• Unsolved crime epidemic continues as shoplifting cases soar by 20%
• UK/India Trade Deal: Only a fraction of what we could get from the EU
• Ed Davey calls for UK airdrops to get aid to Gazans
• Welsh Lib Dems comment as waiting lists rise again

Unsolved crime epidemic continues as shoplifting cases soar by 20%

Following the release of new crime statistics, the Liberal Democrats have accused the Labour Government of not doing enough to tackle the “unsolved crime epidemic” left behind by the previous Conservative government.

The statistics revealed that in the year ending March 2025, shoplifting offences soared by 20% to the highest figure on record since current police recording practices began in 2003. 530,643 shoplifting offences were recorded across England and Wales, compared to 444,022 in the previous year.

56% of these cases went unsolved, while just 20% resulted in a suspect being charged or summonsed.

The statistics also uncover the shocking extent of unsolved crime in England and Wales. 2,071,156 crimes went unsolved in the year ending March 2025. This is equivalent to 5,674 crimes going unsolved every single day.

Meanwhile, just 387,891 crimes resulted in a suspect being charged or summonsed – accounting for less than 7.3% of cases.

In the wake of these new statistics, the party has renewed their call on the Government to scrap Police and Crime Commissioners and invest the savings in frontline policing, enabling a return to proper community policing with more bobbies on the beat.

The party would replace PCCs with local Police Boards made up of councillors and representatives from relevant local groups, which would be properly accountable to the communities they serve, at a fraction of the cost of PCCs.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Lisa Smart MP said:

Every day, thousands of innocent victims are being left without the justice they deserve after falling victim to heartless criminals. It is an absolute scandal.

The previous Conservative government left behind a legacy of failure, but the Labour government has not been quick enough to address the unsolved crime epidemic – particularly as shoplifting spirals out of control.

This neglect of victims cannot be allowed to continue. Our high streets and communities deserve better than this. If the Government wants to deliver safer streets, cracking down on the unsolved shoplifting epidemic must take priority.

Scrapping wasteful Police and Crime Commissioners is the first step towards returning to real community policing and getting more bobbies on the beat.

UK/India Trade Deal: Only a fraction of what we could get from the EU

Responding to the signing of the UK/India trade deal being signed this morning, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Calum Miller MP said:

We support the opening of trade, which is vital in the face of the tariff wars launched by Donald Trump. But the gains from this deal are a small fraction of what the Government could deliver for jobs and growth from a better deal with the EU.

The Government needs to cut the mountains of red-tape – ushered in by the Conservatives’ botched deal – that currently holds up trade with the EU. Ministers should now set their sights higher and move quickly to negotiate a new UK-EU customs union.

Keir Starmer also urgently needs to raise the case of Jagtar Singh Johal at his meeting with Prime Minister Modi today. It’s unacceptable that Jagtar has now been arbitrarily jailed for over eight years, with allegations from human rights groups that he has faced torture. Rather than trying to sweep this under the rug, our Prime Minister needs to show his backbone today and call for Jagtar’s immediate release.

Ed Davey calls for UK airdrops to get aid to Gazans

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey has called on Keir Starmer to launch a UK airdrop operation over Gaza, in response to the reports of mass starvation and the mounting number of deaths related to malnutrition.

The operation would involve RAF planes supplying aid into Gaza from the air. Similar operations were undertaken by British pilots in Spring 2024, delivering hundreds of tonnes of aid to support humanitarian relief efforts in the Strip.

The call comes as over a hundred humanitarian organisations have warned that the population of Gaza is at risk of mass starvation as a result of the Israeli Government’s failure to comprehensively reopen aid supply routes across the occupied territory.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

It is simply inhumane that the entire population of Gaza is at risk of starvation as a direct result of Israel’s aid blockade. The time for words is over – now we must act. That should include the UK Government conducting a fresh set of aid airdrops over Gaza

Aid delivered by the air is no substitute for the reopening of supply routes by land. But the extent of the humanitarian catastrophe we are now witnessing requires us to leave no stone unturned in our efforts to get aid to Gazans.

The Prime Minister should secure agreement from other international partners that they will follow the UK’s example and conduct their own airdrops. This must be alongside a redoubling of our collective effort to secure the total reopening of aid supply routes on the ground – the most effective and sustainable way to alleviate the suffering of Gazans.

Welsh Lib Dems comment as waiting lists rise again

Commenting, Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds MS said:

The latest NHS performance figures are nothing short of a damning indictment of 25 years of Labour mismanagement in Wales.

These are not just numbers on a spreadsheet, they are real people left to suffer in pain, anxiety and fear.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats are clear, we won’t solve the crisis in our NHS without first addressing the crisis in social care. That means ending bed blocking and also investing properly in primary care and GP services, ensuring illness is caught and treated early, not when it becomes an emergency.