All posts tagged: Lib

Politics Home | Lib Dems “Appalled” After Party Lifts Suspension From Peer Under Investigation For Sexual Harassment Claims

Politics Home | Lib Dems “Appalled” After Party Lifts Suspension From Peer Under Investigation For Sexual Harassment Claims

Published by Sam Flores

4 min read3 hr Exclusive: A senior Liberal Democrat has told PoliticsHome that they and their colleagues are “astonished” and “pissed off” after news emerged that Lord Rennard has had the whip restored while an investigation into claims he sexually harassed female members is still ongoing. In February, Rennard, the party’s former director of campaigns and elections and chief executive, was suspended by the party after it launched a fresh investigation into allegations that the peer had sexually harassed four women. He faced allegations of sexual harassment dating back to 2013 from four women.  An investigation at the time concluded the accounts were “broadly credible” but could not be proved beyond reasonable doubt. The inquiry by Alistair Webster QC, published in 2014, found that the evidence suggested that Lord Rennard’s behaviour had “caused distress to a number of women”. An investigation by the Metropolitan Police around the same time found there was “insufficient evidence” to prosecute the peer. Rennard was suspended from the party in 2014 over comments he made in the media …

Politics Home Article | Inside The Lib Dem Strategy Rethink

Politics Home Article | Inside The Lib Dem Strategy Rethink

Published by Sam Flores

Ed Davey has served as leader of the Liberal Democrats since 2020 (Alamy) 8 min read41 min The Liberal Democrats are under pressure to remain relevant, with their own MPs publicly admitting there is frustration about the party’s lack of progress since the last general election. PoliticsHome can reveal that a strategy “rethink” is now underway at the top of the party. In 2024, the Lib Dems achieved a record result with 72 MPs elected. It was a triumph for leader Ed Davey. Since then, however, there has been growing restlessness over what many of his MPs feel has been a failure to capitalise on that performance, and fears that the party risks being squeezed out of the political picture. The local elections in May produced mixed results for the Lib Dems. The party made a net gain of 224 councillors and took three councils from other parties. It was able to fend off Reform UK challenges in areas like Portsmouth, where it seized control of the city council, and made gains outside its traditional strongholds in areas such …

Can the Lib Dem tortoise outrun the populist hare? | Politics News

Can the Lib Dem tortoise outrun the populist hare? | Politics News

Published by Sam Flores

Can the Lib Dem tortoise outrun the populist hare? For those around Sir Ed Davey, the answer is yes. According to this strategy, the Lib Dems continue their bottom-up grassroots approach – building on gains in the “blue wall” of former Tory seats, while gradually expanding into other more Labour-leaning urban areas. But not everyone is convinced, with some in the party now concerned they are missing the political opportunity of a lifetime. Politics latest – follow live This rival theory reads as follows: the UK is entering an unprecedented age of populism and political fragmentation and – as an historic home for disaffected voters – the Lib Dems should be sharpening their messaging, being more brazen and pushing into a wider set of areas where people are turning away from Labour and the Tories. Questions follow this thesis: why are the Lib Dems not shaping the debate more loudly on big contentious issues? Why is the party not getting down and dirty with the smaller parties in the so-called “air war” raging on social …

We would back Labour to oust SNP, says Lib Dem leader

We would back Labour to oust SNP, says Lib Dem leader

Published by Sam Flores

SNP candidate Maree Todd hit out at the Lib Dem leader’s comments, saying: “Labour has hammered rural Scotland with sky-high heating bills, soaring petrol prices and a crippling family farm tax, yet Alex Cole-Hamilton would give them a leg-up into Bute House – that isn’t putting our Highland communities first, it is a kick in the teeth to families across the region. Source link

Politics Home Article | Are The Lib Dems Still Haunted By Tuition Fees?

Politics Home Article | Are The Lib Dems Still Haunted By Tuition Fees?

Published by Sam Flores

5 min read1 hr The issue of student loans has recently exploded into life, with the government’s decision to freeze the repayment threshold prompting outrage and a debate about major reform. Now that more than 15 years have passed since their highly-damaging tuition fees U-turn, are the Lib Dems ready to talk about student loans again? Ahead of the 2010 general election, the Liberal Democrats, under then-leader Nick Clegg, made a bold and memorable promise: a Lib Dem government would scrap university tuition fees. But just seven months after Clegg’s party entered government as part of a coalition with David Cameron’s Conservatives, a motion to increase tuition fees in England to £9,000 was narrowly passed in the Commons. The move split the parliamentary party, with more than half of Clegg’s MPs voting against the policy or choosing to abstain. Clegg, then the deputy prime minister, was moved to film an apology video in 2012, telling the camera through a downcast expression: “We made a pledge, we didn’t stick to it, and for that I am sorry.” The U-turn was later seen as a …

Politics Home Article | Lib Dems Fear Frustrated MPs Could Defect To The Greens

Politics Home Article | Lib Dems Fear Frustrated MPs Could Defect To The Greens

Published by Sam Flores

4 min read1 hr There is concern within the Liberal Democrats that some of their MPs could defect to the Greens amid restlessness over the direction of the party. A senior Liberal Democrat MP told PoliticsHome that at least two Lib Dem MPs — both representing traditionally Conservative constituencies in southern England captured during the party’s 2024 surge — could be tempted to switch to Zack Polanski’s party. Ed Davey led the Lib Dems to a record 72 seats at the last general election, which made them the third biggest party in the House of Commons. Their gains came largely at the expense of Tories in so-called ‘blue wall’ parts of the country. Since then, however, there has been growing disquiet within the parliamentary party, with Lib Dem MPs privately questioning the strategic direction and complaining that they have failed to capitalise on the success of 2024. This restlessness has been fuelled by Polanski’s Greens overtaking the Lib Dems in recent polls. Polanski, previously a Lib Dem, has been credited with sharpening the Greens’ message and expanding their appeal beyond …

Lib Dem leader calls for King’s US state visit to be cancelled after Trump’s criticism of Starmer | Politics News

Lib Dem leader calls for King’s US state visit to be cancelled after Trump’s criticism of Starmer | Politics News

Published by Sam Flores

The Liberal Democrat leader has called on Sir Keir Starmer to cancel the King’s US state visit over the war in Iran. The King is due to visit the US next month to commemorate 250 years since the country’s independence. But there have been calls for the monarch to postpone the visit in the wake of the escalating row between Washington and London. President Donald Trump has repeatedly lashed out at Sir Keir over the UK’s refusal to allow the US to launch its initial attacks on Iran from British bases. Politics Live: PM ‘learning lessons from what went wrong in Iraq’ Sir Ed called on the prime minister to cancel the king’s trip due to the “illegal” war launched more than a week ago that has seen retaliatory airstrikes across the Middle East. The Lib Dem leader said on Sunday: “Keir Starmer should advise the King that the state visit to the US scheduled for April should be called off. “At a time when Trump has launched an illegal war that is devastating the …