At the weekend Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) announced the need to cut 4,000 jobs due to falling sales, US tariffs and a major cyber-attack.

The flagship British luxury carmaker employs circa 34,000 people in the West Midlands with an additional 120,000 people employed in the supply chain, often performing highly specialised roles with no market equivalent.

The 4,000 redundancies will reduce JLR’s workforce by approximately 12%. Further impacts on the supply chain are yet to be quantified, but it paints a bleak picture for this Midlands employer which has a huge impact on the local economy.

Commenting on this, LibDem MP Manuela Perteghella for Stratford-on-Avon said:

“A lot of JLR employees live in my constituency, so this is high on my list of concerns, and I have raised these with executives at JLR.

“Last years’ cyber-attack, falling sales and Trump’s tariffs are three of the major headwinds that have contributed to the decision.

“The former Tory Government relied too heavily on the so-called special relationship with the USA. Trump’s self-harm, crash and burn style policies are damaging interests with countries throughout the world.

“It underlines once again that trade with European partners is vital to maintain a stable economy. Now more than ever we need to invest in international relationships of mutual benefit.”

Manuela called for the Government to act:

“Andy Burnham’s Labour Government have already confirmed that there will be no bailout, but there is still a lot they can do to support the business.

“The Government must seek to protect Brand Britain from Trump’s America and hostile cyber-attacks that have dark roots from across the globe. We need stronger protections against cyber attacks and a switch in strategy that moves us towards new markets and opportunities in this changing global landscape."

The Labour government has today announced that Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) is paused. Plans to create two unitary authorities in Warwickshire are to be reviewed. 

This is despite the government's announcement made in July this year, after earlier public consultation, to create a North Warwickshire Council and a South Warwickshire Council, which would have meant the end of the county's District, Borough and County councils with effect from April 2028.

Today's announcement means that the Shadow Authority elections planned  for May 2027 will NOT now go ahead. Instead there will be District and Borough Council elections in May 2027, as well as Town and Parish council elections.

Residents, community groups and businesses - as well as Council staff and councillors - have already spent a huge amount of time, money and energy preparing for the impact of LGR. So today's announcement is hugely frustrating and creates lots of uncertainty. This apparent failure of process further undermines trust.

This frustrating pause is compounded by the refusal of the government to publish in any form the legal advice that it has received to justify its decision, as well as its refusal to publish a timetable by which it will complete its review of the LGR plans. The government has also said nothing today about plans for changes in police governance.  

Above all else, the consequences of this chaotic pause and uncertainty is a delay in our ability to deliver improved and more efficient services for residents, community groups and businesses.

At tonight's meeting of Warwick District Council local Liberal Democrat asked the Green Party-Labour administration about:

1) why has launch of the new £276,000 Agile Applications planning IT system been delayed until February 2027 and does this spending still make sense given Local Government Reorganisation coming in April 2028? The answers were that the project was bigger than first thought and the administration still thinks it worth going ahead; 

2) how will the Green Party-Labour administration Portfolio Holders keep councillors informed of issues and actions in their portfolio areas prior to the next Council meeting on 30th September? Several Portfolio Holders were absent from tonight's meeting and none had produced written statements in advance. The answer was that the administration will think about what can be done.

3) why, in the financial year 2025/26, was only 1/3rd of the £220,000 Warm Homes Grant Fund spent despite the Cost of Living crisis facing many residents and what's being done to increase use of the fund? The relevant Portfolio Holder was not present to answer, but a colleague said he'd find out what was happening.

4) whether the Green Party-Labour administration is aware the September 2021 planning decision for the Abbey Fields swimming pools required the Abbey Fields tennis courts to be restored within three months of the completion of the new pools? The answer was it seems not and the Council Leader said that their plan to bring forward in September 2026 a report about the way forward for the courts is now likely to be in October 2026.

5) what plans the administration has to ensure Town & Parish Councils are fully briefed by the District Council about new planning procedures coming into effect in October 2026? The answer was something will be arranged, but no details were given.

6) by separate email yesterday we've asked what's being done to reduce the fire risk of the long grass at the old 6th Form site on Rouncil Lane which is owned by Warwick District Council and has been left empty for the past 3 years? The answer from the administration was they'll get back to us.

The full meeting can be watched at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4DE3GFXauo&t=4420s

Andrew Milton - Lib Dems in Kenilwort

These £6 million works were meant to have been completed by the previous administration at Warwickshire County Council (WCC) by September 2024. Since the May 2025 elections we’ve been pushing the new administration and at last, after much chasing, we can confirm the current position.

Zone A - three new rooms will be built adjacent to the upper playground/Key Stage 2 (KS2) end of the school using Permitted Development (PD) rights. This requires the WCC Planning Department to issue a Certificate of Lawfulness, for which an application has now been submitted. We’re told that it will take six-eight weeks for this application to be processed, so it should be available by 31st August. We’ll be chasing!

The good news is that this work will enable the school to receive up to 14 children with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs compared to the current maximum of three children. For families living with children with these needs these new local facilities, delayed by the current and previous administrations, will be vital. The PD rights building work will include provision of a new KS2 library and toilets. 

But, sadly, this work will NOT the new playground as originally planned for pupils with SEMH needs. Nor will it include, as originally planned, a new drop-off/collection point off Roseland Road, nor a new zebra crossing on Mortimer Road. We’re also pushing for the PD building works to include solar panels on the roof.

WCC has confirmed that it has asked its original contractor to retender for the PD works in an acceptable way so that building can start before October 2026 and be complete and operational by 31st August 2027. 

Zones B and C – WCC has confirmed that plans for these new extra classrooms also at the KS2 end of the school are now paused indefinitely. The reason given is the falling birth rate, although we have challenged what school sufficiency plans are in place if, even though it  would not be welcome, new housing development take place in the St John’s area. 

Special Resource Provision works – these works outside the old library in the quad area will create a much needed play area for children with SEMH needs and also more storage facilities and an office for the school’s Business Manager. It is planned that this work will take place in August 2026 to be ready for the 2026/27 academic year.

Mortimer Road road markings – in response to our chasing, WCC Highways Team has confirmed that the faded yellow zigzag markings outside the school will be repainted in August 2026. This should help improve safety outside the school.

Whilst not all of the above is good news, WCC has confirmed that none of the above works needs to be approved by the Administration’s Portfolio Holder. This helps to avoid yet another reason for delay in delivering these new facilities.

Throughout all the delays since 2024 the staff at the school have continued brilliantly to support pupils. 

For the school staff, for families living with children with special needs and for local children and for local residents we shall continue to push the County Council administration and its education, highways and planning staff to bring these long-delayed building works to fruition.

The Liberal Democrat Group is very concerned to see the comments from Cllr George Finch concerning displays of books at Warwickshire Libraries.

After the positive news regarding the flying of the Pride Flag on Old Shire Hall earlier this week, something the Liberal Democrat Group lobbied for, we are disappointed that we now face the prospect of the Reform UK administration trying to take steps to dictate the control of what books sit on our libraries. 

Warwickshire's libraries are one of the best things we share: free books, rhyme time for little ones, computers, internet, and a warm, welcoming space for everyone. It should therefore be free from political interference. 

This Reform administration promised to 'shift power from County Hall back to local people'. Telling what Warwickshire residents can and cannot read is the exact opposite. 

History shows us where censorship leads to, and we will not let Warwickshire go backwards. 

#WarwickshireLibDems #WarwickshireLibraries #SaveOurLibraries

(The picture below shows Richard Dickson - LibDems in Kenilworth outside the library in Kenilworth), 

Following our Annual General Meeting this week, Cllr Jerry Roodhouse will be stepping down as Leader of our Group in Warwickshire County Council. Cllr Sarah Boad has been elected Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group at Warwickshire County Council, with Cllr George Cowcher as Deputy Leader.

First, our thanks to Jerry, who has guided the Group through one of the most turbulent periods in the council's recent history, including our first year as the official opposition to the Reform UK administration. Under his leadership, we passed a unanimous full Council motion on child poverty, pushed the administration to take prevention seriously across health, education and social care, and established the Lib Dems as the principal opposition voice at Shire Hall. Jerry will be our Group Chair, whilst continuing to advocate for his ward in Eastlands and for improved cancer care across Warwickshire.

Sarah, our new Group Leader, has represented Leamington North on the council for many years and is a long-standing voice for residents on community services, equalities, and education. .

George, our new Deputy Leader, represents Wellesbourne and has been one of the group's leading voices on Local Government reorganisation, transport, and the basics that residents care about most. 

Together, they will continue lead our Group by proposing key solutions, and holding this administration to  account on behalf of every resident in our county.

In the defining fight of our political generation – liberal democracy versus rising authoritarian nationalism – open societies must stand together, rebuild our European defence and economic partnerships, and defend the rule of law to ensure we remain richer, safer, and stronger together.

Earlier this week I met with fellow liberal politicians from across the world at Liberal International’s London Security Conference 2026 at the National Liberal Club, where we committed to defending those critical liberal values. I was honoured to deliver a speech at the Conference, which you can read below:

Today, we are announcing a new policy to restore safety, order and fairness to our asylum system, and to take on the divisive rhetoric that is tearing our communities and our country apart.

For years now, Reform and the Conservatives have been lying to the British public. We have seen their politicians visit coastal Britain and northern France to point at the mess that they created. Before the referendum, there were no small boat crossings. Since Brexit, over 200,000 people have made that crossing.

The reality is that their botched Brexit deal and mismanagement of our asylum system has caused an unprecedented crisis. Having left the EU, Britain lost access to shared biometric data and any way to return people to the safe countries they passed through before reaching our shores. This has become a well-documented incentive, driving up the numbers of those willing to risk their life crossing the channel. Today, we hold the Conservatives and Reform accountable, and we take the fight to Farage.

That's why we are calling for the UK to enter the EU's landmark new Migration and Asylum Pact. For over a decade, the EU has been working on a new approach to restore order. If the UK were to join, we would be able to:

• Do our bit as part of a Europe-wide effort to look after refugees and asylum seekers
• Return asylum seekers arriving by small boat to the first EU country they entered.
• Access all asylum seekers' biometric data to see who they are and whether they have already been denied asylum elsewhere.

This is the solution we need to stop the flow of small boats and implement an asylum system that is fair and effective for all.

The current system works for no one. The most vulnerable are left to be preyed on by criminal gangs who cram them into dangerous dinghies. Our communities watch the chaos unfold and lose faith in the system. And taxpayers foot a bill running into billions each year.

Liberal Democrats are proud of the role Britain has historically played in welcoming those most in need to find sanctuary in our borders. As we did during the Second World War for Jews forced to flee Nazi Germany. As we did just recently when Putin’s Russia invaded Ukraine. That must continue, but via safe routes as part of international agreements, not dangerous small boat crossings.

We can be humane, orderly and cost-effective. Fair to refugees. Fair to communities. Fair to taxpayers. That is what joining this pact delivers. Not the divisive and destructive rhetoric of Reform and the Conservatives, which has so far cost British taxpayers billions and delivered no solutions.

The world has changed in ways no one could have predicted a decade ago. Trump, Putin and Xi have made the world - and the UK - much less safe. Our economy hasn’t grown, and the cost of living has soared.

Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson’s Brexit experiment has failed. It is costing UK taxpayers £90 billion a year. That is money being taken away from our schools, hospitals and armed forces, and out of our pockets in higher taxes in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis.

We all know that this has to change. We have to act. We need peace, and we need prosperity.

The EU needs and wants greater cooperation with the UK on defence.

We will seize the initiative - from a position of strength - to form a bold new deal with Europe that strengthens both Britain’s economy and our collective security.

Our new Growth and Defence Partnership with the EU - including joining the Single Market and a new Customs Union - will make the UK richer, safer and stronger.

This plan is the best hope our country has to stop the chaos and end the crisis, and the biggest step we can take back towards our long-term ambition of membership of the EU.

The Government knows that repairing our relationship with Europe is the biggest lever we could pull to secure growth, to make our country safer, and to end the cost-of-living crisis. But they would prefer to make tweaks around the edges of a bad deal, rather than showing the courage to be far more ambitious.

Our Growth and Defence Partnership with Europe would cut trade barriers to get businesses growing again, and the economy moving - creating jobs, boosting incomes, and giving the government more money to cut the cost of living, fix the NHS and care, and strengthen our Armed Forces.

And our plan would boost cooperation on defence, energy security, critical supply chains and new technologies to keep Britain and our allies safe in this increasingly dangerous world.
 

Our Plans for a new Growth and Defence Partnership:

Joining the Single Market and a Customs Union

The Conservatives wrecked our economy, wrapped business in red tape and sent prices higher with their botched Brexit deal. By ripping us out of the Single Market and Customs Union, the Conservatives - backed by Nigel Farage - blew an enormous hole in the UK economy, costing us roughly £90 billion in lost tax revenue in 2025 alone. 

Energy is not a luxury - it is an essential human need.

Every single household in Britain should be able to afford their basic everyday energy needs regardless of what happens in global energy markets, and regardless of who happens to be sitting in Number 10.

But as energy bills continue to soar, millions of households are being forced to choose between heating and eating, while cold and damp homes cause avoidable illnesses like asthma and pneumonia, costing the NHS over £1bn a year.

This is not just an economic scandal - it is a moral one too.

That’s why the Liberal Democrats have announced a new policy to help make essential energy affordable and help make fuel poverty a thing of the past.

Ahead of Parliament being prorogued last week, we secured a number of ‘Lib Dem Wins’ as Westminster entered a session of ‘ping-pong’.

This is where amendments go back-and-forth between the Commons and the Lords at rapid pace in order to get outstanding legislation over the line before the end of the Parliamentary session.

As we approach polling day, these wins are a timely reminder of why it is so important that we get more Liberal Democrats elected at all levels - we are the party that gets the job done!

Here are some of the fantastic wins we’ve secured in Parliament over the last couple of weeks:

Today we have set out a plan that would both tackle the GP crisis and help build the homes we need.

The two go hand-in-hand. Because what is it that stops homes getting built?

It’s the fact that people know that too often new developments don't come with the services and infrastructure they need. So they just make it even harder to see a GP, to get their kids into a good school or to get around without being stuck in traffic.

So if we’re going to solve the housing crisis – we have to address those concerns. We have to reassure people that they will be able to access the healthcare they need – whether that’s the people already there or the new families who will move in.

Our plan would end that vicious cycle, by guaranteeing the funding is in place to hire GPs as soon as the first new homes are sold. It would give a better deal to existing communities and to new residents moving in. It would help to rebuild trust and get the community buy-in we need for new homes.

And it would help to tackle the GP crisis that fuels so much of the crisis across our NHS.

The problem we’re trying to solve

In communities across the country, when new housing is built, GPs are promised but not delivered. The result is hundreds of missing GP surgeries, broken trust, and huge pressure on local services - a bad deal for residents old and new. Despite 1.5 million new homes since 2015 the total number of main GP practices has declined by over 1300.

It’s perhaps not surprising that GP access is the top concern of people over the NHS at the moment, and that 2025 saw record numbers waiting over one month for an appointment.

It doesn’t have to be this way. We have high levels of unemployed and underemployed GPs and significant levels of developer money earmarked for infrastructure improvements but which currently goes unspent or unclaimed.

Our communities, and families trying to make a new life for themselves, are being left high and dry.

What would we do?

Liberal Democrats are clear: new housing must go hand in hand with new GPs.

Under our proposals, developers would be required to build or expand existing new GP surgeries when building new housing developments, or fund this construction upfront. We’d ensure additional GP provision is made a reality, by ensuring developer levies can be used to pay the contracts (or salaries) of GPs while patients are still moving in.

Currently, local councils use developer funds to build or expand the premises of GP surgeries (though often the process is disjointed and not fit for purpose), and developers can commit to building health infrastructure as part of a development.  However construction of this infrastructure often takes too long and there is usually no new money to fund the GP contract before patients move into an area, making new surgeries hard to staff. This creates a vicious circle where new patients register with over-subscribed practices elsewhere, and it never makes sense for a new GP to set up shop. Our plan - to guarantee the GP contract with developer contributions-  would ensure GP surgeries are not only built, but funded and staffed from the get-go.

This is part of our infrastructure-first approach to development, and supports our campaign to rescue General Practice and ensure everyone can get an appointment within 7 days or 24 hours if urgent.

Why are we talking about this now?

This is important for our communities and people’s daily lives

How can we expect residents, existing and new, to trust decision makers and to embrace change if we fail them at the first hurdle? People are promised services that never materialise, and they feel it in their daily lives. This is about basic fairness.

New development is essential - to meet the aspirations and needs of people and families around the country. That’s why we have ambitious proposals to build 150,000 social homes a year, and slash building costs through a customs union with the EU. But new residents and existing communities deserve services that can cope with growing populations. Building infrastructure first is crucial for improving people’s quality of life, strengthening community and restoring trust.

Health services are key for taking on the far right and defending our liberal values

The failure to deliver new health services fuels support for populists like Farage. Recent LSE research has confirmed what many already knew - where GP provision has receded and more surgeries have closed, support for the extreme right has risen. Restoring trust, and showing we can deliver new services, and that local communities won’t just take what is doled out to them, is critical to keeping Farage out of No.10. Liberal Democrats are offering the change people really want and need - not the false promises and snakeoil of Reform UK and the Conservatives.