Conference is the ultimate decision-making body of the Liberal Democrats, one of the few British political parties to use its annual gathering for voting and policy resolution.

[5][6] Conference also features speeches from prominent party members and guests and an exhibition with stands from the public, private and charitable sectors.

There are many types of Fringe events, consisting of workshops, debates and seminars, many of which are run by external organisations.

[17] The Committee elects a Conference Chair who is responsible for choosing speakers and trying to ensure balance between different viewpoints on the issues to be debated.

The Social and Liberal Democrats Leadership Election is held, in which Paddy Ashdown is declared Leader.

[21] The outgoing leader, Paddy Ashdown, tells the Conference that the party has been ahead of its time, and that it "rightly" talks about strategy, but that "no strategy will work, unless we have something fresh to say and offer something distinctive to vote for", and that if it fails to "think afresh", that it risks "falling into the easy trap of leftist, oppositional politics.

[23] The new leader, Charles Kennedy, after thanking his predecessor, emphasises that in the forthcoming year, a number of elections are to be fought, and that it is important that politicians reconnect with voters, and that if they do, people will become "as enthusiastic about parties as they are about pressure groups".

He acknowledges that the budget deficit reduction programme, reducing the level of public debt incurred by the previous Labour government, represents "unsettling times", but states that it will be implemented "as fairly as possible", with the long-term goal of "wiping the slate clean for a new generation".

[30] Farron tells the Federal Conference that, after the worst General Election defeat in 45 years, the party has now become more relevant than ever, with people on low incomes suffering a further fall in living standards, and business threatened by losing access to European markets after the forthcoming EU Referendum.

[32] In his first Leader's Speech, Cable pays tribute to his predecessor, Tim Farron, saying that the party under his leadership was "larger, stronger and more diverse" than before.

Cable continues by saying, "Anyone who doubts the relevance of the Liberal Democrats should reflect on the three great disasters perpetrated by the two main parties in recent years: the war in Iraq; the banking crisis; now Brexit.

You may remember that the Labour government, egged on by the Conservative opposition, plunged this country into a disastrous, illegal war.

An economy built on banking and property speculation was left dangerously exposed to the global financial crisis.

And the baleful consequences are still with us: our economy continues to be dependent on the life support system of ultra-cheap money, which is now inflating a new credit bubble".

"I have to say it is a pity that the Brexit landing is being managed by people who would struggle to get their heads around a toddlers’ Lego set".

The party leader, Vince Cable, announces plans to create a registered supporters' scheme, to enable non-members to vote in leadership elections without needing to pay a join-up fee.

[41] After receiving a standing ovation, Jo Swinson talks of her early life before politics, how her father had been an inspiration and why the party's values became so important for her.

She continues by talking about the importance of fighting for the "heart and soul of Britain", pledging to stop Brexit and stating that the country deserves "a better choice than an entitled Etonian or a 1970s socialist".

To wide applause, she says that she is standing "as your candidate for Prime Minister", and that in the case that the party wins a majority of seats, it would revoke Article 50.

[42] Swinson also pledges that future government budgets would be based not only on GDP figures but on factors of national wellbeing, inspired by a model used by the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern.

She says that policies would be developed by gauging their long-term impact on a range of factors, such as life satisfaction, happiness, anxiety and the feeling of whether something had been worthwhile.

[42] Swinson also promises to set a target of net zero carbon emissions, to create a new Green Investment Bank and to use a different approach to tackling youth crime.

[42] The party votes for a variety of Motions at its online 'virtual' conference, among them a commitment to campaign for Universal Basic Income, to alleviate the social and economic effects of the COVID pandemic, provide a more flexible and supportive social security system to enable individuals to retrain for work, meet basic income requirements and provide support for unpaid work such as caring for family members, in a precarious post-COVID world.

[45] In an online speech introducing himself to the public, Davey pledges to "stand up for carers", drawing on his experiences as a carer throughout his life: from his early teenage years, nursing his mother through bone cancer, bringing her tumblers of morphine every morning before going off to school, to his adult life in caring for his own severely disabled son, saying "John needs 24/7 care - and probably always will".

Davey also makes clear that, "after three deeply disappointing elections", in 2015, 2017 and 2019, voters feel the party has become "out of touch" with their concerns, and he promises to listen to, and engage with, them.

[48] Policy motion: Supporting Hospitality, Retail and Leisure in the Face of Omicron Policy motion: COP27 and Climate Empowerment for Local Government [49] On Sunday 6 November leader Ed Davey delivered a high profile speech in lieu of his conference appearance.