8th February 2026
Previously unseen correspondence from 2009 shows that concerns about the treatment of a long-running Stockport town hall protester were raised directly with senior Liberal Democrat figures, including the late Baroness Shirley Williams.
The emails, sent by local campaigner Sheila Oliver, outline allegations of heavy-handed enforcement by Stockport Council and police against a peaceful protester who had staged a demonstration outside the town hall over the welfare of his adopted daughters.
In a response dated September 23, 2009, Ruth Brock, then a parliamentary researcher to Baroness Shirley Williams, confirmed that the peer was a Liberal Democrat but was abroad at the time due to international work on nuclear non-proliferation.
“However, she is out of the country for some weeks as she is heavily involved in international work on nuclear non-proliferation which involves extensive travel,” Ms Brock wrote. “She will be unable to see your email for some time although I will show it to her on her return.”
Ms Brock added that she was “sorry not to be more help at the current time”.
The correspondence followed a series of emails from Mrs Oliver, who described what she said was a decade-long struggle by a local man to obtain help for his adopted daughters, followed by a prolonged peaceful protest inspired by campaigner Brian Haw.
In her email, Mrs Oliver alleged that the protester had been arrested multiple times, subjected to court proceedings, imprisoned, and issued with an ASBO-type order. She argued that the response of the council and authorities was disproportionate and raised wider concerns about civil liberties in Stockport at the time.
Mrs Oliver also criticised the local Liberal Democrat leadership, questioning why senior party figures had not intervened. She copied the correspondence to other Lib Dem politicians, including then party leader Nick Clegg and local MP Andrew Stunell.
The emails form part of a wider archive of campaign correspondence from the period and highlight tensions between local activists and the Liberal Democrat-run Stockport Council during the late 2000s.
At the time, Stockport Council was under Liberal Democrat control, and the party frequently highlighted its commitment to civil liberties at a national level — a contrast campaigners argued was not reflected locally.
Baroness Shirley Williams, who died in 2021, was a prominent figure in British politics and widely respected for her work on education, social justice and international affairs. There is no record in the correspondence of a substantive reply from her following her return to the UK.
Wed 07/10/2009 13:11
Dear Mrs Oliver
Shirley is a Lib Dem.
However, she is out of the country for some weeks as she is heavily involved in international work on nuclear non proliferation which involves extensive travel, so she will be unable to see your email for some time although I will show it to her on her return. I am sorry not to be more help at the current time.
Yours sincerely
Ruth
Ruth Brock
Researcher to Rt Hon Shirley Williams
Email: brockr@parliament.uk
Tel: 020 7219 5850
Please note: The office is staffed Tuesday-Thursday.
—–Original Message—–
From: BROCK, Ruth On Behalf Of WILLIAMS, Baroness
Sent: 23 September 2009 11:26
To: BROCK, Ruth
Subject: FW: LibDems human rights abuses
—–Original Message—–
From: Sheila Oliver [mailto:sheilaoliver@ntlworld.com]
Sent: 22 September 2009 17:21
To: WILLIAMS, Baroness
Cc: CLEGG, Nick; John Schultz
Subject: Re: LibDems human rights abuses
Dear Office of Shirley Williams
Is she a LibDem? I forget. If she is she should know what is happening in Stockport. It is an absolute disgrace!
Kind regards
Sheila
—– Original Message —–
From: WILLIAMS, Baroness
To: ‘Sheila Oliver’
Sent: Tuesday, September 22, 2009 11:36 AM
Subject: RE: LibDems human rights abuses
Dear Mrs Oliver
You have reached the mailbox of Baroness Shirley Williams. If you intended to contact Mr Stephen Williams MP his email address is williamssr@parliament.uk
With kind regards
Office of Shirley Williams
From: Sheila Oliver [mailto:sheilaoliver@ntlworld.com]
Sent: 21 September 2009 19:10
To: WILLIAMS, Baroness
Cc: STUNELL, Andrew
Subject: LibDems human rights abuses
Dear Mr Williams
The LibDems have an appalling human rights track record in Stockport. Our gentle, peaceful town hall protester tried for a decade to get help for his two adopted daughters, who suffered terribly at the hands of their birth parents. When he got nowhere over a decade (and he only asked for some help for them), he stood on the town hall steps for two years copying his hero – Brian Haw – in peaceful protest. The Council called the police over 90 times, he was arrested 12 times, one court case dropped on the day of the hearing, 4 days in prison, a CRASBO (criminal ASBO) for an alleged sneeze, which was not on the CCTV footage of the incident, but this was not allowed to be shown in the magistrates court. He had the police called with flashing blue lights for breaking his ASBO by using the town hall lavatory, was arrested for breaking his bail conditions of not going within a mile of the town hall. He has now been sent to Forrest Bank prison in Manchester till maybe January (which is a frightening place) for breaking his bail conditions imposed for the crime of assault with a sneeze (pre swine flu) with intent to inflict a council employee with a cold. Only in Stockport! Only under these awful LibDems!
Andrew Stunell pontificates in the local press about the wrong people being in prison, yet he hasn’t lifted a finger to help Mr. Parnell.
Yours
Mrs S J Oliver
Stockport’s Freedom of Information Campaigner
Free Mr Parnell, victim of a corrupt council.
