Today is International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.

It gives us an important opportunity to acknowledge the violence and discrimination that too many LGBT+ people face, and reflect on what we can do to help change it.

I’m proud of the role Liberal Democrats have played in delivering that change over the years. From being the first party to openly oppose the abhorrent Section 28, to our tireless efforts in getting the Same Sex Marriage Act passed. 

Milestones like these are not only important policies that take us closer to achieving equal rights. They help shift social attitudes, too. People are becoming more accepting of the LGBT+ community – which is vital for stamping out homophobia, transphobia and biphobia in all its forms.

But we cannot get complacent.

Discrimination against LGBT+ people is still far too commonplace in the UK – particularly against the trans community. We’re even seeing this at the hands of the Conservative Government, who have dithered and delayed on important progress like gender recognition reform and banning conversion therapy. 

And with trans hate crimes on the rise, we are seeing too clearly the harmful effects this rhetoric can have on our society.

LGBT+ rights mustn’t be taken for granted. The fight for equality must go on.

So today, my message to the LGBT+ community is clear. I support you. I stand with you. And I will keep fighting for the rights of the entire LGBT+ community, until true equality is achieved. 

This has been an historic victory for the Liberal Democrats with our best result in decades.

It’s little wonder Rishi Sunak is running scared of a General Election, because he knows the Liberal Democrats are set to take swathes of seats across the Conservative  Party’s former heartlands.

The message from these elections is clear: people are fed up with being let down and taken for granted by this Conservative Government – it is time for a change. 

• Among our gained councils is Surrey Heath, where we have taken control from the Conservatives in Michael Gove’s back garden. Senior Conservative cabinet ministers will now be looking nervously over their shoulders.
   
• Another key target where we have done well is Elmbridge, which contains Dominic Raab’s Esher and Walton seat. We have gained 6 councillors here, taking 4 from the Conservatives, and are now the largest party.
   
• It’s clear that sleaze and scandal surrounding Conservative Ministers over recent months has had a profound impact. Nadhim Zahawi is experiencing a Shakespearean Tragedy in Stratford on Avon as his seat is now controlled by the Lib Dems after we gained 15 seats and took control.
   
• Just a few weeks ago we launched our Local Election campaign in Dacorum in Hertfordshire, where Ed Davey foreshadowed today’s results by toppling a Blue Wall of hay bales in a tractor. Today we took control of the council here – the first time Liberal Democrats have run the council since its creation.
   
• Following our stunning victory in Tiverton & Honiton last year, we’ve had a great result in Devon in these elections. We gained Mid Devon and Teignbridge, held North Devon, and made a total of 52 gains across the county.
   
• After we made gains in Hull overnight to keep control of the council, we’ve also won seats from Labour in Liverpool – gaining 6 seats from Labour as they lost 9.
   
• Despite this sea of excellent gains, we were sorry that Mayor Dave Hodgson did not win re-election in Bedford, missing out by just 145 votes. 

The Conservatives have crumbled. The Blue Wall is turning gold.

Now it is clear that the country needs a General Election so the Conservatives can be removed from power in Government.

Today’s results have shown the country that Liberal Democrats can do just that.

People are going through the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation. Energy costs are up, mortgage bills are up, rent is up. But one of the biggest contributors to the crisis is food.

The cost of the weekly shop has soared over the last twelve months, now costing families an extra £600 a year. 

The price of essential foods that we all use every day has gone through the roof. Cheese is up by 50%; milk by 40%; and eggs by 30%.

People are really struggling just to afford the basics.

And despite this, the Conservative Government has done absolutely nothing to help. It’s no wonder that on their watch the UK’s food inflation has hit 20%, the highest it’s been since the 1970s.

Hard-working families shouldn’t have to worry about putting food on the table. People deserve a fair deal. That’s why we’ve set out a five-point plan to bring down food bills:

British people are struggling with eye-watering food prices and yet this Government is refusing to help. The Conservative Party is so out of touch they might as well be on a different planet.

It’s the Liberal Democrats who have put forward a proper plan to make food cheaper. Now ministers need to stop sitting on their hands and put it into action.

England’s chalk streams are a source of great national pride. Chalk streams are a unique waterway found primarily in the South of England and Yorkshire. They have been referred to as “England’s rainforest” for their special qualities which allow wildlife and plants to thrive. They are a haven for iconic species like the otter, kingfisher and salmon amongst many others.

Today’s new analysis of Environment Agency data finds they are being polluted with endless amounts of sewage discharges. 

The worst offender is Wessex Water, guilty of 1,013 separate sewage discharges into chalk streams across the West of England.

The worst chalk stream sewage discharge lasted a staggering 2,969 hours in the River Till, a tributary of the Hampshire Avon in Wiltshire by Wessex Water, which is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest as it is home to the Water Crowfoot, providing habitat for fish and snails. 

Meanwhile, Thames Water discharged sewage into the Misbourne in Buckinghamshire for 1,206 hours last year. Southern Water discharged sewage 62 times in the River Meon last year, lasting over 1,000 hours.

The figure for sewage discharges may be much higher than feared. The Liberal Democrats have uncovered a large number of monitors designed to measure sewage overflows are in fact broken. One in five sewage discharges in chalk streams either had a faulty monitor or no monitor installed at all. Shockingly, one in four of Yorkshire Water’s sewage monitors setup in chalk streams was recorded as broken last year. Across the country, one in ten chalk stream sewage monitors were faulty last year according to Environment Agency data.