• Government needs to “put Thames Water out of its misery” with special administration
• Lib Dems demand new measures to cut Russian oil and gas profits as “drop in the ocean” oil cap cut falls short
• Davey responds to latest on Rayner stamp duty
• Rennie drags ministers to Parliament over their Gupta deals
• Cole-Hamilton comments on PVG checks for politicians
• Calls for new Dŵr Cymru CEO to rule out supporting water privatisation in Wales

Government needs to “put Thames Water out of its misery” with special administration

Responding to the announcement by Thames Water creditors of rescue plans to bring in £20.5 billion of private investment, Charlie Maynard, Liberal Democrat MP for Witney, stated:

To present this as a solution is the worst sort of joke – and it’s at the expense of 16 million customers with the misfortune to have Thames Water as our monopoly supplier. Throw in Ofwat continuing to go easy on the company paying its fines for polluting our rivers and you have enough to make us all throw up.

This is just more of the same. The Government needs to get a grip and bring this horror show to an end – Special Administration is what’s needed to put Thames Water out of its misery.

Lib Dems demand new measures to cut Russian oil and gas profits as “drop in the ocean” oil cap cut falls short

• The Liberal Democrats have launched a new package of proposals to cut Putin’s war chest, including a ban on UK imports of products processed from Russian oil in third countries

• The party is also calling for a ban on UK companies shipping or insuring Russian liquified natural gas (LNG), as well as a further cut to the oil price cap. Together, these measures could cost the Kremlin millions in profits which would otherwise fuel Putin’s barbarism in Ukraine

• The demands coincide with the Russian oil cap cut coming into effect today, which the party has called a “drop in the ocean” compared to what action is needed.

The Liberal Democrats are calling for a comprehensive new package of measures to hit Putin’s coffers as the Russian oil cap cut comes into effect.

Liberal Democrat Defence spokesperson Helen Maguire called today’s reduction in the price cap for Russian oil to $47.60 per barrel a “drop in the ocean” in the fight against the Kremlin.

This comes as her party launches a suite of policies aimed at doing much more substantial damage to Putin’s profits, and as the Kremlin continues to escalate its barbaric assault on Ukraine.

The Liberal Democrats have demanded a further cut to the oil price cap to just $30 – a move which could cut Russian revenues by a further 10% – as well as a ban on UK imports of petroleum products processed from Russian oil in third countries.

Currently the UK still imports oil products processed from Russian oil, despite a ban on directly importing Russian oil and oil products introduced in December 2022. Think tanks suggest that the Kremlin has benefitted to the tune of £510 million in tax receipts thanks to this loophole – with the Lib Dems demanding it be closed.

The calls form part of a wider range of new measures proposed by the party, including a proposal to ban the provision of all UK maritime services for Russian LNG, including its transport and insurance.

Analysis suggests UK-owned or -insured LNG carriers facilitated the transport of £45bn of Russian LNG from the start of the full-scale invasion until April 2025 – meaning that 76% of the total export value of Russian LNG was carried on UK-owned or -insured vessels over that time.

Announcing the suite of policies, the Liberal Democrats’ Defence Spokesperson, Helen Maguire MP said:

It’s unconscionable that, in the fourth year of Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the UK is still contributing to the Kremlin’s coffers. While I welcome efforts to put more pressure on Putin, today’s price cut is a drop in the ocean compared to the action Britain must take.

Once and for all, we need to close the refinery-shaped loophole in our legislation – ensuring that the UK does not provide a single rouble for Putin’s war of conquest.

An end to imports of Russian oil processed overseas, a ban on British companies shipping or insuring the Kremlin’s gas, and a cut-throat approach to the oil price cap will cost the Kremlin millions. We must show President Zelensky that we will back him and the Ukrainian people to the hilt.

Davey responds to latest on Rayner stamp duty

Responding to Angela Rayner’s statement on her tax affairs, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

I understand it is normally the role of opposition leaders to jump up and down and call for resignations – as we’ve seen plenty of from the Conservatives already.

Obviously if the ethics advisor says Angela Rayner has broken the rules, her position may well become untenable.

But as a parent of a disabled child, I know the thing my wife and I worry most about is our son’s care after we have gone, so I can completely understand and trust that the Deputy Prime Minister was thinking about the same thing here.

Perhaps now is a good time to talk about how we look after disabled people and how we can build a more caring country.

Rennie drags ministers to Parliament over their Gupta deals

SNP ministers will have to appear before Parliament to give statements on potential taxpayer exposure and their deals with Sanjeev Gupta’s troubled business empire after Willie Rennie MSP secured both a portfolio question and a ministerial statement.

Today, Willie Rennie will ask the Scottish Government to provide an update on its discussions with Sanjeev Gupta’s GFG Alliance, Liberty Steel and Alvance British Aluminium regarding the companies’ operations in Scotland. At Willie Rennie’s request, ministers will also return to give a further statement next week.

Mr Gupta acquired the Dalzell Steelworks in a controversial back-to-back deal facilitated by the Scottish Government, exposing taxpayers to environmental clean-up costs in the event of a wider collapse. He also owns the Lochaber Aluminium Plant, which owes £7 million in loans to Scottish taxpayers and is also backed by hundreds of millions of pounds of Scottish Government guarantees. Years of media reporting have suggested that the accounts for both operations have gone unfiled.

The Scottish Government have so far refused to say whether it has obtained financial guarantees relating to the financing for the tycoon’s Scottish businesses.

Last month a judge found that the GFG Alliance parent group has 15 entities in insolvency proceedings across nine jurisdictions.

Willie Rennie said:

The Scottish Government have never once given a straight answer about its relationship with Sanjeev Gupta, the financial health of his businesses and where taxpayers stand in all of this. This evasive approach gives the impression they have something to hide.

When the SNP chose Mr Gupta as the preferred buyer for Dalzell and Lochaber, they were shouting to the high hills about their deals. Now they’ve clammed up. Perhaps they are realising they have been taken for a ride.

Liberal Democrats have warned the Scottish Government for years about the possibility that Liberty Steel operations could collapse, but so far ministers have refused to act.

Mr Gupta’s businesses have had no small share of problems. It’s only right that the Scottish Government be clear with MSPs and the public about what discussions it has had with the GFG Alliance, whether taxpayers could be left picking up the pieces and, critically, for how much.

Cole-Hamilton comments on PVG checks for politicians

Speaking to the Daily Record about whether politicians should have to complete Protecting Vulnerable Groups checks, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

I was shocked when the SNP, Conservatives, Labour and Greens rejected my proposals and concluded that vulnerable persons checks should apply to everyone bar themselves.

In any other job with access to children and vulnerable people you would be expected to undergo a vulnerable persons check. The reaction of most people to such a proposal is simply shock that elected representatives get an opt-out from these basic safeguards.

It is not good enough for MSPs to rely on self-policing or say that they have voluntarily adopted the good practice of not spending time unaccompanied with children or vulnerable adults.

Calls for new Dŵr Cymru CEO to rule out supporting water privatisation in Wales

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have today called on the incoming Chief Executive of Dŵr Cymru/Welsh Water to rule out supporting water privatisation in Wales, citing his questionable record as Managing Director of Sydney Water in Australia.

The appointment of Roch Cheroux has raised concerns among campaigners and industry observers about whether his record and views align with the not-for-profit ethos of Wales’s largest water utility.

Mr Cheroux previously courted controversy for downplaying the risks of privatising essential services. In a 2021 industry podcast, he stated that the privatisation of Sydney Water would “not change very much” for households, provided regulation remained in place. Independent analysis later found such a sale would have added between £90 and £140 ($174–$269 AUD) to the average household bill each year, while costing taxpayers hundreds of millions in lost revenue.

Critics argue that Mr Cheroux’s relaxed stance on private ownership demonstrates an indifference to the financial pressures facing ordinary families. During his tenure, Sydney Water was embroiled in election controversies, with leaked documents showing ministers exploring “privatisation by stealth.” Rather than resisting this agenda, critics argue that Mr Cheroux’s comments gave political cover to those who sought to downplay the risks.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats warn that his appointment risks undermining the not-for-profit ethos of Dŵr Cymru at a crucial moment, as the Welsh Government looks set to gain powers over financial regulation of the water industry from Westminster.

The Lib Dems have also raised concerns over other aspects of Mr Cheroux’s record in Australia, pointing towards reports that he was sacked as head of Sydney Water and was accused by a trade union of being responsible for a “toxic” workplace culture.

The party has also renewed its call for action on excessive bonuses and pay within Dŵr Cymru, highlighting that the former CEO received £892,000 in 2021 despite rising water bills for customers and ongoing sewage dumping in Welsh rivers.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have pledged that if elected to the Senedd next year, they will work to completely reform the financial regulation of Welsh Water, ensuring fairer executive pay and a stronger focus on the public interest.

Commenting, Welsh Liberal Democrat Westminster spokesperson David Chadwick MP said:

It is vital that the incoming CEO of Dŵr Cymru categorically rules out any return to water privatisation in Wales, given his questionable record in Australia.

Welsh households already face the highest water bills in the UK despite some of the lowest incomes. At the same time, Dŵr Cymru has one of the worst environmental records of any water company, with our rivers increasingly choked by raw sewage.

It is nothing short of obscene that the head of Welsh Water can pocket a near seven-figure salary while leading what is supposed to be a not-for-profit organisation. Every vote for the Welsh Liberal Democrats at next year’s Senedd elections will be a vote to clamp down on excessive executive pay, and introduce proper financial regulation that puts people and the environment first.