30 Most Recent Stories From Liberal Democrats : All News Feed

Fri 27th Jul 2007:

Liberal Democrats launch radical plans to combat poverty and inequality

Radical new proposals to reduce poverty and tackle inequality in Britain were revealed today by the Liberal Democrats. The plans aim to reverse Gordon Brown's dependency culture by giving people educational and employment opportunities as well as incentives to work and save.Five million people will be lifted out of relative poverty, with 10 million fewer means-tested benefits in payment, by 2020.The proposals contained in the policy document Freedom from Poverty, Opportunity for All: Policies for a fairer Britain include:      Introducing a 'pupil premium', with £1.5bn extra targeted at the children with the   greatest need. The Pupil Premium will give more money to pupils from the poorest backgrounds and help bring funding in the most needy state schools up to private school levels. Reforming tax credits by ending the overpayments crisis and taking higher earners out of the system all together. Increasing Child Benefit by around £5 per family per week, taking 150,000 children out of poverty. Replacing Job Centre Plus with a new 'First Steps' agency to be a single one-stop-shop for all benefit and tax credit claims, while outsourcing properly funded employment support to the private and voluntary sector. A single working age benefit would also be introduced. Immediately restoring the earnings link to the basic state pension and in the long run introducing a citizens' pension. Establishing an Independent Commission on Public Sector Pensions to ensure that they are fair and affordable - with any savings re-invested in a higher state pension. Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Children, Schools and Families Secretary, David Laws MP said:"Under Gordon Brown, Britain remains a society of massive inequalities of both income and opportunity. It is a national disgrace that Britain is the developed country where your chances in life are most dependent on your family background rather than your own abilities and hard work."This radical new agenda to combat poverty rejects Gordon Brown's blueprint for a state of dependency, where the spread of mass means-testing undermines incentives to work, save and even form stable families."Meanwhile, David Cameron's plan seems to be for a great leap backwards to the failed policies of Victorian Britain."The Liberal Democrat vision is of a society of genuine opportunity where instead of treating the symptoms of inequality, we treat its causes - poor educational opportunities, unemployment, bad housing and unstable families."Our pupil premium would help to tackle disadvantage where it matters most - in education from the very first days in school. Our aspiration is that the most deprived pupils have the same financial backing as those privileged enough to go to private school."Commenting further, Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Danny Alexander MP said:"Labour has created a welfare system where millions are trapped in dependency and in low income work."Incredibly complex and chaotically administered means-tested benefits have placed millions at the mercy of a failing central Government bureaucracy. "Our proposals for Tax Credits will give people an assurance that what is given to them will stay with them, and by removing millions from means-testing we will strengthen incentives to progress in work. "By taking higher earners out of Tax Credits altogether, we are able to invest in education and the universal Child Benefit, lifting 150,000 children out of poverty. Instead of complexity and dependency, we will offer real opportunity."In combination with our tax proposals we are able to both tackle poverty and ensure the vast majority of families will keep more of their income, as they move on to better paid work."Our new employment policies will take the task of finding people work away from failing job centres, and give it to local charities and companies with much better prospects of finding people permanent employment."It is a disgrace that after 10 years of Labour government 2.7 million people are still trapped on Incapacity Benefit. We will use the innovation and local expertise of the private and voluntary sectors to improve people's prospects of finding employment."Labour has failed to provide real opportunity for the most disadvantaged. Britain is becoming divided into two nations. With these policies, the Liberal Democrats are declaring war on inequality."The full policy paper, which contains further details about the proposals, is available online.

Conservative commitment to equality 'paper thin' - Liberal Democrats

Eighty percent of the current Conservative Shadow Cabinet have voted against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) equality legislation, according to figures released today by the Liberal Democrats. On the 40th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality, the party is also calling on the Government to implement a three-point plan for true LGBT equality.The Liberal Democrat plan calls for: Better action in schools, including age appropriate sex and relationship education, and measures to tackle homophobic and transphobic bullying. Consistent and comprehensive legislation, with a Single Equality Act using current race legislation as a template to protect people on the grounds of their sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.  A public sector duty to promote equality. Commenting, Liberal Democrat Leader Menzies Campbell said:"Gay and lesbian rights have come a long way over the last forty years, and anti-discrimination laws have changed things for the better."But for true equality to be achieved we need a cultural shift too."We need to ensure that homophobic bullying is stamped out in schools and workplaces."It is not by accident that there are very few openly gay people in the sports world, or in the City: discrimination and fear of discrimination still overshadow the personal and professional lives of too many people."It is the duty of all of us to show our disapproval of discrimination in all its guises, in order that everyone has the chance to live their lives freely and without intimidation."Commenting on the unveiling of figures showing the Conservative front-bench voting record, Liberal Democrat Equality Spokesperson, Jo Swinson MP said:"That 80% the of the current shadow cabinet, appointed by David Cameron, have voted against significant LGBT rights legislation shows that his commitment to equality is paper thin."Worse still, David Cameron himself actively voted against the repeal of section 28 and against adoption by same sex couples."David Cameron's 21st Century rhetoric can't hide his party's 19th Century principles."

Courts must find in favour of consumer in overdraft case - Cable

Responding to the news that a number of UK banks have agreed to go to court in a test case over the legality of overdraft charges, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable MP said:"This is a very important milestone in the struggle by consumers to get fair treatment from their banks."After initially dismissing protests from consumers and consumer groups regarding unfair overdraft charges, banks have had to concede that they are on very shaky ground legally."There is widespread dissatisfaction over the way charges are applied capriciously and are often unrelated to any costs."I look forward to the courts coming down firmly on the side of the consumer."

Ten year youth strategy step in the right direction - Williams

Commenting on the Government's new youth strategy launched today, Liberal Democrat Children, Schools and Families Spokesperson, Stephen Williams MP said:"Young people need support and encouragement not vilification. For too long this government has sold the country's youth short and allowed a negative image of them to grow."Whilst many of the proposals are a step in the right direction, we need assurances that funding will be consistent and continued, and that young people will be involved with the provision of youth services."Opportunities must not be lost to bring suitable role models into the process, as there is an urgent need to ensure more male youth workers and community leaders are involved in these projects."We must also guarantee services are not prescriptive but instead reflect the interests and passions of the people they serve."

Thu 26th Jul 2007:

Failure to help Iraqi refugees a disgrace - Moore

The British Government’s failure to do more to tackle the humanitarian disaster caused by the Iraq war is a ‘disgrace’, according to Liberal Democrat Shadow Foreign Secretary, Michael Moore MP.Commenting on the day an international conference opened in Jordan aimed at finding ways to ease the burden of countries with large numbers of Iraqi refugees, Mr Moore said:"It is a disgrace that the main architects of the war in Iraq have failed to address the humanitarian disaster which is unfolding as a result of their actions."The number of Iraqi refugees continues to rise exponentially and Iraq’s neighbours, particularly Syria and Jordan, have been left to cope with this growing crisis."The Government has only spent £125 million on humanitarian assistance since 2003 and this pales in comparison to the £5 billion cost of the war."There needs to be an urgent review of international policy towards Iraqi refugees and rapid assistance given to the affected countries. More than this, the British Government must live up to its moral obligation to provide asylum for those Iraqis, particularly translators, whose lives are at peril as a result of their assistance to British and coalition forces."

Take politicians out of prosecution decisions - Howarth

Liberal Democrat Shadow Solicitor General, David Howarth MP has demanded a major reform of the role of the Attorney General.The call came on the day that the Solicitor General, Vera Baird, announced a consultation into the Attorney General’s role.Mr Howarth said:"Following the controversy over BAE Systems and Al-Yamamah as well as the prosecution decisions on the cash for honours affair, reform of the role of the Attorney General is long overdue.""Politicians should be taken out of individual prosecution decisions."General policy guidance is obviously acceptable as long as it is made openly and publicly but never again should we have a politician in a position to decide whether or not a prosecution should go ahead. We cannot allow the BAE Systems situation to reoccur."

Chequers list should not have taken so long to be released - Lamb

The Government today finally released a list of guests invited to Chequers during Tony Blair's final months in office.Commenting, Liberal Democrat MP Norman Lamb, who has been battling to get the information released, said:"For reasons that defy rational explanation the Government has been treating the fact that Tony Blair enjoyed drinks with Vernon Kay and Charlotte Church as a state secret."Many of the names on this list reveal the frivolity and celebrity-obsessed nature of the Blair administration."However, it is absolutely staggering that it has taken so long to extract this information."The Government has attempted to block the publication of these details to the Liberal Democrats at every turn and then decided to release the information to a Labour MP alongside scores of other announcements."The Government introduced the Freedom of Information Act, it is remarkable to see how resistant it is to complying with it."

Brown proposal a 'border force lite' - Clegg

Commenting on Gordon Brown’s announcement of a unified border force today, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Nick Clegg MP said:"Whilst it may be welcome that Gordon Brown has finally accepted the principle of an integrated border force, closer scrutiny suggests that there is less to this announcement than meets the eye."Far from being the fully integrated border force the Liberal Democrats have advocated for years, it is a border force lite without police powers or the incorporation of the transport police."It is a pity that on such an important issue Gordon Brown appears to have chosen to create a media splash rather than make a truly substantive new announcement."If the Prime Minister is truly sincere about cross party consensus he should also not resurrect the debate about 28 days before he has explored the other options that are available to him."

System of foreign investment must remain open - Cable

Commenting on Alistair Darling's speech today, in which he confirmed that UK firms would remain open to foreign takeovers, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable MP said:"I fully support an open system of foreign investment. There is no room for nationalism and protectionism in a modern economy. Past experience shows that state-owned financial funds behave rationally, basing decisions on economic not political considerations."However, there are real concerns that the Chancellor has glossed over.There are questions Mr Darling should be asking about the Qatari Foreign Minister, whose financial vehicle is bidding for Sainsbury. He was under investigation in Jersey in connection with a major arms contract, which has never been satisfactorily explained."In addition, there must be question marks of whether companies such as Gazprom can be relied upon to desist from political interference. We shouldn't exclude them, but there must be rigorous checks by the Office of Fair Trading and the sector regulators to make sure there are no potential conflicts of interest."

Benefits system must be simplified - Alexander

Commenting on today's Work and Pensions Select Committee report which finds that the UK's benefits system is too complex, Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Danny Alexander MP said:"The current benefits system is facing a crisis of complexity. This report is yet more evidence of the Prime Minister's obsession with means-tested benefits."After 10 years of this Government, we have over 40 benefits being paid out by the DWP at hundreds of different rates. The consequence is that many staff and claimants simply don't understand the system."As the Committee rightly points out, high levels of fraud and error are inevitable unless we radically overhaul the whole benefits system to make it much simpler."

Treasury failing to tackle VAT fraud - Cable

Commenting on today's Public Accounts Committee report into VAT Missing Trader Fraud, which costs the Treasury up to £3bn a year, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable MP said:"This report highlights the total mess that Gordon Brown has left the Treasury in, with billions of pounds going missing each year."It is utterly scandalous that ministers have been working on this issue for six years, but still the losses mount."While negotiations continue on an EU wide solution the Government must raise its game, be more alert to abuse in new areas and act more quickly in response."

Wed 25th Jul 2007:

Government trying to bury bad news - Baker

The Government was today accused of trying to bury bad news, with 39 written ministerial statements and five crucial written answers being released today.One of the written answers being given to Labour MPs covers guests entertained at the public expense at Chequers, information the Liberal Democrats have previously been blocked from obtaining.Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet Office Minister, Norman Baker MP said:"It seems that the new spin-free era of Gordon Brown has come to a shuddering halt just weeks into his premiership."Today’s order paper shows five key questions squirreled away rather than being dealt with as written ministerial statements as the Government said they would be."This is a clear attempt to bury bad news. In particular it is disgraceful that the Chequers information is being released to Labour MPs when the Government has been fighting requests for the information by my Liberal Democrat colleague Norman Lamb."It is same New Labour, same old spin."

Billions lost due to complex benefits system - Alexander

For the eighteenth year in succession the National Audit Office has refused to sign off the Department for Work and Pensions' accounts due to unacceptably high levels of fraud and error.Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary for Work and Pensions Danny Alexander MP said:"Yet again as a result of Gordon Brown's absurdly complex benefits system billions of pounds of taxpayers' money has been thrown away through fraud and error."The Prime Minister's obsession with complex means-tested benefits has created a system which dishonest citizens can abuse and many honest people simply don't understand."With £850 million lost due to official error alone, it is clear that the benefits system is so complex even those who work in it don't understand it. The closure of benefit offices along with staff cuts is only going to make fraud and error levels worse."If we are to have a hope of reducing the rampant waste within the DWP we must radically overhaul and simplify the system to ensure people receive payments based on their entitlement not on how well they understand the system."  

Failure to halt rise of c difficile has deadly consequences - Lamb

Commenting on statistics released today showing a significant rise in cases of Clostridium Difficile, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Norman Lamb MP said:"The Government’s strategy to deal with superbugs has spectacularly failed to halt the rise of Clostridium Difficile, with deadly consequences."Hospital staff should treat failure to comply with hygiene standards as a very serious issue, akin to gross misconduct. Disciplinary action may be required to ensure standards are met and lives are saved."Older people are at greater risk, yet cases of MRSA and C Difficile in care homes have more than doubled in the last few years, while the Government has focused all its anti-superbug measures on hospitals."An urgent investigation into the connection between high levels of antibiotic use and rates of hospital acquired infections is needed, as well as a protocol for using pioneering methods to control superbugs."

Floods reveal need to protect infrastructure - Huhne

This week’s flooding has demonstrated the urgency of protecting key infrastructure, according to Liberal Democrat Shadow Environment Secretary, Chris Huhne MP.He said:"The Government needs to look at protecting critical infrastructure like the Walham switching station and the Mythe water treatment works as an urgent matter given the experience of these floods."The Government’s own review work as long ago as 2004 called for key infrastructure to be protected, but this seems to be one of the areas that has been overlooked by Defra since then."

More rail fare rises on the horizon - Kramer

The Liberal Democrats today attacked the Government's new rail strategy as vague and unambitious.Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Transport Secretary, Susan Kramer MP said:"This is just the latest in a long line of Government re-announcements."The last 30 years have seen rail fares rise as car travel gets cheaper. Nothing in this strategy suggests this trend will be reversed. How are people going to be persuaded out of their cars when fares are set to rise even further?"Another year brings another rail strategy from ministers. Rather than giving a constant flow of warm words, ministers should get on with the job of reducing overcrowding and congestion."This strategy simply does not meet the Stern report's challenge of reducing greenhouse emissions. It is disappointing that high speed rail, that would help to reduce aviation emissions, has been kicked into the long grass."Passengers will have to suffer many more years of fare hikes and overcrowding."

CSA computer failures appalling - Alexander

Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary for Work and Pensions, Danny Alexander MP today described Government revelations that an internal investigation of the Child Support Agency’s IT system had found over 500 defects of which less than half have been rectified as ‘appalling’.Mr Alexander said:"The massive IT failures that have dogged the CSA are appalling and unacceptable. With so many glitches it is easy to see why thousands of families have been failed by this agency."The CSA is riddled with incompetence and long ago lost public confidence. If we are to ever solve the issue of child support we need radical reform, not a simple re-badging of this failing agency."Today we have also heard that the CSA’s annual report has been delayed until October. After these latest revelations about IT bungles, it seems inevitable that we can expect more mistakes to be revealed after the summer."

Tue 24th Jul 2007:

Government has failed to plan properly for growing immigration - Clegg

Commenting on figures published today showing that the number of eastern European immigrants given National Insurance numbers rose by 16% last year, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Nick Clegg MP said:"Whilst these figures do not show how many of these workers have already returned home, they certainly confirm that the numbers are considerably higher than the Government first estimated."A liberal open immigration policy only makes sense if you also plan for its consequences."It is clear that the Government has failed to plan adequately both in terms of housing and funding for local services."It should be remembered, however, that people are only coming to Britain because they are successfully providing services and doing jobs available in the British economy to the benefit of British consumers."

Results of GP survey will not ring true for many - Lamb

Commenting on the national GP patient choice survey published today, which reports that 84 per cent of people said they were satisfied with the current opening hours in their practice, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Norman Lamb MP said:"These results will not ring true for the majority of people with full-time jobs, who cannot see their GPs outside of evenings and weekends."People should have the right to see a GP at a time that is convenient to them."Families in poorer areas already have access to fewer doctors and the Government has a duty to ensure that they can get healthcare when they need it."

Tory report ducks issue of climate change - Featherstone

Conservative proposals on global poverty have ducked the crucial issue of climate change, according to Liberal Democrat Shadow International Development Secretary, Lynne Featherstone MP.The Conservative’s motion on global poverty in today’s opposition day debate in Parliament also fails to mention the issue of climate change.Commenting on the policy review, which was published today, Lynne Featherstone said:"With David Cameron using climate change as one of the justifications for his trip to Rwanda it is astonishing that this report pays so little attention to one of the greatest challenges facing the developing world in the 21st century.“It is the poorest nations that have done the least to cause climate change yet are set to suffer the worst consequences.“A report on tackling global poverty that fails to treat climate change as a crucial issue is hardly worth the paper it is written on.”

Government failing Britain's heritage - Rogerson

Responding to the release of English Heritage’s ‘Buildings at Risk Register’ for 2007, which states that over a thousand of Britain’s historic buildings are at serious risk of decay due to a lack of funding for repairs, Liberal Democrat Arts and Culture Spokesperson, Dan Rogerson MP said: "This report is a serious indictment of the Government’s whole approach to Britain’s historic buildings. "The sustained under-funding of English Heritage, combined with raids on heritage lottery funds, is putting the sector under a huge amount of pressure and the country’s unique heritage at risk. "Simple measures like reducing VAT on historic building repairs would make investing in these buildings a much more attractive proposition."

Parents must be consulted before fingerprints are taken - Mulholland

The Liberal Democrats today welcomed new guidance issued to schools advising them to involve parents over the practice of taking pupils' fingerprints.Commenting, Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament, Greg Mulholland, who has campaigned on this issue, said:"It was high time that the Government recognised the need for guidance, on this serious issue. Schools have effectively been operating blind without information or advice on how these systems could and should be used. "It is crucial that the Government finds out exactly how many schools are using biometric technology and how many children have had their fingerprints recorded, whether this data is secure, and whether parents have been fully informed."However, it has still taken six months since ministers performed a volte-face on this issue for any guidance to materialise."It is also highly disappointing that there remains no legal requirement for parental consent before a child's biometric data is collected. This is totally unacceptable. "A school would never dream of taking children on a school trip without consent, but collecting their fingerprints is not subject to the same safeguards."

Deaths in custody must be included in Corporate Manslaughter Bill now - Lord Dholakia

The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Bill passed its final stage in Parliament today following a compromise, which means the Bill will cover deaths in custody, but only three years after the rest of the Bill comes in to force.Commenting, Liberal Democrat Peer, Lord (Navnit) Dholakia said:"I am pleased that the Government has seen sense and committed to including deaths in custody into the Corporate Manslaughter Bill. But it is disappointing that we will have to wait a further three more years for it."This will not give much comfort to the families of victims of deaths in custody. We will continue to press the Government for earlier implementation."I hope this Bill acts as a suitable deterrent for future acts of gross negligence."

Housing paper repeats mistakes of the past - Holmes

Responding to today’s publication of the Housing Green Paper, Liberal Democrat Shadow Housing Minister, Paul Holmes MP said;"The Green Paper can’t solve the problems created in the last decade by Labour’s cowboy housing policies, because it just repeats them. Addressing the housing crisis needs vision and ambition, yet the only thing the Government has done is give all its failed ideas from the last decade a fresh lick of paint. "There is more social housing, but thousands short of the figures Kate Barker said were needed to reduce the 1.6 million households waiting for council housing. The Government should let all councils get on with providing the social housing their communities need, rather than only allowing a select few."Young people are being encouraged to borrow even more to buy their first home. The country doesn’t need more debt, it needs more homes that are actually affordable and remain affordable in the future. "The Government should be promoting community land trusts which ensure homes do remain affordable; a first step would be to hand over surplus public sector land to them."Imposing house building figures on local communities hasn’t worked in the last ten years and there’s no reason to think it can now. Instead the Government should be changing the incentives for local communities. If they got more out of developments then they’d be more willing to consider them."

ASBOs should be last resort - Brooke

Commenting on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Report Tackling Anti-Social Behaviour published today [Tuesday], Liberal Democrat Children and Families Spokesperson, Annette Brooke MP said:"Anti-social behaviour causes great concern in our local communities and must be tackled in effective ways. "The Government has failed to assess the effectiveness of different types of Anti-Social Behaviour interventions. We need greater use of Acceptable Behaviour Contracts, first introduced by Liberal Democrats and most importantly more supportive measures such as Individual Support Orders."In 2004-2005, only 1% of ASBOs had an ISO attached. Recent research by the Youth Justice Board found a majority of sentencers were unaware of their existence. "ASBOs cost up to £10,000 each, and yet 55% of those in receipt of them engage in further anti-social behaviour. They should always be supported by a package of measures to address the perpetrators behaviour. However, other measures such as ABCs must always be taken first."

Mon 23rd Jul 2007:

Thousands of children treated in hospital for alcohol related problems - Gidley

The number of children aged 15 and under being admitted to A&E departments with alcohol-related problems rose to nearly 4,000 in 2005-06.The statistics, which came from the answer to a Parliamentary Question by Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson, Sandra Gidley MP, show that 3,939 children were admitted to A&E with alcohol-related problems, the highest total for at least five years.Separate figures also uncovered by the Liberal Democrats show a growing gap between teenage girls and boys admitted to A&E for the toxic effects of alcohol. In 2005/06 the figure was 62% girls and 38% boys. In 2001/02 the figures for girls and boys were split almost evenly at 51% to 49%.Commenting, Sandra Gidley said:"This is a frightening sign of how out of control the binge drinking culture in this country has become. Our A&E departments are having to cope with drunkenness on a massive scale."It is our young people - and girls in particular - who are most at risk."Problem drinking starts at an early age, yet the Government is failing to focus its resources on the young and is not launching any new measures against binge drinking until sometime next year. "Our young people simply cannot wait this long. As well as causing chaos in A&Es on Friday nights and anti-social behaviour, irresponsible drinking results in serious long-term health problems."A fresh look at tackling the growing problem of excessive drinking is long overdue. A good start would be cracking down on those shops that sell alcohol to underage children. We also need to consider putting a halt to supermarkets selling drinks at rock bottom prices - with no thought as to the knock on effects."

Lack of government preparation has led to a summer of suffering for millions - Campbell

Leader of the Liberal Democrats Menzies Campbell, visiting flood affected Hull today [Monday] said that lack of Government preparedness has meant a ‘summer of suffering’ for millions of people whose homes have been destroyed and possessions ruined by the floods. He said that the Government had failed to prepare for the recent flooding, despite early warnings of severe weather. Specifically he criticised Gordon Brown for cutting the flood defence budget by £14 million when he was Chancellor last summer. Menzies Campbell said: "In Hull one in every five houses and 90 out of 105 schools were damaged by flooding earlier this month. Now millions of people in the Midlands and South East are finding themselves in a similar position. "There is no doubt that climate change is going to lead to more extreme weather in this country and the Government has a duty to prepare for this and put in place plans to minimise the devastation. Yet last week there were no preparations put in place despite early severe weather warnings."The Government must now give the overall responsibility for flooding to the Environment Agency, put a significant amount of investment in flood defences and learn the lessons from a natural disaster that has caused suffering to millions of families this summer."

Brown must wake up to flood reality - Huhne

Liberal Democrat Shadow Environment Secretary, Chris Huhne MP today accused the Government of failing on flood prevention, following the recent severe weather which has left large areas of Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and Warwickshire under water.Mr Huhne said:"Despite the Government’s promises two years ago to give the strategic overview of all flood risks to the Environment Agency, nothing has happened. The responsibility for preventing and protecting us against flooding remains split between councils, water companies and the Environment Agency all of which operate on different assessments of risk."Gordon Brown must take particular responsibility for the Government’s flood failures as he cut the flood defence budget by £14 million last summer, and it was the Treasury that only last month asked for the agency and local flood boards to plan for real cuts for the next three years."Even after the Yorkshire floods, the Treasury has only conceded that the flood defence budget should be boosted in 2010 while saying nothing about the next two years of the spending plans."The Prime Minister has never shown the slightest awareness of the environmental threats coming down the track for us in Britain. It is about time he woke up to the reality of climate change."

Liberal Democrats call for inquiry into rail fare rises

New research from the Liberal Democrats reveals that the most expensive train companies in Britain charge more than four times as much per mile as the cheapest.The figures are released ahead of the announcement of the Government's new rail strategy early next week.Research reveals: ·        £10 takes you 118 miles on Merseyrail with a standard saver return, but only 27 miles on the Heathrow Express·        Excluding airport shuttle services, the most expensive company is Hull Trains, taking you just 49 miles for £10 on a saver return·        On average, open single fares are twice the price per mile of saver return fares. Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Transport Secretary, Susan Kramer MP said:"There is clearly a huge price disparity between the cheapest and most expensive fares. "There should be an urgent inquiry into the cost of unregulated fares, to stop passengers paying even more per mile in the future."How do ministers expect to get people out of their cars and onto public transport when using the railways is so expensive?"

Report shows growing accountability gap at the MoD - Harvey

Responding to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee report into the Iranian hostage crisis, Liberal Democrat Shadow Defence Secretary, Nick Harvey MP said:"Despite two Government inquiries this issue will not go away. "It is disturbing that there is such uncertainty over the mapping of the Shatt al-Arab waterway. Our deployed forces must have confidence in the status of the territories and boundaries in which they operate. "We still don’t know who was actually responsible for the decision to let the sailors sell their stories. "It is clear that there is a growing accountability gap at the MoD."

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