Ed Davey steps up attack on government in delayed speech

1. Lib Dem leader Ed Davey says the Conservatives "try to blame their chaos on everyone else" in a speech to his party delayed due to the Queen's death in September
2. Cabinet minister Oliver Dowden tells Laura Kuenssberg that Gavin Williamson's messages to then-Chief Whip Wendy Morton were "not acceptable"
3. Dowden adds that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was not aware of the exchange in messages when Williamson was appointed to his cabinet role
4. Meanwhile shadow climate change secretary Ed Miliband says Britain "can't abdicate from leadership" over tackling climate change
5. Miliband also promised to speak to the family of British-Egyptian national Alaa Abd El-Fattah, who has been in jail in Egypt for nine years, before attending COP27
6. Follow the programme here with live text, reaction and analysis
7. Email [e-mail] or use the hashtag #BBCLauraK on Twitter

Thanks for joining us

We're now ending our coverage of today's events. Here is a round-up of what's happened:

• This morning, cabinet minister Oliver Dowden told Laura Kuenssberg that Gavin Williamson's messages to then-Chief Whip Wendy Morton were "not acceptable"
• Dowden also said that the PM was not aware of the exchange in messages when Williamson was appointed to his role
• Shadow climate change secretary Ed Miliband also spoke to Laura Kuenssberg ahead of his trip to Egypt for COP27. He discussed Labour's plan for a publicly-owned domestic energy company, said that Labour would endorse financial help for the country worst affected by climate and argued that Britain "can't abdicate from leadership" over tackling climate change
• Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey gave his speech to the Lib Dem party conference. He announced a plan to support homeowners pay their mortgages and said the Conservatives "try to blame their chaos on everyone else", while repeating his calls for a general election

Reality Check

The government is behind on its GPs target

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey has been criticising the government’s record on health saying: “They promised 6,000 more doctors, at the last election – but the number of qualified GPs has actually fallen by 500.”

The latest figures for England show that at the end of September there were 27,556 fully-qualified full-time equivalent GPs in England, compared with 28,129 in December 2019 at the time of the last general election. That’s a fall of 573.

In November 2021, the then Health Secretary Sajid Javid said: "I'm not going to pretend we're on track when we're not."

Davey aiming to prove his party can punch above its weight

Jonathan Blake

BBC political correspondent

PA Media

With this speech Ed Davey stepped up his attacks on the Conservatives.

Boosted by by-election wins in former Tory strongholds, he wants to show the Lib Dems can punch above their political weight.

After leading calls for a windfall tax and energy price freeze, there’s another eye-catching policy announcement to help people struggling to pay their mortgage.

And Davey talked up the party’s environmental credentials and its focus on the NHS and social care.

He knows the early general election he wants is unlikely - so it’s all aimed at positioning his party as best placed to unseat Conservative MPs in certain areas whenever the UK does next go to the polls.

The talk of making the next general election the last under the first past the post system could be a signal to Labour that if there’s a hung Parliament then Lib Dem support could come at the price of electoral reform.

Davey calls for general election

PA Media

Davey issues a call for a general election, asking: "Why haven't we had one yet?"

He says Sunak isn't calling one "because he knows he'd lose".

"Our message to the Conservatives is this: help out by clearing out. Rishi Sunak: your Government does not have a shred of credibility left. It does not have a shred of legitimacy left. If you had a shred of integrity left, you would call a General Election - now."

Wrapping up his speech, Davey says: "Whenever that election comes, Liberal Democrats will be ready. We are the party that will end the chaos. The party that understands the challenges people are facing. We’ll show that we are the party that cares. The party that has a plan. The party that offers a fair deal."

"And that’s why we will win," he concludes, before stepping off the stage to applause from party members.

Turning now to the challenges faced by the NHS, Davey says he wants to "end the national scandal of millions of people waiting for weeks to see a doctor" and says that the blame is not on GPs but on the the Conservatives, who "promised 6,000 more doctors at the last election - but the number of qualified GPs has actually fallen by 500."

The Lib Dems' solution, Davey says, is to "give everyone a new right to see their GP within seven days... or within 24 hours if they need to."

He says this is "not an ambition, not an expectation, not a target, but a right."

Davey calls on government to abolish Ofwat

PA Media

Davey is now touching upon the subject of the environment in Britain, saying that the Lib Dems launched a campaign to "stop water companies pouring tonnes of raw sewage straight into local rivers," while Conservative MPs have "let water companies make vast profits - while getting away with dumping their filthy sewage."

Davey accuses the regulator Ofwat of being an "accomplice" in their crime and calls on the Government to "abolish Ofwat, set up a proper watchdog with real teeth, to do whatever it takes to stop the sewage."

"Steal the Liberal Democrat idea for a sewage tax. Borrow our ban on bonuses for water bosses. And make them finally clean up our rivers."

Davey announces a new Mortgage Protection Fund which he says will "cover the extra costs for those families seeing their payments rise most sharply to protect them from falling into serious arrears or even facing repossession."

He notes that it’s not just homeowners who need help and vows to "keep campaigning too for stronger rights for renters, to give them security in their homes and protection from unfair rent hikes."

Tories are 'bankrupting Britain' - Davey

BBC

Davey criticises the EnergyProfits Levy brought in by Rishi Sunak when he was Chancellor, saying: "[It was] a tax so ineffective, do you know how much Shell paid out on its £26 billion profits? Not a single penny."

He accuses the Conservatives of "almost bankrupting Britain" with "unfunded tax cuts for the super wealthy."

"After inflicting so much chaos, the Conservatives want the rest of us to pay to clear up their mess. They are already talking about more unfair tax rises... all to fill the hole they themselves created."

"It’s like they’ve robbed our bank, and now they’re asking us for a loan to buy their getaway car," Davey says.

Davey says that the Conservatives "try to blame their chaos on everyone else - the BBC, the civil service, the 'wokerati' - whoever they are. They’ve blamed the Bank of England, British businesses, and even British workers. But it won’t wash."

He says that the cost-of-living crisis has been made worse by the "evil hand of Vladimir Putin" who is "waging an energy war against the whole of the western world".

"It’s a war that threatens a different kind of misery and destruction, right across our continent. And it’s a war we must win. The UK must fight back... with a wartime effort at home, to protect the British people from Putin’s aggression."

Davey says Britain needs to be "fortified" not just with "troops and submarines, but with wind turbines, solar panels and tidal power. And we must insulate every home - not just from the cold, but from the cost of Putin’s gas war."

BBC

In a nod to the fact that that the party conference was cancelled in September due to the Queen's death, Davey quips: "I’ve had to postpone this speech for 47 days… Or, to use the modern unit of measurement, approximately one Liz Truss. And that says it all, doesn’t it?"

"The chaos and incompetence that these Conservatives have inflicted on our great United Kingdom - all their squabbling, their scandals, their sleaze."

Davey says the "incompetence" of the governing party is "shameful" and "nothing less than a betrayal of the British people".

Davey pays tribute to the Queen

BBC

Davey begins his speech saying it was "an enormous privilege to represent our party, and my Kingston and Surbiton constituents, at the funeral of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II."

"Beneath the splendour of Westminster Abbey, surrounded by dignitaries from nations around the world - it was a beautiful memorial to a life of faith, devoted to our country and our Commonwealth. And a poignant celebration of values we all hold dear: patriotism, compassion, service."

Davey about to deliver speech

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey is about to deliver his speech to activists in London. The party's conference was cancelled due to the Queen's death in September.

We'll bring you the latest.

Reality Check

Do foreign governments own UK wind farms?

Talking about Labour’s policy to have a state-owned UK renewable energy company, shadow climate change secretary Ed Miliband told Laura Kuenssberg: “45% of our offshore wind assets are owned by foreign governments”.

The issue of foreign ownership has been highlighted before by Labour leader Keir Starmer – which we looked into in this piece.

A report by a think tank called Common Wealth, which campaigns for public ownership, said that 42.2% of current and planned UK offshore wind capacity is owned by foreign governments in some form.

They worked that out from the latest offshore wind report from the Crown Estate, which manages the seabed off the UK coast.

It said that the biggest owner, with 18.3% of UK offshore wind capacity was Orsted, which is 50.1% owned by the Danish government while the fourth biggest owner with 9.2% is Equinor, which is 67% owned by the Norwegian state.

Decarbonising UK public buildings to cost £25-30bn

Getty Images

The cost of decarbonising UK public sector buildings is estimated to be £25-30bn, government figures show. The amount was revealed following a Freedom of Information request by the Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show.

The government said the "indicative" figure is based on today's prices and should not be seen as the actual budget needed to move to low carbon heating.

Transitioning from fossil fuel heating systems is one way the UK can meet its aim of net zero CO2 emissions by 2050. The government has set a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from public buildings by 75% by 2037 as part of its net zero strategy.

Dr Sarah Ivory, director of the Centre for Business, Climate Change, and Sustainability at the University of Edinburgh, told the BBC: "Responding to the impacts of climate change in the UK is going to be an expensive business."

It's estimated it will cost the UK economy 3.3% of GDP by 2050."Investments now - such as through the conversion of public sector buildings - will pay off in savings in the future. It will also ensure the UK meets our net zero by 2050 emissions targets.”

• Read Philippa Wain’s story here

Expert says just saying no to fossil fuel doesn't work

Myles Allen, a climate expert, was speaking on Laura Kuenssberg's Sunday show and explaining why banning fossil fuels won't be sufficient to meet global warning goals.

Climate change: Expert says just saying no to fossil fuel doesn't work

Reality Check

How much has the use of renewables grown?

BBC

Talking about the government’s record on renewables (energy from sources such as wind and solar power), government minister Oliver Dowden told Laura Kuenssberg: “If you look, for example, at renewables in the energy sector there’s been a four or fivefold increase since the Conservatives came to power in 2010.”

The latest figures from the Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES) show generation from renewables has risen from 26,180GWh in 2010 to 122,178GWh in 2021, an increase of 4.7 times.

Over the same period, the proportion of electricity coming from renewables has increased from 6.9% to 39.6%.

The government’s target is for all of the UK’s electricity to come from clean sources by 2035.

However, the UK Committee on Climate Change, which advises the government, has warned that it risks not reaching this target and says the country needs more and better energy storage for times when the wind doesn't blow.

You can read more about the government’s climate targets here.

UK political urgency on climate has faded

Laura Kuenssberg

Presenter, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg

Reuters

Our main conversation this morning was about climate change, and whether the government, and others round the world will take decisive action at the COP27 summit getting under way in Egypt today.

There are plenty of promises, plenty of warm words.

But Labour's Ed Miliband admitted the process is "imperfect" and there is no question that in the UK the political urgency around the issue has faded.

In the next fortnight it might pay to be sceptical about what will be achieved.

The Lionesses surprise Baroness Campbell with video of thanks

The FA's director of women's football Baroness Sue Campbell was on the Laura Kuenssberg Sunday show and was surprised with a video in which the Lionesses thank her for her support and tireless work.

"You see now the fruits of her labour," the players say, thanking her for the hours "on and off the field fighting for us".

Watch the video and a visibily emotional Campbell's reaction.

England's Lionesses share a surprise message for Baroness Campbell

Will Williamson texts row dog Sunak's COP27 trip?

Laura Kuenssberg

Presenter, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg

It's obvious this morning the government has no intention of getting rid of Gavin Williamson.

Oliver Dowden, Rishi Sunak's right-hand man, told us his texts weren't acceptable, but tried to defend him by saying they'd been sent at a difficult moment in Parliament.

The problem for No 10 is, rules about what is or isn't acceptable behaviour in a professional environment don't apply depending on your mood.

And while he hadn't seen the texts, Rishi Sunak had been warned there was a bullying complaint about Williamson and decided to give him a job anyway, while promising his government would be all about integrity and professionalism.

As the former minister, Justine Greening reminded us, Williamson has already been ejected from government for bad behaviour so there'll be political pressure on the PM on his first foreign trip to take action on this issue at home.

Shatner reflects on emotional space flight

William Shatner in space: 'The most profound experience I can imagine'

While he may have boldly gone where no-one has gone before on the classic TV series Star Trek, life imitated art last year when actor William Shatner become the oldest person to go into space.

In October 2021 Shatner flew 66 miles above the Earth in the Blue Origin space capsule developed by Amazon boss Jeff Bezos.

The 91-year-old Canadian has been reflecting on the emotions he felt during that brief flight in his new memoir Boldly Go.

He tells Kuenssberg about the experience - seeing the blackness of space ahead of him. He says that he saw death and life during his flight - and was filled with emotion - but he had no idea why.

"I was so confused until I realised I was in grief for the world," he says.

He adds that his book aims to connect with the "vibrations of the universe".

Speaking of climate change, "we are on the edge of the precipice," he says. He says lots of energy is being taken up with the war in Ukraine when it should be directed towards saving the planet.