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Mumsnet webchats

Webchat with Dr Phillip Lee, LibDem candidate for Wokingham, on Tuesday 3 December at 2pm

96 replies

RowanMumsnet · 02/12/2019 09:34

Hello

We’re pleased to announce a webchat with Dr Phillip Lee, Liberal Democrat General Election candidate for Wokingham. Phillip will be joining us on Tuesday 3 December at 2pm.

Phillip worked as a doctor at various hospitals in London and the South East before becoming a GP. He continues to practise in Berkshire on a part-time basis.

Elected as the Conservative MP for Bracknell in 2010, he joined Teresa May’s government in 2016 as the Minister for Youth Justice, Victims, Female Offenders and Offender Health. In June 2018 he was the first minister to resign from the government over the direction of Brexit and went on to campaign for a second referendum. In September 2019 Phillip left the Conservative Party and “crossed the floor” in the House of Commons. He now sits as a Liberal Democrat and has been appointed Justice spokesman. Phillip will contest the 2019 General Election as the Liberal Democrat candidate for the Wokingham Constituency.

Please do join us on Tuesday at 2pm, but if you can’t make it on the day, leave your question for Phillip on this thread in advance.

As always, please remember our webchat guidelines - one question per user, follow-ups only if there’s time and most questions have been answered, and please keep it civil. Also if one topic is overwhelmingly dominating a discussion with a guest, mods might request that people don't continue to post what's effectively the same question or point. (We will be taking action on this, including suspending the accounts of MNers who continue to heckle after we've posted to ask people to stop, so please take note.) Rest assured we will ALWAYS let the guest know that it's an area of concern to multiple users and will encourage them to engage with those questions.

Thanks

Webchat with Dr Phillip Lee, LibDem candidate for Wokingham, on Tuesday 3 December at 2pm
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DrPhillipLeePPC · 03/12/2019 14:09

@Yaralie

Please tell us why we should vote LibDem.

I cannot help noticing a large number of posters asking about something which is, to my mind a marginal issue but is perhaps seen by your opponents as a weak link in your manifesto, or a stick to beat you. This happens a lot online but I hope you can counter it with a positive argument for voting to stop Brexit by voting LibDem


This election is about Brexit in many ways. If you want to stop it then voting Liberal Democrat is the most effective way of doing so. But in addition to that, a couple of policies that you might want to note are as follows:

The LibDems want to introduce free childcare for 35 hours a week for 48 weeks of the year from the end of parental leave to when a child starts at primary school.

We passionately believe in the National Health service. Being a doctor it is obviously close to my heart. We want to invest more money by putting a penny on income tax. We want to invest 11 billion pounds in mental health services over the next 5 years.

Finally, because there are so many fantastic staff in the NHS from abroad, we believe that staying in the EU protects our National Health Service.
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DrPhillipLeePPC · 03/12/2019 14:13

@MarleyG17

Hi Phillip. Thanks for coming on.

My question:

Do you think the LibDems' 'revoke Article 50' policy was a mistake? Would you have personally preferred a second referendum or a soft Brexit?

Thanks


I resigned as a minister in June 2018, over Brexit (the first to do so) because I think the Brexit that people are going to get is not the Brexit people were promised. I use the medical term 'informed consent' because i don't believe the people have given such informed consent for the Brexit they are going to get. I have campaigned for the last 18 months to take a Brexit 'deal' back to the British public for their consent. And I continue to do so. My party's position on 'revoke' sought to clearly state that we are a party of Remain. If we were to secure 326 seats next week it would be quite a dramatic political moment (!) and hence the practical reality is that if you vote Liberal Democrat next week you will be clearly voting for a party who will campaign for Remain in a subsequent referendum.
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BuzzShitbagBobbly · 03/12/2019 14:15

Interesting opening post, having skipped over a number of earlier posters all with the same question... Hmm

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DrPhillipLeePPC · 03/12/2019 14:17

@TresDesolee

Hello

Is there anything you can say now about the Conservatives’ policies on the NHS that you couldn’t say while you were a Conservative MP? Do you think NHS drugs prices will go up if we negotiate a trade deal with the USA?


Yes, when I became a member of parliament in 2010 I privately argued that the biggest challenge facing the NHS was the provision of outstanding secondary healthcare, not primary healthcare. The reorganisation of primary care, although what was proposed had some merit, was not in my opinion a priority. Medicine has changed dramatically in my career and the way in which care and treatment is provided to patients will need to change too. I was not an enthusiastic supporter of the Social Care Bill of 2011, but as is often the case in politics, irrespective of the party you are a member of, you vote in the way that your party asks you to. The pressures on hospital medicine continue, as I'm sure everyone on Mumsnet recognizes. The LibDem policy that I'm most enthusiastic about in the healthcare space is on the establishment of a cross-party commission on the long-term sustainability of health and social care in this country. By putting experts in a room, the Liberal Democrats want to try and find common ground so that much-cherished health and social care services are protected for future generations.

As regards to NHS drugs prices, yes. In any future trade deal, if the US trade deal with South Korea is anything to go by, drugs and the costs thereof will be part of a trade deal. I encourage you to read Sarah Wollaston's Select Committee report on this particular issue. Because, if I recall rightly, it indicated drugs cost could rise by about 10 billion pounds a year if such a trade deal was negotiated.
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JustineMumsnet · 03/12/2019 14:19

@BuzzShitbagBobbly

Interesting opening post, having skipped over a number of earlier posters all with the same question... Hmm


Hi there - guests don't tend to answer posts in order they're posted. We group questions on popular issues and they pick from there. Have no doubt we'll get to gender ID as there's a number of questions around that. Plse do remember our webchat guidelines around showing respect to our guests though? thanks
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DrPhillipLeePPC · 03/12/2019 14:22

@Byebyebicycle

Hi Phillip,

How are Lib Dems planning to tackle the recruitment crisis for NHS workers?


We believe that it is in the best interest of the health of the nation to remain a member of the EU. The other day, my two-year-old daughter trapped her finger in a large oak door at Westminster. She ended up having to have an exploratory operation and post that, I met with a Czech nurse in clinic. I asked her how long she had been working in the NHS and she replied 'over a decade', she then said that she was going home because she felt that London was no longer the place that it once was. Sadly, it would appear that an environment has been created in Britain that people from abroad no longer feel as comfortable as they once did here. If we are losing nurses of such high caliber that happen to have been born in another country, it begs the question, why do we want to Brexit? 'To save the NHS' as that disgraceful bus said in 2016? we have signifiant challenges anyway filling doctor and nurse positions in the UK and also in the social care system, it would be much better for the long-term health care of all ages if Britain remained an open country - open to the movement of people with good qualifications and open for people who want to build a life here.
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DrPhillipLeePPC · 03/12/2019 14:24

@CariGransnet

From Gransnet user windowwood

My question is for you as a politician and as a GP. I don't know whether you have been following all the stuff on Gransnet (and Mumsnet) about the HRT shortage? I am a 52 year-old woman who has been taking HRT for two years so far to alleviate symptoms including severe depression brought on by the menopause. It has been life changing for me, but now I am struggling to get the medication I need (Evorel Sequi) and very worried about what will happen when the supply I have runs out. It took a lot of trial and error and patience from my GP to get a dosage and product which worked for me and so I know that the alternatives which are currently available will not work for my needs. How can we have reached a stage where this and other medications are in such short supply (or no supply at all)? What are you as a party doing about this? And if we do end up with another Tory government and a hard Brexit by the end of the year, how much worse will it get? I am so very worried about it


There have always been occasional drug supply issues in the system. Particular products can sometimes have production line difficulties for a whole variety of reasons. But there are undeniably some difficulties obtaining drugs as preparations for Brexit take place. Some areas have stockpiled better than others and as a consequence there are some regional difficulties in obtaining some drugs. Without wanting to repeat myself, if we retain frictionless borders with our European allies sourcing and supplying drugs from across the continent will be easier.
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LordProfFekkoThePenguinPhD · 03/12/2019 14:27

Is this going very slow or is my laptop lagging?

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Datun · 03/12/2019 14:29

Placemarking.

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Redshoeblueshoe · 03/12/2019 14:33

I'm placemarking too

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LordProfFekkoThePenguinPhD · 03/12/2019 14:34

It is slow isn't it? Not sure what the no-content version of filibustering is...

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DrPhillipLeePPC · 03/12/2019 14:34

@PikesPeaked

I am a Wokingham voter, and would dearly love to vote for you - even if all it would do would be to reduce John Redwood's majority. But how can I, when your party has declared that they will not recognise my sex-based rights, nor protect children, prisoners, hospital patients, from predatory behaviour?

Jo Swinson has declared the Lib Dem party's support of a faith-based position, and has told non-adherents of that faith not to vote for the Lib Dems. This is incompatible with respecting the rights enshrined in the Equalities Act.


The Liberal Democrats firmly believe in equality and that people should be able to choose the lives that they so choose. The issue of gender is a complex one and plenty of debate has been had on this site and other forums for that reason. My own position is that people should be free to choose their lives just so long as it doesn't negatively impact upon others. People who are transitioning or have done, require understanding and support. And once that transition has taken place, their chosen gender should be respected. It must however be born in mind, that there are strong views about these issues (often expressed by women) which I believe are important to listen to.

The Liberal Democrat party is a tolerant and broad church and in my experience in recent months having recently joined, that is something that is deeply ingrained within the culture of the party. The provision of women-only services in the public sector can often be challenging, with regards to these issues, as I found as the women's justice minister for two years. My view is that, so that people who have made a decision to change their gender ID can be properly supported, eg in the prison system, there is a need for particular provision for those individuals. This whole area requires sensitive and informed debate. Social change can often be difficult, as history teaches us and it is much better that you take the majority of people with you instead of seeking to be unnecessarily confrontational. I passionately believe that the majority of people in this country value quality and tolerance in society and long may that be the case.
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DrPhillipLeePPC · 03/12/2019 14:36

@sirstheword

What are your views on academies and having unqualified teachers, oversized classes and schools being unable to open 5 days a week?

Is a vote for you a vote for the tories? Or will you do what you need too in order to keep them out?


I am a supporter of academy schools. I was very proud to play a small part in securing that status for a school in my former constituency. A school which has since gone from strength to strength thanks to the fantastic leadership of its head. The LibDems are committed to investing in education and increasing the number of teachers. We recognize that a good pupil to teacher ratio matters immensely in a child's education.

Is a vote for LibDems a vote for the Tories? No. A vote for Liberal Democrats is a vote for moderation of two parties that have turned to the extremes.
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Datun · 03/12/2019 14:36

So you think trans people should be housed in a separate facility?

I know it's sensitive, but a little clarity is surely the way to move it forward?

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LordProfFekkoThePenguinPhD · 03/12/2019 14:37

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

DrPhillipLeePPC · 03/12/2019 14:38

@AperolBitch

I think Jo Swinson is perceived as a bit of a girly swot by many. Do you think her reception has been sexist or do you think the public just isn't warming to her?


I would never describe her as 'a girly swot' as it's a very sexist description. I think Jo has suffered from sexism in this campaign which hasn't been fair. The Jo I know is hard-working, fully committed to the role and is motivated by a desire to make our country a better place to live. I don't believe that Jo has been given a fair crack of the whip from the media and I wonder why that has been the case. We continue to battle on because we strongly believe that the more LibDem MPs in the house come 13 December, the better it is for a moderate and balanced government.
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arethereanyusernamesleftatall · 03/12/2019 14:41

What does this mean, exactly?

My view is that so that people who have made a decision to change their gender ID can be properly supported eg in the prison system, there is a need for particular provision for those individuals

Are you talking about 3rd spaces?

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DrPhillipLeePPC · 03/12/2019 14:43

@GeordieTerf

Hi Phillip. Thanks for coming on. Smile

My main concern is self-ID/ women’s rights, but there are already several questions relating to that, so I’ll ask something else.

As an MP, what has been your proudest achievement to date?


My proudest achievement to date has been the Women's Justice Strategy that I commissioned as Minister in the Justice department between 2016-2018. Women in prison have disproportionately been victims of physical, emotional and sexual abuse both as children and as adults. Too many of them are victims themselves.

I have never met a female prisoner who does not accept that they have done wrong and that they should be punished by a custodial sentence for doing so. My strong belief is that it would be better to look after these women. Provide them with hope and the potential for a future life so that they can move away from criminal activity.

The strategy that was published shortly after I resigned as a minster sought to break the cycle of crime in that proportion of the women's prison population who had found themselves, because of their living circumstances, doing wrong in society. I privately had a target to reduce the women's prison population by half before 2030. I think it is possible and if we were successful in achieving that goal, not only would the women be saved from a life of crime become productive law-abiding citizens, broad society would be the better for it.
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JustineMumsnet · 03/12/2019 14:43

@LordProfFekkoThePenguinPhD fyi we deleted your post because it just restates previous questions and is somewhat heckling in nature and. As ever please respect the webchat guidelines.

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Datun · 03/12/2019 14:43

A third space is accepted by many women as an appropriate solution, by the way.

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DrPhillipLeePPC · 03/12/2019 14:44

@Datun

So you think trans people should be housed in a separate facility?

I know it's sensitive, but a little clarity is surely the way to move it forward?


The point I'm making is that it would wrong to leave somebody in a male prison who is self ID-ing as a woman because they can be vulnerable to abuse. By the same token, the women's justice system needs to be confident that someone coming in to the system has properly transitioned. Because this can take some time, it strikes me that to have a separate unit for this process to take place is a sensitive and practical option. at the forefront of my mind is the security of everyone involved, particularly the person who is changing their gender
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LordProfFekkoThePenguinPhD · 03/12/2019 14:46

Not heckling at all. No CAPs or swears, perfectly civil.

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GCAcademic · 03/12/2019 14:48

By the same token, the women's justice system needs to be confident that someone coming in to the system has properly transitioned.

What do you mean, specifically, by "properly transitioned" and how is this compatible with self-ID?

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Redshoeblueshoe · 03/12/2019 14:48

So to keep the person with a penis safe you are happy to endanger women.

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Thenagainmaybenot · 03/12/2019 14:49

What do you mean by fully transitioned? You are happy to have prisoners with penises showering/locked up with women against the will of the women?

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