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.“