Commenting on the intervention from CBI Director-General, Carolyn Fairbairn, today which highlighted the importance of the customs union to British businesses, Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesperson Tom Brake said: 

“This is an important intervention from the CBI, and pours yet more cold water on the government’s idea that they can rustle up a trade deal that in anyway compares to the economic benefits of being in the EU and maintain the red lines they have set.

Responding to news that small businesses affected by Carillion's liquidation will receive support from a number of banks, Lorely Burt, Liberal Democrat Small Business Spokesperson said:
 
"It is essential that small businesses do not bear the brunt of the Conservative government's inaction and Carillion's collapse. While the Liberal Democrats welcome the emergency measures that have been put in place, small businesses must continue to be supported in the longer-term. 

This week we witnessed the eviction of several rough-sleepers from a site in the centre of Bournemouth while a great many homes have been sitting empty for years.
Research by the Liberal Democrats has revealed the extent of this problem nationally.

Nearly 200 ambulance delays in Bournemouth so far this winter

198 patients in our area have faced waits of half-an-hour of more in ambulances outside A&E so far this winter, Liberal Democrat analysis has revealed. Of these, 48 faced waits of over an hour.
 

Figures just announced by government show that core funding for police budgets will not be increased from last year. Taking inflation into account, that means Dorset will face a real-terms cut of £1.26m.

Local Police and Crime Commissioners will be forced by government to raise the police precept in their areas, which the Liberal Democrats have branded a "stealth council tax rise."

Here at Bournemouth Liberal Democrats we normally confine our headline stories to local issues and allow national stories to appear at the bottom of our homepage. Today, however, we are utterly stunned at the conduct of Theresa May's Government in the current Brexit negotiations process.



It has become abundantly clear today that David Davis has misled Parliament over the very existence of the much-discussed Brexit impact assessments. Liberal Democrats have, therefore, called for these assessments to be carried out as a matter of extreme urgency.

Bournemouth Liberal Democrats have been shocked by the numbers of school exclusions revealed by a recent freedom of information request.*

“Now that most of Bournemouth’s schools are academies, we were interested to find out if there had been any change in exclusion rates in our schools.” Said Phil Dunn, Lib Dem spokesman for Bournemouth West.

The number of rough-sleepers on the streets of Bournemouth has surged over the last two years despite Council Leader, John Beesley claiming that housing was his “number one priority.

In the years from 2012 to 2016  to number of people sleeping out on our streets has soared from just 10 to 39 (after hitting a peak of 46 in 2015).

Bournemouth has made national headlines today for all the wrong reasons.

The Tory council's disgraceful policy of deporting rough-sleepers has exposed a callous disregard for the needs of homeless people in the area.

Public and NHS staff are tired of Jeremy Hunt's empty promises 

Responding to Jeremy Hunt's speech at Conservative Party conference today, Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Norman Lamb said:

“The public and NHS staff have grown tired of these empty promises.