Today's Headlines

Govt's mixed messaging risks creating more confusion than clarity

Yesterday the Government announced its new "Stay Alert" COVID-19 message will replace the "Stay at home" message.

• People across the UK have made enormous personal sacrifices to slow the spread of COVID-19, protect others and protect our NHS and care services. Millions of people have put their lives on hold, are in isolation and face losing their livelihoods.
• The Government's change of messaging at this critical stage risks what people have fought so hard for. The Prime Minister has not provided the country with any evidence or justification for this change. Instead, he risks creating more confusion than clarity by badly communicating his Government's plans.
• We must put people's health first. It is crystal clear that the only way to begin to ease out of the current lockdown is to radically expand capacity to test, trace and isolate. The Government have a long way to go to achieve such a system, yet the Prime Minister did not address this in any detail. An app alone will not suffice and the Prime Minister's road-map must lay out the route to this above all else.
• The Liberal Democrats will continue to support strategies informed by scientific understanding to stem COVID-19. The Prime Minister must come forward with greater transparency about the science behind these key decisions and a far better clarity in communicating what people need to do to play their part.

PM's statement raises more questions than answers on reopening schools

• The Prime Minister's announcement raises more questions than it answers on reopening schools, like how will social distancing be maintained with the youngest pupils? It's nonsensical. This can't be a top-down affair - politicians need to consult with those who actually run our schools. Where is the Education Secretary in all this? He needs to come to the Commons as soon as possible to answer MPs' questions.
• The Government needs to work with school leaders to understand what they need, and put provisions for each school in place now. Only when school staff have the PPE they need, as per their own risk assessment, should reopening be happening.
• We are still waiting on the Government to publish its full plan for reopening schools. School leaders, teachers and others need to see these plans so they can assess the risks and take the action they need to take. We also need to see the scientific advice this is based on. It has to be safety first.

Cross party call for cash for councils to support COVID crisis response

The Liberal Democrats are at the forefront of cross party calls for urgent additional funding for local authorities to support their response to the COVID-19 crisis.

• From day one, local authorities have stepped up to deliver local support through the COVID-19 crisis. They have gone above and beyond, from efforts to source protective equipment for frontline workers, to supplying emergency food packages to distributing business grants and so much more. These efforts have helped protect some of the most vulnerable, and they must continue.
• Local Authorities cannot keep going on a shoestring budget. The shortfall many are already facing is substantial and growing. Without an emergency cash injection, and a long-term sustainable funding plan, the lifelines offered by local authorities will no longer exist. Our communities will suffer enormously as a result.
• That is why we are calling on the Government to commit to a sufficient long term funding settlement for councils as an immediate priority. This is the only way to ensure our councils can keep vital services running through the current crisis and in the future.
• We are enormously grateful to those on the frontline, for example working in social care, but the tragic reality is the social care system will collapse if our local councils are not there to fund it.

Cross party call to ramp up support for students in crisis

The Liberal Democrats are leading a cross party call for the Government to do more to help students who find themselves in difficult circumstances.

• The situation for some university students has become dire, both for their finances and for their wellbeing. The Government needs to step up. The Chancellor must set up a Coronavirus Maintenance Scheme for students on low incomes or from low-income backgrounds, work to prevent students become homeless and ramp up mental health support.
• If we can't even protect our students from becoming homeless, then it's clear that not enough is being done. That's why the Government needs to widen its safety net to catch university students by setting up a Coronavirus Maintenance Scheme without delay.