• IT outage: Government urged to call COBRA meeting
• ICJ opinion: UK should recognise the independent state of Palestine
• Incoming government must recognise Palestine and redouble efforts for peace
• Rennie files parliamentary motion on schools’ access to Microsoft programs
• Rennie presses government over implementation date for Children Care and Justice Act provisions
• Mayor of London questioned over summer preparedness plans

IT outage: Government urged to call COBRA meeting

The Liberal Democrats have called on the government to hold a COBRA meeting to coordinate an urgent response to the IT outage causing major disruption including to airlines, railways and GP surgeries.

Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office Spokesperson Christine Jardine MP said:

The government must call an urgent COBRA meeting to address the chaos being caused by these IT outages across the country.

The public needs to be reassured that the disruption to their travel or their desperately needed GP appointments will be minimised.

Getting critical infrastructure up and running again must be priority number one. The National Cyber Security Centre should also be working with small businesses and other organisations to help them deal with the outage.”

This once again lays bare the need to improve our digital infrastructure and truly modernise our economy in order to prevent the incidents from happening again.

ICJ opinion: UK should recognise the independent state of Palestine

Responding to today’s advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs spokesperson Layla Moran MP said:

This decision is a wake-up call. Liberal Democrats have always championed international law and the independence of the courts.

The only way to give Palestinians and Israelis the security and dignity they deserve is through a peace process and a two-state solution.

The UK should lead that push by immediately recognising the independent state of Palestine.

Incoming government must recognise Palestine and redouble efforts for peace

Orkney and Shetland MP, Alistair Carmichael, has backed calls for the incoming Labour government to uphold international law and support efforts towards a lasting peace in Israel and Palestine, including the recognition of a Palestinian state. Signing Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson Layla Moran’s parliamentary motion, Mr Carmichael warned that with the election past, now was the time to renew efforts for a ceasefire in Gaza, while welcoming the government’s announcement today of the restoration of funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, the agency which supports aid for Palestinians.

Mr Carmichael said:

Our country may have been distracted with an election in recent weeks but the suffering in Gaza has continued without any pause. Now we must see renewed diplomatic efforts to see the hostages released, the fighting to end and for humanitarian aid to reach those who desperately need it.

If we believe in the international rule of law then we should not be afraid to stand up for it. That is true with our friends just as much as with our enemies, whether it means sanctioning those involved in human rights abuses or indeed suspending arms sales.

The new government must take a stronger line on international law than the previous government did. I am glad that the government has today restored funding to UNRWA after a lengthy delay by its predecessor, which will play a vital role in supporting those in the most danger. Even so we must recommit ourselves to the two-state solution and the recognition of an independent Palestinian state.

Now is the time to push for a durable ceasefire and a lasting peace for the sake of all suffering in this conflict.

Rennie files parliamentary motion on schools’ access to Microsoft programs

Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Willie Rennie has today filed a parliamentary motion expressing concern about reports that teachers and pupils across Scotland may lose offline access to Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint from 1 August 2024, just days before the beginning of the new school year.

Commenting on the motion, Mr Rennie said:

The last thing schools need as they head back for the new year is to lose access to crucial tools for learning.

There seems to be a real void in the Scottish Government’s response. They had ample warning but seem to have sat on their hands. Meanwhile school staff, pupils and parents have been left in the dark.

Schools have faced unprecedented disruption in recent years, from Covid and the exam marking scandal to industrial disputes and classroom violence. They could do without another expense and another upheaval.

The Scottish Government must work in conjunction with local authorities and education authorities, to urgently take the necessary steps to rectify this nationwide, before the new school year commences so that school staff and pupils can always access the digital tools that they need without any disruption or obstacles to teaching and learning. I hope MSPs from across the parliament can get behind my motion.

Rennie presses government over implementation date for Children Care and Justice Act provisions

Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Willie Rennie has today pressed the Scottish Government over a date for the implementation of provisions within the Children, Care and Justice Act which will prevent children under 18 being in young offenders institutes.

His call comes after a 17-year-old, James Beadle, took his own life at Polmont Young Offenders Institution on Saturday 13th July.

During the final debate on the legislation, minister Natalie Don confirmed that these provisions would come into force later this year.

Mr Rennie said:

When this legislation was passing its final parliamentary stage, the minister confirmed that the providers of alternative secure accommodation were ready to accommodate these changes.

In the wake of yet another tragedy in our prison system, it is time for the Scottish Government to give us a date by which these provisions will be in place.

Scottish Liberal Democrats have consistently raised concern about the extent to which self-harm is taking place in Scotland’s prisons and pushed for mental health workers at each one.

Whilst we do not know the circumstances of the tragic death of James, reform of prison mental health care is urgently needed but so is a recognition that young people’s needs are not well served by harsh custodial sentences.

Mayor of London questioned over summer preparedness plans

The Mayor of London was quizzed by Liberal Democrat London Assembly Members on the Capital’s ability to cope with extreme weather over the summer, including the ability of the emergency services to deal with the increased levels of demand a warming climate is having on the city.

Gareth Roberts, the Liberal Democrat AM for South West London questioned the Mayor specifically on water safety in the light of the two year anniversary of the tragic death of Brian Sasu, who drowned after entering the Thames at Tagg’s Island in Richmond during a heatwave two years ago this week.

During the questioning Assembly Member Roberts asked the Mayor to use his office to promote and amplify messaging around water safety and to fund the rollout of ‘rescues polls’ across London if trials are successful. The Mayor agreed to both requests and the work with Assembly Member Roberts on any further thoughts he may have to increase river safety in London.

Liberal Democrat London Wide Assembly Member Hina Bokhari subsequently questioned the Mayor on the readiness of the London Fire Brigade to deal with increased wildfires following the LFB’s ‘busiest day since the Blitz’ when wildfires tore through the outskirts of London in the summer of 2022.

Sadiq Khan admitted that although measures had been put in place since 2022, the scale of the threat posed by the increased likelihood of wildfires meant more work was required to fully prepare the Capital.

The Mayor was also pushed to lobby the new Labour Government for increased funding for specialist wildfire fighting equipment and training, alongside a national wildfire strategy.

Commenting Assembly Member Gareth Roberts said:

My thoughts today are with the family and friends of Brian Sasu on the two-year anniversary of his tragic death.

We must ensure we are all doing everything we can to promote safety on the River Thames and to ensure no one else loses their life.

With heatwaves becoming more and more common due to our changing climate, we must ensure young people, and indeed all people, know the risks of entering open water and that the appropriate lifesaving equipment and knowledge is available along the course of London’s rivers.

I am pleased that the Mayor has agreed to work co-operatively with me on this issue and I look forward to discussing it further with him.

Adding her comments, Assembly Member Hina Bokhari said:

The threat of wildfires is only going to continue to grow and grow in London, and those areas on the outskirts of London where urban meets rural are at particular risk. It was welcoming to see the Mayor give some frank and honest answers today about how London is still not fully prepared for the extent of the challenges we face.

We now need to see the Mayor lobby this new Labour Government for increased funding for the equipment and training the LFB need to tackle this challenge.

We also need to see the new Government implement a national Wildfire Strategy, there have been four national fire and rescue framework documents, but wildfires are not referred to directly in any of these documents.

This needs to change and the Liberal Democrats will ensure the pressure is kept on both the Mayor and Government to ensure our Capital is prepared to deal with the consequences of climate change.