John Healey and Gordon Brown were right to look at options to increase defence spending by working with allies. It would make us all safer. The refusal even to consider this shows the short-sightedness and lack of imagination of the Treasury. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

We should be tightening all sanctions on Russia to weaken its war machine. This waiver should never have been granted in the first place. I'm glad that Liberal Democrat pressure, spearheaded by Lord Purvis, has secured a guaranteed date for it to be scrapped. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

To secure a two-state solution, we need to build bridges between Israeli and Palestinian communities - empowering moderates and eroding extremists. Lib Dems have called for this. It now needs proper funding: not just what can be spared from the slashed ODA budget. www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-...

Liberal Democrats have called for years for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to be banned in the UK. We will work with the Government to get this law adopted without further delay to protect our Iranian diaspora and Jewish communities. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Trump appears finally to have realised what he started. He followed Netanyahu into this war and has pursued it without clear goals and with casual indifference to the consequences. Now he is claiming he can rein in Netanyahu. For once, let’s hope he’s right. giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

🧵 Russia is running daily attacks on Britain, from the seabed to cyberspace. GCHQ recently warned that they are "relentlessly targeting" critical infrastructure and democracy in the UK. A year ago, Ministers promised action. A year on, they have delivered delay. news.sky.com/story/russia...

Healthwatch does vital work in Oxfordshire, giving patients a voice and holding NHS services to account. I pressed the Health Secretary to guarantee that local independence will not be weakened as the Government brings patient scrutiny closer to Ministers.

The UK was right to recognise the State of Palestine. But recognition means little unless Ministers protect the territorial basis of that state. With E1 tenders opening on 1 June, I’ve urged the Foreign Secretary to make clear UK firms must not aid illegal settlement expansion.

Trump and Netanyahu’s illegal war and Iran’s predictable response has devastated the region. Households and businesses here in the UK are bearing the cost at the pumps and in rising prices. It has undermined our allies in Ukraine by paying Putin for oil and gas. www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cg...

Starmer, Burnham or Streeting: Labour has no plan for the UK’s relationship with the EU; they are held back by their red lines. The world has changed since 2024. We need a bigger plan for UK security & to deliver growth and jobs, starting with a customs union. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

You can’t fight a war without investing in your military. You can’t end a war without investing in diplomacy. Cutting the diplomatic team leading the UK response to Trump’s idiotic war is idiotic. Yet Rachel Reeves “prioritises” de-escalation… www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

At PMQs today, I pressed the Prime Minister on PFAS contamination affecting our constituency. He agreed that the Health Secretary and Environment Secretary should meet with me. This matters. Residents deserve joined-up action, clear answers and accountability from Government.

Liberal Democrats will push a vote on the Customs Union this evening in Parliament. Wes Streeting has previously thrown his support behind joining the Customs Union. The question is: what will Wes do?

What kind of message does this send to our Ukrainian allies? Every pound for Russian oil goes to Putin’s war chest. The Government must reverse these weak waivers, focus on diplomatic efforts to reopen the Strait, and implement Lib Dem plans to cut the cost of travel www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The European Partnership Bill is the perfect self-portrait of this Prime Minister: cautious to paralysis, modest where the moment demands ambition. No customs union. No single market. Starmer cannot pick a fight he might lose. It is the same choice that has defined his government and may end it. 🧵

In awe of your bravery, heartbroken by your sacrifice.

The King’s Speech should have shown the Government had listened. Instead, it was a missed opportunity. Across Bicester and Woodstock, people face rising bills, stretched councils, housing without the infrastructure to match and no serious plan for social care. Britain needs bold change.

The EA has found a watercourse near Heyford Park has one of the country’s highest concentrations of harmful “forever chemicals”. At a public meeting last week, residents raised serious concerns. These are the urgent questions that need answers. 🧵 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Social care is already under severe pressure. Families are waiting too long, providers are struggling to recruit and care workers are not being properly valued. The Government needs to get to grips with this crisis and bring forward a serious plan for social care.

Appalled to read of the horrific stabbing in North London. My thoughts are with those who were attacked. There must be no place for anti-Jewish hatred. I stand together with the British Jewish community. The Government must do more to protect them from terrorism and hate.

Shocked to see scenes from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Relieved that no one was killed. However profoundly we disagree in politics, we should do so in words and through the ballot box. Violence must have no place. No one should be silenced by intimidation.

It is good to see Keir Starmer finally recognising the threat the IRGC poses to the Jewish community and the Iranian diaspora, but this should have come a long time ago. Lib Dems will back any emergency legislation required to proscribe the IRGC. www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/202...

The EU loan can’t come soon enough for those on the frontline in Ukraine. It’s an immediate benefit of Orban’s defeat. The UK now needs to match that resolve. It’s time to seize the £30b of frozen Russian assets - and get our G7 partners to do the same. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...

James MacCleary and I, with many of our fellow Lib Dem MPs, have called on Govt to stop letting US planes use UK bases if Trump restarts the war and targets civilian infrastructure. Our Govt must also hold Iran's leaders to account - and stop blocking proscription of the IRGC.

Recognising the state of Palestine was right. But it cannot be the end of the story. Illegal settlements are destroying the prospect of a two-state solution. I pressed the Foreign Secretary to ban settlement goods and stop UK firms, banks and individuals enabling them outright.

Finally. When Cabinet Ministers warn the PM not to alienate the civil service, they’re saying what the rest of us see: this Government has a problem with how it governs. I served three PMs and a deputy PM as a civil servant. This matters for the change people voted for.🧵 bsky.app/profile/pick...

If senior officials were being lent on behind ministers’ backs, that is deeply concerning. And if civil servants are then left to carry the can, that only risks further damaging trust. Serious questions to answer here about process, accountability & culture in Government.

Trump and the Iranians need to stop their posturing. Trump must lift his own blockade and Iran must stop its banditry in the Strait. Egos cannot be allowed to derail today's planned talks in Pakistan. Keir Starmer and reliable allies must press for peace. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

By closing the Strait of Hormuz again, Iran is threatening to level more chaos on the world economy. This brinkmanship must end. Donald Trump needs to lift his own reckless blockade and Iran needs to stop its banditry in the Strait. www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cq...

If Peter Mandelson failed developed vetting, Keir Starmer cannot wash his hands of it. My op-ed on why responsibility for this goes right to the top👇 www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/202...

This news is incredibly welcome. If Iran honours this commitment, it will mark a vital de-escalation in this crisis. We now need to see the US ending its own reckless blockade of Iranian ports, which has only heightened the risk of the war restarting. www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cq...

There is a pattern here. Both Chris Wormald and Olly Robbins appointed by this Government. Both sacked by press release when Starmer under pressure. Robbins may have approved Mandelson but it’s not credible that he acted alone w/o instruction from No10. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

No10’s account is incredible. I held Developed Vetting for nearly ten years and spent three years at the heart of the Cabinet Office. I have never heard of a Developed Vetting denial being overruled. Here’s why…🧵 www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

The news of a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon offers some hope for all those on both sides of the border who have been forced to flee their homes because of the fighting. We must now use this moment to deliver a lasting end to the conflict. www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c2...

Only 5% think Brexit has worked. Two-thirds of Gen Z want a rejoin referendum. The Brexit settlement is dying in real time - and the only party honest enough to say so is the Liberal Democrats. Closer to Europe. Stronger at home. It really isn’t complicated.

The Liberal Democrats get stuff done. From fixing church roofs to fighting for our communities, we deliver where others just talk. On 7 May, vote Liberal Democrat.

MPs must be given the chance to hold the Government to account and prevent the UK from being complicit in war crimes and breaches of international law. Air base access must also be withdrawn now.

This is a grave and era-defining moment for the world. Donald Trump is making wilder and increasingly concerning threats by the hour. If Trump follows through with this, Keir Starmer must immediately recall Parliament.

I have written to the Prime Minister with Liberal Democrat colleagues to urge him to withdraw or severely limit US access to UK air bases. If Trump is threatening attacks on civilian targets in Iran, Britain cannot allow our bases to be used to commit war crimes.

Getting around is becoming unaffordable and families are paying the price. Trump’s war in Iran is pushing up fuel costs. While the Tories & Reform cheer on the chaos, the Lib Dems are calling for emergency action: cut fuel duty by 10p, cap bus fares at £1 and cut rail fares by 10%.

@monicaharding.bsky.social and I have written to the Foreign Secretary as the crisis across the Middle East worsens. The Government must secure a multilaterally-backed, negotiated end to the war in Iran, and work to protect lives and rights across Lebanon, the West Bank, and Gaza.

I welcome this commitment to work with other countries to resolve the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz. Donald Trump is tearing up global alliances and going it alone. The UK should set a different lead by working with other reliable allies and through the UN. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...

This law is an affront to decency, fairness and the rule of law. Discriminating against Palestinians contravenes Israel's obligations under international law. UK must call for the Israeli Government to revoke this discriminatory and inhumane legislation. news.sky.com/story/israel...

Botley West’s delay until September raises serious questions. If Ministers still need more information from the developer after all this time, local people are entitled to ask why the application was delayed rather than refused. I have written to demand answers.

Today’s Botley West delay speaks volumes. Ministers have kicked the decision down the road because they still need more info from the developer and more time for others to consider it. After a process this long, that is a damning reflection on the quality of the application. 1/2

Angry and saddened to learn about this appalling attack in London. It takes terrible hate and ignorance to want to burn ambulances run by the community to help others. I know Jewish communities are fearful. We must all stand in solidarity against anti-Jewish hate. www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/g...

We have warned from the start that the UK has to avoid being dragged into another war in the Middle East. Starmer must now let Parliament vote on the terms of the agreement with the US for their use of UK bases. www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/ce...

Family court delays are leaving families thousands of £ out of pocket, with no route to recover those costs when hearings are pulled at the last minute. I pressed the minister to explain what the Govt is doing to tackle these delays & the financial strain they place on families.

Brilliant to see Thomas in Parliament for STEM for BRITAIN, presenting his research on exploring some of the Universe’s most extreme environments through laser plasma experiments.

Oxfordshire has huge potential. But residents want to be part of decisions about the future. This looks like a power grab from London. Let’s get the infrastructure built to support growing communities. Let’s not strip away local democratic accountability. www.ft.com/content/3c4e...