Chatham and Aylesford Liberal Democrats

Commenting on the ongoing crisis where Italy, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey and Germany have experienced reductions of up to 30% in Russian gas supplies from Gazprom over the last few days, Sir Graham said:

"The freezing conditions across Europe highlight yet again the dangers of being so overly-reliant on Russia for a quarter of our gas. Gazprom has - understandably - diverted its supplies to keep Russian homes warm, leaving many European countries short and prices on the rise."

"And we just don't know what Gazprom will do next."

"But the wind is blowing harder than ever in the Scottish Hebrides and it is 15 C and sunny in southern Spain and Greece. If, instead of building gas pipelines, we were building electricity transmission infrastructure and switching from fossil fuels to wind and solar power, this week's energy outlook would be a different story. European renewables are the answer to our energy security."

"Indeed, the sun is also shining bright as ever in the Sahara. Importing electricity from North Africa would in fact be more secure than Russian gas, due to the larger number of potential trading partners and the fact that electricity cannot be switched off like gas. Electricity is the ultimate 'just in time' product: that which is not transmitted today is lost forever."

"The sheer hypocrisy of Labour to point the finger on bankers' bonuses is staggering. Labour presided over the biggest boom in bonuses this country has seen, from £3.1bn in 2001 to £11.5 billion in 2007. At the same time, they sat back and knighted the financial speculators who led this country to the brink of economic collapse.

"The Coalition Government inherited this economic mess from Labour and has taken decisive action to put the country back on track. We've capped cash bonuses at state owned banks to £2,000 and overall, the bonus pool is smaller than last year and considerably less than under Labour.

"In Government, Liberal Democrats are doing the right thing - implementing the Vickers' proposals to make banking safer in the future, continuing our fight to get the banks to lend more and introducing the banking levy which raises £2.5bn a year. All Labour can do is complain from the side lines.

"While Labour spent thirteen years being intensely relaxed about people getting filthy rich, Liberal Democrats have made clear that our priority is lifting the lowest paid people out of paying income tax all together."

"Promoting cycling and green transport is the right thing to do and I am delighted Liberal Democrats in the Coalition Government are taking action.

"This comes at a crucial time. Just five days ago The Times launched a cycle campaign in response to the shocking increase in fatalities among cyclists on our roads.

"It is absolutely essential people should be able to walk to work or cycle to school in a safe environment. The extra £8m for Sustrans will go a long way to achieving this.

"And the £7m for improved rail-cycle links will ensure that we continue to build a transport network which puts passengers first."

Clegg calls time on unfair tax system

At the Institute for Government last Friday, the Deputy Prime Minister gave a major speech on tax and supporting working families.

"The tax system," said Nick Clegg, "should be designed to reward effort, enterprise and innovation... and bear down on those things which are bad for our society.
"Attitudes to tax are a good proxy for our deepest political instincts and the three major political traditions in the UK - conservatism, socialism and liberalism - have very distinct approaches."

"The liberal approach, put most simply, is based on a profound commitment to the value of paid work. Citizens are empowered when they can keep the fruits of their own labour. And fiscal liberalism supports taxes on unearned wealth... precisely to lighten taxes on the incomes of hardworking people.

"So the Coalition is calling time on our unfair and out-of-whack tax system.
We've put up Capital Gains Tax; we've reduced tax breaks on pension funds for the very rich; we've clamped down on avoidance - the steps taken already will raise an extra £7bn every year by the end of this parliament. And our priority in government - from the front cover of the Lib Dem manifesto to the pages of the Coalition Agreement - is freeing the lowest-paid from income tax altogether... and cutting income tax for millions of ordinary workers.

"Whether you call them the 'squeezed middle', 'hard-working families', or, as I have, 'alarm clock Britain'… it's the people who whose incomes are too high to qualify for welfare benefits but too low to provide any real financial security who need this extra help. Over the last few decades wage rises have outpaced the increase in the allowance... so that more people have been sucked into the income tax net.

"At the last election my party promised to raise the personal allowance for ordinary taxpayers to £10,000 and I am extremely proud that the Coalition has committed to doing so over the course of this Parliament. I want to make clear that I want the Coalition to go further and faster in delivering the full £10,000 allowance.
Because the pressure on family finances is reaching boiling point … these families cannot be made to wait.

"Delivering the £10,000 personal allowance more quickly will need to be fully funded. But to those who say: we cannot afford to do this. I say: we cannot afford not to do this.

"It is often said that to govern is to choose... and, in particular, to choose whose side you are on. That is especially true when there is no money around. My choice - the Liberal Democrat's choice - is clear: I want to help hard-pressed and hardworking families. If that means asking more from those at the top - so be it.

"We are committed to eliminating the deficit... and eliminate it we will. But I am determined that we do so in a way that is fair...that rebalances our economy...that gives the right people the right rewards.
"People look to the Liberal Democrats to keep this Coalition anchored in the centre ground. They want economic competence, but they want compassion too.
It is our job to make sure this government delivers both."

Sharon Bowles MEP, who chairs the European Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee, has said that the ECB's liquidity operations may save the Eurozone today but at the cost of future generations' livelihoods tomorrow.

Speaking from Brussels today, Ms Bowles said:

"We must face up to the impact of the crisis on the next generation, which is more than just the fact that we have devastatingly high numbers of young jobless.

The ASA ruled that the image used in an advertisement for L'Oréal Paris' Revitalift Repair 10 was altered to change Rachel Weisz's complexion, making it appear smoother and more even. It was judged to be in breach of industry code and "misleadingly exaggerated" the performance of the product.

The advertisement has been banned in its current form and the ASA has warned L'Oréal not to use digital retouching to misrepresent the effect of their products.

Commenting, Jo Swinson said:

"In 2010 there were 1,850 deaths and more than 200,000 injuries on our roads. That's some 600 every day. With mechanical failure already contributing to a significant number of these, the Coalition Government has made the right decision to keep frequent MOT-tests.

"This will also see the system strengthened through a combination of open public data and stronger regulation.

"Liberal Democrats strongly believe road safety should be central to the Coalition Government's transport strategy. I look forward to working with the Secretary of State to further this agenda."

Commenting on the re-election of Sharon Bowles, Liberal Democrat MEP for the South East of England, as Chair of the European Parliament's influential Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee today, Liberal Democrat Leader and Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, said:

"Sharon is one of the most influential thinkers and legislators in Europe on financial services and the Eurozone crisis. Her re-election is good news for Europe and the UK.

"As party leader, I am proud that we have a leading Liberal Democrat in such a prominent and powerful position on the international scene. As UK Deputy Prime Minister, I am delighted and relieved to know that the EU financial services brief is in such expert hands.

"In the wake of the financial crisis, it is absolutely right that we undertake a complete overhaul of the rule book governing global finance and banking at the European, national and international level.

"Ministers and industry figures must now redouble our efforts to re-engage across Europe, pro-actively work with our partners to shape EU legislation that builds a more responsible, safe and successful banking sector, and deploy our financial expertise to help resolve the ongoing Eurozone crisis.

"I look forward to working with Sharon over the coming months in addressing these overwhelmingly important issues for the UK and Europe as a whole."

The Chair of the European Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee, Sharon Bowles MEP, has raised concerns that the European Central Bank is dominated by men.

Ms Bowles, who was recently re-elected Chair of ECON, said:

"The ECB is one of the EU institutions where gender balance is most blatantly disregarded. There is currently not a single woman on the Executive Board, nor the Governing Council or the General Council.

"One has to ask why important and influential EU bodies such as the ECB systematically fail to select female candidates. The argument that there are no qualified women for these positions cannot be taken seriously.

"I call on all parties to consider the institutional shortcomings that lead to the systematic absence of women in this crucial area of EU policy and to remedy this situation now.

"Today's figures show that on the whole young people have not been put off by the changes in the student finance system.

"This is due in no small part to the serious effort put in by the Coalition Government and many others in making sure that each young person and their parents knew all the facts about funding higher education.

"In particular, many families clearly now understand that all graduates will pay less each month towards the cost of their university education than they did before.

"There has been a larger drop in the number of older students applying to university. The Government will have to take a serious look at why this has happened, particularly as mature students for the first time also do not have to pay for their university education in advance.

"However, because mature students have more flexibility in when they apply, there are still good opportunities for people looking to start university this year to put in an application."