The Liberal Democrats have highlighted six tests that the Labour party have already failed on Brexit, in response to Keir Starmer's speech today.

These include failing to oppose the Government's hard Brexit plans, stand up for Britain's membership of the Single Market or give the British people the final say on the Brexit deal.

The Home Secretary Amber Rudd has demanded that security services be given access to users' encrypted messages on services like WhatsApp. It's kind of good that we have someone who actually knows what they are talking about, because they have been an Assistant Commissioner in the Metropolitan Police, to assess these plans. Brian Paddick is not impressed. He said:

Last weekend the Liberal Democrats Spring Conference voted to support Guy Verhofstadt's proposed initiative to allow Brits to keep their EU citizenship (if they want to!). Lib Dems believe that with our country split nearly 50/50 on our EU membership, it would be unfair to allow the process of leaving the EU to completely ignore the wishes of the side that narrowly lost and who want to continue with the EU.

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Here's the new film from the Liberal Democrats, featuring Nick Clegg on the future of European Union citizens in the UK:

This timetable is based on the one published by the Electoral Commission, but as ever make sure you double-check any crucial dates before relying on them. Even if there are no errors in this post or in the Electoral Commission's timetable, a Returning Officer who has got their timetable calculations wrong can throw a spanner in the works. You want to field that spanner in good time.

West Somerset DC, Dunster & Timberscombe - 23rd March 2017

Congratulations to Peter Pilkington and the Liberal Democrat team in Dunster and Timberscombe, especially as the two times previously the ward was up for election since it was created there wasn't even a Liberal Democrat candidate.

In order to "incentivise employers to think differently about their recruitment and skills decisions and the balance between investing in UK skills and overseas recruitment" (Lord Nash in the Lords on Tuesday) the government has decided to introduce an Immigration Skills Charge, a tax of £1000 per employee, per year, paid in advance by an employer wishing to recruit a skilled worker from outside the European Economic Area.

Here s Norman Lamb's speech from this afternoon's health debate:

First, we condemn Theresa May for her refusal to guarantee the rights of EU citizens working in our NHS and care services to stay in this country.

We value the vital contribution you make.

We demand that their right is guaranteed.

The Budget completely failed to address the dire financial situation facing the NHS and care.

Whatever your politics, it makes no sense to spend a reducing share of our national income on the NHS as demand rises at 4% every year

Whatever your politics, it makes no sense that in 2018/19 spending per head in real terms will actually fall as pressures grow

Whatever your politics, surely we can't tolerate over a million older people with care needs left unmet.

Yet this is the reality today.

And it's not just numbers or statistics - it's the impact on people which is so disturbing. There are real consequences for families up and down our country.

This is what the brilliant charity, Young Minds, reports from its Parents' Helpline:

'The helpline receives calls every day from parents who are desperately trying to get support from Children's Mental Health Services. We regularly hear from parents who can't even get a referral or who have been waiting months for an initial assessment and whose children's conditions have got worse during that time. Children who have started to self harm or become suicidal during the wait - or who've dropped out of school, which not only has a big impact on their own education but also means that one of the parents has to give up their job to look after them.

We hear from parents who've separated because of the pressure the wait is putting on the whole family.'

This in OUR NHS. It's shameful.

The man in North Norfolk told that the waiting time for the adult ADHD clinic is two years. What's he supposed to do in the meantime?

People waiting in a state of acute anxiety for a cancer operation which is delayed beyond the standard maximum 62 days from referral to treatment. Across the country, this standard is no longer being met.

Or the missed ambulance response times for patients in life or death situations, the record numbers of delayed discharges - frail older people stuck in hospital becoming more dependent.

A system under impossible pressure.

The awful truth is that failures of care are becoming commonplace - at a time when the Secretary of State claims that he wants the NHS to be the safest health system in the world.

And here's the really insidious trend. More and more people, who have the funds, are opting out, fast-tracking treatment by paying privately. And who can blame them. You do what you can for your family.

But how can we tolerate a situation where those with money can get speedy access to treatment whilst those without are left waiting. This totally undermines the solidarity of which we are all proud, that belief that in this country, you get access to treatment regardless of your ability to pay.

And just look at how we have fallen behind other European countries in how much we spend on healthcare. Germany and France spend more than we do.

Watch how the Tories self-righteously condemn other countries for falling short of the golden 2% share of GDP spent on defence - an international benchmark, yet seem not to care when we fall so badly behind on health spending?

We can't carry on letting people down. We are the sixth largest economy in the world. Surely we are capable of doing better than this?

So the Lib Dems will lead the way, showing how we can give hope to patients and to the remarkable workforce in the NHS and in care services.

I pay tribute to the work carried out by the independent expert panel. I thank them for guiding us. Their interim report is powerful.

An OBR for Health - an independent assessment of the amount of money needed to deliver a modern and effective health and care system - taking it out of the hands of politicians, restoring people's trust.

And three options for providing sustainable funding.

I have been clear that I am immensely attracted to their third option - a dedicated NHS and Care Tax, shown on your pay packet, fair between generations and progressive.

And until such a tax could be implemented, we have to find a credible way of funding the necessary increased investment.

I want us to consider a penny on income tax to help guarantee that our loved ones get the care they need, in their hour of need. But we must be smart on how that extra money is spent. As our expert panel has proposed, extra investment must be focused on out of hospital care and social care. We must champion PREVENTION of ill health, investing in PUBLIC HEALTH - so stupidly cut by the Tories.

And we must invest more in mental health to end the injustice suffered by those with mental ill health.

So Liberal Democrats will lead the way in coming up with solutions for the big challenges we face.

But there is real urgency about the crisis we face. That's why I have brought together Conservative, Labour and Lib Dem MPs to call for the Prime Minister to establish an NHS and Care Convention.

It was a great Liberal, William Beveridge, who proposed the NHS.

Now, as we approach it's 70th year, the NHS is in desperate need of renewal.

Today's Liberal party - the Liberal Democrats - must meet that challenge. We must lead the way.