Tag Archives: susan murray

2 April 2026 – today’s press releases

  • SNP set to miss key child poverty target
  • Welsh Lib Dems urge Reeves to scrap fuel duty hike as global instability drives rising petrol prices
  • Cole-Hamilton sets out mental health plan with visit to therapy llamas
  • Greene: Reform set to lose 26 constituency candidates by polling day, figures show
  • Murray: Lib Dem 10p fuel duty cut will get Scotland moving again
  • Welsh Lib Dems slam Reform’s “fantasy” coal plans as a threat to jobs, bills and climate
  • Reform candidate’s Ukraine comments spark outrage as Lib Dems warn of “dangerous” pro-Kremlin rhetoric

SNP set to miss key child poverty target

Responding to IFS analysis which indicates that Scotland is on course to miss its target to reduce relative child poverty to below 10% by 2030-31 “by a considerable margin”, Scottish Liberal Democrat economy spokesperson Jamie Greene MSP said:

Despite the grand rhetoric from the SNP, they have left thousands of children in poverty.

For the past nineteen years, the SNP have failed to use the powers they have had at their disposal to move the dial.

Just like Nicola Sturgeon broke her promise to close the attainment gap, John Swinney has broken his promise to reduce child poverty. They simply cannot be trusted.

Scottish Liberal Democrats are focused on tackling the root causes of child poverty, and everyone in Scotland has the chance to vote for these plans by backing us on your peach, regional ballot paper in May.

Welsh Lib Dems urge Reeves to scrap fuel duty hike as global instability drives rising petrol prices

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have called on Labour to cancel their planned fuel duty increase, warning that continued instability in the Middle East is already driving up global oil prices and risks placing further pressure on households and businesses across Wales.

The intervention comes as forecourts begin to reflect rising wholesale costs, with industry experts warning that sustained geopolitical tensions could keep prices elevated in the weeks ahead. Edmund King, President of the AA, has previously warned that such instability would “inevitably lead to price hikes,” with sharp increases often feeding through to drivers within days.

Labour’s planned changes would see fuel duty rise for the first time in 15 years, beginning with a 1p increase in September, followed by further rises through to 2027. The Welsh Liberal Democrats have warned that pressing ahead with the increase at a time of heightened global uncertainty would compound cost-of-living pressures, particularly in areas where people have little choice but to drive.

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31 March 2026 – today’s press release

Recall Parliament to address ferry crisis say Scottish Liberal Democrats

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has today called for the Scottish Parliament to be recalled to address the crisis engulfing Scotland’s ferry network as communities in Argyll & Bute and up and down the west coast face yet more upheaval, with up to eight ferries out of action.

The Scottish Parliament can be recalled up until 8th April.

Mr Cole-Hamilton made the comments as he and Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey visited the key target seat of Strathkelvin & Bearsden to play tennis with community activist and candidate Adam Harley and local …

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30 March 2026 – today’s press releases

  • Teacher numbers in STEM subjects fall by 900
  • 606 fewer modern language teachers than when SNP came to power
  • Greens scrapping road projects will kill Highland communities
  • Greene: Calamity Kemi should apologise for cheerleading Iran War which is sending prices soaring
  • If you’ve been to A&E, you shouldn’t trust Swinney

Teacher numbers in STEM subjects fall by 900

Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Willie Rennie MSP has accused the SNP of “playing fast and loose” with Scotland’s economic future, as new figures revealed there are 900 fewer teachers in STEM subjects than when the SNP first came to power

New figures show that between 2008 and 2025:

  • The

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15 October 2025 – today’s press releases

  • Budget rumours: Reeves must rule out “cloak and dagger” efforts to drag people into paying more tax
  • China case: Lib Dems call for release of all legal advice — including evidence needed for spy case to proceed
  • Angus MacDonald MP calls for common sense on rural helipads
  • Murray presses PM over small business national insurance in East Dunbartonshire

Budget rumours: Reeves must rule out “cloak and dagger” efforts to drag people into paying more tax

Responding to Rachel Reeves admitting there may be more tax rises in this autumn’s Budget, Daisy Cooper, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson, said:

Millions of people up and down the country are worried they could face more damaging tax hikes, after the Conservative party saddled them with a stealth tax and this Government hit them with an unfair jobs tax.

Prolonging this uncertainty for weeks will leave people deeply worried about what this could mean for their payslips and bills.

Rachel Reeves must rule out a cloak-and-dagger effort to raise revenue by extending the Conservatives’ stealth tax and dragging even more working people into higher tax rates. What we need is a proper growth plan and for the big banks, social media giants and gambling companies to pay their fair share of tax.

China case: Lib Dems call for release of all legal advice — including evidence needed for spy case to proceed

Following the Prime Minister’s announcement of his plan to publish the witness statements by the deputy national security adviser on the China case, the Liberal Democrats are now calling on the Government to put the full legal advice they received on the public record.

The party is calling for the Government to publish advice including on what evidence would be needed for the spy case to proceed.

Daisy Cooper, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader, said:

The public have had enough of the constant blame game between the Conservatives and Labour on the collapse of the China spy case.

The Government must bolster their publication of witness statements and put all the legal advice they’ve received on this case on the public record – including advice on what evidence would be needed for this trial to go ahead.

Number 10 must also urgently launch an independent inquiry so we can finally get to the bottom of what actually happened in this labyrinthine case.

Angus MacDonald MP calls for common sense on rural helipads

Angus MacDonald, MP for Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire, has called on the UK Government to cut through “bewildering” red tape that has stopped search and rescue helicopters from landing on community helipads in rural areas.

While leading a Westminster Hall debate on Access to Community Helipads in Rural Areas, Mr MacDonald raised the case of the Portree and Braes Community Trust helipad, which serves the north end of Skye, including the local hospital. Despite being purpose-built and refurbished to high safety standards, search and rescue helicopters operated by Bristow are not currently able to land there.

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29 July 2025 – yesterday’s press releases

  • Davey on Southport attacks one year on: We are a caring country not one of thuggery
  • Davey calls for Lord Hermer to publish legal advice on Gazan aid blockade
  • Anglian Water fine: Lib Dems urge “No More Sewage, No More Excuses”
  • Lib Dems: “If Trump really loves Scotland, why is he hammering Scotch whisky with tariffs?”
  • Cole-Hamilton accuses SNP of serial failures on A&E, care and drugs
  • Cole-Hamilton responds to decline in healthy life expectancy

Davey on Southport attacks one year on: We are a caring country not one of thuggery

Reflecting on the one year anniversary of the Southport attacks, Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said:

Today especially, we hold in our hearts Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice da Silva Aguiar.

Three little girls, horrifyingly murdered at their Taylor Swift dance class in Southport. Three young lives, so cruelly cut short by a heartbreaking tragedy.

Our thoughts are with their families and friends, who still grieve such a cruel loss.

The lawless riots that followed appalled us. Egged on by hate preachers and conspiracy theorists, thugs resorted to appalling racism and violence, targeting some of the most vulnerable in our society.

But last summer also saw the best of the British people. Everyone who came together with love and compassion to mourn the deaths of Bebe, Elsie and Alice. And all those who stood peacefully in solidarity against the riots. Who powerfully rejected racism and Islamophobia.

That is who we are: a caring country, not a country of thuggery. A nation of laws and decency, not hate and lawlessness.

As we grieve today – as we remember Bebe, Elsie and Alice – let us also remember that.

Davey calls for Lord Hermer to publish legal advice on Gazan aid blockade

Commenting ahead of a Cabinet recall on the conflict in the Middle East, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey has called for the Attorney General Lord Hermer to publish his legal advice to the Government, saying:

There can be no denying that Israel has egregiously breached international law through its devastating blockade of Gaza.

The Australian Prime Minister said this two days ago. And yet the UK Government continues to drag its feet on describing these acts as anything more than merely “risking” a breach.

Actions speak louder than words. It’s time for the Attorney General to publish the legal advice he has given to the Government on the Netanyahu cabinet’s grotesque restriction of aid to Gazans.

Anglian Water fine: Lib Dems urge “No More Sewage, No More Excuses”

Liberal Democrat MP Pippa Heylings has condemned Anglian Water’s repeated failings, following Ofwat’s damning £62.8 million fine for the company’s illegal dumping of raw sewage into rivers and coastal waters.

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Maiden speeches: Susan Murray, MP for Mid Dunbartonshire

Parliament is back and that, at the moment, means more Lib Dem maiden speeches. Susan Murray, our new MP for Mid Dunbartonshire, made her debut yesterday in a debate on the NHS, talking about her experience of caring for her husband – and also spoke up for fair votes.

The text is below:

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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:

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29 July 2024 – today’s press releases

  • Public spending audit: We must focus on NHS
  • New Mid Dunbartonshire MP welcomes home Kirkintilloch Roy Roy

Public spending audit: We must focus on NHS

Commenting on the Treasury’s audit into the state of public finances, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson Sarah Olney MP said:

The shortfalls in public spending announced today are truly shocking, and the result of years of Conservative failure and mismanagement. We have been left with a stalling economy, leaving millions of families struggling to pay the bills and make ends meet.

To get our economy growing, we must focus on the NHS by cutting the waiting lists, giving the people the

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WATCH: Alex Cole-Hamilton’s speech to Scottish Conference

Susan Murray will, we all hope, be the MP for Mid Dunbartonshire in a few months’ time. So she was the right person to introduce Alex Cole-Hamilton ahead of his leader’s speech to Scottish Conference on Sunday.

Alex talked about our future relationship with the SNP Government – working with them in a grown up fashion where we could make a difference for our constituents, but looking forward to being able to get rid of them in an election.

He looked forward to replacing them as the third party in the House of Commons too and set out our plans to improve mental health, give people access to GP appointments and deal with sewage. He also spoke about his support for Liam McArthur’s bill which would allow assisted dying in limited circumstances. The next great social reform, he called it, while also acknowledging that not everyone in the party felt like that and that no Lib Dem would be compelled to vote for it.

Watch the speech in full here.

The text is below:

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