The past week has seen a series of Liberal Democrat interventions, boldly calling for stronger links between the United Kingdom and Europe. Ed Davey reads every word I write, apparently…
But seriously, it’s nice to see our Party making the weather on Europe, and interesting to see the media response. And it’s not that there’s any sense of desperation – we are, after all, the largest third party in Parliament for a century or so – but the approach is consistent with our core beliefs over decades. In the absence of a credible centre-right political force in this country (and I’m really not suggesting that we fill that vacancy), offering positive reasons to support us has to be a good thing.
The suggestion that we need to rebuild our relationship with the European Union is obviously linked to the rather menacing threat of tariffs on imports from whatever countries offend Donald Trump on any given day, but I am surprised to hear British politicians who say that we should prioritise seeking a trade deal with the United States. And yes, a decent trade agreement with the world’s largest economy would undoubtedly be helpful but is any such deal viable with an “emotionally erratic billionaire with the temperament of one of those kids in Willy Wonka”?
Patel on Trump: “naive and dangerous”, say Lib Dems
Davey: Trump presidency “deeply worrying for millions”
Pressure rises on Govt as two in three Labour voters back closer ties with Europe given Trump presidency
More than 11,000 malicious calls to ambulance service in past decade
2024 the worst year on record at A&E
Patel on Trump: “naive and dangerous”, say Lib Dems
Responding to Priti Patel’s comments about the Trump presidency on Laura Kuenssberg’s programme this morning, Calum Miller MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs, said:
Priti Patel’s comments on her ‘trust’ in Trump are naive and dangerous. The incoming US administration will be one to watch carefully, to deal with critically – not one in which we should put blind faith.
Her desire to rush into a free trade deal between the UK and US – one that could sell British farmers and food standards down the river – reminds us of where her and her party’s true alliances lie: with the Mar-a-Lago clan, not with constituents here in Britain.
The Conservatives are competing with Reform to be most submissive toward Trump, but we should be approaching the new President from a position of strength.
The Liberal Democrats will continue to push for a fair deal for British people – beginning with a new UK-EU customs union that boosts UK growth.
Davey: Trump presidency “deeply worrying for millions”
Commenting as Trump’s inauguration takes place today , Ed Davey, Leader of the Liberal Democrats, said:
Donald Trump returning to the White House will be deeply worrying for millions of people in the UK and around the world. With a President who promises trade wars, undermines NATO and praises Vladimir Putin, the threats to our national security and our economy are clear.
The UK must lead on the world stage again, standing up for our interests by working closely with other countries – above all our European neighbours.
While Nigel Farage toadies up to Donald Trump and Elon Musk in Washington, Liberal Democrats are working hard for our communities here in the UK. We will press the Government to be far more ambitious and positive in fixing our relationship with Europe, to strengthen Britain’s hand when it comes to dealing with Trump.
Pressure rises on Govt as two in three Labour voters back closer ties with Europe given Trump presidency
A two-thirds majority (64%) of 2024 Labour voters agree that the UK should build closer “economic and security ties with Europe” given Trump’s incoming presidency, polling commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has revealed – piling pressure on the Government to accelerate talks on UK-EU relations as the new presidency gets under way.
Continuing where we left off yesterday, let’s look at some of the other proposals in Policy Paper 47.
Those who work in the criminal justice system know that the ‘simple’ possession offence is the one that comes most often before the criminal courts, and Class B is frequently the most common because it covers cannabis, easily the most ‘popular’ of drugs. I can count on one hand (maybe slight hyperbole) the number of people who have said “yes, I had that drug for supply”. It is always for ‘personal use’ and if that’s the case, how do you prosecute those people if personal use is legal? People could legitimately stockpile large quantities for their own use, or cultivate it, and it would be extraordinarily difficult to prove supply without further intelligence gathering – the very expenditure that this policy paper suggests is inefficient.
The policy paper suggests that a policy of imposing imprisonment for simple possession should be avoided. The situation must have changed since 2001 because anyone – probably everyone – who works in the criminal justice system today will tell you that unless they are charged with dozens of offences, defendants do not receive imprisonment for simple possession. These offences are most usually dealt with by way of a fine and forfeiture and destruction of the drug. I can honestly say, in years of working in the field, I have never seen someone given imprisonment for a simple possession offence where that is the only offence before the court.
Conversely, the policy advocates a zero-tolerance policy on drug driving. That has been overtaken by changes in legislation, as there are now legal limits for drugs use when driving. However, it is hard to imagine reconciling a “use as you see fit” policy on drugs with an “absolutely not” policy on drug driving. People typically do not realise how long drugs stay in the system as they metabolise and I can easily foresee scenarios where people are charged with drug driving and plead not guilty, arguing the government has said they can use drugs, and they didn’t know it was still in their system. This will only pour fuel on the fire of the court backlog issue. This would perhaps be manageable only if, as the policy paper suggests, more was poured into drug awareness and education.
At one point the paper suggests imposing a public policy instruction that it isn’t in the public interest to prosecute certain drugs offences. The drafters of this policy clearly didn’t appreciate the role of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), and the role of the legislature. If you don’t want something to be prosecuted, you repeal the offence. You do not try and dictate what the CPS – an arms-length, independent prosecuting agency – does and does not prosecute. Down that road lies madness and a corruption of the role of both the government and the prosecuting agencies.
Trump’s run of good luck continues. It seems likely that all but one of his cabinet nominations will be confirmed by the Senate. Congressman Matt Gaetz was the longest of long shots for Attorney General. The Ethics Committee investigation into his drug-fuelled sex antics ruled him out.
Fox News presenter Pete Hesgeth was also expected to fail in his bid to become America’s next Secretary of Defense. A seedy past and lack of experience worked against him. But Hesgeth put up a good show against tough questioning from the Democratic members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. There is nothing the Republican senators like more than a conservative who successfully fights his corner. He is expected to be confirmed on Tuesday.
The same with Pam Bondi who replaced Matt Gaetz as Trump’s choice for Attorney General. Ms Bondi sort of mollified senators when she denied that there was a “enemies list” compiled of people Trump wants prosecuted. But she then qualified this by refusing to rule out taking action against Jack Smith, the Special Prosecutor appointed to investigate the president-elect.
Smith, for his part, is clearly angry that he will not be able to drag Donald Trump into court. This week he released a partially redacted set of documents which clearly stated that if Trump had not been elected president he would be seeing his tailor for an orange onesie. The documents claimed that Trump was guilty of election interference, disrupting an official proceeding of Congress, stealing and hiding classified documents and, almost certainly, trying to overthrow the US government.
Jack Smith is, according to FBI nominee, Kash Patel, at the top of his “enemies list”. Patel has yet to be questioned by a Senate Committee, but he has publicly said that there is an enemy list. Patel, however, will be reporting to Pam Bondi.
Trump meanwhile has insisted that there is a “patriot’s list.” That is an unidentified number of people who were prosecuted for invading the Capitol Building on January 6, 2020. He has promised that he will pardon them. He does not need the assistance of Patel or Bondi to do so. He just needs a pen and paper.
Russia
They call it hybrid warfare. Russia is becoming a master practitioner across Europe and beyond. It involves, misinformation campaigns, cyberattacks espionage and sabotage of military facilities and critical infrastructure, damaging undersea pipelines and electricity cables and interfering in democratic elections.
This week Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that the Russians were even plotting to blow up airliners, “not just against Poland, but against airlines across the globe,” he insisted.
Meanwhile the German government this week ordered police and the air force to shoot down the growing number of drones flying over German and American military bases and critical infrastructure. The Interior Minister said they were suspected of sabotage and espionage.
But the most disturbing incidents have involved undersea cables and pipelines in the Baltic. They carry gas supplies, electricity, 95 percent of the internet traffic and $10 trillion worth of annual financial transactions.
As a solicitor working in the field of criminal law, I see people charged with offences involving controlled drugs every day. There are many offences, but to name just some:
Possession with intent to supply
Being concerned in the supply
Cultivation
Driving under the influence of drugs
Fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on importing/exporting a controlled drug
Supply (and intent to supply) psychoactive substances
And of course, the one everyone is most familiar with, the offence of simply being in possession of a controlled drug.
The Law
The law on controlled drugs is quite simple and codified in the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. I won’t go into it in much detail, but it might be an interesting read for those not already familiar.
For those unfamiliar with the way courts in England & Wales sentence cases, the sentencing bench (whether that’s a bench of magistrates or a District Judge in the Magistrates’ Court, or a Circuit Judge in the Crown Court) are assisted by sentencing guidelines. Drugs offences come under various different headings, but the guidelines helpfully include a search function, and searching “drug” brings many of them up (hopefully this link will assist).
Liberal Democrat Policy
The 2024 manifesto has a section on Crime and Policing, but does not touch on the party’s policy regarding drugs. However, Policy Paper 47 is based entirely around the policy and offers some interesting perspectives and suggestions. Published in 2001, many of the suggestions have now been outstripped by advances in the law, but I believe – and may well be proven wrong – it remains the most complete policy proposal drafted. On speaking to Liberal Democrats over the years it seems to me that many would support the policies contained within.
I’ve included above a link to the policy paper. To name just a few of the suggestions, we have:
Implementing a policy of non-prosecution for possession, cultivation for own use, and social supply of cannabis. This would not involve repealing the offence but would involve a public policy declaration that it is not in the public interest to prosecute these types of offences.
Re-classifying cannabis as a Class C drug and permitting medicinal use of cannabis derivatives.
Ending imprisonment as a punishment for possession of a Class B or Class C drug, where it was for personal use.
All of these suggestions, and the rest, are said to come with many benefits, primarily:
Reducing the impact of drug-related crime on law-abiding citizens
Encouraging more “problem” drug users to come forward for treatment, without fear of being stigmatised
Increasing the resources available for, and the credibility of, drugs education.
My Response
In my view this policy paper, and subsequent suggestions that the Liberal Democrats should be the party of legalisation, is wrong. I do not doubt the motives or beliefs of those who support legislation, but in my view, legalisation takes us down the wrong path.
The statistics are obviously quite old now, but it was suggested in the late 1990s that the number of “hard” drug addicts (i.e., those using Class A drugs, like crack cocaine) had risen to 270,000, and the size of the drugs market in 1998 was estimated at £6.6 billion (then 0.66% of GDP). The suggestion in the paper is that the policy of criminalising drug use – especially for personal use – was disproportionate and when the figures were balanced (62% of spending then went on prosecutions, as opposed to only 25% of education) the policy clearly favoured criminalisation above everything else. This, the paper suggested, was forcing drug-users to hardened criminals for supply and away from possible education and support resources. All of this, in turn, would only drive drug use up.
They were celebrating in Gaza City when the ceasefire was announced on Wednesday. Men, women and children ran into the streets to shout, cry and pray.
Then the Israeli bombs started to fall again. 110 more Palestinians died. Shortly afterwards it was announced that a last-minute hiccup had delayed Israeli cabinet approval. Will the ceasefire hold?
The deal is the result of constant 24/7 negotiations brokered by Egypt, Qatar and the US. The bones of the agreement were announced by Biden in May. Benjamin Netanyahu, however, rejected it at the time.
Donald Trump and Joe Biden can both take a share of the credit. Biden for negotiating the deal and winning UN backing. Trump for saying he would back what Biden parleyed. It was a rare moment of cross-party foreign policy-making and undercut Netanyahu’s hopes of a better agreement from Donald Trump.
The ceasefire itself is in three clear phases. Phase one is due to start on Sunday and last six weeks. It involves the partial withdrawal of Israeli forces; an increased flow of humanitarian aid and the release of some Palestinian prisoners.
Phase two—also six weeks long—calls for the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. The return of all remaining live hostages and the release of more Palestinian prisoners and “the return to a sustainable calm.”
Phase three is the start of the reconstruction of Gaza. The return of the bodies of an estimated 32 dead hostages and the release of more Palestinian prisoners. The US, Egypt and Qatar are all committed to ensuring that both sides comply and that the ceasefire goes well beyond the first few months and becomes the basis of further agreements.
But there are a host of hurdles at which ceasefire could fall. Possibly the biggest is opposition from the Religious Zionist Party led by Finance Minister Ben Smotrich. He has said he would vote against the ceasefire unless there is a clear commitment to resume fighting once all the hostages are released. He said: “Our continued presence in the government depends on the absolute certainty of resuming the war with full force.”
Triple lock: Lib Dems launching new attack ad following Badenoch’s plans to cut the state pension
Badenoch’s triple lock comments: Lib Dems launch new poster van attack ad outside CCHQ
ONS health data: “sickening” research damning for government’s lack of action
McArthur responds to Polmont FAI determination
Lib Dems call on new Welsh Conservative Leader to disown Badenoch’s plans to cut state pension
Triple lock: Lib Dems launching new attack ad following Badenoch’s plans to cut the state pension
The Liberal Democrats will be launching a new attack ad following Kemi Badenoch’s comments yesterday that she will consider means testing the triple lock.
The ad will highlight Kemi Badenoch’s three major announcements so far, cutting maternity pay which she described as ‘excessive’, slashing the state pension and putting UK interests at risk by sucking up to Elon Musk and Donald Trump.
A Liberal Democrat source said:
First Kemi Badenoch came for the mothers and now she has set her sights on the grandmothers.
Millions of pensioners felt betrayed by Labour’s cut to the Winter Fuel Payment, now it’s clear their pensions wouldn’t be safe with the Conservatives.
We will be reminding pensioners at every opportunity that Kemi Badenoch wants to take an axe to the triple lock.
Badenoch’s triple lock comments: Lib Dems launch new poster van attack ad outside CCHQ
The Liberal Democrats have today launched a new attack ad with a poster van outside CCHQ after Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch said that she would look at means testing the triple lock.
The Liberal Democrats have said Badenoch’s comments will “send a shiver down the spine of pensioners” and that the Conservatives “want to come after their state pension”.
The poster pictures Kemi Badenoch and an elderly woman with the warning: “don’t let the Conservatives wreck your pension”.
Liberal Democrat Care and Carers spokesperson Alison Bennett MP, who launched the poster van outside CCHQ today, said:
Kemi Badenoch’s comments will have sent a shiver down the spine of millions of pensioners across the country.
Older people have already seen Winter Fuel Payments ripped away by the Labour government and now the Conservatives want to come after their state pension.
The Liberal Democrats are proud we introduced the triple lock to protect people’s pensions. We will fight to protect pensioners from Conservative attempts to scrap it every step of the way.
There were two principal council by-elections running this week, both Lib Dem defences in the Western Counties. We successfully defended one and just barely lost out on the other.
In Cotswold DC, Cllr Andrea Pellegram comfortably won the seat over second place Reform in the Chesterton ward. Congratulations to Andrea and the local team for getting almost half of the votes and holding the seat!
In the other election in the Western Counties, Hossein Pirooz placed a close second in the Saltford ward in Bath & North East Somerset Council, only 4 votes behind the independent who gained the seat from us. It was a close but unfortunate result, thank you to Hossein for standing and the local team for all the effort put in, you’ll get them next time.
Bath & North East Somerset Council, Saltford
Independent: 587 (29.8%, +5.4%)
Liberal Democrat (Hossein Pirooz): 583 (29.6%, -10.5%)
Conservative: 375 (19.0%, -1.7%)
Reform: 205 (10.4%, new)
Green Party: 159 (8.1%, +1.4%)
Labour: 60 (3.0%, -5.0%)
For a full summary of these results, and all other principal council by-elections, please refer to the ALDC by-elections page here.
For those who, like me, prefer to absorb information, arguments, proposals and inspiration from reading print rather than listening to podcasts I present below what I believe to be the key points from the Green Book podcast featured on LDV on Wednesday 15th January, in which Chris Bowers chairs contributions from Layla Moran, Lynne Featherstone and Timothy Garton Ash.
An important feature of Liberalism is its (our?) capacity for self-criticism.
Fundamental to Liberalism is to place limits on ALL forms of power.
Over the centuries in the West Liberalism has had considerable success in placing limits on public power.
However, especially in recent years, we’re failing to limit private power. (eg Musk and the tech companies, fossil-fuel lobbyists, newspaper owners, et al.)
Aspects of both “neo” Liberalism and “woke” Liberalism have caused large sections of the electorates to stop listening to us.
“Neo” liberalism because the economic gains have gone largely to the “already haves” and not improved the lots of the “ordinary working family.”
“Woke ” liberalism, with its laudable concerns for the fair treatment and respect for the feelings of eg people of colour, the disabled, gays, lesbians etc., tend to make the white working class, especially the men (defined vividly by American commentator Tucker Carlsen “people who can actually change a flat tyre”) feel that Liberals “are concerned about everyone but me.”
Lib Dems are renowned for their love of real ale, so perhaps it is no surprise that nine years ago Duncan Borrowman and Grace Goodlad decided to transform a failing pub into a community hub dedicated to real ale and craft beers. Many a party activist has made their way to The Bailey Head in Oswestry, especially during the by-election campaign in North Shropshire.
And now the couple have just been awarded the highest accolade in the pub world – CAMRA’s Pub of the Year.
The Bailey Head in Oswestry, Shropshire has been named the Campaign for Real Ale’s overall Pub of the Year for the first time.https://t.co/hCsA9xOIgR
“You’ve got to have good beer to win, but that’s not enough on it’s own,” Grace said.
“It’s all the other bits, the added value, that’s what makes the difference I think.”
“You’re judged on your beer quality, and Duncan runs the cellar so that’s definitely down to him,” she told the BBC.
“But then it also looks at things like hygiene, the welcome you get from staff, staff’s knowledge…whether or not you’re involved in supporting the local community.”
The pair estimates they had about 30 visits from judges before winning the award, but at the time had no idea they were being judged.
As if that didn’t take up enough of their lives, both Duncan and Grace are standing as candidates for Shropshire Council, Grace in Oswestry South and Duncan in Llanymynech. Winners, both of them!
GDP Figures: Government must see sense and scrap jobs tax
Liberal Democrats table motion forcing Government to release analysis of potential Trump trade war
Badenoch speech: half-hearted apology does not absolve her from toxic legacy
Triple lock: “bungling Badenoch’s” first policy is to slash the state pension
Carmichael welcomes RFA vertical launch licence
McArthur calls for clarity over BP job losses
GDP Figures: Government must see sense and scrap jobs tax
Responding to GDP growing by 0.1% in November, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:
The Chancellor has put the handbrake on the economy with her misguided jobs tax and the consequence is this pitiful rate of growth.
Every month this persists means less money in struggling families pockets and public services without the funding they need.
After years of the Conservatives’ economic vandalism, the public was crying out for change but this new government is falling well short of fixing this mess.
Rachel Reeves needs to see sense and scrap her foolish jobs tax and pursue a real strategy for growth like fixing our broken trade relationship with our European partners and replacing the broken business rates system.
Liberal Democrats table motion forcing Government to release analysis of potential Trump trade war
The Liberal Democrats are tabling a ‘Humble Address’ motion which would force the Government to release its analysis of the potential impact of Trump tariffs on the UK economy.
It follows reports that the Government has conducted internal assessments of how a potential trade war with the US may hit the UK economy, but is refusing to publish them.
The Liberal Democrat motion will call urgently for the publication of all impact assessments conducted by the Government regarding the impact of Trump’s tariffs ahead of his inauguration on 20 January.
Humble Address motions have been successfully used in the past, including in 2017 when the Government was forced to publish an impact assessment of Brexit on the economy.
The new US administration’s purported plans may involve tariffs of up to 20 percent on UK exports, which could hit the UK economy by £22bn according to the research conducted at the University of Sussex.
Every three years the Liberal Democrat embark on a series of elections to Federal (ie national) Committees. These include the Federal Board, Federal Council (which scrutinises the Board), Federal Policy Committee, Federal Conference Committee and Federal International relations Committee. In addition, the roles of President and Vice President are also up for election.
The party is recruiting a voluntary Returning Officer to oversee all these elections later this year. Full details of the requirements can be seen here Volunteer role: Returning Officer (Federal Elections). In short, they are looking for “an organised, authoritative and impartial person” who can oversee the team of staff who will carry out the administration of the elections.
Person specification
The successful candidate will possess experience of project management involving multiple stakeholders, ideally in circumstances where arbitration, conflict resolution, or adjudication have been required.
They will have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, even in difficult circumstances. Attention to detail, calmness under pressure and good judgement are required.
Interestingly, the party is hoping to widen its pool of potential Returning Officers.
Experience as a Returning Officer, either within the Party or externally, is not required but advantageous.
If you are interested then read this page. Applications close on 4th February.
Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey will today call on the Government to negotiate a new UK-EU Customs Union, to boost Britain’s economy and ability to deal with the incoming Trump Presidency from a position of strength.
In his first major speech of the year, Ed Davey will criticise the Labour Government for ruling out a Customs Union with the EU, saying it would be the best way to tear down trade barriers and “turbocharge our economy in the medium and long term.”
He will call on ministers to negotiate a new deal with the EU this year, with the goal of forming a Customs Union by 2030 at the latest, arguing this will allow the UK to “deal with President Trump from a position of strength, not weakness.”
He will then criticise Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch for wanting to go “cap in hand” to Donald Trump and “beg for whatever trade deal he’ll give us.” And he will criticise Nigel Farage for “fawning over Trump and licking his boots”, being “more interested in advancing Trump’s agenda over here than the UK’s interests over there.”
RCN survey: “Harrowing” corridor care testimony reveals a government leaving staff with “hands tied behind their backs”
Cole-Hamilton comments on embargoed RCN report on overcrowding
RCN survey: “Harrowing” corridor care testimony reveals a government leaving staff with “hands tied behind their backs”
Responding to a Royal College of Nursing survey which shows that two-thirds of NHS nursing staff are saying they are delivering care in over-crowded or unsuitable places such as corridors, converted cupboards and even car parks on a daily basis, Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care spokesperson Helen Morgan MP said:
This report is harrowing. To think that patients are receiving desperately
Public Accounts Committee SEND Report: Urgent reform needed
Inflation: economy is “stuck in the mud”
PMQs: Davey urges PM to create visa route to attract high-skilled Americans fleeing Trump
Davey: Israel-Gaza ceasefire must lead to a lasting peace and two-state solution
Public Accounts Committee SEND Report: Urgent reform needed
Responding to the PAC report on SEND provision, Munira Wilson MP, Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson, said:
This report lays bare what we already knew to be the dire truth: that a wrecked system of SEND provision in this country is failing children and families every single day.
Wales rail runding letter – more than warm words needed
David Chadwick challenges UK Government over proposals to extend waiting times for Powys patients
Wales rail runding letter – more than warm words needed
Responding to a letter sent by Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens and Transport Minster Heidi Alexander to First Minister Eluned Morgan regarding Welsh rail funding, Welsh Liberal Democrat Westminster Spokesperson David Chadwick MP said:
More than warm words are needed to fix Welsh railways.
This statement doesn’t commit to any specific extra funding and doesn’t commit to the full devolution of our railways, which is what is needed to stop scandals like that around HS2 consequential funding from happening again.
The letter also doesn’t mention Mid or West Wales at all. Rural areas are too often neglected by Labour. While billions of pounds are being spent on the South Wales Metro, rail services in rural parts of Wales like the Heart of Wales Line and Cambrian Line are being cut.
The Welsh Liberal Democrats will continue to fight for Wales to receive the funding it deserves for rail, including HS2 consequentials in full.
David Chadwick challenges UK Government over proposals to extend waiting times for Powys patients
Welsh Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon, Radnor, and Cwm Tawe, David Chadwick, has strongly condemned proposals that would extend waiting times for patients in Powys receiving treatment in English hospitals under the Powys Teaching Health Board.
Chadwick described the proposals as “utterly unacceptable,” arguing that they undermine both the Welsh and UK Government’s commitments to reducing NHS waiting times. He warned that they may also violate the Statement of Values governing cross-border healthcare between Wales and England.
By Chris Bowers
| Wed 15th January 2025 - 12:59 pm
They say that to be a Liberal you have to be an incorrigible optimist. Yet, even with a record number of Lib Dem MPs, it’s hard to be optimistic in a global political environment witnessing the onward march of populism.
But what if discovering a seam of hope and optimism and representing it in British politics was in fact the best way of countering the rise of populism? With a tired and irresponsible government making way after 14 years for a new administration with an awful inheritance that’s made some errors in its first few months, it’s difficult to see where any optimism is going to come from. Then again, if any is to emerge, it’s likely to be from that optimistic creed known as Liberalism.
That is the underlying premise behind the latest in the series of Green Book podcasts, which has seen discussions among leading liberal figures on a range of subjects. For the series’ first post-election podcast, the subject was the less easily defined issue of ‘hope and optimism’, and the discussion brought together the Lib Dem health select committee chair Layla Moran, the former minister Lynne Featherstone, and the professor of history and liberalism Timothy Garton Ash, with me as moderator.
Again hosted by LibDem Podcasts, listen in to their discussion on all the main platforms or watch here:
A group of Liberal Democrats have called on Keir Starmer to back Lib Dem MP Roz Savage’s Climate and Nature Bill when it comes up in Parliament on 24 January. In a letter signed by 58 MPs and Peers they say:
We, Liberal Democrats, commend your and the Government’s determination to elevate the UK’s global climate and nature leadership. However, without legislation that unites our climate and nature plans, they will continue to be developed in isolation. This means your clean energy and nature restoration ambitions may fail—and, equally worryingly—may make both crises worse.
There is, however, a golden opportunity for you and the Government to showcase cross-party consensus on the need for an integrated approach to the climate-nature crisis. The CAN Bill would deliver a joined-up framework, ensuring that Britain meets its international commitments for climate and nature, as part of expediting your plans to build a nature positive, net zero economy.
Roz’s Bill should have a five hour debating slot on 24th January.
The Climate and Nature Bill is guaranteed a five-hour Parliamentary debate during its second reading on 24 January 2025. It already has the backing of some 250 Parliamentarians, including Sir Ed Davey, Carla Denyer, and Zac Goldsmith. It enjoys the support of 10,000s of members of the public, more than 1,100 businesses and organisations, as well as 1,000 climate and health experts
High-profile endorsers include Co-Operative Bank, The Body Shop, Oxfam, Save British Farming, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, Ecotricity, The Wildlife Trusts and Triodos Bank.
Unless this Bill gets Government time, it is unlikely to become law. This would be a very easy win for Starmer and Labour so let’s hope they see sense.
McArthur comments on assisted dying evidence session
Carmichael welcomes protection of coastguard helicopter readiness
Tulip Siddiq resignation: People expected better from this government
Following Tulip Siddiq’s resignation as Treasury Minister, Sarah Olney MP, Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office spokesperson, said:
It’s right Tulip Siddiq resigned, you can’t have an anti-corruption minister mired in a corruption scandal.
After years of Conservative sleaze and scandal, people rightly expected better from this government.
Worst 8 hour A&E wait times in 2 years
Responding to new figures showing only 58.7% of people attending A&E were seen within the 4 hour target in the week ending 5th January, while 18.3% of people waited over 8 hours (the worst since January 2023) and 9.1% waited over 12 hours, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader and health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton said:
These figures show almost 1 in 5 waited more than 8 hours at A&E, the worst for nearly 2 years. It is now clear that the SNP’s NHS Recovery Plan has completely failed.
These waits are intolerable for staff and patients alike. The Scottish Government needs to start taking urgent action to address these conditions.
Scottish Liberal Democrats would overhaul the SNP’s failed NHS Recovery Plan, get you fast access to GPs and help people leave hospital on time through a new UK-wide minimum wage for care workers that is £2 higher.
More than 2,000 people stuck in hospital
Responding to new Public Health Scotland figures showing 2,020 people were stuck in hospital at the November census due to their discharge being delayed, amongst the worst on record, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:
SNP mismanagement has led to eye-watering numbers of people stuck in hospital unnecessarily because they can’t get the care they need at home or in the community.
This creates a backlog right across our NHS, contributing to agonising waits in A&E and ambulances stacking up outside the front door. It goes to show that you can’t save our NHS unless you fix the care crisis.
The Health Secretary needs to re-write the failed NHS Recovery Plan. It’s also essential to drop the doomed takeover of social care that has already seen millions wasted on bureaucracy instead of being spent on services and staff to enable people to leave hospital on time.
Since billionaire Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, the platform has become a stage for amplifying far-right views, sparking widespread concern across the political landscape. Musk is far from a free-speech absolutist. He frequently bans accounts because they criticise him and praises authoritarian leaders. Musk’s interventions, both direct and through the accounts he boosts (and his alt-account he uses to praise himself), have elevated controversial far-right groups.
The present government’s plan to remove the remaining hereditary peers throws a spotlight on an awkward problem: might this inadvertently undermine the idea of political office as public service, at a time when that is already under threat from people who act as if lying to get elected is acceptable?
On the one hand, it’s hard to reconcile an unelected upper chamber with a modern democracy, which is why Lords reform has been Liberal Democrat policy for a long time. Within that, the hereditary peers are the hardest aspect to defend.
Social Care: Ministers need to “get their act together” and complete review by end of the year
Responding to social sector leaders saying that social care can “ill afford” to wait three years for final decisions on reform, Liberal Democrat Care and Carers spokesperson Alison Bennett MP said:
It is blindingly obvious that social care has been in crisis for years and is now on the brink of collapse.
It is having unbearable consequences for patients, unpaid family carers and for the NHS as a whole as without a functioning social care sector the health service cannot function.
Market turmoil: Reeves should hold emergency summit with banks to reassure mortgage holders
Scottish Government forced to climb down on ministerial power grab of legal profession
Market turmoil: Reeves should hold emergency summit with banks to reassure mortgage holders
Following the cost of government borrowing continuing to rise, exceeding the near 30-year high it hit last week, the Liberal Democrats have called on the Chancellor to hold an emergency summit with the banks to reassure mortgage holders that they won’t see a major spike in their mortgage costs.
It comes as experts warn that mortgage rates may rise in the coming weeks as lenders …
The Farron Review is an excellent piece of work, the east option as a party would have been to paint a glowing image of success following our General Election. Yet the review does not shy away from asking some difficult questions of our structures and what we can improve going forward.
The main area singled out for criticism is our candidates process. At the moment, our candidates process is that people who wish to stand for any office above that of a local councillor, must attend and pass, an approval day (think grad scheme assessment day). Once they have done so they are on the list of approved candidates and can put their name forward for any seat that advertises.
In addition to this, if someone wishes to stand for a body such as the London Assembly, or as a Police and Crime Commissioner, they must first pass the Westminster approval day, then take a conversion test to become an approved candidate for that body.
In England, this entire process is run by the English Party, leading to an extraordinary concentration of power in the hands of very few people. In Scotland and Wales, the state parties have control over their selection processes particularly for Holyrood and Cardiff Bay.
Three hours before the deadline for General Election nominations on June 7th, 2024, I resigned as a Labour councillor and as Chair of the Bromsgrove Labour Party. I stood as an independent parliamentary candidate, secured 1561 votes, while Labour lost by 3016 votes to the Conservatives. I have since joined the Lib Dems as I explain below, and we are now the main opposition on Bromsgrove District Council.
Why did I leave the Labour Party and stand against its official candidate? I had poured my heart and soul into leading the Labour Party in Bromsgrove, transforming it from a gathering that struggled to reach quorum (with fewer than five attendees in 2021) to a team of eight dedicated councillors within three years. Throughout my tenure as a councillor, I earned the respect and trust of all political parties in Bromsgrove, culminating in a unanimous vote to chair the council for a second term in May 2024, just before the General Election was called.
The decision to resign from Labour weighed on me heavily, but the Party had behaved in a very undemocratic way, and after deep reflection, I knew I had to leave. The local party had been trying to appoint me as its candidate for some time and had been pressing the National Executive Committee (NEC) for action. But on 24 May, it received an email from HQ announcing that Neena Gill, a former MEP, was to be the candidate. I received a phone call the following day from a member of the NEC from which I gathered that I had failed the “due diligence test”. When I pressed for the report, they told me it might be shared after the elections, but not before. I saw this as an affront to the democratic process that denied me the opportunity to understand the basis of their rejection. I submitted a data access request after the General Election, but I was not allowed to see it.
During my time as a councillor, I had focussed very much on local issues but, following Israel’s war on Gaza, I started to post and write about Palestine, including the ICJ ruling, and my father’s harrowing story of ethnic cleansing in Jerusalem in the Nakba of 1948. It became clear to me in the days after the nomination fiasco that this is what had upset people in the higher echelons of Labour who are/were keen to suppress pro-Palestinian voices and who were probably uncomfortable to discover that my father was Palestinian.
Initially, local councillors tried to persuade Gill to step aside and called on the Party to reconsider its decision. But then, twenty-four hours before my resignation, all councillors but two were photographed championing the parachuted candidate.
Reading Michal Siewniak’s interesting article on public transport provision, I stopped to think more generally about public transport in this great country of ours. Specifically, I thought about the rail network.
I use the train almost every weekday. As a resident in Greater Manchester who works in Cheshire – and doesn’t drive – I rely on the trains to get me to and from work. I’m up early in the morning, and my departure from work is usually timed around when the next available train should be.
I say should be, because we all know the situation as far as train provision in this country goes. An analysis of National Rail data in 2023 should that almost half of trains across Britain were at least one minute late. Between 1st January and 31st July 2023, 3% of trains were cancelled and only 56% of trains were on time. By 9th November 2024, the number of train delays and cancellations had continued to rise; 368,843 were cancelled on the day and a further 33,209 cancellations were classed as “pre-cancelled” i.e., cancelled by 10pm the previous evening.
I do sometimes just sit and wonder – how did we let it get this way? Whilst many of us have become regular users of the various delay repay schemes, why have we gotten to a position where that is the norm? if one were to travel to many European and Asian countries, the thought of public transport – and trains in particular – being regularly delayed or cancelled mortifies the operator. In the United Kingdom, however, we seem to have just come to accept the provision of an extremely poor and unreliable service as the norm.
Record 518,000 trolley waits of 12 hours or more last year – up 400-fold in less than a decade
Rennie comments ahead of Glen Sannox first crossing
Record 518,000 trolley waits of 12 hours or more last year – up 400-fold in less than a decade
Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care spokesperson Helen Morgan MP has urged Wes Streeting to produce an emergency plan to tackle “shocking and dangerous” A&E wait times as the government “looks to be asleep at the wheel”.
Last year there were a record 518,000 waits of 12 hours or longer in A&E from a decision to admit, research by the Liberal Democrat has revealed. Staggeringly, that is nearly 400-times more 12 hour waits than 2015’s figure of 1,306.
The figures also revealed a sharp rise of more than 100,000 12 hour trolley waits on 2023’s figure of 415,000, a jump of 25%. Prior to the pandemic in 2019 there were just 8,272 trolley waits of 12 hours or longer. Last year that figure rose 63-fold to 518,000.
In December alone, 54,000 patients waited 12 hours or longer in A&E from a decision to admit, up 23-fold on the December 2019’s figure of just 2,356.
Long waits at A&E are extremely dangerous and the Royal College of Emergency Medicine estimates that in 2023 14,000 deaths were associated with long waits in A&E.
Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care Spokesperson Helen Morgan MP called the figures “shocking” and said the new government “looks to be asleep at the wheel”. The Party is calling on the Health Secretary to come forward with an emergency plan to tackle this crisis to protect patients from this ongoing crisis.
I took in a movie at the weekend and, somewhat unusually, I was given reason to ponder about my liberalism and what I do to aid its cause. “Conclave” is a film based on a fictional selection of a new Pope and, whilst not wanting to give anything away, from the perspective of a Catholic Liberal Democrat Returning Officer, I was reminded of many of the dilemmas that I face in that role and in my wider “liberal bureaucracy”.
I am by no means an active Catholic. I feel vaguely guilty about that, but not so guilty as to do anything about it, although I am usually moved to light a candle when visiting a Cathedral and thinking about my rather more devout grandmother. One of my qualms about the Catholic Church as an institution is its bureaucracy (ironic, really) and a sense that it has rather lost sight of its calling. But I acknowledge that it has a potentially significant role in the world and that its influence on how its followers are supposed to lead their lives cannot be easily disregarded.
And a papal conclave is, from the perspective of a seasoned Returning Officer like myself, utterly fascinating and in many ways little different from the election of a Party Leader, with conservatives against radicals, regional power blocs, all against a backdrop of external commentary and conjecture. Being in charge of the process can sometimes feel a bit lonely, especially in some of the more challenging selections. You may see behaviour that troubles you but, as an independent arbiter of the rules, what responsibility do you have for addressing that? Sometimes, candidates behave towards you, or their competitors, in ways that can be very testing. I have from time to time felt under great stress but, I think, it goes with the territory. With power comes responsibility, and if that doesn’t worry you, you’re almost certainly not a good person to be given either.
But for me, the concept of certainty was the aspect that challenges me most. I am, it must be admitted, not a “retail politician”, and find the idea of saying ” this is something, and if we do it, it will make your life better” slightly absurd. I trained, in part, as a statistician, and my day job requires me to make judgements based on what can often be limited data. There is often little certainty to be had there.
Modern politics leaves little room for the doubtful or unsure, with its increasing “fifteen second soundbite” mentality which encourages bold statements regardless of whether they’re actually based on anything credible. The idea that a politician might be interviewed and say “we think that this will work” rather than “this will make things better” is for the birds. And that leaves me as a slightly uncomfortable participant in the political process.
That’s why I’m a strong believer in the ‘political guardrails’ that have managed our politics for so long and campaigns to make them more robust, such as spending and donation limits, press freedom (and responsibility), independent regulators. Just as our rights protect us from the power of an overmighty state, rules that diffuse political power and prevent super-wealthy individuals from distorting our political debate are a critical part of a participatory, inclusive democracy. It’s also why my roles in the Party have traditionally been those that free up others to do the campaigning and policy stuff, because few people enter politics to manage the minutiae of organisational bureaucracy.
It is, indeed, one of the reasons why I continue as a member of the Liberal Democrat Voice editorial team, enabling the existence of a platform where Liberal Democrat members and supporters can discuss ideas and debate the issues of the day in a courteous and mutually respectful manner. Call me old-fashioned and or rather naïve, if you like.
So, today, we offer, apart from the usual coverage of press releases, pieces on transport policy and on joining the Liberal Democrats, and a response from a member of the party’s Federal Board to the General Election Review published yesterday. There may be other stuff too, but I’ll let that be a surprise.
And finally, it is apparently National Rubber Ducky Day and so, to mark that, here is Little Richard, singing his own tribute…
Reeves in China: Chancellor must come back now with serious plan for growth
Cole-Hamilton: Scottish Water must ensure no gaps in sewage monitoring
Reeves in China: Chancellor must come back now with serious plan for growth
Responding to the Chancellor’s announcements in China amidst the ongoing market turmoil at home, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson, Daisy Cooper MP said:
The Chancellor must come back now to urgently address the ongoing crisis in the markets and announce a serious plan for growth.
She should reverse the misguided and self-defeating jobs tax, scrap the broken business rates system and start rebuilding our trade relationship with Europe, to fix
Mick Taylor @SimonR. If UK pensions provided anything like a decent pension, instead of providing almost the lowest pension in Europe, then your comments might, possibly, b...
Mick Taylor I now see the Prime Minister has joined his trade minister in claiming all will be well with Trump. Do these people really believe that saying something repeate...
John Mc This is all good stuff, but honestly, who is really getting to hear it? Reform have 5 MPs yet seem to be being anointed as a government in waiting. The LDs hav...
Simon R @David Evans: Are you seriously trying to compare maintaining the level of the pension at its current level in real terms (which is what would be implied by scr...
David Evans Hi Simon (R), I do have difficulty in understanding how you can make such a post and justify it by the one reason, "That doesn’t seem to me like something to ...
The Liberal Democrats will be launching a new attack ad following Kemi Badenoch’s comments yesterday that she will consider means testing the triple lock.
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An alarming decline in Welsh nature
Weekly Road Report - West End Ward #dundeewestend
Remembering Don Cupitt and his television series The Sea of Faith
How to improve the regulation of political polling - The Week in Polls
Why the government are getting it wrong on local government reorganisation
Mick Taylor
John Mc
Simon R
David Evans