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.
Urgent theft from vehicle reports in London up 31%
Welsh Lib Dems look ahead towards Cardiff Spring conference
Urgent theft from vehicle reports in London up 31%
London is facing an epidemic of thefts from vehicles, new figures show.
Data obtained by Lib Dem London Mayoral candidate Rob Blackie, under the Freedom of Information Act (FOI), show that there has been a 31% increase in 999 calls relating to theft from vehicles since 2015 – the year before Sadiq Khan took office.
There were 27,584 theft from vehicle emergency reports in the capital in 2023 – up from 21,009 in 2015.
Lib Dem Mayoral Candidate, Rob Blackie, said:
This is yet another damning indictment of Sadiq Khan’s record as Mayor over the last eight years. Londoners tell me they are worried about cars being broken into on their street. They want the police to act because the problem is getting so much worse.
We need every officer out there investigating crime and focusing on what’s important to Londoners. That’s why I will be ensuring that the Met spends less time wasting effort on stop and searches for cannabis and more time on tackling serious crime.
Fixing the Met will be my top priority and the Liberal Democrats will give it the funding and focus it needs.
Welsh Lib Dems look ahead towards Cardiff Spring conference
The Welsh Liberal Democrats will be hosting their annual Spring conference this weekend in Cardiff.
Over a two-day period (Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd of March), party members are expected to be debating motions on Childcare, Local Government funding and providing a Fair Deal for Wales amongst others.
The conference will be opened by the Rt.Hon. The Mayor of Cardiff, Cllr Bablin Molik, the first woman of colour to be appointed as the Lord Mayor of the Welsh capital.
Welsh Lib Dems call for national net zero framework
Welsh Lib Dems demand fairer deal for farmers
Welsh Lib Dems call for national net zero framework
Today in the Senedd, the Welsh Liberal Democrats have called on the Welsh Government to build a national framework to strengthen local authorities’ climate action plans.
Currently, the Welsh Local Government Association receives Welsh Government funding to help local Authorities develop a climate action plan.
19 of Wales’ 22 local authorities have declared a climate emergency, with 14 of these having a climate action plan.
However, according to the Climate Emergency UK’s 2021 scorecard, Welsh local government plans received an average score of 31% compared to a national average of 50%.
Commenting, the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds MS said:
The Welsh Government’s net zero approach, whilst well-intended, lacks a clear framework for area-based climate action in Wales.
According to the Climate Emergency UK’s 2021 scorecard exercise, Welsh local authorities’ climate action plans received an average score of 31%, well below the UK national average of 50%.
With local authorities having influence over roughly a third of emissions in their local area, there is a clear need for a coordinated territorial approach.
We need a unified approach if we want to reach net zero within the set time zone.
By working together and establishing a coordinated national framework that can help guide local authority plans, we can take the first step in delivering a better tomorrow for us all.
Welsh Lib Dems demand fairer deal for farmers
Today in the Senedd, the Welsh Liberal Democrats have called on the Welsh Government to deliver a straightforward and simple farming scheme that works for both food producers and the natural environment.
Lib Dems table motion calling on Parliament to rebuke Lee Anderson’s Islamophobic comments
Cancer survival rates: Lib Dems will put giving UK among best cancer survival rates at heart of priorities
Tory support in freefall – Rob offers London liberal choice
Welsh Lib Dems call for action against child health inequality in Wales
Lib Dems table motion calling on Parliament to rebuke Lee Anderson’s Islamophobic comments
The Liberal Democrats have tabled a censure motion, calling on Parliament to rebuke Lee Anderson’s Islamophobic remarks and calling for him to come to the House and apologise.
The party is calling on Conservative MPs and the government to back the motion, adding that the Conservative party must “show that Islamophobia is not tolerated in Parliament”.
It comes as Anderson said that he would not apologise for his Islamophobic remarks as to do so would be “a sign of weakness”.
The motion tabled by the Lib Dems, if adopted by the government and passed by the House, would be an unprecedented rebuke of the Ashfield MP’s remarks. It would show that Parliament found the remarks unacceptable and Islamophobic and that Anderson should apologise in the House.
Liberal Democrat Women and Equalities spokesperson, Christine Jardine MP said:
Lee Anderson’s remarks were damaging, divisive and need to be called out for what they are – Islamophobic. He should apologise immediately.
British Muslims across the country deserve so much better than this. There is no place in our society for hatred like this.
If the government is too weak to call out this behaviour, the House – including Conservative MPs – must take matters into its own hands and show that Islamophobia is not tolerated in Parliament. Not go completely silent on the issue or look for a way to excuse the inexcusable.
This latest scandal proves once again that the Conservative party is not fit for purpose and is certainly not fit for office.
Cancer survival rates: Lib Dems will put giving UK among best cancer survival rates at heart of priorities
Lee Anderson: Sunak needs to condemn his comments for what they are
Bathing Water announcement: Half-baked which does not ban sewage in swimming spots
Wales’ Biggest Scarf? Showing Some Love to Our Care Experienced Community.
Lee Anderson: Sunak needs to condemn his comments for what they are
Responding to Rishi Sunak and Mark Harper’s latest comments on Lee Anderson this morning, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper MP said:
The refusal of Rishi Sunak and his ministers to properly call out Lee Anderson’s extreme comments shows just how low the Conservative Party has fallen.
Rishi Sunak needs to condemn Anderson’s comments for what they
Welcome to another preview of the week’s events in the Upper House, one in which a space will become apparent following the loss of Conservative Peer, Patrick Cormack, who passed away over the weekend.
But on to business in what is another long week for the denizens of the red benches. Monday starts with a Liberal Democrat Oral Question – Lorely Burt will be asking the Government what is being done to encourage businesses to employ people with criminal convictions.
The Victims and Prisoners Bill reaches Day 6 of its Committee Stage but the …
I was a little tardy last week, which I blame on the beach I was sitting on in Bali. But, still slightly jet-lagged, I return for another Monday here at LDV Towers.
And it seems that, whilst I was away, all sense of Conservative discipline has gone, blown to the four winds. The idea that senior figures in the Party, Members of Parliament, Cabinet members, former Prime Ministers, could suggest that the country is under the control of “Islamists”, or is run by the “Deep State” should horrify any sane member of their Party. But no, the line is to suggest that they don’t really mean it, or that we’re all being too sensitive. And, with a Leader too frit to take serious action – and in the case of Lee Anderson, would an apology really have sufficed? – we can expect to see many more provocations as Conservatives attempt to shore up support amongst racists and bigots.
But, as a Civil Service trans activist (or am I an environmental extremist?), I would be concerned by Liz Truss, wouldn’t I? For the record, I’ve not encountered either in the workplace during my many years of public service.
There is an issue though which might concern a Conservative thinker, which is this. If your party has spent decades denigrating the public sector, and lauding the private sector, should you be surprised when your supporters opt to take the money? And, if you depress public sector salaries over the fourteen years that you’ve been in office, should you be terribly surprised when only the more altruistic opt to work in government, central or local? After all, altruism doesn’t appear to be high on the list of Conservative principles these days.
And the apparent glee with which James Cleverly announced last week that he will be banning overseas care workers from bringing dependents with them is merely another mark of how low they will stoop to secure what they see as a core voting group. What such people will think if it becomes apparent that there isn’t anyone willing to look after Granny is, obviously, a problem for another day.
I’m not convinced that moving ever further towards the nationalist right offers much hope for the Conservatives though, given that Reform UK offer greater clarity for the sort of voters for which such a programme appeals, but there is a risk that they lose those who might consider themselves One Nation Conservatives in the process, leaving them worse off overall. But such a thought process would require some rational thinking, and I’m not convinced that the Government are at home to the concept just now.
But enough depression about our politics. Here’s Chopin’s Nocturne in A Flat major, played by Grigory Sokolov, to soothe the savage breast…
It’s been a slightly depressing week in some ways, and promising in others.
Two by-elections saw crushing defeats for the Conservatives, which I think would generally be seen as a “good thing”, even if we weren’t the winners. In truth, it was hard to see a scenario where we would be – in both Kingswood and Wellingborough we’ve been a long way adrift even in relatively good years – and 2024 isn’t that good. There’s an increasing clear sense that voters just want to see the Conservatives gone, and will vote for whoever is seen as most likely to achieve that.
And now the Conservatives can give us all a preview of what will happen after a crushing General Election defeat (if that comes to pass), as they fight like rats in a sack for whatever cause floats their boat this week. Should they respond to Reform’s vote by moving even further to the right, or can relatively centre-right MPs move the Party back towards the centre? We kind of know who’ll win that argument, given that supposed One Nation Tories have folded at every key moment, and can only hope that, if they do veer rightwards, their demonstrable incompetence will prevent too much damage to our society.
Whilst the Commons takes the week off, their senior colleagues down the corridor continue to work their way through the legislative process…
There were no Liberal Democrat Oral Questions last week, so of course Monday sees two. Dominic Addington has a question on Government plans what plans they have to ensure that all schools have the capacity to identify and implement a plan of support for the most commonly occurring special educational needs, a particularly topical question given the impact of such support on local government budgets. Tim Clement-Jones wants to know what …
My apologies for today’s late start – a minor technical glitch locked me out of the site this morning but, now that that’s remedied…
A big election, far away…
The world changes, even if nobody seems to want to tell us, as Indonesia goes to the polls this week. Two hundred million eligible voters will determine who will be the President of one of the world’s fastest growing economies and an increasingly influential player in Asia-Pacific politics. And Indonesia isn’t just a country with a large population, it stretches across thousands of miles, the equivalent of from the west of Ireland to Turkmenistan.
I’m increasingly of the view that, as a country with declining influence in the world – Brexit and nine years of increasingly English nationalist government really haven’t helped there – we should be looking to build new relationships in order to establish a new relevance, yet our foreign policy is constructed on the basis that we’re still major players, welcome participants everywhere. That’s hard to reconcile with our diminished military capacity and an attitude towards emerging economies that is unhelpful at best.
Indonesia is a prime example of that, a key producer of important materials, in particular nickel, needed in manufacture in many of the new technologies our economy will rely upon going forward. Trade deals will require a quid pro quo, as the negotiations with India demonstrate, with calls for visa-free access or, at least, easier access to visas. Are we willing to make the case that, as part of building those new trading relationships, we’re going to need to make compromises about who comes here?
Michael Gove claimed that we’d had enough of experts…
No fault-evictions: PM must deliver on his government’s promises
Welsh Lib Dems react to “farcical” rise in train fares
Crumbling schools: Govt must stop sitting on its hands and speed up rebuilding
No fault-evictions: PM must deliver on his government’s promises
Responding to figures that show no-fault evictions spiked by almost a third last year, Liberal Democrat Housing spokesperson, Helen Morgan MP said:
Rishi Sunak’s failure to bring forward the ban on no-fault evictions is having devastating consequences for vulnerable families across the country.
No family should lose their home through no-fault of their own. Yet, under this Conservative government that is exactly what they are allowing to continue.
The Prime Minister needs to do something that does not come naturally to him, deliver on his government’s promises.
Welsh Lib Dems react to “farcical” rise in train fares
The Welsh Liberal Democrats have described the latest rise in train fares by the Transport for Wales as “farcical”.
The Welsh Government has announced that rail fares in Wales will rise by 4.9% from the 3rd of March, claiming that the rise was needed to allow Transport for Wales to meet higher costs and continuing investment.
NHS waiting lists: Sunak’s broken pledge having “catastrophic impact”
A&E waits: This Conservative government is a catastrophe for our NHS
17% spike in children’s tooth extractions: If dental care under this Conservative government was a tooth, it would need extraction
NHS waiting lists: Sunak’s broken pledge having “catastrophic impact”
The latest NHS figures show that waiting lists have grown by almost 400,000 to 7.6 million since Rishi Sunak made his pledge to cut them in January 2023.
Commenting, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey MP said:
Rishi Sunak has proven time and time again that he cannot be trusted to cut NHS waiting times. Patients across the country are waiting desperately for appointments, while Conservative MPs continue to fight amongst themselves.
It is clear that Rishi Sunak’s broken pledge is having a catastrophic impact on our NHS. His planned NHS spending cuts must be cancelled now to make sure patients get the care they deserve.
Government have left dental services to rot and now think they can rebuild it with a handful of toothpicks
2.2 million people’s work impacted by being stuck on NHS waiting lists
Dentist dossier: Five Conservative failures on dental care
“More opportunities needed for young people living in rural Wales”- Welsh Lib Dems
Government have left dental services to rot and now think they can rebuild it with a handful of toothpicks
Responding to Health Secretary Victoria Atkins morning interviews on the Government’s new dental plan, Liberal Democrat Health spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:
Seeing a Minister duck and dive on the reality of dental funding cuts will be hard to swallow for millions who have been left waiting for so long under this Government.
The reality is they’ve left our dental services to rot and now think they can rebuild it with a handful of toothpicks.
People are sick and tired of a Conservative government that doesn’t know how to fix yet another crisis of its own making.
2.2 million people’s work impacted by being stuck on NHS waiting lists
Around 2.2 million people are seeing their work impacted by being stuck on waiting lists for NHS treatment, including many going on long-term sick leave or reducing their hours, analysis by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.
This is up from 1.41 million people whose work was being affected by waiting for NHS treatment in January 2023. It comes after Rishi Sunak admitted this week he has failed to meet his pledge to bring down NHS waiting lists.
The Liberal Democrats said it showed the Conservative government’s failure to tackle soaring NHS waiting lists was dealing a “hammer blow” to the economy.
The figures are based on the latest Office for National Statistics survey looking at the impact of being on an NHS waiting list, conducted between October 2023 and January 2024. The survey found that over one in four adults report they are waiting for a hospital appointment, test, or to start receiving medical treatment through the NHS.
Among those who said their lives had been impacted by waiting for NHS treatment, 24% said their work had been affected, equivalent to over 2.2 million people across the country. Of these, the survey suggests that around 626,300 (29%) people had reduced their hours, 367,000 (17%) had gone on long-term sick leave and 151,000 (7%) had stopped working to go on illness related benefits.
Sunak interview: Most people worry when they are hit with a surprise £1,000 bill, the PM does not even register it
PopCon: Tory MPs at launch pocketed £85,000 in severance payments
Dental plan “too little too late” for people desperately queuing in Bristol
“No child deserves to go hungry”- Welsh Lib Dems
Mid and West Wales MS Jane Dodds urges for more support for rural GP’s
“Simply papering over the cracks in our services”- Welsh Lib Dems
Sunak interview: Most people worry when they are hit with a surprise £1,000 bill, the PM does not even register it
Responding to the Prime Minister’s interview this morning, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper MP said:
Rishi Sunak either does not care or does not get it. As the Prime Minister buries his head in the sand and pretends everything is fine, people across the country are suffering.
Most people when they are hit with a surprise £1,000 bill worry about how they are going to make their next mortgage payments or put food on the table for their children.
Instead, the Prime Minister does not even register the significance of that amount of money. Out of touch does not even begin to describe Sunak.
The Prime Minister’s cold soundbites that everything is working simply do not survive contact with reality.
PopCon: Tory MPs at launch pocketed £85,000 in severance payments
The Conservative MPs at today’s Popular Conservatism launch pocketed almost £85,000 in taxpayer-funded pay-outs, analysis by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.
The Liberal Democrats said, “This is not popular Conservatism, it’s economic vandalism.”
Liz Truss pocketed a £18,660 taxpayer payout despite previously criticising “handouts” to help with the cost of living, while Jacob Rees-Mogg claimed £16,800 despite attacking the size of the state. Other Conservative MPs who attended the event, including former Chief Whip Wendy Morton, former Home Secretary Priti Patel and ex-education minister Andrea Jenkyns, all took severance payments worth thousands of pounds. In total Conservative MPs at the event pocketed £84,955 in taxpayer-funded payouts.
NHS waiting lists: Sunak must reverse cuts to spending
OECD Report: UK set for highest inflation levels in G7
PopCon event: Blue Wall voters will look on with horror
Sunak’s broken promise: NHS waiting lists won’t fall back to pre-pandemic levels until 2030
Keegan gives government “good” Ofsted while children taught in crumbling classrooms
NHS waiting lists: Sunak must reverse cuts to spending
Responding to Piers Morgan’s interview with Rishi Sunak, where he admits he has failed to cut NHS waiting lists, the Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:
Finally Rishi Sunak has admitted he has failed to cut NHS waiting lists, leaving millions of
I had rather expected that this would be a short week – the Lords usually goes into recess for just over a week, covering Valentines Day, most years. But not this year, it seems…
The Committee Stages of the Victims and Prisoners Bill (day 3) and the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill (day 5) are the main business on Monday, whilst the Restoration and Renewal Client Board is holding a private meeting in Portcullis House (another building with its own maintenance issues).
You might already have guessed that there’s a lot of legislation grinding through the Lords at the moment, and Tuesday sees the Third Reading of the Pedicabs (London) Bill and the Report Stage of the Automated Vehicles Bill. But the most interesting piece of business for the day is the moving of the draft Electoral Commission Strategy and Policy Statement. Labour have a Motion of Regret down in the name of Lord Khan of Burnley, and given the concerns raised by the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee, I suspect that we will need significant reassurance before it is safe to believe that the Conservatives aren’t about to remove another of the significant guardrails that protect our democracy.
February already, eh? And, with a May General Election seemingly less likely – would you really go to the country twenty points behind in the polls? – and the Government apparently focussed on nothing more than sabotaging an incoming Labour administration, it’s going to be a long Spring and Summer of misdirection and guesswork. For example, the Lords February recess, which is usually just over a week, has been shortened to a long weekend. Does that suggest an attempt to clear the legislative “decks” in anticipation of a May election, or does it simply reflect the fact that Peers are doing their job of scrutiny in a way that the Conservatives hadn’t calculated? At least my timeline is full of campaigning Liberal Democrats, which is always reassuring.
Rwanda, and Labour’s quest not to be controversial
A Bill which breaks international law, is opposed by the legal profession, human rights activists and which wasn’t in the 2019 Conservative manifesto? If ever there was a justification to vote a Bill down at Second Reading, this was it, yet Labour Whips in the Lords instructed their benches to stay away. And, whilst eight Labour peers did break ranks to support the Liberal Democrat motion to vote down the Bill, it was left to sixty-seven Liberal Democrat peers to provide the overwhelming bulk of the opposition. And yes, it will doubtless be claimed by Labour that they will seek to amend the Bill at later stages but how do you amend a Bill whose fundamental premise is illegal under international law?
Welcome to another preview of the upcoming week in the more genteel end of the Palace of Westminster, although don’t be misled into thinking that it’s passionless. For this week, the Rwanda Bill gets its first proper airing, and the Lords has views…
There are expected to be more than seventy speakers on Monday, when the Rwanda Bill receives its Second Reading. Now normally, the Second Reading is where the general principles of a Bill are discussed, with the detail and amendments left to the Committee and Report Stages, but not today. Mike …
Davey on Houthi strikes: Vital Parliament has its say
Simon Clarke and Sunak soap opera: A fourth PM without an election would be “ludicrous”
Operation Onyx One Year On – 1,400 Met Officers Still Under Investigation for Sexual Abuse
Welsh Lib Dems urge Welsh Government to make good on promise to “prioritise care not profit”
Mid and West Wales MS Jane Dodds calls on Welsh Government to protect businesses from floods
Davey on Houthi strikes: Vital Parliament has its say
Responding to the latest set of strikes on the Houthi rebels, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:
Liberal Democrats are concerned about the Houthis’ attacks in the Red Sea and so we support the case for limited strikes, so long as they remain limited.
However, it is absolutely vital that Parliament has an opportunity to have its say, via a debate and a vote. The Prime Minister has so far failed to grant either. It is deeply disappointing that elected representatives are being bypassed on an issue as important as military action.
Simon Clarke and Sunak soap opera: A fourth PM without an election would be “ludicrous”
Responding to Simon Clarke calling on Rishi Sunak to be replaced as Prime Minister, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper MP said:
It is utterly ludicrous that the Conservative Party is even discussing installing a fourth Prime Minister without giving voters a say.
The Conservatives are once again fighting like rats in a sack while families face soaring bills and an NHS crisis.
People are sick and tired of this never-ending Conservative Party soap opera. It’s time for Rishi Sunak to give voters the chance to put an end to this farce and call a general election.
Panorama Report: Crumbling schools left in the cold
Lucy Frazer: Attack on BBC a desperate distraction
New: Met Police Officer numbers fall again
Panorama Report: Crumbling schools left in the cold
Responding to the BBC Panorama report which revealed that crumbling schools are plagued by leaks and the cold, Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson Munira Wilson MP said:
Thousands and thousands of school buildings across the country are in dire need of investment after years of neglect from this Conservative government.
The lack of Government action is shockingly leaving children in extremely cold classrooms having to wear gloves and hats while attempting to learn.
The Liberal Democrats know that investment in education boosts our children’s futures. The Treasury needs to urgently look at increasing the funding for clearing the backlog of school repairs.
Hello, dear readers, and we meet again for another episode of the costume drama that is the House of Lords. And this week, it’s a “Rwanda week” even though the Rwanda Bill only received its formal First Reading on Thursday and isn’t due back until next Tuesday.
Even a relatively keen observer like myself is often surprised by the working of the Lords and, this week, the International Agreements Committee takes centre stage. I suppose, having thought about it, that any Parliamentary chamber would want to take a close look at international agreements signed in its name, and the House of Lords is no different. Chaired by Peter Goldsmith, the former (and rather controversial) Labour Attorney General, the Committee published its report on the UK-Rwanda Agreement on an Asylum Partnership. It doesn’t make good reading for the Government and, in typically courteous Lords fashion, accuses James Cleverly of effectively attempting to mislead the Committee (see paragraph 44). The report, including a series of recommendations, is to be debated on Monday and there will then be a motion, moved by Lord Goldsmith, resolving that:
His Majesty’s Government should not ratify the UK-Rwanda Agreement on an Asylum Partnership until the protections it provides have been fully implemented, since Parliament is being asked to make a judgement, based on the Agreement, about whether Rwanda is safe.
You can expect contributions from the two Liberal Democrat members of the Committee, Chris Fox and Tim Razzall, and there is every possibility of a Government defeat if Labour whip their members to vote for the motion.
Well, that was unexpected. Ron DeSantis is gone, and has endorsed Donald Trump. And, unless Nikki Haley gets a respectable showing in New Hampshire, it’s surely all over in the absence of any other opponent. Biden versus Trump it is then…
Meanwhile, nearer to home, the Post Office Horizon scandal continues to unfold. For what it’s worth, I do wonder whether or not the various ministers involved were persuaded that there was nothing wrong by the evidently unwise presumption that public officials will tell you the truth when pressed. After all, the Civil Service Code has at its core the values of integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality and, in my personal experience, most of us live up to that every day – we tend to take a dim view of those that are found to have fallen short. And politicians should be able to take that for granted – they need civil servants to provide them with a picture of what’s going on in their departments and of the impacts of political decisions, both before and after the event, and should be able to rely upon the advice they give, even if they don’t accept it.
Following Sadiq Khan’s announcement he is freezing fares for a year, Lib Dem Candidate for London Mayor, Rob Blackie, said:
Sadiq Khan’s flashy fare freeze fools no one. It is typical of a Mayor who prefers delivering headlines to delivering for Londoners.
We all know the state of Transport for London’s finances and so the Mayor will simply claw this back through other means – most likely after votes have been cast. It is simply an election year gimmick.
After eight years of mismanagement, the Mayor has repeatedly cancelled investments like the Sutton tram – only now to find money down the back of the sofa for an election campaign sweetener.
Khan can’t be trusted to run Transport for London.
Welsh Lib Dems push for Senedd reform
The Senedd Reform Bill Committee today published its report ahead of the introduction of the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill.
Jane Dodds MS sits as a member of the committee and has played a fundamental role in the scrutiny of the electoral method proposed by the Welsh Government.
Ahead of the upcoming Senedd reforms, the party have set out their position to see the Senedd expanded in terms of its members whilst also pushing for the fairest electoral system possible with the introduction of the Single Transferable Vote system.
Sunak press conference: Out of touch and out of ideas
UK Stats Authority criticises Sunak over asylum backlog claim
“The Tories have failed Port Talbot” – Welsh Lib Dems
Sunak press conference: Out of touch and out of ideas
Responding to Rishi Sunak’s press conference on the Conservative government’s Rwanda policy, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:
This Conservative government crashed the economy, sent mortgage rates spiralling and has made it almost impossible to see a GP.
Instead of tackling these major challenges, Rishi Sunak’s government is too busy fighting over an unworkable and expensive policy that is destined to fail.
Houthi strikes: Lib Dems to table Bill giving MPs a vote over UK military action
The Liberal Democrats are set to table a Bill which will give Parliament a vote over military action. The Lib Dem legislation – dubbed the ‘War Powers Bill’ – will enshrine the right for MPs to approve military action into law.
It comes following criticism levelled at Rishi Sunak, who has failed to grant MPs a vote on the UK’s strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen.
From the 2000s onwards, MPs were frequently given the opportunity to vote on military action and intervention. In emergency cases, …
Back for the second week in a row – and who said that I couldn’t manage that? – our (aspirational) regular review of the week ahead at the more genteel end of the Palace of Westminster.
After last week’s easing back into the routine, it’s a more normal week for the Peers, although there is one relatively unusual session included.
But Monday starts with the usual round of Oral Questions – there are usually four each day – and two come from Liberal Democrats. Malcolm Bruce opens with a question regarding Government plans to promote the end of absolute poverty through international development aid. I suspect that the answer might be a bit vague, given that “no” is far too honest. Jenny Randerson is asking about the possible introduction of a graduated driving licence for young and newly qualified drivers. The other two questions are about the use of engineered stone, given allegations of links to silicosis, and on what consultations the Government propose to have before the next renewal of the BBC’s Royal Charter about news and current affairs programmes, in the light of cutbacks to Newsnight.
Day 2 of the Committee Stage of the Automated Vehicles Bill takes up the remainder of business in the chamber. So far, Sharon Bowles has been seeking assurances that automated vehicles will undergo suitable real-life testing before being cleared to use our roads, and that the impact on road environs, i.e. on pedestrians, will be considered. At this stage, most of the amendments are likely to be probing in nature, seeking reassurances that the Government have taken various factors into account, and Day 2 will see more of the same, as will Day 3, scheduled for later in the week (Wednesday).
The long-awaited (albeit nervously) US Presidential campaign gets underway in earnest today, with the Iowa caucuses, the first step in a winnowing process that formally ends in the US Virgin Islands on 8 June. It’s only the Republicans who are taking part this week, as the Iowa Democratic primary takes place on “Super Tuesday”, 5 March. There are 40 delegates up for grabs (out of 2,467 available overall) but it isn’t winner takes all – delegates are allocated according to the share of the vote achieved. So, what are we watching out for?
The opinion polling that has taken place in Iowa has shown Donald Trump polling steadily well ahead, with a strengthening of his position in recent months. FiveThirtyEight suggests that his average poll score is over 50%, with many individual polls showing him doing even better. But Iowa is a socially conservative state with a strong evangelical influence, where Trump lost to Ted Cruz in 2016 – will Iowa Republicans waver in the face of his legal problems? And, if they do, at what percentage does he begin to look vulnerable?
Today is, apparently Blue Monday, the most depressing day of the year. But not here at Liberal Democrat Voice. Whilst Christmas is just far enough behind us now to be becoming a distant memory, the shops are full of Valentines stuff and Easter eggs, and there are at least two more by-elections for the opposition parties to get their teeth into (with a double dip in Blackpool still to come?). The Conservatives continue to find ways of tripping over their own biases and the Telegraph (yes, really) seems determined to add to their woes with polling that suggest that Rishi …
GDP stats: Sunak’s talk of turning a corner has not survived contact with economic reality
Lib Dems demand retrospective vote on government military action in the Red Sea
GDP stats: Sunak’s talk of turning a corner has not survived contact with economic reality
Responding to the latest figures that show GDP is estimated to have fallen by 0.2% in the three months to November 2023, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson, Sarah Olney MP said:
This Conservative government has brought us nothing but stagnation. Sunak’s talk of turning a corner has not survived contact with economic reality.
Lib Dems call for Ofcom investigation on GB News “bias and misleading” reporting of Post Office scandal
Double by-election: Conservative majority being whittled away
NHS waiting lists soar by 400,000 since Sunak made pledge to cut them
Lib Dems call for Ofcom investigation on GB News “bias and misleading” reporting of Post Office scandal
Deputy Leader slams Farage and Conservative MP presenters for “bias, misleading and at times, frankly absurd news reporting”
Conservative politicians lining up to host TV shows in election year whilst refusing to criticise their own party
The Liberal Democrats have written to Ofcom to demand an investigation into the reporting of the Post Office Horizon scandal by Nigel Farage, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Lee Anderson.
The party has noted that the Reform Party Chairman Farage and Conservative MP Rees-Mogg both failed to report on the scandal impartially, after they attacked opposition parties without including the Conservative government’s role.
In a letter to the Chief Executive of Ofcom, Daisy Cooper MP also noted that Lee Anderson cannot be trusted to report without bias on the matter, after non-stop attacks on the Leader of the Liberal Democrats on social media and in the House of Commons.
Katharine Pindar @ David Raw. Thanks for your comments in this thread, David. And yes, it's good that we seem now to have a government which the Liberal Democrats can work with,...
Katharine Pindar No I can't, Peter, but hopefully the government under Andy Burnham can! Are you not persuaded yourself that now your Socialist party can finally be the 'real d...
Katharine Pindar Peter Martin: as to why we need the USA still to defend Europe, it is surely that we need President Trump to stand up to Putin for Ukraine and promote the end o...
Peter Martin @ Katharine,
" It’s difficult now to see how Keynesian full employment can be fulfilled these days, to generate production of goods and economic grow...
Meg Thomas Important move. Thanks very much. The sad thing is we know it will fall on stony ground, but it really needs saying...
Welcome to another preview of the week’s events in the Upper House, one in which a space will become apparent following the loss of Conservative Peer, Patrick Cormack, who passed away over the weekend.
The long-awaited (albeit nervously) US Presidential campaign gets underway in earnest today, with the Iowa caucuses, the first step in a winnowing process that formally ends in the US Virgin Islands on 8 June. It’s only the Republicans who are taking part this week, as the Iowa Democratic primary takes place on “Super Tuesday”, 5 March. There are 40 delegates up for grabs (out of 2,467 available overall) but it isn’t winner takes all – delegates are allocated according to the share of the vote achieved. So, what are we watching out for?
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David Alton, Andy Burnham and telescopic radicalism
Will Burnham abandon neoliberalism by adopting a radical agenda?
Conservative councillor joins Lib Dems in Cannock Chase
The AI world and some fallacies about it
Yet another government makes a mess of local government reform
Front Street looking great
Katharine Pindar 
Peter Martin 
Meg Thomas 