Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron has labelled George Osborne's latest budget a "scam", accusing the chancellor of chasing cheap headlines whilst failing to provide detail or substance.
Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron has welcomed the commitment from the Rural Payments Agency to deliver over 90% of farm payments during December this year, contrasting this aim with its performance this year as thousands of farmers are still unpaid.
An assessment of the risks and benefits to British trade in the event of Brexit is published today by EurActiv, in co-operation with Reuters. The stakes will be high for Britain's historic role as a free-trading nation when it holds a referendum on whether to stay in the European Union on 23 June, it says: http://www.euractiv.com/section/uk-europe/news/brexit-what-would-it-mean-for-uk-trade/
Bedford Borough Council has revealed a new three-year budget forecast in the light of massive funding reductions from central government.
At a fringe meeting at Lib Dem conference we heard an excellent panel of speakers on the issues around Syrians coming to the UK Zrinka Bralo (Executive Director, Migrant Organise) startled us by holding up a fluorescent life jacket that she had picked up on a beach in Lesvos. It was made for a toddler. She then told us it was actually a fake. It would not have acted as a life jacket, but the parents who would have paid money for it did not know that. It was worse when she showed us a tiny life jacket, for a baby. Also fake. What sort of pressure would a family be under to put their children through such a risky journey ? Although Lesvos and the boat journeys have only recently been in the news, we heard that Lesvos had been receiving boats since 1998 - not as many, but they had been coming - and throughout that time had been making people welcome. Contrast that with what happens when those seeking asylum get as far as the UK where the asylum system is so adversarial and so difficult for people seeking sanctua
In a blog post announcing the update, the firm said: 'Today, Microsoft UK announced the rollout of a new pilot programme focused on hiring people with neurodiverse conditions, including Autism or Asperger's syndrome, for full-time UK based Microsoft positions.