Labour

Peter Dowd MP, Labour’s Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, commenting on reports that the Government has been forced to accept the need for a parliamentary vote on its £1 billion deal with the DUP, said:

“The Treasury’s admission of the need for a parliamentary vote on the £1 billion DUP bribe is a clear indication that the Conservatives’ chaotic attempts to circumvent Parliament must come to an end.

“Hammond must come clean about whether he intends to increase taxes, slash spending, or increase borrowing to fund the blackhole created by the £1 billion DUP bribe and the £2 billion u-turn on his attempt to increase National Insurance Contributions for self-employed workers. The Chancellor could have settled this by including his plans in Tuesday’s Finance Bill second reading, but instead he is still hiding the public finances under a shroud.

“We do not begrudge Northern Ireland getting the spending that it needs, but people all across the UK are crying out for the investment, jobs, and decent pay which will only be delivered by the next Labour Government.”

Angela Rayner MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Education, commenting on news that Wakefield City Academies Trust has pulled out of running 21 schools a few days into the new school term, said:

“This situation will create enormous uncertainty for pupils and teachers at these schools, who have no idea how their schools will be run in future. Ministers need to take immediate steps to reassure them that their education will not be put at risk. 

 “This case is yet another stark example of failure in the Government’s management of its academies programme and reflects on the system as a whole.

 “A Labour government would ensure schools are both properly funded and properly accountable.”

Barry Gardiner MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for International Trade, commenting on today’s ONS figures, said:

“Today’s rise in the trade deficit shows yet again that after seven years of economic failure under the Tories, this country is falling far behind its potential.

“The rise in the deficit with non-EU countries is particularly concerning given the failure of this government to offer serious proposals for Britain’s trading relationships with the rest of the world, post-Brexit. Tory fantasies about future trade deals are meaningless without delivering the investment and industrial strategy needed in this country for future export success.

“Only Labour will deliver the investment and industrial strategy needed to create good, secure jobs and build an economy that works for the many, not the few.”

Peter Dowd MP, Labour’s Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, commenting on reports from the NAO that the £200m in Libor fines the Tories pledged to fund apprenticeships with has failed to materialise, said:  

“This is yet further evidence that you cannot trust a word a Tory Prime Minister says. David Cameron made a clear promise in 2015 but today’s NAO report has been unable to prove a single promised apprenticeship was in fact created. If he does intend to deliver on David Cameron’s pledge, Philip Hammond must now tell us how the £200m allocated to these specific apprenticeships will be raised and how he intends to meet the growing £3bn blackhole in the nation’s finances.

Richard Burgon MP, Labour’s Shadow Justice Secretary, commenting on the announcement that the Government will change the way compensation pay-outs are calculated, said:

“This proposal by the Government must be scrutinised very closely.

“Accident victims with serious injuries must receive the compensation they deserve to live their lives to the fullest and there will be real concerns that such victims are set to lose out.

“The Government claims that this move could see motorists benefit from lower car insurance premiums. Ministers must ensure any savings to the motor insurance industry that result from these proposals are passed on to hard-pressed motorists rather than lining the pockets of executives.“