Lester Holloway, EMLD's secretary, wrote about reaction to Nick Clegg's immigration speech on the Lib Dem Voice website. The article is reproduced below, but you can read the original article here.

"Reaction to Nick Clegg's immigration speech shows just how much our party values the cultural and economic contribution migration makes to Britain.

Liberal Youth's petition to Nick Clegg over his immigration speech closes tomorrow (Wed 26th March). EMLD members are encouraged to sign it before it is presented to the party leader.

Click here to read more and find a link to the petition. A direct link to the petition is here.

The petition follows Clegg's speech in which he said he had asked the Home Office to pilot a scheme to charge 'bonds' for visitors - rumoured to be as much as £1,000 - which would be returned if the visitor left before the end of their visa.

The Lib Dem's Diversity and Engagement Group is in need of reform. The short presentation on DEG - lasting just a few minutes - during yesterday's spring conference in Brighton underlined the need for change.

EMLD members on DEG did not have sight of DEG's report before it was made available in a publication at the start of the conference itself.

EMLD welcomed the Liberal Democrats' spring conference voting overwhelmingly to condemn the Government plan to introduce 'secret courts' and is saddened by the fact that most of our MPs defied the wishes of the party by voting for this measure in the Commons.

We are especially sad that activist Jo Shaw quit the party in protest, announcing her resignation during the emergency debate in Brighton this morning. We understand other members, such as Ruth Edmonds, have also left the party. Jo will be a big loss to the Liberal Democrats. The blog Lib Dem Voice paid tribute to Jo calling her "one of our best", and we wholly concur with that sentiment.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has closed the Liberal Democrat Spring Conference in Brighton by calling on members to spread the message of the Party's commitment in Government to deliver a stronger economy and a fairer society.

In his keynote Leader's speech, Nick paid tribute to the work of the Party in winning the Eastleigh by-election, beating the Conservatives into third place and squeezing Labour while campaigning on the Lib Dem record of delivering in Government.

Ethnic Minority Liberal Democrats held the first of our three fringe meetings at Lib Dem conference in Brighton last night. The star speaker was Roger Lynch, a highly successful entrepreneur from Peckham in south London.

Lynch paid tribute to his local MP Simon Hughes for getting him involved in politics but warned the party they were lagging behind on race equality and Black political representation.

Ethnic Minority Liberal Democrats have produced a Spring Conference e-bulletin advertising our fringe meetings, emergency policy motion and more...

Please click on this link to access the e-bulletin in your browser.

Ethnic Minority Liberal Democrats (EMLD) have joined forces with the Liberal Democrat Disability Association (LDDA) to submit a motion to spring conference calling on the party to oppose moves to scrap an equalities mission statement.

The move comes just hours after the Lords voted to keep the 'general duty' in the Equality Act which expresses a desire to promote good race relations and end prejudice and hate.

The campaign to save an equality law enshrining Britain's commitment to work towards the elimination of racism received a boost this week when the coalition peers defied the Government to keep the aspirational statement.

Ministers were defeated by over 50 votes as peers voted to keep Section 3 of the Equality Act which expresses the desire to promote good race relations and end prejudice and hate.

Ethnic Minority Liberal Democrats (EMLD) are lobbying Lib Dems in the House of Lords over clauses in the proposed law to scrap elements of Britain's equalities legislation.

EMLD are turning up the heat on party peers ahead of a debate in the Upper House tomorrow (Monday 4th March) where former EMLD chair, Baroness Meral Hussein-Ece is planning to speak out over Government plans.