Liberal Democrats Your exclusive April briefing is here



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Your Latest Briefing from the Liberal Democrats.


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5 days until the local elections


The local and mayoral elections on 1 May are an opportunity to elect more
hard-working Liberal Democrat local champions, continuing our winning streak
and delivering for communities.

People still haven’t forgiven the Conservative Party for all the damage they
did to the country. The Conservatives are totally out of touch and take voters
for granted.

People are rightly disappointed that the Labour government has failed to
deliver the change they promised.

And we all know that Nigel Farage is too busy promoting his idol Donald Trump
to even think about fixing the issues facing local communities.

Only a Liberal Democrat local champion will fight for a fair deal for you and
your community.


With just five days to go, can you help by donating to our campaign so we can
deliver more leaflets and digital ads in the final days?


Donate ➜
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Want to help us in these elections and beyond? Join us as a member today to
support our campaigns and unlock many exclusive benefits!


Join as a member ➜
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Find out more ➜ <[link removed]>

Already a Member?
Get in touch to let us know at [email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]> so that we can check your record.



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Water pollution hits 10 year high


Last year, the number of pollution incidents in England hit a 10-year high
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recorded - a 31% increase on 2016.

This came just a week after our own shocking research which found that one
sewage spill lasted every day of 2024!


Read more ➜
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⏲️ Est. reading time: 4 mins


Despite water companies dumping filthy sewage in our rivers, lakes, and seas,
destroying the environment and making swimmers sick, they paid over £20 million
to executives in basic pay, pension contributions, and bonuses last year.

As bills spiral out of control, people across the country are sick with water
companies getting away with it.

We must immediately ban bonuses for their bosses and replace Ofwat with a new
Clean Water Authority with the power to hold them accountable.


Read more about our plans ➜
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⏲️ Est. reading time: 2 mins


Please share our plans on social media so we can finally put an end to the
sewage scandal:

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Share:

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Meet our newest Scottish Lib Dem MSP - Jamie Greene


We’re delighted to welcome Jamie Greene MSP to the Liberal Democrat team in
the Scottish Parliament!

Jamie resigned from the Conservatives earlier this month and joined us the
day after, joining Alex Cole-Hamilton and Ed Davey on stage at the Scottish
Liberal Democrats’ Spring Conference.

He cited the Conservatives’ lurch to the right, embrace of Trumpism, and
growing intolerance as his motivation.


Read more ➜
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⏲️ Est. reading time: 5 mins


With just one year to go until the Scottish Holyrood elections, we’re open to
anyone else who feels politically homeless and who shares our liberal values.



Liberal Democrat Opposition Day in the House of Commons


On 23 April, we had an opposition day, where we had the opportunity to set the
agenda in the House of Commons and choose the topics for debate.

Our first debate was on reversing the Government’s delays to the 40 new
hospitals programme. Both Labour and the Conservatives failed to back our
motion, despite patients being treated in ramshackle buildings with sewage
leaks, rat infestations and roofs at risk of collapse.

Our second motion, calling on the Government to tackle the sewage crisis
through a series of measures, was also voted down by Labour MPs, while
Conservative MPs didn’t turn up to vote.

Although the other parties fail to take these issues seriously, the Liberal
Democrats won’t stop fighting to fix them.

Find out more in the next Parliamentary Newsletter, coming to your inbox soon.



<>‘Why I Care And Why Care Matters’ - a new book by Ed Davey

A new book by Ed Davey is out this May and is now available to pre-order.

Care is the thread that runs through Ed’s life.

Ed’s book is a deeply personal story about his experiences as a carer, both
for his mother during his childhood, and for his son today. Using his
experiences, Ed shines a light on carers across the country, and calls for
society and government to give them the recognition and support they deserve.

You can pre-order your copy here <[link removed]>.



Wera Hobhouse MP blocked from entering Hong Kong


We were appalled earlier this month when Lib Dem MP Wera Hobhouse was blocked
from entering Hong Kong to visit her newborn grandson, simply for being a
British MP. Weeks later, we’re still without any proper explanation as to why
she was cruelly deported.

Ed Davey called on the Foreign Secretary to summon the Chinese Ambassador in
person to give a full and clear account of why this happened. Our Foreign
Affairs Spokesperson Calum Miller MP also called for the government to block
China’s new super-embassy in London; an unacceptable risk at a time when China
is placing bounties on the heads of democracy campaigners living in the UK.


Read more ➜
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⏲️ Est. reading time: 4 mins



Don’t sell out the UK to Donald Trump!


With reports that a trade deal with Donald Trump may be agreed within the next
few weeks, it’s disturbing that the Government has failed to commit to a vote
in Parliament on finalising an agreement.

Without publishing their negotiating mandate, the government is leaving the
public in the dark. Instead, they should make clear they won’t sell out the
NHS, undercut our farmers, or weaken protections for children online in order
to appease Trump.

The stakes are too high for Parliament to be sidelined and democracy
undermined.

At Prime Minister’s Questions this week, Ed Davey asked whether Parliament
would get a vote on a deal:


Watch ➜ <[link removed]>

⏲️ Watch time: 1 min


Please share our social media post calling for proper accountability to any
deal:

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Share:

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31st March was International Transgender Day of Visibility, a day to celebrate
trans people and stand with the trans community against hatred and
discrimination.

To all our trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming members and
supporters: We respect you, we value you - today and every day.

Supreme Court Judgement

Following the Supreme Court's recent ruling on the Equality Act, Christine
Jardine MP has written to the Equalities Minister to call on the Government to
urgently provide greater clarity for everyone affected and ensure people's
rights are protected.



Read Christine's letter ➜
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Ahead of the local elections across England on 1 May, we’ve been enjoying
fantastic Lib Dem wins against all parties!

We had two incredible gains from Labour in Lincoln
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andWales
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, a hold inSutton
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and gain inSussex
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from the Conservatives, a gain from an independent inDevon
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, and we also held Lee Dillon MP's former council seat inBerkshire
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.

Congratulations to those elected and thank you to everyone else who stood but
didn’t win this time.



In the Media


How the Liberal Democrats conquered Middle England
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Tens of thousands waited more than 24 hours for hospital beds in A&E last year
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Lib Dems back ban on playing music and videos on public transport in England
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MPs and peers speak of ‘pride’ after Russia sanctions
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Layla Moran MP <[link removed]> and
Al Pinkerton MP <[link removed]> on
LBC's Cross Question


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Work for Us


We’ve got a wide variety of vacancies - both paid and voluntary - currently
available. If you’re keen to contribute in whatever capacity suits you best,
we’d love to hear from you!


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Published and promoted by Mike Dixon on behalf of the Liberal Democrats
<[link removed]>, 1 Vincent Square, London SW1P 2PN.