• Refusal to publish Russian interference shows Johnson morphing into Trump
• Gyimah: Labour plans fail meet the needs of working people
• Lib Dems set out plans to strengthen support for survivors of violence and abuse
• Lib Dems: Johnson’s speech shows he is misleading voters again
• Lib Dems: Selection of Chris Davies shows Tories’ contempt for voters

Refusal to publish Russian interference shows Johnson morphing into Trump

Following the reports that Hillary Clinton has said it is “inexplicable and shameful” that the UK government has not yet published a report on alleged Russian interference in British politics, Liberal Democrat Shadow Foreign Secretary Chuka Umunna said:

No-one knows the extent to which Russian interference can have on an election quite like Hillary Clinton.

The decision by Boris Johnson to suppress the publication of this intelligence report until after the election undermines our democracy. Boris Johnson is morphing into Donald Trump more and more, day by day.

Failing to publish the report in advance of people going to the polls implies there is something to hide and leaves voters not knowing whether they can trust the Conservatives.

Liberal Democrats will continue to demand the release of the report. We are committed to building a brighter future in which our democracy is fair, transparent, and protected.

Gyimah: Labour plans fail meet the needs of working people

Responding to Labour’s unambitious plans for lifelong learning and childcare, Liberal Democrat Shadow Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary Sam Gyimah said:

Labour’s childcare and lifelong learning announcements are unambitious and sloppy. They fail to grasp the reality for most working people across the country.

Liberal Democrats have presented workable plans that go further than those set out by the other parties.

A Liberal Democrat government will provide a £10,000 skills wallet to be used on education throughout adult life. We will also give working parents 35 hours free childcare, from the age of 9 months until 4 years old, the age children start school.

Supporting adult learning and working parents is key to the Liberal Democrat plan to build a brighter future.

Lib Dems set out plans to strengthen support for survivors of violence and abuse

Today, the Liberal Democrats have set out how a Liberal Democrat government will strengthen support for survivors of violence against women and girls and domestic abuse.

A Liberal Democrat government will expand the number of refuges and rape crisis centres and ensure sustainable funding for specialist support services, having passed the policy in a motion at Autumn Conference.

The Liberal Democrats will also provide local authorities with the necessary funding to provide accommodation for survivors of abuse, making it a duty for councils to do so. These are vital measures to strengthen support available to survivors of violence and domestic abuse.

Christine Jardine, Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary for Women and Equalities, said:

For far too long support services for survivors of domestic abuse have been patchy and inadequate. Unfortunately, under the Tory government, this crisis has continued unchecked. The Tories promised a Domestic Abuse Bill two years ago. Their failure to bring this into law is an insult to survivors.

A Liberal Democrat government will expand the number of refuges and rape crisis centres to ensure that every survivor can access support services. It is vital to invest in preventing and combating violence against women and girls, as well as doing all that we can to support survivors.

Lib Dems: Johnson’s speech shows he is misleading voters again

In a stinging rebuke to Boris Johnson’s first major campaign speech, Ed Davey, Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats, accused the Prime Minister of misleading voters yet again. He said:

Why can’t you tell the truth for once, Prime Minister? Voters face years more of Brexit with Johnson’s plan but he hasn’t the guts or honesty to admit it.

Johnson’s plan means either years more negotiations or a disastrous No Deal Brexit in a year’s time – yet the Prime Minister peddles yet another deception by pretending Brexit could soon be all over if people vote Tory.

There’s only one quick way to get Brexit done – and that’s to stop it, by giving Liberal Democrats the votes to make this nightmare end.

Lib Dems: Selection of Chris Davies shows Tories’ contempt for voters

Responding to the the news that Chris Davies has been selected as the Welsh Conservative candidate for Ynys Môn, Deputy Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Christine Humphreys said:

Over 10,000 people signed the recall petition and decisively rejected Chris Davies at the ballot box in August because they had enough of an MP who put their constituency on the map for all the wrong reasons.

By selecting Chris Davies to contest Ynys Môn, the Conservatives have demonstrated their utter contempt for the voters of Ynys Môn. This shows they can offer nothing more than an MP who has admitted to providing false information about his expenses claims.

People deserve better, better than an MP who was rejected by his constituents and has fled his former constituency to seek election somewhere else. Voters should decisively reject Chris Davies at the ballot box on December 12th.