Tag Archives: david laws

Stephen Tall

Laws advises Clegg: oppose Tories’ “arbitrary and vindictive” benefits cuts

By Stephen Tall | Sun 6th November 2011 - 1:10 pm

The Financial Times this weekend reported what it labelled ‘one of the fiercest and most fascinating political battles of the year’ — a battle which looks set to pitch David Laws and Nick Clegg against George Osborne and the Labour leadership.

The issue concerns the amount by which the Coalition should increase benefits: based on September’s inflation figure, this should be 5.2%. The Tories are pushing for a below-inflation settlement, but Mr Laws — co-editor of The Orange Book, and firmly identified as an economic liberal — is urging the Lib Dems to reject such a move:

Mr Laws, considered

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Mark Pack

Housing: six things that could be done

By Mark Pack | Tue 1st November 2011 - 8:46 am

As Tim Leunig pointed out last week, housing plays an important role in most people’s concept of social mobility, a point highlighted in Stephen Gilbert’s piece over the summer recounting his own personal circumstances:

Last year I was probably the only MP to be elected while still living with my parents. Of course, I’d moved out of home and, like many others, had to move back again. It’s a symptom of the fact that housing policy in the UK is in crisis. We have millions of people languishing on social housing waiting lists, first-time-buyers priced out of the market

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Nick T

LibLink: David Laws – Could do better: how to stop our schools failing

By Nick T | Fri 21st October 2011 - 9:56 am

Earlier this week, Liberal Democrat MP for Yeovil and former education spokesman, David Laws, had a piece in the London Evening Standard defending the government’s record on education policy to date, but also urging a more ambitious programme over the coming years.

Here’s what David has to say on what Michael Gove and his Lib Dem colleague Sarah Teather have done so far:

Our qualifications system was also undermined by Labour – which was determined to “prove” that standards were rising, even if this just meant making exams easier. Targets distorted teaching: too few pupils took key subjects.

Under

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NewsHound

LibLink | David Laws: The Lib Dems must serve not as the government’s brake, but as its engine

By NewsHound | Mon 19th September 2011 - 12:05 pm

Over at the Guardian, Yeovil MP David Laws sets out his hopes for how the Coalition will be remembered by 2015 — as a movement for fixing the economy and promoting economic change with the Lib Dems in the vanguard of both. Here’s an excerpt:

We must use our precious years in government constructively, to reshape Britain – to sort out the economic mess, tackle Britain’s unfair and broken society, and clean up our environment. Securing growth and reducing bloated borrowing remain top priorities. We helped create “Plan A”, and we will stick with it. Now is not the time for

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Nick T

LibLink: David Laws – We must tackle the economy and mend our broken society

By Nick T | Fri 16th September 2011 - 3:27 pm

In today’s Sun, David Laws has an op-ed urging Liberal Democrats to resist becoming an internal opposition, and instead maintain our role as “constructive front-seat drivers”, tackling the country’s economic and social problems.

Here’s a sample of what David has to say:

In its first year, the Coalition focus was on unity — agreeing an economic plan and proving to a sceptical country that coalition could work. We have passed both tests.

In its second year, the relationship between the parties has matured.

We don’t pretend that we agree on every dot and comma. There have been differences, including on the NHS.

Lib Dem voters

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Posted in LibLink | 11 Comments
The Voice

Lib Dems gain council seat in David Laws’s constituency

By The Voice | Fri 5th August 2011 - 11:21 pm

The Press Association reports:

Liberal Democrats gained from Tories in this week’s only reported council by-election amid signs of revival in some areas following the hacking scandal.

Candidate Michael Maxwell won Somerset County Council’s South Petherton division on a big swing.

It is covered by the Yeovil constituency of the party’s former Cabinet minister David Laws.

The result comes after it defied Labour at Warrington last week by winning in a marginal ward where it had lost another seat in May’s main contests.

This suggests that Lib Dems could be benefiting from their lack of high level links to the Murdoch empire.

RESULT

Somerset County – South

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Posted in Council by-elections | Also tagged and | 4 Comments
Mark Valladares

Opinion: David Laws takes another step on the road to redemption

By Mark Valladares | Tue 19th July 2011 - 12:53 pm

Last night, despite the rather unpleasant efforts of a handful of Labour backbenchers to throw stones from an already rather damaged greenhouse, the House of Commons overwhelmingly passed a motion proposing six members to form the Joint Committee to scrutinise the draft Financial Services Bill.

Usually, such motions are passed without a murmur, especially as the nominees are proposed by the various political parties. However, on this occasion, the presence of David Laws, the former Chief Secretary to the Treasury, drew the ire of, amongst others, Thomas Docherty, the Labour MP for Dunfermline and West Fife, and John Mann, …

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Mark Pack

What the future holds for Liberal Democrat tax policies

By Mark Pack | Tue 28th June 2011 - 10:25 am

More economically competent than Labour, fairer than the Conservatives – that’s what many at the top of the party hope the message will be come the next general election. If the economy is not doing well at the time of the next election . However, if it is then the party will need the right combination of economic policies to support that proposition.

That is why people such as Danny Alexander are starting to sketch out possible tax policies for the next general election which will involve giving tax cuts to the least well off, paid for by taxing the richest more.

That combination …

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Nick T

David Laws interviewed in the FT

By Nick T | Mon 20th June 2011 - 4:55 pm

This weekend’s Financial Times magazine featured (registration required) a lengthy interview with Liberal Democrat MP for Yeovil, David Laws, by the paper’s political editor, George Parker.

David is extremely open about his personal life in the interview, talking about the effect of what he calls the “triple bashing” he underwent (having his previously-much-guarded personal life exposed by The Daily Telegraph during the course of an expenses story for which he later received a Commons suspension, as well as losing his newly-found Cabinet career).

Here’s a sample:

Laws looks back on the 44 years before May 28 2010 as if it was another life: “Your

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Mark Pack

News in brief: The disappearing alarm clock, Vince Cable’s favourite moment and more

By Mark Pack | Mon 20th June 2011 - 8:55 am

The police have returned the paperwork related to David Laws’s expenses – which suggests that they have not found anything in it worthy of legal action.

Asked by me at the weekend what his favourite moment had been since last year’s election, Vince Cable said it was getting drive an Aston Martin DB9 at 150mph. He swiftly added that this was on a racetrack rather than a road…

On a more substantive issue – he was also hopeful that a mutual buyer could be found for Northern …

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Mark Pack

Dealing with the political weather: three lessons to learn

By Mark Pack | Wed 25th May 2011 - 11:18 am

Chatting recently to a Liberal Democrat colleague, I fear we sounded like a second-rate version of the Monty Python four Yorkshireman sketch. That there were not four of us, none of us are from Yorkshire and I’m no John Cleese probably didn’t help the imitation as we exchanged tales of past poll ratings (10%? I remember when we used to dream of 10%) and the travails of leading figures (Speeding? You were lucky – what about missing Parliamentary debates due to drink? Pah, that was luxury. What about conspiracy to murder?).

Exchanging stories of past problems can be fun – especially …

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The Voice

Statement from David Laws

By The Voice | Thu 12th May 2011 - 11:30 am

From a party news release:

David Laws, MP for Yeovil, today commented on the conclusion of the Inquiry by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, and the Standards and Privileges Committee.

The Inquiry identified a number of breaches of rules, in particular it found that Mr. Laws was in breach of the partner rule, and should have designated his constituency home as his main home from 2004/05, on the basis of the nights spent test.

However, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards accepted that Mr. Laws’ motivation was privacy and not financial benefit, and both the Commissioner and the Committee accept that his claims would …

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Mark Pack

David Laws: questions for him, questions for political journalists

By Mark Pack | Tue 10th May 2011 - 11:21 pm

The advanced leaking of a supposedly highly confidential Parliamentary report is just the sort of tip that political journalists love and we all often enjoy reading or hearing about.

But there are leaks and there are leaks, as the widespread leaking of the Parliamentary Commissioner’s report into David Laws demonstrates with the three questions it raises.

First, it’s not news that the Parliamentary Commission has found David Laws broke rules – he himself previously said he had and reported himself to the Parliamentary Commissioner. What will be new news, when it comes out, is what the Commissioner has found as a result of …

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Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged | 34 Comments
Iain Dale

The Independent View: Iain Dale on Nick Clegg and the Lib Dems

By Iain Dale | Sun 8th May 2011 - 10:27 am

When LibDem MPs return to Westminster this week they could be forgiven for having a collective panic attack. In their 22 year history they have never had such an onslaught of the political heebie-jeebies as they experienced at the hands of 12 million grumpy voters this week.

Cleggmania has turned into Cleggophobia. Every policy Nick Clegg touches now is seen to be toxic.

Westminster pundits are already writing him off as a political busted flush. But then again, these are the very same commentators who didn’t see the SNP landslide coming in Scotland. They are the same people who predicted the Tories …

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Posted in Op-eds and The Independent View | Also tagged , , , , , and | 54 Comments
Mark Pack

The four best books on the British general election of 2010

By Mark Pack | Wed 16th March 2011 - 10:25 am

Over the last few months, I’ve read (and mostly reviewed on this site) all the books I’ve found published so far about the 2010 general election and the subsequent coalition negotiations, not to mention a fair number about the political events leading up to the general election over the preceding years.

I’ve yet to read a book that is really bad, although many do have very similar content to each other. A few gems either have original content or present that common ground in particularly strong ways. So based on that here are my top four recommended books about the British …

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Nick T

LibLink: David Laws – Tax cuts for the rich can wait. Tax reform can’t

By Nick T | Mon 7th February 2011 - 5:25 pm

In today’s Times, David Laws, Liberal Democrat MP for Yeovil and former Chief Secretary to the Treasury , argues that the coalition must live with increased taxes on the rich as part of its deficit-reduction programme, but that reforming Britain’s complex and unfair tax system must be undertaken in earnest. Here’s an excerpt:

Under the last Labour Government tax policy was characterised, in the words of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, by “drift, punctuated by poorly thought-out changes”. A 10p in the pound rate of income tax was introduced and abolished. National insurance changes were made for political, not economic, reasons.

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NewsHound

LibLink: David Laws on the government’s economic policies

By NewsHound | Wed 19th January 2011 - 10:43 pm

Over in The Guardian, David Laws yesterday has this piece:

Of all the challenges which confront the coalition in 2011, none is more important than the economy. This is also the issue where the biggest political dividing lines are drawn. Ed Miliband is betting that economic recovery will be derailed, and while trying to reconcile many divergent views in his party, he has generally taken the position that cuts should be delayed and that high tax rates (including the 50% tax rate) should be retained. Ed is getting all the big economic decisions wrong, and leading his party into an economic

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Posted in LibLink | Also tagged | 19 Comments
Alex Foster

LibLink: two pieces in New Statesman

By Alex Foster | Thu 2nd December 2010 - 9:31 pm

Two pieces in the New Statesman have crossed my desk recently, and I thought I’d pass them on.

First, a quick Q&A with Lib Dem peer Julia Neuberger, including this rather positive outlook:

Are we all doomed?
Absolutely not! Not only are we not doomed, we’ve got a bloody great responsibility to turn things around when we feel as if we are.

Me, I always feel as if the Eco-Apocalypse is just around the corner.

And secondly, David Laws pens a piece in reply to Andrew Adonis’s review of his book.

I am one of those many politicians across all parties who admire Andrew Adonis.

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Mark Pack

5 Days to Power: could there have been a Lab-Lib Dem deal?

By Mark Pack | Thu 2nd December 2010 - 8:55 am

Conservative MP Rob Wilson’s book on the formation of a coalition government in May 2010, 5 Days to Power: The Journey to Coalition Britain, plays up the drama of the events, talking of how “Gordon Brown and David Cameron were both determined to do whatever was necessary to secure the position of Prime Minister” as if the story is one of a cliff-hanging drama which could have gone either way.

Whilst the outcome is certainly significant for British political history, what the book is far less convincing on is that there was really any serious chance of a Labour – …

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Mark Pack

22 Days in May by David Laws – book review

By Mark Pack | Mon 29th November 2010 - 10:27 am

Many insider accounts have already appeared of the events retold in David Laws’s book 22 Days in May: The Birth of the Lib Dem-Conservative Coalition. It is therefore one of the book’s strengths that not only is it written in a lively style which gives some freshness to the now familiar sequence of events but it also adds many new insights.

Although only briefly mentioned by Laws himself, perhaps the most important is how much the Liberal Democrats owe to Chris Huhne. In April, just before the second TV debate, I wrote,

It’s worth taking a moment to reflect on

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Mark Pack

The Saturday debate: What is fairness?

By Mark Pack | Sat 27th November 2010 - 8:58 am

Here’s your starter for ten in our Saturday slot where we throw up an idea or thought for debate…

In his recently published book, 22 Days in May, David Laws writes,

The coalition needs to redefine what fairness means. Fairness cannot mean just maintaining people above an arbitrary income line, whatever their personal circumstances. Fairness means giving people the educational and employment opportunities to ensure that they are not dependent on an over-mighty state and trapped in dead-end lives.

Agree? Disagree?

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged and | 48 Comments
Helen Duffett

In Government for all the right reasons: the David Laws interview

By Helen Duffett | Tue 23rd November 2010 - 4:41 pm

Yesterday I interviewed David Laws, on the day his book 22 Days in May was published. I asked him about the book, his views on the Coalition Government, as well as about the focus of his current work, plus his thoughts on the Ireland bailout.

In the introduction to the book, David Laws writes that its purpose is to “inform those who are interested in this important period of British politics, and to make sure that an accurate account is left of what really happened in May 2010, before memories fade, myths grow and evidence is lost.”

Why have you published …

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Helen Duffett

David Laws: 22 Days in May

By Helen Duffett | Mon 15th November 2010 - 4:18 pm

David Laws’ account of the negotiations that led to the Coalition agreement is due out next Monday.

According to the publishers:

The Liberal Democrats’ and Conservatives’ decision to form a Coalition government has changed the face of British politics. This book sets out the inside story of how this momentous event unfolded, and how – together – the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives have started to address the challenge of a massive government budget deficit.

22 Days in May is the first detailed Liberal Democrat insider account of the negotiations which led to the formation of the Lib Dem/Conservative coalition government in May 2010,

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Helen Duffett

LibLink: David Laws – Why I’m proud of the pupil premium

By Helen Duffett | Mon 25th October 2010 - 6:35 pm

Over at the Guardian’s Comment is Free, David Laws writes of the importance of delivering the Pupil Premium – a key Liberal Democrat election pledge.

He corrects two misconceptions. First, that the pupil premium is not additional money:

This is nonsense. Without the pupil premium, I suspect that the budget for schools would have been based on a per pupil cash freeze for the period up to 2015. That would have meant a real cut in schools funding over the next few years. Instead, schools funding will rise by 0.1% (above inflation) each year until 2015.

The second misconception:

It would, however, be

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NewsHound

LibLink: David Laws and Julian Astle – Coalition must not waste the pupil premium

By NewsHound | Mon 18th October 2010 - 6:58 pm

Over at the Financial Times today, former Lib Dem cabinet minister David Laws and CentreForum’s director Julian Astle write about the potential of the ‘pupil premium’ to transform the life chances of pupils from the most disadvantaged backgrounds — but argue that schools must be held accountable for using the money directly for this purpose. Here’s an excerpt:

The pupil premium, which for the first time will see a universal service underpinned by an explicitly pro-poor funding system, sits front-and-centre in this agenda.

At present there is additional school funding for young people from deprived backgrounds, but it is allocated in

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NewsHound

LibLink: David Laws – This is a little longer than usual

By NewsHound | Thu 10th June 2010 - 7:45 pm

Over at the Yeovil Liberal Democrats website, David Laws has posted an article explaining to his constituents his resignation as Chief Secretary, and the reasons behind it. Here’s an excerpt:

… the root cause of my difficulties has been a decision I took long ago, which logic has never succeeded in changing – the decision to cover up my sexuality.

No one person or institution is in any way responsible for my decision to keep my sexuality secret. It is just that when I grew up – just a decade or so after homosexuality was decriminalized in this country – you would

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Ed Fordham

Opinion: I’m no longer prepared to support Stonewall under the leadership of Mr Summerskill

By Ed Fordham | Mon 7th June 2010 - 11:20 am

David Laws has resigned and the story has more or less moved along.  For my part I know and like David a lot and his loss is a real blow to the Liberal Democrats, the Government and the country.  But most of all this was a personal story.

So I was appalled by the decision of Stonewall’s Chief Executive Ben Summerskill to take the airwaves and print media to launch his own mini-campaign against David.

The very organisation that you would expect to have the courage to stand up and explain the moral realities of being gay and struggling with a public …

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Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged and | 38 Comments
Helen Duffett

David Laws speaks frankly about privacy, acceptance and low Lib Dem pay

By Helen Duffett | Thu 3rd June 2010 - 4:54 pm

David Laws has spoken of his relief now that his sexuality has been revealed, and explains his motivation was privacy rather than profit.

From the Daily Mail:

We were conscious this was a much more expensive way of managing our lives than if we had just been honest about our relationship, because if we had, we could have claimed a significantly greater amount of money than we did.

We would often say to ourselves ‘this is ridiculous’, as a consequence of having this bizarre private life, we are costing ourselves far more than if we had just been honest about things.

To me in particular it seemed that was a price worth paying to protect our privacy.

To me, what is really important for people to understand is that none of the things that we did were done to make financial gain. They were done to protect our privacy.

I guess it was pretty stupid really, because all of the people I have spoken to since have accepted it without hesitation: my parents, family and friends. Not being honest with them has meant a huge price over recent years.

David Laws also said that he used the money from his City career to fund his political one:

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Iain Roberts

Maybe Labour was right about Gene Hunt after all

By Iain Roberts | Wed 2nd June 2010 - 4:55 pm

Back near the beginning of the election campaign the parties had a bit of fun with a Gene Hunt election poster. Labour had Gene on his red Audi Quattro, warning us about a return to the ’80s. The Conservatives thought the reckless Hunt, who frequently bends and breaks the rules to get results and thumbs his nose at authority, was a rather positive model and put out their own version of the poster.

It seems Labour was nearer to the truth.

There are MPs – in all parties – who have exploited the expenses system to enrich themselves at the …

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Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged | 25 Comments
NewsHound

LibLink: Tim Leunig – Was David Laws’s resignation necessary?

By NewsHound | Tue 1st June 2010 - 7:10 pm

Over at The Guardian, Dr Tim Leunig, a Lib Dem member and economist, argues for speedy due process to determine any future MPs’ expenses controversies to avoid unnecessary ministerial resignations driven by the demands of rolling news:

The public need the independent parliamentary commissioner for standards, John Lyon, to judge MPs’ conduct. But the public also need the best people in government. Rules must apply to ministers, but we need the parliamentary commissioner to act expeditiously when a minister is referred. … When the facts are clear, should it really take more than 24 hours to make a decision? … If

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