John McDonnell MP today (Wednesday 10 July)
called for radical reform of global institutions, so that they can
respond effectively to climate change, inequality and the displacement
of people.

The Shadow Chancellor was speaking ahead of the Labour Party hosting
the International Social Forum, a conference of progressive political
leaders, campaigners and economists to discuss far reaching
institutional reforms.

McDonnell and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will speak at the event this weekend, at SOAS, University of London.

This two-day conference is part of internationalising Labour’s
programme to harness the full might of the Treasury in government to
tackle climate change, end austerity and erode sky-high inequality.

John McDonnell MP said:

“The world is facing a range of challenges that require transnational action and global solutions.

“The existing global institutions are proving to be incapable of
responding effectively to the existential threat of climate change, the
increasingly unaccountable power of multinationals, and the large-scale
displacement of people.

“Labour has convened an international social forum bringing together
politicians, economists and social movement leaders from across the
world to launch a new dialogue on the reform of the international
institutional architecture needed to tackle the global challenges of the
twenty first century.”

Ends

Notes for news editors

In 2017 speech at the United Nations, Geneva, Jeremy Corbyn MP set
out four main threats faced by humanity: the concentration of wealth and
power in a small group, exacerbated by tax avoidance; climate change;
lack of global cooperation on the refugee crisis; and  the “bomb first,
think later” approach to conflict resolution.

Speakers:

• John McDonnell MP (Saturday 0945), Jeremy Corbyn MP, leader of the Labour Party (Sunday 1630).
• The Labour leader and Shadow Chancellor will also share a platform in the closing plenary – (Sunday 17.30pm)
• Other speakers include: the former president of Brazil Dilma
  Rousseff, Ann Pettifor, co-founder of the Jubilee 2000 campaign, and
  Jayati Ghosh, economics professor at Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University
  (JNU) in Delhi.

Also speaking, former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, Tina
Ngata, an indigenous New Zealand campaigner on climate change, Asad
Rehman, the executive director of War on Want, Fiona Tregenna, Professor
of Economics at the University of Johannesburg and Richard
Kozul-Wright, the director of the division on globalisation and
development strategies at the United Nations Conference on Trade and
Development.

Andy McDonald MP, Labour’s Shadow Transport Secretary, commenting
on the Public Accounts Committee’s report which found that the
government’s legal settlement with Eurotunnel has cost taxpayers nearly
£100 million, said:

“This report exposes the government’s shambolic no-deal Brexit
preparations. The Transport Secretary’s incompetence has already cost
taxpayers tens of millions of pounds.

“It is beyond belief that he should be given another opportunity to
squander public cash and throw our transport networks into chaos. This
country cannot afford Chris Grayling.”

Rebecca Long Bailey MP, Labour’s Shadow Business and Energy Secretary,
responding to the CCC report on climate change saying that efforts to
cut greenhouse gas emissions are lagging far behind what is needed,
said:

“This is a remarkable, damning assessment of the Government’s failure
to tackle and prepare for climate change by their own advisors.

“With the Government delivering on just one out of 25 policy areas,
this is proof, if more were needed, that the Government has no plan to
tackle the climate emergency declared by Parliament.

“Labour takes the climate crisis seriously, and will kickstart a
Green Industrial Revolution to safeguard our future and transform our
economy.”

Dawn Butler MP, Labour’s Shadow Women and Equalities Secretary, commenting on the ONS ethnicity pay gap figures for 2018 released today, said:

“Today’s figures highlight the shocking persistence of ethnic pay
inequality. People need to earn a fair wage based on merit, not by
virtue of the colour of their skin – it’s shocking to see the largest
ethnicity pay gap exists in London at 21.7% – one of the most diverse
capital cities in the world.

“While the government seeks consultation on the ethnicity pay gaps
from employers, it’s yet to give us tangible solutions to address the
issue. We need action not audits.

“Labour in government will make it a priority to close all pay gaps,
gender and ethnicity included, to help address the barriers people
across our society face, so we can truly create a country that works for
the many, not the few.”

This morning, Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the
Labour Party, convened a meeting of the party’s shadow cabinet to agree a
settled Brexit position. The Labour Party will now challenge whoever
emerges as the leader of the Conservative Party to have the confidence
to put their deal to the people in a referendum, with remain on the
ballot, in which Labour would campaign for remain.

Today’s announcement, follows weeks of consultations across the party
and wider labour movement, as Jeremy Corbyn has sought to bring the
whole movement together around a common position.

Jeremy Corbyn has written to every Labour member to lay out the party’s policy.

Jeremy Corbyn’s email to all members:

Dear member,

I am proud to lead the Labour Party – the greatest political party and social movement in this country.

We all recognise that the issue of Brexit has been divisive in our communities and sometimes in our party too.

As democrats, Labour accepted the
result of the 2016 referendum. In our 2017 manifesto, Labour also
committed to oppose a No Deal Brexit and the Tories’ Brexit plans –
which threatened jobs, living standards, and the open multicultural
society that we as internationalists value so much.

I want to pay tribute to Keir Starmer
and the shadow Brexit team for holding the Government to account during
this process. That helped secure a meaningful vote on their deal –
which we then defeated three times – including inflicting the largest
ever defeat on any Government. And following their refusal to publish
their legal advice, this Government became the first to be held in
contempt of Parliament.

Labour set out a compromise plan to
try to bring the country together based around a customs union, a strong
single market relationship and protection of environmental regulations
and rights at work. We continue to believe this is a sensible
alternative that could bring the country together.

But the Prime Minister refused to compromise and was unable to deliver, so we ended cross-party talks.

Now both Tory leadership candidates
are threatening a No Deal Brexit – or at best a race to the bottom and a
sweetheart deal with Donald Trump: that runs down industry, opens up
our NHS and other public services to yet more privatisation, and shreds
environmental protections, rights at work and consumer standards.

I have spent the past few weeks
consulting with the shadow cabinet, MPs, affiliated unions and the NEC. I
have also had feedback from members via the National Policy Forum
consultation on Brexit.

Whoever becomes the new Prime
Minister should have the confidence to put their deal, or No Deal, back
to the people in a public vote.

In those circumstances, I want to
make it clear that Labour would campaign for Remain against either No
Deal or a Tory deal that does not protect the economy and jobs.

Labour has a crucial, historic duty to safeguard jobs, rights and living standards. But no Brexit outcome alone can do that.

We need a general election. After
nine years of austerity, too many people in this country cannot find
decent secure well-paid work, and have to rely on public services that
have been severely cut back.

Our country is ravaged by inequality
and rising poverty, huge regional imbalances of investment, and the
government is failing to tackle the climate emergency facing us all.

That is why we need a Labour government to end austerity and rebuild our country for the many not the few.

Yours

Jeremy Corbyn