The Liberal Democrats do love a good policy motion, and the tradition at most party conferences is for the attending media circus to stay well away from the debates and votes on the conference floor as they are rarely game changers. But this afternoon, the party’s leadership could face its first defeat on the conference floor when delegates debate a motion on the Justice and Security Bill from 5pm.
The motion itself says the proposals for closed court hearings ‘did not form part of either the Liberal Democrat or Conservative manifestos in 2010, nor the Coalition Agreement’, and calls on Lib Dem MPs and peers to press the government to withdraw part II of the Justice and Security Bill, or to vote against it in parliament.
But the party leadership has tried to neuter the debate by tabling an amendment to be moved by Lord Marks QC which reads as follows:
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