09Feb 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Abrahams approach to tax doesn’t add up

Abrahams approach to tax doesn’t add up

Borough news
Oldham East and Saddleworth's Labour MP Debbie Abrahams opposition to taxing online giants such as Amazon on Politics North West this weekend has been criticised by Oldham Councillor and tax campaigner Sam Al-Hamdani. When asked if she would support proposals to introduce an online sales tax, intended to combat tax avoidance and raise money for the Coronavirus response, Abrahams said: “Not at this stage.” She even pushed back against the presenter’s suggestion that: “There is nothing wrong with getting the online giants to pay their tax”, saying: “I wouldn’t want to be considering increases in taxation at this stage.” Liberal Democrat Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani said that the MP’s response did not add up. “It shows a complete disregard for what is happening in the real world. While people running local…
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04Feb 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
No excuse not to plan for COVID support until summer

No excuse not to plan for COVID support until summer

Parliamentary news
Responding to the Prime Minister's latest COVID press conference, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Christine Jardine MP said: “This press conference sounded a lot like the Government and the scientists starting to build the case for strict restrictions until all the over 50s have been vaccinated. “The hallmark of Boris Johnson’s response to the pandemic has been a failure to plan properly. If the Government is expecting restrictions until at least summer then they need to come clean with the public and put the proper financial packages in place now. “It seems that the Prime Minister will be faced with a choice in the next few weeks. Either follow the science until the NHS is protected or give in to his backbenches and repeat the same mistakes made time and time…
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03Feb 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
5p a day increase is an insult to carers

5p a day increase is an insult to carers

Parliamentary news
Reacting to Carers UK delivering a letter from near 5,000 carers calling on the Chancellor to acknowledge unpaid carers’ contribution throughout the crisis, Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey MP said: “People looking after loved ones during Covid are doing a remarkable job, in very difficult circumstances. They deserve much more support. “Millions of unpaid carers have faced serious financial hardship during the pandemic, and the Government’s plan for an extra 5p a day is frankly an insult. “That’s why Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to support carers properly, by raising Carer’s Allowance by £1,000 a year immediately, in line with the uplift in Universal Credit. “This awful virus has shown that Britain is a nation of carers, but it seems Ministers haven’t noticed. “Liberal Democrats are…
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03Feb 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Post-lockdown crime surge: Govt must act now

Post-lockdown crime surge: Govt must act now

Parliamentary news
Liberal Democrats have renewed calls on the Government to restore community policing and youth services, as new official figures show that police-recorded crime rose by 20% after the first lockdown was lifted last summer, returning to pre-Covid levels. Responding to the figures, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Alistair Carmichael said: “The steep rise in crime last summer is alarming. The Government must act fast to prevent a similar surge when the current lockdown is lifted. “For far too long, Conservative Ministers have been trying hard to seem tough on crime, but failing to do what works to actually prevent it. “Liberal Democrats understand that police need the officers, resources and time to focus on preventing and solving crimes, and that young people need a positive alternative to gangs and violence.…
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30Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Deaths in prisons soar to record numbers

Deaths in prisons soar to record numbers

Parliamentary news
The coronavirus crisis has pushed the overall rate of prison deaths to a record high, new figures have revealed. The Liberal Democrats are calling for the Government to release all low-risk prisoners serving short sentences to tackle the spread of Covid-19 in prisons. The latest Safety in Custody statistics, released today by the Ministry of Justice, show that 109 prisoners died between October and December 2020 – a 70% increase on the previous three months and the highest quarterly total on record. Since March 2020, 71 prisoners have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid, and 51 of those deaths are suspected to be due to Covid. Figures released in September showed that just 316 people were released under the Government's Covid early release schemes since the start…
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30Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Use of Article 16 wrong and short-sighted

Parliamentary news
Responding to reports that the EU is set to impose restrictions on vaccine exports and invoke Article 16, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs spokesperson Layla Moran MP said: “The effectiveness of the COVID vaccine depends on countries working together. “The use of Article 16 to restrict the supply of vaccines is both wrong and short-sighted. I urge all sides to work together to find a resolution as soon as possible. “Liberal Democrats believe that global problems can only be solved by countries working together. Calm heads must prevail now and right the way through to the end of this crisis both at home and abroad."
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27Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Hotel quarantine must not stop grieving families saying goodbye

Hotel quarantine must not stop grieving families saying goodbye

Parliamentary news
Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael has secured assurances from the Home Secretary that bereaved family members will not be stung by new hotel quarantine measures. Speaking to Priti Patel in the Commons today, Mr Carmichael urged the Government to ensure grieving families weren't priced out of saying goodbye to a loved one. Ms Patel agreed that arrangements were needed to support those who needed to travel for "sad and exceptional" reasons. Mr Carmichael, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Home Affairs, said: “Family bereavement is hard enough even without the extra barriers put up by the pandemic. "It is right that we take measured steps to reduce the spread of the virus through international travel but people grieving loved ones must get additional support if they are forced to quarantine away from…
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27Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Boris Johnson running scared of a public inquiry

Boris Johnson running scared of a public inquiry

Parliamentary news
Responding to the Prime Minister's latest COVID 19 press conference, Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey MP said: “Boris Johnson says there will come a time to learn the lessons of the pandemic, but the public will rightly ask, if not now, then when? “The best time to learn lessons and prevent the most deaths is today. The Prime Minister can’t tell us exactly when schools will return safely, can't tell us when most of the country will be offered a vaccine and can't tell us when the current lockdown will end. What would make us think that he has any idea of when this pandemic will be over? "The Prime Minister’s insistence that there will be some definitive end point to the pandemic just isn’t borne out by…
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27Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Urgent help needed for children facing mental health ‘crisis’

Urgent help needed for children facing mental health ‘crisis’

Parliamentary news
Only 1 in 4 children who needed mental health support accessed services last year, shocking figures from the Children’s Commissioners report have revealed. MP for Twickenham Munira Wilson, the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Health and Social Care, said: “The report's findings confirm the sad reality we have known all along: the mental health of children and young people has for too long been overlooked by this Conservative Government. Week after week, I am contacted by parents whose children are struggling with their mental health and unable to access services. "With 1 in 6 children now suffering from a mental health condition, it is clear that this pandemic is not only a physical one but also a mental health crisis too. “Without urgent Government action to put young people at the…
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27Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
We must have a public inquiry now – Ed Davey

We must have a public inquiry now – Ed Davey

Parliamentary news
Responding the Prime Minister's press conference as 100,000 people have been lost to COVID-19, Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey MP said: “Waiting for the end of this pandemic to hold a public inquiry leaves the country destined to fight yesterday’s battles. Lessons learnt after the event will come too late for thousands in our country who will lose loved ones in the coming months. They will also come too late for thousands more who will suffer the after effects of this virus such as long COVID. Liberal Democrats first called for a public inquiry six months ago: it was the right action to take then and that is even more true today. "If the loss of 100,000 people in this country is not a good enough reason to…
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