Labour

As the EU’s chief negotiator warns Britain over law enforcement and security cooperation, new analysis reveals 10,000 deported thanks to European Arrest Warrant

As Michel Barnier warns Britain that it will have to leave Europol, new analysis by Labour underlines the extent of the UK’s cooperation with the EU on law enforcement.

• The UK has deported over 10,000 suspected criminals under the European Arrest Warrant (EAW)
• 1,455 suspects have been returned to Britain to face justice.
• 2016-17 was the seventh consecutive year in which the UK deported over 1,000 suspects.

Louise Haigh MP, Labour’s Shadow Policing Minister, said:

“Close cooperation with our European neighbours is vital in taking dangerous criminals off our streets and ensuring offenders cannot evade justice simply by crossing a border.

“So for Britain to leave Europol or end other cooperation arrangements it would be a huge blow, threatening our national security and risking critical information falling between the gaps.

“And yet the Tories’ inflexible approach risks us being turfed out of the security apparatus we helped create and which has contributed to our safety and security for many years.  

“It is absolutely imperative to our future security that Britain remains an integral part of these vital arrangements. The Prime Minister needs to start putting the best interests of the country ahead of those in her party who would be happy to see us crash out of Europe without a deal on security.”

Andy McDonald MP, Labour’s Shadow Transport Secretary, commenting on the Government’s rail plans announced this morning, said:

“For someone who is in such a desperate rush to sever links with Europe at any cost, Chris Grayling seems to be determined to put the state-owned railway companies of Germany, France, Holland and Italy in control of both our national rail infrastructure as well as our trains.

“Train operating companies, some of which run abysmal services, should not be invited to take responsibility for the safety-critical infrastructure of Britain’s railways. We don’t want to see a return to the bad old days of Railtrack, where underinvestment and a poor safety record led to customers being put at risk and a number of fatalities.

“Track and train partnerships have been tried recently on the railway and have failed. The public overwhelmingly supports our railways being run under public ownership, in the public interest. Today’s announcement will take us further away from that.”

Debbie Abrahams MP, Labour’s Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, commenting on the new Trussell Trust Christmas figures, said:

“Despite what the Government might think, it is absolutely unacceptable that so many families rely on foodbanks to get through Christmas.

“We know that the Tories’ botched Universal Credit roll out, and their freeze to social security are causing people to visit foodbanks to make ends meet.

“The social security system should not increase the need for foodbanks.

“Labour is calling on the Government to pause and fix Universal Credit before Christmas, and lift the harmful social security freeze.”

Andy McDonald MP, Labour’s Shadow Transport Secretary, responding to the Government’s rail proposals, said:

“These flimsy re-announcements and un-funded proposals come as fares have risen at twice the rate of wages since 2010 and follow the decision to scrap hundreds of millions of pounds of promised rail investment.

“The Tories’ record is of delayed, downgraded and cancelled investment, huge disparities in regional transport spending and soaring fares that are pricing passengers off our railways.

“The Government’s failure stands in stark contrast to Labour’s plans to upgrade and expand the rail network across the country, including re-opening branch lines, funded through the National Transformation Fund, to be run under public ownership with affordable fares for all.”

John McDonnell MP, Labour’s Shadow Chancellor, responding to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in its latest economic outlook, said:

“The OECD has added its fears to those of the Office for Budget Responsibility about the UK economy under the Tories.

“These figures further underline the complete failure of seven years of austerity and the damage it has done to our economy. They also highlight that the UK is facing the harshest austerity measures in the OECD, with household debt a concern and growth expected to remain low for years to come.

“It’s clear that the Tories’ austerity approach has not only failed in its stated aim to eliminate the deficit, it is having real consequences for wages and growth across the economy.”