Author: Sam Al-Hamdani

In the House of Commons tomorrow, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Christine Jardine will present a Private Members’ Bill to guarantee the rights of EU citizens to stay in the UK. The European Citizens’ Rights Bill would give all EU citizens living in the UK before Brexit the automatic right to stay, without having to apply to the Home Office’s Settled Status scheme. The Liberal Democrats pointed out that Boris Johnson has repeatedly promised that EU citizens would automatically be granted the right to stay, but failed to deliver on that promise. Instead, EU citizens have to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme by the end of June 2021, and only 1.6 million of the 3.6 million EU citizens living in the UK have been granted Settled Status so far.…

The Liberal Democrats will today present a Bill with cross party support which would require the Government to ringfence mental health spending for veterans and members of the armed forces. Speaking ahead of presenting the Bill, Liberal Democrat Defence spokesperson Jamie Stone warned “with a spike in suicide amongst service families, the Government must urgently commit to proper support.” The move by the Liberal Democrats comes after that cuts to the NHS have meant that mental health charities, such as Combat Stress, are no longer able to take on new referrals in England. The party has written to the Chancellor urging him to take immediate action and recognise the importance of these mental health services in the Budget. Liberal Democrat Defence spokesperson Jamie Stone said: “People who have served in our armed…

Responding to the follow-up report from the Institute of Health Equity, 'Health Equity in England: The Marmot Review 10 Years On', Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Munira Wilson said: “It is shameful that still where you live and your gender affects how long you will live. The health gap between poorer and more affluent areas has not only been ignored but allowed to fester, and has had devastating consequences for those struggling to get by.  “This gap not only shows that the systemic inequalities in our society are not being tackled by the Tory government, but what’s more harrowing is that it shows how preventable these health issues are.  “The Liberal Democrats have long supported an integrated public health approach and investing in preventative measures to help alleviate the effects of inequality…

Responding to the Environment Secretary failing to offer a commitment on Sophy Ridge today that the import of chlorinated chicken will be off the table in any trade deal with the US, Liberal Democrat Food and Rural Affairs spokesperson Tim Farron said: “Farming communities up and down the country are rightly concerned about being undercut by low-standard imports from the US. “With the Tories’ desperation for a trade deal with Donald Trump, it would appear they are rolling back on their promises. They are wilfully threatening British consumers and farmers. “The Liberal Democrats will stand shoulder to shoulder with British farmers and consumers and stop Boris Johnson ramming through a damaging Trump trade deal.”

Responding to ONS figures that show the UK posted a budget surplus of £9.8bn in January, down 18% compared to the same time last year, Liberal Democrat Acting Leader Ed Davey said: “Rishi Sunak is now under even greater pressure to deliver a budget that works for all people. “Under Johnson the economy has been an afterthought. 2019 ended with a quarter of no growth, falling manufacturing output and declining business investment. Now just weeks before the budget even the fiscal picture is in question. “The Chancellor must prove that he can do more than just please Number 10. He must deliver for workers, businesses and the environment while making the sums add up. The Liberal Democrats will hold his budget to account and offer an alternative economic vision for a more prosperous…

Responding to Priti Patel's claim that UK staff shortages can be dealt with by training 8.45 million people who are economically inactive, Christine Jardine MP, Liberal Democrat Home Affair spokesperson said: “This claim is yet more evidence that the Tory Government does not care a jot about people's lives.  “Rather than allowing people to travel to the UK and contribute to our economy by working, Priti Patel would rather drag people out of education, out of retirement and out of hospital beds and set them to work.   “What’s more, they are unfairly deeming whole sectors ‘low skilled’ when they are nothing of the sort. Shortages of overseas workers will affect the most vital sectors of our economy and society, not least our health service and social care sector. We can’t just pull…

Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey has warned the Prime Minister that “serious questions remain” over the recruitment of Andrew Sabisky by Dominic Cummings and called for the Prime Minister to “condemn the offensive comments” and “curb Dominic Cummings’ power to appoint and sack at will”. The warning comes amidst Downing Street’s continued refusal to say whether Boris Johnson agrees with Andrew Sabisky who suggested black people were mentally inferior and advocated compulsory contraception to prevent a “permanent underclass”. Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said: “The Prime Minister should never have allowed Dominic Cummings to recruit someone with such extreme and offensive views. Serious questions remain as to why due diligence was not followed in the recruitment of someone clearly so unfit to be in…