Liberal Democrats Responding to the Budget, addressing the NHS crisis, and
championing our farmers



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Your Latest Briefing from the Liberal Democrats in Parliament.




Dear John,

The country is crying out for an election, yet Rishi Sunak has bottled it for
now.

Although we’ll have to wait a little longer to boot out this appalling
Conservative Government, our MPs and Peers are wasting no time in this
Parliament. From the Budget to the Rwanda Scheme, they’ve taken on the
Government and its flawed policies throughout the past month.

It’s a clear reminder that with the upcoming local and general elections -
it’s so important we elect more fantastic Liberal Democrats at all levels to
deliver our Fair Deal.

Learn more about recent contributions and achievements from Lib Dems in
Parliament below. 🔽






Responding to the Budget



The Conservatives’ Budget this March did nothing to grow our economy, fix the
crisis in our NHS or help people struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.

Responding in the Commons, Ed Davey (MP for Kingston & Surbiton) held the
Government to account over its ‘bottom-of-the-barrel Budget’ which included
even more Conservative stealth taxes and cuts to public services:


Watch ➜
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⏲️ Watch time: 8 mins


Sarah Olney (MP for Richmond Park and the Lib Dem Treasury Spokesperson) also
scrutinised the Budget, detailing the unfairness of the Government’s tax
measures and their failure to invest in our NHS to bring down waiting lists.

Sarah welcomed changes that Liberal Democrats had long campaigned for, such
as reforms on child benefit and theatre tax relief:


Watch ➜
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⏲️ Watch time: 6 mins


At Spring Conference, Sarah used her speech to share the Liberal Democrats’
economic vision and announce anew tax on big companies’ share buybacks
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fund our public services. You can watch the full speechhere
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Fighting the Rwanda Bill




In March, the Government suffered 10 defeats on the Rwanda Bill during the
House of Lords’ report stage, and another 7 losses during the subsequent back
and forth between the two houses.

In a debate on the Bill’s amendments, Lord German asserted that Rwanda is not
a safe country and that the votes clearly show the House agrees:


Watch ➜
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⏲️ Watch time: 5 mins


Lord German also raised concerns about the age determination for asylum
seekers, outlining the dire result if minors wrongly classified as adults are
deported to Rwanda.


Watch ➜
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⏲️ Watch time: 4 mins






Addressing the NHS crisis




During Prime Minister's Questions, Layla Moran (MP for Oxford West and
Abingdon) underscored the hospital care crisis.

She recounted the harrowing ordeal of a constituent who endured a day and
night wait without a hospital bed for a gall bladder operation. Shockingly, the
operation couldn't proceed the next day as there were still no available beds.


Watch ➜ <[link removed]>

⏲️ Watch time: 1 min


We will continue to hold the Government to account for their appalling NHS
record. Such stories should be unheard of in the UK, but sadly they’re becoming
more common.






Tackling the shortfall in local government funding




Lord Shipley led a debate on local government finances which are facing
extraordinary pressures. Council spending has fallen in all services except
social care, leading to sustained council tax rises.

Lord Shipley called for local government funding reform, including more
long-term thinking and reform to council tax.


Watch ➜
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⏲️ Watch time: 15 min


At Spring Conference, our motion on the funding crisis in local government
made a number of recommendations, which you can read abouthere
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.







Standing up for farmers and boosting food security




Sarah Dyke (MP for Somerton & Frome) led a debate on food security to raise
awareness of the current crisis in British farming.

Many farmers are struggling financially, physically and mentally, and are
being forced to close their farms. This makes our food security only more
vulnerable if urgent action isn’t taken.

Sarah also criticised the Government’s recent flawed trade deals, which
undercut our farmers on welfare and food standards.


Watch ➜
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⏲️ Watch time: 29 mins


Outside of Parliament, Tim Farron (MP for Westmorland & Lonsdale) addressed
the NFU Conference in February, criticising the Government’s trade deals for
undermining our animal welfare and environmental standards. You can watch a
clip of Tim’s speechhere
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Addressing sportswashing by authoritarian regimes




Lord Scriven led a debate on sportswashing, where some Governments use
sporting events, teams or individuals to divert attention from their own
actions; often human rights abuses.

Lord Scriven highlighted current examples, from Saudi Arabia’s ownership of
Newcastle United to the Bahrain Grand Prix, and argued that sportswashing is a
highly political issue and more needs to be done to provide tighter rules and
regulations for sporting bodies.


Watch ➜
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⏲️ Watch time: 14 mins






On Broadcast



Here are a few highlights from our media rounds from the past month:

Ed Davey MP - on Sky News
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discharges.

Tim Farron MP - on BBC's Question Time
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Daisy Cooper MP - on BBC's Newsnight
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detailing our focus on health and social care.

Christine Jardine MP - on BBC's Politics Scotland
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economy and the cost of living crisis.



As always, we aren’t able to share everything that happens in Parliament every
month, but if you’d like to find out more about what individual MPs or Peers
are working on, be sure to check out their social media accounts or websites.

You can find out more about our MPs and Peers by visiting our website below.



Our MPs ➜ <[link removed]>


Our Peers ➜ <[link removed]>



As the next General Election is just around the corner, it’s never been more
important to show people what Liberal Democrats in power can achieve.Why not
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Best wishes,




Liberal Democrats




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