The past few months have been incredibly difficult for pupils and teachers. We must ensure no child’s opportunities are diminished due to this terrible pandemic – that means getting children back to school safely.

A comprehensive test, trace and isolate system is critical to reopening classrooms as safely as possible.

Ministers need to work with local authorities to improve the NHS Test and Trace service, which is still failing to reach enough close contacts. https://t.co/GsFQkDDYov

— Liberal Democrats (@LibDems) August 10, 2020

However, school leaders, teachers, parents, and pupils need to feel confident that their schools will be COVID-safe once term begins in September.

Boris Johnson needs to step up and take action if this is going to happen. We must have a comprehensive test, trace, isolate system in place. The current NHS Test and Trace service is failing to reach enough close contacts; we need to see significant improvement before September if we are going to safely reopen schools.

The Government must also address the practical and financial support requirements that are involved with fully reopening schools. School leaders and teachers will be under serious pressure to adapt to making schools COVID-safe – they deserve a Government that fully supports them through this difficult time.

Liberal Democrats want to see radical steps to support education providers, from making community spaces available to schools, to a Teach for Britain campaign that can bring in new staff in this difficult time.

The world has watched in horror as the persecution of the Uyghur people in Xinjiang has been revealed. From the initial reports of mass surveillance, to evidence of up to 3 million people forced into so called re-education camps, the situation is bleak and all too familiar.

We remain clear that the UK has a duty to act.

In just the last few months, drone footage believed to be from Xinjiang in China, showed Uyghurs kneeling and blindfolded, waiting to be led onto trains. At the same time, the Chinese Government is also accused of undertaking a programme of forced sterilisation against Uyghur women.

The situation is abhorrent. Over the course of the last three years, Liberal Democrats have urged the UK government to do more to stop this gross violation of human rights. We have led cross-party letters, parliamentary debates, and parliamentary motions.

We remain clear that the UK has a duty to act. That is why we have led on a cross-party letter this week to Priti Patel urging her to do the right thing and automatically give refugee status to the Uyghur people.

As Liberal Democrats, human rights are at the core of who we are as a party.

Internationalism, as well as our fundamental belief in equality and civil liberties, drives everything we do.

We cannot sit idly by while the Chinese government seeks to carry out a genocide on the Uyghur people.

That is why we are calling on the government to offer the Uyghur population asylum in the UK, so that they can flee the unthinkable horrors of the situation in Xinjiang and find safety here.

We are also urging the government to immediately bring forward Magnitsky legislation so that those individuals who are found to have committed human rights violations can be sanctioned.

History is watching us. We cannot sit idly by while the Chinese government seeks to carry out a genocide on the Uyghur people.

There is no justifiable excuse for failing to act. Liberal Democrats will keep pushing the government to do the right thing.

Uighur people seeking refuge in the UK should not have to prove their case – the evidence is now in plain sight.

The home secretary must take steps to grant automatically refugee status to all Uighur people fleeing this brutal crackdown on their rights.https://t.co/vWK4dxAyID

— Liberal Democrats (@LibDems) August 7, 2020

In this campaign, I’ve really been put through my paces. Through 20 hustings, with more to come, and hundreds of media interviews for newspapers, blogs, TV & radio, I’ve been making my pitch for the leadership.

Throughout this terrible disease, people have not only faced heartbreaking loss of life, but also crushing anxiety over their livelihoods.

Lockdown has been necessary to prevent an even greater catastrophe, but the economic shutdown has thrown millions of people into financial hardship.

Liberal Democrats have been fighting to make sure people do not feel left behind as the country slowly recovers. We cannot allow this to create a new wave of inequality in Britain; the damage done to businesses and jobs falls harder on some than others.

Here’s how we’ve been fighting to ensure no one is left behind.

1. Pushing the Government to help the self employed

Back in March, as the Government announced its financial support plans for businesses and employees, there was one group of workers that was conspicuously left out: the self-employed.

Over five million people - cleaners, taxi drivers, hairdressers, builders - all of these people faced tremendous uncertainty with the lockdown, but were not initially included in Rishi Sunak’s plans. We spoke out and pushed the Government to go further.

A key Liberal Democrat amendment to the emergency #CoronavirusBill could help support 5 million self-employed people through this national emergency.

We urge the Government to ensure that no-one is forgotten as this crisis continues.https://t.co/qwLcXJJL84

— Liberal Democrats (@LibDems) March 24, 2020

It worked. The Government expanded their offer, and we urged them to move even quicker to ensure that these people had enough to get by throughout the hardest period of lockdown.

2. Fighting for the furlough scheme to be extended

In early May, Rishi Sunak suggested he was hoping to “wind down” the furlough scheme in the coming weeks.

The furlough scheme has been a lifeline for millions of people this year whose employers were shut down or suffering dramatic loss of business.

In fact, it is estimated that the furlough scheme covered around a quarter of all jobs. The fact is that the scheme prevented even greater numbers of redundancies than we have seen - it has been essential in preventing cruel mass unemployment. Yet Rishi Sunak wanted to wind it down prematurely.

That’s why we spoke out against his plans and launched our “Safe to Return to Work” scheme that would give people that time and that confidence and help avoid further large-scale job losses.

3. Speaking up for the hardest-hit sectors

The economic turmoil of COVID-19 has not been felt equally across all sectors. That’s why we’ve spoken out for those who are feeling the pinch the hardest.

Take the creative industries.

We enjoy a world-leading creative sector, but without additional support they risk emerging smaller, weaker and with lasting damage.

That’s why in July Daisy Cooper called for a package of support to reinvigorate creative industries. Daisy’s plan, Power of Creativity: Recovery and Renewal, pushed the Government to take ambitious action to address the specific needs of a vulnerable sector.

4. Standing up for the 3m Excluded

We have heard too many heart-breaking stories from those who have lost their livelihoods as a result of coronavirus and are excluded from the Government’s support

Jamie Stone MP

Even now, there are too many people not receiving the help they need.

There are still around 3 million people who are not currently covered by the Government’s support.

New starters, newly self-employed people and freelancers all face difficulty getting the help they need.

But these people cannot be left behind as our economy begins to recover - that’s why we’re campaigning hard to get the Government to go further for the 3 million excluded.

Jamie Stone led the creation of an All-Party Parliamentary Group dedicated to helping these people, and as a party we’re going to keep pushing the Government to take action to support these people

5. Calling for an extension of the Brexit transition period

Instead of acting in the national interest, Conservative Ministers have been content to drive the UK towards a disastrous Brexit in the midst of a pandemic.

Refusing to extend the Brexit transition period not only threatens our vital medical supplies during this crisis, but also risks a huge economic hit.

Liberal Democrats have been speaking out against this reckless behaviour from the Government, calling for an extension of the Brexit transition period in order to protect jobs in Britain for those only just recovering from lockdown.

A complaint has been made about Ed Davey’s campaign’s conduct in its communication with members as to their voting intentions, specifically that they instructed canvassers not to disclose the identity of the campaign they were actually calling on behalf in calls made on the 11th and 14th of July 2020.

Like many young people and students in the early 2000s, I first joined the Liberal Democrats because of Charles Kennedy's brave stance on the invasion of Iraq.

A complaint has been made about Layla Moran’s campaign’s use of data gathering tools (‘Cookies’) in their official website.

What are the Liberal Democrats calling for?

We’re calling on the Government to grant indefinite leave to remain in the UK – the right to stay – to all foreign nationals currently working in the NHS and social care, and their families.

How many people from other countries work in the NHS and social care?

About 1 in 7 people who work in the NHS are foreign nationals, according to the latest data from NHS digital.

In England alone, that’s 171,000 people – including 36,000 doctors, 59,000 nurses and 40,000 clinical support staff.

Meanwhile, figures from Skills for Care show that 1 in 6 of the adult social care workforce in England are foreign nationals: 249,000 care staff.

As these numbers demonstrate, there are hundreds of thousands of people from other countries on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic here in the UK. Like the rest of our wonderful NHS and care staff, they are putting themselves in harm’s way to make sure we get the care we need.

Surely they already have the right to stay?

You’d think so, but no.

Some do already have the right to stay, but many others face having to reapply or being forced to leave the UK – some as soon as October.

First, there are the EU citizens (68,000 in the NHS and 115,000 in adult social care in England), most of whom have come to work in the UK thanks to free movement. Under the Conservatives’ plans, they will lose that right when free movement ends at the end of 2020. Boris Johnson promised them the automatic right to stay, but has reneged on that – instead forcing them to apply for Settled Status and putting them at risk of a new Windrush-style scandal.

Then there are those from outside the EU (103,000 in the NHS and 134,000 in social care). Many of these are on “Tier 2” general work visas, often lasting for just two or three years at a time. When their visas expire, they will either have to reapply or leave the UK.

So what is the Government doing about this?

The Government has announced a free one-year visa extension for around 3,000 health and care staff with visas due to expire before 1st October.

However, the Government has excluded many of those on the frontlines, such as hospital porters, cleaners and social care workers, from this offer. Even those who are included will be forced to renew their visas next year – at a cost of around £700 per person – or leave the country.

And then there are the NHS and care workers whose visas are due to expire after the end of September. The Conservatives are doing nothing for them, which means frontline workers could find themselves being forced to leave the UK as early as October.

That’s simply not good enough.

The idea that anyone who has worked so hard to save lives during this emergency might one day be forced to leave should be unthinkable.

What’s the solution?

The UK should say, loudly and unequivocally, that those who have put their lives at risk for our country are welcome to live in it.

That’s why the Liberal Democrats are fighting to give all NHS and care staff from other countries the right to stay in the UK. The Government should grant them and their families the right to settle here, without the costs or bureaucratic hurdles that usually involves.

This would be a small way to recognise and celebrate the enormous contributions that people from all over the world make to our NHS – and to our society, our economy and our communities more broadly.

Throughout this crisis, the Government’s communications have been an utter disaster.

Yet more mistakes reveal how necessary it is for an inquiry to be launched now

To announce a regional lockdown of millions of people not only just hours before it’s enforced, but with no clarity on the new rules coming into place, is beyond comprehension.

Considering their ability to tackle this pandemic relies on the clarity of messaging coming from the Government, it is unsurprising that just yesterday it was announced that England has had the highest excess mortality across Europe.

If the Government want the British public to follow the rules they are announcing, then they must be clear, ahead of time, and they must have forewarned local authorities.

It remains unclear at what point Boris Johnson’s Government will finally manage to get a grip on the coronavirus crisis.

Yet more mistakes reveal how necessary it is for an inquiry to be launched now – so that Ministers can learn the lessons ahead of a potential second wave.

On behalf of the Liberal Democrats, I would like to send best wishes to all Muslims celebrating Eid al-Adha. 

Eid al-Adha commemorates the Prophet Ibrahim's test of faith. It also marks the end of Hajj, the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca. 

I hope that all of us will take this opportunity to reflect on those values of selflessness, charity and community which are at the heart of Islam

The voyage to Mecca is one of the most significant moments in a Muslim’s life but, with the continuing need for social distancing, I know that many British Muslims had to cancel their plans to make the journey this year. Many other customs and traditions will also be suspended as the battle against the coronavirus continues.

But although so much remains uncertain, I am confident we will get through these challenging times together. 

I hope that all of us, regardless of our background, will take this opportunity to reflect on those values of selflessness, charity and community which are both at the heart of Islam and also so relevant to those of us of other faiths, or no faith. 

This is also an important opportunity to honour the contributions of British Muslim communities and to celebrate the rich diversity of our country. Our country, and our party, benefit greatly from those contributions.

Wishing everyone celebrating a wonderful Eid. Eid Mubarak!

Voting opens today for the Liberal Democrat Leadership Election!

You might get your ballot by either email or post and it might take some time on the 30th or 31st to be sent, as delivery is being staggered through the day. Postal deliveries may take longer, especially if you're overseas.

If you haven't had a ballot by 10am on Friday 31st July, please feel free to drop [email protected] an email. Votes have to be cast by 1pm on Wednesday 26th August 2020.

To help members make up their minds, each of the candidates has prepared an election address, which you can read here:

Let’s be honest with ourselves - we’re in a tough spot. Our average polling figure currently stands at 8%, a far cry from the late teens or early 20s we previously enjoyed as recently as last year.

I won Oxford West & Abingdon from the ground up. Nobody knows the potential of Liberal Democrat activists like I do.

But this isn’t just because of the coalition, or Brexit, or the 2019 election. A vast array of factors have led us to where we are now, and to turn things around we need change. Not only within the inner workings of the party as a whole, but in our public-facing approach, to ensure that our party can survive and then thrive in the years ahead.

Our country needs a strong liberal voice representing it in Parliament. And there’s nobody who can deliver that better than us. I’m standing for leader because I can set us free from the past that’s weighing us down. I want to send a clear signal to voters that we have learned from the mistakes of the last decade, and rebuild trust by listening.. I have a positive, inclusive vision - not just for our party, but for our country. We can only deliver it by winning again.

At our heart, we are an organisation that empowers people to make their own decisions in their community. There is a level of trust in the party to control councils in local government that just isn’t apparent in the national picture.

We owe it to our country to elect a leader who can enact effective change

I won Oxford West & Abingdon from the ground up. Nobody knows the potential of Liberal Democrat activists like I do. Our team succeeded because we believed in our activists. We gave them the tools they needed to get the job done, and I want to bring that to my leadership. 

We can’t recover without reaching out to people who don’t currently vote for us, too. That’s why I went and knocked doors across from Cornwall to Wales, to Yorkshire after the 2019 election, before the pandemic hit. That’s the approach I will take in my first year of being leader. I want to ask the electorate how we can win back their trust - rather than tell them. I wanted to listen to our grassroots members who give us so much, too - I’ve spoken with nearly 300 local parties and party bodies since the start of lockdown. We must learn from them.

I’ll level with you. Success will take time. But we owe it to our country to elect a leader who represents a progressive change, who takes a lead on developing our incredible activists and builds a rapport with voters across the UK. I believe I’m the right person for the job - put your trust in me to lead our party, and let’s move forward together.

Voting opens in the Liberal Democrat Leadership Election at 9am on Thursday 30th July.

To help you know when and how you'll be voting, we've put together a quick guide to voting in the Leadership Election, which you can read below.

Most members will vote online, but around 1 in 20 will vote by post. If you haven't had your ballot by 10am on Friday 31st July, please feel free to drop an email to [email protected] and we'll be happy to help!

I want to beat the Conservatives. I want them out of office in 2024, and I want to kick Boris Johnson out of Downing Street.

Here are the facts. We are second in 91 seats, and in 80 of those we are second to the Conservatives. In places like Wimbledon, Hazel Grove, Esher & Walton, North Cornwall and Brecon & Radnorshire, we are the party who take seats from the Conservatives and deny them a majority in 2024.

Our passport to power is winning in Conservative facing seats, and to do that we need a laser-like focus on a core message that appeals to moderate Conservative voters and Labour tactical voters, and a leader with a track record of building winning teams to take on the Conservatives.

Ed Davey is that leader.

I backed Ed because I was so impressed by his focus on a fairer, greener and more caring society.

Just imagine that a country like that would look like.

A fairer country where we tackle social injustice. Where we give parents universal childcare to help them with one of the biggest financial challenges they face, and a universal basic income that gives everyone the money they need. 

A greener country, where we invest £150bn into green jobs for our young people, green homes and a green energy network. As a trained economist and someone with a track record of delivering green jobs, I know Ed has got the experience to make sure that we make the recovery from Covid a green recovery.

A more caring society, where we give the 10 million carers in our country a new deal, with a high carers allowance and more legal protection. 

When it comes to the next elections, whether that is to councils, city halls or Parliaments, I want people to go into the voting booth knowing exactly what a cross in our box will get them. 

I want them to know that voting Liberal Democrat will get them that fairer, greener, more caring country.

But to build that country, we have to first beat the Tories and kick them out of office.

Ed has won his seat six times, including in 1997 when he wasn’t even a target seat. He’s built a team in Kingston that now runs the Council, and he fought the Tories everyday in Government and helped triple renewable energy, an environmental record we should be extremely proud of. 

I’ve worked with Ed since I was first elected to Parliament in 2005, and I’ve seen up close the vision, experience and judgement that he has. 

I know that is what the party needs now, and that’s why I am backing him to be our next leader. I hope you’ll join me when your ballot arrives this week.

In our Democracy the Prime Minister and Government are accountable to Parliament, not the other way round, and yet Boris Johnson has been systematically unpicking the vital checks and balances which moderate his powers. Without these, it is a slippery slope towards an elective dictatorship.

Boris Johnson’s attempt to prorogue Parliament was ruled 'unlawful'.

In just a year he has:  

Welcome to the Weekly Whip. Your one-stop shop for Lib Dem Parliamentary updates, covering the week that was and the week to come. 

For up to date information from the Lib Dem Whips Office, follow us on Twitter: @LibDemWhips

A complaint has been made by an individual about Ed Davey’s 2020 campaign’s use of data gathered in his 2019 leadership campaign for direct marketing.

The party has taken legal advice and received representations from the campaign. 

The UK has suffered a number of tragic terrorist attacks in recent weeks and months. The first duty of government is to protect people from this kind of violence, and Liberal Democrats will always work to ensure that our security services have the tools and resources they need to do their jobs.

But we must also ensure that any new powers and legislation will be necessary, effective and proportionate to the threats we face.

This watershed report confirms an alarming truth: this Conservative Government has failed to take the Russian threat to our democracy seriously, even despite the clear evidence they interfered to help Donald Trump to the presidency in 2016.

The PM must announce a wide-ranging investigation of potential Russian interference in our democracy

The first duty of government is to protect its citizens.

However, the Conservatives have been found asleep at their post with their failure to conduct an assessment of Russian interference in the 2016 Brexit referendum.

The protection of our democracy should never come second to the Tories covering their embarrassing connections to Russian oligarchs before an election.

Given what has come to light, Boris Johnson should think again about who his party takes money from and gives influence to.

Without delay, the Prime Minister must now announce a wide-ranging and properly funded investigation of potential Russian interference in our democracy, including the EU referendum and independence referendum.