Tag Archives: ed davey

Caron Lindsay

Ed Davey on Kuenssberg: EU/UK customs union would do more for economy than anything Government is doing

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 2nd February 2025 - 3:10 pm

Ed Davey had his first Sunday morning outing on the media of 2025 with an interview on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.

As we’ve hit half a decade since the awful reality of Brexit, the conversation was mostly about our desire to see a UK/EU Customs Union to get our economy growing again. He said:

What I am arguing is if we can have a UK EU Customs Union we can tear down the trade barriers that the Conservatives put up for our exporters and get that growth far more quickly than anything Rachel Reeves and Labour are saying at the moment

Ed did well to get that point across. If I had to nit-pick, I’d have given a few examples of how our exporters have been done over by the crappy deal we have at the minute. I’d have mentioned the £4 billion that Brexit has taken out of our economy and how getting into a customs union could get at least some of that back and help jobs and growth here.

He could also have highlighted the polls which suggest that only a third of people think that Brexit has been a success. Clearly the public know fine that they have been completely done over and are open now to attempts to repair the damage.

I might also have dropped the spectre of Donald Trump inspired economic warfare in as well and how we and the EU would be in much better shape to deal with that if we worked together. I mean, we have a US administration whose members seem to want to make things as difficult as possible for our Government to achieve even its own modest aims to boost their political allies on the extreme right wing.

I’ve summarised the interview below. What do you think?

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged , , , and | 5 Comments
Ed Fordham

Flick Rea MBE – a 50 year case study in sociable campaigning and creating a sustainable local party.

By Ed Fordham | Sun 2nd February 2025 - 8:30 am

On Thursday night the Liberal Democrats in the London Borough of Camden gathered to celebrate 50 years of Party Membership of Flick Rea, former councillor, Alderwoman of Camden, London Region staffer and much more besides.

My own small role in the Flick Rea story is now a piece of history, reaching back to the halcyon days of 2006 when we were able to take on the Leadership of Camden Council and the two General Election of 2005 and 2010. Those three elections worked well for us and  for the first time we were able to mobilise our members, our resources, our messages, but also critically our enjoyment in the Liberal Democrat campaign to deliver some sensational election results.

As I arrived at The Sherriff Centre on Thursday night  I was greeted by some of the longest serving members in the Camden Local Party. As I took off my coat and looked around the large room, it was clear that this was not just any old party. Lord Mark Pack, Baroness Sue Garden, Lord Chris Rennard and then a catalogue of campaigners: Chris Naylor now of Shropshire, Alexi Sugden now of Lymington, John and Nana Bryant now of Harrow, James King now of Lewes, Mark and Janet Cumins of Queens Park, Bridget Fox of Islington, Terry Stacey from the LGA. The Camden diaspora had truly gathered to celebrate with and honour their friend and colleague Flick Rea.

Now anyone who has run or been involved with a Local Party they will know there are the accounts, the leaflets, the meetings and the minutes and then there are the social events and fundraising. In Camden the emphasis is very firmly placed on the social events being first and foremost. Under the guidance, tutelage and organisational rod of Flick Rea and her team, the priority always appears to be cake and coffee, and this is soon followed up with further cake options, a full platter of savouries and lashings of main course choices. By example, the annual Champagne Breakfast itself indicates that this is not your every day Local Party event.

So why does this socialising matter so much to Flick and her team. In an approach that reaches back to the Camden Liberal Party of the 1960’s, socialising and enjoying the campaign has always been important. Indeed that was clear last night when some of the catering team such as Jill Newbrooke traces their activism to the 1960’s Grimond Revival. Camden has created an important understanding of social affairs that underpins their whole campaign approach. The catering operation is highly sociable and draws people together working in confined kitchen spaces. Catering, as has been long known, is without a doubt the most profitable of all fundraising when done well, indeed good quality food on the campaign trail will often lead to higher gratuitous donations in the bowl in the middle of the leaflet table.

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged , , and | 1 Comment
Mark Valladares

30 January 2025 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Thu 30th January 2025 - 11:00 pm
  • 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.

Continue reading »
Posted in News, Press releases, Scotland and Wales | Also tagged , , , , , , , , and | 3 Comments
The Voice

Ed Davey’s statement on Holocaust Memorial Day

By The Voice | Mon 27th January 2025 - 7:30 am

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey’s statement on Holocaust Memorial Day:

80 years ago, seven thousand people were finally liberated from Auschwitz. Free at last, after years of unimaginable misery. In the years before, 1.1 million people had been murdered by the Nazis at Auschwitz alone – mostly Jews.

As we commemorate 80 years since Britain and her allies defeated the Nazis and ended the Holocaust, we must never forget those appalling atrocities. We must never forget how six million Jews were murdered by the Nazis; how so much inhumanity was inflicted on humans by humans.

We must remember, so that we try harder

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged | Comments Off on Ed Davey’s statement on Holocaust Memorial Day
Mark Valladares

23 January 2025 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Thu 23rd January 2025 - 10:45 pm
  • Government ruling out customs scheme with EU is an “act of economic negligence”
  • NHS stats: government must convene COBRA amid surge in norovirus cases
  • Lib Dems reveal private company overseeing hundreds of sewage dumps
  • Scot Lib Dems push for prison suicide and fatal accident inquiry reform
  • Cole-Hamilton comments on scrapping of doomed social care centralisation

Government ruling out customs scheme with EU is an “act of economic negligence”

Responding to the Government appearing to rule out the EU’s proposal of the UK joining a European customs area this morning, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

It is alarming that the Government is happy to negotiate with China but won’t even look at a better trading arrangement with our closest neighbours in Europe. This is an act of economic negligence.

If the Government thinks it will get growth back in the economy by borrowing Boris Johnson’s playbook on European negotiations it is going to end up being sorely disappointed.

It is time for a proper UK-EU customs arrangement so we can strengthen our negotiations with Donald Trump, cut the red tape on our businesses and grow the economy.

NHS stats: government must convene COBRA amid surge in norovirus cases

Responding to the latest NHS stats showing norovirus levels in hospitals to be 80% higher than last year with bed occupancy standing at 96%, well above the 85% that is considered safe, Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care spokesperson Helen Morgan MP said:

The situation for patients and our NHS could not be more stark. People are dying on trolleys in corridors and staff are at breaking point. It cannot be overstated just how grim things are in A&Es across the country.

This is one of the most brutal winters on record following years of shameful Conservative neglect and the current government is now at risk of losing control of this crisis. Any more delay in action has the potential to be deadly for patients.

COBRA must be convened immediately with an emergency plan brought forward to protect patients from this ongoing disaster.

It is time for the government to step up and grip this crisis in a way that they have so far failed to do.

Lib Dems reveal private company overseeing hundreds of sewage dumps

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has today revealed that more than 500 sewage overspills took place at sites managed by private firms in just twelve months, including more than 100 at the Edinburgh Waste Water treatment work at Seafield, run by Veolia.

Continue reading »
Posted in News, Press releases and Scotland | Also tagged , , , , , , and | 5 Comments
Mary Reid

LibLink: Ed Davey on Elon Musk and his malign powers

By Mary Reid | Thu 23rd January 2025 - 8:42 pm

Ed Davey has written an article for The Guardian under the headline “Elon Musk has shown his hand. If politicians like me won’t curb his malign powers, who will?”

He writes:

Much of the coverage of Musk centres on his bizarre actions and declarations, and the controversies that have followed. It’s easy to tune it all out as the dronings of a bore. But he’s so much worse than that. He’s already one of the most powerful people on the planet. He’s the world’s wealthiest man, with a fortune of more than $400bn. And despite turning millions of people away from Twitter with his damaging changes to the platform (not least trying to rebrand it as X), he still controls what hundreds of millions of people around the globe see on their feeds.

…

As a liberal, I am instinctively deeply alarmed by the concentration of so much power in the hands of one individual. Even if I liked Musk, I’d say it was dangerous. I see it as the fundamental purpose of liberals – whether capital L members of the Liberal Democrats, or like-minded people beyond our party and around the world – to hold the powerful to account and put real power in the hands of ordinary people.

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged and | 2 Comments
Mark Valladares

21 January 2025 – yesterday’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Wed 22nd January 2025 - 10:20 pm
  • 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.

Continue reading »
Posted in News, Press releases, Scotland and Wales | Also tagged , , , , , , , , and | 11 Comments
The Voice

Five Lib Dems quiz Starmer on social care, Trump, defence, eating disorders and colleges

By The Voice | Wed 22nd January 2025 - 8:42 pm

Social care, trade deals with Trump’s America, St Helier Hospital, the Strategic Defence Reivew, eating disorders and were the subjects brought to Keir Starmer by Lib Dems Ed Davey, Luke Taylor, Mike Martin, Wera Hobhouse and Alison Bennett at PMQs today.

Here’s Ed’s exchange with the Prime Minister:

The text is below:

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged , , , and | Leave a comment
Mark Valladares

18-19 January 2025 – the weekend’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Sun 19th January 2025 - 10:30 pm
  • Patel on Trump: “naive and dangerous”, say Lib Dems
  • Davey: Trump presidency “deeply worrying for millions”
  • Pressure rises on Govt as two in three Labour voters back closer ties with Europe given Trump presidency
  • More than 11,000 malicious calls to ambulance service in past decade
  • 2024 the worst year on record at A&E

Patel on Trump: “naive and dangerous”, say Lib Dems

Responding to Priti Patel’s comments about the Trump presidency on Laura Kuenssberg’s programme this morning, Calum Miller MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs, said:

Priti Patel’s comments on her ‘trust’ in Trump are naive and dangerous. The incoming US administration will be one to watch carefully, to deal with critically – not one in which we should put blind faith.

Her desire to rush into a free trade deal between the UK and US – one that could sell British farmers and food standards down the river – reminds us of where her and her party’s true alliances lie: with the Mar-a-Lago clan, not with constituents here in Britain.

The Conservatives are competing with Reform to be most submissive toward Trump, but we should be approaching the new President from a position of strength.

The Liberal Democrats will continue to push for a fair deal for British people – beginning with a new UK-EU customs union that boosts UK growth.

Davey: Trump presidency “deeply worrying for millions”

Commenting as Trump’s inauguration takes place today , Ed Davey, Leader of the Liberal Democrats, said:

Donald Trump returning to the White House will be deeply worrying for millions of people in the UK and around the world. With a President who promises trade wars, undermines NATO and praises Vladimir Putin, the threats to our national security and our economy are clear.

The UK must lead on the world stage again, standing up for our interests by working closely with other countries – above all our European neighbours.

While Nigel Farage toadies up to Donald Trump and Elon Musk in Washington, Liberal Democrats are working hard for our communities here in the UK. We will press the Government to be far more ambitious and positive in fixing our relationship with Europe, to strengthen Britain’s hand when it comes to dealing with Trump.

Pressure rises on Govt as two in three Labour voters back closer ties with Europe given Trump presidency

A two-thirds majority (64%) of 2024 Labour voters agree that the UK should build closer “economic and security ties with Europe” given Trump’s incoming presidency, polling commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has revealed – piling pressure on the Government to accelerate talks on UK-EU relations as the new presidency gets under way.

Continue reading »
Posted in News, Press releases and Scotland | Also tagged , , , , , and | 5 Comments
Mark Valladares

16 January 2025 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Thu 16th January 2025 - 11:30 pm
  • GDP Figures: Government must see sense and scrap jobs tax
  • Liberal Democrats table motion forcing Government to release analysis of potential Trump trade war
  • Badenoch speech: half-hearted apology does not absolve her from toxic legacy
  • Triple lock: “bungling Badenoch’s” first policy is to slash the state pension
  • Carmichael welcomes RFA vertical launch licence
  • McArthur calls for clarity over BP job losses

GDP Figures: Government must see sense and scrap jobs tax

Responding to GDP growing by 0.1% in November, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:

The Chancellor has put the handbrake on the economy with her misguided jobs tax and the consequence is this pitiful rate of growth.

Every month this persists means less money in struggling families pockets and public services without the funding they need.

After years of the Conservatives’ economic vandalism, the public was crying out for change but this new government is falling well short of fixing this mess.

Rachel Reeves needs to see sense and scrap her foolish jobs tax and pursue a real strategy for growth like fixing our broken trade relationship with our European partners and replacing the broken business rates system.

Liberal Democrats table motion forcing Government to release analysis of potential Trump trade war

The Liberal Democrats are tabling a ‘Humble Address’ motion which would force the Government to release its analysis of the potential impact of Trump tariffs on the UK economy.

It follows reports that the Government has conducted internal assessments of how a potential trade war with the US may hit the UK economy, but is refusing to publish them.

The Liberal Democrat motion will call urgently for the publication of all impact assessments conducted by the Government regarding the impact of Trump’s tariffs ahead of his inauguration on 20 January.

Humble Address motions have been successfully used in the past, including in 2017 when the Government was forced to publish an impact assessment of Brexit on the economy.

The new US administration’s purported plans may involve tariffs of up to 20 percent on UK exports, which could hit the UK economy by £22bn according to the research conducted at the University of Sussex.

Continue reading »
Posted in News, Press releases and Scotland | Also tagged , , , , , , , , and | Leave a comment
The Voice

Ed Davey’s speech today in full

By The Voice | Thu 16th January 2025 - 3:55 pm

As we reported earlier, Ed Davey gave a significant speech today, and here is the full text.

This year, we will celebrate eighty years since the end of the Second World War.

Eighty years since Britain and her allies defeated the Nazis.

Ended the Holocaust and liberated the concentration camps.

Brought peace to Europe.

One of our country’s finest hours.

We led the world – not just in standing up to Hitler and winning the war, but in building what came next.

Creating new forums to foster peace and uphold human rights:

The United Nations, led at its birth by the British Liberal Gladwyn Jebb.

NATO, driven by Labour’s

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | 20 Comments
Mark Valladares

Ed Davey speech: Negotiate a UK-EU Customs Union to “turbocharge economy” and strengthen hand against Trump

By Mark Valladares | Thu 16th January 2025 - 9:02 am

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey will today call on the Government to negotiate a new UK-EU Customs Union, to boost Britain’s economy and ability to deal with the incoming Trump Presidency from a position of strength.

In his first major speech of the year, Ed Davey will criticise the Labour Government for ruling out a Customs Union with the EU, saying it would be the best way to tear down trade barriers and “turbocharge our economy in the medium and long term.”

He will call on ministers to negotiate a new deal with the EU this year, with the goal of forming a Customs Union by 2030 at the latest, arguing this will allow the UK to “deal with President Trump from a position of strength, not weakness.”

He will then criticise Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch for wanting to go “cap in hand” to Donald Trump and “beg for whatever trade deal he’ll give us.” And he will criticise Nigel Farage for “fawning over Trump and licking his boots”, being “more interested in advancing Trump’s agenda over here than the UK’s interests over there.”

Continue reading »
Posted in News and Press releases | Also tagged | 9 Comments
Mark Valladares

15 January 2025 – today’s Federal press releases

By Mark Valladares | Wed 15th January 2025 - 10:45 pm
  • Public Accounts Committee SEND Report: Urgent reform needed
  • Inflation: economy is “stuck in the mud”
  • PMQs: Davey urges PM to create visa route to attract high-skilled Americans fleeing Trump
  • Davey: Israel-Gaza ceasefire must lead to a lasting peace and two-state solution

Public Accounts Committee SEND Report: Urgent reform needed

Responding to the PAC report on SEND provision, Munira Wilson MP, Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson, said:

This report lays bare what we already knew to be the dire truth: that a wrecked system of SEND provision in this country is failing children and families every single day.

And thanks to the last government’s total lack of

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News and Press releases | Also tagged , , , , and | 1 Comment
Mark Valladares

10 January 2025 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Fri 10th January 2025 - 10:30 pm
  • Citizens Advice: pensioners had “legs cut out from underneath them” after Winter Fuel Payment scrapped
  • Local election delays: Lib Dems accuse Conservative councils of “running scared” and “silencing democracy”
  • Reeves in China: Chancellor needs to return and announce “plan B” for growth
  • Cole-Hamilton calls for network of drug consumption rooms ahead of Glasgow facility opening

Citizens Advice: pensioners had “legs cut out from underneath them” after Winter Fuel Payment scrapped

Responding to Citizens Advice saying that they have seen a surge in households seeking help with energy bills in 2024, Liberal Democrat Work and Pensions spokesperson Steve Darling MP said:

People are being hammered by energy bill rises with millions of vulnerable pensioners especially struggling after the government scrapped the Winter Fuel Payment for the vast majority.

Older people, many already choosing between heating and eating, had their legs cut out from underneath them by the government’s cruel decision to slash this vital support.

The government needs to recognise their disastrous error and get these vulnerable pensioners the support they deserve or risk millions suffering.

Local election delays: Lib Dems accuse Conservative councils of “running scared” and “silencing democracy”

The Liberal Democrats have accused Conservative councils of “running scared” and “silencing democracy” as the deadline for councils to apply for election postponement expires.

The Government gave councils until today to say if they would prefer to cancel May’s local elections while devolution plans for changes to local authorities, with many set to become unitary, are discussed.

Almost all councils that have called for elections to be cancelled are Conservative-run, including several in areas like Devon and Surrey where the Liberal Democrats won swathes of seats from the Conservatives at the General Election.

Continue reading »
Posted in News, Press releases and Scotland | Also tagged , , , , , and | 1 Comment
Mark Valladares

9 January 2025 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Thu 9th January 2025 - 11:20 pm
  • Food prices set to rise: news will be hammer blow for millions already choosing between heating and eating
  • NHS stats: winter “one of the most brutal on record” as Lib Dems call on Streeting to bring forward emergency plan to protect patients
  • ‘Bed blocking’ has already cost NHS £165 million this winter as Davey calls on govt to finish social care review this year
  • Market turmoil: Chancellor should cancel China trip for emergency growth statement
  • Oxford Farming Conference: Reed’s “regret” not good enough – Starmer must reverse family farm tax
  • More than 440,000 police officer and staff days lost to mental health since 2019

Food prices set to rise: news will be hammer blow for millions already choosing between heating and eating

Responding to the British Retail Consortium saying that food prices will rise by 4.2% in the latter half of this year as “retailers battle the £7 billion of increased costs in 2025 from the Budget”, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:

This news will come as a hammer blow to families across the country. Millions of people are already having to choose between heating and eating and the prospect of even more pressure on stretched budgets will be incredibly worrying.

The new government is faced with the enormous challenge of cleaning up the Conservative Party’s economic vandalism, but their approach so far risks repeating more mistakes.

It’s now clear as day that the Chancellor’s misguided national insurance hike is only going to hammer household budgets further by forcing up prices. Ministers must recognise their error and scrap this tax hike immediately.

NHS stats: winter “one of the most brutal on record” as Lib Dems call on Streeting to bring forward emergency plan to protect patients

Responding to NHS England saying that this is the busiest year on record for emergency services, Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care spokesperson Helen Morgan MP said:

This winter threatens to be one of the most brutal on record. Patients are suffering through deadly delays and staff are already at breaking point.

There can be no overstating just dangerous this situation is after years of the previous Conservative government’s shameful neglect of our NHS.

It is of paramount importance that the new government grips this crisis urgently. That must start with the Health Secretary producing an emergency plan in the coming days to protect patients from this ongoing disaster.

‘Bed blocking’ has already cost NHS £165 million this winter as Davey calls on govt to finish social care review this year

  • This winter has already seen 417,220 bed days taken up by patients that were well enough to be discharged – costing the NHS £165 million or £4.8 million a day
  • 12,271 of England’s 103,277 hospital beds have been taken up by people who are fit to be discharged everyday this winter – the equivalent of just under one in eight
  • Lib Dem Leader Ed Davey has called on the government to complete its social care review by the end of the year to take pressure off hospitals

This winter has already seen 417,220 bed days taken up by patients that were fit enough to be discharged, the equivalent of 1 in 8, costing the NHS £165 million in just over a month research by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.

Continue reading »
Posted in News, Press releases and Scotland | Also tagged , , , , , , , , and | 15 Comments
Mark Valladares

8 January 2025 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Wed 8th January 2025 - 11:45 pm
  • 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.

Continue reading »
Posted in News, Press releases and Wales | Also tagged , , , , and | 7 Comments
Caron Lindsay

Lib Dems question Starmer at PMQs

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 8th January 2025 - 8:08 pm

Social care, political parties being funded by foreign oligarchs, pharmacies, the impact of the rise in National Insurance changes on health care providers, second homes in Cornwall, when will the Government do something for those people affected by the Budget changes, these were the issues raised by Lib Dem MPs at the first PMQs of 2025.

First up, Ed raised the issue of social care and the way that Labour has kicked it into the long grass. Then, he asked for action on foreign oligarchs funding UK political parties

Happy new year, Mr Speaker. I join others in offering my personal condolences to the Prime Minister on the loss of his brother. May I take this opportunity to express my sadness at the passing of a much-loved member of the Liberal Democrat family, Baroness Jenny Randerson?

Fixing the care crisis is urgent for the millions of elderly and disabled people who are not getting the care they need, for the millions of family carers who are making huge sacrifices to fill the gap, and for the NHS, when over 12,000 people are stuck in hospital beds and cannot get out of hospital because the care is not there for them. The Prime Minister is right to say that we need a cross-party approach, but as Sir Andrew Dilnot has said today, that need not take three years. Will the Prime Minister please speed up that work so that 2025 is the year we finally rise to the challenge of fixing care?

The Prime Minister
I thank the right hon. Gentleman for raising this important issue and thank him for his condolences. Yes, we do need to get this right. I want a cross-party consensus on the issue and I invite him to work with us, as I know he will. It is important and he is right to say that we need some action now. We have taken immediate action by providing £3.7 billion of additional funding in the Budget for social care and another £86 million to allow 7,800 more disabled and elderly people to live more independent lives, and we have increased the carer’s allowance. We have set this up in stages, so we can act and improve as we go along, while making sure we have consensus for the bigger changes that may be proposed in the review. I invite him and Members from across the House to work with us, so we can get this right and ensure what we put in place endures beyond just a few years.

Ed Davey
If the Government do not bring in long-term social care reforms this year, their NHS reforms in this Parliament will fail, so I hope the Prime Minister will revisit the timetable.

Moving on, while the hon. Member for Clacton (Nigel Farage) may miss out on his big allowance from Elon Musk, the spectre of the richest man in the world trying to buy a British political party should give us all pause for thought. After years of the Conservatives taking millions of pounds of Russian money, will the Prime Minister now work with us to bring in long overdue reforms to party funding, so that power in this country lies with the voters, not wealthy overseas oligarchs?

The Prime Minister
I think we all had a smile on Sunday when the hon. Member for Clacton (Nigel Farage) said how cool it was to have the support of Musk, only for Musk to say he should be removed just a few hours later—that is the rough and tough of politics. Of course, we are looking at the question of funding more generally.

Marie Goldman raised the case of a pharmacist in her constituency:

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged , , , and | 1 Comment
The Voice

Ed Davey says US Ambassador should be summoned to explain Musk’s “liberating Britain” comment

By The Voice | Tue 7th January 2025 - 11:44 am

Embed from Getty Images

Responding to Elon Musk’s latest post on X in which he suggested that America should “liberate the people of Britain” and overthrow the government, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

People have had enough of Elon Musk interfering with our country’s democracy when he clearly knows nothing about Britain. It’s time to summon the US ambassador to ask
why an incoming US official is suggesting the UK government should be overthrown.

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged | 21 Comments
Caron Lindsay

Coming up: Four things to watch out for from Lib Dems MPs this week

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 5th January 2025 - 2:28 pm

Parliament is back tomorrow after the two week Christmas recess. You would think that our MPs would have been taking a well earned rest after a brutal year of campaigning and then settling in to their new roles.

Not a chance. They’ve been on the doorsteps, doing urgent casework, attending events in their constituencies.  They’ll have full inboxes to attend to. The holiday gives their regular correspondents plenty of opportunity to write in with their asks on many different subjects.

So what will our MPs be up to this week?

On Wednesday, Keir Starmer will face his first PMQs of the year – and he’ll have five Lib Dems to look forward to. Marie Goldman has the second slot, Victoria Collins the fourth Andrew George and Christine Jardine are at 9 and 10 respectively. And Ed will also have his usual two questions.

Continue reading »
Posted in Parliament | Also tagged , , , , , , and | 5 Comments
The Voice

Lib Dems call for faster action on social care in England

By The Voice | Sun 5th January 2025 - 12:06 pm

Senior Liberal Democrats have expressed concern that the Labour Government has finally done something about social care, but that Louise Casey’s review will not report until 2028. This has all the hallmarks of this crucial issue being kicked into the long grass, with potential for it to be lost in even deeper foliage beyond then.

Ed Davey told LBC that he was sceptical on the timing. He says that we should have cross party talks, but we have all the information we need so that they should be completed within a year.

He told Channel 4 News that this process should be done within the year. If we do sort out social care, it brings huge benefits to families and savings to the NHS.  Without proper care, people end up in hospital unnecessarily and that is a huge cost to the NHS.

He also pointed out that we need to value care workers, with a higher minimum wage.

He also called for greater support for family carers.

We won’t, he said, solve the wider crisis in the NHS without resolving social care, which is why a faster timescale is essential.

Layla Moran, as Chair of the Commons Select Committee on Health and Social Care, said:

This announcement from the Government on a commission to look at social care is welcome, however this cannot be an exercise in kicking the can down the road. We urge bravery and courage from the Government and all political parties to work together to act boldly and urgently.

We are concerned that any further delay perpetuates the hardship for individuals and their families, as well as the cost to the NHS and local authorities.

The first inquiry our Committee launched is investigating the costs resulting from delays to reform of the social care sector. In the first evidence session of this inquiry next week we will hear from experts on the subject, including Sir Andrew Dilnot and we will ask what impact inaction has had, fourteen years on from the Dilnot Commission’s recommendations to reform social care.

Our 2024 manifesto outlined our plans for social care in England. We will:

Provide truly personalised care that empowers individuals by:

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged and | 12 Comments
Mark Valladares

3 January 2025 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Fri 3rd January 2025 - 11:35 pm
  • Shocking research reveals almost 4 in 5 car thefts go unsolved
  • Davey: Social care commission “long overdue”
  • Davey: social care review should be “done and dusted within a year”
  • Flu admissions: alarming consequences from lack of winterpoofing
  • SNP have starved local communities of funding for public toilets

Shocking research reveals almost 4 in 5 car thefts go unsolved

  • Shock data reveals that on average 78.5% of all car thefts go unsolved, a grand total of 24,837 in the quarter ending June 2024.
  • Liberal Democrats are urging the government to restore proper community policing, where officers have the time and resources to properly respond to neighbourhood crimes like car theft.

Data from the Home Office reveals the extent of the car theft epidemic in England and Wales, with almost 25,000 car thefts going unsolved in just three months.

The Metropolitan Police force reported the worst figures, with a staggering 90% of all reported car thefts going unsolved. South Yorkshire followed closely behind with 85% of theft going unsolved, Essex, Wiltshire, Sussex and Hertfordshire also all reported that at least 80% of car thefts were unsolved in the quarter ending June 2024.

By contrast, only 2.8% or just under 900 cases on average end with the criminal being charged or summonsed across the whole of England and Wales.

It follows previous Liberal Democrat research that revealed last year, police did not even attend the scene in over 70% of car theft cases.

The Liberal Democrats have blamed the previous Conservative government for these figures, arguing that years of ineffective resourcing has left frontline policing decimated. This includes the decision to take over 4,500 Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) off the streets since 2015.

The party is calling on the government to urgently restore proper community policing, where officers have the time and resources to properly respond to neighbourhood crimes like car theft.

Commenting on the data, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Lisa Smart MP said:

Tens of thousands of victims across England and Wales are being left without the justice they deserve, with a staggeringly high number of car thefts going unsolved, and thieves getting away scot free.

This cannot continue. Every victim of a crime deserves to feel safe and protected by the police, but unfortunately after brutal cuts to community police officers that is far from the truth.

We urge the new government to change the course by getting tough on crime, investing properly in local neighbourhood policing and keeping communities safe.

Davey: Social care commission “long overdue”

Commenting on the Government’s annoucement of an independent commission into adult social care, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

Continue reading »
Posted in News, Press releases and Scotland | Also tagged , , , , , and | 2 Comments
The Voice

Ed Davey calls on Government to “act faster and be bolder’ in delivering reform

By The Voice | Tue 31st December 2024 - 11:58 am

In his New Year message, Ed Davey has looked back to the fun and success of 2024 and promises more smiles alongside the hard work in 2025. He calls on Labour to get on with delivering the “change that people are yearning for.”

The text is below:

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged | 1 Comment
The Voice

Ed Davey’s Christmas Message

By The Voice | Tue 24th December 2024 - 10:00 am

Ed Davey has released a Christmas message which contains a clip of him performing “Twas the night before Christmas” with his “Love is Enough” partners, the Bath Philarmonia at a concert in Bath last month.

His message celebrates young carers.

Enjoy:

 

Ed said:

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged and | Leave a comment
The Voice

Elf Davey

By The Voice | Fri 20th December 2024 - 9:58 am

Thanks to Mark Pack for this bit of Christmas silliness.

 

 

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged | 7 Comments
Caron Lindsay

Ed questions Starmer on young carers

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 18th December 2024 - 4:30 pm

Ed Davey used the final PMQs of the year to ask the Prime Minister for more support for young carers. Keir Starmer’s response combined warm words with no promises of action and a bit of gentle teasing about Ed’s Christmas single.

The text is below:

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged , and | 1 Comment
Caron Lindsay

Love is Enough surges into iTunes top 10

By Caron Lindsay | Sat 30th November 2024 - 3:11 pm

So the first chart announcement since Love is Enough,  the song by young carers featuring Ed Davey was released is out.  It would melt even the most permafrosted heart.

And they’re at……

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged , and | 3 Comments
Mary Reid

Is Love is Enough enough?

By Mary Reid | Fri 29th November 2024 - 9:32 am

As Caron reported on Wednesday, Ed Davey is performing on a Christmas single by Bath Philharmonia and its Young Carers’ Choir.

We can now reveal it in all its glory.

We held it back because downloads only count from today.

The BBC has some words to say about it:

As far as we can tell, Sir Ed is the first leader of a major political party to release a Christmas single (although in 2017 Lord Buckethead put out his festive song, A Bucketful of Happiness).

…

Those hoping to hear Sir Ed on lead vocals in the new single may be disappointed.

In Love is Enough, Sir Ed perhaps wisely leaves the bulk of the singing to the members of the Bath Philharmonia’s Young Carers’ Choir.

He joins in at the bridge around three quarters of the way through the song and during the chorus – but there is no big show-stopping solo.

Continue reading »
Posted in News | 2 Comments
Caron Lindsay

Ed Davey aims for Christmas Number 1

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 27th November 2024 - 10:30 pm

Well that headline is a sentence I never thought I’d write.

And I have to admit that when I first saw the press release announcing it, I rather involuntarily invoked the name of the person we celebrate at this time of year at volume. Then I thought “No, please, not Sweet Caroline.”

However, I remembered that generosity is key to the spirit of Christmas and when I looked into it some more, I discovered that, actually, Ed’s collaboration with Bath Philarmonia’s Young Carers’ Choir is pretty decent. “Love is enough” falls into the category of heartwarming Christmas songs rather than the crazy ones. Though given some of the things Ed did during the General Election, I could be forgiven for fearing it would be the latter.

The song has been written by the young carers themselves to celebrate the bond between themselves and those they care for.

The single aims to raise money for Bath Philarmonia and  Carers’ Trust.

Here’s a wee preview:

We’ve stuck to the time on the embargo, but the Guardian got the story early.

The result is uplifting and festive, and perhaps just the right side of saccharine to appeal to Christmas listeners. It does not, however, feature much audible input from Davey, whose contributions are slightly buried in the glossy mix.

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged , , , and | 3 Comments
Caron Lindsay

Starmer faces FIVE Lib Dems at PMQs

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 27th November 2024 - 8:42 pm

This Parliament, anything less than 3 Lib Dems at PMQs is a disappointment – a benefit of having 72 MPs.

For the third time since the General Election it was a Lib Dem who kicked off proceedings. Daisy Cooper took the opportunity to ask the PM about her local hospital:

West Hertfordshire teaching hospitals NHS trust has eliminated 65-week waits and has now met all three national cancer standards. Those remarkable achievements by the staff are happening despite their working in terrible buildings that are life-expired and crumbling. If the Government are looking for a project that is high-performing and shovel-ready, that is it. Will the Prime Minister give our trust the green light to build a new hospital without further delay?

The Prime Minister
I thank the hon. Lady for raising that issue, which is of importance to her constituents and beyond. The new hospital programme we inherited was a failure of the previous Government. We are committed to delivering, and we are reviewing to ensure that we can deliver. The Health Secretary will set out further details, but I am very happy for her to have a meeting with the relevant Minister if she wants to follow up on the specifics.

Then came Ed Davey with two hard-hitting questions on ending the Winter Fuel Payment and the hike in employers’ National Insurance contributions for hospices:

May I associate myself with the Prime Minister’s remarks about the terrible impact of Storm Bert and all the flooding? Our thoughts are with all those affected, with thanks to our amazing emergency services.

Christine’s father was told that he needed end of life care, but after a few days it was removed due to funding cuts. He was told that he would not get it, and he died a few weeks later in excruciating pain. Christine says that it was terrible to watch him suffer. Does the Prime Minister agree that, whatever the House decides on Friday, it is urgent that we improve access to high-quality end of life care? Will he make that a key focus of the 10-year NHS plan, and will he now commit to protect hospices from the national insurance rise?

The Prime Minister
I thank the right hon. Gentleman for raising that case, and I am sure the thoughts of the whole House are with the family involved. Obviously there is a very important vote on Friday, but whichever way that vote goes, we must invest properly in care across our health service. That is why, in addition to putting the NHS back on its feet, we are putting forward a 10-year plan to make sure that the NHS can give the care that everybody would expect across the spectrum, including end of life care.

Ed Davey
I thank the Prime Minister for his reply. I hope that we will hear more from Ministers, particularly on hospices and national insurance, in the days to come.

I turn to the cost of living crisis. On Friday, Ofgem said that energy bills will go up again in January, after last month’s 10% rise. Millions of people are really worried about how they will make ends meet this winter, not least hundreds of thousands of pensioners who are in poverty but above the pension credit limit, who will now lose winter fuel payments. With energy bills going up again, will the Prime Minister reconsider and restore winter fuel payments?

The Prime Minister
Obviously the whole House is concerned about energy bills, which are actually lower this year than they were last year. The long-term way to deal with this issue is to have clean power by 2030, to make sure that we drive energy bills down on a permanent basis, and that is what we will do. On the winter fuel allowance, the right hon. Gentleman knows very well what the Government’s position is; indeed, I have rehearsed it with him many times.

The fact that Keir just can’t be bothered defending himself any more makes Ed’s repeated returns to this issue all the more potent.

Mext up, Manuela Perteghella made her PMQ debut by raising the issue of a constituent of hers who is campaigning to end knife crime after her son was killed:

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged , , , and | 2 Comments
Mark Valladares

22 November 2024 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Fri 22nd November 2024 - 10:30 pm
  • Davey: NICs hit is creating a perfect storm for the care sector
  • Davey on Ofgem energy price rise: Freeze energy bills and reinstate Winter Fuel Payments
  • Chamberlain calls for energy bills to be frozen and Winter Fuel Payments to be reinstated after energy price rise

Davey: NICs hit is creating a perfect storm for the care sector

Analysis released by the Nuffield Trust today (Friday 22 Nov) has found that the changes to Employer’s NICs look set to cost the adult social care sector over £900m next year, more than wiping out the extra funds allocated to social care at the Budget. The analysis by Nuffield Trust also estimates that the 18,000 independent organisations providing adult social care in England will be faced with increased costs of an estimated £2.8bn in the next financial year, meaning many businesses – especially smaller ones – are at risk of going bust.

Responding, Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said:

These damning figures lay bare the devastating impact of the National Insurance hike on social care. The government must immediately do the right thing and exempt care providers from this ill-thought through tax hike.

This hit is creating a perfect storm for a care sector already damaged by the Conservative party’s neglect. Now there is a real danger small care providers will simply not survive.

Ultimately, it’s people in care who will suffer the consequences. The Chancellor must urgently act to help our social care sector before it’s too late.

Davey on Ofgem energy price rise: Freeze energy bills and reinstate Winter Fuel Payments

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey has today called on the government to freeze energy bills so that Ofgem’s newly announced rise in the price cap will not go ahead.

He also called on the government to reinstate Winter Fuel Payments or risk pensioners being “left out in the cold” this winter.

Ofgem announced today that the energy price cap will rise by 1.2% to £1,738 a year in January, following the previous 10% rise in October. The Liberal Democrats are calling on the government to cancel this rise in energy bills so that households don’t face even higher energy costs in the new year.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

Enough is enough. This further rise in energy prices cannot go ahead. As we enter another cold and difficult winter, many people simply can’t afford to see their heating bills go up yet again.

The disastrous government cuts to the Winter Fuel Payments coupled with this energy price rise will be a hammer blow for millions of vulnerable pensioners this winter.

The new government must step in now, cancel this bill rise and reinstate Winter Fuel Payments to stop families and pensioners being left out in the cold this winter.

This is a government that has pledged to bring down energy bills, it is time for them to live up to their word.

Continue reading »
Posted in News, Press releases and Scotland | Also tagged , , and | 2 Comments
Advert

Recent Comments

  • Anthony Acton
    What I find so disappointing about the last 2 years is that the 2024 GE result gave the party a massive boost in resources and, potentially, political influenc...
  • Nigel Jones
    I agree with Nigel Quinton, Tony Robertson and Katharine Pindar on the lack of a clear party lead on our overall vision for the future of the country which must...
  • Katharine Pindar
    Ed concluded our Autumn Conference by telling us that 'We are in the fight of our lives - and we will win!' Of course, rapturous applause followed. But somehow ...
  • Tim L
    In my experience of San Francisco, driverless cabs are smooth and courteous. I wish all drivers, there and here, were as good. I am sure in due course they will...
  • Nigel Quinton
    @Tony R - absolutely right. Burnham is echoing so much of what we have been shouting about (and being ignored) for years. Electoral reform, localism, social car...