Liberal Democrat Chief Whip Alistair Carmichael last week secured an emergency debate in the Commons over whether the government is abusing the parliamentary process by ignoring opposition day motions.

Alistair Carmichael MP commented:

"This is another outrageous attempt to subvert our democracy and undermine Parliament's ability to hold the government to account.

"The Conservatives should remember that contempt for Parliament is contempt for the people that elect it.

"To simply ignore today's debate would be an insult to the millions of voters deeply worried about the disastrous roll-out of Universal Credit.

"It is a sign of just how weak and divided this government has become that it is reduced to using every trick in the book to avoid scrutiny and debate."

The festival of lights is upon us once again; across the country streets will be aglow with lights and decorations as thousands of Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and Buddhists gather to celebrate the ancient festival of Diwali.

Celebrations such as these speak to our shared human experience, causing us to see beyond that which too often divides us. There is a universal capacity to resist evil, hate and ignorance, this is particularly significant given the intolerance and division we continue to witness across many parts of the country. Let us all use this time to reignite the lamp of kindness and compassion within ourselves.
As you gather with family and friends to light the Diya, pray and exchange gifts I wish you a peaceful and joyous time. Shubh Diwali!

Its findings show that under WTO rules, the average household would see price rises worth an extra £260 a year, while over three million families would see price rises of over £500 a year.

The report finds that low-income households would face the biggest cost pressure.

Liberal Democrat Brexit Spokesperson Tom Brake commented:

The increase is thought to reflect both a genuine rise in hate crime around the time of the EU referendum and ongoing improvements in crime recording by the police.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesperson Ed Davey said:

"This disgraceful rise in hate crime demands a much stronger response from Government than we have seen.

I am proud to lend my support to National Hate Crime Awareness Week, which serves as an important reminder that the tenets of hate, division and prejudice have no place in 21st century Britain.

Everyone has the right to be who they are, without fear of abuse, intimidation or violence. Our nation is a rich tapestry of different identities and the mosaic of people that make up our communities is to be praised and celebrated. It is our duty to ensure that every person, regardless of race, religion, sex, sexuality, nationality, age or disability, is treated with the dignity and respect they deserve. We must destroy the toxic, far-right rhetoric, which does nothing but divide our communities; such views are entirely incompatible with the core values of our country.

Liberal Democrat county councillors have condemned a decision by Conservative-run Surrey County Council to award a £400K grant to an art gallery which has £38m of funds and an income of £1.2m a year.

The Watts Gallery in Compton, Guildford, was awarded the money following a decision by the Leader of the Council at a meeting on 12th September 2017. In the papers produced, the County Council's Chief Finance Officer warns that the County Council's financial position is extremely serious, that the proposed expenditure has not been budgeted for and that the gallery was already "financially viable".

Surrey County Council has unveiled the latest in their ongoing cuts to services, this time, further cuts to Surrey's Libraries.

Surrey County Council has announced cuts to library opening times as their latest cuts agenda item, typically for the Tory-run council's lack of transparency, it is not possible to see exactly what the changes are in the information they have provided. We have compared the changes and the current opening hours for libraries in and and around Woking.

"It's 2017; this is welcome but decades overdue. Of course it is good news for women in Saudi Arabia, but they continue to face oppression, such as the guardianship laws that put men in control of women's lives.

"This news must not be allowed to act as a smokescreen to distract from Saudi's most recent crackdown on human rights and freedom of expression, and the international community must also keep up the pressure on Saudi Arabia to give women equal rights and protection."

"Jeremy Corbyn has once again confirmed he is one of Brexit's biggest cheerleaders.

"Corbyn and the Labour leadership have clearly decided they don't want to discuss Brexit, which is an appalling abdication of responsibility on the major issue of the day.

"It's all very well for them to talk about properly funding our NHS, but the fact is our public services are going to seriously suffer if the public finances continue to deteriorate due to the Labour and Tory vision of Brexit, ripping us out of the single market and customs union.

"Only the Liberal Democrats will offer the country an exit from Brexit, giving the British the final say on the deal in a referendum."

"I welcome signs from top Labour people that they are willing to join the Liberal Democrats in giving the people a referendum on the facts, at the end of the Brexit process.

"An exit from Brexit is still possible, and only by working across party lines can we make that happen.

"Corbyn and the Labour leadership must stop dithering and join our call to ensure that the people, not politicians, have the final say over the future of their country."