Jo Swinson: why we must block Brexit

Jo Swinson has just delivered her first conference speech as Liberal Democrat leader. Here is her speech below.

21 years on from my first Liberal Democrat conference, I am thrilled to stand before you today as your leader. I’m delighted to see so many old friends who have kept the torch of liberalism burning bright through troubled times. And I’m excited to welcome thousands of new members to our cause, flocking to the Liberal Democrats as the clear rallying point for a movement to create an open, fair, inclusive society.

Over the summer, we showed the others how it’s done. We had an energetic and positive leadership contest where many thousands of you engaged. I want to say a huge thank you to my friend Ed Davey. Ed, you are a brilliant campaigner, with a superb record of action as Secretary of State for Climate Change. I’m delighted that there’s also a promise of more, with you in the key roles of Shadow Chancellor and now Deputy Leader.