• Crime Stats: Conservative failures mean victims of crime don’t know if they will see justice
• Conservative Leadership: a group of arsonists asking for a new box of matches
• Scot Lib Dems issue warning over worst hit rivers for sewage dumps
• SNP Government dodges question of its backing for Heathrow third runway
• Welsh Lib Dems call on new Welsh Labour leader to “restore trust in Welsh Politics”
• Councils agree to seek meeting with Government over pay deals and bin strikes

Crime Stats: Conservative failures mean victims of crime don’t know if they will see justice

Responding to the latest crime statistics showing that an average of 5,829 crimes went unsolved every day in the year ending March 2024, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael MP said:

Years of Conservative neglect and failure to give the police the resources they need and put bobbies on the beat mean that now victims do not know if they will ever see justice after facing these invasive crimes.

The former Home Secretary now wants to run for Conservative party leader, yet he couldn’t even get the basics of his last job right.

Cleverly’s crime catastrophe shows how utterly unfit the Conservatives were for government and why the country voted so decisively for change with a record number of Liberal Democrat MPs elected.

The new Labour government must now address these Conservative failures, put more police on the streets, make communities feel safe again and ensure victims get the justice they deserve.

Conservative Leadership: a group of arsonists asking for a new box of matches

Responding to reports that seven Conservative MPs have asked for nomination papers for the Conservative Leadership, Liberal Democrat Chief Whip, Wendy Chamberlain MP said:

This collection of failed ministers now reportedly running for the leadership is a symbol of the chaos the Conservative Party forced upon the country. It’s like a group of arsonists asking for a new box of matches.

Fortunately for the country the only bonfire is the Conservative Party.

Whilst the Conservatives fight like rats in a sack, the Liberal Democrats will be a constructive opposition, standing up for the NHS and care.

Scot Lib Dems issue warning over worst hit rivers for sewage dumps

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has today called for a new Blue Flag status to protect rivers from pollution, as analysis by the party of new Scottish Water figures revealed the worst rivers and bodies of water in the country for sewage dumping.

Updated figures published on the Scottish Water website on 26th June, showed that there were 25,109 sewage dumps in Scotland in 2023, an increase from the 21,660 originally reported in March and more than double the number of dumps recorded in 2020. The duration of these sewage dumps was 242,367 hours.

The worst affected rivers and waterways included the Clyde, Carron and Cluden Water.

Scottish Liberal Democrats have announced plans for a Clean Water Act which would see:

Scotland’s Victorian sewage network updated;

• Every sewage dump monitored and published with binding targets for their reduction;

• A blue flag system for Scotland’s rivers;

• A complete ban on the release of sewage in protected areas such as bathing waters.

Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

Scotland’s beautiful rivers and waterways risk being ruined by shocking levels of sewage dumping.

The amount of sewage being dumped into our rivers and waterways will be a red flag to residents, dog walkers and anyone who loves our great outdoors.

The latest figures show the dumping taking place is even worse than previously suspected.

To turn the tide on this scandal, Scottish Liberal Democrats have published plans for a Clean Water Act that would see a new blue flag system for Scotland’s rivers, as well as vital updates to our sewage network and a clamp down on discharges.

SNP Government dodges question of its backing for Heathrow third runway

Responding to the publication of the Scottish Government’s Aviation Statement and Key Priorities, Scottish Liberal Democrat economy spokesperson Willie Rennie MSP commented:

This strategy completely dodges the SNP Government’s longstanding contract with Heathrow to support the building of a third runway.

It is irresponsible for SNP ministers to endorse an expansion that would produce more emissions than some small countries. Declaring a climate emergency will ring hollow for as long as the SNP help pave the way for more flights from an airport that is already the UK’s biggest polluter.

With rumours that there will be a fresh push for expansion, John Swinney needs to show leadership and rip up his government’s contract of support for the sake of the climate and avoiding centralising more of the UK economy in the South East.

Welsh Lib Dems call on new Welsh Labour leader to “restore trust in Welsh Politics”

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have called on the new leader of Welsh Labour Eluned Morgan to rebuild trust in Welsh politics.

Welsh Lib Dem leader Jane Dodds MS has congratulated Eluned Morgan on becoming Welsh Labour leader, stating that she was “delighted to see another woman leading the way in Welsh politics.”

The Mid and West Wales MS also called on the new Welsh Labour leader to rebuild the trust lost in the party amongst both the Senedd and the Welsh public following recent events.

The Welsh Lib Dems have stated that they will be pushing the new Welsh government to ensure that everyone in Wales can easily access healthcare services when they need it, as well as calling for an expansion of the Welsh child care offer and highlighting issues affecting rural communities.

Commenting, the Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds MS said:

I would first like to congratulate Eluned Morgan on her successful nomination as the leader of Welsh Labour, it would be a fantastic achievement to be the first female First Leader and I am delighted to see another woman leading the way in Welsh politics.

It is now up to both Eluned and Welsh Labour to re-earn the trust of both the Senedd and, most importantly, the people of Wales.

The last few months of Welsh Labour scandals and in-fighting has been an unhelpful distraction from resolving the challenges facing Wales.

Unfortunately, these recent events have undoubtedly undermined trust in Welsh politics. Welsh Labour must realise that they can no longer take the Welsh electorate for granted, trust must be earned.

I will be pushing the new Welsh government to ensure that everyone can get access to an NHS doctor, GP or dentist when and where they need one.

I will also be fighting to expand the Welsh childcare offer to support working parents, tackling child poverty, and addressing the concerns of rural communities.

We as the Welsh Liberal Democrats will also continue to call for a £10,000 cap on individual political donations, an important first step towards cleaning up our politics.

Councils agree to seek meeting with Government over pay deals and bin strikes

Speaking after today’s COSLA meeting at which representatives of Scotland’s councils agreed to seek a meeting with the Scottish government to ask for more money in an effort to avoid strikes by bin workers, Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats Group on COSLA, Cllr Peter Barrett, said:

The SNP Government need to bring something meaningful to the table. COSLA have made the best offer that councils can afford. Council budgets are stretched as far as they can go and the current offer is at the limit of affordability.

Two years ago rubbish was allowed to pile up in the street while the Scottish Government stuck to the line that there was nothing they could do. Eventually they crumbled and hammered out a deal. This time they should skip the posturing and go straight to the solution. We need them to come up with the goods and the money to fully fund any improved offer.

The unions need to be reasonable too. They are not the only public sector workers who need a pay rise.

Scottish Liberal Democrats will continue to make the case for long term funding deals for local councils so that they can invest for the future and avoid the threat of strikes popping up every year.