Hypocrite Hancock must go

The Health Secretary’s actions fly in the face of the sacrifices made by our NHS staff and everyone forced to self-isolate away from friends and family for the last year.

We as a country deserve better!

If the Prime Minister is either unwilling or unable to sack a Minister who fails to practice what they preach under such serious circumstances, then he must go!

As Liberal Democrats we undertake to hold ourselves to a higher standard – if you cannot serve in the best interests of your constituents or your country you cannot credibly serve in office.

COVID cases rising locally

With Hyde Park and Woodhouse having some of the highest Covid infection rates in the country, we encourage everyone to get tested even if you do not have symptoms. Doing so enables the Track and Trace system to keep an eye on infection rates and helps contain the spread of the Delta variant.

If you test positive – remember to self-isolate and look after yourself. If you need any assistance, feel free to contact your local Liberal Democrat team and we will do what we can to help. As a community, we can work through this together and keep each other safe!

Congratulations to our newest MP!

We want to wish big congratulations to Sarah Green, our Liberal Democrats and Young Liberals colleagues across Buckinghamshire and across the country who worked together fiercely to pull off this stunning victory! ????

This shows that the Liberal Democrats continue to provide the strongest alternative to the Conservatives!

A vote for the Liberal Democrats is a vote for your community to have a strong voice locally and nationally ???

Leeds councillor quits Labour over ‘institutionalised bullying’

First day back after elections and Labour is already in ‘business as usual’ mode. Leeds councillor Paul Drinkwater has quit the Labour Party, describing the current system of council governance as a form of ‘institutionalised bullying’ and calling instead for a committee system which would involve members from all elected groups in council decision-making.

The toxic environment that Labour has created has no place in modern society. Brandon stands with Cllr Drinkwater when he says that no elected representative should be “complicit in the illusion of local government democracy in Leeds” where local ward councillors have very little influence and power is concentrated in the handpicked few.

Cllr Drinkwater said:

I find myself being bullied by the whip system into voting against good proposals put forward by ‘opposition’ parties simply because they were not proposed by the Labour Group and voting for proposals by the Labour executive that I disagree with, such as charging for disposal of certain items at the council’s tips

This speaks volumes as to the way in which Labour has repeatedly failed our city and our local communities, especially in Headingley & Hyde Park.

Brandon supports the proposal of a committee system of council governance which would see members from all elected groups represented on the council’s decision-making boards.

A truly liberal democracy works best when a broad spectrum of views are represented and balanced to create better well-rounded policies for our community. This is what we need to get the best out of our Council and our community.

Brandon on the Pint of Politics podcast

Last week Brandon had the privilege of joining host Connor Lawson on his podcast Pint of Politics. They chatted about key issues such as mental health, housing quality, and the importance of young people putting their voice into action and voting for real change in Headingley & Hyde Park.

The Liberal Democrats have what it takes to beat Labour in our ward and to make our community better for everyone. With the additional support of young voters and Young Liberals we can win here.

Check out the podcast here. ?

Tribute to Prince Philip

We are all very saddened to hear of the passing of the Duke of Edinburgh this morning. Our thoughts and condolences are with the Royal Family.

Brandon was fortunate enough in 2020 to be awarded a Duke of Edinburgh scholarship from The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple in the pursuit of his career at the Bar of England & Wales.

Prince Philip, a man dedicated to his Queen, his country, and his family, served all with distinction for an astounding period of time – something we can all aspire to do.

For the remainder of the day – Brandon will be suspending his campaign as a sign of respect at such a time for our community, our country, and our Queen.

Leeds Bradford airport expansion put on hold

It is good news to hear that the expansion of Leeds Bradford airport has been put on hold for now. We are in a climate emergency and expanding the airport risks damaging our environment even more. Not to mention the additional noise pollution that will happen over our community due to the increase in flight numbers.

The Labour council are willing to sacrifice our environment and the peace and quiet of those living under the flight path – the Liberal Democrats are not!

We will continue to oppose the expansion of the airport and call on all parties on Leeds City Council to fully stand with us.

Stabbing incident in Headingley

We are very sorry to hear that there was a knife attack right in the heart of Headingley last night, and hope the person who was assaulted makes a full recovery.

West Yorkshire Police have appealed for any witnesses with information about the attack. If you can help them, please call the police on 101 quoting log 139 of Saturday 26 August.

This incident is not at all characteristic of what is normally a very friendly and vibrant community. We sincerely hope that it was an isolated attack and that there is no further danger to the public.

Tories betray Northern Powerhouse

The Liberal Democrats have accused Transport Secretary Chris Grayling of a “betrayal of the North,” after he wrote in the Yorkshire Post that it was not up to central government to advance Crossrail in Northern England. Liberal Democrat Transport Spokesperson Jenny Randerson pointed out that the Tory government have dropped pledges to electrify rail routes in Wales, the Midlands and the North, while supporting the £30 billion Crossrail 2 scheme for London. This is unbalanced and unfair, and completely undermines the huge potential which the North of England has to offer.

You can read Jenny Randerson’s comments in full here.

Tim Farron in Beckett Park

Tim Farron came to Leeds yesterday, and spoke to local people and news crews in Beckett Park. Tim said:

The Liberal Democrats are absolutely clear that our country faces an absolute democratic challenge if it becomes a one-party state on the 8th of June. What does that mean to your local hospital? What does it mean to local police forces? What does it mean to our local schools if you have a Conservative government in London with a colossal majority, able to take everybody here and around the country for granted? The British people need a decent and strong oppostion. The Liberal Democrats will be it.

You can see Tim speaking on BBC News here.