northern ireland – Saddleworth Liberal Democrats

13Jun 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

NI Protocol: Govt must come clean and publish full legal advice

The Liberal Democrats have criticised Brandon Lewis' refusal to commit to publishing the government's full legal advice around its plans to overhaul the Northern Ireland protocol. It comes after Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael raised the issue in Parliament last week and demanded the government publish its legal advice in full. Liberal Democrat Northern Ireland Spokesperson Alistair Carmichael MP said: “The refusal to publish this legal advice looks like yet another attempt to cover up Boris Johnson’s repeated lies and law-breaking. The government must come clean and publish what legal advice was received and who from in full. “The public deserves full transparency over the legality of plans to rip up the Northern Ireland Protocol and risk a trade war with our closest neighbours. If Conservative ministers have nothing to…

22Nov 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Article 16: Tory chaos and confusion over Christmas triggering

Parliamentary news

Responding to the International Trade Secretary's comments that the Government would "absolutely not" trigger Article 16 before the end of the year - and Downing Street's subsequent slapping down of those comments - Liberal Democrat Northern Ireland Spokesperson Alistair Carmichael MP said: “This is yet more chaos and confusion from the Tories. Even our hard-Brexiteer Trade Secretary knows it would be madness to crash our trading relations with the EU just weeks before Christmas, and yet No 10 are refusing to rule it out. “The PM spent the morning making a chaotic speech, talking about Peppa Pig and losing the plot. Is it any wonder that ministers don’t know what their own position is? Liberal Democrats are clear – the Government must rule out triggering Article 16 so that families…

18Nov 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Conservative minister refuses to rule out triggering Article 16 before Christmas

Parliamentary news

A Conservative minister has failed to rule out triggering Article 16 before Christmas, risking disruption to families and businesses over the festive period. Responding to an urgent question in Parliament this morning by Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael, Conservative Paymaster General Michael Ellis failed to rule out triggering the mechanism this side of Christmas, adding that “we want a negotiated outcome but we are willing to use Article 16.” Meanwhile, Conservative MP Peter Bone suggested in the debate that the date of triggering Article 16 was irrelevant. Commenting after the debate, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Northern Ireland Alistair Carmichael MP said: “The government’s failure to rule out triggering Article 16 before Christmas risks catastrophic disruption to businesses and households. "This complacency could see families missing out on Christmas parcels and…

12Oct 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

NI Protocol: Tories talking casually on breaking international law

Parliamentary news

Reacting to Lord Frost's speech in Lisbon today on the UK-EU relationship and the Northern Ireland Protocol, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs and Northern Ireland Spokesperson Alistair Carmichael MP said: “This Conservative Government is playing out like a badly-written farce. The same minister who just months ago was trumpeting the Government's botched Brexit deal now says it’s intolerable and has to be changed. “After all the upheaval British businesses have suffered and all the challenges they face now, they need certainty and support from the Government, not more pointless posturing. The solution to disruption and shortages is working together with our friends and neighbours, not picking needless fights. “Boris Johnson's Conservatives have got to stop talking so casually about breaking international law. Every time they do this, it weakens the UK’s…

21Jul 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

NI Protocol: Government “taking us all for mugs”

Parliamentary news

Reacting to Lord Frost's statement on the NI Protocol, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Home Affairs and Northern Ireland Alistair Carmichael MP said: "This is a joke. The Government is taking us all for mugs when they say this mess could not have been predicted. They signed up to the Protocol knowing full well businesses would be caught up in a game of political football. It is time to get a grip and sort it out. "Their confrontational attitude will get us nowhere. Instead, they must focus on working together with the EU to help those people caught in the middle of it all. "The reality is that a solution to the Protocol’s problems is on the table by aligning with animal and food standards, which is what businesses want. That…

10Jun 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

NI Protocol: Blame slinging must stop

Parliamentary news

Commenting on the latest round of talks aimed at simplifying the Northern Ireland Protocol post-Brexit, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Home Affairs Alistair Carmichael MP said: "This meeting was an opportunity for constructive attempts to fix the problems with the Northern Ireland Protocol. Instead, all we get is blame slinging and briefing wars which do nothing to help the people caught in the middle of all this. "Continual insistence on unilateral action will get us nowhere. The issues with the implementation of the protocol will only be solved by the UK and EU working together to find a solution. "There needs to be a wholesale change in focus, with the aim of reaching alignment on sanitary and phytosanitary standards and securing a veterinary agreement."

15Mar 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Carmichael: No shock or surprise at EU legal action against UK

Parliamentary news

Responding to the news that the European Union have launched legal action against the UK for an alleged breach of the Northern Ireland Protocol trade agreement, Liberal Democrats Spokesperson for Northern Ireland, Alistair Carmichael MP, said: "Given the Government’s track record on negotiating with the EU, this comes as no shock or surprise. "Boris Johnson and his Government have made a pig’s ear of all of this. They have let down everyone – from farmers and fishermen, to businesses needing certainty for the months ahead. “I’ve always been keen to stress that there were other, more collaborative ways, to go about an extension of the grace period which would work in everyone’s best interests. “Instead, this Government was all too quick to take unilateral action. Reneging on an agreement you…

10Nov 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Lib Dem peers help defeat Government over illegality of Internal Market Bill

Parliamentary news

Liberal Democrat peers voted to remove the illegal aspects of the Internal Market Bill, with the Government being defeated by 268 votes and 259 votes on the two respective divisions. Following the votes, Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords, Dick Newby said: “The Internal Market Bill reveals just how little regard Boris Johnson and his Government have for the rule of the law – to try and ram through this legislation that breaks our international treaties is a stain on the UK’s reputation. “This Bill does not provide Northern Ireland with unfettered access to the rest of the UK, nor does it strengthen the union as Ministers are pretending – in fact it does the very opposite. This Bill was never anything more than a political…

03Nov 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Four nations meeting welcome “first step”

Parliamentary news

Responding to news that the four Governments of the UK have met to develop a UK-wide approach to restrictions for the festive period, Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said: "People across our family of nations will be reassured to hear that efforts are at last underway to ensure everyone is subject to the same guidance as they plan for the festive period, as first called for by the Liberal Democrats. "But this meeting can only be a first step. We need to see results, not just platitudes. That means comprehensive, uniform guidance for family gatherings across the UK, as well as a common approach to transport, student return and asymptomatic testing. This must happen urgently. "If we are to both keep people safe and ensure families have any…

10Sep 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Lib Dems call out PM’s “brazen hypocrisy” on rule of law

Parliamentary news

The Liberal Democrats have demanded the Prime Minister explain his “brazen hypocrisy” given his Government's readiness to break international law with the Internal Market Bill, while expecting “everybody in this country to obey the law”. The accusation follows an exchange at Prime Minister’s Questions where Liberal Democrat MP Munira Wilson asked: “If Ministers think it is acceptable for this Government to not obey the law, how on earth can the Prime Minister expect the public at home to do so?” Despite confirmation yesterday from the Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis that the proposed Northern Ireland customs legislation “does break international law”, the Prime Minister told the House of Commons that he expects “everybody in this country to obey the law”. The Liberal Democrat MP for Twickenham has called on the…