01Feb 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Davey: PM must “come clean” if fined by police

Davey: PM must “come clean” if fined by police

Parliamentary news
Responding to reports Number 10 won't say if Boris Johnson and others in Downing Street are fined by the police over law-breaking parties, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said: "This stinks of a cover up by Number 10. Even Richard Nixon believed a country deserves to know whether their leader is a crook. “Boris Johnson must come clean with the public and resign if he's broken the rules and been fined by the police. We cannot allow justice delayed to become justice denied."
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01Feb 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Taxpayer left with £10bn bill for ‘criminal’ PPE waste

Taxpayer left with £10bn bill for ‘criminal’ PPE waste

Parliamentary news
The National Audit Office has reported that last year the Department of Health and Social Care had £1.3bn of spending not signed off by the Treasury whilst almost £10bn was wasted on unsuitable and unusable PPE. The damning report states that: “The Department was not able to manage adequately some of the elevated risks, resulting in significant losses for the taxpayer.” Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader and Health Spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said: “Losing £10 billion of taxpayers' money on PPE isn’t just careless, it’s criminal. “With billions being lost to fraudsters, and now this, it’s plain to see that this Tory government cannot be trusted with our money. "Sajid Javid must now come before Parliament, explain how his government ended up throwing good money after bad and what he's going…
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31Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Another shameful hit on young people from the Government

Another shameful hit on young people from the Government

Parliamentary news
Responding to the Government announcing the freeze on the student loan repayment threshold for the financial year 2022/3, Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson Munira Wilson MP commented: "Freezing the student loan repayment threshold is yet another hit on young people by the Conservative Government. "This means a real terms increase in repayments of around £150 a year on graduates with student loans. "It’s a truly shameful move from the Government. Let’s not forget the Government has just increased taxes for young people by raising National Insurance. "The Chancellor should be focusing on growing the economy by investing in education, skills, and backing small businesses rather than damaging countless young people’s lives."
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31Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
£1,000 saved a year for typical family under Lib Dem cost of living package

£1,000 saved a year for typical family under Lib Dem cost of living package

Parliamentary news
– Ed Davey sets out rescue package of measures to save typical struggling family almost £1,000 this year – Lib Dems call for summit in Number 10 with top utility companies to thrash out solutions to cost of living crisis – Boris Johnson told to stop obsessing with saving his own career and focus on cutting bills for struggling families Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey has called on Boris Johnson to hold a cost of living summit in Downing Street with the bosses of top energy and other utility companies. The Liberal Democrats have warned that the Prime Minister is “missing in action,” and too busy trying to save his own skin rather than working to help struggling families. The proposed summit would require the heads of the top five…
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28Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Government putting sanctions ahead of people

Government putting sanctions ahead of people

Parliamentary news
Responding to the Government's 'Way to Work' campaign Liberal Democrat Work & Pensions Spokesperson, Wendy Chamberlain MP said: “Rather than supporting people to find secure long-term employment, the Government is now attempting to force people into accepting any job going. “This callous move could see skilled workers forced to accept insecure short term employment, for fear of having the rug pulled out from under them, and create a cycle of unemployment. “What is worse, these harsh sanctions could be applied within weeks of applying for Universal Credit - before people’s first payment even arrives. “We are in the middle of a cost of living crisis, with energy bills soaring and reliance on food banks rising. If the Government can write off billions in Covid fraud, they can afford to genuinely…
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28Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Liz Truss £500k flight a “staggering” waste of taxpayer’s cash

Liz Truss £500k flight a “staggering” waste of taxpayer’s cash

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats have slammed Liz Truss spending £500,000 on a private jet to Australia as a “staggering” waste of taxpayers’ cash and demanded she apologise to the public who are facing a National Insurance tax rise in April. Analysis by the party shows that the money spent on Liz Truss’ flight would cover the tax hike faced by almost 2,000 people. Liberal Democrat Business Spokesperson Sarah Olney MP said: “This is a staggering waste of taxpayer’s cash at a time many families are feeling the pinch. “Once again we see just how out of touch this Conservative government truly is to the millions of people struggling to get by. “Not content with breaking their manifesto promise not to raise National Insurance tax, Conservative ministers are now jetting round the…
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28Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Crime stats: Government failing survivors of sexual violence

Crime stats: Government failing survivors of sexual violence

Parliamentary news
Responding to today's quarterly crime stats, which show that sexual offences are at their highest level recorded within a 12 month period and rape offences are at their highest annual number on record, Liberal Democrat Justice and Women & Equalities Spokesperson Wera Hobhouse MP said: “These appalling figures lay bare the disturbing truth that violence against women is endemic in our society. “Survivors deserve justice. They deserve to be properly supported to come forward and be listened to when they do. What they don’t deserve is to be failed by a Government that sits on its hands and allows far too many violent predators to walk free without facing the consequence of their actions. “Wholesale changes are needed across the board to ensure survivors get the justice they need. That…
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28Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Failure to publish Sue Gray report in full would be an “insult to the bereaved”

Failure to publish Sue Gray report in full would be an “insult to the bereaved”

Parliamentary news
Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey has written to Boris Johnson demanding he publish the Sue Gray report in full, alongside any accompanying evidence such as photos, emails and messages. The letter warns that any attempt to use the Met Police as an excuse to “whitewash” the report will only cause more public anger, including among tens of thousands of bereaved families furious with Boris Johnson for holding rule-breaking parties in Number 10. The letter states that nothing should be left out or redacted from the report unless that has been specifically requested by the police. The Liberal Democrats also highlight how government ministers have referred to the Sue Gray report over 130 times in Parliament in recent weeks, including 22 times by Boris Johnson himself. The letter adds that government…
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28Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Davey on NI tax: Stop faffing about and scrap hike

Davey on NI tax: Stop faffing about and scrap hike

Parliamentary news
Responding to the Government's planned rise in NI contributions from 1st April, Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey MP said: "The Government needs to stop faffing about and just scrap this deeply unfair and untimely tax hike. "Every day eye-wateringly high energy bills are arriving through letterboxes, while the prices of other basics like food are soaring too. Rishi Sunak's tax hike will be the last straw for millions of people. "This out of touch Conservative Government must get a grip. It is time Ministers got out of their Downing Street bunker and focused on helping the British people, rather than just looking after themselves.”
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26Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Johnson breaking police pledge as officer numbers fall

Johnson breaking police pledge as officer numbers fall

Parliamentary news
The Conservative Government is off track on its manifesto pledge to recruit 20,000 more police officers by March 2023, with new official figures showing the number of officers actually fell by 413 in December. A total of 11,048 extra officers have been recruited under the Government’s uplift in the 29 months since it started in September 2019 – a rate of 381 more officers per month. To meet the target of 20,000 by March 2023, that rate would have to increase to 597 per month over the next 15 months. Four police forces now have fewer officers than they did a year ago, according to the Home Office figures: Thames Valley (down 29), Gloucestershire (down 22), Warwickshire (down 12) and City of London (down 8). Responding to the figures, Liberal…
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