05Oct 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Soaring school infection rates show 220,000 pupils absent and reckless government inaction

Soaring school infection rates show 220,000 pupils absent and reckless government inaction

Parliamentary news
New Department for Education figures released today (12:00pm) show infection rates in schools are rising at a concerning rate with over 220,000 pupils now absent from school. Government statistics show that 2.5% of pupils were absent from state-funded schools on 30th September, up from 1.5% on the previous update on 16th September. Daisy Cooper, the Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson, has written to the Education Secretary demanding a faster roll-out of the CO2 monitors promised in August and for the government to provide schools with much needed ventilation equipment. In the letter she expressed concern that “government inaction will lead to even more school closures and even more lost learning.” She added, that just a few weeks into the school year “schools are reintroducing some of these measures - which your…
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05Oct 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
PM refusing to make misogyny a hate crime is “out of touch” and “tone deaf”

PM refusing to make misogyny a hate crime is “out of touch” and “tone deaf”

Parliamentary news
Responding to the news that Boris Johnson does not support making misogyny a hate crime, Liberal Democrat Equalities Spokesperson Wera Hobhouse MP said: "Violence against women and girls is endemic in our society. Since the tragic death of Sarah Everard, 80 women have allegedly been killed at the hands of men. We need stronger political leadership for a huge culture change. "The Prime Minister today ruling out making misogyny a hate crime shows just how out of touch and tone deaf he is. "Making misogyny a hate crime is a crucial step at the heart of reforming our criminal justice system, which has failed women and girls for too long. Yet this Conservative government is refusing to look at the real causes for violence against women and girls. "Women and…
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05Oct 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Pandora papers: Foreign property ownership law must be introduced when Parliament returns

Pandora papers: Foreign property ownership law must be introduced when Parliament returns

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats have demanded that the Conservatives finally bring in long-delayed legislation to tackle money-laundering through UK properties as soon as Parliament returns later this month. It comes as the latest revelations from the Pandora papers suggest that £4 billion worth of UK property has been bought using offshore firms. The Conservative government still hasn’t introduced legislation to establish a public beneficial ownership register of overseas entities that own UK property, despite promising it nearly five years ago. A draft bill was published in 2018 and was mentioned in the 2019 Queen’s Speech, but the law still hasn’t been introduced to Parliament. Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Layla Moran commented: “The stench of corruption and sleaze at the heart of the Conservative party is becoming hard to ignore. “The…
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01Oct 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Sunak’s £500m support fund “cold comfort” for struggling families

Sunak’s £500m support fund “cold comfort” for struggling families

Parliamentary news
Responding to the news that the government will launch a £500m support fund for vulnerable households this winter, Christine Jardine MP, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson said: "This will be cold comfort for struggling families seeing their universal credit slashed and facing the risk of eviction. "People need a generous package of support to help them cope with soaring gas bills this winter. Instead Rishi Sunak is offering then some crumbs off the table. He’s kidding himself if he thinks this will be enough to prevent the looming winter of discontent. "If the chancellor really wanted to support vulnerable households, he would scrap his cruel cuts to universal credit and the planned tax hike that will kick people and businesses when they're already down."
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01Oct 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Electric charging strategy is ‘divorced from reality’

Electric charging strategy is ‘divorced from reality’

Borough news
Urgent improvements are needed to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s electric charging strategy, according to the region’s Liberal Democrats, who have warned that the plan seems to have no plan for delivery. With a new clean air zone planned for Manchester, ensuring that there is the support needed for alternative fuels is crucial. Yet with 3,000 public chargers needed by 2025, the region has just 323 in place, and only plans to add another 54 in the next year. Oldham Liberal Democrat Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani said: “This strategy is completely divorced from reality if they think that this is good enough. At this rate, we wouldn’t have a public charging network in place in 50 years, never mind five. “It is an insult to the drivers who are being told…
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01Oct 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Ed Davey calls for Royal Commission into male violence against women and girls

Ed Davey calls for Royal Commission into male violence against women and girls

Parliamentary news
Following the sentencing of Wayne Couzens and further revelations about the Metropolitan Police, Ed Davey, Leader of the Liberal Democrats has called for a Royal Commission into male violence against women and girls and for misogyny to be immediately declared a hate crime. Commenting, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey MP said: “Enough is enough. Since Sarah Everard’s tragic death, 80 women have allegedly been killed at the hands of men. It is time to treat this issue with the most serious response possible. “The undermining of the authority of the police around the safety of women means that only the most senior form of inquiry into this matter will do. “Alongside immediate action to make misogyny a hate crime, a Royal Commission is the best way to bring long lasting…
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29Sep 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
No free bags for Oldham’s valiant litter picking volunteers

No free bags for Oldham’s valiant litter picking volunteers

Borough news
Oldham’s valiant volunteer litter pickers cannot even get free bin bags from the Council to aid them in their work. Liberal Democrat Leader Councillor Howard Sykes MBE was shocked to hear that the previous policy to provide them free has been changed under this Labour Administration and is currently ‘under review’. Councillor Sykes made his request for free bags on behalf of one of his constituents and her friend: “This lady is a keen litter picker, and has also had a friend come on board, but they have both now ran out of bags. They have been paying for their own as they have had great difficulty getting through to the Council to request more.” He was surprised when he heard that the Council is ‘unable to provide any bags’…
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29Sep 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Sykes seeks special Council to discuss action on child sex exploitation report

Borough news, CSE, domestic abuse and violence
The Leader of the Oldham Liberal Democrats has written to the Leader of the Council to seek her assurance that a special council meeting will be held in the autumn to discuss the much-awaited report on historic child sexual exploitation in Oldham. In his letter to the Leader, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE asks for sufficient time to be made available to discuss the report at the scheduled November or December meeting of the Full Council, or, as he would prefer, that ‘a special one agenda item meeting of the Full Council [be convened] as soon as is practicable after publication to enable discussion to take place.’ The Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham has stated that his intention is to publish the CSE report ‘by November or, at the very…
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29Sep 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Covid inquiry: Bereaved families have already waited far too long

Covid inquiry: Bereaved families have already waited far too long

Parliamentary news
Responding to the Prime Minister finally meeting with bereaved families who lost loved ones to Covid, and announcing the chair of the Covid inquiry will be appointed before Christmas, Ed Davey MP, Leader of the Liberal Democrats, said: "Bereaved families have already waited far too long for this inquiry. The Prime Minister promised me last July that he would hold one, but we have seen no progress in over a year. "The Prime Minister must get on with it now, so we can learn the lessons and prevent further unnecessary deaths - no more delays, no more excuses. "It is vital that this inquiry is properly independent and has the full confidence of the bereaved. The Government must consult them in choosing the chair and drafting the terms of reference."
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29Sep 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Extend furlough for top ten hardest hit sectors to avoid ‘Black Thursday’

Extend furlough for top ten hardest hit sectors to avoid ‘Black Thursday’

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats are today (30/09/21) demanding that furlough is extended for the ten sectors hardest hit by the pandemic, to avoid a “tidal wave” of job losses as the scheme comes to an end. The party has warned that the country risks facing a “Coronavirus Black Thursday”, akin to the economic crisis of Black Wednesday in the 1990s unless the government rethinks its approach. In a letter to the Chancellor Rishi Sunak, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Christine Jardine has said the furlough scheme should be extended for another six months for the ten sectors most reliant on it. She points out this would cost £600 million in total – or £100 million a month, well below the £850 million cost of last year’s “Eat Out to Help Out” scheme.…
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