Tag: Press Release

The press release issued by the Liberal Democrats on 1 January 2023.

Ambulance services are set to face a huge £70m fuel bill this year, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request from the Liberal Democrats has revealed.

The FOI asked ambulance services for their spending on fuel in the last 3 financial years and their projected spending for the 2022/23 year.

All nine of the ten ambulance services in mainland England that responded have said that they are expecting to pay more than a million pounds or more in fuel over the next year.

The hardest hit is the Yorkshire Ambulance service which is set to pay an extra £2.3million by the end of the financial year. Meanwhile, the service with the highest projected amount was the West Midlands at a staggering £9.5 million in projected spending.

Overall ambulance services across the country are set to pay an extra £14 million over the next year compared to 2021/22, up to £69 million from £54 million in the year prior.

In light of the news, the Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP is now calling for all ambulance services to have universally discounted rates on fuel costs paid for by oil and gas giants.

Commenting Liberal Democrats Health Spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said: 

“Right across the country, our ambulance services are on the brink. And now, every ambulance service is being hit by a hugely inflated fuel bill, stretching vital funds even further.

“The Conservative Government is to blame: on their watch, fuel bills have sky-rocketed. But the public shouldn’t have to saddle the bill for their failure.

“Our ambulance service is in dire need of any kind of support it can get, reducing these soaring fuel bills by properly taxing the big oil and gas companies should be a priority.”

The press release issued by the Liberal Democrats on 30 December 2022.

Squeezed middle earners are facing a staggering £20,000 stealth tax hike over the next decade, new research commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.

The House of Commons Library analysis shows that someone on a salary of £60,000 will pay an extra £20,440 in income tax over the next ten years due to Jeremy Hunt’s freezing of income tax thresholds. This is equivalent to nearly four months of work going unpaid, or 111 days.

The Liberal Democrats accused the Conservatives of betraying Britain’s hard-working middle, warning that families are facing a “lost decade” of tax hikes and soaring inflation.

The research is based on someone earning £60,000 in 2021/22, whose earnings then rise in line with average earnings growth in subsequent years. It looks at the additional tax paid compared to if income tax thresholds had increased in line with inflation each year, as they would do if the freeze wasn’t in place.

In total, the squeezed middle earner would pay over £134,000 in income tax over the next decade. It means their income tax bill will be almost a fifth higher (18%) than it would have been if the thresholds had not been frozen.

The figures also show that someone on an average salary of around £33,000 will pay an extra £4,040 in income tax due to the freezing of the personal allowance. This is equivalent to six weeks of unpaid work (42 days).

While families are seeing their taxes hiked, the government is giving £18 billion in tax cuts to the banks over the next five years, through a reduction in the bank levy and surcharge.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

“Britain’s squeezed middle is facing a lost decade of unfair tax hikes and soaring inflation. Families are watching aghast as their paycheques fall while mortgage costs soar. Why should the hardworking middle be forced to pick up the bill for the Conservative party crashing the economy?

“It is deeply shameful that the Conservative government has chosen to slash taxes for the big banks whilst hiking them for the public. This could have all been avoided if the Conservative party hadn’t crashed the economy and sent interest rates spiralling with their botched budget.”

The press release issued by the Liberal Democrats on 21 December 2022.

Responding to this morning’s ONS debt and deficit statistics, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Sarah Olney MP said:

“This Conservative Government has put our economy between a rock and a hard place, by failing to get inflation under control and pushing the UK’s borrowing costs even higher with their catastrophic mini budget. It’s an outrage that hard-working families will be picking up the tab for their incompetence for years to come.

“Ministers can’t use these figures as an excuse for hitting households with tax rises and cutting public services, when they caused this crisis in the first place. The Government should put a proper windfall tax in place to boost the public finances, and finally set out a proper plan to grow the economy.”

The press release issued by the Liberal Democrats on 20 December 2022.

Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader and Health Spokesperson Daisy Cooper has demanded Health Secretary Steve Barclay must resolve the nurse and ambulance strikes or resign, she said:

“We are in the 11th hour to stop these strikes and if the Government doesn’t negotiate properly with nurses and ambulance services it’s real people who will pay the price.

“Steve Barclay must get round the table and resolve these strikes now.

“A Health Secretary that can’t keep ambulances running during a winter crisis is not fit for office and must resign.”

The press release issued by the Liberal Democrats on 19 December 2022.

Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Daisy Cooper has warned that the country is facing a “groundhog day” over issues with the supply of antibiotics needed to treat Strep A.

It comes as Health Minister Maria Caulfield admitted that there are temporary supply issues, during an Urgent Question in Parliament on Strep A secured by the Liberal Democrats.

Maria Caulfield admitted that the government had issued Serious Shortage Protocols (SSPs) several weeks ago, despite claiming at the time there were no issues with the supply of antibiotics.

The Liberal Democrats are calling on the government to act now to address supply issues and ensure that every family can access the antibiotics they need over Christmas.

Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:

“Parents across the country are worried sick about the sharp rise in Strep A infections and shortage of antibiotics in pharmacies. Some are travelling in desperation from pharmacy to pharmacy looking for antibiotics, while A&E departments are overwhelmed by anxious families unable to access the medical help they need.

“Why on earth did it take so long for the government to come clean over these supply issues, when health professionals have been raising the alarm for over two weeks?

“We seem to be stuck in a medicine shortage groundhog day, following problems with the supply of lateral flow tests and HRT.

“The response from Maria Caulfield today will do little to reassure parents. The government needs to act now to ensure every family can access the antibiotics they need over Christmas.”

The press release issued by the Liberal Democrats on 19 December 2022.

Responding to the High Court ruling the Rwanda asylum plan to be legal, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael MP said:

“Whether or not it is lawful, the Conservatives’ Rwanda asylum plan is immoral, ineffective and incredibly costly for taxpayers.

“It will do nothing to stop dangerous Channel crossings or combat people smuggling and human trafficking; instead it will give criminal gangs more power and profits.

“The Conservatives are betraying the UK’s proud tradition of providing sanctuary to refugees fleeing war and persecution, and breaching our commitments under the 1951 UN Refugee Convention.

“Instead of wasting taxpayers’ money defending this policy through the courts, the Government should be focusing on stopping these dangerous crossings and tackling the smugglers and traffickers by providing safe and legal routes to sanctuary for refugees.”

The press release issued by the Liberal Democrats on 19 December 2022.

Commenting on this morning’s ral chaos which has seen services across London and commuter belt cancelled despite there not being a train strike, Liberal Democrat MP Munira Wilson said: 

“This is a kick in the teeth for commuters and our struggling hospitality industry.

“Most people can’t remember the last commute they did when the trains actually ran properly. Chaos, delays and misery are part of the daily struggle for those wanting to get into the capital, all despite paying for season tickets worth thousands of pounds a year.

“The Government needs to end this madness now. Ministers have been sitting on their hands for far too long whilst commuters suffer. It’s like they just don’t care about millions of people who simply want to get into the office or keep their business afloat.”

The press release issued by the Liberal Democrats on 19 December 2022.

Responding to the Oliver Dowden media round, Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office spokesperson Christine Jardine MP said:

“In the week before Christmas we need more humanity not less from Oliver Dowden and his Government.  Sitting down with the nurses and discussing pay is the obvious move right now.  Instead he spent this morning playing scare tactics with the public and playing politics with the strikes.  This Government has spent the past year giving tax breaks to the banks and leaving the NHS and nurses struggling, this has to change to get a fair deal for everyone.”

The press release issued by the Liberal Democrats on 19 December 2022.

It All Adds Up energy campaign: Urgent investment in insulation needed

“The Conservative government has doubled people’s energy bills and failed to insulate millions of leaky homes. This all adds up to a tougher winter ahead for families and pensioners struggling to get by,

“Advice and tips are all very well, but we also need urgent investment to insulate people’s homes and cut energy bills in the long term. That is the only way we will tackle the climate emergency, cut emissions and cut people’s bills.”

The press release issued by the Liberal Democrats on 16 December 2022.

Responding to the publication of the Government response to the consultation on environmental targets which weakens a number of targets, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for the Environment, Tim Farron MP said:

“Once again, the Conservative Government has demonstrated just how short-sighted and irresponsible they really are.

“The Environment Secretary has a duty to protect our planet for future generations, but has once again kicked this responsibility into the long grass.

“Weakening these targets is an embarrassment and a betrayal. The Government must u-turn immediately.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

1. Link to the Government Response to the Environmental Targets Consultation