Sarah Champion MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Women
and Equalities, responding to an expected budget announcement of funding to
mark the centenary of the 1918 Representation of the People Act, said:

“Labour
is pleased that funding will be provided to mark the centenary of the 1918
Representation of the People Act.

“It’s
right that we mark and celebrate the achievements of so many women who risked
their homes, families and freedom to fight for democracy and economic equality.

“However,
99 years later, women are still having to fight for economic equality under
this Tory government. From cuts to universal credit and 54,000 women
losing their jobs through maternity discrimination, to the treatment of
thousands of women born in the 1950s who have been left with a crisis in their
retirement planning, this government is systematically turning back the clock
on gender economic equality.

"Labour
is committed to conducting a gender audit of all our financial statements in
government and to bringing forward an Economic Equality Bill to address the
structural and cultural barriers that prevent women achieving their full
potential.”

Ends

Editor’s
Notes:

1. Analysis conducted by the Department for Business,
Innovation and Skills and the Equality and Humans Rights Commission estimated
that up to 54,000 women every year are forced out of work due to maternity
discrimination

https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/managing-pregnancy-and-maternity-workplace/pregnancy-and-maternity-discrimination-research-findings

2.Independent
House of Commons analysis has shown that as of the 2016 Autumn Statement, 86%
of net savings to the treasury through tax and benefit measures since 2010 have
come from women

Pre-Budget Statement from the Shadow Chancellor

Speaking ahead of the Budget, the Shadow Chancellor has demanded
that the government finds the funding our NHS and social care needs, and that
he must not make women bear the brunt of Tory economic policies as they have
for the last 7 years.

In addition, he said that the chancellor cannot risk building
our economy on the shaky ground of a WTO deal that endangers jobs and growth.

He also, calls on the government to deal with the rising cost of
living, and tackle the problem of chronic low pay for many working families in
our country.

John McDonnell MP, Labour’s Shadow Chancellor, said:

“Philip Hammond’s first Budget comes at a crossroads for our
country ahead of the triggering of Article 50. It cannot be a Budget, where
like his predecessor, he over claims on the government’s economic record, and
under delivers on its promises.

“That is why it is vital he must use his first Budget tomorrow
to provide the adequate funding our NHS and social care system desperately
needs.

“The Tories say they are on the side of working families, but
they are going ahead with cuts to in-work benefits, and presiding over an
economy where six million people earn less than the living wage, and four million
children are in poverty.

“The Budget falls on international women’s day; and although it
is great we have a female Prime Minister, Theresa May has supported every tax
and benefit change in the last seven years, which has meant 86 per cent of the
cuts have fallen on women.

“Therefore, Philip Hammond needs to ensure that his first Budget
breaks with this terrible statistic, and works for women, not one that makes
them bear the brunt of Tory tax giveaways for a wealthy few.

“Finally, the Chancellor cannot risk building our economy on the
shaky ground of a WTO deal that risks jobs and growth, so he must now rule this
out and commit not to turn Britain into a tax haven off the coast of Europe.

“Labour is opposed to any Tory Brexit deal that favours tax
dodgers and the big banks, and would force working families to pick up the tab.

“The Chancellor has to ensure his first Budget is a break from
the past, and not a continuation of the same failed economic policies of the
last seven years.”

Ends

Justin
Madders MP, Labour’s Shadow Health Minister, responding to the NHS Staff
Survey 2016, said:

“The
latest NHS staff survey demonstrates again the enormous pressures facing the
people working in our health service in the face of Theresa May’s neglect and
lack of interest. The Government’s endless underfunding of the NHS and demands
on staff to do more and more with less is taking its toll and stretching
workers to breaking point.

“The
Government urgently need a plan to give our brilliant NHS staff the support
they need at work. It should be a badge of shame for Theresa May that morale in
the NHS is so low. The Prime Minister ought to be using her first Budget to
help NHS workers so that they feel valued in their work and are able to care
for patients to the best of their abilities without the fear of illness or
harassment. The winter crisis would have been so much worse without the
dedication of NHS staff but this survey is a clear warning that they cannot go
on endlessly without more support.”

Diane Abbott MP, Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary, speaking in response to
the launch of a UK report from the Refugee Council, said:

“This
report is a damning indictment of how this Tory Government treats refugees.

“The
complex, arbitrary and hostile processes they have introduced have created a
bureaucratic mess, with a backlog of almost 25,000 cases.

“Ministers
urgently need to implement a streamlined system that assesses claims fairly and
in a timely way, and treats asylum-seekers humanely.”

Cat
Smith MP, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Voter Engagement and Youth Affairs, commenting on
Labour’s victory in the House of Lords today, following Baroness Royall’s
amendment to the Higher Education and Research Bill, said:

“I
am delighted that our colleagues in the Lords have defeated the Tories over
their attempts to restrict student voter registration. Students are one of the
most under-registered groups on the electoral roll and this amendment presents
a monumental opportunity to increase voter participation whilst enabling
councils to make significant savings on the canvassing process, saving our
local authorities valuable time and resources.

“We
now must ensure that the Tories accept this amendment when its moves to the
Commons.”