Diane Abbott MP, Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary, commenting on new
Government plans that would allow civilians to compete for chief constable
jobs, said:

“Caution
is required with these plans. There is a continuous need to modernise the
police, making it more diverse and representative of society as a whole, but
many able officers will now wonder whether their own career paths could be
blocked.

“This
Tory Government have already reduced officer numbers by over 20,000 and broken
their pledge to protect police funding in real terms.

“Neither
the police nor the public will want to see people recruited from outside the
service simply because of their willingness to implement further swingeing
cuts.”

Teresa
Pearce MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local
Government,
commenting on an Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) report showing that one in six
roads in England and Wales are in poor condition, said:

“Up and down the country, motorists, cyclists and passengers regularly
have their safety compromised by dangerous and recurring potholes. Whilst
councils are doing their utmost to repair these swiftly, huge cuts to local
government budgets are making this ever more difficult.

“The Government must act to close the funding gap in local services so that
people are able to travel freely and safely throughout their communities. And
the utility companies who regularly dig up the roads must also be an active
part of the solution to this problem.

“The Tories’ chaotic and cack-handed approach to local government funding is
creating a system whereby councils can only afford to provide the bare minimum
in statutory social care, safeguarding and homelessness services. Consequently,
we are seeing everything else, from libraries to roads, suffer as a
result.”

Jonathan
Ashworth MP, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, commenting on reports that NHS
England is to develop new guidelines in order to stop GPs from prescribing
certain medicines, said:

“This
Government has forced the NHS through the longest period of financial squeeze
in its history. Indeed, hospital bosses have recently warned it will be
‘mission impossible’ to achieve the standards of care the public demand given
the scale of the underfunding.

“We
have long warned this underfunding would lead to greater rationing of services
and treatments. Ministers need to explain what today’s restrictions will mean
for those eligible for free prescriptions such as the elderly, pregnant and
those on low incomes.

“Of
course, NHS bosses are right to demand the best possible value for money from the
medicines they buy so that every penny can go towards patient care. But let’s
be clear: the greater restrictions and rationing proposed today are a direct
result of Theresa May’s underfunding of the NHS.“

Pat Glass MP, Labour’s Shadow Transport
Minister,
commenting on the announcement that First Group and MTR are to take over the
South Western Franchise, said:                             

“In
an agreement made in January of last year, the Government announced that the
South Western franchise around London was to be taken over by TfL at the end of
the franchise period. It is therefore disappointing to see that it has now been
handed over to a private operator which is partly owned by a foreign company.
We are now in a ludicrous situation where 75 percent of our railways are now
wholly or partly controlled by foreign states or foreign companies.

“It
is also hugely disheartening to hear that bidders were required to include
plans for Driver Only Operation. It is important that the new franchisee is
aware of the safety critical role of the second member of staff on board and
they should not seek to remove this. It seems that the Government is
deliberately intent on spreading the disruption faced daily by commuters on
Southern to commuters passengers using the South Western Network.

“First
Group and MTR have promised more trains, more seats and a better service but
now only time will tell as to whether they will deliver that.”

Diane Abbott MP, Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary, speaking in response
to the controversy over encrypted messages in the wake of the terrorist attack
at Westminster, said:

“Labour
opposes an open access trawl of all messaging. Good counter-terrorism measures
are nearly always intelligence led.

“In the cases
of suspects or perpetrators of serious crime or terrorism, it is crucial that
there is effective judicial oversight of the security services’ access to
encrypted messages.

“Amber Rudd
will be keen to set out exactly how the Government will ensure that law-abiding
citizens’ privacy is not breached.

“Fighting
terrorism is a serious business, and should not be used for political
grandstanding.”