Tories select 2015 election candidate

JOURNALIST and author Julian Knight has been selected as the man Conservatives want to seize back Solihull at the next General Election.

                

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Lib Dem defection boosts Greens

AN independent Liberal Democrat has defected to the Green Party, giving the group four members on Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council.

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MP Burt: Clegg needs to change his style

NICK Clegg should place more emphasis on his role as leader of the Liberal Democrats after heaving election defeats, Solihull Lib Dem MP Lorely Burt has said.

Conservatives bid to snatch back council

THE Conservatives will bid to snatch back from Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council from a Liberal Democrat and Labour coalition at this week’s election.

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MP: university reforms a "reward"

LIBERAL Democrat Solihull MP Lorely Burt has said reforms which saw higher university tuition fees was a “reward” of the coalition Government.

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Nick Clegg visits Solihull

DEPUTY Prime Minister Nick Clegg today told The Silhillian he “hoped” the Liberal Democrats would gain seats in Solihull during a visit to the borough.

Newsnight's Michael Crick interviews Nick Clegg in Solihull as Solihull MP Lorely Burt looks on.

Yet The Lib Dem leader acknowledged it was a “controversial time” for the party but hoped its arguments for the need for spending cuts would win over voters.

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MP Burt campaigns for vote change

SOLIHULL MP Lorely Burt was joined by the Liberal Democrat president to campaign for a change in the voting system in the town.

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Solihull MP backs votes for prisoners

SOLIHULL MP Lorely Burt joined a handful of MPs who yesterday backed votes for prisoners.

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Lib Dem MP abstains on fees vote

LIBERAL Democrat MP Lorely Burt tonight abstained in the vote to raise tuition fees.

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MP likely to abstain on fees vote

SOLIHULL MP Lorely Burt has said she will probably abstain from Thursday’s Commons vote over raising tuition fees.

She last year opposed any rise to tuition fees but recently backed the policy.

The move would raise the cap on yearly fees from £3,000 to £9,000.

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MP: Royal rules “sexist and anti-Catholic”

SOLIHULL MP Lorely Burt hit out at “sexist and anti-Catholic” Royal succession laws as Prince William and Kate Middleton announced their engagement.

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MP Burt: we were wrong to oppose tuition fees

SOLIHULL MP Lorely Burt said she and Liberal Democrat colleagues were wrong to oppose tuition fees before the election.

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MP warns of 'free-for-all' on tuition fees

SOLIHULL MP Lorely Burt warned business secretary Vince Cable of a ‘free market free-for-all’ on university tuition fees across the floor of the Commons.

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Lib Dem election candidate defects to Labour

THE Liberal Democrats’ 2010 general election candidate for Meriden has defected to Labour, claiming his old party has ‘sold out’.

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MP backs new homes for Solihull

SOLIHULL MP Lorely Burt has signalled support for hundreds of new homes in Solihull, saying: “People need homes.”

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Solihull MP re-elected Lib Dem chairman

SOLIHULL MP has been re-elected as the chairman of the Liberal Democrat parliamentary party.

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Solihull MPs hail budget

THE controversial rise in VAT is ‘necessary’ said Conservative and Liberal Democrat MPs who represent the Solihull area.

Tory Caroline Spelman and Lib Dem Lorely Burt backed Tuesday’s budget, which included a 2.5 per cent hike in VAT to 20 per cent.

Mrs Spelman, MP for Meriden, above, said: “This was always going to be an austerity Budget – we have never pretended otherwise.

“The rise in VAT is unavoidable, given the state of the nation’s finances bequeathed to us by Labour, but there are many welcome measures which will benefit the whole country.”

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Council set for Lib-Lab coalition

THE Liberal Democrats and Labour are set to run Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council – to the fury of the Conservative administration.

The two are to looking to pool their 26 councillors, the minimum needed for a majority administration after the Tories lost seats at an election this month.

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MP Burt tells party: deal had to be done

SOLIHULL Liberal Democrat MP Lorely Burt told party supporters a deal with the Conservatives had to be done at an emergency conference in her constituency, The Birmingham Mail reports.

Tories await 'kingmaker' Lib Dems over council future

THE balance of power at Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council is still uncertain this afternoon – with ‘kingmaker’ Liberal Democrats yet to decide whether they are to back another party for a coalition.

The Conservative Party lost its majority at local elections last Thursday – but say they have yet to have ‘substantial’ discussions with the Lib Dems or Labour.

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