Labour

Angela Rayner MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Education, responding to the Government’s announcement that it will not follow the decision of the House of Commons to reverse the increase in tuition fees, said:

“Yet again, the Tories have shown their utter contempt for parliamentary democracy. Instead of listening to elected MPs and abandoning their latest hike in tuition fees they have simply recycled a series of old announcements. Ministers have shown once again that they just cannot be trusted with the sweeping powers that they want to give themselves under the Brexit Bill.

“This latest statement leaves more questions than answers on their student funding policy. Students and universities alike are all too aware that the Government has no real plan for how to support our world-class universities and they can’t tell us when the Prime Minister’s promised review will start let alone finish.

“It’s time for the Tories to change their approach. They can make a start by following Labour’s fully funded plans to scrap tuition fees and reintroduce maintenance grants, which would allow every young person to go as far as their talents will take them.”

Debbie Abrahams MP, Labour’s Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, responding to Philip Hammond’s comments to the Treasury Select Committee about the impact of disabled people in the workforce on productivity measurements, said:

“It is disgraceful that Philip Hammond is scapegoating disabled people for a productivity crisis created by the Conservatives’ failed economic policies. 

“This is coming from a Government that has forced disabled people to pay the price of their failed austerity agenda, including by cutting measures that help disabled people into the workforce and scrapping their own manifesto commitment on halving the disability employment gap. 

“We should be increasing disabled people’s access to employment, not denigrating their contributions. The Chancellor should apologise immediately.” 

Gordon Marsden MP, Shadow Higher Education Minister, commenting on the Government’s announcement of a sale of part of the student loan book at an apparent loss of £800 million, said:

“Today’s announcement is proof that this Government is utterly incapable of getting a fair deal for taxpayers.

“In the last Budget Philip Hammond made clear that any sale of the student loan book would have to pass an assessment of value for money, and it tells you everything you need to know about this Government’s economic incompetence that they think a loss of £800 million is good value for money.”

“This sale will simply leave taxpayers worse off, as the Government desperately try to flatter their terrible record on our public finances.”

Rebecca Long-Bailey MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, commenting on the Life Sciences Sector Deal, said:

“The Government’s embarrassing and shambolic approach to Brexit compromises many of the policies outlined in today’s Life Sciences Sector Deal and in last week’s White Paper.

“The European Medicines Agency has already been relocated to Amsterdam as a result of the Government’s approach, despite Labour’s warning that failure to ensure continued membership of the EMA would cause massive disruption to the pharmaceutical industry.

“Labour’s industrial strategy will bring the private and public sectors together to deliver the skills, infrastructure and business policies which will radically transform our economy for the many, not the few.’’

Melanie Onn MP, Labour’s Shadow Housing Minister, responding to new figures on the number of children set to be homeless this Christmas, said:

“It is heart-breaking that 128,000 children will wake up on Christmas morning with no place to call home. The Conservative Government is failing them.

“This shames us all. Ministers must back Labour’s national plan to end this homelessness crisis.”