12Aug 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

GDP figures show need for more radical action from Government

Parliamentary news
Responding to the news that the economy is facing the worst recession in UK history, Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said: “Minister must take immediate action to save jobs and livelihoods as the true economic impact of Covid-19 comes to light. “The Treasury must explain how it is going to stop mass redundancies when the furlough scheme wraps up. It simply cannot be the case that jobs saved in Spring disappear in the autumn. The Chancellor must also be bold about creating new jobs by undertaking a proper ambitious green recovery. “The Prime Minister must immediately work with EU allies to remove the January Brexit cliff edge. A bad deal or no deal at all with our closest trading partners whilst we are in a deep recession…
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30Jul 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Government must step in with green incentives to save the car industry

Parliamentary news
Responding to reports that the UK car industry is likely to have its worst year since 1954, Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said: “This pandemic has left the car industry on its knees. The Government must step in to stem the tide of job losses. But the recovery must also be an opportunity: the car industry must change to produce low emission, green vehicles. "The Tories have slashed support for electric vehicles and have failed to invest properly in new infrastructure such as charging points, promising only a green number plate as consolation. Unsurprisingly, sales for electric vehicles remain low. "Liberal Democrats are calling for a green recovery for the car industry. The government should ensure that 100% of all new cars sales are electric by 2030 and they should consider slashing…
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29Jul 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Government must do more to get young people into work

Parliamentary news
Responding to a Sutton Trust report finding that 61% of employers offering work experience placements have had to cancel and that 39% of graduate employers say they expect to hire fewer graduates or none in the next 12 months, Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said: “Young people are rightly worried about their job prospects in the midst of an unprecedented economic crisis. Politicians and employers must do all they can to safeguard their future. “Despite recent announcements, Government seems unprepared for the scale of the challenge ahead. The Chancellor’s new traineeships plan seems a drop in the ocean, and schemes keeping businesses alive are due to end in just a few months, pulling the rug out from under employers.  “To protect the next generation we need far more decisive…
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21Jul 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Government must be clear higher debt won’t mean cuts to vital public services

Parliamentary news
Responding to ONS statistics showing that Government borrowing for June was £35.5 billion – around five times more than the same month last year – Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said: “In an unprecedented economic challenge like the coronavirus pandemic people must come before the numbers. Any Chancellor should go beyond normal borrowing to help protect peoples’ health and livelihoods. “What the Government must now make clear is that, after Covid, higher debt will not and must not mean cuts to vital public services or less investment for our crumbling infrastructure – especially in the parts of the UK that need it most. “Liberal Democrats stand firm that we must grow our way out of this crisis with a Green Recovery Plan that will invest billions to…
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16Jul 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

We need a proper Green Recovery Plan to protect jobs

Parliamentary news
Responding to ONS unemployment figures showing that the number of workers on payrolls has fallen by 649,000 between March and June, Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said: “Every single person losing their job reminds us that coronavirus is a tragedy that cuts across every aspect of people’s lives. Managing this health and economic crisis demands the best possible leadership at the top of our country. “The Conservative Government’s shambolic handling of the pandemic has made the economic challenge we are facing far worse than it need have been. We need much better political leaders than Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings if we are going to help those losing their jobs. “With this sharp rise in job losses, the Chancellor must urgently look at additional support, otherwise there…
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14Jul 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Government must be more ambitious to save the economy

Parliamentary news
Responding to this morning’s monthly GDP estimate from the ONS, showing that the economy grew by only 1.8% in May – lower than the 5.5% forecast by economists – Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said: “Regrettably this dashes any hope of an early recovery and is bad news for millions of people experiencing real financial hardship. It confirms fears that the Chancellor’s plans just aren’t ambitious enough to rise to the scale of this economic challenge. “The way out of this recession is through a serious Green Recovery Plan that will create millions of jobs, tackle climate change and radically reshape our economy. “Just as crucially, our economy is still threatened by Brexit. If Boris Johnson is serious about rebuilding, he must avert a new crisis by…
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08Jul 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Davey: We must match the scale of the crisis with the courage to invest

Parliamentary news
Speaking after the Chancellor's Summer Statement, Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said: “Coronavirus has left countless families facing serious financial hardship. More than a million people have lost their jobs and many more are worried about losing theirs in the weeks and months ahead. “While I welcome short term measures to help people now, the Chancellor has no serious long term economic strategy for dealing with unemployment, climate change and inequality. “Totally absent today was any measure to help the millions excluded from Covid support - like new starters, newly self-employed people and freelancers. They haven’t been helped at all so far and yet represent some of the most vulnerable groups. They must not be left behind. “Fundamentally, we need a radically new approach to building a…
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07Jul 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Davey: we need a devolution revolution to drive the green revolution

Campaigns, Parliamentary news
Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey has delivered a keynote speech to the Local Government Association outlining his plan for a devolution revolution to drive a green revolution. Ed Davey called for the government to make £45bn new funding available to local authorities over three years alongside a range of new powers so that local government can spearhead the green recovery from the coronavirus crisis. Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said: “Even as coronavirus has caused unbearable heartbreak and hardship, it has been truly uplifting to see the great work councils right across the country are doing to support local people. “The sheer cost of failing to prepare for the predicted risk of the pandemic crisis should be a dramatic wake up call to prepare properly, now,…
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07Jul 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Government green recovery plans do not match ambition of other countries

Parliamentary news
Responding to Chancellor Rishi Sunak's announcement of a package of measures worth £3bn, Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said: “Across our country millions face an unprecedented economic and health crisis. We need a radical new direction to meet this challenge. We need a massive green stimulus so we both provide jobs and tackle this crisis and the climate crisis.  “The Government’s spending on climate change simply does not match the scale of ambition necessary to reshape our economy, nor does it match the sums other countires have pledged. That is why the Liberal Democrats are calling on the Chancellor to do more and invest £150 billion over three years through a Green Recovery Plan.  "We must not forget this pandemic hasn't affected everyone equally. Amongst the worst hit are self employed workers, many of…
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02Jul 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Government must stop overlooking green investment to create sustainable jobs

Parliamentary news
Responding to the news that some 11,000 job losses have been announced in the past 48 hours, Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said: “The coronavirus pandemic has created an unprecedented economic challenge.  “Behind these statistics, there are thousands of individuals and families facing real hardship, who will now be worried about putting food on the table and paying basic bills. “Given the scale of recent announcements of yet more job losses, Ministers need to move faster on their economic response and to look into special help for those sectors still being hit hard by COVID-19. “Ultimately the way out of this crisis is to create new, good quality jobs through a Green Recovery Plan that will tackle climate change while building back our economy. “The Government must stop overlooking…
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