The Conservatives have continually promised to back British farmers throughout the Brexit process, but their failure last week to uphold our high food standards reveals just how hollow those promises were.
Our high agricultural standards must be protected in international trade deals and after the transition period.
"A month of ideas on growing a sustainable Chelmsford" is how October is being labelled by Chelmsford City Council.
The council has brought together organisations from across Chelmsford to create 'Future City: a month of ideas on growing a sustainable Chelmsford'. The mainly digital festival runs throughout October and tackles the themes of climate change, biodiversity and sustainability. The programme is intended to capture the moment as we think about life post-COVID-19, and it's hoped events and activities will encourage people in the city to make connections and provide fresh thinking about the future.
Conservative MPs have rejected all 10 cross-party amendments to the Government's Immigration Bill passed by the House of Lords earlier this month, including three from the Liberal Democrats.
The 28-day time limit on immigration detention (Amendment 6) - introduced by Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Hamwee in the House of Lords - was rejected by 328 votes to 264.
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 12th October
Monday 12th October
Monday was a key day for British Farming, but the House started off with a Prime Ministerial Statement from Boris Johnson regarding the new tier system for Covid-restrictions. Ed Davey and Munira Wilson led the charge for the Lib Dems, with Ed stressing that time is of the essence; the British people have made painful sacrifices and the government cannot squander the opportunity to get solid testing systems in place. Munira raised another glitch in the trace system which attributes positive cases for students to their home addresses, rather than university addresses, skewing critical data.
Today, Home Affairs Spokesperson Alistair Carmichael led cross-party opposition to the Government's Covert Human Intelligence Sources (Criminal Conduct) Bill, calling a vote against the legislation in the House of Commons.
People across the country have endured terrible hardships over the past six months. They've lost loved ones, lost livelihoods and been cut off from friends and family.
We have made huge sacrifices and played by the Government's rules - we deserve to have confidence that these rules will work.
Instead, our efforts are being squandered by the incompetence of Boris Johnson. His Test and Trace system is not fit for purpose, and scientific advice is being ignored.
I am pleased to announce today that in Wales we have secured free school meal provision for all school holidays until at least Easter 2021.
The coronavirus pandemic has presented countless challenges this year, but with the Welsh Government now guaranteeing £11 million for these provisions, we can help support those who look to school for more than just education.
Many more new houses in Chelmsford; less public input into planning applications; less infrastructure investment and fewer affordable homes. These could be consequences of changes to the planning system proposed by the Government, and Chelmsford City Council has expressed opposition.
The City Council approved its response to the Government's 'Planning for the Future' White Paper at the Policy Board on Thursday 1 October.
