn to £5.7bn.
9 iii) Its impact on patients across the country, who will continue to
10 receive treatment in subpar conditions or struggle to even access
11 treatment due to closures and repairs.
12 iv) Over twenty per cent of the premises in general practice predate
13 the founding of the health service in 1948.
14 v) Capital underinvestment is one of the key areas contributing to
15 lower-than-desired NHS productivity, according to two sets of
16 analyses by the Institute for Government and the Institute for
17 Fiscal Studies.
18 vi) The pattern of cannibalising NHS capital budgets to keep services
19 running day to day, with an estimated transfer of £930 million
20 from the 2024/2025 capital budget, further reducing investment in
21 the NHS estate.
Emergency Motions Ballot
22 Conference believes:
23 a) Patients have the right to be treated in safe, comfortable and
24 dignified conditions without fear of the hospital roof falling in,
25 walls crumbling or pipes leaking and freezing over in winter.
26 b) The Conservative Government is responsible for this crisis, due to
27 their sustained underinvestment into the NHS estate. Moreover,
28 they made an intentionally empty promise when they launched
29 the New Hospitals Programme with no realistic strategy for
30 delivery behind it.
31 c) Whilst the Labour Government has inherited a crumbling NHS
32 estate and an intentionally shoddy plan for reform, they have not
33 been nearly ambitious enough on delivering for patients, instead
34 opting to embrace a false economy of dither and delay.
35 Conference accordingly calls on the Government to:
36 1. Reverse the costly and unfair delay to the New Hospital
37 Programme by creating a new crumbling hospitals taskforce to
38 work on bringing these construction dates forward and deliver on
39 the promise made to patients.
40 2. End the vicious cycle of false economies and rising repair backlogs
41 by putting the NHS estate on a plan towards sustainable funding.
42 3. Develop a plan to invest in the primary care estate, including to
43 repair and replace GP surgeries, many of which are older than the
44 NHS itself.
Applicability: England.

Emergency Motion 4: Restoring International Development Assistance

Green Liberal Democrats
1 Conference notes:
2 i) The Liberal Democrats were the first UK political party to commit
3 to meeting the OECD target of spending 0.7% of Gross National
4 Income (GNI) on Official Development Assistance (ODA), and
5 enshrined this target in law whilst in government.
6 ii) On Nov. 25, 2020, Rishi Sunak announced a ‘temporary’ cut to
Emergency Motions Ballot
7 0.5%; this resulted in thousands of preventable deaths and cuts to
8 vital programmes.
9 iii) The current Labour Government’s manifesto committed to
10 restoring development spending at the level of 0.7% of GNI “as
11 soon as fiscal circumstances allow”; despite this, on 25th February
12 2025 Keir Starmer announced an immediate cut from 0.5% to
13 0.3% of GNI.
14 iv) The international development budget has been further eroded
15 by the large increase of in-donor refugee costs due to the decision
16 of the previous Conservative government to pause asylum
17 approvals - as well as leaving thousands of people trapped in
18 limbo, these costs have occupied an increasingly large share of
19 ODA.
20 Conference believes that:
21 a) While there is an acute need to increase defence spending to
22 support Ukraine and ensure the UK’s future security, this can be
23 met through fair measures such as a digital sales tax and does not
24 require yet another cut to ODA.
25 b) The government’s cuts to ODA will cost lives and are completely
26 unjustified. UK aid provides desperately needed support to the
27 most vulnerable people in the world, particularly in fragile and
28 conflict affected states, and is a key tool in meeting our climate
29 commitments.
30 c) The UK’s commitment to development has been one of our most
31 effective foreign policy tools in recent decades and is a key pillar in
32 ensuring our future security.
33 d) Sudden cuts to ODA fall disproportionately on the most
34 vulnerable – those affected by humanitarian crisis – due to
35 annualised budget cycles being easier to cut.
36 Conference calls for:
37 1. The immediate restoration of UK aid spending at 0.5% of GNI and
38 a roadmap to restore 0.7% of GNI as soon as possible within this
39 parliament.
40 2. A halt to the charging of asylum hosting costs to the ODA budget,
41 freeing up billions for global poverty reduction, climate action and
Emergency Motions Ballot
42 humanitarian response
43 3. The Government to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP as
44 soon as possible - based on funding plans outlined by the Liberal
45 Democrats - and to hold cross-party talks to agree a consensus on
46 how to reach 3%.
Applicability: Federal

Emergency Motion 5: Securing a Path to Citizenship for Refugees

14 members
1 Conference notes with concern the new Home Office guidance, issued
2 in February 2025, which states that anyone who enters the country
3 irregularly “having made a dangerous journey” will be refused
4 naturalisation regardless of how long they’ve lived in the UK -
5 potentially blocking a large number of people who have already been
6 granted refugee status from ever becoming British citizens.
7 Conference further notes that:
8 i) The former Conservative Government closed down safe and legal
9 routes to sanctuary, leaving desperate people to make perilous
10 attempts to cross the Channel in small boats or make other
11 dangerous journeys - often in the hands of criminal smugglers
12 and traffickers.
13 ii) More than 140 charities and faith leaders have united to condemn
14 the ban, urging the Home Secretary to rethink the new guidance.
15 iii) The new guidance immediately came into effect, with no
16 opportunity for parliamentary scrutiny.
17 iv) The Home Office has said that the new restrictions will “likely not
18 apply” to children, but has given no unequivocal confirmation that
19 this will be the case.
20 Conference believes that:
21 a) The Government needs to do more to stop dangerous Channel
22 crossings, but a ban on citizenship for refugees will do nothing to
23 achieve that or combat the criminal trafficking gangs responsible.
24 b) Citizenship plays a vital role in integration, providing refugees with
Emergency Motions Ballot
25 certainty and a sense of belonging in their new country.
26 c) The UK must uphold its obligations under international law, which
27 states that refugees should not be penalised for illegal entry to a
28 country.
29 Conference therefore calls on the UK Government to:
30 1. Bring forward new guidance that ensures a path to citizenship for
31 refugees.
32 2. Provide safe and legal routes to sanctuary for refugees from all
33 countries, as outlined in policy motion Safe and Legal Routes to
34 Save Lives (2021).
35 3. Bring forward a new integration strategy to enable refugees and
36 asylum seekers to fully rebuild their lives, contribute to our
37 economy, and integrate into our communities.
Applicability: Federal
Speaking and Voting at Conference
Applying to speak
To make a speech in a debate you must:
• complete a speaker’s card, collected from and returned to the
Speakers’ Table at the front of the auditorium, an auditorium steward
or the Information Desk; or
• submit an electronic speaker’s card, from Monday 17 March up to one
hour before the start of the debate, online at:
www.libdems.org.uk/speakers-card

Completing a speaker’s card

When completing a speaker’s card, remember:
1 Submit your card well in advance.
The chair and aide team for the debate will meet well in advance to
plan the debate – sometimes the previous day.
2 Fill in your card completely.
Complete the back of the card as well as the front. These sections are
needed for the chair and aide to balance the debate, so they can call
people with relevant experience and avoid a string of people making
the same point.
3 Make sure it’s readable!
Don’t fill every square centimetre of the card, and write legibly – the
easier you make it for the chair and aide to read the card the more
likely you will be called.

Live Stream
The conference will be streamed live. In case you miss any sessions or want
to watch again, go to www.libdems.org.uk/conference-live
The Federal Conference Committee

Nick da Costa, Jon Ball, Cara Jenkinson, Mark Pack, Dr Sam Barratt Duncan Brack
Chair Vice Chair Vice Chair Party President

Belinda Wendy Fraser Graham Charley Hasted Allison Jenner Eleanor Kelly
Brooks-Gordon Chamberlain MP

Hannah Kitching Chris Maines Paul McGarry Simon McGrath Shaffaq Lucas North
Mohammed

Matt Palmer Kath Pinnock Jennie Rigg Callum Darryl Smalley

Robertson

Federal Conference Committee Helpdesk

The FCC helpdesk is situated by the Information
Desk. Members of the FCC will be available to
give advice at the following times:
Saturday 22 March
11.30 - 12.30
and
15.00 - 16.00
The Federal Policy Committee

Ed Davey MP, Lucy Nethsingha, Jeremy Helen Mark Pack, Ulysse Abbate
Chair Vice Chair Hargreaves, Morgan MP, Party President
Vice Chair Vice Chair

Duncan Brack Alex Brewer MP Belinda Sally Burnell Christine Cheng Chris
Brooks-Gordon Coghlan MP

Tara Copeland Helen Cross Alyssa Gilbert Stephen Harte Martin Horwood Chloe
Hutchinson

Elizabeth Jewkes Susan Juned Dr Mohsin Khan Janey Little Keith Melton Edward
Morello MP

Kath Pinnock Joshua Ben Rich Luke Richards John Shreeve Julie Smith
Reynolds MP

Peter Thornton Claire Tyler

 The Federal Board

Mark Pack, Amna Ahmad, Ed Davey MP, Caroline Pidgeon, Jenni Lang, Tim Sly,
Party President Vice President Leader Chair, Convenor, President,
(Ethnic Minorities) English Party Scottish Party Welsh Party

Jeremy Nick da Costa, Kath Pinnock, Mike Cox, Claire Hudson, Chris White,
Hargreaves, FCC Chair FCEC Chair FFRC Chair FPDC Chair Principal Local
Vice-Chair, FPC Rep Authority
Councillor

Harvey Jones, Neil Fawcett Lucy Nethsingha Callum Robertson

Young Liberals
Chair

Federal Board Helpdesk

The Federal Board helpdesk is situated
by the Information Desk. Members of
the Federal Board will be available to
have strategic conversations with
members at the following times:
Saturday 22 March
11.30 - 12.30
and
15.00 - 16.00