Category Archives: News

Sarah Olney bids to become candidate for Mayor of London

By Mary Reid | Thu 10th September 2026 - 5:03 pm

Today Sarah Olney MP officially launched her bid to become the Liberal Democrat candidate in the London Mayoral election, which will take place in May 2028.

In her campaign to be selected as the candidate she stated that these are her priorities for London:

Making London the most business-friendly city in the world: By harnessing the power of London’s unparalleled business community and creating a Deputy Mayor for Business, elected by a consortium of business leaders based in London.

Improving the quality of London’s housing: Empowering renters, landlords and developers to raise housing standards; to boost energy efficiency, tackle mould & damp and guarantee accessibility.

Building more homes across London: Challenging Khan’s self-admitted failure on housing, by building more homes for the communities that need them, including through community-led housing, estate regeneration, and reviewing affordability and fast track requirements to bring in sustainable investment.

Connecting London with improved transport links: Halting cuts to bus services and tackling delays, while bringing all river crossings under a single strategic authority so vital arteries like Hammersmith Bridge are never again left to fall into disrepair and that important links like Canary Wharf-Rotherhithe crossing are delivered.

A safer city for all: Reversing the closure of police station front counters and putting victims back at the centre of policing culture, with a prompt, transparent and accountable process for every Londoner who reports a crime or antisocial behaviour.

Website: www.sarah4london.com/

9 September 2026 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Wed 9th September 2026 - 10:30 pm

Scottish Lib Dems secure £7.6 million in neurodevelopmental support as government announces funding
Transport Secretary was “oblivious” about escape of flammable gas on embattled Arran ferry
Scottish Government must respect will of parliament after it backs ferry compensation for coastal areas
Murray backs parliamentary inquiries into party funding and Lord Advocate role in wake of Murrell embezzlement

Scottish Lib Dems secure £7.6 million in neurodevelopmental support as government announces funding

Responding to the Scottish Government announcing £7.6 million in funding to expand neurodevelopmental support, money which was secured by the Scottish Liberal Democrats in their negotiations during the 2026/27 budget, Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Adam Harley MSP said:

Scottish Liberal Democrats will always be the party of mental health, which is why we worked hard to persuade the government to make this important investment, and I am very pleased to see it being delivered today.

This money has the potential to make a big difference for children and families across the country, making sure that services get the funding they need to provide support.

From the opposition benches, with our newly expanded group of MSPs, we will continue to be the grown-ups of this parliament, providing strong and effective criticism, hunting for agreement where we can, to get things done for the people of Scotland.

Transport Secretary was “oblivious” about escape of flammable gas on embattled Arran ferry

Scottish Liberal Democrat Willie Rennie has said it is “unacceptable” that SNP Transport Secretary, Stephen Flynn, only became aware of a sudden and uncontrolled release of highly flammable methane gas on the Glen Sannox ferry, which occurred last year, when the MSP challenged him about it this morning.

During a meeting of the Scottish Parliament’s Transport Committee, Willie Rennie asked Mr Flynn whether he had been briefed about BBC reporting that highly flammable gas had escaped from the Glen Sannox in June last year while 82 passengers were on board.

In response, Mr Flynn said: “no”.

Mr Flynn also said that he would have to “familiarise himself” with the incident, and that he was not listening or watching the news before attending the meeting of the committee.

Director of Ferries and Ports for Transport Scotland, Chris Wilcock, also failed to provide an explanation for what had happened.

700kg of the gas, enough to fill a four-bedroom house, was vented from the side of the Glen Sannox for 12 minutes as it was sailing from Arran to the mainland. CalMac described it as a “critical failure”.

Commenting after the meeting of the committee, Mr Rennie said:

This was a significant incident involving an uncontrolled escape of highly flammable gas, on board a ferry that has been troubled for quite some time and which was carrying 82 passengers.

The Transport Secretary promised to be transparent, but it has taken a year before the public was told about this incident.

The details of what had happened were all over our national broadcaster from midnight last night, but Mr Flynn seemed to be oblivious.

It is unacceptable that the Transport Secretary did not know about this incident. It cannot be allowed to happen again.

Scottish Government must respect will of parliament after it backs ferry compensation for coastal areas

Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP for the Highlands and Islands Morven-May MacCallum has today said that the SNP government must now “do the right thing” and compensate coastal communities impacted by ferry disruption, after parliament backed a Scottish Liberal Democrat amendment calling for this funding.

Also posted in Press releases and Scotland | Tagged adam harley, ferries, mental health, morven-may maccallum, peter murrell, susan murray and willie rennie | Leave a comment

Lib Dem Women chair Donna Harris writes to Reform over violent ejection of woman protester

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 9th September 2026 - 9:18 am

There’s not going to be anything to please liberals or progressives at a Reform conference, but what happened to a woman protester should disgust everyone, not matter their politics.

From LBC:

One woman who stood up to disrupt the speech can be seen in video footage being removed from the room. While several security guards remove her, members of the crowd appear to grab at her face and hair, and hit her with a walking stick.

The woman told LBC: “Yesterday I was hit and grabbed by the hair and by my jaw by attendees at the Reform UK conference after calling out Nigel Farage for being a conman during his keynote speech.

“All of this was just 2 hours after Sarah Pochin announced Women for Reform, cynically claiming that migrants are the ones women like me should be afraid of, as opposed to members of their own political party.

“I think it’s dangerous that Reform cannot be trusted to hold their members accountable.

“Nigel Farage himself, as well as members of the audience, are inciting this violence by celebrating assaults like the one I experienced.

“In fact, this morning Lee Anderson joked, joked about it by offering to buy a new cane for the man who assaulted me, which I think is simply pathetic.

Donna Harris chairs the official organisation representing women in the Liberal Democrats, Lib Dem Women. She has written to Nigel Farage and Robert Jenrick to express LDW’s “disgust” at the way the woman was treated and how the men in Reform have reacted since to minimise and trivialise the incident, with Lee Anderson offering to buy their delegate a new walking stick.

The full text is below.

Tagged lib dem women, reform and violence against women and girls | 1 Comment

8 September 2026 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Tue 8th September 2026 - 11:59 pm

Dunlop responds to embargoed PISA report
Scottish Lib Dems seek urgent meeting with Justice Secretary over violence against women
PISA shows almost two thirds of pupils suffering from lack of assisting staff
Harley: A&E waits are totally unacceptable
Chou Turvey comments on 14% rise in domestic abuse charges reported to Crown Office

Dunlop responds to embargoed PISA report

Responding to the embargoed news that Scotland has recorded its worst ever results for reading and maths in the PISA international comparison of 91 countries’ education systems, Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Duncan Dunlop MSP said:

Once the best in the world, Scottish education just isn’t what it used to be. Under the SNP, our education system has tumbled down the rankings, lagging behind England on every measure of performance. This report makes for brutal reading.

Pupils with additional support needs aren’t having their needs met, too many pupils are frequently absent, and classrooms are more violent than ever before.

Pupils, parents and teachers feel let down. They deserve better.

Scottish Liberal Democrats want to give real power to schools, head teachers and communities because they know what pupils in their area need best. That’s on top of our plans to end the use of short-term and zero hours contracts for teachers and recruit 2,000 more pupil support assistants so that children who need extra help are able to receive it.

All of this is how we can give every child the best start in life and get Scottish education back to its best.

Scottish Lib Dems seek urgent meeting with Justice Secretary over violence against women

Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Yi-pei Chou Turvey MSP has today sought an urgent meeting with Neil Gray, Scottish Justice Secretary, after failing to receive a response to her party’s letter to the First Minister about tackling violence against women, which was sent more than two months ago.

In her letter to Neil Gray, the Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP said there is a “growing backlog of promised measures that seem nowhere close to being delivered”.

During First Minister’s Questions, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton called on John Swinney to act with urgency to tackle violence against women and girls. He said that it should not take victims, including those like Vikki Soloman and Stacy Hunter, to lose their lives before proper action is taken.

Also posted in Press releases and Scotland | Tagged adam harley, domestic abuse, duncan dunlop, educational attainment, nhs waiting times, violence against women and girls and yi-pei chou turvey | 3 Comments

7 September 2026 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Mon 7th September 2026 - 11:35 pm

FM confirms government will put forward options to include MSPs in child protection scheme
Chancellor’s Speech – Wales still an afterthought to Labour
David Chadwick Launches Bid to Protect Cross-Border Patients

FM confirms government will put forward options to include MSPs in child protection scheme

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has today said that the Scottish Government must press ahead with measures to ensure that MSPs are subject to the same child protection and vulnerable adult checks as teachers and social workers.

In Scotland, Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) checks are a legal requirement for anyone with a regulated role, including teachers, social workers and sports coaches.

Failing these checks could mean being barred from regulated roles with children, regulated roles with adults or from both types of regulated roles.

However, an MSP is not a regulated role, meaning members do not presently have to complete PVG checks.

Scottish Liberal Democrats have been campaigning for many years for MSPs to be subject to the checks.

In a letter to the party, First Minister John Swinney has now announced that:

The government is preparing information to be provided to the Parliament for consideration on the disclosure system, the PVG scheme and options available in relation to elected representatives.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said:

MSPs regularly work with children and vulnerable adults in the course of their duties but are subject to none of the checks that a teacher or social worker would be.

Self-policing, which is what Scottish political parties have so far relied upon, simply doesn’t cut it.

We need to have measures in place that will directly prevent those working in politics from using their status to manipulate, target and exploit vulnerable people.

I’m glad that at last the Scottish Government are listening to Scottish Liberal Democrat proposals and I would urge the First Minister to ensure that they are swiftly passed into law.

My party is here to get things done, and making our politics a safer and better place with fewer scandals is a part of that effort.

Chancellor’s Speech – Wales still an afterthought to Labour

Responding to Chancellor John Healey’s speech on growth in Coventry this morning, David Chadwick MP, Welsh Liberal Democrat Westminster spokesperson, said:

The Chancellor talks about delivering growth in every postcode, but once again Wales appears to be an afterthought.

While the new partnership with the Cardiff Capital Region is welcome, there is no new guaranteed funding or projects for Cardiff or Wales attached to today’s announcement.

Wales has been shortchanged for too long, missing out on billions in rail investment and receiving a disproportionately low share of research and development funding.

These structural issues need to be addressed if we are serious about unlocking Wales’ economic potential.

Also posted in Press releases, Scotland and Wales | Tagged Alex Cole-Hamilton, child safety, cross border healthcare, david chadwick and Welsh economy | Leave a comment

Labour’s Local Government Reform hits a roadblock…

By Mark Valladares | Mon 7th September 2026 - 2:42 pm

For those of us in local government at whatever tier, the Government’s proposals for local government reform, requiring the abolition of principal authorities across England and their replacement with a smaller number of unitary authorities, have caused much activity.

But the news emerging that the proposals are to be suspended and, in some cases, scrapped, will come as a huge surprise to many. We’re waiting for an official response from the Party but, in the meantime, Justin Griggs, head of communications at the National Association of Local Councils, writes:

Based on information released ahead of the statement, decisions relating to reorganisation in

…

Also posted in Local government | Tagged local government reorganisation | 3 Comments

Demand for action over 100,000 “horror” sewage spills

By The Voice | Sun 6th September 2026 - 10:00 pm

Scottish Liberal Democrat environment spokesperson Sanne Dijkstra-Downie has today written to the Cabinet Secretary Gillian Martin demanding that the SNP start taking the sewage crisis seriously as new Scottish Water monitoring revealed that sewage discharges last year were four times as high as previously recorded.

This comes after Scottish Water published data from 1,009 newly installed sewage overflow monitors, which means annual monitoring data is now available for 30% of sites, compared to 6% in previous years.

Figures published by the government-owned water company earlier this week show that in 2025 alone:

100,041 discharges were logged, up from 24,398 incidents in 2024 –

…

Also posted in Press releases and Scotland | Tagged sanne dijkstra-downie and sewage dumping | 4 Comments

Green asks Offord if Reform UK Scotland has benefited from foreign donations

By The Voice | Fri 4th September 2026 - 10:40 pm

Scottish Liberal Democrat public service reform spokesperson David Green MSP has today written to Reform UK’s Scottish leader Malcolm Offord, asking if he will categorically rule out ever having accepted or benefited from foreign donations.

It follows a Channel 4 News documentary showing Nigel Farage and Reform UK advisors discussing how to secure a foreign donation for the party.

Two senior Reform UK officials have stepped down in the wake of the documentary.

Foreign donations to UK political parties are banned to make sure that democratic decisions reflect the will of UK citizens, not those from overseas.

David Green MSP said:

These laws apply to

…

Also posted in Press releases and Scotland | Tagged david green, political party funding and reform uk | 3 Comments

ALDC by-election report, 3rd September

By Joe Nutt | Fri 4th September 2026 - 6:28 pm

Six principal authority by-elections took place across England, Scotland, and Wales on Wednesday 2nd and Thursday 3rd September.

The Liberal Democrats were defending two key seats – one on Stroud District Council and another on Oxfordshire County Council. The SNP were defending two seats in Edinburgh, while the Greens defended one seat in Somerset and the Conservatives defended one seat in South Wales.

It was a fantastic week for the Liberal Democrats as we successfully held both of our defended seats with strong performances. We earned a commanding 64% of the vote in Stroud and surged by nearly 9 percentage points in Oxfordshire to protect a crucial single-seat council majority. Elsewhere, the SNP suffered two losses in Edinburgh to the Greens and Labour, while the Greens held off a Lib Dem challenge in Somerset and the Conservatives held in Rhondda Cynon Taf.

England

Oxfordshire CC, Chesterton & Launton

In Oxfordshire, the Liberal Democrats were defending a vital seat in the Chesterton & Launton division of Oxfordshire County Council. Following the 2025 county-wide elections – where the Liberal Democrats made historic gains to win majority control of the council from the Conservatives – keeping this seat was essential to protecting our administration’s majority.

This division was solid Conservative territory prior to our breakthrough, making this first defensive test a key milestone. Cllr Jim Hartley and the local team delivered a resounding result, expanding our vote share by +8.8% to reach 41.7% and comfortably pulling away from the second-placed Conservatives.

Huge congratulations to Cllr Jim Hartley and the Oxfordshire team on a vital and impressive victory!

Lib Dem (Jim Hartley): 985 (41.7%, +8.8%)

Conservative: 683 (29.0%, +0.7%)

Reform UK: 547 (23.2%, -3.5%)

Labour: 75 (3.2%, -2.3%)

Green Party: 71 (3.0%, -3.6%)

Liberal Democrat HOLD

Stroud DC, Kingswood

Over in Gloucestershire, the Liberal Democrats were defending the Kingswood ward on Stroud District Council. Stroud has a unique council composition where the Green Party and Labour form the largest groups, with the Liberal Democrats holding two seats prior to this vote. The Green Party run a minority administration on this district council which is due to be abolished and replaced by a larger unitary authority in March 2028.

Despite the broader council dynamics, local electors delivered a massive vote of confidence in our local representation. Candidate Fred Hulls swept to victory, securing a dominant 64.0% of the vote share and leaving the second-placed Conservatives trailing by more than 48 percentage points.

Congratulations to Cllr Fred Hulls and the campaign team in Stroud on an outstanding hold!

Lib Dem (Fred Hulls): 442 (64.0%, -18.1%)

Conservative: 109 (15.8%, +6.4%)

Reform UK: 70 (10.1%, new)

Green Party: 40 (5.8%, +1.0%)

Labour: 30 (4.3%, +0.5%)

Turnout: 37.3%

Liberal Democrat HOLD

Tagged aldc local government by-elections | 3 Comments

Cole-Hamilton: Violence against women and girls demands action now

By The Voice | Thu 3rd September 2026 - 9:30 pm

At First Minister’s Questions, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP urged the government to act with urgency to tackle violence against women and girls, as he stated that it should not take victims, including those like Vikki Solomon and Stacey Hunter, to lose their lives before proper action is taken.

The Scottish Liberal Democrat leader has repeatedly pressed the government over their failure to implement important domestic abuse protections, which are still not in force despite being passed by parliament five years ago.

Scottish Liberal Democrats are calling for:

Homes with a history of domestic violence should be properly flagged for priority

…

Also posted in Press releases and Scotland | Tagged Alex Cole-Hamilton and violence against women and girls | Leave a comment

Cole-Hamilton responds to Swinney on BBC Radio

By The Voice | Wed 2nd September 2026 - 9:30 pm

Responding to John Swinney’s interview on BBC Radio Scotland, in which he failed to explain how his plans to cut the number of health boards did not amount to a centralisation, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

John Swinney has not explained how these plans are any different to the SNP’s previous centralisation projects. Rural communities have been seriously harmed by those schemes.

It is also not at all clear how exactly these plans would save money or help front line services that are struggling right now, including social care.

Communities should be in charge of decisions that directly affect them,

…

Also posted in Press releases and Scotland | Tagged Alex Cole-Hamilton, health policy and snp | Leave a comment

1 September 2026 – today’s press releases (part 2)

By Mark Valladares | Tue 1st September 2026 - 11:00 pm

McArthur sets out opposition to SNP’s food price consultation
Rennie responds to CalMac ferry costs rising by £20 million
Cole-Hamilton responds to Programme for Government
“What happens when the second fire starts?” – Baxter challenges Scottish Government over wildfire readiness

McArthur sets out opposition to SNP’s food price consultation

Responding to the Scottish Government launching a consultation on capping food prices, Scottish Liberal Democrat finance spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP said:

Farmers are warning that this will push them out of business, while retailers say it could lead to job losses.

The SNP love populist policy ideas which sound plausible and then backfire horribly.

What’s frustrating is that this kind of policy making ignores genuine solutions like Liberal Democrat calls for an investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority into potential profiteering by supermarkets and food multinationals.

We also want to see more support for farmers facing rising energy bills and costly red tape, so that Scottish farmers can get great value food on tables.

Rennie responds to CalMac ferry costs rising by £20 million

Responding to the project management costs for the construction of new CalMac ferries being built in Turkey rising by £20 million, with delays expected for all three vessels, Scottish Liberal Democrat transport spokesperson Willie Rennie MSP said:

Islanders and coastal towns will be looking at this news and thinking, here we go again.

They may also be wondering why SNP ministers can approve millions of pounds more for CMAL, but water down a promise of proper compensation for communities affected by ferry disruption.

John Swinney must set out a detailed programme for ferry construction so that islanders finally get the services they deserve.

Cole-Hamilton responds to Programme for Government

Responding to the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

Remote and rural communities will be particularly concerned that when the SNP promise reform, they actually mean taking away local services, removing local decision making and centralising towards Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Right now, ambulances crews are queuing up outside A&E, patients are being treated in corridors and NHS staff are worked to the point of burnout. Reform is necessary but it needs to have their interests at its heart. Big upheaval lasting years could deliver distraction instead of change. If you are a pregnant woman in Caithness or a cancer patient in the Borders, will this actually improve your care?

We were strong critics of the centralisation of the police, and in the early years we were shown to be right and sadly people lost their lives.

We are in favour of communities being in charge and are instinctively nervous about the proposed merger of health boards.

Also posted in Press releases and Scotland | Tagged Alex Cole-Hamilton, andrew baxter, ferries, fire service, food prices, liam mcarthur, scottish government and willie rennie | Leave a comment

1 September 2026 – today’s press releases (part 1)

By Mark Valladares | Tue 1st September 2026 - 10:30 pm

A big day in Scottish politics today, and the day’s press releases reflect that…

Cole-Hamilton: Programme for government must match Scotland’s talent
Chou Turvey responds to police officer illness and injury
Chou Turvey responds to SNP ministers failing to fund sexual offences court
Harley: Swinney must deliver for NHS in programme for government

Cole-Hamilton: Programme for government must match Scotland’s talent

Speaking ahead of John Swinney’s Programme for Government, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

The SNP’s programmes for government often read like a wish list to Santa that never got posted, leaving us to think of all the things that never got delivered.

Scotland deserves a government that will match the talent, creativity and ambition of its people.

The priorities of John Swinney’s agenda must be: fixing the crisis in social care to fix the NHS, using ever lever at the Scottish Government’s disposal to help with the cost of living, finally dualling the A9, ending the ferries fiasco, and getting Scottish education back to its best.

From the opposition benches, with our newly expanded group of MSPs, we will be the grown-ups of this parliament, providing strong and effective criticism, hunting for agreement where we can, to get things done for the people of Scotland.

Chou Turvey responds to police officer illness and injury

Responding to embargoed reporting by 1919 Magazine, which highlights that almost 3,000 Scottish police officers are unable to carry out their full operational duties due to illness or injury, Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Yi-pei Chou Turvey MSP said:

This is a staggering number of police officers who are unable to do their full job.

Many of these officers are struggling because of the spiralling demand on their time and the failure of the SNP government to properly support them.

Ministers need to stop asking police officers to perform the impossible. I will be using my voice in parliament to make sure the government finally steps up and meets the needs of officers and staff.

Chou Turvey responds to SNP ministers failing to fund sexual offences court

Responding to reporting in the Scotsman that SNP ministers have failed to bring forward any funding for their flagship sexual offences court, which they said would help cut the backlog of court cases, Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Yi-pei Chou Turvey MSP said:

The SNP have an exceptionally poor track record of making lots of commitments in legislation and then failing to do the practical work to implement them.

The sexual offences court is at risk of suffering the same fate as greater protections for domestic abuse victims, protections which were promised in law more than five years ago, but which have yet to be implemented.

I am concerned that the SNP’s approach to tackling violence against women and girls is a fundamentally superficial one: warm words that grab headlines but go nowhere.

Ministers must set out a timeline for the creation of a specialist sexual offences court. They must also clarify whether additional resource will be given to ensure the law is implemented.

Harley: Swinney must deliver for NHS in programme for government

Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Adam Harley MSP has said John Swinney must deliver for the NHS in his programme for government, as new figures revealed the worst ever A&E waiting times for July, high delayed discharges, thousands of people waiting more than a year for mental health care and increasing vacancies among nursing and midwifery staff.

Also posted in Press releases and Scotland | Tagged adam harley, Alex Cole-Hamilton, healthcare, police numbers, scottish government, sexual violence and yi-pei chou turvey | Leave a comment

29-31 August 2026 – the long weekend’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Mon 31st August 2026 - 10:30 pm

Baxter to lead debate on wildfires in Scottish Parliament
Cole-Hamilton sets out expectations for Programme for Government
New record for sewage: Over 100,000 “disgusting” sewage dumps in 2025
Harley responds to hospital flow plan

Baxter to lead debate on wildfires in Scottish Parliament

As parliament returns from its summer recess, Scottish Liberal Democrat rural affairs spokesperson Andrew Baxter will lead a debate on wildfires, following the devastating blaze that raged across the Cairngorms for more than a month.

On Tuesday, MSPs will debate a motion brought forward by the Scottish Liberal Democrat member for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch.

As well as recognising the increasing threat of wildfires in Scotland, the motion highlights the Scottish Government’s flawed response to the Cairngorms blaze.

More than 2,500 hectares of moorland and forest were destroyed in the fire. It led to the evacuation of residents in Nethy Bridge, with smoke spreading all the way out to Aberdeen.

Ministers delayed chairing of the meeting of their Resilience Room, convened at times of emergency, by more than a week. When it was eventually held, the SNP government refused an offer of UK military support to help tackle the wildfire.

Scottish Liberal Democrats have also published a dossier exposing the state of the country’s fire service.

This revealed that:

Scottish Fire and Rescue had to pay almost £6 million in overtime payments last year, up by a third in the last five years from £4.5 million in 2021/22.
Mental health absences have skyrocketed, from 4,219 days lost in 2021/22 to 12,132 days in 2025/26.
Almost a third of full-time equivalent retained firefighter posts are unfilled.

Scottish Liberal Democrats are calling for a cross-party summit to learn the lessons of the response to the Cairngorms wildfire and to ensure that there is a concrete action plan going forward.

Commenting ahead of the debate, Andrew Baxter MSP said:

The Cairngorms wildfire has left an apocalyptic and desolate imprint on one of the most beautiful parts of the country.

It was not a one-off, freak weather event. Wildfires are now happening annually in Scotland; we need a government that is far more prepared, far more proactive when the next one inevitably strikes.

The Cairngorms fire was also the first major test of the new action plan that the government paraded earlier this year, but the unacceptable failings of their response show that this plan must be looked at again.

It’s also clear that the fire service doesn’t have the resources it desperately needs to deal with the growing threat of wildfires. Mental health absences among staff and a burgeoning overtime bill are only making things worse.

I hope that the Scottish Government agrees to our call for a cross-party summit. That’s the first, essential step in working with fire teams, local authorities, farmers, gamekeepers, businesses and more to prevent a devastating repeat of this summer.

Cole-Hamilton sets out expectations for Programme for Government

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today said that the First Minister should be focused on four key areas in his programme for government: delivering first-rate healthcare, help with the cost of living, getting Scotland’s roads and ferries moving and returning Scottish education to its best.

Also posted in Press releases and Scotland | Tagged adam harley, Alex Cole-Hamilton, andrew baxter, fire service, hospitals, sanne dijkstra-downie, scottish parliament and sewage dumping | Leave a comment

28 August 2026 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Fri 28th August 2026 - 10:30 pm

Green responds to independence bill
Almost 500 repairs needed in Scottish police buildings
Cole-Hamilton responds to SNP’s first 100 days failure
Chamberlain responds to serial rapist police officer passing vetting checks

Green responds to independence bill

Responding to the Scottish Government publishing a draft referendum bill on independence, Scottish Liberal Democrat public service reform spokesperson David Green MSP said:

Yawn.

Almost 500 repairs needed in Scottish police buildings

Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Yi-pei Chou Turvey MSP has today urged the SNP to “wake up” to the pressures facing the justice system, as she revealed that there are almost 500 repair works needed in police buildings across the country.

A Scottish Liberal Democrat freedom of information request to Police Scotland asked for the detail of repair works raised in condition surveys.

These surveys outline the physical state of police buildings and any work that requires attention.

The request found that:

There are 460 works requiring attention in 175 police buildings across Scotland.
57 of these works related to fire safety.
33 related to security, while 28 related to roofing.
Police stations in Glasgow have some of the highest number of repairs requiring attention, with 10 needed at the London Road Station, 10 at Meiklewood Road Complex and 8 at Govan Police Station.
The Scottish Police College in Tulliallan has 17 repairs requiring attention

The 2026 condition surveys estimated that these works would cost £20,671,609.

The request also found that an investment of £510 million is required to maintain and upgrade the police estate in line with modern policing needs.

In 2024, Police Scotland shut down its Forfar HQ due to concerns around the building’s structural safety, water ingress and potentially dangerous airborne yeasts and moulds. Lying empty ever since, there are now plans to sell the building, but there is no indication of when it will go on the market.

Also posted in Press releases and Scotland | Tagged Alex Cole-Hamilton, david green, policing, scottish independence, snp government, violence against women and girls, wendy chamberlain and yi-pei chou turvey | 1 Comment

ALDC by-election report, 17th August

By Joe Nutt | Fri 28th August 2026 - 2:25 pm

Five principal authority by-elections took place across England on Thursday 27th August.

Labour were defending two seats (in Wandsworth and Sheffield), Reform UK were defending two seats (in Newcastle and St Helens), and the Conservatives were defending one seat in Dover.

The standout performance of the week for the Liberal Democrats came in Newcastle, where an extraordinary campaign saw us vault from 5th place all the way into a clear 2nd with a massive 24.3 percentage point surge in vote share. Elsewhere, Reform UK gained a seat from Labour in Sheffield while losing another to Labour in St Helens, and the Green Party unseated the Conservatives in Dover.

Newcastle City Council, Throckley, Walbottle and Newburn

In Tyneside, the Liberal Democrats delivered an exceptional result in the Throckley, Walbottle and Newburn ward on Newcastle City Council following a councillor resignation.

This result comes against the backdrop of a historic milestone on Newcastle City Council earlier this May, when the Liberal Democrats became the largest party on the council and formed a minority administration supported by confidence and supply from the Green Party.

Supported by a grant from ALDC’s Fighting Fund, Stephen Kelly and the local campaign team delivered a stunning campaign in what has historically been tough territory for us. We rocketed from 5th place straight into 2nd, boosting our vote share by a massive +24.3% to finish within striking distance of Reform UK, while pushing Labour down into 3rd place. This outstanding momentum sets up a fantastic springboard for the next set of local elections in this division.

A huge thank you and congratulations to Stephen Kelly and the entire campaign team in Newcastle for an inspiring result!

Reform UK: 901 (39.0%, -4.8%)
Lib Dem (Stephen Kelly): 670 (29.0%, +24.3%)
Labour: 534 (23.1%, -5.9%)
Green Party: 103 (4.5%, -9.2%)
Conservative: 101 (4.4%, -4.4%)

Reform UK HOLD

Tagged aldc local government by-elections | 10 Comments

Welsh Lib Dems: Burnham must back Wales with more than words

By The Voice | Thu 27th August 2026 - 11:15 pm

Responding to Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s comments in Port Talbot today, Welsh Liberal Democrat spokesperson David Chadwick MP said:

Burnham says his visit to Port Talbot sends a powerful signal to the community, but he still hasn’t actually committed to Wales receiving its fair share of the £2.5 billion steel fund, the single biggest decision that could benefit Port Talbot and the wider economy.

Our priority is securing the powers that will make the biggest difference to people’s everyday lives, from rail and infrastructure investment to research and development funding to the Crown Estate.

Most fundamentally, Burnham is still refusing to look at

…

Also posted in Press releases and Wales | Tagged david chadwick | 1 Comment

Happy Birthday to us!

By Mary Reid | Thu 27th August 2026 - 12:36 pm

Lib Dem Voice was launched 20 years ago today, on 27th August 2006.

In that time we have published 38,490 posts and 530,761 comments, and each has been lovingly read and edited by our team. Our Founding Editors were Mark Pack, Rob Fenwick and Will Howells and they were joined in by Stephen Tall and Richard Huzzey. You can see a full list of current and past editors here: The Liberal Democrat Voice team.

Over the years more than 3000 people have contributed posts. Our current Editor, Caron Lindsay, has penned an astonishing 4311 posts for LDV, just beating Mark’s 4106.

Here are a couple of memorable posts from the past:

+++Breaking: Stephen Tall completes charity naked run as promised (and the full evidence here on the BBC: Lib Dem blogger’s naked run after election bet – BBC News)
LDVideo: So you want to watch 6mins 23secs of Lembit Öpik in a wrestling ring? You got it…
Liz Truss revealed as deep cover Liberal Democrat “sleeper” agent – with that photo of her campaigning with Mark Pack. (Hang on, that might have been an April Fool)

Do add links in the Comments to other historic posts that readers might enjoy.

We have marked the passing of some great and interesting politicians.

Liberal Democrat Voice pays tribute to Shirley Williams – personal memories from the LDV team
Tribute: HRH Nana Gyamera-Gyechie I (Godfried Eugene Gyechie) – a former Lib Dem councillor who was enthroned as a Prince in Ghana
More warm tributes to Bob Maclennan
Moving message from Tim Farron about Jo Cox MP’s murder
Nelson Mandela – the long walk is over

April Fool’s posts have hoodwinked a surprising number of (presumably) rational Lib Dems.

Tagged featured | 1 Comment

26 August 2026 – today’s (other) press releases

By Mark Valladares | Wed 26th August 2026 - 10:30 pm

Dunlop: What is the Scottish Government doing to stop care-experienced young people dying prematurely?
Harley responds to extension of GP walk-in centres
Burnham Wales Visit – Wales doesn’t need another Labour listening exercise, Wales needs action

Dunlop: What is the Scottish Government doing to stop care-experienced young people dying prematurely?

Following a UK Government review into deaths among young people with experience of the care system in England, Scottish Liberal Democrat children spokesperson Duncan Dunlop MSP highlighted that the scale of the tragedy is “no different” in Scotland.

An independent UK Government review estimates that young people who are leaving the care system in England are dying at three to four times the rate of other people their age.

More than a third of the deaths examined by the review were believed to be suicides.

The Liberal Democrat MSP used his maiden speech in the Scottish Parliament to tell the stories of young people in Scotland whom the state has failed.

He has also repeatedly pressed the SNP government to commit to publishing the premature death rates of all care-experienced people, ensuring that a mechanism is in place to monitor progress.

Duncan Dunlop MSP said:

I got into politics because I want to transform the lives and outcomes of Scotland’s care-experienced young people.

The findings of the UK Government’s review are nothing short of tragic, and the horrifying scale of that tragedy is no different in Scotland.

After leading a care charity for many years, I have seen first-hand the trauma experienced by young people in Scotland’s care system. I have also seen how they have been utterly failed by the SNP’s broken Promise.

I have repeatedly pressed the Scottish Government to sit down to work on this specific issue. As a bare minimum, I want to see them gathering a clear picture of the problem in Scotland, which is why ministers should commit to publishing the premature death rates of all care-experienced people.

By taking steps like this, we can start to reinvigorate efforts to transform care and ultimately save lives. The Scottish Government needs to get on with it.

Harley responds to extension of GP walk-in centres

Responding to the Scottish Government’s plans to extend the number of GP walk-in centres despite stubbornly low attendance rates among those that are already up and running, Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Adam Harley MSP said:

Also posted in Press releases, Scotland and Wales | Tagged adam harley, care leavers, david chadwick, duncan dunlop, gp waiting times and labour | 1 Comment

Scottish Lib Dems object to huge Scottish Water bonuses

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 26th August 2026 - 8:30 pm

We’re used to hearing about bosses of English Water companies getting rewarded for failure, but north of the border, things are just as bad, if not worse. It’s particularly egregious to see publicly owned Scottish Water pay out £250,000 in bonuses to senior management when the company’s record is far from unblemished.

Scottish Lib Dem Leader Alex Cole-Hamilton and Emvironment spokesperson Sanne Dijkstra-Downie have written to John Swinney to ask him how such bonuses could be justified. They said:

Dear John,

We are writing to you following the publication of Scottish Water’s annual report, which included the executive members’ renumeration for 2026.

The report shows that executive members have received more than £250,000 in bonuses over the past year. It comes at a time when billions of litres of sewage are being discharged into Scotland’s rivers, lochs and beaches every year. New research has also suggested that almost all raw sewage spills in Scotland could be illegal.

Meanwhile, ongoing pollution incidents at Portobello Beach, a designated bathing water, have led to the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) advising the public against entering the water. Indeed, analysis has found that Portobello Beach recorded E.coli levels ten times above the safe limit. Wardie Bay, a popular wild swimming spot in the north of the city, has also experienced problems with water pollution, with a sewage pollution alert issued this month.

The continued water-quality issues at Kinghorn Beach means that the site faces being stripped of its designated bathing water status if it receives a fifth successive “poor” SEPA rating. The watchdog said that the water could be a risk to human and animal health.

As you will be aware, the bonuses paid to Scottish Water are only to be payable if the organisation meets its performance targets, which includes measures like customer satisfaction and a reduction in incidents. It is extremely difficult, therefore, to understand why such high bonuses continue to be paid when sewage discharges are consistently high and popular beaches are being forced to close.

Indeed, these bonuses will simply seem unjustifiable, especially for the many people who have been directly impacted by sewage problems and pollution at some of the country’s most beloved bathing spots. It is not at all clear how Scottish Water, a public body, is being properly held to account when these bonuses persist despite consistently disappointing performance.

Will you, therefore, explain why such high bonuses continue to be paid out and what, if any, consideration is given to significant factors like sewage dumps and beach closures in the decision to pay them?

We look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely,

Alex Cole-Hamilton

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader and MSP for Edinburgh North Western

Sanne Dijkstra-Downie

Scottish Liberal Democrat environment spokesperson and MSP for Edinburgh Northern

I suspect we may have seen the subject of Alex’s first First Minister’s Question of the new session next week.

Christine Jardine MP used a recent Scotsman column to criticise the bonuses too:

Tagged alex cole-hamiton, sanne dijkstra-downie, Scotland and scottish water | 6 Comments

Ed Davey on “unfair mean and nasty” attacks on Jason Arday

By The Voice | Wed 26th August 2026 - 7:23 pm

Ed Davey has spoken to Politics Home about the death of Jason Arday following an extended period of vicious press coverage.

Davey told PoliticsHome that parts of the media had seemed to “focus in on it and attack him in a way which seems awfully disproportionate, unfair, mean, and nasty”.

What it shows is that we have to push back against this Trump-like attack on liberal values where we embrace everybody equally and respect everybody.

“There seems to be a movement, particularly on the right, to move away from the liberal progress I thought we made, where we respect people, we judge them on their merit, and we celebrate the contribution that everybody made.”

3 Comments

25 August 2026 – yesterday’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Wed 26th August 2026 - 9:36 am

Police submit first charge file relating to Mohamed Fayed
Rennie urges Dalzell investigation amid reports of misuse of taxpayer money
Almost 10,000 waiting on care package or assessment
SNP urged to change course to get 770,000 Scots treated
Harley: Pause GP walk-in centres as low attendance rates persist
Chou Turvey responds to recorded crime increases
Green: SFC report shows public sector reform falling short

Police submit first charge file relating to Mohamed Fayed

Commenting on the update from the Metropolitan Police that Operation Cornpoppy detectives have submitted a file to the Crown Prosecution Service for a Charge decision, Dave Robertson MP and Wendy Chamberlain MP, Co-Chairs of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Survivors of Fayed and Harrods – the cross-party campaign in Parliament – said:

This will be a huge moment for many survivors – whether this first charging decision relates to them or not.

As a group they have been waiting years, and in some cases decades, for justice.

We are pleased to see the Metropolitan Police pushing ahead in its investigation by referring this charging decision to the Crown Prosecution Service.

We recently met with the force, who assured us that progress on the investigation is accelerating, and we will keep supporting survivors to be heard by the all the institutions involved in this case.

They deserve certainty that every aspect of the abuse they suffered at the hands of this trafficking network will be pursued to the fullest extent possible.

Rennie urges Dalzell investigation amid reports of misuse of taxpayer money

Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Willie Rennie has today written to Cabinet Secretary Stephen Flynn urging him to investigate significant allegations about the operation of the Dalzell steel plant, including misuse of taxpayer money, non-payment of pension payments, theft, collapsing maintenance standards and the sourcing of steel slab from Kazakhstan, after he was approached by a number of sources at the plant over recent goings on.

Mr Rennie’s letter is as follows:

Dear Stephen,

I am writing with regard to the Dalzell steel plant.

This is an issue that I have taken an interest in over the years as I wish to see Scotland maintain domestic steel capacity.

At this stage you will be familiar with the travails of the site’s present owner Sanjeev Gupta and his GFG Alliance business empire. I understand from recent media coverage that the Scottish Government are now investigating misuse of loans provided in respect to the Lochaber aluminium plant, also part of Mr Gupta’s network.

I have recently been contacted by a number of sources at the Dalzell plant who raised a number of concerning issues and I am now writing to you to seek confirmation as to the following points and to ask what action your government will now take to ensure fair treatment for Scottish taxpayers and the workers at the plant:

• Whether it is correct that rather than sourcing steel slab from British steelmakers, the Dalzell plant has been sourcing raw materials from Kazakhstan?

• What engagement the Scottish Government has had with bosses at the Dalzell plant given that the plant has been effectively mothballed for the past twelve months with workers on reduced payments?

• Whether it is correct that payments into the employees pensions have stopped as Aviva will not accept the payments that the plant’s operators are forwarding due to concerns over the source of these payments?

• Whether the Scottish Government assesses that there are major issues that will stop the plant from running in the very near future? My contact is warning that the furnaces that heat the slabs are on their knees due to lack of maintenance and investment.

• Whether it is accurate to say that there is now a shortage of fitters and electricians?

• What action the Scottish Government has taken in response to reports that the plant was ransacked and nearly every piece of copper stolen from it preventing the installation of key equipment?

• My contacts have also warned that the £7 million owed to the Scottish Government was not spent on the Dalzell plant but was in fact transferred elsewhere.

In my previous exchanges with Scottish Government ministers on this matter, I have been left concerned that no one has ever been able to explain whether or when government loans are likely to be paid back, whether Mr Gupta’s businesses are in breach of their deals with the government and what this could all mean for Scottish taxpayers.

I hope you will be able to furnish me with some answers,

Yours sincerely,

Willie Rennie

Almost 10,000 waiting on care package or assessment

Responding to new figures that show, 9,736 people were waiting to receive a social care package or to be assessed for one at the beginning of July, Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Adam Harley MSP said:

Also posted in Press releases and Scotland | Tagged adam harley, david green, health care, policing, public sector reform, steel industry, violence against women and girls, willie rennie and yi-pei chou turvey | Leave a comment

24 August 2026 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Mon 24th August 2026 - 10:30 pm

Almost 1,500 Scottish Water investigations into potential dry weather sewage spills
Chou Turvey responds to Rape Crisis report
Chou Turvey calls for better police officer support amid shoplifting rise
SNP must swap centralisation for reform to improve public services

Almost 1,500 Scottish Water investigations into potential dry weather sewage spills

Scottish Liberal Democrat environment spokesperson Sanne Dijkstra-Downie MSP has today revealed new figures showing that Scottish Water have conducted nearly 1,500 investigations into potential dry weather sewage spills.

Sewage dumping typically occurs when the sewage system is overburdened, often as a result of excessive rainfall. Sewage dumping on dry days is considered to be more damaging to the environment because discharges will not be diluted by rainfall. In England, releasing raw sewage into waterways during dry spells is illegal.

New figures obtained by Scottish Liberal Democrats using freedom of information legislation show that 3,867 alerts have been triggered for a potential dry weather sewage spill, and of these alerts 1,496 required maintenance or investigation in person, across 521 different sites.

Previously the scale of dry weather sewage spills in Scotland had not been known, although Environmental Standards Scotland reported that it believed Scottish Water and SEPA were underestimating the scale.

In his report into sewage dumping in Scotland ‘sewage sleuth’ Peter Hammond, portrayed by Jason Watkins in the Channel 4 TV show Dirty Business, found incidents of dry weather sewage dumping occurring at 3 sewage treatment works:

302 days where dry weather sewage spills occurred between 2018 and 2023 at Helensburgh WWTW
18 days where dry weather sewage spills occurred between 2018 and 2020 at Kilmory STW
96 days where dry weather sewage spills occurred between 2018 and 2019 and Tighnabruaich STW

Sanne Dijkstra-Downie said:

We already knew from Environmental Standards Scotland that dry weather sewage spills were being underestimated, but the number of potential incidents being shown here is very concerning.

Dry weather sewage spills are especially dangerous to the environment because sewage discharges will not have been diluted by rainwater. That’s bad news for people, pets and wildlife.

We need to see the Scottish Government finally start taking the sewage crisis more seriously. We have now had both the government’s own environmental watchdog and renowned sewage sleuth Peter Hammond call out the state of sewage dumping in Scotland but SNP ministers don’t seem interested.

Scottish Liberal Democrats want to see a Clean Water Act to take the sewage scandal seriously, track down and report every sewage dump, and replace outdated standards with modern enforceable regulation.

Chou Turvey responds to Rape Crisis report

Responding to a new report by the Scottish Rape Crisis Alliance that by 2028 almost 2,000 women and girls could be forced to wait months for specialist support after experiencing rape and sexual violence, Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Yi-pei Chou Turvey MSP said:

With reports of sexual violence now at their highest level in over 50 years, much more is needed to prevent these horrific crimes and support survivors.

Also posted in Press releases and Scotland | Tagged david green, public services, sanne dijkstra-downie, sewage dumping, sexual violence, shoplifting and yi-pei chou turvey | 1 Comment

ALDC by-election report, 20th August

By Joe Nutt | Fri 21st August 2026 - 6:02 pm

There were four principal authority by-elections across England on Thursday 20 August. Labour were defending two seats, Reform UK were defending one and there was one vacancy in Huntingdonshire where Reform had won one of the ward’s three seats at the May elections.

The Liberal Democrats were defending no seats this week, but produced the standout result of the night by gaining St Neots Eynesbury from Reform UK with a commanding swing of almost 30 percentage points. Elsewhere, Labour regained a Reform seat in Barnsley, Reform gained from Labour in Carlisle’s Harraby South, and Nottingham’s crowded six-way contest demonstrated how fragmented local politics has become in parts of the country.

Huntingdonshire DC, St Neots Eynesbury

The headline result of the week came in St Neots Eynesbury, where the Liberal Democrats overturned a Reform UK gain made only three months ago. In May’s district elections, Reform had won two of the ward’s three seats after the collapse of the long-standing St Neots Independent Group representation, while the Liberal Democrats finished third. This by-election represented an immediate opportunity to test Reform’s breakthrough here.

The wider political context made the contest even more significant. At the 2026 elections, the party won 20 seats to become the largest group on the council, overtaking the Conservatives, but remained short of an overall majority on the 52-seat authority. Since then, the minority administration has faced additional pressure after the Green Party just this week left the governing arrangement, leaving the Liberal Democrat and Independent administration operating on a knife edge. This gain lifts the administration’s combined strength to 26 seats, exactly half the council, which marginally strengthens its position.

St Neots itself has become one of the Liberal Democrats’ strongest parliamentary success stories too. The town sits within the St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire constituency won by Liberal Democrat MP Ian Sollom in 2024, and Eynesbury has seen significant housing growth over recent decades, creating an electorate that has become increasingly competitive between several parties.

Against that backdrop, Ian Taylor delivered an outstanding victory. His 1,024 votes and 47.9% share represented a remarkable 29.8-point increase on the previous Liberal Democrat performance, while his 377-vote majority over Reform UK sends a powerful signal about the value of sustained local campaigning.

Huge congratulations to Ian Taylor and the team on an exceptional gain that strengthens the Liberal Democrat administration in Huntingdonshire.

Liberal Democrats: 1,024 (47.9%, +29.8)

Reform UK: 647 (30.3%, +3.1)

Conservatives: 143 (6.7%, -3.8)

Green Party: 118 (5.5%, -12.5)

Labour: 104 (4.9%, new)

Independent: 102 (4.8%, new)

Turnout: 24.0%

Liberal Democrats GAIN from Reform UK

Tagged aldc local government by-elections | 9 Comments

Let’s celebrate: LDV turns 20 next week

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 19th August 2026 - 8:57 am

On 27th August 2006, LDV burst onto the blooging scene with a post suggesting that Simon Hughes was “certain to be challenged for the party presidency.”

Word reaches the Voice that weeks before the position had been advertised in Lib Dem News, party officials in Cowley Street received a call requesting a copy of the nomination papers for party President – the caller was not acting on behalf of Simon Hughes.

Word also reaches us that one potential candidate is positioning himself to blitz Autumn Conference with an army of supporters bearing nomination papers, to seize the momentum.

A Presidential contest is no bad thing – though there is an argument that there are better ways to spend the money. The Voice has been told that a proposal is being put to the Federal Executive to double the campaign expenditure limit – to £5000 per candidate.

Clearly this put off any rival as a month later...

Multiple unofficial, but reliable, sources tell the Voice that Simon Hughes will not face an election for the post of Party President.

PS This time I am assured the Voice is right, unlike the other time. I really am right this time. 100%. There’s a press release coming, and everything.

UPDATE: The party’s official announcement is here.

For other elections (Federal Executive, FCC etc) the timetable now is as follows:

The final opportunity for candidates to withdraw their nomination has passed
The final opportunity for candidates to submit manifesto artwork has passed
Ballot papers will be sent out on 16 October
They should be returned by 3 November
The results will be announced on 6 November

Well, at least we were noticed. By September 2006, LDV was posting several times a day and since then has been there through the tension of leadership elections, the anxiety and rage of the coalition years, the dark days that followed and the rebuild to our best ever General Election result in 2024.

We’ve reported on births, deaths, marriages, party controversies, policy ideas, conferences, speeches. We’ve showcased Lib Dem achievements at all levels of Government. We’ve tried to encourage our party to be the best it cam be. We’ll be looking back on our two decades as part of the Liberal Democrat community over the next, well, for as long as we feel like it.

Tagged lib dem voice | Leave a comment

Wendy Chamberlain highlights Afghanistan “gender apartheid”

By The Voice | Sun 16th August 2026 - 12:42 pm

There’s been a lot of coverage about the fifth anniversary of the fall of Kabul to the Taliban. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the desperate sight of people trying to get out while there was still a chance. The vast majority of them never did or could.

The Taliban originally tried to say that it was all fine and women would still be able to continue their education. The reality is that women have little legal status and fewer rights, and are essentially counted as property of the men in their lives.

Wendy Chamberlain chairs the All Party Parliamentary Group on Afghan Women and Girls which put out a statement this week.

The statement describes the “gender apartheid” faced by women and girls in Afghanistan:

For five years, millions of Afghan women and girls have lived under a system deliberately designed to erase them. They have been denied education, excluded from work, stripped of basic freedoms and silenced simply because they are women. This is not discrimination of isolation. It is the systemic oppression of half a population. It is gender apartheid.

As we mark this moment, we must also acknowledge that the international community has failed to reverse this trajectory. Afghan women and girls have shown extraordinary courage and resilience, continuing to resist despite immense personal risk. Yet they cannot be expected to shoulder this burden alone.

The United Kingdom must continue to stand firmly against any attempt to normalise or legitimise the Taliban while this system of gender apartheid remains in place. Recognition cannot come while the Taliban continue to deny the Afghan people their fundamental rights and freedoms. Whilst women and girls are the primary targets of the Taliban’s gender apartheid policies, all Afghans, including men and boys, continue to suffer under a totalitarian regime.

Tagged afghanistan and violence against women and girls | 3 Comments

ALDC by-election report 13th August

By Joe Nutt | Fri 14th August 2026 - 2:45 pm

There were two principal authority by-elections across England, Wales and Scotland this week, both held on Thursday 13 August. The Liberal Democrats were not defending either seat, with Reform UK defending Almondbury on Kirklees MBC and Labour defending Honiton St Michael’s on East Devon DC.

It was an excellent night for the Liberal Democrats, with gains in both wards. In Almondbury, Paola Davies returned to the council just three months after losing her seat as Reform swept all three positions at the May local elections. In Honiton St Michael’s, Rhys Wallis took a seat which Labour had won in 2023 but which had subsequently become vacant after its former councillor left the party and sat as an Independent.

Kirklees MBC, Almondbury

Almondbury produced one of the clearest reversals of the May local elections.

The May 2026 election was fought on new boundaries, with three councillors elected and 15 candidates standing. Reform won all three seats, with Gill Floyd, Pip Harvey and Craig Wiles finishing ahead of the three Liberal Democrat candidates. Poala Davies was the strongest-placed Liberal Democrat, on 1,755 votes, while Reform’s three candidates polled between 2,060 and 2,224.

Just weeks later, Wiles resigned from the council, triggering this by-election. That gave Davies the opportunity to return to the ward she had represented previously, and she did so in emphatic fashion. Her 671-vote majority over Reform is particularly striking given that the party had swept the ward only three months earlier. The Liberal Democrat campaign was supported by a grant from ALDC’s Fighting Fund.

The result also provides an important reminder that May’s Reform breakthrough throughout Kirklees was not necessarily a settled realignment. It shows a continued trend of Reform UK not being able to retain seats which they have won recently. It may point to voters not being satisfied with their performance in office, despite big promises and an appeal to the fresh and new when they first stand.

Huge congratulations to Paola Davies and the team on a superb return to the council.

Liberal Democrats: 1,749 (43.9%, +14.5)
Reform UK: 1,078 (27.0%, -10.0)
Conservatives: 528 (13.2%, +4.4)
Green Party: 347 (8.7%, -8.0)
Labour: 181 (4.5%, -3.4)
Independent: 103 (2.6%, new)

Turnout: 29.5%

LIBERAL DEMOCRAT GAIN from REFORM UK

East Devon DC, Honiton St Michael

Honiton St Michael has a particularly interesting recent electoral history. The ward was a three-member ward at the 2023 election, when the Conservatives won one seat, Labour gained one from the Conservatives and the Liberal Party gained one from the Liberal Democrats. Neither the Liberal Democrats nor Reform stood in that election.

Tagged aldc local government by-elections | 6 Comments

Nicola Sturgeon talks to Iain Dale at the Edinburgh Festival

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 9th August 2026 - 10:55 am

It’s that time of year again when Edinburgh transforms into one of the most exciting and occasionally bizarre places on earth.

You can be casually walking down the street and see people dressed up as genitals coming towards you. There are brilliantly creative street artists and ingenious living statues everywhere. It’s also absolutely hoaching with people and this year, with Princes Street remaining closed due to the awful fire last month, getting from A to B is even more frustrating – unless you walk.

LBC host Iain Dale is hosting his regular run of “All Talk” shows with politicians and media types and, as usual, I have tickets for a fair few of them.

His opening interviewee was former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. Opinions about her are very divided, even in this party. South of the border, Lib Dems often love her. North of the border, opinion can be more mixed. I love her. Always have. That’s not to say that I agree with her on everything – although if you take independence out of the picture, we have a lot in common.

Like her, I spent most of my childhood with my head in books. I could not get enough of them. Like her, the political bug hit me early and we both joined our respective parties when we were 16. Like her, feminism is (and always will be) one of the driving forces of my life.

Of course she made mistakes in Government. Who doesn’t? Failure is an integral part of being human. But she put in place the Scottish Child Payment which has at least prevented child poverty from getting worse in Scotland. That and the way she led the nation with clarity and reassurance during Covid (and before that Swine Flu as health secretary) will probably be her greatest legacies in office.

One of the reasons I have always liked her is that when she qualified as a lawyer, she went to work in a law centre, not for a swanky law firm. I always appreciate people who work to give access to justice to those who need it most.

Years ago, when a friend died, she showed me real kindness. She didn’t have to. I was a complete nobody from another political party. Things like that tell you a lot about what makes someone tick.

She tended to keep her sense of fun well hidden when she was First Minister, and nobody could ever accuse her of being lazy. I remember one of her friends saying that it was hard to get her to relax and finish up early the night before her wedding.

It was therefore good to see hungover, sweary Nicola Sturgeon yesterday. A skinful of red wine with friends after a few weeks off the booze had had a predictable effect. She started off by talking about the novel she is writing, a political thriller which is progressing slowly. She said she’d asked her friend the “Quine of Crime” Val McDermid, how to get through Writer’s Block. Val’s pithy response was “Stop faffing about on WhatsApp and write.”

She’s just finished filming War Games on Channel 4 which she enjoyed making. She plays the Deputy PM of the UK with a host of other former ministers and they make decisions, COBRA style, during a rapidly escalating crisis.

Tagged edinburgh festival, iain dale and nicola sturgeon | 4 Comments