Author Archives: The Voice

The Voice

Steve Coogan campaigns for Lib Dem Oli Henman in Lewes

By The Voice | Tue 10th December 2019 - 8:55 am

As part of an initiative to encourage tactical voting, comedian Steve Coogan joined Liberal Democrat candidate for Lewes Oli Henman for a campaigning session:

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The Voice

TV legend Esther Rantzen backs Luciana Berger

By The Voice | Sun 8th December 2019 - 8:12 am

Television presenter Esther Rantzen is throwing her support behind the Lib Dem candidate in Finchley and Golders Green. She said:

As a floating voter myself, I believe we need to support outstanding individuals to ensure we elect the best politicians with integrity and determination.

Although I do not live in her constituency, I am greatly impressed by Luciana’s courage and commitment in standing for election when she has in the past as an MP suffered appalling abuse and prejudice.

She has put herself in the firing line for fearlessly exposing anti-Jewish racism.

It might have been tempting to decide to leave politics when women, especially Jewish women, have come under so much vicious attack. Instead she has decided to fight prejudice and resist hatred and xenophobia.

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The Voice

Dom Joly: I’m backing Lib Dem Max Wilkinson in Cheltenham

By The Voice | Wed 4th December 2019 - 3:20 pm

Dom Joly, the TV comedian, is throwing his support behind the Lib Dem candidate in Cheltenham, Max Wilkinson:

For so long, due to our ridiculously unfair first-past-the-post electoral system, my vote has meant nothing when cast in a constituency with a massive majority for the sitting MP.

This is why I’m so excited, having just moved to Cheltenham, to feel that my vote really can make a difference in this Lib-Dem/Tory marginal. I am putting all my support behind the Lib-Dem candidate, Max Wilkinson, as I think he will make a superb local MP.

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The Voice

Jo Swinson’s statement on the London Bridge attacks: Those who seek to terrorise or divide us will never succeed

By The Voice | Fri 29th November 2019 - 7:35 pm

Jo has issued the following statement on the London Bridge attacks:

Our emergency services have once again displayed the courage and professionalism that keeps us safe everyday. I am hugely grateful to each and every one of them.

My thoughts are with the people who were injured and all those affected by this appalling display of violence.

Today’s incident reminds us that we can never take our security for granted. We must never forget the vital work that our police and security services do to keep us safe.

Those who seek to terrorise us, divide us or undermine our freedoms will never succeed.

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The Voice

Lib Dems publish plan to end rough sleeping

By The Voice | Thu 28th November 2019 - 9:12 am

Today the Liberal Democrats will set out a bold plan to end rough sleeping within five years, spanning social housing, welfare, local authority funding and legal changes.

Shadow Housing Secretary Tim Farron declared that “nobody should have to spend a night sleeping on the streets” and announced a package of measures to prevent rough sleeping, including:

  • Scrapping the Vagrancy Act
  • Introducing a “somewhere safe to stay” duty on local authorities to provide immediate emergency accommodation
  • Abolishing Section 21 “no fault” evictions
  • Increasing Local Housing Allowance payments
  • Providing accommodation and support for survivors of domestic abuse
  • Extending the “move

…

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The Voice

Lib Dems announce war on plastics

By The Voice | Wed 27th November 2019 - 12:42 pm

Yesterday, the Liberal Democrats will set out a raft of policies as part of a radical plan to end the UK’s addiction to plastic.

These policies include:

  • Requiring all retailers to reduce the amount of plastics and non-recyclable packaging they use
  • Implementing a deposit return scheme
  • Ending plastic exports abroad by 2030

Following this announcement, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Energy and Climate Change, Wera Hobhouse said:

The UK produces 2.26 million tonnes of plastic packaging every year, but less than half of this is being recycled. The Conservatives have claimed they will cut plastic pollution but all they have done in reality is attempt to get

…

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The Voice

Umunna: Defence budget would be £1bn higher under Lib Dems than Tories

By The Voice | Tue 26th November 2019 - 12:21 pm
  • If the UK leaves the EU under Johnson’s leadership we will become more reliant on Trump, and risk becoming a vassal state of the United States.
  • Johnson is part of a network of populist, right-wing, authoritarian nationalists
  • In order to stop Boris Johnson getting a majority, seats need to be taken from the Tories which the Lib Dems are best placed to do
  • Ahead of the NATO Summit the Liberal Democrats are committing to spend extra money on defence and aid.

Yesterday, Liberal Democrat Foreign Secretary Chuka Umunna delivered a speech in Watford ahead of the NATO leaders conference.

The Liberal Democrats’ Shadow Foreign …

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The Voice

Greg Dyke: Why I’m backing the Lib Dems

By The Voice | Tue 26th November 2019 - 9:35 am

Greg Dyke, the broadcaster and former Director-General of the BBC is endorsing the Liberal Democrats in the General Election:

This is the most important general election in living memory. As a staunch remainer I’ll be supporting the Liberal Democrats partly because they are the leading anti-Brexit party but also because they have a progressive, centre-left, business friendly agenda. There is no way in a million years I could bring myself to support a party led by Boris Johnson, a man no-one should trust, or a party led by Jeremy Corbyn, a lifelong anti-European pretending he’s not. This is our last chance to stay in the EU.

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The Voice

Michael Heseltine: Reject Boris Johnson and vote Lib Dem

By The Voice | Tue 26th November 2019 - 6:15 am

It’s been a weekend of high profile endorsements of the Lib Dems.

First, Alastair Campbell went canvassing with our Luciana Berger in Finchley and Golders Green:

Then Dominic Raab’s predecessor as Conservative MP for Esher and Walton backed Lib Dem Monica Harding.

From the Surrey Comet:

In a dramatic twist in the race for his old seat, Mr Taylor urged residents not to vote Conservative and said the Lib Dem’s candidate Monica Harding was “worthy of support” instead.

Monica welcomed Ian Taylor’s endorsement:

And last night, Michael Heseltine, always on the left of the Tory Party until he was ejected from it for saying he was voting for us during the Euros, announced he was doing the same again. 

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The Voice

WATCH: Alliance Party Party Election Broadcast – Demand Better

By The Voice | Fri 22nd November 2019 - 10:23 am

Our sister party in Northern Ireland has produced a heavily pro EU election broadcast.

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The Voice

Broadcaster John Tusa backs the Lib Dems

By The Voice | Thu 21st November 2019 - 10:48 am

The broadcaster and former Newsnight presenter John Tusa has declared his support for the Lib Dems…

I am British by citizenship, Czech by birth, European by culture, history and identity. The Lib Dems are the only party to believe in our continuing membership of the European Union. They are the only party not taken over by the extreme factions in national politics. They are the only non-sectarian party. They are the only party that puts the sovereignty of parliament at the heart of our representative democracy.

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The Voice

WATCH: Jo Swinson launching the manifesto

By The Voice | Wed 20th November 2019 - 10:16 pm

Jo Swinson launched the Lib Dem manifesto today.

Here’s her speech:

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The Voice

£10 billion for schools and 20,000 more teachers is an investment in our children’s future

By The Voice | Wed 20th November 2019 - 8:04 am

Today, the Liberal Democrats will announce plans to spend £10 billion more a year on schools and hire 20,000 more teachers by the end of the next Parliament. This comes ahead of the Liberal Democrat manifesto launch later today.

A Liberal Democrat government will reverse frontline school cuts since 2015 with an emergency cash injection of £4.6 billion next year.

By 2024/25, the party will spend £10.6 billion more on schools than in 2019/20. This is more than the Conservatives have offered in every year of the Parliament.

Liberal Democrats will use this money to boost teaching numbers by 20,000 …

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The Voice

Jo’s ITV interview – the highlights

By The Voice | Tue 19th November 2019 - 11:07 pm

Here are the higlights of Jo’s ITV interview:

On uniting the country by tacking the issues that made Leave voters feel so dissatisfied in the first place:

And on tackling the climate emergency and how the EU helps us:

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The Voice

Jo’s take on the #itvdebate

By The Voice | Tue 19th November 2019 - 9:23 pm

Jo Swinson has taken to Twitter to make her points in the Leaders’ debate from which she has been excluded. A shout out to the people who so quickly cut together excerpts from the debate and clips of Jo putting the alternative view for people to share on social media.

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The Voice

Lib Dems will invest £35 billion and stop Brexit to protect NHS

By The Voice | Tue 19th November 2019 - 7:45 am

The Liberal Democrats have today set out their plans to protect the NHS, by stopping Brexit and investing an extra £35 billion in the health service and social care over the next five years.

The Liberal Democrats would raise £7 billion a year in additional revenue, ring-fenced for the NHS and social care services, by adding a penny on income tax. On top of this, the party has announced a £10 billion capital fund to upgrade equipment, ambulances, hospitals and other NHS buildings to bring them into the 21st Century.

The Liberal Democrats have also set out plans to tackle the severe …

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The Voice

WATCH: Jo Swinson’s speech to the CBI

By The Voice | Mon 18th November 2019 - 9:00 pm

Courtesy of the Guardian’s You Tube channel.

Jo talked about the Lib Dems being the party of business and set out our strategy:

The speech went down reasonably well. Carolyn Fairbairn, the CBI head said afterwards:

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The Voice

WATCH: Jo Swinson’s LBC interview with Iain Dale

By The Voice | Mon 18th November 2019 - 11:55 am

Yesterday, Jo Swinson spoke to Iain Dale about the brighter future that the Liberal Democrats are offering to the British people on December 12th.

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The Voice

Swinson: The Liberal Democrats are the party of business

By The Voice | Mon 18th November 2019 - 8:22 am

Today (18/11/19), Leader of the Liberal Democrats Jo Swinson will be making a speech to business leaders at the CBI annual conference. She will be making the case that the Liberal Democrats are the natural party of business.

Jo Swinson is expected to say:

In an interview last week, Carolyn asked who the party of business is today.

The answer is clear. The Liberal Democrats are the natural party of business.

With the Conservatives in the pocket of Nigel Farage and Jeremy Corbyn stuck in the 1970s, we are the only ones standing up for you.

Because we believe

…

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The Voice

Lib Dem Jobwatch: Do you want to work on the Lib Dems’ election campaign?

By The Voice | Sun 10th November 2019 - 12:30 pm

The Lib Dems are looking for field organisers to work for the party in the run up to the General Election.

The party is looking for people who have the following skills:

Essential Skills and Experience

  • A positive attitude with the ability to inspire others.
  • An enthusiastic approach to the job.
  • An open and approachable personality.
  • Confident talking to new people, both volunteers and members of the public.
  • The ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
  • Strong verbal communication skills.
  • Sympathy with the aims and objectives of the Liberal Democrats

.Desirable Skills and Experience

  • A full clean driving license and access to a

…

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The Voice

Jo Swinson’s statement for Remembrance Sunday

By The Voice | Sun 10th November 2019 - 9:15 am

Here is Jo Swinson’s statement for Remembrance Sunday

Today we remember all those who gave their lives so that we can live in freedom. We also give our heartfelt thanks to those members of our armed forces, to veterans and their families, for all they do and the sacrifices they make to keep us safe.

We know it is so hard for people to be away from their loved ones and we owe them a debt of gratitude. We should also pause to reflect and remember today how fragile peace can be and how important it is that we all continue to stand up alongside our allies to preserve it.

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The Voice

Boost free childcare to build a brighter future

By The Voice | Sat 9th November 2019 - 9:14 am

The Liberal Democrats will today (09/11/19) announce bold plans to introduce free childcare from 9 months, transforming the lives of parents and children across the UK.

Today’s high cost of childcare means that too many parents are unable to return to work without risking real financial hardship. With the average cost of 25 hours nursery care for a child under two running to more than £6500 per year, many parents are effectively excluded from work due to the burden of childcare costs.

A Liberal Democrat government will build a fairer economy by providing free, high-quality childcare for every child aged two to …

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The Voice

Three poll boosts for Lib Dem candidates

By The Voice | Fri 8th November 2019 - 10:25 am

Three constituency election polls put Lib Dems in touching distance of taking Dominic Raab’s Esher and Walton seat. This is great news for Lib Dem candidate Monica Harding.

The polling work was done before the announcement that Esher and Walton was part of the Unite to Remain arrangement.

Another poll put is on course to win South Cambridgeshire where Ian Sollom is our candidate

And with just under 5 weeks to go, Dr Phillip Lee is only 4 points behind John Redwood in Wokingham.

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The Voice

Liberal Democrats set out bold green plan to build a brighter future

By The Voice | Thu 7th November 2019 - 7:53 am

The Liberal Democrats have set out ambitious plans to tackle the climate emergency by generating 80% of electricity from renewables by 2030 and insulating all low-income homes by 2025.

As one of the party’s key priorities in their ‘Plan for a Brighter Future’, the Liberal Democrats have committed to raising the energy efficiency standards for new homes alongside investing £15 billion over the next Parliament to retrofit 26 million homes. This would save the average household £550 a year on energy bills.

The party has also announced a Liberal Democrat government would prioritise accelerating the deployment of renewable power generation, …

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The Voice

Jo Swinson’s comments to the new Speaker

By The Voice | Tue 5th November 2019 - 10:55 am

Jo Swinson said this as she congratulated Sir Lindsay Hoyle on his election as Speaker last night:

I thank the Father of the House for the way in which he conducted this election. Congratulations from the Liberal Democrat Benches on your new role, Mr Speaker-Elect. You have been clear that you want to be a strong champion for Back Benchers in this place, and have always conducted yourself with good humour and taken great care of Members in this place. The focus that you placed on the importance of health and wellbeing—particularly mental health—in your election campaign is very welcome indeed for those who work here, including Members and others in different roles.

Mr Speaker-Elect, you take the Chair at a time of great challenge for our democracy. The issues of security that you have championed as Deputy Speaker are more important than ever, with increasing threats. The focus on stamping out the unacceptable culture of bullying and harassment is hugely important. I hope you will also continue the work of modernisation of this place that we have seen in the past decade. I welcome your pledge on outreach to make sure that we reach out to disadvantaged groups. We should none of us be happy until this place properly represents the communities that we serve.

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The Voice

Lib Dem campaign launch: £50 bn Remain Bonus

By The Voice | Tue 5th November 2019 - 7:30 am

We launch our general election campaign today.  We haven’t yet had time to get fed up of our new slogan –  Stop Brexit, Build a Brighter Future  because it was only unveiled last weeK. We start to talk about what that brighter future might look like – in the form of more money to spend on public services that is directly linked to deciding to remain in the EU.

Stopping Brexit, we argue, will generate a Remain Bonus for the public finances because under Remain, the economy will grow faster than under Brexit, leading to higher GDP and consequently higher public sector current receipts. This adds up to £50 billion over 5 years.

That is there or thereabouts where   the Institute for Fiscal Studies was  in its Green Budget 2019.

Jo said:

The Liberal Democrats are the only party standing up to stop Brexit and build a brighter future for the UK.

Brexit has taken far longer and cost far more than anyone said it would. But any form of Brexit will damage our jobs, our economy and our public services, starving them of vital cash as the economy struggles along.

The Liberal Democrats will stop Brexit and then use the £50bn Remain Bonus to invest in our public services.

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The Voice

Intelligence report must be published before election – Umunna

By The Voice | Mon 4th November 2019 - 9:37 am

The Liberal Democrats have written to the Cabinet Secretary, Mark Sedwill, to demand that everything in his power is done to ensure the publication of the Intelligence and Security Committee’s report before the dissolution of Parliament.

In the letter, Chuka Umunna MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Foreign Secretary, raises concerns that No.10 are sitting on the Intelligence Security Select Committee’s report on potential Russian interference in the UK’s democratic process. The report contains information of significant relevance to the upcoming General Election.

Umunna calls on the Cabinet Secretary to clarify the process and timelines for publication of such a report …

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The Voice

Celebration of Steve Hitchins’ life to take place on 21st November

By The Voice | Sun 3rd November 2019 - 9:13 am

It’s about six weeks since former Lib Dem Islington Council leader Steve Hitchins died suddenly.

There will be a celebration of his life at 2pm on Thursday 21st November at St Mary’s Church on Upper Street N1 2TX; the church is about 200 yards south of Islington Town Hall and mid-way between Angel Tube on the Northern Line Bank branch, and Highbury & Islington on the Victoria line/London Overground/rail line from Moorgate.

All are welcome. Speakers will include past Chief Executives and Leaders/ Deputy Leaders of Islington Council (as well as Simon Hughes!)

Lib Dem Peer and former MEP Sarah Ludford, Steve’s partner for 45 years – wife for 37 – said:

This is indeed firmly a celebration, at which we hope to have a few laughs as well as respect expressed for his achievements; so people should feel free to wear normal, preferably brightly-coloured clothes. There is even a rumour that The Land might be sung…

With December 16th the 20th anniversary of Islington Lib Dems winning control of Islington Council and Steve becoming Council leader (with the day after Steve’s celebration being the 40th anniversary of Roy Jenkins’ ‘break the mould’ Dimbleby lecture),  the very best tribute that LibDems could make to Steve’s memory is to work their socks off in the General Election to get lots of LibDem MPs elected!

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The Voice

Stop Brexit. Build a brighter future. (The movie)

By The Voice | Fri 1st November 2019 - 7:27 pm

Here is the video that accompanied the launch of our election slogan yesterday. Enjoy!

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The Voice

Antoinette Sandbach MP joins the Liberal Democrats

By The Voice | Thu 31st October 2019 - 10:07 pm

The Liberal Democrats are delighted to announce that Antoinette Sandbach has joined the party.

Antoinette, who is the MP for Eddisbury in Cheshire, will contest her seat as the Liberal Democrat candidate in the coming General Election.

She is the eighth addition to the Liberal Democrat parliamentary party in the last few months.

Liberal Democrat MP Antoinette Sandbach said:

This general election will be the most important in my lifetime. People have a very clear choice, the Conservative party offers years of uncertainty whilst the Liberal Democrats will stop Brexit.

I’m so proud to stand alongside other Liberal Democrat candidates across the country to

…

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