Having slightly altered the layout last week, let’s see if we can keep to it this week.
There are three Bills before their Lordships’ House this week:
As much as I disagreed with it, I actually read Buddy Anderson’s recent article with significant intrigue. I am glad that the conversation of “Where do we go now?” has appeared so suddenly after the election, cementing our position now rather than to fight the next election and all preceding contests in local government on the proverbial hop. I am also glad that we can do this with respect and candour, as it shows our better nature as a party. So, now I have had time to think about it, I wanted to respond with my opinion that a tacit suggestion of moving the fiscal dial one or two notches to the right would be a misstep, both nationally and locally for our party. It’s not what the electorate wants of us, and it would not do us much good, and I shall seek to explain why.
What led to the reward of 72 seats, mostly at Conservative expense, and most crucially how do we continue that into the future? That is the main question of this debate. Ultimately the 2024 manifesto was quite “economics-lite” to criticism from some quarters, but what was there was unquestionably progressive: shifting the tax burden from workers onto wealth and big business, meaningful action on the cost of living and the same on green investment. We are a party of market economics, yes. But I am reminded of something Tim Farron told John Harris from The Guardian in 2010: “No market is genuinely free unless it’s fair”. I don’t really see that as a centre-right statement, but it sums up the essence of our philosophy.
The theme of the 2024 General Election was meant to be change. Apart from the end of the chaotic Conservative government and its replacement by a Labour one, the course seems to have been stayed in many ways. Labour is pursuing austerity measures similar to those carried out by the Conservatives, and seems to have become mired in scandal, notably over freebies such as football and concert tickets. And Starmer has abandoned many positions which he endorsed as a Labour leadership candidate now that he is Prime Minister.
The 2024 General Election proved to be one of the most disproportionate in UK history. Voter turnout fell below 60%, Labour won over 400 seats with a lower share of the vote than they won at the two previous elections, and the two major parties won their lowest combined vote share since 1918. Such election outcomes and such behaviour by politicians have brought public trust in politics to record lows. This and resulting voter apathy can create a negative feedback loop where lower turnout can diminish the legitimacy of decision-making, leading to great distrust in politics.
Record number of floods in NHS hospitals as trusts experience three fires a day
There has been a record number of floods recorded in NHS Trusts this year with the health service’s estate reporting three fires a day, analysis of the latest NHS data by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.
In 2023/24, the NHS reported that there were 358 floods. That is a record number from when the data first started being recorded in 2021/22 when there were 176 and equates to a 28% …
Ed Davey: get rid of Carer’s Allowance cliff edge
Responding to news that the Government is set to increase the Carer’s Allowance threshold, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey MP said:
Raising the earnings limit for Carer’s Allowance would be a good step forward, but I hope the Government will go further and get rid of the cliff edge altogether.
We need a full review of Carer’s Allowance to end the repayments scandal and give carers the proper support they deserve.
Autumn Budget: NHS needs to be top priority to prevent winter crisis
Ahead of the Autumn Budget on Wednesday, the Liberal Democrats are calling for a rescue package for the NHS to prevent a winter crisis.
Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:
Years of neglect by the Conservative Government have left our health and care services at breaking point. Bringing our NHS and care back from the brink needs to be the number one priority in this Budget.
Our NHS is already bracing itself for this year’s winter crisis, on top of the continuing pressures of long waiting lists, crumbling hospitals and a care system in crisis.
It’s clear that a robust rescue package for the NHS is vital for economic growth – we simply cannot repair our economy without repairing our health services.
In the Budget this week, we Liberal Democrats want to see a new fund to break the cycle of the annual winter crises, meaningful investment to overhaul crumbling NHS infrastructure and outdated equipment and the launch of cross-party talks to finally put social care on a sustainable footing.
Phillipson on Laura K: hospitals left to rot need funding for repairs
Responding to Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson announcing that the Government will commit to rebuilding crumbling schools during an interview with Laura Kuenssberg this morning, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:
This week, our Eastbourne MP Josh Babarinde spoke in the Debate for Black History Month. It is quite shocking, as he acknowledged himself, that it has taken until 2024 for us to elect a black MP. Britain, he said, was far more than than the divisive minorities in some parts of the country and even, he said, in the House itself:
🙌🏾 So many powerful #BlackHistoryMonth contributions in the Commons yesterday.
I was proud to share my own – as well as a farcical tale of mistaken identity that keeps fellow new MP @BenObeseJecty and I on our toes 😂 pic.twitter.com/6kdwQPq0Lg
— Josh Babarinde OBE MP (@JoshBabarinde) October 25, 2024
The text is below:
It always takes a while to set up a new Parliament’s infrastructure and with this week’s publication of Select Committee memberships, some of the 72 Liberal Democrat MPs now have another avenue to exert influence.
Select Committees are an important avenue for scrutiny of the Government by questioning and by holiding enquiries into specific areas of policy or performance.
Our status as third party gives us three Select Committee Chairs who have already been announced: Layla Moran at Health and Social Care, Alistair Carmichael at Environment and Rural Affairs and Jamie Stone on the Petitions Committee.
So which Committees will have Liberal Democrat representation? Here are the ones announced so far and we’ll update as more news comes out.
Welsh Affairs Committee: David Chadwick MP
Defence Committee: Ian Roome MP
Women and Equalities Committee: Alex Brewer MP
Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee: Lee Dillon MP
Business and Trade Committee: Joshua Reynolds MP
Home Affairs Committee: Ben Maguire MP, Paul Kohler MP
Public Accounts Committee: Rachel Gilmour MP
Culture, Media and Sport Committee: Liz Jarvis MP
Christine Jardine, the Party’s spokesperson for Women and Equalities, has posted a message for Black History Month whcih comes to an end on Thursday:
October is Black History Month – a chance to celebrate the Black British community, acknowledge their contributions and discover their stories.
It feels particularly timely given this year’s theme of ‘Reclaiming Narratives’, which encourages us to challenge how we perceive history and the world around us. We owe an enormous amount to the Black British community for their contributions to our society – not least the Windrush generation’s key role in building the NHS.
But here in the UK, far too many people’s lives are still blighted by prejudice, discrimination, and inequality. As we saw in the riots this summer, racism is still far too prevalent in our society. We all have a responsibility to recognise this reality – but also the role that we can play in challenging this injustice.
I’m proud that Liberal Democrats are committed to fighting for racial equality. That means unequivocally condemning racism in all its forms and tackling injustice wherever we see it.
China is unhappy. So is Belarus. Both countries are worried about North Korea sending troops to Russia in the middle of the Ukraine war.
President Xi Jinping is worried that the move will de-stabilise the Korean Peninsula, escalate and complicate the Ukraine War, increase Russian influence in the Far East and potentially drag China into a head-on conflict with NATO.
Alexander Lukashenko is concerned that the appearance of non-Russian troops in Ukraine will increase pressure on him to send Belarussian soldiers in support of the Kremlin.
Xi hates uncertainty. He likes his foreign policy to run along diplomatic railway lines painted bright red so that others know not to cross them. If there are going to be any spanners to be thrown, he wants to toss them and control their flight and consequences.
He does not like North Korea’s Kim Jong-un. He is uneasy about the hereditary communist dictator’s nuclear arsenal. He supplies the regime with just enough aid and trade to keep them going, but not enough to threaten the status quo. This is because for the past 74 years one of the chief aims of China is to keep Korea divided and to maintain North Korea as a buffer state between the Chinese border and 25,000 American soldiers in South Korea. Anything which threatens to disrupt that policy is bad news in Beijing.
The bromance between Vladimir Putin and Kim threatens to upset this delicately balanced apple cart. Kim will want something in return for his troops. It will almost certainly include Russian military help which will embolden the mercurial North Korean leader and increase the threat to South Korea and Japan.
Belarus is on the frontline in the Ukraine War. The initial attack in 2022 was launched from its territory. Lukashenko is closely allied with Russia and continues to provide bases and logistical support. But Lukashenko knows he is unpopular. He clings to power with the help of the Belarussian KGB (yes, they retained the name of the old Soviet organisation). Committing his small military force of 50,000 to the Ukraine War would be unpopular and threaten his rule.
By the way, just everyone else is also unhappy about North Korean troops fighting in Ukraine. It adds a new and dangerous dimension by internationalising the conflict.
Russia is unhappy too. The recent referendum in Moldova on closer ties with the European Union did not go the way the Kremlin wanted. It was extremely close: 50.46 percent in favour of closer ties and 49.54 percent against.
The Russians did everything they could to push the vote the other way. They played fast and loose with bribery, intimidation and misinformation. A BBC reporter was filmed being approached by a voter asking for the payment she had been promised.
The misinformation focused on an expensive advertising campaign which claimed the EU planned to brainwash Moldovan children to turn gay or transgender. The gay community is generally unpopular throughout Eastern Europe.
Dear Trump Supporters,
I thought of writing this open letter after the elections. But I decided that would be pointless because you really needed to read it before you voted.
Also, if I wrote it after the election, it was going to be an I-told-you-so missive which is never a nice thing to do, although it is very satisfying to the writer.
So, having dismissed the two options above, I thought the best thing to do is write a “Trump Told You So” letter or, as the election is yet to happen, “Trump Is Telling You So” letter.
The thinking behind my letter is that all you have to do is believe the words coming out of the man’s mouth to decide to cast your ballot for Kamala Harris. If you can’t bring yourself to do that, don’t vote at all, write-in your mother-in-law’s name or put an X next to the name of a third party candidate.
This letter will also include the actions of Donald Trump as well as the words because, as we all know, actions speak much, much louder than words.
Let’s start with the hot topic of immigration. Trump has said he wants to deport 20 million immigrants. Think about it. Twenty million people, some of which are certain to be your friend, neighbour, colleague, maybe even a relative.
And where will these 20 million be kept while waiting to be flown to the countries they fled. Rest assured, they won’t be staying at the local Hilton.
Finally, what about the cost? Twenty million people will be taken out of the economy. That it is twenty million people who produce and buy goods and services. If all they earned was $30,000 a year that means $600 billion would be taken out of the economy. But that is nothing compared to the price tag for police and enforcement agents to implement Trump’s plans. It is estimated that will cost the taxpayer $850 billion.
As we are talking about money, how about Trump’s wider economic policies the key points of which are tariffs and taxes. Trump wants a 10-20 percent tariff on all imported goods and tariffs ranging from 60 percent to 500 percent (depending on which rally you attend) on Chinese goods.
The by-elections just won’t stop coming as 13 were held in England and Wales this week. The Conservatives and Lib Dems are the only parties that had made gains (4 and 1 respectively), while all others had lost seats. Labour’s recent poor performances continue, holding only 3 out of their 6 seats while losing the other 3 to the Tories; the final blue gain comes from an independent seat. In Wales, Plaid Cymru lost their only seat this week to an independent.
The Lib Dems were the only party to have gained seats from the Tories. In the Old Dean ward in Surrey Heath BC, where no Lib Dem candidate stood in the last election, Cllr Dave Hough managed to snatch the seat with an impressive margin of victory. In stark contrast, both the Labour and Conservative vote plummeted. Huge well done and congrats to Dave and the local team for treading new ground and fighting hard for this win!
Surrey Heath BC, Old Dean
Liberal Democrat (Dave Hough): 394 (44.7%, new)
Conservative: 278 (31.6%, -27.3%)
Reform: 109 (12.4%, new)
Labour: 96 (10.9%, -30.2%)
Independent: 4 (0.5%, new)
The Lib Dems were also the only party to have held all seats that they have defended. In Gateshead MBC, Cllr Susan Craig achieved a dominating victory by further growing the Lib Dem vote share to 64.6%, being the only candidate do have gained a significant amount of votes. Congratulations and thank you to Susan and the team for putting the hard work in Whickham North.
Gateshead MBC, Whickham North
Liberal Democrat (Susan Craig): 902 (64.6%, +6.7%)
Labour: 285 (20.4%, -6.3%)
Conservative: 137 (9.8%, +0.9%)
Green Party: 72 (5.2%, -1.3%)
The other hold by the Lib Dems comes from the Histon and Impington ward in South Cambridgeshire DC, where Cllr James Rixon maintained healthy 320 vote lead from the second place independent. The only constant between all seems to be that Labour’s vote share has collapsed. Congrats to James and the local team for putting in the work to retain this Lib Dem seat!
South Cambridgeshire DC, Histon & Impington
Liberal Democrat (James Rixon): 942 (38.7%, -2.3%)
Independent: 617 (25.3%, +4.1%)
Green: 420 (17.3%, +5.8%)
Conservative: 283 (11.6%, -0.1%)
Labour: 172 (7.1%, -7.4%)
The budget less than a week away will be a Labour budget, but what would a Liberal Democrat budget look like?
Jeremy Hunt’s last budget was expansionary (£13.875 billion) with cuts to national insurance contributions to boost the economy, as was his earlier financial statement (£13.73 billion) which also included cuts to national insurance contributions. These measures to some extent did work with growth of 0.7% January to March and 0.6% April to June. But growth has fallen away with no growth in July and only 0.2% in August. There is therefore a need for an expansionary budget.
A Liberal Democrat Chancellor of the Exchequer should start with reversing the cuts to the Winter Fuel Payment (costing £1.4bn), followed by ending the two-child benefit cap (costing about £3.4bn).
During the General Election we talked about the cost-of-living crisis. Therefore, we should provide financial assistance for pensioners and people on benefits as the Conservative Government had done. The Energy Cap from October is £100 less than last year, so the cost-of-living payments should be set at £200 which would be a one-off cost of about £3bn.
We also talked about the Conservatives putting up taxes for struggling families and pensioners by freezing income tax thresholds. Does this mean that we should expect a Liberal Democrat Chancellor of the Exchequer to unfreeze the income tax and national insurance thresholds by the rate of inflation (costing about £3bn)?
It was reported on Channel 4 News that according to the JRF households on benefits are £690 a year worse off in August this year compared to January 2021. We might expect that a Liberal Democrat Chancellor of the Exchequer would increase Universal Credit and the legacy benefits by £20 a week (costing about £7 billion over a full year), to begin to implement our policy ending deep poverty within a decade, but as it didn’t appear in the Manifesto this is unlikely in the present circumstances. However, a Liberal Democrat Chancellor might well implement our policies on Carer’s Allowance including increasing it by £20 a week (costing £1.45bn).
John Milne made his maiden speech on Tuesday 8th October during a debate on VAT: Independent Schools:
Here is the full text of the speech:
Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker.
First, I would like to pay tribute to my predecessor, Sir Jeremy Quin, who represented Horsham for the last 10 years. He was a dedicated MP, and in my first couple of months I have heard praise from many constituents for his past help. An MP’s best work is often unsung and behind the scenes, and I intend to continue his campaigns on issues such as child trust funds.
NAO Report on SEN provision: “urgent reform” needed, say Lib Dems
A new National Audit Office report has revealed that the Special Educational Needs (SEN) system is “financially unsustainable”, with 43% of councils at risk of effectively declaring bankruptcy.
It also found that there has been “no consistent improvement in outcomes for children and young people with SEN” since 2019, with 50% of children waiting more than the statutory 20-week target for an Education, Health and Care plan.
Responding to the report, Munira Wilson MP, the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Education, Children and Families, said:
Every child should get the help they need at nursery, in school and throughout their lives, to achieve all they can. But far too many children are being left to struggle because the support they need simply isn’t there.
The last Conservative Government woefully underfunded both schools and local councils, forcing thousands of parents to battle against a system that just isn’t working. That is unacceptable. No child, or their family, should have to wait so long or fight so hard to have their needs met.
Now this crisis is pushing councils to the brink of bankruptcy. I hope the Government will urgently reform the whole system to save council budgets and make sure children and parents get the support they need, without having to wait for months or go to court.
Nearly 6,000 crimes went unsolved every day last year
The Liberal Democrats have slammed the previous Conservative government’s “legacy of failure” as new statistics reveal the extent of unsolved crime in the year ending June 2024.
The figures were revealed by the Home Office’s own statistics on crime outcomes, released earlier this morning.
2,156,075 crimes went unsolved across England and Wales in the year ending June 2024, equivalent to 5,907 crimes going unsolved every day. Ths accounted for 40% of all crimes recorded that year.
Back in August I was reminding you to nominate someone for the 2024 Councillor awards – actually that should be Cllr Awards – organised by the Local Government Information Unit.
The shortlists have just been announced for England and Wales and for Scotland, and I’m pleased to say there are two Lib Dems in the running.
Councillor Clare Apel is shortlisted for the Lifetime Legend Award. Clare has served for 25 years on Chichester District Council, where she is Chair of the Council, and she also sits on Chichester City Council.
Councillor Julia Neden-Watts is Joint Deputy Leader of Richmond Council and has been nominated for Innovator of the Year. She chairs Richmond’s Environment, Sustainability, Culture & Sports Committee.
The winners will be announced on 20th November.
Good luck to both of them!
I sat on the Federal Conference Committee (FCC) for several years – which I thoroughly enjoyed – and like most newbies I asked questions about the venues we used. Why do we seem to rotate the Autumn Conference between two towns on the south coast? What about other places further north with good Conference facilities? The reasons soon became apparent.
FCC does look at as many potential Conference venues as possible, and in the end it comes down to two things – facilities and cost.
Nick da Costa is the current Chair of FCC and he is regularly asked the same questions by members, so he has published a paper that breaks down the issues in some details. You can read it here. It is rather long, and includes some useful tables and charts, but here are some extracts:
The Conference Office and FCC regularly review future venues; this is an iterative process, and we regularly review over 40 venues in relation to costs, suitability and availability. We have looked at venues in Scotland, Wales and in England, and continually try to identify new opportunities.
In many cases, unfortunately, the venues are simply either far too expensive for our budget, or are simply not suitable for our requirements.
For example –
- Lack sufficient accessible fringe space
- Lack a suitable conference hotel within easy reach of the main conference venue
- Have insufficient back of house space for the many staff and volunteers who make Conference happen and contribute to its success
- Too expensive
- Unsatisfactory transport links
The document goes on to list the requirements in more detail.
Rachel Gilmour made her maiden speech on Monday 14th October during a debate on the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill:
Here is the full text of the speech:
Thank you for calling me to make my maiden speech, Madam Deputy Speaker. Before I do, may I commend Figen Murray and her family and friends for the excellent campaign they have continued, completely selflessly? I am sure it will save the lives of hundreds, if not thousands of people. They are a great example to us all.
LGA Conference: some councils see one-third of spending taken up by adult social care
Lib Dem Local Government spokesperson Vikki Slade has today warned of a social care blackhole in council finances at her speech to the Local Government Association Conference and called for cross party talks on social care with the Party revealing that some Local Authorities now see one-third of their expenditure taken up by adult social care.
It comes as many councils are teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, much of it as a result of increases to social care costs, with the LGA estimating that councils now face a £6.2 billion funding gap over the next two years.
The data from the House of Commons Library shows that there has been a 62% increase in council expenditure on adult social social care since 2015/16, with it rising by £8.9 billion, from £14.4 billion to 23.3 billion.
With Keir Starmer out of the country, it was down to the deputies to take the stage at Prime Minister’s Questions. Angela Rayner and Daisy Cooper put in their first appearance of the new Parliament in their new roles. For Conservative Oliver Dowden, it was his last in the role. There was very funny love in with menaces between him and Rayner in their exchanges. It was a bit like a seaside comedy show. The serious stuff came when Daisy asked her two questions.
Every winter, our NHS is overwhelmed.
Will the Prime Minister consider the Liberal Democrats proposal for an NHS winter task force, to put an end to the cycle of patients paying the price for the social care crisis left by the Conservatives? @LibDemDaisy #PMQs pic.twitter.com/7UqpodJHzs
— Liberal Democrats (@LibDems) October 23, 2024
May I associate myself and the Liberal Democrats with the Deputy Prime Minister’s remarks about Chris Hoy, and about all those involved in the train crash?
Our NHS is bracing itself for a winter crisis. One of the causes of the winter crisis every year is that there are thousands of people in hospitals who are fit to go home, but who cannot be discharged because there are not the care workers in place to enable people to recover at home or in a care home. Will the Deputy Prime Minister consider the Liberal Democrats’ idea of an NHS winter taskforce to winter-proof our NHS, end the cycle of the winter crisis, and put to an end the scandal of hospital patients paying the price of the social care crisis left by the Conservatives?
I thank the hon. Lady for her comments, and I share her desire to ensure that care workers are given the respect and importance that they deserve. They are critical to solving the problems in our national health service. The Labour party will create a national care service, and we are launching our first ever fair pay agreement for care professionals to boost recruitment and retention. We must get the NHS back on its feet after the disaster of the Conservatives, and my right hon. Friend the Chancellor will have more to say on that in the Budget.
Daisy kept to the same theme for the second question, talking of the dangers to the care sector of increasing employers’ National Insurance contributions, something she had mentioned in her Sky News interview on Sunday:
I thank the Deputy Prime Minister for her answer. We stand ready, as a party of constructive opposition, to work with the Government to fix our social care system. However, a measure that could make it harder for us to keep the carers that we so desperately need would be an increase in employers’ national insurance contributions. Were that measure to go ahead, it would affect millions of small businesses, including 18,000 small care providers. Will the Deputy Prime Minister assure the House that nothing in the Budget will make it harder for vulnerable people to access the care workers and the care that they desperately need?
A bit of flannel from Rayner in return, but at least the job of setting out our position had been done:
Again, I will not speculate on the Budget, not least with the Chancellor sat beside me. To reiterate what the Chancellor and the Prime Minister have said, this Budget will recognise that working people of this country and enterprise in this country have been hard-hit by 14 years of the Conservatives. We will rebuild Britain, and we will grow our economy to pay for our public services.
Rayner had to face another three Lib Dems in the session. This is great to see, and likely to be more commonplace now that we make up more than 10% of the House.
First up was Monica Harding who had a heartbreaking story of a young boy in her constituency who has been out of school for a year because they don’t have the right special needs provision for him.
Today in PMQs I called on the Govt to take immediate action to address the crisis in SEND by properly funding it in the budget. In Surrey 1800 children are at home rather than school bc their needs cannot be met & are waiting 2 yrs for an ADHD diagnosis. It is a scandal @LibDems pic.twitter.com/lWLrJHGvUA
— Monica Harding MP (@monicabeharding) October 23, 2024
Charlie from my constituency is an eight-year-old boy with an autism diagnosis who has been out of school for almost a year. He is one of 1,800 children in Surrey missing school because of a lack of appropriate special educational needs provision. Will the Government commit to ending this scandal by properly funding special educational needs provision in next week’s Budget, so that children like Charlie, in my constituency of Esher and Walton and beyond, are no longer let down?
Angela Rayner was sympathetic but had nothing concrete to offer:
Liberal Democrats will be hoping that the nightmare of the US presidential campaign will be over on November 5th, with a clear win for Kamala Harris, accepted by Donald Trump, leading Republicans and state and federal courts. But at present that looks the least likely outcome. More likely by far will be either a contested result, after chaotic events during the voting and state counts, or a narrow Trump victory with chaotic consequences for US politics and foreign policy. Either will have major implications for British politics and foreign policy.
The continuing rumble of opinion polls suggests a virtual tie between Harris and Trump, with the outcome dependent on who turns out among the small minority of undecideds. Challenges to names on voting registers are under way in several states. Counting may well be disrupted; there were some assaults on election counts four years ago, and the atmosphere has become more fraught since then. Republican local organisations are ready to use the courts to challenge any contestable declaration or hint of malpractice. We may not be sure who has won for some time. And the consequences of a Trump win are as uncertain as the candidate’s utterances have become. So how should we react to what will be an assault on the principles of liberal democracy and on the transatlantic partnership which has been at the core of the UK’s position in the world since 1941?
One Liberal Democratic theme, I suggest, must be to remind disillusioned citizens in this country of the importance of constitutional institutions and limited government, and the dangers of sliding down the road towards populist rule. Britain has just emerged from several years of chaotic government, with a populist prime minister attempting to prevent Parliament from returning from a recess when he had been in office himself for only s few months. We have witnessed right-wing attacks on our supreme court, an Elections Act that lifted constraints on political donations and restricted the autonomy of the Electoral Commission, and Conservative ministers supporting conspiracy theories about ‘liberal elites’. We now have a Labour government which has won the most disproportional parliamentary majority since 1832: 63.4% of MPs from 33.7% of the votes cast, on a worryingly low turnout of 58%. Public trust in ‘Westminster politics’ has sunk to the lowest recorded point since opinion surveys began. The potential for an anti-democratic backlash, if this government fails to improve both economic growth and public services, is high.
Steff Aquarone made his maiden speech on Tuesday 15th October during a debate on the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill:
Here is the full text of the speech:
Hello! It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Mid and South Pembrokeshire (Henry Tufnell), and I extend my warmest regards to all the Members making their maiden speeches today.
First, I would like to acknowledge my predecessor, Duncan Baker. He was an attentive and hard-working Member, and I wish him well in his future pursuits in industry. Before him, Norman Lamb served in this House for 19 years and left an extraordinary legacy in the realm of mental health, a cause that he continues to be a dedicated advocate for. It was in no small part Norman’s commitment to speaking the truth to power and giving a voice to the voiceless that made him such a hero to the people of North Norfolk, and which attracted me to politics fully seven years ago, when I was first elected as a county councillor—and I draw Members’ attention to the Register of Members’ Financial Interests in connection with my continued role there.
Borrowing and debt figures: Burden must not fall on hard working households
Commenting on the latest figures on the public sector’s level of borrowing and debt, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:
Today’s figures highlight the difficult position of our public finances after years of mismanagement under the previous Conservative Government – but this can’t be an excuse for the Chancellor to make the wrong decisions at the Budget.
We need to see urgent investment in our NHS and public services which have been reduced to their knees and bold action to fix our crumbling schools and hospitals.
The burden of fixing the Conservatives’ mess mustn’t fall on hard working households, but on the big banks, social media companies and oil and gas giants that can afford to pay a small amount of their soaring profits to get our public services back on their feet.
Water Commission: More urgency needed to reform industry
Responding to the government announcing a new Independent Water Commission, Liberal Democrat Environment spokesperson Tim Farron MP said:
Far more urgency is needed from the government on tackling the disgraced water industry, which has been allowed to get away with endless environmental scandals for too long.
Even before this Commission begins, the government should be getting on with introducing a new regulator with real teeth and power to get hold of these profiteering firms.
Whilst a review of the industry is welcome, it should not be used as a tool to kick the can down the road on immediate reforms.
Sadly, the government’s approach is still a job half done. It is time to put an end to profit before the environment in the water industry, and an end to this national scandal.
Over one million 12 hour A&E waits this year as Lib Dems call on Chancellor to “winterproof” the NHS at the Budget
Over one million patients have faced waits of 12 hours or more in A&E in England so far this year, up a fifth compared to the same period last year, new data uncovered by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.
In his recent article, John Hills offers some helpful reflections about the political future of the LibDems. As John writes: ‘It is necessary to go beyond individual policies and good ideas, to find our narrative; not just of what we believe, but more tangibly, what we stand for.’ I couldn’t agree more. The most intriguing aspect of John’s piece is his suggestion that while we have recently focused on disillusioned Conservatives, we would be wise to reach out to other political tribes, particularly Green-facing voters. John is right to say that LibDems continue to tell a good story about the environment (see our recent campaigning on the state of the UK’s rivers). He is also right that we should focus on what is distinctive in our offering; a kind of pivot and diverge strategy. But we have to be careful concerning the divergence aspect of the equation.
Ben Maguire made his maiden speech on Thursday 10th October in a debate entitled “Sport: TeamGB and ParalympicsGB”:
Here is the full text of the speech:
Many congratulations to the hon. Member for West Bromwich (Sarah Coombes) on an excellent maiden speech.
It is the greatest honour of my life to be giving my maiden speech in this place as the Member for my home constituency of North Cornwall, where I was born and brought up. I will always be grateful to the people of North Cornwall for putting their trust in me. There are unfortunately too many supporters, friends and family to thank for their hard work and dedication in getting me to this place, but I must say a special thanks to my mother, Jennifer, my father, Joseph, and my husband, Manuel, for their unwavering love and support; and a huge thank you to my agent and sister, Rosie. To every single member of my campaign: you are quite simply the best team that any candidate could wish for and you have showed such amazing dedication to our area. I would not be here without you and I will not let you down.
David Chadwick made his maiden speech on Tuesday 8th October during a debate on Farming & Food Security:
Here is the full text of the speech:
I stand here as the first ever MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe. It is the largest constituency in England and Wales, and I therefore have a foot in two worlds—one in rural mid-Wales and the other in the Swansea valley. I wish to pay tribute to my predecessors, Fay Jones and Christina Rees, for their commitment to Welsh politics and their service to these communities.
Vikki Slade made her maiden speech on Thursday 10th October in a debate entitled “Sport: TeamGB and ParalympicsGB”:
Here is the full text:
Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for calling me to make my maiden speech in this uplifting debate to celebrate the success of the Olympics and Paralympics. I congratulate the hon. Member for Warrington South (Sarah Hall); I completely agree with her sentiments about children who are beneath the radar, and I will do everything I can to ensure that they are lifted and seen.
NHS national conversation: Govt must show ambition to fix Conservatives mess or “risks becoming a talking shop”
Responding to the government’s announcement that it will begin a ‘national conversation’ about the future of the NHS, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:
The government must show the ambition needed to fix the awful damage done by the Conservatives to the NHS and care, or this exercise risks becoming a talking shop.
We know that primary care services across the country are at the brink of collapse due to the Conservative Party’s disgraceful neglect, with patients paying the price.
Whether it is sky-high GP waiting lists, endless ambulance response times, or a failure to diagnose cancer in time, none of these issues can be fixed without fixing the crisis in social care.
That is why the Liberal Democrats will make sure that social care is part of the debate and push for a cross party solution to this crisis.
Social Care: Govt kicking the can down the road yet again
Responding to Care Minister Stephen Kinnock’s comments that the government’s plan to reform social care will be published “in the next 12 months”, Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care spokesperson Helen Morgan MP said:
I really ought to get better at producing this mostly erratic column. After all, with all those new MPs on the green benches, the prospects of decent coverage of our Parliamentary Party in the Lords fall somewhat, and they’re still as busy as ever…
We’ll start with a quick trot through the business for the week.
There are four Bills before their Lordships’ House this week:
Naturally, the Liberal Democrats have been busy teasing out the Government’s plans on railway passenger services and facilities, with strong interventions two weeks ago from Bill Bradshaw (a former General Manager of British Rail’s Western Region), Caroline Pidgeon (making her maiden speech), Ros Scott, Sal Brinton and, of course, our Transport Spokesperson, Jenny Randerson.
With Kim Leadbeater’s Private Members Bill on Assisted Dying comes up for its Second Reading at the end of next month, now is a good time for us to be talking about the issues involved and why it should never be a choice for those facing a diagnosis of a fatal illness between giving them a choice when and how they die if they wish or providing them the best quality palliative care to allow them to live as long as possible. Both are needed and the debate about the bill must not be about choosing between the two.
Much is spoken about how palliative care can and does help those with a terminal illness deal with physical pain during their illness. In hospitals, in hospices and at home, helping those facing death live their life as fully as possible. Such care also helps those close to the patient by sharing the support needed, both physical & psychologically.
As I may have noted before, I’m a parish councillor in a small, but perfectly-formed, village in Suffolk’s Gipping Valley. And, generally, the role isn’t that stressful. After all, my council provides no services of a life or death nature, nor do we provide services which impact hugely on people’s lives, like education, social care or housing. But, even here, there can be contentious issues which impact on us. Planning applications for example, and whilst we have no decision making powers there either, as a statutory consultee, our residents expect us to represent their views to the powers that be. They believe, not unreasonably, that the powers that be must listen to us – if only that were true. And discussions can get a bit heated, even when party politics isn’t in play.
But I’ve been, on the whole, pretty lucky. I’ve received very little hassle, and all of that has come from outsiders. But I was reminded at the weekend that, that is increasingly not true of my fellow councillors at all tiers of local government. A report issued by the Local Government Association on Saturday noted that, in a survey of its members, 22% of respondents stated that they had received death threats or threats of violence against them.
And it’s not just the public who can make life difficult or impossible for an individual councillor. Opposition councillors and, even more depressingly, members of your own Party can be the source of behaviour that is designed to humiliate, embarrass or even frighten you. Too many of us have witnessed that, or been the victim of it.
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