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  • Nick Clegg in the city
    Article: Sep 11, 2012
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    In Nottingham Post

    THE Nottingham Post is hosting a Q&A session with Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg on Thursday. It will be in a city centre location, which cannot be disclosed for security reasons. To secure a seat, email charles.walker@nottinghampostgroup.co.uk and mark the email Nick Clegg.

  • Lincolnshire By-election results
    Article: Sep 7, 2012
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    West Lindsey DC, Nettleham

    Thursday 06 September 2012 12:00

    Con 565 (45.0; +5.6)
    LD Guy Edward Donald Grainger 513 (40.9; -19.8)
    UKIP 177 (14.1; +14.1)
    Majority 52
    Turnout 31.63%
    Con gain from LD.
    Percentage change is since May 2011.

    Lincolnshire CC, Nettleham and Saxilby

    Thursday 06 September 2012 12:00

  • LGBT+ Liberal Democrats Autumn Conference Programme
    Article: Sep 6, 2012
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    LGBT+ Liberal Democrats have a busy programme of events at the party's Federal Autumn Confernence in Brighton, from 22-26th September.

    Delivering Full Equality for All: The LGBT+ Lib Dems AGM

    Sunday 23rd September 13.00-14.00, Gloucester, The Hilton Metropole

    Guest Speaker Stephen Williams MP (Bristol West); update on our work and our campaigns including Equal Marriage, tackling Homophobia and Transphobia in Sport, the Transgender Action Plan and the UK pride events. All welcome.

  • Call To Activists to converge on Corby
    Article: Sep 6, 2012
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    East Midlands Policy Officer Phil Knowles has urged all Party Activists and Supporters to Converge on Corby and to take the Lib Dem Policies onto every doorstep.

    Speaking after returning from Corby Phil Knowles said '' Other parties have chosen their candidates so the campaigning will step up a gear. We have to take every opportunity to get onto the doorsteps and streets, to talk with the Community. We have to ensure that every leaflet is delivered and do everything we can to convey to people that we are never complacent, always listening and keen to do what's best for families and businesses to provide long term security.

    " Jill, Chris, Stuart and the team are well prepared and enthusiastic to take the Lib Dem campaign forward but they will need help. If you have even one hour to spare please contact them and help. It will be greatly appreciated.

    This is a By Election that will be closely scrutinised by the press both national and local. We have to make every effort to deliver a good result and to get behind Jill Hope''


    Policy Officer - East Midlands Region
    Mobile 07710 026 392 or Landline 01858 545 606
  • Bill Newton Dunn MEP
    Conservative MPs risk UK ability to catch criminals abroad
    Article: Sep 6, 2012
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    Liberal Democrat MEP for East Midlands Bill Newton Dunn praised Crimestoppers' new project to track down nine of the UK's most wanted criminals hiding in Cyprus but warned it is under threat from Conservative backbenchers, who want the UK to pull out of the European measures that make this campaign possible.

    Commenting, Bill Newton Dunn said:

    "Crimestoppers clearly agree with UK police and security chiefs that when crime crosses borders, crime fighting must too.

    "If some Conservatives get their way, this project is doomed. By denying our law enforcement authorities access to European Arrest Warrants and other cross-border cooperation, they will let hundreds of the UK's most wanted criminals escape British justice.

    "Instead of serving their sentences, some of our most-wanted paedophiles, gangsters and other criminals would be able to enjoy the beaches of Cyrpus and other countries while the police fight a lengthy battle for their extradition.

    "The European Arrest Warrant is by no means perfect but rather than working to improve it, Conservatives want to scrap this and other essential international crime measures altogether.

    "This would make it much harder for the UK to fight against serious organised cross-border crime. Lord Ashcroft set up Crimestoppers UK so perhaps it is time he explained this to members of his own party."

    Background Information

    1. Under 'Operation Zygos', Crimestoppers are appealing for information from Cypriots and the expat community on the whereabouts of nine individuals wanted under UK-issued European Arrest Warrants for serious crimes including child rape, adult rape, drug smuggling and tax fraud.

    1. Operation Zygos, builds on the formidable success of another Crimestoppers initiative, 'Operation Captura', which led to 49 of the UK's most wanted being tracked down and arrested in Spain, and returned to the UK using the European Arrest Warrant.

    1. Under the Lisbon Treaty, the British Government must decide by mid-2014 at the latest, whether Britain will continue to participate in existing European police and judicial cooperation measures, like the European Arrest Warrant.

    1. Ahead of this decision, 102 backbench Conservative MPs signed a letter calling on the UK Government to withdraw from European Police Cooperation measures.

    1. A group of senior former UK police and security chiefs has written to David Cameron and Nick Clegg urging them to keep the UK in European police cooperation measures.

    1. Details on Operation Zygos can be found here: http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org/most-wanted/catching-criminals-in-cyprus.

    1. Details on Operation Captura, the successful forerunner campaign, can be found here: http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org/most-wanted/catching-criminals-in-spain.

  • The reshuffle - who's in and who's out
    Article: Sep 5, 2012
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    By Nick Thornsby in Liberal Democrat Voice

    Cabinet

    With no changes to Lib Dems at Cabinet level, the line-up remains:

    - Nick Clegg - Deputy Prime Minister and Lord President of the Council

    - Danny Alexander - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

    - Michael Moore - Secretary of State for Scotland

    - Vince Cable - Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills

    - Ed Davey - Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change

    Junior Posts

    (Newly appointed minister appear in italics. The department(s) in which the minister is based is given in brackets)

    - David Laws - Joint Minister of State in the Department for Education and Cabinet Office

    - David Heath - Minister of State for Agriculture and Food (DEFRA)

    - Norman Lamb - Minister of State for Care Services (Health)

    - Jo Swinson - Minister of State for Employment Relations, Consumer and Postal Affairs (BIS)

    - Jeremy Browne - Minister of State at the Home Office

    - Lynne Featherstone - Minister at the Department for International Development

    - Tom Brake - Deputy Leader of the House of Commons

    - Don Foster - Minister at the Department for Communities and Local Government

    - Norman Baker - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Regional and Local Transport (Transport)

    - Lord (Tom) McNally - Minister of State for Human Rights and Civil Liberties (Justice)

    - Steve Webb - Minister of State for Pensions (DWP)

    - Lord (Jim) Wallace - Advocate General for Scotland

    The Whips

    It's not clear whether any changes are planned to the whips offices of both houses. None have been necessitated by the other changes, so here is how things stood pre-reshuffle:

    - Alistair Carmichael - Deputy Chief Whip of the House of Commons

    - Mark Hunter - Assistant Government Whip in the House of Commons

    - Jenny Willott - Assistant Government Whip in the House of Commons

    - Lord (Richard) Newby - Whip in the House of Lords

    - Lord (William) Wallace - Whip in the House of Lords

    PPSs

    There will have to be at least a slight switch around with Lib Dem Parliamentary Private Secretaries, not least because Nick Clegg's PPS, Jo Swinson, has been promoted. We'll bring you details as we get them.

    Leaving Government

    The reshuffle sees the following Lib Dems leave government:

    - Nick Harvey - formerly Minister of State for the Armed Forces (Defence)

    - Sarah Teather - formerly Minister of State for Children and Families (Education)

    - Paul Burstow - formerly Minister of State for Care Services (Health)

    - Andrew Stunell - formerly Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Community Cohesion (DCLG)

    Please do tell us in the comments below of any updates or posts missed, or any errors.

    * Nick Thornsby is Thursday Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs here.

  • Cameron's carve-up reveals just how limp he has become
    Article: Sep 5, 2012
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    By Matthew Norman in The Independent

    The neutering of Ken Clarke is a monstrous error that will retoxify the Tories

    Perhaps it should come as no surprise given the vast range and number of posts he has held, but who would have guessed that Ken Clarke's final government position would be the novel one of Cabinet Fig Leaf? Ah, well, at first sight at least, though less so on second, Kenneth has the requisite girth. As fig leaves go, few if any political titans of our lifetimes have been as beautifully designed by nature and perfectly shaped by over-indulgence to cover the blushes of a Prime Minister who exposed himself yesterday as even more cringefully weak than one had previously thought.

  • Statement on Lynne Featherstone
    Article: Sep 4, 2012
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    Commenting on the news that Lynne Featherstone is no longer Equalities Minister, Adrian Trett, Chair of LGBT+ Liberal Democrats said "Lynne has been an outstanding champion for Equalities. She has fought homphobia, biphobia and transphobia in sport, launched the Transgender Action plan and started the biggest ever piece of equalities legislation in Equal Marriage and so much more besides. We can all be proud of her work - I know I am very grateful to her."

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