What Boris Johnson would do to Britain

Together we can stop Boris and stop Brexit.

There are just days to go until the UK goes to the polls in the 2019 general election. Now, more than ever, it’s crucial that we stop Boris Johnson in his pursuit of a hard Brexit and a far-right Conservative government.

If you’re not already convinced, here are just a few things Johnson would do to Britain if he manages to stay in No. 10, and why we must stop him.

1. Crash us out of the EU

We know that any form of Brexit would be damaging to our country, and so does Boris Johnson. But because he only cares about himself, he’s continuing to push for a hard Brexit at any cost.

In fact, it’s been confirmed that the Conservatives would not extend the EU transition period beyond 2020, meaning that a catastrophic No Deal Brexit is still on the table and could happen in just over a year’s time.

The Liberal Democrats are clear: we want to stop Brexit, stay in the EU and invest the £50 billion Remain Bonus in public services and tackling inequality.

2. Risk a border across the Irish Sea

Despite saying that no Conservative Prime Minister would ever put a border down the Irish Sea, Boris has (unsurprisingly) gone back on his word.

By even considering this border, he is compromising the Good Friday Agreement, and risking our country’s security – all for his bad Brexit deal.

3. Increase child poverty

In a report released by the Resolution Foundation, an independent think-tank, it was revealed that child poverty risks reaching a record high under Johnson’s Conservative plans – rising from 29.6% in 2017-18 to 34.4% in 2023-4. It’s a damning indictment of the Tories’ heartless welfare policy.

Meanwhile, Liberal Democrats policies would mean 600,000 fewer children in poverty by 2023-24, making it the most progressive of the three main parties.

In stark contrast to the Boris Johnson’s plans, Lib Dem policies would mean 600,000 fewer children in poverty by 2023-2024.

We would scrap the cruel two-child limit, benefit cap, and bedroom tax, and invest in free school meals and childcare for millions of families.

4. Damage our NHS

If Boris Johnson wins a majority, he’ll be desperate for a trade deal with Donald Trump, and Trump has repeatedly made clear in the past that everything, including the NHS, will be on the table in future negotiations.

We need to protect our NHS, and that starts with stopping Brexit and protecting free movement for the thousands of people who come to work in our services from across the EU.

But instead of battling this staffing crisis, Boris Johnson wants to make it worse. His Nurse Tax will seriously affect the NHS’s ability to recruit the nurses from the EU that we desperately need to address current shortfalls.

Liberal Democrats would stop Brexit and save free movement for the 65,000 EU citizens working in our health service.

5. Ruin our economy with Brexit

The Conservatives’ spending plans have been blasted as not credible by the Institute for Financial Studies, and it’s clear that no party’s economic plan is even remotely plausible while it includes pursuing Brexit.

By failing to come clean with the electorate and ignoring the Brexit black hole his policies would leave in the public finances, Boris Johnson is once again misleading the country on the damage that Brexit could do.

Liberal Democrats will work to build fairer economy by stopping Brexit and providing free childcare from 9 months and giving every adult £10,000 to spend on skills & training throughout their lives.

6. Stop the UK from leading on climate action

The UK should be leading the world on tackling the climate crisis. Our planet is on the brink of being irreparably damaged and we are responsible for that damage.

Young people have taken to the streets because they’re so worried that the Conservatives are failing to act, yet with Boris skipping the recent Channel 4 climate debate, it’s clear that he doesn’t take the topic seriously.

Only the Liberal Democrats can build a brighter future for our planet, with our bold plans to achieve net-zero by 2045, generate 80% of our electricity from renewables by 2030, insulate every home, plant 60 million trees a year and more.

7. Ignore the needs of working families

Parents struggle to find childcare to look after their kids until they get home from work, both in term-time and in the school holidays. But Boris Johnson’s childcare offer through the Conservative manifesto is an insult to these families.

Boris Johnson’s additional childcare provisions work out to just £1 a week for every primary school child in England.

Despite promising £250 million a year on expanding childcare provisions for primary school children after school and in the school holidays, this works out to just £1 a week for every primary school child in England. This is equivalent to just 16 minutes additional childcare a week.

Liberal Democrats have a plan to build a brighter future for every child. We will give parents 35 hours a week of high-quality free childcare from the day they go back to work to the day their child starts school, including the school holidays.

We will also give every child the best start in life by recruiting 20,000 more teachers as part of an extra £10 billion a year for schools.

Britain deserves a brighter future than the one on offer by Boris Johnson. We can take seats off the Tories up and down the country. So on 12 December, vote Liberal Democrat to stop Boris and stop Brexit.

Our commitment to reducing child poverty

Lib Dem policies would mean 600,000 fewer children in poverty

The Resolution Foundation, an independent think-tank, has released a report on child poverty. You can find this here.

It found that our policies would mean 600,000 fewer children in poverty by 2023-24.

This makes ours the most progressive policies of the three main parties. That’s not all the report found.

Child poverty risks reaching a record high under Conservative plans.

It is a damning indictment of the Tories’ heartless welfare policy.

As the Resolution Foundation recognises, Lib Dems have the most progressive policies here. We would scrap the cruel two-child limit, benefit cap and bedroom tax. We would also invest in free school meals and childcare for millions of families.

We will ensure that everyone has the same opportunities regardless of where they come from.

The Tories are hell-bent on continuing their backwards economic policies. They are ruining the lives of millions of people, young and old.

Our manifesto helps the most vulnerable in our society.

We are deeply proud of that fact.

We are the only party that is committed to helping the next generation get ahead in life.

Only the Liberal Democrats will stop Brexit and build a brighter future for those struggling in our society.

Boris Johnson Happy to Sell NHS to USA

President Trump to profit from post-Brexit Britain

A few days ago, a document was released, which lays out the details of NHS talks involving UK and US officials.

The documents are horrifying.

They reveal what looks like a deal cooked up between the Tories and Donald Trump that puts our NHS on the table. This, despite Johnson’s repeated insistence that the NHS is not for sale.

Yet again, Johnson has lied to all of us.

For all intents and purposes, Johnson has now become Trump. They are clearly in cahoots, and Johnson now emulates his friend by lying again, and again, and again.

The US trade representatives have said a no-deal leaves ‘all to play for.’

This shows how vital it is that Boris Johnson is stopped.

It could not be clearer that Brexit will make the UK weaker, and that Donald Trump wants to profit from this weakness.

When our NHS is on its knees after Brexit, it will be sold off to American pharmaceutical companies, raising the prices of medicine for millions.

Only we can prevent Boris Johnson from getting a majority in this election. If he succeeds, we will have no way of stopping him from pursuing either his damaging Brexit deal or crashing the UK out with no-deal in 2020.

We must fight to protect our precious NHS. We can and must defeat the Tories and prevent a Johnson majority.

We are the only party that will stop Johnson, and stop this pointless Brexit. When we do, we will build a brighter future, together.

The Problem With Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson cannot be allowed to win a majority because he simply does not care about Britain or her people enough to be truthful. About anything.

When Jo Swinson meets children and teenagers in schools, they often ask her what you need to be good at to become a politician.

And her answer is always this:

Being able to write a press release and understand legislation is important for the job. But you can learn all of that.
What matters the most – and is almost impossible to learn – is caring.
Caring about the people in your community and in your country, so that your decisions are based on what you genuinely believe to be best for them.

Boris Johnson only cares about Boris Johnson.

And he will do whatever it takes, sacrifice whatever is needed, to get what he wants.

This is a man who decided which side to support in the EU referendum by game-playing whether it would get him the keys to Number 10.

His life has been about becoming Prime Minister. Not out of some deep-seated desire to make people’s lives better, but out of some sense of Etonian entitlement. Because it’s what people like him get to do.

And you cannot trust a word Boris Johnson says – the man will say anything if it means getting what he wants.

Boris Johnson’s Lies

He lied to the 3 million EU citizens in the UK when he told them he would guarantee their right to stay.

He lied when he said that no Conservative Prime Minister would ever put a border down the Irish Sea.

He lied to the Queen to unlawfully shut down our democracy.

He lied when he said over and over that we would leave the European Union by 31 October.

He lied when he said he would rather be dead in a ditch than ask for an extension to Article 50.

There may not be a ditch, but Boris Johnson has dragged the office of Prime Minister through the mud.

Johnson cannot be allowed to win a majority.

We have a different vision for our country. The Liberal Democrats are the only party that will build a fair, open society for both our generation and the next.

We are the only party that can win seats off Johnson and Farage’s hard-right cabal.

Together, we can prevent a damaging Tory majority.

Together, we can build a brighter future.

Lib Dems’ commitment to protecting marine life

The Lib Dems will expand the vital ‘Blue Belt’ network

Our marine environment is in crisis. Programmes such as the BBC’s Blue Planet II have revealed the scale of the threat.

The world’s beloved marine species, like whales and turtles, face numerous threats. Plastic pollution, over-fishing, high volumes of shipping traffic, and rising temperatures are but a few.

We must act now to ensure that our global ocean thrives for future generations to enjoy.

Over the next Parliament, we will expand the ‘Blue Belt’ of Marine Protected areas. By 2030, this will cover at least 50% of the UK’s territorial waters. This includes overseas territories.

This policy will ensure better regulation of commercial activities, such as fishing. It will also protect biodiversity in key habitats through effective monitoring.

We will also protect and restore England’s lakes, rivers, and wetlands. We will reform water management and introduce higher water efficiency standards.

Plastic pollution is a major threat to the marine environment.

To tackle this issue, we will introduce a Zero-Waste and Resource Efficiency Act. This will encourage the transition towards a circular economy in the UK.

We will put the UK at the heart of global efforts to protect our marine environment.

This is at the heart of our plan to build a brighter future.

US Pushing for Chlorinated Chicken Trade

US trade negotiators offered PR advice on how to sell chlorine-washed chickens to UK consumers

The US trade team is offering PR tips on how to force chlorinated chicken down our throats.

That tells you everything you need to know.

Leaked documents from the US-UK trade deal talks have revealed the truth. The US team agreed to share their “public lines” on chlorine-washed chicken.

Why? They argue it’s to “inform the media narrative.”

In reality, it’s “how to sell the lie.”

These trade talks hang in the balance, due to Brexit.

US negotiators had ‘the most angst’ about EU limits to the use of chemicals in food production. They want a no-deal Brexit so we can break from EU regulations on food standards.

The Tories’ desperation for a trade deal with Donald Trump risks leading to lower standards for the food on our tables.

A hard Brexit means fewer regulations and standards on the quality of our food.

This will not just be damaging to our health. It will be incredibly damaging to British food production industries, too.

We must stop Boris Johnson ramming through a damaging Trump trade deal.

It will do great damage to both British consumers and farmers.

We will stop Boris, stop Brexit and uphold our world-leading food standards.

Our country’s health is at the heart of our vision for a brighter future.

Home Office to profit £4m from nurse tax

The Tories plan to exploit foreign nurses in our NHS, in order to generate profit.

Not only is Boris Johnson’s pledge for 50,000 nurses not true, the Conservatives are trying to profit from taxing hardworking nurses.

The Conservative’s manifesto commitment includes 12,000 nurses from abroad. The visa fee will be £464 for EU and international nurses.

The cost to the Home Office of processing one of those visa applications, however? £317 if it’s in the UK, or £127 if it’s made from overseas.

The Home Office would, therefore, make £4 million profit off the 12,000 nurses who are coming to the UK to work in our NHS to meet Boris’s demands.

Only someone as deceitful as Boris Johnson could dress up exploiting nurses as a gift to the NHS.

Our NHS currently relies on the hard work of 20,000 EU nurses.

We are already desperately short on numbers due to the 5,000 nurses who have already left the NHS. Many of those facing the nurse tax will come from the EU.

To discourage EU nurses from working in the NHS, when we already have a shortage, makes no sense at all.

Liberal Democrats will stop Brexit to support our NHS workforce, and invest £7 billion a year in health and social care to build a brighter future.

Our plan to end rough sleeping

No one should be forced to sleep on the streets. Yet every night, 5,000 people sleep rough across the UK.

More than 700 people die while homeless each year. It is the most shameful example of the failure of our housing and welfare systems.

The Conservatives just don’t seem to care. They are sitting on their hands, failing to protect the most vulnerable people in society.

Number Of People Sleeping Rough Has Increased Under Tory Rule

The latest government figures show that, under the Conservatives, the number of rough sleepers in England on a single night has risen by 31% since 2015, to 4,677.

Tories Have Criminalised Homelessness

In 2018, 1,320 people were prosecuted under the Vagrancy Act, according to the homelessness charity Crisis.

Tories have failed to build enough social housing.

Tories have failed to abolish Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, despite the evidence that they causes homelessness… and despite promising to do so in April.

Tories blocked Liberal Democrat efforts to repeal the Vagrancy Act…

…a nasty, Dickensian law that criminalises people just for sleeping rough.

Tories Have Increased Poverty For British Citizens

They have made poverty worse by freezing benefits in 2015 and introducing the cruel two-child limit in 2017.

Liberal Democrats will build a brighter future by ending rough sleeping within five years.

The other parties pay lip service to this goal, but only the Liberal Democrats have a clear and credible plan to actually achieve it.

We will:

Scrap the Vagrancy Act
Introduce a ‘somewhere safe to stay’ duty on local authorities to provide immediate emergency accommodation
Abolish Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions
Increase Local Housing Allowance payments
Provide accommodation and support for survivors of domestic abuse
Extend the ‘move on’ period for refugees from 28 days to 56

Through this plan we will build a brighter future, ending rough sleeping within five years, and ensuring that everyone has a decent home so they can live with dignity.

Find out more about our plan to end rough sleeping here.

Lib Dems’ war on plastics

The Liberal Democrats will set out a raft of policies as part of a radical plan to end the UK’s reliance on plastic.

The UK produces 2.26 million tonnes of plastic packaging every year.

Less than half of this is being recycled.

The Conservatives claimed they will cut plastic pollution. They announced a deposit return scheme in 2018, but it is currently due to be implemented by 2023.

In reality, all the Tories have done is try to get headlines with piecemeal bans on straws and stirrers.

The Liberal Democrats demand better for our environment. We need a rapid plan to eliminate plastic pollution if our seas are to recover from the damage we’ve done.

That is why the Liberal Democrats are proposing a radical plan that will end the UK’s reliance on plastic.

We will ban all non-essential, single-use plastics within the first three years of government.

Our other policies include:

Requiring all retailers to reduce the amount of plastics and non-recyclable packaging they use:
- The average UK home produces 1.1kg of waste every day. The duty should be placed on retailers to ensure that this is reduced.
Implementing a deposit return scheme:
- This will aim to end the 15 million bottles that are littered, landfilled and incinerated daily in the UK.
Ending plastic exports abroad by 2030:
- In 2018 the UK exported 0.6 million tonnes of plastic waste. It often ends up in landfill, defeating the purpose of exporting it abroad.

Under the Liberal Democrats, no plastic put into a bin in the UK will end up in our oceans. By declaring war on plastic, the Liberal Democrats will ensure a brighter future for our planet.

Our Commitment to Community Policing

We will invest an extra £1bn a year to restore community policing

Too many people feel unsafe in their own homes and walking down their local streets. So many communities feel exposed and vulnerable.

The Conservatives’ cuts to police numbers have contributed to a rise in violence and decimated community policing. 47% of people say they never see police foot patrols, up from 30% in 2014-15.

The Tories and Labour made big promises on police numbers, but have failed to commit the funding needed to deliver them. Police officers are leaving in their droves because they are not being properly rewarded for putting their lives on the line to keep us safe. We need to encourage experienced officers to stay, as well as recruiting the extra officers we need.

The other parties just don’t get it.

But we do.

We’re committing £1 billion a year to fund our police force. That’s £250 million more than Labour or the Tories…

Every year.

That’s enough for two officers in every ward, and to provide an immediate 2% pay-rise for our hard-working cops.

We’re the only party willing to put our money where our mouth is. We’ll back our bobbies with money, not just words.

We are the only party that will make our communities safer by stopping Brexit. Then, together, we will build a brighter future.