14Dec 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Zahawi on Marr: Schools crisis slipping from his grasp

Zahawi on Marr: Schools crisis slipping from his grasp

Parliamentary news
Responding to the Education Secretary’s failure this morning to guarantee that schools will not close this winter - nor reopen in the new year - in the face of the Omicron variant, Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson Munira Wilson MP said: “This failure to provide a cast-iron guarantee to parents, teachers and children on keeping our schools open just about says it all about this Government and their priorities. “Time and time again, our children have been badly let down by the Government’s inability to get on top of Covid. The Education Secretary promised to “get a grip” of this crisis, but all evidence suggests that it's slipping from his grasp as students miss out on millions of hours of lost learning every week. “Both pupil and teacher absences are through…
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14Dec 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Law Commission backs street harassment campaign

Law Commission backs street harassment campaign

Borough news, CSE, domestic abuse and violence, Parliamentary news
The national body which reviews laws has recommended that public street harassment (PSH) should be made a specific crime, a great step forward for the campaign, says local councillor and supporter Sam Al-Hamdani. After successfully getting Oldham Council to back the campaign, the local Liberal Democrat councillor has been working nationally with Our Streets Now to get the issue recognised by councils across the UK, and deliver tailored education in schools to combat harassment. The Councillor, who is also a White Ribbon Ambassador – a charity challenging male violence against women, was delighted with the news, although he warned that it still has a long way to go before it is on the statute books. He said: “When I heard the recommendation, I was delighted, although it was tempered by…
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14Dec 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
PM ‘moving the goalposts’ on booster jabs

PM ‘moving the goalposts’ on booster jabs

Parliamentary news
Responding to the Department of Health rowing back on the Prime Minister's promise for everyone to 'get their booster before the New Year', Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said: "Boris Johnson’s panicked announcement has once again caused chaos and confusion. Last night he promised people they could get a booster before the New Year, now ministers are moving the goalposts and saying people will only be offered one by then. “Their failure to prepare properly now means that NHS websites have crashed, lateral flow tests are running out, and everyone working to get people vaccinated have been left scrambling to fix a mess of the government’s own making. “Many patients are worried about what this means for their treatment in the coming weeks and whether they’ll actually be…
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14Dec 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Javid snubs meeting with West Mids ambulance trust despite warnings

Javid snubs meeting with West Mids ambulance trust despite warnings

Parliamentary news
The Health Secretary Sajid Javid has ignored requests for a meeting with his local ambulance trust in the West Midlands, despite warnings that record delays are posing a “catastrophic risk” to patients in the region. Board documents from the trust reveal that the Health Secretary was invited to a meeting over four months ago but has still not replied. It comes despite the local trust warning that record handover delays at the region’s hospitals are putting patients at risk of severe harm or even death, as it moved its risk rating to the highest possible level for the first time ever. The trust recently apologised to one 95-year old woman who was left waiting for 11 hours on the floor of her home for an ambulance with a suspected broken…
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10Dec 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Demand for urgent hospitality summit to rescue pubs and restaurants facing collapse

Demand for urgent hospitality summit to rescue pubs and restaurants facing collapse

Parliamentary news
Ahead of new Covid restrictions coming into effect, Liberal Democrat MPs have called for an emergency hospitality summit to save businesses on the brink. With some restaurants already losing half their Christmas bookings, and footfall levels in many towns and cities due to drop off, there is an urgent need for action. Businesses are increasingly worried about the coming months, with today's GDP figure rising by just 0.1% and tax rises to hit smaller businesses hard in the new year. Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP and the party's Business Spokesperson Sarah Olney MP, have written to the Business Minister demanding action. Liberal Democrat Daisy Cooper MP said: "Boris' botched and rushed announcement of more Covid restrictions without offering any new support for our hospitality sector is a scandal.…
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10Dec 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Lib Dems demand full statutory inquiry into PMs flat refurb

Lib Dems demand full statutory inquiry into PMs flat refurb

Parliamentary news
Liberal Democrat Chief Whip Wendy Chamberlain has today called for an independent public inquiry into the refurbishment of Boris Johnson's flat, after new leaked messages show the PM knew more than previously alleged. The party believes an independent, statutory public inquiry is needed to get to the bottom of the allegations. The inquiry would have the power to summon witnesses and require them to give evidence under oath, including current and former government ministers and officials, and demand the disclosure of any relevant official documents and communications. Commenting Wendy Chamberlain MP said: "Yet again Boris Johnson has been found to be lying to the public then trying to cover it up. These new leaked messages show that he did know about who was funding his flat renovation, contrary to what…
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09Dec 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Covid pass app crashes days before vaccine passports introduced

Covid pass app crashes days before vaccine passports introduced

Parliamentary news
Responding to reports the NHS Covid pass app has already crashed following the announcement the government will introduce Covid passports from next week, Liberal Democrat Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Alistair Carmichael MP said: “The government’s Covid ID cards plans have already descended into a shambles on the same day they were announced. “This chaos is leaving people unable to access the Covid pass app, just days before they will need to start using it to attend events. Ministers must fix this mess now before people are shut out of events simply because the government’s app doesn’t work. “It shows that Covid passports are not only illiberal but unworkable. The Conservatives may be able to organise a party in Number 10, but they can’t roll out Covid ID cards without them…
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09Dec 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
PM accused of “rank hypocrisy” as figures over 70,000 people have been fined for lockdown parties

PM accused of “rank hypocrisy” as figures over 70,000 people have been fined for lockdown parties

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats have slammed Boris Johnson’s “rank hypocrisy” on the Number 10 Christmas party, after it emerged over 70,000 people have been fined by police for gatherings banned under lockdown rules. Figures from the National Police Chiefs’ Council reveal 74,354 Fixed Penalty Notices were handed out for illegal gatherings under the various Covid regulations between March 2019 and the end of restrictions in July 2021. These were typically fines of £200, meaning people would have been fined around £15 million for holding illegal gatherings during the pandemic. 4,321 of those Fixed Penalty Notices were for gatherings that breached the Tier 3 rules, which applied to the whole of London when the Number 10 Christmas party took place last December. A total of 2,296 fines were handed out for all…
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09Dec 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Record hospital waiting lists: Conservative neglect leaves patients suffering

Record hospital waiting lists: Conservative neglect leaves patients suffering

Parliamentary news
Reacting to new statistics revealing that 5.98 million people are waiting for hospital treatment in England and that 10,646 patients waited more than 12 hours in A&E last month - both record highs - Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Health and Social Care Daisy Cooper MP said: “Johnson’s Conservatives are running our NHS into the ground and these damning figures should shock them into a reverse drive. “No one should be stuck in A&E for hours or left waiting weeks for hospital treatment. "Waiting times were already at a record high before the pandemic hit, but covid has pushed an already overstretched health service to breaking point. "Boris Johnson’s Conservatives have neglected health services for years, and patients are suffering as a result. “Ministers must take urgent action to rescue our…
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09Dec 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Reverse ambulance station closures to stop deadly delays

Reverse ambulance station closures to stop deadly delays

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats have called on the government to provide funding to reverse ambulance station closures, as the latest figures reveal 8,000 patients were stuck for more than an hour in ambulances outside A&E in the last week alone. Daisy Cooper, the party’s Health and Social Care Spokesperson, has today also written to the chair of the Care and Quality Commission, urging him to launch an investigation into the causes and impacts of deadly ambulance delays, including station closures. These calls form part of an emergency five-point plan to tackle the growing crisis of ambulance delays that is leaving seriously ill patients waiting hours to be treated. In addition to reversing ambulance station closures and launching an investigation, the plan includes bringing in the army to help drive ambulances, passing…
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