Liberal Democrats to hold national conference in Glasgow

GLASGOW is in line for a £12 million boost as the Liberal Democrats announced they will hold next year’s autumn party conference in the city.

It will be the first time Scotland has hosted a national Lib Dem conference for over a decade and the event will also be the largest conference to be held in the city since 2004, with around 7,000 delegates expected to attend from across the UK.

The event is in September 2013 at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre which beat UK-wide competition to host the five-day event.

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Liberal Democrat leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: “I’m delighted that we are taking our autumn conference to Glasgow, particularly at such an important time in Scotland’s and the UK’s history.

“Our party has always led the way in campaigning for devolution and I hope coming to Glasgow will remind Scots that we are committed to continuing that process and securing their future as part of the UK.”

Willie Rennie, leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats applauded the decision.

“Glasgow is a vibrant and welcoming city and the SECC is a great venue. This is a great opportunity for us to get our message out that the Liberal Democrats are working hard in government on the side of hard-working people,” he said.

The decision to hold the conference in the city comes after six months of negotiation between the Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, the SECC and the Liberal Democrats.

The event is expected to bring up to £12 million to city businesses.

Last month the SECC hosted the SNP spring conference and Scott Taylor, chief executive of the marketing bureau, said attracting such events is a clear sign of the growing stature of the city.