The Liberal Party notes with increasing concern the escalation in hostilities between Israel and Iran in the wake of the 7th October attack on Israel and the subsequent invasion of Gaza.

This weekend’s mass drone attack on Israel by Iran has been provoked by increasing attacks on Iranian linked targets in Lebanon, including its consular, an Israeli response to earlier provocations by Hezbollah.

Any Israeli policy of widening the regional conflict has no justification or purpose, other than perhaps to keep its Prime Minister and his allies in power and delay accountability for the wholly disproportionate action taken in Gaza.

The Liberal Party believes that the Israeli campaign in Gaza has long gone far beyond any justification on the grounds of self-defence Israel and that international pressure must now be brought to bear to impose a lasting ceasefire across the region. That must include the resumption of unhindered humanitarian aid to Gaza, reconstruction of the civilian infrastructure including hospitals, school and universities, and progress to a lasting two state solution to bring lasting peace to the region.

Promoted by Stephen Graham on behalf of the Liberal Party, 12 Dayworth Mews, Lundy Lane, Reading, RG30 2RR.

The Liberal Party welcomes the publication of the report produced by Dr Hilary Cass and her recommendations to NHS England in her role as Chair of the Independent Review of gender identity services for children and young people.

The report makes it clear that "the rationale for early puberty suppression remains unclear, with weak evidence regarding the impact on gender dysphoria, mental or psychosocial health" and that "(t)he effect on cognitive and psychosexual development remains unknown". The report also states that "©linicians are unable to determine with any certainty which children and young people will go on to have an enduring trans identity".

The Liberal Party's position on this matter has always been that there was no medical evidence to support the treatment of gender distressed children and young adults with early puberty blockers and hormones. Dr. Cass' report agrees with this position and further states that "(f)or most young people, a medical pathway to manage their gender-related distress.
For those young people for whom a medical pathway is clinically indicated, it is not enough to provide this without also addressing wider mental health and/or psychosocially challenging problems".

In view of the findings of this report, The Liberal Party urges the Scottish Government to:

1. With immediate effect stop all further medical treatment of children and young adults at by NHS Scotland, including but not limited to the Sandyford Clinic and private health providers.

2. Publish an evidence based, clinically informed strategy to provide lifelong support where sought to all those children and young children that have been treated with puberty blockers and masculinising/feminising hormones to date in Scotland. 

3. Revisit the End of Conversion Therapy legislative proposal to incorporate the findings of Dr. Cass' report.

Promoted by Stephen Graham on behalf of the Liberal Party, 12 Dayworth Mews, Lundy Lane, Reading, RG30 2RR.

We have a very modest number of candidates this May.
 
This is largely because the major centres of activity in Liverpool, North Yorkshire, Devon, Cornwall and Surrey have all had their local elections in the last 2 years.
 
As such we have standing:
 
Borough of Halton
Beechwood & Heath Ward
Danny Clarke
 
Election of a Councillor to City of Lincoln Council
CASTLE Ward
Charles Shaw
 
Reading Burrough Council
Norcot Ward,
Stephen Graham
Please offer any support you can to those flying the flag for Liberalism at the polls.

Promoted by Stephen Graham on behalf of the Liberal Party, 12 Dayworth Mews, Lundy Lane, Reading, RG30 2RR.

The next Liberal Party NEC will be held at the Christ Church, Buckingham Road, Tuebrook, Liverpool L13 8AY on Saturday the 18th May  2024 between 11am and 4pm.

A Zoom video conference  facility will be available, and a link can be requested prior to the meeting.

Members of the Liberal Party as well as the general public are welcome to attend this meeting and it is envisaged this event will be used as a launch event for our General Election
preparations and will be filmed as party of our election campaign.

Travel options for the venue are available via the Traveline website.


For further details please contact the Secretary of the NEC or another member of the NEC.

“Yesterday I spoke at the end of worship at the end year feedback on the Christ Church Kensington oral history project. I spoke about Liverpool being a melting pot of the UK nations at the time of building,1870, 10 per cent of city had Welsh as their first language. Today Kensington being a melting pot of so many nations many of whom are our partners in the Commonwealth.  However, the social mission of the church is as valuable today than it was at the time of the building foundation”.

Liberal Party Leader Cllr Steve Radford

On the eve of the deadline to submit responses to the Scottish Government's consultation on its legislative proposal to End Conversion Practices in Scotland, The Liberal Party wishes to state its public opposition to attempts by the Scottish Government to use Scots criminal law as a tool for political control. The issues covered in this proposed legislation are of huge importance and their effect, especially on children, are still not fully understood. The Liberal Party calls for a non-politicised, evidence-based medical debate on the subject that respects: (1) the rights of parents under the right to privacy and family life; (2) respect for freedom of speech; and (3) respect for the right to hold gender critical beliefs all in line with Articles 8, 9 and 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights.

Mariana Yarnold
Scottish Spokesperson
The Liberal Party

The Liberal Party views with grave concern the increasing media reports of acute food shortages in the Gaza Strip.

The prospect of famine now looms over the region almost 6 months since the Hamas attack of 7th October 2023 unleashed an increasingly punitive Israeli response, which has now gone far beyond that needed to secure Israel’s borders.

Having effectively rendered the Gaza Strip uninhabitable with little in the way of functional public services or medical facilities, Israel now stands increasingly isolated on the internation stage due to its refusal to allow the international community to intervene on behalf of the Palestinian population.

The Liberal Party supports calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire to allow the resumption of humanitarian food deliveries to the besieged area under international supervision.

This must then be followed by intense international action to isolate Hamas, restore a viable Gaza to its civilian population and implement a 2-state solution to the regional conflict.

The Liberal Party notes with concern increasing media reports on the long-term viability of Thames Water.

An urgently needed injection of fresh capital is reported to have been withheld by its shareholders as they believe the company to be no longer financially viable, saddled with a debt pile of over £18 billion pounds.

The Liberal Party rejects any concession being given to its owners over its refinancing, such as increasing consumer bills by 40% or a resumption of dividend payments as unjustified and unwarranted.

The Liberal Party has a well-established policy of bringing the water companies back into public ownership. This would protect both consumers and the wider environment from pollution, over extraction and the wastage of one of the most precious of natural resources, fresh water.

The Liberal Party welcomes the publication of the delayed report by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman into changes to state pension age which left many women financial disadvantaged.

It is said that nothing imprisons a person more effectively than poverty in old age.
Many women affected by the change to the date they would receive their state pension have been left facing poverty and homelessness as they were not able to make provision for a delay to their state retirement age.

We acknowledge the efforts made by the campaign group, Women Against State Pension Inequality, to highlight their case and seek redress.

The Liberal Party believes that the suggested £3000 settlement should be an interim payment, pending proper compensation.

Promoted by Stephen Graham on behalf of the Liberal Party, 12 Dayworth Mews, Lundy Lane, Reading, RG30 2RR.

An address from Alan Tormey, Wavertree resident and Liberal Community campaigner.
 
“I have joined forces with a local foodbank,  LIVERPOOL FOODBANK + CIC
 
Firstly, I would like to thank and congratulate the team at Liverpool Foodbank for the work they do to support communities across Liverpool.
 
We know the cost-of-living crisis is worsening and is being felt hardest by those families already experiencing poverty and struggling to meet the rising cost of food and utilities. I have joined the team to help make sure no-one goes hungry in our city”
 
Alan Tormey
Merseyside Liberal Association Member
Wavertree, Liverpool