Recorded hate crimes are up 17% from last year, and have more than doubled in the last 4 years.

Racial hate crimes have increased 14% year on year, while those based on sexual orientation have risen a terrible 27%. Attacks on people based on religion, disability and transgender people have also risen year on year.

Kickstart is the name of the Association of Liberal Democrat Campaigners and Councillors (ALDC) residential campaign training weekend. It runs twice a year - in the summer and autumn.

Attendees get tailored, professional advice; training and bespoke mentoring from experienced and successful Liberal Democrat campaigners and councillors.

Q - I'm sure being at the centre of a parliamentary by-election is impossibly exciting, but also busy, exhausting and overwhelming, with huge highs and lows. What stands out the most for you from the campaign?

A - It really was! But incredibly exciting at the same time. I had seen Liberal Democrats gear up for a by-election before, but until you are at the centre of it you really can't appreciate the extent of the support, the enthusiasm and sheer hard work we do as a team to have these great results at by-election. Seeing Lib Dems come together and campaign together - that is definitely what stands out for me.

The Government's Counter Terrorism Bill has now moved to debate in the House of Lords. The Liberal Democrats opposed the bill in the House of Commons for a simple reason: this bill does little to keep us safe, but a lot to erode the individual freedoms of people in the UK.

In the future we might have a Government who are prepared to ride roughshod over our freedoms as citizens.