18Aug 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Gun licensing: Shouldn’t have taken tragedy for Patel to act

Gun licensing: Shouldn’t have taken tragedy for Patel to act

Parliamentary news
Responding to Priti Patel’s announcement that the Government will bring forward statutory guidance on firearms licensing, Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson for Home Affairs Brian Paddick said: “It shouldn’t have taken the tragic shootings in Plymouth for the Home Secretary to finally strengthen gun licensing checks. “Experts have been calling for new statutory guidance for six years, and Parliament legislated for it more than four years ago. Priti Patel’s failure to introduce it until now is unforgivable. “The first duty of the Government is to keep people safe. That means acting quickly and decisively on expert advice, not waiting for the next tragedy to force it into action.”
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18Aug 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Probation report: Invest in drug treatment to cut crime

Probation report: Invest in drug treatment to cut crime

Parliamentary news
Responding to HM Inspectorate of Probation’s report exposing the lack of specialist drug treatment for people on probation, Liberal Democrat Justice Spokesperson Wera Hobhouse MP said: “The Conservatives abject failure to tackle the causes of crime is making our communities less safe. “We know that effective drug treatment – both in prison and in the community – is crucial for stopping people from reoffending. We know that drug-related crime costs taxpayers £9 billion every year. So why won’t the Government invest what is needed to treat drug addiction and stop more people becoming victims of crime? “Sadly, Conservative Ministers are spending too much time trying to sound tough on crime, and not doing what will actually work to prevent it. “To break the cycle of reoffending, we must turn prisons…
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18Aug 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Davey: PM must call a “European Security Summit” with allies

Davey: PM must call a “European Security Summit” with allies

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats are calling on the Prime Minister to hold a “European Security Summit” with European leaders in light of the recent events in Afghanistan. In a letter to the Prime Minister, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey urged the Prime Minister to "start building a new international coalition by convening a European Security Summit with our close European allies." Davey has warned that “we cannot be paralysed by political failure and jeopardise our nation's safety.” Adding, "the legacy of twenty years’ sacrifice and service in Afghanistan cannot be a new terrorist threat. We cannot afford to go back to where we were twenty years ago. I urge you to act swiftly.” Commenting in the letter, Ed Davey MP said: "Prisoners who were onced kept under lock and key by…
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17Aug 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Raab’s sticking plaster on aid: Outrageous

Raab’s sticking plaster on aid: Outrageous

Parliamentary news
Responding to Dominic Raab's comments on the BBC Radio 4 Today Programme where he said he would increase the aid budget he "slashed to the bone" by 10%, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Layla Moran MP said: "It is outrageous that the Foreign Secretary has come out of hiding to announce this pitiful amount of support. This is the same person who cynically slashed aid to vulnerable women and girls in Afghanistan, making life even harder for people in the country. "They should do the honourable thing and immediately recommit pre-aid cut levels to Afghanistan to support those women and girls who need it now more than ever. "Dominic Raab's legacy as Foreign Secretary will no doubt be one of shame and downright incompetence."
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17Aug 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Unemployment stats: Figures belie scale of challenge ahead

Unemployment stats: Figures belie scale of challenge ahead

Parliamentary news
Reacting to figures released this morning showing that UK's unemployment rate dropped to 4.7% in Q2 2021 (a decrease of 0.2% on the quarter before), Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson Christine Jardine MP said: “These figures don’t give us a real picture of what is going on in our economy or the scale of the challenge ahead. "The Government needs to listen to the businesses in the hospitality sector who cannot open up fully because staff were forced to move on during the lockdown. Or the countless small businesses who say they’re months away from closing. And the parents worried how they will feed their children and pay their bills if they lose their job when furlough ends next month. “What the country needs is a long-term strategy to support jobs…
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16Aug 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Lib Dems call out Raab: “Come out of hiding to address the country”

Lib Dems call out Raab: “Come out of hiding to address the country”

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats are calling on the Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to “come out of hiding” and urgently update the nation on plans to evacuate all British citizens and Afghan interpreters from Afghanistan. Commenting, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Layla Moran MP said: “Dominic Raab’s silence is deafening and an insult to all those who have loved ones still in Afghanistan. The Foreign Secretary must come out of hiding to address the country and hold a press conference in the next 24 hours. “So far we’ve seen nothing but an utter failure of leadership and responsibility. The same will be said if he fails to address the nation. “With the barbaric Taliban already beginning their hunt for all those linked to allies based in the country, we must not leave…
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16Aug 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Kabul: Our international leaders should hang their heads in shame

Kabul: Our international leaders should hang their heads in shame

Parliamentary news
Responding to the latest news that the Taliban are forming a new Government in Afghanistan, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said: “My thoughts are with the Afghan people. Millions will be fearing for their lives - those who have any connection to coalition forces in particular. Women and girls will be terrified that their liberties and rights are about to be permanently extinguished. It is utterly dreadful. My thoughts are also with those in the British armed forces who gave so much to keep them safe for so long. “We must not conclude that this rapid collapse was inevitable. It was not. We must never forget that the scenes playing out before our eyes are a direct result of the decisions taken by President Biden, the UK Government and other…
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16Aug 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Government stats reveal care home covid cases triple in July

Government stats reveal care home covid cases triple in July

Parliamentary news
Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey has accused the Government of “leaving our care homes exposed” as statistics have shown care home cases tripled in July. The stats on Adult Social Care in England for August 2021 show: There were 14,660 positive Covid tests among care home staff in the four weeks to July 27, triple the 4,552 positive tests recorded among care home staff in June, analysis of figures from the Department of Health and Social Care have revealed.The figures are the highest since the pandemic was surging during the second wave in February of this year.2,047 care home residents tested positive in the four weeks to July 27, up from 596 the previous month. The figures also show 78% of staff in care homes have now received two doses…
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16Aug 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Holidaymakers paying millions for PCR tests that aren’t checked for new variants, research reveals

Holidaymakers paying millions for PCR tests that aren’t checked for new variants, research reveals

Parliamentary news
Holidaymakers paid an estimated £26.7 million for PCR tests in July while only 293 positive tests were checked for variants, equivalent to around £90,000 for each sequenced result.Fewer than one in twenty positive tests are being checked for new variants from top holiday destinations including France (4.9%), Greece (3.5%) and Portugal (4.2%).Only one in twelve (8.4%) positive tests of arrivals from Spain and one in ten (10.2%) from Italy are being sequenced for Covid mutations.Liberal Democrats warn that “travellers are paying through the nose for a system that isn’t doing its job.” UK holidaymakers are paying out millions of pounds for PCR tests that aren’t checked for new Covid variants, research by the Liberal Democrats has revealed. Analysis of the latest NHS Test and Trace data1 has found that arrivals…
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16Aug 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Self-isolation relaxation: “Too far, too fast”

Self-isolation relaxation: “Too far, too fast”

Parliamentary news
Commenting on the Government’s plans to relax the self-isolation rules for under 18s and those that are fully vaccinated, Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care spokesperson, Munira Wilson MP said: “The Government is going too far too fast. There is certainly a need to rationalise the self-isolation rules for those who are double jabbed and under 18s, but not to scrap them entirely.  “As we head into winter the virus will only spread faster and we still need measures in place to slow the spread. There are still 3.8 million critically extremely vulnerable people who are at significant risk who have not yet had their booster jabs. Masks on public transport and sensible self-isolation rules will be key to keeping them safe and healthy. “The Liberal Democrats believe that the…
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