• 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 [20 January], 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.

With Donald Trump assuming office as President of the United States on Monday, the poll shows two in three (64%) Labour voters back a stronger relationship with Europe – with over 50% nationally backing the approach.

The survey shows that 64% of Brits who voted Labour in the last election agreed with closer economic security ties with Europe, compared to about half of national voters (52%).

67% of Labour voters said they were “worried” about how Trump’s presidency would hit the UK’s economy and security – with again over half of national voters expressing their anxiety about the incoming President (56%).

Nigel Farage’s cosy relationship with Trump also raised concerns with voters across the political spectrum, with nearly one in two (47%) Brits expressing their worry that Farage’s close ties with the next President risk undermining the UK’s national interests. That figure jumped among Labour voters: 61% of Starmer voters said that Farage’s friendship risk endangering UK security.

The Liberal Democrats called on the government to negotiate a new Customs Union with the EU on Thursday – and today challenged the Prime Minister to accelerate talks regarding the UK’s stance on Europe.

Calum Miller, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs Spokesperson, said:

We all know what Donald Trump’s leadership looked like last time: inconstant, unreliable, occasionally menacing.

It’s no wonder voters are worried about how he’ll impact our national security – not to mention their pockets.

A clear majority of the people who put Labour in power want action to support our economy and security in the wake of Trump, and that means forging closer ties with Europe.

Keir Starmer must listen to them and accelerate talks with Europe. The Liberal Democrats will continue to push urgently for a stronger UK-EU relationship, including a brand-new Customs Union deal to cut red tape and boost British businesses.

More than 11,000 malicious calls to ambulance service in past decade

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today warned that malicious calls to the Scottish Ambulance Service are putting lives at risk as he revealed that there have been more than 11,000 of these calls over the last decade.

A Scottish Liberal Democrat freedom of information request to the service revealed that since 2014, ambulance staff have had to deal with 11,353 hoax calls. It also revealed that since 2020 they have spent more than 1,600 hours handling these calls.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said:

Every call handler tied up in dealing with a malicious call is one who is unable to help save a life elsewhere.

Across the NHS, staff are stretched to their limit. They simply cannot afford to deal with timewasters who are endangering the lives of others.

The Scottish Government must educate the public about the consequences of wasting call handlers’ time. They must also ensure that the ambulance service has the resources and capacity it needs to attend call-outs as quickly as possible.

2024 the worst year on record at A&E

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader and health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton has branded the SNP’s NHS Recovery Plan a “complete failure” as new analysis from the Scottish Liberal Democrats shows that 2024 was the worst year on record for Scotland’s A&E departments as almost 500,000 people waited over the 4 hour target.

Analysis of Public Health Scotland figures by the Scottish Liberal Democrats revealed that:

• 2024 saw the most people waiting over 4 hours (497,142) and the worst performance against the target of 95% being seen within 4 hours (64.0%). In 2016, 93.3% of attendees were seen within 4 hours.
• 176,969 people waited over 8 hours in A&E in 2024, more than 1 in every 8 (12.8%). This is up from just 7,047 (0.5%) in 2016.
• 78,238 people waited over 12 hours at A&E in 2024. This is up from just 998 in 2016.
• Since the SNP’s NHS Recovery plan was launched in 2021, the number of people waiting over 12 hours has increased by 519%.

This follows a report by the IFS which found that many measures of NHS performance (including A&E waiting times) are continuing to get worse, rather than recovering.

Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

The SNP’s NHS Recovery plan has been a complete failure. A&E departments have been stuck in a state of perma-crisis ever since it came in and year on year things are only getting worse.

It is remarkable that since introducing a plan to bring down waits, the number of people waiting half a day at A&E has actually increased six fold. The SNP have completely failed to get to grips with this crisis.

Staff have been sounding the alarm for years over the conditions in our NHS, but this SNP Government has failed to give them the beds and safe staffing levels they need to do their job and keep people safe. This kind of pressure cooker of constantly deteriorating conditions will only end one way: mass burnout among staff. Action must be taken to prevent this.

Scottish Liberal Democrats would overhaul the SNP’s failed NHS Recovery Plan, bring forward measures to address burnout among staff and help people leave hospital on time with a care package through a new UK-wide minimum wage for care workers that is £2 higher.