Birmingham Liberal Democrats

I want to lead the Liberal Democrats because I am ambitious about our future.

I believe we are the only party that can represent the millions of liberal-minded people alarmed by the direction this country is taking: people, whether they voted remain or leave, who hate the intolerance, xenophobia and division that the Brexit vote unleashed.

Figures published today have shown that of the 108 people at the BBC who earn more than £150,000, just 34 are women.

Only five women are in the top 20 and one in the top 10. Claudia Winkleman, the top earning female. earns a quarter (£400,000 - £449,000) of the salary of the highest earning male, Chris Evans (£2.2m - 2.249m).

The Office for Budgetary Responsibility (OBR) has warned that even a small hit to productivity caused by Brexit could cause a £97bn hit to the UK economy in the long-term, reducing tax receipts by £36 billion.

The OBR report also describes future tax receipts as being "particularly vulnerable" to the impact of Brexit on the financial sector, which could face up to 60,000 job losses.

One month on from this tragedy, there is no less pain for the victims and their families, no less fear, and no less anger over the failings of the political system.

The disaster at Grenfell Tower has left a huge scar, not just in the local community of Kensington, but across Britain. It has moved people deeply, whether they have local connections or not, and that has been reflected in the generosity shown by public donations. It has also exposed deep divisions and inequalities in our society which we have ignored for far too long. This disaster should have been avoided. How is it possible that, in a very wealthy borough like Kensington and Chelsea, dozens of people can burn to death in their own homes?

Pride is a colourful, energetic celebration of freedom, love and acceptance. Each year I am amazed as thousands of people of all sexualities take to the streets in the name of freedom and equality.

I am proud to stand with the LGBT community in the continuous fight for a more open, tolerant and united society.

One in four social care services are failing on safety, the care regulator has said. Analysis by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) shows that 23% of care homes, nursing homes and services providing care in people's homes require improvement on safety while a further 2% are inadequate.

Commenting on the news, Shadow Health Secretary Norman Lamb said:

Government plans to axe free school lunches have been dropped in another humiliating u-turn. Commenting on the news, Liberal Democrat Shadow Education Secretary Layla Moran said:

"Theresa May was worried that she would go down in history as the lunch snatcher. Dropping these plans is just another humiliating climb down, in what seems to becoming a long list for the Prime Minister.

Figures released today by the Nursing and Midwifery Council have shown a reduction in the numbers of nurses and midwives registered to work in the UK.

Commenting, Lib Dem health spokesperson and former health minister Norman Lamb said:

"These figures are extremely concerning. For the first time we have more nurses and midwives leaving the profession than joining it, with a sharp rise in U.K. nurses and midwives deciding to leave the country and practice overseas.

Household savings have plummeted to their lowest level in 50 years, official figures published today have revealed. It comes after figures yesterday showed household borrowing has continued to grow, with unsecured consumer credit increasing by £1.7bn in May.

Vince Cable has warned the stark figures show the economy is on an unsustainable footing and that this could have "severe consequences" when combined with the impact of an extreme Brexit.

The Liberal Democrats have accused Jeremy Corbyn of failing Labour voters who wanted a different approach to Brexit, after he imposed a three-line whip on his MPs to abstain on a cross-party amendment to keep the UK in the single market.

Only 49 Labour MPs voted for the amendment, fewer than a fifth, while the rest abstained.