LIBERAL Democrat MP Helen Morgan has said the party does not need to be in a coalition to influence government policies.
Commenting on her party’s plan to spend an extra £1 billion on supporting farmers, she told GB News: “Since the Conservatives changed they way they would subsidise farming, they moved from a basic farm payment system to a system that rewards farmers for environmentally sustainable practices, which is all very well, we’re broadly supportive of that, but it’s been a botched transition where the basic payment has been phased out too soon and the new system isn’t ready to go or clearly understood.
“Coupled with a really, really difficult environment for farming at the moment, we’re seeing a lot of farmers go bust and we need them to produce our food for the future. So it’s really important that we get this right and we get enough money into farming so we keep our farmers in business so we can produce food and protect the environment going forward.
“We do have quite a strong history in Wales and Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe is a seat we have held previously and that we are very hopeful of taking back at the general election.
“There’s a good reason for us to point to our history in Wales but also farmers in Wales are fed up with the Labour government and the way they’ve managed their agricultural transition. They distrust the Conservatives and so we are offering a really positive alternative for Wales and its rural areas.
“I don’t think we need to be in coalition to influence policy. The windfall tax was our policy, we thought of it in 2021. We managed to get that to become government policy, and it’s one of the reasons people have benefited with that help towards their energy bills over the last winter.
“We’re not thinking about a coalition. We’re focusing on getting those MPs elected, and we’ll worry about the shape of the government I think after July 4th.
“[Ed Davey] was highlighting a really, really important issue about the dreadful situation with sewage pollution in our waterways. Obviously, he’s having a bit of fun on the campaign trail, and that’s great, but this issue is really, really serious.
“We’ve got a credible and sensible plan to tackle the abuses of the water companies while they’ve taken huge dividends and racked up huge amounts of debt while allowing raw sewage to be pumped into our rivers and beautiful lakes like Windermere.
“It’s very important that that’s at the heart of our manifesto, and that’s what he was highlighting yesterday while paddleboarding and I’m sure we had a bit of fun while he was out there as well.
“That’s why our policy is around setting up these public benefit companies, which will ensure that profits made by the water industry are ploughed back into that essential infrastructure to be able to manage heavy rainfall and prevent these awful sewage outflows, into our rivers and streams.”
