• Lee Anderson: PM cannot govern his own party let alone the country
• David Neal: Home Office in a state of disrepair
• Frank Hester: Sunak must return donations and rule out peerage
• “Early childcare the key to fighting poverty” – Welsh Lib Dems push for fully integrated childcare system in Wales

Lee Anderson: PM cannot govern his own party let alone the country

Responding to reports that Lee Anderson will defect from the Conservatives to Reform, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper MP said:

Rishi Sunak’s authority lies in tatters after the man he personally appointed to be Deputy Chairman of the Conservatives has defected to another party. This is a Prime Minister that cannot govern his own party let alone the country.

Even now Sunak is too weak to rule out Nigel Farage joining the Conservative Party. It just shows that there is now hardly a cigarette paper between the Conservative Party and Reform.

David Neal: Home Office in a state of disrepair

Responding to the comments made by the former Independent Borders Inspector David Neal to the BBC, the Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Alistair Carmichael MP said:

These comments confirm what we already suspected – the Home Office is in a state of total dysfunction and disrepair.

Nothing is working how it should. Now, we don’t even have a Chief Inspector to provide the scrutiny that is so desperately needed.

To think that this Conservative Government can push forward with their failing Rwanda policy while ducking accountability is disgraceful. The Home Office cannot just withhold reports and information that they don’t like.

At the very least, its implementation should be delayed until the Government can get its act together and appoint a Chief Inspector.

Frank Hester: Sunak must return donations and rule out peerage

Responding to Frank Hester’s alleged comments reported by the Guardian, Liberal Democrat Chief Whip Wendy Chamberlain MP said:

These comments are inexcusable and disgusting. Ultimately the buck stops with Rishi Sunak.

He must reassure the public that the Conservative Party does not tolerate these remarks. That means confirming that his party will return every penny of these donations and won’t take any more from this donor in future.

He must also rule out any future peerage for Frank Hester.

“Early childcare the key to fighting poverty” – Welsh Lib Dems push for fully integrated childcare system in Wales

This week in the Senedd, the Welsh Liberal Democrats have called on the Welsh Government to develop a fully integrated childcare system to help tackle high levels of child poverty in Wales.

According to a report from Oxfam Cymru, 27% of parents said that they spent over £900 a month on childcare. Whilst 67& reported having to cut working hours because of a lack of childcare.

The Children’s Commissioner Annual Report for 2023 found that 28% of children lived in poverty between 2019-2022, however as these statistics predate the Cost-of-Living crisis this figure could be far higher.

Commenting, the Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds MS said:

Families across Wales are facing the impossible task of choosing between working or forking out thousands of pounds for childcare.

To put it simply, families are being priced out of work by the cost of childcare.

But there is a solution to this problem, a solution that only requires ambition.

An ambition to change the system, to make life easier for families and to create a brighter future for our children.

A report from Public Health Wales has empathised how early childhood education and care can offer the promise of a “triple dividend”, one that not only fosters positive child development but also empowers women and drives economic growth.

The report highlights Slovenia as an example of a leading nation in reducing child poverty.

Their focus on harmonising childcare, aiding families as a whole rather than children alone, has proven effective in preventing the intergenerational transmission of poverty.

The proof is in the metaphorical pudding, we know that by developing a fully integrated childcare system we can take a positive step forward in the fight against poverty.