Labour

Chris Williamson MP, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Fire and Emergency Services, commenting on the Home Office’s statement on adding fire and rescue inspections to HMIC’s responsibilities, said:

“After an unclear Home Office statement, Ministers must tell the public exactly what extra resources, staff and expertise will actually be provided.

“If today’s statement is really a cloak for cuts to existing fire and rescue inspectors, and over-stretching the inspectors of the police services, it will be strongly opposed. The police and the fire service both need expert and thorough inspection, and the public will be right to demand that they have it. Labour will oppose any cuts to the inspection regimes under the guise of efficiency and savings.”

John Healey MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, responding to the release of new information on fire safety tests of tower blocks, said:

“Five weeks on from the Grenfell Tower fire, the Government’s system of fire safety checks on tower blocks is not fit for purpose.

“The latest statement from Ministers, smuggled out yesterday evening as the Commons finished for the day, confirms that there are still 52 tower blocks with the same type of cladding as Grenfell Tower that have not been tested. Even worse, it confirms there are still thousands of other tower blocks around the country which may not be safe but which Government tests have ignored.

“These fire safety tests are vital to reassure residents that their homes are safe, but the testing process to date has failed to do this. The tests are too slow, too narrow and confused. Residents are still worried and landlords are in the dark. Secretary of State Sajid Javid must report fully to Parliament tomorrow before the summer recess and explain how he is going to get a grip of this mess.”

Kate Osamor MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for International Development, commenting on the release of the National Audit Office report into aid spending, said: 

“We should be proud that British aid is transforming millions of lives and working to make the world more peaceful and secure. This watchdog report shows that DFID has become a world leader in preventing fraud and managing aid effectively and transparently. But under this divided Conservative government, Ministers are fighting each other for control of the aid budget.

“This report highlights how the ever-increasing proportion of Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) now being spent by other government departments isn’t subject to the proper scrutiny or effective management that we know the Department for International Development (DFID) brings. The Conservative government needs to quickly make sure all aid spending by all departments meets key transparency criteria and is subject to scrutiny by Parliament’s International Development Committee.” 

“Only a Labour government will fully protect the independence of DFID and its world-class expertise and leadership. We will keep to our commitment of spending 0.7% of national income, and ensure that we spend that we do so responsibly and effectively.”  

Angela Rayner MP, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, responding to the publication of the consultation response to the English Baccalaureate (Ebacc), said:  

“The Tories have dragged their feet for months on releasing the responses to this consultation and it is clear why.

“It is essential that children have a firm grip of the core subjects at school, but it is just as important that all children have access to a broad and balanced curriculum which over two thirds of respondents highlighted is at threat under the Ebacc.

“The Tories need to return to the drawing board on the Ebacc and make sure it is delivering the excellent, well-rounded education all children deserve.

“If they were serious about delivering a broad and balanced curriculum for schools they would not be cutting their budgets or imposing a cap on public sector pay that makes it impossible for schools to recruit and retain the staff that they need.”

John McDonnell MP, Labour’s Shadow Chancellor, responding to the IFS Living standards report, said:

“Today’s findings are a damning indictment of seven wasted years of Tory economic failure. The independent Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) confirmed that working people face a crisis in living standards.

“With wages still lower than they were in 2010 and income inequality and child poverty set to increase to over 5 million, it is clear that under the Tories working people will continue to suffer from falling living standards. This is at the same time as official statistics show that wealth inequality has increased, with the wealth of the poorest falling while the wealth of those at the top has increased.

“Only Labour has a proper plan to raise working people’s living standards by delivering for the many, not the few, with the introduction of a Real Living Wage of £10 an hour, scrapping the public sector pay cap and reversing cuts to Universal Credit.”