Author: Sam Al-Hamdani

Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Christine Jardine has secured a commitment from the Conservative Government to bring forward its Domestic Abuse Bill before Easter. In response to a question from Christine Jardine in the House of Commons, Leader of the House Jacob Rees-Mogg promised that the Government’s Domestic Abuse Bill “will certainly be introduced before Easter.” The Conservative Government promised the Bill in the Queen’s Speech of June 2017, but only introduced it for the first time in July 2019. The Bill passed 2nd Reading in the Commons and began its Committee Stage in October, but fell when Parliament was dissolved for the General Election. Following her question, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Christine Jardine said: “I welcome the Government’s promise to bring forward the Domestic Abuse Bill before Easter…

Responding to the Education Policy Institute's Annual Report on access to child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), Liberal Democrat Health, Well-being and Social Care Spokesperson Munira Wilson said: “The state of children’s mental health services in England is deeply worrying. It is unacceptable that children who have experienced abuse or have diagnosable mental health conditions are being turned away from treatment. “This report should be a wake-up call for the Conservative government. It shows they are failing children, and they will continue to fail if they do not prioritise child and adolescent mental health services. “Liberal Democrats would ensure that no child or young person who needs help is turned away from mental health services. We are calling on the Tory government to increase the funding for child and adolescent mental health services and urgently…

Responding to data revealing that incidents of upskirting have been reported to the police at a rate of almost one a day since it became a specific sexual offence, Liberal Democrat MP Wera Hobhouse, who originally proposed the Bill, said: “This horrifying statistic serves to show how necessary a change in the law was. Victims across the UK were failing to get justice and perpetrators of the crime were walking free. “The change to make upskirting a specific sexual offence has not only given protection to victims and punishment to offenders, but it has shown how widespread the crime is. “The Conservative government must now do everything it can to prevent sexual offences from happening in the first place, such as through better sex and relationship education in schools, as the fight against…

The Liberal Democrats have called on the Government to end “pointless” short prison sentences, as new official figures show that nine prisons are overcapacity by more than 50%. The extent of overcrowding in prisons is revealed today in the Ministry of Justice’s latest Prison Population bulletin. It shows that, as of the end of 2019, there are 68 prisons in England and Wales (58%) where the number of prisoners exceeds capacity. This includes nine prisons whose population exceeds capacity by more than 50%: LeicesterDurhamSwanseaWandsworthLincolnLeedsPentonvillePrestonExeter Commenting on the figures, Liberal Democrat Justice Spokesperson Daisy Cooper said: “Prisons are in crisis. With overcrowding at these levels, it’s little wonder that violence, self-harm, suicide and drug use are so common. “Overstretched staff simply can’t cope. That means prisoners aren’t being rehabilitated, resulting in high re-offending rates and more…

Responding to comments by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that Johnson’s December 2020 is ‘very tight’ and that ‘it is basically impossible to negotiate all topics I have been mentioning’, Liberal Democrat Brexit Spokesperson Alistair Carmichael MP said: “It is becoming increasingly clear that the hard deadline Boris Johnson has set for negotiating the future relationship between the EU and UK is unrealistic. “Von der Leyen’s comments highlight that the Tory government must be open to extending the transition period beyond the end of this year to ensure we do not leave with a half-baked deal or crash out without any deal at all.   “A no-deal Brexit would be catastrophic for our NHS, jobs and the environment. The government’s own reports have detailed how devastating a no-deal…

Responding to analysis by the Local Government Association, revealing that the number of children in care has risen by 28% in the last 10 years, Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Layla Moran MP said: “While councils struggle, hundreds of children are missing out on on a suitable children’s home near to their family and friends. The more councils’ budgets are squeezed, the less is being invested to prevent young people getting into crisis in the first place. “Every child, no matter their circumstances, deserves the best start in life. Conservative Ministers must therefore use this Budget to give councils the cash they need to put children’s social care on a sustainable financial footing, including helping councils to build more children’s homes. "Liberal Democrats will also continue to campaign for more investment in children’s…

Responding to today’s Commons vote on protecting child refugees, Liberal Democrat MP Tim Farron said that Tory MPs had “earned the labels” of “insular and inhumane” by voting against the cross-party amendment. Every Liberal Democrat MP voted for an opposition amendment to the Withdrawal Agreement Bill to retain a statutory duty on the Government to negotiate an agreement with the EU that protects family reunion rights for unaccompanied child refugees in Europe. However, Conservative MPs voted down the amendment by 348 votes to 252. Responding to the vote, Tim Farron said: “Tory MPs love to talk about ‘global Britain’ and claim that Brexit is really some great internationalist project. By turning their backs on child refugees they have shown it is anything but. “These Tory MPs get irritated when they are…

Liberal Democrat MPs have voted on the Party's amendment to the Withdrawal Agreement Bill to protect the rights of EU citizens living in the UK after Brexit. The amendment (New Clause 34) would have given EU citizens the right to appeal if the Home Office refused them Settled Status under the Conservative Government’s scheme, but was blocked by Conservative MPs by 343 votes to 251 votes. Liberal Democrat MPs also tabled amendments that would: Remove the Conservative Government’s arbitrary December 2020 deadline for Settled Status applications (Amendment 27).Require the Government to provide EU citizens with physical proof of their Settled Status, rather than just a digital code (New Clause 33). However, there was no opportunity for MPs to vote on these amendments. Following the vote, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesperson Christine Jardine said: “By…

Responding to the news that Boris Johnson will not make a statement on Iran and has sent the Defence Secretary in his place, Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said: “It is shameful that Boris Johnson is hiding behind his Ministers rather than addressing the intensification of tensions between the US and Iran. “The Prime Minister must stop dodging Parliament and explain what he will do to de-escalate the situation and ensure the safety of British service personnel and civilians in the region. “Boris Johnson must confirm that he will not blindly follow Donald Trump into military action against Iran. That would be the most reckless decision since the Iraq war.”

Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Ed Davey, has today announced the new Lib Dem team in the House of Commons.   The new team will speak up for the millions of people who voted for the party in the recent general election and the millions more who are dismayed with the current Conservative government. Speaking on the announcement, Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said: “We will run positive campaigns for our fresh ideas, to show how social injustice and the climate emergency can be tackled and how Britain’s poor economic performance can be turned round. "The Liberal Democrats will continue to oppose Brexit, we will show that staying close to our European friends is best for Britain’s security and prosperity. “Parliament and the political establishment are discredited and out-of-touch, we will…