Author Archives: The Voice

Demand for action over 100,000 “horror” sewage spills

Scottish Liberal Democrat environment spokesperson Sanne Dijkstra-Downie has today written to the Cabinet Secretary Gillian Martin demanding that the SNP start taking the sewage crisis seriously as new Scottish Water monitoring revealed that sewage discharges last year were four times as high as previously recorded.

This comes after Scottish Water published data from 1,009 newly installed sewage overflow monitors, which means annual monitoring data is now available for 30% of sites, compared to 6% in previous years.

Figures published by the government-owned water company earlier this week show that in 2025 alone:

  • 100,041 discharges were logged, up from 24,398 incidents in 2024 –

Posted in News, Press releases and Scotland | Tagged and | 4 Comments

Green asks Offord if Reform UK Scotland has benefited from foreign donations

Scottish Liberal Democrat public service reform spokesperson David Green MSP has today written to Reform UK’s Scottish leader Malcolm Offord, asking if he will categorically rule out ever having accepted or benefited from foreign donations.

It follows a Channel 4 News documentary showing Nigel Farage and Reform UK advisors discussing how to secure a foreign donation for the party.

Two senior Reform UK officials have stepped down in the wake of the documentary.

Foreign donations to UK political parties are banned to make sure that democratic decisions reflect the will of UK citizens, not those from overseas.

David Green MSP said:

These laws apply to

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Cole-Hamilton: Violence against women and girls demands action now

At First Minister’s Questions, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP urged the government to act with urgency to tackle violence against women and girls, as he stated that it should not take victims, including those like Vikki Solomon and Stacey Hunter, to lose their lives before proper action is taken.

The Scottish Liberal Democrat leader has repeatedly pressed the government over their failure to implement important domestic abuse protections, which are still not in force despite being passed by parliament five years ago.

Scottish Liberal Democrats are calling for:

  • Homes with a history of domestic violence should be properly flagged for priority

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Cole-Hamilton responds to Swinney on BBC Radio

Responding to John Swinney’s interview on BBC Radio Scotland, in which he failed to explain how his plans to cut the number of health boards did not amount to a centralisation, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

John Swinney has not explained how these plans are any different to the SNP’s previous centralisation projects. Rural communities have been seriously harmed by those schemes.

It is also not at all clear how exactly these plans would save money or help front line services that are struggling right now, including social care.

Communities should be in charge of decisions that directly affect them,

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Welsh Lib Dems: Burnham must back Wales with more than words

Responding to Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s comments in Port Talbot today, Welsh Liberal Democrat spokesperson David Chadwick MP said:

Burnham says his visit to Port Talbot sends a powerful signal to the community, but he still hasn’t actually committed to Wales receiving its fair share of the £2.5 billion steel fund, the single biggest decision that could benefit Port Talbot and the wider economy.

Our priority is securing the powers that will make the biggest difference to people’s everyday lives, from rail and infrastructure investment to research and development funding to the Crown Estate.

Most fundamentally, Burnham is still refusing to look at

Posted in News, Press releases and Wales | Tagged | 1 Comment

Ed Davey on “unfair mean and nasty” attacks on Jason Arday

Ed Davey has spoken to Politics Home about the death of Jason Arday following an extended period of vicious press coverage.

Davey told PoliticsHome that parts of the media had seemed to “focus in on it and attack him in a way which seems awfully disproportionate, unfair, mean, and nasty”.

What it shows is that we have to push back against this Trump-like attack on liberal values where we embrace everybody equally and respect everybody.

“There seems to be a movement, particularly on the right, to move away from the liberal progress I thought we made, where we respect people, we judge them on their merit, and we celebrate the contribution that everybody made.”

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Wendy Chamberlain highlights Afghanistan “gender apartheid”

There’s been a lot of coverage about the fifth anniversary of the fall of Kabul to the Taliban. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the desperate sight of people trying to get out while there was still a chance. The vast majority of them never did or could.

The Taliban originally tried to say that it was all fine and women would still be able to continue their education. The reality is that women have little legal status and fewer rights, and are essentially counted as property of the men in their lives.

Wendy Chamberlain chairs the All Party Parliamentary Group on Afghan Women and Girls which put out a statement this week.

 

APPG on Afghan Women and Girls Statement

The statement describes the “gender apartheid” faced by women and girls in Afghanistan:

For five years, millions of Afghan women and girls have lived under a system deliberately designed to erase them. They have been denied education, excluded from work, stripped of basic freedoms and silenced simply because they are women. This is not discrimination of isolation. It is the systemic oppression of half a population. It is gender apartheid.

As we mark this moment, we must also acknowledge that the international community has failed to reverse this trajectory. Afghan women and girls have shown extraordinary courage and resilience, continuing to resist despite immense personal risk. Yet they cannot be expected to shoulder this burden alone.

The United Kingdom must continue to stand firmly against any attempt to normalise or legitimise the Taliban while this system of gender apartheid remains in place. Recognition cannot come while the Taliban continue to deny the Afghan people their fundamental rights and freedoms. Whilst women and girls are the primary targets of the Taliban’s gender apartheid policies, all Afghans, including men and boys, continue to suffer under a totalitarian regime.

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Four ways you can help Liberal Democrat Voice

Liberal Democrat Voice is only a success because of the interest and support from our readers. For many people just lurking and reading the site is all they want to do – and that’s fine, we’re grateful for people taking the time to read the site.

You can though help us continue to produce interesting content for a growing audience. Here are four simple ways:

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Conference Agenda is out!

Front cover of Autumn 2026 Conference agenda with photos of Ed Davey and other MPs and Brighton seafrontIt’s just six weeks until Lib Dems gather in Brighton for our Autumn Conference. Yesterday afternoon, the Conference agenda came out.

Over the four days we will see debates on such subjects as:

  • Ending Violence against women and girls
  • Mortality of children in temporary accommodation
  • Maternity care
  • Party strategy
  • Defending Democracy
  • Food security
  • Water companies
  • AI
  • Making music matter
  • Rural and coastal education

There will be keynote speeches from:

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WATCH: Charles Kennedy Memorial Lecture

You might remember that a few weeks ago we told you about the Charles Kennedy Memorial Lecture organised by the European Movement.

Nick Clegg talked about the path to closer alignment with the European Movement.

You can watch his speech courtesy of the European Movement’s You Tube channel.

The text is below:

We are here in part to remember a much-missed friend and colleague, Charles Kennedy. It has been just over a decade since Charles passed, and we are all the poorer for it. He was one of the lights of liberalism in this country, and his absence in public life is felt …

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Alex Cole-Hamilton announces new spokesperson team

Alex Cole-Hamilton has announced the Scottish Liberal Democrats new spokesperson team, declaring that they are “ready to roll up their sleeves and get things done”.

And the party’s social media gurus clearly had the World Cup in mind when they did their comms on this:

The spokesperson line-up will be as follows:

• Andrew Baxter – Rural Affairs

• Yi-pei Chou Turvey – Justice

• Sanne Dijkstra-Downie – Climate, Environment & Energy

• Duncan Dunlop – Education, Children & Young People

• David Green – Public Service Reform, Europe, External Affairs & Culture

• Adam Harley – Health & Care

• Morven-May MacCallum – Housing, Social Security & Local Government

• Liam McArthur – Economy, Finance & Tourism

• Willie Rennie – Chief Whip & Transport

Alongside his duties as leader, Alex will take on the equalities brief.

Alex said:

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WATCH: Daisy Cooper’s plan to cut energy bills

Yesterday, Daisy Cooper announced measures to cut energy bills. Under Lib Dem plans everyone would get £100 off their bills with more targetted support for, for example, households with disabled people or children or low incomes. Watch her speech here.

She said:

Energy is not a luxury. It’s a basic human need. It’s essential. Every single household in Britain should be able to afford their basic everyday energy needs regardless of what happens in global energy markets, and regardless of who happens to be sitting in Number 10.

For too long, governments have responded to every energy crisis with short-term schemes and sticking plasters, while big corporations have made a fast buck.

That is why we are going after the big energy network operators who are gaming the system, to fund our new Essential Energy Guarantee. It is an absolute scandal that a weak regulator has allowed these monopolies to make billions in windfall profits at the expense of bill payers.

Labour’s leadership contenders have a choice: turn a blind eye to the windfall profits of energy network operators and big banks, or step in to guarantee basic dignity for families. Commit to introducing our Essential Energy Guarantee within your first 100 days.

Our Energy Spokesperson, Pippa Heylings MP, added:

This opportunity is an open goal for giving families the energy bills relief they have been hoping to see for far too long. The unfair profits accumulated by energy network companies must be reigned in and used for the public good.

This is the newest part of a package of common sense policies put forward by the Liberal Democrats: solar on every new home, a new home insulation upgrade programme, breaking the link between electricity and gas prices, and removing the renewables obligation levy.

Time after time we have put no-brainer recommendations to this government but the pace has remained painfully slow. This time they must not sit on the idea, and instead save families struggling with the cost of living now.

 

The small print

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Michael Meadowcroft

Embed from Getty Images

It is with great sadness that we note the passing of Michael Meadowcroft.

The West Leeds Dispatch reports:

“Former Liberal MP for Leeds West, alderman, journalist and political affairs consultant, Michael Meadowcroft, has died at the age of 84 after a short illness, his family have announced.”

We will, of course, carry a full obituary for Michael in due course.

For now, we link to a 2020 piece Michael wrote for Liberal Democrat Voice which politely gave the party a kick up the proverbial, ending with these words:

Posted in Obituaries | Tagged | 30 Comments

Sanne Dijkstra-Downie’s maiden speech in the Scottish Parliamnt

Sanne spoke yesterday in the debate on Scotland’s energy.

Posted in News | Tagged and | 3 Comments

New policy working groups – are you interested?

Three new policy working groups have been set up by the Federal Policy Committee, and they are seeking members. The working groups will take evidence and prepare policy proposals to submit to Autumn Conference 2027. The deadline for applications to join one of the groups is 8th June.

Click here for more information about how policy is developed in the Liberal Democrats.

The new groups are:

Victims of Crime

Victims of crime have been let down for too long. Many wait hours for a police response; many never see their crime investigated or the perpetrator charged; many wait years for the trial, prolonging the trauma.

A new working group will develop policies that cut across traditional policy silos to look at policing, the justice system and other public services from a victims’ perspective.

Apply here

Rural Issues

Rural communities face distinctive challenges and are being let down on everything from transport to health services to crime. They have been failed by a Conservative Government that took rural communities for granted and a Labour Government that clearly doesn’t understand them.

A new working group will develop distinctive Liberal Democrat policies that would protect rural communities’ public services and ensure they have access to decent public transport, affordable housing, adequate broadband connectivity, or protection from crime.

Apply here

Empowering Local Communities

For a hundred years, Liberals and Liberal Democrats have been fighting for fair votes, to give everyone equal power in our democracy and hold all Members of Parliament properly to account. We want to shift more power out of the centre in Whitehall, so local decisions are made by and for the people and communities they affect.

A new policy working group will develop our vision of a society where residents and community groups have far more control over the decisions that affect their communities. This will be a cross-cutting, thematic working, embracing voluntary community activity as well as elected local government.

Apply here

 

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Tanvir Ahmad selected to fight Arbroath and Broughty Ferry by-election

Scottish Liberal Democrats have announced that Tanvir Ahmad has been selected as candidate for the Arbroath and Broughty Ferry by-election which was caused by the election of Stephen Gethins to Holyrood earlier this month.

Tanvir brings over 20 years of experience leading major projects in the technology and telecoms sectors. He has a proven record of building partnerships with global organisations, bringing new innovations to market, and creating opportunities for growth both at home and abroad. Alongside his professional career, he is a Royal Navy Reservist, a grassroots community campaigner who has managed a youth centre for minority communities, and holds both Honours and Masters degrees in International Relations.

At the 2026 Holyrood election, he almost doubled the Scottish Liberal Democrat vote share in the constituency of Dundee City East, campaigning on issues including tackling vandalism and anti-social behaviour, improving housing and supporting households affected by the RAAC scandal.

Tanvir  said:

I am delighted to have been selected to contest the Arbroath and Broughty Ferry by-election.

Too many families in our area are living in poverty, and child hunger is a daily reality. Young people have seen services cut and opportunities dry up, while households are struggling with rising bills and insecure jobs. That has to change.

People have been let down by the SNP, the Conservatives and the Labour party.

Last week, Labour voted against Liberal Democrat proposals for a customs union with the European Union and relaxed sanctions on Russia. That’s not good enough.

Scottish Liberal Democrats believe in fairness for everyone, no matter who you are or where you come from.

I want to fight child poverty and give families the support they deserve. I want to create opportunities for young people through apprenticeships, skills, and safe spaces. And I want to back local businesses to grow, creating secure, well-paid jobs.

People across the constituency feel like things aren’t working. People deserve a change with fairness at its heart and that is what I will be campaigning to deliver.

Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

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Jake Austin is our candidate in Makerfield

Portrait of Jake AustinJake Austin has been selected as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Makerfield in the upcoming by-election, pledging to champion local issues that matter most to residents. Jake is passionate about revitalising our high streets, ⁠improving public transport across the North West, and providing affordable homes for the next generation.

Jake was born and raised in Hindley, and has lived in Greater Manchester his whole life. Hei is a Liberal Democrat Councillor and works in fundraising.

In 2024, Jake was the Liberal Democrat candidate in the Greater Manchester Mayoralty election, increasing the Liberal Democrat vote share against Andy Burnham from the 2021 election.

Jake said:

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Camden legend Flick Rea has died

We are very sad to say that Camden Liberal Democrat legend Flick Rea has died just 4 days after her 88th birthday. She was incredibly loved by many in the party and will be very much missed.

Flick was a Camden Councillor for the Fortune Green Ward from 1986 to 2021 and had two spells as Group Leader. She had started out as an actress, training alongside Glenda Jackson.

In 2022, she was appointed an Honorary Alderman of the London Borough of Camden. You can watch her acceptance speech here.

 

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Lords Parliamentary Party reshuffle – who’s who in the new Parliamentary session

Readers may have noticed over the past few days a few personal announcements as to what certain Peers will be doing now, so we thought that we’d better provide readers with a complete list. And, with thanks to Humphrey Amos from the Lords’ Whips Office, we can announce that our Lords Spokespeople are as follows:

Leader – Jeremy Purvis

Deputy Leaders – Kath Pinnock and Mike Storey

Chief Whip – Dave Goddard

Attorney General – Martin Thomas

Business and Industry – Chris Fox

Cabinet Office – Mark Pack

Culture, Media and Sport – Jane Bonham-Carter, Dominic Addington (Sport) and Liz Barker (Voluntary and Charity Sector)

Defence – Julie Smith

Education – Shaffaq Mohammed and Sue Garden (Higher and Further Education)

Energy and Net Zero – John Russell

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – Olly Grender

Equalities – Meral Hussein-Ece and Paul Scriven (LGBT issues)

Posted in News and Parliament | Tagged | 1 Comment

Is this the first public call for Ed to go?

It is being reported that the our Council Leader in Colchester, David King, has called for a change of leadership. Talking to the BBC’s Simon Dedman, he said;

We need to let the party take the time to look to the future, and that’s my appeal to Sir Ed. It’s politely saying, time’s up.

Whether or not this is simply a reaction to disappointing results in Colchester – the Party lost Shrub End and Stanway wards to Reform – or indicative of a wider movement remains to be seen.

Posted in News | Tagged | 13 Comments

Sunday fun: the uninvited guest at Ed Davey photocall

Yesterday, Ed Davey came up to Edinburgh to celebrate our very good election results

He and Alex Cole-Hamilton filmed a video and had an unexpected guest.

Enjoy.

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And that’s a wrap – thanks everyone!

Millions of steps taken, thousands of doors knocked on and phone calls made. There will be a lot of very tired Lib Dems this evening.

Many of us will have to wait till tomorrow to know the results. Only a few areas are counting tonight and we’ll round up those results in the morning.

Alex Cole-Hamilton has said a big thank you to the teams who have been out across Scotland today:

As polls close I would like to thank all of the Scottish Liberal Democrat candidates and activists who have worked so hard to deliver a positive and energetic campaign from

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How to support Tom Gordon, Helen Morgan and Wendy Chamberlain in the London Marathon

Three of our MPs will be on the carb loading today as they prepare to take part in the London Marathon tomorrow.

 

Tom Gordon, Helen Morgan and Wendy Chamberlain are tackling the 26 mile, 385 yard course starting in Blackheath and finishing on the Mall.

Here at LDV Towers we have our app set up to track them, despite our slight reservations about technology that allows you to do this. Helen’s number is 62224, Tom’s is 59608 and Wendy’s is 72506.

It would be incredibly …

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Ed Davey: Hillary Clinton told me to “stand up to bullies” like Reform UK

Embed from Getty Images

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Greene: Offord must tell Scots if he’ll risk free prescriptions

Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate for Inverclyde, Jamie Greene, has called for Reform UK’s Malcom Offord to come clean on whether he would make Scots pay for medicine.

In 2025, Lord Offord wrote in a Centre for Policy Studies paper that “dialogue” was needed on making people in Scotland pay prescription charges.

Mr Greene claimed that it was Offord’s responsibility to tell the Scottish people exactly what the consequences of voting for Reform UK would be for hard-pressed Scots.

Reform’s UK boss Nigel Farage has a history of flirting with NHS charging and privatisation, once advocating that the health service moves …

Posted in News, Press releases and Scotland | Tagged , and | 2 Comments

Wendy Chamberlain to run London Marathon

It says something about Wendy Chamberlain’s capacity for hard work that in amongst being Chief Whip, an energetic constituency MP, and running the Scottish elections that she’s going to be running the London Marathon two weeks today.

Here she is talking to Radio 5 Live about it this week:

Obviously we wish Wendy all the best in her endeavour, but we should all really put our money where our mouths are too. Wendy is using her run as an opportunity to raise money for two charities very close to her heart.

Wendy has been raising the issue of PANS PANDAS ever since a constituent came to her not long after she was elected. Donate here.

PANS PANDAS UK is a charity that was established by a dedicated group of parents with children that are affected by these conditions who were determined to make a difference to how these conditions are understood by both the general public and the medical profession.

I came across the conditions during my constituency work when I was contacted by a family who were struggling to support their daughter and navigating health and education challenges. I became a member of the All Party Parliamentary Group for PANS PANDAs and led a debate in Parliament. Following the General Election in 2024 I secured a meeting for the charity with the relevant health minister.

Support for PANS PANDAS remains very patchy with families often dependent on having a supportive GP who is willing to consider the conditions as the cause of the very distressing symptoms that include OCD, tics, restrictive eating behaviours, anxiety and enuresis. The money raised from my maraton efforts will be used to support further research.

And we know from her Carer’s Leave Act how much supporting carers means to her. She is also raising money for Fife Carers’ Centre. Donate here.

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Campaigner to take part in Kiltwalk to raise money for Scottish Autism

Lib Dem campaigner, Michael Gregori, is taking part in the Glasgow Kiltwalk on Sunday, 26th April, in support of Scottish Autism — one of Scotland’s leading charities dedicated to supporting autistic people and their families.

The Glasgow Kiltwalk brings together thousands of participants from across Scotland each year. Walkers take on routes through the heart of the city to raise funds and awareness for causes close to their hearts. Every penny donated and every mile walked goes toward strengthening local charities and the communities they serve.

By participating in the event, Michael Gregori aims to raise vital funds and shine a light on the invaluable work Scottish Autism does every day to enhance the quality of life for individuals on the autism spectrum. The charity provides essential care, education, advocacy, and support services to both autistic people and their families across Scotland.

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Depeerage packages

House of Lords. Photo: Parliamentary copyright images are reproduced with the permission of Parliament

Ninety-two hereditary Peers of the Realm are packing up their ermine and saying farewell to their traditional home from home. As Liberal Democrats we are pleased that Parliament has taken one more step towards the full reform of the House of Lords – although we won’t rest until we have a fully elected Upper House.

But spare a thought for those departing peers. They are the product of families who have served this country for many hundreds of years, with many lifetimes of experience in scrutinising legislation. Many of them have been highly effective members and will be missed as individuals. Some will, no doubt, be returning as appointed life peers but the majority will just have to leave that exciting life behind them and go back to their mundane homes and families. We should acknowledge the contribution they have made to our country and help them to make the transition.

Liberal Democrats are proposing that departing hereditary peers should be offered a Depeerage Package. The exact contents are under debate but are expected to include the following:

  • Free lifetime access to the bars and dining rooms in the Palace of Westminster
  • Counselling services and yoga therapy for withdrawal symptoms
  • Access to a specialist private care home if needed
  • Severance lump sum calculated as two daily allowances for each year of service in the Lords.
  • Dedicated 24 hour help line – at least for the first year.
  • A farewell goodie bag containing aromatherapy oils, Jaffa cakes and a House of Lords teddy bear.

If you have any suggestions for additional items please tell us in the comments below.

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Davey: Lib Dems have the wind in our sails

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton and Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey yesterday declared that the wind is in the party’s sails as they took to the water on a visit in Edinburgh.

After sailing a boat under the iconic Forth bridges, the party leaders set out their desire to “smash the Scottish Conservatives and dismantle the acid yellow wall of the SNP” to a horde of party activists.

The party is targeting ten constituency seats across Scotland having proven that it can gain seats from the SNP, while taking seats on the peach regional ballot paper by targeting moderate voters shocked …

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WATCH: Hina Bokhari speak to yesterday’s Together Alliance march in London

Yesterday, Together Alliance, a coalition of civil society groups aimed at standing up to the far right held a march in London at which our Leader in the London Assembly, Hina Bokhari, spoke.

Watch her speech here.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Hina Bokhari OBE AM (@hinabokharild)

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Recent Comments

  • Jason Connor
    Excellent and a good speaker. Highly admired in Richmond and would certainly get my vote...
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