Since Sarah Everard’s tragic death there has been a huge outpouring of grief.

We must interrogate, why is it that so many women feel so scared of men for so much of the time?

And why are some men so violent towards women?

I’ve been thinking about it all week. I’ve been looking at what other people have been suggesting. And I think everything needs to change.

Welcome to the Lords edition of the Weekly Whip, covering the goings-on in the Upper Chamber in the last week, and a taste of what’s to come in the week to come. 

In the Lords we get to grips with the detail of legislation and improve it; we take part in debates on a whole range of issues, and we question and hold to account government ministers.  

For up-to-date information about the work of the Lib Dem group in the Lords, follow us on Twitter: @LibDemLords

Thanks to our Education Minister Kirsty Williams MS, the Senedd has just passed a new, modern and truly Welsh curriculum for schools.

Recent events in Poland should concern the whole international community. Labelling LGBTQ+ as an ‘ideology’ and suppressing LGBTQ+ people is outrageous and Liberal Democrats will not stand for it.

That’s why, in partnership with human rights campaigners in Poland, the Liberal Democrats have launched a new campaign to “protect our twins”. We’re asking local councils twinned with towns in Poland to enter a period of engagement to reflect the need for education and humanity in the face of the 100+ “LGBT ideology-free” zones created so far in Poland.

As part of the campaign, UK councils paired with Polish towns are being asked to pass motions to begin a formal period of diplomacy. Many twinning relationships date back generations and signify deep cultural ties.

For regions that have enacted these zones, we will ask to end them. For regions considering creating hate zones, we will ask them to stop. For regions that have rejected the hate zones, we will thank them for upholding the human rights of the global LGBT community. 

Human rights matter. For British soldiers, Hillsborough families and victims of the Stafford hospital scandal, the Human Rights Act has been vital to securing justice.

It empowers us, ordinary people, to challenge the government in court to uphold their rights. It’s a fundamentally good and liberal piece of legislation that has protected the rights of us all.

But hard-right politicians like Nigel Farage and the Conservatives are trying to scrap the Human Rights Act. The Conservatives have repeatedly threatened to repeal the Act – and now they’ve launched a “review” of it.

To fight back, we made a comprehensive submission to the review panel on why the Human Rights Act must be saved. We also included an appendix containing 14 pages of quotes and stories that campaign supporters submitted to us.

You can read it here: