• Rise in homeless deaths demands end of Vagrancy Act
• UK govt must not be silent on situation in Hong Kong
• Tories cannot call themselves the law and order party
• Cable: End ‘weaponising’ of social care

Rise in homeless deaths demands end of Vagrancy Act

Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran has renewed her call for the Vagrancy Act to be scrapped following the publication of new ONS statistics revealing a rise in the deaths of homeless people in 2018.

The ONS data shows that there were an estimated 726 deaths in 2018, an increase of over 20% on the previous year. The highest numbers of deaths were recorded in the North West (77) and in London (110).

Layla Moran said:

These figures are simply shocking. Clearly it takes more than a rough sleeping strategy document and the creation of a Minister for Homelessness to fix this epidemic. We should all be deeply ashamed that this is getting even worse.

This out of sight, out of mind mentality needs to stop now. People are dying, and we need to take a more compassionate approach to ending this homelessness crisis. We must protect the most vulnerable people in our society, but instead the Tories are sitting on their hands.

We first need to scrap the cruel, Dickensian Vagrancy Act, which criminalises rough sleeping. The Conservatives are more than welcome to bring back my Bill that would repeal it in a heartbeat.

The Liberal Democrats demand better. We would also build up to 100,000 social homes a year to provide the accommodation and support people need.

UK govt must not be silent on situation in Hong Kong

Condemning the shooting of a protestor with a live round in Hong Kong, Liberal Democrat Chief Whip Alistair Carmichael MP said:

It is absolutely heart-breaking and unacceptable that a protestor has been shot while calling for their democratic rights and freedoms. The situation is abhorrent. The UK government must not stand silently by and let this happen.

We have a moral and legal duty to the people of Hong Kong. The Chinese government have clearly reneged on the Joint Sino-British Declaration: there is absolutely no denying that.

Liberal Democrats will continue to demand that the Conservative government hold the Chinese government to account on the promises made during the handover, bring an end to these repressive scenes, and secure an independent investigation into the violence in Hong Kong.

Tories cannot call themselves the law and order party

Responding to the speech by Priti Patel at Conservative party conference, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary Christine Jardine said:

It takes some gall for Priti Patel to describe the Conservatives as the party of law and order.

This Conservative Government has just been found to have acted unlawfully by the Supreme Court. Now Boris Johnson is now threatening to break the law again by refusing to extend Article 50.

If the Tories want to talk about law and order, they should start by following the law and ruling out a disastrous no-deal Brexit that their own analysis shows will lead to a rise in public disorder.

Cable: End ‘weaponising’ of social care

Today Vince Cable called for an end of the ‘weaponising’ of social care whilst leading a debate on Social Care in Parliament. Speaking during the debate, Vince Cable, Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care said:

We are witnessing a huge amount of unpaid caring as a result of this Conservative Government’s inability to reform and invest in the system of social care. 350,000 people have had to give up jobs due to caring responsibilities for loved ones with dementia.

This is getting worse. With the underpaid, and undervalued labour force struggling more than ever, stricter immigration rules – if they happen – will inflate the 100,000 vacancies we already see in the care workforce.

The issue of care has been politicised and weaponised for long enough. It is time we move forward the only way we can, with cross party consensus.

The Liberal Democrats would seek an immediate cash injection with a penny on income tax to maintain standards of social care, and a longer term cross-party solution for the future of social care.