• Lib Dems: Govt must tackle obesity crisis to save lives
• Lib Dems: Increase in SEND pupils will squeeze school budgets further
• Welsh Liberal Democrats – Wales now a remain nation
• Lib Dems: Overstretched school budgets are putting our children’s health at risk

Lib Dems: Govt must tackle obesity crisis to save lives

Responding to Cancer Research UK reporting that obesity now causes more cases of four common cancers in the UK than smoking, Liberal Democrat Health spokesperson Judith Jolly said:

The reports that many cancers are more likely being caused by being overweight than smoking shows the need for Government to step up plans to tackle obesity in the UK to improve our health and life expectancy.

It is therefore astonishing to hear that Boris Johnson doesn’t think it is worth his time extending the sugar tax and also wants an entire review of ‘unhealthy food taxes’. The fact he introduced his own version of the sugar tax in city hall when he was mayor of London shows how this is nothing more than another U-turn to woo Tory members.

The sugar tax is working. It was the Conservative Government who announced in November last year that the sugar tax had raised a lot less money than expected because manufacturers of soft drinks had cut the amount of sugar in drinks to avoid paying the tax.

Rather than cosying up to corporate interests, the Liberal Democrat would tackle the obesity crisis. We are committed to extending the sugar tax as well as reversing Tory cuts to preventive health services. It is the right thing to do – it is not just about reducing demand on our health service, but tackling this crisis will save lives.

Lib Dems: Increase in SEND pupils will squeeze school budgets further

Following today’s data release from the Department for Education, which revealed that the number of school pupils with special educational needs has risen for the third year in a row, Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Layla Moran MP said:

Cash-strapped schools are struggling to support our children with the most complex barriers to learning. Teaching assistants and other support staff are being cut. Conservative cuts to schools and councils mean that more than 9 in 10 councils face a funding shortfall for pupils with high needs, and today’s figures show these budgets will be squeezed further. The Government is failing the children most in need.

Liberal Democrats would reverse school cuts with an emergency cash injection and provide more money for children with the most complex needs, so that every child can get the best start in life.

Welsh Liberal Democrats – Wales now a remain nation

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have responded to a Beaufort Research poll for WalesOnline showing a ten-point lead for remain in Wales; claiming it is clear evidence that Wales is now a remain nation.

The poll of 1,000 people showed that remain leads leave 55% to 45% in Wales, once those who don’t know or wouldn’t vote have been excluded.

Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Wales Baroness Christine Humphreys said:

This important poll confirms what we’ve long been saying; the people of Wales have changed their mind and Wales is now a remain nation.

We’ve long said that no form of Brexit could be better than the current deal we have as full members of the EU. This poll is evidence that the Welsh people now agree with us and that our Exit from Brexit campaign continues to be successful.

It would be an outrage if the people of Wales were dragged out of the EU against their will, losing their jobs and their freedoms in the process. We must give the people the final say and the opportunity to stop Brexit.

Lib Dems: Overstretched school budgets are putting our children’s health at risk

Responding to the Department for Education’s referral of nearly 700 schools in England to the Health and Safety Executive over concerns they are failing to safely manage asbestos, Liberal Democrat Education spokesperson Layla Moran MP said:

The backlog of school building repairs is mounting. The referral of nearly 700 schools to the national health and safety body due to concerns over asbestos removal show that our schools are at breaking point. Even low levels of exposure to asbestos fibres can cause cancer decades later.

In 2016, 44 per cent of UK students were taught in schools in which the head teacher reported inadequate infrastructure, such as poor-quality buildings and grounds.

Years of Conservative funding cuts mean that school budgets simply do not stretch far enough.

The Liberal Democrats would create a £17 billion infrastructure fund that would provide capital investment to expand and modernise our schools and hospitals, so that children can learn in safety.