18Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Fishing anger should be no surprise – Carmichael

Fishing anger should be no surprise – Carmichael

Parliamentary news
Liberal Democrat MP for Orkney and Shetland, Alistair Carmichael, has said there should be “no surprise” that seafood exporters have taken to the streets to protest against the disruption they are facing. Dozens of HGVs have been reported around Whitehall in London demonstrating against the blockages they are facing in trade with the EU. Some reports suggest that protestors intend to dump unsellable seafood cargo in the streets. Commenting on the protests, Lib Dem MP for Orkney and Shetland Alistair Carmichael said: “I suspect that it will be a pleasant change for these lorry drivers to be able to drive instead of sitting waiting in a depot or at a port somewhere. It should be no surprise to anyone in Whitehall that our seafood exporters are angry. That anger will…
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18Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
PM must clear up the fishing mess he has created

PM must clear up the fishing mess he has created

Parliamentary news
Responding to Dominc Raab's comments on The Andrew Marr Show regarding Scottish fishing, Liberal Democrat MP for Orkney and Shetland Alistair Carmichael said: “It’s hard to find a Minister who will admit to having even sat down and read the trade deal. Brexit might be a game to the likes of Dominic Raab and Boris Johnson but for thousands of people in Scotland this is their business and their livelihood on the line. The Government needs to get a grip now. “Fishermen are telling the PM that his deal did not do any of the things he claimed for it, let alone what he had promised. The harder the Tories spin, the angrier fishing communities get. The Government needs to start listening to the people who know what they are…
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13Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Brexit chaos costing fishing industry £1million a day

Brexit chaos costing fishing industry £1million a day

Parliamentary news
Brexit chaos is costing the Scottish fishing industry £1million a day. Time-consuming new customs and health paperwork is sparking long delays, with one Scottish fishing business losing £50,000 on a single consignment. In another alarming development, fish prices have plummeted by 80 per cent at Peterhead Fish Market, while a third of Scotland's fishing fleet is tied up in the harbour. Orkney and Shetland MP, Alistair Carmichael, has secured an urgent question in Parliament tomorrow (Thursday) morning at 10.30am, in which he will address the devastating impact the Government’s trade deal with the EU is having on the industry. Alistair Carmichael said: “After a week of intensifying disruption for seafood exporters and with long-term challenging from the deal as well, I am glad to have secured this urgent question to…
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11Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Government must back visa-free tours for musicians

Parliamentary news
Responding to the news that the UK rejected the offer of visa-free tours for musicians in the EU, Liberal Democrat Culture spokesperson Jamie Stone said: “The government must provide urgent clarification on what was offered by the EU to enable visa-free touring by UK artists and their crew. Once Covid restrictions are lifted, British artists need to be able to work across the EU with the same ability that has been negotiated for other sectors. "The Government’s rampage to end free movement will damage our economy, our creativity and our standing in the world. This trade deal is the first trade deal in history to put up barriers to trade instead of tearing them down. "These new restrictions are a blow to the music industry, which has already suffered so…
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06Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Lib Dems back high standards for British food and farmers

Lib Dems back high standards for British food and farmers

Parliamentary news
Liberal Democrat Lords helped defeat the Government by backing a cross-party amendment to the Trade Bill ensuring that future trade agreements meet the UK’s high standards of animal welfare and the environment. The Conservatives have consistently failed to support such a measure, risking that future trade deals could permit the import of food that fails to meet the UK’s high standards. This puts significant pressure on British farmers. Tim Farron, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Farming said: “Farmers across the country are worried about their future - they’re worried that the UK will be flooded with poor quality food that undercuts the food they produce to high environmental and animal welfare standards. “The Conservatives have continually failed to protect our farmers from these risks. This amendment will ensure that our farmers…
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08Dec 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Davey: Government must give UK business time to adjust

Davey: Government must give UK business time to adjust

Parliamentary news
The Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey has today written to the Prime Minister calling on him to negotiate an adjustment period for British business of three to six months regardless of what happens with the trade deal negotiations with the EU. In the letter, Ed Davey warns the coronavirus crisis has already put British business under extraordinary pressure and any move which pushes them to a cliff edge on the 1st of January will create another wave of redundancies and misery for communities across the UK. Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said: “With only three and a half weeks until the end of the transition period, Boris Johnson still has a the opportunity to give businesses a chance to survive January if he can successfully negotiate…
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10Nov 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Lib Dem peers help defeat Government over illegality of Internal Market Bill

Lib Dem peers help defeat Government over illegality of Internal Market Bill

Parliamentary news
Liberal Democrat peers voted to remove the illegal aspects of the Internal Market Bill, with the Government being defeated by 268 votes and 259 votes on the two respective divisions. Following the votes, Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords, Dick Newby said: “The Internal Market Bill reveals just how little regard Boris Johnson and his Government have for the rule of the law – to try and ram through this legislation that breaks our international treaties is a stain on the UK’s reputation. “This Bill does not provide Northern Ireland with unfettered access to the rest of the UK, nor does it strengthen the union as Ministers are pretending – in fact it does the very opposite. This Bill was never anything more than a political…
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17Oct 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani
PM must bring back a deal that protects jobs and livelihoods

PM must bring back a deal that protects jobs and livelihoods

Parliamentary news
Responding to the news the government has ended talks with the EU, Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said: “Last December the Prime Minister told voters he had an oven ready deal with the EU. Just ten months later he tells us he has finished the talks without a deal.  “We are now on the cusp of a bad trade deal or no trade deal - either of which will hit jobs and businesses hard, just when Britain is already suffering from the biggest economic crisis for three hundred years.  “The Prime Minister must get back around the table and bring back a deal that protects jobs and livelihoods, already hit by the coronavirus crisis. To do otherwise would be a dereliction of his duty as Prime Minister.
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16Oct 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani
PM’s no deal comments further reveal his incompetence

PM’s no deal comments further reveal his incompetence

Parliamentary news
Responding to reports that the Prime Minister has said it's time to 'get ready' for no deal, Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesperson Christine Jardine said: “Boris Johnson’s handling of Brexit has been disastrous and these reckless comments are just further evidence of the Prime Minister's incompetence. It has been more than four years since the referendum and yet here we are with a potential no deal and less than three months until the transition period ends. "At a time when the UK is already facing the biggest crisis in generations as a result of coronavirus, we cannot afford to crash out of the EU without a deal in place or to accept a rushed, bad deal. The Government cannot allow people's livelihoods to be put further at risk, when so many are…
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29Sep 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Stopping no-deal must be the priority, Lib Dems say

Stopping no-deal must be the priority, Lib Dems say

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats have reaffirmed their commitment to stopping a no-deal Brexit and oppose Boris Johnson’s efforts to “drag the country's reputation through the mud” by breaking international law. During a debate at the Liberal Democrat Autumn conference, the Party’s new Brexit spokesperson Christine Jardine slammed Boris Johnson for “sacrificing everything and anything in his ideological pursuit of Brexit.” The debate comes as talks between the EU and the UK on a free trade agreement have show no signs of progress, and amidst mounting controversy over Government plans to to break international law over Brexit. Other proposals agreed by the Liberal Democrats include a commitment to campaign to protect and enhance the rights of UK citizens in the EU and EU citizens in the UK, and to uphold the provisions…
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