Your Latest Briefing from the Liberal Democrats in Parliament. | | Dear John,
Much of the political agenda over the past month has focussed on international affairs, with the conflict in Ukraine dominating the headlines. In Parliament, we’ve shown our unwavering support for Ukraine and called for the UK to step up and lead in its defence.
We’ve also been pushing hard on the issues that matter on the domestic agenda - from tackling the health and social care crisis to strengthening our democracy.
Check out recent contributions from Lib Dems in Parliament below. 🔽 | |
| US President Donald Trump is threatening a full-on betrayal of the Ukrainian people, having already paused US aid to the country. Now is the time for the UK to step up, lead in Europe, and reaffirm our commitment to Ukraine.
Our Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Calum Miller MP welcomed the government’s commitment to spend 2.5% of GDP on defence, and to bring all parties together to agree to an increase to 3% of GDP as soon as possible. He also supported the use of UK troops on a reassurance mission in Ukraine, and urged the government to seize the £40 billion worth of frozen Russian assets, held across the UK and Europe, and repurpose them for Ukraine. | | | | | Our Defence Spokesperson Helen Maguire MP urged the government to reverse the Conservatives’ reckless 10,000 troop cut.
Helen also explained why funding extra defence spending through cutting international development is the wrong choice, laying out our plans to fund it through tax rises on social media firms and other tech giants. | | | | Over the past few weeks, Ed Davey MP has used many of his Prime Minister’s Questions to back Ukraine, including last week, when he called on the Prime Minister to reduce UK dependence on the US and seize Russian assets now. | | |
Protecting NHS and social care providers from NIC rises | | | |
| The Labour government’s increase to employer’s national insurance contributions (NICs) will have a particularly devastating impact on the health and social care sectors, which are already struggling.
But in February, Lib Dem Peers had a huge win - the House of Lords voted in favour of our amendment to exempt care providers, NHS GP practices, NHS dentists, and others from upcoming NI rises.
It’s now essential that Labour in the House of Commons listens and agrees to protecting these vital public services.
Baroness Barker explained the reasons why health and social care providers should be exempt: | | | | Back our calls to scrap the tax on health and social care by sharing our post on social media: | | |
Celebrating International Women’s Day | | | | International Women’s Day on 7 March was a time to celebrate the achievements of women and raise awareness of the work still needed to achieve gender equality.
Alex Brewer MP celebrated the hard won rights of women in a speech to the House of Commons, while also pointing out the challenges ahead, and how we can overcome them. | | | | You can also read and watch a statement from our Women & Equalities Spokesperson Christine Jardine MP to mark the day: | | | |
Safeguarding children online | | | |
| In February, there was a major government defeat in the House of Lords, as a Lib Dem motion calling for stronger online safety regulations, especially to protect children, passed a vote in the House.
The motion, put forward by Lord Clement-Jones, highlights the regulatory loopholes in the Online Safety Act. Due to its focus on the size of online platforms, Ofcom is failing to regulate small but high-risk platforms, leaving harmful platforms unchecked. | | | |
Capping political donations | | | | In February, Manuela Perteghella MP presented her Political Donations Bill to cap political donations, including those made through companies by foreign nationals.
It comes following rumours that Elon Musk could donate to Reform through one of his companies. Although political parties can only accept money from individuals registered in a UK electoral register, foreign-owned companies registered in the UK can make donations themselves.
The Bill would help kick big money out of politics and protect our democracy from foreign interference, and is set to have its Second Reading in Parliament in May. | | | | Last week, Sarah Olney MP spoke in a debate on political finance rules, supporting Manuela’s Bill, and arguing for the Electoral Commission to be strengthened, to restore its independence and increase its enforcement powers. | | | |
New Liberal Democrat Peers | | | |
| We are delighted that the two newest members of the Lib Dem Lords team have now been officially introduced into the House of Lords.
Lord Pack, our current Party President, was introduced in February. This week, it was the turn of Lord Mohammed, who has been leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Sheffield City Council since 2011. | | | |
On Broadcast | Here are a few highlights from our media rounds from the past month:
Ed Davey MP on This Morning talking about care homes, care workers and mistreatment within the industry.
Helen Maguire MP on BBC News talking about US Vice President J D Vance’s comments regarding Britain’s Armed Forces.
Pippa Heylings MP on BBC Politics Live calling for the UK to spend 3% of GDP on defence.
Victoria Collins MP on Sky News talking about the Safer Phones Bill. | |
| 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: | |
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