The General Election

In the face of difficult conditions and regular negative predictions, Liberal Democrats remained strong, united and determined throughout the campaign, and our activists worked their socks off.

The result was beyond our worst imaginings, and did scant justice to the years of dedicated service to their community and our party by our MPs and workers, let alone to their tremendous efforts during the campaign itself.

No doubt at all, going into coalition with the Tories in 2010 was the cause of the disaster, but we acted out of concern for the good of the country. Our action then delivered five years of stable government, for which the Tories have been rewarded and paradoxically, we have been punished.

We are incredibly proud of  Liberal Democrat achievements in government, such as:

• Cutting taxes for 24 million working people
• Equal marriage
• Ended child detention
• Investing billions of pounds to help disadvantaged children in school
• The largest increase in apprenticeships ever
• The biggest revolution in the pensions system in a century
• Giving citizenship to children born overseas to mothers not married to their partners
• Adding caste to the list of protected characteristics in the Equality Act