Category Archives: News

The Voice

Ed Davey reacts to Kemi Badenoch becoming Conservative leader

By The Voice | Sat 2nd November 2024 - 12:19 pm

Ed Davey has congratulated Kemi Badenoch on her election as leader of the Conservative Party and has pledged that the Liberal Democrats will be providing the strongest opposition to the Labour Government:

I’d like to congratulate Kemi Badenoch on being elected leader of the Conservative Party. The election of the first Black leader of a major UK political party is a historic moment for the country.

Voters across the country believe her party is too divided, out-of-touch and unable to accept Conservative failures over the past years.

Continue reading »
Tagged , and | 7 Comments
Mark Valladares

1 November 2024 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Fri 1st November 2024 - 11:58 pm
  • GP and care home tax hike: Govt must not make same mistakes as Conservatives
  • Ed Davey warns inheritance tax change could create ‘lost generation’ of farmers
  • Conservative Leadership: contest has shown refusal to take responsibility for the damage they did
  • NICs hike: Govt must scrap “GP penalty” immediately
  • Cole-Hamilton responds to Edinburgh Halloween disorder
  • Cole-Hamilton: Next UK Conservative leader will not stand up for Scotland

GP and care home tax hike: Govt must not make same mistakes as Conservatives

Commenting on reports that GPs and care homes have voiced concerns about the rise in employer National Insurance Contributions announced in the budget, Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care Spokesperson Helen Morgan MP said:

After years of mismanagement by the former Conservative government, this budget was an opportunity to rescue GP surgeries from years of neglect.

We are urging the Chancellor to change course, and exempt GPs from a tax hike. This new government must not make the same mistakes as the Conservatives, fixing the GP crisis is crucial for saving the NHS.

If people can be checked quicker, fewer will end up in hospital for treatment. That’s better for patients, better for the NHS and better for taxpayers.

Ed Davey warns inheritance tax change could create ‘lost generation’ of farmers

  • Davey calls on the Chancellor to reverse changes made to farmers’ inheritance tax
  • The party has raised the alarm over concerns of a ‘lost generation’ of farmers
  • Around 70,000 farms will be impacted by the changes to the Agricultural Property Relief scheme
  • Lib Dem analysis of the Autumn Budget points to a £70m cut to DEFRA’s food and farming budget

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey has raised concerns over the Autumn Budget creating a ‘lost generation’ of farmers with a double hammer blow to rural communities. It comes as he visits an agricultural college in Maidenhead today with Lib Dem MP Joshua Reynolds.

Analysis by the party raised fears of a £70 million cut to DEFRA’s food and farming budget hidden in the fine print of the Chancellor’s plans, meaning even less government support for farmers who are already struggling after years of chaos and uncertainty caused by the Conservative Party.

In the Budget, the Chancellor also announced sweeping changes to the Agricultural Property Relief scheme which will impact around 70,000 farms. The Liberal Democrats have raised serious concerns that the changes will force many to sell up small family-owned farms – with young people in rural communities across the country robbed of a future in farming as a result.

Continue reading »
Also posted in Press releases and Scotland | Tagged , , , , , , , and | 10 Comments
Matthew Ma

ALDC By-Election Report, 31st October

By Matthew Ma | Fri 1st November 2024 - 7:45 pm

It’s an England exclusive week for by-elections as 7 are held on Halloween, with the Conservatives being the biggest losers on the spooky day. The Lib Dems gained 2 seats and lost 1 from and to the Tories, a net double of seats. A variety of parties also gained or held their seats this week: both the Green Party, Labour, and independents held onto 1, while Reform gained a seat from Labour.

The headline win for the Lib Dems this week was once again in Westmorland & Furness Council. In the Kirkby & Tebay ward, Cllr Adrian Waite gained the seat from the Conservatives with over 82.7% of the votes, more than double what the Lib Dems had last time around. Well done and congrats to Adrian and the team for getting a second overwhelming win in the council in two weeks!

Westmorland & Furness Council, Krikby Stephen & Tebay
Liberal Democrat (Adrian Waite): 887 (82.7%, +48.7%)
Conservative: 186 (17.3%, -24.6%)

The other gain of the Lib Dems, also from the Conservatives, belongs to Hampshire CC, Bishops Waltham ward. Similarly, Cllr Jonathan Williams also more than doubled the Lib Dem vote share to 52.2%, while the Conservative vote collapsed from over 50% to under 35%. Congratulations to Jonathan and the local team for the work put into flipping this ward yellow.

Hampshire CC, Bishops Waltham
Liberal Democrat (Jonathan Williams): 2210 (52.2%, +28.6%)
Conservative: 1431 (33.8%, -23.1%)
Green Party: 477 (11.3% -2.0%)
Labour: 115 (2.7%, -2.6%)

The final battleground ward between the two parties this week sees a Tories gain from the Lib Dems, the only Conservative representation in Stockport MBC as of present. In the Bramhall South & Woodford ward, Sandeep Kashyap kept the Lib Dem vote steady, falling short of first place by less than 200 votes. Thank you and well done to Sandeep and the team for fighting the good fight, it won’t be long until we’re back.

Stockport MBC, Bramhall South & Woodford
Conservative: 1909 (47.9%, +4.6%)
Liberal Democrat (Sandeep Kashyap): 1733 (43.5%, -1.4%)
Reform: 133 (3.3%, new)
Labour: 115 (2.9%, -4.2%)
Green Party: 95 (2.4%, -2.4%)

Continue reading »
Tagged | 4 Comments
Mark Pack

Mark Pack’s October report: Putting our plans in place for this Parliament

By Mark Pack | Fri 1st November 2024 - 12:06 pm

The benefit of more MPs, part 1

Who gets to present a Private Members’ Bill in the House of Commons with enough debating time to have a decent chance of passing is all down to luck. There is a literal ballot of MPs to see who gets to go first, who second and so on… All luck – except each party makes its own luck, because the more MPs it has, the more of its MPs can enter the ballot and the better the chances of some of your team coming up high in the ballot.

So it was both luck and election winning leaflets festooned with bar charts that meant two Lib Dem MPs came out very high up in the ballot for Private Members’ Bills in the House of Commons.

We now know what they are going to use their slots for. Max Wilkinson, who came second, is going to promote solar power. Roz Savage, who came third, is also promoting an environmental measure by reviving the Climate and Nature Bill.

The two other Lib Dems in the top twenty are Danny Chambers, with an animal welfare bill, and Wendy Chamberlain, previously successful with her Carer’s Leave Act, with a bill to lift the limits on fundraising through charity lotteries.

Good luck to them all.

The benefit of more MPs, part 2

Whatever the timing, it would always have been welcome news that the government is commissioning an independent review into the scandal of draconian penalties imposed on carers for innocent errors in benefit claims.

But it is no coincidence that it came the day before the Liberal Democrat instigated debate on this very topic in Parliament.

How many such opportunities we get – whether it is opposition day debates, questions at Prime Minister’s Questions or similar – is very closely and formulaically linked to how many MPs we have.

More MPs, more opportunities.

Budget and strategy

Continue reading »
3 Comments
Mark Valladares

31 October 2024 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Thu 31st October 2024 - 11:30 pm
  • Ed Davey: Exempt social care from National Insurance tax hike
  • Budget: online gambling tax “a missed opportunity” for fairer NHS and care funding
  • Govt makes new commitment to create a ‘national cancer plan’ at Lib Dem led debate
  • Scot Lib Dems respond to government ditching pilot of juryless trials

Ed Davey: Exempt social care from National Insurance tax hike

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey has called on the government to exempt social care from the employer’s National Insurance tax rise.

The Chancellor has provided extra funding for the NHS and other public sector organisations to cover the cost of the tax rise. However, the vast majority of care providers are private and so won’t benefit from this help.

98% of care providers – 18,000 organisations – are small employers. The Liberal Democrats have said care providers including care homes and those providing care in people’s homes should be exempt from the National Insurance tax hike.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

Hammering small businesses with a tax hike is the wrong choice. It will hit people’s wages and jobs, but it also risks worsening the NHS crisis by hiking costs for care providers and pushing some to the brink.

It just shows that yet again the government seems to have forgotten about care. At the very least, the Chancellor should be exempting social care from this costly jobs tax.

Budget: online gambling tax “a missed opportunity” for fairer NHS and care funding

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey is calling on the Government to double the tax on online gambling firms as a “much fairer” way to raise money for the NHS and social care.

Continue reading »
Also posted in Press releases and Scotland | Tagged , , , , , , and | 1 Comment
Callum Robertson

Who are our representatives on Select Committees in the new Parliament?

By Callum Robertson | Thu 31st October 2024 - 5:01 pm

This post updates our earlier one here.

The wonderful aspect of being a parliamentary party that is substantial in size is that we have had to have a set of internal appointments that matter greatly in terms of parliament and what our parliament prioritises over the next 5 years.

These appointments fit into two categories; select committee appointments, and front bench (spokesperson) appointments.

Now completed, the two sets of appointments will make a crucial difference to how we form a constructive opposition to the new government. You can view our spokesperson team here.

What are parliamentary committees?

Parliamentary Committees are committees with specific remits, challenged with the task of holding the government to account.

So who is who on the committees?

Committee on Standards

Remit: oversee the role of the Parliamentary Commissioner on Standards

  1. Anna Sabine

Committee on Privileges

Remit: to oversee parliamentary privilege. An example of their work was their investigation into the conduct of Boris Johnson

  1. Anna Sabine

Administration  Committee

Remit: how services provided to MPs and their staff work and how they are offered.

  1. Tessa Munt
  2. Max Wilkinson

Backbench Business Committee

Remit: deciding the business of the commons for roughly a day a week.

No Lib Dem nominations

Business and Trade Select Committee

Continue reading »
Tagged | 1 Comment
Mark Valladares

30 October 2024 – yesterday’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Thu 31st October 2024 - 7:30 am
  • Budget: Family farm tax will hit rural communities
  • Welsh Liberal Democrats comment in advance of Budget
  • Scot Lib Dems respond to UK budget
  • Budget: Family farm tax will be utterly devastating for rural Scotland

Budget: Family farm tax will hit rural communities

Responding to the Government’s changes to Agricultural Property Relief, Liberal Democrat Environment Spokesperson Tim Farron MP said:

This is a family farm tax which risks ringing the death knell for local farmers and the small businesses who rely on them. Small family-owned farms will also be hit by this and will be forced to sell up, with young people robbed of their opportunity to farm.

After years of the Conservatives taking rural communities for granted, it is deeply disappointing to see more of the same from this new government.

We’ll be fighting tooth and nail to protect family farms from these changes. Liberal Democrats backed British farmers by demanding an extra £1bn to support them during the election, and we’ll keep being a strong voice for our rural communities.

Welsh Liberal Democrats comment in advance of Budget

Commenting ahead of the 2024 UK Government budget, the Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds MS said:

The UK Government have the perfect opportunity to begin fixing the mess created by their Conservative predecessors.

Sky-high waiting lists are currently preventing thousands from receiving urgently needed healthcare, while out of control business rates are placing unnecessary pressures on our local businesses.

We want more money for our struggling NHS and social care services, so that the people of Wales are able to access healthcare services when and wherever they’re needed.

We want to see burden of any tax rises fall on the big banks, fossil fuel industries and big tech, not on our small local businesses.

By delivering a budget that works for the people of Wales, one which will support our public services and economy, we can begin to rebuild our economy for a brighter future.

Continue reading »
Also posted in Press releases, Scotland and Wales | Tagged , , , , and | Leave a comment
Mark Valladares

29 October 2024 – yesterday’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Wed 30th October 2024 - 11:20 pm
  • Social Care Crisis: We need cross party talks now
  • Cole-Hamilton: SNP have left A&E in permanent crisis
  • Cole-Hamilton comments as thousands wait on social care support
  • More than a quarter of kids have tooth decay

Social Care Crisis: We need cross party talks now

Responding to Wes Streeting’s comments on the morning round about the social care crisis, Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care Spokesperson Helen Morgan MP said:

The Government must urgently start cross-party talks on social care before it is too late.

The previous Conservative Government turned a blind eye to the crisis for far too long, leaving the care sector in the gutter.

This must be a budget to save the NHS from the brink of collapse, and that cannot happen without a proper plan to fix social care.

Cole-Hamilton: SNP have left A&E in permanent crisis

Responding to new figures showing only 63% of people attending A&E were seen within the 4 hour target in the week ending 20th October, while 3,408 people waited over 8 hours and 1,546 waited over 12 hours, Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

Continue reading »
Also posted in Press releases and Scotland | Tagged , , , , and | 4 Comments
Mark Valladares

28 October 2024 – Monday’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Wed 30th October 2024 - 10:18 pm
  • NHS Budget announcement: “deafening silence” on social care cannot continue
  • Starmer speech: burden of fixing Conservative mess must not fall on families and small businesses
  • Lib Dems: Labour’s bus tax will hit communities
  • Jardine: UK Budget must help fix the NHS and care
  • Rennie responds to bizarre Findlay speech

NHS Budget announcement: “deafening silence” on social care cannot continue

Responding to the government’s announcement that there are funding plans to deliver two million extra NHS appointments, Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care spokesperson Helen Morgan MP said:

The new funding is of course welcome but the deafening silence on social care cannot be allowed to continue.

Patients have

…

Continue reading »
Also posted in Press releases and Scotland | Tagged , , , , , , , and | Leave a comment
The Voice

Budget Special: Rachel Reeves speaks…

By The Voice | Wed 30th October 2024 - 3:34 pm

And so we have the first Labour budget, the first from a female Chancellor of the Exchequer too. And there’s an awful lot to take in – both tax and spend, as well as borrow, obviously.

In terms of numbers, what are the highlights?

Revenue items

  • The increase in Employer National Insurance Contributions from 13.8% to 15% – raising £25.7 billion per annum by 2029/30
  • Increasing the rates of Capital Gains Tax from 10% and 20% to 18% and 24% – raising £2.5 billion by 2029/30.
  • More HMRC staff in compliance and debt recovery – raising £6.5 billion by 2029/30.

Spending

  • Investing in public services – an

…

Continue reading »
Tagged | 23 Comments
The Voice

Black History Month – a message from Christine Jardine MP

By The Voice | Tue 29th October 2024 - 2:36 pm


October is Black History Month, a time to celebrate the contributions of the Black British community and reflect on their stories. This year’s theme, “Reclaiming Narratives,” urges us to challenge historical perceptions and fight ongoing racism and inequality.

Our Women and Equalities Spokesperson Christine Jardine MP reflects on our commitment to racial equality and highlights the challenges that remain:

I’m proud that Liberal Democrats are committed to fighting for racial equality. That means unequivocally condemning racism in all its forms and tackling injustice wherever we see it.

Continue reading »
Tagged | Leave a comment
Mark Valladares

28 October 2024 – the overnight press releases

By Mark Valladares | Mon 28th October 2024 - 7:35 am
  • Record number of floods in NHS hospitals as trusts experience three fires a day
  • Rennie responds to Findlay speech trail

Record number of floods in NHS hospitals as trusts experience three fires a day

There has been a record number of floods recorded in NHS Trusts this year with the health service’s estate reporting three fires a day, analysis of the latest NHS data by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.

In 2023/24, the NHS reported that there were 358 floods. That is a record number from when the data first started being recorded in 2021/22 when there were 176 and equates to a 28% …

Continue reading »
Also posted in Press releases and Scotland | Tagged , , and | Leave a comment
Mark Valladares

25-27 October 2024 – the weekend’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Sun 27th October 2024 - 10:30 pm
  • Ed Davey: get rid of Carer’s Allowance cliff edge
  • Autumn Budget: NHS needs to be top priority to prevent winter crisis
  • Phillipson on Laura K: hospitals left to rot need funding for repairs
  • SNP ignore Parliament with hundreds of thousands of ‘Thatcherite’ P1 tests

Ed Davey: get rid of Carer’s Allowance cliff edge

Responding to news that the Government is set to increase the Carer’s Allowance threshold, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey MP said:

Raising the earnings limit for Carer’s Allowance would be a good step forward, but I hope the Government will go further and get rid of the cliff edge altogether.

We need a full review of Carer’s Allowance to end the repayments scandal and give carers the proper support they deserve.

Autumn Budget: NHS needs to be top priority to prevent winter crisis

Ahead of the Autumn Budget on Wednesday, the Liberal Democrats are calling for a rescue package for the NHS to prevent a winter crisis.

Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:

Years of neglect by the Conservative Government have left our health and care services at breaking point. Bringing our NHS and care back from the brink needs to be the number one priority in this Budget.

Our NHS is already bracing itself for this year’s winter crisis, on top of the continuing pressures of long waiting lists, crumbling hospitals and a care system in crisis.

It’s clear that a robust rescue package for the NHS is vital for economic growth – we simply cannot repair our economy without repairing our health services.

In the Budget this week, we Liberal Democrats want to see a new fund to break the cycle of the annual winter crises, meaningful investment to overhaul crumbling NHS infrastructure and outdated equipment and the launch of cross-party talks to finally put social care on a sustainable footing.

Phillipson on Laura K: hospitals left to rot need funding for repairs

Responding to Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson announcing that the Government will commit to rebuilding crumbling schools during an interview with Laura Kuenssberg this morning, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:

Continue reading »
Also posted in Press releases and Scotland | Tagged , , , , , , and | 1 Comment
The Voice

WATCH: Josh Babarinde MP speaks in Black History Month debate

By The Voice | Sun 27th October 2024 - 3:28 pm

This week, our Eastbourne MP Josh Babarinde spoke in the Debate for Black History Month. It is quite shocking, as he acknowledged himself, that it has taken until 2024 for us to elect a black MP. Britain, he said, was far more than than the divisive minorities in some parts of the country and even, he said, in the House itself:

The text is below:

Continue reading »
Also posted in Parliament | Tagged | 2 Comments
The Voice

Who are the Lib Dem MPs on Select Committees?

By The Voice | Sun 27th October 2024 - 1:29 pm

It always takes a while to set up a new Parliament’s infrastructure and with this week’s publication of Select Committee memberships, some of the 72 Liberal Democrat MPs now have another avenue to exert influence.

Select Committees are an important avenue for scrutiny of the Government by questioning and by holiding enquiries into specific areas of policy or performance.

Our status as third party gives us three Select Committee Chairs who have already been announced: Layla Moran at Health and Social Care, Alistair Carmichael at Environment and Rural Affairs and Jamie Stone on the Petitions Committee.

So which Committees will have Liberal Democrat representation? Here are the ones announced so far and we’ll update as more news comes out.

Welsh Affairs Committee: David Chadwick MP

Defence Committee: Ian Roome MP

Women and Equalities Committee: Alex Brewer MP

Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee: Lee Dillon MP

Business and Trade Committee: Joshua Reynolds MP

Home Affairs Committee: Ben Maguire MP, Paul Kohler MP

Public Accounts Committee: Rachel Gilmour MP

Culture, Media and Sport Committee: Liz Jarvis MP

Continue reading »
Also posted in Parliament | Tagged and | 1 Comment
The Voice

Christine Jardine’s message for Black History Month

By The Voice | Sun 27th October 2024 - 11:25 am

Christine Jardine, the Party’s spokesperson for Women and Equalities, has posted a message for Black History Month whcih comes to an end on Thursday:

October is Black History Month – a chance to celebrate the Black British community, acknowledge their contributions and discover their stories.

It feels particularly timely given this year’s theme of ‘Reclaiming Narratives’, which encourages us to challenge how we perceive history and the world around us. We owe an enormous amount to the Black British community for their contributions to our society – not least the Windrush generation’s key role in building the NHS.

But here in the UK, far too many people’s lives are still blighted by prejudice, discrimination, and inequality. As we saw in the riots this summer, racism is still far too prevalent in our society. We all have a responsibility to recognise this reality – but also the role that we can play in challenging this injustice.

I’m proud that Liberal Democrats are committed to fighting for racial equality. That means unequivocally condemning racism in all its forms and tackling injustice wherever we see it.

Continue reading »
Tagged and | Leave a comment
Tom Arms

Observations of an Expat: Trump Told You So

By Tom Arms | Sat 26th October 2024 - 10:17 am

Dear Trump Supporters,

I thought of writing this open letter after the elections. But I decided that would be pointless because you really needed to read it before you voted.

Also, if I wrote it after the election, it was going to be an I-told-you-so missive which is never a nice thing to do, although it is very satisfying to the writer.

So, having dismissed the two options above, I thought the best thing to do is write a “Trump Told You So” letter or, as the election is yet to happen, “Trump Is Telling You So” letter.

The thinking behind my letter is that all you have to do is believe the words coming out of the man’s mouth to decide to cast your ballot for Kamala Harris. If you can’t bring yourself to do that, don’t vote at all, write-in your mother-in-law’s name or put an X next to the name of a third party candidate.

This letter will also include the actions of Donald Trump as well as the words because, as we all know, actions speak much, much louder than words.

Let’s start with the hot topic of immigration. Trump has said he wants to deport 20 million immigrants. Think about it. Twenty million people, some of which are certain to be your friend, neighbour, colleague, maybe even a relative.

And where will these 20 million be kept while waiting to be flown to the countries they fled. Rest assured, they won’t be staying at the local Hilton.

Finally, what about the cost? Twenty million people will be taken out of the economy. That it is twenty million people who produce and buy goods and services. If all they earned was $30,000 a year that means $600 billion would be taken out of the economy. But that is nothing compared to the price tag for police and enforcement agents to implement Trump’s plans.  It is estimated that will cost the taxpayer $850 billion.

As we are talking about money, how about Trump’s wider economic policies the key points of which are tariffs and taxes. Trump wants a 10-20 percent tariff on all imported goods and tariffs ranging from 60 percent to 500 percent (depending on which rally you attend) on Chinese goods.

Continue reading »
Tagged | 14 Comments
Matthew Ma

ALDC By-Election Report, 24th October

By Matthew Ma | Fri 25th October 2024 - 7:05 pm

The by-elections just won’t stop coming as 13 were held in England and Wales this week. The Conservatives and Lib Dems are the only parties that had made gains (4 and 1 respectively), while all others had lost seats. Labour’s recent poor performances continue, holding only 3 out of their 6 seats while losing the other 3 to the Tories; the final blue gain comes from an independent seat. In Wales, Plaid Cymru lost their only seat this week to an independent.

The Lib Dems were the only party to have gained seats from the Tories. In the Old Dean ward in Surrey Heath BC, where no Lib Dem candidate stood in the last election, Cllr Dave Hough managed to snatch the seat with an impressive margin of victory. In stark contrast, both the Labour and Conservative vote plummeted. Huge well done and congrats to Dave and the local team for treading new ground and fighting hard for this win!

Surrey Heath BC, Old Dean
Liberal Democrat (Dave Hough): 394 (44.7%, new)
Conservative: 278 (31.6%, -27.3%)
Reform: 109 (12.4%, new)
Labour: 96 (10.9%, -30.2%)
Independent: 4 (0.5%, new)

The Lib Dems were also the only party to have held all seats that they have defended. In Gateshead MBC, Cllr Susan Craig achieved a dominating victory by further growing the Lib Dem vote share to 64.6%, being the only candidate do have gained a significant amount of votes. Congratulations and thank you to Susan and the team for putting the hard work in Whickham North.

Gateshead MBC, Whickham North
Liberal Democrat (Susan Craig): 902 (64.6%, +6.7%)
Labour: 285 (20.4%, -6.3%)
Conservative: 137 (9.8%, +0.9%)
Green Party: 72 (5.2%, -1.3%)

The other hold by the Lib Dems comes from the Histon and Impington ward in South Cambridgeshire DC, where Cllr James Rixon maintained healthy 320 vote lead from the second place independent. The only constant between all seems to be that Labour’s vote share has collapsed. Congrats to James and the local team for putting in the work to retain this Lib Dem seat!

South Cambridgeshire DC, Histon & Impington
Liberal Democrat (James Rixon): 942 (38.7%, -2.3%)
Independent: 617 (25.3%, +4.1%)
Green: 420 (17.3%, +5.8%)
Conservative: 283 (11.6%, -0.1%)
Labour: 172 (7.1%, -7.4%)

Continue reading »
Tagged | 4 Comments
Mark Valladares

24 October 2024 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Thu 24th October 2024 - 11:30 pm
  • NAO Report on SEN provision: “urgent reform” needed, say Lib Dems
  • Nearly 6,000 crimes went unsolved every day last year
  • Government have “missed an open goal” on new football regulator, say Lib Dems
  • Reeves announcement: Chancellor must prioritise investment in crumbling hospitals
  • Cole-Hamilton: Greens have wasted £30m on care centralisation
  • Welsh Liberal Democrats demand action on NHS waiting lists

NAO Report on SEN provision: “urgent reform” needed, say Lib Dems

A new National Audit Office report has revealed that the Special Educational Needs (SEN) system is “financially unsustainable”, with 43% of councils at risk of effectively declaring bankruptcy.

It also found that there has been “no consistent improvement in outcomes for children and young people with SEN” since 2019, with 50% of children waiting more than the statutory 20-week target for an Education, Health and Care plan.

Responding to the report, Munira Wilson MP, the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Education, Children and Families, said:

Every child should get the help they need at nursery, in school and throughout their lives, to achieve all they can. But far too many children are being left to struggle because the support they need simply isn’t there.

The last Conservative Government woefully underfunded both schools and local councils, forcing thousands of parents to battle against a system that just isn’t working. That is unacceptable. No child, or their family, should have to wait so long or fight so hard to have their needs met.

Now this crisis is pushing councils to the brink of bankruptcy. I hope the Government will urgently reform the whole system to save council budgets and make sure children and parents get the support they need, without having to wait for months or go to court.

Nearly 6,000 crimes went unsolved every day last year

The Liberal Democrats have slammed the previous Conservative government’s “legacy of failure” as new statistics reveal the extent of unsolved crime in the year ending June 2024.

The figures were revealed by the Home Office’s own statistics on crime outcomes, released earlier this morning.

2,156,075 crimes went unsolved across England and Wales in the year ending June 2024, equivalent to 5,907 crimes going unsolved every day. Ths accounted for 40% of all crimes recorded that year.

Continue reading »
Also posted in Press releases, Scotland and Wales | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , and | 2 Comments
Mary Reid

Lib Dem councillors shortlisted for the Annual Cllr Awards

By Mary Reid | Thu 24th October 2024 - 2:46 pm

Back in August I was reminding you to nominate someone for the 2024 Councillor awards – actually that should be Cllr Awards – organised by the Local Government Information Unit.

The shortlists have just been announced for England and Wales and for Scotland, and I’m pleased to say there are two Lib Dems in the running.

Councillor Clare Apel is shortlisted for the Lifetime Legend Award. Clare has served for 25 years on Chichester District Council, where she is Chair of the Council, and she also sits on Chichester City Council.

Councillor Julia Neden-Watts is Joint Deputy Leader of Richmond Council and has been nominated for Innovator of the Year. She chairs Richmond’s Environment, Sustainability, Culture & Sports Committee.

The winners will be announced on 20th November.

Good luck to both of them!

Continue reading »
Leave a comment
Mary Reid

Why is Autumn Conference always in Brighton or Bournemouth?

By Mary Reid | Thu 24th October 2024 - 1:01 pm

I sat on the Federal Conference Committee (FCC) for several years – which I thoroughly enjoyed – and like most newbies I asked questions about the venues we used. Why do we seem to rotate the Autumn Conference between two towns on the south coast? What about other places further north with good Conference facilities? The reasons soon became apparent.

FCC does look at as many potential Conference venues as possible, and in the end it comes down to two things – facilities and cost.

Nick da Costa is the current Chair of FCC and he is regularly asked the same questions by members, so he has published a paper that breaks down the issues in some details. You can read it here.  It is rather long, and includes some useful tables and charts, but here are some extracts:

The Conference Office and FCC regularly review future venues; this is an iterative process, and we regularly review over 40 venues in relation to costs, suitability and availability. We have looked at venues in Scotland, Wales and in England, and continually try to identify new opportunities.

In many cases, unfortunately, the venues are simply either far too expensive for our budget, or are simply not suitable for our requirements.

For example –

  • Lack sufficient accessible fringe space 
  • Lack a suitable conference hotel within easy reach of the main conference venue
  • Have insufficient back of house space for the many staff and volunteers who make Conference happen and contribute to its success
  • Too expensive
  • Unsatisfactory transport links

The document goes on to list the requirements in more detail.

Continue reading »
Tagged , and | 7 Comments
Mark Valladares

23 October 2024 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Wed 23rd October 2024 - 11:50 pm
  • LGA Conference: some councils see one-third of spending taken up by adult social care
  • Octopus Energy: use windfall to stop Winter Fuel Payment cuts

LGA Conference: some councils see one-third of spending taken up by adult social care

  • Liberal Democrat Local Government spokesperson Vikki Slade has told the Local Government Association Conference today (23rd October) that councils face a “social care blackhole” in their finances
  • Figures reveal that council’s are now spending £23.3 billion a year on adult social care – a 62% rise compared to 2015/16’s expenditure
  • Some areas see adult social care taking up more than a third of council spending

Lib Dem Local Government spokesperson Vikki Slade has today warned of a social care blackhole in council finances at her speech to the Local Government Association Conference and called for cross party talks on social care with the Party revealing that some Local Authorities now see one-third of their expenditure taken up by adult social care.

It comes as many councils are teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, much of it as a result of increases to social care costs, with the LGA estimating that councils now face a £6.2 billion funding gap over the next two years.

The data from the House of Commons Library shows that there has been a 62% increase in council expenditure on adult social social care since 2015/16, with it rising by £8.9 billion, from £14.4 billion to 23.3 billion.

Continue reading »
Also posted in Press releases | Tagged , , , and | 3 Comments
Caron Lindsay

Daisy’s PMQs Debut

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 23rd October 2024 - 8:12 pm

With Keir Starmer out of the country, it was down to the deputies to take the stage at Prime Minister’s Questions. Angela Rayner and Daisy Cooper put in their first appearance of the new Parliament in their new roles. For Conservative Oliver Dowden, it was his last in the role. There was very funny love in with menaces between him and Rayner in their exchanges. It was a bit like a seaside comedy show. The serious stuff came when Daisy asked her two questions.

 

May I associate myself and the Liberal Democrats with the Deputy Prime Minister’s remarks about Chris Hoy, and about all those involved in the train crash?

Our NHS is bracing itself for a winter crisis. One of the causes of the winter crisis every year is that there are thousands of people in hospitals who are fit to go home, but who cannot be discharged because there are not the care workers in place to enable people to recover at home or in a care home. Will the Deputy Prime Minister consider the Liberal Democrats’ idea of an NHS winter taskforce to winter-proof our NHS, end the cycle of the winter crisis, and put to an end the scandal of hospital patients paying the price of the social care crisis left by the Conservatives?

I thank the hon. Lady for her comments, and I share her desire to ensure that care workers are given the respect and importance that they deserve. They are critical to solving the problems in our national health service. The Labour party will create a national care service, and we are launching our first ever fair pay agreement for care professionals to boost recruitment and retention. We must get the NHS back on its feet after the disaster of the Conservatives, and my right hon. Friend the Chancellor will have more to say on that in the Budget.

Daisy kept to the same theme for the second question, talking of the dangers to the care sector of increasing employers’ National Insurance contributions, something she had mentioned in her Sky News interview on Sunday:

I thank the Deputy Prime Minister for her answer. We stand ready, as a party of constructive opposition, to work with the Government to fix our social care system. However, a measure that could make it harder for us to keep the carers that we so desperately need would be an increase in employers’ national insurance contributions. Were that measure to go ahead, it would affect millions of small businesses, including 18,000 small care providers. Will the Deputy Prime Minister assure the House that nothing in the Budget will make it harder for vulnerable people to access the care workers and the care that they desperately need?

A bit of flannel from Rayner in return, but at least the job of setting out our position had been done:

Again, I will not speculate on the Budget, not least with the Chancellor sat beside me. To reiterate what the Chancellor and the Prime Minister have said, this Budget will recognise that working people of this country and enterprise in this country have been hard-hit by 14 years of the Conservatives. We will rebuild Britain, and we will grow our economy to pay for our public services.

Rayner had to face another three Lib Dems in the session. This is great to see, and likely to be more commonplace now that we make up more than 10% of the House.

First up was Monica Harding who had a heartbreaking story of a young boy in her constituency who has been out of school for a year because they don’t have the right special needs provision for him.

Charlie from my constituency is an eight-year-old boy with an autism diagnosis who has been out of school for almost a year. He is one of 1,800 children in Surrey missing school because of a lack of appropriate special educational needs provision. Will the Government commit to ending this scandal by properly funding special educational needs provision in next week’s Budget, so that children like Charlie, in my constituency of Esher and Walton and beyond, are no longer let down?

Angela Rayner was sympathetic but had nothing concrete to offer:

Continue reading »
Also posted in Op-eds and Parliament | Tagged , , , , and | Leave a comment
Mark Valladares

22 October 2024 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Tue 22nd October 2024 - 10:30 pm
  • Borrowing and debt figures: Burden must not fall on hard working households
  • Water Commission: More urgency needed to reform industry
  • Over one million 12 hour A&E waits this year as Lib Dems call on Chancellor to “winterproof” the NHS at the Budget
  • Braverman: Conservative leadership candidates must rule out shadow cabinet role
  • Jardine Introduces Bill to Improve Support for Bereaved Children
  • Cole-Hamilton: A&E in crisis as winter looms

Borrowing and debt figures: Burden must not fall on hard working households

Commenting on the latest figures on the public sector’s level of borrowing and debt, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:

Today’s figures highlight the difficult position of our public finances after years of mismanagement under the previous Conservative Government – but this can’t be an excuse for the Chancellor to make the wrong decisions at the Budget.

We need to see urgent investment in our NHS and public services which have been reduced to their knees and bold action to fix our crumbling schools and hospitals.

The burden of fixing the Conservatives’ mess mustn’t fall on hard working households, but on the big banks, social media companies and oil and gas giants that can afford to pay a small amount of their soaring profits to get our public services back on their feet.

Water Commission: More urgency needed to reform industry

Responding to the government announcing a new Independent Water Commission, Liberal Democrat Environment spokesperson Tim Farron MP said:

Far more urgency is needed from the government on tackling the disgraced water industry, which has been allowed to get away with endless environmental scandals for too long.

Even before this Commission begins, the government should be getting on with introducing a new regulator with real teeth and power to get hold of these profiteering firms.

Whilst a review of the industry is welcome, it should not be used as a tool to kick the can down the road on immediate reforms.

Sadly, the government’s approach is still a job half done. It is time to put an end to profit before the environment in the water industry, and an end to this national scandal.

Over one million 12 hour A&E waits this year as Lib Dems call on Chancellor to “winterproof” the NHS at the Budget

  • NHS braced for another winter crisis as figures reveal a 20% rise in 12 hour A&E waits so far this year
  • Worst hit areas have seen a six-fold increase in 12 hour A&E waits compared to last year
  • Lib Dems warn this is a “life or death” issue and call on government to announce new ring-fenced fund in the Budget to end winter crises in the health service

Over one million patients have faced waits of 12 hours or more in A&E in England so far this year, up a fifth compared to the same period last year, new data uncovered by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.

Continue reading »
Also posted in Press releases and Scotland | Tagged , , , , , , , , and | 1 Comment
Mark Valladares

21 October 2024 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Mon 21st October 2024 - 11:45 pm
  • NHS national conversation: Govt must show ambition to fix Conservatives mess or “risks becoming a talking shop”
  • Social Care: Govt kicking the can down the road yet again
  • McArthur responds to First Minister “wrestling” with assisted dying

NHS national conversation: Govt must show ambition to fix Conservatives mess or “risks becoming a talking shop”

Responding to the government’s announcement that it will begin a ‘national conversation’ about the future of the NHS, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

The government must show the ambition needed to fix the awful damage done by the Conservatives to the NHS and care, or this exercise risks becoming a talking shop.

We know that primary care services across the country are at the brink of collapse due to the Conservative Party’s disgraceful neglect, with patients paying the price.

Whether it is sky-high GP waiting lists, endless ambulance response times, or a failure to diagnose cancer in time, none of these issues can be fixed without fixing the crisis in social care.

That is why the Liberal Democrats will make sure that social care is part of the debate and push for a cross party solution to this crisis.

Social Care: Govt kicking the can down the road yet again

Responding to Care Minister Stephen Kinnock’s comments that the government’s plan to reform social care will be published “in the next 12 months”, Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care spokesperson Helen Morgan MP said:

Continue reading »
Also posted in Press releases and Scotland | Tagged , , , , and | 1 Comment
Mark Valladares

19-20 October 2024 – the weekend’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Sun 20th October 2024 - 10:30 pm
  • Water company bonuses rise this year despite sewage scandal
  • 2024 on track to be record worst year for cancer care
  • Cole-Hamilton reveals dozens of dentists retiring early in NHS exodus
  • Only 7 days when CalMac sailings ran to timetable in 15 months

Water company bonuses rise this year despite sewage scandal

  • Shocking research finds water company executives paid themselves more in bonuses and pensions this year
  • England and Wales water firms hand out £9.1million in bonuses to executives this year
  • Thames Water, Severn Trent and South West Water worst offenders for paying executives even more in bonuses this year
  • Liberal Democrats call for immediate ban on water company bonuses

Shocking new research by the Liberal Democrats has revealed water company executive bonuses have risen to £9.1m in 2023/2024.

The bosses of disgraced firms received over £20m in total, including basic pay, pension contributions and bonuses.

The party’s annual Sewage Bonus Tracker using analysis of Company House records, found water firms including Thames Water, Severn Trent and South West Water all increased their bonus pool for executives, despite polluting waterways with raw sewage.

The new findings come despite 2023 being a record year for the amount of sewage dumped into waterways, with Environment Agency data revealing more than 3.6m hours of sewage flowed into rivers and seas, up a staggering 105% annually.

Thames Water bonus payouts to executives almost double year-on-year, from £746,000 in 2022/2023 to a staggering £1.3m 2023/2024. This is despite Thames Water’s CEO quitting halfway through the year following financial issues.

The biggest bonus payout for executives was by Severn Trent, who paid their 3 executives an eye-watering £3.3million in bonuses, an increase year-on-year.

Pension contributions for water company executives rose to a new high of £1.7m this year. Thames Water paid their executives £754,000 in pension contributions alone last year.

Base pay for water company executives also remained at over £9m last year, with just one executive at Northumbrian Water paying themselves £421,000.

Continue reading »
Also posted in Press releases and Scotland | Tagged , , , , , , and | Leave a comment
Caron Lindsay

Daisy Cooper says no to fuel and NI rises and yes to more investment in public services

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 20th October 2024 - 9:59 am

Daisy Cooper was on Sunday with Trevor Phillips on Sky News. As our new Treasury Spokesperson, she was asked about what she wanted to see in the Budget.

But first, she was asked whether she accepted the Government’s narrative about the £22 billion black hole in the public finances.

She replied that there was no doubt that Conservatives left the economy in a mess. There may be an  argument about  the 22 billion number but what people want to know is if public services are going to get better. Are they going to get the health and social care they need?

She said that we were deeply uncomfortable about the rumoured increase in National Insurance employers’ contribution  because of the effect on smaller businesses. In particular, she mentioned how this might affect small care companies and that might lead to even more care home closures and increase the crisis in care.

However, we would support taxing banks and gambling companies and changing fiscal rules to allow more investment to build more schools and hospitals.

Another rumour is that fuel duty is going to go up for the first time in 15 years. Daisy said that we were concerned about the impact of doing this during a cost of living crisis. If there was a viable alternative with good public transport it might be easier to stomach. The burden of cleaning up the  Tory mess should be on big companies, not on ordinary people.

She was pressed by Phillips about the effect of our proposals on taxing banks. What impact would that have on our savings and pensions? She answered that the four or five biggest banks made £40 billion in profit and we want to reverse the tax cuts they have had which could raise just a tenth of that,  a small amount of money for them,  to help turn our public services around.

She said that we would have to look at the budget as a whole but would likely vote against a rise in employers’ NI contribution.

The main Liberal Democrat priority for the Budget was to see health and social care. Daisy talked about her own experience of serious illness and her Crohn’s diagnosis:

Continue reading »
Tagged , , , and | 15 Comments
Matthew Ma

ALDC By-Election Report, 17th October

By Matthew Ma | Fri 18th October 2024 - 6:21 pm

It’s back-to-back by-election gargantuan week for by-elections as we see 16 held this Thursday. It was another disaster week for Labour: they only held half of the 8 seats they were defending, losing 3 seats to the Tories and 1 to the Greens. The Tories and Plaid Cymru both held onto all their seats (2 and 1 respectively). The Lib Dems were the only party to be contesting all 16, holding 4 out of 5 seats.

The most dominant result of the Lib Dems no doubt belongs to Cllr Tim Bloomer in the Grange & Cartmel ward of Westmorland & Furness BC. The Lib Dem vote share grew to a staggering 84.8%. Congratulations and a huge well done to Tim and the local team for the triumphant win.

Westmorland & Furness BC, Grange & Cartmel
Liberal Democrat (Tim Bloomer): 2180 (84.8%, +7.6%)
Conservative: 392 (15.2%, -3.5%)

Two by-elections in Stockport MBC were also comfortable Lib Dem holds. Cllr Rachel Bresnahan in the Bredbury Green & Romiley ward further grew the already high Lib Dem vote to 65.8%, close to tripling the vote of second place conservatives. Big congrats to Rachel and the team for making this win a reality.

Stockport LBC, Bredbury Green & Romiley
Liberal Democrat (Rachel Bresnahan): 1506 (65.8%, +7.1%)
Conservative: 552 (24.1%, +5.5%)
Labour: 127 (5.5%, -11.4%)
Green Party: 104 (4.5%, -1.2%)

The other hold in Stockport MBC sees Cllr Huma Khan winning the seat in the Cheadle West & Gatley ward with over 45% of the vote.

Stockport MBC, Cheadle West & Gatley
Liberal Democrat (Huma Khan): 1159 (45.1%, -12.0%)
Conservative: 553 (21.5%, +7.3%)
Labour: 517 (20.1%, +0.5%)
Green Party: 341 (13.3%, +4.2%)

The final hold of the week sees the Lib Dems in Tirymynach of Ceredigion CC successfully defending previously uncontested seat. The Lib Dems were to only ones out of all the major parties in England to have a significant amount of votes in this seat. Congratulations to Cllr Gareth Lewis and the team for winning the Welsh seat.

Ceredigion CC, Tirymynach
Liberal Democrat (Gareth Lewis): 285 (48.9%)
Plaid Cymru: 242 (41.5%)
Reform: 25 (4.3%)
Conservative: 17 (2.9%)
Labour: 8 (1.4%)
Green Party: 6 (1.0%)

Continue reading »
Tagged | 15 Comments
Mark Valladares

17 October 2024 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Thu 17th October 2024 - 10:30 pm
  • NHS repair costs rises to £13.8bn as Lib Dems call for comprehensive plan to end the backlog
  • McArthur responds to dental deserts in Orkney and elsewhere

NHS repair costs rises to £13.8bn as Lib Dems call for comprehensive plan to end the backlog

Responding to the latest NHS figures showing that the cost of repairs to the NHS estate now stands at £13.8bn, up from £11.6bn last year Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Health and Social Care, Helen Morgan MP said:

This comes as no surprise to anyone that works in the NHS. Crumbling hospital buildings, flooded wards, and rat infested basements are just the

…

Continue reading »
Also posted in Press releases and Scotland | Tagged , , and | Leave a comment
Mark Valladares

16 October 2024 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Wed 16th October 2024 - 11:30 pm
  • Inflation: Welcome fall but winter will still be difficult for the most vulnerable
  • McArthur welcomes Leadbetter bill on assisted dying
  • Wendy Chamberlain MP lodges Bill to remove red tape on charity lottery fundraising
  • Closure of Rural Housing Scotland must mean soul-searching for SNP ministers
  • McArthur responds to public letter by chief medical officers

Inflation: Welcome fall but winter will still be difficult for the most vulnerable

Responding to the latest inflation figures, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:

The fall in inflation is welcome but we can’t fool ourselves that this winter won’t be difficult for the most vulnerable.

The price of a weekly shop is still sky high, energy prices have risen once again and people are still feeling the effects of the spike in mortgage rates.

The government must urgently look at ways to support the most vulnerable this winter and that should start by reversing their decision to cut Winter Fuel Payments for millions of worried pensioners.

McArthur welcomes Leadbetter bill on assisted dying

Speaking ahead of the introduction of assisted dying legislation in the UK Parliament, Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur has welcomed the move and said that it represents more evidence of the momentum that is building behind a change to the law.

Kim Leadbeater, Labour MP for Spen Valley, will formally introduce her bill on choice at the end of life at its First Reading in the House of Commons on Wednesday 16th October 2024.

The Bill will have its Second Reading debate on Friday 29 November – the first opportunity MPs will have to debate and vote on an assisted dying bill since 2015.

Mr McArthur said:

Our current laws on assisted dying are failing too many terminally ill Brits, often leaving them facing an undignified and sometimes painful death despite the very best efforts of palliative care. It is clear that a new compassionate and safe law is required.

The introduction of legislation in the UK Parliament is evidence of the growing momentum that is building behind changing the law.

In recent weeks I have spoken with Kim about both the need for and the evidence backing a change to the existing law that causes anguish for so many people and I am confident that she will be an eloquent and determined champion for dying people seeking choice at the end of life.

As MPs debate this important issue, I hope they will listen to the overwhelming majority who want to see the law changed. Both Kim and I will be making the case for greater choice and compassion as parliamentarians scrutinise our bills going forward.

Wendy Chamberlain MP lodges Bill to remove red tape on charity lottery fundraising

Wendy Chamberlain, MP for Fife North East, has today lodged a Private Members Bill in the House of Commons seeking to remove the outdated caps on charity lottery fundraising.

At present each charity lottery is capped at selling £50 million worth of tickets each year, which acts as a break on its ability to maximise funds for good causes. These sales caps restrict the amount and flexibility of charitable funds such lotteries generate for good causes across the country. Ms Chamberlain’s Bill would remove these limits, which apply to no other form of charity fundraising or to any other gambling product.

Continue reading »
Also posted in Press releases and Scotland | Tagged , , , , , , , and | Leave a comment
Advert

Recent Comments

  • Jack Meredith
    @David Garlick, I couldn't have put it better myself. There is so much to build on, and we NEED to find the will to do it. It's why The Grimond Society exists, ...
  • Paul WalterPaul Walter
    You don’t have to be sorry David. It’s called freedom. But freedom within a small remote island is restricted, compared to freedom within a large multi-face...
  • David Raw
    Sorry to say this, Paul, but not everybody wants to live in so called 'Middle England'. Some of us are happy to live in small face to face rural communities...
  • expats
    Caracatus 9th Jul '26 - 6:02am........... It should be an open goal to ask people if they support – Trumps sanctions (tarriffs) on the UK, Trumps war on Iran,...
  • Paul WalterPaul Walter
    Peter I ask you to carefully consider whether Manx people “have all the advantages of British citizenship”. They have one hospital, one fairly low ran...