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Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg today called for a cross-party Council of Financial Stability to agree the timetable and scale of deficit reduction.

The sheer size of the deficit will require politicians to take a different approach to the challenges in public spending to avoid Greek-style social unrest, Nick Clegg said in his speech at the London Stock Exchange which was co-hosted by the WWF and CentreForum.

Nick Clegg said:

“Government-as-usual will not, cannot, command the legitimacy to make the big decisions before us. The scale of the changes required is so great it will require a different way of taking decisions too.

“The standard model, of Governments elected with a minority of popular support, cooking up fiscal plans behind closed doors in Whitehall, imposing cuts from on high is a recipe for Greek-style social and industrial strife.

“So we need to find new ways to arrive at decisions so that politicians put the long term national interest above their own short term interests and actively involve the public in the decisions taken.

“The Liberal Democrats would establish a cross party Council for Financial Stability.

“We would invite the economic spokespeople of all the major parties, the Governor of the Bank of England, and the Head of the Financial Services Authority to join the Council.

“The purpose would be to force the politicians to put the long term national interest ahead of their own narrow political interest, and agree the basic timetable and scale of deficit reduction in the years ahead.

“Agreeing that timetable according to sound economic tests, like those Vince Cable has already set out as a means of judging when to begin the process of fiscal contraction:

“The rate of growth; the level of unemployment; credit conditions; the extent of spare capacity in the economy; and the cost of Government borrowing.

“This would not prevent political parties from arguing about what changes should be made to taxes and in public spending, or which areas of taxation and spending should be immune from any change, but it would force the whole political class to come clean and tell the people of Britain what the scale of the changes actually will be.

“With a structural deficit now estimated at £80bn, and market confidence shaken by the unwillingness of the politicians to spell out what they’re committed to achieving, it is essential that politicians of all parties demonstrate that they will no longer play games with the stability of Britain’s long term financial reputation.

“Including the monetary and banking authorities will also allow for a more coherent debate about the interaction between monetary and fiscal policy. As well as the role of the financial services sector in underpinning, not undermining, growth.

“Crucially, given that the full elimination of the structural deficit will almost certainly take more than one parliament, an agreed approach on the overall scale and timetable of fiscal consolidation will provide both the British public and the markets with the assurance that a consistent and responsible approach will not be hijacked by politics in the future.”

Liberal Democrat Luton South PPC Cllr. Qurban Hussain was recently interviewed by students at Luton Sixth Form College. In the interview, which you canread below, Cllr. Hussain spoke of how he aimed to improve the lives of young people in the community, the expenses scandal and why he is running to become Luton South’s new MP.

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What is your opinion of the expenses scandal? And what do you think should happen to the MPs who refuse to pay it back?

The expenses scandal was simply outrageous. It undermined public trust in our elected officials and showed our political system in Westminster to be open to corruption. When our law makers are doing something so indefensible, could we trust them?

What was more shocking through was how the Labour and Conservative Party refused to back Lib Dem plans to give local people the right to sack their MPs. My own MP, Margaret Moran, disgraced our town but yet the local Labour Party still supports her.

What are your proposals for Luton as a whole?

I want to give Luton South residents the voice we deserve. I have lived and worked for this area for 17 years and it is time we put our community first before anything else.  By knowing our community I have many proposals to make it better, but one of the key areas I want to work is jobs for young people in our community. I want to stand up for our town by fighting to bring  jobs to Luton so young people can be educated then get jobs here. I have sadly seen too many jobs leave our community when people here, who are able to do them, need them.

Why have you chosen to campaign in Luton?

I have chosen to campaign for Luton South because it is my home, the town I love and place I am proud to represent as a Councillor.

I do not just care about this community as an election is on the way. Issues affecting schools, jobs, health, the environment etc. affect me because they affect my children and my family. I firmly believe our town has vast amounts of potential and the best people to serve and work for it are Lutonians themselves.

I am not a career politician who would want to represent people they have no connection with, I want to help my fellow residents and that is why I am campaigning to be our MP in Luton south.

Luton is a very culturally diverse place. How do you intend to reach all these different cultures and identities?

One of Luton’s great strengths is its diversity. As a Councillor I have been proud to work with groups from all sections of our community and help bring them together and I will continue to do so as our MP. I want my family and fellow residents to live in a town which puts equality and community cohesion first.

Also, I will continue to stand up to extremism no matter which section of our community it comes from. I am proud though of how young people across our town and country though are growing up treating all people with respect, tolerance and dignity – there is much others can learn from them!

What are your plans for becoming an effective member of the House of Commons? Some people take the back seat and let other people do the work, but what role would you like to play in the House of Commons?

Unlike some Luton South candidates in this election, I believe to be an effective MP I firmly believe that they must live in our community and have no second job.

But doing this you can really learn from residents about what they need and the what needs to be discussed in parliament. As Luton is my home the role I will take in parliament is that of a champion of our community, always putting it first. Fighting for it to create jobs and improve fellow residents lives.

While some only want to be a MP for the title and the money, I want only to work for my town and will always do so.

Finally, what is your vision for Luton in the future?

My vision for the future of Luton is that is becomes an example of how far a town can progress when local people are put first. I want our town to be in the headlines for the right reasons and people coming to our town to learn from us.

Most importantly though I want to make our town a place where young people want to stay or move to; Where there are jobs, green spaces and plenty to do. Like all of us who are proud to be Lutonians I want our town to always try to do better, work harder and achieve more. I know we can do this and I will proud to serve us and help us reach this goal when elected as our next MP!

Luton South Liberal Democrat PPC Cllr. Qurban Hussain is to meet with the Foreign Secretary David Miliband to discuss the continuing problems in Kashmir. Cllr. Hussain, a noted expert on the issue, is attending the event at the House of Commons soon after speaking on the issue at the House of Lords.

Qurban said “it will be an honour to represent our town once again at Parliament. Kashmir and foreign policy are major issues which affect our town and community. Not only do Lutonians want to see peace throughout the world but also to do all we can to ensure that our troops are never put in danger due to a failure of foreign policy.

It is essential that the international community works together to pursue peace and I firmly believe that the peaceful values of Luton residents are reflected by all communities across our country. By working together we can help protect our troops and potential civilian causalities in the region. The money we would save by pursuing peace would lead to better equipment for our troops and more money to spend on vital services at home”

Cllr. Hussain joined the Liberal Democrats the day the Iraq war started in 2003 and has been a dedicated peace campaigner for many years who continues to speak out against extremism of all kinds arguing that “I want my children to grow up in a peaceful world, with no fear of discrimination and where democracy is free to protect the rights of all citizens”.

Chris Huhne MP

Tory party has been bought like a banana republic says Chris Huhne MP.

“The Conservatives’ biggest donor is a tax-dodger from Belize,” said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary.

Commenting on Lord Ashcroft’s admission that he is non-domiciled for tax purposes, Chris Huhne said;

“The Conservatives’ biggest donor is a tax-dodger from Belize who has not paid a penny of British tax on the vast bulk of his estimated £1.1bn fortune held offshore.”

“This raises extraordinary questions about the judgement of successive Tory leaders – William Hague, Michael Howard and David Cameron – whose view seems to be that only little people should pay tax.

“The abolition of exit checks by Conservative and Labour Governments means that we can only guess at the numbers coming in and out,” said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary.

Commenting on today’s Office for National Statistics migration figures, Chris Huhne said:

“Public confidence and trust in the migration system has been shattered by decades of mismanagement.

“The abolition of exit checks by Conservative and Labour Governments means that we can only guess at the numbers coming in and out.

“People over-staying on short-term visas are probably the biggest source of illegal immigration and we still cannot say whether they are leaving when they are meant to do so.

“Exit checks must be reintroduced immediately.”

Luton South PPC Cllr. Qurban Hussain welcomed Chris Huhnes remarks saying:

“We need to have a clear information on who is coming in and out of our country. People deserve to know this information and I fully support Chri’s remarks which reflect the concerns of many residents in our community in Luton South.”

The Liberal Democrats will tomorrow vote in Parliament against the decision to freeze state pension top-up payments this April, which will leave almost nine million pensioners worse off.

Last December Ministers set out plans to freeze payments of the State Earnings Related Pension and the Second State Pension, effectively cutting state pension payments by £515million next year.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Steve Webb said:

“Labour has betrayed pensioners by promising to increase their pensions when millions are actually set to receive a real-term cut this year.

“Freezing pension top-up payments will leave almost nine million older people worse off at a time when they are already struggling to make ends meet.

“Older people are already facing high fuel bills following this cold winter and rising inflation eroding their savings.

“The Liberal Democrats will vote against this latest example of the Government failing to give a fair deal to pensioners.”

Luton Liberal Democrat Councillor and Luton South PPC Qurban Hussain said:

“Today’s annoucement clearly demostrates how the Liberal Democrats are faimrly on the side of fairness. While other parties pay lip service to working for the most vulnerable in our community, the Liberal Democrats continue to fight for them”

Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg has today set out the importance of early years education in tacking inequality in a speech to the Salvation Army. Committing the Liberal Democrats to invest an extra £2.5bn in schools, Nick Clegg said that parents and schools must work together to make sure that children get the best possible start in life.

You can read the full speech here.

A promise by Luton’s Labour Councillors to keep increases in Council Tax in Luton down to below the national average has been broken for the third year in a row.

Why Believe Labour’s Pledges? Asks Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidate Councillor Qurban Hussain

Labour regained control in Luton promising residents that they would keep any increase in Council Tax at or below the national average.  The pledge featured prominently in their Manifesto, with supporting statements from Council Leader Hazel Simmons.

The pledge was one of 7 commitments highlighted on a summary page “Seven for 07”.  Despite this, Labour Leaders have gone for above-average rises in all three of their Budgets so far – with this year’s 1.94% rise comparing to a national average of 1.6 0%.

Liberal Democrat Councillor and Luton South PPC Qurban Hussain says:

It would be unkind to accuse Luton Labour Councillors of cynically lying to the electorate about their tax plans when they set out their stall to run the Council again.  But they are certainly paying no attention whatsoever to what they said.

For the third year in a row, they have set a rise above the national average.  With a deep recession underway, people can little afford to pay the price of Labour mismanagement and a Council out of control.

Meanwhile, Councillor Simmons and her group are reducing services to Luton residents having voted themselves 87 percent pay rises. This latest budget is a clear indication of Luton Labour’s inability to lead, and of the ease with which they discard their promises.

What we really need to do is to scrap the unfair the Council Tax and introduce a local tax system based on local resident’s ability to pay. If the Labour Party really did believe in fairness they should do this without delay.

With the Conservative vote crumbling nationally and with no Councillors in the South of Luton at all people need to lend their support to the Liberal Democrats to make sure we do not reward Labour for the damage they continue to do to our community.”

Liberal Democrat Councillors say Labour budget cuts will hit the most vulnerable and the Labour Council needs to think again.

Liberal Democrat Councillors have pointed to a long list of damaging front line service cuts included in Labour’s Council Budget and have identified the following £1.68M list as the most worrying:

• £281,000 cuts in education funding.
• £200,000 cut by closing St. Kilda’s Children’s Home.
• £480,000 cut in projected payments to private residential and nursing homes – an effective freeze at current prices.
• A £100,000 cut in Learning and Physical Disability Support.
• £66,000 cuts in employment promotion.
• £50,000 cut in cemeteries and the crematorium grounds maintenance.
• £78,000 cut in street cleaning and weed spraying.
• £325,000 cut in street light replacements.
• £100,000 cancellation of the Equalities Agency project.

“It is outrageous they are putting forward cuts in education at a time when Luton schools are struggling to get somewhere near National average performance, cuts in employment promotion when more Luton people are losing their jobs and youngster find it impossible to find work, cuts the fees paid to private care homes when they are closing Council run homes”, says Liberal Democrat Prospective candidate for Luton South, Qurban Hussain.

“Labour’s finance chief, Councillor Harris, keeps on saying there are no service cuts in his budget but it is simply not true. He may have convinced himself, and seems to have convinced his labour colleagues, but the savage cuts are there for all to see. You only have to look at the details of the budget he has produced.”

When the Council budget was discussed at the full Council meeting on Wednesday evening (17th February) Liberal Democrat Councillors moved to send it back to the Council’s Labour executive but the move was defeated by the Labour majority at the meeting.

“It now looks like these cuts will go ahead,” said Liberal Democrat leader, David Franks. “I do not envy them the task of explaining to dedicated and talented young musicians why their chances of reaching high standards in their music are being diminished, why their ambition to make a career in music will be much harder to achieve.”