Lib Dems Push Back Against Party Censors

Liberal Voice for Women has co-ordinated a letter urging the Chief Executive to rethink the cancellation of two charities’ exhibition stand bookings.

A group of over 150 Liberal Democrat party members, including former MPs, 6 peers and over 60 Councillors (from metropolitan authorities to parish councils), Diversity Officers and local party Chairs across the UK, has signed our letter asking the party leadership to reverse a decision to cancel two registered charities, FiLiA and LGB Alliance, from having exhibition stands at the party Conference in Brighton this month. 

The letter, which has 115 public signatories and 40 who chose to be added only to the final, private version, was sent to Chief Executive Mike Dixon yesterday.  It said, “It is an insult to the intelligence of Lib Dem Conference-goers to suggest they are not capable of making their own reasoned judgements about the merits of these two charities, based on what they see and hear from them themselves.”

Liberal Voice for Women Chair, Dr Zoe Hollowood said, “We believe the Chief Executive has seriously underestimated the strength of feeling among Lib Dems on the issues of censorship and suppression of speech. The support for our intervention demonstrates that. Members want to be able to go to a party conference where ideas are shared freely and openly, in the true liberal tradition. The party has moved too far from that, but we now have a powerful movement building to get it back on track.

“This is textbook cancel culture in action. A conference booking is made, having clearly met the criteria. The word gets out, an activist complains and exactly one hour later the leadership jumps to announce the cancellation without a second thought.

“There have been allegations that the two cancelled charities are ‘transphobic’. There is no evidence to support this claim.

“The Thornhill review of the 2019 General Election, written by Baroness Dorothy Thornhill, who has signed the letter,  pointed to a lack of diversity as a major failing of the party. It makes no sense for us to  choose to shun groups that represent many women and LGB people. We need to be building bridges with ordinary people - at the minute we’re looking like a party for intolerant middle class white people with luxury beliefs about gender.

“We are proud of our many fellow party members who have signed our letter in defiance of the climate of fear that causes so many to stay silent.”

Liberal Voice for Women has seen confirmation of both exhibition stand bookings, as well as communication from the party informing the charities of the cancellations.

The public version of the letter can be found here.