Liberal Democrat Justice Spokesperson Wera Hobhouse MP is calling on the Government to stop letting down domestic abuse survivors and to bring back the Domestic Abuse Bill, so it can be promptly passed into law.
This Mental Health Awareness Week I am urging the government to provide the mental health support services that survivors of sexual assault so desperately need. Rape Crisis centres across the country are being forced to turn away survivors because they do not have adequate capacity and resources. That is why I have tabled a motion in Parliament to demand that the Conservative Government enshrine the Istanbul Convention in UK law so that no survivor is turned away. Currently centres are struggling to cope with demand. This means turning away survivors who may be battling with severe trauma. In 2017, 1 in 10 survivors attempted suicide as a result of being raped or sexually abused. Turning survivors away after they’ve had the courage to come forward can leave them feeling alone, isolated and that their experience has been dismissed. It should not be this way. Survivors should feel able to come forward, supported and heard, and that there will be action as a result of their...
Britain has become "infected" with a suspicion of success and the wealth generated by successful entrepreneurs, according to Liz Truss.
In a major speech, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury will say that businessmen and women are "heroes" who should "know they’re respected in society". Ms Truss, who is among a host of Tory MPs weighing up a possible leadership bid when Theresa May stands down, will tell a conference in London that growing the economy is "our number one challenge". "The way we are going to get growth up is to leave our comfort zone, challenge ourselves, and take more risks," she will say. The Cabinet minister will add: "I think it’s vital that entrepreneurs also know they’re respected in society. “They are heroes – take Carole Kane and her business partner, Mahmud Kamani, who set up BooHoo in Manchester. Risking their own money – they created clothes, jobs and a bright future for their city. “I am worried that an insidious notion is being allowed to infect Britain that somehow wealth is something that is never deserved. “That whatever the risk someone has taken, whatever the hard work they have put in...
Theresa May has urged world leaders to follow the UK lead in cracking down on “hateful” extremist internet content.
The Prime Minister issued the call ahead of a major global summit to discuss the sharing of terrorist propaganda online in the wake of the horrific gun attack on two mosques in New Zealand in March. Some 51 people were killed when a killer - thought to be Australian suspect Brenton Tarrant - opened fire on worshippers in Christchurch and live-streamed the appalling incident on Facebook. The video was copied and shared multiple times around the web and could still be found on YouTube some eight hours after the attack. Mrs May will hold talks on internet regulation with a host of global leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who will co-chair the event in Paris. Ahead of the summit she said governments must work together to ensure the internet is not “weaponised by those who wish to inflict pain and suffering”. And she pointed at UK plans to enforce a legal duty of care on web companies, governed by a regulator with the power...
MPs will be given a fresh vote on Theresa May's Brexit deal within three weeks - even if the Government fails to strike a deal with Labour.
Downing Street has confirmed that the Withdrawall Agreement Bill - the legislation needed to confirm the UK's departure from the EU - will be introduced to the Commons at the start of June. The announcement followed "useful and constructive" talks between the Prime Minister and Jeremy Corbyn on Tuesday evening. But it is understood the Labour leader made clear that his party will not support the WAB unless a compromise agreement between both sides is reached in advance. Mrs May's move marks a dramatic shift in strategy, as previously Number 10 has insisted the bill would only be introduced if the Government believed there was a majority for it in the Commons. Without Labour support - and with eurosceptic Tories and the DUP still vehemently opposed to the Withdrawal Agreement she negotiated with Brussels - the likelihood is that it would be defeated. However, the Prime Minister will hope it will be enough to satisfy Tory MPs demanding she sets out a timetable for her departure from...
Labour has grabbed a nine point poll lead over the Conservatives amid growing fury over the Brexit deadlock.
The general election survey from Kantar put Jeremy Corbyn's party on 34%, down one point since April. But support for the Tories has slumped by seven points to 25%. Leave-backing supporters appear to have deserted the Conservatives in favour of Nigel Farage's new Brexit Party, which clinched 10% of the vote in the poll despite not being formally listed. Instead, respondents were asked to name the party they would be voting for if they chose the "other" option, meaning support for Mr Farage's group is likely to be higher. Meanwhile, the Lib Dems continued their recent resurgence, with a four-point boost in support putting them on 15%. However, Change UK's problems continued, with the poll showing support for them at just 1%. The results are the latest headache for Theresa May who is facing a mauling when voters go to the polls for European elections later this month. A recent YouGov poll put them in fifth place on just 10%, compared to the Brexit Party on 34%....
Nigel Farage is once again throwing the British political system into turmoil. But where did the Brexit Party come from and where is it headed?
In December 2018, Nigel Farage pulled the curtain down on a major era for Ukip as he dramatically quit the party he once led after more than 20 years as a member. He had become disillusioned with its transformation into an anti-Islam outfit that courted controversial figures such as Tommy Robinson and alt-right YouTuber Carl Benjamin. After decades in politics, the man who led Ukip to win 4 million votes at the 2015 general election and secured the vote for Brexit suddenly found himself politically homeless. So he set about building himself a new home. Five months later and the Brexit Party is on course to claim a stunning victory at the upcoming European Parliament elections. Voter anger at Parliament's failure to deliver Brexit by the original deadline of 29 March has propelled Farage back to the forefront of UK politics and he is enjoying every minute. GERMINATION The plans for a new party began to ferment in January 2019, when Farage joined the Leave Means Leave campaign - founded...
Theresa May has said that MPs must pass the Brexit deal before their summer holidays - as the Government's talks with Labour drag on.
Downing Street said it was now "imperative" that the Withdrawal Agreement Bill - the legislation needed to take the UK out of the European Union - must be on the statute books before the Commons rises at the end of July. That will increase speculation that that is the date when Mrs May plans to leave Number 10 for good in order to hand over to her successor. She is under pressure to outline the timetable for her resignation when she meets the ruling executive of the Tory 1922 Committee on Thursday. The long-running negotiations between Labour and Tory frontbenchers aimed at agreeing a compromise Brexit deal broke up on Monday night with no sign of an imminent breakthrough. A two-hour discussion on Brexit at Cabinet on Tuesday heard what areas the Prime Minister is willing to compromise on in the hope of securing Labour's backing. Mrs May's spokesman said: "Cabinet agreed to continue discussions with Labour to see what was possible. However, it was agreed that it is imperative to bring...The WHO is launching their first guidelines on risk reduction of cognitive decline and dementia, these include recommendations around; physical activity interventions, tobacco cessation interventions, social activity and weight management.
Fiona Carragher, Chief Policy and Research Office at Alzheimer’s Society, said: “Dementia is the biggest health challenge of our generation, so the WHO’s clear commitment to spearheading the global fight against the condition through a public health approach is to be welcomed. “It’s estimated a third of dementia cases could be prevented, and this report provides the best available prevention advice. But there’s still a lot of work to do - every three seconds someone in the world develops dementia, and there’s still a lack of firm evidence on how exactly we should tackle the many risk factors of dementia. That’s why we’re funding the UK’s largest study focused on mid-life dementia risk factors to begin to address this evidence gap. “Policy-makers and governments across the globe should take on board WHO’s recommendations and prevention advice. They must also unite in supporting further research to develop more specific, personalised risk reduction advice.”IPSE (the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed) welcomes new statistics showing the self-employed sector is surging.
Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows the number of self-employed in the UK has risen by 175,000 compared to the same time last year. This includes more than 60,000 people in highly skilled technical work and an extra 50,000 in construction. Ryan Barnett, IPSE’s Economic Policy Advisor, commented: “These statistics show just how attractive the opportunities, freedom and flexibility of freelancing are. Despite political turbulence, freelancers are creating businesses and driving innovation with their dynamism and get-up-and-go spirit. “The government must make sure the self-employed can fire on all cylinders by giving them real support. It should give them not only fair parental rights and pensions, but also a tax system that is fit for the digital era. Only then will we unlock the true value of the 4.8 million people who now add £275bn to the economy.”
Rising star of the Liberal Democrats Layla Moran has ruled herself out of the race to succeed Sir Vince Cable as the party’s next leader.
The Oxford West and Abingdon MP, who was first elected in 2017, was among the frontrunners tipped to take over the Lib Dem veteran, who is expected to stand down imminently. In a statement however, Ms Moran said she did not believe she could take on the “busy role” of leading the party while fulfilling her duties as an MP after just two years in the job. “I am very grateful to the large number of constituents, supporters, party members and elected representatives who have encouraged me to throw my hat into the ring in the forthcoming Liberal Democrat Leadership contest,” she said. “As a relatively new MP, however, my first priority has to be to serve my constituents to the best of my ability… “I hope they consider that I am doing a good job so far, but I do not believe that I would be able to continue to do so to the standard they have the right to expect if I took on the busy role of party leader as well." “For this reason, I wrote to local party members earlier this week to let...