Hugh Warner, Chair of Lichfield, Tamworth and Burton Lib Dems has written to all members today:

"I think that the result of the election on Thursday was very different from what we all imagined it would be on the day we heard it had been called. Despite having been cut out of the national media exposure for two years nationally we have increased the number of our MPs to twelve, but lost four of our existing MPs, including Nick Clegg. We now have four women MPs.

Paul Ray, the Liberal Democrat candidate for Lichfield and Burntwood in the General Election has urged voters to VOTE LIBERAL DEMOCRAT as election day approaches.

Paul Ray said "During the campaign I have had the opportunity to set out the key and distinctive policies of the Lib Dems. These have been really well received on the doorstep.

For nearly forty years, I have lived, worked and brought up my family in the constituency so I think I have the right to claim that I am the only truly local candidate.

There are vital local and national issues we have to face:

Education: Liberal Democrats strongly oppose the funding cuts to Tamworth schools. The picture is bleak, with 98 per cent of our schools set to lose funding, at a time when costs are rising and pupil numbers growing. The government have just not taken this into account.

Ministers have privately admitted that the government may not start negotiating Britain's future trade relationship with the EU until the end of the year, it emerged today.

This comes despite David Davis insisting back in May that talks on a future trade agreement would take place in parallel with negotiation over the UK's withdrawal from the EU.

The number of patients suffering the indignity of staying in mixed-sex wards soared to 908 in July 2017, more than double the number in the same month last year.

In total over 9,000 patients were put in a mixed sex ward over the last year, up 55% from the previous year.

The figures come after a recent official survey found NHS patients are increasingly dissatisfied with levels of privacy, dignity and well-being in hospital.

The Liberal Democrats have called on Theresa May to recommit to ending mixed-sex hospital wards, after the Conservative Party's longstanding pledge to end the practice was dropped from its 2017 Manifesto.

Under Theresa May's watch, we've seen a scandalous rise in the number of patients being forced to stay in mixed-sex wards.

Men and women shouldn't have to share hospital wards, it's an affront to basic human dignity.

It's time to end the the continued underfunding of the NHS and care that is putting intolerable pressure on services and leading to these sorts of failures.

The Conservatives once pledged to end mixed-sex wards, now it seems they've given up.

The government's plan for the Northern Ireland border after Brexit has more holes in it than a colander.

It comes after the government admitted EU nationals will still be able to enter the UK from Ireland after Brexit under its plans.

The government's position paper on Ireland and Northern Ireland states that "it is important to note that immigration controls are not, and never have been, solely about the ability to prevent and control entry at the UK's physical border."