Labour

Matthew Pennycook MP, Shadow Brexit Minister, responding to Liam Fox’s comments to the House of Commons International Trade Committee, saying he is “not afraid” of ending up with no deal, said:

“Liam Fox’s comments expose the cavalier approach the Tories are taking to the Brexit negotiations.

“Senior Tories seem blind to the realities of what crashing out of Europe without an agreement would mean. It would mean higher prices in the shops, longer queues at the airport and potentially a significant risk for major parts of the economy. 

“Theresa May should call out the fantasy Brexiteers in her own Cabinet and guarantee that an agreement with Europe is reached.”

Peter Dowd MP, Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, speaking after the report stage and third reading of the Finance Bill, in which the Government blocked Labour’s anti-tax avoidance amendments to the bill, said:

“Today we have seen another example of the Government’s desire to be seen to be doing something on tax avoidance, when in fact the changes proposed are artificial and amount to little while the exemption for offshore trusts remains intact.

“In the past month alone, we have seen the government face a barrage of criticism from the European Union for its poor record on tackling tax avoidance.”

Angela Rayner MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Education, responding to the Government’s announcement they will resume plans to sell off the student loan book, said

“Time and again, this Government is returning to the same failed policies. They have repeatedly tried to privatise the student loan book, only to abandon the idea when it became clear that it was a bad deal for taxpayers and a bad deal for students.

“This new attempt at privatisation is typical of the short-sighted approach to financial management we have seen under the Tories, desperately swapping future income for a one-off boost to flatter their terrible record on our national debt, which has almost doubled since 2010.                                                                                                                                                                                           “The next Labour Government will address the real issues in student finance, by scrapping tuition fees and bringing back maintenance grants as we build a National Education Service that will transform Britain into a country for the many, and not the few.”

Justin Madders MP, Labour’s Shadow Health Minister, responding to today’s Royal College of Midwives report on agency spending in the NHS, said:

“The Government’s management of the NHS workforce has been a disaster for both staff and patients. The country is now 3,500 short of the number of midwives needed and the RCM say almost £100m is being used to plug the gaps with temporary staff.

“It’s essential that hospitals are able to get the right number of midwives in place to keep mothers and their babies safe. Labour’s research published earlier this year showed a huge rise in temporary closures of maternity units because of short staffing. The Government’s underfunding of the NHS is failing families in their time of need.

“Ministers must step in with a long term workforce plan for the NHS and they should put an end to the self-defeating pay cap. At the moment too much money is going to employment agencies when it should be going to frontline patient care.”

Justin Madders MP, Labour’s Shadow Health Minister, responding to today’s Royal College of Midwives report on agency spending in the NHS, said:

“The Government’s management of the NHS workforce has been a disaster for both staff and patients. The country is now 3,500 short of the number of midwives needed and the RCM say almost £100m is being used to plug the gaps with temporary staff.

“It’s essential that hospitals are able to get the right number of midwives in place to keep mothers and their babies safe. Labour’s research published earlier this year showed a huge rise in temporary closures of maternity units because of short staffing. The Government’s underfunding of the NHS is failing families in their time of need.

“Ministers must step in with a long term workforce plan for the NHS and they should put an end to the self-defeating pay cap. At the moment too much money is going to employment agencies when it should be going to frontline patient care.”