12Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Davey letter to Cressida Dick: PM must be interviewed by Met Police on Garden Party

Davey letter to Cressida Dick: PM must be interviewed by Met Police on Garden Party

Parliamentary news
Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey has written to Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Cressida Dick, calling on her to launch a full police investigation into the Downing Street Garden Party on 20 May 2020 including interviewing Boris Johnson under caution. It comes after Boris Johnson admitted at Prime Minister’s Questions today that he did attend the party but claims he thought it was a “work event”. The letter calls on Commissioner Dick to launch a full investigation into the illegal gathering, ensure the Prime Minister is interviewed under caution about his role and confirm that if he and others are found to have broken Covid laws, they will be charged and fined in the same way as ordinary members of the public. It comes after figures revealed that over 17,700…
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12Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Garden party: Liaison Committee must grill PM after he ducks debate

Garden party: Liaison Committee must grill PM after he ducks debate

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats have called for an emergency meeting of the Liaison Committee, to allow MPs to grill Boris Johnson on the latest revelations about the Number 10 garden party held in May 2020. It comes after the Prime Minister refused to attend today’s Urgent Question in Parliament on the issue, instead sending Paymaster General Michael Ellis in his place. The Liberal Democrat Chief Whip Wendy Chamberlain has written to Bernard Jenkin, chair of the Liaison Committee, calling on him to hold an emergency session as soon as possible to ask Boris Johnson questions about his role in the event and whether he attended. The letter warns that Boris Johnson is “hiding behind the smokescreen” of the Sue Gray’s inquiry, adding that the idea he has to wait until the…
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12Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Schools facing “tidal wave” of around 100,000 teacher absences

Schools facing “tidal wave” of around 100,000 teacher absences

Parliamentary news
Responding to the news that over 300,000 children are off school alongside around 100,000 teachers and teaching assistants, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Education, Munira Wilson MP, said: "The Education Secretary is standing idly by as schools are facing a tidal wave of teacher absences. His failure to prepare has led to a slow-motion car crash as Covid mixes with the return to schools. "The Government's catch-up plans are a drop in the ocean, their ex-teacher recruitment campaign is nowhere to be seen, and it is unforgivable that ministers failed to equip classrooms with the air purifiers they need. "The Conservatives have failed to get a grip of Omicron in the education system and now we are seeing it wreak havoc."
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12Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Met Police fined over 17,700 people for breaching Covid laws

Met Police fined over 17,700 people for breaching Covid laws

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats have called on the Metropolitan Police to investigate the Downing Street Garden Party held in May 2020, after figures revealed the force has fined thousands of people in London for breaches of lockdown rules during the pandemic. Analysis of the latest official figures by the party show that the Metropolitan Police have given out 17,745 Fixed Penalty Notice fines for breaches of various Covid laws between 27th March 2020 and 17th October 2021. These include 113 fines for holding a gathering of over 30 people, more than any other police force in the country. In total, police have issued 118,419 fines for breaking government imposed lockdown rules in England between March 27 2020 and October 17 2021, according to data from the National Police Chiefs Council. This…
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10Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Scrapping free Lateral Flow Tests would cause “cost of living with Covid crisis”

Scrapping free Lateral Flow Tests would cause “cost of living with Covid crisis”

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats have said that scrapping free Lateral Flow Testing would create a "cost of living with Covid crisis" for millions as the Government has been forced to deny reports of a proposal to scrap free tests. Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Daisy Cooper is calling for free Lateral Flow Tests to remain for as long as the Government are asking people with Coronavirus to self-isolate. Responding to the news that the Government may end free Lateral Flow Testing, Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said: "It seems this Government is happy to hand out billions in crooked Covid contracts to their chums, but intends to scrap free covid tests plunging millions into a cost of living with Covid crisis. "Scrapping free tests when cases are at record levels…
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07Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Johnson in denial over NHS staff shortages with military personnel sticking plaster

Johnson in denial over NHS staff shortages with military personnel sticking plaster

Parliamentary news
Responding to the news that 200 armed forces personnel have been drawn in to help in hospitals across London amidst the NHS staff shortage crisis, Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said: “Whilst Conservative Ministers pat themselves on their backs for inaction, the ability of our health and care services to provide urgent care to patients is now in freefall. “The magnitude of the catastrophic staffing shortages in our NHS and care system is being laid bare. Boris Johnson seems to be in denial about the desperate situation in which our local health services are finding themselves. "Drawing in help from military personnel is just a temporary sticking plaster, it is not sustainable in the long-run. The Government needs to urgently ramp up the supply of lateral flow tests,…
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05Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Give £30 catch-up vouchers for every day a pupil misses to plug lost learning gap

Give £30 catch-up vouchers for every day a pupil misses to plug lost learning gap

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats have called for a £30 catch-up voucher for every day missed by primary and secondary school students for covid-related absence. At a rate of covid-related absence of 120,724 a week, as was seen in the most recent data, this scheme would cost £3.6 million a week - just over 1% of the Government's initial National Tutoring Programme catch-up fund. The voucher would be given to the parents of all pupils in state-funded schools to help cope with the difficulties of remote learning. It comes as the Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi has said that it could be impossible to avoid the return of remote learning as the Omicron variant causes havoc for teachers, pupils and parents on the day schools return. Studies from the Education Policy Institute have…
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31Dec 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Guarantee Covid tests for teachers and pupils ahead of schools return, government urged

Guarantee Covid tests for teachers and pupils ahead of schools return, government urged

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats have written to Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi calling on him to provide a “cast-iron” guarantee that schools will be able to access Covid tests for teaching staff and pupils returning to the classroom next week. Without those tests available at the start of term, he risks breaking his promise to keep schools open. It comes amid warnings from headteachers that difficulties getting hold of lateral flow tests could lead to school closures or children returning to online learning. Last month, the Government said all secondary school students in England will be asked to take a Covid test on site following the Christmas break. Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson Munira Wilson MP said: “It would be unforgivable for ministers to do even more damage to our children’s futures and…
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31Dec 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Lib Dems: Call COBR meeting to address NHS covid staff crisis

Lib Dems: Call COBR meeting to address NHS covid staff crisis

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats have demanded that Boris Johnson call an urgent COBR meeting to discuss measures to address the NHS Covid staffing crisis, as figures reveal a 31% rise over a week in Covid-related absences among NHS staff. The latest NHS figures reveal 24,632 NHS staff at hospital trusts in England were off for Covid-related reasons on 26 December, up almost a third from 18,829 the previous week. It comes as the chief executive of NHS Providers Chris Hopson warned this morning that the NHS does not currently have enough staff to run “surge hubs” being set up to treat Covid patients outside hospitals and that an “emergency staffing model” will be needed. Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson, Daisy Cooper MP, said: “Today’s figures confirm the worst: hospital and ambulance services…
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28Dec 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Covid air filters for all classrooms half the cost of PM’s Royal Yacht

Covid air filters for all classrooms half the cost of PM’s Royal Yacht

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats estimate that putting an air purifier in every classroom in England would cost around £140 million, around half the price of Boris Johnson’s pet project - the new £250 million Royal Yacht. The cost would also be a fraction of Government expenditure on a botched Test and Trace system and dodgy PPE contracts. At present, Government guidance suggests that teachers should open external windows and internal doors to improve “natural ventilation” and schools “should balance the need for increased ventilation while maintaining a comfortable temperature” - difficult to do during the cold winter months. With criminal record checks acting as a brake on moves to get retired teachers to return to the classrooms, and barely half of teenagers yet to receive one jab, the dangers of schools…
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