Liberal Democrat conference: Sir Ed Davey pledges two-month cancer treatment guarantee in closing speech
Sir Ed Davey has promised to introduce a guarantee for cancer patients to begin treatment within two months if his party holds the balance of power after the next general election.
In his closing speech to the Liberal Democrat conference in Bournemouth, the party leader attacked “Conservative chaos” in government for leading to “unacceptable delays”.
And he pledged the policy would be the “top priority” for him and his MPs in the next parliament.
Read more: Sir Ed Davey’s speech featured a crude political calculation – analysis
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Sir Ed Davey made his pitch to his party at the Liberal Democrat conference.
Sharing how he lost both his parents at a young age to cancer, Sir Ed told the audience: “My family’s story isn’t unique. There are millions of us whose lives get turned upside down by cancer.
“This very day, across the UK, a thousand people will hear that fateful diagnosis. A thousand people, choking back tears as they try to process what it means for them.
“Far too many people are still waiting, far too long for a diagnosis, or to start treatment after being diagnosed.
“We will hold the government to account, for every target it misses and every patient it fails. We will never stop fighting for better care for you and your loved ones.”
The Lib Dem conference was held in Bournemouth
A source close to the leader said that in practice, the policy would work like the Armed Forces covenant – a promise from the nation that those who serve or have served in the armed forces, and their families, are treated fairly – to improve services.
The health secretary would be the person ultimately responsible for making sure the target is met.
Patients would be able to complain to the health ombudsman if they weren’t seen within the timeframe, and it could see the government getting sued as a result.
The source would not be drawn over whether the policy would be a deal breaker in any negotiations with Labour after the election, as the party continues to avoid answering questions about any possible agreement coming from a hung parliament, saying instead that the Lib Dems were “focused on voters”.
But he did reveal the cost of the plan was £4bn over five years.
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Lib Dems hint at Labour deal
Sir Ed underlined a number of health pledges the party has made over recent days during the speech – including enabling patients to see a GP within seven days and bringing in mental health MOTs for vulnerable groups.
But he also focused his ire on the Conservatives, as the Lib Dems attempt to win over voters in traditional Tory seats.
Sir Ed said the Tories had “botched” the post-Brexit settlement with Europe, “broken” the UK’s relationship with the continent, and “tied up British business in red tape”.
In a section that received rapturous applause, the Lib Dem leader said his party is the only one to “set out a detailed plan to tear down those trade barriers, fix our broken relationship with Europe and get a better deal for Britain.”
And at the start of his speech – his first conference address as leader – Sir Ed joked that it had been unfair to call the Conservatives “clowns” in July.
But he quipped that he needed to apologise to actual clowns – as they took offence at being compared to the Conservatives. “I’m sorry. I used the wrong C-word,” he said.
Throughout the conference, the party has hammered home its strategy of targeting the so-called “Blue Wall”, with around 80 seats in their sights where they came second to the Tories at the last general election.
Policy announcements made this week designed to appeal to those constituencies included ditching their long-standing pledge to add 1p to income tax.
But the leadership failed to get support from its members to water down its housing targets, losing a vote on the conference floor after a campaign by young activists.
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Lib Dems have their tails in the air once again – just don’t mention Brexit
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Lib Dems are determined to translate recent by-election wins into more widespread gains at an election
Despite the cuddly caricature frequently cast on the Lib Dems, the party has a ruthless streak – especially when it comes to by-elections.
If this four-day gathering on the Dorset coast has shown anything, it’s that the party leadership is determined to try and translate the discipline shown during recent individual votes into a wider strategy to pick up seats across the country.
That involves talking a lot about some things – chief among them the NHS, cost of living and the Tory record in government.
But crucially it’s also about barely mentioning others – for that, see the tension on show between members and party HQ over the lack of emphasis being placed on the long-term policy to re-join the EU.
Sir Ed Davey’s closing speech today was another illustration of this approach.
But the lack of some detail and costings around the key policy announcement of a cancer guarantee points to a possible criticism of this broader plan.
Are these serious and realistic answers to the big difficult questions facing the country?
Or just a sort of “centrist populism” that promises the world – just so long as you’re a disillusioned Tory who lives within a handful of marginal seats?
Lib Dems know the risks of making promises you can’t keep.
But after their post-coalition wipeout, they also know that policy can lack much purpose without a presence in parliament.
Sir Ed said: “For the British people, the next general election can’t come quickly enough. People are desperate for change.
“And while Rishi Sunak clings on, out of touch and out of ideas, our job – our responsibility – is to show the British people that positive change is possible. And that we are ready to fight for it, whenever the election comes.
“And this week, we’ve done just that. We’ve shown we have the policies, the passion and the people – not just to get the Conservatives out, but to deliver the real change people want. The fair deal people deserve.”
Nvidia boss Jensen Huang has told Sky News the AI sector is a “long, long way” from a Big Short-style collapse.
Speaking outside Downing Street following a roundtable with government and other industry figures, the head of the world’s first $5tn company defended his sector from criticism by investor Michael Burry.
Mr Burry and his firm, Scion Capital, gained notoriety for “shorting” – betting against – the US housing market ahead of the 2008 financial crash.
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He was portrayed by Christian Bale in the 2015 film The Big Short, which also starred Steve Carell, Brad Pitt and Ryan Gosling.
Earlier this week, filings revealed Mr Burry has now bet against Nvidia and on social media, he has suggested there is a bubble in the sector.
Some $500bn was wiped off technology stocks overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, Bloomberg reported.
Speaking to Sky News, Mr Huang said: “I would say that we’re in the beginning of a very long build out of artificial intelligence.”
Christian Bale portrayed Michael Burry in the 2015 hit film. Pic: Reuters
Defending his company and investment, Mr Huang said AI is the first technology that requires “infrastructure to be built” and that Nvidia has seen “great returns” from AI, and that is why it is expanding.
Mr Huang said better training of AI has led to much “better” and “useful” answers, and that means “the AIs have become profitable”.
“When something is profitable, the suppliers want to make more of it, and that’s the reason the infrastructure build out is accelerating,” he added.
Pushed on whether he was worried about a situation like the Big Short, Mr Huang said: “We are long, long away from that.”
The UK government is betting big on AI in the hopes that it can save money by using it and generate growth by building the infrastructure to back it up.
Asked if she was worried about the market, Technology Secretary Liz Kendall told Sky News: “I have no doubts that AI is going to transfer all parts of our economy and our public services.”
Mr Burry and his firm, Scion Capital’s bets against Nvidia and other companies were revealed by regulatory filings earlier this week.
The investor also posted on social media for the first time in more than two years, warning of a bubble.
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Concerns have been raised about the market surrounding AI, and the growth many companies are experiencing.
Nvidia is the largest producer of the specialist computer chips that are used to train and use AI models.
Politics
‘Hope won’: London mayor Sadiq Khan compares newly-elected New York mayor to his leadership
New York has followed London by choosing hope over fear in electing Democrat Zohran Mamdani as its new mayor, Sir Sadiq Khan said.
Mr Mamdani, 34, defeated former New York governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa to become the city’s first Muslim mayor and the first of South Asian heritage.
London mayor Sir Sadiq drew comparisons to his own 2016 victory as he congratulated Mr Mamdani, who will become New York’s youngest mayor in more than a century when he takes office on 1 January.
Sir Sadiq Khan. Pic: PA
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Sir Sadiq called it a “historic campaign”, adding on X: “New Yorkers faced a clear choice – between hope and fear – and just like we’ve seen in London – hope won.”
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson also congratulated Mr Mamdani, telling Sky News: “I wish him well.
“It’s a wonderful job to have secured.”
Green Party leader Zack Polanski said Mr Mamdani’s success “will resonate throughout the world” as he called it a “story where no one is left behind”.
“It’s time to write that story across England and Wales too,” he added.
Zohran Mamdani with his wife, Rama Duwaji. Pic Reuters
Mr Mamdani’s victory was a setback for Donald Trump, who had thrown his weight behind Andrew Cuomo, a former Democrat running as an independent.
The mayor-elect described himself as “Trump’s worst nightmare” and said New York had shown “a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him”.
Read more:
From rapper to New York mayor – Who is Zohran Mamdani?
The US president had threatened to cut federal funding to New York if Mr Mamdani won.
In his victory speech, Mr Mamdani said: “New York will remain a city of immigrants, a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants and as of tonight, led by an immigrant.
“If anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him.”
Kemi Badenoch is calling for the government to “get Britain drilling again” – as Sir Keir Starmer heads to COP30.
The Tory leader has launched a joint campaign with the Scottish Conservatives to demand the moratorium on new oil and gas licences is lifted.
They are also calling on the chancellor to scrap the energy profits levy – an extra 38% tax on North Sea oil and gas profits – at the upcoming budget on 26 November.
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The Conservatives want the government to recognise that it believes gas will be a key part of the future energy mix to secure energy and lower bills to “deliver a stronger economy”.
They have launched the call to “get Britain drilling again” as the prime minister flies to Brazil for the COP30 summit after he reiterated the government’s dedication to clean energy goals and the UK’s role as a global climate leader on Tuesday.
He admitted COP30 would present a “challenge” due to slow global progress in cutting emissions, but said: “I’ve thought climate change has been our biggest challenge as a species for a very long number of years now.”
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Trump’s ambassador tells UK to drill for oil
Speaking on a visit to Aberdeen, Ms Badenoch said the UK, in particular northeast Scotland, is facing an oil and gas “emergency due to the anti-growth policies of the Labour government in Westminster and the SNP in Holyrood”.
She warned the offshore oil and gas sector “risks disappearing altogether”, which she said would mean job losses in Scotland and the rest of the UK, and leave the country more reliant on overseas energy imports.
Ms Badenoch said: “Scotland, and the whole United Kingdom, faces a growing oil and gas emergency thanks to Labour’s inability to put our national interest first.
“By the end of Labour’s first term in office, it’s not inconceivable that Scotland’s oil and gas sector will be at serious risk, with domestic production currently set to half by 2030.
“That would be a shocking indictment of Labour’s energy policy, and a dangerous act of economic self-sabotage.
“Enough is enough. Keir Starmer must find the backbone to ditch Ed Miliband’s Net Zero fanaticism, which is forcing up bills and driving away industry.
“Instead, the prime minister should do what our economy needs, scrap the energy profits levy and end the moratorium on new licences in the North Sea.
“If the Labour government fails to act, we could be witness to the end of our domestic energy security as we know it.”
North Sea oil exploration platforms lie in the Cromerty Firth in northern Scotland in 2003. Pic: AP
A Labour Party spokesperson accused Ms Badenoch of “doubling down on the same failed Tory energy policy that caused the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation”.
“The Conservatives’ anti-growth, anti-jobs, anti-investment position on clean energy would cost hundreds of thousands of jobs, leave Britain reliant on insecure expensive fossil fuels and lock families into higher bills for generations to come,” she added.
“It’s the same old Tories, with the same old policies. It didn’t work then and it won’t work now.”
There have been a series of oil and gas closures this year.
Grangemouth, Scotland’s only oil refinery, stopped processing crude oil after a century of operations in April, with 430 job losses.
The union Unite said political leaders had “utterly failed” the workers and would face “electoral wrath”, while the area’s Labour MP, Brian Leishman, said he was “disgusted” by the broken promises.
Harbour Energy, the UK’s largest oil and gas producer, cut 250 jobs in Aberdeen in May, blaming the government’s fiscal rules and regulations.
The Prax Lindsey Oil Refinery in Lincolnshire ended production in August, with 125 job losses, after the group went into administration and the government was unable to find a buyer.
In October, oil and gas contractor Petrofac, which employs about 2,000 people in Scotland, filed for administration, but its core operating subsidiaries and North Sea business have continued to trade as normal while it looks at restructuring or selling.
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