UK Liberal Democrats convened in Brighton for their 2018 Autumn Conference, their largest annual event featuring lively debates, speeches, policy discussions, fringe events and a range of social events.
The party adopted new policy motions on Brexit reaffirming the Liberal Democrats' commitment to giving the public the final vote on Theresa May's Brexit deal with an option to exit from Brexit. The resolutions covered aspects such as migration, jobs, businesses and communities and economy.
In his closing speech to Conference, the LibDems leader Vince Cable MP said: "Brexit has left millions of people feeling frustrated, powerless and unrepressed. As we campaign for a different future, we are inviting those people into our movement.”
"I am determined that our party should be at the heart of it, leading the resistance to the forces of illiberalism" @vincecable closing out #LDConf.
— Liberal Democrats (@LibDems) September 18, 2018
If you want to join a movement against the rising forces of illiberalism, join the Liberal Democrats > https://t.co/Bomm21Qhk9 pic.twitter.com/Unz9llQLY3
Earlier in the conference, the party’s spokesman on Brexit Tom Brake said: “My vision of a better Britain is one that will be delivered by using the real Brexit dividend, the financial dividend liberated by cancelling Brexit, freeing up cash to boost skills, training, education, infrastructure, housing, productivity. If we secure a final say on the deal, and if the country backs remaining in the EU, we must pledge to use every penny of taxpayers’ hard-earned money to regenerate the towns, cities and communities in the greatest need...So we can make a start on tackling the reasons why many voted Brexit in the first place.”
You can read Brake's full spech here.
One week before the event, party leader Vince Cable outlined his vision to transform the party into a strong liberal and social democratic movement. You can read the full speech here and the highlights of the proposal here.
During the Autumn Conference, the overseas branch of the party was formally established. You can find out all about it here.
ALDE Party Vice President Timmy Dooley TD joined the event and participated in a panel debate hosted by Catherine Bearder MEP.
It’s that time of year where we recharge our Liberal batteries for the year ahead. So delighted to have this panel for tonight #LDconf @Femi_Sorry @mikegalsworthy @mediawhizz @timmydooley pic.twitter.com/9SKulsYrTS
— Catherine Bearder-former MEP🔶🕷 (@catherinemep) September 15, 2018
If you want to read more about what happened over the conference, take a look at the LibDems live feed here.