Archive Press Releases/News

As a party, we are proposing that we increase the Income Tax threshold from the current £12,500 phased to £20,000. 

There is a tripartite argument in favour of such a proposal: 

• it would incentivise work and encourage the work ethic’ back onto the agenda. 
• it would take people out of the lower end of the income spectrum out of paying tax completely. Free up 6 million people from income tax, by lifting the minimum threshold to £20,000, from £12,500 pa. This is 1 in 5 taxpayers. Basic income tax rate stays at 20%. This would be paid for by a tapered progressive tax rate
• Would, stimulate the economy: tax cuts should be focused on low- and middle-income households who tend to have a higher propensity to spend high degree of their income than high-income households. 

Motion approved at November 11^th Liberal Party Special Assembly.

The Liberal Party notes the increasing disruption caused to commercial goods deliveries, most publicly fuel due to a national shortage of HGV drivers.

This situation is the combination of Covid related delays to driver training and testing, and long-term issues improving working pay and conditions to retain experienced staff.

Noting the real anguish expressed by both the agricultural sector and the Road Haulier’s Association we urge the UK Government to take immediate steps to allow work visa entry for both seasonal agricultural workers and HGV drivers.

The Liberal Party supported Brexit so we could have control over key issues affecting our society and political economy, we did not pursue the policy with an obsessive negative view to the role of none UK citizens coming to work in the UK.

We also need a more flexible approach for those working in the nursing and social care.

Over and above this fuel supplies should be supported by Armed Forces Drivers and driving instructors to assist this critical industry.

We also see merit in a review to merge C and D class drivers into one category (eg Bus and rigid lorry drivers) to provide more flexibility in the workplace.

Not to respond to such immediate needs will aggravate cost led inflation with a detrimental impact on the UK economy.

Whilst these are immediate steps to deal with an immediate problem in the longer term, we will continue to campaign for a system of Industrial Training Boards to be re-established to look at the skills needed for each industry and support training plans and facilities required across their respective industries.

Cllr Steve Radford
President of The Liberal Party​

Long term community activist and Croxteth councillor Peter Mitchell has crossed to the Liberal Party in Liverpool and discussed his contribution to the city and his opposition to the boundary commission.

The Liberal Party recognises the vital role of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME’s) or small businesses in the need to create growth to increase economic recovery from the Covid pandemic.

This means that we need to create the balance of social needs and business flexibility to encourage growth whilst protecting workers rights.

Therefore, we call for an immediate review of rules applicable to SME’s or small businesses with reference to employment law and to this end propose:

SME’s be subject to the same balance of proof by any employee in any unfair dismissal proceeding

That the proof of being an unfair dismissal must not rest on procedural issues alone, but the substantive judgment by the employer was unreasonable 

We would like to see greater use of arbitration and reconciliation.

We believe this protection be given to SME’s or small business of equivalent to 20 full-time employees as one tribunal’s case alone could threaten the viability of the business.

To improve the rights of employees the threshold for unfair dismissal claims would be reduced to 1 year.

The Liberal Party expresses huge concern in regard to the withdrawal of U.S. and Allied troops and support staff from Afghanistan.

Once the Taliban had breached the terms of the U.S. led agreement for withdrawal, an immediate revoking of the withdrawal agreement should have been undertaken.

Allied forces had little option but to withdraw their troops to safety when US Air cover was withdrawn. The primary focus now had to become an evacuation effort.

The UK government was right to press the U.S. to delay their withdrawal to afford both them and allied forces more time to undertake a safe withdrawal including vulnerable staff and families who have worked with NATO forces.

Allied force governments also need to work with pro-democratic forces such as those in the Panjshir Valley, to establish alternative evacuation routes.

At home, we must welcome the returning troops who have been withdrawn in the most unwelcome circumstances. We must also hold out a hand of friendship to Afghani refugees, who have been forced to leave their homes in fear, for their part in supporting British efforts.

The Liberal Party believes the U.S. and allied forces were wrong to go into Afghanistan because regime change is not a permitted reason for invasion under international law. However, having gone in, an early departure following the defeat of Al Qaeda would have been appropriate.

The International community should concentrate its efforts on rescuing those who are vulnerable to reprisals by the Taliban regime.

Party President Steve Radford

We are saddened to report Liberal Party Cllr John Clark from Ryedale died on 11th August after being admitted to hospital with breathing difficulties. Our thoughts are with Cathy and family at this time.

Cllr Mike Potter, Ryedale’s new Liberal group leader, said it was a “devastating” loss to the community.

He said: “John’s been a stalwart of local politics for 40 years.”

“Everything he has ever done has been with honesty and integrity, and for the community, which is possibly something that you cannot say about a lot of politicians.”

Mr Potter said Cllr Clark would always fight “for the underdog” and was a farmer who fought to raise awareness of climate change.

He added: “He would never compromise, and he was a very clever man”

His cremation service will be held at Scarborough on 2nd September. 

Hi Liverpool City Councillors

We would respectfully request your support for this Parliamentary Petition along a cross-party basis as the issues addressed in the Parliamentary Petition affect each and every one of us irrespective of political party bias or persuasion. On 21 May we passed the first target of 10,000 signatures and a response is now awaited from the government to this petition, with your help and the help of your family, friends and constituents we may pass the second target of 100,000 signatures and get this very important issue debated in parliament. Hopefully you will all agree a response, a debate is not enough as we need action and only with your help, we will get MPs to vote with their consciences for this petition.

Please could you support and distribute amongst your members, constituents, families and friends the Parliamentary Petition we have raised to protect our Green Belt and Farm land. There is an abundance nationally of brownfield sites that have stood idle and neglected whilst greedy developers are on a daily basis aided by central government procuring green belt land and farm land which in turn is taking away some of our most wonderful and beautiful landscapes transforming them from natural green to concrete grey or asphalt black.

Our countryside is now disappearing at an alarming an accelerated rate diminishing and destroying natural wildlife habitat and consequently driving away our precious wildlife almost to extinction in some cases. The effect on climate change is also unprecedented and yet the government is not only allowing these destructive policies to continue but in a lot of cases where local residents and local authorities have refused planning permission for development on greenbelt land and farming land the minister for housing and communities has unilaterally overturned the democratic wishes and decisions of local residents and local authorities and allow Brownfield Sites to remain idle and unused.

A Government response to a Parliamentary Petition in 2017 with similar aims as in this petition, the following is an extract from that Government response to the 2017 petition; –

“We are also absolutely clear that Green Belt must be protected and that there are other areas that local authorities must pursue first, such as brownfield land and taking steps to increase density on urban sites.”

Four years almost to the day and the hypocrisy is evident for all to see with our Greenbelt Land and Farm Land being decimated by housing developments whilst Brownfield sites remain idle and unused.

This is why we must make this petition a success to overturn the destructive and hypocritical policies witnessed in the last four years and more.

Please support our petition so we may together try and hold (irrespective of political party bias) central government to account and hopefully look to a brighter and better future for both humans and nature. One Planet One Future is our choice to embrace.

We have inserted an attachment that can be distributed as a poster and there is a link below to the parliamentary petition to enable signing the petition.

Click this link to see and sign your petition and start sharing it: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/575169

 We will be grateful for your support and that of your partners, friends and associates.

Just as time is running out so is our countryside and wildlife.

Thank you for your support, Signing and Sharing

Antonio Bosky