Author Archives: The Voice

The Voice

Our new MPs: Martin Wrigley, Ben Maguire, Ian Roome, Roz Savage and Caroline Voaden

By The Voice | Sun 7th July 2024 - 4:42 pm

We thought you might like to find out a little bit about our new MPs. We didn’t think we’d have quite so many, but this is a lovely problem to have. All details come from the party website or the MPs’ social media. We’ll get to know them more over the next wee while, but here’s a taster. 

Our editor sleepily compiled a Twitter list of all our MPs’ accounts she could find. You can follow it here. 

Martin Wrigley MP: Newton Abbot

Martin worked in high tech industry for over 30 years and has lived in Teignbridge for over 25 years.

He is a former Mayor of Dawlish and has been involved in local community politics since 2013.

Martin grew up in a Navy family and lived all over the world. Twenty five years ago he brought his young family to live in Dawlish and fell in love with the area.

Martin said “I want to make sure that that people locally have a good home they can afford and a good future.

We must look after the environment and the beautiful area in which we live as well as build a flourishing economy and a caring society.”

Twitter: @martinwrigley

Ben Maguire MP: North Cornwall

Born in Treliske, 32 year old Ben grew up in Withiel near Wadebridge and went to school in Bodmin where his mother was a teacher and his father a GP.
After graduating, Ben worked as a Parliamentary aide and constituency caseworker to former Lib Dem MPs Dan Rogerson and later Ian Swales. He also took research placements in the Hong Kong Legislative Council and the United States Senate.

More recently, Ben has worked as a solicitor in top international law firms and in the microchip industry.

Twitter: @benmaguirenc

 

Ian Roome MP: North Devon

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The Voice

Our new MPs Max Wilkinson, Sarah Gibson, Anna Sabine, Brian Mathew, Vikki Slade

By The Voice | Sun 7th July 2024 - 3:34 pm

We thought you might like to find out a little bit about our new MPs. We didn’t think we’d have quite so many, but this is a lovely problem to have. All details come from the party website or the MPs’ social media. We’ll get to know them more over the next wee while, but here’s a taster. 

Our editor sleepily compiled a Twitter list of all our MPs’ accounts she could find. You can follow it here. 

Max Wilkinson MP: Cheltenham

Max Wilkinson is a well-known face around Cheltenham. He’s served the town for more than ten years and lives in Fairview with his wife and daughter.

During his decade of service to our town as a local councillor, Max has helped Cheltenham make progress on issues ranging from affordable housing to the environment and cost of living. He is already deeply embedded in the community and he knows how this town works. He’s ready to hit the ground running as our new MP.

Max was a local councillor until May 2024, when he stepped aside to focus on his campaign to become the MP. In his early years of campaigning, he led the fight for more affordable housing, leading to Cheltenham’s £180million investment plan for homes.

He spent two years fighting for our planet as Cabinet Member for Climate Change, leading on the introduction of a climate action plan and tough new rules on planning so we can get a better deal from developers.

He moved on to a role focused on the economy and wellbeing. There, he worked closely with our arts and culture sectors on a new plan to enhance the prosperity of our High Street. Max also worked on the cost of living, securing more money for food banks and support for food bank users.

He has also written a fair few articles for us.

Twitter: @mpmwilko

Sarah Gibson MP: Chippenham

Sarah was brought up here in Wiltshire, She studied architecture in London, joining the Liberal party at freshers week! She returned home to Wiltshire after working in Spain for some years to set up an architectural practice.

As a Wiltshire Councillor she realised that the issues she and her peers were fighting at Local Government level need a strong champion at Westminster.

As your Member of Parliament, she pledges to work tirelessly for the betterment of the whole constituency, addressing critical issues and advocating for positive change. Supporting our excellent local councillors here and across the constituency.

Twitter: @sarahgibsonld

Anna Sabine MP: Frome and East Somerset

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The Voice

Our new MPs: Mike Martin, Danny Chambers, Charlie Maynard, Will Forster, Clive Jones

By The Voice | Sun 7th July 2024 - 1:15 pm

We thought you might like to find out a little bit about our new MPs. We didn’t think we’d have quite so many, but this is a lovely problem to have. All details come from the party website or the MPs’ social media. We’ll get to know them more over the next wee while, but here’s a taster. 

Our editor sleepily compiled a Twitter list of all our MPs’ accounts she could find. You can follow it here. 

Mike Martin MP: Tunbridge Wells

Mike Martin is standing as the candidate for Tunbridge Wells. He is a former British army officer who served multiple tours in Helmand, Afghanistan. Since leaving the army, he has also had other leadership roles, including as a senior executive in a global charity working to bring different people and organisations together to solve problems.

Mike is a Senior Fellow at King’s College London – an expert in geopolitics and conflict – and the author of several books on psychology, conflict and travel.

His background has taught him a lot about how to understand and work with different perspectives, how to bring people together to solve problems and how to get difficult things done.

Mike is campaigning on making the town centre of Tunbridge Wells a town centre that is fit for the 21st century—greener, less traffic, and with more things for youngsters to do. He would also like to lead a drive towards building more affordable housing in the area and, crucially, to make sure there is sufficient infrastructure for the houses that we already have. This means enough GP surgeries, and school places, and public transport.

At a national and international level, Mike has significant expertise in geopolitics and conflict. If elected, his focus at a national level will be on helping guide the UK through the turbulent years that we face.

Twitter: @threshedthought

Danny Chambers MP: Winchester

Danny works as a vet in Winchester, is the trustee of two charities and was elected by his peers to the body that governs the veterinary profession. He’s been involved in charitable projects all over the world.

He is committed to campaigning for better healthcare services for Winchester. He has also used his platform as a vet to campaign nationally on wider issues ranging from mental health to animal welfare.

Danny enjoys cycling, running and hiking. One of his favourite routes is the Itchen Navigation along the route of the old canal.

Twitter: @dannyvet

Charlie Maynard MP: Witney

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The Voice

Our new MPs: Chris Coghlan, Olly Glover, Josh Babarinde, Liz Jarvis, Helen Maguire

By The Voice | Sun 7th July 2024 - 8:00 am

Chris Coghlan MP:  Dorking and Horley

Chris stood to be Dorking and Horley’s Lib Dem MP because this is where he lives with his wife and three little girls, and where he grew up.

Chris spent a decade working in finance, in New York for Deloitte and a hedge fund in London, before pursuing a career in public service. He joined the Foreign Office’s counter-terrorism department, founded the international development charity Grow Movement, and served as an officer in the army reserve. In 2020 Chris was called up by the army and embedded as a military advisor with Iraqi forces fighting ISIS.

Chris’s top priorities for Dorking and Horley are urgent action to cut the cost of living, more NHS dentists and stopping sewage dumping in our rivers.

Chris says “I love this area, but I realise how very different things are from when I was young. Our NHS is on its knees. It’s a disgrace that the top reason for children being admitted to hospitals is tooth decay because they can’t make an appointment with a dentist.

We have a Conservative government that’s allowed our rivers to be polluted with record levels of raw sewage. A government that has condemned local taxpayers to pay spiralling mortgages and rent in a cost-of-living crisis.”

Twitter: @_chris_coghlan

Olly Glover MP: Didcot and Wantage

Olly Glover lives in Milton. He has spent all his working life on the railways, having held a range of senior operational management positions in Network Rail and train operating companies. These have involved leading large teams of train drivers, responsibility for major control centres, working in partnership with trade unions, and hands-on roles managing disruption, on the tracks and on station concourses. Olly now works as a consultant, using his knowledge to help railway companies in the UK and abroad to improve their operations.

Olly is a parish councillor in his village, a town councillor in Didcot, and volunteers as a visitor to people living with motor neurone disease.

Through his work and volunteering, Olly has a long record of serving the public and understanding people’s needs and frustrations.

Olly’s priorities for the constituency are campaigning for the NHS facilities that the area’s growing population need, continuing his work pressing for a new railway station in Grove, and supporting the Lib Dem plan to end sewage dumping and reform the water industry.

Twitter: @ollygloerld

Josh Babarinde MP: Eastbourne

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The Voice

Our new MPs: Joshua Reynolds, Alison Bennett, Lee Dillon, Alex Brewer, Alasdair Pinkerton

By The Voice | Sat 6th July 2024 - 9:48 pm

We thought you might like to find out a little bit about our new MPs. We didn’t think we’d have quite so many, but this is a lovely problem to have. All details come from the party website or the MPs’ social media. We’ll get to know them more over the next wee while, but here’s a taster. 

Our editor sleepily compiled a Twitter list of all our MPs’ accounts she could find. You can follow it here. 

Joshua Reynolds MP: Maidenhead

Joshua Reynolds is a familiar face across Maidenhead. Elected to the council in 2019, and now a cabinet member, Josh grew up in Courthouse Road and went to Alwyn, Courthouse and Furze Platt Senior Schools, only leaving to study in Cardiff where he graduated with a first-class degree in Business and Management Studies. On his return, he successfully managed a chain of supermarkets before taking the decision to devote himself full time to public service.

Joshua’s time in retail gave him a valuable insight into the cost-of-living crisis. He saw first hand how the crisis impacted his shoppers, and how the increase in shoplifting has hit local businesses.

He is also campaigning to see the walk-in centre re-opened at St Mark’s Hospital and the improvement and expansion of health services there and around the constituency to support the fast-growing population.

Joshua sees river pollution as another key issue and is calling for the water companies to be held to account for polluting our waterways. He fully supports the Lib Dem pledge to transform water companies into public benefit companies, ban bonuses for water bosses until the pollution ends, and replace Ofwat with a tough new regulator with much greater powers.

Twitter: @joshreynoldsSL6

Alison Bennett MP: Mid Sussex

Alison is the Liberal Democrat candidate for Mid Sussex where she has lived for the last 12 years.

When Alison graduated from Cambridge in 1999 a career in politics was not anticipated. But as a young executive at British Airways, Alison proved an able problem solver in marketing, strategy, and business planning.

Later, at E.on, Alison confronted social challenges, working on products aimed at supporting people in fuel poverty. “I learnt much that has been valuable as a local politician in understanding what matters to people and the pinch points in their lives.”

Her commitment to public service was sparked when she became a parent. “I wanted my children to grow up knowing that regardless of who your parents are, everyone should have a fair chance of achieving their potential, and that when we see things aren’t right, we can step up and find a better way.”

Over the last nine years Alison has turned around the Mid Sussex Lib Dems’ fortunes. Having had no councillors in 2015, by 2019, she became leader of 13 Lib Dems on the district council. Then in May 2023, the party succeeded in leapfrogging the Conservatives to becoming the largest on the council.

Her pragmatic and collaborative approach emphasises building relationships across party lines. Alison underscores the importance of teamwork, stating, “One person alone can’t achieve things in politics. You have to motivate people, build a team, and pull in the same direction.” Her journey stands as a testament to the transformative power of tenacity and optimism in leadership.

Twitter: @alisonebennett

Lee Dillon MP: Newbury

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The Voice

Our new MPs: Monica Harding, Zoe Franklin, Freddie van Mierlo, John Milne, James Maccleary

By The Voice | Sat 6th July 2024 - 8:44 pm

We thought you might like to find out a little bit about our new MPs. We didn’t think we’d have quite so many, but this is a lovely problem to have. All details come from the party website or the MPs’ social media. We’ll get to know them more over the next wee while, but here’s a taster. 

Our editor sleepily compiled a Twitter list of all our MPs’ accounts she could find. You can follow it here. 

Monica Harding MP: Esher and Walton

Monica is the Liberal Democrat candidate for Esher and Walton. Monica is a local mum of four who has lived in Thames Ditton for 17 years with her elderly mother living close by in Hinchley Wood.

Monica has worked as a Director and CEO in the private, public and charity sectors. She was a Director of Communications with the British Council in London, Paris, Tokyo and Shanghai. She was President and CEO of Refugees International Japan and sat on the Board of Refugees International USA. She was CEO of the Industry and Parliament Trust and an Associate Consultant with PA Consulting and now works as a management consultant. She has been Vice Chair of Governors at a local school and a Trustee at Princess Alice Hospice. She founded The Britain Project in 2020, a convening space for progressives – a non-partisan, political movement seeking to build a broad liberal and progressive coalition built on the politics of hope, decency, integrity, fairness and the common-good. She hopes it can contribute to tackling the solutions to the big challenges we face – rather than lurching from election to election with no clear plan on the future of Britain.

Monica came into politics in 2019 with no political experience. She said she got ‘fed up with shouting at the TV and decided to do something about it’. She wanted her children to inherit the country she was given by her parents – the ability to make a good life from little, in a country that was full of opportunities, outward looking, tolerant, and ambitious for the future.

Monica’s priorities for Esher and Walton are the priorities she hears on the doorstep. She wants to ease the cost of living, improve our access to local health services and protect the NHS, and look after our environment including cleaning up our local rivers – the Thames and the Mole – which have been blighted by sewage. She has a keen interest in education, wants to better support our schools, refashion the curriculum for the future and improve access to mental health and SEN support for young people.

Twitter: @monicabeharding

Zoe Franklin MP: Guildford

Zöe Franklin is the Liberal Democrat candidate for Guildford. A former Guildford borough councillor for Bellfields & Slyfield, Zöe is a local and hardworking campaigner who has over 15 years of experience and will deliver the change we need.

Zöe became politically involved because she was sick of seeing her community being let down by the Conservative council and government. After 14 years of Conservative government, she is more angry today than ever and determined to ensure Guildford has the strong, active voice it needs in Westminster.

For Zöe, tackling the cost of living crisis is a priority. She has spoken to many people who have shared their struggles to pay their bills, put food on their table or buy clothing essentials for themselves or their children. Why do we still have people forced to rely on food banks in 21st-century Guildford? She wants fair taxes for all and benefits that really support people who are struggling.

She has also led campaigning, locally, on sewage dumping in the River Wey and the problems Guildford residents have experienced with Thames Water’s water supply, rising bills and hosepipe bans.

“Guildford has been my home for 25 years. Our town and villages are special places and deserve a strong independent-minded MP who will put local people first, be their voice in Westminster and fight tirelessly on the issues that matter to them.”

Twitter: @zoefranklinLD

Freddie Van Mierlo MP: Henley and Thame

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The Voice

Our new MPs – Lisa Smart, Susan Murray, Angus MacDonald, Calum Miller, Jess Brown-Fuller

By The Voice | Sat 6th July 2024 - 7:30 pm

We thought you might like to find out a little bit about our new MPs. We didn’t think we’d have quite so many, but this is a lovely problem to have. All details come from the party website or the MPs’ social media. We’ll get to know them more over the next wee while, but here’s a taster. 

Our editor sleepily compiled a Twitter list of all our MPs’ accounts she could find. You can follow it here. 

Lisa Smart MP – Hazel Grove

Born and brought up in the North West, Lisa lives in Romiley with her partner Ed, who grew up in High Lane, and their rescue dog Bonnie.

Lisa cares deeply about Hazel Grove constituency and its people, working as an active volunteer locally. Roles include serving as a trustee for the New Horizons Canal Boat for disabled people and their carers in Marple, as a volunteer for the Woodley & Romiley Towpath Team, and a trustee of the Barrack Hill Education Trust.

As an active and successful campaigner, she has been at the heart of include securing Specialist Status for Stepping Hill Hospital, saving the Rose Hill to Manchester rail service, and improving road safety across the borough.

Other areas Lisa is campaigning hard on are the climate emergency and the need for us to protect green space, tackle air pollution and protect wildlife.

The former Chief Executive of an international education development charity, Lisa is committed to making sure young people get the best start in life and their voices are heard. The first of her family to go to university, Lisa graduated from Durham University with a degree in Mathematics followed by an MBA from the London Business School.

Lisa is known for being gutsy and getting things done, whether it is through her voluntary roles, by working as a Director of the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust or though convincing Council bosses to give Asset of Community Value status to protect local green space.

Never afraid to stand up for what is right and fair, Lisa also knows how to demand better use of government money, with 12 years of experience looking after pension funds and charity investments for UK, US and Canadian clients.

Twitter: @lisa_smart

Susan Murray MP – Mid Dunbartonshire

Susan Murray is the Liberal Democrat candidate for Mid Dunbartonshire. A current local councillor for Kirkintilloch East and North and Twechar, Susan is a strong, local and hardworking campaigner and has the experience that will deliver the change we need.

Too many MPs are career politicians with no understanding of life in the real world. She is a successful businesswoman who lives locally and will use here experience getting things done as an East Dunbartonshire councillor to deliver on the issues that matter most to residents.

For Susan, improving local healthcare is a personal priority. When her husband suffered a stroke, she became a carer. Her experience means Susan knows just how important it is to have good quality NHS facilities in our community, like the new Milngavie health and care centre she is campaigning for.

Twitter: @susan4_ED

Angus MacDonald MP – Inverness, Skye and West Ross-Shire

Brought up in the Clachaig Inn in Glencoe, he served three years as a lieutenant in the Queens Own Highlanders with three years as an Investment Manager at Martin Currie in Edinburgh before founding Edinburgh Financial Publishing in 1990. He sold EFP in 1997 and bought a majority stake in Financial News. This business grew rapidly before being sold in two parts to The Wall Street Journal and two private equity firms in 2006/7. ICS was sold to private equity in May 2018 and SWR was sold to Biffa in March 2019. He chairs Renewable Parts which supplies spare parts for wind turbines.

Angus was awarded The Spears Entrepreneur of the Year and Entrepreneurial Scotlands ‘Scale up Entrepreneur’ in 2017 for a combination of his serial and social entrepreneurship endeavours.

He was Vice President of The National Trust for Scotland. He founded the Moidart Trust to help small companies grow and flourish. He founded the Caledonian Challenge which raised approximately £15m for charity over 20 years. He was awarded an OBE for services to the Highlands.

He has had published a successful series of historical novels about the highlands and is the owner of the Highland Bookshop in Fort William. His recent big project has been the construction of the Highland Cinema in the town centre (his gift to the town), voted UK cinema of the year in 2023, and is Chairman of The Highland Soap Co.

He lives near Arisaig with his wife of 37 years, Michie and has 4 sons, Archie, Jack, Jamie and Donald.

Twitter: @angusmacdlibem

Calum Miller MP – Bicester and Woodstock

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The Voice

Our new MPs – Ian Sollom, Bobby Dean, Luke Taylor, Paul Kohler, Tom Morrison

By The Voice | Sat 6th July 2024 - 5:58 pm

We thought you might like to find out a little bit about our new MPs. We didn’t think we’d have quite so many, but this is a lovely problem to have. All details come from the party website or the MPs’ social media. We’ll get to know them more over the next wee while, but here’s a taster. 

Our editor sleepily compiled a Twitter list of all our MPs’ accounts she could find. You can follow it here. 

Ian Sollom MP- St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire

Ian has lived in Cambridgeshire with his wife Bec since 2005 when they both came to Cambridge for postgraduate studies. Completing his PhD in Astrophysics in 2010, Ian has since worked as a strategy consultant, helping businesses improve their decision making. Their son Erik arrived in 2012 and they now live in St Neots.

Ian grew up in rural Shropshire, attending the local comprehensive school. He studied Physics at Oxford before coming to Cambridge.

A District Councillor in South Cambridgeshire from 2018-2022, Ian was widely respected for his hard work and diligence. His time as a councillor has given Ian a deep understanding of local issues affecting residents and the challenges they face every day.

Twitter: @iansollom

Bobby Dean MP – Carshalton and Wallington

Bobby lives in Carshalton with his wife Gemma and dog Chester.

He was raised on a council estate, the son of a cleaner and a scaffolder, and now runs his own small business advising charities tackling global poverty.

It’s his family’s work ethic that inspires Bobby to roll up his sleeves and get things done for the community. He is passionate about making a difference, serving as a local Councillor and leading the fight to protect St Helier Hospital.

Bobby is hoping to follow in Tom Brake’s footsteps, working hard right across the constituency and always being on hand to help.

Luke Taylor MP – Sutton and Cheam

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The Voice

Our new MPs – Marie Goldman, Charlotte Cane, Victoria Collins, Steffan Aquarone, Pippa Heyling

By The Voice | Sat 6th July 2024 - 4:21 pm

We thought you might like to find out a little bit about our new MPs. We didn’t think we’d have quite so many, but this is a lovely problem to have. All details come from the party website or the MPs’ social media. We’ll get to know them more over the next wee while, but here’s a taster. 

Our editor sleepily compiled a Twitter list of all our MPs’ accounts she could find. You can follow it here. 

Marie Goldman MP – Chelmsford

Marie has lived in Chelmsford for over twenty years. Her children were born in Chelmsford and she runs a small business here with her husband.

Marie got involved in politics to make here home city an even better place to live, leading projects such as refurbishing the theatre and Council support for small local businesses.

Marie has fought for improved GP services – Marie knows how important GP services are to Chelmsford residents. She made sure that Lib Dem-led Chelmsford City Council is investing to improve much-needed facilities, such as Sutherland Lodge surgery and allocating a site for a new surgery in the west of Chelmsford development.

Marie has championed the need for affordable local housing – Marie understands how difficult it is for everyone to buy or rent the home they need and can afford. This has been made even worse by the cost of living crisis. Marie has worked to get more affordable housing for our city, including new social-rent housing in places like Woodhall Road.

Marie has fought for better health services for our children – Marie shares the concern of many parents about the effects of the pandemic on children’s mental health. She is fighting to extend free school meals and better health services. She backs the Lib Dem plan to put a mental health professional in every school and ensure children never go hungry.

Twitter – @mariecgoldman

Charlotte Cane MP – Ely and East Cambridgeshire

Charlotte has lived in East Cambridgeshire for thirty years. As a child, she moved home often with her Army father. Her mother, a teacher, worked wherever he was posted. She read Ancient History & Archaeology at Birmingham, where she and her husband worked as field archaeologists. When interest rates hit 15% in 1990 they had to sell their home and Charlotte retrained with KPMG as a Chartered Accountant.

In 1994 a job with an arts charity brought Charlotte to Reach. Her two children were born in the Rosie and attended Swaffham Prior Primary, Bottisham Village College, and sixth forms in Cambridge.

As a teenager Charlotte wanted to end apartheid and protect the environment. She’s still campaigning for equality and fairness, while deaths from floods, droughts and heatwaves show why we must tackle climate change.

“East Cambridgeshire is a place which I love, and for whose residents I want the best. I want to help rebuild our NHS, with GPs, dentists, district nurses, prompt hospital treatment, and high-quality care at home. Protect our rivers, fens and chalk grasslands and give people a fair chance in life.”

Twitter: @charlottecane8

Victoria Collins MP – Harpenden and Berkhamsted

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The Voice

Christine Jardine: “We have a job to do, a country to repair and liberalism to defend”

By The Voice | Sat 6th July 2024 - 8:27 am

At about 4am on Friday, 26,645 residents of Edinburgh West voted for Christine Jardine to continue as MP. This gave her a stonking majority of almost 16,500 over the SNP. To put this in perspective, in 2017, when she won the seat for the first time, she got 18,108 votes and a majority of just under 3000. It is the best  performance in the seat since 1955.

She is pictured here with her daughter Mhairi. Here is her victory speech.

 

Returning officer, counting staff, police, everyone who has worked to distribute polling cards, postal voting packs, staff polling stations and count the votes.Thank You.

What you have done has allowed us to demonstrate just how well we do democracy, and just how much we should value it.

To the people of Edinburgh West thank you. Thank you, for the faith you have shown in me, and my party, at a time when people are crying out for better governments you have put your trust in us to fight for the change that you want to see.

At a time when democracy across the world is under threat and there are those in this country who would undermine it, I promise you I will do everything in my power to protect those rights we hold dear for all of us.

This is also a hugely significant night for representation in Scotland and for the Liberal Democrats.

Nine years ago, we suffered a very difficult, different evening which Charles Kennedy described as the night of the long Sgian dubhs.

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The Voice

There may be more good news to come….

By The Voice | Fri 5th July 2024 - 9:17 pm

This post comes with heavy caveats. Nothing is ever official until it is properly declared.

However, the BBC is reporting this about that the SNP have conceded defeat ahead of tomorrow’s recount in the Inverness, Skye and Ross West seat where Angus Macdonald is our candidate. This is the latest incarnation of the seat held between 1983 and 2015 by Charles Kennedy and has enormous emotional resonance for the party.

It seems likely the constituency will go to the Liberal Democrats – although the result is not expected to be officially announced until after a second recount which will begin at 10:30 on Saturday.

SNP candidate Drew Hendry said he would be unable to attend the recount due to an “unmovable prior commitment”.

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The Voice

Ed Davey’s victory speech

By The Voice | Fri 5th July 2024 - 2:44 pm

This is what Ed said after his result was announced in Kingston & Surbiton:

Thank you. It’s been a great privilege to serve our Kingston and Surbiton communities over many years.

And I am humbled that you’ve put your faith in me – to do it again. So let me say a big “thank you”.

And thank you too, to Sarah our Returning Officer, and to all the staff and police who’ve worked here through the night.

You are the unsung heroes of our democracy. It simply wouldn’t work without you. And thank you to my fellow candidates. For making this, a campaign we

…

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The Voice

Go for it!

By The Voice | Thu 4th July 2024 - 8:56 am

Embed from Getty Images

Our warmest wishes go to everyone out campaigning today.

If you are a candidate realistically hoping that you will be an MP tomorrow, then go for it (and stop reading political blogs for the time being!).

If you are a candidate with little chance of winning, then keep cheerful – we owe you a huge thank you for giving so much to this campaign and keeping the Lib Dem diamonds bright.

If you are an activist or supporter who will be spending the day door knocking, delivering, telling or doing those all vital back room tasks, then you are the real heroes of this campaign. Enjoy the day, and be pleased that you have participated in an election that we will be talking about for many years to come.

You won’t be hearing much from the Lib Dem Voice team during the day today – we are all a bit busy. But we will be offering news and commentary throughout the night so do check in after 10pm and maybe share stories with us at [email protected].

We should also remember the many council by-elections taking place today as well. The news about those contests may get buried under the national news, but please let us know and we will highlight what we can.

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The Voice

It’s Eve of Poll. How are you going to help Lib Dems win tomorrow?

By The Voice | Wed 3rd July 2024 - 1:21 pm

It’s hard to believe that it’s 6 weeks since Rishi Sunak stood in the rain in Downing Street to fire the starting gun to the General Election campaign.

Since then, there hasn’t been much movement in the polls, apart from a few points up for us, sparked by the brilliant, positive, incredible images and messages coming from our leader. What a time to come in to the form of your life, Ed Davey!

This party has fought our best campaign for years at every possible level. Our media spokespeople have been amazing. Ed has shown in the debates, Question Times and interviews that there is a huge amount of substance behind the style. He has tackled tough questions head on, with honesty and humility.

It’s all getting real now. Tomorrow, people in our target seats will have to clear a path through their Lib Dem leaflets to their door and go out to vote. Some will still be wrestling with their choice even as they stand in the voting booth with the pencil in hand. We need to be in their heads with our positive messages at that point. That is why it is so important that we get our eve of polls and good mornings out and knock on as many doors and make as many phone calls as possible.

And it’s why it is really really important that every single ounce of our efforts goes into seats where we are in the running.

If you need convincing of this, here’s the North East Fife result from 2017:

Stephen Gethins Scottish National Party 13,743 32.9% -8.1%
Elizabeth Riches Liberal Democrat 13,741 32.9% 1.5%
Tony Miklinski Conservative 10,088 24.1% 7.8%
Rosalind Garton Labour 4,026 9.6% 1.9%
Mike Scott-Hayward Independent 224 0.5% 0.5%

Two votes in it. Don’t let that happen again.

And even this May 97 more votes could have given us control of 3 more Councils.

What you do and where you do it on Polling day really matters. If you can’t travel, please think about making calls from home – or from holiday.

The messages that the Tories are putting out might seem bizarre to us. Their “letter from July 2044” aimed at bringing Reform voters back on board is probably the weirdest bit of literature we’ve ever seen, but we are not their target audience.

Mel Stride’s extraordinary comments this morning that you need enough Tories around to scrutinise Labour are very strange indeed. The only thing that the Tories will be capable of scrutinising over the next five years will be each other, with menaces. They are a party riven with irreconcilable differences and they will make a load of ferrets in a sack seem like the best of friends.

If you want a really good opposition to Labour, you will need a coherent, confident, capable party to keep their feet to the fire. So you obviously need lots of Liberal Democrats.

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The Voice

Campaigners hold memorial for loved ones outside Conservative HQ

By The Voice | Wed 3rd July 2024 - 11:48 am

Yesterday, campaigners, including friend of this site Mathew Hulbert, held a vigil outside Conservative HQ to remember their loved ones who had died while waiting for emergency treatment.

You may remember that Mathew’s mum Jackie died in July 2022 after an 11 hour wait for an ambulance.  Mathew’s courage in speaking out about their ordeal since then has been incredible.

Yesterday,  he took part in this video explaining why they were there.

They also spoke to The Mirror:

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The Voice

This is why you need to help Lib Dem target seat candidates win

By The Voice | Wed 26th June 2024 - 9:19 am

With just 8 days to go before the election, our target seat candidates need the help of every single one of us between now and polling day.

They have a huge amount to do and the more people we can talk to between now and polling day, the better the chance we have of filling up those green benches and once again being the third party in the House of Commons. That will guarantee us more media coverage and Ed will get two questions to the Prime Minister every week.

Our target seat candidates have been campaigning at high intensity for years. Some of them have completely given up other work this year to concentrate full time on their campaigns. That is a huge personal sacrifice. But it’s what we need to do to win.

The last thing we need to wake up to on 5th July  is a string of near misses. Remember in the local elections, a handful more votes would have given us control of another 3 councils.

We know that the Conservatives are going to pull out all the stops in the last few days of the campaign to stop us winning. They are very worried about the scale of the losses we can inflict. On the For the Many Podcast last Friday, broadcaster Iain Dale said:

I hear on the grapevine that Conservative candidates in Conservative seats with a majority of, say 5000 or 6000,  they are all being re-deployed to seats which have a majority of say 15,000 or 20,000.

He confirmed to co-host Jacqui Smith that this included candidates who are defending their seats.

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The Voice

Doctor Who actor endorses Lib Dem candidates and compliments Ed Davey

By The Voice | Sun 23rd June 2024 - 9:17 am

There were some bleary eyes in many campaign headquarters yesterday after many of our campaigners had stayed up beyond midnight to see the finale of this year’s all too short series of Doctor Who. There are a lot of Doctor Who fans in this party.

They will be interested to know that actor, writer and director Nicholas Pegg, who has spent much of the past 20 years as a dalek operator on the series, has endorsed two Lib Dem candidates in Devon, where he lives. He also had some very positive things to say on Twitter about Ed Davey’s performance on Question Time this week.

He said:

I continue to be impressed by Ed Davey. He’s not a sensation-seeking populist quote machine. He’s not rising to the bait thrown by a patently partisan presenter, and he’s dealing superbly with her pugnacious interruptions. He’s a grown-up. He’s a proper politician.

His own vote in this election is going to Lib Dem Paul Arnott in order to beat the Conservative in Exmouth and Exeter East:

In the new constituency of Exmouth & Exeter East, I shall be voting for the Lib Dem candidate @paularnottLd, a well-known and well-liked Devon councillor with years of local experience. The Electoral Calculus website predicts a close run, but only Paul Arnott can beat the Tory.

He is also supporting our by-election winner Richard Foord to win in the new constituency of Honiton and Sidmouth:

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The Voice

Access our manifesto

By The Voice | Fri 21st June 2024 - 9:15 am

The BSL version of our manifesto has now been launched.

The web based manifesto can be read here.

You can also download other versions from this page (scroll down to the bottom), including Braille, clear print, plain text and easy read versions and as a normal pdf.

The costings of our manifesto can be examined here.

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The Voice

A “herbivorous showpony” – behind the scenes of the Scottish Manifesto launch

By The Voice | Tue 18th June 2024 - 9:38 pm

As we reported yesterday, the Scottish Lib Dems launched their manifesto at the beautiful Craigie’s Farm near South Queensferry. If you are in the area, do pop in for a visit, pick some fruit, enjoy the gorgeous views and buy some lovely food and drink from the shop and cafe. You can even order online.

The event looked great. There were a couple of hiccups though.

Frankly, Wendy Chamberlain should get danger money for appearing with leaders. In 2021, Willie Rennie accidentally hit her with a shinty ball during a photo opportunity for the Holyrrod Elections.

Yesterday, they let Alex Cole-Hamilton loose with a tractor. When Ed Davey did similar for the local elections last year, he demolished a mock up of a blue wall. Alex nearly demolished his deputy leader, not once, but twice.

The BBC have a video here.

Thankfully Wendy survived and she was much more forgiving than we would have been. Later she and Alex recorded a video about the event:

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The Voice

Cole-Hamilton and Chamberlain launch Scottish Manifesto with focus on carers, warm homes and agriculture

By The Voice | Mon 17th June 2024 - 1:27 pm

 

Alex Cole-Hamilton and Wendy Chamberlain have launched the Scottish version of our manifesto.  

At a farm inAlex’s Edinburgh constituency (photo of Alex driving a tractor to follow), they set out plans to fix the broken care system, invest in Scottish agriculture and ensure everyone has a warm home.

At the heart of the proposals is a £500 million rescue package for care, enabling people to be released from hospital, relieving pressure on the NHS and giving a fair deal to family carers. It will:

  • Create a new Carer’s Minimum Wage, boosting the minimum wage for care workers by £2 an hour;
  • Give unpaid carers a fair deal, lifting Carer’s Allowance/Carer Support Payment by £1,040 a year and removing the earnings cliff-edge.

Other key proposals include:

  • Establish the world-class mental health services Scotland needs, meaning every school pupil has fast access to a mental health counsellor, new mental health staff working alongside GPs and A&Es, and extra help for businesses, backed by £150m from taxing social media companies;
  • Deliver £170m more for Scottish agriculture;
  • Generate an extra £1 billion in capital funding for Scotland which  could be used to build new local health facilities, tackle the housing emergency, end the scandal of crumbling concrete in public buildings, and stop sewage dumping.
  • Make homes warmer and cheaper to heat with a ten-year emergency upgrade programme, starting with free insulation and heat pumps for those on low incomes.

At the launch, Alex said:

Every vote for the Liberal Democrats at this election is a vote to elect a strong local champion focused on getting you fast access to GPs and dentists, and giving our nation’s carers a fair deal.

We will stop sewage being dumped in our rivers, lift up Scottish education, and deliver warm homes that insulate you from the cost of living crisis.

Our vision is of a better Britain where we work in partnership, restoring your faith in politics and fixing our broken relationship with Europe.

Just like they Conservatives, the SNP have got to go. Only the Scottish Liberal Democrats can beat the nationalists in huge swathes of Scotland.

Hope and change are just around the corner, you only need to vote for them. Back the Liberal Democrats for a fair deal for you, your family, and for Scotland.

On the plans to fix care and the NHS, Alex added:

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The Voice

Ed Davey on Kuenssberg: Lib Dems could make real gains at this election

By The Voice | Sun 16th June 2024 - 11:54 am

It was Ed Davey’s turn to be interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg this morning.

Her first question was from a sub post master who actually compared Ed to Boris Johnson because of the various attention grabbing stunts. How can this encourage trust?

Ed replied that all these stunts have engaged people.

We’re talking about social care and cost of living and the environment. I am determined in all the seats we can win that people hear about what the Lib Dems stand for from our local champions. We could make real gains at this election.

We are taking the voters’ concerns really seriously. I don’t take my self too seriously but we don’t take ourselves too seriosly. When I came down that slide, we were talking about our policy on improving mental health for children. We want to see a qualified mental health professional in every school, paid for by rise in Digital Services Tax.

Kuenssberg asked him about the protections for whistleblowers in the Lib Dem manifesto and pressed him (again) on his actions when he was Post Office minister. Those proposals are:

Ensure justice for the victims of scandals and prevent future scandals, including
by:
• Providing full and fair compensation to all victims of the Horizon Post Office
scandal and the Infected Blood scandal as quickly as possible.
• Protecting whistleblowers by establishing a new Office of the Whistleblower,
creating new legal protections, and promoting greater public awareness of
their rights.
• Introducing the Hillsborough Law: a statutory duty of candour on police
officers and all public officials, including during all forms of public inquiry and criminal investigation.

Ed responded that it was vital to protect whistleblowers because it was the
whistleblower from Fujitsu whose evidence in 2015 provided a huge step forward for the sub-postmasters getting justice. Their revelation that the Post OFfice was lying to ministers was crucial to getting this sorted.

He said that he took Alan Bates’ issues really seriously and was the only one who put his concerns to the Post Office in any level of detail but he was lied to.

We need to change the system – we have seen it in contaminated blood and Hillsborough. You can’t run a system if people are lied to. Lib Dems have led on whistleblower protection and duty of candour.

Kuenssberg then turned to the issue of carers, and acknowledged how Ed had talked of his own caring experience.

However, she challenged him on the Coalition Government’s record. During 2010-15, social care spending had been cut in real terms. Did he regret that?

Ed could point to the Care Act of 2014 which, he said, would have improved care for people from 2015-16 as something we had contributed to that made life better for carers and those they care for. He added that we had stopped the Conservatives making the exact cuts to the social security budget that they made with indecent haste when we were out of the picture.

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The Voice

Ed Davey: “Lib Dems are a progressive, liberal party and we believe in investment in public services”

By The Voice | Sun 16th June 2024 - 8:45 am

There’s a great interview with Ed in the Observer today. He talks about how the Liberal Democrats will hold Labour to account and push them to do more radical things in the next Parliament. In fact, he says some Labour people want more of us there to keep a cautious Labour Government on track.

He sets out what the Lib Dems are about:

“We are a progressive, liberal party and we believe in investment in ­public services,” Davey said. “We believe in making taxes fairer, and we believe in really transformative environmental action. I think people who want to see that level of change in our country can vote Liberal Democrat knowing that we’ll have lots of Lib Dem MPs in the next parliament championing that.

“Frankly, if you want the change, I think we’re offering the most ambitious change. I even have Labour people saying that they’re really Labour people, but they hope we get lots of Liberal Democrat MPs in because they can hold the Labour party to account.”

Where would we push them to go further? Issues like the two child cap, and closer relationships with Europe.

“On things like our relationship with Europe, the Liberal Democrats are passionately pro-European. It’s been a tragedy that we have seen the Conservatives poison that relationship with our closest friends and allies. Are we going to campaign for a better trade deal with Europe? Yes. Are we going to campaign for allowing young people to move across Europe with an agreement on youth mobility? Yes we are.

He’s not getting wildly over-excited about polls which show the Conservatives in third place, citing their deep pockets and capacity to get their message out in the last two and a bit weeks of the campaign.

However, Davey said it would be a “historic mistake” to underestimate the Conservatives, despite some high-profile mishaps during their campaign.

“I just think people who want real change should be cautious about the polls,” Davey said. “The Conservatives are not going to give up. They’ve got more money than any other party. They’re going to spend it in the last few weeks on attack ads on social media. Get ready. I remember 2017 when everyone thought Theresa May was going to get a landslide. I thought she was going to get a landslide. I didn’t expect to get re-elected in 2017. Certainly, Liberal Democrats are not going to take voters for granted.

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The Voice

Birthday Honours – congratulations!

By The Voice | Sat 15th June 2024 - 12:18 am

Huge congratulations to Chris White, a former member of the Lib Dem Voice team, who has been awarded an OBE. The citation reads: “Lately Member and Leader, St Albans City and District Council. For services to Local Government”.

Chris stepped down earlier this year having led the Lib Dem administration since 2019. He also served on Hertfordshire County Council for nearly 30 years.

Thanks to a reader who has told us that Janet Goldsbrough-Jones in Worthing has been awarded an MBE “for services to the community”. Janet is a long term Lib Dem activist and council candidate in Worthing, who is very active in the community. Congratulations to her too.

That’s all we have found so far, but we have probably not spotted other people that we should mention. Please email us on [email protected] and we will add them to this post.

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The Voice

Election heroes: Agents

By The Voice | Fri 14th June 2024 - 11:30 am

We are now half way through the election campaign and most of us will be feeling a bit knackered.

Elections are a bit like the Tour De France. A massive daily effort with actual and metaphorical daily climbs and sprint finishes.

We thought we’d take a minute to appreciate the key people in the election in a series of posts which will hopefully sustain us through to polling day.

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The Voice

WATCH: Our new Party Election Broadcast featuring health and carers

By The Voice | Wed 12th June 2024 - 10:24 pm

A “Young Carer’s Premium” to help young carers in school is just one of the measures the Lib Dems would implement to help and support carers. In the latest video he talks to a young woman, in the middle of her A levels, who cares for her autistic brother.

Ed said:

When I speak to young carers and listen to their experiences, it’s clear they have so many skills and so much to offer. But many just aren’t getting the support they need to balance their education with caring for loved ones.

“We need to support those who give so much of their time to caring. No young carer should fall behind the rest of their class.

“Our plans for a Young Carers Pupil Premium would help these fantastic young people fulfil their potential. I am proud that the Liberal Democrats are putting a fair deal for young carers at the heart of our plans.

Here’s the broadcast in which he talks to people across the UK with experience of caring and cancer services.

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The Voice

How you can help elect more Liberal Democrat MPs

By The Voice | Wed 12th June 2024 - 9:41 am

So far the Liberal Democrat campaign is going well. Our leaders are knocking it out of the park in the way they are communicating our values to the voters. Let’s just have another look at Ed’s highly personal Party Election Broadcast which shows how his experiences have shaped his values – and why our manifesto focuses so heavily on health, care and carers.

Last Friday our Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper made every word count as she represented the party in the BBC Election Debate.

Last night Alex Cole-Hamilton earned praise from the New Statesman for his performance in the BBC’s Scottish equivalent. They said:

Alex Cole Hamilton, the leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, quietly emerging as the most impressive performer in the latest Scottish leaders’ debate.

Here he is talking about our plans to improve mental health:

We shouldn’t get too excited about the polls, but who doesn’t love a poll that puts us on 15%, just 3 points behind the Conservatives and 2 points behind Reform? It is a sign, though, that people like what they are seeing of us.

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The Voice

Alex Cole-Hamilton’s opening statement in Scottish Leaders’ Debate

By The Voice | Tue 11th June 2024 - 8:51 pm

The BBC is holding a debate between the five main party leaders in Scotland tonight.

Here is Alex Cole-Hamilton’s opening statement:

“People ask me why I’m always smiling – why, when politics is such a serious business the Liberal Democrats seem to enjoy it so much.

“Well, the simple reason is we love what we do. Serving our communities is why we get up in the morning.

“In the next Parliament we’ll be working for a better Britain, to restore your faith in politics and fix our broken relationship with Europe.

“We’ll get you fast access to GPs and dentists, and give our nation’s carers a fair deal.

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The Voice

WATCH: Lib Dem manifesto launch

By The Voice | Mon 10th June 2024 - 2:54 pm

In case you missed it, here is all the fun of the manifesto launch.  The text of Ed’s highly personal speech about his experience of caring for both his mum and his son is below.

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The Voice

“You can get through if you’ve got love” – a Party Election Broadcast with a difference

By The Voice | Wed 5th June 2024 - 3:53 pm

Love and tenderness are not words you generally associate with Party Election Broadcasts.

Our one, to be broadcast tonight is the exception. Ed Davey tells his story of life as a carer for his mum and his son. He talks about the millions in similar situations, keeping going with love. That, he says, is who I will fight for every day. It’s just incredible.

From The Guardian

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The Voice

Ed Davey opens up about juggling the LibDem leadership and caring for his teenage son

By The Voice | Tue 4th June 2024 - 9:38 am

Ed Davey has given an extremely moving interview about caring for his teenage son, while leading the Liberal Democrats.

Click below for some clips. You can find a full article and more clips on the ITV News website.

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