Good morning.

For the last four years, the Liberal Democrats fought to stop Brexit.

We held street stalls, town hall meetings and we marched in our millions.

Today we stand strong in the knowledge that we did everything we could.

In 2018 a homeless man, Gyula Remes, died in Westminster Tube station. He was one of over 700 homeless people who died that year, and the second to die in Westminster station that year.

71% of people think arresting someone for sleeping rough is a waste of police time

There’s a gate in the station – near the entrance to Parliament. It’s designed to push homeless people just a little bit further away. How many times did MPs just walk past him and turn a blind eye?

I see homeless people every day when I arrive at Parliament. It breaks my heart. It makes me absolutely determined that 2020 is the year that we scrap the Vagrancy Act.

So, you want to run for a post that’s currently open for nominations (the full list is here) but you’re not sure how to get started?

We’ve put together a guide to help you navigate the process and get nominated.

I would like to send best wishes to everyone celebrating Chinese New Year!

Across the world friends and loved ones will be coming together, to reflect on the year gone by and look ahead to the future.

Chinese New Year celebrations are marked by wonderful traditions that date back thousands of years. Each year they remind us of how alive and vibrant Chinese culture is in Britain today.

As we usher in a new year, let us also celebrate the ongoing contributions of British Chinese communities who have helped to shape the economic, social and cultural identity of our nation.

This year, we enter the Year of the Rat. Rats are known symbols of wealth and new beginnings and those born in the Year of the Rat are said to be resourceful, quick-witted and adaptable.

Liberal Democrats will work to ensure that the Year of the Rat is one marked by success and prosperity for all our communities.

To all those celebrating, I wish you good health and joy this Chinese New Year.

Xin Nian Kuai Le!

On Holocaust Memorial Day, we pause to remember one of the darkest chapters in human history. We remember a time of unimaginable evil which resulted in the death of 6 million Jewish people and countless others who perished under a state-sponsored policy of hate and systemic violence.

This year marks 75 years since the liberation of Auschwitz which led to the release of 7000 people and exposed the depth of the horrors committed there and elsewhere. 

Although time has moved on, the poison of anti-Semitism has not gone away. Across the globe we are witnessing a worrying increase in anti-Semitic violence. When hate crimes against religious communities rise and when people in the Jewish community speak out about the fear they feel, we must all sit up and act, because any pledge to end division rings hollow if it’s not followed by meaningful action.

History has taught us many hard lessons and although we often repeat the admonition “never again”, the pain of genocide has been experienced in many parts of the world since the Holocaust. As we remember the victims of the holocaust and let’s also remember the victims of subsequent genocides in Bosnia, Cambodia, Rwanda and Darfur.

This year’s theme “Stand Together” is an important reminder that we all have a duty to stand up to hate. We must all challenge any attempts dehumanise, degrade or demean any community, because a failure to do so could have dire consequences.

Finally, let us recognise the strength and resilience of holocaust survivors and let us resolve to preserve their stories and testimonies. And let us never forget.