Category Archives: News

Leaving the EU – some last day tweets

By Paul Walter | Fri 31st January 2020 - 9:13 am

Here are some EU last day thoughts from the Twittersphere:

We tried to stop it. pic.twitter.com/eDFiyivq7R

— Liz Jarvis (@LizJarvisUK) January 31, 2020

Tagged brexit | 12 Comments

30 January 2020 – the overnight press release

By Mark Valladares | Thu 30th January 2020 - 7:35 am

Davey speech on Brexit – Progressives must fight on

Today, Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey will make a keynote speech addressing party members and activists in Manchester ahead of the UK’s exit from the EU.

Ed Davey will make a rallying call to pro-Europeans ahead of our departure from the EU, calling on them to continue to campaign for close association with our allies in the EU and for the progressive values we share.

Ed will call for the end of the Remain/Leave division in our country and for progressives to unite to tackle other serious divisions.

Ed will declare that …

Tagged ed davey and progressive alliance | 8 Comments

29 January 2020 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Wed 29th January 2020 - 10:45 pm

Liberal Democrats: PM must not ignore defence concerns about Huawei deal
Liberal Democrats: Sacking Northern is just the first step

Liberal Democrats: PM must not ignore defence concerns about Huawei deal

Responding to reports that Boris Johnson has defied his Defence Secretary by allowing Huawei to help to build Britain’s 5G network, Liberal Democrat Defence Spokesperson Jamie Stone MP said:

Boris Johnson must not ignore the Defence Secretary’s concerns. There are legitimate human rights and security issues associated with this move.

Three of our Five Eyes allies, the US, Australia and New Zealand, have already blocked the Chinese firm in full or in part

…

Tagged huawei, jamie stone, northern powerhouse, rail franchises, security and tim farron | 3 Comments

29 January 2020 – the overnight press release

By Mark Valladares | Wed 29th January 2020 - 7:27 am

Layla Moran: “Make 2020 the year that we finally scrap the Vagrancy Act”

Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran will today urge the Government to adopt her legislation this year and “finally scrap the Vagrancy Act” during a homelessness debate in Parliament.

The MP will warn that “even one person sleeping rough in this country in 2020 is a disgrace” as she brings back to Parliament her campaign to scrap the Vagrancy Act.

Layla Moran is also expected to warn against the “out of sight, out of mind mentality’” shown in the installation of a new gate close to MPs’ and peers’ …

Tagged homelessness, layla moran and vagrancy act | 2 Comments

28 January 2020 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Tue 28th January 2020 - 10:30 pm

Tory proposals to end free movement will make it harder to recruit teachers, nurses and doctors
Liberal Democrats: Huawei decision shows no regard for its human rights record
Davey calls for ‘Net Zero’ department to slash UK greenhouse gas emissions
Liberal Democrats: Trump’s negotiations a sham

Tory proposals to end free movement will make it harder to recruit teachers, nurses and doctors

Responding to the publication of the Migration Advisory Committee report which has advised against against a full points-based system for UK, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesperson Christine Jardine said:

The Conservative Government wants to impose an entirely new immigration system in less than 12

…

Tagged christine jardine, climate emergency, daisy cooper, ed davey, huawei, human rights, immigration policy, layla moran, middle east, us foreign policy and Uyghurs | 2 Comments

Tories lose control of Surrey Heath council

By NewsHound | Tue 28th January 2020 - 2:40 pm

The following is a press release from Councillor Sashi Mylvaganam, Lib Dem Group Leader on Surrey Heath Borough Council:

Following the resignations of Councillors Richard Brooks and Charlotte Morley (former Leader and Deputy Leader) from their political group, Surrey Heath Conservatives have lost control of Surrey Heath Borough Council.

The council is comprised of 35 councillors. The opposition has 18 members whilst the Conservatives now have only 16. There is a vacancy following the tragic death of Councillor Sam Kay earlier this month.

Tagged surrey heath | Leave a comment

YouGov poll on Lib Dem leadership: Ed Davey is a country mile ahead (contains caveats)

By Paul Walter | Tue 28th January 2020 - 11:20 am

Embed from Getty Images
Stephen Bush has written the following on the New Statesman “The Staggers” blog:

Ed Davey is on course to win the looming Liberal Democrat leadership election, a YouGov poll for the Economic and Social Research Council-funded Party Members Project, run out of the University of Sussex and Queen Mary University has found. YouGov asked members to choose between a field of Ed Davey, Layla Moran and Daisy Cooper, the new MP for St Albans, all of whom are widely tipped to stand. In that field, Davey wins outright in the first round, with 52 per cent of the vote against Moran’s 24 per cent and Cooper’s 9 per cent.

I did a little light Googling to see if I could find the data on this poll.

Tagged christine jardine, daisy cooper, ed davey, featured, layla moran, wera hobhouse and yougov | 33 Comments

28 January 2020 – the overnight press release

By Mark Valladares | Tue 28th January 2020 - 7:15 am

Electoral Commission must investigate ‘Get Ready for Brexit’ campaign

Responding to the The National Audit Office’s comments that the “Get ready for Brexit” campaign failed to significantly impact the public’s level of preparedness for Brexit, former Public Accounts Committee member and Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran said:

What a colossal waste of taxpayers money. This damning report shows what we knew all along: the Conservative government’s ‘Get Ready for Brexit’ campaign was an expensive propaganda stunt designed ahead of the election to help no one but Boris Johnson stay in Number 10.

Once again the Tories are misusing their powers at the expense

…

Tagged electoral commission, layla moran and tory waste | 2 Comments

27 January 2020 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Mon 27th January 2020 - 11:00 pm

Liberal Democrats: UK access to crime databases at risk post Brexit
Welsh Liberal Democrats welcome landmark for Welsh education
Liberal Democrats challenge Minister on Met facial recognition surveillance

Liberal Democrats: UK access to crime databases at risk post Brexit

Following reports that the exchange of key security information is at risk post Brexit, due to concerns over Britain’s record in protecting personal information, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesperson Christine Jardine said:

Our police rely heavily on co-operation with our EU partners to identify criminals and bring them to justice. It’s incredibly alarming that these government scandals threaten to undermine that co-operation, making us all less

…

Tagged christine jardine, crime, education, european arrest warrant, facial recognition cameras, jane dodds, kirsty williams, sarah olney, siobhan benita and Wales | Leave a comment

27-30 January – this week in the Lords

By Mark Valladares | Mon 27th January 2020 - 12:36 pm

I’ve been meaning to get back into the swing of this for a while now, and now that the debate over Brexit is over (albeit the consequences will be debated for years to come), perhaps now is a good time to pick up where I erratically left off…

Monday is a relatively gentle opener to the week, with the primary item of business being the Air Traffic Management and Unmanned Aircraft Bill, whose Second Reading takes place. Think drones. Batting for the Liberal Democrats will be Bill Bradshaw, Tom McNally, and our …

Also posted in Parliament | Tagged house of lords | Leave a comment

27 January 2020 – the overnight press release

By Mark Valladares | Mon 27th January 2020 - 7:05 am

New visa is nothing more than a Tory gimmick

Responding to the Government’s announcement of a “Global Talent” visa to attract top scientists, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesperson Christine Jardine said:

This announcement is nothing more than a marketing gimmick. Boris Johnson is showing that he fundamentally doesn’t understand what makes our science sector so successful. Changing the name of a visa and removing a cap that’s never been hit is not a serious plan.

Science relies on thousands of researchers, and this announcement does nothing for the vast majority of them. If the Government is serious about championing UK science, it must

…

Tagged christine jardine and immigration policy | 1 Comment

24-26 January 2020 – the (long) weekend’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Sun 26th January 2020 - 10:00 pm

Liberal Democrats welcome Citizens’ Assembly
Liberal Democrats: Sadiq Khan’s mass surveillance roll-out unacceptable
Ministers must explain soaring cost of HS2 to Parliament
Government must review assisted dying laws

Liberal Democrats welcome Citizens’ Assembly

Ahead of the first meeting of the Citizens’ Assembly on climate change, set up by House of Commons Select Committees last year, Liberal Democrat Climate Action Spokesperson Wera Hobhouse said:

The climate crisis is doing irreversible damage to our planet. The UK must cut its emissions to net-zero, be it by improving how we heat our homes or cutting emissions from flying.

This Citizens’ Assembly could help the government take the difficult decisions

…

Tagged assisted dying, christine jardine, citizens assembly, climate change, HS2, london, mass surveillance, munira wilson, siobhan benita and wera hobhouse | 3 Comments

23 January 2020 – the day’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Sun 26th January 2020 - 8:55 pm

Time to catch up with the press releases…

Tories’ headline-grabbing gestures on knife crime have clearly failed
Welsh Lib Dems – NHS Wales waiting times unacceptable

Tories’ headline-grabbing gestures on knife crime have clearly failed

Responding to the new official crime statistics, released today, which show knife crime continuing to rise to a new record high, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Christine Jardine said:

These statistics are heart-breaking. Far too many young people are having their lives destroyed by knives and gangs. We urgently need to break the grip of this epidemic of serious violence.

The Conservatives’ approach has clearly failed. Their huge

…

Tagged christine jardine, jane dodds, knife crime, nhs waiting times and Wales | Leave a comment

Siobhan Benita slams London Mayor’s mass surveillance roll-out as a real risk to civil liberties

By News Meerkat | Sun 26th January 2020 - 1:00 pm

Embed from Getty Images

Responding to the Metropolitan Police’s announcement on Thursday that it will begin to use automated facial recognition surveillance operationally, Liberal Democrat candidate for Mayor of London Siobhan Benita said:

It is unacceptable for a new form of mass surveillance like this to be rolled out onto London’s streets without proper consultation, regulation or oversight.

Facial recognition technology is hopelessly inaccurate. It is biased against women and ethnic minorities. The evidence that it will make us safer is patchy at best, but there is a real risk that it will erode civil liberties and increase distrust and discrimination.

To make London safer we must restore effective community policing, starting with the re-opening of local police stations, which the current Mayor has shut down.

Liberal Democrats do not want London to become a city where innocent people feel as though their every movement is being watched. The fact that Sadiq Khan has given the go-ahead for this undermines his recent claim to share our liberal values.

If Londoners want a liberal mayor with a positive vision for a safer, greener, kinder capital, their best option is me.

Tagged cctv, facial recognition cameras, london, metropolitan police, sadiq khan and siobhan benita | 12 Comments

Dr Phillip Lee selected as Lib Dem parliamentary spokesperson for Wokingham

By Paul Walter | Fri 24th January 2020 - 3:00 pm

Embed from Getty ImagesWokingham Today reports:

DR PHILLIP LEE is to carry on his connections to Wokingham after being appointed by the local Liberal Democrats to be its parliamentary spokesperson for the year ahead.

Also posted in Party policy and internal matters | Tagged phillip lee | 24 Comments

Full results from last night’s by-elections

By Paul Walter | Fri 24th January 2020 - 11:30 am

There were four seats up for grabs in Brent, two of them in one ward – Barnhill.

Well done to all our candidates, Anton Georgiou, Jyotshna Patel, Michael Brooke and Larry Ngan and their teams who worked so hard in the run-up to yesterday.

Here are the results from the Brent Council website:

6 Comments

Safe spaces in which to comment

By Mary Reid | Thu 23rd January 2020 - 7:15 pm

Embed from Getty Images

My fellow editor, Paul Walter, has been doing some extensive work to regulate the trolls who sometimes emerge on Lib Dem Voice.

As he reminded us last week, we ask commenters to stick to just one name. You can use a pseudonym (that’s because some readers are politically restricted) but you should be consistent. We do ask for a valid email address. Recently Paul has identified a couple of individuals who each use multiple names and they have been put on permanent moderation.

We also ask you to avoid personal attacks – by all means disagree with whatever is expressed in a post or comment, but don’t make unpleasant accusations about the person who made them.

If your comment is put into moderation don’t take it personally. It will probably be because you used one of our trigger words, which in some contexts could be offensive. We editors are all volunteers with other commitments beyond Lib Dem Voice, so sometimes it takes a while before one of us is able to check through the comments sitting in the Pending file and release those that are fine.

All this is to ensure that the space below the line is safe for anyone who wishes to comment.

But whilst we have been reasonably successful in keeping the discussions civilized, we are still not attracting enough women to contribute or comment. Yesterday we published five posts – all written by men – which produced 63 comments. Not a single one of those comments was written by a woman.

31 Comments

22 January 2020 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Wed 22nd January 2020 - 11:00 pm

Lib Dems launch national lobbying campaign urging Tory MPs to back WAB amendments
Govt must strip South Western Railway of their franchise

Lib Dems launch national lobbying campaign urging Tory MPs to back WAB amendments

The Liberal Democrats have launched a national lobbying campaign urging Conservative MP’s to “restore public faith in politics” and back amendments in the House of Commons to protect the rights of EU citizens and child refugees in the UK.

The campaign was launched after Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords handed Boris Johnson his first parliamentary defeat since the election by passing three amendments to the …

Tagged child refugees, christine jardine, eu citizens, munira wilson and rail franchises | 1 Comment

21 January 2020 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Tue 21st January 2020 - 11:15 pm

Tories’ new counter-terror plans undermine civil liberties
Welsh Lib Dems: Every child has a right to RSE
Govt must invest to demonstrate it values teachers
Welsh Lib Dems: UK Government must rethink Withdrawal Bill
Lib Dem peers win vote to protect child refugees

Tories’ new counter-terror plans undermine civil liberties

Responding to the Government’s announcement of new counter-terror legislation, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Christine Jardine said:

If you could stop terrorism by passing illiberal new laws, the Conservatives would have ended it ages ago.

It’s less than a year since the Conservatives passed their last piece of unnecessary, reactionary legislation in the name of combatting

…

Tagged child refugees, christine jardine, counter terrorism measures, eu withdrawal bill, jane dodds, kirsty williams, layla moran, relationships and sex education, sally hamwee, teacher pay, Wales and welsh senedd | Leave a comment

20 January 2020 – yesterday’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Tue 21st January 2020 - 10:18 pm

Apologies for the delay, press release fans! Unfortunately, the Parish Council I chair ran late, so I wasn’t able to get these up last night…

Young people deserve a clear, unambiguous commitment to Erasmus
Ministers must explain to Parliament why HS2 costs have soared
Lib Dems urge Govt to extend provision of free period products
PM must put child refugees above politics
Lib Dem peers defeat Govt on vote to protect EU citizens’ rights
PM negotiating deadline with EU woefully unrealistic
Lib Dems inflict another defeat on Govt’s Brexit Bill

Young people deserve a clear, unambiguous commitment to Erasmus

Responding to reports the Government is extending an exchange scheme …

Tagged alan beith, Alistair Carmichael, child refugees, christine jardine, dick newby, ed davey, erasmus, eu citizens, eu negotiations, HS2, jonny oates, layla moran, legal precedent, munira wilson and period poverty | Leave a comment

Lib Dem peers inflict defeats on government’s Brexit bill

By Paul Walter | Mon 20th January 2020 - 11:13 pm

The Guardian reports:

Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal has received a setback in the Lords after three amendments to the bill were passed.

In the government’s first parliamentary defeat since the general election, peers voted for EU citizens to have the right to be given official documentation if they lawfully reside in the UK after Brexit.

They backed a cross-party amendment to the withdrawal agreement bill allowing for physical proof of status.

Tagged eu withdrawal bill and house of lords | 10 Comments

20 January 2020 – the overnight press release

By Mark Valladares | Mon 20th January 2020 - 11:31 am

Draconian changes to immigration rules are utterly unworkable

Responding to reports the Conservative Government could remove a temporary extension of the current immigration rules until 2023 and impose new restrictions on low-skilled migrants moving to the UK after Brexit, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Christine Jardine said:

Decisions like this make it loud and clear that this Conservative Government has no intention off ending the hostile environment. It’s a national embarrassment.

For business and our economy, such draconian changes to immigration rules is utterly unworkable. To think the Home Office could implement the changes in the time given is a joke.

The Liberal Democrats

…

Tagged christine jardine and immigration policy | 3 Comments

18-19 January 2020 – the weekend’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Sun 19th January 2020 - 9:32 pm

Lib Dems launch campaign to scrap cash machine fees
Chancellor must take blinkers off and pay attention to industry
Johnson cannot be trusted to fix broken politics

Lib Dems launch campaign to scrap cash machine fees

The Brecon & Radnorshire Liberal Democrats have launched a campaign calling on the UK Government to provide the funding necessary to scrap transaction fees at local cash machines. With the number of bank branches across Powys dwindling, a growing number of residents are forced to reply upon Post Offices and local cash machines to access their money.

Last year Jane Dodds, then MP for Brecon & Radnorshire, led …

Tagged banking standards, brexit, constitutional reform, ed davey, house of lords, james gibson-watt, jane dodds, regulatory alignment, rural economy and wendy chamberlain | 3 Comments

Our President on the timetable for the leadership election

By Web Magpie | Sat 18th January 2020 - 7:01 pm

Our party President and Co-leader, Mark Pack has just commented on the leadership election timetable on his blog:

The Board discussed in some detail different possible options for the timetable, and we carefully considered the pros and cons of, for example, having a leadership election that took place sooner. Considerations such as wanting to get our review of last year’s elections done first and also avoiding distracting key activists from the May elections were weighed against the benefits of having a new leader sooner.

The close of nominations date will also

…

Tagged leadership election 2020 and Mark Pack | Leave a comment

Lib Dems pay tribute to Lord Robert Maclennan

By The Voice | Sat 18th January 2020 - 5:31 pm

The Liberal Democrats have today led tributes following the death of Lord Robert Maclennan.

Lord Robert Maclennan of Rogart, known as Bob Maclennan, was the last leader of the Social Democrat Party before it merged with the Liberal Party. He then became joint interim leader of the new party.

Bob Maclennan was a Member of Parliament from 1966 to 2001. Upon stepping down as MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, Bob Maclennan was elevated to the House of Lords.

Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Ed Davey said:

It

…

Tagged featured and robert maclennan | 9 Comments

+++Timetable to elect new leader set out

By Paul Walter | Sat 18th January 2020 - 2:16 pm

The Liberal Democrats have today agreed the timetable to elect the next leader of the Liberal Democrats.

At a meeting today of the party’s Federal Board in London, the party agreed to open nominations for candidates on the 11th of May and close them on the 28th of May.

The ballot will then open on the 18th of June and close on the 15th of July, after which the party will announce the next leader.

In the meantime, Ed Davey MP and Party President Mark Pack will continue as joint acting leaders of the Liberal Democrats.

Speaking after the meeting, Liberal Democrat Party …

14 Comments

Annoyance of LibDem MPs over power of “new sexy people” in 2019 election decisions – Five candidates ready for party leadership contest – Timetable today

By Paul Walter | Sat 18th January 2020 - 9:00 am

Ailbhe Rea has written a long article on the Liberal Democrats for the New Statesman.

There are some interesting points about the 2019 election covered, based on reported conversations with our MPs:

Tagged 2019 general election, chuka umunna, Jo Swinson and leadership election 2020 | 40 Comments

17 January 2020 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Fri 17th January 2020 - 11:52 pm

Lib Dems oppose Johnson’s Parliamentary agenda
Fall in retail sales demands a radical rethink
PM should seek to bring the country together

Lib Dems oppose Johnson’s Parliamentary agenda

The Liberal Democrats have tabled an amendment to the Queen’s Speech for debate on Monday 19 January. The amendment details the key reasons why Liberal Democrat MPs will oppose Boris Johnson’s agenda for government, including:

failure to introduce ambitious plans to tackle the climate emergency;
failure to set out measures to tackle poverty and inequality;
failure to protect human rights or to strengthen the voice of citizens.

The amendment also urges Government to introduce a system of proportional representation. …

Tagged Alistair Carmichael, brexit, business rates, ed davey, high streets, retail sales and sarah olney | 2 Comments

Sir John Curtice on the Lib Dem general election performance

By Web Magpie | Fri 17th January 2020 - 2:06 pm

Embed from Getty Images

Jonathan Fryer has blogged about this week’s presentation at the National Liberal Club by Sir John Curtice entitled: “The 2019 Election: A Tale of Hope and Disappointment”.

Jonathan notes the following points about the drop-off of Lib Dem support during the election campaign itself:

Many commentators at the time also attributed the fall in LibDem support to (1) Jo Swinson’s call to Revoke Article 50, rather than pitching wholeheartedly for a second EU Referendum, and (2) her claim to be a potential PM in waiting, despite the modest number of LibDem MPs (albeit supplemented by both Labour and Conservative defections). However, Professor Curtice said polling, notably from YouGov, did not support that assumption. Instead, he highlighted three conclusions about the election result based on his research:

Tagged john curtice and national liberal club | 23 Comments

Vote share increase for Tara Murray in Bristol

By Paul Walter | Fri 17th January 2020 - 12:36 pm

Well done to Tara Murray and team (above with Ed Davey) for an impressive vote share increase in the Brislington East by-election in Bristol yesterday.

The result was:

Op-eds

The Lib Dems created the triple lock – we should be the ones to set the terms for its end (Adam Shaw)
We are being held hostage by the Tory voters who have lent us their vote (Theo Rodwell)
Dear United Kingdom: Anti-white racism and the attack of diversity, equity and inclusivity (DEI) (Michael Bukola)
The social media ban is illiberal, unworkable, and our stance is the wrong one (Cian Tynan)
Caring doesn’t STOP at 67- so why should Carer’s Support Payment or Carer’s Allowance (Amanda Clark)

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Category Archives: News

Leaving the EU – some last day tweets

30 January 2020 – the overnight press release

29 January 2020 – today’s press releases

29 January 2020 – the overnight press release

28 January 2020 – today’s press releases

Tories lose control of Surrey Heath council

YouGov poll on Lib Dem leadership: Ed Davey is a country mile ahead (contains caveats)

28 January 2020 – the overnight press release

27 January 2020 – today’s press releases

27-30 January – this week in the Lords

27 January 2020 – the overnight press release

24-26 January 2020 – the (long) weekend’s press releases

23 January 2020 – the day’s press releases

Siobhan Benita slams London Mayor’s mass surveillance roll-out as a real risk to civil liberties

Dr Phillip Lee selected as Lib Dem parliamentary spokesperson for Wokingham

Full results from last night’s by-elections

Safe spaces in which to comment

22 January 2020 – today’s press releases

21 January 2020 – today’s press releases

20 January 2020 – yesterday’s press releases

Lib Dem peers inflict defeats on government’s Brexit bill

20 January 2020 – the overnight press release

18-19 January 2020 – the weekend’s press releases

Our President on the timetable for the leadership election

Lib Dems pay tribute to Lord Robert Maclennan

+++Timetable to elect new leader set out

Annoyance of LibDem MPs over power of “new sexy people” in 2019 election decisions – Five candidates ready for party leadership contest – Timetable today

17 January 2020 – today’s press releases

Sir John Curtice on the Lib Dem general election performance

Vote share increase for Tara Murray in Bristol

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Actually, this Summer of Strategy could be quite good…

Josh Babarinde writes…The Lib Dem Summer of Strategy

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What’s going on with party strategy?

Category Archives: News

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