Liberal Democrat conference: Sir Ed Davey pledges to be champion for carers in emotional speech

Published

7 months ago

September 17, 2024

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Sir Ed Davey has pledged to be a champion for carers – as he put his party forward as the “responsible opposition”.

In a personal and emotional keynote speech in Brighton on Tuesday, the Lib Dem leader said “care and carers must not be forgotten and ignored any longer”.

“If the Liberal Democrats don’t offer that hope – if we don’t speak up for care in parliament – no one else will,” he said.

“Of course, everyone knows the Conservatives don’t care. But did you know, carers weren’t mentioned once in Labour’s election manifesto. And carers weren’t mentioned once in the King’s Speech either.

“But carers did feature in Keir Starmer’s first Prime Minister’s Questions. Because I made sure they would.”

Sir Ed spoke about caring for his mother as a child while she had bone cancer, then looking after his “wonderful Nanna” who looked after him when both his parents died.

“Now, Emily and I, caring for our wonderful, smiley 16-year-old son John – with his challenges from his severe disabilities,” he said.

“Even at 5.30 in the morning, when he shouts ‘Daddy’ to wake me up, it’s a blessing – given he was nine years old, when he was first able to say ‘Daddy’.

“But alongside the fun and the blessings, I have to tell you, caring for your family can be tough. Just dealing with whatever comes each day. Making plans that too often fall through.

“As millions of people across our country know, a carer’s life is often exhausting.”

During the election campaign the Lib Dems released a video showing Sir Ed and his wife Emily looking after their son, John, who has an undiagnosed neurological condition.

He said he was not prepared for “so many incredible, heartfelt responses” and told of a 15-year-old who has been looking after his mum, who has MS, since he was five.

The teenager, Joseph, said it was the “toughest but most rewarding feeling” and has “never really had his opportunity to be heard”.

Sir Ed said Joseph wrote: “I wanted you to know that people like yourself are everywhere. Quiet and silenced but we are still here.”

Following four days of celebrations after the Lib Dems’ most successful election in a century, Sir Ed also called on the government to invest now “to make the NHS winterproof” with a new taskforce.

However, his spokesman could not provide any details on how it would work.

He also said the 72 Lib Dem MPs would be “the responsible opposition to this government” and will hold Labour to account “for the promises they made to clear up the Conservatives’ mess”.

Sir Ed’s spokesman said the party will continue to focus on winning local elections and is aiming to take more Conservative seats at the next election by focusing on local needs and concerns.

Sir Ed became known during the election campaign for his stunts, which continued during the conference, with him entering on a jet ski, playing beach volleyball, and building a stile.

However, he revealed in his speech that health and safety stopped him from “putting my hand up a cow’s behind or wing walking on a biplane”.

The spokesman said the cow idea had been seriously considered but did not go ahead due to health and safety concerns for both the cow and Sir Ed.

Politics

SEC and Gemini ask to pause lawsuit to explore ‘potential resolution’

Published

2 hours ago

April 2, 2025

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SEC and Gemini ask to pause lawsuit to explore ‘potential resolution’

The US Securities and Exchange Commission and crypto exchange Gemini have asked to pause the regulator’s suit over the exchange’s Gemini Earn program, saying they want to discuss a potential resolution.

In an April 1 letter to New York federal court judge Edgardo Ramos, lawyers representing the SEC and Genesis requested a 60-day hold on the case and that all deadlines be pulled “to allow the parties to explore a potential resolution.”

“In this case, the parties submit that it is in each of their interests to stay this matter while they consider a potential resolution and agree that no party or non-party would be prejudiced by a stay,” the letter states.

The lawyers added that a stay was in the court’s interest as “a resolution would conserve judicial resources” and proposed that a joint status report be submitted within 60 days after the entry of the stay.

The SEC sued Gemini and crypto lending firm Genesis Global Capital in January 2023, alleging they offered unregistered securities through the Gemini Earn program.

In March 2024, Genesis agreed to pay $21 million to settle charges related to the lending program, but the enforcement case against Gemini remains outstanding.

The letter did not specify what a possible resolution would entail, but the SEC has dropped several lawsuits it launched against crypto companies under the Biden administration, including against Coinbase, Ripple and Kraken.

In February, Gemini said the SEC closed a separate investigation into the firm as the regulator winds back its crypto enforcement under President Donald Trump.

“The SEC cost us tens of millions of dollars in legal bills alone and hundreds of millions in lost productivity, creativity, and innovation. Of course, Gemini is not alone,” Gemini co-founder Cameron Winklevoss said at the time.

OpenSea, Crypto.com and Uniswap, among others, have also recently reported that the SEC had closed similar probes into their companies that were investigating alleged breaches of securities laws.

Magazine: Bitcoin ATH sooner than expected? XRP may drop 40%, and more: Hodler’s Digest, March 23 – 29

Politics

Crypto PAC-backed Republicans win US House seats in Florida special elections

Published

2 hours ago

April 2, 2025

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Crypto PAC-backed Republicans win US House seats in Florida special elections

Two Republicans who received a combined $1.5 million from the crypto-backed political action committee (PAC) Fairshake will enter the US House after winning special elections in Florida.

Republican Jimmy Patronis won the vacant seat in Florida’s 1st Congressional District to replace Matt Gaetz, taking 57% of the vote to defeat Democrat Gay Valimont, according to AP News data.

Randy Fine also took Florida’s 6th Congressional District with 56.7% of the vote to beat his Democratic rival, public school teacher Josh Weil, and fill a seat left vacant by Mike Waltz, who took a job as White House national security adviser.

Florida’s 1st and 6th Congressional Districts — located in Florida’s western panhandle and along the state’s northeast coast — have been controlled by Republicans for roughly 30 years, but their lead has narrowed in recent years.

Fairshake, a PAC backed by crypto industry giants including Coinbase, Ripple and Andreessen Horowitz, gave Fine around $1.16 million in advertising spending and funneled $347,000 to Patronis to support his campaign.

Both Republicans have expressed support for the crypto industry, with Fine stating in a Jan. 14 X post that “Floridians want crypto innovation!”

Fairshake and its affiliates poured around $170 million into the 2024 US presidential and congressional elections to back candidates who committed to supporting the crypto industry.

The wins by Patronis and Fine increased Republican representation in the House to 220 seats, with the Democrats holding 213 seats.

There are two vacant seats to be filled after Texas and Arizona Democrats Sylvester Turner and Raúl Grijalva died on March 5 and March 13, respectively.

Florida can expect to see a crypto-friendly regulatory environment

The victories for Patronis and Fine likely mean that crypto legislation will continue to see support in the US capital.

The Republican Party would have maintained its House majority even if it lost both seats in Florida, but it would have made it more difficult for some of the recently introduced Republican-backed crypto bills to pass through the House and Senate.

At the Digital Assets Summit on March 18, Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna said he believes Congress “should be able to get” both a stablecoin and crypto market structure bill done this year.

Bills that could eventually make their way to the House include the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act, which passed the Senate Banking Committee in an 18-6 vote on March 13.

Senator Cynthia Lummis also reintroduced a Bitcoin reserve bill about a week after the Trump administration announced the establishment of a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve on March 6, with the legislation referred to the Senate Banking Committee on March 11.

Magazine: Trump’s crypto ventures raise conflict of interest, insider trading questions

Politics

UK trade bodies ask government to make crypto a ‘strategic priority’

Published

4 hours ago

April 2, 2025

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UK trade bodies ask government to make crypto a ‘strategic priority’

Several British trade associations have asked Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office to appoint a special envoy dedicated to crypto and for a dedicated action plan for digital assets and blockchain technology.

In a March 31 letter, the coalition of six UK digital economy trade bodies urged Starmer’s special adviser on business and investment, Varun Chandra, for a “greater strategic focus and alignment to deliver investment, growth and jobs” for the crypto industry.

The group, which consisted of the UK Cryptoasset Business Council, Global Digital Finance, The Payments Association, Digital Currencies Governance Group, the Crypto Council for Innovation and techUK, noted the US policy shift on crypto under President Donald Trump and his appointment of a crypto czar.

Britain’s commitment to an economic trade deal focused on technological cooperation with the US “presents a significant opportunity to mirror the United States’ ambition in fostering leadership in blockchain, digital assets, and other emerging financial technologies,” the letter stated.

The group recommended that the UK appoint a blockchain special envoy, similar to the US, to coordinate policy, foster innovation, and position the country competitively in global markets.

The trade bodies also called for the development of a dedicated government action plan for crypto and blockchain technology, including a concierge service to attract high-potential firms.

They added that the government should acknowledge and leverage the commonalities between blockchain, quantum computing and artificial intelligence technologies, including potential applications for government services.

Another recommendation was to create a high-level industry-government-regulator engagement forum to ensure informed decision-making and cross-sector collaboration.

“With deep pools of talent, access to capital, world-class academic institutions, and sophisticated regulators, the UK provides an environment where digital assets and blockchain innovation can thrive,” they stated.

The coalition argues that crypto and blockchain technology could boost the UK economy by 57 billion British pounds ($73.6 billion) over the next decade, with the sector potentially increasing global gross domestic product by 1.39 trillion pounds ($1.8 trillion) by 2030.

Tom Griffiths, the co-founder and managing partner of crypto compliance advisory firm BitCompli, said in response to the letter on LinkedIn that the Financial Conduct Authority “has a lot of talent and a good sight of future plans, but the UK is definitely losing pace with Dubai, Singapore, and other EU jurisdictions.”

“Now is the time for the FCA to act, or the UK will lose out on this huge opportunity, which is digital assets and all the benefits this sector can bring, not only now but over the next 20 years,” he added.

Magazine: Bitcoin ATH sooner than expected? XRP may drop 40%, and more: Hodler’s Digest, March 23 – 29