Brexit is a national embarrassment

Brexit is a national embarrassment. The events of the last few weeks have proven that the government is in absolute chaos.

The Prime Minister pulled her Brexit vote; but if that wasn't bad enough her MPs' leadership challenge also spoke volumes: Conservative MPs can change their minds, but the British people cannot!

Earlier this year, we enjoyed our best council election results in 15 years. We snatched control of councils like South Cambridgeshire, Kingston-upon-Thames and Richmond upon Thames from the Conservatives. And in cities like Hull, Sunderland and Liverpool, we gained ground against complacent Labour councils who've taken their residents for granted.

Next year over 9,000 council seats and the control of councils around the country will be in the balance. It's a huge chance to build on our successes and make more headlines for the Liberal Democrats.

1. Thersa May rules out revoking Article 50

The ECJ rules that No Brexit is an option but Theresa May blindly ploughs ahead with her broken deal. We were given the option to get out of this mess and Theresa May turned it down.

Only by having a People's Vote will Theresa May listen and cancel Brexit before it's too late.

After years of putting pressure on the Government, on Tuesday they agreed major concessions on the Tenant Fees Bill.

We campaigned to:

• significantly limit the fees that could be charged to a tenant by their landlord or lettings agent,
• require a greater amount of transparency when deciding not to refund a holding deposit, and
• limit the maximum security deposit a landlord can require to five weeks rent.

Yesterday I introduced a bill in Parliament to legalise cannabis for recreational and medicine use.

The evidence is clear - prohibition isn't working.

The war on drugs has been a catastrophic failure, leaving young people vulnerable to dangerous strains of cannabis sold by dealers who have absolutely no interest in their welfare.

An accident in a swimming pool left Chieko Asakawa blind at the age of 14. For the past three decades she's worked to create technology - now with a big focus on artificial intelligence (AI) - to transform life for the visually impaired.

"When I started out there was no assistive technology," Japanese-born Dr Asakawa says. "I couldn't read any information by myself. I couldn't go anywhere by myself." Those "painful experiences" set her on a path of learning that began with a computer science course for blind people, and a job at IBM soon followed. She started her pioneering work on accessibility at the firm, while also earning her doctorate.

The mother of a severely-disabled man who is a patient at Muckamore Abbey Hospital described a seclusion room her son was placed in as "a dark dungeon". The woman said she was horrified that in 2017 the room was being used for people with learning disabilities.

Families want a public inquiry to investigate allegations of physical and mental abuse at the hospital. The Belfast Trust said it "apologised sincerely" for behaviour it said fell below professional standards. In July, it emerged that 13 members of staff at the County Antrim hospital had been suspended by the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust following allegations of ill treatment. At the time it said: "This regrettable and unacceptable situation in no way reflects the work of our 500 dedicated and professional staff who provide excellent care every day to the 80 patients in Muckamore."

A council has apologised for the second time to the family of a disabled boy who missed out on half a year's schooling.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found Surrey County Council (SCC) delayed measures intended to resolve the failings.

It follows an investigation in May which found the council was failing to meet the boy's educational needs. The council apologised and said the boy is now receiving the "right support". The ombudsman said the "injustice" had caused the boy's family "justified frustration, anger and avoidable uncertainty".

The mother of a disabled boy has slammed the "spineless" person who left a nasty note on her car, despite it displaying a valid blue badge. The note accusing Emma Gearing, 26, of "laziness" was left on her car when she was in Maidstone with her son who is fed through his stomach.

The note read: "Using a disabled badge when you don't need it could cost you £2,000." Mrs Gearing described the person as "gutless" and "too quick to judge".

Air travel could become smoother and less fraught for disabled passengers if a new charter for airlines and airports is adopted, say ministers. Disabled flyers have long complained of lost or damaged wheelchairs, struggles with access on planes and in airports, and poor customer service.

If adopted, the charter would remove the £2,000 limit on payouts for damaged wheelchairs. It would also enforce better training for airline crews and baggage handlers. In the longer term, the charter would encourage the industry to look at ways to allow people to take their own wheelchairs into aircraft cabins.