It is with great sadness that we record the death in June of our Vice-chair, Michael Meadowcroft, one of our founder Trustees. Michael was a fiercely independent thinker who held fast to his philosophy of traditional Liberalism and in 1988, shortly after the formation of the Liberal Democrats, became co-founder and first Leader of the continuing Liberal Party. He rejoined the Liberal Democrats in 2007. He was a great support in establishing the Trust.
Annual General Meeting
At the Annual General Meeting of the Trust, in July, the following were elected:
Trustees: John Austin (Chair), Keith Best (Secretary), Sarah McCarthy-Fry (Treasurer), Dr Tania Mathias & Adrian Sanders (Vice-Chairs). Additional Committee Members: Huw Edwards, Nigel Griffiths, Dame Sylvia Heal, Tom Levitt, Lawrie Quinn, David Morris.
Activities in Schools and Universities
Since our last report we have been in discussions with Exeter University regarding participation in their Parliamentary Studies Programme. We have also been working with Nottingham Trent University, and in October, Jim Fitzpatrick led a discussion with students on Parliamentary scrutiny and the role of Select Committees; Margot James will be talking about the role of the Whips in December. Tom Levitt discusses the role of Parliament with students from Brunel University in November.
We continue to work with the charity Futures For All by providing speakers through their Speakers for Schools programme. In June Victoria Borwick addressed 210 students in two sessions at the Harris Academy, Sutton; and in July Sir Vince Cable participated with 143 students aged 14-18 in a Model United Nations Conference at Impington International College, Cambridgeshire. In October, Jeremy Lefroy addressed 125 students aged 16-18 at the Cadbury Sixth Form College, Birmingham; and Ian Lucas spoke to students at Ysgol Aberconwy, Wales.
The Future
The Trust has operated without administrative or secretarial support for the past ten years but is hopeful that a bid from the Association of Former MPs to the House of Commons Finance Committee, to support the work of the Trust beyond 2027 will be successful. Sadly, without such support, the future of the Trust is uncertain.
John Austin – Chair – October 2026
