Category Archives: News

13 September 2023 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Wed 13th September 2023 - 10:30 pm

GDP stats: Sunak has failed to get a grip on the economy
Nutrient Neutrality: Lib Dems to vote against removing water pollution rules
PMQs: Davey raises Sunak’s failure on cancer as 22,000 people wait more than 4 months for treatment
Watchdog failing to audit water companies – Lib Dems call for inquiry
Levelling Up Bill: Government overruled for nutrient neutrality laws

GDP stats: Sunak has failed to get a grip on the economy

Responding to latest GDP stats which show the UK economy shrank by 0.5% in July 2023, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Sarah Olney MP said:

The Conservative government’s mismanagement of the economy is a burden on any chance of growth.

Rishi Sunak has utterly failed to get a grip on the cost of living crisis as mortgage costs continue to spiral and the price of a weekly shop goes through the roof.

Mortgage arrears are now at their highest since 2016 and families are wondering if they will once again be forced to choose between heating and eating this winter.

This out of touch Conservative government has completely failed on the economy.

Nutrient Neutrality: Lib Dems to vote against removing water pollution rules

Today in the House of Lords, the Liberal Democrats are voting against the Secretary of Housing Michael Gove’s plan to remove EU anti-water pollution laws- so called ‘nutrient neutrality’ rules in order to build more houses. This in turn could lead to more pollution in our already filthy rivers.

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Also posted in Press releases | Tagged cancer targets, ed davey, gdp, kath pinnock, levelling up, nutrient neutrality, sarah olney, tim farron and water companies | 2 Comments

Drop the oath to the Crown – put the people first

By Simon Hobson | Wed 13th September 2023 - 1:29 pm

At the beginning of September, Sarah Dyke, the recently elected Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Somerton and Frome, began her work as an MP. Before she could take to the green benches of the House of Commons, she was required to be sworn in. Lib Dem social media channels showed a video of Sarah taking this oath. The ceremony is bland and matter of fact, what was of greater interest were the comments expressing outrage at the proceedings. Party supporters, activists, and voyeurs of the event on Instagram showed particular distain for the words of the swearing in.

Every Member of Parliament must make one of the following declarations. The first is known as the oath and the other the affirmation. Which is chosen is a decision for the newly elected MP:

I swear by Almighty God that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles, his heirs, and successors, according to law. So help me God.

Or,

I do solemnly, sincerely, and truly declare and affirm, that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles, his heirs and successors, according to law.

The confusion and hostility on social media over these words of allegiance to a King and his family where clear. “Politics needs modernising, what does the King have to do with anything?” “Not one mention of the people” and, “Does that mean republicans can’t be MPs?” All reasonable statements and questions.

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Tagged oath of allegiance and Parliament | 12 Comments

Seven questions for the next 25 years

By Antony Hook | Wed 13th September 2023 - 6:58 am

This autumn I will reach 25 years as a member of the Liberal Democrats, which causes me to reflect on the last quarter century (I was 18 when I joined) and think about the next 25 years for the party (by when I shall by 68 and just eligible for my state pension).

This reflection has led me to seven questions that are key to what our party’s future will look like.

I write this article knowing (in fact, intending) that some people may disagree with some of what I say. I am interested in starting a debate about the future for the party and its long-term strategy. You cannot start a debate that leads to meaningful action by saying things that are easy, or which everyone will agree with. Debate drives progress.

I am immensely grateful for the opportunities the party has given me. Firstly, to meet hundreds of fascinating, inspiring people. Secondly, to give me the honour of representing the public briefly as a Member of the European Parliament and currently as a County Councillor, Group Leader and previously as Town Councillor.

In the last 25 years we have elected 1000s of councillors, 62 MPs at the 2005 peak, entering coalition government in 2010 and the achievements of all of those elected officeholders in their roles.

Back in in 1998, I am sure I hoped that by the 2020s we would have more substantially closed the electoral gap with Labour and the Conservatives and possibly have regained our place as being one of the two main parties. We have not achieved that and we (as a party or as part of a broader liberal movement in the UK) have lost strategic political battles such as EU membership and not won significant progress on rebalancing power through constitutional reform.

Some party members take the view that big electoral objectives are not a high priority and the most valuable role the party can play is influencing the debate, moving the Overton Window and contributing to better legislation and national policy in the long-term from Opposition. This is a respectable view, although I find it hard to identify a very long list of policies and laws we have influenced this way in recent years. In the past we led the way on, for example, Common Market membership, opposition to Apartheid, legalising abortion, gay rights and acting against genocide in Bosnia which over time influenced other parties to move our way.

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12 September 2023 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Tue 12th September 2023 - 10:30 pm

Wage Figures: Sunak must commit to triple lock now
NHS staff cannot be left to suffer in silence
Government may have broken law over sewage: “Environmental vandalism on an industrial scale”
Liberal Democrats welcome TfL’s new road safety charter

Wage Figures: Sunak must commit to triple lock now

Responding to today’s wage figures which would be used to uprate pensions, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson Sarah Olney MP said:

Rishi Sunak must commit now to the triple lock to ensure the state pension rises in line with the cost of living.

His failure to commit to the triple lock earlier this week will have left a cloud of uncertainty hanging over struggling pensioners. We also need a guarantee that welfare payments won’t be slashed in real terms.

Families and pensioners should not be made to pay the price for years of economic mismanagement under the Conservatives.

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Also posted in Press releases | Tagged Caroline Pidgeon, daisy cooper, ed davey, NHS, road safety, sarah olney, sewage dumping, sexism and welfare benefits | 5 Comments

Layla Moran to appear with Iain Dale and Jacqui Smith in Bournemouth

By Caron Lindsay | Tue 12th September 2023 - 10:27 am

Layla Moran MP will be the special guest star on Iain Dale and Jacqui Smith’s Lib Dem stop on their tour of Party Conferences.

The LBC Presenter and former Labour Home Secretary host a weekly podcast, For the Many, which is for me an unmissable hour of politics and outrageous filth. The live shows are a bit tamer. The presence of an audience is usually enough to remind them that someone else is actually listening. Usually.

As many of you will be planning your Conference diaries in the next few days, make sure you include this show. It is bound to be hilarious. It’s happening on the Sunday night of Conference between 7 and 9 pm at Canvas, 24 Poole Hill, Bournemouth. You can get tickets here.

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Tagged 2023 autumn conference, featured, for the many live, iain dale, jacqui smith and layla moran | Leave a comment

Memorial Service for Elspeth Campbell this Friday

By The Voice | Mon 11th September 2023 - 2:31 pm

Back in June, we reported on some of the heartfelt tributes paid to Elspeth, Lady Campbell of Pittenweem, after her death.

Anyone lucky enough to have been invited for lunch at their house were in for a treat. Great food and brilliant chat. Elspeth had an office in Scottish Lib Dem HQ for many years where she was a unique and sparkling presence. She was unfailingly kind and would have us in stitches with funny stories. We all loved her.

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Tagged elspeth campbell | Leave a comment

The role of land value capture in the reconstruction of Ukraine

By Joe Bourke | Sun 10th September 2023 - 2:13 pm

The ALTER (libdemsalter.org.uk) fringe at Bournemouth will be held from 13.00 in the Sherborne Suite, Bournemouth Marriott Highcliff Hotel on Saturday 23rd September 2023.
The fringe is focused on the white paper published by the News | Albright Stonebridge Group that asserts Land Value Capture can finance Ukraine’s reconstruction, reduce corruption and boost productivity.

The white paper notes the following key takeaways:

• A broad consensus of economists throughout history have supported land value capture – collecting the increase in land value that results from public spending on infrastructure and other services – as

…

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ALDC by-election report, 7th September 2023

By Charles Quinn | Fri 8th September 2023 - 5:33 pm

It has been an eventful week for by-elections with principal elections on both Wednesday and Thursday – and even a good town council gain for us on Monday night too!

The only place to start however is on Shropshire Council with our amazing gain on Thursday night in Worfield ward – taking the seat from the Conservatives with a 33.5% increase in the Lib Dem share of the vote. The Conservative share of the vote fell by 27.9%.

Congratulations to Cllr Andrew Sherrington and the Lib Dem team on winning in such spectacular fashion.

Shropshire Council, Worfield
Liberal Democrat (Andrew Sherrington): 400 (48.1%, 33.5%)
Conservative: 392 (47.1%, -27.9%)
Labour: 40 (4.8%, new)

Elsewhere on Thursday we put in some solid performances and made sure there were Lib Dems on the ballot paper in all of them.

There were two by-elections on Newcastle-Under-Lyme BC. In Audley ward Andrew Wymess increased the Lib Dem vote share by 8.7% to finish a very strong third with 355 votes. In Knutton ward Aidan Jenkins stood for the Lib Dems (we had not stood a candidate in the previous election) and got just shy of 20% of the vote. Labour held both wards.

Well done and thank you to Andrew, Aidan and the team in Newcastle-Under-Lyme.

Newcastle Under Lyme BC, Audley
Labour: 732 (46.1%, -6.7%)
Conservative: 438 (27.6%, -14%)
Liberal Democrat (Andrew Wymess): 355 (22.4%, +8.7%)
Independent: 63 (4%, new)

Newcastle Under Lyme BC, Knutton
Labour: 153 (49%, +1.1%)
Conservative: 99 (31.7%, -2.8%)
Liberal Democrat (Aidan Jenkins): 60 (19.2%, new)

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Tagged aldc local government by-elections | 14 Comments

2 million patients at risk from crumbling concrete

By Mary Reid | Fri 8th September 2023 - 11:14 am

Our Parliamentary team have been doing some research into the prevalence of RAAC concrete in hospitals. It seems seven hospitals have been named as having the material in their construction, and nearly two million people live within their catchment areas, so could be potentially affected. The hospitals between them employ 43,000 staff who are therefore also at risk. Four of those seven hospitals are classed as ‘mostly composed of RAAC beams’.

However this is by no means the true extent of the problem, as, in total, 23 NHS trusts are affected by RAAC. Data from the House of Commons Library does not give the names of 11 of those trusts which have more than one hospital, where not all of the hospitals will have a RAAC problem. Nor does it name a further five trusts which are affected.

This is not all new information. Back in March Lib Dems demanded emergency funding to fix hospital roofs in the Budget. They are now calling for an urgent boost to the funding to make hospitals safe and usable.

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8 Comments

Breaking news And still they come

By Mary Reid | Thu 7th September 2023 - 9:54 am

Another Conservative MP has resigned this morning. Chris Pincher, MP for Tamworth, was suspended some time ago for groping two men, and he has just lost his appeal against suspension. He had previously said that he would step down at the next General Election but he now says he is resigning immediately.

Assuming he is not doing a Dorries, we could be looking at a double by-election on 19th October, which has now, at last, been set as the date for the Mid Bedfordshire contest.

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Tagged mid bedfordshire by-election, tamworth and tamworth by-election | 12 Comments

Michael Steed 1940-2023

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 3rd September 2023 - 9:08 pm

Sad news dropped into my inbox this afternoon. Michael Steed, President of the Liberal Party from 1978-79, died this week.

From Young Liberal anti-apartheid activist who was once prevented by the South African authorities from delivering aid to Sharpeville to eminent psephologist who provided the stats for the British General Election Guides up until 2005 to radical social liberal who was ardently pro-European but not blind to dangers of concentrated power in the way the EU worked, he spent his whole life working for liberalism, and was elected as a councillor in Canterbury in 2008.

He was also one of those brave liberals who fought for gay rights well before it was fashionable to do so. He helped fight the early battles that won the freedoms we take for granted now.

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Tagged deaths and michael steed | 24 Comments

Layla Moran urges Cleverly to think again ahead of China visit

By News Meerkat | Tue 29th August 2023 - 3:02 pm

This week’s Government meeting with China’s Minister of Foreign Affairs will be the first visit of any UK Foreign Secretary to China in five years.

Commenting on James Cleverly’s planned visit to Beijing on Wednesday, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Layla Moran said:

James Cleverly should think again about whether this is the signal the UK should be sending out.

At this very moment China is perpetrating genocidal crimes against the Uyghurs, increasing aggressive activity towards Taiwan, and pursuing illegal bounties against Hong Kong pro-democracy activists in our country.

13 Comments

Tim Farron: “Scrapping nutrient neutrality is a disgraceful act from the government”

By NewsHound | Tue 29th August 2023 - 10:28 am

The Guardian reports that:

Michael Gove is planning to rip up water pollution rules that builders have blamed for exacerbating England’s housing crisis but which environmental groups say are essential for protecting the country’s rivers.

The housing secretary, with Thérèse Coffey, the environment secretary, will announce the move on Tuesday, according to several people briefed on the plans, alongside hundreds of millions of pounds’ worth of extra funding to mitigate the potential impact on England’s waterways.

The decision will spark anger among environmentalists, who say it will further add to water pollution, as water companies are already dumping raw sewage into rivers

…

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Nadine finally quits – how you can help Lib Dem Emma Holland-Lindsay win Mid Beds

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 27th August 2023 - 10:21 am

Nadine Dorries first announced her intention to resign her parliamentary seat “with immediate effect” on 9th June. And then she decides to actually do it 79 days later while I’m out celebrating my 35th wedding anniversary, returning to the scene of the crime for an absolutely delicious meal and some even lovelier cocktails.

So this means that the formal starting gun will likely be fired on the by-election campaign to replace her when Parliament resumes on 4th September. However, the Lib Dem campaign to get our brilliant candidate Emma Holland-Lindsay elected has been going on since the day after Nadine made her original announcement. Within hours, campaigners were gathering and swapping leaflets in supermarket car parks and the like.

If, as expected, the by-election takes place on 5th October, the publication of Nadine Dorries book about the downfall of Boris Johnson on 28 September, and any serialisation before, is bound to grab some headlines.

Ed Davey was questioned on whether the Lib Dems were the challengers on the For the Many Live podcast with Iain Dale and Jacqui Smith in Edinburgh:

He said he was feeling good about the prospect of a Mid Beds by-election as Labour party members there had told them they were voting for us. He said he wasn’t sure that we were going to win, but we were definitely the challengers. There was no way, he said, that people in the predominantly rural constituency were going to vote Labour to get the Tories out. He accused Nadine Dorries of an abuse of Parliament for her behaviour.

Last night, Ed said:

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Also posted in Op-eds | Tagged emma holland-lindsay, featured, mid bedfordshire by-election and nadine dorries | 2 Comments

An extra million pounds in donations boosts Lib Dem finances

By Caron Lindsay | Sat 26th August 2023 - 12:06 pm

The accounts of political parties with an annual income or expenditure of above £250,000 for the financial year ending 31 December 2022 have been published by the Electoral Commission.

The results show that the SNP and Conservative show a fall in income, while the Liberal Democrats and Labour are in a much stronger position. Figures show that the Liberal Democrats attracted £1 million more in donations than it did the previous year, a sign of success and donor confidence. What is crucially important is that the party has been able to bring in a significant rise in donations at an earlier stage in the electoral cycle, allowing crucial investment in the seats we hope to win at the next General Election.

From the Guardian:

For the Lib Dems, whose profile has been raised by a series of byelection wins, total income increased only marginally, but within this, money from donations rose from £1.9m to £2.9m.

One of the things that adversely affected our income last year was having to cancel our first planned in person Conference due to the period of national mourning when the Queen died.

For the SNP and the Conservatives, things are less healthy:

In contrast, the SNP’s donation income halved from just under £700,000 in 2021 to about £350,000 last year. The party is heavily reliant on membership income, which dropped slightly but still brought in more than £2.2m of the £4.2m total.

The Conservatives’ accounts show the party spent over £2m more than it earned during 2022, with total spending of just over £33m. During the same period, donations, which are traditionally the Tories’ major source of income, fell by slightly more than this deficit, from £20.5m to £18.1m.

You can see all the parties’ accounts on the Electoral Commission website with ours here and the full documents and financial reports filed by the party here.

In their report, the party’s officers say:

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Tagged accounts, electoral commission and featured | 5 Comments

Update on Nadine Dorries

By Mary Reid | Fri 25th August 2023 - 1:47 pm

Yesterday I reported comments made by Daisy Cooper and Ed Davey about Nadine Dorries’ reluctance to carry out her promise to stand down from Parliament “with immediate effect” (Nadine Dorries should do something).

It seems that our MPs are now planning to table a Bill as soon as Parliament returns on 4th September to suspend Nadine Dorries for 10 days if she doesn’t appear in Parliament by 14th September.

If the motion is passed, and a suspension results, then this would trigger a recall petition in the Constituency and allow her constituents to force a by-election.

Daisy Copper tells us:

For months Nadine Dorries has treated the people of Mid Bedfordshire with contempt and taken them for granted.

As thousands of people struggle to get a GP appointment and face steep hikes to their mortgages, Nadine Dorries continues to be missing in action. What’s worse is that the Conservatives just don’t seem to care that they’re letting people down.

We need an end to this sorry saga, once and for all. Nadine Dorries must resign, if not then this Government must do the right thing and force her to. Every day that Rishi Sunak sits on his hands the people across Mid Bedfordshire are being failed.

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Tagged daisy cooper, mid bedfordshire by-election and nadine dorries | 7 Comments

Nadine Dorries should do something

By Mary Reid | Thu 24th August 2023 - 9:10 am

Our party’s calls for Nadine Dorries to do something – anything – have been getting more strident.

To recap, on Friday 9th June she said she was resigning from Parliament, with immediate effect, mainly in a huff because her promised peerage in Johnson’s Resignation Honours had been blocked. But then she didn’t – resign, that is. Instead she said that she was waiting for an explanation of why her appointment was blocked.

In the meantime there are claims that she has been absent both from the House and from her constituency of Mid Bedfordshire. Dorries herself claimed yesterday that she is ‘working daily’, but the use of quote marks in the media suggest otherwise.

On Monday Daisy Cooper said:

Nadine Dorries’s actions are a gross insult to the people of Mid-Bedfordshire. Why on earth should their taxpayers’ money fund an MP who hasn’t worked in months? If Nadine Dorries had a shred of integrity left, she would stand down now and give local people a chance to elect a new MP who will actually do the job.

It is disgraceful that she continues to have the Conservative Party whip. Clearly Rishi Sunak thinks Nadine Dorries’s actions are still worthy of being a Conservative MP.

Local people are fed up with being taken for granted by this out of touch Conservative party.

The rhetoric was ramped up yesterday, when Ed Davey visited Flitwick, in the constituency and he referred to her as a “dosser”.

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Tagged daisy cooper, ed davey, mid bedfordshire by-election and nadine dorries | 10 Comments

Caroline Pidgeon writes: Take Back Control?

By Caroline Pidgeon | Mon 21st August 2023 - 9:05 am

For decades, I have been championing devolution; for communities to take back control over the decisions that affect their lives from the very local allocation of funding to improve an area, to wider service provision and structures. The beauty of our local government is that it looks different in different areas, to suit local communities’ needs.

However, no matter what the structure, funding has always been a problem for local services. Back in 2013, Boris Johnson, as Mayor of London, commissioned Professor Tony Travers to Chair an expert panel called the London Finance Commission, which produced Raising the capital | London City Hall. This report transformed the debate and voiced the need for London and other cities to have more financial control.

The EU referendum, and Britain now having left the EU, has made the case for devolution and fiscal devolution more urgent. Whatever Leave voters felt they were voting for, it was not ‘business as usual’. It was not an endorsement of centralised power, simply removing it from Brussels to Whitehall and job done. People across the country feel isolated from the democratic process.

The referendum result not only affects the country as a whole but also within our nations, regions and cities. The uncertainties from Brexit and the pandemic may well be better managed at a local level, with local and regional government able to respond more effectively.

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Tagged decentralisation. london, devolution, featured and taxation | 21 Comments

Cole-Hamilton calls for Illegal Migration Bill to be scrapped

By The Voice | Sat 19th August 2023 - 7:55 am

Today is World Humanitarian Day. According to the United Nations website:

This year, our World Humanitarian Day campaign brings together the global humanitarian community to mark the twentieth anniversary of the attack on the UN headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, and to show our unwavering commitment to deliver for the communities we serve, no matter who, no matter where and #NoMatterWhat.

Humanitarians have no other purpose than to save and protect lives and deliver the basic necessities of life, they stand shoulder to shoulder with the communities they serve and bring hope.

On 19 August, we come together to honour humanitarians around the world who strive to meet ever-growing global needs. No matter the danger or the hardship, humanitarians venture deep into disaster-stricken regions and on the front lines of conflict, strive to save and protect people in need.

Alex Cole-Hamilton has used his remarks on World Humanitarian Day to call for the scrapping of the Illegal Migration Bill:

Across the globe, the scale of human suffering is horrific.

Crises like those in Yemen and Afghanistan, the war in Ukraine and years of devastating civil war in South Sudan are just some examples of why we must use our freedoms to speak out in support of those who are persecuted and oppressed.

As we remember those atrocities, it’s also important that we mark the unwavering bravery of those who delve into them, endeavouring to protect and save the lives of those in need.

Those humanitarian efforts serve as an inspiration to my party, and that is why Scottish Liberal Democrats want to see both our governments playing their part to further our humanitarian objectives.

The UK Government must scrap their Illegal Migration Bill, which would only demonise the desperate and make the circumstances of some of the most vulnerable people on our planet even worse. We must strengthen support for those fleeing to our shores, implementing measures which will allow people to meaningfully rebuild their lives far from home.

Crucially, we must continue to prioritise tackling the climate emergency in our international work as it is often poorer countries which are left to deal with the gravest consequences of that emergency.

On World Humanitarian Day and beyond, Scottish Liberal Democrats will continue to fight for equality, justice and liberty for all.

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Tagged Alex Cole-Hamilton and world humanitarian day | 13 Comments

ALDC by-election report, 17th August 2023

By The Voice | Fri 18th August 2023 - 3:25 pm

There were just 2 principal council by-elections this week.

However there was still much to celebrate with a fantastic hold in St Albans and a significant move forward in a previously safe Labour ward in Middlesborough.

First of all we would like to congratulate Councillor Raihaanah Ahmed and St Albans Lib Dems for a great hold in Marshalwick East & Jersey Farm ward – and in a crowded field getting almost half the vote. Well done on a fantastic result.

St Albans DC, Marhsalwick East & Jersey Farm
Liberal Democrats (Raihaanah Ahmed): 774 (46%, -3.8%)
Conservative: 661 (39.3%, +5.3%)
Green Party: 102 (6.1%, -2.3%)
Labour: 82 (4.9%, -2.8%)
Independent: 62 (3.7%, new)

The next by-election took place in Middlesborough UA in Ayresome ward. Well done to our candidate Claire Brent and the local team for moving forwards significantly – finishing 3^rd just over 100 votes behind the Independent winner with a 14.6% increase in share of the vote! In coming third we leapfrogged the Conservatives and this really demonstrates how by-elections can develop seats for the future.

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Tagged aldc local government by-elections | 3 Comments

Ed Davey calls for action to help those struggling with rising bills

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 16th August 2023 - 8:48 am

As inflation falls to 6.8%, Lib Dem Leader Ed Davey appeared on Sky News this morning to give our party’s reaction:

While it was positive news that prices aren’t using quite so fast, he said, but they are rising fast, faster than they are in many other countries and faster than they have for many, many years.

Families and pensioners when they go and do their shopping, when they get their energy bill, when they pay their mortgage, their rents, they are still seeing them go up by huge amounts. And what is worrying Liberal Democrats today is that this month’s inflation figures will be used to calculate rail fares for next year and we are calling for a freeze as some way of helping people who are really really struggling.

Challenged that the Government has to balance the books, Ed said that we always do balance the books and go to the country with a fully costed manifesto, compared to the Conservatives who have been reckless with Government money and that’s why the country is in such a mess.

I listen to Conservative ministers and they seem so out of touch with the realities that most families and pensioners are facing. When we talk about these sorts of figures they seem quite complacent and give themselves a pat on the back when families are really struggling out there. I just want a Government that seems to care a bit more and this lot just don’t.

Let’s just pause a minute there. This “families and pensioners” phrase irks me a bit. It isn’t quite as bad as the awful “hard working families”, but it completely ignores a huge swathe of people who are struggling just as much as the soft Tory voters in the blue wall seats we are going after. They like the “families and pensioners” language because it has a comforting ring of deserving poor about it but that’s no excuse.

We need to make sure that the young people struggling to get by on low incomes, earning less and getting less in benefits despite living costs being just as high feel included, or the growing number of single person households with only themselves to rely on.

What’s wrong with just using people? Our mission as Liberal Democrats is to build a fair, free and open society where NO-ONE is enslaved by poverty, ignorance and conformity and our language should reflect that universality. We have so many good ideas that would help all people who are struggling so it seems a shame to limit our language.

Rant over and back to the interview. Ed was challenged that our plans to help people were not realistic. He said:

The real world is that the economy is struggling and we need to get people back to work. If you took up Liberal Democrat ideas to boost the economy, you would get more people using public transport which is more important for our economy, for the environment and so you have many benefits.

I just think the Government is so out of touch. They don’t seem to get how the combination of price rises, mortgages, rents, energy bells railway fares, is hitting people. We’ve calculated that a commuter family is going to be clobbered by an extra bill of £300 every month due to the combination of mortgage, food and rail fares. This is a huge amount and when I hear government ministers saying they can’t do anything. They could do something but they don’t. The fact that they don’t backs up my argument that they are out of touch and don’t care.

He was asked whether the energy price cap should be rethought as it harmed competition:

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Also posted in Op-eds | Tagged cost of living crisis, economy, ed davey, featured, inflation and sky news | 31 Comments

Our candidate announced for the by-election in Rutherglen and Hamilton West

By The Voice | Fri 11th August 2023 - 7:31 pm

There is going to be a Parliamentary by-election in Rutherglen and Hamilton West following the recall of the SNP MP Margaret Ferrier. You may remember that she was suspended from the House of Commons over a serious breach of Covid regulations in 2020.

It will be a fairly clear fight between SNP and Labour, but as always it is very important that we field a credible candidate. The local party has selected Gloria Adebo, who lives in Rutherglen with her family.

Gloria was originally from Nigeria; she stood as a council candidate for Rutherglen Central and North in 2022 and works as a data analyst with a major financial institution.

We have this quote from her:

I am passionate about giving people right across Rutherglen and Hamilton West the representation they deserve.

For me, putting public service back into the beating heart of our politics is so important, and that is why I am standing as a candidate in this by-election.

The Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election is a real chance for local people to deliver a judgement on the difficulties and disasters we have been landed in by incompetent, populist governments in London and Edinburgh.

It needn’t be like this. And it is the Liberal Democrats who, increasingly, are a growing and dynamic part of an alternative way forward– offering hope in place of despair, founded on a belief in individuals, in the rule of law, in equality of opportunity and the importance of human rights here and across the world.

In this by-election, I will be focussed on the issues that matter to local people. That means bringing down bills for households struggling with the cost of living and ensuring that people can access healthcare close to home and within a reasonable time.

It is time, in particular, for the government to accept Liberal Democrat demands to support people in difficulty with their mortgages, paid for by reversing Conservative tax cuts for banks, to protect families falling into arrears or facing repossession as a result of soaring interest rates.

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Tagged Gloria Adebo and Rutherglen and Hamilton West | 21 Comments

ALDC By-Election Report – 10th August

By Charles Quinn | Fri 11th August 2023 - 5:18 pm

There were 3 principal council by-elections this week. It was great to see a Lib Dem candidate standing in all of them. We also had an excellent gain to celebrate in Somerset which is where we start.

Congratulations to Cllr Kevin Messenger who gained Castle Cary ward on Somerset Council from the Conservatives – with over 50% of the vote, a very healthy majority of over 600 and a 10.4% increase in vote share!

Well done to Kevin and everyone in Somerset and thank you for keeping the Lib Dem momentum going. That’s 4 by-election gains in the space of a week now!

Somerset Council, Castle Cary ward
Liberal Democrats (Kevin Messenger): 1,247 (54.8%, +10.4%)
Conservative: 614 (27%, -15.7%)
Green Party: 415 (18.2%, +5.3%)

In Havering London Borough Council, Thomas Clarke flew the flag for the Lib Dems in the Upminster ward by-election. Thank you to Thomas for ensuring there was a Lib Dem for people to vote for. The ward was held by the Upminster & Cranham Residents Association.

Havering LBC, Upminster ward
Residents Association: 1,642 (63.2%, +0.1%)
Conservatives: 421 (16.2%, -3.7%)
Labour: 234 9%, -0.5%)
Independent: 150 (5.8%, +5.8%)
Green Party: 115 (4.4%, -3.1%)
Liberal Democrats (Thomas Clarke): 35 (1.4%, +1.4%)

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Tagged aldc local government by-elections | Leave a comment

++ BREAKING NEWS ++ Lib Dem candidate for London Mayor revealed

By Mary Reid | Fri 11th August 2023 - 10:06 am

London Liberal Democrats have announced that Rob Blackie will be our candidate in the Mayoral elections next year.

Congratulations to Rob!

OK, so not quite the usual photo for a serious candidate, but we loved this photo of Rob with Hina Bokhari, London Assembly member. They had been Wombling on Wimbledon Common.

Rob grew up in Pimlico and now lives near Brixton in South London and runs his own business as an adviser to start-up tech companies.

Rob has been a life-long Lib Dem who served as Charles Kennedy’s Director of Research during the Iraq War. Since then he has been the London Assembly candidate for Lambeth and Southwark in 2012 and a Londonwide list candidate in 2016 and 2021.

You can read much more about him on his website, including his project that stands up to Russian censorship.

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Sewage: Investigation reveals water firms failing to admit how much sewage is being discharged

By NewsHound | Wed 9th August 2023 - 10:30 pm

Thames Water refused to hand over data despite saying publicly they do measure the volume of sewage discharged

Scottish Water make public how much sewage is discharged into rivers and seas

England’s water firms accused of “scandalous cover up”

Liberal Democrats demand water firms measure how much sewage they are discharging into waterways

Water firms are failing to disclose how much sewage is being discharged into rivers, lakes and coastlines, Environmental Information Requests by the Liberal Democrats have revealed.

The staggering admission follows public outrage at water companies destroying the environment with sewage discharges. Currently, water firms only provide the length of sewage discharges, broken …

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Also posted in Press releases | Tagged sewage dumping, tim farron and water companies | Leave a comment

Hospitals suffer chemical leaks and broken fire alarms as repair bills rise

By Mark Valladares | Wed 9th August 2023 - 9:28 pm

More than 100 chemical leaks in hospitals last year, including in children’s wards, A&Es and delivery units.

Other hospitals suffering from broken fire alarms despite 1,159 fires recorded last year

Liberal Democrats demand urgent plan to fix England’s hospitals as repair bill tops £10bn

A Freedom of Information investigation by the Liberal Democrats has found that England’s hospitals are crumbling, with chemicals leaking in patient areas and others with multiple broken fire alarms.

The frightening new revelations follow record repair costs, as the cost of eradicating the repair backlog at NHS hospitals and equipment hit £10bn for the first time last year. Last …

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Also posted in Press releases | Tagged daisy cooper, health and safety and NHS | Leave a comment

Lib Dems target seat gains on new boundaries

By NewsHound | Wed 9th August 2023 - 12:35 pm

An interesting article on Politics Home highlights how our campaign team is now targeting more seats based on the new boundaries.

PoliticsHome understands that there are a number of areas across the country where Lib Dem activists are confident that the new make-up of seats could play in their favour, generally in areas where Lib Dem council wards are merging into areas that currently have Conservative MPs or have leaned Conservative in the past, and campaigners are now specifically targeting their canvassingin patches.

They talk to Victoria Collins, our candidate in the newly formed seat of Harpenden and Berkhamstead, who told them:

Victoria Collins, who has been selected as the Lib Dems candidate for Harpenden and Berkhamsted, told PoliticsHome that there has been a “groundswell” of movement towards her party in the area, as demonstrated by local election results over the last few years as the party have made gains.

She said that she was selected before this year’s local elections and the final results of the boundary review. “We were looking forward and saying ‘actually, how do we start building a campaign for the next general election?’,” she explained.

The article also cites how our campaign in Selby and Ainsty targeted parts of the constituency that are moving into the new Harrogate and Knaresborough seat:

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Tagged general election speculation and lib dem campaigning | Leave a comment

Young Liberals’ Local Elections campaigning and successes

By Joe Norris | Mon 7th August 2023 - 12:13 pm

In May, we at the English Young Liberals got massively stuck into campaigning for the local elections! Proving ourselves to be a massive driving force in the locals, we held multiple action days in twenty different locations across the country, with many often happening on the same day. We’d like to thank all the local parties in supporting us setting up these action days, and to give a huge thank you to every Young Liberal that turned up and made the action days a success!

As well as campaigning, we also saw at …

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Also posted in Local government | Tagged 2023 local elections and young liberals | 1 Comment

ALDC by-election report, 3rd August

By Charles Quinn | Fri 4th August 2023 - 5:57 pm

Thursday was one of the best nights for Lib Dem by-election results in recent years!

Out of 4 principal council by-elections we made gains in 3 – winning seats from both Labour and the Conservatives. In the other we moved forwards from fourth place to second place!

There is so much to celebrate this week!

In Dudley, Cllr Ryan Priest and the local Lib Dems gained Cradley & Wollescote ward from Labour by winning over 50% of the vote and a 14% increase in Lib Dem vote share.

Congratulations to Ryan and the team. Ryan just missed out on the ward by 21 votes in May’s local elections. Persistence has paid off and with the fantastic win he has become the first Lib Dem councillor on Dudley MBC.

The campaign also received support from an ALDC Fighting Fund Grant.

Dudley MBC, Cradley & Wollescote ward
Liberal Democrat (Ryan Priest): 1321 (52.2%, +14.3%)
Labour: 771 (30.5%, -8.2%)
Conservative: 353 (14%, -4.8%)
Green Party: 79 (3.1%, -0.2%)
TUSC: 5 (0.2%, -0.7%)

Lib Dem GAIN from Labour

Our next gain comes from Norfolk County Council where Cllr John Crofts gained Freebridge Lynn division from the Conservatives. This was another stunning victory made all the more impressive by the fact that we did not stand in the division the last time it was contested in 2021!

Congratulations to John and the Lib Dem team in Norfolk. Coming from nowhere to winning – leapfrogging both the Green Party and Labour – shows that people want a Lib Dem option on the ballot paper and we can achieve amazing things with hard work.

Norfolk CC, Freebridge Lynn division
Liberal Democrats (John Crofts): 669 (38.4, +38.4%)
Conservative: 539 (31%, -33.7%)
Green Party: 418 (24%, +4.3%)
Labour: 115 (6.6%, -9%)

Lib Dem GAIN from Conservative

Three was the magic number this week as we made yet another gain on East Sussex Country Council as Cllr Brett Wright beat the Conservatives in Meads division. With this loss the Conservatives also lost overall control of the council!

Congratulations to Brett and the local Lib Dem team. Yet another fantastic result which saw the Lib Dem vote share increase by 10%! A superb result.

East Sussex CC, Meads division
Liberal Democrats (Brett Wright): 1649 (50.1%, +10.1%)
Conservative: 1361 (41.3%, -4.3%)
Labour: 157 (4.8%, -1.1%)
Green Party: 127 (3.9%, -2.2%)

Lib Dem GAIN from Conservative

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Tagged aldc local government by-elections | 3 Comments

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