• NI tax hike: Government must scrap damaging jobs tax
• Trump tariff deal: Govt must come clean and publish impact assessment
• Lib Dem MP to take Thames Water to the Supreme Court
• Rennie responds to school leaver deprivation gap widening
• SNP miss key targets for drug treatment and care
• Rennie: Will another 77 pages of school violence guidance change anything?
• Cole-Hamilton: NHS, care and economy at the heart of liberal vision

NI tax hike: Government must scrap damaging jobs tax

Commenting as S&W’s business owners sentiment survey revealed around a third of business owners have said they plan to cut more jobs after being hit by higher national insurance contributions, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:

Unfortunately, this confirms what we knew from the start – that the unfair National Insurance tax hike is a massive hammer blow to businesses already struggling to cope, and will lead to people losing their jobs or seeing their salaries suppressed.

Small businesses are the engine of our economy and the backbone of our communities. After all the damage they faced under the last Conservative Government, the government should be doing everything it can to support them.

Ministers need to go back to the drawing board, scrap this damaging jobs tax that holds back economic growth, and instead ask the big banks and social media giants to pay their fair share of tax.

Trump tariff deal: Govt must come clean and publish impact assessment

Responding to the news that the UK-US trade deal has been partially signed off by Donald Trump, Daisy Cooper MP, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson and Deputy Leader, said:

The Government needs to come clean on the full details of this deal – including publishing impact assessments on how it will affect British farmers, food standards and steel industry. When you’re dealing with someone as unreliable as Trump, you have to read the small print.

If precedent is anything to go by, Trump will be working behind the scenes to extract more concessions. We need a cast-iron guarantee that the NHS will be exempt from any kind of Trump deal and that US tech giants won’t be given a tax cut.

Lib Dem MP to take Thames Water to the Supreme Court

Liberal Democrat MP Charlie Maynard will be appealing to the Supreme Court, and asking them to hear his case against the Thames Water (TW) restructuring plan.

This follows Charlie’s case earlier in the year which was heard in the High Court. Charlie is arguing that the public and customer interests should be taken into account for this restructuring plan given Thames Water provides essential public services and has a monopoly over customers, and that the Court should not leave it up to the Secretary of State or Ofwat to decide whether there are any public interest objections.

The Liberal Democrats have long called for an overhaul of the water industry, arguing that Thames Water should be transformed into a public benefit company after being put into Special Administration, and for Ofwat to be replaced with a new regulator to hold water companies accountable.

In the Commons tomorrow, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Lisa Smart will be pushing an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill to a vote that water company executives should be convicted if they pollute British waterways. This would close the current loophole that means water bosses only face convictions if they cover up illegal sewage spills.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat MP for Witney Charlie Maynard MP said:

For too long Thames Water has got away scot free, polluting waterways, underinvesting in infrastructure whilst customers’ bills rocket. This must end.

The money from our bills should be used to repair water infrastructure, improve customer service, and clean up our rivers, not spent on spiralling interest repayments.

That’s why I am continuing to fight for Thames Water’s 16 million customers, and taking my case to the Supreme Court. Customers must have a voice when these companies are being restructured, rather than just being stuck with the bill.

Rennie responds to school leaver deprivation gap widening

Responding to new statistics which show that the deprivation gap for positive follow-up destinations among school leavers has increased for the third consecutive year, with the gap in those going on to higher education increasing to its widest since the 2019-20 cohort, Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Willie Rennie MSP said:

The yawning deprivation gap is a betrayal of all those young people who were promised a better future by Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP.

A whole generation of children and young people have paid the price for the SNP’s failure to turn warm words into action.

Giving every child the best start in life is key to what comes next.

They deserve more in class support, a thriving skills sector that gives them choices and opportunities and a government focused on making that a reality.

SNP miss key targets for drug treatment and care

Responding to the news that the SNP government are still missing the key Medical Assisted Treatment (MAT) standards for drug care and treatment, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

When 100 people a month are dying in Scotland’s drug deaths emergency, missed targets and patchwork care isn’t good enough.

Drug misuse casts a long shadow across Scotland. That’s why my party made access to drug and alcohol services a major part of our budget negotiations earlier this year.

If ministers are serious about delivering these standards, they need to properly support services and staff, roll out a network of safe consumption rooms and introduce new drug checking facilities. That’s how we can stop people dying and get people the help they need.”

Rennie: Will another 77 pages of school violence guidance change anything?

Responding to the publication of new Scottish Government guidance aimed at addressing the risk of violence in schools and the consequences for when it occurs, Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Willie Rennie MSP said:

This report is not only late but is unlikely to be read by many. It was supposed to be a report on consequences to give teachers the backing and the tools they need but the section on consequences is stuck in the appendix after 77 pages of process.

After clear evidence that violence is on the rise in schools, this report will do little to change the experience for pupils and staff.

Teachers don’t have the in-class support they need and too many pupils are feeling afraid about going to school. Ministers need to demonstrate that all their plans are having an effect and that they will be backed by the resources necessary to actually reduce the shocking level of violence in our schools.

Instead, we need a clear statement to empower teachers and give them the resources and specialist support.

Cole-Hamilton: NHS, care and economy at the heart of liberal vision

Commenting after his speech at the Scotland 2050 event, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

I believe that as the first half of the century closes out, there will be more liberals, that the renewal of liberalism will continue.

Because we’re winning again. Last year’s general election was the best for liberals in 100 years in these islands.

My party is bursting with bright ideas to tackle the problems in front of us and unpick the damage done by an SNP Government that has been in power too long.

Our fair deal for Scotland means seeing a GP and NHS dentist in good time, fixing the crisis in care and giving our children a world-class education.

A government that looks after your money and believes in working with our neighbours, in the rest of the UK and Europe, would give the economy and businesses the best chance to thrive.

You don’t have to settle for more of the same, divisive politics- you deserve better.

Everyone can elect a Liberal Democrat MSP using your peach regional ballot paper next May – a local champion who will get things done, focus on what really matters and bring some much needed decency back into Scottish politics.