Don Foster signs EDM 1987 - NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION

Don Foster MP has signed EDM 1987 on nuclear non-proliferation. The EDM reads:

That this House welcomes President Obama’s statement to Parliament during his recent state visit that the United States `will meet its obligations under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and strive for a world without nuclear weapons’; supports the consensus outcome document agreed by 189 states parties to the NPT Review Conference in 2010, which called `on all nuclear-weapon states to undertake concrete disarmament efforts and affirms that all states need to make special efforts to establish the necessary framework to achieve and maintain a world without nuclear weapons’; notes the growing support for negotiations to commence on a comprehensive nuclear weapons convention, as voted for by 133 states in the 2010 UN General Assembly; and calls on the Government actively to support and participate in multilateral negotiations on a comprehensive treaty to prohibit the use, production and deployment of all nuclear weapons and provide for their total elimination.

Don Foster signs EDM 2023 - JUST PAY! CAMPAIGN FOR LIVING WAGES IN THE FTSE 100

Don Foster MP has signed EDM 2023 campaigning for a living wage for those working for FTSE 100 companies. The EDM reads:

That this House notes with concern that an estimated 3.5 million adults over 22 years are paid less than 7per hour; further notes that in 2008-09, over half of all children in poverty in the UK had at least one parent in work; further notes that low pay is closely associated with other social disadvantages including poor health, substandard housing and personal debt; welcomes the recently-announced 2011 living wage rates of 8.30 per hour in London and 7.20 per hour outside London; believes that increasing the wages of the low-paid makes good business sense as it reduces staff turnover and sickness-related absenteeism, whilst also benefiting the wider economy by boosting consumer spending and reducing the public cost of benefits and tax credits; therefore supports FairPensions’ JustPay! campaign to encourage FTSE 100 companies to pay living wages to all UK staff and on-site contractors; congratulates those companies who have already responded to the campaign by committing to become living wage employers; and calls on other FTSE 100 companies to follow suit.

END

Bath and North East Somerset Liberal Democrats win campaigners award

Bath and North East Somerset Lib Dems picked up the annual award for ‘best campaign’ at the party’s federal conference in Birmingham. May was a difficult election for the Lib Dems nationally but BathNES bucked the trend and gained three seats and took control of the council. The awards were presented once again by the Party President, Tim Farron MP.

Paul Crossley, Liberal Democrat leader of the council commented, “Our key to succcess - lots of door knocking and conversations with people plus local campaigns on local issues2.