Lib Dems Have Cancelled Their Party Conference After Death Of The Queen
Tributes to the Queen (Alamy)
2 min read
The Liberal Democrats have cancelled their autumn party conference, which was expected to begin next weekend, following the death of the Queen.
The Queen's death on Thursday prompted a 10-day period of national mourning, in which government and parliamentary work is paused. Her funeral will take place on 19 September, marking the end of the period of mourning.
The Liberal Democrat's party conference was due to take place in Brighton between 17-20 September, clashing with the period of mourning.
Its cancellation was announced shortly after the confirmation of the funeral date, which has also been declared a bank holiday.
"As we mourn the loss of The Queen, we send our condolences to The King and the Royal Family," a Liberal Democrat spokesperson said on Saturday evening.
"Given the date of the funeral and period of national mourning, we have decided to cancel our Autumn Conference.
"We look forward to welcoming members to our next conference."
There is currently uncertainty over whether Labour and Conservative party conferences, due to begin on 25 September and 2 October respectively will go ahead.
While both take place outside of the period of national mourning, Labour's conference will clash with the longer period of Royal mourning. A government source told The Times there is "a lot of pressure" to scrap the events.
"It's a major financial event. Discussions are ongoing," they added.
A senior Labour figure told the FT that it was likely their conference would go ahead, but that it would “reflect recent events appropriately”.
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