Abbreviation | FB |
---|---|
Chair | Mark Pack |
Parent organisation | Liberal Democrats |
Website | Federal Board |
Formerly called | Federal Executive |
The Federal Board is the governing body of the Liberal Democrats. It is chaired by the party president, currently Mark Pack, and includes members of the party-at-large elected every three years in an all-member ballot, as well as representatives from the state parties, MPs, peers, MEPs, and councillors. [1] Until 2017 it was known as the Federal Executive. From November 2022, it was re-constituted, with a Federal Council added to provide scrutiny to a smaller sized board.
In November 2015, the election of Lord Rennard by members of the House of Lords as the Peer Representative to the committee caused a "backlash" from party members, due to public accusations of sexual harassment that had been made against the peer. The complaints triggered a petition calling for a special conference to debate the issue, [2] and resulted in Rennard stepping down from the body shortly afterwards. [3]
In November 2016, reforms were passed that resulted in the Federal Executive being replaced by the Federal Board. [4]
Following constitutional reforms ahead of the 2022 election, the number of directly elected members was reduced from 15, to 3. Following the 2022 election, Lucy Nethsinga came first out of the directly elected members, followed by Neil Fawcett and then Joyce Onstad. Following her resignation from the party, Onstad was replaced by Callum Robertson who won the recounted vote. [5]
Directly Elected:
Non-voting Members
The Federal Council was formed following the reduction of the size of the Federal Board in 2022. According to the Liberal Democrats, the Federal Council scrutinises the actions of the Federal Board
As of 2024, membership of the Federal Council is allocated as such: [1] [6]
The current members of the Federal Council are [6]
Directly elected party members:
State party representatives:
Parliamentary representatives:
Young Liberals representatives:
Young Liberals is the youth and student organisation of the British Liberal Democrats. Membership is automatic for members of the Liberal Democrats aged under 30. It organises a number of Fringe events at the Liberal Democrat Conference, which is held twice each year.
Anthony Robert Greaves, Baron Greaves was a British politician and life peer. He was a Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords.
Edward Timothy Razzall, Baron Razzall,, is a British Liberal Democrat politician and parliamentarian.
Christopher John Rennard, Baron Rennard, is a British life peer in the House of Lords, appointed to the Liberal Democrats' benches in 1999. He was Director of Campaigns & Elections for the Liberal Democrats from 1989 to 2003, and Chief Executive of the party from 2003 to 2009.
Sarah Virginia Brinton, Baroness Brinton, known as Sal Brinton, is a British politician who served as president of the Liberal Democrats from 2015 to 2020. In November 2010 she was nominated to the House of Lords, taking her place on 10 February 2011 having been created Baroness Brinton, of Kenardington in the County of Kent on 4 February. After Jo Swinson lost her seat at the 2019 general election, Brinton and Sir Ed Davey became acting co-leaders of the Liberal Democrats. After Brinton's term as party president ended, her successor Mark Pack also succeeded her as acting co-leader with Davey. Davey was elected as permanent leader of the party in 2020.
Leeds City Council is the local authority of the City of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. Leeds has had a council since 1626, which has been reformed on numerous occasions. Since 1974 it has been a metropolitan borough council. It provides the majority local government services in the city. It is the second most populous local government district in the United Kingdom with approximately 800,000 inhabitants living within its area; only Birmingham City Council has more. Since 1 April 2014, it has been a constituent council of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) formed in 1988 was a political party in the United Kingdom led by David Owen, which lasted for only two years. A successor party to the original Social Democratic Party (SDP), it was known informally as the 'continuing' SDP.
The Scottish Liberal Democrats is a liberal, federalist political party in Scotland, part of UK Liberal Democrats. The party holds 4 of the 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament and 6 of the 57 Scottish seats in the House of Commons.
Robin Teverson, Baron Teverson is a Liberal Democrat politician, and former Member of the European Parliament (MEP).
The Liberal Democrat Conference, also known inside the party as the Liberal Democrat Federal Conference, is a twice-per-year political conference of the British Liberal Democrats, the third-largest political party in the UK by the number of seats in the House of Commons, and the fourth largest by popular vote after the 2024 general election. The Conference is typically held over three days in Spring and four in Autumn, during the party conference season, at a variety of venues. It culminates in a speech by the party's Leader.
The Welsh Liberal Democrats is a liberal, federalist political party in Wales, part of UK Liberal Democrats. The party is led by Jane Dodds, who has served as an MS for Mid and West Wales since May 2021. The party currently has one elected member in the Senedd and one Welsh seat in the UK House of Commons. It also has several members of the House of Lords. The party had 69 local councillors serving in principal authorities as of the 2022 local authority elections, up 10 from 2017.
The Liberal Democrats are a liberal political party in the United Kingdom, founded in 1988. They are based at Liberal Democrat Headquarters, near Westminster, and the current leader of the party is Ed Davey. They are the third-largest party in the United Kingdom, with 72 members of Parliament (MPs) in the House of Commons. They have 78 members of the House of Lords, four members of the Scottish Parliament, one member in the Welsh Senedd, and more than 3,000 local council seats. The party holds a twice-per-year Liberal Democrat Conference, at which party policy is formulated. In contrast to its main opponents' rules, the Liberal Democrats grant all members attending its Conference the right to vote on party policy, under a one member, one vote system. The party also allows its members to vote online for its policies and in the election of a new leader.
Meral Hussein Ece, Baroness Hussein-Ece, is a British Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords. She is the first woman of Turkish Cypriot origin to be a member of either house of Parliament after she was appointed a Liberal Democrat working peer on 28 May 2010. She was the Liberal Democrat Spokeswoman for Equalities from 2015 until 2016, under leader Tim Farron.
The English Liberal Democrats, officially 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.
Kathryn Jane Parminter, Baroness Parminter is a Liberal Democrat life peer, and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords of the United Kingdom.
Benjamin Russell Mackintosh Stoneham, Baron Stoneham of Droxford is a British peer, journalist, and Liberal Democrat politician. He is currently the Liberal Democrat Chief Whip in the House of Lords, having been elected to that position in October 2016.
A Specified Associated Organisation is an organization of members of the British Liberal Democrats formed around a specific trait and designated by the Federal Board as affiliates of the party. SAOs are distinguished from other Liberal Democrat pressure groups in that SAOs can review and input policies.
Julie Elizabeth Smith, Baroness Smith of Newnham is an academic specialising in European politics and a Liberal Democrat politician. From 2003 to 2015, she was a local councillor on Cambridge City Council. Since September 2014, she has been a life peer and a member of the House of Lords.
The 2015 Liberal Democrats leadership election was held on 16 July 2015 following the resignation of Nick Clegg as leader on 8 May 2015, after almost eight years as leader of the Liberal Democrats, following the party's poor performance at the 2015 general election.
Richard Charles Kemp,, is the Lord Mayor of Liverpool for 2024/25. He was previously the Leader of the Liberal Democrats in Local Government and Vice Chair of the Local Government Association of England & Wales for over seven years until August 2011. A member of Liverpool City Council for 47 years, he was Leader of the Liberal Democrats and opposition on the Council for 11 years until standing down to become Deputy Lord Mayor. Cllr Kemp has been a member of the Board of the Local Authority Mutual Investment Trust since 2011 and its Chair since 1 January 2019. He was awarded the CBE in 2011 for Public Service.