Liberal Democrats

Welfare united

welfare disunity

Economic - united

A ‘strong, fair’ economy – Orange Book liberals prefer a free market, whereas modern liberals want a guided, Keynesian approach. The current policy reflects a compromise between them, e.g. in 2024, the Liberal Democrat manifesto promised ‘a strong, fair economy’ that combined ‘managing the public finances responsibly’ and reducing national debt with investment in ‘green infrastructure’ to be net zero by 2045.

Economic - disunity 

Divides over level of state intervention – Liberal Democrat party conference in 2023 passed a resolution calling for ‘Universal Basic Income’ (UBI) to be instituted. This was led by the modern liberal wing of the party, but Ed Davey has refused to commit to it. Ed Davey instead wants to cut taxes, such as income tax (2025) – a modern liberal approach.

Foreign policy - united

Europe – the Liberal Democrats have united around a pro-European stance. All wings of the Lib Dems, including Nick Clegg on the Orange Book side, argued for ‘remain’ in the EU referendum. Ed Davey argues for a ‘close relationship’ with the EU in 2025. In 2024 the Lib Dems argued for rejoining the European Single Market.

Foreign Policy - Disunity

Europe – in 2019 there were some divisions over the strength of pro-European feeling: Jo Swinson the Lib Dem leader announced that the Lib Dems would ‘revoke Article 50’ and stay in the EU without a new referendum.Lib Dem grandee Norman Lamb opposed this policy, saying it was ‘playing with fire’.

Nuclear weapons – Lib Dem activists have pushed for nuclear disarmament whilst the official party position has been for retaining nuclear weapons.

Law and order - unity

Civil liberties – both classical and modern liberals believe in civil liberties. In the 2024 manifesto, there was a commitment to ‘Digital Bill of Rights’ which would guarantee privacy, and they promised to regulate biometric surveillance. The Lib Dems also promised to put more funding into Legal Aid, to ensure more people could access a fair trial.

Law and order - restorative justice 

modern liberals go further than classical liberals when it comes to justice. Modern liberals in the party have pushed for ‘restorative justice’ as an alternative to prison, whereas the party in its 2024 manifesto instead pushed for more efficient handling of cases and ‘swift justice’ to ensure that criminals would be punished.