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.”