Stafford and Stone
Liberal Democrats

The Sutton Trust estimates 40% of young interns are working for free. Many of them are probably entitled to the National Minimum Wage. But a loophole in the law lets employers pass their roles off as "voluntary" unpaid internships.

They're common in the modern job market - I actually interviewed for one after I graduated. What would I get in return for 40 hours a week of work? Travel and lunch expenses.

The Liberal Democrats are changing.

Politics is utterly broken right now. Labour and the Conservatives are being dragged to the ideological extremes, leaving millions feeling powerless and frustrated with the direction our country is taking.

That needs to change. Liberal Democrats will be that force of change.

We can't afford to ignore the health problems caused by roadside air pollution. 42% of primary school children attend schools in areas which breach the legal limit of toxins from traffic exhaust.

Our children breathe this toxic air every day. It means an increased risk of asthma and other breathing problems. Not to mention health problems that can last a lifetime.

Q: In view of Labour's abstention on a People's Vote, is there any avenue to resubmit a vote on a People's Vote? Now Jeremy Corbyn has betrayed Remainers, what will the Liberal Democrats do?

A: On the parliamentary side of things, we didn't get close to winning because Jeremy Corbyn abstained. The Labour Party has committed to supporting a People's Vote but he refuses. He is personally committed to delivering Brexit, in keeping with his political philosophy. He is worried about his party which is now falling apart and he doesn't want to antagonise the Brexiteers in his party.

I'm delighted that Conference has just overwhelmingly passed a motion committing to the creation of a registered supporter's scheme for the Liberal Democrats.
The debate was split into 7 votes. Here's a summary of how they went down:

Vote 1: Do you want registered supporters to be able to sit on working groups? PASSED
Vote 2: If we had a registered supporters' scheme, would you want to ban members of other political parties from being registered supporters? PASSED - 453-327
Vote 3: Do you want the Party to establish a registered supporters' scheme in the form set out in F10 but in accordance with the results of Votes One and Two? PASSED
Vote 4: Should registered supporters be permitted to vote for the Party Leader? FALLEN
Vote 5: Should people other than Liberal Democrat members of the House of Commons be permitted to stand for Party Leader? FALLEN
Vote 6: Do you want to permit new members to apply to be included on the list of approved Parliamentary Candidates? PASSED - 513-245 (68%-32%)
Vote 7: F9 (the conference motion) as amended or not: PASSED

Morning Conference.

It's fantastic to be back here in York… and a bit eerie for me.

You see making a speech on this stage to all of you was the very last thing I did before my selection process in Edinburgh West.

A lot of things have changed since then… and there is a lot more we want to change.

Some of them are about the party…. Some are about the country.

This week Jeremy Corbyn stuck two fingers up at Remainers.

When the time came to vote on the People's Vote amendment, he sat on his hands and ordered his MPs to do the same. My colleagues and I were livid - and judging by the reaction on social media, so were millions of Remainers.

If we've learnt anything this week, it's that Brexit is too important to be left in the hands of the politicians - a People's Vote is the only way forward.

The Liberal Democrats exist to build and safeguard a fair, free and open society, in which we seek to balance the fundamental values of liberty, equality and community, and in which no one shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity.

This statement, from the LD party constitution, has been our guiding principle since the party was formed in 1988.

Jo started out with a heartfelt tribute to those killed in the Christchurch mosque shooting this morning. "The forces that sow hate and division and seek to turn fellow citizens against each other must not and cannot win"

She then paid tribute to outgoing leader Vince Cable - "a powerful champion for liberalism"

I thought if I slept on it, I'd be less angry. I'm not. I'm still as mad as hell.

In ordering his MPs not to vote for a People's Vote, Jeremy Corbyn betrayed his Party members, Labour voters and remainers across the country.

But we know it's worse than that. In refusing to support a People's Vote, Jeremy Corbyn has betrayed the poorest and most vulnerable people in our society. The very people he claims to represent are the people who stand to be hit hardest by Brexit.