14Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
New amublance stats show service at breaking point

New amublance stats show service at breaking point

Parliamentary news
New NHS Ambulance Service statistics have shown that for category C1-C2 calls, the average response time in December 2021 for England was the second longest ever, after October 2021. In addition more than 36,000 people in England who called 999 with a “category 2” condition such as a stroke or a heart attack waited almost an hour for an ambulance in December. Responding, Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said: “Ambulance services are at breaking point and it's the Government that is to blame. The Conservatives have run ambulance services into the ground with every single target being missed for the most severe cases. "Behind every single one of these statistics is a tragic personal story. "After months of failing to get a grip on the ambulance crisis, it’s…
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14Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
6 million NHS waiting list – PM must apologise to patients being let down

6 million NHS waiting list – PM must apologise to patients being let down

Parliamentary news
Responding to the new statistics that show NHS waiting lists have grown to six million while A&E waiting times are the worst on record, Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said: "Patients are being catastrophically let down by this government's woeful neglect of the NHS. "A&E waiting times are the worst on record, while millions are being left waiting in pain for an operation. "Boris Johnson was repeatedly warned about the terrible pressures facing our NHS and frontline staff, but chose to bury his head in the sand. He must apologise now to the millions of patients being let down. "An urgent strategy is now needed to improve morale and recruit more healthcare staff, to tackle the backlog, cut waiting times and offer every patient the care they deserve."
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14Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Davey: Met Police mustn’t let Boris Johnson off the hook

Davey: Met Police mustn’t let Boris Johnson off the hook

Parliamentary news
Responding to the Metropolitan Police's statement that they will not investigate any of the Downing Street parties until after the findings of Sue Gray's inquiry, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey MP said: “The evidence that Boris Johnson broke the law is clear to everyone. Cressida Dick mustn’t let him off the hook through a shady establishment stitch-up. “The police don’t need the Government’s permission to investigate a crime, and they mustn’t turn a blind eye to criminality just because it is committed by Boris Johnson. "It is ludicrous to pretend that we can leave it to a civil servant appointed by Boris Johnson to get to the bottom of this. “The Met Commissioner might think it’s one rule for Boris Johnson and another rule for everyone else, but that doesn’t…
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13Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Final national reports into child sex abuse released in time to be included in Oldham joint workshop

Final national reports into child sex abuse released in time to be included in Oldham joint workshop

Borough news, CSE, domestic abuse and violence
The final two reports of the Home Office-sponsored Independent Investigation into Child Sex Abuse (IICSA) are due to be released on February 1 (Child Sexual Exploitation by Organised Networks) and March 1 (Residential Schools).  Following conversations between Liberal Democrat Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani, senior Council management, and the Managing Director of Children & Young People, it has been agreed that following the publication of the report into CSE in Oldham at the end of this month, the Oldham Children’s Safeguarding Partnership will undertake a joint workshop with the Adult Safeguarding Partnership, which will include learning from IICSA, and inform the development of Oldham’s Complex Safeguarding Strategy. Councillor Al-Hamdani said: “The Council must be ready to accept the outcome of the report into CSE in Oldham. This is just one of the ways…
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12Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
High Court VIP Lane ruling: Conservatives treated pandemic as a cash cow

High Court VIP Lane ruling: Conservatives treated pandemic as a cash cow

Parliamentary news
Responding to today's High Court ruling that the Government's use of the 'VIP Lane' to award PPE contracts was unlawful, Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said: "This damning judgment confirms what the public already suspected. Not only did the Conservatives give their mates privileged access to lucrative Covid contracts, they did it unlawfully. "The Tory party treated a pandemic as a cash cow for their friends and donors. Once again, it's a case of one rule for Tory Ministers and their cronies and another for everyone else."
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12Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Davey letter to Cressida Dick: PM must be interviewed by Met Police on Garden Party

Davey letter to Cressida Dick: PM must be interviewed by Met Police on Garden Party

Parliamentary news
Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey has written to Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Cressida Dick, calling on her to launch a full police investigation into the Downing Street Garden Party on 20 May 2020 including interviewing Boris Johnson under caution. It comes after Boris Johnson admitted at Prime Minister’s Questions today that he did attend the party but claims he thought it was a “work event”. The letter calls on Commissioner Dick to launch a full investigation into the illegal gathering, ensure the Prime Minister is interviewed under caution about his role and confirm that if he and others are found to have broken Covid laws, they will be charged and fined in the same way as ordinary members of the public. It comes after figures revealed that over 17,700…
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12Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Cladding: Government failing innocent leaseholders

Cladding: Government failing innocent leaseholders

Parliamentary news
Responding to a Government statement from Michael Gove in Parliament on cladding, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper MP said: “The Conservative Government is still failing to understand the scale and urgency of the building safety crisis faced by many innocent leaseholders stuck in unsafe and unsellable homes. "Innocent leaseholders have eye-watering bills sitting on their kitchen tables for non-cladding fire safety defects, not knowing whether they have to pay them or not "They also have no idea what they can do if the shoddy companies that are responsible no longer exist, whether or how they’ll be protected from homelessness or bankruptcy, or when their living nightmare will end. "This is a step in the right direction - but there’s a long long way to go.”
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12Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Dentist staffing crisis as almost 1,000 walk away

Dentist staffing crisis as almost 1,000 walk away

Parliamentary news
Data acquired by the Liberal Democrats has revealed a growing dentist staffing crisis as almost 1,000 practitioners have walked away from the profession in the past twelve months. Official figures show there were 23,733 dental practitioners in 2021 - 951 fewer than the previous year, leaving more patients struggling to get the dental care they need. The information, first covered in the Express, was published in response to a Parliamentary Question by Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey, who is calling for urgent action to ensure people can get the treatment they need. Commenting Ed Davey MP said: “The lack of NHS dentists across the country is a real crisis for people. “As well as being unable to sort out dental pain in the short term, people are storing up problems…
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12Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Rural areas set to be hit hardest by energy bill price hike, including Chancellor’s own seat

Rural areas set to be hit hardest by energy bill price hike, including Chancellor’s own seat

Parliamentary news
Rural areas in England and Wales will be hit hardest by the expected rise in energy bills in April, new research by the Liberal Democrats has revealed. New analysis of ONS data by the party shows median bills are expected to rise by an average of £598, while many largely rural areas will see increases of £700 or more. Of the 20 local authorities with the highest increase in bills, 16 are only represented by Conservative MPs. This includes the Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s area of Richmondshire, where people face an average rise of £737, the fourth highest rise in England. People living on the Scilly Isles face average increases of £968, higher than anywhere in the country. It comes as energy bills are expected to rise to unprecedented levels in…
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12Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Garden party: Liaison Committee must grill PM after he ducks debate

Garden party: Liaison Committee must grill PM after he ducks debate

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats have called for an emergency meeting of the Liaison Committee, to allow MPs to grill Boris Johnson on the latest revelations about the Number 10 garden party held in May 2020. It comes after the Prime Minister refused to attend today’s Urgent Question in Parliament on the issue, instead sending Paymaster General Michael Ellis in his place. The Liberal Democrat Chief Whip Wendy Chamberlain has written to Bernard Jenkin, chair of the Liaison Committee, calling on him to hold an emergency session as soon as possible to ask Boris Johnson questions about his role in the event and whether he attended. The letter warns that Boris Johnson is “hiding behind the smokescreen” of the Sue Gray’s inquiry, adding that the idea he has to wait until the…
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