Liberal Democrats Make Key Commitments in 2024 General Election Manifesto

Humanists UK has welcomed a series of commitments by the Liberal Democrats in the UK Parliament for the 2024 general election.

In its chapter on rights and equality, the Liberal Democrats say they will ‘expand the rights of couples by introducing legal recognition of humanist marriages.’

This has been a Humanists UK demand at several general elections now. In 2013 the UK Parliament gave the UK Government the power to legally recognise humanist ceremonies in England and Wales, but a series of Conservative-led governments have not done so. In 2020, the High Court found this lack of legal recognition to be discriminatory.

As humanist marriage specifically is a key issue for Humanists UK, they will be urging the UK Government, whoever forms the largest party, to lay the order to recognise humanist marriages immediately, which will be cost-neutral for the Government, before attempting any expensive or intricate wider reforms of marriage law.

The Liberal Democrats promise to ‘Give Parliament time to fully debate and vote on legislation on assisted dying for terminally ill, mentally competent adults with strict safeguards, subject to a free vote’

Humanists UK is pleased to see the explicit commitment to a free vote, but would wish for Parliament to properly consider the merits of a Bill covering the incurably suffering as well as the terminally ill. It is vital that incurably suffering people, who are of sound mind and have a clear and settled wish to die, are given the right to die if this is their firm choice. They are among those most in need of a change in the law, having the most suffering ahead of them. If a free vote is to be allowed for the terminally ill, then why not the incurably suffering as well?

Time for assisted dying was also a commitment made by Keir Starmer as Labour leader in an interview with Esther Rantzen. Conservative leader Rishi Sunak has also stated he would allow time for a free vote.