Ministers urged to allow MPs to disagree

Leeds North West MP Greg Mulholland said it is vital for the party to retain its distinctiveness during the years in coalition and a strong grass roots voice is vital to that.

Mr Mulholland was speaking as party activists raised fears at the Spring Conference that many voters now view the Lib Dems and Tories as the same.

“I and a number of other colleague realised over the last eight or nine months we were not exerting sufficient influence from the Liberal Democrat backbenches,” the said.

“We did not have a sufficient distinctive identity and that’s why we formed a new back bench group. We want to work with Ministers to make sure the views of the Lib Dem backbenches are heard.

“It is a very positive thing how well the Government is working together and the Ministers are able to put together a programme for Government. That has perhaps overshadowed the fact that we have not been able to demonstrate our distinctiveness within the coalition.

“Lib Dem Ministers have got to be a little less timid about letting us as backbenchers express that distinct identity.

“We are all still learning. The parliamentary party needs to be more relaxed about us expressing, in a constructive way, differences of opinion.

“If the Lib Dem backbenchers are not seen to be effectively scrutinising Government decisions we will lose that sense of having a distinct identity.”

Mr Mulholland pointed to a number of manifesto pledges that the party had since brought into Government, but warned such success was not being communicated to the public.

“More of us, from Nick Clegg down, need to communicate the good things that we have and are going to achieve,” he said.

“I support the Government, but because it is a coalition we do not have to pretend to support it on everything.”