Labour

Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Labour Party, commenting on the news that Prince Philip is to retire from carrying out royal engagements, said:

“I would like to pay tribute to Prince Philip following his decision to retire from public service.

“He has dedicated his life to supporting the Queen and our country with a clear sense of public duty.

“His Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme has inspired young people for more than 60 years in over 140 nations.

“We thank Prince Philip for his service to the country and wish him all the best in his well-earned retirement.”

Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Labour Party, responding to Theresa May’s speech in Downing Street, said:

“Theresa May is playing party games with Brexit in the hope of winning advantage for the Tories in the General Election.

“By winding up the public confrontation with Brussels, the Prime Minister wants to wrap the Conservative party in the Union Jack and distract attention from her government’s economic failure and rundown of our public services.

“But Brexit is too important to be used as a political game in this election.

“These are vital negotiations for every person in Britain and for the future of our country. But Theresa May is putting party interest ahead of the national interest.

“The Prime Minister is right that there are those in Brussels who don’t want a deal. But that is also true of leading figures in the Tory party, who want to use Brexit to turn Britain into a low wage tax haven.

“The Prime Minister says that no deal would lead to a different economic model for Britain.

“In plain terms, that means wiping out employment rights and consumer protections and giving still more tax breaks to the rich and big corporations.

“That’s the threat and the risk that comes from this Tory Government.

“Only Labour can be trusted to negotiate a Brexit deal that puts jobs and living standards first. Labour will negotiate a Brexit for the many not the few.”

Angela Rayner, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, commenting on reports that Theresa May is facing her first uprising of the election as the Tories urge her to abandon school funding plans, said:

“It speaks volumes that even Theresa’s own backbenchers realise her approach to school funding is simply an exercise in moving inadequate sums of money around. On top of this, their cuts to per-pupil spending will mean fewer teachers, cuts to school support staff and larger class sizes; while some schools are not even able to afford basic school repairs.

“Labour supports the principle of moving towards a fairer funding formula for schools and will ensure that all schools have the funding they need. Only Labour will build an education system accessible to everyone, not just the privileged few.”

Labour’s Andrew Gwynne said:

“This is yet more nonsense from a Tory campaign that’s all slogan and no substance.

“Their claims are so flimsy that even the most cursory reading reveals error after error: claims that don’t add up, things they say are Labour policy which aren’t and blatant misrepresentation of policies which we have clearly set out how to pay for. The whole thing isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.

“That Philip Hammond is willing to put his name to this nonsense is deeply worrying given it suggests he’s unable to tell the difference between capital and revenue spending.

“Frankly this is just the latest desperate attempt by the Tories to distance themselves from their failures and to distract from the fact that they’ve not ruled out hitting those on lower and middle incomes with further tax increases.

“Labour’s policies are fully-costed and properly paid for. Our plans will be set out in our manifesto. Don’t trust the Tories: they are the party of the few, not the many.”

Labour will today announce that a future Labour Government will immediately halt the proposed closure of A&Es in England and carry out a full scale review of all proposals. 

Having listened to campaigners and concerned patients up and down the country, Jonathan Ashworth, as Labour health secretary will immediately halt the Tories chaotic ‘sustainability and transformation plan’ (STP) programme. 

Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth, will say: 

“Labour will put the best interests of patients at the heart of our NHS so today I’m announcing we will halt planned closures to hospitals and other services. We will have a moratorium on the STPs. 

“We have listened to the hundreds of patients and campaigners up and down the country that have been pleading with the Government to hear their concerns about their local services. Threats of hospitals being closed, A&E services moved miles up the road, and children’s wards being shut, have caused widespread concern and confusion. What is more, these decisions have been decided behind closed doors, with no genuine involvement of local people. It’s a disgrace.

“The public deserves better. My first job as Secretary of State will be to review every single STP proposal looking at what’s in the interest of quality of patient care.

“We’ll ask a new body – NHS Excellence – to lead that review. And patients and local communities will be involved at every stage. Local people should be at the heart of decisions about how care is provided.”