Baroness Joan Walmsley

Today we join Christians in the UK and across the world in celebrating Easter- a time of reflection, renewal and redemption. Across the globe, Christians will come together to worship and spend time with family and friends in celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Meanwhile as liberals who believe in freedom of worship for all, we stand in solidarity with those Christians who are persecuted for their beliefs.

Five reasons to vote for the Liberal Democrats in the European elections on 23rd May.

1. To vote against Brexit

The Liberal Democrats are the only nation-wide party to have been fighting Brexit since the very beginning.

We've spent three years campaigning for a People's Vote with an option to remain in the EU.

I suspect that many people outside the church think that Christmas is the most important date in the Christian calendar. It isn't Christmas, but Easter. While at Christmas we celebrate Jesus, the son of God coming to earth, taking on human form and living like we do. At Easter, we remember he died for us and was brought back to life.

Our printers are working through the night to create mailings to 2.8 million people across the UK - telling them why they need to vote Liberal Democrat in the European elections.

We're off to a flying start thanks to your generous donations.

THANK YOU.

In both the local and European elections, we have a real story to tell. Your support enables us to tell our story to millions online and offline.

Our campaigning up and down the country is delivering more Lib Dem voters in the local elections and more votes to stop Brexit.

But as the EU election has been called so suddenly, it means we don't know if we can raise the funds to keep campaigning at this high level.

The Liberal Democrats are the ONLY pro-Remain party with the capacity to deliver a European election campaign on such short notice - here's what the papers are saying:

Whether Brexit ever happens or not, what is certain is this week we will commemorate the original Exodus some 3,332 years ago.

The evening of April 19th marks the beginning of the eight-day Jewish festival of Passover (Pesach) - a religiously significant period which commemorates the Israelite's journey out of Egypt after years of slavery and bondage under ancient Egyptian rule. An epic journey from slavery to freedom.

Local election campaigns around the country are going well with just under two weeks left. Like many of you, our home has moved into our regular election machine, and our driveway is the Watford garden poster factory!

If you haven't yet, make sure to ask your local team for a garden poster (or window poster if you cannot have a garden one) and show your friends and neighbours that the Lib Dems are winning here!

Whether it's young people taking time off school or the Commons' naked protestors: they are right. We face a climate crisis.

Liberal Democrats should provide the emergency plan. In 3 parts.

• UK-wide action to green ourselves.
• Action to decarbonise capitalism - starting with the City of London.
• And an international green new deal - where richer countries support poorer countries.

Today, 50 years on from the UK extending the franchise to 18-year olds, British politics is still blighted by democratic inequality. This is particularly stark in the case of the 3.6 million EU citizens living in the UK. In just under three weeks these nationals will have a vote in local elections, but this is a right they are denied in General Elections and referendums. Fifty years on from giving more people the vote we still have a long way to go.

The Liberal Democrats will fight these elections as an unapologetically pro-European Party campaigning hard for People's Vote with an option to remain in the the EU.

We are determined to give a voice to the millions of people who demand better than Brexit Britain.

Today we've announced a strong, diverse mix of candidates, from those who've joined the Liberal Democrats recently to those with long experience of the European Parliament.

I want to talk about something that we shouldn't have to talk about in 2019.

It should be a given that our schools have the funding they need to give our children the best start in life.

But that's not the case. The Conservatives repeatedly tell us that schools have never had more money. That they've never had it as good.