“This law needs to change. ITV needs to change.”

“The Liberal Democrats’ position in this election and that of our leader is unique: Jo Swinson is the only leader of a national party fighting to stop Brexit.

“Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn should not be allowed to sidestep debating the issue of Brexit with someone who wants to remain, and ITV should not give them the opportunity to do so.

“That is why this is an incredibly disappointing verdict. Not just for the Liberal Democrats but also for democracy in this country, and for every Remainer who deserves to have a voice in this debate.

“It is worrying that the OFCOM guidance allows TV Executives to decide, not the voters, whether the biggest issues of the day are debated openly in the ITV Debate.

“We will not set our principles aside, we will continue this fight.”

“This campaign is undeniably dominated by Brexit, the single biggest issue for our country, perhaps in the last 75 years.

“Both Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn are determined to drag this country down in the name of Brexit.

“This law needs to change. ITV needs to change.

“Jo Swinson and the Liberal Democrats brought this court case because our politics needs to change too.”

Televised debates between political party leaders should be framed in stronger legislation.

“But more than that, our democracy should not be in the hands of invisible corporate structures, and arrangements for such debates should always be accessible and transparent.

“We will not set our principles aside, we will continue this fight.

“Not just for this General Election, but for our future democracy too.”

1. To Stop Brexit

Every vote for the Liberal Democrats is a vote stop the Brexit mess the that Conservatives and Labour have left us in.

A Liberal Democrat government will Stop Brexit on day one. Then we’ll use the £50 billion Remain Bonus to properly fund our public services and tackle inequality across the country.

We need to protect our NHS. Under the Conservative government, it’s struggling to cope with severe staff shortages, chronic under-funding and crumbling hospital buildings.

All of these problems would be made much worse by a Tory or Labour Brexit that would end free movement and make it harder to attract nurses and doctors from the EU.

The Lib Dems will tackle the NHS staffing crisis and invest in mental health services, social care, public health and more.

That’s why we’ve set out our plan to safeguard the NHS; stop Brexit and invest an extra £35 billion in the health service and social care over the next five years.

The Liberal Democrats would raise £7 billion a year in additional revenue, ring-fenced for the NHS and social care services, by adding a penny on income tax. 

On top of this, we will use a £10 billion capital fund to upgrade equipment, ambulances, hospitals and other NHS buildings to bring them into the 21st century.

A Liberal Democrat government will tackle the severe staffing shortages across the NHS and end the current shortfall of GPs within five years. This will be done by retaining free movement including for the 65,000 EU citizens working in the NHS, reinstating nursing bursaries and establishing a national workforce strategy to match training places to future needs.

We are the only party with a credible plan to protect the NHS and build a brighter future by tackling the staffing crisis, investing in mental health services, social care, public health and future-proofing our NHS buildings.

Learn more about our Plan for the Future here. 

The UK should be leading the world in tackling the climate crisis, but the Tories are failing to address it.  

Britain just isn’t working the way it should be. People feel disillusioned. The old parties have failed to provide find solutions for the problems we face. Britain desperately needs change.