• Lib Dems: Ministers must commit now to any recommendations from inequalities inquiry
• ONS figures highlight the devastating COVID-19 care home crisis
• Lib Dems call for legally binding targets to restore natural world
• Lib Dems: Extend Brexit transition now

Lib Dems: Ministers must commit now to any recommendations from inequalities inquiry

Responding to the announcement that the Equalities and Human Rights Commission will lead an inquiry into the racial inequalities exposed by the coronavirus outbreak, Liberal Democrat Equalities Spokesperson Christine Jardine said:

The consequences of the coronavirus crisis are exacerbated for some communities by the existing inequalities in our society. The announcement that the Equalities and Human Rights Commission will investigate the disproportionate impact the virus has had on people from different ethnic minorities is particularly welcome considering Public Health England’s report earlier this week offered no proposed Government action.

The EHRC’s Inquiry will set out clear recommendations and Ministers must commit now to following them. The Liberal Democrats want to see a government-wide plan to tackle BAME inequalities, with a review by the Equality and Human Rights Commission to determine whether its funding is adequate. Once the Inquiry has been carried out, the Government should set this in motion with their recommendations.

Too many individuals have lost their lives to coronavirus, and we know that a disproportionate number of those we have tragically lost are from BAME communities. It is clear that not only does the Government need to do more to tackle the spread of the virus, but it also needs to do more to tackle the injustice and inequality in our society.

ONS figures highlight the devastating COVID-19 care home crisis

Responding to ONS statistics which suggest thousands of people with undiagnosed COVID-19 were sent back to care homes from hospitals, Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said:

These ONS figures show the sheer scale of the coronavirus crisis in our care homes. The figures suggest many people with undiagnosed COVID-19 were released from hospital back to care homes, which clearly fuelled the coronavirus tragedy in our care homes leading to the UK having the worst death rate in Europe.

Each one of these deaths is a tragedy, and the toll on families that couldn’t attend funerals for their loved ones is heartbreaking.

The Government must explain how this crisis in our care homes happened and confirm there will be a full and speedy independent inquiry so we can learn from these serious mistakes and keep people safe in the future.

Lib Dems call for legally binding targets to restore natural world

On World Environment Day, the Liberal Democrats are calling on the Conservative Government to take “radical action” to restore and protect nature.

In a letter to George Eustice, Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Liberal Democrat MPs urge the Government to show “global leadership” on this issue, after the UN Environment group highlighted the link between zoonoses, including coronaviruses, and the destruction of the natural world.

The Party calls for key measures to be introduced ahead of COP 26 next year, including a Nature Act, which would set legally binding near-term and long-term targets for improving water, air, soil and biodiversity, and measures to expand accessible green space.

Wera Hobhouse, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for the Climate Emergency and Environment said:

The UN has drawn a clear link between the current public health crisis and the destruction of our natural world. We need to act now to protect our precious planet for future generations. Protecting nature has got to be at the heart of any plan to tackle the climate crisis.

Despite the fact that we’re hosting the COP-26 conference next year, the Conservative Government has not shown enough ambition when it comes to protecting and restoring nature right here in the UK. We need to see legally binding targets for water and air quality and other key measures.

Robust action is the only way to achieve the long-lasting change we so urgently need. That is why the Liberal Democrats are calling for investment to restore key habitats like peatlands, woodlands and saltmarshes, to help promote biodiversity and build resilience against extreme weather events.

The Conservative Government has the power to act and they must not hesitate.

Lib Dems: Extend Brexit transition now

Following the latest round of Brexit negotiations, Michel Barnier today made it clear that there has been no significant progress on numerous issues including Level Playing Field commitments and fishing.

Urging the government to extend the transition period, Liberal Democrat Acting Leader Ed Davey said:

Boris Johnson can no longer cross his fingers and hope no one is paying attention to the huge Brexit mess hurtling towards us. We are running out of time.

Barnier has made it clear: not enough progress has been made on negotiations.

We are now dangerously close to the extension deadline. It is time to do the right thing for our NHS, economy, and vital supplies of food and medicines.

The government must stop posturing. Johnson must extend the transition period for the maximum period possible. To entertain any other possibility would be reckless. The UK is already battling the Covid-19 pandemic and facing its biggest recession in generations. There isn’t the bandwidth to cope with crashing out of the EU too.