13Oct 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Record high hate crimes must be combatted

Record high hate crimes must be combatted

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats are calling on anyone "with the privilege of a public platform – including Government Ministers" to "condemn the irresponsible and divisive rhetoric that inflames hatred", as new official figures show hate crimes have risen to a new record high. The Home Office figures, released today, show that: 105,090 hate crimes were recorded by the police in England and Wales in 2019-20 – a new record high.There was a particularly big increase in hate crimes against LGBT+ people, with a 19% year-on-year increase in sexual orientation-based hate crimes and an 18% increase in transphobic hate crimes.There was a big spike in the number of racially- and religiously-motivated hate crimes in June and July 2020. Responding to the figures, Liberal Democrat Equalities Spokesperson Wera Hobhouse said: “Far too many…
Read More
16Jul 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Government must not use commission as an excuse to stall on tackling racism

Parliamentary news
Responding to the Government's publication of the membership of its Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, Liberal Democrat Equalities Spokesperson Christine Jardine said: “As Black Lives Matter has shown, the Conservative Government urgently needs to redress institutional racism in the criminal justice system and many other parts of our society. “I wish the commission well, and commit the Liberal Democrats to playing a constructive role. But, to guarantee this commission has real teeth, the Prime Minister should commit now to ensuring the recommendations to come don’t just sit and gather dust. “Conservative Ministers must not use the commission as an excuse to stall on tackling racism. We need a Race Equality Strategy now, starting with scrapping the Hostile Environment policies and suspicion-less Stop and Search.”
Read More
11Jun 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Lib Dems lead cross party push for more diverse curriculum

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats have secured cross party support for a bid to review the national curriculum in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests to combat “institutional racism in the UK”.  In a letter to the Education Secretary coordinated by Liberal Democrat Education spokesperson Layla Moran, MPs from across the political spectrum call for the inclusion of "a more diverse range of historical perspectives in our curriculum". The cross-party group request a review of the curriculum is undertaken by leading historians and advocates from BAME backgrounds. The MPs from all major opposition parties also call for teachers to have access to "the support and training necessary to translate it into learning in the classroom", to ensure "real progress" in schools. Layla Moran, Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson said:  “The Black Lives Matter protests in…
Read More
10Jun 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Davey: PM must abolish suspicion-less stop and search

Parliamentary news
Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey has written to the Prime Minister calling on him to abolish harmful section 60 suspicion-less stop and search powers. Black people are disproportionately likely to be stopped and searched by the police, and for suspicion-less stop and search the figures are particularly stark. Last year there were there were 4,858 searches of black people and 2,669 of white people, meaning that a black person is 47 times as likely to be subject to Section 60 Stop and Search as a white person. Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said: “Under suspicion-less Stop and Search powers, a Black person is 47 times more likely to be stopped and searched than a white person.  “On too many occasions stop and search seems to mean…
Read More