• Govt making “dog’s dinner” of Brexit negotiations
• Govt must move faster to improve NHS Test & Trace system
• Govt woefully underprepared to ensure every young person can return to school

Govt making “dog’s dinner” of Brexit negotiations

Responding to news that the UK Chief Negotiator David Frost has stated that “significant differences” remain as the latest restricted round of talks concludes a day early, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs and Brexit spokesperson Alistair Carmichael said:

Last month Boris Johnson asserted that he wanted a Brexit deal by the end of July.

But far from putting a tiger in the tank, David Frost appears to be making a dog’s dinner of the talks.

With the impact of coronavirus already weighing heavy on UK business and the economy, we cannot afford for the Government to continue posturing on Brexit. They must work to secure a deal so that the UK does not leave the transition period with a bad deal or – even worse – no deal at all.

Liberal Democrats will keep fighting to maintain the rights, values and access the UK enjoys through the EU.

Govt must move faster to improve NHS Test & Trace system

Responding to news that the NHS Test and Trace system is still failing to find a quarter of people who have tested positive for COVID-19, Liberal Democrat Health, Wellbeing and Social Care spokesperson Munira Wilson said:

The latest NHS Test & Trace figures suggest the system is not improving at the rate that it needs to.

With lockdown restrictions due to be eased further from Saturday, a robust and effective system to test, trace and isolate every case of coronavirus to keep people safe is absolutely critical.

Ministers must move much faster to improve the Test & Trace system and local authorities must be at the heart of those efforts. This means providing real-time, postcode-level data now on positive tests so that local Directors of Public Health, who have the expertise and local knowledge, can ensure any outbreaks are suppressed at an early stage.

Govt woefully underprepared to ensure every young person can return to school

Speaking following the statement on schools reopening, Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson Layla Moran said:

Today’s statement shows just how woefully underprepared the Government are to ensure every young person can return to school in September.

Despite the very real risk of further local outbreaks of Covid 19, the Education Secretary refused to give any commitment that children will get the equipment they need to learn from home. Without them, too many will have no chance of catching up on their education and will continue to fall behind.

Every day disadvantaged children go without the laptops they need is another day the digital divide gets worse. This is a complete dereliction of duty by the Education Secretary and he must take immediate steps to address it.