19Jun 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Govt must do more to tackle disproprotionate BAME Covid-19 deaths

Parliamentary news
Responding to analysis from the ONS released today which confirms the risk of death involving COVID-19 among some ethnic groups is significantly higher than that of those of white ethnicity, Liberal Democrats Home Affairs and Equalities Spokesperson Christine Jardine MP said: “We must do more to tackle the disproprotionate impact of Covid19 on BAME communities. “If the Government is serious about tackling systemic racial inequality then we need more than just a review. We need action. We need an effective Race Equality Strategy. “For a start, BAME communities are far more likely to be working on the frontline in the NHS and social care. Ministers should ensure there is adequate PPE and introduce an additional service payment for each day on the frontline.”
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18Jun 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Government must regulate big tech companies’ use of COVID-19 app data

Parliamentary news
Responding to reports that the Government is now shifting to a COVID-19 tracing app based on technology provided by Apple and Google, Liberal Democrat Digital, Culture Media and Sport spokesperson Daisy Cooper said: “Every minute counts in the fight to contain COVID-19, but the Government has spent months working on this now failed app - which many of us warned from the start would not keep people safe. "Ministers must accept that legal assurances are needed to rapidly re-build public trust and keep people safe. They must start by ensuring that restrictions are put in place to regulate how the big tech companies they are now working with can access, use and store people’s medical information and other personal data.  "Any app is, of course, only part of the broader test, trace and isolate system, yet…
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18Jun 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Govt must guarantee schools’ funding boost isn’t at expense of anything else

Parliamentary news
Responding to news that the Government has announced plans, including a tutoring scheme, to help pupils catch up on lost learning as a result of school closures during the COVID-19 crisis, Liberal Democrat Education spokesperson Layla Moran said: “These initiatives need to form part of a wider national plan agreed with teachers, experts, unions and others. The plan must be flexible and work for school leaders’ circumstances on the ground. Top-down initiatives with funding tied to them won’t make a big enough difference if schools are unable to fully reopen safely. “Ministers must also guarantee that this is additional funding, and will not come at the expense of money for anything else. I very much hope the tutoring scheme will draw on the abilities and experience of existing supply teachers and recently retired teachers. They can deliver top…
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17Jun 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

PM must think again on DFID in face of COVID-19 global health emergency

Parliamentary news
Responding to the COVID-19 update from the Prime Minister, Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said: “News that a drug has been identified that can help treat COVID-19 will be welcomed by all. But - to get a grip on this global pandemic - finding a vaccine remains vital. “Given the ongoing public health emergency, the Prime Minister must show global leadership, not least by working with our international partners to develop and distribute a COVID-19 vaccine. Instead, he has chosen to set out plans to abolish the Department of International Development, which for years has funded vital work in public health, including the work of GAVI - the global Vaccine Alliance. “It was the Liberal Democrats who enshrined the 0.7% aid commitment into UK law. This is…
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16Jun 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Wrongheaded to reject spare spaces for schools, Lib Dems warn

Parliamentary news
Responding to the Government's new guidance for schools, Liberal Democrat Education spokesperson Layla Moran said: “The real test of this guidance is whether it will build the confidence needed for parents, teachers and pupils to go back to school without fear of putting their health at risk. “For schools that don’t have the capacity to have more pupils return within existing guidelines, the Government must do more. That includes providing laptops and internet access to all disadvantaged children in need. “It is also wrongheaded to reject Liberal Democrat proposals to use suitable empty buildings in the community as learning spaces. Ministers should think again.”
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16Jun 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Government must act to address disproportionate impact of pandemic on BAME communities

Parliamentary news
Responding to Public Health England’s report on the impact of COVID-19 on BAME groups, which highlighted the adverse effects of the Government’s Hostile Environment policy and ‘No Recourse to Public Funds’ rule, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Christine Jardine said: “The coronavirus pandemic is an unprecedented threat, leaving the most vulnerable in society at risk. We must ensure that BAME communities are not left behind by the Government’s response to this crisis. “The Government must act urgently to address the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on BAME communities, and to solve the deep-seated inequalities and injustices they face. “It is appalling that the Conservatives’ discriminatory Hostile Environment policies and their refusal to suspend the ‘No Recourse to Public Funds’ rule are preventing migrants and other BAME people from accessing the…
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13Jun 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Plea from Deputy Leader that Businesses check eligibility for vital scheme

Borough news
Liberal Democrat Councillor Chris Gloster, who has responsibility as shadow cabinet member for Finance is appealing to all Oldham Borough business owners.  This is to ensure they have applied for a business grant if they have not already done so.   Councillor Gloster said:  “With the outbreak of Covid-19, and the subsequent lockdown, £55 million became available to fund qualifying local businesses in the sum of either £10,000 or £25,000 dependent upon the rateable value of their business premises, even if rates were not payable.  This is a grant, not a loan, and is designed to help businesses through this difficult time.   “Currently the council have paid out in excess of £40 million, to about 80% of qualifying businesses, and have written to business premises twice to alert them to this…
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12Jun 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Lib Dems set out Five Point Plan to help pupils back to school

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats have put forward a plan to “work in unity” at a local and national level to consider ways to safely open schools more widely in England and support disadvantaged pupils in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. Presenting the Party’s Five Point Plan in a letter to the PM and Education Secretary, Layla Moran urged the Government to bring together council leaders, teachers, unions, experts and opposition politicians to agree a national plan for the safe, phased opening of schools more widely in England. The plans put forward by the Liberal Democrats offer possible ways to get more pupils back in classrooms safely including: Safe space registers enabling schools to use local buildings for social distancingRecruiting additional staff through a Teach for Britain campaignEnd the learning void by working…
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12Jun 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Chatty Checkouts and Chatty Cafes: let’s get people talking!

Borough news
One of the hidden impacts of the lockdown has been the massive affect that is has had on people's mental health, with social isolation worsening existing problems for many people. As we start the process of ending lockdown, Liberal Democrat Councillors Dave Murphy and Chris Gloster have brought a motion for the 17 June Oldham Council meeting to try and combat this. The idea behind Chatty Checkouts and Chatty Cafes is to get people speaking to one another. This is at designated tables in cafes and shop checkouts counters.  People can forge friendships and escape the trap of isolation. Oldham has already begun to pioneer this idea, but the Liberal Democrats want to take this further and get Oldham Council behind it. Councillor Murphy comments: “Councillors should be constantly to looking at…
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12Jun 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

PM must not jeopardise economic recovery with threat of no-deal

Parliamentary news
Responding to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) statistics out today that show the UK's economy shrank by 20.4% in April, Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said: “We face the most serious economic challenge in generations. This is not a time to exit the world’s largest market. This is not a time to increase trade barriers. This is not a time to deny business skills they need with a damaging new immigration system. “Liberal Democrats will continue to make the case for a Green Recovery Plan and policies that back responsible businesses. “We can create jobs and protect the environment by investing in new, green technologies but we need imaginative new policies and strong political leadership. “The Prime Minister should not be putting Britain’s chances for an economic recovery…
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