Labour

Today, Labour’s Shadow Treasury Team challenged the failing economic record of this anarchic Cabinet at the final Treasury Questions of the parliamentary session.

The Chancellor and his team’s performance proves beyond a doubt that he has no answer on low pay, no answer on tackling tax avoidance and no answer on the disastrous impact that leaving the EU without a transitional arrangement will have on British jobs.

It is clear Labour is ready as a government-in-waiting – ready to replace a chaotic and bitterly divided Conservative Party.

John McDonnell MP, Labour’s Shadow Chancellor, speaking after Treasury Questions, said:

“A multi-millionaire Chancellor, on £145,000 a year, living in two grace and favour properties at taxpayers’ expense, and renting out another property for a reported £10,000 per month, should not attack public sector workers – our hospital cleaners, nurses, teachers and firefighters – as overpaid.

“Today, the out of touch Chancellor has once again refused to take the opportunity to apologise to our public sector workers. Millions of public sector workers will have been left bitterly disappointed by the Chancellor’s failure to commit to doing the right thing and adopt Labour’s proposals to lift the public sector pay cap.”

Jonathan Ashworth MP, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, commenting on the findings of Sir Michael Marmot, said:  

“The slowing rate of life expectancy improvement since 2010 is an alarming revelation which reflects this Government’s failings to improve the health of our nation.

“Sir Michael Marmot rightly raises his concerns around inadequate health and social care funding, especially compared with other Western European countries. Theresa May’s sustained underfunding of our health service is clearly damaging life chances of the most vulnerable in our society. 

“The next Labour Government will ensure our health and care system is properly funded so our children are given the best possible start in life, and older people are treated with the respect and dignity they deserve.”

Sharon Hodgson MP, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Public Health, commenting on the new Tobacco Control Plan, said:

“Labour have long campaigned for a new Tobacco Control Plan, including a commitment in our 2017 manifesto, while the Government have dithered and delayed for eighteen months. In the House of Commons this month, in response to my question about this, Ministers finally committed to publishing the plan this summer.

“Whilst the plan sets out a bold approach to creating a smoke-free society, with a shift from national action to local action, what it fails to do is recognise the deep cuts being inflicted upon local councils who are seeing their public health budgets slashed.

“This plan can only be effective if the right level of funding is found to implement it, otherwise it is doomed to fail. Ministers cannot go on any longer ignoring the implications of their short-sighted cuts to public health budgets, which are vital to improving our nation’s and our NHS’s health.”

Peter Dowd MP, Labour’s Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, commenting on today’s inflation figures, said:

“Despite the headline fall in inflation, people throughout the country will be worse off yet again this month, as wages grow more slowly than prices. Real wages are still lower than they were when the Tories came to power in 2010.

“After seven years of Conservative failure on the economy, only a Labour government will tackle the scandal of falling living standards, beginning with a £10 per hour Real Living Wage and an end to the unfair public sector pay cap.”

Diane Abbott MP, Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary, commenting on Government proposals to increase restrictions on the online sales of knives, said:

“Any and all sensible measures to prevent knife crime should be considered, but this measure is likely to be marginal at best.

“The truth is this Government has failed to address the root causes of knife crime. They have not mounted effective anti-knives campaigns in schools and colleges, the voluntary agreement signed with retailers just last year clearly has not worked, and they have repeatedly broken their promises on sentencing for knife possession

“Meanwhile, the police have lost over 20,000 officers since 2010 and cuts to local authority budgets have seen youth centres and services close across the country. All of this amounts to a record of failure by this Tory government.”