Ronnie Fearn, former MP for Southport and more recently Lord Fearn of Southport, has died aged 90.

Ronnie became a Liberal councillor on Merseyside County Council in 1973 and then served his community on Sefton council from 1974 to 2016 - an astonishing run. He was elected MP for Southport twice: from 1987 to 1992, and again from 1997 to 2001 before stepping down. Fellow Sefton Lib Dem councillor John Pugh succeeded him as MP.

On the floor of the House of Commons this week, South Lakes MP Tim Farron urged the President of COP26 Alok Sharma to finally axe plans for a controversial new coal mine in Cumbria.

A report released by the think tank Green Alliance estimated that the mine would produce 8.4 million tonnes of CO2 per year - the equivalent of the emissions of more than one million homes.

Responding to DCMS Secretary Nadine Dorries' comments regarding the future of the BBC, Liberal Democrat DCMS Spokesperson Jamie Stone MP said:

"This latest Tory attack on the BBC threatens to destroy a service which is respected around the world for its high quality content.

"Freezing the license fee represents a stealth cut of almost £2 billion that will put services, including local radio stations and children's programming, at risk.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey has written to Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Cressida Dick, calling on her to launch a full police investigation into the Downing Street Garden Party on 20 May 2020 including interviewing Boris Johnson under caution.

It comes after Boris Johnson admitted at Prime Minister's Questions today that he did attend the party but claims he thought it was a "work event".

South Lakes MP Tim Farron will lead a debate in Parliament tomorrow on the housing crisis in rural communities caused by the rise in second homes and holiday lets.

In South Lakeland there has been a 32% increase in the number of holiday lets in the district over the past year.

Meanwhile a meeting of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority last year heard that 3,100 of the national park's 12,000 properties were now holiday lets and second homes.