10Jun 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
NI Protocol: Blame slinging must stop

NI Protocol: Blame slinging must stop

Parliamentary news
Commenting on the latest round of talks aimed at simplifying the Northern Ireland Protocol post-Brexit, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Home Affairs Alistair Carmichael MP said: "This meeting was an opportunity for constructive attempts to fix the problems with the Northern Ireland Protocol. Instead, all we get is blame slinging and briefing wars which do nothing to help the people caught in the middle of all this. "Continual insistence on unilateral action will get us nowhere. The issues with the implementation of the protocol will only be solved by the UK and EU working together to find a solution. "There needs to be a wholesale change in focus, with the aim of reaching alignment on sanitary and phytosanitary standards and securing a veterinary agreement."
Read More
10Jun 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Cronyism over Covid contracts shows Tories not fit to govern

Cronyism over Covid contracts shows Tories not fit to govern

Parliamentary news
Following the court ruling which judged the Government acted unlawfully over their awarding of a £560,000 Covid contract, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Home Affairs Alistair Carmichael MP said: “Today’s ruling should be a wake-up call. This is yet another example of the cronyism at the heart of this Conservative Government. While the Liberal Democrats were fighting for the three million people who have been excluded from government support, they were focusing on enriching their mates. "It's little wonder the Conservatives are so keen on weakening the courts and restricting judicial review, given how often their Ministers are found to have acted unlawfully. “This unapologetic cronyism shows that this Government is not fit to Govern.”
Read More
08Jun 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Priti Patel urged to support Bill to reunite refugees

Priti Patel urged to support Bill to reunite refugees

Parliamentary news
Liberal Democrat peer Sarah Ludford has tabled new legislation that would mean more refugee families, torn apart by war, conflict and persecution, are able to reunite safely in the UK. Baroness Ludford introduced the Refugees (Family Reunion) Bill in the House of Lords earlier today. Backed by the Families Together Coalition – a group of leading organisations that support refugees and people seeking asylum – it would expand the current family reunion rules so that child refugees can bring their parents and siblings to join them in the UK, as well as allowing refugees to be joined by their dependent children over 18. Baroness Ludford commented: “We must do all we can to protect people forced to flee their homes to escape war and persecution, and that includes reuniting them…
Read More
08Jun 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Foreign aid: Government cuts wreck UK reputation

Foreign aid: Government cuts wreck UK reputation

Parliamentary news
Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for International Development Layla Moran MP challenged the Government on their controversial cuts to the foreign aid budget during today's Commons debate. The Government has faced criticism from across the House after abandoning their manifesto pledge to retain 0.7% of international development funding. Following the debate, Layla Moran MP said: "In today’s debate, the Minister drew moral equivalence between maintaining our promises to starving children and leaving our future generations with extra debt. This is shameful – especially when our young people, like the rest of the country, overwhelmingly support the 0.7% target. "This week the eyes of the world will be on the UK at the G7, yet the Conservatives seem determined to ruin our country’s reputation – from abandoning our development commitments around the world,…
Read More
08Jun 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
‘Tax a lot’, Sykes welcomes G7 plan to tax multinational traders

‘Tax a lot’, Sykes welcomes G7 plan to tax multinational traders

Borough news
Oldham Liberal Democrats have welcomed the adoption by the leaders of the world’s wealthiest nations of a proposal to levy a uniform 15% tax on the profits of multinationals, especially as it is similar to their own idea brought to the March 2021 Council meeting. Chancellor Rishi Sunak, who is hosting the meeting of G7 leaders in London and Cornwall, announced an agreement in principal of a plan to introduce a 15% global minimum corporate tax rate on multinational corporations. Many of these domicile their head offices and declare corporate profits in no-tax havens or low-tax nations as a means of tax avoidance. Commenting, the Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, councillor Howard Sykes MBE said: “It would be nice to think Rishi Sunak did have the chance to read…
Read More
08Jun 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Covid passports at Wembley ‘outrageous’

Covid passports at Wembley ‘outrageous’

Parliamentary news
Responding to reports vaccine passports are to be used at Wembley for the Euros, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Home Affairs Alistair Carmichael MP said: “It’s outrageous that the Government is introducing unworkable, expensive and divisive Covid ID cards without a proper debate and vote in Parliament. They are being introduced without safeguards to protect people’s privacy or measures to prevent discrimination. “The Covid pandemic has taken an enormous toll on people across the UK. We all want life to get back to normal as soon as possible, including fans at football matches. But vaccination passports are not the way forward. “The real solution to open up safely is to get the virus under control by vaccinating everyone as quickly as possible, providing proper financial support so everyone who needs to…
Read More
08Jun 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
A workers’ watchdog without new funding won’t make a real difference

A workers’ watchdog without new funding won’t make a real difference

Parliamentary news
In response to the Ministerial Statement on upholding employment rights and plans for a new 'workers' watchdog', Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Business, Sarah Olney MP, said: “This is a long-overdue step towards properly enforcing workers’ rights, but we need to see far more action from the Government. “It is unacceptable that this announcement comes without new legislation or funding. This body must be written into law as soon as possible, and receive enough funding to employ at least one labour inspector per 10,000 workers.  “Making a real difference to workers’ lives takes more than a new watchdog. The Government must strengthen workers rights in key areas, such as giving zero-hours workers a 20% higher minimum wage and gig workers basic protections such as sick pay.”
Read More
08Jun 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Government must urgently tackle NHS and social care staff burnout

Government must urgently tackle NHS and social care staff burnout

Borough news
Responding to the news that workforce burnout across the NHS and social care has reached an emergency level according to the Health and Social Care Commons Select Committee, Liberal  Democrat Spokesperson for Health, Wellbeing and Social Care, Munira Wilson MP commented: “As this report shows, the pandemic has clearly taken its toll on NHS staff, health and social care workers, who have gone above and beyond over the course of this crisis. They are burned out, traumatised, and stressed after over a year caring for hundreds of thousands of severely ill Covid patients. On top of this, they have worked tirelessly to get as many people vaccinated as efficiently and as safely as possible. “The Government not only need to reward them properly for their service with a proper pay…
Read More
08Jun 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Liberal Democrats request debate on Child Sexual Exploitation review at July Council

Borough news, CSE
The Liberal Democrats want to see the promised report from the review on historic allegations of child sexual exploitation to be published in advance of the 14 July meeting of the Full Council and for time to be set aside to debate the report at the meeting. The Leader of the Oldham Liberal Democrat Group, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, has sent his request to the Leader of Oldham Council and the Chief Executive on 25 May and yet has had no response or acknowledgement. In November 2019, Oldham Council and the Oldham Safeguarding Partnership commissioned the independent review from the Mayor of Greater Manchester. Two experienced investigators, Malcolm Newsam MBE, a childcare expert, and Gary Ridgeway, formerly a senior police officer specialising in public protection, are now working to finalise…
Read More
08Jun 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Homelessness fears grow over cuts to renters

Homelessness fears grow over cuts to renters

Borough news
A £40 million cut in support for renters – to below pre-pandemic levels – is likely to drive up homelessness rates across the borough, warns Shadow Cabinet member for Housing, Sam Al-Hamdani. The cuts to discretionary housing payments provide support to people claiming housing benefit or universal credit who face rent shortfalls, or for assistance with deposits. They are to be cut by 22%, in a change which was put through without attention being drawn to it in the spring budget. Local Liberal Democrat Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani said: “So many people have spent the last year trying to manage in extraordinary circumstances. People’s jobs are at risk, and the last thing we need is for people to have emergency support withdrawn. “The Government’s own figures show that three times as…
Read More