- Govt must make mental health support available to health and care workers
- New Trade and Agriculture Commission must be a “watchdog with teeth” – Farron
- Govt must stop spending money on measures that don’t prevent crime
- Govt must make more help available for people and businesses in Leicester
Govt must make mental health support available to health and care workers
Responding to reports that Labour have announced a “Care for Carers” plan, Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said:
Over the past months the Liberal Democrats have called on the Government to ramp up mental health support for health and care staff. It is very welcome that Labour have today begun campaigning for Government to introduce crucial projects we have also called for, including 24 hour access to mental health support for health and care staff through a dedicated helpline.
It is so important that opposition parties work together to make sure the Conservatives do more to support our health and care workers during this crisis and beyond. The Government must now listen to the proposals from the Liberal Democrats and Labour, so that health and care workers can get the support they need.
Whilst we can hope to get a grip on COVID-19 in the coming months, the mental health impacts will last a lifetime. We must ensure no-one slips through the net as the scale of the mental health impact of this crisis emerges.
New Trade and Agriculture Commission must be a “watchdog with teeth” – Farron
Responding to news that the Government will establish a new Trade and Agriculture Commission, Liberal Democrat Food and Rural Affairs spokesperson Tim Farron said:
On the face of it this is a very welcome concession from the Government and is thanks to the brilliant campaign run by the NFU that we’ve been proud to support.
However, the announcement contained no details about how this new commission will operate or how Parliament will be able to properly scrutinise any new trade deal and the effect it will have on our world-class food, animal welfare and environmental standards.
This new body must be a watchdog with teeth that will prevent the Conservatives undermining British farmers, instead of a lapdog that provides cover for the Tories to sell us out in future trade deals.
Govt must stop spending money on measures that don’t prevent crime
Responding to the Government’s statement on prisons today, including the announcement that four new prisons are to be built in the next six years, Liberal Democrat Justice Spokesperson Daisy Cooper said:
The answer to the prisons crisis is not more prisons. Instead of wasting even more money locking people up, mostly on short sentences that don’t work, the Government should spend it on the things that actually prevent crime.
It’s two years since the Government promised to set up five women’s community residential centres, but we still haven’t seen one. That should be the priority, not more prisons.
The Conservatives are continuing their failed approach: trying to seem tough on crime, without doing enough to actually prevent crime. There are already more people in prison in the UK than in any other country in Western Europe.
Liberal Democrats are calling for the Government to take a smarter approach that focuses on preventing crimes, supporting victims and breaking the cycle of re-offending.
Govt must make more help available for people and businesses in Leicester
Responding to the Government decision to lockdown Leicester, Liberal Democrat Health, Wellbeing and Social Care Spokesperson Munira Wilson said:
It is right that the Government has now taken the step of locking down Leicester. My thoughts are with all the people in Leicester. For many, particularly carers, health workers and vulnerable people it may feel like they are going back to the beginning again. The government must make sure that all support, financial as well as mental health is made available in this difficult time.
Reports that tracers at a local level are not yet able to get the data they need to do their job are extremely concerning.
The Government must be absolutely clear how localised lockdowns will work, and what support will be in place for individuals and businesses affected. Localised real-time data, broken down by ethnicity, is critical and must be shared with local authorities.