Tag Archives: david chadwick

11 June 2025 – today’s other press releases

  • 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.

Posted in News, Press releases, Scotland and Wales | Also tagged , , , and | Leave a comment

11 June 2025 – today’s Spending Review press releases

  • “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.

Posted in News, Press releases, Scotland and Wales | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , and | Leave a comment

Lib Dems react to Spending Review “smoke and mirrors”

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:

Posted in News | Also tagged and | 7 Comments

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

  • 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:

Posted in News, Press releases, Scotland and Wales | Also tagged , , , , , , , , and | Leave a comment

9 June 2025 – today’s press releases

  • 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:

Posted in News, Press releases, Scotland and Wales | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , and | 11 Comments

6 June 2025 – today’s press releases

  • 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.

Posted in News, Press releases, Scotland and Wales | Also tagged , , , and | 1 Comment

5 June 2025 – today’s press releases

  • 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.

Posted in News, Press releases, Scotland and Wales | Also tagged , , , , , , , , and | Leave a comment

2 June 2025 – today’s other press releases

  • Cole-Hamilton challenges Farage to pronounce Scottish place names
  • Outrage as Oxford-Cambridge Rail Project classed as “England & Wales”
  • Farage attacks on media are “Trumpian”
  • Lib Dems comment on Farage skipping media

Cole-Hamilton challenges Farage to pronounce Scottish place names

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has today accused Nigel Farage of playing a con on the people of Scotland as the Reform UK leader makes his first visit to Scotland since being chased into an Edinburgh pub in 2013.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said:

Nigel Farage is trying to con Scots.

If you live in Kirkcudbright, Milngavie, Penicuik or Garioch, Nigel Farage has absolutely nothing to offer you. He probably wouldn’t even be able pronounce your town.

He’ll breeze in promising the world but with no actual plan for how to make people’s lives better.

I understand that 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. We are passionate local campaigners focused on getting you swift access to local healthcare and ensuring that schools are safe places for our kids.

Last year’s general election and the recent English local elections show that we are winning again. If you want change, come with us.

Outrage as Oxford-Cambridge Rail Project classed as “England & Wales”

Wales Short-Changed Again as £6.6bn Rail Investment Project in the Home Counties Results in No Consequential Funding for Wales

The UK Government has confirmed that Wales will not receive Barnett consequentials from the £6.6 billion East-West Rail project between Oxford and Cambridge — a decision that has been slammed by the Welsh Liberal Democrats as yet another example of Labour short-changing Wales on vital infrastructure funding.

Despite the rail scheme being entirely in England, the Treasury has confirmed Wales will not receive Barnett consequentials from the project. Were Wales to be treated like Scotland, it could have received around £360 million in consequential funding to spend on transport projects in Wales.

Posted in News, Press releases, Scotland and Wales | Also tagged , , and | 1 Comment

23 May 2025 – today’s press releases

  • Telegraph deal: stake promised to UAE before legislation approved “puts the cart before the horse”
  • With just weeks to go, 125,000 meters still need replaced
  • UK Government admits it doesn’t know how much Welsh Rail electrification would cost

Telegraph deal: stake promised to UAE before legislation approved “puts the cart before the horse”

Responding to reports that the Telegraph has agreed a deal with a US private equity firm but that the UAE will retain a 15% stake, Chris Fox, Liberal Democrat Lords’ Spokesperson for Business and sponsor of the fatal motion to block the legislation allowing foreign state stakes in British papers, said:

Promising a stake in the Telegraph to the UAE before Nandy’s legislation has passed Parliament puts the cart before the horse.

We don’t believe in letting overseas states buy their way in to influencing the news we read. We’ll move to block the law as soon as it reaches the Lords – and can win the vote if the Conservatives do the right thing and stand with us.

The new permissions for foreign ownership of newspapers simply don’t exist yet, and there’s many lawmakers who don’t believe they should.

Of course we want to see our iconic British papers survive, but editorial independence must be shielded from foreign sway – not just in the current case, but for all future deals cut on UK newspaper ownership as the media landscape continues to change beyond recognition.

With just weeks to go, 125,000 meters still need replaced

Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP for Shetland Beatrice Wishart has called for urgent action to prepare for the Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) switch-off as she highlighted figures showing that with just weeks to go there are just under 125,000 meters still to be replaced but just 5,000 per fortnight are being replaced.

Posted in News, Press releases, Scotland and Wales | Also tagged , , , and | 1 Comment

22 May 2025 – the overnight press releases

  • Accounts Commission report shows councils face “titanic gulf”
  • Welsh Lib Dems Respond to Bevan Foundation Report on Impact of Disability Benefit Reforms on Wales

Accounts Commission report shows councils face “titanic gulf”

Responding to the embargoed Accounts Commission report into Scotland’s council finances, which warns that despite the average council tax rising by 9.6%, local government continues to face recurring pressures in excess of funding uplifts, with councils identifying a difference of £647 million between anticipated expenditure and the funding and income they receive, Scottish Liberal Democrat finance spokesperson Jamie Greene said:

Local authorities have had a raw deal from the SNP over many

Posted in News, Press releases, Scotland and Wales | Also tagged , and | 2 Comments

21 May 2025 – today’s press releases

  • Inflation: High time the Government put in place a proper plan to boost our economy
  • Thames Water bonuses: Hardly a cause for celebration for customers
  • Winter Fuel Payments: the “world’s longest u-turn continues”
  • Winter Fuel Payments: Serious proposal from the Prime Minister Needed
  • Lib Dems Respond to Welsh Gov Business Rates Consultation
  • Carmichael challenges Prime Minister to pause family farm tax

Inflation: High time the Government put in place a proper plan to boost our economy

Responding to inflation rising to 3.5%, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader and Treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:

Today’s grim figures reveal a triple whammy on Britain’s households – resulting from the Government’s disastrous jobs tax, Donald Trump’s devastating tariffs and April’s damaging business rates bill rises.

Ministers cannot allow inflation to spiral as it did under the Conservatives, but they risk repeating their record for as long as the employer’s National Insurance hike remains in place.

It’s high time the Government saw sense and put in place a proper plan to boost our economy: scrapping the jobs tax, standing with our allies to end Trump’s trade war, and urgently negotiating a new customs union with the EU. We must see bold action to deliver relief for millions of hard-pressed households.

Thames Water bonuses: Hardly a cause for celebration for customers

Responding to reports that Thames Water has halted their bosses bonus scheme, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for the Environment, Tim Farron MP said:

This will hardly be cause to celebrate for the millions of Thames Water customers who continue to face eye-watering bills.

The public are rightly fed-up with having Thames Water’s mess dumped on them.

The Government must act now and replace Ofwat with a new regulator with real power that can properly hold water companies to account on environmental pollution and unjustifiable bonuses.

Winter Fuel Payments: the “world’s longest u-turn continues”

Responding to the Prime Minister saying that more pensioners will be eligible for Winter Fuel Payments next winter, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

The world’s longest u-turn continues.

The Prime Minister has today announced the ‘concepts of a plan’ that have come far too late for the millions of pensioners forced to freeze in their own homes over the winter.

The least those people deserve is an apology for this punitive policy and a serious proposal from the Prime Minister on how he will begin to pick up the pieces from his Government’s disastrous decision. Not vague words that will take months to materialise into something meaningful.

Posted in News, Press releases, Scotland and Wales | Also tagged , , , , , , , , and | Leave a comment

Special Saturday sitting: What did Lib Dem MPs say?

Today saw only the fourth Saturday sitting of the House of Commons that I can remember.

The first was in 1982 when Argentina invaded the Falklands. I remember listening as we stripped the walls in my bedroom.

The second was in 2019 when I, along with hundreds of thousands of others was on a People’s Vote march outside. The atmosphere that day was very muted. We kind of knew we were on our way out of the EU despite the drama inside.

The third was when the late Queen died in 2022.

Today, the Government was awarded some pretty sweeping emergency powers to secure the future of the steel industry. I was pleased to see our Daisy Cooper secure a commitment from the Secretary of State to give them up as soon as they could.

The first Lib Dem to speak was Ed Davey, intervening on Jonathan Reynolds to make a point about some in the room:

We will scrutinise this Bill today, but we want to do so in a constructive fashion. Given the huge damage that President Trump’s tariffs have done to the British steel industry, accelerating this crisis, does the Secretary of State agree that any Member of this House who actively campaigned for President Trump’s election and cheered him on has behaved shamefully unpatriotically and should apologise to British steelworkers?

Reynolds didn’t take the bait on that one, but the point was made. Nigel Farage’s show outside the steel works this week was pretty much the first time he had taken any notice that it existed.

Christine Jardine intervened on Liam Byrne to ask about national security:

Does the right hon. Member agree that there is a wider issue at stake: our energy security and national security? We have seen what can go wrong with a Chinese company that we do not trust, and we see Chinese influence increasing in other vital sectors, particularly our energy industry. Should that not underline our concern and act as a warning that we do not want the Chinese to have control of our energy supply?

Daisy Cooper then gave her reaction to the Bill as spokesperson:

Recalling Parliament today was absolutely the right thing to do, but to be frank, it is extraordinary that we find ourselves in a situation in which our sovereign steel industry is in such peril as a result of the Conservatives’ failings and the Labour Government are now trying to give themselves unprecedented powers.

It is astounding that, even after British Steel was sold for £1, even after it entered insolvency and even after the Government’s Insolvency Service temporarily ran it, the Conservatives pressed ahead to erect more trade barriers through their botched Brexit deal, scrapped the Industrial Strategy Council and allowed the sale of the steel plant to a Chinese firm that, according to Ministers, is now refusing to negotiate in good faith at least to keep the plant going. The Conservatives were asleep at the wheel. They failed to tackle energy costs and business rates, and now Trump’s tariffs and contagious protectionism are the straw that has broken the camel’s back.

With Putin’s barbaric war in Europe and Donald Trump’s disastrous tariffs causing economic turmoil around the world, we must secure the future of steel production here at home. We Liberal Democrats welcome the sense of seriousness and urgency shown by the Government in recalling Parliament. We must work together to rescue our steel sector and the tens of thousands of jobs that directly and indirectly rely on it. But under the terms of the Bill, the Secretary of State is giving himself huge and unconstrained powers that could set a very dangerous precedent. I urge him to make a commitment, in the strongest possible terms, to repeal the powers that he is giving himself as soon as possible—within six months at the latest—and to come back to this House for another vote to extend those powers if they are still required after that.

Reynolds gave her the commitment she was looking for:

As I tried to articulate in my opening speech on Second Reading, I understand the gravity of the situation, which gives puts some context to the demands for further powers to be included in the Bill. The limitation, as wide as it is, is the right measure, and I can give the hon. Member my absolute assurance that I shall seek to do exactly as she says.

Daisy continued:

I am incredibly grateful to the Secretary of State for giving that assurance, which is important in the context of what the powers in the Bill actually are.

Clause 3(4)(a) gives the Secretary of State the power to break into anywhere to seize assets. Clause 3(4)(c) gives the Secretary of State the power to take whatever steps he considers appropriate—not what a court or a reasonable person might consider to be appropriate—to seize or secure assets. Clause 4(3), on offences, makes it a crime for anyone not to follow the instructions of the Secretary of State, or to refuse to assist the Secretary of State in taking those steps without a “reasonable excuse”. However, a “reasonable excuse” is not defined in the Bill, no examples are given, and, quite frankly, it is hard to work out what defence of a “reasonable excuse” might be accepted given that, under clause 3(4)(c), it is whatever the Secretary of State himself considers to be okay.

Clause 6(1), on indemnities appears to give the Secretary of State and potentially any other person who is with him—a police officer, a civil servant, or a Border Force official—immunity from prosecution for using any of these wide-ranging powers. These powers are unprecedented and they are unconstrained. I am grateful to the Secretary of State for saying that that is precisely why he intends to repeal them as soon as possible.

More broadly, the Government must now also bring forward plans to guarantee the future of this vital sector. We know the steel industry is surrounded by crippling uncertainty. After decades of underinvestment and shocking indifference to our sovereign economic security, the previous Conservative Government have left our sovereign national capacity on steel diminished and endangered. Yet there is no chance that UK demand for steel will disappear. How absurd and irresponsible is it that we have a sustainable and enduring long-term market for British steel, but that our supply could keel over in a matter of days because of the failures of the failed Conservative party?

So looking ahead, let us remember that saving Scunthorpe is necessary, but not sufficient on its own. There have been significant discussions about the future ownership structure of this company. Given the precarious fiscal position in which the Government find themselves, it is important that all options on ownership are put on the table, so that this House can take an informed decision about what they mean for the public finances. I hope the Government will make a commitment that, in the coming weeks, they will bring forward a report that sets out options for future ownership of the plant.

Looking ahead, many big questions remain unanswered. Will the Government immediately designate UK-made steel a nationally strategic asset? Will they be using direct reduced iron, and, if so, will that form part of the UK’s plans alongside protecting the production of virgin steel at Scunthorpe? When will the Government bring forward a comprehensive plan to ensure that more British steel is used in vital infrastructure projects, from defence to renewable energy? Will Ministers work shoulder to shoulder with our European and Commonwealth partners to tear down trade barriers, including by negotiating a customs union by 2030? Will they develop initiatives to retrain and upskill workers across the country as we transition to greener methods of steel production? How do the Government intend to respond to calls from UK Steel for the Government to achieve the lowest electricity prices in Europe, parity with competitors on network charges, and wholesale electricity market reform?

This case should also raise concerns about the role of Chinese corporate interests in the UK’s national critical infrastructure. The decision by British Steel’s Chinese owners to turn down the Government’s offer of £500 million to support the future of the Scunthorpe plant has directly precipitated this crisis. We must now be clear-eyed about the risks posed by Chinese involvement in our country’s vital infrastructure. To that end, will the Minister tell the House when the Government’s promised UK-China audit will be released, and how the Government plan to strengthen protections for critical infrastructure? Can he assure the House that the Government have assessed whether there is any risk that Jingye, on behalf of the Chinese Government, has deliberately run down the plant to jeopardise the UK’s capacity to produce steel?

We are in a precarious position, and it is not as if there were no warnings. In 2022, the Royal United Services Institute think-tank said:

“Domestically produced steel is used in defence applications, and offshoring the supply chain may have security implications—for example, in a scenario where multiple allied countries rearm simultaneously at a time of global supply disruption, such as during a major geopolitical confrontation.”

The fact that Jingye has now closed down the supply of raw materials is further evidence that the plant should not have been sold to it in the first place. Quite frankly, the fact that some Conservative MPs are calling for nationalisation shows how far through the looking glass we really are.

Is not the Conservatives’ attitude abundantly clear? On national security, they cut troop numbers by 10,000; on food security, they undermined our farmers with unforgiveably bad trade deals; and on economic security, they left our country with almost no sovereign steel capacity. On security, the Conservatives left our island nation severely vulnerable, like flotsam in the sea, passively bobbing up and down or being bashed around by the tides of international events.

As for hon. Members from the private limited company Reform Ltd, they have a bit of cheek to claim to support UK steelworkers while cheering on their pal Toggle showing location ofColumn 857President Trump, whose punishing trade war is putting those steelworkers’ jobs at risk. Perhaps the company’s directors who sit in this House will come clean about whose side they are really on.

Time and again, we have seen the failures of an ad hoc, piecemeal approach to industry across all sectors, from the failure of our water companies to the shocking state of our housing nationally and the dismal situation of our health service. For too long, there has been no stability for these industries, which are constantly fixed on a short-term basis only, to the point where they are practically held together by string and tape and the dedicated workers who remain. We Liberal Democrats stand ready to help constructively to bring about an outcome that delivers real change.

Welsh MP David Chadwick told the House that his grandfather worked at the blast furnaces in Port Talbot and expressed his annoyance that the steel works there was just left to close without a recall of Parliament to save it:

Posted in News and Parliament | Also tagged , , and | 13 Comments

12 March 2025 – today’s press releases

  • Steel tariffs: Business and Trade Secretary needs to toughen up against Trump
  • PM speech: Starmer “tinkering around the edges”
  • Bathing Water Monitoring Announcement: Ultimately, this is not enough
  • Rennie calls for statement to Parliament on future of University of Dundee
  • Cole-Hamilton responds to Sturgeon stepping down

Steel tariffs: Business and Trade Secretary needs to toughen up against Trump

Responding to Trump’s levelling of 25% tariffs on steel and comments by Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds this morning, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader and Treasury Spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:

Being repeatedly kicked by the other side and doing nothing is not an effective negotiating position. The Business Secretary needs to toughen up.

Meanwhile, the Conservatives would roll over and beg Trump for a bad trade deal that sells out British farmers and our NHS.

Enough is enough. We must act from a position of strength, standing up for British steel and the UK economy through retaliatory measures.

PM speech: Starmer “tinkering around the edges”

Commenting ahead of the Prime Minister’s speech tomorrow, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

The Prime Minister is tinkering around the edges while our economy continues to stutter.

The last Conservative government left behind mountains of waste, but these measures are doomed to fail without far more ambition to get the economy growing.

Keir Starmer needs to act now by reversing his devastating National Insurance jobs tax and moving much faster to fix social care – the only way to save the NHS.

If the Prime Minister is committed to kickstarting growth he must urgently negotiate an ambitious new deal with the EU to boost trade, grow our economy and create jobs.

Bathing Water Monitoring Announcement: Ultimately, this is not enough

Commenting after the UK Government announced that monitoring for swimming sites in England and Wales will be updated for the first time since 2013, Welsh Liberal Democrat Westminster Spokesperson David Chadwick MP said:

Posted in News, Press releases, Scotland and Wales | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , and | Leave a comment

24 February 2025 – today’s press releases

  • DIY heating: More than nine in ten Scots using alternatives to central heating this winter
  • Cole-Hamilton: UK must stand strong against Putin three years on from illegal invasion
  • Labour should ditch plans for health “superboards”
  • Crown Estate Bill – Labour treating Wales with contempt

DIY heating: More than nine in ten Scots using alternatives to central heating this winter

  • Scots who are worried about the cost of heating have changed how they heat their homes this winter to help cut bills.
  • Scottish Liberal Democrats are calling for an emergency home insulation programme to help those in fuel poverty.

A shocking new poll commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has revealed that 66% of Scots say they are worried about the cost of heating their home this winter, as they reveal the alternative methods they are using to keep warm this winter.

The poll reveals that a staggering 96% of Scots who are worried about the cost of heating their home this winter have made changes to how they heat their homes.

Of those, 46% have lowered the thermostat temperature and almost a third (29%) have reduced the number of rooms being heated.

To keep warm this winter, 66% of Scots have worn additional clothing, 56% have used more blankets and throws and 38% have been drinking more hot beverages.

Worryingly, 5% of those who are worried about heating costs have revealed they have visited a warm bank this winter. Warm banks are free, safe spaces where people can go to warm up if they can’t afford to heat their homes.

Around 34% of all households in Scotland are estimated to be fuel poor. The energy price cap is set to rise by 5% in April, increasing average annual household bills to £1,823 from April this year.

Liberal Democrat Scottish affairs spokesperson Christine Jardine MP said:

Both the Scottish and UK governments are failing to support Scots with heating their homes during the difficult winter months.

After the UK Labour Government axed universal winter fuel payments, vulnerable pensioners were left to choose between heating and eating. Meanwhile, on the SNP’s watch, fuel poverty has soared to record levels and it could take ministers 100 years to heat eligible homes.

My party has been working hard to try and unpick some of that damage, and after our talks with the Scottish Government, we’ve ensured that all pensioners in Scotland will receive help with their heating bills next winter.

Ministers still have a lot more to do, which is why we want to see the Scottish Government rolling out a nationwide insulation programme. That’s how we can meet the scale of the challenge and provide a win-win of cutting emissions and energy bills.

Cole-Hamilton: UK must stand strong against Putin three years on from illegal invasion

Speaking three years on from Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has said that the UK must stand strong against Putin and boost support for Ukraine by seizing frozen Russian assets, working in close step with Europe and increasing defence spending.

Posted in News, Press releases, Scotland and Wales | Also tagged , , , , , and | 3 Comments

David Chadwick stands up for coalfield communities

Last Thursday, I was working from home with BBC Parliament going in the background. I was only half listening but was impressed by a speech by a Welsh MP who had real empathy for those communities and told how his great-grandfather died after hours of working waist deep in ice cold water. It was only later on that I realised that this speech was made by our own David Chadwick.

According to my husband who spent the first 20 years of his career working in various collieries around the country, David’s remarks had been going down exceptionally well with former miners on some online forums.

Here is the speech in full:

I am proud to represent several former coalmining communities. Abercraf, Cwmtwrch, Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, Ystradgynlais, Pontardawe and Rhos are just a few of the proud former mining communities that I represent. I therefore thank the hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Adam Jogee) for securing this debate.

Across Wales, nearly 800,000 people—about a third of the population—live in former coalmining towns and villages, and I am very proud to come from a Welsh mining family. I will never forget my grandfather taking me to see his father’s grave in Maesteg cemetery. His father died aged 34 after working up to his waist in ice-cold water for several hours. The men and women of our coalfield communities made huge sacrifices to power this country, so it is right that we are discussing the future of their communities today.

To cut a long story short, Welsh mining communities have been left behind by successive Governments. Margaret Thatcher’s policies—the closure of our major industry in Wales and the failure to replace it with anything else—have left lasting scars. It is not hard to see why people in south Wales wonder whether their Governments are listening to them. This Parliament is an open goal for the Government to repair the damage done by Thatcherism. The Conservative party squandered many of its 13 years in power, carrying on with a London-centric banker-friendly form of growth that means younger generations have to leave for the cities, as my mum did 30 years ago. This Government must not repeat the mistake.

Across the former south Wales coalfields, the economic reality is dire. Wages are lower than the national average, job growth is sluggish and unemployment remains high. In fact, in the south Wales coalfields, there are just 46 jobs for every 100 working-age people. Nearly 800,000 people—a third of the entire population of Wales—live in those areas, which is why they are so important to the Welsh economy. Wales is £10,000 a head poorer than England, and fixing our former coalmining communities is key to fixing the Welsh economy. Coalfield communities deserve to be at the forefront of economic renewal. People in coalfield communities want the Government to show them that they matter. They are desperate for change.

Posted in News | Also tagged and | 2 Comments

30 January 2025 – today’s press releases

  • Water bills: bill payers fronting up the costs for these firms failings is “scandalous”
  • Ed Davey on Brexit 5 years on: Trump Presidency shows UK must lead in Europe to boost security and unlock growth
  • NHS 2025 mandate: lack of ambition “falls so far short of the mark”
  • Nearly 6,000 crimes still going unsolved every day
  • £56m lost to online shopping fraud up 20% compared to last year
  • Welsh Water price rise – customers paying the price for Government incompetence
  • Cole-Hamilton highlights SNP failure on fuel poverty

Water bills: bill payers fronting up the costs for these firms failings is “scandalous”

Responding to water bills rising by £123 a year on average, Liberal Democrat Environment spokesperson Tim Farron MP said:

It is absolutely scandalous that customers will now have to pay through the nose for the shocking failings of water companies. The whole thing stinks.

The government has gone nowhere near far enough in clamping down on these greedy firms and protecting people’s pockets from them.

Their Water Bill has a gaping hole in it after failing to back a Liberal Democrat amendment which would have ensured that creditors, not bill payers would front up the cost of bailing out these broken companies.

Ministers have to realise this endless cycle of failure and customers paying for it will continue until Ofwat is ripped up and replaced by a new regulator that will clamp down on these firms once and for all.

Ed Davey on Brexit 5 years on: Trump Presidency shows UK must lead in Europe to boost security and unlock growth

Commenting on the fifth anniversary of the UK leaving the EU, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

The UK needs to lead in Europe and the world. It’s clear we cannot rely on Donald Trump – a man who has threatened to invade a NATO ally – to secure our continent. Strengthening ties of diplomacy and security with the EU is urgent.

We must repair the trading relationship with our neighbours that was so badly ruined under the Conservatives. Their deal has been an utter disaster for our country – for farmers, fishers and small businesses – caught up in red tape.

So far the Labour Government has failed to show the urgency and ambition needed to fix our relationship with Europe. Ministers must be in a parallel universe if they think we can grow the economy without boosting trade with our nearest neighbours.

A new UK-EU customs union deal will unlock growth, demonstrate British leadership and give us the best possible hand to play against President Trump.

NHS 2025 mandate: lack of ambition “falls so far short of the mark”

Responding to the Government’s 2025 mandate to NHS England, Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care spokesperson Helen Morgan MP said:

This should have been a line in the sand for our NHS. The normalisation of patients dying in corridors and people waiting endlessly for desperately needed care must end.

The previous Conservative Government’s shameful neglect brought us to this point but it is so disappointing to see this latest mandate from the Labour Government fall so far short of the mark.

There is no mention of the crisis in maternity or giving patients a legal right to see their GP within a week, as the Liberal Democrats have been calling for for years now.

It appears the Government has accepted a managed decline of our NHS, not rebuilding it to be the envy of the world as it once was. It is only patients who will bear the brunt of the Government’s refusal to step up properly.

Nearly 6,000 crimes still going unsolved every day

The Liberal Democrats are renewing calls for the government to implement proper community policing as new statistics reveal the extent of unsolved crime in the year ending September 2024.

The figures were revealed by the Home Office’s own statistics on crime outcomes, released earlier this morning.

2,136,252 crimes went unsolved across England and Wales in the year ending September 2024 – equivalent to 5,852 crimes going unsolved every day. This accounted for nearly 40% of all crimes recorded that year.

Meanwhile, just 363,843 crimes resulted in a suspect being charged or summonsed – accounting for less than 7% of all cases.

Posted in News, Press releases, Scotland and Wales | Also tagged , , , , , , , , and | 3 Comments

22 January 2025 – today’s press releases

  • Borrowing figures: Another sign the Chancellor’s Budget has not worked
  • OBR Report: Farm tax will penalise farmers for practically no benefit
  • Cole-Hamilton: SNP must scrap social care power grab now
  • OBR Report: Farm tax will penalise Welsh farmers for practically no benefit
  • OBR Report: Farm tax will penalise farmers and crofters for little benefit to Exchequer
  • Cross-border healthcare difficulties letting patients down

Borrowing figures: Another sign the Chancellor’s Budget has not worked

Responding to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showing UK borrowing has hit its highest December level for four years, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson, Daisy Cooper MP said:

This is yet another sign that the Chancellor’s Budget has not worked. It’s now putting people’s mortgages at risk and will make it even harder for the Chancellor to meet her borrowing rules.

The answer to this is to turbo-charge growth by scrapping the jobs tax, and raising the necessary revenue for our NHS from the big banks and tech companies instead.

After the Conservative Party’s disastrous legacy of economic vandalism, the Chancellor needs to go for growth through fairer tax measures that can unleash growth through small businesses, not undermine it.

OBR Report: Farm tax will penalise farmers for practically no benefit

Commenting on the latest OBR report on the impact of agricultural and business property relief, Liberal Democrat Environment and Rural Affairs spokesperson Tim Farron MP said:

This report confirms that the Government’s misguided family farm tax is mired in problems and will penalise British farmers for practically no benefit.

It is deeply concerning that older farmers will be hit hardest from this tax, with the rug pulled from under them before they can change their plans. And with tax revenue expected to be highly uncertain and unstable for two decades, the Chancellor’s excuses simply don’t stack up.

Farmers are absolutely vital for Britain, putting food on our tables and protecting the British countryside. And they are already battling botched trade deals, declining incomes and high energy prices. The Government must do the right thing and scrap the family farm tax before it’s too late.

Cole-Hamilton: SNP must scrap social care power grab now

Speaking ahead of the ministerial statement on the future of the National Care Service, proposals which would centralise social care services and wrench away control from local communities, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

Posted in News, Press releases, Scotland and Wales | Also tagged , , , , , , , and | 8 Comments

21 January 2025 – yesterday’s press releases

  • Unemployment: Reeves must scrap jobs tax
  • Southport Inquiry: Must get us answers to avoid future failures
  • WASPI: More than 300,000 women in Scotland “betrayed” by Labour decision
  • Welsh unemployment rise: Labour must scrap their Jobs Tax
  • Cole-Hamilton: SNP have left A&E in state of perma-crisis
  • McArthur: Community orders should be credible solutions to prison overcrowding

Unemployment: Reeves must scrap jobs tax

Responding to the latest figures showing unemployment at 4.4%, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:

These latest figures are concerning. The government’s misguided jobs tax is already scaring off small businesses from hiring new people and being able to better serve our communities.

The Chancellor talks about growth but her Budget measures are acting as an anchor against just that.

After years of the Conservative Party’s economic vandalism we cannot see this new government repeat their mistakes. That is why Rachel Reeves needs to scrap her jobs tax to get our economy growing again.

Southport Inquiry: Must get us answers to avoid future failures

Commenting after Starmer’s press conference following the government’s announcement of an inquiry into the Southport murders, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

The Liberal Democrats welcome this inquiry, which must not shy away from asking tough questions about what went wrong.

This was an utterly horrific tragedy. My thoughts go out to the bereaved families, who lost three young daughters to such brutal violence. We need to ensure that such a senseless attack cannot happen again.

We must learn from these events, and the inquiry must urgently get us the answers we need to avoid future failures.

WASPI: More than 300,000 women in Scotland “betrayed” by Labour decision

Speaking ahead of a Scottish Parliament debate on compensation for WASPI women, Beatrice Wishart MSP has said her party will “fight for WASPI women” as data from the House of Commons library estimated that an estimated 331,780 women in Scotland could be affected.

Posted in News, Press releases, Scotland and Wales | Also tagged , , , , , , , , and | 11 Comments

20 January 2025 – today’s press releases

  • 40 new hospitals: Shoddy attempt to bury bad news on day of Trump’s inauguration
  • Farm incomes in Wales fall by 34% – Liberal Democrats call for Government reset
  • Trump inauguration shows importance of close ties with Europe

40 new hospitals: Shoddy attempt to bury bad news on day of Trump’s inauguration

Responding to the Health Secretary’s announcement that there will be significant delays to the completion of the New Hospital Programme, Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care spokesperson Helen Morgan MP said:

This is a double betrayal. The Conservatives shamelessly made promises they never intended to keep to countless communities served by crumbling hospitals.

Now this government uses the day of Trump’s inauguration in a shoddy attempt to bury bad news, showing an outrageous disregard for patients.

Instead of ducking scrutiny, the Health Secretary needs to publish the full impact assessment of these delays.

Patients have a right to know just how at risk they are, and how many more delays they will have to suffer as a result of the government’s decision.

Farm incomes in Wales fall by 34% – Liberal Democrats call for Government reset

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have called on Labour to reset their relationship with farming and the countryside following the release of statistics showing farming incomes in Wales have fallen by 34% for the period April 2023 to March 2024.

David Chadwick MP, the Liberal Democrats Wales spokesperson in Westminster has said that recent policy failures by both the Welsh Labour Government in Cardiff Bay and the UK Government are damaging agriculture and the wider rural economy in Wales and risk making the situation even worse.

Posted in News, Press releases, Scotland and Wales | Also tagged , , , , and | Leave a comment

17 January 2025 – today’s press releases

  • Triple lock: Lib Dems launching new attack ad following Badenoch’s plans to cut the state pension
  • Badenoch’s triple lock comments: Lib Dems launch new poster van attack ad outside CCHQ
  • ONS health data: “sickening” research damning for government’s lack of action
  • McArthur responds to Polmont FAI determination
  • Lib Dems call on new Welsh Conservative Leader to disown Badenoch’s plans to cut state pension

Triple lock: Lib Dems launching new attack ad following Badenoch’s plans to cut the state pension

The Liberal Democrats will be launching a new attack ad following Kemi Badenoch’s comments yesterday that she will consider means testing the triple lock.

The ad will highlight Kemi Badenoch’s three major announcements so far, cutting maternity pay which she described as ‘excessive’, slashing the state pension and putting UK interests at risk by sucking up to Elon Musk and Donald Trump.

A Liberal Democrat source said:

First Kemi Badenoch came for the mothers and now she has set her sights on the grandmothers.

Millions of pensioners felt betrayed by Labour’s cut to the Winter Fuel Payment, now it’s clear their pensions wouldn’t be safe with the Conservatives.

We will be reminding pensioners at every opportunity that Kemi Badenoch wants to take an axe to the triple lock.

Badenoch’s triple lock comments: Lib Dems launch new poster van attack ad outside CCHQ

The Liberal Democrats have today launched a new attack ad with a poster van outside CCHQ after Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch said that she would look at means testing the triple lock.

The Liberal Democrats have said Badenoch’s comments will “send a shiver down the spine of pensioners” and that the Conservatives “want to come after their state pension”.

The poster pictures Kemi Badenoch and an elderly woman with the warning: “don’t let the Conservatives wreck your pension”.

Liberal Democrat Care and Carers spokesperson Alison Bennett MP, who launched the poster van outside CCHQ today, said:

Kemi Badenoch’s comments will have sent a shiver down the spine of millions of pensioners across the country.

Older people have already seen Winter Fuel Payments ripped away by the Labour government and now the Conservatives want to come after their state pension.

The Liberal Democrats are proud we introduced the triple lock to protect people’s pensions. We will fight to protect pensioners from Conservative attempts to scrap it every step of the way.

Posted in News, Press releases, Scotland and Wales | Also tagged , , , , and | 32 Comments

15 January 2025 – today’s Welsh press releases

  • Wales rail runding letter – more than warm words needed
  • David Chadwick challenges UK Government over proposals to extend waiting times for Powys patients

Wales rail runding letter – more than warm words needed

Responding to a letter sent by Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens and Transport Minster Heidi Alexander to First Minister Eluned Morgan regarding Welsh rail funding, Welsh Liberal Democrat Westminster Spokesperson David Chadwick MP said:

More than warm words are needed to fix Welsh railways.

This statement doesn’t commit to any specific extra funding and doesn’t commit to the full devolution of our railways, which is what is needed to stop scandals like that around HS2 consequential funding from happening again.

The letter also doesn’t mention Mid or West Wales at all. Rural areas are too often neglected by Labour. While billions of pounds are being spent on the South Wales Metro, rail services in rural parts of Wales like the Heart of Wales Line and Cambrian Line are being cut.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats will continue to fight for Wales to receive the funding it deserves for rail, including HS2 consequentials in full.

David Chadwick challenges UK Government over proposals to extend waiting times for Powys patients

Welsh Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon, Radnor, and Cwm Tawe, David Chadwick, has strongly condemned proposals that would extend waiting times for patients in Powys receiving treatment in English hospitals under the Powys Teaching Health Board.

Chadwick described the proposals as “utterly unacceptable,” arguing that they undermine both the Welsh and UK Government’s commitments to reducing NHS waiting times. He warned that they may also violate the Statement of Values governing cross-border healthcare between Wales and England.

Posted in News, Press releases and Wales | Also tagged and | Leave a comment

8 January 2025 – today’s press releases

  • Children’s Wellbeing Bill: Conservatives using victims as “political football”
  • Davey: Adult Social Care Commission must be completed within one year
  • MP Calls for Greater Support for Off-Grid Homes

Children’s Wellbeing Bill: Conservatives using victims as “political football”

Commenting on the Conservative amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson Munira Wilson MP said:

The Conservatives are using the victims of this scandal as a political football.

The Conservatives alongside Reform, goaded along by Elon Musk will be voting for a motion which will not secure a national inquiry for victims of child sexual abuse, but instead it would kill these crucial child protection measures completely.

The Liberal Democrats will be putting forward our own amendment to take real action to tackle the child sex abuse scandal, by implementing the recommendations from the national independent inquiry in full.

Davey: Adult Social Care Commission must be completed within one year

Responding to the Health and Social Care Committee’s evidence session on Adult Social Care Reform with Sir Andrew Dilnot CBE, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

Andrew Dilnot is absolutely right that this review could be completed within one year.

The social care crisis is forcing patients to be treated in hospital corridors while elderly people sell their homes to pay for care. After years of being let down so badly by the Conservatives, they cannot afford to wait while the government drags its heels for another three years.

MP Calls for Greater Support for Off-Grid Homes

Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe David Chadwick has called for greater Government support to help those in off-grid homes deal with high energy prices.

During a debate on the decarbonisation of homes in Westminster today, David Chadwick highlighted that Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe has an extremely high number of homes not connected to the national gas grid, with most being reliant on heating oil to keep their homes warm.

Posted in News, Press releases and Wales | Also tagged , , , , and | 7 Comments

Maiden speeches: David Chadwick MP for Brecon, Radnor & Cwm Tawe

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.

Posted in Parliament | 1 Comment

Breaking: that Lib Dem Disco set list

It’s nearly time for the Lib Dem Disco and, in accordance with tradition, we are publishing the set list.

Ed Davey dropped a fairly big hint at the rally tonight that he might put in an appearance. Could we hear Sweet Caroline? If so I am manifesting video.

UPDATE: I do not need to manifest after a wonderful friend Vita sent me this:

Sweet Caroline at Lib Dem Disci

 

 

Anyway, here are the DJ set lists. Good luck to them all.

David Chadwick MP:

Murder on the dancefloor, (Sophie-Ellis Bextor),
Blue Da Ba Dee (Eiffel 65, ft – Gabry Ponte)
Alors on danse, Stromae
El Merengue – Marshmello
Europopa – Joost.

DJ Smartie (Lisa Smart MP):

Don’t stop me now, Queen
Shake It Off, Taylor Swift
Crazy In Love, Beyonce
I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor, Arctic Monkeys
Mr Brightside, The Killers

Susan Murray MP:

Posted in News | Also tagged , , , , and | Leave a comment

Our new MPs: David Chadwick, Manuela Perteghella, Tom Gordon

We thought you might like to find out a little bit about our new MPs. We didn’t think we’d have quite so many, but this is a lovely problem to have. All details come from the party website or the MPs’ social media. We’ll get to know them more over the next wee while, but here’s a taster. 

Our editor sleepily compiled a Twitter list of all our MPs’ accounts she could find. You can follow it here

David Chadwick MP: Brecon, Radnor and Cym Tawe

David lives in Brecon with his wife Gemma and young son William.

David works as a consultant in Cybersecurity and became interested in politics when his grandfather took him to see the steelworks in Port Talbot to see what it was like to work in a blast furnace stating it gave him an early insight into how politics, industry and communities are intrinsically linked.

David is keen to build on the hard work of local Liberal Democrat councillors who took control of Powys Council in 2022 after the Conservatives were left with just a single councillor across Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe.

David’s priorities include:

  • Making sure local farmers aren’t sold down the river in the name of cheap trade deals.
  • Protecting our pristine natural environment, including ending sewage dumping in the River Wye. Tawe and Usk.
  • Fighting for better economic investment, well-paid jobs and improved infrastructure in rural Wales and the former industrial heartlands of the upper Swansea Valley; making sure that our residents aren’t ignored by those in London and the South East.

Twitter: @libdemdavid

Manuela Perteghella MP: Stratford-Upon-Avon

Posted in News | Also tagged , and | Leave a comment

1 June 2024 – today’s press releases

  • 100,000 households face mortgage rate hike by polling day as Conservatives face ‘blue wall reckoning’
  • Conservative community care annoucement papering over NHS cracks
  • Pride Month: Welsh Liberal Democrats pledge to keep fighting for a more inclusive society
  • Welsh Lib Dems call for more trains on Heart of Wales line
  • Cole-Hamilton: Liberal Democrats will deliver a fair deal for local communities

100,000 households face mortgage rate hike by polling day as Conservatives face ‘blue wall reckoning’

  • A typical mortgage holder will see their payments rise by £240 a month
  • Over 3,300 households a day set to see their mortgages rise between now and polling day on 4th July
  • Liberal Democrats warn that Rishi Sunak faces a “blue wall reckoning” with mortgage holders in key battleground seats among the hardest hit

100,000 households will face a mortgage increase between now and polling day on 4th July, House of Commons Library research commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has found.

This amounts to an average of 3,333 households a day being hit with higher mortgage rates. It comes as the Bank of England maintained interest rates at 5.25% earlier this month. A typical mortgage holder will see their payments rise by £240 a month.

The Lib Dem-commissioned analysis by the House of Commons Library, based on data from the Financial Conduct Authority, found that households will face an increase to their mortgages ahead of General Election polling day on 4th July.

The Lib Dems said Rishi Sunak’s claim that his economic plan is working shows he is living in a “parallel universe,” at a time when families are saddled with hundreds of pounds a month more on their mortgage.

The party said the Prime Minister is set for a “blue wall reckoning” with the data showing Liberal Democrat – Conservative battlegrounds such as Taunton Deane, Tewkesbury and Steve Barclay’s seat of North East Cambridgeshire among the worst affected.

In total, households coming off fixed rate mortgages ahead of polling day will pay an additional £290 million in mortgage costs over the next year.

Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson, Sarah Olney said:

This Conservative government crashed the economy and now they are condemning hard-working households to a mortgage nightmare.

Rishi Sunak’s claim that the government’s plan is working shows he is living in a parallel universe, as every day thousands of families are seeing their mortgage go up by eye-watering amounts.

The Prime Minister is set for a blue wall reckoning in key battleground seats where fed up voters are ready to say enough is enough with this out-of-touch Conservative Government on 4th July.

Posted in News, Press releases, Scotland and Wales | Also tagged , , , , , , and | Leave a comment

Welsh Conference Round-up – Part One

Today Welsh Liberal Democrats debated local government funding and set out their stall for the General Election.

More funding for Councils

According to estimates from the Welsh Local Government Association, councils in Wales are facing funding pressures of £720m in 2024-25, with real term funding for Local government’s being 12% lower in 2023-24 than it was in 2009-10.

The Welsh Lib Dems are now calling on the Welsh Government to to work towards restoring real terms local government funding to 2009-10 levels.

Jane Dodds said:

Our local authorities here in Wales have been left to deal on their own with a severe funding gap, created by the financial mismanagement of the UK Conservative government.

I know many councils have had to make some difficult decisions when it comes to their budgets for this coming financial year, which is why we have passed this motion today.

We as a party are calling for extra funding for our struggling local authorities here in Wales, to stem the tide of public service cuts and increases in council tax.

The Welsh Government must finally get their act together and put in place a long-term manageable plan to help restore local government funding back to where it was in 2009/10.

Welsh Lib Dem PPC for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney Jackie Charlton said:

I am extremely proud that we have passed this motion today calling for extra funding for local authorities across Wales.

It is no secret that councils across Wales have been presented with the difficult task of setting their budgets for the upcoming financial year in the shadow of an economic crisis that has gripped this country.

Difficult decisions around cutting public services and raising costs have sadly become the reality for many councillors in Wales facing an astronomical funding gap.

The UK Conservative government, through blatant disregard, have completely crashed our economy. And have forced ordinary working people to pick up the pieces and tidy up a mess created by years of Tory government

A fair deal for Wales

Posted in News | Also tagged , and | 1 Comment

28 March 2023 – today’s press releases (Welsh Edition)

  • Welsh Liberal Democrats Launch Plan to Save NHS Dentistry in Wales
  • Interest Rate Rise Signals More Pain for Homeowners in Powys

Welsh Liberal Democrats Launch Plan to Save NHS Dentistry in Wales

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have launched their plans to save NHS dentistry in Wales, warning that unless the Welsh Labour Government takes action now NHS dentistry risks going extinct.

The Party have accused Labour Ministers in Cardiff Bay of utterly failing to get to grips with the problem, allowing an appalling two-tier system of dentistry in Wales to flourish whereby if you can afford it you go private, but those who can’t are left waiting in agony for months and sometimes years.

Talking to her party Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds outlined that using her influence to fix NHS dentistry is one of her top priorities in the Senedd.

A previous FOI by the Welsh Liberal Democrats showed that over 800 children in Powys were waiting for an NHS dentist while in Cardiff the waiting list for children and adults is over 15,000 people. Other health boards do not operate centralised waiting lists which the Liberal Democrats state is a problem in itself.

Among the proposed actions laid out in the report, which was produced with industry professionals include:

  • Resolving outstanding contract issues as a priority
  • Integrating primary dental care more closely with other NHS primary care, especially to ensure that services are available in remote and rural areas
  • Increasing per-capita spending from the current £47 to match the levels of Scotland (£55) and Northern Ireland (£57)
  • Setting targets for Health Boards in terms of numbers of, and waiting times for, appointments, empowering them to use salaried staff to achieve those targets as well as entering into agreements with private sector providers
  • Setting up set up a national waiting list system to ensure that the process of getting an appointment is more efficient, and that fewer appointments are lost
Posted in News, Press releases and Wales | Also tagged , , and | Leave a comment

Liberal Democrats Select David Chadwick as Candidate for Top Welsh target seat of Brecon & Radnorshire

  • David Chadwick selected as the Welsh Liberal Democrat candidate in the party’s top Welsh target seat of Brecon & Radnorshire.
  • The Selection follows major gains made by the Welsh Liberal Democrats in the Conservative/Liberal Democrat battleground of Powys during this year’s local elections, where the Conservatives were left with just a single councillor in Brecon & Radnorshire

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have selected their first General Election candidate to stand in their top Welsh target seat.

David Chadwick was selected by local party members as the Prospective Parliamentary candidate for Brecon and Radnorshire. David currently works as a cyber security consultant and has family ties to Builth Wells. David became interested in politics when his grandfather took him to see the steelworks in Port Talbot to see what it was like to work in a blast furnace stating it gave him an early insight into how politics, industry and communities are intrinsically linked.

In recent months, the Welsh Liberal Democrats have made major gains in Powys, becoming the largest group on Powys County Council and in Brecon and Radnorshire they topped the polls with 15 councillors compared to the Conservatives who were left with just a single councillor.

The seat of Brecon and Radnorshire has long been considered a Conservative-Liberal Democrat battleground with the area’s MPs and Senedd Members coming from one of the two parties since 1979. The Liberal Democrats would need a swing of just 8% to take back the seat.

Posted in Selection news | Also tagged and | 13 Comments
Advert

Recent Comments

  • Mick Taylor
    Stephen Giles-Medhurst, whom I have not seen for eons was around when I was a young Liberal. He has flown the flag for many many years. I'm not a fan of honours...
  • John Waller
    @Geoffrey Payne Great points. Silence from us BUT Starmer is sending warplanes to the Middle East TO HELP PROTECT ISRAEL. The UK is now in the war....
  • Caron LindsayCaron Lindsay
    Moyra, that is absolutely brilliant news about Bridget! I am so delighted for her. Her work on audio description over so many years has been so brilliant. A...
  • Nigel Jones
    @Simon R, you are right to say that Farage is right in using the problem in our Education system. which applies to England too. The false divide between academi...
  • John Waller
    @Andy Iran hates America, and Britain, because it ousted Mohammad Mossadegh, Prime Minister of Iran, in 1953. Iran is a proud nation. Read ‘Hitchhiking to I...