Lib Dems: Nobody should take lectures from Liam Fox

Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesperson Tom Brake has warned “nobody should take lectures from Liam Fox” ahead of the International Trade Secretary’s speech on reform of the World Trade Organization.

The Liberal Democrat MP branded Liam Fox “hopeless”, given the admission that the UK has yet to finalise agreements to replace nearly every one of the EU existing free trade deals. The EU has nearly 40 trade deals which the UK will need to ‘roll over’ by the 29th March to cope with a no-deal Brexit scenario.

Mr Brake has also called for the International Trade Secretary’s Department to be abolished as the PM’s Withdrawal Agreement, should it pass, leaves Mr Fox’s department with no powers to create its own trade agreements for the foreseeable future.

Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesperson Tom Brake said:

Fox has clocked up more air miles than the Apollo Lunar module, but has barely a single new trade deal to show for it. May’s deal means he won’t in the future either.

Fox has become an irresponsible embarrassment. Nobody should take lectures from him. It is time Fox was given his P45 and his Department abolished.

Even many Brexiters now admit that Brexit will leave us all poorer. Liberal Democrats demand better. The only serious option left on the table is a people’s vote, with the option to stay in the EU.

Moran: Rough sleeping shames our whole country

The Liberal Democrats have today called for cross-party support for Layla Moran’s Bill to scrap the Vagrancy Act following the publication of official figures which reveal there were 4,677 rough sleepers across England in Autumn 2018.

Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran said:

The fact that thousands of people sleep rough every night shames our whole country. These figures don’t even capture the many more ‘hidden homeless’ in insecure and unsuitable accommodation.

Even worse, hundreds of homeless people die each year, as the tragic death of Kane Walker in Birmingham on Sunday reminded us. The Tories are failing our most vulnerable people.

The Liberal Democrats demand better. We want the Government to be building up to 100,000 social homes a year, provide accommodation and support to those in need, and finally back my Bill to scrap the Vagrancy Act.

Tory Govt woefully unprepared for no deal Brexit

Responding to the Institute for Government report which warns the Conservative Government isn’t ready for the prospect of the UK leaving the EU with no-deal, Liberal Democrat Brexit Spokesperson Tom Brake said:

This report makes clear what we all fear: the Tory Government is woefully unprepared for crashing out of the EU.

Despite spending over £4 billion on no-deal preparations, the Conservative Government have still failed to ensure that vital laws will be in place or that our health, food or legal sectors will have the systems in place to cope with crashing out.

What’s worse, this report suggests the Tories have also been unhelpfully secretive in the way they have made preparations. No need to guess why.

There are just 8 weeks left until supposed exit day and yet there is no deal in sight and Theresa May refuses to take no deal off the table. Liberal Democrats demand better. It’s time to give the people the final say on the deal with the option to stay in the EU.

Cable: CBI warning of no-deal plans reveals no faith in PM

Responding to reports that the Head of the CBI expects UK companies to speed up plans for a no-deal Brexit in response to votes in the House of Commons last night, Leader of the Liberal Democrats Vince Cable said:

The voice of business in our country can’t be ignored. Businesses that make up the backbone of the UK economy are rightly concerned about the consequences of a chaotic no-deal Brexit, which Parliament failed to rule out this week due to divisions in Labour and the Conservatives.

Theresa May’s Brexit won’t work for businesses. The CBI know, just as Liberal Democrats do, that the Prime Minister will have a hard time getting agreement from the EU. It feels more like a last hurrah to save the Tory party than anything in the national interest.

The best way out of this mess is to go back to the people and give them a final say on Brexit. That is what the Liberal Democrats will continue to unequivocally fight for.

Travel insurance not guaranteed with no-deal Brexit

Five out of seven leading travel agents are unable to provide insurance cover guarantees in the event of a no-deal Brexit, a mystery shopper exercise has uncovered.

Following the Conservative Government’s own advice, the Liberal Democrats contacted seven of the UK’s largest insurers to ask whether or not they would provide cover for travel plans disrupted by a ‘no-deal’ Brexit.

However, with only weeks to go until the UK could leave the European Union with a possible no-deal Brexit, only two of the seven companies could confirm insurance would be paid out as normal in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

Another two insurers stated that travellers would not be covered at all while another three were simply unsure as to whether coverage would continue or not.

Liberal Democrat Brexit Spokesperson Tom Brake said:

Just when people are booking their holidays, the Conservatives’ shambolic handling of the Brexit process could turn their trips into a nightmare.

It is a nonsense that the Tory Government appeals to people to contact their insurance companies yet they themselves have been left largely ill-informed and unable to address any uncertainties.

It is time the Prime Minister saw sense and ruled out a chaotic ‘no deal’ scenario. Better still, Liberal Democrats want to give people an opportunity to exit from Brexit with a final say on the deal and the option to remain in the EU.

Davey: Appalling that Tories are willing to jeopardise peace in Northern Ireland

Responding to the concerns of Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar that no-Deal Brexit could lead to border controls, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Ed Davey said:

It’s essential Theresa May puts keeping the peace in Northern Ireland above keeping the peace in the Conservative Party.

The Irish Prime Minister could not be more clear that Brexit is already posing a challenge to that hard-won peace. His warning today over the threat to the peace from a no-deal Brexit is surely the final argument Theresa May needs to take such a disastrous outcome off the table.

It’s appalling that the Brexiteer Tories are willing to jeopardise peace in Northern Ireland for the sake of their Brexit obsession.

The people of Northern Ireland deserve better, and the Liberal Democrats demand better. Theresa May must immediately rule out a no-deal Brexit and put her deal to a People’s Vote, with the option of an exit from Brexit.

Davey: Appalling that Tories are willing to jeopardise peace in Northern Ireland

Responding to the concerns of Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar that no-Deal Brexit could lead to border controls, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Ed Davey said:

It’s essential Theresa May puts keeping the peace in Northern Ireland above keeping the peace in the Conservative Party.

The Irish Prime Minister could not be more clear that Brexit is already posing a challenge to that hard-won peace. His warning today over the threat to the peace from a no-deal Brexit is surely the final argument Theresa May needs to take such a disastrous outcome off the table.

It’s appalling that the Brexiteer Tories are willing to jeopardise peace in Northern Ireland for the sake of their Brexit obsession.

The people of Northern Ireland deserve better, and the Liberal Democrats demand better. Theresa May must immediately rule out a no-deal Brexit and put her deal to a People’s Vote, with the option of an exit from Brexit.

Cable: Airbus warning a stark reminder of the livelihoods at risk

Responding to Airbus’ latest warning that a no-deal Brexit could force it to pull out of the UK, describing the Brexit process as a “disgrace”, Leader of the Liberal Democrats Vince Cable said:

The warning from Airbus is a stark reminder that the livelihoods of thousands of British workers are at risk from the UK leaving the EU with no deal.

The longer the Prime Minister runs down the clock and fails to give businesses certainty to plan, the greater the risk to jobs.

An extension of Article 50 is now the only responsible course, and the Government should back a People’s Vote and to give the public the final say with an option to remain in the EU.

Theresa May’s Brexit Position Untenable – Welsh Lib Dems

The Welsh Lib Dems have criticised Theresa May’s statement to the Commons on Brexit this afternoon, claiming simply persisting with her utterly failed approach is not a viable solution.

Theresa May again ruled out a People’s Vote, extending or revoking Article 50 or staying in the single market and customs union.

Instead her approach appears to be that her deal is still the best option, despite the fact it was defeated by 230 votes last week in the Commons.

Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds said:

Theresa May’s statement to the Commons this afternoon was deeply disappointing, but unfortunately not surprising. The Prime Minister’s intransigence is now putting the entire country at risk and pushing us closer and closer to a disastrous no deal Brexit.

Theresa May’s deal is dead, it suffered a humiliating defeat by 230 votes last week, the biggest UK Government defeat in history. No amount of tinkering can save this deal now, particularly since Theresa May’s attempts to improve the deal over Christmas failed so abjectly.

Brexit continues to be a national embarrassment, but it can be stopped. Theresa May must accept that only the people can end this Brexit chaos.

A People’s Vote is the only viable way forward and the only option that is supported by the people and could gain the support of Parliament. We must give the people the final say and the opportunity to choose an Exit from Brexit.

New laws only help domestic abuse victims if there’s cash to enforce them

Responding to the publication of the long awaited Draft Domestic Abuse Bill, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesperson Ed Davey said:

Every case of domestic abuse is an abhorrent and unthinkable crime. So we must get behind this welcome work to improve the law and court procedures.

However, Ministers have taken rather too long to come forward with these ideas, and if we are to get people the support and justice they deserve, there must not be any more unnecessary delay.

And Ministers must be honest enough to admit that new laws won’t make any difference if there aren’t higher budgets to enforce the laws and protect victims too.

Liberal Democrats want more funding for refuges and rape crisis centres and a new national rape crisis helpline to support victims, increase the chances of convictions and back up any legal change.

GP postcode lottery shows vital need for a national workforce strategy for the NHS

Responding to the analysis done by the BBC which shows the huge variation in the availability of GPs in different parts of England, Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Judith Jolly said:

Getting access to your GP should never be a postcode lottery. The clear shortage of GPs is leaving patients stranded, waiting weeks for appointments when they could have serious health issues.

One of the key problems with the NHS ten year plan was that it was completely undermined by a lack of serious workforce planning. It is vital the Government produce a national workforce strategy, ensuring people can access GPs when they need them.

The Government must look at the long term solutions in training more GPs and ensuring we retain the ones we have. Whilst there is inadequate planning for the NHS workforce, the NHS ten year plan will not be deliverable.