Category Archives: News

The Voice

Lib Dem MEP candidate Caroline Voaden on the liberal values Lib Dem MEPs would bring to Europe

By The Voice | Tue 30th April 2019 - 2:45 pm

In a few weeks’ time, we hope that Caroline Voaden will be a Liberal Democrat MEP for the South West. Her interview on Sky News today shows why she would do a fantastic job.

She talked about a vote for the Lib Dems being a vote to stop Brexit, why the Lib Dems have the advantage as the biggest, strongest pro Remain party in the UK, and the traditions of liberalism, internationalism and freedom that Lib Dem MEPs would bring to Brussels.

Enjoy.

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Newsmoggie

Tuesday fun: Alex Cole-Hamilton at Holyrood Dog of the Year

By Newsmoggie | Tue 30th April 2019 - 1:15 pm

Some lunchtime fun to brighten your day…

Yesterday, Holyrood’s Dog of the Year competition run by the Dogs’ Trust and the Scottish Kennel Club took place with the Lib Dems represented by Alex Cole-Hamilton and his canine alter-ego, Martha.

Martha is a Dogs’ Trust rescue dog and seems every bit as irrepressible as Alex himself.

And they certainly seemed to like each other.

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NewsHound

LibLink: Christine Jardine Your nationality won’t matter if we wreck the planet

By NewsHound | Tue 30th April 2019 - 11:45 am

Politicians must heed what young people, concerned about the future of our planet, are saying, writes Christine Jardine in her Scotsman column:

Too little time recently has been dedicated to looking at how we are damaging the planet, undermining the future of generations to come and destroying the natural world. More importantly we are letting the valuable and scarce time we have left to change things slip through our fingers.

That was also not my only encounter this week with a younger generation frustrated at the adult world’s lack of action to protect their environment. On Friday morning I visited a group of pupils at Cramond Primary School in my constituency to see their campaign to clean up the air they breathe every day.

Their presentation was impressive but so too was their commitment that their world is under threat and that we are all responsible. Everything they said echoed what I had heard earlier from Greta, and not just about climate change.

She  described the benefits of being part of the More United group of MPs working together where they agree.

She went on to talk about the distractions of Brexit, and, now, the prospect of another Scottish independence referendum and how those are overshadowing what’s important.

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Caron Lindsay

Jardine calls for action to combat gendered marketing

By Caron Lindsay | Tue 30th April 2019 - 8:46 am

Nine years ago, I blogged about the awful gendered marketing of children’s fancy dress outfits by the Early Learning Centre. At that time, they did doctors’ outfits for boys and nurses’ outfits for girls.

Almost a decade further on, it’s frankly not much better. Try searching fancy dress for girls and boys. Boys get the superhero stuff – very active and history changing. Girls get mostly pretty dresses and uncomfortable and impractical shoes. Have you ever tried climbing a tree in a Belle costume? It’s not easy. The more recent Disney Princesses have a bit more agency than they used to, but the Early Learning Centre seems to still concentrate on the ones with long dresses.

 A poll carried out by the Fawcett Society shows that I’m not alone in my concerns.  It found ‘widespread concern’ about ‘pink for girls, blue for boys’ advertising by manufacturers and retailers.

63% of mothers and 60% of fathers agreed that product marketing reinforces gender stereotypes. Fawcett says these misgivings are not limited to parents, ‘as over half of men and women who do not have children also agreed’.

Earlier this year, Christine Jardine brought in a bill to prohibit the differential pricing of products and services that are substantially similar other than being intended for, or marketed to, a particular gender. She expressed her concern about gender stereotyping in marketing.

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The Voice

In full: Cable and Brake’s letter to Corbyn calling for Labour to back a People’s Vote

By The Voice | Tue 30th April 2019 - 5:55 am

Vince Cable and Tom Brake have written to Jeremy Corbyn ahead of today’s NEC meeting urging Labour to back a People’s Vote in their European Elections manifesto.

There has so far been little enthusiasm for a confirmatory ballot from Labour’s leadership, although the vas majority of their members and many of their MPs back it.

One thing worth mentioning, though – even if Labour grudgingly agrees to some sort of confirmatory referendum, they are unlikely under Corbyn’s leadership to back Remain. In contrast, the Liberal Democrats will enthusiastically and unequivocally campaign to stay in the EU. So, if that is what you want, Labour Remainers, you need to vote for us both in the locals and especially in the European elections.

Here is Vince and Tom’s letter.

 

29/4/2019

Dear Jeremy,

Tomorrow the NEC will be debating Labour’s European election manifesto.

We are sure that you would acknowledge that Brexit has been the single most divisive issue the country has faced since the Iraq War, if not before. Brexit continues to split the country North and South and young and old.

The Liberal Democrats believe that a confirmatory referendum is our only hope of getting closure on this issue and starting to heal this rift. The result would establish once and for all whether the ‘will of the people’ is really to leave the EU with the PM’s deal (which one poll suggested only 1 person in 7 supports) or any other deal agreed with the EU or instead to remain in the EU.

For this reason, we urge you to push for the inclusion a confirmatory public referendum in your European manifesto. We believe this would also be supported by a majority of Labour MPs, trade unions and Labour members.

We would of course work with the Labour party, other parties and individual MPs to facilitate the passage of the relevant legislation.

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The Voice

29 April 2019 – today’s press release

By The Voice | Mon 29th April 2019 - 11:15 pm

Govt must be more ambitious in greenhouse gases 2050 target

Responding to the expected announcement that the Climate Change Committee has recommended 2050 as the date the UK becomes a net-zero greenhouse gas emitter, Liberal Democrat Climate Change Spokesperson Wera Hobhouse said:

This report tells us the very minimum we need to do to cut our greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero, but this Tory Government must be more ambitious. We have a responsibility as a country in the face of a climate emergency facing the entire world.

We saw only last week that some in the cabinet are refusing to

…

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Caron Lindsay

Vince to stand down as MP if Parliament runs its course to 2022

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 28th April 2019 - 7:22 pm

Just after Jo was on Marr this morning, Vince popped up on Pienaar’s Politics.

He used the opportunity to say, unsurprisingly, that a vote for the Lib Dems is a vote to stop Brexit. Finally, we have a slogan that means something and is in keeping with the zeitgeist. Once we are all sick to the back teeth of hearing it, it will just be starting to cut through to the general public, so prepare to hear it a great deal.

In fact, if any Lib Dem fails to say that within 5 seconds of opening their mouth at the moment, they are not doing their jobs properly.

It was the main theme of our launch the other day – and the New Statesman even described that event as “slick.” It’s a long time since anything we did has been called that.

Vince added that with our campaign infrastructure and momentum from the local elections, we have a big advantage over Change UK.

On that Change UK memo earlier in the week in which they set out their mission to crush us, he said that we have good working relations with them at informal levels, but he reckons that they will see the advantage of working together when they hit the realities of our electoral system.

As that New Statesman article said:

It (the timing of the Change UK launch in Bristol on a day Parliament was sitting) demonstrates one of the implicit arguments that the Liberal Democrats will make as to why they are the best vehicle for Remainer outrage – because they have the know-how and experience to actually get MEPs elected and to make a splash in a way that Change UK do not.

But they also have another ace in the hole – the looming local elections this Thursday. These were seats last contested in 2015, a disastrous night for the Liberal Democrats on which they lost 51 MPs; but more importantly for our purposes they also lost 658 councillors and control of four councils.

They are not going to make those losses up overnight: the difficulty minor parties have is what takes years of work to acquire can be lost in the time it takes to say “rose garden”. But frankly they will be doing pretty poorly if they can’t at least make enough of those losses back that they won’t be able to declare themselves the winners of the local elections and the most well-placed pro-Remain party to give the big two a fright.

Now the Labour-supporting New Statesman is hardly likely to want to up the prospects of Change UK, but even taking that into consideration, they’ve added weight to the point that Vince was making about our expertise and experience making us better placed for success.

Vince also told Pienaar that his decision on whether to stand again for his Twickenham seat would depend on when the General Election was. If it was on its scheduled timetable for 2022, he wouldn’t fight the seat again. If he did, he’d be 84 at the end of that Parliament.

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Caron Lindsay

Jo: If you want a future in the EU, you need to vote Liberal Democrat

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 28th April 2019 - 3:00 pm

Jo Swinson went on The Andrew Marr Show today to give an unequivocal message that a vote for the Liberal Democrats was a vote to stop Brexit.

In contrast, she warned that a vote for Labour was a vote for Brexit.

She also said that it was a shame that pro Remain parties weren’t voting together in the European elections, but she emphasised that they would continue to work together in Parliament for a People’s Vote to ensure we could stay in the EU.

Jo faced some challenging questions from Mishal Hussein. The very first one was about austerity and its effect on local government and how that squared with our local elections campaign.

Jo answered that one as well as she could, pointing out the effectiveness of Liberal Democrat councils and councillors in delivering for their communities but acknowledging the cuts and the economic crisis at the time when the Coalition Government came to power and highlighting how much worse the Conservatives got when we left Government.

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Paul Walter

Panic amongst Conservative councillors up for election next Thursday: ‘We’re an endangered species…We’re doomed…It’s extraordinarily bad’

By Paul Walter | Sun 28th April 2019 - 10:30 am

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There are some signs of panic in the ranks of Conservative councillors who are up for election next Thursday.

Councillor Alan Law of West Berkshire Council wrote to the Telegraph on 23rd April:

SIR – I am a member of an endangered species: a Conservative councillor standing for re-election on May 2.

Harry Phibbs on Conservative Home has been regularly talking to Conservative candidates on the ground, finding considerable disquiet:

…among most of the councillors and candidates I spoke to the prevailing mood was still downcast. Seasoned campaigners were shocked by the level of anger they encountered on the nation doorsteps – invariably from Brexiteers who felt betrayed.

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The Voice

Jo Swinson on Marr tomorrow

By The Voice | Sat 27th April 2019 - 7:08 pm

Lib Dem Deputy Leader Jo Swinson will be on The Andrew Marr Show (which will be presented by Mishal Hussein) at 9am tomorrow on BBC1.

This is a critical weekend for the party in the run-up to the critical local elections. A good performance will be a superb launchpad in our quest to establish ourselves as the Stop Brexit party to vote for in the European elections.

 

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ALDC

Getting out the vote – advice from ALDC

By ALDC | Fri 26th April 2019 - 3:59 pm

After we’ve convinced people to support our cause and collected data on who our likely supporters are, we have one stage left to get our best result in an election – Get Out The Vote (GOTV).

How can we use our data to work out our tactics for polling day and the run up to it?

Quite simply: we need to remind people who are likely to support us to use their vote.

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News Meerkat

Vince Cable declines invitation to State Banquet for Trump

By News Meerkat | Thu 25th April 2019 - 12:43 pm

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Vince Cable has today declined an invitation to a state banquet with Donald Trump.

In a letter to Palace staff organising the impending state visit in June, Mr Cable said:

I have taken the view that as a party leader I should not support state visits where the government of the day has issued invitations inappropriately.

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Paul Walter

Change UK plan to grab the Lib Dems’ money, members and policies – leaked memo

By Paul Walter | Thu 25th April 2019 - 9:38 am

The Mail has published a leaked memo from Change UK which sets out its current strategy in relation to the Lib Dems.

It is a bit of a shock.

We were hoping that there would be co-operation between Change UK and our party.

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Kirsten Johnson

Great news that the Mental Capacity Bill is set to pass final stages

By Kirsten Johnson | Wed 24th April 2019 - 8:00 am

I have been watching the progress of the Mental Capacity Bill closely. One of the reasons I, and many activists I’m sure, became involved in politics was because of our concern over mental health, the marginalised, and mental capacity issues. Indeed, my other half researches in this area, so I have an in-house expert on mental capacity and I’m well aware the law needs improving.

The Mental Capacity (Amendment) Bill as introduced in July 2017 was radically improved by the Liberal Democrats and is set to pass its final stages in Parliament before becoming law.

This is a very important piece of legislation which could apply to any of us. For example, if people are in care homes and are having to be locked in, protections are needed to make sure this deprivation of liberty is necessary for their safety and in accordance with their human rights.

This new piece of legislation aims to improve these protections for anyone who lacks capacity and may be deprived of liberty. It took the Liberal Democrats to lead a cross-party effort to force the Conservative Government to remove their exclusionary definition of the deprivation of liberty.

Our changes also included a commitment to review the Code of Practice.

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The Voice

Press Release: Cross-Party Climate Change Statement

By The Voice | Tue 23rd April 2019 - 8:44 pm

On Tuesday 23rd April 2019, sparked by the visit of Greta Thunberg to the UK, the Westminster leaders of the UK political parties, except for the Prime Minister and the DUP (both invited), took part in a private round-table with a number of the leaders of the youth climate strikes to discuss the UK’s response to the deteriorating ecological crises.

At that meeting, the Westminster Leaders present agreed to three actions. These actions mark a significant cross-party response to Greta’s visit to the UK; the UK youth climate strikes and ongoing climate protests; the IPCC’s Special Report on 1.5 Degrees; the upcoming Committee on Climate Change report on a net-zero greenhouse gas target for the UK on May 2nd; and above all, the knowledge that it is young people across the world who will bear the brunt of the climate crisis.

There is an open invitation for the Government, and all other political parties, to sign-up to these cross-party actions.

Ongoing Cross-Party Cooperation & Dialogue with Young People

By working together collaboratively, political parties, even without the Government, can start to build the bold solutions and public consent needed to ensure young people are guaranteed a secure, safe and prosperous future.

Westminster party leaders therefore agree to ongoing cross-party roundtables with the youth climate strikers – and to increased cross-party collaboration on climate change, including an agreement to issue a statement endorsing the UK’s bid to host COP26 in 2020.

Supporting the UK Youth Climate Assemblies

Over the coming months, the UK youth climate strikers will continue to expand and build their movement – and it is essential that the views of young people are incorporated into the decision-making of politicians and political parties and that politicians have chance to engage directly with young people across the UK.

Westminster party leaders therefore agree to actively support and engage with youth climate assemblies in towns and cities across the UK.

Stress-Test UK Climate Policy

The United Kingdom has signed and ratified the Paris Climate Agreement – the international treaty negotiated in 2015 part of the United Nations’ climate framework – which places a commitment on the UK to meet the targets in the Paris Agreement, including efforts to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

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Paul Walter

Greta Thunberg to Parliament: “Is my microphone on?”

By Paul Walter | Tue 23rd April 2019 - 3:40 pm

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Here is the full text of Greta Thunberg’s speech to Parliament today, via the Guardian:

My name is Greta Thunberg. I am 16 years old. I come from Sweden. And I speak on behalf of future generations.

I know many of you don’t want to listen to us – you say we are just children. But we’re only repeating the message of the united climate science.

Many of you appear concerned that we are wasting valuable lesson time, but I assure you we will go back to school the moment you start listening to science and give us a future. Is that really too much to ask?

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The Voice

The best combination of names on a Lib Dem joint ticket ever?

By The Voice | Sat 20th April 2019 - 8:50 am

Standing for the Bridge ward of Lewes Town Council, we have:

Just glorious.

Janet was the first BaME mayor of Lewes last year.

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The Voice

19 April 2019 – today’s press releases

By The Voice | Fri 19th April 2019 - 11:00 pm

Lib Dems: We must reject violence in Northern Ireland

Responding to reports that journalist Lyra McKee has been killed during violence in Londonderry, Liberal Democrat Northern Ireland spokesperson Alistair Carmichael said:

I never met Lyra McKee but by all accounts she was a young woman of great talent, courage and humanity. These are all talents that we need now more than ever so we should all mourn her passing.

My condolences go to all her family and friends who are having to come to terms with their loss today. Unlike Lyra, those who bring violence to the streets of Northern Ireland have nothing

…

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Tony Harris

Towards a Lib Dem Landlords Association (LDLA?)

By Tony Harris | Fri 19th April 2019 - 9:25 am

I admit it. I’m an ‘evil landlord’. Well not exactly ‘evil’ you understand but that sometimes how I am made to feel by the present government and Federal Conference when it passes some other motion or so which castigates me and many other Liberal Democrats who happen to be landlords in the private and commercial rental sector. Renting property is a business like any other. I provide a service for people who cannot afford to own their own home but need to be able to rent something decent. Don’t even start complaining that UK landlords are making it difficult to buy – the problem lies fairly and squarely with overseas investors who purchase large numbers of properties en bloc as an investment and leave them empty. Canada’s British Columbia has recently imposed high taxes for overseas property investors and imposes an annual property tax on the same investors while they do not occupy their own property. We should follow suit.

Moving on, I would argue that I am actually a pretty good landlord and when I speak to other Lib Dems who run rental property ‘portfolios’ they seem to have a similar attitude and ethos to myself. As evidence of this, I rent to ‘professionals’ (more on that later) and have a basic directive for my rental agent when they are dealing with my tenants  – ‘when there is a problem fix it immediately (or sooner)’. Why? Because a content and happy tenant is a tenant who doesn’t give notice and you only need one month without rental income to completely negate any false economies of avoiding repairs. One of my tenants has been with me for nearly 15 years and I have even redecorated the house with them in situ and replaced one of the bathrooms. My reward is that they have been with me for a long time with no break in income! When the annual rent increase comes along I will often negotiate with them for a 12 month no-break agreement in exchange for keeping the rent the same. I would be happy for any of my tenants to be approached, with their permission, to provide a reference for how I and my agent operate as a ‘landlord’. Many Lib Dem landlords would say the same I am sure.

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Caron Lindsay

Best wishes to Tom Arms

By Caron Lindsay | Fri 19th April 2019 - 8:55 am

At this time on a Friday morning, you’d normally be expecting to see Tom Arms’ latest Observations of an Ex Pat.

Yesterday afternoon, I saw an email come in from him entitled Broken, and assumed it was his piece for this week.

But in fact, it was a message saying that he’s broken his arm and is in hospital.

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Caron Lindsay

WATCH: Ed Davey talks about his life as a young carer and death of his parents

By Caron Lindsay | Thu 18th April 2019 - 1:03 pm

Yesterday Ed Davey gave a really open and moving interview to Radio 5 live about how he was a young carer to his mother for 3 years before she died when he was 15. His dad had died when he was 4. He talked about the key moment of his life, coming a few months after his Mum died, realising that he was doing things for himself and not her any more.

He said that it has affected his attitude to politics – caring for the most vulnerable is what politics should be about, he said.

He said it informed the way he thought about other people and about the health service and the importance of helping each other. Curries from the Indian family across the road gave him and his family practical help during that time. Watch here.

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The Voice

Sheila Ritchie heads Scottish European list

By The Voice | Thu 18th April 2019 - 11:30 am

As he launched the Scottish Liberal Democrats list of candidates or the European election, Willie Rennie stressed that every vote for a Lib Dem MEP will help stop the division and damage imposed by Brexit.

The list includes a partner in an Aberdeen law firm who has spent 20 years supporting start-up businesses and entrepreneurs in the North East, the former head of the European Parliament’s office in Scotland, and an EU citizen who represents the hundreds of thousands of people who have made their home in Scotland but whose futures are put at risk by Brexit.

The list is as follows:

  1. Sheila Ritchie
  2. Fred Mackintosh
  3. Catriona Bhatia
  4. Vita Zaporozcenko
  5. John Edward
  6. Clive Sneddon

Willie said:

I am delighted to announce our list of candidates for the European elections. We have a strong group of people who are committed to protecting our place in Europe.

This election gives voters an opportunity to demand an end to the constitutional chaos we’ve endured for years. People are fed up with Brexit and listening to all the arguments. It has divided our country and damaged our economy for long enough.

A vote for Scottish Liberal Democrats is a vote to stop Brexit and will send a message to the SNP on their unwanted independence plans. Every MEP we gain in Scotland will help make the division and damage stop.

Sheila Ritchie said:

I am thrilled to be leading the fight to secure Lib Dem seats in Brussels and a chance to stop the chaos of Brexit dead in its tracks. This election provides us with a tremendous opportunity.

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The Voice

18 April 2019 – the overnight press releases

By The Voice | Thu 18th April 2019 - 6:45 am

Tories’ high-stakes testing culture pushing children out of school

Responding to the EPI report revealing that over 50,000 pupils who took their GCSEs in 2017 were removed from the school roll for unexplained reasons during their time at secondary school, Liberal Democrat Education spokesperson Layla Moran said:

This is yet more worrying evidence that the Conservatives’ high-stakes testing culture is letting down our most vulnerable children.

The desperate drive to secure a better Ofsted grade or climb up the league tables has given schools a perverse incentive to push children they regard as difficult on to other schools, alternative providers, or let

…

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The Voice

17 April 2019 – today’s press release

By The Voice | Wed 17th April 2019 - 11:00 pm

Govt forced to act on requirement to disclose minor childhood offences

Responding to reports that Sajid Javid is considering changing the rules on criminal record disclosure, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesperson Ed Davey said:

It’s odd to hear Sajid Javid now suggesting changing the rules that require people to disclose minor childhood convictions throughout their lives, given that he and other Tory Ministers recently fought against a court judgement saying exactly that all the way to the Supreme Court.

Javid’s change of heart is welcome, but he should be honest about it. This is not some great brainchild of the Home

…

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The Voice

The Liberal Democrats’ class of 2022: who they are and what they think

By The Voice | Wed 17th April 2019 - 6:03 pm

The New Statesman gives a sympathetic account of the selection of Lib Dem Parliamentary Candidates in an article headed “The Liberal Democrats’ class of 2022: who they are and what they think“, focusing on our target seats.

It includes a paragraph about Lib Dem Voice editor Kirsten Johnson:

Kirsten Johnson, a pianist who is contesting North Devon, said she entered politics to push for more money for mental health services and reduce the gap between rich and poor. “The Liberal Democrats stand for equality across all sections of society, whether economic, gender or any other equality. I think we need to have more people from all walks of life.”

And another about Daisy Cooper:

Daisy Cooper, who has a background in international affairs and is standing in St Albans, described herself as the anti-Brexit, pro-People’s Vote candidate. “I’m internationalist, pro-business, pro-environment – increasingly these are the values that will guide the future of the country.”

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The Voice

16 April 2019 – today’s press releases

By The Voice | Tue 16th April 2019 - 11:00 pm

Lib Dems: Time to end period poverty wherever it exists

Free sanitary products will be offered to girls in all primary schools in England from early 2020. This follows Chancellor Philip Hammond’s announcement last month of funding for free sanitary products in secondary schools and colleges.

Layla Moran, the Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson, tabled an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons last month calling on the Government to extend its policy on free sanitary products to primary schools, colleges, universities and NHS GP surgeries.

Commenting on the announcement, Layla Moran said:

It is brilliant news that children in primary schools in

…

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The Voice

15 April 2019 – yesterday’s press releases

By The Voice | Tue 16th April 2019 - 9:30 pm

My apologies for the delay in getting these to you – a combination of jet lag caused by a five hour time difference and family stuff is complicating things…

Tories must enact wholescale reform to fix rental market

Responding to the news that landlords will lose the right to evict renters without a reason at the end of their fixed-term tenancy, Liberal Democrat Housing Spokesperson Tim Farron said:

The housing crisis has left many renters at the mercy of their landlords in an unfair and distorted rental market. Section 21 notices have allowed landlords to turf out tenants without reason, leaving many too

…

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Caron Lindsay

Of course Shamima Begum should get Legal Aid

By Caron Lindsay | Tue 16th April 2019 - 8:51 am

There seems to be some horror in the right wing press that a teenage girl is likely to get help to challenge the decision to take away her British citizenship.

At the time Sajid Javid made his decision, Lib Dem Home Affairs Spokesperson Ed Davey said:

Membership of a terrorist group is a serious crime, as is encouraging or supporting terrorism. But Shamima Begum should face justice for those crimes in the UK.

It is not only hard to see Ms Begum and her baby as constituting a serious threat to national security, but it also seems a huge wasted opportunity. We can learn lessons as to why a young girl went to Syria in the first place; lessons which could improve Britain’s security by helping us prevent this happening again.

The decision to deprive her of her citizenship, potentially rendering her stateless, was shameful.

At Scottish Conference, Jo Swinson said:

And while we’re on the subject of the depths Tories will stoop to. Shame on you Sajid Javid for your decision on Shamima Begum, throwing human rights out the window to further your career.

The decision to strip someone of their citizenship should never be in the hands of a Minister.And it’s in the hands of Ministers like him that our country’s future rests.

It is a fundamental principle of liberalism that decisions made by the state should be open to challenge. Everyone should have access to justice and if they can’t afford to do it, they should receive help to get the advocacy they need.

It’s not a fair fight if the government can make life-changing decisions about you and there is nothing you can do about it.

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The Voice

Moran: Time to end ‘teaching to the test’ culture

By The Voice | Mon 15th April 2019 - 10:30 pm

Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson Layla Moran today used a speech at the National Education Union to demand an end to the ‘teaching to the test’ culture by scrapping league tables, Ofsted and high-stakes testing in primary schools.

Speaking at the conference, Ms Moran warned that the Government cannot create an education system that gives every child the “opportunity to flourish” when teachers are “over-worked, under-paid and pressured to the point of sickness.”

Ms Moran also encouraged delegates to contribute to her newly launched independent Education Commission’s call for evidence. The Commission intends to develop a vision for the school system of …

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The Voice

13-14 April 2019 – the weekend’s press release

By The Voice | Sun 14th April 2019 - 11:00 pm

Two old parties hopelessly divided ahead of Euro elections

Liberal Democrat Brexit Spokesperson Tom Brake has accused Labour and the Conservatives of being “hopelessly divided” and said only the Liberal Democrats have a “clear offer” ahead of European elections.

The comments come after Iain Duncan Smith called on the Prime Minister to resign and Jeremy Corbyn was warned by Labour’s MEP group leader that he must back a People’s Vote or lose a generation of young people.

Liberal Democrat MP Tom Brake said:

At this time of national crisis, people are demanding real leadership. However, the Tories only offer internal party plotting while

…

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