Author Archives: Mark Valladares

I’m a veteran Party bureaucrat, having joined the old Liberal Party at university. And, perhaps not entirely surprisingly, I’ve held a range of positions since then - everything from Secretary-General of the Young Liberals to being a member of the ALDE Party‘s Financial Advisory Committee. Returning Officer, Presidential consort, committee secretary, you name it, I’ve probably done it. These days, I’m the Chair of the Parish Council for a (very) small rural village in Suffolk’s Gipping Valley, and a member of the East of England Regional Candidates Committee.
Mark Valladares

1 August 2024 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Thu 1st August 2024 - 10:30 pm
  • Rural crime report: Communities suffering after years of neglect
  • Davey on PM Statement: “Riots and disorder are never the answer”
  • Rennie responds to bin strikes news

Rural crime report: Communities suffering after years of neglect

Responding to NFU Mutual’s new Rural Crime Report, which shows that the cost of rural crime rose to £52.8m in 2023, Liberal Democrat Rural Affairs Spokesperson Tim Farron MP said:

Rural communities are suffering badly after years of neglect by the last Conservative Government. Far too many criminals are getting away with stealing millions of pounds worth of equipment from our farmers.

This needs to change. Rural communities deserve much more focus within government, including a proper strategy to combat rural crime that costs our economy so much.

Davey on PM Statement: “Riots and disorder are never the answer”

Responding to the Prime Minister’s press conference on the unrest since the attack in Southport on Monday, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

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Mark Valladares

31 July 2024 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Wed 31st July 2024 - 11:50 pm
  • Pensioner waits more than 9 hours for ambulance after suffering heat stroke as UK hits heatwave
  • CalMac maintenance soars 55% in a year to over £41m

Pensioner waits more than 9 hours for ambulance after suffering heat stroke as UK hits heatwave

  • Freedom of Information Act (FOI) on heat strokes reveals a pensioner in the East Midlands waited close to nine-and-a-half-hours for an ambulance last year.
  • FOI shows an almost doubling of ambulance response times when going on call outs involving heat stroke since 2018/19, rising from 32 minutes to 59 minutes in 2023/24.
  • Lib Dem Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper calls for urgent cross-party talks on social care and a review of the UK’s preparedness for heat waves saying: “We’ve heard too many harrowing heatstroke stories from people waiting hours in a state of confusion for an ambulance to arrive.”

A pensioner in the East Midlands waited close to nine-and-a-half-hours for an ambulance last year a Liberal Democrat FOI has revealed as the UK is in the midst of a heatwave following high temperatures this week.

The data also revealed that there has been a staggering 84% increase in ambulance response times when going on call outs involving heat stroke since 2018/19, rising from 32 minutes to 59 minutes in 2023/24.

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Mark Valladares

30 July 2024 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Tue 30th July 2024 - 10:30 pm
  • Cole-Hamilton: SNP must start fixing A&E before winter
  • Cole-Hamilton: SNP need to tackle alarming rise in deaths linked to synthetic opioids

Cole-Hamilton: SNP must start fixing A&E before winter

Responding to new figures showing only 63.7% of people attending A&E were seen within the 4 hour target in week ending 21st July, while 3,345 people waited over 8 hours and 1,448 waited over 12 hours, Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

People across Scotland sent a very clear message to this SNP Government last month. The NHS is teetering on the brink and it’s time they got their act together.

Normally in summer we would see an improving picture at A&E, but these waiting times are as long as some weeks in the winter. Unfortunately, under the SNP, staff are overwhelmed and thousands are waiting far too long to be seen.

We need to see action from this SNP government to fix the A&E crisis before winter arrives.

Scottish Liberal Democrats would overhaul the SNP’s failed NHS Recovery Plan, get you fast access to GPs and help people leave hospital on time through a new minimum wage for care workers that is £2 higher.

Cole-Hamilton: SNP need to tackle alarming rise in deaths linked to synthetic opioids

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today warned that “without more action we will only see more tragedy” as new statistics revealed that drug-related hospital admissions, suspected drug deaths and deaths linked to synthetic opioids known as nitazenes are all worryingly high.

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Mark Valladares

29 July 2024 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Mon 29th July 2024 - 10:30 pm
  • Public spending audit: We must focus on NHS
  • New Mid Dunbartonshire MP welcomes home Kirkintilloch Roy Roy

Public spending audit: We must focus on NHS

Commenting on the Treasury’s audit into the state of public finances, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson Sarah Olney MP said:

The shortfalls in public spending announced today are truly shocking, and the result of years of Conservative failure and mismanagement. We have been left with a stalling economy, leaving millions of families struggling to pay the bills and make ends meet.

To get our economy growing, we must focus on the NHS by cutting the waiting lists, giving the people the

…

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Mark Valladares

27-28 July 2024 – the weekend’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Sun 28th July 2024 - 10:00 pm
  • Cole-Hamilton writes to minister for third time over neonatal death spike
  • Rennie warns that the Scottish Government’s heat pump installation scheme is hardly helping

Cole-Hamilton writes to minister for third time over neonatal death spike

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has today written to the Scottish Government for a third time to call for ministers to answer questions in Parliament over a spike in the neonatal mortality rate – deaths within the first 28 days of life.

His call comes as five Scottish health boards were rated ‘red’ for neonatal mortality rates in the annual UK-wide evaluation known as MBRRACE, including a steep increase in the Grampian region.

Regions are red-flagged if their death rates are more than 5% higher than the UK average for their group. According to reports in The Herald, in 2022, five health boards in Scotland – Grampian, Lothian, Western Isles, Lanarkshire, and Borders – were ‘red’ for neonatal mortality once “congenital abnormalities”, also known as birth defects, were excluded as a cause of death.

This is up from one in both 2020 and 2021, and is the highest at any point since 2017.

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Mark Valladares

26 July 2024 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Fri 26th July 2024 - 11:00 pm
  • CQC: entire NHS and care system needs fixing
  • Cole-Hamilton: Fornethy women must be given the redress they deserve
  • Scottish Liberal Democrats respond to fresh NHS buildings delay
  • Stone ‘thrilled’ with Flow Country’s World Heritage Status

CQC: entire NHS and care system needs fixing

Responding to the Health Secretary saying that the Care Quality Commission “is not fit for purpose”, Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care spokesperson, Daisy Cooper MP said:

In recent weeks countless people have told us harrowing stories about not being able to get the care they or their loved ones need leaving them feeling anxious and abandoned.

The Conservative party kicked the can down the road on overhauling social care and sent NHS waiting lists spiralling. It is patients who have borne the brunt of this shocking neglect.

For too long, too many patients have had no levers to pull to stop things going wrong and when they do, complaints and regulatory systems are too complex and slow.

The findings of this report are staggering and the CQC and our entire NHS and care system needs fixing, with patient rights at its heart.

Cole-Hamilton: Fornethy women must be given the redress they deserve

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today reiterated his call for the survivors of alleged abuse at Fornethy House to be allowed access to the Scottish Government’s compensation scheme for those abused while in residential care.

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Mark Valladares

25 July 2024 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Thu 25th July 2024 - 10:45 pm
  • GB Energy: We cannot be left at the mercy of Putin again
  • Chamberlain urges transport infrastructure funding
  • McArthur comments on prison report and plans for young prisoners
  • Cole-Hamilton responds to Health Secretary reannouncing £30m of NHS money

GB Energy: We cannot be left at the mercy of Putin again

Responding to the government’s deal between GB Energy and the Crown Estate, Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said:

In recent months we heard countless harrowing stories of parents having to choose between putting food on the table or keeping their children warm as the energy crisis sent their bills spiralling.

For far too long, the Conservative party left us at the mercy of tyrants like Putin for our energy. This can never happen again.

It is right that the new government is taking action to help protect households by committing to clean and secure energy. Alongside this we must also see an emergency insulation programme to drive down bills and keep families warm.

We hope the new government will urgently implement a programme laser-focused on reducing bills and heating homes to avoid another winter of discontent.

Chamberlain urges transport infrastructure funding

Wendy Chamberlain MP for North East Fife yesterday wrote to the Scottish Secretary of State asking for a meeting to discuss transport infrastructure for Scotland.

Since many areas related to transport are devolved, funding sources and application processes often end up falling under both the Westminster and Scottish Governments. As a result, Chamberlain has written to the Minister asking that in this new Parliament, improving inter-governmental relations will assist.

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Mark Valladares

24 July 2024 – yesterday’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Thu 25th July 2024 - 7:30 am
  • Crime Stats: Conservative failures mean victims of crime don’t know if they will see justice
  • Conservative Leadership: a group of arsonists asking for a new box of matches
  • Scot Lib Dems issue warning over worst hit rivers for sewage dumps
  • SNP Government dodges question of its backing for Heathrow third runway
  • Welsh Lib Dems call on new Welsh Labour leader to “restore trust in Welsh Politics”
  • Councils agree to seek meeting with Government over pay deals and bin strikes

Crime Stats: Conservative failures mean victims of crime don’t know if they will see justice

Responding to the latest crime statistics showing that an average of 5,829 crimes went unsolved every day in the year ending March 2024, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael MP said:

Years of Conservative neglect and failure to give the police the resources they need and put bobbies on the beat mean that now victims do not know if they will ever see justice after facing these invasive crimes.

The former Home Secretary now wants to run for Conservative party leader, yet he couldn’t even get the basics of his last job right.

Cleverly’s crime catastrophe shows how utterly unfit the Conservatives were for government and why the country voted so decisively for change with a record number of Liberal Democrat MPs elected.

The new Labour government must now address these Conservative failures, put more police on the streets, make communities feel safe again and ensure victims get the justice they deserve.

Conservative Leadership: a group of arsonists asking for a new box of matches

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Mark Valladares

23 July 2024 – yesterday’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Wed 24th July 2024 - 11:55 pm
  • Lib Dem amendment to the King’s Speech selected for vote
  • NAO Health Report: Heart of govt’s agenda must be rescuing the NHS
  • EA Annual Report: public sick to the back teeth of polluting firms
  • Cleverly: A failed Conservative minister with a tarnished legacy
  • New figures show sewage dumping higher in 2023 than previously known

Lib Dem amendment to the King’s Speech selected for vote

The Liberal Democrat amendment to the King’s Speech has been selected for a vote expected around 7pm this evening.

The amendment calls for a range of measures including free personal care in England, better support for carers and a cross-party commission on social care to provide the desperately needed long-term reforms to the sector. It also calls for the scrapping of the two child benefit cap.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

I am proud the Liberal Democrats have tabled this amendment to the King’s Speech to stand up for care and carers. We will be the voice of carers in this Parliament and work with others to find solutions to the big challenge of social care.”

Millions of people voted for the Liberal Democrats because they wanted us to deliver change and a fair deal. Now, from our plan to tackle the sewage scandal to more support to fix our NHS and care, Liberal Democrat MPs are making the case for just that in Parliament today.

NAO Health Report: Heart of govt’s agenda must be rescuing the NHS

Responding to the National Audit Office report which said that the ‘scale of the challenges facing the NHS today and foreseeable in the years ahead is unprecedented’, Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:

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Mark Valladares

22 July 2024 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Mon 22nd July 2024 - 10:35 pm
  • Lib Dems table King’s Speech amendment to “rescue social care” as half of care homes lost in some areas
  • Lib Dems demand clarity on IT outage impact on patients
  • Rennie calls for Swinney to head off bin strikes

Lib Dems table King’s Speech amendment to “rescue social care” as half of care homes lost in some areas

  • Lib Dems have tabled an amendment to the King’s Speech to rescue social care and call for a cross-party commission
  • Ed Davey says that “people and their loved ones simply cannot wait any longer” after the Conservative Party “broke social care”
  • Number of care homes in England has fallen

…

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Mark Valladares

19-21 July 2024 – the weekend’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Sun 21st July 2024 - 9:15 pm
  • IT outage: Government urged to call COBRA meeting
  • ICJ opinion: UK should recognise the independent state of Palestine
  • Incoming government must recognise Palestine and redouble efforts for peace
  • Rennie files parliamentary motion on schools’ access to Microsoft programs
  • Rennie presses government over implementation date for Children Care and Justice Act provisions
  • Mayor of London questioned over summer preparedness plans

IT outage: Government urged to call COBRA meeting

The Liberal Democrats have called on the government to hold a COBRA meeting to coordinate an urgent response to the IT outage causing major disruption including to airlines, railways and GP surgeries.

Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office Spokesperson Christine Jardine MP said:

The government must call an urgent COBRA meeting to address the chaos being caused by these IT outages across the country.

The public needs to be reassured that the disruption to their travel or their desperately needed GP appointments will be minimised.

Getting critical infrastructure up and running again must be priority number one. The National Cyber Security Centre should also be working with small businesses and other organisations to help them deal with the outage.”

This once again lays bare the need to improve our digital infrastructure and truly modernise our economy in order to prevent the incidents from happening again.

ICJ opinion: UK should recognise the independent state of Palestine

Responding to today’s advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs spokesperson Layla Moran MP said:

This decision is a wake-up call. Liberal Democrats have always championed international law and the independence of the courts.

The only way to give Palestinians and Israelis the security and dignity they deserve is through a peace process and a two-state solution.

The UK should lead that push by immediately recognising the independent state of Palestine.

Incoming government must recognise Palestine and redouble efforts for peace

Orkney and Shetland MP, Alistair Carmichael, has backed calls for the incoming Labour government to uphold international law and support efforts towards a lasting peace in Israel and Palestine, including the recognition of a Palestinian state. Signing Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson Layla Moran’s parliamentary motion, Mr Carmichael warned that with the election past, now was the time to renew efforts for a ceasefire in Gaza, while welcoming the government’s announcement today of the restoration of funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, the agency which supports aid for Palestinians.

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Mark Valladares

Lib Dem Lords’ valedictory speeches: Judith Jolly on health

By Mark Valladares | Sat 20th July 2024 - 4:45 pm

Here at Liberal Democrat Voice, we’ve made a point over the years of covering maiden speeches of new Liberal Democrat Parliamentarians and, with a huge new cadre of MPs elected on 4 July, you can expect a lot of those in the coming weeks. But, at the other end of the building, there are retirements and, as part of the arrangement for a retiring peer, there is an opportunity to make a valedictory speech. On Friday, Judith Jolly made hers after more than thirteen years in the Lords, having served as a Government Whip in the final years of the Coalition and then as our Frontbench spokesperson on Defence and then Health between 2015 and 2019…

My Lords, the last year has seen health and social care rise up the agenda of the country. Most of my professional life was spent in the far south-west of England. I taught maths for over 15 years and became an early champion of IT in schools. In 1997 I was appointed as a non-exec director of a NHS primary care trust. I was a lay inspector for the Commission for Health Improvement and I was proud to be first chair of the Committee for Community Nursing. In the 1990s I was appointed to the board of an NHS trust providing community services across north Cornwall.

Now we are fortunate to have both local authorities and the NHS working together to provide health and care. Despite legislation introduced in the last 15 years, we need to take a close look at the state of care for older people and for those with a learning disability. I undertook the role of chair of Hft, an organisation working all across England that cares for people with a learning disability. Of all the roles I have had, this was the most rewarding. I made many friends from the Hft board and I am grateful for the insight I had into the world of adults with a learning disability.

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Mark Valladares

18 July 2024 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Thu 18th July 2024 - 11:55 pm
  • Covid Inquiry Report must be a moment for change
  • Chamberlain tables two child benefit cap parliamentary motion
  • Sadiq Khan refuses to back removing the two-child benefit cap
  • Cole-Hamilton: Scotland badly let down by SNP Government’s pandemic planning

Covid Inquiry Report must be a moment for change

Commenting on the first Covid Inquiry Report, Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:

Today’s damning findings confirm in black and white what we unfortunately already knew.

Our hearts go out to all those who lost loved ones during the pandemic, yet sadly these findings of systematic and political failings will provide little comfort for thousands of grieving families.

Today must be a moment for change. The country was badly let down during the pandemic and this new government must ensure that lessons are learnt swiftly.

The Liberal Democrats called for an inquiry in 2020, and we will continue to demand that the full facts are known about every aspect of this catastrophic failure.

Chamberlain tables two child benefit cap parliamentary motion

Wendy Chamberlain MP for North East Fife, has tabled a Parliamentary motion calling on the Government to remove the two-child limit on social payments in the first Budget.

Statistics from the Department of Work and Pensions state that 1.6 million children are affected by the two-child benefit cap. The cap also imposed employment barriers on parents who have less income available for childcare costs as a result.

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Mark Valladares

17 July 2024 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Wed 17th July 2024 - 10:30 pm
  • Ed Davey on King’s Speech: Liberal Democrats will make the voice of carers heard
  • Child Poverty: Right that Government looks at how to tackle child poverty after economic damage by Conservatives
  • Chamberlain tables WASPI Parliamentary motion
  • London Lib Dems – King’s Speech – Extra Powers for Metro Mayors Welcome, but Need the Financial Powers to Back Them Up
  • Scottish Liberal Democrats respond to King’s Speech
  • Renew Europe: End Orbán’s Council Presidency

Ed Davey on King’s Speech: Liberal Democrats will make the voice of carers heard

Responding to the King’s Speech, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

After years of crisis and chaos under the Conservative Party, it is clear our country faces enormous challenges. The Liberal Democrats will carefully scrutinise the Government’s plans, striving hard to stand up for our constituents.

We will continue campaigning to fix the NHS, boosting GP numbers, tackling delays to cancer treatment and improving access to dentists and pharmacists.

We will make sure the voice of carers is heard, from increasing the Carer’s Allowance to the big challenge of fixing social care – so that our loved ones can get the support they need.

Child Poverty: Right that Government looks at how to tackle child poverty after economic damage by Conservatives

Responding to news that the government has created a ministerial taskforce to tackle child poverty, Liberal Democrat Work and Pensions spokesperson Wendy Chamberlain MP said:

It is right that the government is looking at how best to tackle the scourge of child poverty. Hundreds of thousands of children are trapped in poverty after years of chaos and economic damage by the Conservatives.

Scrapping the two child cap would be the quickest and most cost-effective way to lift children out of poverty and bring long-term benefits to our society and economy. We hope that ministers listen to the evidence and the many charities that their task force will meet and act accordingly.

Chamberlain tables WASPI Parliamentary motion

Wendy Chamberlain, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Work and Pensions, has today tabled a Parliamentary motion calling for the new Government to honour the recommendations of the Ombudsman.

The Ombudsman’s report first came out in July 2021 and stated that women born in the 1950s had suffered significant financial loss due to maladministration by the Department of Work and Pensions. The final report was published in May 2024 and recommended 1950s women are owed compensation.

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Mark Valladares

16 July 2024 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Tue 16th July 2024 - 10:30 pm
  • King’s Speech: Fixing NHS and care must be a priority
  • Welsh Lib Dems call for First Minister to go
  • Rennie: Scotland needs good governance, not SNP chaos
  • Rennie comments on ferry contract decision

King’s Speech: Fixing NHS and care must be a priority

Commenting ahead of the King’s Speech tomorrow, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

Years of chaos under the Conservatives have left us with a stagnant economy and health services in a state of crisis. Millions of people are stuck on NHS waiting lists and struggling to get the care they need to return to work.

Fixing the NHS and care would put rocket boosters under economic growth in our country.

The Liberal Democrats will keep campaigning for our policies to tackle the health and care crisis and get our economy back on track. That is what millions of people voted for at the General Election, we will not let them down.

Welsh Lib Dems call for First Minister to go

Responding to the recent resignations from Vaughan Gethings cabinet, the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds MS said:

Vaughan Gething has now lost both the confidence of the Senedd and several members of his own Government; he must resign from his position as First Minister.

We cannot afford to allow internal fighting in Welsh labour to distract us any longer from the range of serious issues facing our country.

The Welsh people are sick and tired of constant political scandals and broken promises, they want to see a political system that works for them.

We as the Welsh Liberal Democrats will deliver that change.

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Mark Valladares

15 July 2024 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Mon 15th July 2024 - 11:00 pm
  • Cancer polling: New govt’s number one priority should be to get NHS back on its feet
  • Lib Dems call for new laws on GP appointments and cancer care in King’s Speech
  • Far North MP to lead debate on access to rural healthcare

Cancer polling: New govt’s number one priority should be to get NHS back on its feet

Responding to Cambridge University polling, conducted by Public First, showing that cancer is the biggest health concern among the UK public, Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care spokesperson, Daisy Cooper MP said:

On the doorsteps throughout the campaign, we heard countless harrowing stories of people enduring unacceptably long waits to start cancer treatment.

The Conservative party has brought our health service to its knees and getting the NHS back on its feet needs to be the number one priority of the Labour government.

Liberal Democrats are calling for a legal right for all patients to start cancer treatment within two months and for a boost in cancer nurses to help deliver this.

It is patients who are bearing the brunt of this neglect and they cannot wait any longer.

Lib Dems call for new laws on GP appointments and cancer care in King’s Speech

The Liberal Democrats have said that new laws to end the crisis in health and care need to be at the heart of the King’s Speech on Wednesday.

The party said this should include giving patients new legal rights to see a GP within a week and to start cancer treatment within 62 days of an urgent diagnosis, with new laws putting a statutory duty on the Government to deliver them. The Liberal Democrats are also calling for the introduction of free personal care to tackle the crisis in social care.

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Mark Valladares

17-19 July 2024 – this week in the Lords (and some demographic data)

By Mark Valladares | Mon 15th July 2024 - 4:09 pm

Yes, they’re back, and so, with a new Parliament to look forward to, let’s try again with this column…

A King’s Speech means only one thing, huge amounts of pomp and ceremony whilst seventy-two Liberal Democrat MPs (and Jennie) try to work out where best to get a vantage point for “His Majesty’s Gracious Speech”. Meanwhile, the Lords Chamber will be packed with Peers and their spouses in all of their finery – unfortunately, my tiara is in for cleaning, so I won’t be present. But, after lunch, the robes will be back in storage as the debate on the content of the Speech as well as consideration of “An Address in Reply to His Majesty’s Gracious Speech” begins.

That debate will run over six days, including a Friday session this week, each day focussing on the following:

  • Thursday 18 July: energy, the environment and housing
  • Friday 19 July: education, early years and health care
  • Monday 22 July: economic growth, infrastructure and employment
  • Tuesday 23 July: constitution and devolution
  • Wednesday 24 July: justice and home affairs
  • Thursday 25 July: foreign affairs and defence

One of the proposals expected to appear in the King’s Speech is a mandatory retirement age of eighty for Peers, and the House of Lords Library has produced some data on the likely impact of such a rule which is fascinating.

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Mark Valladares

SNP must repair relations with councils and unions as more than 210,000 days lost

By Mark Valladares | Sat 13th July 2024 - 11:45 pm

Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Willie Rennie has today said that the Education Secretary must rebuild relations with trade unions and local authorities as he revealed that more than 210,000 staff days were lost to strikes in just 18 months.

Freedom of information requests submitted by Scottish Liberal Democrats have revealed:

  • In 2022/23, at least 170,049 school and council staff days were lost due to strikes, while a further 46,197 were lost between April and October 2023;
  • Children missing out on up to a dozen days of education;
  • Among the local authorities which responded, Glasgow lost the most days of staff time with 29,295

…

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Mark Valladares

12 July 2024 – today’s press release

By Mark Valladares | Fri 12th July 2024 - 10:30 pm

I’d rather let this feature slip during the General Election – the flood of press releases, and the fact that they generally got rather better coverage than usual made it seem slightly less necessary to cover them here. But, perhaps now that the news cycle has settled a bit, and given that we have a vastly larger Parliamentary Party in the Commons, this feature may offer some insight into what our new MPs are up to.

That said, there’s only one today…

SEPA need to show plan for cleaning up Portobello

Responding to comments from SEPA, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, saying that paddling or bathing in the water at Edinburgh’s Portobello beach could pose a risk to health, Scottish Liberal Democrat MP for Edinburgh West Christine Jardine said:

This is an iconic location in our capital but once again people are being asked to stay out of the water because of threats to health. As Edinburgh gears up for its busiest season, this sends a terrible message.

Residents and visitors need more information out of SEPA as to what is leading to these closures and what action is being taken to deliver a long-term solution.

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Mark Valladares

Welcome to my day: 8 July 2024 – have you not been entertained?

By Mark Valladares | Mon 8th July 2024 - 7:30 am

Good heavens, wasn’t Thursday night fun? It’s been nearly twenty years since I enjoyed an election night that much, given that even 2010 was bittersweet as a series of seats slipped out of our grasp just when we thought that a massive surge was on.

Watching Conservative MP after Conservative MP lose their seats was reassurance that the British public can’t be fooled all of the time, taking the opportunity to find imaginative ways to defeat a discredited and disgraced administration. And to see so many new faces, many of whom will be new even to our own membership, can only inspire a new generation of activists to push on in next year’s local elections, both to shore up our support in the gained seats, but to create a new set of potential targets for 2029.

Because times are about to get interesting. Labour are going to have to do something similar in those seats that they gained on 4 July, especially those in rural areas such as Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket or Suffolk Coastal in my neighbourhood, where they won despite the almost total absence of a local government base. We know that their activist base is predominantly urban, but does success breed a new activist base for them beyond the old heartlands?

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There’s already one new Liberal Democrat Parliamentarian tonight…

By Mark Valladares | Thu 4th July 2024 - 10:30 pm

Congratulations to Caroline Pidgeon, our recently retired Leader of the Liberal Democrats on the London Assembly, who has been appointed to the House of Lords in the Dissolution Honours List.

Responding to the announcement, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

Caroline Pidgeon is a fantastic Liberal Democrat and has been an incredible public servant for more than a quarter of a century. She has a brilliant track record of fighting for better public services, from policing to public transport.

I am delighted to welcome Caroline to Parliament to fight for a fair deal for the British people.

Caroline Pidgeon MBE …

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ALDE Party Council, Vilnius 2024 (part 2) – a masterclass in agenda planning…

By Mark Valladares | Mon 1st July 2024 - 12:50 pm

* Welcome to the second part of my report of the weekend’s ALDE Party Council. Part 1 can be found here…

Having retired relatively early, I was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for an early start the next morning. In truth, as I’ve noted before, Council is often a bit of a bureaucracy session, offering Council delegates an opportunity to scrutinise the work of the Bureau. I tend to the view that Council isn’t very good at that, unless something upsets them. After all, most Council delegates are there to debate ideas, not assess the value of adding €50,000 to one budget …

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Mark Valladares

ALDE Party Council, Vilnius 2024 (part 1) – greetings from a galaxy not far away…

By Mark Valladares | Mon 24th June 2024 - 7:33 pm

Readers, please note that this is not an official report of the Council meeting last weekend, but represents my report back.

One of the things that I observed from my two years as consort to the Party President was that, if you’re chairing a potentially fractious group, especially a political one, it really helps to be able to spot potential disagreements beforehand, allowing you to have those critical conversations prior to the meeting, and to consider how best to manage the debate.

The ALDE Party isn’t entirely like that, as was demonstrated on Saturday morning.

But, having gathered in Lithuania’s charming capital, we did have more than a Council meeting to attend. My weekend started with a session sponsored by the European Liberal Forum, discussing what a liberal narrative for the next five years might look like, including our own Sal Brinton. Sal talked about our current campaign, noting that it had liberal values at its heart, offering concrete proposals to improve our public services and the environment.

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Mark Valladares

Welcome to my day: 24 June 2024 – it would take a heart of stone, wouldn’t it?

By Mark Valladares | Mon 24th June 2024 - 11:31 am

Greetings from Lithuania, where your Day Editor is currently located following a rather enjoyable weekend away on Party business. Think of it as one of the side effects of a snap General Election…

Having spent much of the weekend surrounded by European liberal colleagues asking optimistically after our prospects, I’ve been talking them down a bit. After all, I’ve been around a long time and I know that the evil Tories always have something up their sleeves to unleash upon us at the moment of greatest vulnerability, usually courtesy of their mates in the right-wing press.

And yet, and yet, I fret that something beyond our control might harm our prospects. However, despite my vague disquiet, our campaign still appears to be running as smoothly as you could reasonably ask, and our key messages continue to resonate.

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Mark Valladares

ALDE Party Council preview – consequences, consequences…

By Mark Valladares | Mon 17th June 2024 - 4:30 pm

There’s always something to distract you during a General Election campaign. And, in my case, that’s the ALDE Party Council meeting that will take place on Saturday in Vilnius, Lithuania’s capital. Yes, we’ll be sending a full delegation, albeit with an element of substitution, including a guest Baroness, but flights have been rearranged to keep absences as short as possible.

The main topic of conversation is going to be the fallout from the European Parliament elections last week, and the impact on Europe’s direction in the coming years. Whilst Renew Europe might not …

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Mark Valladares

Welcome to my day: 17 June 2024 – and we have liftoff?…

By Mark Valladares | Mon 17th June 2024 - 8:55 am

It’s been an unexpected campaign in many ways. And whilst, as a member of the Party’s Federal Council, I’ve been fortunate to be in receipt of briefings from the centre about campaign strategy for some time, my expectations were not high. It was feeling like a bit of a grim slog to pry loose a bunch of limpet Tory MPs for, the most part, somewhere far from my corner of East Anglia. Certainly worthwhile, and certainly necessary, but not necessarily designed to make spirits soar. Discipline was, and still is, the watchword.

But, there was the consolation that we were going to be on the front foot this time. There was a sense that, even if we weren’t going to reach the heights of the turn of the century, we were going to improve our position significantly in terms of seats at least.

So, colour me surprised to find that this campaign has been far more fun than I could have dreamed of. Yes, a degree of grim determination is still in order – leaflets and canvassing don’t do themselves – but there is a certain joie de vivre that I don’t think many of us could have anticipated. Ed is seemingly living his best life which, compared to the crabbed, cautious approach of Keir and Rishi, our modern day political Chuckle Brothers, does at the very least give the impression of self-confidence and a sense of fun. And campaigns should be enjoyed. Did you have Jason Donovan describing Ed as sexy on your “bingo card” for the campaign.

Much kudos must go to the Campaigns Team who, with our social media team, have entertained and engaged us, the media and, somewhat unexpectedly, the public.

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Mark Valladares

12 June 2024 – today’s press releases (Scotland and Wales)

By Mark Valladares | Wed 12th June 2024 - 11:55 pm
  • Scottish Liberal Democrats call for climate-focused industrial strategy
  • “Free transport the key to fighting child poverty” – Welsh Lib Dems
  • “We cannot fail our children in the fight against racism” – Welsh Lib Dems

Scottish Liberal Democrats call for climate-focused industrial strategy

Scottish Liberal Democrat deputy leader Wendy Chamberlain today laid out her party’s plans for a new industrial strategy “which has tackling the climate emergency at its heart” during a visit to a clean power-start up.

Wendy Chamberlain was at PlusZero, a Harris-based company specialising in the production, distribution and operation of green hydrogen.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats would support science, research and innovation, particularly among small businesses and start-ups with an interest in zero-carbon and environmental technologies, by:

  • Investing in energy storage, including green hydrogen, pumped storage and battery capability;
  • Continuing to participate in Horizon Europe and joining the European Innovation Council, both of which have a big focus on hydrogen as a breakthrough technology;
  • Aiming for at least 3% of GDP to be invested in research and development by 2030;
  • Improving joint ministerial work on new cross-cutting policies such as the UK industrial strategy.

Wendy Chamberlain said:

The UK can lead the world with innovation and ingenuity. Liberal Democrats will put tackling the climate emergency at the heart of a new industrial strategy, cutting emissions and driving a strong economic recovery.

Businesses and entrepreneurs should be supported to create clean well-paid jobs in every part of Scotland.

While other parties abandon their climate commitments, only the Scottish Liberal Democrats have a plan that can give businesses the certainty they need to invest in products and unlock their global potential.

We need to seize the economic opportunities of net zero now. We simply can’t afford for the UK to be left behind on green skills and the industries of the future.

“Free transport the key to fighting child poverty” – Welsh Lib Dems

This week in the Senedd, the Welsh Liberal Democrats have reiterated their calls for free public transport for everyone under the age of 25.

A recent report from the Senedd Petitions Committee highlighted the positive impact that affordable transport could have towards fighting child poverty.

According to the report, public transport fares in Wales have skyrocketed up to 74% over a 10-year period.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have claimed that, because most under-18s rely on buses and trains, exorbitant costs are barring access to education, jobs, and essential activities.

Speaking in the Siambr, party leader Jane Dodds MS citied the free bus scheme in Scotland as an example of the positive benefits that free public transport can have.

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Mark Valladares

12 June 2024 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Wed 12th June 2024 - 11:20 pm
  • GDP: Conservatives have utterly failed to deliver the growth promised
  • Ed Davey calls for young carers to receive education support as latest TV broadcast released
  • Thames Triathletes sickness: Environment Agency investigation needed
  • Craig Williams bet on election date: Sunak must suspend him
  • Conservatives: Record of failure on defence
  • Sky Leaders’ Debate: Sunak “out of touch” on NHS waiting lists

GDP: Conservatives have utterly failed to deliver the growth promised

Commenting on the latest GDP estimates, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson Sarah Olney said:

As Rishi Sunak’s time as Prime Minister peters out, so does the UK’s economic growth.

The Conservatives have utterly failed to deliver the growth they repeatedly promised, instead presiding over stagnation and economic misery for hardworking families across the country.

The Conservatives’ manifesto shows they simply lack the ambition and vision to get the economy moving again. It’s clear for voters across the country that the only way to make it happen is to vote them out of office on 4 July.

Ed Davey calls for young carers to receive education support as latest TV broadcast released

  • Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey speaks to carers in latest TV broadcast airing later tonight
  • Liberal Democrats propose Young Carers Pupil Premium, ensuring carers keep up with their learning
  • Ed Davey, who cared for his mother as a child, says the plans will help young carers fulfil their potential
  • Up to three in 10 (27%) of young carers are missing school

The Liberal Democrats will announce plans for young carers in England to receive extra funding for their education as part of a major expansion of the pupil premium. The policy would support over 50,000 children with caring responsibilities to catch up on their learning.

The latest policy announcement comes as Ed Davey’s new Party Election Broadcast airs tonight on BBC and ITV, with the party leader hearing from carers.

In the film, Ed Davey, who cared for his mother as a child and now cares for his disabled son, hears from a young carer who struggles to balance their learning with caring responsibilities.

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Mark Valladares

11 June 2024 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Tue 11th June 2024 - 11:20 pm
  • Lib Dems call for “Clean Water Authority” to tackle sewage dumping and overhaul failing water industry
  • Conservative manifesto: no one will believe what they’re promising
  • Suspected drug deaths increase by 10%

Lib Dems call for “Clean Water Authority” to tackle sewage dumping and overhaul failing water industry

  • Ed Davey announced plan to launch the Clean Water Authority, a tough new regulator with powers to tackle sewage dumping and reform the water industry in England and Wales
  • Water companies would be required to publish real-time data on the volume of sewage they dump into rivers
  • Analysis reveals Conservative MPs voted over 1,600 times against tougher measures to tackle sewage dumping in last Parliament
  • Leader Ed Davey said the bold proposals “will end the Conservative sewage scandal once and for all” and clean up our waterways

The Liberal Democrats have today announced plans to launch the Clean Water Authority, a tough new regulator with powers to take decisive action against failing water companies over the sewage scandal.

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Mark Valladares

7 June 2024 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Fri 7th June 2024 - 11:30 pm
  • Davey: Sunak leaving D-Day early a “dereliction of duty”
  • Lib Dems pledge to create new National Parks
  • D-Day: Lib Dems call on Sunak to donate Hester £5 million to a veterans’ charity
  • Scottish Liberal Democrats commit to returning UK to Erasmus
  • Lib Dems call for new protections for rivers and coastlines as sewage dumped over 83,000 times in Welsh waters last year

Davey: Sunak leaving D-Day early a “dereliction of duty”

Responding to reports that Rishi Sunak left D-Day commemorations in Normandy early, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

One of the greatest privileges of the office of Prime Minister is to be there to honour those who served, yet Rishi Sunak abandoned them on the beaches of Normandy. He has brought shame to that office and let down our country.

I am thinking right now of all those veterans and their families he left behind and the hurt they must be feeling. It is a total dereliction of duty and shows why this Conservative government just has to go.

Lib Dems pledge to create new National Parks

  • The Liberal Democrat manifesto will include a pledge to create at least three new National Parks, with additional funding to boost the National Parks budget
  • Ed Davey said that the proposals would help “protect our beautiful countryside for the next generation” and make good on the “broken promises of the Conservative Party”
  • The party sets out plans where the Chilterns, Surrey Hills, and North Downs could be among the first new National Parks created in 14 years

The Liberal Democrats have pledged to create new National Parks across England, Ed Davey will announce today.

The policy would lead to an expansion of National Parks by adding at least three new parks to the existing ten in England, with new funding of £50m a year for new and existing National Parks.

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