Updates:
1. Home Office EU Settled Status Scheme
2. National Audit Office report on children’s social care
Todays Press Release:
1 Sony’s move symbolic of Brexit uncertainty
2. Liberal Democrats move to prevent May from holding Parliament hostage on Brexit
3 Moran: PAC report highlights the increasing fragmentation of schools system
Home Office EU Settled Status Scheme –
It is all very well to say that in the modern world, relying on a reference number that would give prospective employers or landlords access to the Home Office computer is enough. But in the wake of the Windrush, nobody trusts Home Office record-keeping.
Everyone knows that many eligible EU citizens won’t get their settled status in time from this incompetent Home Office by the end of the application period.
EU citizens living here in the UK are rightly worried what will happen after Brexit – especially in the event of a disastrous crash-out Brexit – and the Home Secretary should not dismiss those fears.
Thousands of EU citizens are being left at risk of being effectively undocumented and subject to Theresa May’s hostile environment.
Liberal Democrats demand better for the Europeans who’ve made their lives here and contribute so much to our economy, our public services and our society.
National Audit Office report on children’s social care –
We thought the days of Oliver Twist were long behind us, but this report shows otherwise. The Department for Education must listen to the NAO’s recommendations to ensure children’s lives are not at stake.
It absolutely beggars belief that Conservative Ministers don’t understand what has caused the increase in demand for children’s services. They should look in the mirror. They have consistently stripped away support in communities that need it the most.
Liberal Democrats demand better. Nothing is more important than making sure the most vulnerable children are looked after in society. Ministers must stop posturing and start understanding the real issues we face.
Sony’s move symbolic of Brexit uncertainty
Responding to the news that Sony is due to move its European HQ from the UK to the Netherlands to avoid Brexit disruption, Liberal Democrat Brexit Spokesperson Tom Brake said:
“Sony is the latest in a growing list of global companies that have pulled the plug on their headquarters in the UK. It is a symbolic indication of the serious uncertainty caused by the Tory Brexit mess.
“It doesn’t need to be this way. The UK should be the first place foreign companies want to do business. We can ensure that happens by rejecting Brexit and staying in the European Union through a People’s Vote.”
ENDS.
Liberal Democrats move to prevent May from holding Parliament hostage on Brexit
The Liberal Democrats will today seek cross-party support for establishing a ‘Business of the House’ Committee designed to prevent the Conservative Government from holding Parliament hostage on Brexit by pulling votes and running down the clock.
The party’s Brexit Spokesperson, Tom Brake MP, said the Liberal Democrats are taking action to ensure “Parliament is in the driving seat of the Brexit process, including making time to legislate for a People’s Vote, with the option to remain in the EU.”
The Liberal Democrats will table an amendment to the Government’s Plan B motion which would authorise the setting up of a Business of the House Committee.
If passed, the amendment would leave Parliament in control of the Brexit agenda. This would ensure all Brexit Bills could enter and proceed through the Commons in a timely manner and no Brexit-related debates or votes were wilfully delayed by Government.
Liberal Democrat MP Tom Brake said:
“Liberal Democrats will not stand by and allow Theresa May to shut down the right of MPs to deal with the damaging and unravelling consequences of this Brexit mess.
“The Prime Minister might have survived a vote of no-confidence, but she has lost all authority in the House.
“We will be seeking wide-ranging support for our amendment, so we can get on and rule out a chaotic no-deal and give the people the final say on Brexit.”
ENDS.
Moran: PAC report highlights the increasing fragmentation of schools system
Commenting on the report by the Public Accounts Committee published this morning, Academy Accounts and Performance, Liberal Democrat Education spokesperson Layla Moran, who sits on the committee, said:
“This report shows the risks which come from the increasing fragmentation of the schools’ system, and erosion of scrutiny and oversight, which has resulted from the Conservative’s ideological drive to create more and more academy schools.
“Parents will no doubt be concerned that a lack of accountability will be jeopardising the quality of education their children receive.
“I’m in no doubt we need far greater oversight and scrutiny of academies and am pleased that this report recommends a number of steps towards this.
“The Liberal Democrats believe multi-academy trusts should be subject to the same inspections as local authorities, and that we need to return more power to local councils to oversee schools in their local areas.”
ENDS
* Cllr. Tahir Maher is a member of the LDV editorial team
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12 Comments
I don’t know who it is in Head Office that write the headlines, but it highlights an appalling loss of campaigning experience in the party over the last decade.
Tom Brake says it clearly in his statement “It is a symbolic indication of the serious uncertainty caused by the Tory Brexit mess,” but to focus on the weakest word in that sentence for the headline shows astonishing naivety for what was once the country’s best campaigning party.
“Sony leaving UK due to Tory Brexit mess” – that might just get us noticed by a press hack. “May’s Brexit mess makes Sony leave UK” might just get us published. Some of us are just too twee for the battle.
#We demand better
I agree with David. I’m sure our press office work very hard, and it’s a tough gig trying to sell this party to an indifferent media (I know from experience). But at times our press releases do lack bite. The statements here are good, but the headlines could be sharper.
Talking of headlines, Alex Salmond has been arrested.
“A Police Scotland spokesman said: “We can confirm a 64-year-old man has been arrested and charged and a report has been sent to the procurator fiscal.”
I remember a similar news flash referring to somebody else back in 1978.
@ David TonyH
Yes. Not only are they boring there are too many of them. The average press officer will just bin them.
When LDV started publishing Press Releases I started loading them on to my web site. I am now very selective. If I do not think they have got much to say I do not put them up.
The Sony one is badly written, and why just Sony, why not Airbus, Dyson and some 250 other companies preparing to move. With a bit of thought and imagination we could make a significant case. As it is the releases are like our party, boring, which is why we are at 10% not 20%.
A better Press Release:
Leaving the Sinking Ship
Sony have announced they are moving out of the UK in the event of a hard Brexit, they are not alone. A warning today from Airbus, but the list is endless, Dyson, Easy Jet, P&O Ferries and the many financial companies that have set up offices abroad, that is just a few. Wealthy Brexiter Rees Mogg has most of his eggs in Cayman Islands and Dublin. Lifeboats are being launched from the sinking ship.
On a related note: Tim Farron on PMQ yesterday. Is he still in politics?
@ Arnold Kiel
He is promoting his constituency, and is likely to get a positive response in his local press, which is more than the party gets in the national press.
“Airbus may quit UK if no-deal” 2019
I seem to remember this sort of story from a few years ago.
“Nissan may quit UK over euro” 2004
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2004/jan/07/motoring.theeuro
Bless Peter is that the best you can do. Meanwhile in the real world Sony move to Holland, Dyson runs to Singapore, the list goes on and on, but all you can squeak is “Project Fear”, the facts are against you and squeaking “Tis not true” make you look like king Canute. Still scramble around for old press cuttings, they won’t pay your pension when austerity on steroids bites. Your mess mate, suck it up.
@ frankie,
You could be right. Maybe Brexit is going to be so much worse than any of us supposed. We’ve already heard how Brexit is causing London house prices to fall sharply.
But its even worse that that! Who would have predicted that it would affect the Sydney property market too?
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/jan/24/sydney-house-prices-fall-at-fastest-rate-in-20-years
Peter Martin – Here’s a post by Richard North, Brexiteer and one-time economic advisor to Farage. He’s not happy since, as frankie has pointed out, you don’t necessarily get the Brexit you think you voted for – in his case an imaginary beast called Flexcit.
http://eureferendum.com/blogview.aspx?blogno=87127
I hope you are right that they’re just bluffing because there are an awful lot of high-quality jobs and cutting-edge, high-margin technology in that supply chain not to mention the multiplier jobs in the service sector. If it goes there’s no way it can come back since the rather small (by global standards) UK market is far too small to ‘do a China’ – i.e. temping firms in with the vast potential, using joint ventures and local content requirements to acquire the technology meanwhile cheating like mad, ignoring patents and the rest. A mid-size country like the UK would be given a good kicking if it tried the same and has too small a home market to get the economies of scale necessary to sustain competitive advantage.
It occurred to me ages ago that, if I were a EU27 leader, I would quietly arrange with the other leaders that the ECB would arrange to pay (via very soft loans) relocation costs for approved (i.e. high tech) companies moving from Britain to the EU27. The ECB is a monetary sovereign so they aren’t funds-limited as you know and it’s a win-win for them in that it would help improve the French/Spanish/etc economies. Subsequently I’ve read that tempting relocation offers are indeed on the table although I didn’t see a role for the ECB suggested – yet.
The REMAIN campaign was rightly castigated for the dreadful Project Fear but that’s become an excuse to dismiss any concerns out of hand. LEAVE also made lots of promises – easiest deal ever, 40 FTAs ready to sign at midnight etc. Since when was any divorce deal a slam dunk? And how can the NHS survive when the City is estimated to pay taxes that cover >60% of its cost but will be frozen out of Europe and not included in any FTAs because services (80% of the economy) aren’t ever included (except for the Single Market)? In short, I can’t think of a single LEAVE campaign promise that has been borne out by events; perhaps you can point to some.
Yes, David Raw, but he was acquitted. Didn’t do him much good though.