Veiled threat to Met Police from Boris Johnson ally over partygate a “dark moment”

Veiled threat to Met Police from Boris Johnson ally over partygate a “dark moment”

Parliamentary news
Responding to reports that a senior ally of Boris Johnson has said the Met Police will need to be 'very certain' that he has breached lockdown rules before issuing him with a fine, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said: “This veiled threat by Number 10 allies is amongst very heavy competition perhaps the darkest moment of this whole sorry saga. “It shows a fundamental belief in the heart of government that Boris Johnson should be above the law and that Number 10 will bring any institution into disrepute to save Johnson’s skin. "This is a sobering reminder of why we need a cast-iron guarantee that Boris Johnson and his team will have nothing to do with the appointment of Cressida Dick's successor. “There was a time that the Conservatives called…
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Growing court backlog is failing rape survivors

Growing court backlog is failing rape survivors

Parliamentary news
More than 1,300 rape cases are waiting to be brought before the Crown Court, as new figures from the Ministry of Justice reveal the backlog in the Justice system has grown. In total there are 1,336 cases involving charges of rape waiting to be heard. Of these, 289 cases are still ongoing more than a year after reaching the courts, and the average case now takes more than 14 months (435 days) from charge to completion. Responding to the figures, Liberal Democrat Justice Spokesperson Wera Hobhouse MP said: “This Conservative Government is failing survivors by letting too many rapists walk free. Cases drag on far too long and conviction rates are appallingly low. “Even before the pandemic, Tory Ministers had let this backlog soar out of control. They need to…
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Another ‘Winter of Discontent’ looms due to Tory failure

Another ‘Winter of Discontent’ looms due to Tory failure

Parliamentary news
Reflecting on the series of crises that are erupting under the Conservative Government, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for the Treasury Christine Jardine MP said: "The Government has spent months lurching from crisis to crisis, and the consequences will be felt by normal families as we head towards Christmas. "From driver shortages to the lack of food on shelves, to huge backlogs in our NHS and courts, it is clear Boris Johnson is steering us towards another Winter of Discontent. "His Government is wilfully exacerbating the problem by pulling away furlough and taking away the Universal Credit uplift, which will hit the worst off in society hardest." "This all comes amid rising Covid cases as children return to schools. History tells us this dithering, incompetent Government will fail to get a grip…
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“Staggering” suppression of sick pay slammed

Parliamentary news
Liberal Democrats MPs Munira Wilson and Christine Jardine have written to the Chancellor demanding the Government protects lives and livelihoods in response to reports HM Treasury suppressed access to sick pay for furloughed workers. The letter also highlights the lack of new support for businesses and workers following the month-long extension of Coronavirus restrictions. Munira Wilson MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Health, commented: “At the beginning of this pandemic the Chancellor promised he would do ‘whatever it takes’ to protect people's livelihoods. Yet his department stands accused of suppressing access to support for those self-isolating, one of the country's most effective tools for slowing the spread of this terrible disease. “Liberal Democrats have been calling on the Government to provide proper financial support for small businesses and fix the broken…
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Sykes appeals to Lord Chancellor over lenient magistrate court sentence

Borough news, CSE, domestic abuse and violence
Councillor Howard Sykes, MBE, Leader of the Real Opposition and the Liberal Democrat Group on Oldham Council, has written to the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Robert Buckland MP, seeking a change in the law after receiving a frustrating letter denying him a review of an unduly lenient sentence. On 15 March, councillor Sykes wrote to the Attorney General’s Office asking for a review of a case in which Shaw resident, Javid Miah, 23, had sexually assaulted a woman in a frightening attack in Oldham town centre, but Miah had inexplicably not received an immediate custodial sentence for his crime. Councillor Sykes said: “This case caused many of my constituents’ real disquiet. This offender lives in my hometown and yet he was set free to continue to…
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Lib Dem peers fight to fix Government’s crimes bill

Lib Dem peers fight to fix Government’s crimes bill

Parliamentary news
The House of Lords will vote tomorrow [Monday 11th January] on Liberal Democrat amendments to add crucial safeguards to the Government’s Covert Human Intelligence Sources (Criminal Conduct) Bill. The Bill puts into law for the first time powers for various public bodies – including the police and MI5, but also the Environment Agency, the Food Standards Agency and three Government Departments – to authorise undercover informants to commit crimes. As it currently stands, informants would be given complete immunity for crimes authorised under the Bill, rather than it being for prosecutors to decide that prosecution is not in the public interest. A cross-party amendment co-sponsored by Liberal Democrat peer Brian Paddick [Amdt 1] would remove immunity from the Bill, preserving the status quo. A separate Liberal Democrat amendment [Amdt 32]…
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Government must act urgently to address courts backlog

Government must act urgently to address courts backlog

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to take urgent action to tackle the growing backlog of court cases, as new official statistics reveal the scale of the problem. The figures, published today by the Ministry of Justice, show that the number of outstanding criminal cases in the Crown Court has risen from 33,248 at the end of 2018 to 50,918 at the end of September – a 53% increase in less than two years. Separate Ministry of Justice statistics, also published today, show that the average length of care proceedings in the Family courts has risen to over 40 weeks for the first time since 2013. In July to September this year, just 29% of these cases were disposed of within the 26-limit set by the Children and…
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Government inaction failing survivors of sexual violence

Government inaction failing survivors of sexual violence

Parliamentary news
Responding to the Victims Commissioner’s report on rape survivors and the criminal justice system, Liberal Democrat Justice Spokesperson Wera Hobhouse said: “Survivors deserve justice. They must be properly supported to come forward and be listened to when they do. “However, as this report shows, far too many survivors are put off reporting the crime for fear of being disbelieved, and far too many who do come forward find the whole process traumatic. Government inaction is failing survivors of sexual violence and allowing too many criminals to walk free. “It is incomprehensible that the Government’s review of rape cases is doing so little to engage with survivors – especially given the clear evidence that the system simply isn’t working for them. “Ministers must listen to survivors, complete the review as soon…
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Accepting rule of law appears optional for Ministers under Boris Johnson

Accepting rule of law appears optional for Ministers under Boris Johnson

Parliamentary news
Responding to the Lord Chancellor's comments on The Andrew Marr Show that he would resign “If I see the rule of law being broken in a way that I find unacceptable”, Liberal Democrat Justice Spokesperson Wera Hobhouse said: “As Lord Chancellor, Robert Buckland swore an oath to respect the rule of law. It is utterly appalling to see him shrug his shoulders like this when the Conservative Government is preparing to break it. It seems that under Boris Johnson, accepting the rule of law has become optional. “For the sake of the future of our country, Ministers must stop playing fast and loose with the rule of law. Far from protecting the national interest, Boris Johnson's Government seem content to see the UK's international reputation trashed. “The Liberal Democrats will…
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Braverman must apologise for endorsing Cummings

Parliamentary news
Responding to Suella Braverman's appearance in front of the Justice Select Committee, Liberal Democrat Justice Spokesperson Daisy Cooper said: “The public must be able to have confidence that the Attorney General is providing honest and impartial legal advice to the Government. “The Attorney General undermined public confidence by wading into the Cummings scandal for no reason other than to please No 10. It’s appalling that she still doesn’t seem to understand why what she did was wrong. “When Suella Braverman was appointed, there were concerns that she would not stand up to No 10 and would put political interests ahead of the rule of law. Sadly, her craven endorsement of Dominic Cummings’ incoherent excuses for breaking the lockdown – and her refusal to apologise for it now – confirms those fears.”
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