Lichfield, Tamworth and Burton Liberal Democrats

Skills-based migration sounds like a great thing on the face of it. You make sure that anyone coming to your country contributes to the bits of your economy that the Government knows needs workers. You also make sure that those workers are highly skilled workers and that they won't be a drain on our safety net. We end up with enough bankers, engineers, and doctors without flooding the country with so-called cheap labour.

Brexit continues to threaten us with national catastrophe. The Prime Minister's Chequers plan (which must now be dead in the water) would leave us complying with EU rules, but without our current ability to influence them. Extremism within her own party is a growing problem; polls show that a majority of pro-Brexit Tory voters in England would prefer to break-up the UK and jeopardise peace in Northern Ireland than stay in the EU.

As a local party we are strong supporters of new housing and especially affordable housing in Lichfield district. On this subject Lichfield Tories have failed to deliver. The Conservative led Council's target for 2017/18 was planning permission for 1300 homes. In fact, permission was granted for only 416 homes, and only 120 affordable homes were built. We simply must do better.

There will be no progress until no deal is off the table. We won't vote for this needlessly destructive Brexit. We need a people's vote.

Theresa May's Brexit deal just lost in the Commons by 230 votes. This is huge - she's failed to convince her party, failed to convince Parliament and failed in her attempt to scaremonger MPs into backing her. It's the biggest loss in the Commons by a Government - ever.

Brexit is a national embarrassment.

Theresa May's botched Brexit deal goes to the Commons tomorrow night, and its chances are looking slim.

A Lords motion regretting the damage Brexit would do and rejecting no deal has passed by a stonking 169 votes.

Stonking majority of 169 in Lords defeating govt - 321 to 152 - with Opposition motion rejecting Brexit 'no-deal' & saying WA/PD damaging.
Glad to work on this, in conjunction with @RichardNewby3, with @HayteratLords & @LadyBasildon & others across the House

- Sarah Ludford 🔶 #FBPE #FinalSayontheDeal (@SarahLudford) 14 January 2019