Category Archives: News

Liam Yip

ALDC by-election report, 31st July

By Liam Yip | Fri 1st August 2025 - 3:07 pm

In Barnstaple, we secured victory, successfully defending the seat. Well done to Josh Rutty and the local team for ensuring this seat remained in Liberal Democrats’ control.

North Devon DC, Barnstaple with Westacott
Liberal Democrats (Josh Rutty): 505 (40.5%, +0.5)
Reform UK: 383 (30.7%, new)
Conservative: 205 (16.4%, -6.1)
Green Party: 154 (12.3%, -2.4)

Liberal Democrat HOLD

Turnout: 22.27%

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Mark Valladares

30 July 2025 – yesterday’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Thu 31st July 2025 - 7:30 am
  • Davey: Govt must launch full investigation into ATC technical fault
  • Greene responds to CalMac timetable updates during ‘storm’ of disruption
  • SNP are breaking another attainment gap promise

Davey: Govt must launch full investigation into ATC technical fault

Responding to reports that all outbound UK flights were hit by an air traffic control technical issue leading to delays, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

It is utterly unacceptable that after a major disruption just two years ago, air traffic control has once again been hit by a technical fault. With thousands of families preparing to go on a well earned break, this just isn’t

…

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Caron Lindsay

What I really want from our MPs this Summer

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 30th July 2025 - 9:25 am

MPs are now in their parliamentary recess. I know that for Lib Dem MPs, recess does not equal rest. They spend the time they aren’t in Parliament knocking doors, visiting every community in their constituency and generally working incredibly hard, as usual.  Yes, they might get home at a respectable hour more of the time and their inboxes get a bit more manageable – just a bit – but they are still on duty for well more than the average working week.

In the first year of the new Parliament, they have done wonders. Alistair, Jamie and Layla have all highlighted important issues as Select Committee chairs, Danny’s Bill has curtailed puppy smuggling, Roz has persuaded the Government to take climate and nature seriously, Max has been fighting for his sunshine bill, Christine has the promise of Government action to help bereaved children, David’s been standing up for coalfield communities,, Angus has been fighting for communities to reap the benefits of renewable energy. I could go on at length but you get the drift.

My hope for all of them this Summer is simple – please, please take a proper break.

A break where you go off-grid, mute everything and relax. Where you do whatever you need to do to switch off. I don’t care whether it’s hiking in the mountains, lying on a beach reading proper trash with no informational value whatsoever (see the Guardian’s advice for a perfect beach read),  participating in the family beach tennis tournament, playing Mario Kart in your pants, cycling around France, sailing in the Med, going to Disneyland or simply sleeping. And do this for at the very least two weeks at once.

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Mark Valladares

29 July 2025 – yesterday’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Wed 30th July 2025 - 7:30 am
  • Davey on Southport attacks one year on: We are a caring country not one of thuggery
  • Davey calls for Lord Hermer to publish legal advice on Gazan aid blockade
  • Anglian Water fine: Lib Dems urge “No More Sewage, No More Excuses”
  • Lib Dems: “If Trump really loves Scotland, why is he hammering Scotch whisky with tariffs?”
  • Cole-Hamilton accuses SNP of serial failures on A&E, care and drugs
  • Cole-Hamilton responds to decline in healthy life expectancy

Davey on Southport attacks one year on: We are a caring country not one of thuggery

Reflecting on the one year anniversary of the Southport attacks, Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said:

Today especially, we hold in our hearts Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice da Silva Aguiar.

Three little girls, horrifyingly murdered at their Taylor Swift dance class in Southport. Three young lives, so cruelly cut short by a heartbreaking tragedy.

Our thoughts are with their families and friends, who still grieve such a cruel loss.

The lawless riots that followed appalled us. Egged on by hate preachers and conspiracy theorists, thugs resorted to appalling racism and violence, targeting some of the most vulnerable in our society.

But last summer also saw the best of the British people. Everyone who came together with love and compassion to mourn the deaths of Bebe, Elsie and Alice. And all those who stood peacefully in solidarity against the riots. Who powerfully rejected racism and Islamophobia.

That is who we are: a caring country, not a country of thuggery. A nation of laws and decency, not hate and lawlessness.

As we grieve today – as we remember Bebe, Elsie and Alice – let us also remember that.

Davey calls for Lord Hermer to publish legal advice on Gazan aid blockade

Commenting ahead of a Cabinet recall on the conflict in the Middle East, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey has called for the Attorney General Lord Hermer to publish his legal advice to the Government, saying:

There can be no denying that Israel has egregiously breached international law through its devastating blockade of Gaza.

The Australian Prime Minister said this two days ago. And yet the UK Government continues to drag its feet on describing these acts as anything more than merely “risking” a breach.

Actions speak louder than words. It’s time for the Attorney General to publish the legal advice he has given to the Government on the Netanyahu cabinet’s grotesque restriction of aid to Gazans.

Anglian Water fine: Lib Dems urge “No More Sewage, No More Excuses”

Liberal Democrat MP Pippa Heylings has condemned Anglian Water’s repeated failings, following Ofwat’s damning £62.8 million fine for the company’s illegal dumping of raw sewage into rivers and coastal waters.

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Mark Valladares

Water companies with hosepipe bans leaking over one billion litres of water a day

By Mark Valladares | Tue 29th July 2025 - 7:30 am
  • The four water companies with hosepipe bans in place are leaking an average of 1.068 billion litres of water a day
  • Equivalent to 400 Olympic sized swimming pools a day being lost to leakages at firms with hosepipe bans
  • Lib Dems demand water bosses at companies with hosepipe bans give up their bonuses and eye-watering salary increases

The four water companies with hosepipe bans in place are leaking over one billion litres of water per day, analysis of the latest figures by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.

The party’s Environment Spokesperson Tim Farron said it was a “scandal” and called for water company bosses to forgo their bonuses and big salary increases while hosepipe bans are in place in light of these failures to invest in infrastructure

Thames Water, Yorkshire Water, Southern Water and South East Water have all issued widespread hosepipe bans due to water shortages, leaving millions of customers without water for their gardens this summer. Yet between them, the four water companies are leaking an average of 1.068 billion litres of water a day, enough to fill 400 Olympic sized swimming pools.

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Mark Valladares

28 July 2025 – yesterday’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Tue 29th July 2025 - 12:20 am
  • Lib Dems call for PM to confirm Honours for Lionesses
  • Starmer must not take Trump at his word on Ukraine and the Middle East
  • SNP must do more to help more than quarter of a million Scots on long term sick back to work

Lib Dems call for PM to confirm Honours for Lionesses

Following the Lionesses’ victory at the Euros last night, and ahead of the reception being hosted for the team at Downing Street this evening, the Liberal Democrats are calling on the Prime Minister to commit to Honours for the whole squad, including confirmation of a rumoured honorary Damehood for coach Sarina Wiegman.

The party is also calling for a statue of team captain Leah Williamson to be displayed at Wembley Stadium.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Culture, Media and Sport, Max Wilkinson MP, said:

The Lionesses have swept us all away with their record-breaking performance, accomplishing back-to-back Euro victories, while making us all proud every step of the way.

It is time for the Prime Minister to formally recognise this historic moment by confirming an honorary damehood for Sarina Wiegman, and appointing the whole squad an MBE for their momentous accomplishment. This formal recognition would be a fitting display of the pride and gratitude the Lionesses have given the nation.

It would also be more than fitting for a statue of Leah Williamson to be proudly displayed outside Wembley – the home of English football.

Starmer must not take Trump at his word on Ukraine and the Middle East

Commenting on Starmer’s meeting with President Trump this afternoon, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

Warm words from Donald Trump on ending Putin’s war and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza are welcome, but the Prime Minister would be naive to take him at his word.

We know Trump’s unpredictability all too well by now. In both Ukraine and the Middle East the situation is utterly intolerable and the Prime Minister needs to work with our allies to put a proper plan in place, so that we can lead even if Donald Trump continues to refuse to act. That should start with us recognising the state of Palestine, and seizing frozen Russian funds in the UK.

SNP must do more to help more than quarter of a million Scots on long term sick back to work

Scottish Liberal Democrat economy spokesperson Jamie Greene has today called on the Scottish Government to do more to help the 269,000 people who are long-term sick or disabled to find work, including investing more in tackling mental health conditions, autism and ADHD.

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We have a duty of care to speak out against the Online Safety Act

By The Board Of Liberal Reform | Mon 28th July 2025 - 6:30 pm

We are the party of civil liberties – that is what, we would argue, should be an uncontested fact. From the Snoopers Charter to campaigning for equal rights for minority communities, it is the raison d’être of the Liberal Democrats and the Liberal Party before us to stand up for civil liberties, recognising that the role of the state is not to micromanage or infringe on people’s core rights.

This belief is why we at Liberal Reform are so opposed to the Online Safety Act (OSA). Fundamentally, legislation should seek to make a positive difference to the lives of people it effects.

So why is this legislation so flawed?

There are a range of reasons why the OSA is so flawed.

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Mark Valladares

26-27 July 2025 – the weekend’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Sun 27th July 2025 - 10:30 pm
  • Davey: PM must show Trump that the UK will lead the way in recognising Palestine
  • Jardine challenges Government over long waits for driving tests
  • Cole-Hamilton presses Health Secretary over long waits for cataract surgery

Davey: PM must show Trump that the UK will lead the way in recognising Palestine

Commenting ahead of Keir Starmer’s meeting with Donald Trump tomorrow, where the PM is expected to raise the situation in Gaza, Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said:

Starmer must urge Trump to use his influence with Netanyahu to end the unconscionable suffering in Gaza through securing a ceasefire and getting much needed aid in. But it’s clear that only proper recognition the of Palestinian state by the international community will finally make way to a two-state solution and a lasting peace.

The Prime Minister should make clear to Trump that the UK will lead the way in recognising the state of Palestine.

Jardine challenges Government over long waits for driving tests

Edinburgh West MP Christine Jardine has today challenged the UK Government to cut long waits for driving tests and do more to block the reselling of block-booked driving tests as she revealed that three quarters of Scotland’s test centres have longer waits than the national average.

Media reports and constituents have raised concerns over long waits for practical driving tests and unscrupulous booking practices where individuals or companies buy up available driving test appointments and then resell them to learners, often at inflated prices.

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Caron Lindsay

What were you doing 30 years ago today?

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 27th July 2025 - 11:55 am

30 years ago today, I woke up before the crack of dawn to go and deliver Good Morning leaflets for the Littleborough and Saddleworth by-election.  I spent the rest of the day knocking up  – and getting chased and shouted at by Labour people in the process.

I also remember spending some time telling and chatting to some lovely people from other parties, including a young Conservative who had a huge cut on his neck from what I understand was a shaving incident.

It was a great experience.

Bob and I had been there several times during the campaign. We had nipped in for a couple of days at the start of our Summer holiday which we had planned to spend touring around the North West and we actually spend the whole week there under the watchful eye of the wonderful and inimitable Pat Wainwright. Before we left, we went and bought some plates and cutlery for the HQ because they had none.

We made several return trips during the campaign and I took the last few days off work.

That campaign was when I really got to know the much loved and missed Erlend Watson. The day before polling day, I walked into HQ and, after they checked I could drive, I was handed the keys of a transit van and sent out with Erlend to repair and replace our posters which had been vandalised by nefarious forces. Now, a transit van was way beyond my comfort zone. At that time I had a mini metro and I was such a nervous driver that I’d often do whatever I could to avoid turning right.

But with Erlend beside me, we set off in this massive transit van and, miraculously, after much hilarity, returned in one piece.

I also met Pam Tilson, who then worked as an organiser for the party. We had a particularly fun afternoon off from campaigning in the pub. We recently caught up when she was over in Edinburgh and had a good reminisce about those golden times.

Colin Rosenstiel and his family were there, too and I think he persuaded me on to Cix.

Gina Ford, who then worked for Malcolm Bruce, and I drove round one of the most rural delivery rounds during the Wimbledon final, catching snippets of the tennis on the radio when signal allowed.

That was a by-election with no minivan, no internet, no smartphones, no Google maps. We had paper canvass cards – although I’m fairly sure they were generated by EARS, the predecessor to Connect rather than pasted on bits of the electoral roll as we had to use in my first campaign.

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Mark Valladares

25 July 2025 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Fri 25th July 2025 - 10:30 pm
  • Ed Davey calls for UK airdrops to get aid to Gazans
  • Davey urges PM to pressure Trump on ending the humanitarian disaster in Gaza
  • Doctors strike: Lib Dems call for patients to be sent to private hospitals to ease impact
  • Lib Dems call on RAF to ‘lead the way’ on Gaza airdrops
  • Lib Dems call for Family Farms Tax U-turn as record number of farms close

Ed Davey calls for UK airdrops to get aid to Gazans

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey has called on Keir Starmer to launch a UK airdrop operation over Gaza, in response to the reports of mass starvation and the mounting number of deaths related to malnutrition.

The operation would involve RAF planes supplying aid into Gaza from the air. Similar operations were undertaken by British pilots in Spring 2024, delivering hundreds of tonnes of aid to support humanitarian relief efforts in the Strip.

The call comes as over a hundred humanitarian organisations have warned that the population of Gaza is at risk of mass starvation as a result of the Israeli Government’s failure to comprehensively reopen aid supply routes across the occupied territory.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

It is simply inhumane that the entire population of Gaza is at risk of starvation as a direct result of Israel’s aid blockade. The time for words is over – now we must act. That should include the UK Government conducting a fresh set of aid airdrops over Gaza.

Aid delivered by the air is no substitute for the reopening of supply routes by land. But the extent of the humanitarian catastrophe we are now witnessing requires us to leave no stone unturned in our efforts to get aid to Gazans.

The Prime Minister should secure agreement from other international partners that they will follow the UK’s example and conduct their own airdrops. This must be alongside a redoubling of our collective effort to secure the total reopening of aid supply routes on the ground – the most effective and sustainable way to alleviate the suffering of Gazans.

Davey urges PM to pressure Trump on ending the humanitarian disaster in Gaza

Ed Davey has written to the Prime Minister urging him to work with President Trump to bring an end to the humanitarian disaster in Gaza ahead of the US President’s visit to the UK this weekend.

In his letter, Davey emphasised that Starmer has a “crucial window” to persuade President Trump to take decisive action to end the conflict in Gaza. Davey condemned Trump’s grotesque previous comments on Gaza, while acknowledging the US President’s significant sway over Prime Minister Netanyahu.

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Liam Yip

ALDC by-election report, 24th July

By Liam Yip | Fri 25th July 2025 - 5:39 pm

In Berkhamsted, we secured an overwhelming victory, successfully defending this seat. Well done to Cllr Will Jankowski and the local team for ensuring this seat remained in Liberal Democrats’ control.

Dacorum BC, Berkhamsted West
Liberal Democrats (Will Jankowski): 643 (56.4%, -2.0)
Conservative: 357 (31.3%, +8.5)
Green Party: 99 (8.7%, -0.4)
Labour: 41 (3.6%, -6.1)

Liberal Democrats HOLD

Turnout: 24.47%

In Rutland, the Conservatives were able to secure victory, gaining this seat off the Green Party. Well done to Jonathan Nichols and the local team for ensuring that we finished in second place.

Rutland Council, Barleythorpe
Conservative: 209 (35.9%)
Liberal Democrat (Jonathan Nichols): 136 (23.4%)
Reform UK: 123 (21.1%)
Independent: 114 (19.6%)

Conservative GAIN from Green Party

Turnout: 29.3%

In Swanage, the Conservatives secured yet another victory, with an exceedingly high by-election turnout of over 45%. Well done to Poppy Maltby and the local team for increasing our vote share by over 10%.

Dorset Council, Swanage
Conservative: 1254 (35.3%, -0.4)
Reform UK: 748 (21.0%, new)
Liberal Democrats (Poppy Maltby): 737 (20.7%, +12.8)
Independents for Dorset: 415 (11.7%, -7.7)
Labour: 400 (11.3%, -19.4)

Conservative HOLD

Turnout: 45.4%

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Mark Valladares

24 July 2025 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Thu 24th July 2025 - 10:30 pm
  • Unsolved crime epidemic continues as shoplifting cases soar by 20%
  • UK/India Trade Deal: Only a fraction of what we could get from the EU
  • Ed Davey calls for UK airdrops to get aid to Gazans
  • Welsh Lib Dems comment as waiting lists rise again

Unsolved crime epidemic continues as shoplifting cases soar by 20%

Following the release of new crime statistics, the Liberal Democrats have accused the Labour Government of not doing enough to tackle the “unsolved crime epidemic” left behind by the previous Conservative government.

The statistics revealed that in the year ending March 2025, shoplifting offences soared by 20% to the highest figure on record since current police recording practices began in 2003. 530,643 shoplifting offences were recorded across England and Wales, compared to 444,022 in the previous year.

56% of these cases went unsolved, while just 20% resulted in a suspect being charged or summonsed.

The statistics also uncover the shocking extent of unsolved crime in England and Wales. 2,071,156 crimes went unsolved in the year ending March 2025. This is equivalent to 5,674 crimes going unsolved every single day.

Meanwhile, just 387,891 crimes resulted in a suspect being charged or summonsed – accounting for less than 7.3% of cases.

In the wake of these new statistics, the party has renewed their call on the Government to scrap Police and Crime Commissioners and invest the savings in frontline policing, enabling a return to proper community policing with more bobbies on the beat.

The party would replace PCCs with local Police Boards made up of councillors and representatives from relevant local groups, which would be properly accountable to the communities they serve, at a fraction of the cost of PCCs.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Lisa Smart MP said:

Every day, thousands of innocent victims are being left without the justice they deserve after falling victim to heartless criminals. It is an absolute scandal.

The previous Conservative government left behind a legacy of failure, but the Labour government has not been quick enough to address the unsolved crime epidemic – particularly as shoplifting spirals out of control.

This neglect of victims cannot be allowed to continue. Our high streets and communities deserve better than this. If the Government wants to deliver safer streets, cracking down on the unsolved shoplifting epidemic must take priority.

Scrapping wasteful Police and Crime Commissioners is the first step towards returning to real community policing and getting more bobbies on the beat.

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Mark Valladares

23 July 2025 – yesterday’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Thu 24th July 2025 - 7:30 am
  • Lib Dems slam Govt for forcing through foreign state news ownership in face of “historic” cross-party resistance
  • Cleverly on ECHR: Cracks in Badenoch’s reshuffle starting to show

Lib Dems slam Govt for forcing through foreign state news ownership in face of “historic” cross-party resistance

The Liberal Democrats have slammed the Government’s move to disregard cross-party opposition in the Lords and force through legislation allowing foreign states to own a larger stake in British news outlets.

The Government has pushed through legislation that will allow foreign states to buy substantial stakes in UK newspapers in a “dark and dangerous” move for the country, the Liberal Democrats have said. Peers voted in favour of the legislation.

Despite the loss, a substantial 155 peers from Labour, Conservative, crossbench and non-aligned political backgrounds voted in favour of the Liberal Democrat motion.

Lib Dem peer Chris Fox, sponsor of the rare “fatal motion” that would have scrapped the legislation in its entirety, condemned the move. He described the legislation as endangering our “historic” freedom of the press and risking “playing into the hands” of potentially malicious states.

Under the approved legislation, the cap will now rise to 15% – meaning foreign states could be able to own substantial stakes in newspapers in the UK.

However, there’s still confusion around how the legislation will work in practice, with warning bells ringing regarding the ability of separate states to ‘stack’ their 15% stakes in order to take over much larger stakes in UK media assets.

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Mark Valladares

22 July 2025 – yesterday’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Wed 23rd July 2025 - 11:45 pm
  • Ed Davey: Tougher sanctions needed on Israeli Government now to “stop the carnage” in Gaza
  • Badenoch reshuffle: Titanic captain appoints iceberg apologist to key role
  • Laura Anne Jones’ defection – The Conservatives are clearly dead as a political force in Wales
  • Lib Dems attack “SNP’s dirty secret” as environmental targets look set to be missed
  • Greene comments as west coast ferry faces months out of action

Ed Davey: Tougher sanctions needed on Israeli Government now to “stop the carnage” in Gaza

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey has called on the government to urgently bring in tougher sanctions on the Israeli Government and officials amid a brutal new ground offensive in Gaza, including sanctioning Netanyahu and IDF generals.

Commenting in the wake of fresh Israeli Defence Force (IDF) ground operations in Gaza, Ed Davey called for the UK Government to sanction Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and to begin drawing up plans to sanction individual IDF generals leading the ground and aerial bombing campaigns across the Strip.

Ed Davey also said the UK should halt all arms sales to Israel, including component parts for F-35s. He has called on the Government to stop “ on its hands” while Gaza faces demolition, and commit to “stemming the flow of fighter jet parts to Israel”.

The party’s calls come following additional reports from the World Health Organization (WHO) that its facilities have come under attack during Israel’s fresh offensive in Deir al-Balah.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey MP said:

The Foreign Secretary must realise that we’re past the point of threatening sanctions. We need sanctions now, including against Netanyahu and the IDF generals leading the military campaigns in Gaza.

Every day the Government sits on its hands, more innocent civilians are being killed while over a million are at risk of starvation. Meanwhile, the hostages held by Hamas are no closer to being freed. This is utterly intolerable.

The Government needs to do everything it can to stop the carnage unfolding in the Strip. That must include stemming the flow of UK fighter jet parts to Israel.

Badenoch reshuffle: Titanic captain appoints iceberg apologist to key role

Commenting on Kemi Badenoch’s ongoing Shadow Cabinet reshuffle, including the appointment of James Cleverly as Shadow Housing Secretary, Lib Dem Cabinet Office spokesperson Sarah Olney said:

Kemi Badenoch has appointed the very man who said that replacing Liz Truss as Prime Minister would be a terrible idea. It’s like appointing an iceberg apologist to a role steering the Titanic.

The public won’t forgive this group of failed former Conservative ministers for the damage they did to our economy and NHS.

It’s no wonder the Conservatives previously pledged to avoid any reshuffle until the election.

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Mark Valladares

21 July 2025 – Monday’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Wed 23rd July 2025 - 11:15 pm

Firstly, apologies for the delay in posting these – an overrunning Parish Council meeting took precedence, I’m afraid…

  • Cunliffe report: “Wild West” of water companies must come to an end
  • ACOBA: Lib Dems say ministerial payouts for disgraced ministers should be scrapped altogether
  • Ofwat scrap: Persistent sewage dumpers must be held criminally responsible
  • The Welsh Liberal Democrats respond to concerns over SFS at the Royal Welsh Show
  • The Welsh Liberal Democrats respond to the Family Farm Tax at the Royal Welsh Show
  • SNP must stop pretending Scotland is immune from sewage scandal

Cunliffe report: “Wild West” of water companies must come to an end

Responding to Sir Jon Cunliffe’s report into the water industry including the call to scrap Ofwat, Liberal Democrat Environment Spokesperson Tim Farron said:

This is a big win for the Liberal Democrats who have led the campaign against the sewage scandal for years. Since 2022 we have called for Ofwat to be replaced with a tougher regulator, now finally the government appears to have listened.

There’s no doubt these major reforms would not be happening if it wasn’t for our record general election win and the millions who voted for us last year.

We will now be studying this report in detail and holding the government’s feet to the fire to ensure these promises are delivered on. The wild west of water companies paying out huge bonuses while ruining rivers with filthy sewage must finally be brought to an end.

ACOBA: Lib Dems say ministerial payouts for disgraced ministers should be scrapped altogether

Responding to reports that the Government is abolishing ACOBA, a Liberal Democrat Spokesperson said:

This is the right step after years of Conservative sleaze which did so much damage to standards in public life. Its lack of powers to enforce the rules it oversaw meant ACOBA was about as useful as a chocolate teapot.

The Prime Minister must now go further – ban Ministerial severance payouts altogether for disgraced former ministers, as well as stripping Liz Truss of her access to the ex-PM allowance fund of up to £125,000 per annum.

It shouldn’t have taken a year to set up the Ethics and Integrity Commission – and there will be no excuse if the Government attempts to kick these vital issues into the long grass.

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The Voice

Lib Dems oppose London Police counter closures

By The Voice | Wed 23rd July 2025 - 3:46 pm

Lsst week, the BBC reported that the Met Police had radical plans to close half its public front desks due to budget cuts.

There were further revelations about entrenched misogyny and racism, leading to the force attempting to rebuild trust with Londoners with a two-year plan making fresh commitments on community policing, in its A New Met for London strategy.

A key commitment was to have at least one 24/7 front counter in each of London’s 32 boroughs to make it easier for people to report crime.

But the BBC has seen leaked plans for the Met Police that show only eight counters will remain open 24/7, and there will also be reduced hours at 11 front counters, closing at 10pm weekdays and 7pm weekends.

Lib Dems in West London understand that Twickenham and Merton will lose their front desks.   The nearest 24 hour counters to Richmond will be Acton, Sutton & Lambeth.

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Caron Lindsay

LibLink: Vince Cable The Tax Conundrum

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 23rd July 2025 - 1:55 pm

Vince Cable has been writing on matters of tax for Comment Central.

Before we get into his piece, it’s worth mentioning that he will be at the Edinburgh Book Festival on 20th August. I bought my tickets the other day (alongside tickets to see Bella Mackie and Maggie O’Farrell) and you can too, here. Here’s the blurb for the event:

Former Secretary of State for Business and leader of the Liberal Democrats, the astute economist Vince Cable has settled into life after frontline politics as a prolific author on global affairs and the world economy. Today, he talks to us about Eclipsing the West: China, India and the Forging of a New World, in which he turns his formidable expertise on the superstates mapping out a new economic order. Chaired by Douglas Fraser.

Anyway, enough for the shameless plugging and back to the article.

He starts off with a very pessimistic view of our fiscal situation:

Britain increasingly resembles Italy: an economically stagnant, ageing, highly indebted, crumbling relic with a great history.

He says that Rachel Reeves is going to have to raise tens of billions in taxes, but he doesn’t much like the idea of taxing the rich:

Labour activists have their eyes on taxing ‘the rich’: a tiny group of undesirables who, supposedly, can’t fight back through the ballot box. But, as we have seen, even small numbers of country landowners threatened by IHT can make a lot of political noise. And, as with the non-doms, rich people are not idiots: they will move to minimise their tax liabilities. Withdrawal of tax reliefs on large pension contributions sounds like an easy hit, but will have unintended consequences for national savings. There are no easy options.

So if that’s not the answer what is?

The answer would start from the proposition that Britain wants, ideally, to be a bigger version of Scandinavia: well-funded services and welfare provision; a generous and civilised approach to poverty and distress at home and abroad; an innovative pro-business, open economic environment; and high standards of living measured not just in GDP but wider indicators of wellbeing and ‘happiness’.

And how?

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The Liberator Collective

Liberator 430 is out!

By The Liberator Collective | Wed 23rd July 2025 - 10:25 am

Liberator 430 is out and you can download it for free here:

and sign up to be emailed when each issue comes out here:

In addition to Radical Bulletin, Commentary, Letters and Lord Bonkers’ Diary, this issue contains:

WE’RE IN THE SERVICE SECTOR.

Politics has changed, with transactional voters looking at what parties can provide, and with little traditional loyalty. How should the Lib Dems respond asks Julian Ingram

SQUEEZING REFORM OUT OF OXFORDSHIRE

Reform won just one seat in Oxfordshire as battles between other parties denied them any space. Neil Fawcett explains how it was done

WE CAN BEAT REFORM

Reform’s bunch of bizarre obsessives surprised by taking control of Kent County Council, but they can be defeated by community politics, says Antony Hook

TAKING GOOD CARE

Sophie Layton looks at Ed Davey’s book on his life beyond politics as a carer

IS IT TOO LATE FOR AMERICA?

Trump’s cruel and dubiously legal acts are even splitting the MAGA base; could the Democrats retake Congress in time to stop him asks Martha Elliott

LABOUR’S WAR ON LOCAL DEMOCRACY

Under the guise of devolution, Labour is centralising power into huge councils and banning the committee system despite its strengths, says Sabah Hamed

FATAL WAITING…

Mathew Hulbert calls for a plan to sort out social care so the NHS is not leaving those like his late mother to suffer

NO CARE TO TAKE

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The Voice

Make your nominations for ALDC’s Campaigner Awards

By The Voice | Tue 22nd July 2025 - 10:26 am

The highlight of any Saturday night at Federal Conference is the ALDC’s Campaigner Awards which highlight the wonderful things our councillors and campaigners have been doing over the past year and the brilliant ways we have won elections.

In preparation for this year’s event in Bournemouth on 20th August, they are now looking for nominations in each category.

You don’t have to be an ALDC member to enter.

The Categories

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Caron Lindsay

New Lib Dem leader in the Lords

By Caron Lindsay | Tue 22nd July 2025 - 8:30 am

Dick Newby has served us very well as Lib Dem Leader in the Lords since September 2016. He has now stood down and there was an election to replace him between Yorkshire’s Kath Pinnock and Scotland’s Jeremy Purvis.

Yesterday it was announced that Jeremy Purvis would take the role.

He has been in the Lords for twelveyears and has been our foreign affairs spokesperson for the past four years. He steered through the Lib Dem legislation enshrining the 0.7%  of GDP aid target in law back in 2015.

He also carries the dubious distinction as being one of the first people I ever approved as a Parliamentary candidate in early 2002. He subsequently served as an MSP for Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale in the Scottish Borders from 2003-2011.

Jeremy said:

It is an honour to receive the support of my fellow peers and be elected Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group.  Under my leadership, we will be a voice for liberal campaigning on the important issues we and others care so much about. Currently our Group is leading on freedom of media and stopping foreign interference in UK newspapers; successfully passing regulations around whistleblowing; and making the case for paid carers’ leave in legislation.

I look forward to working with Ed Davey and all parts of the Party and to use the heft of our diverse and effective Liberal Democrat Group to help make the changes the country needs.

I sincerely thank Dick Newby for all his work in nine years as Leader, and the critical role he has played in our party’s most recent successes and I pay tribute to my fellow candidate, Kath Pinnock, who I know will continue to have a very important role to play in the group and the Party.

Dick Newby added:

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Mark Valladares

19-20 July 2025 – the weekend’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Mon 21st July 2025 - 7:30 am
  • John Healey accused of misleading Parliament over Afghan data breach
  • Water pollution: People fed up with empty promises
  • Water ombudsman: We need fundamental change, not another layer of bureaucracy
  • 521 spills recorded at private sewage plants but 5 sites not even required to monitor spills

John Healey accused of misleading Parliament over Afghan data breach

The Liberal Democrats have said the Defence Secretary John Healey appears to have misled Parliament over the Afghan data breach – and must “urgently come before Parliament to answer the question of whether he knowingly misled MPs and the public”.

Only three days ago John Healey told MPs in the House of Commons that no serving member of the armed forces had been put at risk by the data loss. This comes despite it emerging yesterday that over 100 British officials, including members of the special forces and MI6, were compromised in a data breach.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey called on the Defence Secretary to urgently come to Parliament and correct the record.

Responding to a question from Liberal Democrat MP Defence Committee member Ian Roome on Tuesday 15 July, John Healey said: “To the best of my knowledge and belief, no serving member of our armed forces is put at risk by the data loss.”

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

Three days ago John Healey claimed no-one serving in the armed forces was put at risk by the data breach. Today we found out that appears to be false.

We need to know if any serving members of the armed forces were impacted – and the Defence Secretary must urgently come before Parliament to answer the question of whether he knowingly misled MPs and the public.

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Anders Larson

This trade deal could poison us: The UK cannot ignore the collapse of US food safety

By Anders Larson | Sun 20th July 2025 - 12:30 pm

The UK–US trade deal is being celebrated in Westminster as the first tangible post-Brexit win for a beleaguered trading nation. The UK–US trade deal explicitly includes agricultural and food products, lowering tariffs and increasing access for American exports such as beef, pork, poultry, dairy, and grains, meaning a greater volume of US food will enter the UK market. However, at the very same time, food safety in the United States, overseen predominantly by the Food and Drug Administration and The U.S. Department of Agriculture, is being dismantled. The UK, lacking the capacity to screen what enters our ports, is not prepared for this.

In March 2025, controversial US Health Secretary RFK Jr. laid off 3,500 FDA staff — nearly 20% of the agency — including over 170 inspectors from its Office of Inspections and Investigations (Aboulenein and Roy, 2025; Oversight Committee, 2025). The FDA was already critically understaffed, with just 443 inspectors covering more than 36,000 food facilities (Douglas and Polansek, 2025).

Additionally, RFK jr. has significantly weakened USDA food safety oversight. In March, he eliminated two scientific advisory panels—NACMCF and NACMPI—removing expert guidance on microbiological and meat safety. In May, USDA staff unions reported over 15,000 departures, including essential inspectors from The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), significantly impairing pathogenic outbreak response capability. In July, the USDA fired 70 foreign contract scientists at the Agricultural Research Service due to purported “security concerns” but announced these roles would remain vacant amid a hiring freeze, risking critical food safety research and pathogen monitoring.

At the FDA, there has been an immediate suspension of critical quality-control testing for food laboratories after losing key scientists, halting planned checks for glyphosate in barley and Cyclospora in spinach. Essential bird flu testing in dairy, amid escalating mammal-to-human transmission rates of the ongoing epidemic, in dairy has also been indefinitely paused (Douglas, 2025), leading to FDA food division chief Jim Jones resigning, calling the cuts “fruitless”.

This is not an internal crisis. The United States exports a massive 20% of its agricultural products globally, and a collapse in its inspection regime means unsafe food will not just be consumed in America, but will contaminate the supply chains of any country that accepts US produce, including the UK as part of its new trade deal.

One might hope the UK could intercept unsafe food slipping through the crumbling US system. However, it is not ready. Since Brexit, the UK has repeatedly delayed implementing full sanitary checks on agricultural imports, and British consumers have paid the price: For example, between 2020 and 2024, this lack of border inspections enabled salmonella-contaminated chicken from Poland to enter the UK poisoning “hundreds of people, including children”. 

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Mark Valladares

18 July 2025 – yesteday’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Sat 19th July 2025 - 12:30 pm
  • Lib Dems: water regulation in our country is broken
  • Ofwat: Finally Government listened to Lib Dems
  • Scot Lib Dems comment on confirmation of Trump visit dates
  • Cole-Hamilton: SNP want to focus on independence, I want to focus on NHS
  • Cole-Hamilton: SNP want to focus on independence, I want to focus on NHS

Lib Dems: water regulation in our country is broken

Responding to the news that the number of the most serious water pollution incidents went up by 60% last year, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Tim Farron said:

This record of failure shows water regulation in our country is broken.

Water companies are getting away with polluting our rivers on an industrial scale and face little more than a slap on the wrist.

The government must bring forward a proper overhaul of our water sector starting by scrapping the failed watchdog Ofwat.

People are fed up with empty promises from ministers while Britain’s waterways continue to be ruined by sewage.

Ofwat: Finally Government listened to Lib Dems

Responding to reports that the Government will scrap Ofwat, Liberal Democrat environment spokesperson Tim Farron MP said:

At last, the Government has listened to the Liberal Democrats. Since November 2022, Liberal Democrats have been calling for Ofwat to be scrapped- and if the Government do not commit to this, it would be a dereliction of their duty and a betrayal of millions of customers across the country.

But the Government must not stop here, and we will continue to hold them accountable. Britain now needs a new, effective regulator, to stop the sewage scandal once and for all.

Today we see again that there has been a dramatic increase in sewage spills. Liberal Democrats will continue to fight for customers, citizens and for cleaner water.

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Liam Yip

ALDC by-election report, 17th July

By Liam Yip | Fri 18th July 2025 - 1:49 pm

In Market Harborough, the Conservatives secured a close-fought victory against us. Commiserations to Roger Dunton and the local team for the result here.

Harborough DC, Market Harborough-Logan
Conservative: 410 (31.3%, +4.1)
Liberal Democrats (Roger Dunton): 355 (27.1%, -19.8)
Green Party: 290 (22.2%, +14.5)
Reform UK: 190 (14.5%, new)
Labour: 44 (3.4%, -9.1)
Independent: 10 (0.8%, -4.8)
Communist: 9 (0.7%, new)

Conservative GAIN from Liberal Democrats

In Liverpool, the Green Party successfully defended seat, albeit with a decrease in their vote share. Well done to Tristan Paul and the local team for increasing our vote share by over 15%.

Liverpool City Council, Sefton Park
Green Party: 468 (49.8%, -7.0)
Labour: 211 (22.4%, -11.1)
Liberal Democrats (Tristan Paul): 193 (20.5%, +15.4)
Reform UK: 54 (5.7%, new)
Conservative: 14 (1.5%, -3.0)

Green Party HOLD

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Mark Valladares

17 July 2025 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Thu 17th July 2025 - 11:50 pm
  • Workforce figures: public “desperately” needs a govt focused on getting growth back on track
  • Voting reforms: Elon Musk-shaped hole in Government’s announcement
  • Afghanistan data leak “devastating” — Government must launch inquiry
  • Carmichael welcomes progress on votes for 16-year-olds in UK elections
  • Jane Dodds responds to UK Government plans to introduce votes at 16

Workforce figures: public “desperately” needs a govt focused on getting growth back on track

Responding to the latest workforce figures, which show the labour market continuing to weaken, with higher unemployment and slowing wage growth, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:

We can’t go on with such a sluggish economy: the Government must go for growth by reversing the jobs tax which is stifling small businesses and rip up the red tape holding back British businesses from trading with the rest of Europe. Only then will the Government unlock billions of pounds to protect public services and support struggling families.

After years of economic mismanagement by the Conservatives, the public desperately needs a government focused on getting our economy back on track – and these are the most obvious first steps to doing that.

Voting reforms: Elon Musk-shaped hole in Government’s announcement

Commenting on the Government’s announcement on voting reforms, Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office spokesperson Sarah Olney MP said:

Votes at 16 is a no-brainer. Liberal Democrats have campaigned for this change for well over twenty years and so of course we welcome this decision.

However, there appears to be an Elon Musk shaped hole in the Government’s proposed changes to elections. Ministers must go much further to close the door to foreign oligarchs interfering in British politics – anything less undermines our democracy.

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Caron Lindsay

The Afghan data breach shows up poor law and appalling Tory Government actions

By Caron Lindsay | Thu 17th July 2025 - 8:04 am

“There are some things that you just can’t polish.”

So I said when i spoke against the Government’s plans to bring secret courts into the area of civil law back in 2013. For some inexplicable reason, Nick Clegg had decided to agree to this dreadful proposal. The party, pretty universally, was livid. That’s one reasons why factions don’t usually work in this party. At the time, the Social Liberal Forum and Liberal Reform were at each other’s throats on economic policy but we were united in standing up for civil liberties.  You can read some of the background to that here.

We’ve learned a lot about how secret courts operate in the past couple of days thanks to Lewis Goodall from the News Agents. He found himself subject to a super-injunction back in August 2023 when he learned about the leaking of a data set containing the contact details of everyone who had applied to come to this country under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy. These were people, 18000 of them, who had worked for the UK Government while we were in Afghanistan and who had targets on their back when the Taliban took over.

Anyway, Goodall is a serious, responsible journalist. When he discovered this story, he went to the Ministry of Defence, making it clear that he had no plans to publish. That didn’t matter. The resulting super injunction was in force  until this Tuesday at noon. The second it was lifted, Goodall got out all the stress of the previous 23 months out in a blistering podcast which revealed:

  • Secret courts and secret courts within secret courts
  • How many of the 18000 people and their families the Tory Government actually planned to help. Spoiler, it’s less than you think, despite this being the main legal rationale for the super-injunction
  • How Tory ministers avoided pushing this forward, silencing scrutiny
  • How much this cost the public purse
  • How the first judge to hear the case actually suggested to the Government that they go for a super-injunction

If you listen to nothing else today, listen to this now because it shows a chilling use of government power which, the Judge openly remarked, stopped democracy. Judge Martin Chamberlain said it was:

fundamentally objectionable for decisions that affect the lives and safety of thousands of human beings, and involve the commitment of billions of pounds of public money, to be taken in circumstances where they are completely insulated from public debate.

So what have Liberal Democrats had to say about all of this:

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Mark Valladares

16 July 2025 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Wed 16th July 2025 - 11:50 pm
  • Lib Dems: Bolster energy security to tackle “stubbornly high” inflation
  • Ed Davey calls for public inquiry into Afghan data leak and unprecedented superinjunction
  • Davey speech warns of Farage’s plan to tie Britain to Putin’s Russia
  • Carmichael to lead parliamentary debate on Global Plastics Treaty

Lib Dems: Bolster energy security to tackle “stubbornly high” inflation

Responding to June’s inflation figure of 3.6%, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:

These stubbornly high inflation figures are hammering the pockets of households who are still struggling with a cost-of-living crisis that refuses to go away.

The Conservatives’ mismanagement of the economy led us here and now Donald Trump’s senseless trade war and the Government’s wage suppressing jobs tax are only adding to people’s pain.

Only by building an economic coalition of the willing to stand up to Trump’s bullying, scrapping the Government’s jobs tax and bolstering our energy security will we see pressure ease for families across the country.

Ed Davey calls for public inquiry into Afghan data leak and unprecedented superinjunction

Ed Davey has called for a public inquiry into the MOD data leak that put at risk the lives of up to 25,000 Afghans who supported the British campaign in Afghanistan, and the unprecedented superinjunction used to keep it hidden from the public for years.

The Liberal Democrats have criticised the Conservatives’ cloak-and-dagger efforts to protect Ministers’ identities via an unprecedented 600-day superinjunction, only revealed following a concerted effort by the British media to bring the details into the public domain.

The party’s leader, Ed Davey, has called for an urgent public inquiry – to report by the end of the year – which would allow for the level of scrutiny appropriate to the “size and significance” of the data breach and subsequent Government efforts to keep the details hidden from public view.

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Mark Valladares

15 July 2025 – yesterday’s Scottish press releases

By Mark Valladares | Wed 16th July 2025 - 11:15 pm
  • Patients waiting up to a year for cancer treatment under SNP
  • Wishart blasts Ministers for lack of action on air travel review
  • Cole-Hamilton criticises SNP over new A&E and drugs reports
  • MacDonald urges public to respond to Community Benefit energy consultation

Patients waiting up to a year for cancer treatment under SNP

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP today said that the SNP government isn’t giving people the best chance of surviving cancer as he revealed the longest waits for first treatment of cancer, with patients waiting up to a year.

Scottish Liberal Democrats analysed waiting times from an urgent referral with suspicion of cancer to first treatment for patients in every health board.

This analysis shows that:

  • In the quarter ending March 2025, a patient in NHS Lothian waited 393 days for treatment.
  • In the same period, patients in Grampian, the Borders, and Dumfries and Galloway waited 11 months for treatment.
  • Between the quarter ending March 2015 and March 2025, the longest wait in NHS Borders has more than quadrupled, increasing from 76 days to 343 days.
  • Over the same period, the longest wait in NHS Dumfries & Galloway has more than trebled, from 99 days to 347 days.
  • Since March 2015, the longest waits in NHS Ayrshire & Arran, NHS Orkney and NHS Shetland have more than doubled.

It comes as Scottish Liberal Democrats revealed that the median waiting time for cancer treatment across the whole of Scotland, 52 days, is the worst on record.

In June, Public Health Minister Jenni Minto admitted that “people could be dying as a result of later cancer diagnoses”.

Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

All across Scotland, the SNP government isn’t giving cancer patients the best chance of survival. These statistics show huge increases in waiting times to begin treatment after an urgent referral with suspicion of cancer, stretching up to a year.

International studies show Scotland falling behind. The fact that SNP ministers are now admitting that their failures may have caused people to die shows just how badly they have got this wrong.

Access to screening programmes, diagnoses and treatment is a postcode lottery across the country. Scottish Liberal Democrats want to see ministers who will move mountains to bring down waits and get to grips with the gaps in tech and staff.

Patients deserve better than an SNP government that keeps letting them down. Only the Scottish Liberal Democrats will bring a real vision and a real plan for delivering the care they need.

Wishart blasts Ministers for lack of action on air travel review

Scottish Liberal Democrat and Shetland MSP Beatrice Wishart has written to the Scottish Government questioning their lack of action on the Highlands and Islands Air Discount Scheme after almost a year since the publishing of Transport Scotland’s Aviation Statement which made the following commitment:

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Mark Valladares

15 July 2025 – yesterday’s Federal press releases

By Mark Valladares | Wed 16th July 2025 - 10:52 pm
  • Adass survey should make Government “heed warning” they cannot fix the NHS without fixing social care
  • Thames Water results: time for Governmentt to end “nightmare” and put Thames Water into Special Administration
  • Ed Davey sets out plan to halve energy bills in a decade and takes on Farage’s fossil fuel myths
  • Afghan data breach: Government must confirm how many other MoD super injunctions exist
  • Lib Dems on Reeves speech: “spaghetti junction of red tape” between country and continent

Adass survey should make Government “heed warning” they cannot fix the NHS without fixing social care

Responding to The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services survey which found that recent overspend by councils in England on their adult social care budgets was the highest in a decade, Liberal Democrat Care and Carers spokesperson Alison Bennett MP said:

The Government needs to heed this warning that without fixing social care the NHS 10 Year Plan will fail to deliver the change that people are crying out for.

We will continue to see people stuck in hospital beds when they could be cared for at home, patients treated in A&E corridors and council budgets stretched to breaking point.

If the Government is to break with the years of neglect that the Conservatives oversaw, they need to get on with reforming social care, and that starts by completing their review by the end of the year. We cannot afford to wait any longer.

Thames Water results: time for Government to end “nightmare” and put Thames Water into Special Administration

Responding to Thames Water reporting a £1.6bn loss over the last year and sewage spills increasing by a third, Lib Dem MP for Witney Charlie Maynard said:

These are terrible results. The nightmare needs to stop.

After months of pressure, Steve Reed has now finally admitted that it is highly likely to cost the Government nothing in the medium term if Thames Water is put into Special Administration. He now needs to get on and do this.

Every day he holds off means that customers continue to get stuffed by ridiculously high interest charges and advisory fees. We can’t afford it, and nor can our rivers.

Ed Davey sets out plan to halve energy bills in a decade and takes on Farage’s fossil fuel myths

  • Liberal Democrat Leader gives major economic speech at IPPR setting out new plan to slash energy bills
  • Ed Davey says “we have got to break the link between gas prices and electricity costs” so people get the benefits of cheap, clean power
  • Speech takes on Farage and Badenoch’s myths on renewables and warns tying Britain to fossil fuels will only benefit dictators like Putin

In a major speech on the economy tomorrow, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey will set out his party’s plan to halve energy bills for a typical household by 2035.

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The Voice

Nominate someone for a party award: Deadline August 11

By The Voice | Wed 16th July 2025 - 2:25 pm

One of the best moments of any party conference is when we honour the people who have gone above and beyond the call of duty for the party.

Party members are invited to nominate party colleagues for the following awards for this Autumn’s conference in Bourmemouth by 11th August.

The President’s Award

Eligibility: open to any Party Member elected to public office and who has demonstrated excellence and commitment, either in that role or both in that role and other roles for the party.

Criteria: the winner will be recognised for outstanding commitment and service to the Party. Local, regional, and state parties should be seeking to nominate people who deserve recognition for their hard work, long service, and demonstrable dedication to the party, at whatever level. It is expected to be special awards to be awarded from the Party for whom public recognition is overdue.

The Harriet Smith Liberal Democrat Distinguished Service Award

Background: this award is named for Harriet Smith, who campaigned and worked tirelessly for the Party, notably alongside Paddy Ashdown, with the Federal Conference Committee, and in the Bath party. A beloved figure, she is also missed from the Conference revue and by the team at the Liberator Magazine.

Eligibility: open to any Party Member never elected to public office.

Criteria: the Harriet Smith Award shares its conditions with the President’s award.

The Belinda Eyre-Brook Award

Background: this award is named for legendary campaigner Belinda Eyre-Brook, whose achievements with the Party include being Ed Davey’s agent in 1997, overturning 15,000 Tory Majority, and establishing one of the party’s longest-serving MPs.

Eligibility: given to recognise and celebrate the efforts of people working for our elected representatives in their local areas – from local party employees to political assistants to council groups, to people working in MPs’ constituency offices.

Criteria: the winner of this award will care about their local area and be committed to the success of Liberal Democrats within it. Turning local political priorities into electoral success, and priorities for elected officials is a key part of the work of successful local Party figures – as is linking with the national party.

The Dadabhai Naoroji award

Background: this award is named for the ‘Grand Old Man of India’, Liberal MP, and joint founder of the Indian National Congress, Dadabhai Naoroji. His work highlighting the reality of British rule over India and campaign for justice is an example to us all and his place in history, as the first non-white and first Indian Parliamentarian, is assured.

Eligibility: presented annually to the local Party that has done most to promote ethnic minority participants to elected office as Councillors, Assembly Members or Members of Parliament.

Criteria: this award is designed to encourage local parties to work towards the goal of increasing their ethnic diversity to more accurately reflect the areas they represent, and to recognise those that already make a great effort to involve different communities in their work.

The Penhaligon award

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