LIVE BLOG: Liberal Democrat party conference

Wednesday 21 September
– Clegg vows to ‘make Britain safe and strong’
– ‘Never trust Labour with economy again’, says Lib Dem leader
– Check out the Channel 4 News live blog to see what happened at the Lib Dem conference

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg ended the Liberal Democrat conference in Birmingham with a storming speech defending his party’s record in government.

The Deputy Prime Minister’s key refrain was that the Lib Dems had taken decisions which were “not easy, but right” for the country, including joining the coalition.

He also ripped into Labour’s record on the economy and spoke of his political passion, improving social mobility.

<p style="padding-bottom: 16px; background-color: #eeeeee; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 16px; padding-top: 12px;"Political Editor Gary Gibbon on Nick Clegg’s ‘we can do more’ speech

<p style="padding-bottom: 16px; background-color: #eeeeee; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 16px; padding-top: 12px;"SPEECH REACTION: Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander told Channel 4 News: “It was a strong speech, it set out what we are achieving as a party in government. And it set out why we are staying the course.”
Lib Dem President Tim Farron: “The most important thing is not the political party, it is getting out of this economic crisis. We have done difficult things, but they were the right things. It has not been easy for us as a party but we are not in denial about the pasting we had in the local elections in May.
“We have to learn from that but not put people’s livelihoods and jobs at risk by veering off course – we must get out of the economic mess we’re in.”

Lessons learned

Nick Clegg says he’s learned a lot of lessons since the Lib Dems joined the coalition. I can sympathise. I’ve learned a lot of lessons since I arrived at their party conference four days ago,writes Channel 4 News Online Reporter Jennifer Rigby.

1. Wear comfortable shoes. This is the most important lesson, by some length.
2. Eat and drink freely at the fringe events. It’s what they want you to do, plus it helps you steel yourself for the long days ahead and avoid extortionate hotel prices later. As Tim Farron put it: “Danny Alexander almost had to cancel Trident to afford to buy two pints”. Get there early though otherwise you’ll be left with the soggy egg sandwiches. And listen hard: you might learn something.
3. To some, Nick Clegg is genuinely a rock star. As is Paddy Ashdown – I saw people queuing to have their pic taken with him. Although Hugh Grant was also something of a draw at a phone hacking fringe event.

4. The Lib Dem “Glee Club” is nothing like the TV show. Which is a shame in some ways (nothing could enliven a party conference like Vince Cable doing a Lady Gaga number).
5. The top politicians never stop being politicians…same goes for the big name journalists, many of whom were found lurking in hotel bars very late, notebooks in hand.
6. Politicians’ jokes are, in general, pants. Read this if you don’t believe me
7. Almost everyone is happy to chat, from top ministers down. And they all passionately believe in the liberal cause.
8. Yellow is not a flattering colour for many.

<p style="padding-bottom: 16px; background-color: #eeeeee; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 16px; padding-top: 12px;"Read more: Who are the Lib Dem stars of the future?

Liberal Democrat party conference

Nick Clegg’s speech, which closed the conference, followed a warning from the International Monetary Fund on Tuesday that growth in the UK economy will be slower than expected.

Read more from Political Editor Gary Gibbon on the Lib Dems’ wriggle room

And for those in need of a little light relief, Channel 4 News has hunted down the best (and worst) jokes of the conference. Side-splitting stuff.

SPEECH PREVIEW: Former Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown told Channel 4 News: “What I expect we will get from Nick is him to say we have to hold our course. There is no other option and if we don’t hold our course the harm to the country will be greater.
“We have got to stick with it – the last government left us in as bad a position as Greece. If we do not reduce this, the consequences are that this country will be run by the bond markets rather than the elected government. We have to tackle the deficit and it there is money spare then we can focus on growth, finding jobs. But that’s only when plan A is done. There is no plan but plan A.”

Tuesday 20 September
-Cable tells Channel 4 News ‘the world is a dangerous place right now’
-Lib Dem President Tim Farron backs Clegg in Channel 4 News interview
-Huhne warns against ‘Tea Party Tories’ and cracks down on energy companies

After the IMF slashed its expectations of economic growth for the UK, Business Secretary Vince Cable told Channel 4 News “the world is a dangerous place right now.”

Mr Cable was speaking as the economic shockwaves of the IMF’s decision took hold. However he said that it was not the time to take risks and said there was “flexibility” built into the government’s economic strategy.

You can read more about Vince Cable’s thoughts on the UK’s economic prospects here or hear more from the Business Secretary in the video below.

Channel 4 News blogs from the Liberal Democrat conference – and beyond
Political Editor Gary Gibbon on the coalition’s marriage – and divorce
Economics Editor Faisal Islam on what the IMF downgrade means for Britain
Presenter Jon Snow on the Lib Dem conference: inside the belly of the yellows

Earlier, Energy Secretary Chris Huhne took the stage at the Liberal Democrat conference in Birmingham today in the guise of the consumer’s champion, announcing a crackdown on the big six energy companies.

He also emerged as a champion of many of the Liberal Democrat delegates here as well, as he warned the Conservative right that they must avoid “Tea Party tendencies”. His tough talking was the latest in a series of speeches designed to show the party faithful – and the wider world – that the Lib Dems retain a separate identity from their coalition partners.

Poetry at the Lib Dem conference
Is it a good or a bad sign when people start breaking out into verse? Either way it’s started happening here in Birmingham. First Energy Secretary Chris Huhne quoted John Donne in his speech. Then poet Adam Taylor sent us this offering on Nick Clegg – you can check it out here. Do let us know if you are feeling lyrically inspired, via Twitter: @channel4news.

Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats Simon Hughes told Channel 4 News that daring to be different was a theme of the conference for his party.

“The coalition is secure, we will see through the five years, no one is saying otherwise now. Now it’s time for us to say what the Lib Dems bring to government and what we have stopped the Tories bringing, and what together we can get done.

“We are confident about setting out our differences,” he said.

Read more from Gary Gibbon on how NHS questions did not cure Lib Dem ills

Also today Channel 4 News’s Political Editor Gary Gibbon interviewed Liberal Democrat Party President Tim Farron – one of a handful tipped as a potential future Lib Dem leader. Highlights from the interview can be found here – including Mr Farron’s assertion that he would “nail Nick Clegg’s feet to the floor” if he tried to quit as leader – or you can see one clip below.

Separately, there were strong feelings in a question and answer session on changes to the NHS. MP John Pugh said the bill was a “huge strategic mistake”. The bill has passed through the Commons but could still face some opposition in the House of Lords.

Overheard at the Lib Dem conference
“It’s really been very normal here. For a Liberal Democrat conference.”
“Do you think they will mind if we bring a staple gun in here?”
“Did we really need police divers to check for threats in the canal? It’s only waist-deep.”

Monday 19 September

-Clegg describes government ‘gear change’ in Channel 4 News interview
-Cable says economic crisis is ‘equivalent of war’
-Add your voice to the Channel 4 News live blog above

Liberal Democrat leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has spoken to Channel 4 News presenter Jon Snow. Mr Clegg said there is a “gear change going on in Whitehall” as the government “steps up the pace” on projects to help the UK’s economic recovery.

Read more: ‘Gear change in Whitehall over economy’ – Clegg

In a question and answer session with delegates, Mr Clegg also said that the Liberal Democrats have to stop “beating themselves up” about the tough year they have had, saying they have to move forward.

Other Liberal Democrat heavyweights are continuing with their efforts to show party loyalists how much of an impact they are having in the coalition government.

Business Secretary Vince Cable told delegates that the economy is “like a war” at the moment but said he believed it can be turned around with policies which boost growth at the same time as being fair.

Read more from Channel 4 News Political Editor Gary Gibbon on the Lib Dems – daring to be different.

Separately, Channel 4 News Political Correspondent Michael Crick has been doorstepping the businessmen who have paid £800 to Lib Dem funds to meet government ministers – here’s his blog about the encounter.

Celeb spot: Triple jump champion Jonathan Edwards wandering the halls of the ICC in Birmingham.

Sunday 18 September

– Day two at the Liberal Democrat conference
– Lib Dems focus on on wealthy tax evaders
– Nick Clegg pledges he will fight the next election, denies rumours of deal with wife

Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, has put wealthy tax evaders at the top of the agenda on the second day of the Liberal Democrat conference in Birmingham.

He told a packed conference hall that the tax system must be fair, stressing that “those with the broadest shoulders must bear the greatest burden.”

He said the Liberal Democrats would focus on helping those who were struggling – and suggested that one of the ways to do this is making sure that the tax owed, particularly by the richest people in society, is the tax paid. Read more on Danny Alexander’s clampdown on Britain’s richest here.

Three questions
Danny Alexander, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, 39.
How are the Liberal Democrats doing in coalition? Marks out of 10? “I would say 10 out of 10. Independent analysis suggests 75 per cent of our manifesto is in the coalition agreement. That’s a strong record. And crucially we’re helping see the country through incredibly difficult economic times. That’s the main thing for government. We could work harder so that everyone, not just our members, understands what we are doing.”
Why join the Lib Dems? “Join the Lib Dems because we’ve got the right ideas and the right agenda for the country.”
Who do you admire politically? “There’s a portrait of Mr Gladstone in my office in the Treasury. And it will probably embarrass him, but Jim Wallace, the former leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, was a bit of a mentor for me.”

Gossip at conference

Meanwhile, gossip at the conference surrounds two topics. Firstly, whether Nick Clegg will serve another term – after a story in The Daily Mail alleged the Lib Dem leader had done a deal with his wife Miriam not to stay in government. It’s been hotly denied all round, with Mr Clegg telling the BBC: “I intend to serve well beyond one term. There you go. Daily Mail wrong.”

The other talk is whether Sarah Teather, the children’s minister, hit the wrong note with her controversial jokes about Conservative Chancellor, George Osborne in a speech yesterday. Her jokes related to allegations which resurfaced recently and which Mr Osborne has always strongly denied – that he took cocaine when younger.

Celeb spot of the day: Hugh Grant, in a fringe event on the phone-hacking scandal, excited the audience by saying he was enjoying politics. Could Love Actually, where the actor played the prime minister, become reality?

She said, in a longer riff on the show Strictly Come Dancing: “But coming back to George Osborne, I heard he’s quite keen to get on the show as well. He wants to do a line dance. Probably damages any of my chances of getting anything through the quad ever again, but… um, never mind.”

Ms Teather told Krishnan Guru-Murthy: “It was a joke…do you have no sense of humour?”

Three questions
Jeremy Meal, 53, a party member and transport consultant from Cheadle.
How are the Liberal Democrats doing in the coalition ? “I think the value of the Lib Dems is we are trying to do things without being hijacked by vested interests, either from the left by the unions, or the right by big business.”
Why join the Lib Dems? “I joined because they are democratic – your voice will be heard. So if you don’t like what is happening in the country, join us to change it.”
Who do you admire politically? “For me it’s the grassroots MPs – including my MP, Mark Hunter. They have delivered, built our base, and are still solving people’s daily problems.”

Saturday 17 September

– Liberal Democrat conference kicks off in Birmingham
– Leader Nick Clegg pledges to veto any attempts to scrap 50p tax rate
– Plans to introduce same-sex marriages announced

Click here for a round-up of the news after Nick Clegg’s crowd pleasing approach to the first day of the Liberal Democrat conference.

Political Editor Gary Gibbon has all the analysis – including Mr Clegg’s concerns that conference is “worryingly quiet”.

Krishnan Guru-Murthy interviewed Energy Secretary Chris Huhne and you can watch the video of their encounter below.

Liberal Democrat conference: preview
Growing up in Blackpool, as I did, party conference attendees were just one of the tribes that passed through my town once a year, writes Channel 4 News Online Reporter Jennifer Rigby.

We barely batted an eyelid: they didn’t have the wild costumes of the World Professional Ballroom Dance Championship competitors – regularly worn on the high street – or the glamour of the teams in the International Fireworks Championships.

But I am excited about going to this year’s Liberal Democrat party conference – even if they are holding it in Birmingham instead of Blackpool.

It’s an interesting time for the Liberal Democrats, who made it into government in the 2010 elections but have since faced a series of crushing blows, including poor local election results in May and the defeat of AV, their leader Nick Clegg’s cherished plan for electoral reform.

As the party’s president, Tim Farron, puts it in his introduction to the conference handbook: “The last 12 months has been a bit of a rollercoaster for the party, with some fantastic highs reached as we entered into government, followed by some extreme lows in the wake of the disappointments in May.”

Who will be at conference?

I’m also interested to see who else is going to be there – and what the mood is. Will the halls be packed with lobbyists and PR firms? Or will I find MPs propping up the conference bars?

And what about the old Lib Dem stereotype of beards and sandals – how many points do I get for spotting him?

Whatever happens, I’ll be trying to keep you updated on the news and the mood with tweets, Facebook posts and blogs, alongside my TV colleagues Jon Snow, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Political Editor Gary Gibbon and our new Political Correspondent, Michael Crick.

And it that doesn’t sound exciting enough, maybe I’ll turn back to the thrills of the World Professional Ballroom Dance Championship.

I can think of at least one top-level Liberal Democrat who may join me, as this clip from the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing shows…

You can follow Channel 4 News at the Liberal Democrat conference: @channel4news; @jonsnowC4; @krishgm; @MichaelLCrick; @GaryGibbonBlog. Or check out the live blog at the top of the page for all the latest updates.