Your Latest Briefing from the Liberal Democrats. |  | 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? | | | Want to help us in these elections and beyond? Join us as a member today to support our campaigns and unlock many exclusive benefits! | | | | | Already a Member?
Get in touch to let us know at [email protected] so that we can check your record. | |
 | Water pollution hits 10 year high | Last year, the number of pollution incidents in England hit a 10-year high, with 2,487 incidents 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! | | | | ⏲️ 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. | | | | ⏲️ Est. reading time: 2 mins | Please share our plans on social media so we can finally put an end to the sewage scandal: |  | | |
 | 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. | | | | ⏲️ 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. | |
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. | | | | ⏲️ 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 time: 1 min | Please share our social media post calling for proper accountability to any deal: |  | | |
 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. |
 | 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 and Wales, a hold in Sutton and gain in Sussex from the Conservatives, a gain from an independent in Devon, and we also held Lee Dillon MP's former council seat in Berkshire.
Congratulations to those elected and thank you to everyone else who stood but didn’t win this time. | |
 | 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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