Dawn Butler MP, Labour’s Shadow Women and Equalities Secretary, commenting on the ONS ethnicity pay gap figures for 2018 released today, said:

“Today’s figures highlight the shocking persistence of ethnic pay
inequality. People need to earn a fair wage based on merit, not by
virtue of the colour of their skin – it’s shocking to see the largest
ethnicity pay gap exists in London at 21.7% – one of the most diverse
capital cities in the world.

“While the government seeks consultation on the ethnicity pay gaps
from employers, it’s yet to give us tangible solutions to address the
issue. We need action not audits.

“Labour in government will make it a priority to close all pay gaps,
gender and ethnicity included, to help address the barriers people
across our society face, so we can truly create a country that works for
the many, not the few.”

This morning, Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the
Labour Party, convened a meeting of the party’s shadow cabinet to agree a
settled Brexit position. The Labour Party will now challenge whoever
emerges as the leader of the Conservative Party to have the confidence
to put their deal to the people in a referendum, with remain on the
ballot, in which Labour would campaign for remain.

Today’s announcement, follows weeks of consultations across the party
and wider labour movement, as Jeremy Corbyn has sought to bring the
whole movement together around a common position.

Jeremy Corbyn has written to every Labour member to lay out the party’s policy.

Jeremy Corbyn’s email to all members:

Dear member,

I am proud to lead the Labour Party – the greatest political party and social movement in this country.

We all recognise that the issue of Brexit has been divisive in our communities and sometimes in our party too.

As democrats, Labour accepted the
result of the 2016 referendum. In our 2017 manifesto, Labour also
committed to oppose a No Deal Brexit and the Tories’ Brexit plans –
which threatened jobs, living standards, and the open multicultural
society that we as internationalists value so much.

I want to pay tribute to Keir Starmer
and the shadow Brexit team for holding the Government to account during
this process. That helped secure a meaningful vote on their deal –
which we then defeated three times – including inflicting the largest
ever defeat on any Government. And following their refusal to publish
their legal advice, this Government became the first to be held in
contempt of Parliament.

Labour set out a compromise plan to
try to bring the country together based around a customs union, a strong
single market relationship and protection of environmental regulations
and rights at work. We continue to believe this is a sensible
alternative that could bring the country together.

But the Prime Minister refused to compromise and was unable to deliver, so we ended cross-party talks.

Now both Tory leadership candidates
are threatening a No Deal Brexit – or at best a race to the bottom and a
sweetheart deal with Donald Trump: that runs down industry, opens up
our NHS and other public services to yet more privatisation, and shreds
environmental protections, rights at work and consumer standards.

I have spent the past few weeks
consulting with the shadow cabinet, MPs, affiliated unions and the NEC. I
have also had feedback from members via the National Policy Forum
consultation on Brexit.

Whoever becomes the new Prime
Minister should have the confidence to put their deal, or No Deal, back
to the people in a public vote.

In those circumstances, I want to
make it clear that Labour would campaign for Remain against either No
Deal or a Tory deal that does not protect the economy and jobs.

Labour has a crucial, historic duty to safeguard jobs, rights and living standards. But no Brexit outcome alone can do that.

We need a general election. After
nine years of austerity, too many people in this country cannot find
decent secure well-paid work, and have to rely on public services that
have been severely cut back.

Our country is ravaged by inequality
and rising poverty, huge regional imbalances of investment, and the
government is failing to tackle the climate emergency facing us all.

That is why we need a Labour government to end austerity and rebuild our country for the many not the few.

Yours

Jeremy Corbyn

Diane Abbott MP,  Shadow Home Secretary, responding to the release of a new Home Office document on police funding from 2015, said:

“The Home Secretary may be kidding himself with assertions of rising
police funding, but he won’t fool over-stretched police forces or the
general public who are increasingly concerned about rising violent
crime.

“The Tories have cut police funding and personnel consistently since
2010.  If they don’t face up to this fact, Labour in government will. We
will recruit thousands of new officers to tackle rising crime.”

Barbara Keeley MP, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Social Care and Mental Health, responding to the latest Alzheimer’s Society report, said:

“This research reveals the shocking scale of the social care funding
crisis. Continued inaction on social care funding from this government
is taking a heavy toll on the finances of people with dementia and their
families.

“It is also costing the NHS millions. Nine years of failure to fund
social care properly means both that people who need social care and the
NHS are picking up the pieces of a broken system.

“Labour would ensure more people get the care they need, through our
National Care Service. As part of this, we have pledged an extra £8
billion of investment in social care across a Parliament which would
include an extra 160,000 care packages, including 50,000 packages for
people with dementia.”

Margaret Greenwood MP, Labour’s Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, responding to reports of Universal Credit claimants being targeted in a multi-million pound scam, said:

“The government claimed that Universal Credit would reduce fraud and
error. Now we know it is clearly failing in that, just as it is failing
to protect people from poverty.

“Time and again the government has claimed that advances are the
answer to the five week wait. The reality is that they are loans that
have to be paid off by claimants, often alongside debts built up during
the five week wait. Meanwhile fraudsters and loan sharks prosper.

“The government must finally listen to the evidence and stop the roll out Universal Credit.”