Labour

Jonathan Ashworth MP, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, responding to the latest data on mixed sex ward breaches, said:

“In 2012 Jeremy Hunt said mixed sex wards had been “virtually eliminated”. The fact that mixed sex wards are now at their highest level for six years reveals a bigger picture of overcrowded and overstretched hospitals as a result of Tory underfunding and mismanagement.

“Yet again we see patients cruelly let down by Theresa May. Ministers simply cannot carry on burying their heads in the sand about the scale of the problems facing the NHS. In the Budget, Theresa May must match Labour’s pledge to deliver an extra £6 billion for our NHS across the next financial year to ensure the best possible quality of care is sustained for years to come.”

Barbara Keeley MP, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Social Care, commenting on the Government’s announcement that they will publish a Green Paper on the long term funding of social care by summer 2018, said:

“This complacent Tory Government is dragging its feet over the long term funding of social care at a time when the system is creaking under winter pressures.

“Scandalously, on this trajectory it will have taken a year to publish this Green Paper from the date it was announced and will be even longer before we have a clear policy from the Government.

“Alarmingly, it also does not appear that the Green Paper will consult on working age people with social care needs.

“Given the current crisis in social care, the Tory Government must take immediate action to find a long-term solution to the social care crisis it has created.”

Richard Burgon MP, Shadow Justice Secretary, responding to today’s Prison Workforce Data, said:

“The Tories’ decision to axe thousands of prison officers created a crisis in our prisons.

“Despite a so-called recruitment drive, the overall picture remains concerning. There are still over 5,600 fewer frontline officers than in since 2010 and a quarter of prisons have still seen officer numbers fall in the last year, including some of the most dangerous offenders and those that the MoJ itself rates as being of concern.

“It’s no wonder the exodus of experienced prison staff under the Tories continues, with the leaving rate up three fold since 2010. The Conservatives’ risible offer of yet another real terms pay cut for prison officers will only make it more difficult to retain prison officers. Labour will tackle this crisis in retention by scrapping the unfair public sector pay cap.”

Andy McDonald MP, Shadow Transport Secretary, commenting on the confirmation that Transport for the North’s status is to be downgraded from client status to statutory influencer, said:

“The Tories justified slashing investment in rail in the North by saying they would devolve powers for the North to address its own transport needs. Today’s announcement that the status of Transport for the North is to be downgraded confirms that the Conservatives’ promises of devolution, like promises of investment, aren’t worth the paper they are written on.

“Under the Government’s plans, Transport for the North will still answer to civil servants in Whitehall, and the North will be denied the powers to finance and deliver transport investment enjoyed by Transport for London.

“It’s unfair that all the regions of the North combined receive less in transport investment compared to London, despite the North having twice the population. It is clear the Government aren’t serious about the so-called Northern Powerhouse or rebalancing the economy.

“Only Labour is committed to closing regional divides and delivering both the powers and the investment needed to deliver the transport infrastructure the North so badly lacks, including at least a £10billion commitment to building a Crossrail for the North.”

John Healey MP, Shadow Housing Secretary, responding to the final Grenfell Tower death toll, said:

“Now the agonising wait is over and it has finally been confirmed that 71 people died in the devastating Grenfell Tower fire, we again send our deepest condolences to the families and friends of those who have lost loved ones.

“The Government must now step up its work to help the survivors of the terrible fire at Grenfell Tower, most of whom are still in hotels more than five months after the fire.

“Ministers must also use the forthcoming Budget to urgently act to make the homes of high-rise residents across the country safe, by setting aside funds to install sprinklers in all social housing tower blocks.”