• Lib Dems blast Reform Mayoral Launch for “talking down” London
• Govt must state if US military seizure of oil tanker was legal under international law
• ScotRail disruption payments top £3 million
• Greene responds to watchdog warning on waiting times
• Welsh Lib Dems raise ongoing red tape hitting Welsh lamb
• Greene: Pause business rates revaluation

Lib Dems blast Reform Mayoral Launch for “talking down” London

Responding to a Reform UK press conference, announcing Laila Cunningham as their mayoral candidate, Lib Dem London Spokesperson Luke Taylor MP said:

From its history to its culture to its people, London is the greatest city in the world but all Reform seem to do is talk it down.

Cunningham and Farage care more about sowing division than they do about solving the actual problems that Londoners face.

The Liberal Democrats will stand up for the millions of Londoners who love this city and its values and ensure London is a better place for everyone.

Govt must state if US military seizure of oil tanker was legal under international law

Responding to the US’s seizure of a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the Atlantic, Calum Miller MP, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs Spokesperson, said:

The Russian shadow fleet is busting oil sanctions for Russia and allies like Iran. It helps Putin sustain his brutal war on Ukraine. We support measures that stop the illicit flow of oil that powers sanctioned regimes.

But this is another example where Donald Trump’s illegal action in Venezuela has undermined steps to uphold international law.

The use of US air bases in the UK to launch this operation places a particular obligation on the Government to show that we are committed to acting lawfully. So the Government needs to state whether this military intervention is legal and who is now responsible for the vessel.

ScotRail disruption payments top £3 million

Scottish Liberal Democrat transport spokesperson Jamie Greene has today revealed that since the nationalisation of the ScotRail franchise the service has paid out more than £3m in payments to passengers whose trains have been cancelled or delayed.

Passengers whose trains are delayed by more than half an hour can make delay repay claims.

Figures for delay repay payments are typically published by ScotRail with a six-month lag, however figures acquired by Scottish Liberal Democrats reveal that between April 2022, when the service returned to public ownership, and the end of October 2025:

• £3,089,106.54 was paid to passengers for late trains.
• There have been 262,747 claims for delay repay in that time, with 178,446 of those being approved and paid out.
• This means that the average pay-out for delay repay in that time has been £17.32.

Scottish Liberal Democrat transport spokesperson Jamie Greene MSP said:

This is an eye-watering, multi-million-pound bill for delayed trains.

The SNP have been directly responsible for the trains for three and a half years, but these figures point to a serious level of disruption that will be frustrating for commuters, holidaymakers and taxpayers.

Since this figure only covers those who have applied for a refund, there may be many more people who have been similarly inconvenienced but who simply haven’t claimed.

With people across the country struggling to make ends meet, these payments need to be brought under control. That’s also how we create a more efficient service that will help encourage people out of private cars.

Passengers and commuters deserve better. Wherever you are, by backing the Scottish Liberal Democrats on your peach regional ballot next May, you can vote for a public transport that works for all communities, ages and for the planet. We would achieve that with new options for two/three-day-a-week season tickets and by working with councils to explore new lines, especially in areas where public transport links are poor.

Greene responds to watchdog warning on waiting times

Responding to comments made by the Auditor General that it will be “really challenging” for the SNP government to eradicate year-long health waits by March, Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Jamie Greene said:

The fact that the SNP won’t even reveal whether this target has been met until after the election shows they don’t believe they’ll meet it. The SNP simply can’t be trusted with your health.

Month after month, patients are languishing on a waiting list, in pain and with no clear idea of when they will be treated.

We’re lagging miles behind England in terms of waiting times and the promised national treatment centres have yet to fully materialise.

At May’s election, you can vote for change with fairness at its heart and a realistic plan to fix our NHS by backing the Scottish Liberal Democrats on your second peach-coloured ballot paper.

Welsh Lib Dems raise ongoing red tape hitting Welsh lamb

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have raised fresh concerns in Parliament about the continued red tape facing Welsh farmers and food producers exporting meat, particularly lamb, to the European Union.

Speaking during a parliamentary debate secured by the Welsh Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe David Chadwick, the Lib Dems highlighted how producers in rural areas of Wales are still encountering significant costs, delays and bureaucracy when exporting to key EU markets including Germany and the Netherlands.

Welsh lamb exports are especially exposed to post-Brexit barriers. While the UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement removed tariffs and quotas, it introduced new non-tariff barriers, including export health certificates, veterinary sign-off and sanitary and phytosanitary checks. These requirements were absent when the UK was part of the EU Single Market and Customs Union.

Although the UK Government has announced progress towards closer cooperation with the EU on food and agricultural trade, there is still no fully settled or implemented Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement in place. As a result, exporters remain subject to many of the same requirements introduced after Brexit, with smaller producers often bearing the greatest burden.

Welsh food and drink exports were worth £813 million in 2023, with around 75% destined for EU countries. The EU remains the destination for around a third of Welsh lamb exports, around 90% of Welsh beef exports and the vast majority of Welsh dairy exports, underlining how vital smooth access to European markets is for rural Wales.

Mr Chadwick also warned that repeated delays to the UK’s own border control system and uneven inspection regimes have left UK farmers at a disadvantage, while imports face fewer checks than equivalent British exports. He said these failures were the direct result of Brexit decisions taken by Conservative governments, supported and promoted by Reform UK, without regard for the practical impact on agriculture.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to urgently secure a fully implemented SPS agreement with the EU, developed in close collaboration with farmers and food producers, to reduce unnecessary barriers, protect rural livelihoods and restore confidence in export markets.

Commenting, David Chadwick, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Wales, said:

Welsh farmers were promised that Brexit would make exporting easier. Instead, Conservative governments, cheered on by Reform UK, delivered more paperwork, higher costs and fewer markets.

Farmers in rural Wales are still paying the price for ideological decisions taken in Westminster with little understanding of how agriculture actually works.

Warm words and future negotiations are not enough. The Government needs to stop dragging its feet, finish the job on an SPS agreement with the EU, and give Welsh farmers back the ability to sell their world-class produce without unnecessary red tape.

Greene: Pause business rates revaluation

Scottish Liberal Democrat economy spokesperson Jamie Greene MSP has called for an immediate pause on the Scottish Government’s revaluation of business rates, as he warned of the pressures facing small businesses across the country.

Jamie Greene MSP said:

Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and we have a collective responsibility to tip the scales as far as we can to support them.

But right now, businesses are under immense pressure. In my home region of Gourock, there’s a wee shop called The Pirate and Bluebelle which will be closing its doors in just ten days’ time. Like so many businesses across the country, rising costs and falling footfall have hit it hard.

The proposed hike in non-domestic business rates is enormous. It does not cut it for ministers just to be “aware” of concerns.

The Scottish Government must put an immediate pause on the implementation of this revaluation and give businesses the breathing space they need.