Reducing climate-changing gases demands real leadership. Lib Dem Press Release 22hd Nov

Davey: Reducing climate-changing gases demands real leadership

Reacting to news that climate-changing gases in the atmosphere have reached a new high, former Liberal Democrat Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Ed Davey said:

Climate change comes not just with an environmental cost, but a human cost. Unless we act now, the destruction could be unparalleled.

Frankly, however, this Conservative Government is moving at a glacial pace. Tory Ministers have no interest in tackling climate change, proven by the fact the UK is already set to miss the Paris Agreement objectives.

Liberal Democrats demand better. Now is the time for real leadership. Liberal Democrats are offering just that with plans to bring forward decarbonisation targets by ten years and a radical plan to ensure the UK can meet them.

Gov must recognise state of Palestine. Lib Dem Press Release 21st November

Moran: Gov must recognise state of Palestine

Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran will introduce a Bill to the House of Commons today calling on the Government to give recognition to the state of Palestine.

The Palestinian Statehood (Recognition) Bill would require the Government to recognise the State of Palestine within 3 months of the Bill being passed. It has support from Lib Dem, Labour, SNP, Plaid and Green MPs.

Commenting ahead of the Bill’s presentation, Layla Moran said:

Since I was elected I have been dismayed at the progress the Conservative Government has made towards recognising the state of Palestine.

I am in favour of a two-state solution, but until the state of Palestine is recognised, the two actors can’t come to the table as equal partners.

Given the UK’s role in the Balfour declaration it is vital that Britain recognises the role it has played and the role is has to play in re-igniting the peace talks.

Whilst I acknowledge that the UK recognising the state of Palestine alone won’t be a solution, doing it would go some way to reigniting the spark of hope that has gone out in the hearts of Palestinians across the world.

Sanctions needed to get Matthew Hedges home. Lib Dem Press Release. 21st November

Sanctions needed to get Matthew Hedges home

Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs spokesperson Christine Jardine has demanded the Government use sanctions on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in response to the imprisonment of Matthew Hedges.

Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine said:

It is evidently clear that Matthew Hedges has not been given anything like a fair hearing. People will be shocked and horrified by this miscarriage of justice.

The Government must take action now, including sanctions on the United Arab Emirates, in order to secure Matthew Hedges’ full release and reunite him with his family.

He and his family deserve better, and this Government must take every step necessary to return him to the UK.

Bank of England must conduct honest assessment of Brexit deal. Lib Dem Press Release 20th November

Cable: Bank of England must conduct honest assessment of Brexit deal

Leader of the Liberal Democrats Vince Cable has today urged the Bank of England to conduct “an honest assessment of the Brexit deal and the options” and produce economic analysis of what remaining in the EU will mean for the UK economy.

The calls follow the appearance of Bank of England Governor Mark Carney before the Commons Treasury committee this morning where he said that the Bank of England was “not intending to look at providing additional analysis on the third scenario which is no Brexit at all.”

However, just last night the House of Commons forced the Government to accept an amendment to the Finance Bill which means Ministers must publish assessments comparing the UK’s economic prospects between Theresa May’s deal and remaining in the EU. The Liberal Democrats want the Bank of England to follow suit.

Leader of the Liberal Democrats Vince Cable said:

Last week the PM confirmed that ‘No Brexit’ was an option for the UK going forward; it is now going from possible to probable.

The public deserve to see a full and comprehensive assessment of all the options available to us – they should have had it two years ago in all honesty.

The Bank of England need to do the responsible thing, and provide an analysis of the benefits of remaining in the EU, the emergence of information such as this is a game changer, and shows more than ever why we need to take this decision back to the people with a final say on May’s deal.

The licence fee is not the Government’s to spend. Lib Dem Press Release 20th November

The licence fee is not the Government’s to spend

Responding to the launch of the BBC consultation period to decide how licence fees for over-75s should be paid for, Liberal Democrat Culture spokesperson Baroness Bonham-Carter said:

I welcome the BBC’s public consultation into the TV licence fee concession for older people.

The underhand way in which the Tories made the BBC take on the costs of funding free TV licenses for the over-75s was reprehensible. This was something the Liberal Democrats successfully blocked during the Coalition Government.

The licence fee is not Government’s to spend. It is not public money, but the public’s money which should be used to invest in BBC content.

PM must come clean on immigration plans. Lib Dem Press Release 19th November

PM must come clean on immigration plans

Responding to Theresa May’s speech to the CBI conference this morning, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Ed Davey said:

Theresa May is desperately trying to win over the Brexit hardliners on the Tory benches by promising tough new immigration controls. But she still refuses to publish any details of her plans, more than a year after the white paper was originally due.

The PM is trying to hide the truth: that her plans would either fail to end free movement as she claims, or place a huge new bureaucratic burden on employers while damaging our economy and undermining public services. Either way, that’s hardly ‘taking back control’.

The Liberal Democrats demand better. Theresa May must finally come clean and publish her immigration white paper now, so MPs can scrutinise the proposals before voting on her Brexit deal.

Tories can no longer bury Brexit truth. Lib Dem Press Release 19th November

Tories can no longer bury Brexit truth

Speaking after the House of Commons tonight forced the Government to accept an amendment to the Finance Bill which means Ministers must publish assessments comparing the UK’s economic prospects between Theresa May’s deal and remaining in the EU, Liberal Democrat Brexit Spokesperson Tom Brake said:

The public deserve no less than the full facts and figures on the cost of Brexit. The Tories have been all too keen to bury the truth, but thankfully Parliament has now forced their hand.

The Conservatives can now no longer hide from the mess they have made of Brexit. The simple reality is that no form of Brexit is better than what we have in the EU.

When published, MPs from across the chamber must look at these economic assessments and ask themselves if their constituents deserve better. There is still time to escape this mess and back the Liberal Democrat campaign for a People’s Vote, including the option to remain in the EU.

Davis’ self appointment ‘farcical’ . Lib Dem Press Release 17th November

Davis’ self appointment ‘farcical’ – Brake

Responding to reports that David Davis has spent several days in Washington speaking to US Trade Officials about a free trade deal with the UK, Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesperson Tom Brake said:

Having failed to negotiate properly with the EU, the idea that David Davis is now touting himself as Britain’s self-appointed ‘man in Washington’ is farcical. The Prime Minister must confirm he has not been acting in any official capacity or with her blessing.

David Davis and his Brexiter colleagues have got us into a huge mess, with Britain now facing a damaging and disorderly Brexit deal, the people must be given the right to reject the deal and remain in the European Union, through a people’s vote.

Vince Cable’s comments as the shambolic day unfolded. Lib Dem Press Releases 15th November

Cable: The Conservative Government is in meltdown

Responding to the resignation of Brexit secretary Dominic Raab, Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Vince Cable said:

The Government started Britain on a journey with no actual idea of their route or their destination. The Conservative Government is in meltdown and it’s clear the Conservatives are now driving the country off a cliff.

The Tories are finally realising what we have always known. There is no way to prevent Brexit from leaving our country worse off.

A People’s Vote on the final Brexit deal, where they can choose to remain in the EU, is the only route out of this uncertainty. It is time people had the power to end this mess.

Cable: PM’s incompetence leaves UK unprepared for all options

Leader of the Liberal Democrats Vince Cable has today criticised Theresa May for failing to prepare for no Brexit, despite admitting it was an option.

Speaking in response to the Prime Minister’s Brexit statement in the House of Commons today, Vince Cable said: “The Prime Minister rightly asserts that there are two alternatives to her plan, no deal and no Brexit.”

He added: “The Government is investing considerably in contingency planning for no deal. What contingency planning is she doing for no Brexit? Including, for example, advising the Commission that Article 50 may have to be withdrawn? And is she herself preparing for the fact, however much she hates it, that the House may instruct her to carry out a People’s Vote?”

In response, the Prime Minister confirmed the Conservative Government was making no plans for no Brexit.

Following the exchange, Leader of the Liberal Democrats Vince Cable said:

For the livelihoods of people right across the UK, there is no deal better than the deal we currently have as EU members. That is why the Liberal Democrats have consistently made the case for remaining in the EU.

Given the Prime Minister’s botched deal is falling apart already, it is beyond incompetent that she has left the UK unprepared for the very real reality of no Brexit at all.

The future of our country should be decided by the people. The people must be given the final say on Brexit, including the option to remain in the EU.

Brexit chaos hitting UK businesses hard

Responding to reports that UK- focused firms have been hit hard by the PM’s proposed Brexit deal, with RBS, Lloyds, Barclays, Marks and Spencer, Barratt, Berkeley and EasyJet all seeing falls in their share prices, Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesperson Tom Brake said:

Ministerial resignations and Brexit chaos are hitting UK-based businesses hard.

But the short-term damage caused by a rudderless Government will be nothing compared to the permanent harm the PM’s bad deal or catastrophic No Deal would inflict on UK Plc.

That is why we need a People’s Vote to get us out of this mess and secure an exit from Brexit.

Cable: ‘No Brexit’ clearly on the table

Responding to Donald Tusk’s invitation to the UK to remain in the European Union, Leader of the Liberal Democrats Vince Cable said:

Donald Tusk is right and it’s good to see that ‘No Brexit’ is clearly on the table from the EU.

Any sensible Government would be contingency planning for no Brexit, and I am pleased to see that the EU is now planning for it too.

The PM too has acknowledged now that there is a choice between no Brexit and no deal if her plans fail.

Recent events have shifted a People’s Vote from being possible to becoming probable. We must prepare to win the argument in the country: there is still time to exit from Brexit.

Cable: PM in Brexit denial

Responding to the Prime Minister’s press conference today, Leader of the Liberal Democrats Vince Cable said:

The Prime Minister took a long time to say nothing this afternoon. She appears to be in denial.

The facts haven’t changed. There is no majority in Parliament for her deal, and she has rightly conceded that “No Brexit” is the real alternative to it.

There must now be a People’s Vote to break the deadlock and get the country out of this mess.

Failures on women’s health becoming the norm Lib Dem Press Release 14th November

Failures on women’s health becoming the norm

Responding to the reports that more than 40,000 women in England have not received information regarding cervical cancer screening after a failure to send out letters by the NHS, Liberal Democrat MP Wera Hobhouse said:

It is outrageous that women’s health has again been compromised with the failure to send out cervical cancer screening letters.

Only six months ago, the former Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, stood up in the Commons to apologise to women for failures to send invitations for breast cancer screening.

It is unacceptable that these failures seem to be becoming the norm. The Liberal Democrats demand better for women’s health, much better.