Siobhan makes her first speech to a packed room at London Regional Conference as the Liberal Democrats kick off their plans to take City Hall in the London 2020 elections.

The Liberal Democrats are delighted to announce that Siobhan Benita will be the party’s candidate for the London Mayoral elections in May 2020, and will lead the campaign for the London Assembly elections.

London Lib Dem Assembly Member Caroline Pidgeon has challenged the Mayor to explain to Londoners why thousands of emergency 999 calls are not being responded to by the Met, but instead being bounced onto other police forces.

Liberal Democrat members have passed a motion demanding the restoration of rights to the Windrush Generation.The motion demands an end to the damaging Hostile Environment policy started under May’s leadership of the Home Office.

Baroness Liz Barker, GLA Member Caroline Pidgeon, Merton Councillor Hina Bokhari and Carshalton and Wallington MP Tom Brake front our excellent turnout at Saturday's London Pride 2018 parade.

Caroline Pidgeon has called for TfL to tell people how they can reclaim their unused Oyster credit after it was revealed that they are sitting on a "cash mountain" of more than £321m. Caroline said "TfL never stops bombarding us with advertisements and information campaigns, but highlighting this cash mountain is one issue that they remain incredibly quiet about.  It is time TfL devoted far more time and energy telling the public how they can get their own money back.”

Caroline Pidgeon: “The Mayor is still in denial over the mistakes in cutting the RV1 bus service.  He has failed to properly listen to the hundreds of people who have signed the petition to retain the service. The claims [to cut the service] made by the Mayor simply do not stand up to scrutiny."

Edward Davey, Lib Dem MP for Kingston and Surbiton has said that “We have to learn from this scandalous treatment of the Windrush Generation - and that must mean serious reform at the Home Office.

During yesterday's debate in Parliament, Ed Davey questioned Home Sec on Windrush Generation scandal and secured a confirmation that the newly announced dedicated team will be open to all Commonwealth citizens in similar position, be they originally from India, Australia, Pakistan, Canada or wherever.

The Lib Dem MP said after the debate “I am pleased the Home Secretary confirmed in reply to my question that the new dedicated team to help these people, will be open to all Commonwealth citizens in similar situations.

“Yet if the Home Office is really to get to grips with this, we need legal clarification, extra resources and a change in the overall Home Office policy of creating a hostile environment - including to people who are actually British citizens. That is wrong and must change.

“And we need to hear loud, clear and often from all politicians, that we value the contribution of Britain’s diverse immigration communities to this country and we must always treat them with the equality, respect and gratitude they deserve.”

Caroline Pidgeon, London's Lib Dem member on the London Assembly, has launched a campaign for urgent action to tackle London's crime epidemic.

Caroline wrote "We are just 100 days into 2018 and already 55 people have been murdered in London. Stabbings in particular have seen an alarming rise. Yet sadly the rise in violent crime didn’t just start at the beginning of this year. Back in 2013 there were 47 fatal stabbings in the capital. It has been increasing since then.  Last year 86 people were killed by knives in London."

"There are no easy single solutions to tackling violent crime, however we should look at best practice around the country and adopt every policy that works. Of course many other policies are needed, for example it is vital that police numbers do not fall any further. Liberal Democrats rightly fought the last General Election with a specific pledge to increase funding for our police service."

Please sign this petition and help ensure that practical and effective policies are taken to curb the scourge of knife crime. 

http://www.londonlibdems.org.uk/knifecrime

Caroline Pidgeon AM, Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member, commenting on the Mayor’s decision to use income raised from business rates to support the Metropolitan Police said:

“Despite his claims this is not an unusual decision for the Mayor of London to make. In fact last year I called on the Mayor to do everything within his powers to put extra cash into the Met. At last he has listened.