LDER stall

Our team

Executive Officers

Officers elected to the Executive Committee at our AGM 2023

President: Wendy Chamberlain MP

Wendy became LDER President in 2021. Elected MP for North East Fife in 2019, she was the party's front bench spokesperson for Political and Constitutional Reform in 2020 . Wendy actively supports both party and cross-party campaigning for reform, and has supported non-partisan campaigning such as appearing in the Make Votes Matter campaign video. She is also Vice Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Electoral Reform and is a Co-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Votes at 16.

On becoming LDER President Wendy said: "It's increasingly clear that the fundamental change required to ensure…. a representative democracy starts with electoral reform."

Wendy is now parliamentary Chief Whip and spokesperson for Work and Pensions.

Photo of Wendy Chamberlain

Chair: Keith Sharp

Keith was elected LDER Chair at the 2021 AGM. He joined the LDER executive in 2014 and has previously been its Secretary and Vice Chair. He has served a total of twenty years, in different stints, on the Council of the Electoral Reform Society; and is a member of the Make Votes Matter Alliance as well as MVMs north London branch. His belief in the need for an equal, proportionate voting system predates his joining the party (SDP in 1981, Liberal Democrats since 1988). He has been a party parliamentary candidate and a local councillor (both in Islington, north London). Keith lives in London. His professional career has been in commercial communications, branding and public affairs. He has also been Chair of Trustees for a local community centre charity; and was for three years on the management board of the Industry and Parliament Trust.

Keith Sharp

Secretary: Sarah Lewis

Sarah Lewis is chair of the Lambeth Liberal Democrats and is the Parliamentary Spokesperson for Vauxhall, having stood as the Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for the constituency in the 2019 General Election. Professionally, Sarah works in strategy, communications and campaigns, focused on multi-sector action towards a healthier, greener, more equitable world.

Sarah Lewis

Membership Secretary: Helen Parker

Helen is a member of South Edinburgh Liberal Democrats, and joined the LDER exec in 2013. She began campaigning for electoral reform after first voting in the 1983 general election, in one of the safest seats in the country. She has since voted in more closely contested constituencies, but is still impatiently waiting for her vote to count in a Westminster election.She joined the party in 1997, and co-convened Edinburgh's cross-party Yes! to fairer votes campaign for the 2011 AV referendum. Professionally, Helen works as a lecturer in Japanese Studies, specialising in traditional theatre. In 2018 she worked with the Fusae Ichikawa Centre for Women and Governance to coordinate a "UK vote 100" study tour for a group of Japanese women politicians.

Helen Parker

Treasurer: Kay Kirkham

Kay lives in West Yorkshire and is a member of the Shipley & Keighley Local Party. She came to party as an original member of the SDP and has been, variously, a primary school teacher, county, district and parish councillor, a PPC , an agent at all levels, a constituency manager for two MPs, secretary of ALDC, a local party and regional exec. member and a political assistant to two Lib Dem council groups. She is also the treasurer of HSLD following eight years as secretary. She joined LDER quite recently but has long been a supporter of electoral reform particularly at local level.

Kay Kirkham headshot

Executive members

Hina Bokhari, London Assembly Member

Hina Bokhari is a Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member having been elected to the body in 2021 and also serves as a councillor in Merton. On the London Assembly Hina sits on the Economy Committee in addition to the Environment Committee and the Fire, Resilience and Emergency Planning (FREP) Committee.

Prior to becoming politically active, Hina worked as a teacher for 20 years in some of the most deprived parts of London and also helped found two youth-focused charities. Hina is passionate about introducing proportional representation across the UK. Having been elected to the London Assembly by its proportional top-up list, Hina firmly believes a fair voting system is a key step in increasing diversity in politics and encourages more politicians from varied cultures, backgrounds, and experiences. 

Daniel Cope

Daniel Cope is a community leader & seasoned elected member of the Party who holds several roles spanning: State, Regional, and Local Party levels within the party structure. Daniel actively supports internal & external campaigns advocating for change, which nurtures a more fair & just society, such as Electoral Reform via Proportionate Representation (PR) to reflect greater diverse opinions and better reflection of Voter Preferences.

With a background in Data Management, Law, and IT, specializing in Data Privacy, Governance, and Ethics, as a thought leader. Daniel brings a wealth of expertise to his advocacy.

Beyond his political commitments, he holds influential positions, exemplifying a dedication to philanthropy and community development. Serving as the Chair of the Board of Trustees & Treasurer at Nyaka UK, Vice Chair of the Data Management Specialist Group at BCS, amongst others. He extends his efforts towards broader societal progress beyond the confines of politics.

Daniel’s extensive experience in senior roles, including various leadership functions, coupled with an unwavering dedication to progressive values, renders him an invaluable asset to the party’s Electoral Reform initiatives. His steadfast commitment to achieving proportional representation underscores his profound dedication to nurturing a fairer and more representative democratic system, as well as promoting liberal ideals such as diversity, equality, & inclusion.

Dan Cope

Denis Mollison

Denis was Chair of LDER 2018-21. He has been Convener of the Scottish Green Liberal Democrats, and is currently a member of the Scottish LDs' Just Economy Commission. Denis is interested in comparisons of electoral systems, in how to STV works in practice, and whether it can be made to work better. He organised the first elections using STV with equal preference in 1998, and designed an STV scheme for Westminster that got as far as a vote in Parliament in February 2010. He also maintains online data on Scottish Council elections - see www.macs.hw.ac.uk/~denis/ - where you can also find some of his other interests, especially epidemiology (currently concerned with modelling future pandemics) and conservation (co-founder of the John Muir Trust in 1983, past chair of the Mountain Bothies Association and of the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust).

Denis Mollison

Crispin Allard

Crispin co-founded LDER in 2012 with the aim of promoting a more strategic approach to achieving electoral reform. He served on the LDER committee since then, including as Chair in 2012-14 and 2015-18. He has been active in the electoral reform movement since 1994, and previously served 17 years on ERS Council.Crispin joined the party in 2005, and was a councillor on Rushmoor Borough (2008-12) before moving to Bristol, where he continues to be active in the local party. A mathematician by background, he leads a business modelling and analysis team in a large consultancy.

Crispin Allard

Hazel Fell-Rayner

Hazel Fell-Rayner joined the LDER Executive in 2020 and is Acting Chair of Make Votes Matter Lewes. A psychologist by background, Hazel is interested in how electoral reform can transform politics and empower citizens and communities to the benefit of their well-being. Hazel is a strong advocate for creative, inclusive and compassionate forms of campaigning.

Hazel Fell-Rayner

Kathrine Santos

Kathrine has campaigned for electoral reform since 2018 with Make Votes Matter and joined the LDER exec team in July 2020. She is keen on increasing the number of Lib Dem members taking part in campaign events for PR for the House of Commons.

Richard Wood

Richard joined the LDER executive team in 2021 and first supported electoral reform long before when he joined the party in 2016. Originally from Edinburgh, he currently works in Westminster for the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Political and Constitutional Reform, Alistair Carmichael MP. He was also previously a member of the Scottish Young Liberals' executive committee.Outside the party, Richard has volunteered for Make Votes Matter and regularly writes about political reform for outlets including Politics.co.uk. He currently runs the site Upgrade Holyrood, which is dedicated to improving democracy in Scotland.

Sally Yalden

 

Sally Yalden is a borough councillor and was elected in May 2023 as the first Liberal Democrat local councillor in her ward. Sally also works cross-Party and no party as the Local Groups and Diversity Leader of Make Votes Matter which is the leading national campaign for PR in the House of Commons. Sally was until recently the Diversity Officer of her local party in Test Valley. Sally is passionate about the environment, community and electoral reform of course!

Sally Yalden

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