Author Archives: The Voice

The Voice

Dr. Who? Poll finds half of Brits rarely or never see the same GP

By The Voice | Mon 29th April 2024 - 9:42 am
  • Government told “the family GP is a thing of the past” as GP crisis worsens
  • Older people most likely to never see the same GP despite warnings from health groups
  • Lib Dem Leader calls for over-70s and those with long-term health conditions to see the same GP for every appointment
  • New plans would cover around 19 million patients across the country, and be crucial for people with long-term care needs

New polling commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has led to the government being warned “the family GP is a thing of the past”, with people reporting to never see the same GP for every appointment.

Almost half (47%) of UK adults who have been to see their GP more than once in the last couple of years say they have rarely or never seen the same GP for every appointment. Of these, almost one in five (18%) say they have never seen the same GP in the past few years.

This number rises for those aged over 65, with a staggering quarter (27%) never seeing the same GP. This is despite research showing that seeing the same GP helps the elderly avoid hospital admissions and improves the quality of treatment.

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The Voice

Drama in Scotland – could there be a Holyrood election?

By The Voice | Thu 25th April 2024 - 8:35 pm

Who would have thought that Scottish voters could face two national elections this year – and the first one for the Scottish Parliament before the too-long awaited Westminster poll?

If First Minister Humza Yousaf is forced to resign in the next few days, if the SNP can’t agree on a successor, if the Parliament can’t agree on a new First Minister within 28 days, then Scottish voters could be going to the polls on 4th July.

The SNP has been sharing power with the Scottish Greens for the past two and a half years with Green Co-Conveners Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater holding ministerial office. This morning Humza Yousaf handed them their jotters in an early morning meeting before announcing to the world that he had decided that the SNP would be better off going it alone as a minority Government.

You have to wonder whether he had thought through the implications for his own future. It wasn’t difficult to imagine that someone would put up a motion of no confidence and equally predictable that the party that he had just unceremoniously booted out of Government would not find it in their hearts to support him.

As things stand, his best hope is a tied vote next week, relying on the casting vote of the Presiding Officer to save him. But even that can only be achieved by doing a deal with Ash Regan, his former leadership rival who went off and joined Alex Salmond’s socially conservative, populist Alba party. And even if he survives the vote, clinging to power by your fingernails is not the best way to lead your party into a UK General Election.

You have to wonder why he let that happen.

There are undoubtedly some in the SNP who have been wanting rid of Humza since he was elected.

Last year’s SNP leadership election was so close with Humza only just beating Kate Forbes. Deep divisions were exposed within the party. Now the SNP can take a fair amount of division. They are a very broad church. But the only thing they really care about is independence and when they are divided on how to achieve that, and the prospect of it ever happening is moving further and further away, they are going to implode.  It’s hard to think of anyone in their ranks who could come close to bringing them together.

Their Government is failing at pretty much everything, as Alex Cole-Hamilton said in no uncertain terms at First Minister’s Questions today.

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The Voice

Four ways you can help Liberal Democrat Voice

By The Voice | Wed 17th April 2024 - 6:54 pm

The Voice is only a success because of the interest and support from our readers. For many people just lurking and reading the site is all they want to do – and that’s fine, we’re grateful for people taking the time to read the site.

You can though help us continue to produce interesting content for a growing audience. Here are four simple ways:

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The Voice

Sunak fails to back Sarah Olney’s call for free court transcripts for victims

By The Voice | Wed 17th April 2024 - 3:54 pm

Rishi Sunak today failed to back a call at Prime Minister’s Questions from our Sarah Olney, to change the law to give victims access to free court transcripts.

Sarah’s question was on behalf of her constituent, Juliana Terlizzi, who was drugged and raped by her then boyfriend in 2020. When Ms Terlizzi requested a copy of the court transcript to aid with her healing process, she was ordered to pay over £7,000 to access it. Ms Terlizzi, who was in the gallery for the question, branded Rishi Sunak’s response as yet more empty words, adding it was “a slap in the face” for victims.

This is not the only time this has happened One recent case involved a girl who was raped and sexually abused by her father, but whose family were then quoted £6,534 for the transcript of his trial.

Lib Dem peer Sal Brinton has proposed an amendment to the Victims’ and Prisoners’ Bill, scheduled for a vote in the House of Lords on Tuesday 23rd April, which would tackle these costs being charged to victims. It would allow all crime victims to request a transcript of the court’s summing up and sentencing remarks, so long as the trial took place in a court where the proceedings are recorded. This would include all crown court cases where serious offences, including robbery, rape and murder, are tried.

Sarah Olney said:

No victim or bereaved family should be forced to pay thousands to access a court transcript that’s part of their own story. The Prime Minister could easily tackle this injustice, but his government’s continued refusal to do so speaks volumes.

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The Voice

Rob Blackie holds Khan to account on crime in ITV London Mayor debate

By The Voice | Wed 17th April 2024 - 1:50 pm

Rob Blackie at ITV London debate. Credit: Andy Sillett

Last night, ITV London held a debate with the candidates for London Mayor. Our Rob Blackie took part and challenged incumbent Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan on his record on tackling crime. He also emphasised that the Conservatives could not win.

You can watch the whole debate here and an extra comment from Rob Blackie here.

At one point, Rob asked Sadiq Khan “Aren’t you ashamed?” at the collapse in the number of sexual offenders being caught.

Rob also called the Mayor out for undermining Transport for London’s finances with election gimmicks, benefitting tourists, pledging to halt bus cuts and get the tube back on track instead.

After the debate, Rob said:

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The Voice

Ed Davey’s message for Eid

By The Voice | Wed 10th April 2024 - 11:12 am

We at Liberal Democrat Voice would like to wish everyone celebrating Eid Mubarak.

In his message for Eid, Ed Davey talked of our collective values of compassion and justice and assured British Muslims that the Liberal Democrats stand with them in solidarity and celebration.

He said:

Eid Mubarak to everyone in the UK and across the globe celebrating Eid.

As we mark the end of Ramadan, let’s reflect on our values of working together, of compassion and gratitude for what we have in common.

I know there are so many of you who have gone through this holy month and are now with your families and friends celebrating this moment.

And I know it has been a difficult time for British Muslims and Muslims across the world with the rise of Islamophobia and the horrible, awful conflict in Israel and Palestine and we commit ourselves to working for the peace we all need.

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The Voice

Another bank holiday?

By The Voice | Mon 1st April 2024 - 8:43 am

Today is Easter Monday – one of a pitifully small number of bank holidays that we enjoy in the UK.  The Republic of Ireland has 10 public holidays each year,  France has 11, Spain has 12, Denmark and Norway have 14 each, whilst Nepal has an astonishing 39. We are right at the bottom of the list with only 8 public holidays per year.

This year the Republic of Ireland introduced a new public holiday on the first Monday in February to celebrate St Brigid, Ireland’s only female patron saint. The date is also known in Gaelic traditions as Imbolc, and it marks the beginning of Spring.

The Government has launched a consultation on adding at least two further public holidays across the UK. The Lib Dem Voice team supports this proposal and would like to gather suggestions from our readers so we can submit a response.

The proposals are:

  1. To identify a public holiday in each of our nations on the date of the relevant patron saint. So England would celebrate  St George on 23rd April, Wales would celebrate St David on 1st March, Northern Ireland would celebrate St Patrick on 17th March, and Scotland would celebrate St Andrew on 30th November.
  2. To identify a further public holiday across the UK. The Government is looking for suggestions for suitable dates.

The second proposal has generated a lot of interest. We have come up with a number of suggestions between us but we would welcome further ideas from you. Please add to the comments below.

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The Voice

WATCH: Ed Davey’s Easter message

By The Voice | Sun 31st March 2024 - 7:01 pm

Watch Ed Davey’s Easter message below:

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The Voice

By-election success – 28th March

By The Voice | Fri 29th March 2024 - 7:01 pm

We have not received a by-election report directly from ALDC today – it is a Bank Holiday, after all – but they have given the results on their website.

Somerset Council, Somerton

Liberal Democrats (Stephen Page): 1212 (50.1%, -1%)
Conservative: 878 (36.3%, -2.2%)
Labour: 174 (7.2%, -0.5%)
Green Party: 154 (6.4%, new)

Liberal Democrat HOLD

Many congratulations to Stephen Page and the campaign team.

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The Voice

LibLink: Richard Foord MP demands a better deal on pharmacies

By The Voice | Tue 26th March 2024 - 10:25 am

Over on the Midweek Herald, Richard Foord MP writes about the threat to high street pharmacies:

…these important facilities are under threat, and we are risk seeing them disappear from some of our high streets altogether. More than 1,000 pharmacies across England have shut their doors since 2015 and many more are facing an uncertain future as funding for these services has been cut by 30 per cent in real terms over the past seven years. There’s a vacancy rate of 14 per cent in community pharmacies in the West Country, compared to eight per cent across the UK. Communities like Axminster have already seen one of their pharmacies closed, leaving residents having to queue out of the door to get help from the sole remaining pharmacy in town, and in Sidmouth the news that Boots was giving up on their Woolbrook Road pharmacy caused considerable concern.

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The Voice

Ed Davey launches Lib Dem local election campaign

By The Voice | Wed 20th March 2024 - 8:55 pm

Good coverage for Ed Davey on the BBC as he launched our local elections campaign in Hertfordshire this morning. Our campaign geniuses came up trumps again with an hourglass which revealed a message for Rishi Sunak.

Ed said:

Time’s running out for Rishi Sunak.

He might have bottled a May General Election

He might hope the tide will turn, squatting in Downing Street for a few more months

But even the Prime Minister can’t deny people across England the chance to have their say in local elections on the Second of May.

When I speak to lifelong Conservative voters, they tell me that the party no longer speaks for them. Time and time again, they are being failed by this appalling Conservative Government.

This Government has plunged our NHS into crisis. Left vulnerable people waiting hours for an ambulance, weeks to see a GP or a dentist, and months to start treatment for cancer.

They’ve made the cost-of-living crisis so much worse.

Sending mortgage rates soaring.

Hitting families with unfair tax rises.

And leaving out pensioners altogether in their Budget this month.

They’ve trashed our precious natural environment, letting water companies get away scot-free, as they dump millions of tonnes of raw sewage into our rivers and onto our beaches.

Rishi Sunak’s government is running out of road because people know it is time for change.

And people are voting for us because it is time for the Liberal Democrats.

We are listening.

This year we’ve already knocked on more than a million doors –

We’ve heard from you about all the things that are broken in our country right now.

We’re ready to get to work and fix them.

And we’re hearing too that so many people, in all parts of the country, are switching to the Liberal Democrats.

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The Voice

Rob Blackie’s London Mayoral Campaign launch – let’s fix the Met

By The Voice | Wed 20th March 2024 - 7:55 pm

Lib Dem London Mayoral Candidate, Rob Blackie, launched his campaign yesterday with a pledge to ‘fix the Met’.

Credit: Sillett Photography

The event took place at Pop Brixton, located in the neighbourhood where Rob has spent much of the past 20 years raising his family.

Rob told the media and a group of close supporters that Sadiq Khan does “not deserve” a third term due to his record on crime. He also dismissed the Conservative chances, accusing the party of giving up on London after selecting a Trump-backing candidate.

He added that Sadiq Khan’s failure on crime is the reason he is standing as mayor.

In his speech, he talked about the struggles Londoners are facing with the cost of living crisis and rising crime. With him as Mayor, City Hall would be building houses for social rent, sorting out the Met, changing the culture within the Met and meeting climate change goals.

The full text of the speech is below:

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The Voice

WATCH: Alistair Carmichael’s speech to Conference

By The Voice | Wed 20th March 2024 - 1:30 pm

On Sunday morning, Alistair Carmichael gave his keynote speech to Conference. It was as funny, liberal and hard=hitting as you would think.

Governments and babies’ nappies need changing often, much for the same reason, he said.

Liberal Democrats will have no truck with the demonisation of desperate people. We will crush the people smuggling market by giving people safe and legal routes to get here, he promised.

 

He said that Liberal Democrats mustn’t just tell people what we’re against. We must say what we are for. We champion the rights of the individual to do what they like as long as it doesn’t harm others.  We also understand that meaningful freedom means pooling freedoms to form communities and upwards to nation states.

We are a party of law and order, he said, because we can’t be free if we don’t feel safe to leave our homes as he attacked the Conservative record on community policing.

He highlighted how the Conservatives are upping use of facial recognition technology like that used in China and how that had never been authorised properly by Parliament. Any influence we have in the next Parliament will be used to put the money wasted on this into frontline policing.

He warned that we might be sleepwalking into a surveillance state. He tackled that line much favoured by those who want to lead us down an increasingly authoritarian path “If you’ve nothing to hide, you’ve nothing to fear.” We are all perfectly entitled to hide things. It’s called privacy.

He reminded us of some of Labour’s failings on civil liberties – their “authoritarian streak a mile wide” with DNA databases and 90 day detention. We will not support any of that agenda should they go into power.

Liberal Democrats are not about splitting the difference between the Tories and Labour. We trust the people, they want to control them. We demand a change in the way we are governed. We demand a stronger, greener, fairer and more United Kingdom.

We need to get out there and fight of that door by door and street by street as if the future of our nation depends on it – because it does.

Watch the whole thing here:

The full text is below.

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The Voice

WATCH: Ed Davey’s speech to Spring Conference

By The Voice | Wed 20th March 2024 - 11:07 am

There were some very interesting nuggets from Ed Davey’s speech on Saturday. At last we seem to be showing a bit of what we’re about. And what better a place to start than with sorting out our democracy by showing people the harm the current system does to them:

It distorts democracy.

It leaves millions of people feeling powerless and excluded.

Unable to hold those in power properly to account.

Conference, we know proportional representation would be so much fairer…

So much better for our politics and our country.

And a majority of the British people now back electoral reform.

So why hasn’t it changed? Why are we still the only party fighting for political change?

He also mentioned the word Europe in such a way as to send the Daily Telegraph into a tailspin:

Only Liberal Democrats have a clear plan to rebuild this relationship with a better deal for Britain.

To renew the ties of trust and friendship,

To set us on the path back to the Single Market.

Our plan to repair the damage the Conservatives have done,

And, in time, to restore Britain’s place at the heart of Europe. Where we belong.

There’s nothing new in there. It’s been our policy since 2021, but he did say the single market phrase out loud.

Watch here.

The text is below:

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The Voice

£109bn household debt bombshell to wipe out National Insurance tax cut

By The Voice | Mon 11th March 2024 - 11:15 am
  • Debt interest costs to rise by average of £1,917 per household this year, double the amount before Liz Truss’s mini budget
  • The debt bombshell will be ten times higher than the government’s National Insurance rate cut
  • Lib Dems warn Budget was a “Conservative con” with households still paying the price for Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng crashing the economy

Households will spend a staggering £109 billion this year servicing their debt, including mortgages and credit cards, double the figure before Liz Truss’s mini-budget.

Figures buried in the small print of the Budget reveal the enormous household debt bombshell, which is more than …

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The Voice

Daisy Cooper, Layla Moran and Kath Pinnock in Women in Westminster 100

By The Voice | Wed 6th March 2024 - 10:24 am

Two Lib Dem MPs and a Peer have made it into Politics Home’s Women in Westminster 100 for 2024.  The list is made up of prominent women in Parliament and political media.

Daisy Cooper, Layla Moran and Federal Campaigns and Elections Committee Chair Baroness Kath Pinnock are all mentioned.

Daisy Cooper “brings the single-,minded focus of a seasoned campaigner to the Liberal Democrats.” Her citation sets out her campaigning career prior to becoming an MP, working for organisations such as More United, Hacked Off and for human and LGBT rights internationally.

Layla’s personal experience of the terrifying and heartbreaking situation in Gaza is mentioned:

With members of her own family caught up in the war between Israel and Hamas, Moran has found herself at the forefront of public discussions about the conflict. It is not a subject she has shied away from, speaking with compassion, authenticity and depth of understanding about the complexities of the situation.

Kath Pinnock is praised for her work on the levelling up brief, particularly on rights for renters and fire safety:

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The Voice

Cole-Hamilton to host Russian dissidents event in Scottish Parliament

By The Voice | Wed 6th March 2024 - 8:34 am

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP will be hosting a visit from Russian dissident, Ekaterina Schulmann, in the Scottish Parliament following the death of Russian opposition politician, Alexei Navalny.

As a Russian dissident, Ekaterina has been labelled a foreign agent by the Kremlin which means she is unable to work in Russia. She is a high-profile lecturer, a columnist and gives expert commentary to the media. She is also an associate fellow of Chatham House and hosts a YouTube channel on which she commentates on Russian affairs to her 1.2 million subscribers.

On Wednesday, Ekaterina will be delivering a presentation to …

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The Voice

Welsh Conference Round-up – Part 2

By The Voice | Mon 4th March 2024 - 9:25 am

Welsh Liberal Democrats held their Conference in Cardiff this weekend. You can read part one of the round-up here.

Support for farmers

Welsh farmers have been completely done over by both the UK Conservative Government and the Welsh Labour Government in many ways in recent years, not least post Brexit trade deals. Conference turned its attention to the post Brexit reform of payments to farmers.

Conference called for a fairer and more workable farming payment scheme.

Last Wednesday thousands of farmers held a protest in Cardiff against the Welsh Government’s funding proposals, which included the controversial Sustainable Farming Scheme.

In their draft budget for the 2024 financial year, the Welsh Labour Government announced that they were cutting the Rural Affairs budget by 13%, equivalent to a loss of £62 million in funding.

Jane Dodds said:

Our stance as a party has always been to stand up for the interests of our farming communities here in Wales, and this still hasn’t changed.

I know from first-hand experience that many farmers earnestly support the desire to make nature-friendly farming the standard across Wales.

But when they are being presented with something as complex as the Sustainable Farming Scheme, these farmers are at the same time rightfully anxious about the prospect of transitioning.

We must offer them a viable and sustainable scheme that aims to build resilience and bolster thriving rural economies. Whilst at the same time prioritising the Welsh Language.

The current Sustainable Farming Scheme offered by Welsh Labour falls dramatically short of delivering these key priorities.

We cannot afford to alienate our farming community, particularly when they are willing to work with us in transitioning to a greener approach to farming.

Ynys Mon PPC Leena Farhat said:

We as a party recognise that our farms are the lifeblood of Wales, without them, we as a nation would be hopelessly lost.

It is concerning that Welsh Labour have failed to provide a comprehensive long-term plan for agriculture, a core sector of Wales, despite being in government for 25 years.

The future of the Welsh agriculture industry, and rural Wales as a whole, hinges on the presence of a fair, effective, and appropriate funding scheme.

Regrettably, the current Sustainable Farming Scheme, offered by this Welsh Labour Government, not only proves unworkable but also poses a threat to the future livelihoods of numerous families within the sector.

It is disheartening to witness our farmers being made scapegoats by Labour Ministers in Cardiff Bay, who repeatedly demonstrate a profound lack of understanding of rural areas’ needs.

Over the years, their governance has failed to address the fundamental challenges facing our agricultural communities.

The Tories’ claim to champion farmers’ interests is laughable, particularly given their readiness to sacrifice them in favour of expediting questionable trade deals.

Their track record hardly reflects a commitment to safeguarding the welfare of our farmers.

Farmers deserve sincere and transparent support.

They deserve politicians who prioritise their well-being and livelihoods over political expediency.

It is time for a change, a change that places the interests of our agricultural communities at the forefront of policy making.

Industrial strategy

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The Voice

Wendy Chamberlain highlights under-representation of women in key areas of Police Scotland

By The Voice | Sun 3rd March 2024 - 8:30 am

Lib Dem MP Wendy Chamberlain has today unveiled new analysis showing that women are under-represented in many areas of Police Scotland and warned that lack of proper funding could reverse progress in increasing diversity.

Analysis by the party ahead of International Women’s Day on Friday 8th March, reveals that:

  • There are almost twice as many male police officers (11,064) as there are female police officers (5,549).
  • Among those ranked Inspector or above, the disparity is even larger, with 900 male officers and 350 female officers.
  • The number of female PCs has actually fallen by 54 since 2021.
  • Despite women outnumbering men by 3,621 to 2,247 among Police Scotland’s civilian staff roles, the top roles remain male-dominated with 58 men reaching Grade 11 and above compared to 34 women.

In 2022 a report by Dame Louise Casey warned that an “anything goes” culture had been allowed to develop in the Met with racists, misogynists and criminals allowed to stay in the force.

On Friday a review was published into how off-duty Metropolitan police officer Wayne Couzens was able to abduct, rape and murder Sarah Everard, which recommended improving vetting and examined the extent to which any issues relating to his behaviour, particularly in relation to women, were known and raised by colleagues.

Wendy, a former Police Officer herself, said:

This is an area where Police Scotland need to do more. It was an area that the 2018 Angiolini Review highlighted and the outgoing Chief Constable agreed.

As Police Scotland goes forward under Jo Farrell’s new leadership, it must reflect on these numbers, closely and carefully, and take meaningful steps to ensure that the police service is as diverse as the public it serves.

Within the service, staff surveys should be regularly on offer so that issues can be identified early on and discriminatory practices and behaviours rooted out.

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The Voice

Welsh Conference Round-up – Part One

By The Voice | Sat 2nd March 2024 - 5:30 pm

Today Welsh Liberal Democrats debated local government funding and set out their stall for the General Election.

More funding for Councils

According to estimates from the Welsh Local Government Association, councils in Wales are facing funding pressures of £720m in 2024-25, with real term funding for Local government’s being 12% lower in 2023-24 than it was in 2009-10.

The Welsh Lib Dems are now calling on the Welsh Government to to work towards restoring real terms local government funding to 2009-10 levels.

Jane Dodds said:

Our local authorities here in Wales have been left to deal on their own with a severe funding gap, created by the financial mismanagement of the UK Conservative government.

I know many councils have had to make some difficult decisions when it comes to their budgets for this coming financial year, which is why we have passed this motion today.

We as a party are calling for extra funding for our struggling local authorities here in Wales, to stem the tide of public service cuts and increases in council tax.

The Welsh Government must finally get their act together and put in place a long-term manageable plan to help restore local government funding back to where it was in 2009/10.

Welsh Lib Dem PPC for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney Jackie Charlton said:

I am extremely proud that we have passed this motion today calling for extra funding for local authorities across Wales.

It is no secret that councils across Wales have been presented with the difficult task of setting their budgets for the upcoming financial year in the shadow of an economic crisis that has gripped this country.

Difficult decisions around cutting public services and raising costs have sadly become the reality for many councillors in Wales facing an astronomical funding gap.

The UK Conservative government, through blatant disregard, have completely crashed our economy. And have forced ordinary working people to pick up the pieces and tidy up a mess created by years of Tory government

A fair deal for Wales

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The Voice

Welsh Lib Dems hold Conference in Cardiff

By The Voice | Sat 2nd March 2024 - 11:55 am

The Welsh Liberal Democrats are holding their Spring Conference in Cardiff this weekend.

They’ll be debating what makes a fair deal for Wales, childcare, support for farmers, businesses and tourism, local government funding and attracting graduate to Wales. They’ll also debate whether to remove the controversial 2o mph limit on restricted roads across Wales.

Ahead of the Conference, Welsh Leader Jane Dodds said:

“We currently find ourselves in difficult circumstances, surrounded by economic uncertainty and global instability that has clouded our future.

Our economic woes and current deprivation of public services have been fuelled by an indifferent UK Conservative government intent on running our country into the ground.

Never before or since have we been faced with a government so out of touch with the needs of its people.

Meanwhile, Labour have been too busy moving the goalposts and changing their promises to offer anything substantial for the people of Wales.

If you want to get rid of the conservatives, don’t vote Labour.

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The Voice

Ed Davey responds to Rishi Sunak’s speech today

By The Voice | Fri 1st March 2024 - 7:23 pm

Ed Davey has just responded to the Prime Minister’s speech:

The British people will take no lessons from a Prime Minister and Conservative party who have sowed the seeds of division for years.

This is the same Prime Minister who made Suella Braverman his Home Secretary and Lee Anderson his party’s Deputy Chairman.

If the Prime Minister is serious about bringing people together, he would call a General Election now, so that the British public can decide the future of our country.

 

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The Voice

Everard Report: Khan still failing on women’s safety

By The Voice | Thu 29th February 2024 - 11:56 pm

Following the publication of the first report by The Angiolini Inquiry into the murder of Sarah Everard, Lib Dem Mayoral candidate, Rob Blackie, has criticised the Mayor for his continued failures on London’s women’s safety.

Three years after the murder of Sarah Everard by a rogue Metropolitan Police officer, Blackie cites how sex offences have surged, recruitment of officers focused on sexual crime is failing, and public trust in the police has collapsed during Sadiq Khan’s time in office.

Sexual offences reported to the police in London rose from 16,147 in 2015 to 24,958 in 2023 – a rise of 54%. …

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The Voice

Alex Cole-Hamilton on Scottish Budget: SNP and Greens out of ideas

By The Voice | Wed 28th February 2024 - 11:55 am

It was a depressing day in Holyrood yesterday as the SNP/Green budget passed. An unfunded Council Tax freeze crippling Scottish Councils, affordable housing cut by a third in the middle of a massive housing emergency, mental health support cut, education cut.

There was never a cat in hell’s chance that Lib Dems would vote for such an ill thought through budget. Alex Cole-Hamilton explained why:

In this budget, the Scottish Government is reaching for more tax rises. It is punishing low and middle-income families through fiscal drag, it is taking a hammer to the green renewables piggy bank and it is cutting public services for young and old alike. Why? It is doing so because Scottish National Party and Green ministers are completely out of ideas about how to spark growth, drive innovation or enlarge the tax base sustainably. They have a habit of making costly blunders—for example, the two ferries that are rusting in dry dock, the botched deposit return scheme, the independence papers and the selling of Scotland’s prized sea bed on the cheap. Next in their sights is the clueless and bureaucratic billion-pound ministerial takeover of social care that we are set to debate this week. In every case, taxpayers and public services are expected to pay the price.

The Government is out of touch and is taking people for granted. One thing that it must realise is that it needs the talents of everyone in order to grow the economy and make our country fairer. There is an intrinsic link between the health of our people and the health of our economy. People are waiting in pain for long-overdue operations. Their conditions are worsening by the day. It can take years for people to get the mental health treatment that they desperately need, which means that they cannot get on in life. There are now around 200,000 people in Scotland who are out of work because of mental ill health, long Covid and long-term conditions. According to the Our Scottish Future think tank, that costs our economy £870 million a year.

The longer people are out of work, the worse their prospects become. The longer they wait to be treated, the greater the cost to the NHS. That is why making yet another cut to overwhelmed mental health services makes no sense whatsoever.

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The Voice

Lib Dems unveil plan to improve Cancer care in the UK

By The Voice | Tue 27th February 2024 - 9:03 pm

Cancer will affect virtually all of it. The first time I saw it in all its awfulness was with my mother in law back in the 80s. By the time it had been discovered, she had no chance. And even with pretty good home care and wonderful support from Macmillan nurses, it was brutal for all of us.

This week the Lib Dems have unveiled a plan to boost Cancer care in the UK, which includes:

Make the UK a world leader in cancer research by:

  1. Passing a Cancer Survival Research Act that would require the Government to coordinate and ensure funding for research into the cancers with the lowest survival rates, including lung, liver, brain and pancreatic cancer.

  2. Saving the National Cancer Research Institute. The Government is presiding over the closure of the National Cancer Research Institute, which was established in 2001 and plays a vital role in coordinating cancer research, due to uncertainty over research funding. Its closure has been described by one oncology professor as like “turning off air traffic control and hoping the planes will be fine”.

  3. Halving the time for new treatments to reach patients. It takes an average of 11 months for a new medicine or medical technology to be approved and available to patients in England, compared to just 4 months in Germany. We will expand the MHRA’s capacity to speed up that process.

Boost treatment capacity to ensure survival rates are in line with the best in the world by:

  1. Introducing a two-month cancer treatment guarantee: a new target for 100% of patients to start treatment for cancer within 62 days from urgent referral, with this right written into law. Currently this is only a government pledge, and 36% of patients wait longer than 62 days.

  2. Boosting access to radiotherapy: replace ageing radiotherapy machines and increase their number, as well as widening access so that no one has to travel too far for treatment.

  3. Improving support for patients and their families: recruit more cancer nurses so that every patient has a dedicated specialist supporting them throughout their treatment. Ensure patients and their families are given information about charities, patient support groups and financial support at every key stage: referral, diagnosis and starting treatment.

This is particularly timely given today’s shocking research showing that Cancer survival rates in the UK are 10-15 years behind similar countries.

Ed Davey said:

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The Voice

Lib Dems mark 2 years since invasion of Ukraine

By The Voice | Sat 24th February 2024 - 8:55 am

Two years ago we all woke up to the awful news that Russia, after lots of menacing, had finally invaded Ukraine. Honestly, not many of us gave the Ukrainians much chance in fending them off. That they are still standing is down to their charismatic leader and a huge international effort.

Ed Davey said:

We stand with all Ukrainians as they bravely and brilliantly resist the Russian war machine.

The UK will continue to aid their fight for their country, for their democracy and for their freedom.

Sarah Green said:

Today we mark the second anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine (not forgetting the invasion of Crimea in 2014). We must continue to stand with the Ukrainian people – Putin’s aggression cannot be allowed to prevail.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton is marking the anniversary by urging the UK and Scottish governments to expand their support for the country.

Mr Cole-Hamilton is calling on the UK government to widen sanctions against those on the “Navalny list” and for the Scottish Government to deliver transparency over who owns land in Scotland as well as to support the 1 in 10 Ukrainians in Scotland who remain in temporary accommodation.

At 11am this morning he will lay a wreath at the National War Memorial at Edinburgh Castle to commemorate the Ukrainians who have died in the fighting.

Alex said:

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The Voice

Lib Dems launch rescue plan for farmers

By The Voice | Wed 21st February 2024 - 9:42 am

Tim Farron is going to be speaking to the National Farmers’ Union today and he’ll set out a rescue package for Britain’s farmers who have essentially been done over by the Government in so many ways. Whether it’s post-Brexit payments, unworkable rules on workers visas or trade deals that put our own farmers at a disadvantage, the party is announcing its solution, which includes an extra £1 billion for farmers.

Tim said:

British farmers need to be rescued from years of Conservative neglect and failed rural policies, which have left our countryside in dire need of help. For too long Conservative MPs have taken farmers for granted. Conservative Ministers are shamelessly attempting to rewrite history ahead of the General Election.

Farmers are increasingly turning to the Liberal Democrats to send this Conservative government a message.

Farmers do not only put food on our tables, but crucially, act as the custodians of our environment. Yet Ministers have failed spectacularly to roll out new payment programmes, and signed botched overseas trade deals which have undercut environmental standards.

Enough is enough. It is time for change and the British countryside won’t be ignored any longer by this out of touch Conservative government.

Lib Dems would:

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The Voice

Christine Jardine introduces Bill to give British citizens right to Consular assistance

By The Voice | Mon 19th February 2024 - 10:05 am

Back in November, there was not a dry eye in the house when Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and her husband Richard Ratcliffe spoke to Scottish Lib Dem Conference.

From our piece at the time:

One of the most moving sessions was an interview, hosted by Christine Jardine, with Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe and Richard Ratcliffe. Christine said she still has the blue flower Richard gave her when she went to visit him outside the Iranian Embassy when he was on hunger strike during Nazanin’s six year imprisonment in Iran.

Nazanin and Richard want British citizens to have a right to consular protection after the Foreign Office was so slow to help her. At the moment, the commitment is dependent on ministerial whim, and, if ministers are reshuffled, you have to build the relationship up all over again.

Next week, Parliament will debate a Bill tabled by Lib Dem MP Christine designed to give British citizens abroad a right to consular assistance when their human rights are under threat.

Yesterday’s Sunday Post had a feature on the Bill. Christine told the paper:

We assume that if something happens, someone will speak to the Foreign Office and you’re guaranteed assistance – but you’re not.

I think it’s something most of us would take for granted that we already have.

After Richard and I spoke about it, I thought about the number of cases where people have found themselves in that situation over the years.

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The Voice

Lib Dems react to Alexei Navalny’s death

By The Voice | Sat 17th February 2024 - 9:16 am

Lib Dems have been reacting to the shocking news of Alexei Navalny’s death.

Ed Davey said:

Horrified by reports of the death of Alexei Navalny – at the hands of Putin, no doubt.

Putin’s despicable methods might be to kill his enemies, but he will never kill the light of freedom and democracy which Navalny has stood for so courageously.

Scottish Lib Dem Leader Alex Cole-Hamilton attended a vigil last night at the Russian Consulate in Edinburgh:

It was a privilege to join Russian citizens outside the Consulate this evening in a vigil for the life of Alexei #Navalny, murdered by the Putin kleptocracy today. Their defiance and their desire to follow Navalny’s dream of a free and democratic Russia was inspiring.

This is nothing short of state sanctioned murder. Putin will never brook any form of opposition and Navalny presented so many young Russians with the hope of a future free from corruption and Tsarist fascism.

Putin is a despot and a war criminal.

Lib Dem Foreign Affairs spokesperson Layla Moran said:

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The Voice

Rob Blackie: Met Police funding “too little, too late”

By The Voice | Wed 14th February 2024 - 3:13 pm

Today, London Mayor Sadiq Khan announced more funding for the Metropolitan Police.

Sadiq Khan on Wednesday announced almost £50m of additional funding for the Met police as he set out final details of his annual City Hall budget.

The mayor said the financial support given by the Greater London Authority to the Met from April – much of it already announced last month – would be £151m higher than for the current year.

However the amount is not enough to provide all of the £76m sought by Met commissioner Sir Mark Rowley to fund his “New Met for London” plan to boost community policing and tackle racism and misogyny in light of the damning Baroness Casey report.

Lib Dem London Mayoral candidate Rob Blackie was unimpressed:

This is too little, too late. The Met Police has got into a complete mess under eight years of this Mayor and Londoners won’t be fooled by his latest pre-election giveaway.

The amount the Mayor has pledged still falls short of what’s needed and he should back the Lib Dem plan to divert further headroom in the budget to the Police.

Interviewed on LBC this morning Rob confirmed his top priority as mayor would be to fix the Met Police. He said:

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