# Young Liberals (UK)

Young Liberals is the youth and student organisation of the British Liberal Democrats. Membership is automatic for members of the Liberal Democrats aged under 30. It organises a number of Fringe events at the Liberal Democrat Conference, which is held twice each year.
Young Liberals exists to campaign on issues affecting young people and students, with branches across the UK. The organisation is run by young people and acts as a pressure group within the Liberal Democrats.
Social liberalism, economic liberalism, social justice, internationalism and pro-Europeanism are important components of the group's political philosophy.
The constitution of the Liberal Democrats requires an affiliated youth and student wing. Accordingly, Young Liberals is a Specified Associated Organisation (SAO) of the party. It is granted voting rights on various Liberal Democrat committees, such as the Party's Federal Board.
Young Liberals is affiliated to both the International Federation of Liberal and Radical Youth (IFLRY) and European Liberal Youth. Its predecessors include Liberal Youth, founded in 2008, and Liberal Democrat Youth & Students, founded in 1990. The earliest organisations were the National League of Young Liberals (NLYL), founded in 1903 and the Union of Liberal Students (ULS), founded in 1920.

## Organisation and structure
### Federal organisation

The Young Liberals are a Federal organisation composed of three equal components:
* the Welsh Young Liberals in Wales,
* the Scottish Young Liberals in Scotland, and
* the English Young Liberals in England.
This mirrors the Liberal Democrats own Federal Model, with each British nation possessing a corresponding 'State Party'.

### Executive

The Executive is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Young Liberals, ensuring the organisation's operations are compliant with its own and the Liberal Democrats constitution, ensuring that the organisation is compliant with all relevant laws, and maintaining affiliations, branch accreditation and electing representatives to outside bodies which the Young Liberals are given representation on.
Members of the Executive also have their own portfolios, which each officer being responsible for a certain area of the organisations operations. Members of the Executive, barring the LDCRE representative, are elected annually by the general membership. If a vacancy arises during the term of the Executive, it is filled either through a co-option process or a by-election.

#### Honorary roles

There is an Honorary President and six Honorary Vice-Presidents of the organisation, who are elected by the membership to work alongside the executive to support the organisation, advise and often act as a form of institutional memory as well as give the Executive guidance and to act as spokespeople within the wider party.
| Role | Name |
| Honorary President | Luisa Porritt |
| Honorary Vice-President | Eleanor Kelly |
| Honorary Vice-President | Cheney Payne |
| Honorary Vice-President | Julius Parker |
| Honorary Vice-President | Nathan Hunt |
| Honorary Vice-President | Sean Bennett |
| Honorary Vice-President | Arthur Wu |

### Committees

In addition to the Executive, there are seven committees that are responsible for the administration, direction and implementation of policy and strategy corresponding to their area. These committees have a membership consisting of the relevant Federal Officers, representatives of the three states, and directly elected members who are elected alongside the Federal Executive every year. The State representatives are also elected by the memberships of the state organisations - English Young Liberals, Scottish Young Liberals and Welsh Young Liberals.
The current committees are Finance and Resources Committee, Elections Committee, Communications and Campaigns Committee, Events Committee, Policy Committee, International Committee, and Diversity Committee.

### Branches

Young Liberals Branches are organised under regions and nations. They are small scale local groups often centering on a particular university, or local Liberal Democrat Party. Branches provide an opportunity for Young Liberals to socialise, network and campaign on a local level. There are over 30 active Branches across Great Britain including the Cambridge University Liberal Association and Oxford Students Liberal Association

## History

The Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) each had their own separate student and youth wings, including the Young Liberals and the Young Social Democrats. In 1988, the Liberal Party and the SDP merged to form the Liberal Democrats.
Within England, the National League of Young Liberals merged with the Young Social Democrats to form Young Liberal Democrats of England. Additionally the Union of Liberal Students merged with the Students for Social Democracy to form the Student Liberal Democrats. Within Scotland, a separate organ was formed from the Scottish Liberal Students, the Scottish Young Liberal Democrats, which also included students of all ages.
Liberal Democrat Youth and Students (LDYS) was created in 1993 from the merger of the Student Liberal Democrats and the Young Liberal Democrats of England who had shared many resources in the run-up. The merger talks were overseen by a committee which included Sarah Gurling. LDYS reorganised into a federal structure in 2000 and then admitted Scottish Young Liberal Democrats as its Scottish federal unit in 2002—forming a single Britain-wide organisation for the first time since the combined ULS-NLYL committees of the 1970s.
Spring 2008 saw LDYS renamed as Liberal Youth, at an event hosted by the Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg. It was then later renamed The Young Liberals in 2016, the organisation has established a 'Liberal Youth Tax' where it asks older members who mistakenly refer to YL as the Liberal Youth to donate to the organisation
Alumni of the Young Liberals include Former Prime Minister Liz Truss, former MP and leader of the Liberal Democrats Jo Swinson and current MP Sarah Green

## Conferences

The federal Conference is the sovereign body of the Young Liberals and has power to determine policy and direction. The federal Young Liberals usually hosts two conferences a year, a conference in the Winter and a training weekend known as 'Activate' in the Summer, which also acts as the constitutionally mandated Annual General Meeting. At conferences policy motions which shape YL policy and amendments to the organisations constitution are debated, alongside training and speaker sessions.
In addition, during each conference there is an Executive Scrutiny session, whereby members of the executive submit reports to conference on their activities and actions in their job. After each report motions on officers are debated, wherein any member can submit a Motion of commendation, Motion of censure or Motion of no confidence in an officer. Motions of commendation and censure are non-binding opinions of conference passed by a simple majority, expressing either positive or negative opinion on the actions of an officer. Motions of no confidence are binding motions which if passed have the effect of removing an officer from their position and require a two thirds majority in order to pass.
All Conferences following Manchester 2021, the first in person conference following the COVID-19 pandemic, are held as hybrid conferences. Hybrid conferences allow members to join in debates via Confera, an in-house developed and bespoke software package (and mobile app) which allows hybrid participation and voting in democratic events.

### Conference locations

| Year | Summer Conference/Activate Venue | Summer Conference/Activate Venue | Winter Conference Venue | Winter Conference Venue | Notes |
| | Warwick University, Coventry | | unknown, unknown | |
| 2003 | {} | unknown | | Cambridge University, Cambridge | |
| 2004 | | Orpington | | University of Bristol, Bristol | |
| 2005 | | University of Leeds, Leeds | | University of Lincoln, Lincoln |
| 2006 | | unknown, | | University of Essex, Colchester |
| 2007 | | University of Bristol, Bristol | | University of Guildford, Guildford |
| 2010 | | University of Manchester, Manchester | | University of York, York | |
| 2011 | | 'None' | | University of Essex | Essex conference called "Autumn Conference" no Activate held |
| 2012 | | Adversane, Billingshurst | | Manchester | |
| 2013 | | Watchfield, Oxfordshire | | Cardiff | |
| 2014 | | Cambridge | | None | |
| | Winter Conference Venue | Winter Conference Venue | Summer Conference Venue | Summer Conference Venue | |
| 2015 | | Leeds | | Birmingham | From 2015 Winter Conference was held at the start of the year instead of the end |
| 2016 | | Edinburgh | | Bristol | |
| 2017 | | Sheffield | | Nottingham | |
| 2018 | | Oxford | | Swansea | |
| 2019 | | Glasgow | | London | |
| 2020 | | None | | Online | Summer Conference was due to be held in Birmingham, but was moved online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| 2021 | | Online | | Manchester | Winter Conference was due to be held in-person but was moved online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Summer Conference first conference to be a hybrid conference and allow attendance online and in person. All subsequent conferences have been hybrid. |
| 2022 | | Edinburgh | | Birmingham | |
| 2023 | | Reading | | Gateshead | |
| 2024 | | Sheffield | | London | |
| 2025 | | Online | | | |

### Special Conferences

In addition to the two ordinary Conferences, the Young Liberals may also hold additional "Special Conferences". The Special Conferences require a requisition submitted to the Young Liberals Federal Executive signed by 40 full members, including at least 4 members of each State Organisation. The Special Conferences debates business specified in the requisition, although additional business may be taken at the discretion of the Executive.
The threshold of a Special Conference used to be significantly higher, standing at 200 members, however with the success of Online Conferences it was lowered as they could be held online with ease.
| Year | Special Conference Venue | Purpose | Notes |
| 2022 | Online | "Young Liberals Endorsements for Party President" | Formally endorsed Mark Pack for President of the Liberal Democrats in Liberal Democrat Internal Elections. |

## List of chairs

| Organisation | Name | Term in Office | Notes |
| Young Liberals | Harvey Jones | 2024-present | |
| Young Liberals | Janey Little | 2022–2024 | |
| Young Liberals | Fergus Ustianowski | 2022 | Co-Chairs |
| Young Liberals | Janey Little | 2022 | Co-Chairs |
| Young Liberals | Eleanor Kelly | 2021–2022 |
| Young Liberals | Tara Copeland | 2021 | Co-Chairs |
| Young Liberals | Callum Robertson | 2021 | Co-Chairs |
| Young Liberals | Matt Craven | 2021 | Acting Chair |
| Young Liberals | Callum Robertson | 2020 - 2021 | Co-Chairs |
| Young Liberals | Jack Worrall | 2020 - 2021 | Co-Chairs |
| Young Liberals | Tara Copeland | 2019 - 2020 | |
| Young Liberals | Callum James Littlemore | 2018 - 2019 | Co-Chairs |
| Young Liberals | Dan Schmeising | 2018 - 2019 | Co-Chairs |
| Young Liberals | Finn Conway | 2018 | Elected on 27 July following resignation of previous chair. |
| Young Liberals | Thomas Gravatt | 2018 | Acting Chair |
| Young Liberals | Thomas Gravatt | 2017 - 2018 | Co-Chairs until their resignation in 2018 |
| Young Liberals | Hannah-Anne Ashworth | 2017 - 2018 | Co-Chairs until their resignation in 2018 |
| Young Liberals | Charlie Kingsbury | 2016 - 2017 | |
| Liberal Youth | Michael Chappell | 2015 - 2016 | Co-Chairs |
| Liberal Youth | Charlie Kingsbury | 2015 - 2016 | Co-Chairs |
| Liberal Youth | Alex Harding | 2014 - 2015 | |
| Liberal Youth | Sarah Harding | 2013 - 2014 | |
| Liberal Youth | Sam Fisk | 2013 | Chair; Elected following Tom Wood's resignation. |
| Liberal Youth | Kavya Kaushik | 2013 | Chair; Elected following Tom Wood's resignation. |
| Liberal Youth | Tom Wood | 2011 - 2013 | Resigned part way through second term |
| Liberal Youth | Martin Shapland | 2010 - 2011 | |
| Liberal Youth | Elaine Bagshaw | 2008 - 2010 | Resigned part way through second term |
| Liberal Democrat Youth and Students | Mark Gettleson | 2006 - 2008 | |
| Liberal Democrat Youth and Students | Gez Smith | 2005 - 2006 | |
| Liberal Democrat Youth and Students | Chris Lomax | 2004 - 2005 | |
| Liberal Democrat Youth and Students | Brian Robson | 2003 - 2004 | |
| Liberal Democrat Youth and Students | Alison Goldsworthy | 2002 - 2003 | |
| Liberal Democrat Youth and Students | Miranda Piercy | 2000 - 2002 | |
| Liberal Democrat Youth and Students | Geoff Payne | 1999–2000 | |
| Liberal Democrat Youth and Students | Polly Martin | 1998–1999 | |
| Liberal Democrat Youth and Students | Hywel Morgan | 1997–1998 | |
| Liberal Democrat Youth and Students | Ruth Berry | 1996–1997 | |
| Liberal Democrat Youth and Students | Tim Prater | 1995–1996 | |
| Liberal Democrat Youth and Students | Phil Jones | 1995 | |
| Liberal Democrat Youth and Students | Alex Wilcock | 1994–1995 | |
| Liberal Democrat Youth and Students | Kiron Reid | 1993–1994 | |