A Week in Politics #7

 

Helen Morgan MP (Photo: Shropshire Live)

Unsurprisingly, following our party conference, I have a few cheers to offer this week.

Cheers to Helen Morgan MP for keeping maternity safety on the agenda. On 21 September, the party published its analysis of rising serious childbirth injuries and called for staffing, training and resources to improve care. 

Cheers to Tim Farron for putting water company reform back in the spotlight. The party set out plans aimed at making water companies answer to billpayers and tackling the close relationship between the industry and its regulators.

Cheers to Lib Dem members for backing a new approach to trans rights at conference on 21 September. The party called the equalities watchdog’s proposed guidance on single-sex spaces “discriminatory and unworkable” and urged a rethink.

Cheers to Josh Babarinde MP and conference members for passing a new party strategy after the “Summer of Strategy” consultation. His update points to a sharper national message, a larger digital operation and campaigning in places where the party has been weaker.

Cheers to overdue action against foreign interference in British democracy. At the UN, the Prime Minister announced plans for a National Centre for Information Defence to identify and disrupt hostile-state information attacks. Liberals should welcome this development while pressing for clear safeguards for free expression.

Cheers to closer UK–EU ties returning to the national conversation. Andy Burnham declined this week to rule out an eventual Labour manifesto pledge to rejoin the EU, while emphasising nearer-term cooperation. Questions remain about what practical steps the government will take now on trade and mobility, but all the same this is a welcome change of tone. 

Cheers to UN Secretary-General António Guterres for making international cooperation the theme of his 22 September UN address, calling for action on peace, inequality, climate change and AI.

Cheers to the independent panel for bringing the Manchester City financial charges closer to a conclusion. Reports say it has found most of the alleged breaches proven, despite City’s long-running challenge to the case. The findings have not been published or confirmed, so the next steps matter: complete any appeal promptly, publish a clear decision, and impose proportionate sanctions if breaches are upheld. Fans and rival clubs deserve to see the rules applied consistently, however powerful the club involved.

Jeers to Malcolm Offord and Reform’s walkout at Holyrood. On 22 September, Offord tried to stop a debate on Scotland’s constitutional future, then withdrew Reform’s amendment and led his MSPs out. It is perfectly possible to oppose another independence referendum while engaging constructively with the democratic process. The irony of Offord branding independence "a stunt" while pulling off a stunt like this was apparently lost on him.

Jeers to Benjamin Netanyahu for his inflammatory UN speech. As delegates walked out and protesters gathered in New York, he dismissed allegations of genocide in Gaza as “the biggest lie of the century”, called the departing diplomats “moral cowards”, and accused Western leaders of giving in to “antisemitic mobs”. His attack on Zohran Mamdani, in which he accused New York's mayor of siding with Hamas, was particularly jarring.

Tears for Liberal Vannin Party leader Lawrie Hooper, who lost his Ramsey seat in the House of Keys General Election this week. As party founder Peter Karran also failed to be returned for the Onchan constituency, this means that the party has no elected MHKs for the first time since it was established.

Tears for the 1,133 people who died from drug use in Scotland in 2025. Figures published this week show an 11% rise from the previous year and demonstrate why new approaches are necessary. The "war on drugs" isn't working.