Author: Alistair Swodeck

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IF YOU READ ONE THING BEFORE VOTING, READ THIS

Vote Change

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Paul Gray and I’m the Liberal Democrat candidate for Havant.

Just a few weeks ago, Theresa May called a General Election because she believed she could wipe out one of the fundamental pillars of democracy; namely, opposition. Following the worst political campaign I have ever seen from the Conservatives, with Theresa May coming across as far more ‘weak and wobbly’ than ‘strong and stable,’ we now stand a chance of taking our country in a different direction.

In the polls we’ve seen Theresa May’s huge lead collapse, meaning that we could see a hung parliament. And that means parties will be looking to form alliances and do deals.

I am sure many of you have been torn between voting for the Liberal Democrats or Labour. Many of you will like Jeremy Corbyn. I get that. There’s a lot I respect about Jeremy Corbyn. I believe he cares a great deal. I believe he has integrity. I believe he wants what’s best for everyone.

But we have to accept that Jeremy Corbyn has consistently voted, throughout his political lifetime, against an EU which 73% of young voters saw as part of their future. Of the main parties, only the Liberal Democrats are fighting for the British people to have the final say on Brexit. Only the Liberal Democrats then are fighting for the 73%. Only the Liberal Democrats are fighting, regardless of how we all voted in the referendum, for the British people to be able to say “thanks but no thanks, we’ll stay in the EU.” Any alliance then is going to need as many Liberal Democrat MP’s as possible.

The Conservatives are traditionally strong here. It’s not a place where Labour can ever really have a surge. Here in Havant, liberals have history though. We’ve had liberal MP’s. And with the Conservatives now faltering, we really do have a chance of victory. There’s no point in pretending it’s anything more than a long shot; the Conservative vote amongst older voters is strong. But there is just a small window of opportunity open to us. We can do this. To do this though I need your support. I need each and every one of you to get out and vote for me, your Liberal Democrat candidate. Please don’t leave it to someone else. In the end, we get the government we deserve. Get out, vote, fight for the government you deserve.

It’s time we took back control. It’s our future. It’s your future. So please vote for me, your Liberal Democrat candidate, on Thursday 8th of June. Together, we can sort this mess out.

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NHS in Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust area could lose 256 EU staff because of Brexit

The NHS in the Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust area could lose 256 staff from the EU as a result of Theresa May’s extreme version of Brexit, the Liberal Democrats have warned.

42% of nurses and over half of all doctors from the EU are considering leaving because of Brexit, according to recent research. This means in the Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust area, an estimated 256 NHS staff are at risk of leaving including 48 doctors and 151 nurses.

This would create a £1.99m bill to re-hire doctors and nurses from the EU after 2019, due to Theresa May’s plans for a £2000 immigration skills charge for each doctor, nurse and health worker brought in from abroad.

The Liberal Democrats have called for an immediate guarantee that all EU nationals in the UK, including those working in the NHS and social care, can stay after Brexit.

Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate for Havant Paul Gray said:

“Hospitals in the Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust area depend on doctors, nurses and other support staff from the EU. But many are now planning to leave because of the uncertainty caused by Brexit.

“We must guarantee their rights to stay here immediately to prevent a damaging exodus of these skilled and hard-working people. Our NHS, and the care we all rely on, would suffer without them.

“The NHS is far too precious to be damaged by Theresa May’s decision to pursue a UKIP-style Brexit.

“The Liberal Democrats stand up to Theresa May’s extreme Brexit and give the people the final say, with the choice to remain in the European Union if they don’t like the deal on offer.”

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Lib Dems to launch mock estate agents attacking May’s Dementia Tax for taking 58.4% of average house in Havant

Theresa May & Co
A mock estate agency called “Theresa May and Co” has been launched by the Liberal Democrats today attacking Theresa May’s Dementia Tax.

The Conservative policy would force the sale of family homes to fund care for elderly and vulnerable relatives.

The party has estimated that the Dementia Tax would cost £140,206, for someone receiving ten years of care living in an average-priced home in Havant.

Across Havant, 58.4% of the value of the average home would be wiped out to pay for the Dementia Tax.

Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate for Havant Paul Gray, said:
 
“Theresa May wants to force you to sell your house if you need long-term care.

“The effects of this cruel and unfair policy will be massive, and will have a huge people on people across our community.

“Elderly and vulnerable people across Havant face losing over half of their home to fund this ill-conceived policy, with nine out of ten homes potentially at risk.

“This is like a new type of inheritance tax – but one that’s targeted at people of modest means, not the wealthy. The Conservatives want to tax ordinary hardworking families out of their savings and homes if their relative is unfortunate enough to need years of care: it is grotesquely unfair.

“There is a week left in this campaign: if Theresa May fails to come clean to the British public, how can she be trusted?

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Come and talk to us!

We have set up a street stall in Mengham Village, Hayling Island this morning.

If you are passing by please come and have a chat. Paul is here to answer any questions you may have about his plans and the the Liberal Democrat vision for Havant and Hayling Island in particular. 

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Clegg: NHS will be left with Theresa May’s £265m Brexit bill

Brexit will inflict serious staff shortages on the NHS creating a £265m bill to re-hire doctors and nurses from the EU after 2019, research by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.

Survey data suggests up to 26,500 members of NHS staff from the EU could leave the UK as a direct result of Brexit, while the number of EU nationals registering as nurses in the UK has already fallen by 90% since the referendum.

Liberal Democrat research shows the NHS will need to spend more than £265m to replace staff from the EU over the next five years, a Brexit bill of £1m per week, as a result of the Conservatives’ immigration skills charge on employers. This is on top of the £59bn blow to the public finances from Brexit over the next five years.

Commenting on the figures, Liberal Democrat European Union spokesperson Nick Clegg said:

“The Leave campaign promised that exiting the EU would free up £350m a week for the NHS. It’s long been clear this was a lie, and now we know that Theresa May’s choice of an extreme Brexit will in fact place yet more financial demands on a health service already under considerable strain.

“The NHS is heavily dependent on doctors, nurses and other support staff from the EU, many of whom are now planning to leave the country because their rights have not been guaranteed.

“These are skilled and hard-working people, who all work tirelessly to look after all of us. Our NHS, and the care we all rely on, will suffer without them.

“It will cost the NHS around £265m to bring in EU staff to fill these jobs over the next 5 years, a wholly unnecessary burden at a time when the NHS is being asked to make dramatic efficiency savings.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg. We already know the government is borrowing an additional £15bn a year as a direct result of the EU referendum – money which could otherwise be spent directly on the NHS.

“The NHS is far too precious to be damaged by Theresa May’s decision to pursue a UKIP-style Brexit.

“The Liberal Democrats will stand up to Theresa May’s extreme Brexit and give the people the final say, with the choice to remain in the European Union if they don’t like the deal on offer.”

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Ryanair Brexit warning shows risk of “no deal” for UK travellers


Ryanair has warned the UK is heading for an “ugly divorce” from Europe, and that leaving the EU without a bilateral deal could mean very restricted or no flying between the UK and Europe.

They also warned that Theresa May’s plans to leave the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice would mean Britain will leave the Open Skies agreement which governs flights between the UK and Europe.

Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said:

“This is the reality of Theresa May’s extreme version of Brexit and insistence we could just crash out of the EU without a deal.

“Jobs could be lost, flights disrupted and British travellers’ lives thrown into chaos, but Theresa May doesn’t care.

“We will fight for a better deal on Europe and to give people a chance to reject a disastrous Brexit.

“The British people should be able to decide whether Theresa May’s Brexit deal is right for them, with the choice to remain in the EU if they don’t like what’s on offer.”

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Hunt admits “bad Brexit” will hurt NHS: Lamb responds


The Liberal Democrats have seized on remarks by Jeremy Hunt in which he admits a ”bad Brexit” will damage the NHS.

Norman Lamb, Liberal Democrat Health Secretary, said:

“The Conservative Brexiteers promised a £350m a week saving for the NHS. Instead the public finances are facing a £59bn Brexit black-hole because of Theresa May’s decision to go for an extreme Brexit, which would take us out of the single market.

“Jeremy Hunt warns that the NHS will not have enough doctors or nurses with a so-called ‘bad Brexit’. But Theresa May’s refusal to guarantee a right to remain for NHS staff has already resulted in staff leaving the NHS. Thanks to Theresa May, this is already a bad Brexit.

“Sadly, the people who will suffer are patients, who will pay with cancelled operations. But Theresa May just doesn’t seem to care.”

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Clegg: May’s approach to Brexit is a threat to national security

Nick Clegg has accused Theresa May of putting national security at risk by pursuing an extreme Brexit that will see Britain locked out of an EU police database used by UK police and security services 16 times a second.

The Schengen Information System (SIS II) is an EU-wide database on organised criminal and terrorist suspects across 28 countries, including 35,000 people wanted under a European Arrest Warrant. It includes alerts on suspected ‘foreign fighters’ – people who have travelled to Syria and elsewhere to fight for ISIS.

  • UK police and security services queried the database over half a billion times in 2016 – equivalent to 16 checks a second.
  • 53 people are detained and questioned under anti-terrorism laws at ports and airports every day, where they can be checked against the database by UK Border Force officers.
  • In April 2016, the UK received 25 hits on alerts issued by other participating countries in relation to individuals who could pose a risk to national security.
  • The UK would lose access to the database under Theresa May’s plans to leave the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice. Unless this position changes, UK authorities will see their access to the database cut off on 29th March 2019.

Nick Clegg has challenged Theresa May to answer three vital questions:

  1. How will we maintain access to SIS II without accepting the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice?
  2. What contingency plans has she put in place to mitigate the loss of this information on the movement of terrorist suspects across the continent?
  3. How will we issue instructions to other EU countries to stop and question terror suspects if we are no longer part of this system?

Nick Clegg commented:

“Theresa May’s extreme approach to Brexit will have the direct consequence of severing our ties to a fantastically useful weapon in our armoury against terrorism. By refusing to accept a role for the European Court of Justice in policing this European-wide database, she has ruled out our future participation it. “
 
“It is hard to overstate the importance of this database. We check it 16 times a second, looking for security threats that have been flagged to us by other European countries. And we use it to tell other countries to stop and question people who we think are potential terrorists. This is euroscepticism gone mad. If she fails to back down, Theresa May’s approach to Brexit poses a direct threat to our national security.”

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Scrapping free school lunches would waste £3million spent upgrading kitchens in Hampshire

Plans by Theresa May to axe free school lunches would waste the £3,055,034 invested in Hampshire to upgrade school kitchens, according to the Liberal Democrats.

It comes after figures revealed 34,059 children in Hampshire are set to lose out under the Conservative proposals.

When in government, the Liberal Democrats invested £160m upgrading school kitchen facilities to enable them to prepare hot lunches, including £3,055,034 in Hampshire.

Liberal Democrat candidate Paul Gray for Havant commented:

“The Liberal Democrats in government invested £160m to give schools the kitchens they needed to ensure that no infant would go hungry, including more than £3million in our county alone.”

“This policy was extremely successful and guaranteed that local children received at least two of their five a day in their school lunch. But now Theresa May is threatening to throw that money down the drain.”

“A Conservative measure designed to save money will waste money. Not only is it heartless, it is bad economics. I challenge my Conservative opponent Alan Mak to say whether, if elected, he would vote against their own party to ensure that children in Havant receive a decent lunch.”

“The Liberal Democrats will protect free school lunches for infants and ensure all primary school children can get a healthy, free lunch a day.”