• Raab resigns: By-election now
• Ed Davey on way to Raab’s constituency to a demand a by-election
• 10 million people give up on getting a GP appointment creating “ticking time bomb” for NHS

Raab resigns: By-election now

Responding to the news of Dominic Raab’s resignation from Cabinet, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper said:

Dominic Raab has shown he is not only unfit to serve as a minister, but is totally unfit to represent his constituents in Parliament. He should resign as an MP and trigger a by-election so the people of Esher and Walton can finally have the MP they deserve.

Voters across Surrey and the Blue Wall are fed up with this endless Conservative chaos and MPs who take their communities for granted. At the next election in Esher and Walton, it will be a two horse race between more Conservative party chaos or a hardworking Liberal Democrat MP who will listen and stand up for local people.

Ed Davey on way to Raab’s constituency to a demand a by-election

Today, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey will be knocking on doors and speaking to Liberal Democrat activists in Dominic Raab’s constituency, Esher and Walton.

The visit comes just hours after Dominic Raab resigned as a result of bullying allegations being upheld against him. Liberal Democrats are now calling for Dominic Raab to step down as the Member of Parliament for Esher and Walton immediately and trigger a by-election.

At the last election, the Liberal Democrats cut Dominic Raab’s majority was cut by the Liberal Democrats and sits at just 2,700 making the seat a knife edge marginal.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

Every time I visit Esher and Walton, I hear from local people who are fed up with being taken for granted by the Conservative party. There is real outrage here at Dominic Raab’s disgraceful behaviour.

Dominic Raab has shown he is not only unfit to serve as a Minister, but is totally unfit to represent his constituents in Parliament.

At the next election in Esher and Walton, it will be a two horse race between more Conservative party chaos or a hardworking Liberal Democrat MP who will listen and stand up for local people.

Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Esher & Walton, Monica Harding said:

People in Esher and Walton deserve better than Dominic Raab. Local people deserve to have a strong voice standing up for them in Westminster.

It is time for change in Esher and Walton. People are telling me that they will back the Liberal Democrats at the next election to send this out of touch Conservative party a message. Enough is enough.

10 million people give up on getting a GP appointment creating “ticking time bomb” for NHS

Around 10 million people gave up on getting a GP appointment in the past month despite needing one, analysis of official figures has revealed.

The Liberal Democrats have criticised the government over its failure to recruit more GPs and warned that people struggling to get appointments was creating a “ticking time bomb” for the NHS.

The ONS survey found that one in five adults reported needing to contact their GP practice in the past month but decided not to, equivalent to 9.94 million people. Of these, 56% (5.6 million) blamed long waiting times for an appointment, 26% (2.6 million) said they were unable to contact their GP practice at the times required and 23% (2.3 million) said they didn’t think they’d be able to get an appointment at a suitable time.

Almost six in ten of those who decided not to contact their GP chose to manage their condition themselves. 22% (2.2 million) sought advice on the internet, 13% (1.3 million) asked friends or family for advice, and 5% (500,000) resorted to private medical treatment.

Those living in the most deprived areas in England (30%) and women (23%) were significantly more likely to report that they needed to contact their GP practice in the past month but decided not to.

The Liberal Democrats said it was deeply worrying that millions of patients are giving up on seeing their GP because of long waits for appointments and difficulties getting through. The party’s Health Spokesperson Daisy Cooper said this could mean missed diagnoses and people waiting in pain and missing out on the care they need. The Liberal Democrats are calling on the government to recruit more GPs and give patients a legal right to see a GP within a week, or 24 hours if it is urgent.

The ONS survey also found stark examples of the impact on people who are struggling to get a GP appointment. One 31-year-old woman said: “Because of delays with GP and Hospital I am still suffering with my illness and have got into trouble with my employer because of my sickness record. I have had to resort to borrowing money to pay for private consultation to see if I can resolve the pain I am in…”

Another woman, aged 39, said: “I’ve tried to make an appointment for my son’s pre-school injections but I’ve been unable to contact the GP surgery as the phone lines are too busy and the online system is always temporarily unavailable when I try to access [it]”.

Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:

It is deeply worrying that millions of people are trying and failing to see their GP because it’s just so difficult to get an appointment.

This could lead to countless missed or delayed diagnoses as people go without the care they need, creating a ticking time bomb for our NHS.

Despite GPs seeing thousands of patients every day, we are hearing devastating stories of people waiting in pain for months or shelling out their hard-earned cash to go private.

These damning figures must act as a wake-up call for the government. It’s time for ministers to finally recruit the extra GPs we were promised, and give patients a guaranteed GP appointment within a week when they need one, or 24 hours in an emergency.