“We are all deeply mourning the profound loss of a great monarch who served our country so faithfully all her life and who was loved the world over.

“For many people, including myself, The Queen was an ever-fixed mark in our lives. As the world changed around us and politicians came and went, The Queen was our nation’s constant.

“The Queen represented duty and courage, as well as warmth and compassion. She was a living reminder of our collective past, of the greatest generation and their sacrifices for our freedom.

“My thoughts and prayers today go especially to the Royal Family. And they also go to people in every corner of the world whose lives she touched. Today our family of nations is in mourning, as we also remember the steadfastness, resolve and love Queen Elizabeth brought to the world.”

Ed Davey
Leader of the Liberal Democrats

While Liz Truss spent the summer focused on Tory infighting, families and pensioners have been worried sick about how they’ll pay their bills. They have been left in limbo by her refusal to set out a clear plan on tackling soaring energy bills.

The whole spectacle just proves how Liz Truss and the Conservatives are completely out of touch with the British people.

Liz Truss’ energy plan is a loan not a freeze. That’s just not right.

We should be making the oil and gas companies who are making tens of billions of pounds in unexpected profit pay some of that back so we can afford to freeze bills fairly. pic.twitter.com/78D0KmrBu2

— Liberal Democrats (@LibDems) September 6, 2022

But Liberal Democrats have a fair plan to protect people and businesses from sky-high energy bills this winter – and we know how to pay for it.

We would scrap October’s energy price hike, freezing bills at their current level. We’d pay for this by extending and backdating the windfall tax on oil and gas companies’ huge, unexpected profits.

And we’d give small and medium sized businesses direct support with their bills. With grants of up to £50,000 to pay for 80% of rising bills that would be paid for by reversing the Conservatives’ tax breaks for banks.

This is an emergency that is on track to become a catastrophe. We cannot afford to sit idly by any longer. 

But we can’t leave our children to pick up the tab through even more borrowing while letting oil and gas companies off the hook. That’s how Liz Truss would have it. Our plan is a much fairer and more responsible way to tackle this crisis – and the Conservatives must adopt it without delay. 

The Campaigns & Elections Team are here to help you with all year round template campaign materials – for you to adapt and deliver in your local area.

Our October 2022 template is a tabloid style newspaper.

Small businesses are in danger. Our treasured high streets could be turned into ghost towns as local businesses face sky-rocketing energy bills. But Conservative ministers just don’t seem to care.

Local shops, pubs and restaurants up and down the country could all be forced to close their doors – unless the government finally steps up.

We need an energy bailout now to save the high street, protect jobs and keep prices down for families.

Liberal Democrats are calling for an emergency Covid-style support scheme to help shops, pubs, restaurants and other small businesses cope with sky-rocketing energy bills by offering grants of up to £50,000.

Because unlike households, businesses are not covered by Ofgem’s energy price cap. Many could see their energy bills rise by almost 400%, with devastating consequences.

Under our proposals, small and medium-sized businesses would be offered government grants to cover 80% of the increase in their energy bills for one year, up to a maximum of £50,000. For example, a typical small restaurant would receive a grant of around £10,000 to help with their bills. The plans would benefit the 1.4 million small businesses across the UK, from high street shops to local pubs and cafes.

The estimated £10 billion cost of the scheme could be met by reversing the Conservatives’ tax cuts for big banks – which are seeing their profits grow with rising interest rates. That would include cancelling the Government’s cut to the Bank Surcharge that is due to take effect in April 2023.

There’s no time to waste. Small businesses need support now. The new Conservative Prime Minister must bring in legislation to protect businesses from soaring energy bills as soon as Parliament returns on Monday – before it’s too late.

The Party website has lots of information in the internal-elections hub.

Timetable

The key dates for these elections are:

• Opening of nominations: Monday 12th September, 17:00
• Close of nominations: Monday 26th September, 18:00
• Deadline for submission of candidates’ manifestos: Friday 30th September, 17:00
• Despatch of ballot papers: Tuesday 25th October c13:00
• Close of grace period for lapsing members to vote: Saturday 6th November 14:00
• Deadline for return of ballot papers: Tuesday 8th November, 14:00
• Deadline for return of electronic ballots: Tuesday 8th November, 17:00
• Count and declaration of results: starting Wednesday 9th, 10:00. Aim to conclude by close of play.