The English Liberal Democrats, constitutionally the Liberal Democrats in England, is the state party within the Liberal Democrats that operates in England. It is a federation of the eleven regional parties in England and the English branch of the youth and student organisation. The regions are further divided into local parties. The party currently holds 65 of the English seats in the House of Commons and two seats on the London Assembly.
Organisation
English Assembly The English Assembly, known as the English Council before 2026, is the sovereign body of the English party. It consists of the chairs of regional parties, representatives elected by regional party members, and representatives of the organisation representing youth and student members within the English party.
English Party Board The English Party Board, known as the English Council Executive before 2026, manages the running of the English party between English Assembly meetings. The board consists of the chairs of the 11 English regional parties, additional members elected from the English Assembly and the chair of the English Young Liberals. English Representatives to federal bodies also attend. The English board meets 6 times a year.
The English Party Board has four sub-committees; A Finance and Administration Sub-Committee which is chaired by a Treasurer manages the finances of the English party, the Regional Parties Committee, the Joint Policy Group of the Regions and the English Candidates Committee.
The English Party Board is elected annually in November, and takes office on 1 January each year. The current Board consists of:
Role Name Chair Caroline Pidgeon Vice-Chair (Regional Parties Committee Chair) Brian Orrell Vice-Chair (Regional Development) James Read Treasurer Richard FlowersEnglish Candidates Committee ChairMargaret Joachim English Young Liberals Chair Joe Norris English Executive MembersPrue BrayRichard ColeKian HearnshawBrian OrrellIain DonaldsonFergus UstianowskiJames ReadOliver Jones-LyonsWilliam HoungboMark JohnstonRachelle Shepherd-Dubey Simon Pike
Role Name English Representatives to the Federal Council Prue Bray, Richard Flowers, Pete Dollimore English Representative to Federal Policy Committee Sally Burnell English Representative to Federal Conference Committee Darryl Smalley English Representative to the Federal Campaigns and Elections Committee Iain Donaldson English Representative to the Federal People Development Committee Pete Dollimore English Representative to the Federal International Relations Committee Sean Bennett
Regional parties The English Liberal Democrats is a federation of the eleven regional parties which follow the boundaries of the English Regions, with the exception of South East England and South West England which are each divided into two regional parties.http://member.libdems.org.uk/~members/liberaldemocrats/node/25?tid=19 Each regional party is governed by a conference and AGM held in the autumn of every year. The conference elects a Regional Executive, led by a Regional Chair. The regional executive includes all Liberal Democrat members of parliament representing constituencies within the region, all members of the House of Lords who are members of the regional party, ordinary party members elected from within the region, and additional members co-opted by the executive.
The regional parties within the English party are: Devon and Cornwall (South West England) East of England East Midlands London Liberal Democrats North East England North West England South Central (South East England) South East (South East England) Western Counties (South West England) West Midlands Yorkshire
English Young Liberals The English Young Liberals operates as a federation of regional parties, with each having a level of independence, though working within the overall English wing. Regional branches, led by their Chair, are responsible for organising and supporting local branches and societies and co-ordinating activities to recruit and expand membership in their region.
Policy and functions The English party has responsibilities for the organisation of local parties, co-ordination of the activities of regional parties, resolution of disputes between regional parties, selection of English representatives to federal bodies and establishing the rules for selection of party candidates.
The English Party constitution states that the Liberal Democrats in England "shall determine the policy of the Party on matters affecting England which fall outside the remit of the Federal Party" This can be achieved by structures established by the English Council. As no policy making structures are currently in place, policy making has been passed up to federal level and English policies discussed at federal party conferences.
English devolution In 2021 the Liberal Democrats adopted a policy motion, "A Framework for England in a Federal UK", which called for the establishment of elected regional assemblies throughout England. The regional assemblies would nominate members to concurrently serve on an "English National Chamber" to legislate at an all-England level with England being a single legal jurisdiction within a federal United Kingdom.https://www.libdems.org.uk/conference/motions/autumn-2021/f21
The English regional assemblies would have the following competencies: Regional economic development NHS and social care services Policing Strategic housing and planning policy Regional transport Education, including skills Agriculture and rural affairs Local environmental and decarbonisation policy
The English National Chamber would have the following competencies: The legal system Higher education and universities
Elected representatives
Members of Parliament
ConstituencyNameMajority (vote)Majority (%)1BathWera Hobhouse11,21823.32Bicester and WoodstockCalum Miller4,9589.93Carshalton and WallingtonBobby Dean7,90516.94CheadleTom Morrison12,23524.15ChelmsfordMarie Goldman4,7539.46CheltenhamMax Wilkinson7,21014.67Chesham and AmershamSarah Green5,45110.08ChichesterJess Brown-Fuller12,17223.49ChippenhamSarah Gibson8,13816.410Didcot and WantageOlly Glover6,23311.411Dorking and HorleyChris Coghlan5,39110.812EastbourneJosh Babarinde12,20426.813EastleighLiz Jarvis1,5463.314Ely and East CambridgeshireCharlotte Cane4950.915Epsom and EwellHelen Maguire9,95719.416Esher and WaltonMonica Harding12,00322.317Frome and East SomersetAnna Sabine5,41511.618Glastonbury and SomertonSarah Dyke6,61113.919GuildfordZöe Franklin8,42917.520Harpenden and BerkhamstedVictoria Collins10,70819.721Harrogate and KnaresboroughTom Gordon8,23815.822Hazel GroveLisa Smart6,50014.123Henley and ThameFreddie van Mierlo6,26711.824Honiton and SidmouthRichard Foord6,70013.225HorshamJohn Milne2,5174.526Kingston and SurbitonEd Davey17,23534.027LewesJames MacCleary12,62423.728MaidenheadJoshua Reynolds2,9635.929Melksham and DevizesBrian Mathew2,4014.730Mid Dorset and North PooleVikki Slade1,3522.731Mid SussexAlison Bennett6,66212.532NewburyLee Dillon2,3774.933Newton AbbotMartin Wrigley2,2464.734North CornwallBen Maguire9,95719.435North DevonIan Roome6,74413.136North East HampshireAlex Brewer6341.137North NorfolkSteffan Aquarone2,5855.538North ShropshireHelen Morgan15,31130.939Oxford West and AbingdonLayla Moran14,89432.440Richmond ParkSarah Olney17,15532.941South CambridgeshirePippa Heylings10,64119.442South CotswoldsRoz Savage4,9739.543South DevonCaroline Voaden7,12714.544St AlbansDaisy Cooper19,83438.445St IvesAndrew George13,78628.746St Neots and Mid CambridgeshireIan Sollom4,6218.747Stratford-on-AvonManuela Perteghella7,12213.448Surrey HeathAl Pinkerton5,64011.849Sutton and CheamLuke Taylor3,8018.050Taunton and WellingtonGideon Amos11,93923.751TewkesburyCameron Thomas6,26212.952Thornbury and YateClaire Young3,0145.653Tiverton and MineheadRachel Gilmour3,5077.454TorbaySteve Darling5,34911.655Tunbridge WellsMike Martin8,68716.056TwickenhamMunira Wilson21,45740.057Wells and Mendip HillsTessa Munt11,12122.158West DorsetEdward Morello7,78914.859Westmorland and LonsdaleTim Farron21,47243.360WimbledonPaul Kohler12,61022.961WinchesterDanny Chambers13,82124.262WitneyCharlie Maynard4,3398.663WokingWill Forster11,24623.464WokinghamClive Jones8,34515.565YeovilAdam Dance12,26825.1
London Assembly members
Hina Bokhari Gareth Roberts
Directly elected mayors
Peter Taylor – Mayor of Watford
Appointments
House of Lords
Peer Ennobled Notes Dominic Hubbard, 6th Baron Addington 1986 (Hereditary) Lord Allan of Hallam 2010 Lord Alliance 2004 Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville 2013 Lord Beith 2015 Baroness Benjamin 2010 Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury 2004 Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted 2015 Lord Bradshaw 1999 Baroness Brinton 2011 Lord Burnett 2006 Baroness Burt of Solihull 2015 Lord Chidgey 2005 Lord Clement-Jones 1998 Lord Cotter 2006 Lord Dholakia 1997 Baroness Doocey 2010 Baroness Featherstone 2015 Lord Foster of Bath 2015 Lord Fox 2014 Baroness Garden of Frognal 2007 Lord Goddard of Stockport 2014 Baroness Grender 2013 Baroness Hamwee 1991 Baroness Harris of Richmond 1999 Lord Hussain 2011 Baroness Hussein-Ece 2010 Baroness Janke 2014 Baroness Jolly 2011 Lord Jones of Cheltenham 2005 Baroness Kramer 2010 Lord Lee of Trafford 2006 Baroness Ludford 1997 Lord Marks of Henley-on-Thames 2011 Lord McNally 1996 Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer 1998 Lord Newby 1997 Baroness Northover 2000 Lord Oates 2015 Lord Paddick 2013 Lord Palmer of Childs Hill 2011 Baroness Parminter 2011 Baroness Pinnock 2014 Lord Razzall 1997 Lord Redesdale 2000 Lord Rennard 1999 Lord Rodgers of Quarry Bank 1992 Baroness Scott of Needham Market 2000 Lord Scriven 2014 Lord Sharkey 2010 Baroness Sheehan 2015 Lord Shipley 2010 Baroness Smith of Newnham 2014 Lord Stephen 2011 Lord Stoneham of Droxford 2011 Lord Storey 2011 Lord Strasburger 2011 Lord Stunell 2015 Baroness Suttie 2013 Lord Taverne 1996 Lord Taylor of Goss Moor 2010 Lord Teverson 2006 Baroness Thomas of Winchester 2006 Baroness Thornhill 2015 Lord Tope 1994 Lord Tyler 2005 Baroness Tyler of Enfield 2011 Lord Verjee 2013 Lord Wallace of Saltaire 1995 Baroness Walmsley 2000 Lord Watson of Richmond 1999 Lord Willis of Knaresborough 2010 Lord Wrigglesworth 2013
List of chairs of the English Liberal Democrats
Chairs are elected in November and take office on 1 January the following year for a two-year term. They are eligible to stand for re-election, but must not serve as Chair for more than four years in a six-year period.
Paul Farthing ( 1994–1999) Dawn Davidson ( 2000–2003) Stan Collins (2004–2006) Brian Orrell (2007–2009) Jonathan Davies (2010–2011) Peter Ellis (2012–2014) Steve Jarvis (2015–2016) Liz Leffman (2017–2018) Tahir Maher (2019) Gerald Vernon-Jackson (2020) Alison Rouse (December 2020 – July 2024) Lucas North (July 2024 - December 2024) Caroline Pidgeon (January 2025 – present)
See also Liberal Democrats London Liberal Democrats Scottish Liberal Democrats Welsh Liberal Democrats Northern Ireland Liberal Democrats
References
External links
English Young Liberals
Regional parties within England Devon and Cornwall regional party East of England regional party East Midlands regional party Greater London regional party North East regional party North West regional party South East regional party South Central regional party West Midlands regional party Western Counties regional party Yorkshire regional party