English Liberal Democrats

Organisation

English Assembly

The English Assembly, known as the English Council before 2026, is the sovereign body of the English party. It consists of the chairs of regional parties, representatives elected by regional party members, and representatives of the organisation representing youth and student members within the English party.

English Party Board

The English Party Board, known as the English Council Executive before 2026, manages the running of the English party between English Assembly meetings. The board consists of the chairs of the 11 English regional parties, additional members elected from the English Assembly and the chair of the English Young Liberals. English Representatives to federal bodies also attend. The English board meets 6 times a year.

The English Party Board has four sub-committees; A Finance and Administration Sub-Committee which is chaired by a Treasurer manages the finances of the English party, the Regional Parties Committee, the Joint Policy Group of the Regions and the English Candidates Committee.

The English Party Board is elected annually in November, and takes office on 1 January each year. The current Board consists of:

Regional parties

The English Liberal Democrats is a federation of the eleven regional parties which follow the boundaries of the English Regions, with the exception of South East England and South West England which are each divided into two regional parties. Each regional party is governed by a conference and AGM held in the autumn of every year. The conference elects a Regional Executive, led by a Regional Chair. The regional executive includes all Liberal Democrat members of parliament representing constituencies within the region, all members of the House of Lords who are members of the regional party, ordinary party members elected from within the region, and additional members co-opted by the executive.

The regional parties within the English party are:

English Young Liberals

The English Young Liberals operates as a federation of regional parties, with each having a level of independence, though working within the overall English wing. Regional branches, led by their Chair, are responsible for organising and supporting local branches and societies and co-ordinating activities to recruit and expand membership in their region.

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Policy and functions

The English party has responsibilities for the organisation of local parties, co-ordination of the activities of regional parties, resolution of disputes between regional parties, selection of English representatives to federal bodies and establishing the rules for selection of party candidates.

The English Party constitution states that the Liberal Democrats in England "shall determine the policy of the Party on matters affecting England which fall outside the remit of the Federal Party" This can be achieved by structures established by the English Council. As no policy making structures are currently in place, policy making has been passed up to federal level and English policies discussed at federal party conferences.

English devolution

In 2021 the Liberal Democrats adopted a policy motion, "A Framework for England in a Federal UK", which called for the establishment of elected regional assemblies throughout England. The regional assemblies would nominate members to concurrently serve on an "English National Chamber" to legislate at an all-England level with England being a single legal jurisdiction within a federal United Kingdom.

The English regional assemblies would have the following competencies:

Regional economic development
NHS and social care services
Policing
Strategic housing and planning policy
Regional transport
Education, including skills
Agriculture and rural affairs
Local environmental and decarbonisation policy

The English National Chamber would have the following competencies:

The legal system
Higher education and universities

Elected representatives

Members of Parliament

London Assembly members

Hina Bokhari
Gareth Roberts

Directly elected mayors

Peter Taylor – Mayor of Watford

Appointments

House of Lords

List of chairs of the English Liberal Democrats

Chairs are elected in November and take office on 1 January the following year for a two-year term. They are eligible to stand for re-election, but must not serve as Chair for more than four years in a six-year period.

Paul Farthing (c. 1994–1999)
Dawn Davidson (c. 2000–2003)
Stan Collins (2004–2006)
Brian Orrell (2007–2009)
Jonathan Davies (2010–2011)
Peter Ellis (2012–2014)
Steve Jarvis (2015–2016)
Liz Leffman (2017–2018)
Tahir Maher (2019)
Gerald Vernon-Jackson (2020)
Alison Rouse (December 2020 – July 2024)
Lucas North (July 2024 - December 2024)
Caroline Pidgeon (January 2025 – present)