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.”