13May 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
NHS backlog: Health services ran into the ground by the Conservatives

NHS backlog: Health services ran into the ground by the Conservatives

Parliamentary news
Responding to new statistics that show the number of people in England waiting to start routine NHS hospital treatment has grown to a record high of 6.4 million and that A&E waiting times are the worst on record, Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said: "Blaming this backlog solely on the pandemic is an excuse that just won't wash. The Conservatives' have been running health services into the ground for years. "After years of neglect, health services have been plunged into crisis, with cancer patients waiting months for treatment and families facing deadly delays for an ambulance in an emergency. “Years of driving the NHS into the ground and taking it for granted is putting patients lives at risk. It's high time the Government hatch a serious plan to…
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12May 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
GDP figures: Cut VAT to boost businesses

GDP figures: Cut VAT to boost businesses

Parliamentary news
Responding to the latest GDP figures, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson Christine Jardine MP said: "These are serious economic times which require serious leadership. Families and pensioners on the brink will never forgive this Conservative Government if they fail to act before it's too late. "The warning lights are flashing red for our economy but the Chancellor is nowhere to be found. If forecasts are correct then Britain is heading for a winter of discontent. "Now is the time to slash VAT to give families and businesses a lifeline. Instead we have a Government piling tax hikes and red tape on businesses which have barely survived the pandemic."
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12May 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Ambulance Crisis: Ignored for far too long

Ambulance Crisis: Ignored for far too long

Parliamentary news
Responding to the latest news on ambulance waiting times reported by the BBC, showing a 77% rise in serious incidents reported by paramedics, Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said: “This Conservative government has ignored this crisis for far too long. Patients are being put in danger and ambulance staff are on the brink. “If the Government doesn't act now there will be more and more distressing stories of patients being left waiting for an ambulance so long that in some cases it will just be too late. “Liberal Democrats have been sounding the alarm for months, calling for an urgent investigation into England’s ambulance services and a review of ambulance station closures - but the Tory government keeps turning a blind eye." The BBC article stated that: "Doctors…
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11May 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Heart attack patients facing hour wait in ambulance wait times crisis

Heart attack patients facing hour wait in ambulance wait times crisis

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats have blasted the Conservative Government for presiding over an ambulance waiting time crisis “spiralling out of control”, as shocking new figures show that people across the country are facing increasingly dangerous delays for medical help. A Parliamentary Question tabled by the party’s health spokesperson Daisy Cooper has uncovered the shocking news that people up and down the country, in need of emergency medical attention, are waiting almost twenty minutes longer on average than they would have two years ago. The Liberal Democrats are calling for emergency action to be taken in the upcoming Queen’s Speech to address the crisis and give paramedics and handlers the support they need. This includes urgent investment in A&E departments and a new Community Ambulance Fund, as well as a review of…
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11May 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Ed Davey: Queen’s Speech shows Conservatives are neglecting rural communities

Parliamentary news
Responding to the Queen’s Speech, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said: “This Queen’s Speech does nothing to help the millions of families and pensioners facing soaring bills and eye watering inflation. The Conservatives have failed to deliver a cut to VAT that would have saved families an average of £600, failed to help pensioners and failed to help the most vulnerable in our society. “The Conservatives are continuing to neglect rural communities. There was nothing in these plans to support farmers on the brink, to tackle soaring ambulance waiting times and GP shortages, or to stop the dumping of filthy sewage into our river and seas. “It shows a Prime Minister refusing to listen to the clear message sent by voters at last week’s local elections who are fed up…
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11May 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Emergency budget: £38m tax bill for every day of inaction

Emergency budget: £38m tax bill for every day of inaction

Parliamentary news
Every day without an emergency budget costs the squeezed-middle £38 million extra in taxesHouseholds pay extra £1.6 million in tax for every hour Parliament debates Queen’s SpeechLib Dem MP calls the debate “the most expensive waste of time by Parliament I have ever known” Analysis by the Liberal Democrats has found the additional tax hikes introduced by this Conservative Government is costing households £38 million a day. The figures come as Michael Gove denied the Government would be introducing an Emergency Budget this week despite hints from the Prime Minister in Parliament yesterday. Today, Parliament will be debating the Queen’s Speech, yet hard-pressed families will be forking out an extra £1.6 million per hour in tax hikes. These tax increases include the hit from National Insurance Contributions increasing and the…
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11May 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Gove rules out emergency budget in “shambles”

Gove rules out emergency budget in “shambles”

Parliamentary news
After Michael Gove ruling out an emergency budget to help tackle the cost of living crisis, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson Christine Jardine MP said: "This is a complete shambles. "Millions of families and pensioners are struggling to get by. They need more help now before things get even worse in the autumn. "Instead all we get from this Conservative government is chaos and confusion. "An emergency budget is needed now to cut taxes for ordinary families while taxing the super profits of oil and gas companies. That would be the fair and right thing to do."
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10May 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Davey victory speech: Blue Wall gains sending “almighty shockwave”

Parliamentary news
Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey has described the local election results, which have seen his party gain 58 seats across England so far, as “an almighty shockwave that will bring this Conservative Government tumbling down”. Ed Davey made the comments at a victory rally in the ultra marginal constituency of Wimbledon, where the party has gained 12 seats in the Merton Borough elections. The Liberal Democrats have also gained ground in Cheadle (Stockport), Witney (West Oxfordshire) and Eastleigh – all seats where the party is in a strong second place to the Conservatives. The Liberal Democrats have won control of Hull City Council from Labour, as well as gaining a further nine seats in Richmond-upon-Thames, where they took control from the Conservatives in 2018. In a victory speech to party…
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10May 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Queen’s Speech: Rescue package needed for rural communities let down by Conservatives

Queen’s Speech: Rescue package needed for rural communities let down by Conservatives

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats are demanding a rescue package for rural communities in the Queen's Speech that have been “forgotten about” by Boris Johnson and his Conservative Government. It comes after a huge backlash against the Conservatives in rural areas at the local elections with the Liberal Democrats making sweeping gains, including taking control of Somerset and Westmorland and Furness councils. The Liberal Democrats have demanded that the Queen’s Speech address some of the glaring issues being faced by people living in the countryside, such as long ambulance waiting times and the pumping of raw sewage into rivers and waterways. Sewage: Bring into law Tim Farron’s Sewage Discharges Bill, which would ban water companies from dumping sewage into rivers and legislate to name and shame those companies who poison animals and swimmers.Farming: Introduce…
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10May 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Public Order Bill: Government recycling discredited plans

Public Order Bill: Government recycling discredited plans

Parliamentary news
Following the Government announcement that they will try to revive some proposals that were rejected from the Police, Crime, Sentencing, and Courts Bill in a new 'Public Order Bill', Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael MP said: "These dangerous and draconian plans aren’t about stopping guerilla protestors - the police already have the powers to stop them. Instead, this is yet another desperate attempt to distract from a failing Government that is running out of steam. "Last week, millions of people across the country sent a signal to the Conservatives that they were fed up with being taken for granted. Yet now we see they have nothing new to offer. "So rather than wasting time recycling discredited plans, which have already been rejected by Parliament, Ministers should be taking…
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