01Apr 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Revealed: 8 Russian nationals on Golden Visas sanctioned by UK Government

Revealed: 8 Russian nationals on Golden Visas sanctioned by UK Government

Parliamentary news
Responding to the Government admitting that eight Russian nationals who came to the UK on Golden Visas have been sanctioned, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Layla Moran MP said: “For too long the Government has rolled out the red carpet for Putin’s cronies. These people should never have been able to buy their way into the UK with ill-gotten wealth. "We now need to know how many others who were given golden visas owe their wealth to Putin's regime, and why the Government hasn't sanctioned them too. Ministers must stop dragging their feet and finally publish the review into these visas."
Read More
01Apr 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Sewage stats: This is a national scandal

Sewage stats: This is a national scandal

Parliamentary news
Responding to new data released this morning showing sewage was dumped into rivers 370,000 times last year, Liberal Democrat Rural Affairs spokesperson Tim Farron MP said: "This is a national scandal. "The Government is letting water companies get away with polluting our rivers and poisoning animals for decades to come. Now the public is expected to foot the bill for cleaning up this mess despite water companies raking in multi-billion pound profits. "The whole thing stinks! "Why aren't Government Ministers listening to the public on this? They are ignoring the country's outrage at this scandal. The solution is staring us all in the face. The Government needs to get tough on these water companies to end this disgraceful practice. A Sewage Tax should also be introduced to make water companies…
Read More
01Apr 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Scrapping free Covid tests: Govt must come clean on costs

Scrapping free Covid tests: Govt must come clean on costs

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats have called on Ministers to ‘come clean’ over the cost of providing free Covid tests and the basis for scrapping them, in the face of surging cases and hospitalisations. Daisy Cooper, the Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care spokesperson, has tabled two written parliamentary questions asking for the total cost of providing free tests - but the Government has refused to answer claiming the information is ‘commercially sensitive’. SAGE member Professor Matt Keeling has urged the Government to halt plans to ditch free rapid testing, saying free tests could even be 'cost saving if they help prevent sufficiently many hospital admissions'. The Liberal Democrats have called on the Government to come clean and publish figures on how much is currently being spent on providing free Covid tests,…
Read More
01Apr 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Energy price hike: Emergency insulation plan needed to slash bills ahead of October rise

Energy price hike: Emergency insulation plan needed to slash bills ahead of October rise

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats are calling for a new emergency home insulation programme over the next six months, to help those being plunged into fuel poverty by soaring energy prices. Average annual energy bills will rise to £1,971 today (Friday 1st April), and are expected to increase to around £2,800 when the price cap is reviewed again on the 1st October. The Liberal Democrats have also called for a windfall tax on oil and gas companies to help kick start a home insulation programme, as well as doubling the Winter Fuel Payment and the Warm Home Discount, while expanding it to more households. The Conservatives last attempt at a home insulation programme, the Green Homes Grant, ended in failure after just six months following low take up and mismanagement by the…
Read More
01Apr 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Windrush Scandal: A Conservative Government Scandal

Parliamentary news
Responding to the progress report on the Windrush Scandal, published by independent expert Wendy Williams who was appointed to advise the Home Office, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Home Affairs Alistair Carmichael MP said: “The Conservative Government’s abysmal response to the Windrush Scandal is now a scandal all of its own. “Priti Patel has utterly failed to get a grip on the broken immigration system or scrap the hostile environment that saw innocent people wrongly detained, deported and made homeless. In fact, she is only making things worse. Her failure to sort out the Home Office is clear from the appalling chaos and delays facing Ukrainian refugees, even as families across the UK want to welcome them with open arms. “Conservative Ministers must finally admit their mistake and take the Compensation…
Read More
01Apr 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Conversion therapy U-turn is “utter betrayal”

Conversion therapy U-turn is “utter betrayal”

Parliamentary news
Commenting on the leaked report that shows the Government plan to ditch the ban on conversion therapy, Liberal Democrat Equalities Spokesperson Wera Hobhouse MP said: “This is not just yet another u-turn from the Tories, but giving the green light to a form of torture in the UK. This is an utter betrayal of the LGBT+ community. “Conversion therapy should have been banned years ago, but the Conservatives are looking the other way on this abusive and dangerous practice, this is a complete injustice. The Government must ban it without dither or delay." Conversion therapy has been described by the UN special rapporteur as torture. The Conservative Government has said that it was going to ban it, first in 2018, and then as part of the Queen's Speech in 2021.
Read More
28Mar 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Sunak must come clean over links to Infosys

Sunak must come clean over links to Infosys

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats have called for Chancellor Rishi Sunak to come clean over his links to Infosys, which continues to operate in Russia, after it has emerged that his wife holds a £490 million stake in the company. Christine Jardine MP, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson, said: "Rishi Sunak has told businesses to ‘think carefully’ about operating in Russia, yet it appears his own household has a £490 million stake in a company still operating there. "Rishi Sunak needs to come clean and declare any potential conflicts of interest. Openness and full transparency are key given the risks posed by financial connections to Russia. "The public deserves full transparency on this issue. It cannot be one rule for the Chancellor and another for everyone else."
Read More
28Mar 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Mortgage borrowers face biggest rise in interest payments since financial crisis

Mortgage borrowers face biggest rise in interest payments since financial crisis

Parliamentary news
OBR warns mortgage interest payments to surge by 42% this year, the biggest rise since 1989.Household debt servicing costs to rise from £55 billion to £83 billion over the next two years.Liberal Democrat leader warns of "ticking mortgage timebomb" that will see average borrower pay £287 more a month, and urges Government to “get a grip and slash taxes now before people lose their homes”. British mortgage owners face the biggest hike in interest payments since the financial crisis, the Liberal Democrats can reveal.  Buried in the Office for Budget Responsibility's Spring Statement documents is a stark forecast showing that mortgage interest payments are set to rise by 42% by the fourth quarter of 2022, compared to the previous year. Mortgage interest payments are then set to rise by another…
Read More
28Mar 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Use bumper energy profits to scrap ‘grossly unfair’ energy bill postcode lottery

Use bumper energy profits to scrap ‘grossly unfair’ energy bill postcode lottery

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats have called for the scrapping of the regional differences in electricity and gas bills, which is seeing some households paying £124 more for their gas and electricity just because of where they live. The UK is broken up into fourteen different pricing regions where it costs different amounts to get electricity and gas to people’s homes. This leads to people in the North of Scotland, Wales and South West England paying more for their gas and electricity bills than other parts of the country. Analysis by the Liberal Democrats shows that households in North Wales and Merseyside pay the most for their bills, paying £126 more for the same amount of energy as households in the North East who pay the least. Households in the South West…
Read More
28Mar 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Sunak Swindle: 1.3 million households set to miss out on council tax rebate

Sunak Swindle: 1.3 million households set to miss out on council tax rebate

Parliamentary news
1.3 million eligible households forecast to miss out on £150 rebate to help with energy billsFinancial watchdog says ministers to rake in £195m from lack of take-up of schemeLib Dem Leader Ed Davey demands any household that missed out should get £150 cheque in the post Around 1.3 million eligible families are set to miss out on the government’s £150 council tax rebate to help with soaring energy bills, it has emerged. The damning figures are buried in the small print of a report by the government’s financial watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), accompanying this week’s Spring Statement. It predicts that the Treasury is set to rake in £195 million from lack of take-up of the government’s flagship scheme. The OBR estimates that two-thirds of council tax payers…
Read More