22Jul 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Pay rises without cash mean more cuts to schools and the police – Davey

Parliamentary news
Responding to reports that nearly 900,000 public sector workers will receive a pay rise out of existing departmental budgets, Liberal Democrat Acting Leader Ed Davey said: “Accepting the independent review body’s pay recommendations was the very least the Chancellor could do. Yet, as overall budgets remain unchanged, the reality is our schools, police and wider public services will struggle to meet this award without significant cuts elsewhere in their budgets, including redundancies.  “And utterly failing to recognise the outstanding effort of social care staff during the COVID-19 crisis is simply not acceptable. Councils and the wider care sector must be properly funded. “Since the early days of this pandemic, Liberal Democrats have been the first to argue for a better deal for NHS and care staff, yet Ministers seem to think that…
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22Jul 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Liberal Democrat welcome for Chancellor’s cheap eats announcements

Borough news, Campaigns
The Leader of the Opposition and of the Liberal Democrat Group on Oldham Council, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE has welcomed the reduction in VAT on food purchased in pubs, cafes and restaurants from 20% to 5% for a six-month period starting last week. This was one of the Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s announcements on the 8 July. Councillor Sykes is especially pleased because the Oldham Liberal Democrat Group proposed just such a VAT reduction in a motion almost six years ago to Oldham Council. Councillor Sykes: “In September 2014, the Liberal Democrats brought a motion before Oldham Council calling for a VAT cut to 5% from 20%. This was in support of Tax Parity Day, an annual event hosted by pub chains, such as Wetherspoons, where food is reduced in price…
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22Jul 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Time to close the legal loophole, says Liberal Democrat Leader

Borough news, Campaigns
The Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on Oldham Council, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE is “dismayed” at the findings of a recent BBC investigation (9 July) which identified 164 cases of sports coaches engaging in sexual activity with 16- or 17-year olds in their care since 2016. The Oldham Liberal Democrats proposed a motion to the September 2019 meeting of Oldham Council demanding the Government “close this loophole” in the Sexual Offences Act, making this a criminal offence, as it is with teachers.  Commenting on the investigation, Councillor Sykes said: “It is incredibly sad and disturbing that despite the announcement of then Sports Minister Tracey Crouch that a change in the law had been agreed, three years on this Government has still not amended the…
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22Jul 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

PM must announce a full investigation into potential Russian interference of our democracy

Parliamentary news
Responding to Intelligence and Security Committee’s long-delayed Russia report which has concluded the Government failed to prepare or conduct any proper assessment of Russian interference with the 2016 Brexit referendum, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Alistair Carmichael said: “This watershed report confirms an alarming truth: this Conservative Government has failed to take the Russian threat to our democracy seriously, even despite the clear evidence they interfered to help Donald Trump to the presidency in 2016. “The first duty of government is to protect its citizens. However, the Conservatives have been found asleep at their post with their failure to conduct an assessment of Russian interference in the 2016 Brexit referendum. “The protection of our democracy should never come second to the Tories covering their embarrassing connections to Russian oligarchs before an…
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22Jul 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Braverman must apologise for endorsing Cummings

Parliamentary news
Responding to Suella Braverman's appearance in front of the Justice Select Committee, Liberal Democrat Justice Spokesperson Daisy Cooper said: “The public must be able to have confidence that the Attorney General is providing honest and impartial legal advice to the Government. “The Attorney General undermined public confidence by wading into the Cummings scandal for no reason other than to please No 10. It’s appalling that she still doesn’t seem to understand why what she did was wrong. “When Suella Braverman was appointed, there were concerns that she would not stand up to No 10 and would put political interests ahead of the rule of law. Sadly, her craven endorsement of Dominic Cummings’ incoherent excuses for breaking the lockdown – and her refusal to apologise for it now – confirms those fears.”
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21Jul 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Government must be clear higher debt won’t mean cuts to vital public services

Parliamentary news
Responding to ONS statistics showing that Government borrowing for June was £35.5 billion – around five times more than the same month last year – Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said: “In an unprecedented economic challenge like the coronavirus pandemic people must come before the numbers. Any Chancellor should go beyond normal borrowing to help protect peoples’ health and livelihoods. “What the Government must now make clear is that, after Covid, higher debt will not and must not mean cuts to vital public services or less investment for our crumbling infrastructure – especially in the parts of the UK that need it most. “Liberal Democrats stand firm that we must grow our way out of this crisis with a Green Recovery Plan that will invest billions to…
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20Jul 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Test and trace privacy fiasco yet another blunder by Ministers

Parliamentary news
Responding to reports that privacy campaigners have accused the Government's test and trace programme of breaking data protection laws, Liberal Democrat Health, Wellbeing and Social Care spokesperson Munira Wilson said: “The fact that the Government have potentially broken the law is just another example of Ministers’ disastrous handling of test and trace. For the Department of Health to admit there was no consideration on the impact this would have on our privacy shows that this Government is simply walking into blunder after blunder, failing to get a grip on this crisis. "Of course mass testing, contact tracing and isolation at the community level for those who test positive, is the only safe way out of lockdown, but protecting individuals’ privacy remains of the utmost importance. "The Liberal Democrats have been clear that…
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20Jul 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Government’s school funding plan shows no understanding of challenges facing schools

Parliamentary news
Responding to the publication of the Government’s funding allocations for schools in 2021-22, Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson Layla Moran said: “The Conservatives’ spending plans show no understanding of the challenges facing schools in September. They have asked schools to open as normal when our Test and Trace system is faulty. Teachers must try to reverse the harm to children’s learning, development and mental health, when many disadvantaged children have disappeared off schools’ radars entirely during lockdown. “In the face of this crisis, spending plans announced last year are utterly unfit for purpose. All the Government has added is a catch-up premium worth just £80 per pupil per year, and a tutoring fund. It’s simply not enough to pay for the small group teaching that Ministers say our children need. “The…
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20Jul 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

PM riding roughshod over our rights by restricting judicial review

Parliamentary news
Responding to reports that the Government is planning to restrict judicial review, following a Court of Appeal decision against the Home Secretary, Liberal Democrat Justice Spokesperson Daisy Cooper said: “Threatening to weaken the courts because of a judgment you disagree with is the act of dictators and despots, not democrats. “With these plans, Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings are trying to enable the Government to run roughshod over people’s rights and allow Ministers to break the law with impunity. “Liberal Democrats will always defend individuals’ abilities to challenge the Government and uphold their rights. We will not stand by and allow Johnson and Cummings to undermine the rule of law, which is so fundamental to our society.”
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20Jul 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

PM must come before MPs after IfG Brexit warning

Parliamentary news
Responding to a report by the Institute for Government which warns coronavirus has left UK firms unprepared for a no-deal Brexit, Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesperson Alistair Carmichael said: “Boris Johnson is arrogantly setting the country down a path that threatens jobs and livelihoods, and this report confirms it. People deserve better. “Now is not the time to be playing politics. Our focus must be preventing a no-deal Brexit and ensuring business has all the help it needs to protect jobs. “The Prime Minister must come before MPs before the summer recess to answer how he will address the calls for preparation support, sector specific investment and more.”
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