20 Most Recent Stories From Liberal Democrats : All News Feed

Thu 3rd Jul 2008:

Cost of aborted plane feasibility studies unbelievable and outrageous - Baker.

Commenting on figures that show feasibility studies into aborted plans to buy two private jets to carry Gordon Brown and the Royal Family cost £1.25m, Liberal Democrat Shadow Transport Secretary, Norman Baker said: "This is unbelievable and outrageous. Gordon Brown is burning money like a jet plane burns fuel. "How on earth can it cost over £1 million just to decide whether or not to buy a plane? I could have told them the answer for nothing - don’t."

Zimbabwean cricket team must be banned from playing internationals - Foster.

Commenting ahead of the International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting tomorrow, which is due to discuss Zimbabwe’s membership, Liberal Democrat Shadow Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, Don Foster said: "It is extremely important that all members of the ICC recognise the appalling situation in Zimbabwe. "The ICC must ban Zimbabwe’s cricket team from all international matches. It is unacceptable for Zimbabwe to be represented on the world stage while Mugabe’s tyranny continues. "The cricket world should take a stand in order to register a protest against the abuses occurring there."

Ministers cannot be trusted with fingerprints - Huhne.

Responding to the Biometric Assurance Group’s (BAG) comments that officials could struggle to cope with the number of mismatched or unclear fingerprints, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne said: "Far from being the gold standard of identity as the Government claimed, the experts are now clear that the ID card scheme will be riddled with errors and vulnerable to fraud. "If ministers lose your bank account and benefit details, these can be changed. If they lose your fingerprints, the cost of cosmetic surgery is in a different league. "The Government has proved time and again that it cannot be trusted with sensitive data. Ministers will be totally incapable of maintaining the security of the enormous identity database. This unnecessary, intrusive and extravagant plan should be scrapped immediately."

Ministers turn blind eye to costly mistakes - Willott.

New figures released today show that the Department for Work and Pensions has been forced to spend £52m compensating people for mistakes made over the last 6 years. Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Jenny Willott said: "These figures reveal how endemic and costly official error is at the DWP. Ministers have turned a blind eye as the cost of these mistakes has risen. "Not only is it hurting the public purse, it is hurting those most in need who rely on these payments to make ends meet. "The benefits system is so complex that even officials don’t understand it. It must be simplified to cut out the mistakes and fraud that are proving so costly to the taxpayer."

Councils must be set free - Clegg.

Councils should be set free from depending on Whitehall funding by raising three-quarters of their money locally, Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg will say today in a speech to the Local Government Association Conference in Bournemouth. Explaining the Liberal Democrats’ position as the only party willing to properly devolve power and money away from central government by re-localising business rates and scrapping the council tax, Nick Clegg will accuse the Government and the Tories of only ‘talking the talk’ about empowering communities. Nick Clegg will also label the regional ministerial posts introduced a year ago by Gordon Brown as ‘pointless gimmicks’ and call for them to be scrapped. Nick Clegg will say: "Centralised government simply doesn’t work to deliver the change I want for Britain. It doesn’t improve services fast enough. "And it certainly doesn’t deliver fairer outcomes - where everybody gets opportunities no matter what their background is. "If the New Labour decade has taught us anything - this is surely it. "The great experiment of trying to improve our public services for everyone by pouring money in through a tight funnel in Number 10 Downing Street has failed." Speaking about radically reforming how local government is funded, he will say: "The Liberal Democrats are committed to scrapping Council Tax. It’s Britain’s unfairest tax. Based on property values nearly twenty years ago, instead of what people can afford to pay. "But our commitment to Local Income Tax isn’t just about fairness. It’s about localising power, too. Because with a local income tax in place, we can decentralise our tax system. Transferring tax-raising powers from national to local government. "My ambition is to switch from a regime where councils raise just a quarter of the money they spend, and get the rest in handouts from the centre. To a regime where they get a grant for just a quarter of the money they spend - and get the rest from local taxes, decided by local people." Calling for regional ministers to be scrapped, Nick Clegg will say: "It’s time to scrap regional ministers and spend the money on something useful. "Devolving power isn’t about having a national minister ‘advocating’ national policy in the regions. "It’s about letting the regions - and below them, councils, communities and people - make decisions for themselves. "I’ve looked into this - and by the time of the next general election we taxpayers will have spent well over two million pounds on this futile project. In fact, it’s not clear what these pointless gimmicks spend their time doing. Except costing us a lot of money." To read the full text of the speech click here

Bradshaw remarks must be backed up by facts - Lamb.

Commenting on comments by Ben Bradshaw that some GPs enter into ‘gentleman’s agreements’ not to accept each others patients, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Norman Lamb said: "Ratcheting up his war of words with the BMA in this way demonstrates the complete breakdown in trust between the Government and those on the health service’s front line. "If Ben Bradshaw is going to make provocative and inflammatory statements about GPs’ behaviour he must back them up with facts. Does he have any evidence of what he is alleging? "There is currently little incentive for GPs to take on new patients. They must be encouraged to take on patients from disadvantaged backgrounds. These are problems of the Government’s own making."

Nicol Stephen outstanding politician - Clegg.

Commenting on Nicol Stephen's resignation as leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg said: "Nicol Stephen has been an outstanding politician and force for change in Scotland. "As a Minister and Deputy First Minister, he played a pivotal role in showing what Liberal Democrats can deliver in Government. As a campaigner, he led the party to a stunning win in the Dumfermline and West Fife by-election, overturning a huge Labour majority. "He is without doubt the most effective opposition to Alex Salmond in the Scottish Parliament, and his performances at First Minister’s Questions have been incisive and forceful. "Liberal Democrats owe him a huge debt of gratitude, and I personally want to thank him for his friendship and dedication to the party. His integrity shines through in taking what must be a very difficult step, but everyone will understand and respect his decision in view of the enormous strains and pressures of combining family life with a hugely demanding role. "He will remain an important figure in the Liberal Democrats and I look forward to working with him as a valued friend and colleague."

Wed 2nd Jul 2008:

Government failing abjectly on knife crime - Huhne.

Commenting on figures compiled by Hospital Episodes Statistics which show a dramatic rise in under-16s admitted for stab wounds, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne said: "These appalling figures show that the Government’s strategy for tackling teenage knife crime is failing abjectly. "Ministers claim that crime is falling, but these figures show serious attacks that require hospital admission are up. They cut through all the problems with the crime reported to the police and the lack of information about teenagers in the British Crime Survey. "We appear to be locked in a vicious circle where teenagers don’t feel safe on our streets, and therefore carry more knives, which in turn just fuels the spiral of knife crime. "The solution has to be more knife arches, more targeted stop and search in hot spots, a sustained campaign in schools, and more detection and prosecution for carrying knives. "Instead of spending billions on unworkable and unnecessary ID cards, the Government should spend the money on actually making people safer by putting more police on our streets."

Darling's growth prediction laughable - Cable.

Commenting on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s projection that unemployment in the UK will rise by 100,000 over the next two years, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable said: "The OECD is rightly pointing out the economic reality that Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling refuse to acknowledge. "It is painful but almost inevitable that the perfect storm of rising prices, over-indebtedness and the credit crunch will lead to higher unemployment. "Alistair Darling’s prediction for growth at the time of the Budget looked unbelievably optimistic. The OECD has shown, it now looks laughable. "Rather than burying its head in the sand the Government must now act to help those struggling to meet rising bills and high debt repayments."

Decline in pension schemes a worrying trend - Willott.

Commenting on new figures from the Office of National Statistics, which show that the number of private sector workers that are members of occupational pension schemes has fallen by 400,000 since last year, Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Jenny Willott said: "This is an extremely worrying trend. All the evidence shows that people need to be saving more and saving earlier in order to have a decent standard of living when they retire. Unfortunately, these figures suggest that the reverse may be happening. "At a time when people’s minds will be focused on immediate financial pressures, it is vital that the Government encourages people to build up pension savings to avoid financial hardship in retirement. "At the same time, innovation must be encouraged to ensure employers can continue to offer competitive schemes - this will be increasingly difficult in an economic downturn."

60 per cent of hospitals on emergency alerts - Lamb.

Almost two-thirds of hospitals have been on emergency alert over the last five years, according to a survey by the Liberal Democrats. Half of hospitals surveyed will cancel or delay elective surgery when on emergency alert, while over a third will delay patient treatment and almost a quarter will divert patients to other hospitals. The figures differ around the country, with six hospitals on black or red alert for over 350 days in the last five years, and some going on alert over 100 times each year. Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Norman Lamb said: "These figures are a damning indictment of Labour’s target-obsessed culture. Despite pouring record sums into the NHS over the past five years, over half of hospitals have found themselves on emergency alert. "Many hospitals are under intolerable pressure, putting a massive strain on staff and compromising patient care. "There must be a thorough review of bed capacity in both acute and community hospitals. Local people must be able to secure sufficient bed numbers to meet local needs."

Government fares policy is 'walk-on/rip-off' - Baker.

Commenting on today’s report by the Campaign for Better Transport, which shows that walk-on rail fares are often four or five times as high as advanced fares, Liberal Democrat Shadow Transport Secretary, Norman Baker said: "The Government’s policy on fares is ‘walk-on/rip-off’. It is pushing up rail fares as a substitute for providing extra capacity and is pricing people off trains and on to the roads. "With train companies having to pay for their franchises in many cases, the Government has now introduced a railway stealth tax on passengers."

Government plunging us into dark age of dentistry - Gidley.

Commenting on today’s Health Select Committee report into dentistry, which highlights problems that have developed since the introduction of the new dental contract, Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson and Select Committee Member, Sandra Gidley said: "This is another example of the Government meddling and rushing through changes without thinking about the consequences. "The facts speak for themselves. The number of patients seen by NHS dentists between December 2005 and December 2007 has fallen by a million. "The scandal for patients is that many are receiving less sophisticated treatment and are paying more for the privilege. "The Government has plunged us headlong into a dark age of dentistry."

Blair comments underline Labour's appalling record - Huhne.

Responding to Cherie Blair’s comments to the Home Affairs Select Committee on knife and gun crime, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne said: "Anyone would think that Cherie Blair was not in Downing Street while violent crime doubled. "Labour’s record on gun and knife crime is appalling. Young people do not feel safe on our streets but all the Government has done is to posture on penalties that are not enforced because the offenders are not caught."

Tue 1st Jul 2008:

Tory English votes plans a feeble non-solution - Howarth.

Commenting on the Conservatives’ proposals concerning voting on English legislation, Liberal Democrat Shadow Solicitor General, David Howarth said: "This is a feeble non-solution to a problem best addressed by more fundamental change to our unfair electoral system. "Ken Clarke’s proposals do not provide a solution to the problem and perhaps are not meant to."

Exit controls key to border protection - Huhne.

Commenting on today’s Tory proposals aimed at increasing border security, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne said: "It is flattering that the Tories have copied our ground-breaking plans for a National Border Force. "But they are silent on the need to reintroduce exit checks if we are to get a grip on migration chaos. "Since exit controls were abolished by the Tories in 1994, we no longer know who has left the country, and cannot ensure that short-term entry visas are respected."

Government shunting railways into the sidings - Baker.

Commenting on Ruth Kelly’s statement that the Government will be consulting on its long-term rail strategy later this year, Liberal Democrat Shadow Transport Secretary, Norman Baker said: "The Government wants to give the impression of activity but a Parliamentary Answer I have received shows it will not be publishing its long-term plan for the railways until 2012. "Where is the long-term planning? The Government cannot build the rail network this country needs in the 18 months between 2012 and 2014. "Yet again the Department for Transport is shunting the railways into the sidings."

Deposit protection scheme must be responsibility of banks not taxpayer - Cable.

Commenting on Alistair Darling’s proposals aimed at protecting savers’ deposits, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable said: "The run on Northern Rock has made it clear that the system of deposit protection must be improved to prevent future runs on banks. "Although it is right that the level of compensation is raised, the Chancellor has clearly buckled under pressure by cutting the maximum level of protection from his original proposal of £100,000, to £50,000. "It is also less than clear whether compensation is 90% of the sum, as now, or 100% as operated following the Northern Rock panic. "If there is to be confidence in the banking system it is critical that there is rapid repayment from the Financial Services Compensation Fund when a bank goes under. "The only way this can happen is for the banks to make ‘up front’ payments into the Fund so that there is a pool of funds to draw on. We must be clear that deposit protection is the responsibility of the banks, not the taxpayer. "The bigger issue now is how vulnerable the banks currently are to a future crisis of confidence, as it is clear that banks have underestimated their losses from a deteriorating housing market. "Since the leading banks are implicitly underwritten by the Government, acting as lender of last resort, we urgently need a clear statement of the process by which failing banks will in future be rescued and/or taken over by the Government."

Tory English votes plans a recipe for constitutional chaos - Carmichael.

Commenting on Conservative proposals to strip Scottish MPs of voting powers on legislation affecting England, Liberal Democrat MP for Orkney and Shetland, Alistair Carmichael said: "Ken Clarke’s proposals are no improvement on previous Tory plans for ‘English votes on English issues’."

Public Services should not lurk in cloak of secrecy - Tyler.

Responding to news that the Scottish Executive is considering widening the scope of the Freedom of Information Act north of the border, Liberal Democrat Constitutional Affairs spokesman, Lord (Paul) Tyler, said: "I called for the law to be expanded across the UK earlier this month. "The Scottish Freedom of Information Act is already stronger than that in England.  And now it appears the Scots could gain more transparency still. "It would be quite wrong to leave English public authorities in translucent limbo, with parts of the country's vital public services continuing to lurk in a cloak of secrecy."

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