Building our momentum in 2025 | |
| This year, Liberal Democrats built on our historic General Election success, growing our party with fantastic local wins and delivering important change in Parliament.
We are going from strength to strength and head into 2026 ready to bang the drum for liberalism in another crucial year of elections.
Here are some of our top achievements from 2025! |  | Incredible local election results | | | In May, for the first time in history, the Liberal Democrats beat both the Conservatives and Labour at the same local elections across England.
We elected 370 councillors overall, gaining overall control on Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire, and Shropshire councils, and also beat the Conservatives to become the largest party in Devon, Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire, and Wiltshire.
We now control more councils than the Conservatives for the first time ever - and we are on course to beat them at the next General Election!
And it wasn’t just in May’s elections that we made great gains - in 2025, we won more council by-elections than any other party, winning 106 seats! |  | It sets us up well for a crucial 2026 - with Scottish Parliament, Welsh Senedd, and local elections across much of England coming up in May. | |
We can’t do any of this without your support | |
| Our party only functions thanks to our hardworking volunteers and supporters.
Our volunteers have helped us reach millions of voters this year, spreading our message of hope, and ensuring local communities are heard.
Whether it be knocking on doors, delivering leaflets, making phone calls, helping with admin, sharing our work online, or doing anything else to advance our campaigns this year - your support makes a real difference.
If you volunteered in any capacity this year, thank you for everything you do. | |
 | Conferences in Harrogate and Bournemouth | Lib Dems from across the country came together for Spring Conference in Harrogate and Autumn Conference in Bournemouth, celebrating our achievements and getting campaign-ready for the races ahead.
We passed new policies, heard powerful speeches, levelled-up with training - and we had lots of fun along the way, with exciting rallies and fun social events.
You can read all the motions passed at both Conferences here: | | | |
 | Changing the law 📜 | Our MPs and Peers have achieved important wins in Parliament this year, passing new laws and amending key legislation: | Fitting solar panels to all new homes | Max Wilkinson MP’s Bill to ensure solar panels are fitted to all new homes led to a Government commitment to include the measures in the updated Future Homes Standard. This key change will cut energy bills, reduce carbon emissions and improve Britain's energy security. | | | Free School Meals | After years of Lib Dem campaigning, the Government finally listened - any child in England whose parents receive Universal Credit will be eligible from next year. This change will improve children's nutrition, boost educational attainment, and help families struggling in the cost of living crisis. | | | Protecting survivors of domestic abuse | Josh Babarinde MP secured a change in the law to see domestic abusers properly identified at sentencing. This will close a dangerous loophole that saw domestic abusers released early from prison because they were convicted of general offences like ABH, assault or battery - posing a threat to victims. | | | Banning puppy smuggling | Danny Chambers MP’s Bill to end puppy smuggling became law. The new law will ban the import of puppies and kittens under six months old, as well as mutilated or heavily pregnant dogs and cats, protecting animal welfare and human health. | | | Improving homes for military families | In October, the Government agreed to include the contents of our House of Lords amendment in the Renters’ Rights Bill, requiring the Ministry of Defence to assess service family housing annually against the Decent Homes Standard, helping tackle poor living conditions. | | | Court transcripts | Since 2023, Sarah Olney MP has campaigned for survivors of rape and sexual abuse to have free access to transcripts of their court proceedings, after one of her constituents was asked to pay over £7,000. In May, the Government announced victims of rape and sexual assault will be able to access sentencing remarks without charge, providing clarity and support for victims. | | | |
Winning in Parliament | Alongside these crucial law changes, we secured other essential wins that have demonstrated the will of Parliament and put pressure on the Government: | Winning a vote on a new UK-EU Customs Union | With a majority of one, MPs backed Dr Al Pinkerton MP’s Private Members’ Bill calling on the Government to begin negotiations with the EU on a new, bespoke Customs Union. Doing so would remove trade barriers and red tape, turbocharging our economy. With 13 Labour backbenchers voting in favour, the Government should now listen and give the Bill time for a proper debate in Parliament next year. | | | Defeating Farage’s plan to undermine human rights | When Nigel Farage presented a bill to Parliament to withdraw from the ECHR, it was up to Lib Dem MPs to stop him in his tracks, making the case for our proud tradition of freedom, fairness and justice. While Labour Ministers sat on their hands and the Conservatives voted with Farage, our votes were enough to defeat the Bill and protect our hard-won rights. | | | Thanks to the incredible work of our MPs and Peers, we haven't been able to include every win here.
You can find more of our recent wins here and we also share as much of this as we can in our monthly Parliament newsletter - keep an eye out for more of these in 2026! | |
 | Campaigning for change | We continued to make the headlines in 2025 - here are three highlights: | Customs Union campaign | In January, Ed Davey announced our plans to negotiate a new, bespoke UK-EU Customs Union.
Our campaign gained great support and coverage throughout the year, gaining over 11,000 signatures and culminating in a successful House of Commons vote for Dr Al Pinkerton MP’s Bill. | | | | | | |  | Taking on Nigel Farage and Reform UK | Our liberal values are the antithesis to Reform UK’s divisive and destructive policies.
At Autumn Conference, we confronted Reform’s rhetoric head-on. Tim Farron MP called on people to reclaim the flag as a symbol of unity, tolerance and respect at the Conference Rally, while Ed Davey’s keynote speech warned of the spectre of Trump’s America becoming Farage’s Britain. | | | | | | |  | Balance the BBC | In September, we launched a campaign for fair political coverage on the BBC following months of wall-to-wall coverage of Nigel Farage and Reform UK.
Currently, broadcasters must only give proportionate weighting to parties based on their parliamentary heft during the regulated period, which operates during elections. We’re calling for proportional coverage year-round.
The campaign took on new precedence following US President Trump’s recent attacks on the BBC. We need to make sure the BBC is strong enough to stand up to political pressure, whether foreign or domestic.
Read Max Wilkinson MP’s letter to Ofcom calling for these changes: | | | | | |
Our impact online 🛜 | Top post on social media | The BBC is the world’s number one source of trusted news but in recent months US President Trump has pressured it over its leadership, attacked its journalists as corrupt, and is now suing it for billions.
In November, Ed Davey wrote to Keir Starmer, Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage, urging them to condemn Trump’s attacks on the BBC. His letter received millions of views across our social media channels. | | | Most watched video across our social media channels | The Conservatives’ botched Brexit deal with the EU, championed by Nigel Farage, failed to replace critical agreements, such as the Dublin Regulation, which allowed the UK to return certain asylum seekers to other European countries.
On a BBC Question Time special focussing on immigration, Daisy Cooper MP explained how the number of asylum seekers arriving by boat went from 0 in 2017 to 46,000 a year now as a result, calling on Nigel Farage to apologise. | | | Follow all our social media channels below to stay up to date with everything we’re doing: | | | | |
| In 2026, we’ll continue to do what millions of people voted for us for - to fight for our local communities and a fairer, more prosperous future for our country.
In elections for the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Senedd, and councils and mayoralties across England, we have the chance to take the fight to Reform, defeat division with hope, and give more people the representation they deserve.
We’ll continue to demolish the Conservatives' crumbling Blue Wall and hold the Labour Government to account.
If you want to join our fight for the liberal Britain we all believe in, make it your New Year’s resolution and become a member today!
You’ll also be able to vote on future policy, join our exclusive events, gain access to training, and much more. | |
| Already a Member?
Get in touch to let us know at [email protected] so that we can check your record. | |
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Liberal Democrats
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