- Inflation: Welcome fall but winter will still be difficult for the most vulnerable
- McArthur welcomes Leadbetter bill on assisted dying
- Wendy Chamberlain MP lodges Bill to remove red tape on charity lottery fundraising
- Closure of Rural Housing Scotland must mean soul-searching for SNP ministers
- McArthur responds to public letter by chief medical officers
Inflation: Welcome fall but winter will still be difficult for the most vulnerable
Responding to the latest inflation figures, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:
The fall in inflation is welcome but we can’t fool ourselves that this winter won’t be difficult for the most vulnerable.
The price of a weekly shop is still sky high, energy prices have risen once again and people are still feeling the effects of the spike in mortgage rates.
The government must urgently look at ways to support the most vulnerable this winter and that should start by reversing their decision to cut Winter Fuel Payments for millions of worried pensioners.
McArthur welcomes Leadbetter bill on assisted dying
Speaking ahead of the introduction of assisted dying legislation in the UK Parliament, Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur has welcomed the move and said that it represents more evidence of the momentum that is building behind a change to the law.
Kim Leadbeater, Labour MP for Spen Valley, will formally introduce her bill on choice at the end of life at its First Reading in the House of Commons on Wednesday 16th October 2024.
The Bill will have its Second Reading debate on Friday 29 November – the first opportunity MPs will have to debate and vote on an assisted dying bill since 2015.
Mr McArthur said:
Our current laws on assisted dying are failing too many terminally ill Brits, often leaving them facing an undignified and sometimes painful death despite the very best efforts of palliative care. It is clear that a new compassionate and safe law is required.
The introduction of legislation in the UK Parliament is evidence of the growing momentum that is building behind changing the law.
In recent weeks I have spoken with Kim about both the need for and the evidence backing a change to the existing law that causes anguish for so many people and I am confident that she will be an eloquent and determined champion for dying people seeking choice at the end of life.
As MPs debate this important issue, I hope they will listen to the overwhelming majority who want to see the law changed. Both Kim and I will be making the case for greater choice and compassion as parliamentarians scrutinise our bills going forward.
Wendy Chamberlain MP lodges Bill to remove red tape on charity lottery fundraising
Wendy Chamberlain, MP for Fife North East, has today lodged a Private Members Bill in the House of Commons seeking to remove the outdated caps on charity lottery fundraising.
At present each charity lottery is capped at selling £50 million worth of tickets each year, which acts as a break on its ability to maximise funds for good causes. These sales caps restrict the amount and flexibility of charitable funds such lotteries generate for good causes across the country. Ms Chamberlain’s Bill would remove these limits, which apply to no other form of charity fundraising or to any other gambling product.