The Liberal Democrat leader unveiled his party’s plans for a state-backed mortgage protection fund to prevent families falling into arrears due to rising interest rates. In the speech, Davey also said his party would guarantee a doctor appointment in seven days, half the time proposed by the Conservatives, and called for Ofwat, the water watchdog for England and Wales, to be scrapped and replaced, saying it doesn’t stop. companies pumping sewage into coastal areas. Davey told the Observer on Sunday that those at risk of bankruptcy should be helped with grants of up to £300 a month. “Never again can the Conservatives claim to be the party of homeowners. Never again can they claim to be the party of business. Never again can they claim to be the party that balances the books. The Conservatives are the party of chaos. And now what worries millions of people is what will happen next,” he said in his speech. “Liz Truss and Quasi Kwarteng have rightly been kicked out of Downing Street for their disastrous policies, but no one else should lose their homes because of them.” Davey’s speech at the planned Lib Dem conference in September was canceled due to the Queen’s funeral. He joked that the speech had been delayed for 47 days, the equivalent of “about one Liz Truss. And that says it all, doesn’t it?’ The Lib Dem leader said Rishi Sunak was unwilling to call a general election because he “knows he would lose”, although he did not specifically name Labor as a likely winner. “It’s obvious we need one. The British people demand one. Even well-known constitutional expert Nadine Dorries now says it is “impossible to avoid” an election. So why didn’t Rishi invite one? We know why. Because he knows he will lose.” Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Davey said that was clear from the Lib Dem by-election results in Buckinghamshire, Shropshire and Devon. “He knows we will do it again – in seats along the blue wall and across the country. “This is the guy who two years ago was telling us all, ‘Eat out so we can help.’ So our message to the Conservatives is this: help clarify.” Davey said he recognized that a snap election was unlikely under Sunak, but that it was time to increase support for working families, saying “it’s time to start helping.” He said revenue could rise if the Conservatives “put a proper windfall tax on the fossil fuel giants’ blood oil profits. Reverse your tax cuts for the big banks – they are unfair and unnecessary – and use those extra billions to help people with their energy bills, protect pensions and benefits from inflation, protect schools, hospitals and councils from cuts and help homeowners struggle to pay this Tory property penalty.’ Referring to the NHS, Davey said everyone should have the right to see a GP in seven days and that it was “not an aspiration, not an expectation, not a target, but a right”. Davey said it could only be achieved by training and recruiting 8,000 more GPs and setting pension rules. Davey also said he wanted to make the next election “the last to be used first after the post” – a hint at terms of agreement with Labor if supply and confidence measures are required to give Labor a majority. “In the end, for us, as liberals, it comes down to power. And a proportional electoral system would give every voter equal power. And with fair votes, everyone could make their voice heard. Everyone’s vote would have real power. “The power of the voters to hold every Member of Parliament to account. Putting power in the hands of the people. Holding the powerful accountable – that’s our liberal mission.”
