• Government borrowing figures: “warning lights must be flashing in the Treasury” – Lib Dems
• Government back Lib Dem campaigns protecting victims of domestic abuse and sexual offence
• Teachers’ pay award: Government “building castles in the sky” if they think schools can fund rise
• First Minister misses two-year NHS waiting times target

Government borrowing figures: “warning lights must be flashing in the Treasury” – Lib Dems

Responding to the latest figures showing that Government borrowing in April was at its fourth-highest since records began, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson Daisy Cooper said:

The warning lights must be flashing in the Treasury this morning.

Rachel Reeves has failed to get a grip on the mess left by the Conservatives, making a series of blunders whilst avoiding taking the bold action that would set us on the right path.

It is time for the Labour government to change course. The first steps must be scrapping the damaging jobs tax, reforming business rates and being much more ambitious in negotiations with the EU, pushing for a customs union that would create the growth we desperately need to rebuild public services and protect family finances. Short-sighted red lines will only doom Rachel to failure.

Government back Lib Dem campaigns protecting victims of domestic abuse and sexual offence

Today, the Government has agreed to act on two Lib Dem campaign priorities as part of their response to the Gauke Review.

In response to Liberal Democrat Justice Spokesperson Josh Babarinde’s campaign to formally recognise domestic abuse crimes in the law, the Government has announced it will create a specific, new categorisation that will enable judges to officially register offences as crimes of domestic abuse.

This would enable the Government to finally be able to exclude domestic abusers from its SDS40 early release scheme – which has so far allowed many domestic abusers to leave prison early in the absence of such a categorisation – putting victims at risk.

It will also mean the Government will now be able to track the number and reoffending rate of domestic abusers offenders. Josh Babarinde uncovered via a Written Parliamentary Question that currently, in the absence of a categorisation, the Government doesn’t know how many domestic abusers are in prison.

Sarah Olney’s longstanding campaign to enable victims of rape and sexual offences to request a transcript of sentencing remarks free of charge has also been included in the Government’s review.

Sarah’s campaign came after a constituent brought her attention to the shocking scandal, who had been charged thousands of pounds to obtain transcripts of their trial. Olney’s campaign called for the Government to introduce a pilot scheme to waive court transcript fees for victims of sexual violence.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Justice Spokesperson Josh Babarinde MP said:

Having grown up in a home where domestic abuse was rife, it means so much to have secured these wins from the Government by working alongside them, fellow victims and survivors of abuse, and victim charities for many months.

If implemented robustly, these proposals will be a game-changer for thousands of survivors across the country, granting them the protection they deserve.

I thank Ministers for listening to our calls and for specifically recognising the Liberal Democrat campaigns that have called for these changes.

However, the fight to protect survivors does not stop now. I will continue to work with the Government to ensure that these changes deliver safety and justice for victims and survivors.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat MP for Richmond Park Sarah Olney MP said:

I am thrilled that the Government has finally listened to my long-standing campaign, and are finally giving victims the support and protection they deserve.

A transcript of the judge’s sentencing remarks is essential in providing clarity, and supporting victims. It is shocking that some victims have been cruelly charged thousands of pounds for a transcript about their own case- which is already traumatising enough.

I will continue to work with the Government and hold them accountable to make sure this law works to support victims and give them the justice they so deserve.

Teachers’ pay award: Government “building castles in the sky” if they think schools can fund rise

Responding to Bridget Phillipson’s statement on a pay award for teachers, Munira Wilson MP, Liberal Democrat Education, Children and Families Spokesperson, said:

The Government is building castles in the sky if it thinks that schools have any more “efficiencies” to make.

By deciding not to fully fund this pay rise, the Government are gouging millions out of threadbare school pockets. When schools are already struggling to make ends meet — forced to strip out vital subjects and ask teachers and parents to pay personally for classroom essentials — this could cause a tidal wave of redundancies.

The Government must commit to fully funding the pay recommendations they’ve made or admit they’re making hollow promises that will worsen, not improve, the crisis in our schools.

First Minister misses two-year NHS waiting times target

Responding to the publication of today’s NHS Wales statistics showing that the First Minister has failed to meet her target on two-year-long waiting lists for NHS treatment, Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds MS said:

Two-year-long waiting lists for NHS treatment are unacceptable, given England virtually wiped out waits of this length several years ago, serious questions remain about how Labour have managed the NHS in Wales.

People should never be forced to go private because they are spending months in pain waiting for treatment; the public deserves better.

Commenting on the general state of the statistics published today, Jane Dodds MS said:

Waiting lists in Wales are far too high, even though some reductions are welcome. Labour’s mismanagement of the health service in Wales for the past 25 years has cost the public dearly.

Unless social care is fixed, we won’t see the long-term reduction in pressure on our hospitals, and that is why fixing social care is the Welsh Liberal Democrats’ biggest priority as we head into next year’s Senedd elections.