Andrew Chandler

Reeves’ Spending Review lacks vision

By Andrew Chandler | Thu 12th June 2025 - 1:23 pm

In the afterglow of Rachel Reeves’ Spending Review, Labour’s press machine was quick to declare victory. Behind the slogans, the figures, and the bumptious cheers from the Labour benches, reality reared its head — fast and unflinching.

Yes, the NHS has gotten a financial uplift. Day-to-day spending is to increase to 3% per year. A welcome move. But let’s not uncork the bubbly just yet – since 1999, most parliaments have averaged a 4% increase. And anyone who’s ever tried to buy medical equipment knows, health inflation tends to swagger above consumer average.

And behind the figures and planted slogans; Reeves tried to hide—like a magician shuffling a bent card back into the deck—the real sin. The real detail, if you look hard enough, is hidden in plain sight. The capital budget – for bricks, beds, scanners and surgical machines – is flat. Flat in real terms over the review period. So while Reeves praises its “Labour choices”, the reality is a Review that feels like it offers the NHS by putting on fresh coat of paint on a house riddled with damp.

And what of social care? A passing mention? No. Not a word. A critical part of tackling patient backlog, ignored. As Daisy Cooper rightly called it – a missed opportunity. Labour hoped some wouldn’t notice. But some of us did while social care is kicked back again into the long grass.

Much like some of us noticed Labour’s clumsy sleight of hand with the bus fare cap. “We’ve kept it at £3!” I saw them gloat on their social media’s. Yes, after you raised it from £2 last year. The party that hiked the fare now wants applause for “protecting” the price they hiked up. Working people, like myself, who actually use buses – we’re not daft. The message smells less of sincerity, more of spin and exhaust fumes.

Still, I’ll admit: not all was bleak.

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Jack Meredith

Make Wales great again? Reactions to Nigel Farage’s vision for Wales

By Jack Meredith | Thu 12th June 2025 - 10:04 am

This past week, Nigel Farage took to Wales Online to outline his vision for Wales, ahead of the 2026 Senedd elections.

His article, published on Sunday, June 8th, at 10:30 PM, bears all the hallmarks of what is to be expected from a regressive, right-wing populist voice such as Mr Farage.

Firstly, his first reference to Wales isn’t of the 20s, the 10s, the 00s, or any time in modern history; it’s 1851. Mr Farage’s entire argument relies upon the 1851 census to justify Reform’s manifesto, citing the number of people in industrial jobs rather than agricultural ones, and even makes the bold claim that Reform will “reindustrialise Wales” by reopening coal mines, in one of his many attempts to defeat “woke spending”.

Of course, I can’t speak for everyone in Wales, but I can for my family. My grandparents’ relatives worked down the mines, and they did not live to see past 50 years old due to ill health and complications related to coal dust in their lungs. I’ve no doubt this story is the same for so many others in Wales. Nobody in their right mind wants to see the mines reopened.

Mr Farage goes on, moving from the coal mines to the need for regional technical colleges, to teach young people trades such as welding, plumbing and industrial automation. While I am far from opposed to apprenticeships and believe they are vital for providing a wide variety of career choices, Mr Farage’s support for them doesn’t stem from the same sentiment. He believes that there are “useful degrees,” and that people not studying science, technology, engineering, medicine, or mathematics need not bother going to university and should instead invest in a trade.

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Mark Valladares

11 June 2025 – today’s other press releases

By Mark Valladares | Wed 11th June 2025 - 11:45 pm
  • 10-Year rail funding reaction – Labour showing contempt to Wales
  • Greene criticises potential closure of Scottish bus builders
  • Rennie: Swapping around a few ministers won’t erase SNP failures

10-Year rail funding reaction – Labour showing contempt to Wales

Responding to Labour’s announcement that the £445 million they announced for rail funding this morning will, in fact, be spread out over 10 years, Welsh Liberal Democrat Westminster Spokesperson David Chadwick MP said:

Labour’s contempt for Wales just gets worse and worse.

The indefensible decision to spread this measly amount of rail funding over 10 years not only robs Wales of what it is owed for past projects, but also guarantees that we will continue to fall behind in infrastructure spending, as major transport projects in England get the green light.

Labour clearly has no interest in growing the Welsh economy or giving us the tools we need to thrive and attract investment into our country.

Greene criticises potential closure of Scottish bus builders

Scottish Liberal Democrat economy spokesperson Jamie Greene MSP has today said that the wheels are falling off the SNP’s economic strategy as it was announced that bus builder Alexander Dennis has launched a consultation on potentially closing its Falkirk and Larbert sites and moving all production to Scarborough, citing a lack of forthcoming work.

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Mark Valladares

11 June 2025 – today’s Spending Review press releases

By Mark Valladares | Wed 11th June 2025 - 10:30 pm
  • “Smoke and mirrors” spending review could leave a blackhole for social care
  • Police funding short-fall as families face council tax bombshell to pick up the tab
  • Spending review: Reeves has put farmers “at the back of the Treasury queue”
  • Welsh rail funding announcement – Wales getting the scraps again
  • Lib Dems comment on defence, Acorn, supercomputer in spending review

“Smoke and mirrors” spending review could leave a blackhole for social care

Responding to the spending review, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:

This spending review was a missed opportunity to repair the damage done by the Conservatives and finally deliver on the promise of change.

Behind the smoke and mirrors is a potential blackhole for social care as local government budgets remain at breaking point. Putting more money into the NHS without fixing social care is like pouring water into a leaky bucket.

The Chancellor must also raise her ambition for the country and boost growth through a much closer trade deal with the EU. That’s the best way to improve people’s living standards and unlock billions of pounds more for our public services.

Police funding short-fall as families face council tax bombshell to pick up the tab

The Government has said that the ‘police core spending power’ increases assumes rises in the PCC council tax precept in order to fund it. It means people will be left to pick up the tab in order to fund increases in police spending with the Government refusing to cover the costs.

Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesperson Lisa Smart MP said:

The Government is relying on a hidden council tax bombshell to fund their half-hearted rise in police funding as they pass the buck to local families.

After frontline policing was neglected for years under the Conservatives, local communities deserve better than this sleight of hand.

The Government must put more bobbies on the beat, with the proper funding to make it happen. Liberal Democrats will keep pushing for the proper neighbourhood policing our communities deserve.

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The Voice

Lib Dems react to Spending Review “smoke and mirrors”

By The Voice | Wed 11th June 2025 - 2:16 pm

The Liberal Democrats have reacted to the Spending Review.

Daisy Cooper has warned that Rachel Reeves may have left a black hole for social care funding. This is based on local government having their funding cut by 1.4% during the period of the review. Councils have a statutory duty to provide social care and this does not help them.

This spending review was a missed opportunity to repair the damage done by the Conservatives and finally deliver on the promise of change.

Behind the smoke and mirrors is a potential blackhole for social care as local government budgets remain at breaking point. Putting more money into the NHS without fixing social care is like pouring water into a leaky bucket.

The Chancellor must also raise her ambition for the country and boost growth through a much closer trade deal with the EU. That’s the best way to improve people’s living standards and unlock billions of pounds more for our public services.

Welsh Lib Dem MP David Chadwick was distinctly unimpressed with Labour’s plans to invest in Welsh rail:

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The Voice

Ed and Emily Davey talk to This Morning about caring for their son

By The Voice | Wed 11th June 2025 - 9:55 am

Yesterday Ed Davey and his wife Emily, who is also the Housing Portfolio holder at Kingston Council, went on This Morning to talk about Ed’s book, Why I care and why care matters. which you can buy from the publishers Harper Collins or from other bookstores.

They talked about their own experience of caring for their disabled son John and about why supporting family carers is so important. Without them, the NHS and social care would literally fall apart.

You can see the whole interview on ITVx or STV Player or watch this clip:

Wales online reports:

Their son remains without an official diagnosis, with Ed explaining that John finds walking and communicating difficult, adding: “Because he’s undiagnosed, you’re on a journey both with the people in the health service, and other carers.”

“He’s our wonderful boy and we’ve tried to help him become as independent as possible,” Ed, who also shares daughter Ellie with his wife, said.

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Caron Lindsay

What are Liberal Democrats looking for from the spending review?

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 11th June 2025 - 8:15 am

Today Rachel Reeves announces her spending review. What are Liberal Democrats looking for from it?

It will surprise nobody to hear that social care is top of the agenda, alongside a closer relationship with Europe. Without the latter, Treasury Spokesperson Daisy Cooper says, Labour will be trying to drive the economy forward with the handbrake on. And anyone who has tried to do that in a car will know how impossible that feels and how much of an idiot you feel when you realise that you have forgotten to take the handbrake off.

Daisy said:

People have been left desperately disappointed in the Government’s failure to break clean from years of Conservative neglect and finally start delivering the change that people were promised.

Today’s spending review must deliver progress on social care. The Government’s bid to start reforms has barely progressed since it was announced six-months ago. Yet we all know the simple truth: without solving the social care challenge, putting money into the NHS today will be like pouring water into a leaky bucket.

Ministers should also be slashing the reams of red tape that are holding local businesses back and negotiate a bespoke UK-EU customs union, rather than pursuing painful cuts to already stretched budgets. Until they do, the Chancellor will still be trying to drive the economy forward with the handbrake on.

Here she is speaking about the key issues:

The Party has also commissioned House of Commons library research into the impact of possible cuts.  The Independent reports;

However, the analysis, carried out by researchers at the House of Commons library commissioned by the Lib Dems, found that unprotected departments — which excludes NHS England, the core schools budget and defence — could see real-terms cuts worth nearly £5 billion in total by 2028/29.

The calculation, based on Reeves’ promise that will not hike taxes, was made before the chancellor committed a further £1.25bn a year to reversing cuts of winter fuel payments to pensioners, a U-turn which was confirmed on Monday. It also does not take into account another potential U-turn on ending the two child benefit cap, which could cost a further £3bn.

The Home Office budget is forecast to take a huge hit, being almost half a billion quid short. The Independent report forecasts dire outcomes for social care and education. These would be incredibly short-sighted. It is so obvious that fixing social care is vital to sorting out the whole NHS, and why would you cut back on skills development when you are also hell bent on cutting social security and putting even greater holes in the safety net than the Conservatives’ best efforts managed?

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Mark Valladares

10 June 2025 – the rest of today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Tue 10th June 2025 - 11:45 pm
  • Cole-Hamilton: Crisis-hit care sector deserves better than a dog’s dinner
  • More than 300 drug deaths in first quarter of 2025
  • Welsh unemployment rise: Labour must scrap their Jobs Tax
  • Fraud and computer misuse make up two fifths of all crime
  • Greenhouse gas stats show Scottish Government has “consistently failed”
  • Greene calls for urgent national review of rural transport

Cole-Hamilton: Crisis-hit care sector deserves better than a dog’s dinner

Ahead of a final vote in the Scottish Parliament on the Care (Reform) Scotland Bill, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today said carers deserve better and that the SNP should apologise for making “a dog’s dinner” of the legislation.

SNP ministers originally proposed a National Care Service to centralise social care services. Scottish Liberal Democrats were the only party to oppose this from the very beginning.

In recent budget negotiations, Scottish Liberal Democrats put a stop to the SNP wasting money on their doomed centralisation, secured millions more for social care and fashioned a new pipeline for care workers through colleges. Liberal Democrats have also called for a new UK-wide national minimum wage for carers that is £2 higher and for care providers to be exempt from the national insurance hike.

Speaking ahead of the vote, which will take place in National Carers Week, Mr Cole-Hamilton said:

The care sector is in crisis and the SNP have shown that they can’t be trusted to fix it.

SNP ministers should apologise to care users and providers across the country for making such a dog’s dinner of this legislation.

Scottish Liberal Democrats were the only party to oppose the SNP’s power grab from day one. We forced it out of the budget after the SNP had thrown away £30 million – money that could have paid the annual salaries of 1,200 care workers.

Carers deserve better and only the Liberal Democrats will deliver a fair deal. We introduced free personal care in Scotland, enshrined the right to carers leave in employment law and have just won a change that will enable family carers to earn more. Ed Davey put it at the heart of our manifesto and has opened up on his own life as a carer.

Carers – paid and unpaid, young and old – do a critical job. They deserve far more support but are too often forgotten and ignored. It’s why our plans would see care workers properly rewarded, high quality care for everyone who needs it and unpaid carers given the fair deal they deserve.

More than 300 drug deaths in first quarter of 2025

Responding to new figures showing that there were 308 suspected drug deaths in the first three months of 2025, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

100 people a month are dying in Scotland’s drug deaths crisis. It is nothing short of a national tragedy.

Drug misuse casts a long shadow across Scotland. That’s why my party made access to drug and alcohol services a major part of our budget negotiations earlier this year.

As a former youth worker with a charity that focused on parental substance use, I was pleased to secure support for a new facility for mothers and their babies born addicted to drugs. That’s key to getting people on the right path, but there is still a mountain to climb.

Scottish Liberal Democrats would give our country the world-class drug services it deserves. From rolling out a nationwide network of safer consumption rooms to new drug checking facilities, it’s time ministers listened to our calls.

Welsh unemployment rise: Labour must scrap their Jobs Tax

Responding to the latest figures showing unemployment in Wales at 4.7%, up 1.3 percentage points on the year, and that the number of paid employees in Wales has decreased by 5,300; Welsh Liberal Democrat Westminster Spokesperson David Chadwick MP said:

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Mark Valladares

10 June 2025 – today’s Federal press releases

By Mark Valladares | Tue 10th June 2025 - 10:30 pm
  • Workforce figures: clear the Government must change course
  • Spending Review must deliver progress on social care
  • “Conveyor belt of Trump sycophants” rolls on as David Bull appointed Reform Chairman
  • Spending review: Home Office at risk of £500 million shortfall as Home Secretary on ‘resignation watch’
  • Ben-Gvir and Smotrich: Davey welcomes sanctions and calls for recognition of Palestine
  • £3 Bus cap extension: Labour clearly isn’t listening

Workforce figures: clear the Government must change course

Responding to the latest workforce figures which show unemployment and the number on jobless benefits rising, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:

These figures could not be a clearer signal to the Chancellor, ahead of the spending review, that the Government must change course.

The Chancellor’s pig’s ear of a jobs tax is crushing the growth potential of our high-streets and small businesses, pushing people out of work, and ramping up the benefits bill.

This week, instead of pursuing another round of devastating departmental cuts, the Government needs to take the handbrake off our economy and go for growth. That means negotiating a bespoke UK-EU Customs Union to turbocharge our economy and raise billions of pounds to protect public services and struggling families.

Spending Review must deliver progress on social care

Ahead of the spending review today (11th June) Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:

People have been left desperately disappointed in the Government’s failure to break clean from years of Conservative neglect and finally start delivering the change that people were promised.

Today’s spending review must deliver progress on social care. The Government’s bid to start reforms has barely progressed since it was announced six-months ago. Yet we all know the simple truth: without solving the social care challenge, putting money into the NHS today will be like pouring water into a leaky bucket.

Ministers should also be slashing the reams of red tape that are holding local businesses back and negotiate a bespoke UK-EU customs union, rather than pursuing painful cuts to already stretched budgets. Until they do, the Chancellor will still be trying to drive the economy forward with the handbrake on.

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Victor Chamberlain

URGENT: Why we need a statutory climate duty for councils

By Victor Chamberlain | Tue 10th June 2025 - 8:11 pm

As Liberal Democrats, we know the climate crisis is one of the defining challenges of our time. Councils have a crucial role in meeting it, whether it’s retrofitting homes, investing in active and public transport, supporting the green economy, or leading local partnerships to build resilience and cut emissions. But too often, we are expected to lead on climate without the tools or powers to do so.

In my role as Deputy Chair of the LGA’s Local Infrastructure and Net Zero Board, I’ve been working to change that. Last November, I called for the Board to explore how a statutory duty for councils to act on climate change could support and strengthen our leadership. But I also made clear: any new duty must be matched by the funding, resources and powers required to deliver. Legal responsibilities must enable, not constrain.

Following that work, and in partnership with organisations such as UK100, ADEPT, the Climate Change Committee and others, the LGA launched an open consultation in April to seek views on whether councils should have legal responsibilities on climate change—and if so, what they should look like.

There is strong support for change. A recent UK100 survey found that 88% of councils back the introduction of a statutory Net Zero duty—provided it comes with adequate support. Councils influence over a third of UK emissions but lack a clear, consistent legal framework to act. That must change.

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Jack Meredith

The Lib Dems must be the party that listens to what local people need and reflects that in the next Senedd elections

By Jack Meredith | Tue 10th June 2025 - 11:30 am

This series of articles sees me exploring the options available to the Welsh Liberal Democrats ahead of the 2026 Senedd elections. You can find the first instalment here and the second here.

In this article, I aim to explore an alternative approach that fully embraces the principles of community politics.

Many thanks to the numerous Lib Dem Voice commenters who suggested this idea throughout the various discussions generated under my articles. Without the support of our community, these articles would still be sitting in my drafts folder!

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Andy Daer

Now it’s the Israeli state versus Greta Thunberg

By Andy Daer | Tue 10th June 2025 - 10:00 am

As I write, Greta Thunberg and eleven other pro-Palestine activists intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters are being transported to Israel, where they will be shown videos of the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7th 2023. What this is intended to achieve is a mystery, but maybe the Israeli authorities think Greta and her fellow peace campaigners will decide that Israel has a right to tear up humanitarian law while it takes its revenge on Gaza, and stop complaining. Events may have moved on by the time you read this, but I don’t think we will have seen the shutting up of Greta Thunberg.

No precise figures are available, but it’s widely accepted that the numbers add up to at least 100 Gazans who have been killed or injured in revenge for each of the Israeli civilians killed by Hamas on that day, and with many bodies still to be recovered, the number of dead, let alone those injured, orphaned or who’ve pulled their dead children from the rubble, could be as high as 80,000. And the death toll is still mounting, with daily bombings adding to the effects of the starvation policy introduced three months ago by Israel.

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Mark Valladares

9 June 2025 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Mon 9th June 2025 - 10:30 pm
  • Davey: Spending review cannot be used to cut social care as number requesting support set to rise by 500,000 a year
  • Winter Fuel Payments: Govt has realised “how disastrous this policy was” but misery caused “cannot be overstated”
  • Nigel Farage Port Talbot speech – Real cheek as Trump threatens remains of Welsh steel industry
  • Liberal Democrat MP Wendy Chamberlain warns the government risks ‘decimating’ rural communities ahead of Spending Review
  • Lee Waters comments – nonsense, that Welsh funding isn’t a party-political issue
  • Farage promising to re-open mines shows he doesn’t understand Wales
  • Jardine comments on winter fuel news

Davey: Spending review cannot be used to cut social care as number requesting support set to rise by 500,000 a year

  • Ed Davey calls on Chancellor to rule out “devastating” cuts to social care in Spending Review
  • An extra 500,000 people a year could need social care support by the time Government reforms come into force in 2036
  • Liberal Democrat Leader calls for named carer and social care worker for every family in need of care

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey has called on the Chancellor to rule out any cuts to social care funding at this week’s Spending Review warning they would be “devastating” for those in need of care. It comes as research by the party reveals that an additional 500,000 people a year could need social care support by the time the Government’s reforms are expected to finally be completed in 2036.

Ed Davey is also calling for a named carer and social worker to be assigned to each family in need. He made the call in his recent book ‘Why I Care: And Why Care Matters.’ It would mean that for the UK’s 6 million unpaid carers, each of their families would have a professional that would be assigned to focussing on their needs and who they knew by name. This would make for more efficient and better care due to the experience that each of these named carers and social care workers would have with each family.

It comes as it has been reported that social care reforms from the Casey review due to be completed in three years time may not be in place until 2036, more than a decade from now. The Liberal Democrats have previously called for this review to be completed by the end of this year, not the three it is currently scheduled for, and the reforms implemented as soon as possible.

Analysis by the Liberal Democrats has shown that if the number of people requesting social care continues to increase at the same rate as it has historically from 2017/18 until now – 1.79% on average annually – then an additional 495,000 people a year will be requesting support by 2036. It means by 2035/36 the number of those requesting support each year could have risen from 2.1 million to 2.6 million.

Despite the turmoil in social care, the Chancellor has yet to rule out any cuts to the sector. It has been reported that the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, which provides funding to councils who provide social care, are still yet to reach a funding settlement with the Chancellor.

The crisis in care is already cascading into the NHS. Care England said last year that over 45% of hospital discharge delays were linked to social care, with separate research showing around 16 million bed days lost to bed blocking in the past 3.5 years, an average of 12,772 a day and costing the NHS £2 billion a year.

In recent months, hospitals have experienced bed occupancy levels of 96%, well above the safety limit of 85%. This contributes to long delays in A&Es as people cannot be admitted into hospital, with previous analysis suggesting that there were 16,600 deaths associated with long A&E waits before admission in England last year – a rise of 20% on 2023.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

Any further cuts to social care at the spending review would be devastating for the countless people in desperate need of care. Years of Conservative neglect broke the system, with massive consequences for our health service, but now the Labour government is moving at a snail’s pace in addressing this crisis.

Without fixing social care, we cannot fix the NHS so it beggars belief that ministers seem willing to let the rot continue. We simply cannot wait more than a decade for reforms to be put in place, whilst the number of people suffering grows.

The Government needs to get serious and that starts by completing their review by the end of the year with the reforms to follow as quickly as possible alongside introducing a named carer for each family who needs support.

At this week’s Spending Review, the Chancellor must realise that social care cannot take any more cuts and rule them out. If Rachel Reeves goes ahead the consequences could be catastrophic.

Winter Fuel Payments: Govt has realised “how disastrous this policy was” but misery caused “cannot be overstated”

Responding to the Chancellor’s announcement regarding changes to the eligibility thresholds for Winter Fuel Payments, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

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Anne-Marie Simpson

Gaza: an open letter to Ed Davey

By Anne-Marie Simpson | Mon 9th June 2025 - 7:30 pm

Dear Ed,

As the Chair of Liberal Democrat Friends of Palestine, I am writing to you to express my appreciation for your principled leadership in speaking out against the atrocities unfolding in Gaza. Your question to the Prime Minister in this week’s PMQs powerfully highlighted the dire humanitarian situation in the Strip, where Israeli forces are shooting at starving Palestinians as they attempt to access aid. The Early Day Motion you tabled on Tuesday, signed by every Liberal Democrat MP, sets out a clear and unified statement condemning Israel’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank and reaffirming our Party’s commitment to peace, accountability, and a just two-state solution. At a time when many remain silent or equivocate, your leadership has given voice to the values we share and the urgency this moment demands.

As your EDM acknowledges, the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza has reached appalling new levels. The entire population is facing famine, while the US-Israel aid distribution plan has been exposed as insufficient, unworkable, and profoundly dangerous. Israel’s renewed ground offensive has brought intensified bombing, forced mass displacement, and the continued killing of civilians and aid workers. Meanwhile, as attention remains fixed on Gaza, the Israeli Government has approved 22 new settlements in the illegally occupied West Bank – the largest such expansion in decades – with Defence Minister Katz vowing to “build a Jewish Israeli state” in the territory.

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Mathew Hulbert

Mathew on Monday – When is a campaign win not actually a win?

By Mathew Hulbert | Mon 9th June 2025 - 4:30 pm

As I type these words early afternoon on this fine June Monday, the big political story dominating the headlines and the airwaves is more details on the government’s at least partial u-turn on winter fuel payments for pensioners.

The top story on the BBC website as I write this is ‘More than 75% of pensioners to get winter fuel payments as Reeves confirms major u-turn.’ The sub-head reads, ‘Pensioners in England and Wales with an annual income below £35,000 will now be eligible, reversing one of the government’s first major policies.’

Liberal Democrats are claiming this as a campaign win, understandably given how often Ed Davey has spoken about the issue at PMQs, not to mention campaigners across the country raising this matter locally and having it raised with them on the doorstep. I myself have dutifully repeated the party line on this when doing political punditry on TV.

But here’s the thing: are we right on this or are we actually mistaken?

Consider this for a moment. The changes announced by the Chancellor today means that a pensioner couple on a combined £70,000 a year will now get the winter fuel payment. As the i paper’s housing correspondent Vicky Spratt has said on social media today,

This is going to become increasingly harder to justify when young adults in work who earn less receive no support at all despite having higher housing costs.

before going on to say,

Winter fuel changes (those originally announced last year) may be an example of a good policy that was communicated very badly by Labour. Why didn’t they consult properly and discuss thresholds before dropping the announcement? The whole thing is such an obvious own goal.

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Vince Cable

What Rachel is Doing Right

By Vince Cable | Mon 9th June 2025 - 1:00 pm

This coming week will see the Public Spending Review: probably the most difficult test of this Labour government since it was elected a year ago.

The Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, will be attacked from all sides. Friday’s newspapers write themselves: hostility from the ‘over-taxed’ tribunes of the Right, much of it wrapped in misogynist language about bird-brain ‘Rachel from Accounts’; frustration from the Left that the Magic Money Tree is not producing the expected crop of seasonal fruit; and disappointment from everyone else that she isn’t, after all, the Growth Fairy promised in the Labour manifesto.

In fact, the Chancellor is a competent and decent, economically literate individual, tied hand and foot by political and economic bondage. She inherited an almost stagnant economy burdened by barely sustainable public debt, the legacy of a series of damaging economic shocks: the financial crisis; Brexit; the Covid lockdown; the Ukraine War and ‘cost of living crisis’. She also inherits a nonsensical set of commitments on tax from the Labour Manifesto. And to add to all that, the madness and badness of Trump are creating chronic uncertainty in global markets.

Nevertheless, and acknowledging some silly mistakes, she has done three good big things. The first is to promote public investment. Gordon Brown, for all his formidable qualities and that he operated in easier economic conditions, was never able to persuade the Treasury to borrow to invest. Public investment took place through the expensive and over-complicated PFI scheme. Infrastructure was starved of investment capital.

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Mark Valladares

7-8 June 2025 – the weekend’s press release

By Mark Valladares | Mon 9th June 2025 - 10:00 am

Rennie reveals 1,250 teaching posts had to be readvertised in two years

Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Willie Rennie has today unveiled new research showing that more than 1,250 teaching posts have gone unfilled and had to be readvertised in the past two years.

The figures uncovered by his party through freedom of information requests also reveal:

  • Moray was the worst hit with 252 roles readvertised in the past two years, Aberdeen has had to readvertise 206, Shetland 90, Argyll & Bute 70, Highland 62 and Dumfries & Galloway 61.
  • Orkney has a teaching post which has been vacant since 2019. Aberdeen,

…

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The Liberator Collective

Liberator 429 is out now!

By The Liberator Collective | Sun 8th June 2025 - 11:30 am

You can download Liberator 429 for free here: 

https://liberatormagazine.org.uk/recent-issues/

You can also sign up to get an email each time a new issue of Liberator comes out: https://liberatormagazine.org.uk

In addition to the news in Radical Bulletin, and Lord Bonkers’ thoughts, what’s inside this issue?

WHITEHALL DINOSAURS THREATEN STABILITY

A walk on the Jurassic Coast reminds Sarah Olney MP that cliff edges in the

benefits and VAT systems undermine personal security and small businesses

 

LABOUR’S BLIND SPOT ON SOCIAL CARE 

Solutions to the social care crisis are well-known but always blocked by the

Treasury. The government could grasp this nettle, but won’t, and the charge

sheet is long, says Claire Tyler

 

UKRAINE, GAZA AND THE UK’S ROLE

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Rebecca Jones

For a lot of trans people, it’s hard to feel pride right now

By Rebecca Jones | Sun 8th June 2025 - 9:08 am

Just a few years ago it looked like our country was moving in the right direction. There was a broad consensus for trans rights, things were moving forward. Yet now, not only have trans rights not progressed,  they have actually regressed. Even for the few thousand of us that have gone through the burdensome procedure of getting a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC), we still almost no legal recognition of our true gender.

In the aftermath of the UK Supreme Court ruling, trans people are experiencing a roll back of our rights at a pace not seen since Section 28.  With many companies even instituting ‘bathroom bans’ for trans people – akin to far-right Republican states in America. It’s an incredibly scary time to be trans in the UK right now, and for many of us it seems like it will only get worse. Just recently we saw Conservative politicians proposing amendments to forcibly change all trans people’s identity documents to reflect their birth sex instead of the gender they live as now.  This barely scratches the surface of the tide against us. It’s incredibly difficult to be positive about it all.

And to be honest, we’re scared. I’m scared.

As a community, we have no faith in the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to uphold our rights, with their leadership repeatedly speaking out about trans exclusionary policies. Many of us hoped things would get better after Kishwer Falkner leaves office, but the Labour Government seems determined to install someone who looks like they could be equally opposed to our rights, freedoms and equalities. For many of us, we feel little hope of the situation getting that much better as Labour continues to chase the far right at the expense of vulnerable groups in society. I speak to a lot of trans people, who really cannot see much hope right now, and I don’t have much I can tell them. 

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Mark Valladares

6 June 2025 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Fri 6th June 2025 - 10:30 pm
  • Lib Dems celebrate Sunshine Bill victory
  • Chamberlain supports constituent’s pancreatic cancer petition
  • David Chadwick MP challenges Lloyds CEO over bank closures

Lib Dems celebrate Sunshine Bill victory

  • Liberal Democrat win as Government accept Max Wilkinson’s campaign for renewable energy technology to be mandated for new homes
  • Mandated solar included in the Government’s Future Homes Standard

Max Wilkinson MP is celebrating victory in his campaign for solar energy generation technology to be included in all new homes as standard.

Following his Private Member’s Bill earlier this year – known as the Sunshine Bill – the Government today announced that all new homes will now include renewable energy generation technology as standard.

Max called for the law change shortly after becoming an MP last July, which means he will have successfully campaigned to change the law within one year of being elected.

His Sunshine Bill was debated in the House of Commons in January and received widespread support from industry figures, the public and MPs from all parties.

As a result of his campaign and negotiations with Ministers, Max secured commitments from the government that they would incorporate the measures set out in the Sunshine Bill into the updated Future Homes Standard.

Next week, the Liberal Democrats will be pushing for a vote in Parliament to ensure all new car parks are built with solar panels, with an amendment (NC7) to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

Commenting Max Wilkinson, MP for Cheltenham, said:

This news will help us fight the cost-of-living crisis by lowering people’s energy bills while reducing carbon emissions too.

Mandatory solar and renewable energy generation for new build homes means the next generation of homes will be better for the planet and less expensive to run.

I’ve been campaigning on this since long before I was an MP and was determined to build on its success after I was elected.

I welcome today’s news from the Government and I’m pleased we can all look forward to a brighter future – but there will be more work to do to ensure solar for new builds begins without delay.

Chamberlain supports constituent’s pancreatic cancer petition

Wendy Chamberlain, MP for North East Fife, has joined constituents to deliver a petition to Downing Street urging the government to fund vital research into pancreatic cancer early detection.

Wendy Chamberlain MP joined Isla Gear and her nephew Max and Alfie Bailey-Bearfield, head of Campaigns, Health Improvement, and Policy at Pancreatic Cancer UK at 10 Downing Street to present their petition, which has now garnered over 200,000 signatures online, as well as an open letter from Pancreatic Cancer UK which has almost 71,000 signatures. The letter urges the Government to invest in rolling out new tests to detect pancreatic cancer earlier. Chamberlain later presented a version of the petition in the House of Commons.

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Chris Ward

ALDC by-election Report, 5th June

By Chris Ward | Fri 6th June 2025 - 6:47 pm

This week may have seen a Parliamentary by-election, in Scotland, but there is plenty to report on the local election front, with eight principal local authority polls, each with a Liberal Democrat candidate. Despite the talk of multi-party politics, in terms of local by-elections, it seems to have been a period of 2-party politics win-wise, (albeit not the traditional one), since 1st May. Today’s wins split four each for the Liberal Democrats and Reform UK.

Let’s start in Wokingham, which garnered interest from several parties. Maiden Erlegh & Whitegates is a Conservative defence in a Labour constituency and a Liberal Democrat-run council, and Reform were looking to come through the middle. The Lib Dems have been running the council by virtue of the mayor’s casting vote, but a victory here would give us outright control of the council. Congratulations therefore to Cllr Mike Smith and the Lib Dem team for not only a great council seat gain, but a great council gain too!

Wokingham Borough Council, Maiden Erlegh & Whitegates
Liberal Democrats (Mike Smith): 1028 (31.2%, +3.2)
Labour: 793 (24.1%, -0.2)
Conservative: 788 (23.9%, -4.2)
Reform UK: 486 (14.8%, new)
Green Party: 180 (5.5%, -6.2)
TUSC: 17 (0.5%, new)

Liberal Democrats GAIN from Conservative

There were three polls in West Sussex, where the Lib Dems were looking to defend two and gain one. Congratulations to Cllr Sam Raby for a great gain from the Conservatives, whilst holding of a Reform challenge.

West Sussex County Council, St Leonard’s Forest
Liberal Democrats (Sam Raby): 644 (32.5%, +2.2)
Reform UK: 584 (29.5%, new)
Conservative: 401 (20.2%, -34.3)
Green Party: 259 (13.1%, new)
Labour: 94 (4.7%, -10.4)

Liberal Democrats GAIN from Conservative

The other two West Sussex by-elections were defences in Burgess Hill. First, congratulations to Cllr Jane Davey, whose vote share held up despite Reform UK entering the field.

West Sussex County Council, Burgess Hill North
Liberal Democrats (Jane Davey): 1088 (40.9%, +0.0)
Reform UK: 707 (26.6%, new)
Conservative: 618 (23.3%, -14.9)
Green Party: 153 (5.8%, -5.4)
Labour: 92 (3.5%, -6.2)

Liberal Democrats HOLD

Congratulations too to Cllr Erika Woodhurst-Trueman, who strongly held with over half of the vote.

West Sussex County Council, Hassocks & Burgess Hill South
Liberal Democrats (Erika Woodhurst-Trueman): 1694 (55.3%, -6.6)
Reform UK: 762 (24.9%, new)
Conservative: 310 (10.1%, -15.9)
Green Party: 175 (5.7%, new)
Labour: 123 (4.0%, -8.1)

Liberal Democrats HOLD

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Mary Reid

Lib Dems gain control of Wokingham

By Mary Reid | Fri 6th June 2025 - 5:35 pm

Just a year ago we won the Parliamentary seat of Wokingham with a huge swing. And today, as a result of a Council by-election, we have gained overall control of Wokingham Borough Council.

By the way, don’t confuse Wokingham in Berkshire with Woking in Surrey, which we also control.

The received wisdom was that Lib Dems had to win a Council before they could hope to win a constituency, but now we are seeing the reverse effect. The key thing is that a winning campaign at either level, if carried out with care and foresight, can build local capacity which can be …

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Merlene Emerson

Wherefore the Indo Pacific?  A brief thought piece

By Merlene Emerson | Fri 6th June 2025 - 3:47 pm

The past week has been an eventful one vis a vis discourses relating to the Indo Pacific.  It started for me at a round table held at RUSI’s HQ in Whitehall on Thursday 29th June on the topic of “UK & Europe’s Relations with the Indo-Pacific”.  Then to keeping a watching brief on the Shangri-la Dialogues organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in Singapore (30th May – 1st June), and ending with the Government’s Strategic Defence Review 2025 which was unveiled on Monday 2nd June.

So what is the significance of the “Indo-Pacific” region?  A German academic Karl Hauschofer is often credited with coining the term in the 1920s, referring to the countries connected via the Indian and Pacific Oceans.  However often we see its use as coded expression to exclude any mention of China, by far the most influential power in the region.  The Indo-Pacific has become more commonly used in the context of defence and security issues whereas “Asia Pacific” would for example be a more neutral term, whilst ASEAN+5, or signatories to CPTPP or RCEP (both excluding the US) more specific references where discussions revolved around trade matters.

The round table at RUSI organized by the Centre for Geopolitics, Cambridge was focused on the study of the Indo-Pacific to cover security, economic and other dimensions.  However inevitably discussions would lead back to the US and China rivalry – the elephant and dragon in the room!  This was of course unavoidable given that we are in the era of Trump 2.0 with rapidly shifting geo-political sands, not to mention and a full-blown trade war between the US and the rest of the world!

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Hina Bokhari

Disability inclusion can’t wait – Why won’t Sadiq Khan act?

By Hina Bokhari | Fri 6th June 2025 - 12:59 pm

As the Labour Party prepares to make devastating cuts to disability support, the Mayor of London has remained conspicuously silent. While Labour leaders in other parts of the country have spoken out, Sadiq Khan has so far proved content to more or less toe the party line.

Yet with hundreds of thousands of disabled Londoners set to be hit by sweeping cuts to Personal Independence Payment, whatever his political calculations may be, there is still no excuse for Sadiq Khan failing to step up now as Mayor and use every lever at his disposal to engage and support disabled Londoners in response.

Disabled people are already feeling abandoned and scapegoated by Westminster. Now, more than ever, London’s Mayor should be charting a different course — not with vague pledges or sympathetic soundbites, but with meaningful, decisive action and engagement.

One demand has come up again and again from disability rights groups: appoint a dedicated Disability Champion in City Hall. Someone with lived experience, real authority, and the mandate to ensure disabled voices are not just heard occasionally but embedded in every stage of policymaking.

Over 1.2 million disabled Londoners face daily, systemic barriers in accessing their own city. They deserve leadership with focus and accountability. This isn’t a matter of symbolism. London has a Commissioner for Walking and Cycling. Why not one for disability equality?

That’s why, working with Inclusion London, I introduced a motion last September calling for exactly that. It passed unanimously – backed by every party in the London Assembly. Yet nine months later, the Mayor has done nothing whatsoever to implement it. He insists his Deputy Mayor for Social Justice is “good enough,” despite repeated feedback from campaigners that it isn’t.

Because all too often we still see a total failure across GLA bodies to include Disabled Londoners. Take the “Towards a New London Plan” consultation, a flagship planning strategy launched without accessible formats like Easy Read or British Sign Language versions, excluding both people with learning disabilities and deaf Londoners.

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Jack Meredith

How should the Welsh Liberal Democrats fight the Senedd elections?

By Jack Meredith | Fri 6th June 2025 - 10:19 am

A few days ago, I authored an opinion piece examining the measures the Welsh Liberal Democrats must undertake to avert total defeat in the 2026 Senedd elections. This piece advocates for a renewed emphasis on federalism, and as one commentator articulated, “Devo-Maxing” (a term I have come to employ quite frequently).  

In this article, I intend to investigate an alternate approach that embraces the principles of social democracy.  

It is widely acknowledged that Wales embodies a social-democratic ethos. Since 1999, it has consistently elected Labour into government, routinely repudiating free-market rhetoric in favour of left-of-centre ideals, regardless of whether a Conservative or Labour administration presents the rhetoric. From David Lloyd George’s People’s Budget, the establishment of the welfare state and pension schemes, to Nye Bevan’s implementation of Beveridge’s concepts to realise the National Health Service, to Rhodri Morgan’s notion of “clear red water” distinguishing Welsh Labour from Tony Blair’s New Labour, social democracy intricately permeates the fabric of Welsh identity.  

It is, therefore, quite remarkable that only one Liberal Democrat leader has ever addressed the Trade Union Congress: the late, esteemed Charles Kennedy.  

Mr. Kennedy delivered a speech at the conference on Wednesday, September 11, 2002, following the address by former TUC general secretary John Monks at the Liberal Democrat conference held on Wednesday, September 20, 2000.  

During his address, Mr. Kennedy articulated how some of the earliest trade union members in Britain were affiliated with the Liberal Party and emphasized that Beveridge posited that liberty transcended mere freedom from governmental control; it included liberation from “economic servitude to want and squalor and other social evils.” He highlighted that the Liberal Democrats champion dialogue and cooperation with both sectors of industry, acknowledging that, while disagreements with union perspectives may arise, we remain committed to listening and addressing their concerns.  

As we transition to contemporary Wales, we observe that Welsh Labour have significantly diminished from their former stature. Current First Minister Eluned Morgan was compelled by her party to condemn the UK government’s decision to reduce support for the most vulnerable, lamentably stating that voters were “taking Welsh Labour for granted,” and employed fear tactics regarding the potential termination of free prescriptions should another party assume power.  

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Mark Valladares

6 June 2025 – the overnight press releases

By Mark Valladares | Fri 6th June 2025 - 7:30 am
  • Lib Dems call on Labour Government to rule out real-terms policing budget cuts as unsolved vehicle theft epidemic continues
  • Water company bonuses: Half baked announcement won’t reform industry
  • Government listens to Liberal Democrat calls to end “corridor care” but cannot lead patients “up the garden path”

Lib Dems call on Labour Government to rule out real-terms policing budget cuts as unsolved vehicle theft epidemic continues

  • Shock new data crunched by the Liberal Democrats reveals that last year, more than 75% of vehicle thefts went unsolved while just 2% of cases resulted in a suspect being charged or summonsed.
  • 13 police forces in England and Wales had at least 75% of all vehicle theft cases unsolved in 2024.
  • This follows speculation that police funding will face real-terms cuts in next week’s Spending Review, which has been condemned by police chiefs across the country.
  • The Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to keep their promises on neighbourhood policing by ruling out real-terms cuts to policing budgets ahead of the Spending Review.

House of Commons library analysis of official Home Office data on crime outcomes, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, shows a vehicle theft epidemic with the offence becoming ‘effectively decriminalised’. Almost 95,000 cases went unsolved last year.

The City of London force came out worst, with none of its 30 cases last year ending with a suspect being charged. The Metropolitan police followed suit, with only 0.85% of all vehicle theft cases ending with a charge.

Leicestershire police force had a similarly worrying performance last year, with only 1.0% of all cases of vehicle theft ending with a charge. South Yorkshire reported that only 1.2% of cases were charged.

Derbyshire, Gwent and West Yorkshire also all reported that their cases in total had less than a 1.5% of cases ending with a charge.

These shocking figures come after several police chiefs have warned the Labour government that they will not be able to deliver their promises on bolstering neighbourhood policing or halving knife crime and violence against women and girls without proper investment.

The Liberal Democrats are urging the Government to rule out any cuts to policing budgets, following speculation that the Home Office will face real-terms cuts at the upcoming Spending Review.

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Mark Valladares

5 June 2025 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Thu 5th June 2025 - 11:45 pm
  • Royal College of Radiologists report: if Government “doesn’t take its head out of the sand” patients will “pay the price”
  • Zia Yusuf resignation: leading UK DOGE by example
  • Lib Dems make final pitch to Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse voters
  • Scotland has worst shortage of oncologists in UK
  • Local MP uncovers rail funding scandal

  • Royal College of Radiologists report: if Government “doesn’t take its head out of the sand” patients will “pay the price”

    Responding to two reports by the Royal College of Radiologists, which revealed that 9 in 10 cancer centre leaders reported delays to patients starting treatment, and 7 in 10 were concerned about staff shortages putting patient safety at risk, Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care spokesperson Helen Morgan MP said:

    This report should be yet another wake up call for Ministers that they cannot ignore the crisis in cancer any longer. We are seeing waiting times grow longer and the rate of early diagnosis stall, with the Government at risk of sleepwalking through a disaster while patients face dangerous delays and overstretched NHS staff are left at breaking point.

    If the Government doesn’t take its head out of the sand and act now, it is patients who will pay the price. The upcoming NHS workforce plan must rapidly expand the number of cancer nurses and modernise treatment before more lives are put at risk.

    The Liberal Democrats have long been campaigning to ensure the conditions are in place to guarantee patients can start their treatment within two months of an urgent referral to get them the care they deserve.

    Zia Yusuf resignation: leading UK DOGE by example

    Responding to Zia Yusuf resigning as Reform UK Chairman, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper MP said:

    By sacking himself, Zia Yusuf seems to be leading the “UK DOGE” by example. You have to admire his commitment to the cause.

    It’s already clear Reform UK cannot deliver for the communities they are elected to stand up for. Instead, they have copied the Conservative playbook of fighting like rats in a sack.

    Lib Dems make final pitch to Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse voters

    Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, Aisha Mir has made her final pitch to voters, pledging a vision of a Scotland that is back to its best.

    Aisha Mir is a businesswoman, Children’s Panel member and carer who has also served as the party’s spokesperson for human rights and older people.

    She has been active in a number of projects & campaigns supporting unpaid carers, welfare for the elderly, human rights, diversity and inequality.

    Aisha Mir, Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, said:

    For too many people, it feels like nothing works anymore.

    The SNP have failed Scotland for eighteen years. The Conservatives are lurching to extremes. Labour are already letting people down. Reform have no real solutions.

    I’m in politics to get things done. I want to be a hard working local champion who will put your priorities first.

    Only the Scottish Liberal Democrats are offering you a vision of a Scotland that is back to its best.

    A Scotland where people can see a GP and an NHS dentist in good time.

    A Scotland that once again gives our children a world-class education.

    A Scotland with a growing economy and growing businesses, where the government looks after your money and works with our neighbours.

    Vote Scottish Liberal Democrat for a candidate who is focused on what really matters to you.

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Mark Valladares

4 June 2025 – yesterday’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Thu 5th June 2025 - 10:05 pm
  • Liberal Democrats call on Government to rule out cuts for frontline policing ahead of spending review
  • Winter Fuel Payments U-turn: a “debacle” causing “needless misery” and the Chancellor should apologise
  • Free school meals expansion: “victory” for campaigners and struggling families
  • Greene comments as cost of replacement ferry charter hits £22m
  • Jardine: Chancellor must apologise to Scottish pensioners for winter fuel mess
  • Lib Dems comment on ferries procurement news for Northern Isles

Liberal Democrats call on Government to rule out cuts for frontline policing ahead of spending review

Sir Mark Rowley, the head of the Metropolitan Police has warned Keir Starmer there will be “far-reaching consequences” if the Government makes cuts to policing in the upcoming spending review.

In response, the Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Lisa Smart MP said:

Slashing funding for the police would be a serious mistake and likely worsen the epidemic of unsolved crimes across our country.

The Government must heed the advice of our most senior police officers and rule out any cuts to frontline policing ahead of the Spending Review.

Anything short of this would risk Labour abandoning their pledge to cut crime and keep local our communities safe.

Winter Fuel Payments U-turn: a “debacle” causing “needless misery” and the Chancellor should apologise

Responding to the Chancellor announcing that the changes to the Winter Fuel Payment thresholds will be in place for this winter with the new thresholds to be announced at the Spending Review, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:

This whole debacle has caused needless misery for millions of pensioners.

We will look at the details of the changes at the Spending Review next week. In the meantime the Chancellor should apologise to all those pensioners who had to freeze this winter because of this senseless policy.

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Caron Lindsay

Good luck to Aisha Mir tomorrow

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 4th June 2025 - 8:59 am

Tomorrow, there is a Scottish Parliament by-election in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse which was caused by the very sad death of the wonderful SNP MSP Christine McKelvie in March.

Our candidate is my brilliant friend Aisha Mir who had done such a great job of representing the party in challenging circumstances.

Reform is throwing the kitchen sink at this campaign. Nigel Farage, again being anywhere but Clacton, came to visit earlier this week. Christine Jardine, our Scottish Affairs spokesperson, criticised him for avoiding the media during his brief visit, though I could have lived my life quite happily without the image conjured up by her first sentence:

Once again Nigel Farage is all talk and no trousers.

He’s run away rather than face the press or the voters of Hamilton.

This is just a taste of how Nigel Farage lets down everyone who ever trusts him.

There are a lot of people are frustrated that they have been let down by the SNP, Conservatives and Labour but it’s the Liberal Democrats who are offering real change, not Reform. Farage doesn’t care about getting you swift access to a local GP or dentist. We do.

Aisha on the other hand has been doing lots of media. She did an outstanding interview on Good Morning Scotland (here, from about 1 hour 38 in) in which she highlighted her own personal, very recent, experience as a carer for her mum who died recently and talked about how we had the solutions while the likes of Reform only sowed division. She rightly described their recent attack video of Labour leader Anas Sarwar as “scummy tactics.”

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Mark Valladares

3 June 2025 – today’s press releases (part 2)

By Mark Valladares | Tue 3rd June 2025 - 11:00 pm
  • Lib Dems slam Labour’s defence of rail funding injustice as “desperate”
  • Cole-Hamilton: Fix care to fix the NHS
  • Scot Lib Dems comment on road death figures

Lib Dems slam Labour’s defence of rail funding injustice as “desperate”

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have sharply criticised the Labour Government following comments from Welsh Cabinet Secretary for Transport Ken Skates, who appeared to defend the UK Government’s position on rail funding for Wales.

The row was sparked by information uncovered by the Welsh Liberal Democrats, revealing that the new multi-billion-pound Oxford-Cambridge East-West rail line is set to be designated as an “England and Wales” project.

This classification could deprive Wales of an additional £360 million in consequential rail funding for its own network.

In response, Ken Skates claimed the UK Labour Government “acknowledges that it shortchanges Wales” and pointed to an “ambitious pipeline of improvements” for Welsh rail. However, the Welsh Liberal Democrats dismissed his defence as “desperate,” noting that no major rail projects are currently planned for Wales.

The Lib Dems have argued that the current evidence shows that any new funding from the UK Government in the spending review is likely to be minor, and not make up for the large shortfalls caused by the use of the “England and Wales” classification over recent years.

The party also referenced a Freedom of Information request they submitted, which revealed that neither North nor South Wales electrification is being actively considered by Labour.

Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds stated that the UK Labour Government could immediately reclassify HS2, Northern Powerhouse Rail, and East-West Rail as “England-only” projects—freeing up funds for Wales. She also highlighted that the government could easily bring forward legislation to devolve rail powers fully to the Welsh Government if it had the political will to do so.

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