Following the publication of the
Terms of Reference of the Grenfell Inquiry, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Leader of the
Labour Party, has written to Theresa May calling for further action.

In the letter, Corbyn raises
concerns about the “decision to exclude the broader social and political issues
raised by the fire from the terms of reference of the inquiry.”

Focussing criticism on the
Government, Corbyn says there is a fear that its “priority is to avoid
criticism” for policy failures “rather than secure justice for Grenfell
survivors.”

In order to learn the lessons of
the Grenfell fire, Corbyn calls on May to “immediately set out a clear,
independent and thorough process for identifying and addressing the broader
failings that led to the Grenfell fire.“

Continuing his calls for the
Inquiry terms to be broadened, Corbyn seeks guarantees that Sir Martin
Moore-Bick’s assessors “will include people from minority backgrounds in order
to introduce a broader range of experiences and perspectives into the inquiry,
as many residents have demanded.”

Following Sir Martin Moore-Bick’s
request that the Government reassure survivors on their immigration status,
Corbyn also urges May to “grant indefinite right to remain in the UK to all
survivors who need it, on a discretionary basis.”

Full text of the letter to Theresa
May

Dear Prime Minister,

Thank you for your letter dated 15
August 2017 setting out the terms of reference for the inquiry into the fire at
Grenfell Tower.

It is, of course, a relief that
the inquiry is now up and running, and that survivors are one step closer to
the answers they so desperately need.

However, I am deeply concerned by
the decision to exclude the broader social and political issues raised by the
fire from the terms of reference of the inquiry. The fire has raised profound
concerns about the way that social housing is provided and managed in this
country, and I – as well as many survivors –  worry that, without a wider
focus, the inquiry will fail to get fully to grips with the causes of the fire.

The fear is that the priority is
to avoid criticism of your party’s policy failures rather than secure justice
for Grenfell survivors, along with the safety of the many other people who live
in social housing in this country.

On the issue of social housing,
your letter accepts that ‘there are a number of concerns, that have gone
unheard for too long.’ However, you are vague on how these concerns will now be
addressed. The promise that your Housing Minister, Alok Sharma, will meet and
talk to social housing residents will be of little reassurance to such
residents, particularly in light of the failure of Conservative Governments to
implement the recommendations of the inquest into the 2009 fire at Lakanal
House in Southwark.

Learning the lessons of the
Grenfell fire will require more far-reaching action. I therefore ask that you
immediately set out a clear, independent and thorough process for identifying
and addressing the broader failings that led to the Grenfell fire.

This process should work closely
with Sir Martin Moore-Bick’s inquiry where appropriate and should include
within its remit social housing policy and all aspects of the relationship
between residents and the local authority and the tenant management
organisation. Only by rooting out the more systemic failings that led to the
Grenfell fire will we ensure that nothing like it ever happens again in this
country. 

I am also troubled by your
response to Sir Martin’s request that the Government take all possible measures
to reassure survivors worried about their immigration status. You re-state the
12 month immigration amnesty already in place. However, it seems clear that Sir
Martin is indicating a 12 month amnesty is insufficient and that concerns
remain that a number of survivors will be discouraged from participating in the
inquiry as a result.

I therefore urge you to grant
indefinite right to remain in the UK to all survivors who need it, on a
discretionary basis. Failure to do so will impede their ability to contribute
to the inquiry and may undermine the inquiry itself.

Finally, you note Sir Martin’s
intention to appoint a group of assessors with wide-ranging experience and
expertise. But you do not specify the nature of this diversity beyond having
experience in relation to the occupation and management of social housing, the
administration of local government and “more technical matters.” I continue to
seek guarantees that Sir Martin’s assessors will include people from minority
backgrounds in order to introduce a broader range of experiences and
perspectives into the inquiry, as many residents have demanded.

Given the significant public
interest in the subject matter of this letter, I will be making it public.

Yours sincerely,

Jeremy Corbyn

Angela Rayner MP, Labour’s Shadow Education
Secretary,
responding to Ofsted’s report on Learndirect, said:

“We hope the Government has
listened to our call to step in and protect trainees and apprentices in the
short term, but in the long term it still leaves serious questions about the provision
of training, as well as how we got into this position in the first place.

“This is why Ministers should take
direct control now, to make sure the service is protected and restored to its
previous high standards.

“Today’s Ofsted report is just the
latest evidence of the damage done by Government
cuts, privatisation and falling investment.
It’s time for a different approach, which is why Labour would invest in
genuinely high-quality technical and adult education, with free lifelong
learning for all, so that people can re-skill and re-train throughout their
lives.”

Angela Rayner MP, Labour’s Shadow Education
Secretary, responding to the publication of A-Level results
today, said:

“Congratulations
to everyone around the country receiving their A-Level results today and thank
you to the parents, teachers and school leaders who work hard to support young
people through their education.

“They have managed this in the face of Tory cuts and
large scale changes to exams that have made this process an even greater
challenge.  

“It is only with the support of the whole school
community that young people can realise their full potential. They should be
rightfully proud of what they have achieved together.”

Debbie
Abrahams MP, Labour’s Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, commenting on
today’s Labour Market Statistics, said:

“Labour
welcomes the overall increase in employment but we are deeply concerned
that millions have faced a real terms pay cut under this government. With wages
continuing to fall in real terms, Tory cuts to
in-work support, and rising prices, many households and families
are worse off under this government. 

“The Government has failed to close the employment gap faced by women,
disabled people and ethnic minority groups, who are still less likely
to be in work, and has failed to tackle regional inequalities in the
Labour market.

“A Labour
government will stand up for all working people, implementing a real
Living Wage of £10 per hour and bringing an immediate end to Tory austerity.”

Labour is calling for the roll out of Universal Credit to be
halted as new data shows that while wages are failing to keep up with
inflation, cuts to in-work social security support have meant most net
incomes of recipients have flat-lined in real terms and in some cases
worsened, with women and people from ethnic minority communities worst
affected.

Analysis from the House of Commons Library, shows real wages
stagnating and in-work support contracting for both private and public sector
workers.

The analysis looked at different types of households and income
groups all working full time. It shows single parents with dependent children
being particularly badly affected, with up to £3,100 a year less than they
received with Tax Credits. 

The analysis also shows that nurses and teachers will be hit
particularly hard by the combination of stagnating wages and cuts to social
security.

A single parent of two working full-time as a teacher who is a
new claimant to Universal Credit will be around £3,700 a year worse off in
2018/19 compared to 2011/12. A single parent of two working in the NHS on
average full time earnings for the public sector who is a new tax credit
claimant will be over £2,000 a year worse off in real-terms in 2018/19 compared
to 2011/12.

Equality analysis published in response to a Freedom of
Information request submitted by Labour, predicts cuts to Universal Credit will
fall most heavily on women and ethnic minorities. This analysis shows that households
with a woman or member of an ethnic minority are more likely to be adversely
affected by cuts to Universal Credit work allowances.

Debbie Abrahams MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Work
and Pensions, commenting on the newly-published analyses, said:

“It is shocking that most people on low and middle incomes are
no better off than they were five years ago, and in some cases they are worse
off. The Government’s cuts to in-work support of both tax credits and Universal
Credit are having a dramatic effect on people’s lives, on top of stagnating
wages and rising prices. 

“It’s no wonder we are seeing record levels of in-work poverty,
now standing at a shocking 7.4 million people.

“These analyses make clear that the Government’s abject failure
on living standards will get dramatically worse if Universal Credit is rolled
out in its current form.  

“That’s why Labour is calling for the roll out to be stopped
while urgent reform and redesign of Universal Credit is undertaken, making sure
work always pays and that hardworking families are supported, creating a fair
society for the many, not the few.”