Where next for the Lib Dems in London?Many of us in the capital woke up on the 8th May with mixed feelings. We made significant gains in boroughs like Ealing, Brent and Sutton, but felt short of our ambitions in other boroughs, with the Greens upsetting our momentum and the Labour and Conservative vote proving more resilient than expected. So what does this mean for our next election? Recent polling shows us at 10% in the mayoral race – one of our best results in decades, yet still last among the major parties. But our success in London shouldn't be judged on our mayoral results, it should ... (more) |
The Joy of Six 1570"This is a staggering death rate of 130 per 100,000 care leavers, a figure at least three times higher than the general population. It is hard to overstate the magnitude of the failure that has led to this point. There are a range of causes of death, but the single largest cause is suicide."Michael Sanders looks at a new government report that lays bare the tragedy of care-leaver deaths. Keenan Malik says the Grenfell Tower fire has "exposed a social and legal landscape shaped by an exaggerated contempt for ordinary people. It is the story of a corporate world displaying, ... (more) |
Tories tack right as they seek to compete with ReformIf UK general elections are won on the centre ground then nobody has sought to tell Kemi Badenoch that inconvenient fact. As the Independent reports the Tory leader has ruthlessly sacked her shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride and replaced him with one of the architects of Liz Truss's disastrous mini-Budget​. The paper says that the new shadow chancellor Andrew Griffith was financial secretary to the Treasury - number three in the department - when Ms Truss's mini-Budget caused a run on the gilt market and almost bankrupted the country. They say that Griffith was a strong advocate of the former ... (more) |
29-31 August 2026 - the long weekend's press releasesBaxter to lead debate on wildfires in Scottish Parliament Cole-Hamilton sets out expectations for Programme for Government New record for sewage: Over 100,000 "disgusting" sewage dumps in 2025 Harley responds to hospital flow plan Baxter to lead debate on wildfires in Scottish Parliament As parliament returns from its summer recess, Scottish Liberal Democrat rural affairs spokesperson Andrew Baxter will lead a debate on wildfires, following the devastating blaze that raged across the Cairngorms for more than a month. On Tuesday, MSPs will debate a motion brought forward by the Scottish Liberal Democrat member for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch. As well ... (more) |
Wells to Walsingham: The world's smallest public railwayI travelled on the Wells & Walsingham some 20 years ago and remember it as taking itself commendably seriously. Walsingham had its heyday before the Reformation, which means that a great many ancient buildings are to be found there. Because it remains a place of pilgrimage for both Roman Catholics and Anglicans, there's also an awful lot of religious tat on sale in the village. The original Walsingham station is now an Orthodox church. (more) |
Brexiters' effort to resettle Chagos Islands hit by lack of proper boatEmbed from Getty ImagesThe story may be languishing behind the Financial Times's paywall, but its headline has won the Pink 'Un our Headline of the Day Award. (more) |
Funding Political PartiesThe shine on Andy Burnham's reputation as a progressive willing to co-operate with other parties to transform our politics in the UK continues to become more tarnished. His latest U-turn is to shy away from his proposal that limits should be placed on the amounts individuals can contribute to their preferred political parties. For years it has been a commonplace that political office in the US, including the Presidency, is "up for sale." Advertising and other expenditure on campaigns at all levels in the US far exceeds anything contemplated in the UK. But we are moving in that direction. Expenditure ... (more) |
Gareth Epps and the quiet lanes of OxfordshireLiberator's Gareth Epps has made the BBC News Oxfordshire pages because the Liberal Democrat run authority is about to approve its first 'quiet lane' at Stanton St John, a village to the north east of the city of Oxford. Quiet lanes are closed to almost all through motor traffic, with exceptions made for residents and emergency services, to create safer and more pleasant routes for pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders. I was hoping to add a killer quote here from Gareth, the council's cabinet member for place, environment and climate action, but BBC News, true to form, is more interested ... (more) |
Government says it won't tackle election turnout blindspotThe latest edition of my email newsletter about work in Parliament, A Lord's Eye View, is out and you can also read it in full below. But if you'd like to get future editions emailed direct to you as soon as they are published, sign up now: Welcome to my latest update on work in the House of Lords, this time a look at the problem with getting turnout data for some local elections. Turnout in multi-member elections is not always made available The standard measure of turnout used in the UK is to take the number of votes cast ... (more) |
The ongoing cost of BrexitThe Independent reports that new figures show that Brexit is costing the UK £11.7bn a year in lost exports, piling further pressure on Andy Burnham to rejoin the EU's single market and customs union. The paper says that the damning findings by Logistics UK, which represents freight companies and is one of the largest trade associations in the UK, show that the loss in revenue compared with 2019 is worth £400 per household in the UK per year. They add that the organisation has called on the prime minister to push for greater alignment with EU regulations as campaign groups ... (more) |