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Tag: Ed Davey

  • Ed Davey – 2023 New Year’s Message

    Ed Davey – 2023 New Year’s Message

    The new year’s message made by Ed Davey, the Leader of the Liberal Democrats, on 1 January 2023.

    Happy New Year!

    There’s a lot to look back on fondly in 2022.

    The wonderful Jubilee street parties that brought communities together after so long kept apart by Covid.

    The Lionesses brought football home at Wembley, and the men’s team put on a brilliant run at the World Cup too.

    And another fantastic by-election victory for the Liberal Democrats!

    But it has been a very difficult year too:

    Vladimir Putin’s appalling war that has claimed the lives of thousands of brave Ukrainians.

    Political chaos in the Conservative party, inflicting economic chaos on the rest of us.

    And, of course, the very sad passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.

    The end of a truly magnificent reign.

    The New Year is an opportunity to turn the page and look ahead. And although things are tough for millions, I sense change is possible – so I look to the New Year with hope and optimism.

    In 2023, we can look forward to a truly historic and joyful occasion for our family of nations: the coronation of our new King.

    Another chance for people to come together and celebrate in our communities and – hopefully – under clear skies.

    So for 2023, I wish you and your family all the best.

    Let’s hope it’s a year of fresh starts – in more ways than one.

  • Ed Davey – 2022 Comments on Illegal Immigration

    Ed Davey – 2022 Comments on Illegal Immigration

    The comments made by Ed Davey, the Leader of the Liberal Democrats, in the House of Commons on 13 December 2022.

    Ed Davey (Kingston and Surbiton) (LD)

    Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and community in Solihull who have lost their young sons.

    Some 97,000 people have been waiting for a decision on their asylum claim for six months or more. That is 97,000 people trapped for months in Home Office limbo, banned from working, while the NHS, social care, agriculture and hospitality are all desperately short of staff. Last month it was revealed that even the Home Office’s own analysis shows that the right to work does not act as a pull factor for asylum seekers, so will the Prime Minister end this absurd ban on work, to save taxpayers money and help to grow our economy?

    The Prime Minister

    The simple answer is no. We will not do that, nor will we grant blanket amnesties, as happened in the past, to get the backlog down. We will go through it methodically and properly. The best way to reduce the pressure on the backlog is to stop people coming here in the first place, and if the right hon. Gentleman is interested in doing that, he should support our new legislation.

  • Ed Davey – 2022 Statement on Carers Rights Day

    Ed Davey – 2022 Statement on Carers Rights Day

    The statement made by Ed Davey, the Leader of the Liberal Democrats, on 23 November 2022.

    People looking after their loved ones are doing a remarkable job, often in very difficult circumstances. This is something I know all too well, as a carer for most of my life – first for my mum, then for my gran, and now for my disabled son, John.

    This year, we mark the theme of Caring Costs. It’s clear that Caring Costs in so many ways, whether it’s emotional or financial. Especially in light of the cost of living crisis.

    Up and down the country, family carers are facing huge pressures. Soaring energy costs and fuel prices can make it difficult to undertake their caring responsibilities. At the same time, many carers are struggling to juggle paid work with their caring responsibilities. And Carer’s Allowance remains the lowest benefit of its kind, at just £69.70 a week.

    But yet again, the Conservatives are completely ignoring family carers. They were left out of the £650 Cost of Living Payment  – and have even seen their support slashed by £207 this year, once soaring inflation is factored in.

    Our carers deserve so much better than this. That’s why Liberal Democrats are calling on the Conservatives to extend their £650 Cost of Living Payment to all those on Carer’s Allowance. And we will keep campaigning to increase Carer’s Allowance by £1000 each year.

    Carers and their loved ones desperately need extra support this winter. And Liberal Democrats will keep fighting for them.

  • Ed Davey – 2022 Comments on FIFA

    Ed Davey – 2022 Comments on FIFA

    The comments made by Ed Davey, the Leader of the Liberal Democrats, on 21 November 2022.

    Cheering on Wales and England as they begin their World Cup campaigns today.

    But Qatar’s treatment of migrant workers, abuse of LGBT+ people and continued discrimination against women make it wholly unfit to host this tournament, and show that FIFA isn’t fit to govern football either.

  • Ed Davey – 2022 Comments on the Conservative Leadership Contest

    Ed Davey – 2022 Comments on the Conservative Leadership Contest

    The comments made by Ed Davey, the Leader of the Liberal Democrats, on Twitter on 21 October 2022.

    Just months ago Conservative MPs said Boris Johnson wasn’t fit to run the country. Now many are flocking to put this liar and lawbreaker back in Number 10.

    It is an insult to the British people who are being denied a say in this stitch up.

  • Ed Davey – 2022 Comments on the State of the Government

    Ed Davey – 2022 Comments on the State of the Government

    The comments made by Ed Davey, the Leader of the Liberal Democrats, on Twitter on 19 October 2022.

    This is the most chaotic and incompetent government I’ve seen in my lifetime.

    How much longer will they cling on to power while the country suffers?

    General Election now.

  • Ed Davey – 2022 Comments on Government’s Emergency Statement

    Ed Davey – 2022 Comments on Government’s Emergency Statement

    The comments made by Ed Davey, the Leader of the Liberal Democrats, on Twitter on 17 October 2022.

    So much damage has already been done by these reckless Tories.

    Now they will slash spending on our NHS and schools, while propping up bankers’ bonuses to keep their donors happy.

    General Election NOW.

  • Ed Davey – 2022 Comments Calling for a General Election

    Ed Davey – 2022 Comments Calling for a General Election

    The comments made by Ed Davey, the Leader of the Liberal Democrats, on 14 October 2022.

    Boris Johnson failed our country and now Liz Truss has broken our economy.

    It’s time the British people were given their say on this shower of a Conservative party.

    We need a General Election now.

  • Ed Davey – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

    Ed Davey – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

    The tribute made by Ed Davey, the Leader of the Liberal Democrats, on 9 September 2022.

    It is a real pleasure to follow the right hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), and I congratulate her on her lovely, heartwarming speech.

    The Liberal Democrats join Members on both sides of the House in expressing our deepest condolences on the passing of Her Majesty the Queen. We are mourning a profound loss. The Queen was a formidable monarch who faithfully served our country all her life, and she was loved the world over. She represented not only duty and courage but warmth and compassion, and she was a living reminder of our collective past, of the greatest generation and their sacrifices for our freedom.

    For many people, myself included, Her Majesty was an ever-fixed mark in our lives. As the world changed around us and politicians came and went, she was our nation’s constant. In challenging times, she was always a source of calm and comfort. She tied our nations together, embodying an unwavering pride in our country. She showed us that patriotism is not defined by political allegiance and reminded us of the many things that bind us all together, even when it does not always feel that way.

    We saw this so vividly during the platinum jubilee celebrations in June. I am proud to represent the oldest royal borough in England, Kingston upon Thames, and our jubilee street parties certainly lived up to that status. It was truly wonderful to see such an outpouring of affection by people across Kingston from all walks of life. Schoolchildren baked jubilee cakes, neighbours shared bunting and choirs sang hymns of praise. It was incredibly fitting that, after so long kept apart by covid, it was a celebration of Her Majesty’s reign that brought our communities back together so joyfully, just as the whole country is united today, so sadly, in grief.

    The deep mourning across the country now, just like the celebration of her jubilee a few months ago, comes not from a sense of duty but from genuine and heartfelt affection, love and admiration for Her Majesty. It is not because we were her subjects but because she was truly our Queen. What she meant to us is perhaps best summed up by a phrase on so many people’s lips over the past 24 hours: “I cannot imagine our country without her.”

    For almost everyone in our country, she had been there our whole life, at times of national grief and national jubilation. She had never not been there for us, so it is hard to accept that she is gone and hard to see how we go on without her, but we will. Our great United Kingdom has a great future because the Queen’s spirit of strength, grace and resolve lives on in her people.

    One of the greatest privileges of being a Member of this House was having the chance to meet Her Majesty, such as when she visited Kingston on the occasion of her golden jubilee or when I was deeply privileged to sit next to her at lunch at Windsor Castle. I was initially confused by a silver cylinder beside her place setting. I wondered to myself what treasures it might hold. I had my suspicions when, as dessert was served, her beloved corgis were let in and nestled themselves around her feet. The Queen lifted up the lid of the cylinder, plucked out some digestive biscuits, and began sneaking them to her grateful dogs. Whenever I met her, I was struck by her warmth, her wisdom and her humour, and I am looking forward to hearing similar stories from hon. and right hon. Members from across the House as they give glimpses of the wonderful person beneath the crown.

    Her Majesty will be remembered with honour as a monarch who guided our country out of the shadow of a terrible war, who helmed us calmly through troubled waters and brought us safely into a new millennium. She will be remembered so fondly as the monarch who leapt from a helicopter with James Bond and who showed Paddington where she kept her marmalade sandwiches. For the royal family, she will be remembered simply as a beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Our thoughts, prayers and condolences are with them all as they bear this terrible loss.

    After a lifetime of dedicated and tireless service to our country and our Commonwealth, Her Majesty has gone to her eternal rest. May God rest her soul and may God save the King.

  • Ed Davey – 2022 Speech on Energy Price Capping

    Ed Davey – 2022 Speech on Energy Price Capping

    The speech made by Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat MP for Kingston and Surbiton, in the House of Commons on 8 September 2022.

    Following the earlier statement from Mr Speaker, I think our hearts, thoughts and prayers will be elsewhere, but I wanted to contribute to the debate and to agree with the right hon. Member for Forest of Dean (Mr Harper) and his questions on heating oil. That is a critical issue for people in rural communities, and we need answers immediately.

    What the Prime Minister has announced is not a freeze on people’s energy bills. In the middle of a cost of living emergency, the Conservatives are choosing to put energy bills up by another £500 for struggling families. That hike in people’s energy bills comes on top of the £700 rise we saw last April. Struggling families will be paying twice as much for energy as they were last year, and people will still be desperately worried about how they will keep warm this winter. Last May’s £400 discount will simply not make up for the enormous rise in energy bills. So where is the new support for families and pensioners who are struggling? Under the Prime Minister’s plan, fuel poverty will get worse, not better.

    I turn to how we think the Prime Minister is proposing to pay for the package. Why does it seem that the Government will be handing an eye-watering bill to taxpayers in the form of higher borrowing? We all know that that ultimately means higher taxes for taxpayers, and particularly for our children. That does not seem conservative, and it does not seem right. Why has she rejected the alternative of a windfall tax on today’s oil and gas giants, who are raking in enormous, unexpectedly high profits thanks to President Putin’s invasion of Ukraine? How is it fair to take money from future taxpayers—from our children—and hand it to today’s oil and gas barons? How is it responsible to borrow so much to pay for consumption when our economy is already in such a mess, with the pound falling so dangerously?

    The fair and responsible energy policy would be to increase investment massively in the cheapest and most popular forms of energy available to us: wind and solar. I was absolutely shocked that the Prime Minister did not announce a massive, fast expansion of renewables to bring people’s energy bills down.

    The Prime Minister has made some alarming choices today by rejecting cheap wind and solar power, raising energy bills even higher than they are now, refusing to give extra support to struggling families and pensioners, and paying for a policy with higher taxes on our children instead of a windfall tax on fossil fuels. Those are the wrong choices.