30Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Deaths in prisons soar to record numbers

Deaths in prisons soar to record numbers

Parliamentary news
The coronavirus crisis has pushed the overall rate of prison deaths to a record high, new figures have revealed. The Liberal Democrats are calling for the Government to release all low-risk prisoners serving short sentences to tackle the spread of Covid-19 in prisons. The latest Safety in Custody statistics, released today by the Ministry of Justice, show that 109 prisoners died between October and December 2020 – a 70% increase on the previous three months and the highest quarterly total on record. Since March 2020, 71 prisoners have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid, and 51 of those deaths are suspected to be due to Covid. Figures released in September showed that just 316 people were released under the Government's Covid early release schemes since the start…
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30Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Former Weavers Answers public house plan refusal

Former Weavers Answers public house plan refusal

Parliamentary news
Shaw Liberal Democrat Councillors were pleased to hear that a planning application to convert the former Weavers Answer public house on Milnrow Road, Shaw into an 18-room temporary homeless hostel has been refused. Liberal Democrat Councillor for the Shaw Ward, Howard Sykes MBE, and his ward colleagues had asked for the application to be considered by the full Planning Committee and urged members of the public to comment. Shaw and Crompton Parish Council, on which Councillor Sykes also serves, registered its objections as a statutory consultee as did over one hundred residents. Today, a Planning Officer has published the decision to refuse the application on planning grounds without the need for a committee hearing. In the notice issued today to the applicant and his representative, the grounds for refusal are…
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30Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Use of Article 16 wrong and short-sighted

Parliamentary news
Responding to reports that the EU is set to impose restrictions on vaccine exports and invoke Article 16, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs spokesperson Layla Moran MP said: “The effectiveness of the COVID vaccine depends on countries working together. “The use of Article 16 to restrict the supply of vaccines is both wrong and short-sighted. I urge all sides to work together to find a resolution as soon as possible. “Liberal Democrats believe that global problems can only be solved by countries working together. Calm heads must prevail now and right the way through to the end of this crisis both at home and abroad."
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27Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Hotel quarantine must not stop grieving families saying goodbye

Hotel quarantine must not stop grieving families saying goodbye

Parliamentary news
Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael has secured assurances from the Home Secretary that bereaved family members will not be stung by new hotel quarantine measures. Speaking to Priti Patel in the Commons today, Mr Carmichael urged the Government to ensure grieving families weren't priced out of saying goodbye to a loved one. Ms Patel agreed that arrangements were needed to support those who needed to travel for "sad and exceptional" reasons. Mr Carmichael, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Home Affairs, said: “Family bereavement is hard enough even without the extra barriers put up by the pandemic. "It is right that we take measured steps to reduce the spread of the virus through international travel but people grieving loved ones must get additional support if they are forced to quarantine away from…
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27Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Why the Food Standards Agency could be given a ‘licence to kill’

Why the Food Standards Agency could be given a ‘licence to kill’

Parliamentary news
Conservative MPs have today voted to overturn safeguarding amendments to a controversial bill that could give the Food Standards Agency a licence to kill. The Government’s Covert Human Intelligence Services Bill would create a legal basis for certain public bodies, including MI5, the Food Standards Agency and the Gambling Commission, to give undercover agents complete immunity to commit crimes in the UK. A cross-party amendment inserted in the House of Lords to rule out murder, torture and sexual violence from being authorised was overturned by Conservative MPs in the Commons this evening. All Liberal Democrat MPs voted to keep the amendment. Four other amendments were also overturned by the Government, and the Bill will now return to the House of Lords. Alistair Carmichael, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Home Affairs, said:…
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27Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Boris Johnson running scared of a public inquiry

Boris Johnson running scared of a public inquiry

Parliamentary news
Responding to the Prime Minister's latest COVID 19 press conference, Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey MP said: “Boris Johnson says there will come a time to learn the lessons of the pandemic, but the public will rightly ask, if not now, then when? “The best time to learn lessons and prevent the most deaths is today. The Prime Minister can’t tell us exactly when schools will return safely, can't tell us when most of the country will be offered a vaccine and can't tell us when the current lockdown will end. What would make us think that he has any idea of when this pandemic will be over? "The Prime Minister’s insistence that there will be some definitive end point to the pandemic just isn’t borne out by…
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27Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Urgent help needed for children facing mental health ‘crisis’

Urgent help needed for children facing mental health ‘crisis’

Parliamentary news
Only 1 in 4 children who needed mental health support accessed services last year, shocking figures from the Children’s Commissioners report have revealed. MP for Twickenham Munira Wilson, the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Health and Social Care, said: “The report's findings confirm the sad reality we have known all along: the mental health of children and young people has for too long been overlooked by this Conservative Government. Week after week, I am contacted by parents whose children are struggling with their mental health and unable to access services. "With 1 in 6 children now suffering from a mental health condition, it is clear that this pandemic is not only a physical one but also a mental health crisis too. “Without urgent Government action to put young people at the…
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27Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
New Government strategy on tackling child sex abuse welcome – but we need action not just talk

New Government strategy on tackling child sex abuse welcome – but we need action not just talk

Borough news, CSE, domestic abuse and violence, Parliamentary news
The Home Office’s new Tackling Child Sex Abuse Strategy could help put the UK ahead of the world in tackling abuse, but a Government which is big on promises and poor on delivery must not miss this opportunity, says Liberal Democrat Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani. He raised concerns that much of the strategy can only be delivered with spending decisions that have been put off by the current Conservative Government, as well as new legislation which has been repeatedly delayed. The 91-page strategy details the extent to which the police, social care, intelligence agencies and government must work together to make an impact on abuse, and bring offenders to justice. It specifically targets online spaces, and focuses on providing adequate safeguarding for children and young people, as well as support for victims. Liberal…
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27Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Cancel debt to aid recovery

Cancel debt to aid recovery

Parliamentary news
Following the International Development Committee's calls for the cancellation of developing countries' debt due to the coronavirus pandemic, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs Layla Moran said: "Developing nations are facing a deadly combination of crises caused by the coronavirus pandemic - between increasing food insecurity, stretched medical supplies, disrupted education and more. Cancelling developing countries' debt would provide much needed relief during this unprecedented time. "The Conservative Government must prove it is committed to helping the world's poorest, and leaving no one behind. "Liberal Democrats will continue to continue to advocate for the world's poorest and press the Government to reinstate 0.7% of Gross National Income as development assistance, which we enshrined in law."
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27Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
We must have a public inquiry now – Ed Davey

We must have a public inquiry now – Ed Davey

Parliamentary news
Responding the Prime Minister's press conference as 100,000 people have been lost to COVID-19, Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey MP said: “Waiting for the end of this pandemic to hold a public inquiry leaves the country destined to fight yesterday’s battles. Lessons learnt after the event will come too late for thousands in our country who will lose loved ones in the coming months. They will also come too late for thousands more who will suffer the after effects of this virus such as long COVID. Liberal Democrats first called for a public inquiry six months ago: it was the right action to take then and that is even more true today. "If the loss of 100,000 people in this country is not a good enough reason to…
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