Category Archives: News

NewsHound

UK must lead humanitarian response to stop Putin destabilising Europe

By NewsHound | Fri 25th February 2022 - 10:42 am

The Liberal Democrats are calling for the UK to lead a coordinated humanitarian response to Putin’s war in Ukraine, with safe passage and support for Ukrainian refugees fleeing violence and persecution at the hands of Russian forces.

The party’s MPs have written to the Foreign Secretary and the Home Secretary, urging them to work with humanitarian agencies and Ukraine’s neighbours to provide accommodation and support to the people now fleeing Russian troops, who are now advancing on the capital of Kyiv.

It comes in the wake of the news that visa applications from those Ukrainian nationals without close British relatives and who are stuck in the country are suspended, meaning no legal route exists for them to enter the UK and claim asylum.

The letter calls for “an ambitious commitment to resettle Ukrainian refugees in the UK”, and urges the Government to withdraw its Nationality and Borders Bill – currently going through Parliament – because it would criminalise Ukrainians and other refugees who come to the UK seeking asylum. This is a sentiment shared by a number of leading charities such as Amnesty International and Save The Children in a letter to The Times today.

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NewsHound

Davey: Parliament must sit this weekend to support Ukraine

By NewsHound | Thu 24th February 2022 - 6:39 pm

Commenting following Boris Johnson’s address to the nation on Ukraine, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

At this dark moment we must renew our commitments of international cooperation and stand with our allies against this horrendous invasion.

For too long we in the West have been complacent about the threat which Putin poses to our allies and to the fundamental values which underpin our way of life. No more.

We must stand with the people of Ukraine and provide them with humanitarian and military aid, while unleashing the severest of sanctions against Putin and his cronies.

The era of Russian interference in this country

…

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Mary Reid

Layla Moran welcomes scrapping the Vagrancy Act

By Mary Reid | Wed 23rd February 2022 - 1:08 pm

Layla Moran has been campaigning for years against the archaic Vagrancy Act, which criminalises rough sleepers. Yesterday the Government announced that the Act will be repealed.

She has written about it in the Big Issue under the heading: Scrapping the Vagrancy Act is just the start – now we must end rough sleeping for good.

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NewsHound

Ed Davey on Ukraine: Freeze and seize assets of all Putin’s cronies in UK

By NewsHound | Tue 22nd February 2022 - 5:14 pm

Embed from Getty Images

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey has today called on the government to freeze and begin seizing the assets of Putins’ cronies in the UK, as part of a tough package of measures responding to Russia sending troops into Ukraine.

It comes after Boris Johnson announced the government would be sanctioning just three Russian high net-worth individuals, falling way short of the number believed to be allied with Putin and holding assets in the UK.

Ed Davey has also backed a boycott of international sporting and cultural events hosted in Russia, starting with moving this year’s Champions League final from St Petersburg. The Liberal Democrats have written to the government asking them to prepare Wembley in the event of the final being moved.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

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NewsHound

“Unjust and unfair” to force people to pay £00s to visit loved ones – Ed

By NewsHound | Tue 22nd February 2022 - 1:20 pm

Embed from Getty Images

Responding to the Prime Minister’s spokpesperson confirming that people visiting loved ones in care homes will no longer be able to access free Covid testing, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

Yesterday, Boris Johnson simply could not admit that it is his policy to put a new tax on caring by forcing people to pay for covid tests before they visit vulnerable people.

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The Voice

Ed Davey: Scrapping Covid tests means 4 million face £500 tax on caring

By The Voice | Sun 20th February 2022 - 4:30 pm

Boris Johnson’s latest attempt to rehabilitate himself with sceptical Tory MPs is to scrap the need to self isolate if you have Covid in England. So you are now free to spread it far and wide. You would think that you would have to monitor the impact really carefully. That is way too sensible for this Government who also reportedly plan to scrap free lateral flow tests. So we will have no idea how many cases we have  until hospitals start filling up.

The BBC asked this week if this move was brave or stupid. NHS chiefs said it was an unnecessary risk and the Guardian reports that SAGE said that it would be harder for people to take precautionary measures and cause anxiety amongst vulnerable groups.

But following the science comes second to following the whims of Conservative MPs, it seems.

Ed Davey and the Lib Dems have done some research into the cost of lateral flow tests for those who need them to keep loved ones safe.

The latest figures show that every week nearly four million people take regular Covid tests, taking two tests a week on average. This includes people who take tests to protect their elderly relatives and friends, or vulnerable workers who work in people-facing industries such as hospitality and are concerned about their health.

Those people now face an average hit of £534 a year, assuming lateral flow tests cost around £5.80 each. This is based on the average costs of a lateral flow test in similar Western countries including Belgium, France, Spain and the US.

Ed said that this would lead to a lockdown by stealth for vulnerable people:

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The Voice

What’s on in our Parliaments this week?

By The Voice | Sun 20th February 2022 - 12:30 pm

Holyrood and Westminster are back from their half term break this week and the Senedd starts its break. Here’s what to watch out for.

Westminster

The Lords get to grips with the Elections Bill. Unlock Democracy have written to peers expressing their concerns with the measures it contains.

The bill gives this Government, and future governments, unprecedented power over the way our elections are run.

I want to give you one clear example of this.

Elections in the UK are overseen by an independent watchdog, the Electoral Commission. This bill would give the power to the Government of the day to set the commission’s policy and strategy. Furthermore oversight of the Commission’s work is carried out by the Speaker’s Committee, which now, for the first time, has a Government majority.

Put simply, this leaves the fox guarding the henhouse.

It means that a Conservative Government could tell the Electoral Commission to focus its efforts on investigating union funding of Labour. It could mean that a future Labour Government tells the Commission to focus investigations on Conservative donors.

This power shouldn’t be in the hands of any Government – it should stay in the hands of the independent watchdog.

Most readers of this site will agree and you can sign up to support this here.

On Wednesday Lib Dem peer Mike Storey has a question on the effect of Covid-19 on school children in the most deprived communities and Sarah Ludford will be leading for us on the Refugees Family Reunion Bill.

On Thursday, Don Foster has a debate on the link between gambling advertising and gambling related harm.

On Friday Alison Suttie has a debate on “An Electoral System fit for Today”

In the Commons, Munira Wilson has a Westminster Hall debate on the future of the old Teddington Police Station. She and local Council Leader Gareth Roberts want it to be used for affordable housing and wrote to the Mayor to express that view recently:

Munira Wilson MP and Cllr Gareth Roberts, Leader of Richmond Council, have written to London Mayor Sadiq Khan calling for the site of the former Teddington Police Station to be retained for community use. The site is currently being advertised for sale on the open market.

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The Voice

Conference amendment and questions deadline approaches

By The Voice | Sat 19th February 2022 - 1:33 pm

Spring Conference takes place online between 11th and 13th March. You can register for that here. There is an accompanying Conference Live event in York run by ALDC on 12th and 13th March and you can register for that here.

At the live event, you will be able to watch the online debates and got to numerous social and training events. You can find the agenda here.

The main Conference agenda, including the motions has been published. Items up for discussion include:

British Sign Language

COP 26 follow-up

Tackling sleaze in politics

Improving air quality

Catching up on education post Covid

Fixing the Ambulance Crisis

Supporting British Farmers

Ending Sewage Discharges

Swift Justice for victims and offenders

Democracy and public debate

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Mary Reid

Sal Brinton shortlisted for Anthony Nolan award

By Mary Reid | Fri 18th February 2022 - 3:44 pm

Last night the winners were announced for the Anthony Nolan Supporters awards. Amongst the nominees in the category for Political Supporter of the year was our own Sal Brinton, Lib Dem Health and Social Care spokesperson in the House of Lords and former President of the Liberal Democrats.

The citation reads:

Baroness Sal Brinton

Sal has been a committed parliamentary advocate for Clinically Extremely Vulnerable people during the pandemic and has helped to raise the profile of Anthony Nolan with senior ministers and officials, enabling Anthony Nolan to take policy asks straight to government.

Congratulations to Sal on the shortlisting, and to Clive Betts MP on winning this category.

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The Voice

Lib Dems force the Government to cancel the “Golden Visa” scheme

By The Voice | Fri 18th February 2022 - 2:31 pm

The “Golden Visa” scheme, technically known as Tier 1 investor visas, has been scrapped following pressure from the Liberal Democrats in the Lords.

The scheme offered residency to people, and their families, from overseas if they invested £2million in the UK.

The Liberal Democrats in the Lords had tabled an amendment to the Nationality and Borders Bill calling for the scheme to be stopped until a full review is published.

Yesterday the Home Secretary finally recognised that it was a complete can of worms, and scrapped the scheme, with immediate effect.

Layla Moran, who is our Foreign Affairs spokesperson, said:

The Conservatives have turned a blind eye to Russian interference in this country for years and had an open door policy to Kremlin cronies.

Shockingly this Government still hasn’t published a report about the possible misuse of golden visas.

Cancelling the scheme is long overdue, it shouldn’t have taken the threat of a defeat in Parliament to finally get this Government to act.

They must publish this report immediately and take urgent steps to tackle the influence of Russian money including a public register of overseas property ownership.

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NewsHound

FT says Labour and Lib Dems have informal pact for next general election

By NewsHound | Thu 17th February 2022 - 4:18 pm

The Financial Times today reports that Labour will fight only a “minimal campaign” in most of the Lib Dems’ top 30 target seats at the next general election, in “an informal Lib-Lab plan to topple the Conservatives”.

Apparently, Keir Starmer has told colleagues that Labour must “ruthlessly focus” resources on its target seats in the general election freeing the ground for the Lib Dems to be the main challengers in some seats.

Labour is aiming to gain more than 125 seats to reach the 326 required to form a government. The Tories are worried by potential Lib Dem gains in the blue wall southern and rural heartlands after the wins in the Chesham and Amersham and North Shropshire byelections.

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NewsHound

Dodds: Wales must stand in solidarity with Ukraine

By NewsHound | Thu 17th February 2022 - 1:05 pm

Jane Dodds, Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats and Member of the Senedd has called on Wales to stand in solidarity with Ukraine amid continued threats to its independence by the Russian Government. This morning Dodds submitted a Statement of Opinion to the Senedd in support of Ukraine which can now be signed by other members.

Commenting, Dodds said:

Now more than ever, the rules-based international order is under threat. After years of hybrid warfare, threats and provocations, which tragically have seen over 13,000 casualties in the last few years, a further Russian incursion into Ukraine now looks like a serious possibility. Russia’s amassing of over 130,000 troops on the Ukrainian border may seem like a far-flung conflict for many in Wales, but we must be unwavering in our support for the freedom of Ukraine or come to face the consequences in the future.

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NewsHound

Partygate: Lib Dem motion to reveal if PM and officials fined by Met

By NewsHound | Thu 17th February 2022 - 7:40 am

The Liberal Democrats have tabled a ‘Humble Address’ motion to force the government to reveal whether Boris Johnson, ministers and senior officials have been fined by the Met police over law-breaking parties in Number 10.

The parliamentary motion would require the publication of a full list of the names of any elected officials, senior civil servants and political appointees given Fixed Penalty Notices as a result of the police investigation. It would also require the Sue Gray report to be published in full alongside any accompanying evidence including photographs.

The motion states that this information should be published no more than two days after the Metropolitan Police investigation is completed. It has been tabled by Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey and signed by all 13 of the party’s MPs.

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The Voice

Daisy Cooper: Scrapping free lateral flow tests would leave the public flying blind.

By The Voice | Wed 16th February 2022 - 12:14 pm

Yesterday, LBC reported that the Government would scrap free PCR and lateral flow tests for Covid from as early as next week.

Lib Dem Health spokesperson Daisy Cooper highlighted the dangers in this approach, saying it would also make it impossible for those at highest risk of severe disease to properly assess what was safe for them to do. She also highighted the impact of making people pay or tests when they are already struggling with rising living costs.

Scrapping free tests when case rates are still sky high will leave the public and scientists flying blind. If there’s one sure fire way to put the country at risk of another lockdown, it’s scrapping all the warning lights like this.

It will also be impossible for the immunosuppressed to take ‘personal responsibility’ for assessing their risk if there’s no actual data on the level of risk in their community.

Charging for essential tests would hit those who can least afford it hardest, at a time when families are already being clobbered by rising taxes and soaring energy bills.

The Government was happy to waste billions of taxpayers’ cash on useless PPE, but is penny-pinching when it comes to providing people with vital Covid tests.

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The Voice

Christine Jardine: Families need a lifeline to help with impact of inflation

By The Voice | Wed 16th February 2022 - 10:45 am

Today inflation reached a 30 year high of 5.5%. Lib Dem Treasury Spokesperson called for the Government to take action to help those facing being cold and hungry as a result:

Families are facing an unprecedented cost of living crisis, with a triple whammy of spiralling energy bills, Conservative tax rises and 30-year high inflation.

People are worried about heating their homes and putting food on the table, yet all we’ve seen from this Government is half measures and a raft of tax hikes in April. That’s not the leadership people need in this crisis.

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The Voice

Lib Dem Peer David Chidgey dies

By The Voice | Wed 16th February 2022 - 9:09 am

Yesterday, David Chidgey, victor of the Eastleigh by-election in 1994 died at the age of 79. He remained MP until 2005 and became a life peer when he left the Commons.

During his time as MP he served as spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Trade and Industry, Transport and Employment.

Ee Davey paid tribute to David:

As did LGA Lib Dems

Our leader in the Lords Dick Newby talked about how he was still campaigning, right to the end of his life;

Last September, the Romsey Advertiser described his work to strengthen the Environment Bill

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The Voice

Welsh Liberal Democrats Pay Tribute to Former Assembly Member Aled Roberts

By The Voice | Mon 14th February 2022 - 3:24 pm

Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds Stated:

I am devastated to hear of the passing of Aled. Aled was a committed liberal and was known for his extraordinary hard work as both an Assembly Member for North Wales and as a senior councillor on Wrexham Borough Council. This news is a deep blow to the Welsh Liberal Democrat family and my thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this difficult time.

Throughout his time as an Assembly Member Aled continued to put standing up for his communities at the very heart of everything he did. Just one example was his tireless and successful campaign for Llay to have solar panels installed on all homes within the estate.

In his role as Shadow Minister for Children, Education and the Welsh language, he fought tooth and nail for investment in our young people, not least for the Welsh Government to maintain the Pupil Deprivation Grant. He is also well remembered for only ever making his contributions in the Siambr in Welsh.

As a councillor, Aled was a role model community servant and represented the Ponciau Ward from 1991-2012 and served as Mayor of Wrexham in 2003-04. He was elected Leader of Wrexham County Borough Council in March 2005.

Outside of politics, Aled also had a distinguished career as local solicitor and in 1985 he was part of a campaign to protect a local Miners’ institute from closure. He also was the Chair of Governors for many years at Ysgol Gymraeg I D Hooson and a Governor at Ysgol Maes y Mynydd, Rhosllanerchrugog. He was also a committed Christian.

Aled will be most remembered for his dedication to the Welsh language. A tireless advocate of the protection and promotion of Welsh, he excelled in his role as the Welsh Language Commissioner and sought to promote the language in all aspects of life, including in his role as an Assembly Member.

Aled’s passing will leave a deep hole in Welsh political life and in our Party, he was someone who knew everyone and left a positive impression on all those he knew. We will miss him greatly.

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Mark Valladares

Welcome to my day: 14 February 2022 – “A change would do you good”

By Mark Valladares | Mon 14th February 2022 - 7:52 am

* taps microphone *

Is this thing on?

* taps microphone a bit harder *

Right, yes, now where was I?…

Good morning, and welcome to another Monday, here at Liberal Democrat Voice, the online home of liberal comment on the questions that face us all.

So, the Government is still an utter shambles, with the possible exception of the Ministry of Defence, pursuing what the Economist describes as “the rise of unpopulism”, pursuing causes that don’t resonate beyond the Westminster bubble – the BBC, the National Trust – are contrary to their promises – NIC rises – or simply spouting slogans without any apparent intent to make them come true – levelling up.

And yet they’re still there. In Bolivia, they’d be preparing the lampposts by now…

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Tom Arms

Tom Arms’ World Review – Key players in the Ukraine crisis

By Tom Arms | Sun 13th February 2022 - 7:58 am

Putin

Vladimir Putin must be as happy as a five-year-old who has just inherited a sweet shop. Statesman after stateswomen are trekking to Moscow to implore him not to plunge Europe into war by invading Ukraine. If the Russian leader’s intention was to put himself and Russia at the centre of the world stage then he has succeeded. At the top of this week’s visitors’ list was French President Emmanuel Macron who spent five hours talking geopolitics across a table the size of a football field. Macron was in Moscow with several hats: President of France, current President of the European Council, a rabid Europhile, and a candidate in the 2022 presidential elections. He needed results for the sake of European peace, EU unit and his campaign. At the post-summit it seemed as if Macronian diplomacy had worked. The French president said he had offered “concrete security guarantees” and Putin confirmed that they were worth exploring.” However, neither side was willing to elaborate on what the guarantees were and almost as soon as Macron was on the plane for Paris via Kiev, Putin was rattling his sabres again.

NATO splits?

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Charles Quinn

ALDC’s by-election report – 10 February 2022

By Charles Quinn | Sat 12th February 2022 - 12:45 pm

It has been a stonking week for the Lib Dems in this week’s by-elections – winning all 3 principal by-elections contested on Thursday night and coming within a whisker of taking a Town Council seat too.

In Eastleigh the local Lib Dem team held onto Eastleigh Central ward increasing their vote share by 7%.Congratulations to Cllr Bhavin Dedhia and the team on a great hold.

Eastleigh BC, Eastleigh Central ward
Liberal Democrat (Bhavin Dedhia): 781
Labour: 433
Conservative: 362
Green: 140
Reform: 64

In Somerset West and Taunton the Lib Dems gained the Independent seat of Alcombe with over 50% of the vote and a very impressive 16.7% increase in our share of the vote. Well done to newly elected Councillor Nicole Hawkins and everyone who helped on the campaign there.

Somerset West and Taunton DC, Alcombe ward
Liberal Democrat (Nicole Hawkins): 259
Conservative: 223
Labour: 21
Independent: 13

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NewsHound

Powys Lib Dems call for pause in school transformation process

By NewsHound | Fri 11th February 2022 - 8:37 am

The 21st Century Schools Programme in Powys is a £200 million project to transform schools across the county. Powys County Council’s cabinet considered a report by Estyn on progress which rated the programme amber/green.

The Lib Dem Group, currently the largest party group on the council, is concerned that the consultation process on the transformation strategy was undertaken prior to the Covid-19 pandemic and may be based on outdated assumptions about how closely individual schools are working together within a cluster.

The group is now calling for the transformation process to be reviewed.

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NewsHound

Wendy Chamberlain says Tories have plunged older people into cost of living crisis

By NewsHound | Thu 10th February 2022 - 4:14 pm

Today’s Express runs an article featuring Wendy Chamberlain who speaks on work and pensions for the Lib Dems.  She accuses the Conservatives of breaking their manifesto promise to protect the state pension, especially for poorer pensioners. “The Conservatives have plunged older people into the depths of a cost of living crisis.”

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The Voice

Ed Davey challenges Boris Johnson on fraud

By The Voice | Wed 9th February 2022 - 4:30 pm

Ed Davey used his question to the Prime Minister today to tackle the Prime Minister on the Government’s attitude to fraud:

He demanded that  Boris Johnson correct the record after misleadingly claiming crime has fallen, and apologise to the four million victims of fraud he has written out of the picture.

Seventy-four-year-old Janet had twenty-five thousand pounds stolen by fraudsters.

The money was my mum and dad’s and I just felt I let them down,” she told the BBC.

For Janet and for the 4 million people who fell victim to fraudsters and online scammers last year, fraud is a crime.

Does the Prime Minister understand the hurt he and his Ministers cause fraud victims like Janet, when they write them out of the crime figures, and dismiss fraud as something people don’t experience in their day-to-day lives?

Will the Prime Minister correct the record and apologise?

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The Voice

WATCH: Ed Davey say Boris Johnson using Trump playbook to distract from his failings

By The Voice | Wed 9th February 2022 - 3:00 pm

Yesterday, our Andy Boddington asked if democratic dystopia was now the order of the day after the incident where Keir Starmer was threatened outside Parliament.

He said:

I was not prepared for a prime minister who, like Trump, became estranged from the truth. And like Trump, doesn’t understand that when you get something wrong and that is leading to civil unrest, you apologise.

We have always had protests. Protests don’t concern me. I have taken part in many. What scares me is the way that legitimate differences in points of view have become entangled with madcap and frankly dangerous conspiracy theories.

I don’t think we are yet a dystopian society, here, in the USA or in Canada. But I do think we are showing symptoms of political dystopia.

Since then, Ed Davey has spoken to the BBC about the Starmer incident. Watch here:

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The Voice

Carmichael: New partygate picture shows Boris Johnson is not fit to be PM

By The Voice | Wed 9th February 2022 - 1:00 pm

Within the past hour, Pippa Crerar at the Mirror has tweeted out yet another picture of a Downing Street “work event”, this time showing the PM next to a tinsel clad staffer with an open bottle of bubbly on the desk.

Our Home Affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael said that this showed that Boris Johnson is not fit to be Prime Minister:

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The Voice

Former Conservative Senedd member joins Lib Dems

By The Voice | Wed 9th February 2022 - 11:52 am

Nick Ramsay, former Conservative Shadow Finance Minister in the Senedd, has joined the Welsh Liberal Democrats.  He will stand as a Liberal Democrat in the Monmouthshire Council elections this coming May.

Nick lives in Raglan. He served as a Monmouthshire County Councillor before his election to the Senedd in 2007.

He held many shadow ministerial roles in the Senedd. He chaired the Enterprise and Business Committee and, more recently, the Senedd’s influential Public Accounts Committee.

He is a keen fundraiser for local charities such as Love Zimbabwe, and was appointed as a Vice President of Chepstow Mencap.

After he joined the Liberal Democrats he said:

I have thought long and hard about the future of politics in Wales and the UK.  The Conservative Party is not the party I once joined.  They have lost the trust of the people, and are unable to manage our country.  They have failed the fundamental test of competence.  I can think of little of them with which I agree.

I have spent a long time examining the Liberal Democrats, and I find their underpinning values of fairness, community, and internationalism match my own. The Welsh Liberal Democrats are the best way to achieve a new village hall for Raglan, support for struggling local businesses and sustainable development for Monmouthshire, and I am pleased to be able to join them in their campaign to provide a better future for our county.

Liberal Democrat leader in Monmouthshire Cllr Jo Watkins welcomed Nick:

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NewsHound

Spinning cancer care targets is shameful – Daisy Cooper

By NewsHound | Tue 8th February 2022 - 3:52 pm

The Liberal Democrats have slammed Boris Johnson for having “nothing new to offer” as it emerges several of the cancer treatment targets announced today are simply re-announcements of existing policies. Commenting, Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:

Cancer treatment is a matter of life and death for thousands of people yet Boris Johnson clearly has nothing new to offer.

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NewsHound

BP £10bn profits shows windfall tax is about “basic fairness”

By NewsHound | Tue 8th February 2022 - 2:22 pm

Embed from Getty Images

Responding to the news that BP has made £10 billion in the past year following surging oil and gas prices, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

The truth is that this is about basic fairness. It simply cannot be right these energy companies are making super profits whilst people are too scared to turn their radiators on and terrified there will be a cold snap.

The government has said that a windfall tax would harm investment but this is an absolutely bogus argument. These profits

…

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NewsHound

Davey: We need leaders who can act over energy supplies

By NewsHound | Mon 7th February 2022 - 10:42 am

Writing in today’s Times, Lib Dem leader Ed Davey says that Boris Johnson has spent much of the past two weeks shacked up in his parliamentary office pleading for his own skin. Meanwhile, one hundred thousand Russian troops have massed on Ukraine’s border threaten the largest military action in Europe since the Second World War. Telling the Tories they need to get a grip fast, he warns that the gas Russia supplies to Europe could fall by up to 30 per cent and that already high gas prices will treble or worse.

Liberal Democrats have called for a “Robin Hood tax” on the super-profits of oil and gas producers and traders, including Russian energy giant, Gazprom.

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Mary Reid

Wikipedia quoted at length in the Levelling Up White Paper

By Mary Reid | Fri 4th February 2022 - 3:02 pm

For most of us, our go-to source when doing a bit of background research is Wikipedia. Sometimes when we are looking for simple facts (like the election results in a particular year) the online crowd-sourced encyclopaedia is all we need. Sometimes it provides the starting point for more in-depth research, especially if we need to verify the sources.

Some years ago I was intrigued by an animation which showed the same Wikipedia page as it evolved over time. The number and frequency of changes was astonishing, which underlined the dynamic nature of knowledge, but also suggested that it should be used with some caution.

However it seems Wikipedia was enough for Government advisers who drew up the Levelling Up White Paper.

Tim Farron has been questioning Michael Gove (Minister for, among other things, Levelling Up) about the White Paper, mainly about the issues for people living in rural communities. But in the process he noticed that whole chunks of the White Paper were copied in full from the relevant Wikipedia entry.

According to The Independent

The white paper includes large sections of padding, with three pages devoted to the history of Jericho, Rome, and renaissance Europe.

But bits of this section appear to have been lifted directly from the popular internet encyclopaedia.

One off-beat part of the report reads: “Constantinople was the capital of the Roman/Byzantine Empire (330-1204 and 1261-1453), the Latin Empire (1204-1261) and the Ottoman Empire (1453-1922)”.

The text is identical to the first line of the Wikipedia page for Constantinople, right down to formatting and punctuation.

Another section of the report includes a full-page timeline of the largest cities in the world since 7,000 BC which is identical to a table on Wikipedia’s “List of largest cities throughout history” page.

Tim said:

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