17Mar 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Police Bill is dangerous and draconian

Police Bill is dangerous and draconian

Parliamentary news
Reacting to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill passing the Second Reading in Parliament, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael MP said: “These new Conservative laws to crackdown on protests are dangerous and draconian. “The right to peaceful assembly and protest is a fundamental human right. It has always been a crucial part of our democratic society. “The weekend’s appalling events at the Clapham Vigil show why this Bill must be stopped in its tracks. They should force Priti Patel to think again. “These new laws are part of the Conservative Government’s anti-democratic attempts to silence any opposition to its policies. Liberal Democrats, will fiercely fight them at every step of the way.”
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12Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Lib Dem peers win vote to strengthen Govt’s crimes bill

Lib Dem peers win vote to strengthen Govt’s crimes bill

Parliamentary news
The House of Lords has passed a Liberal Democrat amendment to raise the threshold for government agencies to authorise undercover agents to commit crimes. The Liberal Democrats’ amendment [Amdt 6] to the Covert Human Intelligence Sources (Criminal Conduct) Bill, which raises the test for authorising criminal conduct from “believing” to “reasonably believing” that it is necessary and proportionate to do so, was passed by 282 votes to 259. Liberal Democrat peers also voted in favour of cross-party amendments [Amdts 1 and 2] to remove provisions from the Bill that would give informants complete immunity for crimes authorised under it, and preserve the status quo where prosecutors decide that prosecution is not in the public interest. However, those amendments were defeated by the Government. Following the votes, Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson…
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23Oct 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Lib Dems push for expansion of Hong Kong citizenship offer

Parliamentary news
A Liberal Democrat Bill to grant all Hong Kong Citizens a pathway to UK citizenship and “strengthen the UK’s historic bond with the people of Hong Kong” is scheduled to have its Second Reading debate in the House of Commons today. The Bill, tabled by Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael, Chair of the APPG on Hong Kong and Patron of Hong Kong Watch, would create a route to UK citizenship for all Hong Kongers. By expanding British National Overseas (BNO) status to all Hong Kongers, the Bill goes well beyond the Conservative Government’s current citizenship commitments, which extend only to specific groups currently eligible to claim BNO status. The Liberal Democrats have condemned the Home Office’s “deceptive” claim that the cost of a five-year visa for Hong Kongers will be…
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21Oct 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Lib Dems secure Government commitment to publish test and trace agreement with police

Parliamentary news
Liberal Democrat Peer Paul Scriven has secured a commitment from Health Minister Lord Bethell to publish the agreement between the Government and police chiefs over the decision to share test and trace data.  This follows the Health Secretary's refusal to make the Memorandum of Understanding public when Liberal Democrat Health and Care Spokesperson Munira Wilson asked him to just yesterday. Following the exchange, Liberal Democrat peer Lord Scriven said: “An effective test, trace and isolate system to keep people safe will only work if the public have faith in it and this means the Government must be open and honest about how it uses people’s data. "It is absolutely crucial that the Government publishes its Memorandum of Understanding with police chiefs on sharing of Test and Trace data in full, otherwise they…
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15Oct 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Lib Dems vote against “dangerous” Government crimes Bill

Lib Dems vote against “dangerous” Government crimes Bill

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats today led cross-party opposition to the Government’s Covert Human Intelligence Sources (Criminal Conduct) Bill, calling a vote against the legislation in the House of Commons. The Bill, which would create a legal basis for certain government bodies to authorise undercover agents to commit crimes in the UK, has given rise to major concerns among MPs and human rights organisations for its breadth and the lack of sufficient limits, safeguards and oversight. The Liberal Democrats voted against Third Reading this afternoon, but most Conservative MPs backed it and Labour abstained, so the Bill passed by 313 votes to 98. A Liberal Democrat amendment (Amdt 16) would have restricted the powers in the Bill to the police, the intelligence services, the National Crime Agency and the Serious Fraud Office…
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11Aug 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Lib Dems: Govt must halt use of facial recognition by police

Lib Dems: Govt must halt use of facial recognition by police

Parliamentary news
Responding to the ruling from the Court of Appeal that the use of automatic facial recognition technology by the South Wales Police is unlawful, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokeperson Christine Jardine said: “This ruling is hugely important in the battle to protect civil liberties in this country. The unlawful use of facial recognition in Cardiff raises serious questions about its use by British police forces in the future. “This new form of mass surveillance is being rolled out without any safeguards to protect innocent people from being discriminated against or having their privacy invaded. The Liberal Democrats have long been clear that this is unacceptable - we do not want to see the UK become a society where innocent individuals feel their every movement is being monitored by the police. “Liberal Democrats will…
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23Jul 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

All Hong Kongers must be given right to live in the UK

Parliamentary news
Responding to the Home Secretary's writen statement on the Government's BNO passport policy for Hong Kongers, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs spokesperson and Chair of the APPG on Hong Kong Alistair Carmichael said: “The Government must put these measures in place as soon as possible to protect Hong Kongers. We have already seen how the Chinese Communist Party are using the new laws to crack down on people’s rights and freedoms. “Liberal Democrats have been calling for these protections since the time of Paddy Ashdown. We are pleased that the government is finally listening. “Now, we are urging Boris Johnson to ensure no one is left behind. The offer must be expanded to ensure all Hong Kongers have the right to live in the UK, regardless of whether they have BNO status.”
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