Labour

Rebecca Long-Bailey, Labour’s Shadow Business Secretary, commenting on the release of the list of employers who have failed to pay the national minimum and living wage, said:  

“It is frankly disgraceful that a record number of employers have failed to pay their workers the basic minimum wage and hopefully the repercussions of being publicly named and shamed will act as a deterrent for other unscrupulous employers.

“However, the fact remains that the current so-called National Living Wage is that in name only. The Chancellor even announced a cut in the rate at the Autumn Statement last year, leaving 2.7 million people over £1,300 worse off by 2020.

“Labour will deliver a real living wage so that every worker earns enough to really live.”

Angela Rayner, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, commenting on the letter from Core Cities UK to the Education Secretary, said:

“Schools are facing unprecedented cuts to their budgets and all the Tories have to offer are warms words about how they will help them make the savings.

“When headteachers are faced with the choice of keeping the lights on or letting go of teachers, this is galling to say the very least.

“Children deserve more from this Tory government who have created a school funding crisis, chronic teacher shortages and super-sized classes.”

“Today’s productivity figures again confirm the Tories’ failure on productivity growth, a crucial component of rising living standards.

“This is yet more worrying news given figures this week showing inflation rising and wage growth slowing, squeezing household incomes.

“The ONS says productivity growth “remains weak”, and Philip Hammond has previously admitted that the UK’s productivity gap is “shocking”. Yet the Tories have no plan to tackle the problem.

“Only Labour can end the Tories’ rigged economy with a serious plan to invest in our future to raise our productivity, and create the high wage, high skill economy of the future.”

Gill Furniss MP, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Steel, Postal Services and Consumer Protection, commenting on reports that Tata steelworkers have voted to accept Tata’s new pension scheme deal, said:

“This was always going to be a tough decision but we should recognise the fantastic work trade unions have done in getting the deal that has been accepted today. Thousands of steelworkers at Port Talbot now have job security for the next five years and they deserve the certainty that today’s result brings.

“Steel is a vital foundation industry for the UK. That is why it is important that today we have got a way forward for the Port Talbot steelworks, and that is why Labour will keep pressing the Government to give the steel sector the support it deserves.

“That means not marking steel ‘low-priority’ in the Brexit negotiations and not giving steel just one mention in the whole industrial strategy green paper. Actions matter, and this Government has done nothing to show it will actually support the UK steel industry.”

Rebecca Long-Bailey, Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy commenting on Theresa May’s visit to Copeland said:

“The Prime Minister today failed to assure that the UK is committed to the NuGen nuclear plant at Moorside in Cumbria.

“Taking an equity share as Labour has called for would ensure this vital power station built. Theresa May’s lack of action compounds a failed and incoherent energy strategy, clumsily lurching from crisis to calamity.

“Labour supports new nuclear and the growth of renewable energy, but the Tories appear hell bent on preventing either, rushing us out of the Euratom nuclear partnership and slashing low carbon energy support.

“The Tories’ failure is forcing up energy bills and threatening jobs.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

1     Labour tabled multiple amendments to the recent Article 50 Bills to seek continued membership of Euratom (the European Atomic Energy Community) including NC192. The government rejected those attempts to keep the UK inside the nuclear research and trade community, despite strong calls from the nuclear industry.

a.       Leaving Euratom will have significant implications and disruption for the nuclear industry, and may affect the construction of Hinkley Point C.

b.      Legal opinion is split as to whether leaving the EU necessitates the leaving Euratom.

c.       Labour has come out in support of new nuclear.

2       The Government has greatly rolled back on support for low carbon energy to international condemnation.

a.       It is months late in its publishing of the legally required Emissions Reduction Plan.

b.      And risks missing it’s legally required Carbon Budgets as laid out in the Climate Change Act 2008.

3.     Significant disruptions in financial flows to the energy infrastructure makes projects more risky, driving up the cost of capital and impacting bills payers.