Peter
Dowd MP, Labour’s Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, responding to reports in the Times that the
Chancellor is considering to again extend the time until he balances the books
until 2027, said:

“If these reports are true, it demonstrates once again that this Tory
Government is economically inept and would have failed to meet every fiscal
target they have set themselves.

“It also suggests that the Chancellor has had to break cover once more to brief
the press that he will fail to meet his own target for balancing the books in a
bid to get his excuses in early ahead of the Autumn Budget later this year.

“Only
a Labour Government will provide the investment our economy needs, underpinned
by our Fiscal Credibility Rule, in order to balance the books and build the
high wage, high skill jobs of the future.”

Alan Whitehead MP, Labour’s Shadow
Minister for Energy and Climate Change, commenting
on the announcement that British Gas will increase its prices, said:

“Today’s announcement shows that the
Conservative Government has still not got a grip on the broken energy market,
with companies raising prices yet again.

“This is why we need a Labour
Government to radically transform the energy market, bring down energy bills
and transition to a low carbon future.

“At the very least the Conservatives
should institute the energy price cap which Theresa May promised during the
campaign.”

Liz McInnes, Labour’s
Shadow Foreign Minister, responding
to the outcome of the election in Venezuela, said:

“We mourn all those
who have been killed and injured in the protests leading up to this election,
and we urge everyone in Venezuela,
on all sides, to end the bloodshed immediately.

"In particular, we
urge the government of Venezuela to recognise its responsibilities to protect
human rights, free speech and the rule of law. The outcome of this election
cannot be treated as a mandate for a further escalation of repression,
division, and violence.

"President Maduro
must also respond personally to the legitimate concerns of the international
community about the increasingly authoritarian nature of his rule and the
growing hardship facing his people.

"If he believes
those concerns are misplaced, it is up to him to prove them wrong, not through
his words, but through his deeds.”

Barbara Keeley MP,
Labour’s Shadow Minister for Mental Health, commenting on the Government’s Mental
Health Workforce plan, said:

“Being able to recruit thousands of new mental health staff hinges on the
money being there to pay for them. Yet, this Tory Government expects mental
health and acute trusts to foot more than half the bill themselves. 

“Asking trusts to
find savings of £744 million over the next four years when services have
already been cut to the bone shows just how out of touch this Tory Government
is. These plans simply do not add up.”

Barbara Keeley MP, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Mental Health, commenting on Health
Education England’s Mental Health Workforce Strategy, said: 

“Once again this Tory Government is
promising only jam tomorrow, when what is needed is action
today to tackle the staffing crisis in mental health. The workforce plan
provides no real answers on how these new posts will be funded or how
recruitment issues will be overcome. And it offers little hope to those working
in the sector faced with mounting workloads, low pay and poor morale.

“Time and again the Tories have been warned that severe staffing
shortages are affecting patient care. Only this month the Care Quality
Commission highlighted staffing levels, in particular the cuts to mental health
nurses, as a contributing factor to 40 per cent of mental health services now
failing on safety grounds. 

“A Labour Government will provide the investment needed to recruit
and train staff with the right skills to deliver the mental health
services patients need and deserve. We will legislate for safe staffing,
reinstate nurse bursaries, lift the one per cent pay cap for NHS staff
and ring-fence mental health funding to make sure it reaches
the frontline.”