Labour

Keir Starmer MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the EU, commenting on a report from the Hansard Society about parliamentary scrutiny of the Brexit bill, said:

“It would be wrong for the PM to allow any changes to EU-derived laws without proper Parliamentary scrutiny.

“That is why Labour have been clear that any changes must be delivered through primary legislation and with proper transparency and accountability.

“In particular we will argue that all workers’ rights, consumer rights and environmental protections derived from EU law should be fully protected—no qualifications, limitations or sunset clauses.

“The PM should listen to the warnings she has received today from the Hansard society. And she should be in no doubt that Labour will fight all the way on this”.

Rebecca Long-Bailey MP, Labour’s Shadow Business Secretary, commenting on a leaked report which reveals over a thousand jobs are at risk at Ford’s Bridgend base, said:  

‘’Today’s leak is deeply worrying for the 1,160 workers at Ford’s Bridgend plant who may lose their jobs by 2021.

“The Government must urgently provide further details of the dialogue they have had with Ford and provide much needed assurances to the families who will be affected.

“It is becoming clearer each week that the Government’s approach is to jump from crisis to crisis and offer assurances to individual companies on a piecemeal basis. This is failing to give the manufacturing sector the certainty it so needs.’’

Jeremy Corbyn works with European socialist parties in government to lobby for rights of British people in EU and EU citizens in the UK.

Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Labour Party, is coordinating EU-wide efforts by socialist parties to protect the rights of UK citizens living in the EU and EU citizens living in the UK.

Today, Jeremy has written to leaders of seven European socialist parties, allied to Labour and in government, to lobby, at every level of the EU, for the rights of British citizens abroad and to reaffirm Labour’s commitment to the rights of EU residents in the UK.

The letters follow discussions Jeremy Corbyn initiated at a Party of European Socialists conference that Labour hosted in London last week.

With the British government likely to trigger Article 50 in the coming weeks and negotiations around Britain’s future relationship with the EU about to begin, millions of people across the EU are uncertain and fearful about what the future holds for them. 

In the letters, he appeals to the “common voice” of socialist parties across Europe to help guarantee the rights of “around 3 million EU Citizens, living, working and contributing greatly in our societies” and “an estimated 1.5 million British people living in different parts of the European mainland.”

Theresa May has resisted Labour calls for the government to act unilaterally to guarantee the rights of EU citizens in the UK. It currently looks likely to take the issue of rights for EU migrants in the UK and British migrants in the EU into what could be a difficult and unpredictable period of negotiations.

Corbyn states this is the reason he is writing “as a friend and sister party colleague” asking “for you and your government to work formally with other socialist colleagues in the EU council and insist that the current rights of both EU and British citizens are guaranteed and insist this decision is the first to be made once Article 50 is triggered.”

“As socialist parties, we all agree that we must work together to make sure the basic values we share are fully represented in a final agreement between Britain and the EU. Therefore I see no better way to start by making this issue a key priority for us in the coming months, we cannot allow our citizens, our neighbours and our friends be subject to further uncertainty or be used as a bargaining chip.”

“We as socialists must stand up for the rights of everybody and I am confident this can be done through the Brexit process and beyond, if we stay true to our beliefs and work together.

Ends

Angela Rayner MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Education, commenting on the Government’s plans to introduce statutory age-appropriate relationships education from Key Stage One, said:

“I am absolutely delighted with the Government’s announcement that they will seek to introduce statutory, age-appropriate relationship and sex education for every child from Key Stage One. 

“This is the culmination of years of campaigning by the Labour Party, charities and MPs across the House, and I’m pleased the Minister has listened to the arguments and acted appropriately.

“Good quality relationship and sex education in schools is key to the prevention of child abuse and violence in teenage relationships. It provides children with the knowledge, resilience and confidence they need to challenge exploitative relationships.

“Relationship and sex education is most effective when it sits as part of a whole-school approach embedding across the curriculum with well-trained staff. The Government must now ensure schools have the resources to deliver this.”

Angela Rayner MP, Labour’s Shadow Education Minister, commenting on the expected rise in families not getting their first choice of school on secondary school offer day, said:

“The system for school place planning is broken.

“The Tories’ unjustified fixation with Free Schools means new schools are opening in areas which do not need them and just last week the NAO reported that the Government are not doing enough to ensure all parents can exercise choice when selecting the right school for their children.

“The Tories need to sort this mess out instead of obsessing over a handful of new grammar schools which will only help a minority of children.”