Arriving to a sunny - but chillier than expected - Bournemouth for the Liberal Democrat Autumn conference, two things are clear (for now). 

Firstly, the party is still on the up, with 74 MPs elected last year and, following this year’s local elections, the Liberal Democrats now control more councils than the Conservatives. 

With more local elections taking place in the Spring of 2026, the party is facing substantial further electoral opportunity. 

Most notably - and perhaps in anticipation of future electoral victory – party members passed a motion to abandon their 2045 net-zero target and instead align with the Labour government's 2050 goal.  

The original 2045 target was set in 2019, but Liberal Democrats argue that the actions of previous governments have made it impossible to meet. 

The party also confirmed its support for the rollout of small modular reactors and a transition plan for North Sea oil and gas workers. 

Further proposals were passed on renewables investment, restoring nature, and ensuring community-driven clean energy projects. 

At its conference, the party reiterated its support for the Government's 2030 Clean Power goal, which seeks to almost entirely remove fossil fuels from the UK’s energy mix by the end of the decade. 

The passed motion further pledged to: 

• Tackle the climate and nature emergencies equally, rather than pitting one against the other, through integrating climate, nature and resilience policies. 

• Halve electricity bills by investing in renewables, expanding grid capacity, and reforming the energy market to decouple gas and electricity costs.  

• Set zero carbon standards for all new buildings and accelerate electric vehicle adoption with expanded charging infrastructure. 

• Establish a new UK-EU Energy and Climate Security Pact to link emissions trading schemes and boost international cooperation. 

• Introduce a social energy tariff and provide free home energy upgrades for low-income households. 

• Launch a National Climate Assembly to involve citizens directly in climate decisions. 

• Invest in green skills and apprenticeships, and fund innovation in sustainable farming, land use, and zero carbon flight. 

• Protect communities from climate impacts by developing clear adaptation strategies and increasing funding for local resilience. 

You can read more about the background to these decisions in For People For Planet, Liberal Democrat Proposals for Climate Policy, one of the key policy documents presented and accepted by party members at this year’s conference. 

Other key policy decisions made can be found in Opportunity for All, Liberal Democrat proposals for Opportunity and Skills, which specifically noted that Liberal Democrats would retain Level 7 funding for designated shortage professions such as social work, nursing and engineering specialisms where apprenticeships provide essential pathways for non-graduates. However, they would restrict Level 7 funding where candidates already hold equivalent qualifications. 

It is good to see a number of EIC / ACE asks being reflected in Liberal Democrat decision making.  

With a front bench reshuffle anticipated in the coming weeks, we look forward to continuing our engagement with policy makers to ensure the voice of our sector is represented at the heart of opposition.