Three immediate lessons for Lib Dems from Donald Trump’s victory

There will be more and better analysis as the evidence gets digested, but here are three initial thoughts on lessons from Donald Trump's surprise victory. First, the polls were wrong, but not by very much. The final polls had Clinton about three points ahead in the popular vote and she looks set to end up being about one point ahead. That's a small enough margin to continue to have faith in polls at being able to paint the big picture where margins of more than a couple of points are involved. (It was the same picture in the European Referendum - most polls were only off by a handful of points rather than by dozens.)

Lib Dems table motion on benefit cap

Urgent questions to our MPs regarding Article 50

There was rather worrying news from the regional conferences this weekend in which several parliamentarians, including Chief Whip Tom Brake, implied that the party would not vote against an Act of Parliament triggering Article 50 and/or repealing the European Communities Act 1972. I and many other members are increasingly concerned about this turn of events. Less than two months ago, we passed a policy at Conference that committed the party to remain inside the European Union. Our reputation for many years has been that of a Europhile party, and nearly all of our votes are aware of this fact. So too are the thousands of new members who joined after the referendum. To not vote against would not only be betraying party members, it would be betraying our voters too. After a bruising period in coalition in which we lost the trust of many of our members, I fear that retreating from our pro-European principles poses an existential threat to the party.

Supporting the Future of Music

We are committed to tackling the challenges facing our music industry head-on. By doing so, we can maintain the UK’s reputation as a global leader in music, while giving future generations the chance to share in its success.

Restoring the UK’s Reputation on the World Stage

The Liberal Democrats are committed to rebuilding the trust and compassion that the UK was once known for. We believe that our country has a responsibility to support those in need, no matter where they are in the world.