Today marks Guru Nanak’s Gurpurab, which commemorates the birth of the founder of the Sikh faith, Guru Nanak.

Guru Nanak was a significant figure: his message of acceptance, compassion and community remains relevant even today.

I have seen these values put into action by British Sikhs, be it through the practice of the langar, especially in gurdwaras, or through dedicated service in our schools and emergency services.

During this awful pandemic, the amazing work of British Sikhs has been inspiring.

Whether as key workers in our NHS, care homes, or elsewhere, or as volunteers, preparing free meals in langars.

Thank you – for all your work and sacrifice and for adding to the success of our nation.

COVID has made it so difficult to celebrate our religious festivals as we would like: with our families, friends, and communities. In our gurdwaras, churches, mosques, or temples.

But whether you are celebrating and seeing each other in your homes, on Zoom, on DigiSangat, or however, I wish you all a joyous Gurpurab.

The Liberal Democrat gain this week in Scotland was part of the final contests of the year. Which means we can also tally up the net score for each party during 2020. It’s the Lib Dems who come out on top:

• Liberal Democrats: net 4 seats gained
• SNP: net 1 seat lost
• Labour: net 2 seats lost
• Conservatives: net 2 seats lost

The coronavirus crisis has shone a new spotlight on the issue of child hunger, with demand for food banks soaring and almost a fifth of households with children unable to access enough food in the first weeks of lockdown.

The Government has repeatedly overlooked the needs of children from low-income families.

However, throughout this pandemic, the Government has repeatedly overlooked the needs of children from low-income families.

Yesterday, on Carers Rights Day, we launched our campaign Stand Up for Carers – calling on the Government to immediately raise Carer’s Allowance by £1,000 a year.

After the Chancellor’s Spending Review earlier this week, it’s more important than ever that we support the incredible work that carers do.

For too long carers have felt unseen and undervalued.

Countless families are facing serious financial hardship. More than a million people have lost their jobs and the devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic will continue to be felt throughout the next year.

We are also facing serious challenges in deep-seated inequality and the climate emergency.