Sue
Hayman MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs,
responding to Ford’s scrappage scheme announcement,
said:

“This is
welcome news from Ford who are to be congratulated for their initiative and
innovation with this scheme. 

“Not only
do schemes like these help to tackle the air pollution crisis in the UK, they
also help to boost the car industry and our economy.

“However,
action from individual manufacturers won’t make up for a lack of leadership
from the Government on air quality. 

“With
nearly 40 million people living in areas with illegal levels of air pollution,
a joined up, strategic approach across the country is urgently needed.”

Keir Starmer MP, Labour’s Shadow
Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, commenting on the Government’s
latest Brexit policy papers, said:

“These papers come months after
the EU published their plans and offer precious little new information or
concrete proposals.

“It is increasingly clear that the
Government are publishing bland, non-committal papers as a smokescreen to mask
their failure to make any meaningful progress on phase one’s core negotiating
issues – including citizens’ rights.

“Instead of preparing the ground
for failure, the Government should focus on reaching an early agreement to the
first stage of talks and make an early commitment to establish strong
transitional arrangements.” 

Justin
Madders MP, Shadow Minister for Health,
responding to comments made by Stephen Hawking on the NHS, said: 

“It
doesn’t take a genius to work out the Tories are wrecking the NHS. Professor
Hawking has given us answers to many of the universe’s most challenging
questions and even he can’t work out why Jeremy Hunt is still in his job.”

John
Healey MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, responding to Resolution
Foundation research showing an increase in the number of second home-owners,
said:

“While
a growing number of people are now second home owners, the prospect of buying a
first home remains a distant dream for many young people and families on
ordinary incomes. The number of home-owning households rose by a million under
Labour but has fallen by almost 200,000 since 2010, with the biggest fall
amongst young people and families aged under 45.

"After
seven years of failure, Conservative Ministers have no plan to fix the housing
crisis. The number of affordable homes to buy and rent has fallen to the lowest
level in 24 years as Ministers have cut back housing investment.

“A Labour
government will build 100,000 discounted FirstBuy Homes targeted at first-time
buyers on ordinary incomes and give councils the power to put local people
first in line for new homes built in their area and build 100,000 new council
and housing association homes per year by the end of the Parliament, so the
housing market works for the many not just the few.”

Ends

Khalid
Mahmood MP, Labour’s Shadow Europe Minister, responding to the terrorist attack in Barcelona,
said:

“Our
thoughts are with all those killed and injured in the cowardly attack on Las
Ramblas in Barcelona.

"It
bears all the hallmarks of similar atrocities we have seen in other cities,
from Nice to London, attempting to divide our communities and change our way of
life.

"But
in that aim, it will never succeed: instead, it will strengthen our solidarity,
stiffen our resolve, and leave the perpetrators of hatred and terror more
isolated than ever.”