• Panorama Report: Crumbling schools left in the cold
• Lucy Frazer: Attack on BBC a desperate distraction
• New: Met Police Officer numbers fall again

Panorama Report: Crumbling schools left in the cold

Responding to the BBC Panorama report which revealed that crumbling schools are plagued by leaks and the cold, Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson Munira Wilson MP said:

Thousands and thousands of school buildings across the country are in dire need of investment after years of neglect from this Conservative government.

The lack of Government action is shockingly leaving children in extremely cold classrooms having to wear gloves and hats while attempting to learn.

The Liberal Democrats know that investment in education boosts our children’s futures. The Treasury needs to urgently look at increasing the funding for clearing the backlog of school repairs.

Lucy Frazer: Attack on BBC a desperate distraction

Responding to the Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer’s comments this morning regarding the BBC the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Culture, Media and Sport Jamie Stone MP said:

The Culture Secretary clearly spends more time focussing on culture wars rather than supporting the BBC to provide the fantastic services it delivers.

This attack on the BBC is yet another desperate distraction from a government in distress.

The BBC is the number one source of trusted news in the world and that comes down to proper independence and resilience to the political pressure we see from this Conservative government.

New: Met Police Officer numbers fall again

Police officer numbers in London have gone backwards in the past year showing Sadiq Khan is failing in his recruitment drive, according to a new analysis by Lib Dem London Mayoral candidate Rob Blackie.

Analysis of the latest Workforce data reports from the past year shows that the number of Met officers has shrunk from 34,523 in April 2023 to 34,183 in November 2023 – a reduction of 308.

This comes despite the Mayor having been given the funds to increase the number of officers in the force.

In response to the Casey Report, the Mayor also promised an additional 565 officers and staff working on sexual offences, known as Public Protection Officers.

New information, obtained by the London Lib Dems under the Freedom of Information Act (FOI), shows that by 14th December 2023 only 156 of these are in place – just 28% of the promised figure.

Lib Dem Mayoral Candidate, Rob Blackie, said:

After seven years of Sadiq Khan, Londoners are feeling let down. The Metropolitan Police is in crisis, with overall officer numbers falling, despite funding for recruitment being available.

Even in areas as critical as sexual offences, the Mayor is failing to deliver on his promises.

London needs a Mayor who will get the Met focused on tackling violent crime and sexual assault, after the appalling failure to catch criminals in recent years.

The mismanagement of the Met Police has been the Mayor’s single biggest failure. Trust in the police has hit record lows and this is clearly having an impact on recruitment and retention. If there aren’t enough police, there’s no hope of them doing a good job.