14Mar 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Lib Dems call for action to improve air quality

Lib Dems call for action to improve air quality

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats have blasted the Government for its slowness in taking action on air pollution, the cause of thousands of premature deaths each year in the UK. The Party passed a motion at its Spring Conference today which called for a greater empowering of local authorities and the introduction of stricter, legally-binding national limits for particulate matter and other pollutants. In 2019, fine particulate matter was responsible for more than 33,000 deaths while nitrogen dioxide was responsible for a further 5,750. In spite of this, UK limits for both are set at four times the level of the World Health Organisation guidelines. Under the proposals, local authorities would receive greater funding to tackle air pollution in their area. This would allow them to install more pollution sensors near major…
Read More
14Mar 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Lib Dems adopt most ambitious policy on Ukrainian refugees of any major UK party

Lib Dems adopt most ambitious policy on Ukrainian refugees of any major UK party

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats have adopted the most ambitious policy towards Ukrainian refugees of any major UK political party, warning the government’s current approach is a “chaotic shambles.” The policy calls on the government to enable refugees from Ukraine to come to the UK without having to apply for a visa. The party’s Foreign Affairs spokesperson Layla Moran said even the government’s latest sponsor scheme would still force Ukrainian refugees to “jump through bureaucratic hoops” to come to the UK. It comes as Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey calls on Boris Johnson to sack Priti Patel over her mishandling of the Ukrainian refugee crisis, which has left families fleeing war struggling to get appointments and facing long delays to have their visa applications processed. Layla Moran MP, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs…
Read More
14Mar 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Oligarch mansions: At this rate there won’t be any left to seize

Oligarch mansions: At this rate there won’t be any left to seize

Parliamentary news
Responding to Michael Gove saying the Government is considering to seize oligarch's mansions to house Ukrainian refugees, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael MP said: “This is the right move but once again the Government is moving so slowly that they risk letting Kremlin-linked oligarchs off the hook. “The Tories have managed to take money off Russian oligarchs for years and never found it as difficult as they seem to now. “So far the Government has sanctioned just 18 oligarchs, fewer than one a day since the invasion. At this rate there won’t be any oligarchs’ mansions left to seize - they’ll all have sold up and fled the country.”
Read More
13Mar 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Lib Dems call for stronger relations with Europe to counter threat of Putin

Lib Dems call for stronger relations with Europe to counter threat of Putin

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats have called on the UK government to urgently forge stronger diplomatic relations with our European neighbours, to help counter the threat posed by Putin’s Russia. The call comes as part of a new motion on Europe, passed by the Liberal Democrats at their Spring Conference, which sets out a plan for building trade and cooperation with our European partners. The motion sets out a comprehensive roadmap to improve the UK’s trading relationship with Europe, benefitting British families and businesses. It acknowledges that ties between the UK and Europe have been deeply damaged and will have to be built back gradually over time. The four-stage plan is as follows: Taking immediate action to improve links with our European neighbours, including building closer ties in education by reforming the…
Read More
13Mar 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Sewage: Call for a local environment activist on water company boards

Sewage: Call for a local environment activist on water company boards

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats have passed a motion at their Spring Conference today which demands local environmental groups sit on the boards of water companies. The move follows outrage at water companies discharging sewage into rivers over 400,000 times in 2020, according to the Environment Agency. Sewage discharge includes Thames Water dumping more than two billion litres of sewage into the River Thames in just two days alone, the Environmental Audit Committee discovered. Thames Water were also found to have pumped raw sewage into the River Wey near Guilford an estimated 1,780 hours in one year. By forcing water companies to accept local environmentalists onto their management boards, the public will be able to hold firms to account for dumping sewage into rivers. Local groups will hear first hand how bad…
Read More
13Mar 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan passes ambulance crisis motion

North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan passes ambulance crisis motion

Parliamentary news
Helen Morgan Liberal Democrat MP for North Shropshire has this evening passed a party policy motion at the Liberal Democrats Spring Conference to tackle the ambulance service crisis. In the new policy, called ‘The Crisis in Our Ambulance Services’ passed by Liberal Democrat members this weekend the party calls for: Emergency funding to be made available to ambulance trusts to reverse closures of community ambulance stations and cancel planned closures where needed.The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Sajid Javid to commission the CQC to conduct an investigation into the causes and impacts of ambulance service delays.An Ambulance Waiting Times Bill to be passed into law requiring accessible, localised reports of ambulance response times to be published.A campaign to retain, recruit and train paramedics and other ambulance staff.…
Read More
13Mar 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Lib Dems warm of Blue Wall Farmers revolt – “We are now the party that Backs British Farmers”

Lib Dems warm of Blue Wall Farmers revolt – “We are now the party that Backs British Farmers”

Campaigns, Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats have put the Conservatives' former rural heartlands on notice at their conference this weekend. It comes as the party has passed sweeping reform aimed at targeting the farming community that is “fed up with being taken for granted by the Government”. The push to win the farming community comes after the North Shropshire by-election which caused a political earthquake in true blue Shropshire. Now the party is gearing up to win over farmers in the May elections where eyes are on the blue walls of rural heartlands in places like Somerset, Herefordshire and Westmorland - key Lib Dem, Conservative battlegrounds in May. Alongside the “Back British Farmers” party policy reform the Liberal Democrats have also launched specialised farmers campaigning packs for local Lib Dems to gain support…
Read More
10Mar 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Priti Patel still isn’t making it easy for Ukrainian refugees

Priti Patel still isn’t making it easy for Ukrainian refugees

Parliamentary news
In response to Priti Patel's announcement that Ukrainians will be able to apply for their visas online and then complete their biometric documents upon arrival in the UK, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Alistair Carmichael MP said: “It is shameful that the Home Secretary has to be dragged inch by inch towards a compassionate response to Ukrainian refugees fleeing Putin’s bombs. “Even after all the appalling images we have seen, Priti Patel is still limiting the scheme to those with close family in the UK, and forcing them to apply for a visa before they come here. That has to change. “The Government must listen to what people across the UK are saying: let Ukrainian refugees come here without having to apply for a visa beforehand, and welcome them with…
Read More
10Mar 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Ambulance waiting times: Government sitting on their hands

Ambulance waiting times: Government sitting on their hands

Parliamentary news
Responding to the news that A&E waiting times are worsening and this is impacting ambulance response times, Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said: “These shocking figures show too many people are being left stranded waiting for an ambulance to arrive, waiting in pain and distress for the medical care they need. “People are being let down by a Conservative Government that is sitting on its hands whilst lives are put at risk due to their incompetence. “After years of driving the NHS into the ground, the Tories need to set out a credible plan to tackle the multiple crises facing our A&Es, ambulance services, and the chronic staffing shortages across health and care that are leaving patients at risk.” Ambulance waiting times for life-threatening calls…
Read More
10Mar 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Davey: Send in armed forces personnel to help get Ukrainian refugees to the UK

Davey: Send in armed forces personnel to help get Ukrainian refugees to the UK

Parliamentary news
Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey has called on Boris Johnson to send in armed forces personnel to speed up safe routes for Ukrainian refugees to reach the UK. It comes as the Home Office has been strongly criticised for failing to get to grips with the crisis, leaving Ukrainian families fleeing war struggling to get appointments and facing long delays to have their visa applications processed. Speaking at PMQs today, Ed Davey challenged the Prime Minister to help resolve the issue by deploying armed forces personnel to supplement Home Office and Border Force staff in Calais and at visa centres across Europe. This would help ensure refugees from Ukraine seeking to reach the UK are able to enter the country quickly and safely. Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said: “The…
Read More