Liberal Democrats What we've been up to in Parliament this month



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Your Latest Briefing from the Liberal Democrats in Parliament.



Dear John,

The Liberal Democrats have been working hard for local communities in
Parliament over the past month. From supporting measures on mental health to
holding polluting water companies to account, we’ve continued to push the
government to be bolder in tackling the country’s problems.

Here are some recent contributions and achievements from Lib Dems in
Parliament. 🔽





Defending NHS targets on mental health




Last week, the government’s new NHS mandate dropped a number of mental health
targets.

With mental health waiting lists at record highs and many people unable to
attend work due to poor mental health, our Health Spokesperson Helen Morgan MP
asked the Secretary of State for Care whether he accepts targets should be
reinstated and that mental health should be treated equally with physical
health:


Watch ➜
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⏲️ Start time: 11:43:21 ⏐ Watch time: 1 min


If you believe mental and physical health should be treated equally, you can
back our campaign here:


Add my name ➜ <[link removed]>






Securing a government concession on local community energy projects




As the Great British Energy Bill <[link removed]>
entered its final stages in Parliament, the Liberal Democrats secured a big
concession on community energy.

Earl Russell entered negotiations with the government after he tabled a
series of community energy amendments and threatened to take them through the
division lobby.

Great British Energy will now be required to work collaboratively with local
communities on energy projects. This will boost local economies, promoting job
creation and attracting investment.

This follows months of hard work by our MPs and Peers to ensure the Bill
delivers for local communities.

In October, Pippa Heylings MP’s amendment called for an emergency home
insulation programme with targeted support for people on low incomes, helping
to reduce household energy bills while meeting our climate targets. The
amendment sadly failed to pass with Labour voting against and the Conservatives
not voting.







Supporting the UK-Ukraine 100-year Partnership



In January, the government signed a 100-year partnership with Ukraine, with
deeper cooperation to enhance security and boost our economies. Our Foreign
Affairs Spokesperson Calum Miller MP welcomed the commitment, calling Ukraine’s
fight our own.

However, Calum also highlighted concern for US President Trump’s stance on
the war and asked the Foreign Secretary if the UK will therefore boost our
security cooperation with other European countries.


Watch ➜
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⏲️ Start time: 15:59:38 ⏐ Watch time: 3 mins


On the day President Trump spoke with Putin about starting negotiations to end
the war this week, Ed Davey MP asked the Prime Minister if he had given
assurances to Ukraine that we will continue our support, so it will not have to
accept a deal that would hand victory to Russia.


Watch ➜ <[link removed]>


⏲️ Watch time: 1 min







Tackling the damage done by sewage pollution




After years of neglect from the previous Conservative government, the new
Labour government is not doing enough to hold water companies to account for
their illegal sewage dumping and to repair the damage done to the environment.

In the House of Lords, Baroness Grender led a debate on ensuring fines paid
by water companies are used to repair the damage done by water pollution. It’s
been reported that the Treasury intends to keep all the fines, when the money
should be used to restore affected rivers, lakes and coastlines.


Read more ➜
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⏲️ Est. reading time: 4 mins


Baroness Grender made clear that it is the polluter that must pay for
restoration.


Watch ➜
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⏲️ Start time: 16:17:42 ⏐ Watch time: 10 mins


Earl Russell also contributed to the debate, highlighting how many small
charities are ready to clean up polluted rivers, and have even made funding
applications to do so, but are being left in the dark.


Watch ➜
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⏲️ Start time: 16:53:27 ⏐ Watch time: 6 mins


Sign our Stop Sewage Dumping campaign ➜
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Fighting for a fair, humane and effective immigration system



During the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill’s
<[link removed]> Second Reading, our Home Affairs
Spokesperson Lisa Smart MP reaffirmed our support for a fair and effective
immigration and asylum system that treats people with dignity and respect.

Lisa stated that the Bill falls short of this. Action must be taken against
criminal gangs, but we must also tackle the root causes of the crisis, improve
safe and legal routes for asylum seekers, and ensure applications are processed
quicker.

Lisa also highlighted how the Bill does not reverse all the Conservatives'
rollbacks to the asylum system, which plays into the hands of the same
criminals that are being targeted.


Watch ➜
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⏲️ Start time:18:31:52 ⏐ Watch time: 6 mins






Standing up for minority groups in the Armed Forces



Minority groups continue to face systematic challenges within the Armed
Forces. Last month, our Defence Spokesperson Helen Maguire MP introduced an
amendment to theArmed Forces Commissioner Bill
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accountability when tackling bullying and sexual assault.

The amendment would have required the new Armed Forces Commissioner to take
action to address issues facing service personnel from minority groups:
including women, black, Asian and minority ethnic personnel, LGBT+ personnel
and those not from the UK. This would be supported by annual reporting on these
issues.


Watch ➜
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⏲️ Start time: 14:30:36 ⏐ Watch time: 8 mins


Unfortunately, the amendment did not pass, but we will not give up fighting
for better protections for minorities in the Armed Forces.

For example, this week, Helen asked the Veterans Minister to provide an
update on the compensation scheme for LGBT+ veterans who were impacted by the
military’s anti-gay ban.


Watch ➜
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⏲️ Start time: 15:13:29 ⏐ Watch time: 1 min




On Broadcast


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

Ed Davey MP - on Sky News <[link removed]> talking
about a UK-EU Customs Union, and onITV’s Peston
<[link removed]> talking about Trump, Musk, and
Reform.

Layla Moran MP - on The News Agents
<[link removed]> podcast talking about Trump’s
Gaza plan.

Jess Brown-Fuller MP - on LBC's Cross Question
<[link removed]>.

Lisa Smart MP - on this week's BBC Question Time
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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
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Best wishes,




Liberal Democrats





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