6. Kim Leadbeater cited an impressive-sounding body called “The Commission on Assisted Dying” in support of law change… But did not mention that the Commission’s funding was secured by Dignity in Dying, and that it was chaired by the assisted suicide campaigner Lord Falconer.

Pleasure to meet again with Dr Yevhen Kudriavets to reiterate our unwavering support for Ukraine. Last week, we announced a further strengthening of ties by expanding our successful twinning programme to another 300 schools, with 54,000 pupils set to benefit. 🇬🇧🤝🇺🇦

Well said Baroness Berger

The NHS cannot cope. Patients are dying on plastic chairs while waiting for a bed. This is not an adequate system into which to introduce an assisted suicide service, argues Baroness Finlay.

These comments from Lord Stevens are important. The Swiss with 80yrs experience are clear that assisted dying (they call it assisted suicide) Is not a medical treatment and Not part of healthcare.

"Vote against my Bill" Thanks for the advice Lord Falconer. I hope peers take it.

The North East Autism Society are doing incredible work across education, training, residential care and at their very own farm, which I visited last week. From making their own apple juice, to woodwork and horticulture, trainees on the farm are simply thriving. It was great to

The accuracy of a six-month prognosis is around 48%, states Baroness Finlay. Lives should not be ended based on a guess that is wrong more often than it is right.

A Bill like this with such profound life and death impacts, which still ignores massive risks like coercion or the capacity of the vulnerable, must not be forced through without the scrutiny it deserves. thetimes.com/article/78746a…

In the wake of the publication of our draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill on Tuesday, lots of existing leaseholders have been in touch seeking clarity as to when the government plans to make it cheaper and easier to extend a lease or buy a freehold 🧵

Among the provisions of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 which was passed in the dying days of the last Parliament is a new method for calculating the price of a statutory lease extension or freehold acquisition, known as the valuation process.

The Act's revised valuation process will remove the requirement for marriage value to be paid; cap the treatment of ground rents in the valuation calculation at 0.1% of the freehold value; and allow government to prescribe the rates used to calculate the enfranchisement premium.

Following a robust defence from the government, in October last year the High Court comprehensively dismissed challenges brought to the 2024 Act by a group of claimants who were owners of freehold and other reversionary interests of dwellings.

As such, we are now preparing a consultation to establish what valuation rates should be used to calculate the enfranchisement premium. We will launch that consultation in the coming months. The rates will ultimately be set by the Secretary of State in secondary legislation.

Sadly, even with the valuation rates established, we will not be able to commence the relevant enfranchisement provisions in the 2024 Act until we have rectified a small number of specific flaws that were contained in it.

These include a loophole which means that the 2024 Act goes far beyond the intended reforms to valuation and that undermines the integrity of the amended scheme.

That the previous government passed the 2024 Act knowing these flaws existed is deeply regrettable. It is also why this government is balancing speed with care as we enact reforms and why we've asked the Select Committee to subject our Bill to enhanced pre-legislative scrutiny.

The specific flaws in the 2024 Act must be fixed through primary legislation. For obvious reasons, my firm preference is to rectify them in the final Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill.

Once the valuation rates have been set and the flaws in question have been fixed, we will commence the 2024 Act’s enfranchisement provisions.

While it is important that we take the time to ensure that reforms are watertight, I appreciate fully the need to act as quickly as we can to provide relief for leaseholders across the country, particularly those with leases approaching 80 years.