Your Latest Briefing from the Liberal Democrats in Parliament.

This week, Parliament voted to pass Al Pinkerton MP’s Ten-Minute Rule Bill, calling on the Government to begin negotiations with the EU on a new, bespoke customs union.

⏲️ Est. reading time: 3 mins

A new customs union would remove crippling barriers to trade, help tackle inflation, and raise over £25 billion a year for the Exchequer - money desperately needed for public services and support for those struggling with the cost of living.

Al, our Europe Spokesperson, outlined the many benefits during his speech:

⏲️ Watch time: 10 mins

In a historic moment, we won the vote with a majority of one and in the face of stiff opposition from the Conservatives and Reform. While they voted for maintaining trade barriers, red tape, and economic stagnation, we secured a great victory for an open and prosperous Britain.

With 13 Labour bankbenchers also voting for our Bill, the Government must now listen to our calls, and Parliament.

The Bill is due to have its Second Reading in the House of Commons on 16 January 2026 - the Government must give it the time for a full debate, so we move towards finally getting our economy back on track.

Please back our campaign for a new UK-EU Customs Union and share it with your friends and family:

or direct them to: https://www.libdems.org.uk/trade

Last week, US President Donald Trump published a new national security strategy which contains outrageous attacks on Europe, such as saying it faces ‘civilisational erasure’, and that the US should help aid a resistance against it. Unsurprisingly, Vladimir Putin has welcomed it.

Liberal Democrats will not stand idly by as a foreign leader attacks our democracy with his divisive lies.

At Prime Minister’s Questions this week, Ed Davey MP asked Keir Starmer if he would make it clear to Trump that any attempts to interfere with our democracy are totally unacceptable.

⏲️ Watch time: 3 mins

⏲️ Est. reading time: 3 mins

Chalk streams provide vital habitats for animals like otters, kingfishers, and salmon, but they are increasingly under threat from man-made factors like sewage dumping.

As the Planning and Infrastructure Bill entered its final stages in the House of Lords, Liberal Democrats supported an amendment to protect chalk streams once and for all.

Shockingly, despite showing earlier support for the protection of chalk streams, the Conservatives failed to support the amendment in a vote, and, due to their abstentions, Labour were able to defeat it.

Unlike other parties, we won’t stop fighting to protect our chalk streams and local wildlife.

To these ends, Sarah Green MP’s Private Members’ Bill to create a new category of protection for chalk streams, protecting them from pollution and other forms of environmental damage, is due to have its Second Reading in the House of Commons in January.

Earlier this month, the Government announced that jury trials for crimes that carry a likely sentence of less than three years will be scrapped, with decisions instead made solely by judges.

The Liberal Democrats believe in a justice system that is fair, open and accountable - removing juries on this scale is not the answer to resolve the court backlog.

Trial by jury has been the jewel in the crown of our justice system for over 800 years. The horrendous court backlog, which sees victims waiting years for justice, cannot be used as an excuse to rip up the right to a fair trial.

In response, Jess Brown-Fuller MP, our Justice Spokesperson, outlined some of the many causes of the courts backlog, demonstrating how scrapping jury trials is far from the only solution. She called for a proper plan to fix the system: more court sitting days, better use of underused courtrooms, fixing broken private contracts that leave defendants stuck in prison vans, and investing in rehabilitation to reduce reoffending.

⏲️ Starts at: 13:00:21 ⏐ Watch time: 2 mins

Chronic Urinary Tract Infections (C-UTIs) are a poorly diagnosed and poorly understood condition which cruelly impact thousands of people.

C-UTI sufferers can endure constant, excruciating pain, rendering many severely disabled. People lose their independence, their relationships, and their careers, and many have even taken to ending their own lives due to the pain.

After hearing from one of his own constituents, who has suffered from a C-UTI since the age of three, Luke Taylor, MP for Sutton and Cheam, has campaigned for better understanding, diagnosis, and treatments for C-UTIs.

Luke has set up and will be co-chairing an All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for C-UTIs to push for an official medical definition, better diagnosis, and more treatment options.

Luke also led a Westminster Hall debate on the matter in May, and hosted a roundtable with experts and sufferers over the summer. With some GPs and urologists still unaware of the severity of the illness, Luke has called for every healthcare professional in the UK to be properly briefed to recognise and treat C-UTIs.

⏲️ Starts at: 09:30:20 ⏐ Watch time: 16 mins