It was obvious before the election that there was trouble in the Change UK camp. The extraordinary interview Heidi Allen gave to Channel 4 News on tactical voting where she admitted she had offered to resign showed the tensions. Last week, I was hearing rumours of an impending major split, with six leaving and five staying. This is what happened today. We learned that Anna Soubry will lead the remaining five while Heidi Allen, Sarah Wollaston, Luciana Berger, Angela Smith, Gavin Shuker and Chuka Umunna are going to sit as independents. There's been some discussion on whether some or all ...

Posted by Caron Lindsay on Liberal Democrat Voice

It was a busy day for Jo too. She was on the anti-Trump front line. Trump's state visit is an embarrassment. He's a danger to peace and a danger to our planet. He is the antithesis of everything we believe as @LibDems. Today we protest to stand up for all the people he's demeaned, and to show there is a positive, liberal alternative #TrumpProtest pic.twitter.com/b4oVFrnZQo — Jo Swinson (@joswinson) June 4, 2019

Posted by The Voice on Liberal Democrat Voice

After a relative lull yesterday, Ed had a bit of a whirlwind of a day. He joined other Lib Dems in protesting Trump and wrote an op-ed for the Huffington Post explaining why. Trump has insulted the mayor of the capital hosting him, insulted the Duchess of Sussex just days before being hosted by the Queen, and insulted thousands of people working in the NHS by telling his ambassador to demand that American companies must be able to win contracts to run our hospitals. There is much I admire about America, but its health system isn't one of them. I ...

Posted by The Voice on Liberal Democrat Voice

A usual part of leadership contests, in the Liberal Democrats and elsewhere, is the tallying up of how many MP endorsements each candidate has secured. It can be a necessary part of the battle to get on the ballot paper. Mark Oaten's short-lived bid to become the Liberal Democrat leader in 2006 foundered on this. It can also be a guide to popularity and a factor in the result. Indeed, it was looking like MP endorsements could play an important role in the 2019 Lib Dem leadership contest because, as I reported after the first hustings, a widespread view amongst ...

Posted by Mark Pack on Mark Pack

As always, my admiration knows no bounds for those who manage to cope with the Ramadan fast during the long northern days of Summer. I hope that everyone celebrating Eid today has happiness and peace. Vince Cable gave his last Eid message: #EidMubarak to Muslims across Britain today celebrating the end of Ramadan. pic.twitter.com/qaFiiEtG4B — Vince Cable (@vincecable) June 4, 2019 And over on the Lib Dem website, Humaira Ali wrote about Islam as a liberal religion: People often look surprised when I talk about Islam as a liberal religion. The ethos in Islam is grounded in equality, freedom of ...

Posted by Caron Lindsay on Liberal Democrat Voice

John Rogers is our guide from Wanstead, through Manor Park and Ilford, to Barking.

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England

Photo: Gerhard Heeke Anxious to know more about Chuka Umunna, widely touted today as a future convert to the Liberal Democrats, I read a Financial Times profile of him from 2013. To be honest, it left me little clearer about a politician whose appeal and motivations are something of a mystery to me. He was once billed as the British Obama, yet he went to an expensive private school. But it did yield our Trivial Fact of the Day. Umunna's treble, recorded while he was a chorister at Southwark University, can be head singing the theme tune of Mr Bean. ...

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England
Tue 4th
18:54

Housing Update

So the mortgage provider have had their valuation done and all is ok, and now everything is in the hands of the solicitors. Apparently this stage normally takes 6 weeks. We have 19 days. So it looks like we are going to have a little while of sleeping on friend's sofas and having all our stuff in storage... Still, we will have a house! And it will be ours! And we'll never have to deal with a shitey landlord ever again! We've got a guy from a removal and storage company coming to give us a quote tomorrow, which will ...

From The Guardian: Six of Change UK's 11 MPs, including its spokesman, Chuka Umunna, and interim leader Heidi Allen, have abandoned the fledgling party after its dire performance at the European elections. Change UK issued a press release saying it now had just five MPs, who will be led by the former Conservative business minister and anti-Brexit campaigner Anna Soubry. The others remaining are the former Labour MPs Mike Gapes, Chris Leslie, Joan Ryan and Ann Coffey. ...None of the departing MPs are defecting immediately to the resurgent Liberal Democrats; but party sources said they expected some to do so ...

Posted by Paul Walter on Liberal Democrat Voice

Sad news, but it has won BBC News our Headline of the Day Award. On a happier note, here is a Rutland vending machine.

Posted by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England
YouGov

Jeremy Corbyn attended the anti-Trump rally in London today. This seems to be a break with recent practice. Where was he when the People's Vote rallies were taking place. Nowhere to be seen. Trump's anti-EU comments must be music to Corbyn's ears.

Posted by Jonathan Wallace on Jonathan Wallace
Tue 4th
17:26

Tuesday reading

Current Robert Holmes: a Life in Words, by Richard Molesworth Five Women Who Loved Love, by Ihara Saikaku Last books finished Bland Ambition, by Steve Tally The Bridge on the River Kwai, by Pierre Boulle Gather, Darkness!, by Fritz Leiber Gods, Monsters and the Lucky Peach, by Kelly Robson Sovereign by R.M. Meluch The Belles, by Dhonielle Clayton Will Supervillains Be On The Final?, by Naomi Novik, art by Yishan Li Binti: The Night Masquerade, by Nnedi Okorafor Next books The Paying Guests, by Sarah Waters In Another Light, by Andrew Greig

Lib Dem Councillors John Dodd, Daniel Lewis and Yaso Sathiy, are holding their next advice centreon Saturday 8th June from 11 am to 12 noon at St John's Primary School, Rufford Road, Crossens. We will be there to meet you and discuss any Council problems you may have. No appointment necessary. Just pop in. We also hold a monthly advice centre in Churchtown, at BoxTree Kitchen for Queenscourt cafe, Manor Road/Cambridge Road, roundabout, fourth Thursday of every month (except December) from 10:30 to: 11.30 am. We will be there to meet you and discuss any Council problems you may have. ...

Posted by John Dodd on Meols Lib Dems

Going to a Lib Dem event and wondering what to wear? Want to show which leadership candidate you are supporting? Well, the people who brought you the Bollocks to Brexit t-shirts have brought out a new range for the leadership campaigns. You can buy your Team Jo and/or Team Ed t-shirts in a range of colours and sizes here. I should probably point out that these are unofficial and not merchandise of either campaign. Jennie Rigg, who designs most of the t-shirts on behalf of the Awkward Squad writes here about how any profits go to LGBT+ Lib Dems to ...

Posted by Caron Lindsay on Liberal Democrat Voice
Tue 4th
11:00

My tweets

Mon, 12:56: RT @EU_Commission: This week we recommended the @EUCouncil to open accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia in light of the... Mon, 14:00: 52 days after hitting Level 39, I am half way to Level 40. At this rate I should get there before the end of July.... https://t.co/jIY3NdrVwz Mon, 16:05: Michael Gove - the case against https://t.co/Ddpd3d5wLh A teacher writes. Not what I had expected. Mon, 17:11: RT @Care2much18: A certain Irish woman is running around spreading hatred towards non-white immigrants. One thing I'm guilty of is not doi... Mon, 17:20: RT @lizo_mzimba: Such sad news. Paul ...

Kishan Devani joined the Liberal Democrats from the Conservatives 18 month sago and has since become a Vice President of the LIb Dem Campaign for Racial Equality. He wrote for Asian Lite International about the fantastic results in the recent local and European elections. Remain voters have surged to overtake anti-Brexit parties in the European elections in the UK last week, with us the Liberal Democrats achieving our best results ever! This is clearly an endorsement of our 'Bollocks to Brexit' & 'Stop Brexit' message. It is now evident that the British people want to end this madness & shambles ...

Posted by NewsHound on Liberal Democrat Voice

Time and again our government has done things and I think we have plumbed the ultimate depths - then they do something even worse. The Sate Visit of President Trump is the latest humiliation. it was humiliating enough to see Theresa May so eager to be one of the first leaders to meet Trump after he was first elected (on a minority vote.) But why did she offer him a Sate Visit? After all, it's not something that goes with the job. Only two previous US Presidents (Bush in 2003 and Obama in 2011) have had one. Not Wilson, not ...

Posted by Peter Wrigley on Keynesian Liberal

Why not join hundreds of other Lib Dem Voice readers in getting our latest headlines by email? Some people like regularly visiting a site to see if there's new stories of interest. But if you prefer email, you can instead sign up to get a daily early morning email with a summary of the previous day's posts from Lib Dem Voice, complete with a note of how many comments each post has got and convenient links to click on if any take your fancy and you want to take a read. Just go to our email sign up page to ...

Posted by The Voice on Liberal Democrat Voice

Let us imagine, for a moment, that Boris had backed Remain. He announces he is due to deliver a keynote speech. He is still a popular figure having "stuck to his guns" since 2016. The press cadre pack the room and a hush descends as the tousle-haired, shirt-tailed, blond, Churchill-discipled,classicist-manqué approaches the lectern. This is [...] The post The speech Boris might have given (but can't) appeared first on Radix.

Posted by Nick Bowers on Radix

Prestwich Artisan Summer Market takes place on Sunday 9 June 2019, 10 AM - 4 PM at the Longfield Centre, M25 1AY. "Come and experience the finest makers, producers, and artisans in crafts, arts, food and drink from Bury, Manchester and the North West. Stalls will be located in the Longfield Suite and around the Prestwich Fountain." Entry is FREE and family friendly! Little ones are invited to listen to Elmer's adventures and take part in free colouring activities, games and competitions. There are two sessions, and there's no need to book: Ramsbottom Library – Thursday 6 June (2-3.30pm)Prestwich Library ...

Posted by timpickstone on Tim Pickstone
eUKhost

On the 21 May was the monthly meeting of Bury Planning Control Committee. This is the meeting made up of the 11 Councillors who represent various wards of the borough of Bury. The committee determines planning applications for certain major developments and others where objections have been received. Councillor Cristina Tegolo reports: Prior to the Committee meeting, a site visit took place in respect of planning application 63785 at Elton High School to assessed the creation of new artificial grass pitch together with associated floodlighting, boundary treatment and equipment storage. The following applications received approval without any major concern: North ...

Posted by timpickstone on Tim Pickstone

Like many Lib Dems I have been more than a little disappointed with Change UK. Their launch was poorly executed; their decision to fight the EU elections ill thought out; their battle bus so badly designed that even I could ... Continue reading →

Posted by richardkemp on But what does Richard Kemp think?

With the Donald Trump state visit ongoing, the United States President continues to tout his view that once the UK has rid itself of the 'shackles' of EU membership, a big trade deal awaits us. What is not clear is who will benefit most from that deal and on what terms. As I have stated on a number of occasions here, ceasing to be a member of the biggest free trade block in the world, leaves the UK especially vulnerable and with virtually no cards to play in any negotiation. We need them more than they need us. The food ...

Posted by Peter Black on Peter Black

Lunchtime RecitalWednesday 5th June 1.15 -1.45pm (free, but donations welcomed)Wighton Heritage Centre, Central Library Lunchtime Recital with Sheena Wellington, singer. Wighton stalwart Sheena Wellington will be exploring the songs associated with James Hogg, one of the most interesting characters in Scottish literature and music.