Diane Abbott MP, Labour’s Shadow Home
Secretary, responding to the release of the
latest migration statistics, said:

“The Tories’ immigration policy is a
complete mess. Despite their claims, they are still nowhere near to achieving
their unworkable target.

“The Tories blame the EU for this,
but EU and non-EU long-term migration are the same, and each of them is way
over 100,000 by themselves. The ONS are clear there was no statistically
significant fall in net migration numbers. 

“The only significant drop was in
international students, who enrich our education system and the wider economy
and whose decline will make us all worse off.”

Paul
Blomfield MP, Shadow Brexit Minister, responding to a BMA report that reveals
more than four in ten European doctors are considering leaving the UK following
Brexit, said:

“Labour
has been warning the Government for months now that its failure to guarantee the
status of Europeans living and working here is not in the national interest.

“These
findings from the BMA are a stark wakeup call about the consequences of this
uncertainty for a health service already at breaking point.

“The
Government must act urgently and guarantee the status of Europeans – for our
health service, for our economy and to create goodwill amongst our future
negotiating partners.

“It’s
failure to do so is an act of self-harm.”

Andy
McDonald MP, Labour’s Shadow Transport Secretary, responding to
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling’s refusal to commit to delivering schemes in
the Government’s Road Investment Strategy at today’s Transport Questions, said:

“The
Office of Rail and Road report into Highways England showed the Government’s
Road Investment Strategy to be in chaos. The agency are over budget, behind
schedule and serious doubts have been cast on whether promised investment will
be delivered on time, if at all.

“The
Road Investment Strategy is beginning to look like a wish-list rather than a
deliverable plan to improve England’s road network. The government must
reassure the public that promised works won’t be cancelled or delayed, and they
should explain how they will guarantee road users’ safety following their
failure to manage investment in England’s roads.”

Cat
Smith MP, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Voter Engagement and Youth Affairs, commenting on
the ONS Young NEET figures out today, said:

“While
it is welcome that the latest figures show a decline in the number of young
people not in education, employment or training (NEET), this Tory Government
continues to fail young people.  

“There
are still  826,000 young people who are NEETs. Young people from
disadvantaged backgrounds continue to perform worse than their peers in school.

“Those
who manage to find work are excluded from the national living wage and many are
subjected to exploitative zero-hours contracts.

“Only
Labour will prioritise young people’s needs and address these failings.”

Debbie Abrahams MP, Labour’s Shadow

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, commented on the Governments Defined Benefit Green
Paper, said:

“Moves to allow employers to
erode the value of their workers’ pensions, which could reportedly cost 11
million pensioners thousands of pounds, are absolutely unacceptable.

“Employers shouldn’t be allowed
to break their promises on pensions and we will not stand by while the
Government gives the green light to companies to downgrade them.

“The Tories are letting older
people down, Labour will fight to guarantee a secure retirement.”