Today Is Ukraine Independence Day, so it is most appropriate to pass comment on the current state of negotiations.

It appears that the Russian Federation is rapidly rowing back on any compromises floated in Alaska.

It was always realistic they would oppose Ukraine joining NATO but now demanding they have a veto on any security guarantees is about leaving Ukraine helpless to further aggression.

The second aspect which should alarm us all is the further surrender of the 20% of the Donbass they do not currently occupy. This is an area of the size of Florida and has a string of cities that form a  natural defensive line using higher terrain.

If this land was surrendered it would be like when the allies surrendered the Sudetenland to Nazi Germany - it handed over the natural higher ground and defendable locations allowing the Germans to later just drive in almost unchallenged.

Unless the West reject the current Russian gameplan and see it for what it is, we will be creating the foundations for a total conquest of Ukraine something Russian has always made it is their clear objective.

Cllr Steve Radford Leader of The Liberal Party

The Liberal Party notes with concern the arrest of over 500 people at a protest in Parliament square in support of the group Palestine Action which has been banned under the Terrorism Act of 2000.

Following claims that the intelligence service MI6 had concluded the group did not represent a threat to nation security, we believe the government should present the evidence to justify the user of anti-terrorist legislation against the group.

Whilst the government is within its rights to act against the group following the wilful damage to 2 RAF transport aircraft at RAF Brize Norton, current anti-terrorist legislation could have been applied in a targeted fashion without provoking last weekend’s act of mass civil disobedience from the group’s supporters.

The annual Liberal Party Assembly will be held on Saturday the 4th October in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, between 9am and 4:30pm.

The venue is the Grand Hotel Scarborough, YO11 2ET,  which is a Briannia Hotel, one of three in the town.

Travel options for the venue are available via the Traveline website.

Assembly is where party policy is debated and agreed and is open to all members and observers.

For those unable to attend in person there will be a timetabled Zoom video conference link available, but for the best experience we would like and encourage personal attendance. We extend a warm welcome and will be pleased to see you. 

We are as ever keen to have more input from women members to ensure we are covering all policy areas in a balanced and fair manner.

We are now open for the submission of motions for debate, please e-mail these to the Secretary to the NEC, Stephen graham.

Regards,

Stephen
The Liberal Party NEC

The Annual Liberal Party Assembly will be held on Saturday the 4th  or 11th October  subject to confirmation of the venue.


We are now open for the submission of motions for debate.

The elections for The Liberal Party leader and the party NEC are due in the autumn of 2025 and the nomination window will be open between the 1st August and 30th September 2025.

A total of 3 nominations from party members will be required for admission to the NEC for which the party constitution allows 20 members.

A total of 20 nominations from party members will be required for nomination as party leader.

We would ask that all nominations are e-mailed to the secretary to the NE, Stephen Graham, in the first instance. Contact details are on the party website.

Once the tally of nominations has been completed, the Secretary of the NEC will be advised if any elections need to be held and ballot papers distributed.

It is envisaged the newly elected NEC will hold an informal meeting at the October Assembly.
Election of party officers will then happen at the next NEC meeting.

It will also have the task of appointing the party President, as the 4-year term is now up for renewal.

The Liberal Party notes with horror a further round of sectarian violence, this time cantered in the southern Syrian province of Suwayda, and involving Syrian Government forces, Arab tribal forces and Druze groups.

The party condemn the targeted executions  and massacres of unarmed  Alawite Christian  and Druze civilians, including women, the elderly,  children and hospital patients in the most recent violence.

We welcome the statement from the Syrian Fatwa Council declaring that the killing and assaulting of civilians is forbidden regardless of sect.

The Syria Government must act to restore order, remove foreign fighters and commit to a multiethnic Syrian government inclusive of all ethnic and religious groups with guaranteed regional autonomy.

This spring our party leader Cllr Steve Radford stood for election as an officer for the Local Government Association(LGA) Independent group.

The results were announced on the 1st of July and Steve’s campaign increased our visibility to other independent and minority party councillors.

With the conclusion of the ballot, we are now able to publicise the 3 short promotional videos produced in support of his candidacy.

These videos are now on our YouTube channel which can be found by searching for The Liberal Party UK.

A manifesto is accessible from the party website via the Liberal Library section, in the column titled manifestos.

The Liberal Party views with horror the continued humanitarian crisis enfolding in Gaza, as the Israeli military commences an intensive attack on Gaza city.

The Israeli reponse to the brutal Hamas assault in October 2023 has long gone beyond any proportional response to ensure the security of the Israeli state.

The whole sale destruction of towns and hospitals and the restriction of food and humanitarian  supplies now risks an entirly man-made famine in Gaza which would amount to a war crime under international law.

The party fully supports the call by the Foreign Secretary for increased international sanctions on the state of Israel and we have long supported admitting the Palestinian state into the UN with full member status.

Such steps need to be taken with a matter of urgency to prevent a slide into a catastrophic humanitarian disaster.

I’m deeply disappointed – though sadly not surprised – that the Labour Party failed to support the Hillsborough Law legislation.

For decades, the families of the 97 have fought for truth, justice and accountability. The Hillsborough Law would have been a vital step in preventing future cover-ups and ensuring that ordinary people have a fair chance when facing powerful institutions.

By not voting for it, Labour has let down not just the Hillsborough families, but every community that has ever been ignored, silenced, or mistreated by the state.

We were promised a new kind of politics – one rooted in fairness and justice. Yet when it really mattered, too many chose to stay silent.

The people of Liverpool will not forget who stood with them — and who didn’t.

I fully support Ian Byrne MP tireless efforts to deliver the Hillsborough Law.

He’s stood shoulder to shoulder with the families and survivors — fighting for truth, justice, and real accountability.

Cllr Joe Dunn

(Tuebrook Breackside Park Ward)

The Liberal Party notes the revelations of the existence of a super injunction used to conceal the existence of a major data breach threatening the safety of Afghans who supported the British military in their country.

We cannot ignore our callous government’s negligence putting our partners in Afghanistan at risk for their lives. We believe that those who served our country deserve our protection and as such we support the urgent actions to grant asylum to those in most personal danger.

We fully acknowledge the financial cost of this operation, with emergency accommodation and resettlement costs, along with potential legal redress. It is likely that the government plans to end the user of asylum hostels by 2029 can no-longer be met.

The data breach itself has again shown the lack of basic security precautions and safeguards to prevent such data leaks and the lack of transparency and accountability within government.