15Sep 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Government risks sleepwalking into another winter lockdown

Government risks sleepwalking into another winter lockdown

Parliamentary news
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey has warned the government's Plan B risks being "too little too late" if it is only implemented once the virus is out of control. It comes after the Health Secretary Sajid Javid said this morning that the government’s Covid Plan B will only be put in place if the pandemic “gets out of control.” Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said: “People looking at this so-called winter Covid Plan B will be deeply concerned that the government still doesn’t understand how to control this virus. “Time after time throughout this pandemic the government has acted too late, failing to provide people with the right support and failing to control the virus, costing tens of thousands of lives. Plan B is the same thing all over again,…
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16Jun 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Government putting businesses and jobs at risk

Government putting businesses and jobs at risk

Parliamentary news
Commenting on today's economic statement from the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, which failed to extend support for businesses despite the delay to lockdown easing, Christine Jardine MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for the Treasury, commented: “While extending the commercial evictions moratorium is a welcome step, the Government has failed, yet again, to offer the long term clarity and security that business needs to recover. "Government continues to ignore the pleas of businesses struggling to survive. Neglecting to extend support at the same time as restrictions are continued is a dereliction of duty from the Treasury. “The Government now risks thousands of business closures and job losses, brought on by the mounting weight of staff costs, business rates bills and loan repayments. “What we should have seen instead is a long-term…
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16Jun 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Lockdown easing delay: Frustrating and avoidable

Lockdown easing delay: Frustrating and avoidable

Parliamentary news
Responding to the delay to lifting lockdown restrictions in England, Munira Wilson MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Health, commented: “Caution from the Government is welcome. We have sacrificed so much and come so far that now is not the time to take big risks. But it is the time for the Government to be putting in place robust long-term measures to stop individual cases becoming outbreaks and outbreaks becoming new waves. “It is frustrating that this situation might have been avoided if the PM had placed India on the Red list sooner instead of prioritising his trade deal. The impact of this delay on the thousands of businesses that have been preparing to open fully on the 21st will be immense. “The hospitality and events industry especially is struggling after…
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04Jun 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Covid-19 cases rise: Government must remain vigilant and fix isolation support

Covid-19 cases rise: Government must remain vigilant and fix isolation support

Parliamentary news
Responding to the news that cases of Covid are rising in the UK, Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care Spokesperson, Munira Wilson MP said: “Lockdown combined with the vaccination programme has allowed us to get cases of COVID extremely low. We need to be wary about anything that could risk this progress. The Government must remain vigilant and follow the data ahead of the next step in the roadmap. “To stop individual cases becoming outbreaks and outbreaks becoming new waves, the Government must put in place long-term measures. That means finally fixing their support for those self-isolating. No one should be forced out of isolation due to a lack of money or support. “For months, the Liberal Democrats and experts have been calling for the Government to guarantee people's wages,…
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25May 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Local lockdowns by stealth are completely irresponsible

Local lockdowns by stealth are completely irresponsible

Parliamentary news
Responding to the news that local lockdowns have been introduced by "stealth" Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Munira Wilson MP said: "Changing policy by stealth is completely irresponsible. Matt Hancock should have made clear the changes he was making to guidance in advance and communicated it to the public and local officials. He needs to make clear the situation immediately to Parliament. "Clarification on the new rules in these areas is now needed, not only for residents but for those that would normally travel to the affected areas. People cross these invisible boundaries every day for medical appointments or to go shopping. The Government urgently need to make it clear whether they should avoid travelling to or through these areas and under what circumstances this is now permitted. "It is now…
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22Feb 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Government roadmap: PM must put those hit hardest first

Government roadmap: PM must put those hit hardest first

Parliamentary news
Responding to the Prime Minister's announcement on the roadmap out of lockdown, Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey MP said: “Millions of people across the country have made untold sacrifices in the past year. People have been isolated from their families, hundreds of thousands of businesses have been shuttered and our precious freedoms have been curtailed. “As we begin to recover the Prime Minister must put people hit hardest by this pandemic first: the most vulnerable people in our communities, small businesses and the self-employed. "It is deeply concerning that the Prime Minister has failed to set out plans for a functioning test, trace and isolate system – particularly a failure to support people enough to stay at home if they are asked to self-isolate. “This time, Prime Minister…
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18Feb 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
1 in 7 disabled people experience domestic abuse

1 in 7 disabled people experience domestic abuse

Parliamentary news
Responding to new figures which show that 1 in 7 disabled people aged 16-59 in England and Wales experienced domestic abuse in the year to March 2020, and that disabled women were more than twice as likely to have experienced domestic abuse during the same period, Wera Hobhouse MP, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Justice, Women and Equalities said: “The rates of domestic abuse against disabled people – especially disabled women – are shockingly high. Even more concerning is that these figures are from before the pandemic, and we know that lockdown has made the situation far worse. “We must do much more to prevent domestic abuse and support survivors. The Domestic Abuse Bill – promised by the Conservatives almost four years ago – cannot come into law soon enough. Liberal…
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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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25Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Schools short-changed on ‘Covid-safe’ costs by Conservative Government

Schools short-changed on ‘Covid-safe’ costs by Conservative Government

Saddleworth News
The Conservative Government will only reimburse less than one-third of the overall costs incurred by English schools in making their premises ‘Covid-safe’ according to a publication published last month by a leading education think-tank. A report issued by the Education Policy Institute claims that government money made available through its exceptional costs fund will only cover 31% of overall costs, and in a survey covering 700 schools conducted in November, over half (57%) reported that they are using reserves to cover the shortfall, jeopardising their ability to achieve a balanced budget by the end of the current financial year. The EPI estimates that, since the first national lockdown in March 2020, primary schools have had to meet additional non-staff costs averaging almost £13,000. These amounted to almost £18,000 for special…
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13Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Home Secretary adds to COVID rules confusion

Home Secretary adds to COVID rules confusion

Parliamentary news
Responding to Home Secretary Priti Patel's COVID press briefing, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Alistair Carmichael MP said: “The Home Secretary can insist as often as she likes that Government guidelines are “actually clear and simple”, they aren’t. In her own press conference, the Home Secretary added to the confusion by talking about “outdoor recreation” instead of exercise. “The Liberal Democrats are calling on the Home Secretary to properly support the police and the country as a whole by making sure the guidelines on lockdown are crystal clear and understood. "At the end of the day the spirit of the law is just as important as the letter of it in protecting people from the pandemic. The police cannot respond to every potential breach of the rules and so it…
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