Wyre Forest Liberal Democrats

Commenting on Iain Duncan Smith's resignation, Tim Farron has called on George Osborne to follow his example.

Tim Farron said:

"It is quite right that Iain Duncan Smith has resigned over this heartless plan to cut disability benefits, but the true mastermind of the changes George Osborne, should also be considering his position.

Changes hidden in the Budget will mean the NHS has £650m less to spend on front line services, Liberal Democrat research can reveal.

The research on the budget, based on analysis from the House of Commons Library, reveals hidden changes to public sector pensions, passing the cost directly to the health service and other public sector bodies.

Hidden in the Chancellor's Budget was a backdoor £2bn cut to public services. This cut has been attacked by Liberal Democrat Education spokesperson John Pugh.

Plans to reduce the public service pension scheme discount rate will raise the Treasury around £2bn from 2019/20.

But this means that public sector employers, such as the NHS, schools and local councils will have to make up the shortfall in pensions contributions - hitting their budgets.

Commenting, Education spokesperson John Pugh MP said: "Public services that we all rely on can only function if they are properly supported and funded. This Government has already failed to protect the schools budget, is stretching the NHS and has now burdened public sector employers with finding another £2bn for pension contributions.

"The Chancellor is choosing to pursue an overall budget surplus, even though it is not necessary and means more cuts. He says we can trust him with the economy, but he is risking the future of services we all rely on."

Commenting on the Budget, Liberal Democrat Economics Spokesperson Susan Kramer said:

"This is George Osborne's sweet and sour budget. His sugar tax may seem sweet, but his hidden cuts are sour. This is not a long term economic plan, it is a short term economic scam.

"He has missed his targets and is making ordinary people pick up the pieces. Once again his words simply don't match his actions.

"He said he wouldn't fix the figures to fit the plan, but he has cut vital spending to fit his own arbitrary and unnecessary spending surplus.

"He said his budget would act now so we don't pay later. But he has pencilled in £3.5 billion of cuts to vital services for future years, without the decency to say where it will come from.

At Spring Conference our members voted to help deliver Tim Farron's vision of a gender balanced and more diverse parliamentary party at the next General Election.

Tim's goal of having at least 50% female MPs, and at least 10% black Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) MPs will be pursued by an ambitious and comprehensive package of measures, agreed overwhelmingly by party members. Every method available under the law will be used to improve the diversity of our MPs.

The government's plan to make people save for an emergency through the proposed 'Help to Save' shows how out of touch the Conservatives are with the realities of those who are struggling.

Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Susan Kramer has said the scheme is just 'smoke and mirrors' to try and distract from a budget of heavy cuts. Susan Kramer said:

You will be unsurprised to hear that I was recently interviewed by Stylist magazine.

They asked me lots of exciting questions regarding my colossal sense of glamour.

They also wanted me to write about a woman who had been my hero.

I wanted to be completely honest, and pick the woman who was indeed my hero.

Liberal Democrats have embraced diversity today by voting in favour of all-women shortlists.

Building on earlier successes and designed to increase diversity amongst candidates and MPs, the motion was supported by Party Leader Tim Farron, and passed overwhelmingly at the Liberal Democrat Spring Conference in York.

Liberal Democrat members voted to ban fracking in England and Wales at the party's Spring Conference in York today.

The party called for further investment in renewable energy production and action to meet climate change targets.

Liberal Democrat Energy and Climate Change spokesperson Lynne Featherstone said:

The Liberal Democrats became the first political party to support a regulated cannabis market in the UK today.

The spring conference vote comes after the party commissioned a groundbreaking report into how it could work in the UK.

The motion supports an expert report published this week by a panel comprised of police officers , public health experts and drugs policy analysts.