This weekend, the Liberal Democrats are descending upon York for their annual Spring Conference.
Starting off with an opening rally on Friday, they reflected on their successes, particularly in local elections. Their plans for the future involve tackling NHS waiting lists, outcompeting the far right and focusing on local elections in May.
Around 1000 people attended the opening rally at the York Barbican on the 13th of March 2026. Several MPs gave speeches including an opening speech from MP Helen Morgan. The main focus of the night was campaigning for upcoming regional elections. The Lib Dems are aiming to target several London constituencies, as well as certain areas in Scotland and Wales.
Luke Taylor, MP for Sutton and Cheme, urged campaigners: “the opportunity for huge local government gains have never been bigger.”
They are hoping that their active criticism of both Labour and Reform will convince voters. “Their [Labour’s] time for leading is up,” Taylor said.
All of the speakers were also quick to stand up to President Trump, referring often in jest to “The orange faced man”. This remains consistent with their social media campaigns and Sir Ed Davey’s barrage of criticisms in PMQs. The Lib Dems hope that this consistency of messaging will attract Trump dissenters, attempting to convince voters, in May, that they provide the only real resistance to the “International Gangster”.
The night ended with a closing speech from the newest Lib Dem president Josh Babarinde, where he once again reiterated the Lib Dems’ international policies of collaborating with Europe and “standing up” to the United States. “Our future is outward looking, not a closed shop.”
It will be interesting to see if these stances increase their success in May. Especially as all the speakers echoed Babrindes’ words that the Lib Dems are “the country’s last hope”.