Migration Advisory Committee report on fiscal impact of main work migration routes. Key table: they estimate 2022/23 cohort (those arriving in 2022/23) will over lifetimes pay about £47 billion more in taxes than they "cost" in public spending. assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/693810...

Ridgeway (Vale of White Horse) Council By-Election Result: 🔶 LDM: 43.1% (-15.0) 🌳 CON: 24.4% (-17.6) ➡️ RFM: 19.9% (New) 🌍 GRN: 11.9% (New) 🌹 LAB: 0.8% (New) Liberal Democrat HOLD. Changes w/ 2023.

Gary Lineker: "This is the mistake the BBC makes. The BBC tries to appease the people that hate the BBC, rather than worrying about the people that love the BBC."

💪 Another by-election WIN and seat GAIN this week by the formidable Lib Dems. 🔶The crumbling remains of the Blue Wall are on notice. 🟦

A Lib Dem gain - from Reform!

St Johns - Tunbridge Wells BC Liberal Democrat Hold!! 🔶 Ukonu Obasi Liberal Democrat 629 53.3% ➡️ Reform UK 177 15% 🟢 Green Party 160 13.5% 🔘 T/Wells Alliance 105 8.9% 🔵 Con 90 7.6% 🔘 Ind for T/Wells 20 1.7% Congratulations to Ukonu & the team on a great hold!

Station in NE Chelmsford was speculated about for decades (esp by in estate agents). But wasn't until 2000 (previous Lib Dem administration) that formal proposal was in draft Local Plan. Today it's open, after close working btw councils, Govt + rail op citylife.chelmsford.gov.uk/posts/all-ab...

Glastonbury - Somerset Council Lib Dem Hold! 🔶 Ewan Cameron Liberal Democrat 882 36.4% ➡️ Reform UK 523 21.6% 🔵 Conservative 506 20.9% 🟢 Green Party 480 19.8% 🔴 Labour 35 1.4% Congratulations to Ewan and the Team on a great result!

Excellent result in Haywards Heath North West today: Lib Dem Caroline Ward 131 votes, Reform 62 votes, Cons 56 votes. LD Hold Turnout 40%, an increase on 2023. Thank you to everyone for turning out to vote despite the weather!

I prefer Ed's response to that of Labour.

WATCH: Kemi Badenoch wants to put another multi-million pound Conservative Party donor in the House of Lords. Keir Starmer should stop her.

Aggregate Result of the 132 Council By-Elections (for 135 Seats) since the 2025 Local Elections: RFM: 48 (+41) LDM: 39 (+13) CON: 14 (-15) LAB: 12 (-32) GRN: 11 (+2) Ind: 6 (-3) Local: 3 (-4) SNP: 1 (-1) PLC: 1 (=) Explore: electionmaps.uk/byelections-...

Letter to the editor: £5bn over ten years to “restore pride” in Britain’s poorest areas? That’s less than the EU, in its time, gave us every year. Ambitious? Hardly.

Delighted that we found an extra base for Mountview drama school. Great success already for young ppl wanting to be performers, and a great link-up with our fabulous Chelmsford Theatre. (It will also bring in some useful income for the council). citylife.chelmsford.gov.uk/posts/chelms...

Today is World Mental Health Day — a time to reflect, raise awareness, and support wellbeing for all. This year’s theme, “Access to services – mental health in catastrophes and emergencies”, reminds us to prioritise mental health care, especially in times of crisis.

Three big Lib Dem wins in this week's by-elections. Last night in Mel Stride's Devon constituency, Liberal Democrats GAINED a seat from the Conservatives - the Conservatives dropped to just 10% of the vote. And two great wins by our teams in Bath and Hampshire.

*gasp*

Today marks 100 years of #WorldAnimalDay 🐾 Join the #DonateADinner campaign to support rescue centres caring for animals in need. Drop pet food at a supermarket or donate to your local shelter. More information here: naturewatch.org/lets-donate-...

The station (almost) now arriving at Platforms 1, 2 AND 3 (!) Chelms City Co worked closely with Essex CC to plan, fund & build first new station on Gt Eastern line in 100 yrs. CCC owns the land for/around station & will manage bus/taxi ranks & a car park. citylife.chelmsford.gov.uk/posts/multip...

As Opposition Leader at Chelmsford, every yr I proposed Greener Chelmsford Grants. Conservatives voted it down. So pleased we could bring it in, under Lib Dem leadership. Applications now welcome this year! citylife.chelmsford.gov.uk/posts/grant-... - environment and wider community grants

Crucially, successive UK schemes have rested on the idea of a centralised national ID database linking biometrics, employment & residency status. That would give government unprecedented oversight of ordinary citizens, with far fewer legal protections than in countries like Germany or Estonia.

Imagine if the Government devoted this much money and focus on getting waiting times down, or fixing care, instead of pursuing Labour’s decades long obsession with ID cards and state control. We will fight this mandatory scheme tooth and nail - just as we successfully did against Blair’s ID cards.

This by @gabyhinsliff.bsky.social on ID cards is very good And it also kindly links to my post setting out how an incoming illiberal government would not need to force through primary legislation, given what they could do with statutory instruments. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

So if Keir Starmer or any other authority tries to force me to produce my papers – digital or otherwise – to prove I have the right to walk in the street, I, for one, shall refuse. I am a Liberal, and I am against this sort of thing. /Thread www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

Very odd watching BBC News talking about the Lib Dem conference and mentioning how the party has struggled to break through in the media like it's nothing to do with them.

❗ Liberal Democrat GAIN from Conservative Talbot and Branksome Woods (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole) by-election result: LDEM: 32.4% (-2.1) REF: 28.2% (+28.2) CON: 27.4% (-4.9) LAB: 6.1% (-5.7) GRN: 5.9% (-6.6) Prev Con was second-placed candidate in 3-seat ward andrewteale.me.uk/previews

We need to balance the Beeb www.libdems.org.uk/bbc

Stopsley (Luton) Council By-Election Result: 🔶 LDM: 41.3% (-36.3) ➡️ RFM: 36.2% (New) 🌹 LAB: 11.1% (-11.3) 🌳 CON: 6.7% (New) 🌍 GRN: 3.8% (New) 🙋 Ind: 0.8% (New) Liberal Democrat HOLD. Changes w/ 2023.

Call me old fashioned, but I think it might be best if the news media went back to reporting things that have happened, if significant, rather than reporting on the 8am news that something significant *might* happen later that day, then finding what actually happens is not really that significant.

BBC among media misreportimg/exaggerating scale of asylum protests Median protest is a few dozen, below 100. "Usually Several hundred at a time" is false. - should say *occasionally* < 1/10 protests have 200 people "Sometimes thousands" I dont think a single 2025 protest had > 2000 people yet

Alongside colleagues I've written to the Minister for Women & Equalities about the appointment of the new EHRC Chair. We share the concerns that both the JCHR and WEC had during the pre-appointment hearing. The EHRC urgently needs to rebuild trust with all communities.

If you want to know the reality of what a fully deregulated planning system would be like here it is. Which is why we need a strategic land planning system instead of leaving it just to the market. Yes, we need more houses. We also need decent communities. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

It was a busy week. Here are some highlights… ✅

Last night, 340 Labour scored an own goal and voted to BLOCK making more Premier League and EFL matches free-to-air. Conservatives? They didn’t even make it onto the pitch. No VAR needed, can you spot your MP?

Bees across Chelmsford - but all sculptures. There's a trail so you can track them down. Then auctioned off to support Farleigh Hospice in September. I was delighted to attend a reception last night to congratulate the team that have put all this together. citylife.chelmsford.gov.uk/posts/farlei...

Very proud of my colleague Danny Chambers for his fantastic work with this important Bill to stop puppy (and other animal!) smuggling! This is a heinous crime and it needs serious action. www.vettimes.com/news/vets/sm...

Reform lose two council by-elections in seats they only won in May Nigel Farage’s party only held onto them for two months. The Tories narrowly won in the Newark West, Nottinghamshire CC. . The Lib Dems came out on top in Benfieldside in Durham. leftfootforward.org/2025/07/refo...

Liberal Democrat GAIN from Reform UK in Durham 💪💪💪 And two big Lib Dem wins in Powys, and North East Somerset.

Our busy MP @mariecgoldman.bsky.social, standing up for Chelmsford residents over the last year. I get a lot of email as councillor and leader; but our MP has received 448 emails every working day since the election!

LibDem GAIN from RefUK. Benfieldside, DURHAM UA; 🔶 LDM, Terry Rooney, 824, 28.3% (+17.3) 🔴 Lab, 800, 27.4% (+0.8) ➡️ Refuk, 747, 25.6% (-6.6) 🔘 Ind, 459, 15.7% (-8.0) 🔵 Con, 76, 1.6% (-5.0) 🟢 Grn, 40, 1.4% (New) Congratulations 🎉 to Cllr. Terry and the 🔶 team! 🥇 🏆 

The government promised change—now they're cutting support for disabled people and stalling to fix our broken social care system. This crisis is a mess of the government's own making and people deserve better.

97 years since women gained equal voting rights, I’m proud to be the 645th woman #MP. We’ve made progress, but men still outnumber women in #Parliament. True equality means working side by side to tackle challenges in equal numbers. Grateful to represent #Chelmsford on this journey.

Kinship carers make huge sacrifices to take on the care of a child, with 45% having to stop work. Whilst I am glad that the Government's review will look at statutory paid leave for kinship carers, we cannot afford to have yet more dither and delay.

Big Lib Dem wins in local byelections yesterday - holds in Mid Devon and Rother, and a gain in Edinburgh. www.markpack.org.uk/175170/lib-d...

Central Govt is forcing Essex (& other County Council areas) to have fewer, larger councils. Chelmsford Council is working with 8 others in Essex on a plan that we hope will still keep connection between residents & councillors. Survey for resident views: citylife.chelmsford.gov.uk/posts/five-c...

Countless people rely on this support to stay in work and just go about their daily lives. To strip that away from them is not only senseless but cruel. Ministers must change course.

Farage's new policy of taking £34 billion from ordinary people, giving it to non-doms and telling people he's helping the poorest is very Trump.

🚨🚨 #brexit anniversary: Office of Budget Responsibility predictions of £ 40 bn hit to public finances has proven correct according to research by top economist @johnspringford.bsky.social . www.thetimes.com/article/346e...

Media when the Lib Dems are high in the polls: "Sorry, our coverage reflects the number of MPs you have." Media when the Lib Dems have over 12x the MPs of Reform UK: "Sorry, our coverage reflects the parties' current polling."

On the longest day of the year, and one of the hottest too, many of us will be heading outside for al fresco dining. Remember, leave your BBQs at home - the landscape is tinder-dry and just a small spark can lead to miles of devastating damage. Spread a love of nature, not a fire. Thank you.