The Liberal Party is a minor United Kingdom political party. It was formed in 1989 by a group of people who felt that the merger of the old Liberal Party with the Social Democratic Party to form the Liberal Democrats had ended the spirit of the Liberal Party, claiming that the new Liberal Democrat party was dominated by Social Democrats.

Initially many members believed that the new party would be broadly a continuation of the Liberals, but as the Liberal Democrats settled down and developed clear policies as well as electing Paddy Ashdown as their leader (who although previously a Liberal MP had long been seen as closer to the SDP on many issues dividing the two parties), some Liberals such as the former MP Michael Meadowcroft decided that the Liberal Democrats were not the party for them and so they set out to found a new Liberal Party.

It was legally a new organisation (the headquarters, records, assets and debts of the old party were inherited by the Liberal Democrats), though its constitution asserts it to be the same party as that which had previously existed. The Liberal Party has several councillors. It put up a full slate of candidates in the North West England region for the 2004 European Parliament elections, and came seventh, with 4.6% of the vote (0.6% of the total British popular vote).

Amongst many policy differences with the Liberal Democrats, the Liberal Party is strongly opposed to Britain's membership of the European Union and advocates withdrawal, a policy in direct opposition to the original position of the old Liberal Party.

The Liberal Party's current strongholds include Wyre Forest council (where they hold the balance of power) and the Tuebrook ward in Liverpool.

The party president is Cllr Mike Oborski and the party chairman is Cllr Steve Radford.

See also

• Timeline of liberal parties in the United Kingdom

External link

• The (post-1988) Liberal Party (http://www.liberal.org.uk/)