Category Archives: Op-eds

Abrial Jerram

Is having “good policy” important?

By Abrial Jerram | Wed 10th September 2025 - 7:55 am

Before anything else, I want to make clear what I mean by “good policy.” I specifically am not defining it as policy I agree with, I mean policy that is specific enough to be implementable without a significant amount of further policy development, lacks vagary and stands up to basic intellectual scrutiny. Plenty of policy which I am opposed to passes that test.

So does our party’s policy meet this standard of good policy? As a test case, let’s look at the agenda for our upcoming conference and it’s first policy motion, F5: Backing Youth Work to Build Communities. It begins by setting out quite clearly setting out both the value of youth work, both as a social good and in economic terms and the inadequacy of current provision and reaffirms that we believe that youth work is a good thing.

However, when it reaches the section Conference therefore calls on the government to: the section where specific steps for the government to take are proposed, it quickly loses it’s clarity. Calls are made for “fair, long term funding settlement” with no detail as to what that might be, a strategy for “high quality, targeted and open access youth work” and another “comprehensive Workforce and training strategy” to ensure a “sustainable pipeline of youth practitioners.” No details are available on what either strategy might entail or how it may be implemented. Worst of all is a call for a statutory duty for local authorities to provide sufficient youth services, while refusing to define what “sufficient” means. All in all, it sounds less like the policy of a party that has loads and loads of good policy if only the media would just look, and more like one which generally likes good things. In my opinion, this isn’t “good policy.”

Now you might be thinking, policy motions aren’t meant to be precise, it’s policy papers and the manifesto, where policy papers and motions passed over the last few years are gathered in an overarching plan which has to be precise and “good policy.” I’ve had many people say that to me.

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Lord William Wallace

How should we respond to November’s Budget choices?

By Lord William Wallace | Tue 9th September 2025 - 2:00 pm

This is a review of the policy paper we will be discussing in Bournemouth.

The next two months in British politics will be crowded with speculation about what Labour will propose in terms of public spending and taxation in the budget, now announced for November 26th.  Kemi Badenoch has already accused the government of wanting to raise taxes, without suggesting how she would fill the gap between spending needs and resources available, and the right-wing media are full of calls for tax cuts without clarifying what spending cuts should accompany them.  Nigel

…

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Donna Harris

This wouldn’t happen to a man – Why Angela Rayner’s fall is a disgrace

By Donna Harris | Tue 9th September 2025 - 11:00 am

Angela Rayner’s downfall is not simply about tax. It is about misogyny, double standards, and the continuing failure of politics to treat women fairly.

The ongoing storm surrounding Angela Rayner’s stamp duty underpayment is about far more than a tax bill. It is about entrenched misogyny in politics, and the way women in public life are judged and punished more harshly than men.

Angela Rayner admitted an error. She acted on faulty legal advice, believed she had paid the right amount, and when new information emerged, she immediately referred herself to the independent adviser on ministerial standards. She has since moved to pay what is owed. This is what accountability should look like, openness, honesty, and reparations.

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Mathew Hulbert

Mathew on Monday: How do we up our media coverage?

By Mathew Hulbert | Mon 8th September 2025 - 5:46 pm

Switch on the news and you’d think British politics is a two or three party show… and we’re not one of those. But beyond the red and blue and now turquoise noise, we Liberal Democrats are out there shaping debates, winning councils, and fighting for fairness.

The only problem? You’d hardly know it from the coverage.

So whose fault is that?

Well, I gently suggest, it is both the media’s partly but, yes, also at least in part, our party’s. There’s no doubt that we’re not getting the coverage that the largest third force in the House of Commons deserves and I strongly suggest that editors, producers, reporters, guest bookers etc  should have a default position of seeking to book Lib Dems for all political panels, debates, and so so on.

I say ‘seeking’ because, and here’s the rub, I know at least from two national broadcast outlets, that they’ve sought to book a Lib Dem MP for a segment and been told that none is available. That might just about have been believable when we had just 8 MPs but we now have 72 and, as I said at the Social Liberal Forum Conference this Summer and to President (now also Lord) Mark Pack’s face and I think annoyance, we now have 72 MPs so there really can be no reasonable excuse for not putting someone up for interview.

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Geoff Reid

Coal mines and constitutional reform

By Geoff Reid | Mon 8th September 2025 - 12:40 pm

On Sunday BBC Sounds repeated a 2022 abridged reading of Jeremy Paxman’s “Black Gold” on Radio 4 Extra. It is a social history of how coal “made Britain”. Like the slavery which also helped to make Britain, it is an element of history which many will ignore or dismiss as irrelevant in a future where we aim to put the extraction of fossil fuels and the enslavement of human beings behind us.

I worked in Barnsley between 1979 and 1986, as well as being the Liberal parliamentary candidate for Barnsley Central in1983. I also lived across the road from the Yorkshire HQ of the National Union of Mineworkers. This left me with some distinctive memories of the 1984-1985 coal strike. Perhaps one of the most dramatic was a rare joint meeting of Methodist ministers from Yorkshire, where miners were strongly in favour of the strike, and from Nottinghamshire, where the majority of miners were opposed. We invited Peter Walker, the Secretary of State for Energy. Unsurprisingly he turned up late, but at least he came. He announced himself as “Peter Walker, the wettest member of the Cabinet” and then went into a ten minute rant about Arthur Scargill. I jumped in as soon as he finished. “I’m sorry,” I said, “We’re not here to discuss Scargill. We’ve come to discuss the future of the mining communities in the aftermath of the strike”. Bizarrely his response was “Those are the most disgraceful words I have ever heard from a Methodist minister.” It struck me that he must have had a sheltered upbringing! Naturally I have worn his comment as a badge of honour ever since.

Since returning to Barnsley a couple of years ago (two years after completing my stint on Bradford Council), I have been struck by the way in which evidence of coal mining has been erased from the landscape. Pit head buildings and other structures have been totally removed and the flat land used for other purposes, often retail parks, such as that at Cortonwood, where the strike started. I had assumed that this was basically a bit of political theatre, drawing a line under the era of coal. However in his history Paxman refers to a more sinister tampering with evidence, namely the way in which the concrete poured down some mine shafts was covering up operational papers which could never become part of any history or inquiry.

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Richard Wood

Elected mayors are here to stay. Let’s upgrade their elections properly

By Richard Wood | Mon 8th September 2025 - 10:30 am

This year’s local elections in England saw tremendous council gains for Liberal Democrats across the country. Even after the highs of last year’s General Election, we remain a party on an upward trajectory with a clear liberal vision, international values and a determined drive to change our communities for the better.

But while celebrations were welcome and deserved, we should also take stock at how unrepresentative the elections were just months ago.

First Past the Post caused havoc across England, resulting in councils made up of seats that didn’t fairly reflect how people voted.

When it came to mayoral elections, the results were stark. Originally established with the flawed but somewhat more representative Supplementary Vote system, the Conservatives took our democracy one step backwards and replaced the system with First Past the Post. All new mayoral elections since, including the West of England and Hull mayoral elections, both up for grabs this year, also used First Past the Post.

First Past the Post for single-member executive positions means mayors elected without a broad mandate.

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Caron Lindsay

Caron’s catch-up – What a week!

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 7th September 2025 - 3:30 pm

There’s been a lot going on this week. I mean not one, but two government resets, the second caused by the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner.

I like Angela Rayner. She is funny, doesn’t mince her words and was one of the Labour Government’s best communicators. While there was no way she could stay after the ethics adviser Sir Laurie Magnus said she had broken the Ministerial Code, he delivered his verdict with “deep regret” saying:

I believe Ms Rayner has acted with integrity and with a dedicated and exemplary commitment to public service.

I get that it was complicated and that she should have sought the advice. However,  I do wonder whether any person in her circumstances should have to pay extra tax because of circumstances which arose from making long term arrangements for her disabled child.  Should there not be exemptions in this sort of case? We shouldn’t be seeking to further penalise carers who are already giving so much.

I was also very impressed that Ed Davey did not join in mudslinging. On Wednesday he said:

I understand it is normally the role of opposition leaders to jump up and down and call for resignations – as we’ve seen plenty of from the Conservatives already.

Obviously if the ethics advisor says Angela Rayner has broken the rules, her position may well become untenable.

But as a parent of a disabled child, I know the thing my wife and I worry most about is our son’s care after we have gone, so I can completely understand and trust that the Deputy Prime Minister was thinking about the same thing here.

Perhaps now is a good time to talk about how we look after disabled people and how we can build a more caring country.

I am much more sympathetic to Angela Rayner than to any of the Tory ministers who clung on to office in unedifying circumstances, often with their Prime Minister’s backing.

I might not share her politics, but I think her heart is in the right place and I hope that some day we see her back on the front line.

Reshuffling the deckchairs

The ensuing Cabinet reshuffle had some interesting changes. Yvette Cooper may be relieved to escape the poisoned chalice of the Home Office, though having to deal with Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu is no picnic. David Lammy, as Deputy Prime Minister will still be able to have cosy fishing chats with US Vice President J D Vance, though he should make sure he has the right permit.

There is some consternation, I understand, amongst Scottish Labour members about the replacement of Ian Murray as Secretary of State for Scotland with Douglas Alexander. Ian was the only Scottish Labour MP between 2015 and 2017 and 2019 and 2024. He knows how to campaign and has built quite the fortress in his Edinburgh South constituency which he won despite a ferocious challenge from us  in 2010 by just 316 votes. He is well-liked and can’t really be blamed for the nosedive in popularity for the Labour Party north of the border. They made 36 gains in the UK General Election last year yet a More in Common poll this week forecast that they would lose 4 of their already low 22 seats.

Douglas Alexander is seen as a big hitter with the ability to at least limit the damage. He has a massive political brain but he can show some spectacular lapses. He was blamed for the appalling Better Together party political broadcast which gave even some of its strongest supporters what we call up here the “dry boak.” Those of you with long memories will understand what I meant when I called it “Rosie Barnes and the rabbit without the political intelligence.”

That same More in Common Poll is much better news for us, predicting that we could end up with 14 MSPs, an increase of 10. Yes it’s just one poll, but we are doing a massive amount of work on the ground, much more than at this stage in previous years. We are also, for the first time, asking for people’s votes on the list at an early stage.

We have wrestled with how to make the case for the list for a long time. We’ve over-complicated it so much. In fact, poor Alex Cole-Hamilton was the unfortunate staffer who had to turn some very complex messaging into graphics for the 2003 election. He did well with what he was given, but maybe we should have done then what we are doing now – simply asking people to vote for us.

Digital ID – really?

Lisa Smart, our Home Affairs spokesperson, wrote the most read article on LDV this week. She posed the question whether we should change our position on ID cards in this digital age. Our commenters weren’t so sure with several picking up on her saying that it could “help identify undocumented migrants.”

I am way more profligate with my data than I probably should be. A glance at my wallet on my phone will show loyalty cards for various supermarkets and hotel chains and booking sites.

I have chosen, maybe unwisely, to sacrifice my data for some convenience – and to spend less on my weekly shopping though I curse the loyalty card discounts. Why should I get £1.25 off my butter when the elderly person who wouldn’t know one end of a smartphone from the other wouldn’t?

Capitalism is all about various corporate entities pretending to serve you with various iterations of corporate bovine scatology.

Our relationship with the state is different. It exists to serve the people, not for it to control the people.

However nice and voluntary Lisa Smart’s scheme would be, imagine what that would mean in the hands of Farage. At a glance he would know where every gay, trans, non white or disabled person was.  I am sure you would agree that that is not ok.

It would be bad enough in the hands of authoritarian Labour. There is no way it would be voluntary for long.

We also must not use it as a pass to access our public services, particularly healthcare. We cannot turn our nurses and doctors in to government gatekeepers.

Back to school

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Jack Lee-Brown

A new approach?

By Jack Lee-Brown | Sun 7th September 2025 - 12:30 pm

It is time. The country, in fact the world, is in a state of political flux. As the loud minority gets louder, it’s time for the quiet majority to speak up, and stand up. 

For too long now the extremists in politics, be it Nigel Farage, Marine Le Pen, or Donald Trump, have been dominating the headlines, the waves and our screens. Tweets, soundbites, provocation, division. It is clearly effective. But the politics they stand for are dangerous. They take away dignity, liberty, and humanity. You needn’t look far to see examples of this. ICE in America, Reform’s copycat mass deporation policies. Then, to the left, Jeremy Corbyn’s apparent inaction to stamp out antisemitism in the Labour Party during his leadership.

These people and parties do not hide their colours in ambiguity or political jargon which the Labour government of today has done very well. On paper, a left-leaning progressive government. Yet, because of the loud Reform Party, their rhetoric has shifted rightward, and the Conservatives have all but disappeared into a cloud of teal trying to win back support after being the adopted definition of reckless, shameful, and incompetent government. There is no loud liberal or centrist voice anymore.

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Mo Waqas

Remembering my Nana: War, partition, and the case for peace

By Mo Waqas | Sun 7th September 2025 - 10:43 am

Picture of Subidar Major Choudry Sikander KhanMy grandfather my Nana Subidar Major Choudry Sikander Khan, was born in 1925 in a small village called Kotha Gujjaran, in what was then British India. Our family belong to the Gujjar community, a community known for two things: dairy farming and joining the army. For generations, these paths defined who we were: tending buffalo in the fields, or carrying a rifle on the front lines.

My Nana embodied that tradition. He served in the army with courage and discipline, fighting not just in the 1965 war between India and Pakistan, but also in the 1947 conflict that came with Partition, and again in 1971. Before him, his own uncle had worn the uniform of the British Indian Army and fought in the Second World War, in Burma. Ours is a family, like many from Punjab, that has spilt blood in the name of causes decided far from the villages where they were born.

When Partition came in 1947, it tore Punjab in two. It was not just a cartographer’s line it was, as historians have rightly called it, a bloody line. Millions were uprooted. Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs neighbours for centuries suddenly found themselves enemies overnight. Entire trains of refugees crossed the new borders, and too often, those trains arrived full of corpses. The soil of Punjab is rich, but it is also heavy with the weight of that blood.

Kashmir too became, and remains, a wound. A valley of beauty turned into a permanent battlefield. My Nana and so many others were sent to defend or reclaim a line on a map. Young men were told to fight and die, while politicians and generals decided their fate in offices hundreds of miles away.

This is the reality of the subcontinent’s wars: they solved nothing. Borders remained disputed. Families remained divided. The scars are still visible three generations later. The only thing these wars achieved was suffering lost fathers, lost sons, widows and orphans, poverty, displacement, and trauma.

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Tom Arms

Observations of an Expat: End of Tariffs?

By Tom Arms | Sat 6th September 2025 - 8:30 am

Trump is right. Ending tariffs would be an economic disaster, at least for him. Any damage to America would be his own fault.

It would not, as Trump claims, turn America into a third world country. That is a typical Trumpian hyperbole.

But the sudden and dramatic end of tariffs would definitely damage Trump’s vision of the future American economy. And that in turn will hurt Trump politically. Whether it would also be bad for the rest of the world… well, we’ll have to wait and see.

The prospect of the sudden end of tariffs was raised by the decision of the Appellate Court last Friday to support a lower court’s judgement that the tariffs were unconstitutional.

The Appellate Court, however, has given Trump a possible out—The Supreme Court. The Administration has until October 18 to appeal to the ultimate judicial authority and, of course, the court is packed with conservatives,

But that may not be enough. Trump imposed the tariffs under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). The IEEPA gives the president sweeping powers to declare an emergency and to use economic actions to deal with it.

These include such measures as sanctions and freezing assets. However, nowhere in the Act does – ruled the Appellate Court by 7 to 4—is the president given the power to impose tariffs. That is “a core Congressional power.” This means, according to two levels of the judiciary, that the tariffs are unconstitutional and should be reversed.

So far Trump’s tariffs have raised more than $210 billion dollars. By time the Supreme Court rules on their legality the figure will be around $300 billion.

If the tariffs are illegal than those who paid them can sue the government—plus interest and possible damage to business—for the money that they lost.

But that is not all. Tariffs are at the heart of Trump’s long-term economic policy and linked to his Big Beautiful Bill (BBB). According to some estimates, the sweeping tax cuts in the BBB could increase the federal deficit by $5.2 trillion over the next ten years. Tariff revenues are meant to more than offset those losses.

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Kamran Hussain

Immigration: A Liberal Force for Good in Britain

By Kamran Hussain | Fri 5th September 2025 - 5:42 pm

In November party members will be voting to elect our next Party President and Vice President. At Lib Dem Voice we welcome posts from each of the candidates – one to launch their candidature (like this one, for Vice President) plus a maximum of one per week during the actual campaign.  

For too long, the national conversation on immigration has been dominated by fear, misinformation, and division. As Liberal Democrats, we know better. We see immigration not as a problem to be solved, but as a vital, enriching, and profoundly liberal force that has helped shape the Britain we love.

The evidence is clear, and the case is compelling. Immigration isn’t just a part of modern Britain; it’s the very thread that weaves together the tapestry of our nation’s progress and success.

Our NHS: The Beating Heart of a Liberal Nation

The National Health Service is a core Liberal Democrat value. We know that to protect it, we must embrace the talent and dedication of people from all over the world. Walk into any hospital or care home and you will see it for yourself: doctors, nurses, and caregivers from every corner of the globe, working tirelessly to keep us safe. They are not just ‘filling gaps’—they are the backbone of our health service. Their expertise saves lives, their compassion comforts families, and their presence ensures the NHS can continue to be a source of national pride.

Powering Our Economy, Fuelling Our Ambition

Liberals believe in open, dynamic economies where innovation and enterprise thrive. Immigration is a powerful engine for just that. Immigrants are not a drain on our resources; they are a source of immense economic strength. They pay taxes, launch businesses, and create jobs. Research shows time and again that they contribute more in taxes than they take in public services. This isn’t just about numbers—it’s about the energy, creativity, and ambition that fuels new companies and keeps our economy moving forward. From a local cafe to a global tech company, immigrant entrepreneurs are a testament to the power of a modern, open Britain.

Enriching Our Culture, Strengthening Our Communities

Diversity is our strength. A Liberal Britain is a diverse one, and our culture has been profoundly enriched by the contributions of people from around the world. From our high streets to our festivals, this influence is visible and delicious! But it’s about more than just food. It’s about the music, art, and traditions that bring communities together and make our towns and cities more vibrant places to live. When we celebrate Diwali, Eid, or Chinese New Year, we aren’t just celebrating a single culture; we are celebrating the multicultural Britain we have built together. This spirit of openness is what makes us truly a global nation.

Building a Smarter, Younger Britain

We know that Britain faces the challenge of an ageing population. The answer isn’t to retreat and close our borders; it’s to welcome the younger workers who can sustain our economy, fund our pensions, and power our public services. This is a common-sense solution.

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Jack Meredith

Israel and Palestine: a lasting peace

By Jack Meredith | Fri 5th September 2025 - 2:11 pm

The conflict between Israel and Hamas has been nothing short of horrifying.

Each day, we are confronted with images of devastation, loss of life, and destruction. Innocent Palestinians are perishing, while innocent Israelis are being held as hostages. Anti-war activists in Israel, comprising both Israeli and Palestinian individuals, advocate for a cessation of hostilities. Courageous anti-Hamas residents of Gaza vocally oppose the totalitarian regime that has deprived their region of democratic principles. Liberals and socialists within Israel are urging Prime Minister Netanyahu and his far-right cabinet to resign and to terminate their ongoing assaults on Palestine.

There have been too many stories of survivors of October 7th, how they were starved, beaten and raped by Hamas terrorists. I have seen too many photos of abandoned Hamas hideouts, where evidence of hoarding UN aid from their fellow Palestinians has become apparent. I have read too many accounts of anti-Gazan Hamas protestors, who are so brave to speak up against a regime that would sooner kill them than engage in dialogue, being kidnapped and “disappearing”. I have seen too many videos of starving Palestinian children begging for food and basic needs, only to be met with violence and death.

Prime Minister Netanyahu leads a regime that is determined to pursue the complete eradication of Palestine. His cabinet, characterised by a predominance of hard-right and far-right politicians, adheres to a variant of Zionism that is deeply anchored in extreme conservatism. His political adversaries, namely the Israeli Labour Party and Yesh Atid, have urged Netanyahu to resign and put an end to what they deem a barbaric conflict. Anti-war activists, who have taken to the streets of Tel Aviv advocating for peace and a two-state solution, have called for the removal of the Netanyahu administration.

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Simon McGrath

Zack Polanski’s first email as Green Leader: not a word about  Climate Change

By Simon McGrath | Thu 4th September 2025 - 2:58 pm

I’ve known Zack since his days as a Liberal Democrat, so I was curious  to read the email he sent out after he was elected leader and how he would present himself in his new role. The email he sent out (text below) was certainly polished. But it focused on bills, childcare, public ownership of water, and taking on Reform. All important issues, but none of them are why people join the Greens.  It was remarkable for what it left out: not a single mention of the environment or climate change – the very issues the Green Party exists to champion.

Looking at his statement when he was elected, climate and environment barely feature and his Twitter feed tells the same story: the Green Party has chosen a leader who doesn’t seem especially interested in green issues.

This raises an obvious question for long-standing Green members and supporters. If the Green Party leader won’t put climate and environment front and centre, then what is the Party’s reason for existing? It starts to look less like an environmental movement and more like another version of  ‘Your Party’ – right down to the “In solidarity” sign-off.

For those who care passionately about the climate, there is a political home: the Liberal Democrats. Ed Davey has made environmental action a central priority, from investing in renewable energy to protecting nature. The party’s record – and its leader’s repeated focus on these issues – makes clear that tackling the climate crisis is not an afterthought but a core mission.

Those who want a Party which  treats the environment as  a core priority  won’t find it in Zack Polanski’s Greens. They will in Liberal Democrats.

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Steve Darling

The Westminster Dog of the Year competition

By Steve Darling | Thu 4th September 2025 - 12:22 pm

It gives me great pride to stand alongside my extraordinary guide dog, Jennie, in this year’s Westminster Dog of the Year competition.

This event is truly one of my favourites on the parliamentary calendar and is an incredible chance to celebrate the truly unique and special bond between MPs and their furry friends, while also shining a spotlight on the vital work the Kennel Club and the Dogs Trust do to promote welfare and responsible ownership. For me, however, my bond with Jennie is more than mere companionship: she is my guide and my independence and has become an important part of my ability to serve my constituents both in Parliament and back home in the Bay.

Jennie has the same joyous and playful spirit that you would expect from any Golden Retriever, but she also demonstrates the life-changing difference that assistance dogs can make for countless numbers of people across the country. Her extraordinary calmness, focus and intelligence represent years of dedication and training to becoming my guide dog. Westminster is by no means an easy place to navigate, with its endless corridors and narrow entrances. Jennie approaches these challenges with a truly astonishing level of judgment, allowing me to easily move around Parliament and navigate even the most complex of situations.

While it is very easy to be swept up in the charming nature of the Westminster Dog of the Year competition, it is important to be reminded of its incredibly important purpose. By bringing so many MP and dog duos together, it draws public attention to serious issues surrounding animal welfare. The competition’s partnership with the Dogs Trust, a charity I have been proud to support in the past, is vital.

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Merlene Emerson

Sir Nick Clegg, the come-back kid!

By Merlene Emerson | Thu 4th September 2025 - 9:40 am

I was at Nick’s book launch at Union Chapel in Highbury on Tuesday (2 Sep) night and managed to get a chance for a quick catch up at his book signing.  Nick had recently generously donated towards my Mt Fuji climb in aid of the Paddy Ashdown Forum and I had wanted to thank him for that too.

His new and rather timely book is entitled: “How to Save the Internet – The Threat to Global Connection in the Age of AI and Political Conflict”.  Moderated in the style of a fire-side chat by former Telegraph journalist, Kamal Ahmed, Nick advocated against fragmentation of internet.  We are living in an age where google has become a verb, more than a hundred billion messages are sent every day on WhatsApp alone, and the open, borderless internet has become integral to everyone’s lives.

Yet there is this “Power Paradox” – though the internet has empowered individuals and helped small businesses around the world – it has also concentrated power in the hands of a few tech giants.  What became more worrying particularly after Trump’s re-election was seeing an incursion of the likes of Elon Musk into the political sphere, unelected and unaccountable. Nick had put in place an oversight board during his time, since removed at Meta with a much lighter touch.

Currently US has the lead on AI with its huge data pool requiring enormous investments into data centres, investments which British and European companies seem unable to compete in.  But the shock came with the China’s Deep Seek that caught up with a much shorter lead time and smaller outlay.  And the mindset and rhetoric now appear to be similar to the time of the Cold War, of US vs China in the race for domination.

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Oliver SImpson

Occupation, imprisonment and injustice: the case of Marwan Barghouti and the global silence on Palestinian detainees

By Oliver SImpson | Wed 3rd September 2025 - 1:30 pm

You are likely to find some of the details in this piece distressing

On 14 August, a video was released showing Minister for National Security Itamar Ben Gvir storming the prison cell of Marwan Barghouti. A former Fatah leader often referred to as the “Palestinian Mandela,” Barghouti is seen as a potential unity figure, historically polling above both Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas among Palestinians. He is also a known advocate for a two-state solution. The footage marked his first public appearance in years; he appears gaunt and almost unrecognisable.

Barghouti was imprisoned in the early 2000s during the Second Intifada, accused by Israel of involvement in attacks that led to the deaths of five people, accusations he has fiercely denied. His trial and imprisonment have been heavily criticised by human rights groups, with The Inter-Parliamentary Union having asserted that the “numerous breaches of international law” to which Barghouti was subjected “make it impossible to conclude that Mr. Barghouti was given a fair trial.” 

Throughout his imprisonment, Barghouti has endured harsh and degrading treatment. This has included being placed in solitary confinement for years, at times making it impossible for his family to visit him. Since the Hamas-led attacks on October 7th, his treatment has become more severe and brutal. Immediately following the attacks, he was put back into solitary confinement. In March 2024, he told his lawyers how he had been “dragged across the floor by his handcuffs, before he was beaten unconscious.” In May 2024, The Guardian described how Barghouti “spends his days huddled in a cramped, dark, solitary cell, with no way to tend to his wounds, and a shoulder injury from being dragged with his hands cuffed behind his back”. His family have expressed their fear that he will die in Israeli prisons due to his mistreatment.

However, the treatment of Marwan Barghouti is anything but an isolated case; the plight of Palestinian detainees is well documented and the brutality they are subject to systematic and widespread. 

Since Israel occupied the West Bank, Gaza and East Jersualem during the course of the Six Day War in 1967, up to a million Palestinians in the these territories have been arrested and been subject to the Israeli Military Court system (although these courts no longer operate in Gaza since 2005, and East Jerusalem, which Israel has unilaterally annexed in violation to international law). Detainees under this system are subject to numerous abuses which have been widely documented and condemned by human rights groups, including, but not limited to, the mistreatment and torture of detainees, the widespread practice of administrative detention, the impediment a defendants’ access to lawyers and the introduction of “secret evidence” used against the accused. 

Under this system, roughly 20% of the Palestinian population have been arrested at some point in their lives, with this statistic rising to 40% for the male population. 

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Lisa Smart

Lisa Smart MP writes…Why now is the time to update our thinking on digital ID

By Lisa Smart | Wed 3rd September 2025 - 11:55 am

Back in the 2000s, the Liberal Democrats led the fight against the Labour Government’s plans for compulsory ID cards and a vast, centralised database of personal information. The scheme was expensive, invasive, and fundamentally illiberal, and we were absolutely right to oppose it.

The values that guided us then still underpin our work today. We remain firmly committed to protecting privacy and civil liberties, and to limiting the power of the state. But the tools now available to both invade and protect privacy have evolved dramatically. In this new information age, it is only right that we take a fresh look at how best to defend these principles.

Smartphones are ubiquitous. Many of us now access banking, healthcare, and public services online. Meanwhile, private companies have created their own forms of digital identity, and government departments have trialled new systems, often without a clear, open debate about their scope or safeguards.

The world has changed profoundly, but our policy has remained largely unchanged for twenty years.

In an increasingly digital world, it is worth asking whether we should revisit our approach to ensure it continues to protect the freedoms we have always sought to uphold.

So what should we be thinking about?

It seems to me that any digital identity system needs to respect individual autonomy; needs to be voluntary, not compulsory; needs to protect people’s data, rather than collect more than is needed; and needs to be secure, transparent and designed with clear legal limits.

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NewsHound

Liblink Christine Jardine: Human beings are human beings

By NewsHound | Wed 3rd September 2025 - 10:25 am

In her column for the Scotsman this week, Christine Jardine tackles the issue of immigration head on.

She starts by talking about the issue of the protests at the hotels where asylum seekers have been accommodated and the court action surrounding the use of those hotels:

igger now than before the break, with a legal ruling in England which cast doubt on the future of asylum hotels and added to Nigel Farage’s ramping up of the rhetoric to push his party’s case. The Home Office successfully challenged the ruling, but there had already been protests and the espousal of anti-immigration rhetoric which made my blood run cold.

Build camps, treat people fleeing persecution and poverty like criminals, pay regimes like the Taliban to take back those whose only desire was to escape them and build a better, freer life for their families is what he calls for.

Nobody climbs into a flimsy overcrowded boat to endure a life-threatening journey with no life jackets for their children because it was the easy option?

Yet that is how Farage and his followers paint it in a campaign which aims to undermine the international structure of protections for Human Rights for refugees, indeed for us all, which grew out of the chaos and persecution of the Second World War.

Ahd she’s not happy at how some politicians are reacting to all of this:

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Rowan Fitton

Conference Countdown: The UK Government must provide stability to Ukrainian children in the UK

By Rowan Fitton | Wed 3rd September 2025 - 8:55 am

For over three years, the people of the UK have opened their homes to Ukrainian families and welcomed them into our communities. Offering them safety in the face of Russia’s indiscriminate shelling of cities and the illegal occupation of Ukrainian territory. However, at no point over these three years has our government provided Ukrainian families with certainty or stability. 

So far, the UK government, first under the Conservatives and now under Labour, has refused to grant any permanent status to Ukrainians residing in the UK. The current visa system is strictly temporary and requires extending each time. Which means that Ukrainians face difficulties in securing rental agreements or job offers, and can often feel unsure about putting down roots in their local communities.

This uncertain status also has an impact on Ukrainian children and their education. The temporary nature of their status means that families could be forced to return during a child’s exams, or that children could be uprooted for a second time after living the majority of their lives in the UK. Children need stability to achieve their full potential and young people deserve to make the most of opportunities presented to them no matter their circumstances. 

At multiple different points, and in multiple different contexts, the concerns of Ukrainian parents and the difficulties facing their children have been clearly articulated. As such, those of us in the Young Liberals, as the party’s official diversity AO for children and young people, took it as a sign that something needed to be done.

As such, YL has submitted a motion for debate later this month at Autumn Conference entitled ‘Certainty for Ukrainian Children Living and Learning in the UK’, which will be moved by our party’s Home Affairs spokesperson Lisa Smart MP. The motion outlines a clear set of policies designed to ensure Ukrainian children and their families have the stability and support needed to flourish whilst they are residing in the UK. 

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Mathew Hulbert

Mathew on Monday: Patriotism, flags, and motive

By Mathew Hulbert | Mon 1st September 2025 - 4:30 pm

Happy September 1st, folks.

And if it’s the first Monday in September, the return of Parliament, and the start of the new political season, it must mean the return of your favourite column by a Lib Dem, gay, Christian, (anti monarchist) Republican, Woke, progressive former Councillor… er, that’d be me then.

But seriously I’m delighted to be back in this space after a month off; rejuvenated, revitalised, and ready to give my forthright but hopefully also well informed and nuanced views about the Lib Dems and politics more widely as head towards Conference season, a possible Government reshuffle, the Budget, internal party elections, and lots more.

So, where to start?

Well, as we all know, the summer has been dominated by the issue of migration, small boat crossings, flags, patriotism, hotels, and protests. And what a deeply unedifying spectacle it had been.

Some in our country, in our media (both old and new) appear to have lost the ability to talk about potentially contentious issues in a way which deals with facts and from a place of care, rather than with falsehoods and from a place of hate.

On Saturday evening I made my debut on GB News. Now I appreciate that is very unlikely to be the channel of choice for most readers of this column, but we have to face the reality that lots of people do watch/listen to it and we as a party need to be trying to communicate with them as much as any body else; we shouldn’t just write them off as ‘not our people’ or ‘beyond the pale.’

I was chuffed to be invited on the debut edition of ‘Alex Armstrong Tonight,’ to talk about the flags issue. Or, more specifically, the alleged ‘hypocrisy’ of Lib Dem run Portsmouth City Council having apparently said that it’ll clean away the St George’s crosses painted on roundabouts in its locality whilst at the same time having previously agreed a rainbow pedestrian crossing.

On the programme I said, “In terms of the rainbow pedestrian crossing, that will have had to go through safety checks, and been agreed by the Council, and be voted on. That’s a bit different, isn’t it, to people taking it upon themselves to paint stuff on a roundabout.”

Later in the segment I said, “The rainbow flag represents diversity, it celebrates modernity, it celebrates the right to be different, and I just worry that there’s something much darker going on in terms of some of these people that are painting the St George’s Cross. I’m really concerned about it. I think it’s supposed to stoke fear, it’s supposed to stoke resentment, and I believe it’s starting to do that.”

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Samuel Jackson

We need to sink Reform UK’s flagship policy

By Samuel Jackson | Mon 1st September 2025 - 11:28 am

A few days ago, the Appeals Court ruled in favour of the Labour Government, allowing asylum seekers to remain at The Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex. Despite this new precedent, all twelve Reform-controlled councils have announced that they will still pursue legal challenges against asylum hotels, with some Conservative-controlled councils indicating that they will follow suit.

Immigration and asylum. Those are Reform UK’s top priorities. They have announced Operation Restoring Justice, a pledge to deport 600,000 foreign nationals over five years of a Reform government. Conflating immigrants and asylum seekers, these plans would incur harm to the UK’s international …

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Katharine Macy

The verbal abuse I get has sky rocketed – and we probably know why

By Katharine Macy | Sun 31st August 2025 - 4:36 pm

As a fat, visually disabled queer femme person, there’s lots of reasons for people to yell/spit at me. None legitimate, of course, but plenty of reasons.

I usually get someone maybe monthly, but in the last week I have:

  • had someone deliberately run into me then spit at me while calling me a “bent cripple”
  • Had multiple honks, most telling me to smile, and when I flipped one off he decided to yell “fat bastard” until the traffic began moving
  • Had several leering men on buses, including one who sat close and kept moving his hand to my thigh

Granted, I’ve had a lot on this week, daring to leave the house every day, if not multiple times, but I’m always pretty busy, yet this week has just felt like abuse after abuse.

People feel empowered to exhibit these behaviours lately.

But I’m still so grateful because most of this has come due to the increased anti immigrant and increased racism. I’m white, I’m only getting the increased hate that comes alongside normalising racism. (Liberation for one group cannot come without liberation for all – just look at the rabbit hole transphobes go down!)

We need allyship more than ever. We need to call out all micro aggressions and offhand comments. We need to hold ourselves to a higher account and recognise we are all racist, misogynistic etc., and it’s only a moral failing if we ignore this.

As liberals, we need to recognise it has to start with us. We need to call friends and family out, we need to call ourselves out.

It starts with us, because we need to stop going down this dangerous road. 

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Obituary Archibald Ian Jenkins MBE MA (1941-2025)

By Graham Garvie | Sun 31st August 2025 - 8:46 am

Ian Jenkins at pro EU street stall

The passing of Ian Jenkins peacefully in his 85th year was a huge blow to many people who had the privilege of knowing Ian and the very special man he was.

Raised on the isle of Bute and having graduated from Glasgow University with an MA, Ian decided to enter the teaching profession. He progressed in that until, in 1970, he was appointed Principal Teacher of English at Peebles High School. His wife, Midge, also took up a teaching appointment there and they moved to Peebles. 

Ian knew much more than most of us about our wonderful language, its rules and nuances and how to use these creatively. In particular, his deep knowledge of literature and poetry were legendary. 

One of his favourite writers was C.S. Lewis who wrote a book called “The Four Loves” contrasting four different meanings of love—affection, friendship, eros and charity. These four overlap with one another and can grow into the others. Yet the greatest of these is the last which Lewis called Charity which is simply the kind of love that seeks the welfare of others than yourself.  

In all his doings, Ian was a living example of that kind of love—genuine, thoughtful and kind. And one always left a conversation with Ian better informed and enriched—and almost always with a smile on one’s face. A few minutes in his company would confirm his wisdom, his careful arguments and his literary allusions and his ever-present good humour.

Ian and Midge put down new roots in Peebles but Ian’s pride in his adopted home never diminished his pride in their origins on Bute. 

Be it the Rotary, youthwork, mental health, culture, golf, rugby, Ian was ever involved in some local charity or worthy cause. The breadth of his work was recognised nationally in 2023 when he was awarded the MBE for services to charity and the community. Typically, his reaction was “I don’t deserve such recognition”; but he did accept it and, accompanied by Midge, was presented with his Medal by Princess Anne in Holyrood Palace last year.

A master craftsman in his profession as a teacher, it was not surprising that he was an unconventional disciplinarian. Opposed to corporal punishment long before it was outlawed, he relied on persuasion, good humour and empathy to secure his authority as a senior figure in one of Scotland’s leading schools.

Ian’s other passion was politics. Liberal by nature and a non-conformist thinker, Ian inspired many people in the Borders and elsewhere to become active Liberals and few were as important as Ian in that. 

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David Chalmers

ALDE Council: What it does, Lib Dem representation and why it matters

By David Chalmers | Sat 30th August 2025 - 1:01 pm

In the list of federal party positions up for election this autumn is the Lib Dem delegation for the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe ALDE Council. The arrangements for this have changed recently, hence this post.

As an internationalist party, I am immensely proud of how, despite Brexit, the Lib Dems are still major players on the European political stage, through our membership of ALDE and in the wider world through our membership of Liberal international. The ALDE Party includes political parties from inside and outside the EU. None of the other political groups in Europe – apart from the Greens – allow non-EU parties, like ourselves, to participate as full members. In the other political groups to the left and the right of the political spectrum, non-EU parties are treated, at best, as guests or observers. However in ALDE we send delegates to both meetings of its Council and Congress, bring forward motions and participate fully in debates. ALDE is a European party not just focused on the EU.

The ALDE Council meets twice a year, to which we currently send 8 elected delegates – which include the Chair of the Federal International Relations Committee and delegation lead, a representative each from Scotland, Wales and under 26 year olds with the four remaining positions taken from the top four candidates elected by all members in the federal elections.

The ALDE Council delegates ensure that the voice of our party is heard on the European stage. It plays an important governance role at the heart of our European political family ( and which we co-founded as EDLR in 1976). Our delegation keeps in contact throughout the year and meets in the run up to ALDE Council meetings to consider motions to be submitted ourselves or to propose amendments to motions submitted by other parties. It is our responsibility to ensure that those motions we submit reflect our party policies. At the ALDE Council meeting itself we have the opportunity to ask questions and endorse political parties wishing to join our liberal political family, and generally network and build relationships with colleagues from our sister parties.

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Sarah Brown

Why are UK trans people upset?

By Sarah Brown | Sat 30th August 2025 - 11:09 am

I want to explain a few things and then it might be clearer why UK trans people are upset.

In 2001 I married my wife, Sylvia.

In 2005 I started medical transition. For the state to recognise this I had to submit to standards of “care” which were humiliating, degrading and which placed me at risk of violence.

But I did it “by the book”

As I did it “by the book”, the NHS agreed to reregister me as female, which makes sense because my anatomy now is.

In 2007 I had sex reassignment surgery. This had to be signed off by two mental health professionals, “by the book”, and it was.

In 2008 I applied for gender recognition. This involved signing a statutory obligation, stating that I promised, BY LAW, to live fully as female for the rest of my life. As this was done, “by the book”, the government promised that it would treat me as such.

Its first act as treating me as female was to annul our marriage because it was a same sex marriage and those were not allowed.

The state then reissued my birth certificate, correcting the “mistake” it had originally made when it recorded me as male, “by the book”.

In 2009 Sylvia and I married for the second time, in a same sex civil partnership, which was done “by the book”, because the state regarded me as female and I was bound by law to be female.

In 2013 we married again, because the state decided that same sex marriage was in fact allowed after all. This was done, “by the book”. Despite having been married for 12 years, we had to submit ourselves to individual questioning to prove our relationship was genuine, “by the book”.

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Anna Sabine MP

Anna Sabine MP writes: The risk worth taking: Authentic politics

By Anna Sabine MP | Fri 29th August 2025 - 11:55 am

I came of “political age” in 1997: a politics-mad 17 year old, I won my sixth form’s mock election (for the Lib Dems obviously) and marvelled at the idea I was now living under a Government which wasn’t Conservative. That year, Labour swept to power on a wave of optimism. But very quickly, politics became about message discipline, media management, and “lines to take.” Ministers stuck rigidly to scripts, ducked difficult questions, and avoided risk at all costs. At first it looked professional; soon it looked fake. That culture of spin eroded public trust and, I believe, has left politics diminished.

Politics is so often thought of as a battle of ideas – manifestos, policies, the detail of legislation. But we know most people don’t follow politics in that way. Voters don’t usually sit down with policy papers; they judge us on how we make them feel, whether what we say rings true, and whether we sound like people they can actually trust. More than ever, politics is less about the issues themselves and more about how we communicate.

That’s why figures like Donald Trump and Nigel Farage, however vile their ideas, have managed to cut through. They project a bluntness that their supporters interpret as honesty. It seems authentic – unscripted, unpolished, and real. People believe they are hearing what these politicians actually think, rather than a line from an adviser’s grid.

We’ve also seen a very different kind of authenticity in Ed Davey’s leadership. His willingness to speak openly about his life as a carer – the challenges and sacrifices of looking after his disabled son – has struck a chord. It hasn’t been about clever soundbites but about showing humanity. That kind of authenticity builds a connection with voters that I see played out whenever I meet constituents – “Ah yes, Ed Davey, I like what he says about care” is usually the kind of positive comment that’s made about him.

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Mo Waqas

Rebuilding the NHS with common sense

By Mo Waqas | Fri 29th August 2025 - 8:55 am

When I think about the state of healthcare in this country, I sometimes describe myself as both a dreamer and a realist. I’m a dreamer because I can imagine an NHS that works again, one that feels close to the founding vision of 1948. But I’m also a realist because I know that change won’t come from wishful thinking it will come from practical, common-sense decisions about where we spend money, how we organise services, and who we put first.

Right now, the NHS is struggling not just because of limited funding, but because we don’t use the money we do have in the smartest way. Too much of it is leaking out through privatisation and outsourcing, where contracts are awarded to private companies that often provide poor value and fragmented services. We are patching problems rather than preventing them. And in the process, we are losing sight of the community-based healthcare that once made the NHS the envy of the world.

Take A&E departments as the clearest example. They are overstretched, overcrowded, and overwhelmed. People turn up there with issues that could be treated elsewhere not because they want to wait eight hours on a plastic chair, but because it feels like the only option left. If we properly invested in 24-hour walk-in clinics and community health centres, staffed by trained nurses and doctors, we could take the pressure off hospitals. A&E should be for genuine emergencies, not because a GP appointment is impossible to book or the local clinic has been closed.

This isn’t about reinventing the wheel. Other countries have shown what works. Look at the Netherlands: they have made preventative care central to their system. Around 70% of Dutch adults regularly take part in routine health check-ups. That means issues like diabetes, cancer, and heart disease are caught early, treated early, and often prevented from spiralling into life-threatening emergencies. It’s cheaper for the system, and it’s far better for the patient.

We could apply that lesson here. When I was diagnosed with diabetes at 19, I was lucky it was picked up early. If it had been left later, there’s every chance it would have been misdiagnosed as something else, or discovered only when complications had already set in. That’s the story of too many people in Britain today. We end up firefighting late-stage illness when we could have saved lives and money with early intervention.

Another example comes from Australia, where they handle something as simple but crucial as healthcare wages with more foresight than we do. Every three years, they renegotiate pay in line with inflation. That way, nurses and healthcare staff don’t fall behind, and the system avoids endless cycles of strikes. Here in the UK, we lurch from one dispute to another, with exhausted staff having to fight tooth and nail just to stop their pay slipping backwards. It’s demoralising, and it drives people out of the profession. If we had a model like Australia’s, we’d have a more stable workforce and patients wouldn’t be caught in the crossfire of political stubbornness.

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Natalie Bird writes: Why I’m standing for Party President

By Natalie Bird | Thu 28th August 2025 - 4:50 pm

In November party members will be voting to elect our next Party President. At Lib Dem Voice we welcome posts from each of the candidates – one to launch their candidature (like this one) plus a maximum of one per week during the actual campaign.

Should I receive the nominations, I intend to stand for Party President.

A Truly National Party

I am a Northerner, and it matters deeply to me that our party speaks to—and for—the whole of the UK, not just privileged parts of the South. Too many communities have endured decades of chronic underfunding, leaving structural problems that demand structural solutions.

One of the clearest ways we can drive prosperity is through transport. A railway system that is reliable, punctual, and affordable should be the backbone of opportunity across the country. Transport must be a tool for growth and connection—not a barrier.

Protecting Women’s Rights

I have spent years challenging the party’s internal culture, including taking legal action over discrimination. I won my case for sex discrimination, yet the leadership failed to communicate that outcome clearly to members. Meanwhile, some of those responsible for the problems I raised remain in place, with some even seeking promotion.

We face serious governance issues. We have lost our ability to hold ourselves accountable. Justice must not be a privilege reserved for the wealthy. That is why I will push for expanded access to legal aid, ensuring that ordinary people can seek justice without fear of financial ruin.

Protecting Women’s Rights

Women fought hard for the right to vote, to be heard, and to have single-sex spaces. These rights must never be eroded—by our party or by anyone else. The Supreme Court’s ruling on this issue must be respected and implemented by all councils.

I am also deeply concerned that the party has remained silent on the Cass Review. We still have policy dating back to 2015 promoting puberty blockers for children—despite clear evidence that this is not a safe or appropriate stance. Continuing to endorse unevidenced medical treatment is indefensible. Conference has repeatedly failed to update outdated or unscientific policies. That must change.

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Nick Baird

Labour is playing into Farage’s hands in the immigration debate

By Nick Baird | Thu 28th August 2025 - 2:57 pm

Tuesday brought the announcement of Reform UK’s plans for immigration and asylum, plans which were then relentlessly platformed by the BBC and other media outlets in an exercise that felt like a day-long party political broadcast for the UK’s seventh largest party.

Even cursory examination revealed the plans to be as impractical and they were immoral, but it’s all too clear that Nigel Farage is setting the agenda on the immigration debate, and Labour’s initial response by Party Chair Ellie Reeves criticised the plans for their “lack of detail” rather than their lack of humanity. Fortunately the Liberal Democrat response from Ed Davey, Daisy Cooper and others was considerably more robust, if much less reported on.

But there is a fundamental dishonesty at the root of Reform’s policy, and it’s one that Labour is too scared to challenge. That dishonesty is encapsulated in the statement from Farage that “the only way to stop small boats crossing the English Channel is by detaining and deporting absolutely anyone who comes via that route”.

That’s simply not true. The only way to stop the boats is in fact to fulfil the Lib Dem manifesto commitment to create the currently non-existent legal routes to claim asylum, which really would remove the incentive to risk small boat crossings and destroy the people-smuggler’s business model.

Labour could do that, as could the Tories before, so why don’t they?

Currently you can normally only claim asylum once already in the UK, yet you can’t apply for a UK visa for the purpose of claiming asylum, and without a visa you can’t legally board a flight to the UK and pay an airline instead of a smuggling gang for your journey. This creates a Catch-22 that prevents legal asylum claims. Effectively it is unwritten UK policy to choke off the number of asylum claims by making it extremely difficult to make an application, requiring a high-risk journey to the UK courtesy of a criminal gang, something Labour is no more willing to admit than the Tories before them.

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The Liberal Democrats must lead the way on global women’s rights

By Janey Little and David Chalmers | Thu 28th August 2025 - 12:50 pm

Last week, The Guardian reported that the UK Government is considering scrapping the commitment to spending 80% of foreign aid on programmes that have gender equality as at least one component.

This is the latest of a series of Government decisions to leave the most marginalised women around the world at even greater risk. Cuts to Official Development Assistance (ODA) have disproportionately affected programmes focusing on women and girls, but Starmer has decided to slash ODA to 0.3%. In the Comprehensive Spending Review, women and girls were not included in the priority list for the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) for the first time.

Meanwhile, misogyny is on the rise, violence against women is epidemic, and social, political, and economic inequality persist. Nearly a quarter of countries reported a backlash to women’s rights in 2024. Every 10 minutes, a woman is killed by a partner or family member. Trump’s America continues to threaten the livelihoods of women globally, with the dismantling of USAID depriving women and girls of essential healthcare.

The UK should be a world leader in defending women’s rights and rejecting growing misogyny and international backlash to gender equality. That’s why we’re bringing a policy motion to Autumn Conference titled Defending Women’s Rights Across the Globe.

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