Tag Archives: Labour

Clive Lewis MP, Labour’s Shadow Business Secretary, commenting on the launch of the Government’s new industrial strategy, said:

“We welcome the Prime Minister’s talk of government taking a ‘new, active’ role in backing businesses, but what we’ve heard today is full of rhetoric and thin on detail.

“From business rates to Brexit, many of businesses’ most pressing concerns are currently going unanswered. Unless the Government puts a lot of flesh on these bones this will be a strategy of spin rather than substance.

“All the signs so far are that the Government is not prepared to put its money where its mouth is. The money offered for skills falls far short of reversing the cuts to adult education since 2010, for example, while the “cash boost” for the North is a fraction of the budgets of Labour’s RDAs.

“For all the fanfare, reversing the economic damage done by the Tories and steering the economy through the turbulent times ahead is going to require the Government to be much bolder.”

Diane Abbott MP, Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary, speaking in response to reports that plans by councils to settle refugees have stalled without Government resources, said: 

“Many councils across the country are willing to step up and take their share of refugees. But they cannot provide the housing and services these incredibly vulnerable people need without adequate support from the Home Office.

“This Tory Government needs to live up to its moral and legal obligation to help people fleeing persecution and war.”

Dave Anderson MP, Labour’s Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary, commenting on reports of the shooting of a police officer in Belfast, said:

“This attack is deeply concerning; our thoughts are with the injured officer.

“This is a stark reminder of the danger all PSNI officers face every day when performing their duties. We cannot let those who wish to take Northern Ireland back to its painful and violent past succeed.“

Clive Lewis MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, in advance of the publication of the Government’s industrial strategy, said:

“This belated attempt to develop a proper industrial strategy is a step in the right direction, but once again what the Tories are offering looks like too little too late.

“We await further detail, but what’s been announced so far will fall far short of getting us back to where we were in 2010, let alone equip our economy for the challenges of the 21st Century. The £170m announced for vocational education, for example, will do little to plug the £1.15bn hole in the Adult Skills Budget created by Tory cuts since 2010. 

“It will be a great shame if the Government wastes this opportunity to put our economy on a new path. But they have already watered down a series of flagship commitments, from putting workers on boards to tackling executive pay, and there are too many people on the Tory benches who think that the only role of Government is to deregulate markets. The reality is that a Prime Minister who wants to turn us into a tax haven cannot be trusted to deliver an industrial strategy.”

Nia Griffith MP, Labour’s Shadow Defence Secretary, commenting on the Prime Minister’s failure to explain when she knew about the Trident test blunder, said:

“This report of a Trident missile veering off course during a test is clearly a very serious matter indeed, and we need to know exactly what happened.”

“Furthermore, it is completely unacceptable that today the Prime Minister chose to side-step questions on the test, and would not even tell us when she knew about the incident.

“I am demanding the Prime Minister come to Parliament tomorrow to give a full explanation to MPs.”