Ed Davey backs Anne’s Law campaign and urges Holyrood to speed up progress

Sir Ed Davey has urged the Scottish Government to speed up progress on Anne’s Law as a vital protection for people in care.

The Liberal Democrats leader has given his full support to the Sunday Mail-backed campaign aimed at ensuring relatives of those in care homes are given access to their loved ones in the same way as care home staff are.

The law is named after Anne Duke, 63, whose daughter Natasha Hamilton was blocked from seeing her mum for months during the pandemic along with thousands of other families.

Speaking during his final visit to Scotland before Thursday’s election, Sir Ed said: “I’d like to support the Sunday Mail’s campaign for Anne’s Law.

“Willie Rennie has talked about Anne Duke with me and during Covid he did a lot of work on trying to allow families with loved ones in care homes to be able to see them. It’s critical that they do.

“The evidence is overwhelming that people in care homes do a lot better if they see their loved ones.

“There’s an absolute need for changes in guidance but we need a strong law to make [access] a right.”

The party leader was critical of the SNP’s plan to bring in Anne’s law alongside the National Care Service bill and said: “We have quite a few worries that this is a centralisation too far and we think the Scottish Government should legislate for Anne’s law urgently and not waste any time at all.”

Sir Ed has spoken previously about his experience of caring for both his mum and his disabled son John and the challenges and joys of the role.

Yesterday the party leader travelled to North East Fife to play shinty with local candidate Wendy Chamberlain, then joined Edinburgh West candidate Christine Jardine at a circus skills workshop.

Sir Ed said the campaign was “going a bit better than I expected if I’m honest” and in some rural areas the contest was between the Lib Dems and the SNP.

He said: “The boundary changes haven’t been kind to us so we have to win Caithness and North East Fife all over again but it’s looking good.

“I think people in those areas understand that it’s a fight between us and the SNP, and we’ve been very grateful to those Conservative and Labour voters who seem to want to back us in that battle.”

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