Kick out Putin’s golden visa cronies, say Lib Dems

The Liberal Democrats have said Putin’s cronies who have previously been granted golden visas should have them revoked and be kicked out of the country.    It comes after the Home Secretary Priti Patel confirmed today the golden visas scheme will be scrapped and that a Home Office review on the issue that ministers have been sitting on since 2018 will be published “in due course.”   The review examines those golden visas which were issued between 2008 and April 2015, and is reportedly reviewing more than 6,000 golden visas for national security risks - over half of all those issued during this period.   The Liberal Democrats have said the review must be published immediately and that all visas held by individuals flagged as a national security risk should be cancelled with immediate effect, with a wider review into those who came here on these visas but now have claimed UK citizenship.   Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Layla Moran MP said:   “Shutting the door to Putin’s cronies is not enough - too many of them have already walked through it with virtually no questions asked.   “The Government must immediately publish the long overdue report into those who currently hold and came here on these visas. It’s time to kick out associates of the Kremlin who have used golden visas to launder their dirty money, and reputations, in our country.   “Over the last six months, the Government has repeatedly said that this review is being ‘finalised’ but even now won’t give a clear timeline for when it will be published.   “It makes a mockery of their promises to stand up to Putin’s aggression, when they are doing nothing to stop his cronies who are right now stashing their dirty money on our shores and claiming UK citizenship.”

Businesses loud and clear on failed EU trade deal

Responding to research by the British Chambers of Commerce which shows that firms are unhappy with the EU trade deal and the difficulties it has imposed upon trade, Liberal Democrat Business Spokesperson Sarah Olney MP said: “Businesses are saying loud and clear that Boris Johnson’s trade deal with the EU is simply not good enough, but the Government isn’t even listening.   “Claims from the likes of Jacob Rees-Mogg about Brexit opportunities ring hollow for businesses being drowned in paperwork and delays at our borders.   “This failed trade deal is even making the cost of living crisis worse, as many businesses have no choice but to raise their prices.   “The Government needs to listen to businesses and urgently relaunch the SME Brexit support fund to help struggling firms cope.”

New stats show pay squeezed as cost of living crisis worsens

Responding to new Office for National Statistics figures that show real term (adjusted for inflation) pay has fallen, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson Christine Jardine MP said: “People up and down the country are facing one of the biggest squeezes on their incomes in a generation.  “This will only get worse as the Conservatives plough on with their unfair National Insurance tax hike that will clobber families.  “If Boris Johnson had any compassion he’d scrap the tax hike and support those set to be hit hard as the cost of living crisis worsens.”

Whiff of something else from this Conservative Government

Responding to Brandon Lewis' comments this morning, in which he defended the remarks made by Defence Secretary Ben Wallace that there is a "whiff of Munich in the air from some in the West", Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Layla Moran MP said: “There’s a whiff of something else coming from this Conservative Government, who have time and again turned a blind eye to Russian interference in this country. "With UK nationals having to leave Ukraine, it's time to flush out Putin's associates within our borders. Kremlin-linked Russian oligarchs have pumped their dirty cash into Britain for far too long, many of them fast-tracked for residency by the 'golden visa' scheme. It's high time those visas used by Putin's cronies are cancelled."

No resignation gongs for Johnson

The Liberal Democrats have said Boris Johnson should be barred from handing out knighthoods, peerages and other honours when he steps down as Prime Minister. The party’s Chief Whip, Wendy Chamberlain, has written to the chairs of the House of Lords Appointments Commission and the Cabinet Office Honours Committee urging them to reject Johnson’s resignation honours list if he puts one forward.  It comes after recent reports Boris Johnson has promised knighthoods and peerages to Conservative MPs to persuade them not to hand in their letters of no confidence to the 1922 committee. Liberal Democrat Chief Whip Wendy Chamberlain MP said: “Boris Johnson should have already left Number 10. Instead he’s promising people knighthoods and honours in a desperate attempt to cling on to power. “A Prime Minister forced from office by his own lies and law-breaking shouldn’t be allowed to hand out honours to his friends on the way out. Allowing him to get away with this would make a mockery of Parliament and continue to sow distrust in our political system. “There should be no resignation honours list for Johnson and he should be barred from ever getting a seat in the House of Lords. Anything less is an insult to all those who followed the rules whilst Number 10 partied.”

Conservatives plunging couples into a Cost of Loving Crisis

The Liberal Democrats have accused the Government of leading Britain into a ‘cost of loving’ crisis ahead of Valentine’s Day, with loved-up couples set to fork out more for their night of romance this year.   With inflation at its highest level in nearly three decades, an analysis by the party has found that the average couple having a romantic night in will pay out £89.08 for the full works this Valentine’s Day, representing an extra £6.02 (7.25%) compared to last year to wine and dine each other and leaving partners with less bang for their buck.   A Parliamentary Question tabled by Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney has also unearthed that the Treasury has made no assessment as to what impact inflation has had on the price of Valentine’s Day staples, such as flowers, chocolates and bottles of bubbly.   It comes as families are bearing the brunt of the wider cost of living crisis, with energy prices set to soar alongside other bills in April while the Conservatives’ stealth tax raid and national insurance hike - a broken manifesto promise - hits them in the pocket.   The Valentine’s Day menu - Dec 2020 vs Dec 2021 Item   % rise £ rise £ current price Steak (/1/4 kg) 13% 0.47 4.08 Potatoes (/1/4kg) 6.15% 0.08 0.35 Cakes 6.4% 0.13 2.25 Flowers 7.8% 2.17 30.00 Box of chocolates 1.7% 0.16 5.00 Wine (per 175ml glass) (1.71%) (0.07) 4.02 Beer (lager) 4% 0.20 3.95 Total (Steak x2, Potatoes x 2, Cake x1, Flowers x2, Box of Chocs x2, Wine x1, Beer x1) 7.25% £6.02 £89.08   Liberal Democrat Business Spokesperson, Sarah Olney MP, said:   “It’s not just butterflies leaving couples with a fluttering feeling in the stomach this Valentine’s Day, with the soaring price of their romantic dinner all together hard to swallow.   “The Conservatives have been asleep at the wheel, sending us headfirst into a cost of loving crisis through their inaction and broken promises. It shouldn’t take a candlelit dinner for some respite from skyrocketing energy bills.    “Love might be in the air this weekend, but so is the financial security of so many couples. It’s high time the Conservatives throw them a ‘lover’s lifeline’ by reversing their unfair tax hikes - there would be no better gift this Valentine’s Day”.

Davey: Cressida Dick successor must not be handpicked by Johnson

Responding to the news that Cressida Dick has quit her role as the Met Commissioner, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:  “Boris Johnson must have no role in choosing Cressida Dick’s successor to lead the Met. A man under criminal investigation by the Met should not be able to choose who’s in charge of it. “I would like to thank Cressida Dick for her years of dedicated police service, but a change of leadership in the Met is long overdue. “Met police officers who work incredibly hard and risk their lives to keep us safe deserve better. They urgently need new leadership that will change the culture and rebuild the public trust and confidence that officers need to do their jobs and keep us all safe. “No one handpicked by Boris Johnson would have the credibility needed for this big and important task. There must be no interference from Number 10 in the appointment and Boris Johnson should publicly recuse himself from this decision.”

Public reject Sunak's 'buy now, pay later' energy plan

Responding to a new poll from Money Saving Expert, which shows 57% of bill payers would opt-out of the Government's planned 'energy rebate' if they could, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson Christine Jardine MP said: "The Chancellor's botched energy loan scheme is playing a game of Russian roulette with people's finances. The public have given their verdict - they don't want to be forced to take on this energy debt for years to come. "Rishi Sunak needs to understand this is about more than numbers on a spreadsheet, it is about people's lives. "Rather than clobbering people now and in the future with a shoddy buy now pay later scheme, the Conservatives must increase support for families now. "That should start by backing Liberal Democrat calls for a windfall tax on super profits of oil and gas firms, as part of our cost of living rescue package that would take £1,000 off the bills of a struggling family."

Lib Dems table motion to allow MPs to call out Johnson’s lies in Parliament

The Liberal Democrats have tabled a motion to allow MPs to point out when the Prime Minister makes misleading statements, without being thrown out of the Commons.   The motion, tabled by Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey, would amend Parliament’s standing orders to allow MPs to say in the Commons Chamber why they believe “the Prime Minister has misled the House.” Under current rules, doing this would be deemed as “grossly disorderly conduct” which would lead to the Speaker having no choice but to evict an MP from the chamber.   The Liberal Democrats are calling on Conservative MPs and opposition parties to back the change, so that Boris Johnson can be held to account for his lies and “Trumpian” behaviour.   It comes after Boris Johnson has repeatedly made misleading statements in Parliament. These include his unfounded slur against Keir Starmer on Jimmy Savile, and his false claim that figures show crime has fallen which was rebuked by the statistics watchdog following a complaint by the Liberal Democrats.   Under the ministerial code, ministers who inadvertently mislead Parliament should correct the record, while those who intentionally do so should resign. However, Boris Johnson has so far refused to correct the record after making misleading statements, showing the current rules are not being properly enforced.   Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey MP said:   “Boris Johnson has repeatedly lied, refused to apologise and failed to retract his damaging claims. It can’t be right that he can get away with these blatant false claims while any MPs who challenge him are punished.   “We need to update Parliament’s rules to reflect a Prime Minister who has made lying at the despatch box a lifestyle choice. MPs must be able to call out Boris Johnson and hold him to account.   “Conservative MPs should back this change and stand up to Boris Johnson’s Trumpian behaviour that is dragging our politics through the mud. Every day that Johnson’s lies and misinformation goes unchallenged will do more damage to trust in our politics.”

 

Truss must stand up to Russia on Ukraine and dirty cash

Responding to the confirmation that Foreign Secretary Liz Truss will fly to Moscow tomorrow to meet with her Russian counterpart, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Layla Moran MP said: “In her meetings with the Kremlin, Truss must make it clear to Russia that we will no longer tolerate Putin’s cronies stashing their dirty cash in our country.  “Conservative Ministers have been continuously missing in action. When the US, French and German foreign ministers last met to thrash out a plan, Truss was too busy chasing the sun in Australia to attend.  “To use this crisis as an opportunity for a photoshoot would be grossly irresponsible. Truss should complete her catch-up tour and make up for lost time by stopping off in Berlin and Paris on her way back from Moscow.”

Davey: PM must correct record on fraud figures and apologise to four million victims

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey has challenged Boris Johnson to correct the record after misleadingly claiming crime has fallen, and apologise to the four million victims of fraud he has written out of the picture.   The UK Statistics Authority last week officially rebuked Boris Johnson and Priti Patel for misleadingly claiming that crime had fallen, following a letter of complaint by Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael. Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng then claimed this weekend that fraud isn’t something people experience in their day-to-day lives.   Analysis by the Liberal Democrats show there were 100,393 fraud offences referred to the police in London last year, 8,957 fraud offences in Surrey which is home to Kwasi Kwarteng’s constituency of Spelthorne, and 11,829 fraud offences in Essex which includes Priti Patel’s seat of Witham.   Boris Johnson today refused to agree to correct the record, after being challenged to by Ed Davey at PMQs.   Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:   “Boris Johnson must correct the record and apologise to the four million victims of fraud he is writing out of the picture, including thousands of people in his own backyard.   “Conservative ministers are causing immense hurt to fraud victims by dismissing this cruel crime. Many people have lost their life savings to cruel scammers and suffered huge financial and emotional harm.   “They deserve a proper apology from the prime minister and for this government to start taking fraud seriously.”

 

Kwasi Kwarteng repeats Boris Johnson's misleading claim that crime is falling

Kwasi Kwarteng has, on BBC's Sunday Morning Show, repeated dishonest comments made by Boris Johnson claiming crime has fallen in the UK, when it has actually increased by 14%. He said that the Prime Minister was right to say that crime has gone down, because "on the doorstep people are saying progress is being made." The Liberal Democrats accused the Business Secretary of having "doubled down on a blatant lie."    The UK Statistics Authority last week officially rebuked Boris Johnson and Priti Patel for misleadingly claiming that crime had fallen, following a letter of complaint by Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael. The misleading figures excluded fraud and computer stats which have soared by 47%, leading to an overall 14% rise in crime. The Liberal Democrats have written to Boris Johnson demanding that he come before Parliament as soon as possible to apologise and correct the misleading claim. Under the ministerial code, ministers who inadvertently fail to provide accurate information to Parliament must correct it at the earliest opportunity. Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Alistair Carmichael MP said: “The failure of Conservative ministers to stand up to Boris Johnson’s dishonesty and lack of decency is doing huge damage to public trust. Instead of apologising for misleading the public over rising crime, Kwasi Kwarteng doubled down on this blatant lie.  “This is an insult to every victim of fraud crime. Instead of fighting their corner, this government is ignoring the plight of all those who have been cruelly robbed in their own homes and on their own devices. “Given the prime minister is being investigated by the police about alleged crimes committed in Downing Street, it’s perhaps not surprising he and his ministers are lying about crime falling across the country.” “Boris Johnson must come before Parliament as soon as possible to correct the record.”

Downing Street overhaul: Boris Johnson wasting taxpayers’ cash during cost of living crisis

The Liberal Democrats have written to Boris Johnson challenging him to set out the cost of the merger of Number 10 and the Cabinet Office into the new Office of the Prime Minister.   The party has also challenged Johnson to rule out any public money being spent on renovating the Downing Street flat as part of this change, saying “it should be curtains for Johnson - not more curtains for Johnson.”   According to the Institute for Government, the average cost of a departmental merger is £15 million. Liberal Democrat Chief Whip Wendy Chamberlain MP labelled the sums as “staggering”, given the cost of living crisis which is now facing the country.    Wendy Chamberlain MP, Liberal Democrat Chief Whip, commented:   “The law-breaking Downing Street parties demand only one response - that Boris Johnson resigns. It is simply staggering that the only step Boris Johnson is taking is spending potentially millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money on changes to Number 10 and Whitehall departments.   "This will use up vital cash that could be spent on helping households cope with a cost of living crisis.   “It would be reprehensible for Boris Johnson to use this merger as a Trojan horse to fund further refurbishments to his Downing Street flat. It should be curtains for Johnson - not more curtains for Johnson.”

Levelling up: Yet another of Boris Johnson's empty slogans

Responding to the Government's new levelling up plan, Liberal Democrat Communities and Local Government Spokesperson Tim Farron MP said: "These promises will ring hollow in communities that have been neglected by the Conservatives for decades.  “Families are facing a cost of living crisis and Tory tax hikes are just months away. They need support now, not rhetoric about far off targets in 2030. "The Government has failed to invest in some of the most deprived regions, in catch up funding for our children and in faster broadband for rural areas. "Levelling up has been exposed as yet another of Boris Johnson's empty slogans."

Lib Dems report Johnson & Patel over false crime stat claims

The Liberal Democrats have reported both the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary to the statistics watchdog for falsely claiming a reduction in overall crime levels.   Alistair Carmichael, the party’s Home Affairs Spokesperson, has written to Sir David Norgrove, Chair of the UK Statistics Authority, about comments made by Boris Johnson in the House of Commons yesterday and by Priti Patel in a Home Office press release last week.   During his statement on the Sue Gray investigation, Johnson claimed “we have been cutting crime by 14%”. In a press release on Thursday, Patel said “This Government continues to cut crime through our Beating Crime Plan”.   Both claims are directly contradicted by the latest official crime figures, published by the Office for National Statistics on Thursday. They show “a 14% increase in total crime”, and report that decreases in certain types of crime “were related to the coronavirus pandemic and government instructions to limit social contact” – not the Government’s crime policies.   The Prime Minister’s claim of a 14% fall in crime excludes fraud and computer misuse altogether – which have soared by 47% in the last two years.   Alistair Carmichael MP, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson, said:   “Given the Prime Minister is under investigation by the police, it’s little wonder he is deceiving the public about rising crime.   “It seems there is nothing Boris Johnson won’t lie about. Crime is up by 14% – the exact opposite of what he said in Parliament.   “Thousands of people across the country are victims of fraud every day, sometimes losing their entire life savings to callous criminal gangs. These victims are being failed by a government that is completely failing to tackle fraud. It is outrageous for the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary to pretend they simply don’t exist.   “Boris Johnson and Priti Patel have misled the public over rising crime. They must come clean and correct the record in Parliament.”

Davey: Boris Johnson must not use taxpayers’ cash for legal advice

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey has demanded that Boris Johnson must not be able to use taxpayers’ cash to fund his legal advice over the police investigation into law-breaking parties held in Downing Street. Ed Davey has written today to Treasury Solicitor Susanna McGibbon, who oversees the Government Legal Department, calling on her to ensure Boris Johnson does not receive taxpayer-funded legal advice or representation from government lawyers in relation to his alleged breaches of Covid laws. The letter adds that it would be “completely unacceptable for taxpayers to bear the cost of the Prime Minister trying to defend himself from these allegations.” The Government Legal Department had total spending of over £264 million in 2020-21. The Metropolitan Police yesterday confirmed they are investigating eight gatherings believed to have breached Covid rules on government premises and are reviewing evidence including 300 images.  Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said: “After every party at Number Ten, the taxpayer-funded cleaners had to clear up the mess. Now Boris Johnson is asking government lawyers to clean up his latest mess. “Sue Gray was clear: this behaviour was difficult to justify, and was a serious failure of judgement and leadership. These were personal decisions and personal actions, like the excessive and inappropriate consumption of alcohol.  That means the Prime Minister should use personal lawyers. “People are rightly furious that Boris Johnson broke the very rules he asked the rest of us to follow. Making taxpayers pay for his legal costs would be rubbing salt in the wound. Johnson should fork out for any legal advice about law-breaking parties from his own pocket, not pick the taxpayers’ pockets for his defence.”