Advocating for Mental Health Reform at the Lib Dem Conference 2025

I am here at the Bournemouth 2025 Liberal Democrat Conference, proud to be part of the committee leading a policy consultation on mental health. Our goal is to develop a comprehensive, evidence-led approach that addresses the urgent needs of our communities.

The current state of mental health in the UK is deeply concerning. Suicide rates in England and Wales are at their highest since 1999, and reports of self-harm have quadrupled since 2000.

Alarmingly, suicide is now the leading cause of death for women between six weeks and a year after pregnancy. I believe strongly that the NHS must do more to prevent suicides among pregnant women and new mothers, with specialist perinatal mental health teams playing a leading role in risk assessment, guidance, and rapid referral.

NHS services remain critically underfunded and overstretched, with significant disparities based on location, ethnicity, and socio-economic status. For example, the suicide rate in the North West is more than double that in London, and rural communities—like many in Somerset—face their own unique mental health challenges.

We must urgently improve parity between mental and physical health under the law. Unfortunately, the potential for parity of esteem has been squandered by successive Conservative governments. Today, mental illness receives only 10% of health funding, yet accounts for 20% of the disease burden.  When there is poor access to care and treatment, mental illness can drive-up demand for acute trusts, ambulance service providers, fire and rescue, and other public services. 

Both Conservative and Labour governments have failed to deliver the preventative, accessible mental health support that people need. Over nine years, the Conservatives heavily deprioritized mental health, abandoned their own long-term plans, and failed to allocate enough funding—leading to increased waiting times and gaps in services. Labour has also fallen short, with key programs cut and no substantial progress.

Our consultation paper aims to spark debate within the party and beyond, proposing a fresh, evidence-based approach. We advocate for community-led prevention, parity between physical and mental health, improved crisis response services, and the creation of an independent Mental Health Commissioner to ensure patient voices are heard. With mental health now accounting for nearly one in ten sick days, and only 40% of those completing therapy fully recovering, early intervention and comprehensive support are more critical than ever.

I am committed to ensuring that mental health policies reflect the diverse challenges faced by society. I believe in a public health approach—one that makes mental health support accessible, equitable, and effective for all.

Our work here at the conference is driven by the conviction that real change is possible, and that we have a duty to make it happen.