‘We heard humanist issues much more on the doorstep’: Humanists UK success at Lib Dem conference

Humanists UK enjoyed great success this week at the Liberal Democrats Party Conference where we heard from MPs of the critical importance voters placed on humanist issues during the election campaign.

Humanists UK  attends all the major party conferences to meet with parliamentarians, to advocate for humanist issues, and to engage with our party-political members and supporters. We were also at the Green Conference and will be at the Labour and Conservative Conferences.

We were delighted to have 20 MPs drop by our stand to discuss key campaigns like humanist marriages, assisted dying, and education, and found widespread support for our positions, including many key frontbenchers. One MP told us ‘We heard humanist issues much more on the doorstep this election, especially issues to do with schools’, showing the increasing significance of our work.

A packed-out speaker event on the need for a secular state, chaired by Humanist and Secularist Liberal Democrats’ (HSLD) Jenny Wilkinson, was addressed by our Chief Executive Andrew Copson as well as by the newly elected Tom Gordon MP and by All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group Vice Chair Baroness Burt. Contributions emphasised the need for secularism in a society of increasing diversity, to guarantee freedom of belief and equal treatment. Many humanist local councillors in the room also shared their direct experience of discrimination on grounds of religion in their areas, in public services and in their own work.

On Monday we held a reception for over 100 conference delegates to hear remarks from Freddie Van Mierlo MP, Tom Morrison MP, Claire Young MP, Max Wilkinson MP, and Steffan Aquarone MP as well asBaroness Burt and HSLD Chair Claire Delderfield. Topics covered included the full range of humanist concerns and indicated a bright future for humanist work within the Party.