15Apr 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Davey on inflation: This country needs a new Chancellor

Davey on inflation: This country needs a new Chancellor

Parliamentary news
Responding to inflation reaching 7% this morning, Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said: "Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak are too busy trying to save their own jobs rather than saving pensioners and families from spiralling prices. "These new inflation figures are frankly frightening. Every day the cost of living crisis worsens yet our law-breaking leaders simply don't seem to care. This is no way to govern Britain. "This country needs a new Chancellor in place next week to deliver an emergency budget to protect households on the brink. Pensioners and hard pressed families need urgent help with their energy bill and unfair tax hikes to be immediately reversed. It is now or never to save Britain from this cost of living crisis, and it is clear this Government…
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15Apr 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Council urged to use powers to punish fly-tippers as Government scraps ‘Tip Tax’

Council urged to use powers to punish fly-tippers as Government scraps ‘Tip Tax’

Borough news
News that the Government plans to scrap charges for the disposal of DIY materials has been welcome by Liberal Democrat Opposition Leader and Shaw councillor, Howard Sykes MBE. “Placing the financial burden of waste disposal onto residents who are trying to do the right thing was wrong and it’s right that the charges should be axed. The ‘Tip Tax’ has created more problems than it has solved as residents have been turning to private collectors. In many cases fly-tipping has increased because of these unregulated operators,” stated councillor Sykes. “This will be welcomed as even more people than usual are doing DIY due to the cost-of-living crises. But fly-tipping will continue to be an issue in our communities unless the Labour council gets tougher with offenders,” councillor Sykes explained. Under…
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15Apr 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
‘Horrific’ cancer wait times revealed

‘Horrific’ cancer wait times revealed

Parliamentary news
New research commissioned by the Liberal Democrats from the House of Commons Library has shown huge disparities in cancer care across England revealing a horrific crisis right across the country. This winter, from November 2021 to February 2022 almost 195,000 patients waited longer than two weeks to see a consultant after an urgent cancer referral from their GP. The NHS target is for 93% of patients to be seen within this time but across England nearly a quarter of people don’t see a consultant for that urgent appointment. Similarly in the same time period only 1 in 7 of people received a cancer diagnosis after 28 days from an urgent referral by their GP and almost 40,000 patients waited longer than 2 months (62 days) to start treatment from their…
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14Apr 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Cladding: People still trapped in unsafe homes

Cladding: People still trapped in unsafe homes

Parliamentary news
Responding to the announcement of an agreement between Developers and the Government regarding cladding on high rise buildings, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper MP said: “It’s right that developers pay to remove dangerous cladding from buildings, but while Ministers continue to design convoluted schemes people are facing a fifth miserable year stuck in homes which are not safe. “As campaigners have called for again and again, we need an unequivocal commitment that innocent leaseholders won’t have to shoulder the cost of remediation - whether that’s external cladding or internal fixes. “Liberal Democrats continue to call for the government to stump up the cash so we can make homes safe, and then go after those responsible.”
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14Apr 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Wolfson Resignation: Lifelong Conservatives have had enough of Boris’ rule breaking

Wolfson Resignation: Lifelong Conservatives have had enough of Boris’ rule breaking

Parliamentary news
Responding to Lord Wolfson's resignation as Justice Minister due to 'repeated rule-breaking' at No10, Liberal Democrat Justice Spokesperson Wera Hobhouse MP said: "Lord Wolfston's resignation shows that, just like many lifelong Conservative voters up and down the country, he has had enough of Boris Johnson acting as though he is above the law. "We cannot have a situation where there is one rule for Boris and his mates, and another for everyone else. "Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak should both go, so we can focus on what really matters - giving families the support they need to weather the cost of living crisis."
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14Apr 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Shared Prosperity Fund: Smoke and mirrors from a Government in chaos

Shared Prosperity Fund: Smoke and mirrors from a Government in chaos

Parliamentary news
Responding to the Government launching the allocation of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokpesperson Christine Jardine MP said: “This announcement is yet another attempt at smoke and mirrors from a government in chaos. There's no new money for local communities and it does nothing to support the millions of families who are struggling with soaring energy bills right now. “This shallow effort to shore up the sinking ship by re-heating announcements from months ago will not help get Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak off the hook. “Ministers should be giving families real help – by holding an emergency budget that will help people with their energy bills and slash VAT to put £600 back in people's pockets."
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14Apr 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Councillors demand action as Shaw and Crompton Health Centre redevelopment stalls

Councillors demand action as Shaw and Crompton Health Centre redevelopment stalls

Borough news, health and social care
After the last-minute announcement from Oldham’s Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) that the planned redevelopment of Shaw and Crompton’s Health Centre would not go ahead as currently planned, Shaw councillor and Liberal Democrat Opposition Leader Howard Sykes and Crompton councillor Louie Hamblett, the health and social care spokesperson, have held a meeting with CCG representatives to get answers for the delay and to push for the work to go ahead. “I have already got assurance from Oldham Council (the Chief Executive) they will keep the land for this project and do what they can to make this happen,” stated councillor Sykes. At an urgent meeting on April 7 the CCG set out the “unforeseen” factors that had contributed to its decision including a rise in the cost of building materials. Councillor…
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14Apr 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
NHS Stats are “catastrophic for people up and down the country”

NHS Stats are “catastrophic for people up and down the country”

Parliamentary news
NHS waiting times are still failing patients, according to the latest statistics released today. Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care spokesperson, Daisy Cooper MP, said: “This is catastrophic for people up and down the country. "The Conservatives haven't just taken our health service for granted - they have completely run it into the ground. "This Government needs to act, they must launch an investigation into the crisis in our ambulance services, fill the 100,000 vacancies in the NHS and get a handle on devastating cancer waiting times.” Average waiting times for an ambulance for the most urgent incidents and emergency calls are at their longest on record. Liberal Democrat MP Helen Morgan added: “The Conservatives' continued failure to address shockingly high ambulance waiting times is horrendous. They cannot afford to…
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14Apr 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Rwanda: Total dysfunction at the Home Office

Rwanda: Total dysfunction at the Home Office

Parliamentary news
Responding to Boris Johnson's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, after Refugee Minister Lord Harrington ruled out such a move just last week, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Alistair Carmichael MP said: "The Prime Minister and Home Secretary announcing a refugees policy that the Refugees Minister doesn't even know about shows the total dysfunction at the heart of the Home Office. "If the Home Office can't even manage a press release properly, how on earth will they manage this new offshoring system?"
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12Apr 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Lib Dems report Sunak to Standards Commissioner over failure to declare multi-million investments

Lib Dems report Sunak to Standards Commissioner over failure to declare multi-million investments

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats have reported Rishi Sunak to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards - after accusing him of failing to declare details of his multi-million pound investments prior to entering the Cabinet. Last week Sunak referred himself to Lord Geidt, the Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests, regarding his Ministerial register of interests. However, Liberal Democrats are today reporting Sunak to Kathryn Stone, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, regarding his declaration of interests as an MP from 2015-2019 before entering the Cabinet. When Sunak became Chief Secretary to the Treasury in July 2019, he reported that he had investments in a blind trust, which means he is not party to the details of his own assets. However, Sunak did not declare these investments under the MPs’ register of financial interests during…
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