Category Archives: News

The Voice

9 April 2019 – today’s press releases

By The Voice | Tue 9th April 2019 - 11:58 pm
  • Cable: Brexiters losing argument and votes
  • Schools resorting to desperate tactics to tackle funding emergency
  • Cable: IMF report should put to bed Brexit fantasies
  • Govt must bring together all MPs to agree to a People’s Vote

Cable: Brexiters losing argument and votes

Following the votes in the House of Commons tonight, Leader of the Liberal Democrats Vince Cable said:

Parliament has now taken back control and the UK is on course for an extension to Article 50 and European Parliament elections.

Brexiters are losing the argument and losing votes in the Commons by healthy margins.

The Prime Minister must now show leadership by offering a People’s

…

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Caron Lindsay

You’re on free school meals – you can’t have that

By Caron Lindsay | Tue 9th April 2019 - 11:38 am

Frustrations are ten a penny in politics at the moment as Parliament blunders its way through Brexit.

Few things are as heartbreaking, though, as some of the experiences outlined in this Guardian article at the weekend.

In the fifth richest country in the world, children describe the pain and embarrassment of being poor. This should not happen.

Maddy, 16, described her embarrassment at being identified as being on FSM. “When she was like ‘You can’t get that, you’re free school meals’, like I was really embarrassed ’cos people were waiting behind me, I was kind of like “Oh my God”. And it’s like you’re really restricted to what you can eat with free school meals. So now I just get what I know I’m safe with … so a small baguette and carton of juice.”

The whole point of free school meals is that those who are poorest should be able to have a hot meal once a day.

Have you ever had the experience of there not being enough food in your house to go round everybody? How awful must that be?

Parents often go without food to ensure their children eat. Bryony, 13, said: “If there isn’t enough food, we’ll get it and sometimes mum will go hungry and starve and stuff. Even if it’s not that much food for me and , it’s enough that we’ve actually had something, whereas mum hasn’t, and it gets a bit to the point where we’ll start feeling guilty because mum hasn’t had anything and we’ve had it.”

Time and again the cruel and inhumane policy of “no recourse to public funds” comes up. This is  a policy Lib Dems intend to reverse. It means that some people subject to immigration control cannot get emergency state help even when they need it. That means that if they lose their jobs, they can’t get help with the basics. Earlier this year the Scottish Parliament’s Equality and Human Rights Committee where horrified to discover from Shakti Women’s Aid’s evidence that some women were using pillowcases as nappies because they were destitute. No wonder that the Committee called for a destitution fund to stop things like that.

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NewsHound

LibLink: Christine Jardine: Brexit – two party system is held hostage by their extremes

By NewsHound | Tue 9th April 2019 - 10:15 am

In her Scotsman column this week, Christine Jardine looks at two events in Parliament last week that she said made the place look like a black comedy:

The first came as MPs gathered in the House of Commons’ chamber for the start of what was billed as, potentially, yet another defining moment for Brexit, only to see semi-naked protesters super-glue themselves to the perspex screen in front of the public gallery. Ironically, the screen has separated the public from politicians since protesters from Fathers for Justice threw flour bombs into the chamber in 2004. This time the protest was about global warming, yet another subject which has slipped down the agenda since the ‘Deal, No-Deal or No Brexit’ drama began to dominate parliamentary life.

We have, of course, debated global warming, and the profusion of plastic waste in our seas, but these have been at the behest of backbench MPs. The UK Government had other business.

The second was the leak into the Commons Chamber in the middle of a debate on HMRC loan charges.

I doubt even the most cynical of comedy writers would have thought it a believeable plot line, but there we were. In the Mother of Parliaments, it felt as if even the building was making a comment on proceedings and I couldn’t help but agree.

She then talked about MPs gripped by frustration and fear:

However in truth, at the moment, I don’t think I am alone amongst MPs in feeling that the dominant emotions at Westminster are frustration and fear. Frustration that so many of us are agreed that we need to find a way forward out of this morass and then put it to the people, but are unable to overcome the trench warfare that has come to dominate our two-party system.

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The Voice

6-8 April 2019 – the weekend (plus) press releases

By The Voice | Mon 8th April 2019 - 11:27 pm

Tories guilty of ‘shocking intransigence’

Responding to comments from Andrea Leadsom on the Marr show, Liberal Democrat spokesperson Tom Brake said:

What we saw this morning from Andrea Leadsom was shocking intransigence.

There is absolutely no clarity on what sort of deal the government is seeking with Labour and no real plan to move forward.

The country will never accept backroom deals done at the 11th hour to push through Brexit.

It is time for the Conservatives to compromise and by giving the people the final say in a vote on their deal with an option to stay in the EU.

Jaguar …

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The Voice

Brexit: Vince writes to Theresa…

By The Voice | Mon 8th April 2019 - 12:38 pm

With the Brexit cliff edge ever closer, attempts to rescue something continue to multiply. And today, Vince Cable has written to the Prime Minister with his suggestion for next steps…

Dear Prime Minister,

MEANINGFUL VOTE 4

Now that the talks between yourself and the Leader of the Opposition about some form of “Soft Brexit” have stalled, I write to suggest an alternative way forward.

While media sources have written up last week’s indicative vote exercise as inconclusive, there is one clear conclusion which can be drawn. There are up to 280 votes in support of a confirmatory referendum, which could …

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The Voice

Kirsty Williams extends help to disadvantaged children in school

By The Voice | Sun 7th April 2019 - 10:45 am

Welsh Lib Dem education secretary Kirsty Williams has announced an increase in funding for disadvantaged children in school.

The announcement will provide support to an additional 14,000 learners.

Introduced in 2018, PDG-Access helps families cover the costs of school uniform, sports kits, as well as equipment for activities outside of the school. To receive the support, learners must be eligible for free school meals.

Currently, PDG-Access is worth £125 per eligible pupil entering reception class in primary school or Year 7. Today’s announcement means the scheme will be extended to include Year 3 and Year 10, and provide funding for looked after children (LAC) in every compulsory school year. Eligible families of Year 7 pupils will receive £200, instead of the current £125; relieving some of the increased costs associated with starting secondary school.

Extending the PDG was a key part of the Progressive Agreement between the First Minister and Kirsty Williams.

Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds said:

The Pupil Development Grant (PDG) is a key Welsh Liberal Democrat policy that supports our most disadvantaged pupils. I am delighted we have been able to extend the policy further to support families with the cost of uniforms and school equipment.

This, alongside Kirsty Williams’ pledge to introduce statutory guidance to reduce the cost of schools uniforms, will go a long way in supporting families.

Kirsty  said:

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The Voice

In full: Jane Dodds’ speech to Welsh Lib Dem Conference

By The Voice | Sat 6th April 2019 - 5:32 pm

Welsh Lib Dem leader Jane Dodds has given her keynote speech to the party’s Spring Conference.

https://twitter.com/CIOBWales/status/1114564036262289410

Here it is in full:

Gynhadledd… Gynhadledd ddiolch i chi bawb am ddod heddiw. Dyma fy nhrydedd gynhadledd fel arweinydd ac mae’r angerdd a’r brwdfrydedd sydd gennym yn ein plaid wedi creu cymaint o argraff arnaf.

Conference thank you for all coming today. This is my third Conference since becoming your leader and I am still so impressed with the passion and enthusiasm we have within our party.

So, what is going on?  Let’s take ourselves back to that strange broadcast from Theresa May 2 weeks ago.

In the past few months we’ve seen increasing instability, a lack of political leadership and the national embarrassment that is this government’s handling of Brexit.

And while Brexit dominates every debate, every storyline, just spare a moment’s thought for the issues that have been ignored. Poverty rising, money for our public services cut and climate change forgotten.

Conference, have we ever seen a Westminster Government that’s more of a mess and a shambles than the one we have today?

I say Wales demands better.

 

This cannot be the kind of world we want our children to grow up in.

Around the world we are seeing the rise of right-wing populism, intolerance and the politics of fear and division. From Trump in the US, to Bolsonaro in Brazil to Orban in Hungary, we live in dangerous times.

Here in UK, we’ve seen the rise and, much more pleasantly, the fall of UKIP.

Every day we’re seeing the effects of the Brexit vote.

A vote that has been tainted even more by the Vote Leave campaign’s decision to withdraw its appeal against fines for breaking electoral laws.

In the near 3 years since the referendum, we’ve seen a Conservative Prime Minister who has put her own party first at every stage – not our country. Her real masters have become the ERG and the DUP.

Only in the last week have we seen her reach out across the political divide for the first time – and only then because there was no choice.

In the Conservative Party, a party that took Britain into the Europe and into the single market, we’re seeing good, honest, pro-European MPs like Dominic Grieve and Nick Boles labelled as traitors and facing votes of no confidence.

All while Jeremy Corbyn continues to ignore most of his members and voters by consistently failing to oppose what is clearly a Brexit that will hurt our economy, our future and frankly the most vulnerable in our society.

In all this I say thank goodness for the Liberal Democrats.

It was Tim Farron that showed great courage after that referendum and first put forward the idea of a People’s Vote.

It was Vince Cable that took this fight forward and put the Liberal Democrats at the heart of a movement of millions to give the people the final say on the deal.

Conference, there is an alternative to right wing populism, to the politics of fear and to Brexit. It is the Liberal Democrats and liberals around the world.

Now is OUR time to demand better and take a stand.

We demand a People’s Vote and we will not waver in our stand.

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The Voice

Jane Dodds to outline vision for a freer, fairer, greener, more liberal Wales

By The Voice | Sat 6th April 2019 - 6:55 am

Welsh Liberal Democrats meet in Cardiff for their Spring Conference this weekend.

They’ll be discussing motions ranging from housing to mental health in schools, to citizenship lessons on the curriculum to clean air to the future of local government.

Leader Jane Dodds will be making her keynote speech.

She will  criticise the fear and division dominating UK politics, reiterate the need for the people to be given the final say on Brexit and highlight the necessity of urgently taking every action to combat climate change.

Here are some of the extracts:

On the state of politics

“Around the world we are seeing the rise of right-wing populism, intolerance and the politics of fear and division. From Trump in the US, to Bolsonaro in Brazil to Orban in Hungary, we live in dangerous times.”

On Brexit

“In the near 3 years since the referendum, we’ve seen a Conservative Prime Minister who has put her own party first at every stage – not our country. Her real masters have become the ERG and the DUP.

“In the Conservative Party, a party that took Britain into the Europe and into the single market, we’re seeing good, honest, pro-European MPs like Dominic Grieve and Nick Boles labelled as traitors and facing votes of no confidence.

“All while Jeremy Corbyn continues to ignore most of his members and voters by consistently failing to oppose what is clearly a Brexit that will hurt our economy, our future and frankly the most vulnerable in our society.

“It was Tim Farron that showed great courage after that referendum and first put forward the idea of a People’s Vote.

“It was Vince Cable that took this fight forward and put the Liberal Democrats at the heart of a movement of millions to give the people the final say on the deal.

“Conference, there is an alternative to right wing populism, to the politics of fear and to Brexit. It is the Liberal Democrats and liberals around the world.

“Now is OUR time to demand better and take a stand.

“We demand a People’s Vote and we will not waver in our stand.”

On Injustice

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The Voice

5 April 2019 – today’s press releases

By The Voice | Fri 5th April 2019 - 11:45 pm

It’s been a pleasant evening in our small, but perfectly formed, village. There’s been beer, some splendid homemade sausage rolls, and a quiz (our team won!). Sadly, the real world has a nasty way of reasserting itself…

  • Brake: Yet another desperate move from a failing PM
  • Pupil Decelopment Grant Access extended to support more families
  • Breakdown of talks with Corbyn signals closing time for May’s Deal

Brake: Yet another desperate move from a failing PM

Responding to the news that the PM has written to the EU calling for a short extension of Article 50, already rejected by the EU, Liberal Democrat Brexit Spokesperson Tom …

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Caron Lindsay

Vince kicks off local election campaign in Yeovil

By Caron Lindsay | Fri 5th April 2019 - 3:32 pm

Yesterday, Vince went to Yeovil to launch the party’s final push for the local elections  to be held on May 2nd. He visited accommodation for homeless people opened by the Lib Dem council in South Somerset.

He then spoke at a rally:

He  spoke to the local paper.

From the County Gazette:

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Reforming Council Tax

By Joe Bourke | Fri 5th April 2019 - 10:25 am

Manchester Lib Dems have launched a local manifesto calling for a reverse of Labour’s 22% Council Tax increase for the least well off in Manchester.

The 2018 report of the APPG on Land Value Capture http://bit.ly/APPG-LVC-Report-1 concluded that: Council Tax …is overdue for replacement with a fairer system of property taxation.

The IPPR report on council tax reform https://www.ippr.org/research/publications/a-poor-tax-council-tax-in-london notes:
“…leaving council tax unreformed is becoming ever more unsustainable. Local authorities across the country are increasingly cash strapped as a consequence of government cuts to their core grant funding and limits on their ability to raise funds through council tax and other sources.”

The resolution foundation report https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/media/blog/its-time-to-properly-abolish-the-poll-tax/ suggests council tax reform would leave a large majority of people better off even while raising enough cash to …increase funding for health and social care and reverse government cuts to council tax reduction schemes.

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation 2014 report After the Council Tax: impacts of property tax reform on people, places and house prices https://www.jrf.org.uk/report/after-council-tax-impacts-property-tax-reform-people-places-and-house-prices found that:
– A progressive property value tax would reduce the size of median gross bills by £279 a year compared to the council tax.
– The bills of almost two-thirds of households would fall by more than 10%, while less than one quarter would see increases of more than 10%.
– A progressive property tax would reduce the gross median bills for the poorest tenth of households by £202, and increase them for the top tenth by £184.
The housing economist Professor Muellbaeur argues “that a radical reform of property taxation makes economic sense and could be more acceptable politically than tinkering at the edges, by adding a few more bands to Council Tax.

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The Voice

5 April 2019 – today’s overnight press release

By The Voice | Fri 5th April 2019 - 6:45 am

Lib Dems: Govt must not shirk responsibility over loan charge

Liberal Democrat MP Ed Davey has criticised the implementation of the the Loan Charge which is coming into force today. He has been the leading figure in the cross-party campaign against its introduction.

Commenting on its introduction, Ed Davey said:

My campaign to stop the abuse of power by the Treasury in how it has introduced the Loan Charge has now won huge cross-party support.

The Chancellor must listen to Parliament: by applying the Loan Charge to past tax years, the Conservative Government has broken long-standing tax principles and in so doing is

…

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The Voice

4 April 2019 – today’s press releases (part 2)

By The Voice | Thu 4th April 2019 - 11:30 pm

And, in part two…

  • Lib Dems call for mental health support to be included in Ofsted Inspections
  • Moran: SEND funding crisis a moral failure of Government
  • Welsh Lib Dems: Embrace Green Tech to Tackle Climate Change
  • Lib Dems lead Eating Disorder Campaign in Parliament

Lib Dems call for mental health support to be included in Ofsted Inspections

The Liberal Democrats have written to the Chief Inspector of Ofsted to urge her to include assessments of mental health support in schools in Ofsted Inspections.

The Liberal Democrat lead on Mental Health, Claire Tyler, has written to the Chief Inspector as the new draft Ofsted framework does …

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The Voice

4 April 2019 – today’s press releases (part 1)

By The Voice | Thu 4th April 2019 - 11:15 pm

Whilst the drama was, unusually, at the Lords end of the Palace of Westminster today, there was plenty else going on. So much so, that we’re breaking this piece in two today. The second half will be along shortly…

  • Swinson: Shared Parental Leave must be a right from day one
  • Vince Cable visits Yeovil to launch final push of Lib Dem local election campaign
  • Cable: Corbyn must put any deal he agrees with PM back to the people

Swinson: Shared Parental Leave must be a right from day one

The Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Jo Swinson, has today launched a bid to reform …

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Paul Walter

Ruby Wax is appointed Chancellor of Southampton University – with a focus on mental health

By Paul Walter | Thu 4th April 2019 - 4:20 pm

Embed from Getty Images

This is very refreshing news. American actress, comedian, mental health campaigner, lecturer and author, Ruby Wax has been appointed Chancellor of Southampton University.

Southampton University is a research-intensive establishment with around 25,000 students. It is a founding member of the leading Russell Group of British Universities. Its notable alumni have included Chris Packham, Jon Sopel, Justine Greening, Brian Eno and Dame Wendy Hall. Previous Chancellors have included the 4th and 7th Dukes of Wellington.

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Caron Lindsay

Newsnight highlights cover up of fears of no deal medicines shortages

By Caron Lindsay | Thu 4th April 2019 - 2:55 pm

I have a close family member who has Epilepsy. She needs daily medication to keep her condition under control and to allow her to work and live her life.

Last night Newsnight highlighted problems with the supply chain of some drugs, suggesting that some can’t be stockpiled.

Documents say that clinical outcomes “might be compromised” if treatment regimes have to be changed suddenly because of a lack of availability of particular drugs.

These documents have been kept quiet.

You can watch the report here:

This is yet another example of the Government’s irresponsible approach to Brexit. No Deal would not just cause economic catastrophe, it could put people in immediate danger of losing their lives. Yet the likes of Mark Francois, and, if reports are to be believed, significant numbers of Cabinet Ministers, think that inflicting that on us would be ok.

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The Voice

Ed Davey leads efforts to suspend loan charge enforcement

By The Voice | Thu 4th April 2019 - 10:00 am

Today in the House of Commons, Ed Davey, as one of the proposers of a motion on backbench business day, will call on the Government to suspend enforcement of the 2019 Loan Charge.

HMRC is currently pursuing people who, as  contractors years ago, took part in perfectly legal schemes whereby they took their salary as loans from a company and therefore paid a lower rate of tax.  They now face bills for arrears of tax out of the blue. In some cases, it could be hundreds of thousands of pounds. These aren’t super rich people and what they were doing was absolutely transparent and above board at the time. They are now being pursued for tax in a way that they never expected.

Closing a loophole is one thing. Making it retrospective is another.

The motion for debate today says:

That this House expresses its serious concern at the 2019 Loan Charge which applies from 5 April 2019; expresses deep concern and regret about the effect of the mental and emotional impact on people facing the Loan Charge; is further concerned about suicides of people facing the Loan Charge and the identified suicide risk, which was reported to HMRC; believes that the Loan Charge is fundamentally unfair and undermines the principle of the rule of law by overriding statutory taxpayer protections; expresses disappointment at the lack of notice served by HMRC and the delays in communication with those now facing the Loan Charge, which has further increased anxiety of individuals and families; is concerned about the nature and accuracy of the information circulated by HMRC with regard to the Loan Charge; further regrets the inadequate impact assessment originally conducted; understands that many individuals have received miscalculated settlement information; calls for an immediate suspension of the Loan Charge for a period of six months and for all related settlements to be put on hold; and further calls for an independent inquiry into the Loan Charge to be conducted by a party that is not connected with either the Government or HMRC.

Ed has been at the forefront of trying to get the Government to think again and is chair of an All Party Parliamentary Group on the issue.

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The Voice

Conservatives lose control of council as Councillor Graham Chrystie joins Lib Dems in Woking

By The Voice | Thu 4th April 2019 - 9:08 am

Graham Chrystie, a Pyrford Councillor for 8 years, has left the Conservative party and joined the Liberal Democrats. The move comes on the eve of May’s local elections. Cllr Chrystie is not up for election, but it now means that the Council is in No Overall Control, with 15 Conservatives facing 15 opposition councillors.

The current state of the parties is:

Conservative  15
Lib Dem           9
Lab                  3
Ind                   3

Cllr Chrystie said:

The Conservative Party in Woking is failing on openness, proper consultation and financial disclosure, The Leader of the Council, who has his main residence in Scotland, has curtailed debate within the Conservative group and has proceeded with projects which too often lack transparency. Residents have not been properly consulted on key decisions such as plans for a Pub/Restaurant on West Byfleet Recreation Ground, a site held by the Borough only as a Trustee for local residents.

I cannot in conscience remain a member of the Conservative Group. I now feel I can work more effectively for my ward residents and deliver what local people want, within the Liberal Democrat Group, where I can operate within an established, harmonious and effective team.

 

Welcoming Cllr Chrystie to the Liberal Democrat Group, Leader Cllr Ann-Marie Barker said:

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The Voice

3 April 2019 – today’s press releases

By The Voice | Wed 3rd April 2019 - 11:00 pm

Antwerp yesterday, a Cold War exhibit at the National Archives this evening… anyone would think that there was an issue with Europe at the moment. Three press releases this evening for your delectation and delight…

  • Liberal Democrats “raring to go” with European election manifesto
  • Cross-party statement on People’s Vote and revoking Article 50
  • Swinson condemns anti-LGBT laws in Brunei

    • Liberal Democrats “raring to go” with European election manifesto

    The Liberal Democrats are “raring to go” for a European election with the party’s Brexit spokesperson confirming the drafting of a manifesto has already begun with a “vision for the UK inside the EU” while party members

…

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The Voice

3 April 2019 – the overnight press releases

By The Voice | Wed 3rd April 2019 - 6:45 am

Lib Dems: End short sentences now to fix prisons crisis

Responding to the House of Commons Justice Select Committee’s ‘Prison Population 2022’ report, published today , Liberal Democrat Justice spokesperson Wera Hobhouse said:

Our prisons are in crisis. They are so overcrowded that they are failing at their central purpose: to prevent crime and keep communities safe by rehabilitating offenders.

Even Tory Ministers now accept what the Liberal Democrats and the evidence have been saying for years: short prison sentences actually make people more likely to reoffend. Yet they are still locking up thousands of people for just a few weeks.

…

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The Voice

2 April 2019 – today’s press releases

By The Voice | Tue 2nd April 2019 - 11:00 pm

Today’s press releases are brought to you from Antwerp, as your columnist enjoys possibly one last trip as an EU citizen…

  • Lib Dems table composite amendments to end Brexit impasse
  • Lib Dems: We must ensure all children receive an education that meets their needs
  • Lib Dems: Gisela Stuart Not Fit for FCO Wilton Park
  • Lib Dem victory on Mental Capacity Bill
  • Callous Tories could strip people of voting rights
  • Cable: PM piles more logs on the Brexit log jam

Lib Dems table composite amendments to end Brexit impasse

Today (2nd April) the Liberal Democrats are tabling amendments, working cross-party, to break the deadlock in Parliament by ensuring any Brexit voted through Parliament goes back to the people, with a People’s Vote.

The Liberal Democrats will table composite amendments to reflect Brexit motions voted on last night and the Prime Minister’s deal.

Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesperson Tom Brake said:

It is time for MPs to come together and build a majority to end the impasse. That is why Liberal Democrats are seeking to add a People’s Vote to any Brexit motions so that the deadlock in Parliament is broken and the people can decide on the path the country takes.

Liberal Democrats have been campaigning for a People’s Vote for nearly three years, always believing that the people, not politicians, must have the final say.

Adding a People’s Vote to any of the motions voted for last night or the PM’s deal provides the quickest and safest way out of this unholy mess.

Lib Dems: We must ensure all children receive an education that meets their needs

Following the announcement of Government proposals that will see a requirement for home-educated children to be registered with their local authority, affecting almost 60,000, Liberal Democrat Education spokesperson Layla Moran said:

Parents can decide to home school children for any number of reasons and most do a brilliant job. But undeniably, they need more support.

Yet councils cannot offer this support if they don’t know where children are. A child who has never been on the school roll may simply be unknown to the local authority.

If we want to ensure all families provide their children with an education that meets their needs, then these proposals are a welcome first step.

Lib Dems: Gisela Stuart Not Fit for FCO Wilton Park

Today Tom Brake MP, Liberal Democrat Brexit Spokesperson, has written to the Prime Minister to ask her to reconsider the suitability of Ms Stuart as Chair of Wilton Park, an Executive Agency of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

This comes following Vote Leave’s decision to drop their challenge against the fine of £61,000 imposed on them by the Electoral Commission for spending offences during the 2016 EU referendum.

Commenting on his decision to write to May on the matter, Mr Brake said:

Ms Stuart was the Chair of a campaign that broke the law. She cannot now continue as head of Wilton Park: a body which promotes good governance across the world on behalf of the UK.

In any other job you would not stay in post if you risked bringing the organisation into disrepute, so why is the Foreign and Commonwealth Office any different? The Prime Minister must act.

Ms Stuart’s role as Chair of Vote Leave and her refusal to apologise for the campaign’s illegal activities make her position at Wilton Park completely untenable.

Liberal Democrats demand better. I have urged the Prime Minister to review Ms Stuart’s appointment in light of the revelations about Vote Leave. British Government appointments must always be spotless. It is not clear this appointment passes that test.

Lib Dem victory on Mental Capacity Bill

Today the House of Commons is debating the Mental Capacity Bill which now includes huge concessions the Liberal Democrats secured from the Government.

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Caron Lindsay

How that conversation between May and Corbyn should go

By Caron Lindsay | Tue 2nd April 2019 - 10:05 pm

Tonight, Theresa May said she wanted to unite the country behind the deal which everybody hates. She was going to talk to Jeremy Corbyn so he could share the blame when it all goes wrong.

So Jeremy should walk into Number 10, give up his phone like we all have to, hand over a pot of home made jam to Theresa May and say:

“Ok, here’s how it is. Take your deal, put it back to the Commons and accept the Kyle Wilson amendment to give us a confirmatory referendum. It’ll pass tomorrow. I’ll whip for it. The Lib Dems, SNP, Plaid, Green and They Who Must Not be Named Because I Don’t Like Them will support it. You are free of the DUP and ERG. Enjoy your jam. Bye.

And then he should walk away in a more dignified fashion than when he legged it the other week because Chuka Umunna was there.

But I’m not going to be holding my breath for that scenario to unfold. In a reasonably lengthy interview with Sky News tonight he didn’t mention, nor was he asked, about a People’s Vote one single time.

So what’s this all about? Is May snuggling up to Corbyn in a desperate bid to make the ERG cave and back her deal this week?

It is, as Politics.co.uk’s Ian Dunt said on Twitter tonight, a very dangerous moment. The latest abyss on the road to the cliff edge. And it’s as much because of the (lack of) calibre of the Leader of the Opposition as it is the inadequacy of the Prime Minister.

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News Meerkat

+++Norman Lamb says he’s considering resigning the party whip

By News Meerkat | Tue 2nd April 2019 - 6:44 pm

From the Guardian Politics Live:

The senior Lib Dem MP Norman Lamb (he was not far off being elected leader in 2015) has told the BBC that he is considering resigning the party whip because he is so angry about how the Lib Dems acted in the indicative votes last night. Lamb voted for the customs union amendment, but around half of colleagues voted against it along with other MPs who did not want it to succeed because they want a second referendum instead.

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The Voice

ICYMI Jo (and Gabriel) at People’s Vote march

By The Voice | Tue 2nd April 2019 - 1:30 pm

It’s been a traumatic few days.

Here’s a reminder of why we’re fighting to save this country from Brexit – Jo Swinson speaking to the People’s Vote march 10 days ago with little Gabriel in his sling, completely unphased by the whole thing.

Enjoy.

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NewsHound

LibLink: Christine Jardine: All consuming Brexit is making this country a less caring place

By NewsHound | Tue 2nd April 2019 - 10:25 am

Sarah Newton resigned as Disabilities Minister 3 weeks ago but she still hasn’t been replaced.

In her Scotsman column this week, Christine Jardine outlined why a new minister was needed and soon.

The Personal Independence Payments system is broken, she said, highlighting a local example:

Alexandra Mitchell from Cramond, has already highlighted the shortcomings. Born with a disability and entitled to a Motability car for years, she was mysteriously told she no longer qualified for the support, with no adequate reasoning behind the decision. Although we managed to have the decision overturned on appeal that, in itself, is not good enough. Nor is it an isolated, or even unusual, incident.

That wasn’t the end of the story, though, for Alexandra:

I again raised the case of Alexandra Mitchell who has now been told that there is an ‘end date’ of her lifelong disability. Wow, who knew the department had such powers? That they could end disability at the stroke of a pen. They can’t. And to get to the bottom of why the department thought it could, I was due to have a meeting with the Minister for Disabilities in the very week she decided that she could no longer stomach her own Government’s approach to Brexit. Since then, there has been nobody in Government tasked with addressing those issues, of which there are so many, that myself and other MPs have been keen to raise. Fortunately I had also arranged a meeting with Amber Rudd, the current Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, to ask if she would consider changes to a Universal Credit system that has proven not fit for purpose. Again Brexit, as ever, intervened and foreshortened our meeting, but not before I had grasped the opportunity to confront the Secretary of State with the problem. To be fair, she asked me to send details of Alexandra’s case directly to her and I have.

Christine highlighted the ridiculous amount of money that the Government spends on holding appeals, most of which are upheld:

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Caron Lindsay

There is a staggeringly simple solution to the Brexit impasse

By Caron Lindsay | Tue 2nd April 2019 - 8:40 am

Think about it.

Ken Clarke’s customs union backed by 273 MPs

People’s Vote backed by 280 MPs

May’s deal backed by 286 MPs and falling

All you need to get a majority in the House of Commons is 326.

So at most another 49 votes.

So it is clear that something would pass if it had a People’s Vote attached to it.

I am glad that most of our MPs either voted against or abstained from options that would have had us leave on 22nd May without a People’s Vote.

Ken Clarke’s for example with another 9 Lib Dems and 35 SNP and 4 PC is almost  there if it has a PV attached.

May’s deal with all of the above is there even with some Labour not voting for it and the DUP and ERG is irrelevant.

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The Voice

1 April 2019 – today’s press releases

By The Voice | Tue 2nd April 2019 - 12:07 am

Davey: Knife crime epidemic demands a properly funded public health approach

The Liberal Democrats have today warned that the knife crime epidemic won’t be resolved by “imposing legal duties without providing additional resources” and have called for the Government to properly fund a public health approach.

The call comes as the Prime Minister hosts a youth violence summit in Downing Street today.

Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Ed Davey said:

Knife crime is an epidemic, and like any epidemic tackling it requires a public health approach.

Police, teachers, health professionals, youth workers and social services all have an important

…

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Caron Lindsay

Indicative votes open thread

By Caron Lindsay | Mon 1st April 2019 - 9:25 pm

So how did Liberal Democrat MPs vote in the indicative votes taking place tonight.

What’s on offer?

There’s C – Ken Clarke’s customs union, sponsored by Norman Lamb but most Lib Dem MPs will abstain. Wera Hobhouse voted against last week.

D – Nick Boles’ Common Market 2.0, again sponsored by Norman Lamb. Ours are expected to abstain because it, like C, is implemented by 22 May without a confirmatory referendum.

E – The Kyle/Wilson/Beckett confirmatory referendum one. All ours should be voting for this

G – Joanna Cherry/s and Dominic Grieve’s brilliant amendment which could have been written by Cambridge Lib Dem activist Sarah Brown. Two years ago, she suggested revoking Article 50 and having a conversation about where we wanted to go as a nation. Grieve and Cherry suggest an inquiry into the Brexit process. That could certainly highlight the extent of the Vote Leave law breaking and find solutions to the problems that made people vote leave. Norman Lamb abstained on the similar amendment last week but the others should all vote for it.

What have our MPs said about their votes?

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Fiscal Rules and Land Value Tax

By Joe Bourke | Mon 1st April 2019 - 8:00 am

Much of the debate around austerity has focused on three principal areas; the underfunding of key public services at both national and local government level, welfare reforms and the adverse effects of constrained public spending on economic growth.
As a general fiscal rule when the economy is operating at what is considered by the Treasury as normal capacity with relatively low levels of employment, tax receipts should be sufficient to cover outgoings including the amortised cost of prior capital expenditure i.e. there is no structural deficit. In normal times, capital expenditure and the associated borrowings will be budgeted to allow for …

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The Voice

1 April 2019 – the overnight press releases…

By The Voice | Mon 1st April 2019 - 6:45 am

Lib Dems introduce no confidence legislation to solve Brexit impasse

Today Liberal Democrat Brexit Spokesperson, Tom Brake MP, will present a bill which would require the Prime Minister to resign should the House of Commons pass a motion of no confidence in her.

Speaking ahead of the Bill’s presentation, Tom Brake said:

As the Prime Minister continues to ignore Parliament’s rejection of her deal, it becomes increasingly clear how blinkered she has become.

With rumours of a fourth vote on the Prime Minister’s deal and no commitment from May that she will respect the indicative votes this week, it becomes clear that the House

…

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