The BBC's assistant political editor Norman Smith says Nick Clegg's defeat over the party's position on airport expansion is a "political mess" for the Lib Dem leader. It leaves Mr Clegg with his " hands tied" and "no room to manoeuvre" when the Davies Commission on UK airport capacity expansion reports back after the election.

tweets:, external @LibDems will never abandon our commitment to the environment! #GreenerEconomy

tweets:, external Danny the Builder - @dannyalexander unveils idea for govt to build and sell houses. Developers must build 300,000 a year, or we will #ldconf

tweets:, external @julianhuppert is 'exactly what a parliamentarian ought to be' says @IainDale, though doesn't agree with him on many things! #LDconf

Phil Carter in London: Why will nobody share the vision of Boris and look to a totally new airport in the Thames estuary? Every other option is a short term measure and we'll be discussing where a new runway should go all over again in ten/twenty years time. It needs someone with the long term vision and confidence to plan for the next fifty years... step forward Boris.

tweets:, external Golf courses in Surrey must be built on Vince cable tells #localishousing Families would rather have a home with a garden than a fairway

David Laws dismisses the threat from the Green Party at the next general election, claiming it is not a "serious" competitors. Some opinion polls have put the Greens ahead of the Lib Dems nationally but Mr Laws suggests that Green supporters are actually coming over to his party in key constituencies.

Vince Cable has taken out his driver and had a swing at the number of golf courses in Surrey. Told that more than 90% of land in the county is green belt, the business secretary told a fringe meeting on housing. "If I was in a middle income family I would be asking is the golf course sacred or is there a better use of the land?"

BBC Radio 4

David Laws says the Lib Dem leadership will respect the wishes of party members after they voted to maintain the party's opposition to new runways in the south of England. Although the schools minister tells the World at One he cannot anticipate the "precise" language on airports in its 2015 manifesto, he says the "basic approach" agreed in Glasgow will form the basis of party policy at the next election.

James St George, Bishops Stortford: Good for the Lib Dems membership. Flying demand, should never be pandered to but managed. There is zero need for more runways. Cheap holiday flights can be curtailed not facilitated. Better still tax passports at £500-1000 a year.

BBC News website reader: This is really frustrating! The leadership of the Lib Dems had it right that on balance, air traffic will increase in the South East and another runway is much needed. Expanding Gatwick is the most sustainable option when compared with the alternatives of no additional runways or a runway at Heathrow.

BBC Radio 4

Lib Dem MP Julian Huppert says it is wrong to characterise the debate over airport expansion as "the leadership against the rest". He tells the World at One that the vote - in which the Lib Dems decided to stick to its existing policy of opposing new runways in the south of England - shows the "merits" of internal party democracy.

Colin, Liverpool: Just watching Daily Politics. The Liberals couldn't run Trumpton never mind the UK.

Chris, Lancashire: What is the point of a party that only exists to be in coalition?

Colin Moon in Horley, Surrey: No runway expansion at Gatwick Airport? You have lost our votes Liberal Democrats! We live here, and we need the regeneration that an expanded Gatwick would bring.

BBC News website reader: Isn't it time the Lib Dems remembered the lies they told the students about tuition fees?

Peter in Epsom: As I've said previously, all this debate about any runway anywhere in London is pure can kicking - a total waste of everyone's time and taxpayer funds. We should just accept that politicos and nimbys will never allow anything to be constructed.

Environmental charity Friends of the Earth is "delighted" that the Liberal Democrat conference rejected airport expansion. Senior political campaigner Liz Hutchins says: "Building new runways will just make it harder for the UK to play its important role in tackling climate change." She also called on the party to call for a moratorium on fracking."

Party members endorsed a pre-manifesto paper on the economy. It was passed with one amendment, put forward by former MP Evan Harris, which commits the party to "introducing new measures to prevent any individual media organisation having too much control of the national conversation against the public interest".