Category Archives: News

Times: Keir Starmer is “Ed Davey tribute act”

By NewsHound | Sat 20th August 2022 - 8:12 am

In the Times (£), Matt Chorley points out that Keir Starmer is on a push to steal the Lib Dems’ big ideas:

So the Labour leader is back. And we now know what he was doing in Spain: trying to get on the Lib Dem website using up whatever 4G was left in his mobile package now that free roaming, which wasn’t going to disappear after Brexit, amazingly disappeared after Brexit.

I’ve lost track of where we were with the Starmer Relaunch Roulette game, but whoever had “Ed Davey tribute act” has had a good week. On October 26 last year Davey called for a windfall tax on energy companies. Twelve weeks later, Starmer did the same. And then Rishi Sunak did it. On August 9, Davey called for the energy price cap rise to be scrapped. Five days later, Starmer came back from his hols and followed suit.

And he hasn’t stopped yet:

Also back on August 9 the Lib Dems demanded that parliament be recalled. It took Starmer a few more days to get to that bit of their snazzy new website, but lo and behold, yesterday Labour emailed Boris Johnson demanding parliament be recalled.

Chorley quotes Ed’s tweet:

Tagged ed davey, labour and the times | 10 Comments

Helen Morgan challenges Greg Clark on Community Heating Hubs

By NewsHound | Fri 19th August 2022 - 10:31 am

On 16 August, Helen Morgan wrote to Greg Clark, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities calling for action to protect those who will not be able to afford to heat their homes this winter. She has also written to Shropshire Council leader Lezley Picton:

Places like libraries and leisure centres could easily be adapted to provide a safe space for people to sit and keep warm during the day, at no extra cost to the tax payer.

Community Heating Hubs are simple, easily implemented and could be a literal lifeline for some households this winter.

In her letter to Greg Clark, Morgan said the country faces a cost of living emergency. She urges him to tackle the emergency this winter by requiring all local authorities to provide Community Heating Hubs, making public buildings available to those who can’t afford to keep their heating on at home.

I’m hoping you will wake this zombie government and take action to help the millions of people being pushed towards poverty by the cost of living emergency. Please ask all local authorities to take this simple step.

Tagged cost of living crisis and helen morgan MP | 3 Comments

Farron & Foord: Water executives get bonuses despite sewerage scandal

By Mark Valladares | Fri 19th August 2022 - 7:30 am

In a press release that is receiving widespread coverage in this morning’s media, Tim Farron and Richard Foord attacked the huge bonuses received by water bosses while sewerage pours into our rivers and seas.

Average water company executive pay and bonuses rose by a fifth compared to last year despite 2.7 million hours of sewage being pumped into rivers and swimming spots
Average water company executives paid themselves £100,000 more in bonuses alone. Their average annual bonus now stands at over £600,000
New Lib Dem figures revealed as hosepipe ban is announced for Thames Water who lose a quarter of all their water due due to leaking pipes going unfixed.

In the week that sewage flowed into Britain’s treasured seaside swimming spots, new analysis of water companies’ Annual Reports by the Liberal Democrats has found that executive pay packets have spiralled out of control.

Next week, millions of Thames Water customers will also suffer from a hosepipe ban despite the company leaking a quarter of all its water from leaking pipes. The firm failed to invest in fixing the leaks, but found over £3 million to pay their execs, an increase on last year’s executive payout.

Combined bonuses and salaries pay packets per water company executive rose by a fifth (21%) from 2020/2021 to 2021/2022. This is a year-on-year average rise per executive of nearly £200,000.

Also posted in Press releases | Tagged executive pay, featured, richard foord, sewage, tim farron and water companies | 14 Comments

Farron: Avanti Oxenholme lock-in an “unacceptable farce”

By NewsHound | Thu 18th August 2022 - 10:48 am

On Tuesday night, around 30 passengers alighted from the Avanti West Coast service from London Euston to Glasgow at Oxenholme. Alas, the station was closed. One of the passengers described the situation . They could scale the 8ft high gate, walk across the live tracks or “pick somewhere to try and sleep on a pavement until the morning”. Some reports suggest some passengers “took to climbing the 7-foot spiked gates and fences surrounding the station in order to get out.”

https://twitter.com/helenpidd/status/1559951453610991618

The hour was late but one passenger has the wits to ring Tim Farron, who got onto Avanti. “It was only when someone contacted Mr Farron that any help came, with a Network Rail worker opening the gate 45 minutes after the passengers arrived.”

Tagged railways and tim farron | 4 Comments

17 August 2022 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Wed 17th August 2022 - 10:30 pm

Inflation figures: People will never forgive this Government for abandoning them
Thames Water hosepipe ban: slap in the face for millions of people
“Nasty party”: Kwarteng must clarify Truss’s shameful ‘graft’ comments
75,000 A-Level grades set to be deflated under Government’s exam plans
Councillor Sykes welcomes change in law barring sex offenders from standing for or holding elected office

Inflation figures: People will never forgive this Government for abandoning them

Responding to inflation reaching 10.1% this morning, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson Sarah Olney MP said:

Britain is heading for the worst economic crisis in a generation, yet the Prime Minister has clocked off early whilst Sunak and Truss are too busy squabbling amongst themselves.

Families and pensioners will never forgive this Conservative Government for abandoning them in the middle of a cost of living catastrophe.

The answer is staring Conservative MPs in the face but they refuse to act. Energy bills must be frozen immediately or else millions of people will be plunged into financial devastation this winter.

Thames Water hosepipe ban: slap in the face for millions of people

Responding to the news that Thames Water will enforce a hosepipe ban, Liberal Democrat Environment Spokesperson Tim Farron MP said:

This is a slap in the face for millions of people when Thames Water is losing a quarter of all their water to leaks.

Their gross negligence to fix leaks is set to inflict hosepipe ban misery across the South. We wouldn’t be in this mess if Thames Water bothered to invest properly. Instead, water companies are choosing to pay themselves billions of pounds in profits and reward their CEOs with insulting bonuses. Thames Water is putting profit above the public and environment.

Ministers are to blame for letting profiteering water companies get away with it. Under this Government, our rivers have become polluted with sewage and water pipes rusting with leaks.

Also posted in Press releases | Tagged a level results, conservative party leadership election, cost of living crisis, howard sykes, inflation, Local government, munira wilson, sarah olney, sex offenders, tim farron and water shortages | 3 Comments

Moran: Britain’s response to Taliban is a story of betrayal

By NewsHound | Wed 17th August 2022 - 9:29 am

Witing in yesterday’s i newspaper, Layla Moran said we must help Afghans in the UK by moving them out of hotels and into homes.

The UK Government promised that our doors would be open to Afghans at risk – including women, LGBTQ+ people and minority groups – but it has shut them as soon as they thought nobody was looking.

What about those who did make it to the UK?… Ten thousand Afghans remain stuck in hotels up and down the country… A significant proportion of these people put their lives on the line to help UK forces during the war and were promised the chance to start a new life here in the UK. Instead, they’ve been left in limbo by the Conservative Government.

A year on government promises to Afghans and to the British public lie in tatters, Moran says. “We will not let those commitments be forgotten.”

Tagged afghanistan, featured, layla moran mp and refugees | 5 Comments

16 August 2022 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Tue 16th August 2022 - 10:30 pm

Pay squeeze: Families are being hammered by a cost of living catastrophe
Lib Dems: As the country floods, water companies are pumping out untold amounts of sewage

Pay squeeze: Families are being hammered by a cost of living catastrophe

Responding to the latest monthly wage figures which show real-term wages falling by 3%, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson Sarah Olney MP said:

Families are being hammered by a cost of living catastrophe and yet the Government is nowhere to be found.

This Zombie Government has no plan and is failing our country. People can’t wait any longer for the Conservatives to play out their

…

Also posted in Press releases | Tagged cost of living crisis, sarah olney, sewage, tim farron and water companies | 16 Comments

15 August 2022 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Mon 15th August 2022 - 10:35 pm

34 hospital buildings revealed to have dangerous roofs at risk of collapsing
Lib Dems call for “double bill freeze” this winter to save families £2,000

34 hospital buildings revealed to have dangerous roofs at risk of collapsing

The poor quality roofs described as “chocolate aero bars” by fearful hospital bosses
NHS chiefs are emergency planning for the roofs to collapse at 16 different hospitals
One of the hospitals affected is in Liz Truss’s Norfolk constituency

A new Parliamentary Question tabled by the Liberal Democrats has revealed 34 hospital buildings across 16 different NHS trusts are fitted with roofs which NHS chiefs have warned could collapse at any moment. Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey is demanding the Government action plan for emergency upgrades to the hospitals as patients and staff safety are put at risk.

The government revealed that 34 buildings at 16 NHS trust have been identified as being fitted with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) which is said to be ‘structurally weaker’, ‘lightweight’ and ‘cheaper’ than a regular fitting.

NHS chief executive of Queen Elizabeth in King’s Lynn, Caroline Shaw, likened the material to a “chocolate Aero bar” with bubbles that could break and collapse at any point. It has been reported that some of the roofs are even being held up by steel props due to their structural weakness. This hospital is in Liz Truss’s constituency in Norfolk.

Hinchingbrooke in Cambridge, also impacted by these dangerous roof fittings, last year banned patients weighing more than 19 stone from having surgery in two of its operating theatres in case it put too much strain on the floor.

Also posted in Press releases | Tagged cost of living crisis, ed davey, hospital buildings and sarah olney | 3 Comments

14 August 2022 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Sun 14th August 2022 - 10:30 pm

Government set to recover just a third of the £1 billion it pledged to claw back from Covid fraudsters
IPPR Analysis: Energy bills threaten to plunge millions into poverty this winter

Government set to recover just a third of the £1 billion it pledged to claw back from Covid fraudsters

The Government promised to recover £1bn between April 2021 and April 2023, but with just £226 million collected in 2021-22 it is all but certain to break its pledge.
Fraudsters are now on track to get away with £8 of every £10 they stole with £3.7bn of taxpayers’ money written off.
Liberal Democrats call on Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak to appoint a new fraud minister on day one to track down stolen taxpayers’ cash

The Government’s Covid fraud taskforce is on track to recover just a third of the £1 billion it pledged to claw back from fraudsters, new analysis of HMRC figures have revealed.

In 2021 Ministers set up the Taxpayer Protection Taskforce with the aim of recovering £1 billion of stolen funds related to its Covid support by the end of 2022-23. But new figures published by HMRC show the Government is lagging far behind this target.

They show the taskforce has recovered just £226 million so far in 2021-22, plus a mere £9 million in the first month of 2022-23. If it continues at this sluggish pace, the taskforce would bring back just £335 million by April 2023 – missing its target by two thirds, and allowing fraudsters to get away with another £665 million of stolen taxpayers’ money.

It means Covid scheme fraud is currently set to land taxpayers with a total £3.7 billion, with fraudsters keeping £8 of every £10 they stole. That money could fund the increase of nearly 2.3 million families’ energy bills as prices are set to rise again this October.

Also posted in Press releases | Tagged cost of living crisis, covid fraud, ed davey, energy bills and sarah olney | 2 Comments

Cole-Hamilton calls for action to stop spread of Monkeypox

By The Voice | Sun 14th August 2022 - 5:45 pm

Alex Cole-Hamilton has urged the Scottish Government to do more to deal with the Monkeypox outbreak which has so far infected 71 people in Scotland.

Whether the First Minister or Health Secretary has discussed Monkeypox with the JCVI;
What briefings ministers have had from health officials;
Whether it is intending to offer vaccination to all those most at risk of contracting monkeypox;
What conversations have been had with Health ministers and officials in other parts of the UK;
How many doses of the MVA smallpox vaccine it has access to and whether it will be ordering more.

Alex said:

During the Covid crisis we saw that government policy was better when precautions were explained to people, contingency plans laid out in public and scrutiny encouraged.

It was when the government chose to make decisions behind closed doors and failed to take the public with them that many of the worst decisions of the pandemic were made.

This is an opportunity to show that lessons have been learned from the Covid crisis. The WHO says that this is an emergency so while caseloads are still low, it’s important that ministers act.

Carmichael accuses SNP of “criminal negligence” over ferries

By NewsHound | Sun 14th August 2022 - 4:15 pm

In today’s Scotland On Sunday, Alistair Carmichael rips through the SNP for their failure to ensure basic ferry services to Scotland’s islands.

Alistair grew up on Islay and now represents Orkney and Shetland so he knows exactly how important this is.

“The fundamental rules of island life and island economics are if you get the transport right, then just about everything else falls into place because without decent transport links you don’t have the access to the full range of medical facilities that the community will need

“You cannot grow your economy because the people who are catching fish or farming fish or raising stock are not going to be able to get them off the island.

“This is absolutely criminal. This just should not be allowed to be happening.

Tagged island life and Scotland | 4 Comments

Young Liberals affirm support for trade unions

By The Voice | Sun 14th August 2022 - 2:45 pm

A motion passed at the Young Liberals Summer Conference yesterday criticises Lib Dem MPs for their comments over the RMT strike action. YL believe that the action was justified.

Their motion said:

(Conference notes)…

The recent industrial action taken by the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) was aimed at, amongst other things:

Tackling fire and rehire;
Protecting against compulsory redundancies;
Seeking to protect the safe running of the railway by maintaining staffing
levels;

The industrial action was held with the support by 89% of members balloted.
There has been a recent controversial response to the RMT strikes by the Federal Party, including:

Tagged trade unions and young liberals | 4 Comments

Lib Dems uncover massive fall in permanent contracts for new teachers

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 14th August 2022 - 1:15 pm

Children in Scotland go back to school this week. You would think that after three hellish years of pandemic related disruption and a widening attainment gap, the SNP Government would want to make sure that there were as many permanent teachers in the classroom as possible.

Every year the Scottish Liberal Democrats at Holyrood look for the number of newly qualified teachers being offered permanent posts rather than fixed term or supply contracts. In the past 5 years, that has fallen from 56%, which was low enough, to just 23%.

On the back of those figures, STV News has spoken to three teachers about the impact that this uncertainty has had on them. Heaven knows we need more girls doing STEM subjects, and here is a woman teacher in those subjects who can’t get a permanent job:

Tagged education, Scotland and scottish liberal democrats | 2 Comments

Alistair Carmichael in blistering form on Any Questions

By NewsHound | Sat 13th August 2022 - 10:30 am

Alistair Carmichael turned up in 37 degree London in a tweed jacket yesterday morning. He had needed it at the airport in Orkney.

He was on his way to Swindon to record Any Questions. He was on fine form.

I won’t spoil too much for you but he absolutely eviscerated the Tories on education, the environment, their pitiful efforts to help people with rising costs and dentistry.

He even managed to poke a wee bit of fun in Diane Abbott’s direction.

At one point, he talked about water companies getting away with so much while paying their managing directors millions in bonuses. He made the point that if you are going to privatise a natural monopoly, you need to regulate it within an inch of its life. He was speaking from the heart given that he is kicking the backsides of both energy companies and the regulator for their abject failure in installing electricity meters in new builds in the Northern Isles.

Tagged alistair carmichael mp and bbc any questions | 5 Comments

Layla on Salman Rushdie’s “Beautiful pieces of literature”

By Caron Lindsay | Fri 12th August 2022 - 10:46 pm

The news of Salman Rushdie’s stabbing at an event in upstate New York is profoundly shocking.

My first thoughts were with those police officers and a doctor in the audience who put themselves in harm’s way to help the author and no doubt give him the chance of survival. At the time of writing he is still in surgery and I know that everyone reading this will hope that he pulls through and our thoughts will be very much with his loved ones.

We don’t know the motivations for this particular attack, but we are well aware that Salman Rushdie had to spend a decade in hiding after the Iranian Government issued a fatwa against him in 1988 after they decided that his book, The Satanic Verses, was blasphemous.

Rushdie has had to live with this threat for decades for doing nothing other than challenging orthodoxy. For using his considerable creative talent to make us think.

Tonight, Layla Moran described how the threat to Rushdie encouraged her to read his books:

I remember as a child being told about the fatwah and as a result reading his books. Beautiful pieces of literature, especially Midnight’s Children. I learned art and thought can be dangerous in a good way – I hope he pulls through https://t.co/3NaZqb6hLf

— Layla Moran 🔶🕊️ (@LaylaMoran) August 12, 2022

She said:

Tagged freedom of expression and salman rushdie | 22 Comments

Young Liberals head to Birmingham for their Summer Conference

By Caron Lindsay | Fri 12th August 2022 - 2:55 pm

About a million years ago I travelled from Aberdeen to Birmingham to attend my first ever SDP Students Conference. It was held in the Birmingham University Guild of Students and we all slept on the floor in our sleeping bags.

It was a great learning experience. I remember it was the first time I had done public speaking training and it scared the life out of me. It really helped, though.

I really enjoyed the experience and it obviously dug me deeper in to the party. Not even the SDPS “Have you got the guts to vote SDP” campaign the following year could put me off.

I met some lifelong friends in those early days.

So it warmed my heart a bit to see Young Liberals heading to Birmingham for their Summer conference. And they even have beds to sleep in in the 2020s.

On the way to #YLConf with @fergus_u 🧡 pic.twitter.com/cOQjripUlp

— Janey Little 🔶 (@JaneyisLittle) August 12, 2022

Got to love Callum’s suitcase:

Ready for @YoungLiberalsUK Conference – on to Birmingham! #YLConf pic.twitter.com/rZzLfuF0AI

— Callum James Littlemore (@CJLittlemore) August 12, 2022

And it’s great to see that there are loads of new people heading to Conference for the first time:

Tagged young liberals and young liberals summer conference 2022 | 1 Comment

Sarah Olney: GDP figures are proof that the Government is missing in action

By The Voice | Fri 12th August 2022 - 1:52 pm

Lib Dem Treasury Spokesperson Sarah Olney has demanded that the Government take action to avoid a recession immediately after the announcement of the fall in GDP

She said:

The warning lights are flashing red but the government is missing in action.

There’s no time to waste, ministers must act now to boost confidence and avoid a recession.

4 Comments

English Heritage plaque unveiled to Dadabhai Naoroji

By Simon McGrath | Fri 12th August 2022 - 11:55 am

A Blue Plaque has been installed on the house at 72 Anerley Park, Penge where Dadabhai Naoroji lived. Naoroji was the first Indian elected as an MP ( by 5 votes!), one of the founders of the Indian National Congress and a leading member of the Zoroastrian community. A recent biography was reviewed by me on LDV here.

The unveiling included a Zoroastrian prayer and a number of speeches about his life. Representing the Lib Dems at the unveiling were myself, Cllr Julie Ireland Leader of the Lib Dems on Bromley Council , Amna Ahmad the Party’s Vice President responsible for working with ethnic minority communities and local Lib Dem and former Director of Policy at LD HQ , Neil Stockley.

Cllr Julie Ireland said:

I frequently drive past this house and had no idea that it had been the home of such a distinguished Liberal. Dadabhai Naoroji was an extraordinary man – he wasn’t just interested in India, he was outspoken in his support for women’s rights and their right to education and a supporter of Home Rule for Ireland. We are proud that he was a former resident of Bromley

Amna Ahmad said :

Tagged dadabhal naoroji | 1 Comment

Ron Waddell’s funeral to take place on 16th August – livestream available

By Caron Lindsay | Fri 12th August 2022 - 10:25 am

You may remember we brought you the sad news that much-loved former Scottish Lib Dem Chief Exec died suddenly on 17th July.

As I wrote at the time:

In every single conversation I have had with people about Ron in the past two days, the words kind and gentle have featured very highly. He was a lovely man, always wise and one of those people who could instantly calm a frazzled situation or, dare I say, bruised egos.

He was one of the best humans, gone way too soon.

Ron’s wife Sandra Grieve would like us to share details of his funeral, which will take place next Tuesday, 16th August, at 1pm at Holy Trinity Church in Mapperley.

Sandra is aware that not everybody who wants to be there will be able to travel so the service will be livestreamed. Sandra and Ron moved to Derbyshire to be closer to their family in 2016. They lived in Lanark for a long time before that and the service will be conducted by their minister from there, Rev Bryan Kerr, who has helped organise the streaming. Details of how to join are at the end of this post.

Jim Wallace, former Scottish Lib Dem Leader, Lib Dem Lords Leader and Scottish FIrst Minister knew Ron for many years. He said to me:

On Tuesday, we shall gather in Mapperley and online to pay tribute to Ron, a great Liberal, and to offer to Sandra and the family our comfort and support.

I knew Ron from days of Scottish Young Liberal conferences in the late 1970s. He served both the Scottish Liberal Party and Scottish Liberal Democrats in many different roles and ways, but always with enthusiasm and commitment. What a number of his party acquaintances may not know, is just how well respected he was in his other career as a teacher and education administrator. Talking to people who were Ron’s colleagues in politics or in education, similar comments re-echo: “wonderfully kind”, “caring and compassionate”, “loyal”, “unflappable” and “a good sense of humour”.

Ron’s was a life cut short all too soon, but through his contributions to politics, education and in the communities where he lived, it was a life well lived.

The details of the live stream are as follows;

Tagged funerals and ron waddell | 1 Comment

Cheltenham Hustings: Truss and Sunak out of touch

By Cheney Payne | Thu 11th August 2022 - 9:41 pm

The latest Conservative leadership hustings has been taking place tonight in Cheltenham, a seat our Max Wilkinson is in a very good position to take at the next election. At the local elections in May, the Lib Dems crushed the Tories 57% to 28% locally. It was previously held by Liberal Democrats Nigel Jones and Martin Horwood.

Max has been commenting on the event on Twitter:

Liz Truss obviously hasn’t been canvassing in Cheltenham during her visit, or she might not be quite so confident. https://t.co/AedW01qN6e

— Max Wilkinson (@mpmwilko) August 11, 2022

This is the sort of bold thinking we can hope to see recreated in No. 10 when Truss wins. https://t.co/4dC7QYEH6q

— Max Wilkinson (@mpmwilko) August 11, 2022

After the event, Max said:

Tagged cheltenham, conservative leadership and max wilkinson | Leave a comment

Davey: Conservative candidates in parallel universe on cost of living crisis

By NewsHound | Thu 11th August 2022 - 11:36 am

Writing in the Express today, Ed Davey called for parliament to be recalled to pass legislation to halt the increase in energy prices that are driving much of the cost of living crisis. With food prices rising and set to rise further, the Lib Dems are calling for a broader package. Davey said we should double the Warm Homes Discount and extend it to more people. Double the Winter Fuel Allowance to give 11 million pensioners up to £600 off their bills. Raise Universal Credit by £20 a week. And thinking longer term, he says the government should begin an emergency home insulation programme, starting with homes in or at risk of fuel poverty.

Energy bills soaring, inflation soaring, interest rates soaring, and as the cost-of-living crisis turns into a cost-of-living catastrophe our government is that of a zombie, limping on – helping no one.

Also posted in Op-eds | Tagged ed davey and featured | 18 Comments

Shropshire Lib Dems welcome former Labour Mayor Jon Tandy

By The Voice | Wed 10th August 2022 - 5:30 pm

Our efforts in Shropshire have not gone unnoticed.

I’m absolutely delighted to welcome former Labour Mayor and MP candidate Jon Tandy to the Liberal Democrat ranks in Shrewsbury.

We met in Harlescott yesterday to welcome Jon to the team. 👇https://t.co/ohgTDLDJjb

— Cllr Alex Wagner 🔨🟦🔶 (@alex__wagner__) August 10, 2022

This week former Labour Mayor and parliamentary candidate for Shrewsbury joined the Lib Dems and was welcomed by local councillor Alex Wagner.

From Shropshire Live:

Jon Tandy said: “I was a Labour Councillor for 16 years, and served Shrewsbury as Mayor. I even ran to be our Labour MP. Joining another party is not a decision I take lightly, and has played on my mind for some time.

“Ultimately, the Labour Party I joined 35 years ago is gone. The influence of Corbyn and Momentum is still present like a nasty hangover, especially in Shrewsbury and Atcham. I can’t sit by and stick with them when there are other strong alternatives locally.

I’m born and bred in Shrewsbury, I love this town. The Liberal Democrats are providing the community leadership that we need to keep making Shrewsbury a better place to live for everyone. They really care about our town, and I’m going to be backing the Lib Dems all the way to win votes and seats from both the Tories and Labour.”

2 Comments

Davey: A cosy meeting with energy companies isn’t enough

By The Voice | Wed 10th August 2022 - 4:30 pm

We don’t need a cosy meeting with energy bosses in Downing Street – we need to cancel the energy price rise to stop a social catastrophe in our country, it is as simple as that.

— Ed Davey (@EdwardJDavey) August 10, 2022

Ed Davey has warned that tomorrow’s meeting between government ministers and energy companies risks becoming “a pointless talking shop” unless a tougher windfall tax is confirmed.

He demanded that the Business Secretary and Chancellor impose a tougher windfall tax on energy companies to fund the scrapping of October’s energy price rise. He wants the rate raised from 25% to 30% and its scope increased to include profits since October 2021.

He thinks this could raise around £20 billion, four times more than the government’s weaker levy is currently expected to generate.

Ed said:

Tagged cost of living crisis, ed davey, energy cap and energy prices | 2 Comments

Scotsman: Lib Dems deserve praise for coming up with what looks like a plan

By NewsHound | Wed 10th August 2022 - 2:53 pm

Praise for the Lib Dems’ call for October’s energy price rise to be scrapped from an unlikely source appears today. The Scotsman leader column says:

Labour’s party political point-scoring about Johnson being in office but not in government might impress some but hardly offers an alternative solution.

Instead it was left to the Liberal Democrats to come up with what sounds like an expensive but effective plan.

They called for the energy price cap to remain at its current rate with energy suppliers recompensed by government for rising wholesale prices to the tune of £36 billion, partly funded by an extended windfall tax on fossil fuel companies. As Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey rightly said, “this is an emergency, and the government must step in now”.

Tagged cost of living crisis, energy cap and the scotsman | 3 Comments

Ed Davey: Cancel energy price rise to avoid a social catastrophe

By The Voice | Wed 10th August 2022 - 8:49 am

Here’s Ed Davey on yesterday’s Good Morning Britain talking about his radical call for the Government to cancel the energy price cap rise planned for October, paying for it by a windfall tax on energy companies and increased VAT receipts.

'I think we could be heading for a social catastrophe.'

Leader of the Liberal Democrats Sir @EdwardJDavey is calling on the government to cover the cost of the energy price rise in October.

He is asked where the money to cover the cost will come from. pic.twitter.com/NuKI1B8GEq

— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) August 9, 2022

Tagged cost of living crisis and ed davey | 7 Comments

Cancel October energy price rise says Ed Davey

By Caron Lindsay | Tue 9th August 2022 - 8:48 am

Just last Friday I was saying that while we were saying some good things about the cost of living emergency, we needed to come up with something bolder to deal with such a massive economic shock.

I should have been more patient. Ed Davey has stepped up to the mark, calling for October’s energy price rise to be cancelled, with part of the cost covered by a windfall tax on the energy companies. Given that some of them are making quarterly profits larger than the GDP of some countries, that is entirely justifiable.

Under our plans, the 70% increase in the energy price cap expected to be announced by Ofgem later this month would be cancelled, with the Government instead paying the shortfall to energy suppliers so that they can afford to supply customers at the current rates. The party estimates that this would save a typical household an extra £1,400 a year.

This is not cheap, but the party says that the estimated £36 billion cost should be met by expanding the windfall tax on oil and gas company profits, and using the Government’s higher-than-expected VAT revenues as a result of soaring inflation.

The party is also calling for more targeted support for vulnerable and low income households. This would include doubling the Warm Homes Discount to £300 and extending it to all those on Universal Credit and Pension Credit, while investing in insulating fuel poor homes to bring prices down in the long term as well as reinstating on permanent basis the £20 per week Universal Credit uplift introduced during the pandemic.

Ed said:

Tagged ed davey, energy price cap, featured and ofgem | 21 Comments

Welcome to my day: 8 August 2022 – adding social value…

By Mark Valladares | Mon 8th August 2022 - 7:45 am

Is Rishi Sunak really suggesting that it’s acceptable to be poorly paid if you’re adding social value? That does appear to be the case if you take his proposal to

take a tougher approach to university degrees that saddle students with debt, without improving their earning potential

So, presumably, a degree in nursing, which the market suggests is underpaid, would be acceptable to Mr Sunak.

The problem is that, whilst in the private sector, the market requires businesses to compete with each other for staff, the public sector is distorted by government decisions to “set an example”. Thus, increasingly, there are areas of state activity where the rate for the job isn’t high enough to attract and retain the sort of people you want running your services.

And, with Liz Truss either lying about her intentions for public sector pay or being too lazy to read past the headlines of her proposals, it’s clear that there’ll be no effective solutions for public sector employment coming from the Conservative Party anytime soon.

2 Comments

A Manifesto for Stagflation

By Joe Bourke | Sun 7th August 2022 - 7:22 pm

Next month’s conference in Brighton will include a consultative session on the Libdem manifesto and the Towards a fairer society policy motion. The motion addresses some immediate issues around welfare reform in proposing the restoration of the £20 uplift to Universal Credit, introducing emergency grants (not loans) and stopping deducting debt repayments at unaffordable rates. There are three options put forward with respect to party policy on a basic income.

OPTION 1:
replacing tax and national insurance allowances with a Universal Basic Income for working age adults, set at a level which would compensate for the loss of allowances (while retaining most …

54 Comments

LIb Dem Councillor assaulted while delivering Focus leaflets

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 7th August 2022 - 2:16 pm

Up and down the country, councillors and campaigners from all parties will be spending their sunny Sunday out and about delivering leaflets or knocking on doors talking to residents to find out what is on their minds.

At this time of year, quite often you’ll have a chat with people in their gardens. Most people are lovely and friendly even if they don’t vote for you. A few can be a bit grumpy but it is relatively rare that someone is downright abusive. And, thankfully, even less frequent that they actually resort to violence.

This morning Edinburgh Lib Dem Councillor Kevin Lang was delivering his regular Focus in Almond ward when a resident grabbed him by the throat. Kevin recounted what had happened on Twitter:

I’ve been doing politics a long time so I’m used to shouty, angry people but today is the first time I’ve ever been physically assaulted.

Was simply out delivering my councillor newsletter when a man came out of his house, grabbed me by the throat…

and stuffed the newsletter down my shirt, using all kinds of profanity as he did so. I’ve obvs reported to the police.

No matter what divides us, this kind of intimidation and abuse of people you disagree with has no place in a free and democratic society.

Tagged kevin lang | 3 Comments

Observations of an ex-pat – Disappointing Biden

By Tom Arms | Sat 6th August 2022 - 8:31 am

President Joe Biden is a foreign policy disappointment. He entered the White House with more foreign affairs experience than almost any of his predecessors—23 years on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during which time he met 150 heads of government.

The world had hoped—no, expected—that the new president would inject an ordered wisdom into America’s conduct of world affairs after the chaos of the Trump years. Instead, it has been presented with an increasingly disjointed and incoherent foreign policy which has fallen dangerously short of expectations.

The latest example is the visit to Taiwan by Nancy Pelosi. The Speaker of the House of Representatives – who is second in line to the presidency– said her trip was meant to show strength of purpose. Instead it has exposed a confused, disjointed and divided policy towards the crucial issue of Taiwan which has repercussions on a wide range of world issues.

It was obvious that the visit would infuriate Beijing. And it did. They have responded with a series of dangerous military exercises in the Taiwan Straits, ballistic missile firings, cyber attacks, Chinese fighter jet sorties into Taiwanese airspace and a ban on Taiwanese food imports. There is a fear that the Chinese reaction may drag on in the form of a de facto blockade of the island which Beijing claims as China’s 23^rd province.

Tagged observations of an ex pat | 22 Comments

Op-eds

We need a tax rise to fund additional defence spending (Simon McGrath)
Putting Liberal values into practice in the heart of London (Victor Chamberlain)
Sanctions against Israeli settlers welcome – but inadequate (Jonathan Brown)
Protecting children shouldn’t mean abolishing their right to privacy (Tara Foster)
AI and Liberal Democracy (Robin Ashby)

Advert

Josh Babarinde writes…The Lib Dem Summer of Strategy

Alison Suttie writes: Thank you to our volunteers

What’s going on with party strategy?

A strange but welcome feeling

Category Archives: News

Times: Keir Starmer is “Ed Davey tribute act”

Helen Morgan challenges Greg Clark on Community Heating Hubs

Farron & Foord: Water executives get bonuses despite sewerage scandal

Farron: Avanti Oxenholme lock-in an “unacceptable farce”

17 August 2022 – today’s press releases

Moran: Britain’s response to Taliban is a story of betrayal

16 August 2022 – today’s press releases

15 August 2022 – today’s press releases

14 August 2022 – today’s press releases

Cole-Hamilton calls for action to stop spread of Monkeypox

Carmichael accuses SNP of “criminal negligence” over ferries

Young Liberals affirm support for trade unions

Lib Dems uncover massive fall in permanent contracts for new teachers

Alistair Carmichael in blistering form on Any Questions

Layla on Salman Rushdie’s “Beautiful pieces of literature”

Young Liberals head to Birmingham for their Summer Conference

Sarah Olney: GDP figures are proof that the Government is missing in action

English Heritage plaque unveiled to Dadabhai Naoroji

Ron Waddell’s funeral to take place on 16th August – livestream available

Cheltenham Hustings: Truss and Sunak out of touch

Davey: Conservative candidates in parallel universe on cost of living crisis

Shropshire Lib Dems welcome former Labour Mayor Jon Tandy

Davey: A cosy meeting with energy companies isn’t enough

Scotsman: Lib Dems deserve praise for coming up with what looks like a plan

Ed Davey: Cancel energy price rise to avoid a social catastrophe

Cancel October energy price rise says Ed Davey

Welcome to my day: 8 August 2022 – adding social value…

A Manifesto for Stagflation

LIb Dem Councillor assaulted while delivering Focus leaflets

Observations of an ex-pat – Disappointing Biden

Most Read

Op-eds

Recent Comments

Josh Babarinde writes…The Lib Dem Summer of Strategy

Alison Suttie writes: Thank you to our volunteers

What’s going on with party strategy?

A strange but welcome feeling

Category Archives: News

Subscribe

Most Read

Search

Op-eds

Recent Comments