Liberal Democrats What the Lib Dems have been up to in Parliament



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Your Latest Briefing from the Liberal Democrats in Parliament.



Dear John,

This month, we’re celebrating one year since our stunning General Election
result.

Our 72 MPs have achieved so much in the past year, from securing the
expansion of Free School Meals and the requirement for new-build houses to be
fitted with solar panels, to changing the law to better support victims of
sexual and domestic abuse offences.



Check out 5 Lib Dem policy wins from the past year ➜
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In this newsletter, we’re marking another Lib Dem Private Members’ Bill
becoming a reality, as well as other important work as we continue our fight
for a fair deal.

Read more about this and other recent contributions from Lib Dems in
Parliament below. 🔽






Standing up for SEND services




After years of Conservative neglect, the Special Educational Needs and
Disabilities (SEND) system needs fundamental change, with children and families
forced to fight long battles to get the support they need.

This week, Ed Davey MP and Munira Wilson MP (our Education, Children, and
Families Spokesperson) wrote to the Prime Minister to outline five fundamental
principles which we believe should underpin any upcoming reforms of the SEND
system.

Read the full letter and our five principles here:


Read more ➜
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⏲️ Est. reading time: 3 mins


At Prime Minister’s Questions, Ed Davey asked whether the Prime Minister would
look at our five tests and work with Liberal Democrats to protect SEND.
Disgracefully, Conservative MPs laughed as Ed raised this important issue on
the national stage:


Watch ➜
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⏲️ Watch time: 1 min


Please share our five tests with your friends and family to share how we are
holding the Government to account and ensuring it doesn’t strip away the rights
of children and parents as part of a cost-cutting exercise.

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Share:

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Pushing for an elected second chamber




As the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill
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Democrats tabled an amendment to put us on the path to an elected second
chamber.

Although we support the Bill in removing hereditary peers, it does not go far
enough - the chamber needs democratic accountability at last.

Lord Newby outlined why this was so important, to boost democratic
legitimacy, reduce regional imbalance, and curb excessive prime ministerial
control over appointments.


Watch ➜
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⏲️ Starts at: 18:25:12 | Watch time: 17 mins


Despite the amendment being defeated by 84 votes to 263, we’ll continue to
make the case for an elected second chamber.






Lib Dem win: Banning puppy smuggling



This month, Danny Chambers MP’s Private Members’ Bill
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the House of Commons after it received Government support.The Bill stands a
great chance of passing through the House of Lords and becoming law.


Read more ➜ <[link removed]>


⏲️ Est. reading time: 2 mins


Watch highlights from Danny’s campaign ➜
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⏲️ Watch time: 2 mins


The law will close the loophole through which mutilated or heavily pregnant
dogs and cats are imported into the UK for sale, under the guise of travelling
with their owners. This practice meant that many mutilated animals, with abuses
like cropped ears and docked tails, entered the UK for profit.

In his speech, Danny outlined why his Bill is so crucial to protect animal
welfare and prevent the spread of disease:


Watch ➜
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⏲️ Start time: 09:48:51 | Watch time: 21 mins


Please share our win with your friends and family to show the difference
Liberal Democrats are making:

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Share:

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Protecting small and medium-sized businesses




During the House of Lords stages of the Employment Rights Bill
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on supporting small and medium-sized businesses, alongside other aims, like
establishing a framework for whistleblowers and making paid carers leave a
statutory entitlement.

Lord Palmer highlighted how small businesses may face disproportionate
compliance costs and regulatory burdens, which could limit their growth. He
called for more transparency and impact assessments to ensure the new
regulations support productivity and economic growth.


Watch ➜
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⏲️ Starts at: 17:26:32 | Watch time: 5 mins






Supporting more free to air football



This week, the Liberal Democrats tabled an amendment to the Football
Governance Bill <[link removed]> to ensure at least ten
Premier League football matches are made available on free-to-air TV every
season, as well as the League Cup Final, and the Championship, League One and
League Two play-off finals.

Last year, at Spring Conference, Liberal Democrat members passed our policy
Sport for the People
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campaigning on that policy in Parliament.

Max Wilkinson MP, our Culture, Media and Sport Spokesperson, outlined why we
must tear down the paywall and give football back to the fans.


Watch ➜
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⏲️ Watch time: 16:18:22 | Watch time: 13 mins


Our campaign was picked up by the BBC, becoming the most read article on the
BBC Sports website with over one million views and 1,800 comments, and posts
about the vote from PoliticsUK on X reached over 11 million users.


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⏲️ Est. reading time: 3 mins


YouGov polling
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shows that 6 in 10 Brits support our campaign, so it’s disappointing that
Labour MPs voted against the amendment, while Conservative MPs didn’t even make
it onto the pitch. Instead of siding with big broadcasters, they should follow
our lead and stand up for the fans.

Share our list of every MP who voted to block more free-to-air football with
your friends and family, to show them which side we’re backing:

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Share:

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Calling for more oversight of citizenship removal powers




Lisa Smart MP, our Home Affairs Spokesperson, used the debate on the
Government’sDeprivation of Citizenship Orders (Effect during Appeal) Bill
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for more transparency and oversight of citizenship removal powers. This
includes ensuring the power is only used in the most extreme cases.


Watch ➜
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⏲️ Start time: 19:17:02 | Watch time: 5 mins


At Home Office Oral Questions, Lisa also secured a commitment from the
Government that the trial period of a longer move-on period for new refugees
will be extended until the end of the year. A longer move-on period provides
vital time for new refugees to prepare for life in the UK as they transition
from asylum support.


Watch ➜
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⏲️ Start time:14:59:28 | Watch time: 1 min




Thank you to Lord Newby


After almost a decade, Dick Newby has announced he will be standing down as
leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords at the end of July.

Dick’s leadership steered us through some tumultuous times for our country,
and the Party, leading the Lords team through Brexit, the pandemic, and three
General Elections.

He has worn many hats, including Chair of the Manifesto Committee, helping
shape our policies for the election, and brought political insight, good
judgement and a calmness to his leadership, while strengthening the Lords
group’s campaigning prowess.

A huge thank you to Dick for everything you have done over the years.

A new Lords Leader will be elected by Lib Dem peers before the summer recess.



On Broadcast


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

Josh Babarinde MP - on his successful campaign
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specific offence of domestic abuse in law and on thePolitical Thinking with
Nick Robinson
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podcast.

Munira Wilson MP - on Sky News
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need to reform the SEND system without harming children and families.

Anna Sabine MP - on BBC Politics Live
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need to fix social care.

Pippa Heylings MP - on BBC Breakfast
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proposal for ‘cool hubs’ to keep people cool during the heatwave.




We aren’t able to share everything that happens in Parliament so make sure to
check out the social media accounts and websites of our MPs and Peers to find
out more about them and their work:



Our MPs ➜ <[link removed]>


Our Peers ➜ <[link removed]>



Why not forward this email to your friends and family, so they too can see the
important work we are doing to fight for a fair deal?



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We hope you’ve been inspired by learning about our work in Parliament. If you
want to help us transform the country, why not join us today?


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Best wishes,




Liberal Democrats





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