Labour

Justin Madders MP, Labour’s Shadow Health Minister, commenting on news that the Government have abandoned the sale of NHS Professionals, said:

“This is a major u-turn on a misguided policy from a Government with no solution to the workforce crisis in the NHS. Ministers tried to push through a sale behind closed doors but have been forced to abandon their plans in the face of wide opposition from NHS staff and patients.

“This is an effective and successful public body which saves the taxpayer around £70m a year on the Government’s own estimates, by ensuring hospitals don’t have to rely on expensive private staffing agencies.

“At a time when the Government says it wants to cut back the use of temporary workers it is staggering that proposals for a sale got this far. Ministers have major questions to answer about why they tried to sell off this successful public body and how much money has been wasted in this process which could have been spent on patient care instead.”

Peter Dowd MP, Labour’s Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, commenting on TUC research which has revealed one in eight workers skip meals to make ends meet, said:

“This is yet further devastating evidence of the consequences of seven years of the Conservatives’ mismanagement of our economy which has left many people struggling to afford basic necessities.

“While the Conservatives are running an economy rigged for an elite few and failing to tackle tax avoidance, Labour will stand up for the many and put more money in people’s pockets by introducing a £10 an hour Real Living Wage, scrapping the public sector pay cap and reducing household bills by bringing key public services and utilities back into public hands.“

Louise Haigh MP, Shadow Policing Minister, responding to a think tank report on police forces failing to make effective use of digital technology, said:

“Digital skills are becoming increasingly vital in the fight against crime, but technological developments can only ever provide support to a decision-maker. We will always need the human element of policing and that has been cut to the bone by this Tory Government.

“After seven years of funding reductions, forces lack adequate resources to properly invest in technological innovation and in the training officers need so they can capitalise on the data and intelligence they already hold.

“This added to the national crisis in detective numbers is leading to far too many missed opportunities and a backlog in investigations. The Home Office need to urgently step up and lead a national strategy for policing on big data innovation.”

Cat Smith MP, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Voter Engagement and Youth Affairs, responding to Phillip Hammond’s comments at a meeting with the 1922 Committee, said:

“The Tories have failed young people on education, housing and living standards so it’s no surprise they were rejected so overwhelmingly at the election. 

“If Philip Hammond is looking for ideas to help young people, he could consult Labour’s manifesto “For the Many not the Few” for policies to scrap student fees, restore education maintenance grants, end the discrimination in the minimum wage and increasing it to £10 an hour for everyone.“

Cat Smith MP, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Voter Engagement and Youth Affairs, commenting on reports in the Times that the Tories are to drop plans to reduce the number of seats in the Commons, said:  

“Despite insisting that nothing has changed, it appears Theresa May has been forced to drop yet another manifesto commitment because she is too weak to command the support of her backbenchers.

“This proposal was always designed for the Tories’ own political advantage rather than what is in the best interests of the country.

“Labour stands ready to work with other parties to ensure that a boundary review can go ahead in a way that benefits our democracy, not just the Conservative Party.”