Baroness Joan Walmsley

Like many young people and students in the early 2000s, I first joined the Liberal Democrats because of Charles Kennedy's brave stance on the invasion of Iraq.

Charles played a courageous role in steadfastly opposing military intervention, putting both his and the party's reputation on the line. I joined a million others marching on the streets in protest, pleading with Blair's Government to change course.

A complaint has been made about Layla Moran's campaign's use of data gathering tools ('Cookies') in their official website.

The Party has considered carefully and has taken representations from the Campaign.

The party's found that a technical breach had occurred in relation to the specific consents relating to these Cookies.

What are the Liberal Democrats calling for?

We're calling on the Government to grant indefinite leave to remain in the UK - the right to stay - to all foreign nationals currently working in the NHS and social care, and their families.

How many people from other countries work in the NHS and social care?

Throughout this crisis, the Government's communications have been an utter disaster.

Yet more mistakes reveal how necessary it is for an inquiry to be launched now

To announce a regional lockdown of millions of people not only just hours before it's enforced, but with no clarity on the new rules coming into place, is beyond comprehension.

On behalf of the Liberal Democrats, I would like to send best wishes to all Muslims celebrating Eid al-Adha.

Eid al-Adha commemorates the Prophet Ibrahim's test of faith. It also marks the end of Hajj, the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca.

I hope that all of us will take this opportunity to reflect on those values of selflessness, charity and community which are at the heart of Islam

Voting opens today for the Liberal Democrat Leadership Election!

You might get your ballot by either email or post and it might take some time on the 30th or 31st to be sent, as delivery is being staggered through the day. Postal deliveries may take longer, especially if you're overseas.

If you haven't had a ballot by 10am on Friday 31st July, please feel free to drop elections@libdems.org.uk an email. Votes have to be cast by 1pm on Wednesday 26th August 2020.

Let's be honest with ourselves - we're in a tough spot. Our average polling figure currently stands at 8%, a far cry from the late teens or early 20s we previously enjoyed as recently as last year.

I won Oxford West & Abingdon from the ground up. Nobody knows the potential of Liberal Democrat activists like I do.

Postal Votes

Postal votes have gone to print on the 27th July 2020. The initial run was around 5,000 voters. These will be sent to Royal Mail on the 29th July 2020.

We expect paper ballots to land between the 30th July and the 2nd August in the UK. We expect this to take up to the 14th August for non-UK postal ballots.

In our Democracy the Prime Minister and Government are accountable to Parliament, not the other way round, and yet Boris Johnson has been systematically unpicking the vital checks and balances which moderate his powers. Without these, it is a slippery slope towards an elective dictatorship.

Boris Johnson's attempt to prorogue Parliament was ruled 'unlawful'.

Welcome to the Weekly Whip. Your one-stop shop for Lib Dem Parliamentary updates, covering the week that was and the week to come.

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Weekly Whip w/c 20th July

Monday 20^th July

The final week of Parliament before the summer recess kicked off with the Foreign Secretary coming to the House to give a Ministerial Statement on China. After the imposition of a new security law in Hong Kong, the U-turn decision to ban Huawei from 5G infrastructure, and the serious concerns of human rights abuses in Xinjang, the China-UK relationship is under strain to put it lightly.