Liberal Democrats gained a 25% swing in Chesham and Amersham electing our 12th MP, Sarah Green.

We struck at the heart of the Conservatives' blue wall and took one of their safest seats.

Liberal Democrats showed that we are a force to be reckoned with. We have a team to match anyone. Their blue wall isn't just on notice; it has been shaken at its foundations by the Liberal Democrats.

Lib Dems' Patcham Candidate criticises Councillor Barnett's comments on homelessness

In response to Councillor Barnett's comments made to The Argus in the story here: https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/19268576.beggars-putting-people-off-coming-brighton/

Liberal Democrats' Patcham by-election candidate, Madelaine Hunter-Taylor, has slammed comments made by Councillor Barnett in relation to the homeless issues faced in Brighton & Hove and challenged the council to improve their approach.

Today we join Christians in the UK and across the world in celebrating Easter: a time of reflection, renewal and redemption. Across the globe, Christians will come together to worship and spend time with family and friends in celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Meanwhile as liberals who believe in freedom of worship for all, we stand in solidarity with those Christians who are persecuted for their beliefs.

Today, just like 31 March every year, is the Trans Day of Visibility. It's a day for lifting up and celebrating trans voices in public life. We know that there are countless brilliant trans politicians and activists doing amazing work in their communities. Here are seven to get you started.

1. Lisa van Ginneken
   First on our list is Lisa van Ginneken. Lisa is a Dutch politician for our sister party, D66. From 2017-2021 she was the chair of Transvisie, an advocacy group for trans people in the Netherlands. D66 had a fantastic performance at recent national elections, and Lisa will take her seat - the first trans person in the Netherlands to do so - today! Lisa is on Twitter @LisaGinneken
   
   
2. Charley Hasted
   If you're a member of LGBT+ Liberal Democrats, then you'll definitely have come across our fantastic Vice Chair, Charley Hasted. Charley is an NHS emergency services worker and unpaid carer from Lambeth. They have stood for Parliament for Eltham in 2019, and are currently running as a List Candidate for the London Assembly - the first non-binary person to do so! You can find Charley on Twitter at @CharleyHasted and can support the London Assembly campaign here.
   
   
3. Kobe Bibbon
   In 2020 Kobe Bibbon wrote a piece for Lib Dem Voice entitled "Young, liberal and ready to fight for trans representation on Manchester Council" and that sums them up pretty well. Kobe is the trans rep for Young Liberals, and in 2021 is standing for Longsight Ward as part of the Manchester Lib Dems team. Kobe has been outspoken about the barriers trans people face in accessing health services. Kobe is on Twitter at @KobeBibbon and you can support their campaign with the Manchester Lib Dems here.
   
   
4. Helen Belcher
   Helen Belcher will be a familiar name to many Liberal Democrats and LGBT+ activists. She has been featured on The Independent's Rainbow List and has twice stood for Parliament in Chippenham. She also confounded Trans Media Watch, which aims to improve the representation of trans people in the UK media. In 2021 she will be standing to retain her seat on Corsham council. Find Helen on Twitter @HelenCBelcher. You can support her campaign here.
   
   
5. Audrey Tang
   Since 2016, Audrey Tang has been Taiwan's Digital Minister. Over the course of 2020, she has been praised for her responsiveness to the pandemic (see this feature by Wired). She has been described as one of the "ten greatest Taiwanese computing personalities". Audrey's other work in government has revolved around the sharing economy and radical transparency. Audrey is on Twitter @AudreyT
   
   
6. Sarah McBride
   As well as the defeat of Donald Trump, another highlight of the 2020 US Elections was the election of Sarah McBride. Sarah was one of a cohort of trans politicians elected to state houses across the country. She is now a member of the Delaware Senate. She has been the National Press Secretary of the Human Rights Campaign, and is credited with the passage of major legislation in Delaware outlawing discrimination on the basis of gender identity. In 2016, she was also the first openly trans person to address a major party convention in American history. You can find Sarah on Twitter @SarahEMcbride
   
   
7. Petra De Sutter
   Petra De Sutter has a background as an accomplished doctor and gynecology professor, and in 2020 became Europe's first ever out transgender minister. Petra is Belgium's Deputy Prime Minister and a member of Groen (the Flemish Green party in Belgium). Earlier this year she announced plans for Belgium to legally recognise non-binary people (read more here). Petra is on Twitter @pdsutter.

Brighton & Hove Lib Dems are delighted to announce their candidate for the upcoming council by-election in Patcham. Following a successful Covid-enforced online hustings and selection process, Madelaine Hunter-Taylor was elected as the party's candidate.

Madelaine, a life-long Lib Dem supporter and proud Brightonian, is particularly passionate about working to raise support and awareness around Domestic violence and abuse. As Director of The Rita Project, she is committed to working in local communities to change the conversation and amplify the voices of those who currently are not heard.

At our Liberal Democrat Spring Conference, I outlined my vision for building a Fairer, Greener and More Caring country by putting recovery first. Take a look at my commitments here:

An Inquiry into Covid-19

In my speech, I called on Boris Johnson to set up the independent inquiry he promised me in the House of Commons last June. No more excuses. No more delays. The British people deserve answers.

This year we honour the women who are paving the way for future generations.

We celebrate Kamala Harris: the first female, first Black and first Asian-American Vice President of the USA. We celebrate Zara Mohammed who just became the first woman to be Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain. We celebrate Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the first woman and the first African person to head the World Trade Organisation, and we celebrate Prof Sarah Gilbert, the lead professor behind the Oxford coronavirus vaccine.

'What's It Like to be Disabled in Britain in 2021?'
Thursday 11th March at 7:00 pm - free to attend

Join us for the third in our series of SharePlanAct online events, with Vice President of the Liberal Democrats Isabelle Parasram and her team. Introduced by Party Leader Sir Ed Davey MP, our speakers are Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson (Paralympian) and Dan White (Broadcaster).

Our wide-ranging discussion will cover issues such as how society perceives disabled people and the provision and accessibility of housing, transport, education, employment and other services. It is now 21 years since the DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) 1995 - has life improved for disabled people or has it got worse?

Register for your free tickets by clicking HERE.

Look forward to seeing you

Anita Prabhakar
Diversity Officer
East Midlands Liberal Democrats

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Millions of people across the country have made untold sacrifices in the past year. Boris Johnson must not squander the months of sacrifice by millions of people and businesses across the country.

People have been isolated from their families, hundreds of thousands of businesses have been shuttered and our precious freedoms have been curtailed.

This LGBT+ History Month we'll be looking at some of the powerful stories about and told by LGBT+ people throughout time. We'll be looking at the injustices that LGBT+ people have lived with, and at how far we've come.

But although we've come far, the struggle is not over. LGBT+ people still face injustices, institutional failures, and particular challenges: from improving LGBT+ inclusive education and health services, to tackling transphobia and biphobia, and ensuring victims of hate crime get the support they need there is still much to do.

The month of February marks LGBT+ History Month. Launched in 2005, LGBT+ History Month is a time when people come together to share and tell stories of the experiences, lives and achievements of LGBT+ people throughout society. Just like with Black History Month (October) or Disability History Month (which runs from November into December), it's typically filled with events (check ours out here) and discussion. LGBT+ History Month reminds us of the progress we've made, but also warns us about the injustices that we have only recently escaped - and injustices that are still with us.

As the Year of the Rat gives way to the Year of the Ox, there is much to reflect on. For all of us, 2020 was a difficult year; some of us touched by death and many by loss of income, wellbeing and self-worth. So much has changed, and yet not changed.

Those of us with memories of SARS watched with concern the British Government's late and botched efforts to tackle COVID. We saw COVID-related hate crime spike as Chinese people were shunned, and verbally and physically assaulted. Internet memes depicting Chinese people as sources of COVID were widely shared.

Across the country, homes will be adorned with wonderful decorations and Diyas will be lit - all marking the festival of lights.

For Hindu communities this is also the start of the Hindu New Year - an important time to sit back and reflect on the past year and look ahead to future opportunities.

Diwali marks the triumph of good over evil, light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance. 2020 has been a dark year for many of us and Diwali's message that light will triumph in the end resonates with many of us, regardless of our faith or worldview.

"People around the world will now be breathing a huge sigh of relief. Over the past four years Donald Trump has fed a new divisive form of politics, testing American democracy to its very limits. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris's victory isn't just democratic, it may have saved US democracy," said Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey MP.

INTRODUCTION

Liberal Democrats recognise the importance of having a "base" for reasons of health, welfare, quality of life and work. We believe that people should have choice and that there should be a mixture of housing provision available to meet different needs. We also recognise that in a City such as Brighton and Hove there is a shortage of affordable housing and social rented homes. It is therefore a priority for the Council to make every effort to provide those affordable/social rented homes in the City to house the thousands of people who are on the local Housing Waiting List.

DM9 COMMUNITY FACILITIES

Community, Voluntary and other Groups should be informed about their right to nominate a community facility as an "Asset of Community Value" under the Localism Act. This Facility can be nominated if it "furthers the social wellbeing or social interests of the local community". These "social interests" can include cultural, recreational or sporting interests so this nomination can help ensure that amenities that are useful (or might be useful in the future) have the opportunity to be preserved and hopefully resourced. (Justification: Preserving Heritage; Local Economy; Community Involvement; Health)

INTRODUCTORY PRINCIPLES

Liberal Democrats support a "mixed economy" for our City in which people have equal opportunities and are able to develop their full potential. The City Plan should help enable this and ensure that people have the tools to succeed in order to ensure that we are a successful City.

DM 18-32

PRINCIPLES

Liberal Democrats believe that the principles of planning should include accessibility, community participation, good design and interconnectivity with local services and sustainable transport. Most of all, we believe that the local community and the people of our City should be able to have a say about decision making.

Accessibility and Affordability are important transport principles. The Service, Maintenance, and general Work requirements of local residents and businesses also require that people are able to get around the City. It is also important for quality of life. These are key considerations when developing the City's transport strategy.

Despite the massive effort people have made to fight coronavirus it's clear that the road to recovery is going to be rockier than we first feared.

With millions of workers worried about their livelihoods, the British people deserve a Government that listens to their concerns and does everything in its power to protect them. Sadly, this isn't the case.

Lib Dem Leader Ed Davey has announced a new team of spokespeople who will hold the Government to account and rebuild our party.

Layla Moran: Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs & International Development

Delighted to announce the @LibDems spokespeople for the great offices of state:

My friend @LaylaMoran has agreed to take a role in my top team. As Foreign Affairs Spokesperson she will bring the energy and enthusiasm she brings to all her work & hold Dominic Raab to account.
1/4

- Ed Davey MP 🔶🇪🇺 (@EdwardJDavey) August 31, 2020

Ed Davey's acceptance speech on being elected party leader

I'd like to start by thanking my friend Layla Moran. Layla, you fought a passionate campaign, full of energy.

Since becoming an MP, you have inspired so many people, particularly young people. Your future is bright and I look forward to you playing a big role in my team.

Brighton & Hove Lib Dems today slammed the local Labour Party for bringing the city of Brighton and Hove into disrepute. Lib Dem spokesperson for Brighton Kemptown, Ben Thomas, said:

'The disgraceful mismanagement by the Labour Party in Brighton & Hove over recent months has brought shame and embarrassment on the city of Brighton & Hove. The soon-to-be-former Labour led council has missed their own target after target, from refuse and recycling collections to affordable housing targets and beyond. They have consistently failed us.

1. You'll get to vote for our new leader

Until midnight on Thursday (9th July), if you join the Liberal Democrats you'll get a vote in our upcoming leadership election.

This leadership election will decide our strategy, our messaging, and ultimately our chances of winning. The leader you choose will shape our movement for years to come. You won't want to miss out.

Back in 2015, I joined the Liberal Democrats at a time when they had been trounced in the general election and were choosing their next party leader. I had never joined a political party before, and quite frankly I didn't even realise I cared about there being a liberal voice in UK politics - until it became clear that the Lib Dems' continued existence wasn't a given. Faced with the very real possibility that there would be no Lib Dem candidate to vote for in the next election because the party would no longer exist, I signed up and voted for my preferred leadership candidate.