Author: Miles Donavan

Left Foot Forward spoke to the Lib Dem spokesperson for Europe at party conference James MacCleary MP said that while the Lib Dems may one day campaign to rejoin the EU if given the chance, their current stance is more “pragmatic”. MacCleary said that the Lib Dems will focus on pushing Labour to take steps to strengthen its ties with the EU, including by creating a ‘bespoke’ UK-EU customs union. Admitting that their focus is on reflecting public opinion, he said: “As a political party, you’ve got to be realistic about where the public is right now, rejoining the European…

One member said the Lib Dems need to make it clear they’re committed to rejoining the EU Lib Dem members have passed a motion pushing for the government to strengthen their EU reset deal. The motion urges Labour to secure a sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement with the EU by next year, rather than 2027 at the earliest. The Lib Dems also want Labour to accelerate access to e-gates for UK travellers. The motion also reaffirms their call for a ‘bespoke’ UK-EU customs union and will put pressure on Labour to implement a new EU Youth Mobility scheme. James MacCleary MP, the…

Yesterday, Ed Davey told Sky News the Lib Dems know how to “stop the boats” Sky News declared yesterday that Ed Davey’s Lib Dems have ‘toughen[ed] up’ their rhetoric and stance on immigration. Speaking with the Lib Dem spokesperson for Home Affairs, Lisa Smart MP, who announced the party’s policy to create more Nightingale centres to process the asylum backlog, called the plan “humane and sensible”. She told Left Foot Forward: “We’ve come up with a sensible and humane plan, if some people want to see that as being tough, that’s fine.” “Everybody wants a fair and effective asylum and…

The Lib Dem energy spokesperson told Left Foot Forward she doesn’t think Labour is doing enough for oil and gas workers Pippa Heylings MP, the Lib Dem spokesperson for energy security and net zero, said Labour needs to work quickly to deliver the ‘just transition’ and avoid losing ‘highly skilled’ oil and gas workers. Speaking with Left Foot Forward at Lib Dem conference, she said Labour is “not doing a good enough job” to deliver a “just transition” for oil and gas workers. Heylings said that currently “highly skilled” oil and gas workers are being told they have to re-qualify…

‘We can help people take control of their energy security and bring down energy bills permanently.’ Deputy leader of the Lib Dems Daisy Cooper MP has announced a new household energy-efficiency loan scheme that the party says it would fund through a windfall tax on banks.  Cooper said the Lib Dems are calling for the creation of a new “energy security bank”, which would provide homeowners and small businesses with loans to invest in energy-efficiency initiatives. The St Albans MP also said that the Lib Dems would create dedicated lending schemes to install solar panels in supermarket car parks, which…

Liddle recounts being stuck in standstill traffic in a black cab, presumably somewhere in London, when inspiration struck. A headline popped up on my MSN homepage this week that, regrettably, I felt compelled to click on: “Woke Left fall over themselves to blame Trump for UK unrest – but the real culprit is a nasty man far closer to home.” Who, I wondered, is this “nasty man” we supposedly mistook for Trump? Rod Liddle’s Sun op-ed quickly cleared that up. He recounts being stuck in standstill traffic in a black cab, presumably somewhere in London, when inspiration struck. Ah, of course. It’s…

“It’s positive to see the government commit to exploring re-association to Erasmus+, subject to a fair financial agreement.” One piece of news that went largely under the radar this week, is that the UK could be edging closer to rejoining Erasmus+. Hopes have risen that the government is exploring options to rejoin the student mobility scheme before the end of the current European Union programme, which runs until the beginning of 2028. A formal notice was issued on the Department for Education (DfE) website in August. It informed that it was looking for potential contractors interested in helping it “understand…

‘My message to the nationalists is this. I am afraid that you do not really love your country at all.’ Lib Dem MP Tim Farron made an impassioned speech against nationalism and the use of the British and England flags to sow division at the Lib Dem conference rally. The MP for Westmoreland and Lonsdale used his speech to denounce the use of the flags by Reform and the far-right as “a feature of division”. Farron said: “They should never be symbols of division. They should be symbols of unity and pride of all that we share in common.” He…

Lib Dem MP Lisa Smart says Labour may realise PR is “in their best interests to stop Nigel Farage becoming PM”. The Lib Dems for Electoral Reform said that “political volatility” caused by Reform will force Labour to more seriously at changing the voting system for general elections. At a fringe meeting entitled ‘What’s next in the fight for fair votes?’ panellists said support for electoral reform is rising, as political stability in the country weakens. Joe Sousek, from Fair Vote and Labour for a New Democracy, said: “As political volatility continues to just go up and up that creates…

“After a lot of hard work, I think we have seized success from the jaws of defeat.” One headline that caught the eye this week came from the Washington Post. “The Brits who beat Brexit: Gibraltar celebrates its return to Europe.” The article described a quiet but historic shift that Gibraltar is rejoining Europe, at least functionally. After nearly a decade of limbo following the 2016 Brexit referendum, a treaty announced in June and due to come into effect in the coming months will eliminate most of the barriers to trade and travel that sprang up after Britain officially left…