24Nov 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Government admits all ambulance trusts in England on high alert

Government admits all ambulance trusts in England on high alert

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats have called on the Prime Minister to host an emergency COBR meeting after it was confirmed all English ambulance trusts are at breaking point. In response to a written question by Liberal Democrat MP Daisy Cooper, the Government admitted that all ten ambulance trusts in England were at the highest alert level (Level Four) on 22 October 2021. This means all are simultaneously facing “extreme pressure” with delays across the country rising. The Government took over a month to respond to the question and has failed to make a statement to Parliament on the issue. It comes after the latest NHS figures revealed ambulance response times reached their highest levels on record in October. The Liberal Democrats are calling for an emergency plan to support ambulance services…
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23Nov 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Social Care vote: Another broken Tory promise

Social Care vote: Another broken Tory promise

Parliamentary news
Responding to tonight's vote on the Health and Care Bill in the House of Commons, Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care Spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said: “Tonight, the Conservatives have rammed through half-baked proposals which break a promise to struggling families and makes savings exclusively from the least well off. “Far from levelling up, these changes double down on inequality between the rich and poor. Now, struggling families face the double whammy of tax hikes and potentially losing their home to fund spiraling care costs. "Liberal Democrats opposed these unfair and divisive plans and will continue to fight for a fair and long term solution which will address the social care crisis facing families every day."
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23Nov 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Time for Oldham Borough’s fly-tippers to face the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA)

Time for Oldham Borough’s fly-tippers to face the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA)

Borough news
Despite the Council’s ‘Don’t Trash Oldham’ call to residents, Liberal Democrats are dismayed to learn that the Labour Administration still chooses not to use its full legal powers to aid the prosecution of the selfish fly-tippers who do. Liberal Democrat Group Leader Councillor Howard Sykes MBE has written twice to the new Chief Executive Harry Catherall seeking reassurances that Council staff are using the special investigatory powers granted them under RIPA (the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000). This gives Councils’ powers to conduct covert surveillance to aid in the detection of certain offences and the prosecution of offenders. “Oldham’s Labour Council chooses not to use these powers against fly-tippers despite the law allowing them to do so,” said Councillor Sykes. “This seems short-sighted at a time when a further…
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23Nov 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Peppa Pig ramblings perfect metaphor for Johnson’s chaotic government

Peppa Pig ramblings perfect metaphor for Johnson’s chaotic government

Parliamentary news
Responding to Boris Johnson's speech to the Confederation of British Industry conference today, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said: “Businesses are crying out for clarity. Instead, all they got was Boris Johnson rambling on about Peppa Pig. “It is a perfect metaphor for Johnson’s chaotic, incompetent Government as it trashes our economy, but it is not worthy of a British Prime Minister. “The Conservatives are hiking up taxes on small businesses and working families while failing to tackle the labour shortages crippling our economic recovery. “The Prime Minister famously said he was going to “f” business - the least he could do is to deliver a decent f-ing speech.”
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23Nov 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Liberal Democrats challenge GP waiting times after COVID

Liberal Democrats challenge GP waiting times after COVID

Borough news
Oldham’s Liberal Democrats have taken up the problems that many residents currently face on waiting times to get an appointment with their GP, after they uncovered that the data on which practices were doing well or poorly was not even being collected. Leader of the opposition on Oldham Council, Howard Sykes MBE, said: “Too many people are not getting the service they need from their GPs, and we were not getting any reasonable explanation as to why. “GP numbers in Oldham have risen over the last six years, while patient numbers per GP have fallen, yet that doesn’t match with people’s experiences of struggling to see a doctor. “After asking the Health and Wellbeing Board (16/11/21) for answers, I have been told that they will now start collecting this data,…
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22Nov 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Article 16: Tory chaos and confusion over Christmas triggering

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…
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22Nov 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Dacre: PM’s best efforts have backfired spectacularly

Dacre: PM’s best efforts have backfired spectacularly

Parliamentary news
Responding to the news that Paul Dacre has withdrawn from the race to become the next chair of Ofcom, Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson for Culture, Media and Sport Jane Bonham Carter said: "The corruption and cronyism doesn't stop at the gates of Parliament. Yet again the Prime Minister has tried to change the rules to get what he wants, and it has backfired spectacularly. "The Liberal Democrats always said Paul Dacre was not the man for the job, as was confirmed the first time he applied and was deemed unappointable. That hasn't changed in spite of Boris Johnson's best efforts to go the extra mile for his friend and hijack an independent appointment process. "From the Owen Paterson sleaze scandal to this botched fix-up, the Conservatives have shown that they…
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22Nov 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Social care plans are “two broken promises in one”

Social care plans are “two broken promises in one”

Parliamentary news
Commenting ahead of the vote on the government's social care plans, Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care Spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said: "These social care plans are two broken promises in one. "Boris Johnson promised in his manifesto not to raise national insurance tax and that no-one would have to sell their home to pay for care. Now struggling families face being hammered by unfair tax rises, while still facing losing their homes to fund care costs. "The Liberal Democrats will oppose these unfair, divisive plans in Parliament this week. We will continue fighting for a fair and long-term solution to the social care crisis."
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21Nov 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Conservative government sends Northern rail plans into buffers

Borough news
For Oldham Liberal Democrats, the Conservative Government’s Integrated Rail Review, announced 18 November, represents a “total sell out” of promises to Northern rail passengers as plans to improve the rail line between Manchester and Leeds and introduce a high-speed link from Leeds to Birmingham are scrapped. So says Oldham Liberal Democrat Group Leader Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, who also serves on the Transport for Greater Manchester committee. “The Prime Minister’s promise to make some of our key Northern rail routes fit for the twenty first century has, as have many of his other promises, come to nothing,” said Councillor Sykes. “How can we ever make rail attractive as a travel option when rail passengers continue to travel on a Victorian infrastructure that cannot accommodate high-speed trains, whilst paying sky-high rail…
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19Nov 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Patel ‘recycling the same old nonsense’ on Channel crossings

Patel ‘recycling the same old nonsense’ on Channel crossings

Parliamentary news
Responding to reports that the Home Office plans to send asylum seekers to Albania for processing, which the Albanian Foreign Minister has dismissed as "fake news", Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Alistair Carmichael MP said: “Priti Patel has no plan for how to stop dangerous Channel crossings, instead she just keeps recycling the same old nonsense about somehow sending asylum seekers to Albania. “The UK has a proud history of providing sanctuary to refugees and those in need. We can’t turn our backs on them and simply make them Albania’s, or anyone else’s, problem. “Now that the Albanian Government has once again rubbished the Home Office’s desperate spin, I hope the Home Secretary will finally consider doing what will actually work to tackle the Channel crossings: providing safe and legal…
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