Labour

Peter Dowd MP, Labour’s Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, responding to Philip Hammond’s remarks calling the EU “the enemy”, said:

“These are foolish remarks by Philip Hammond, and reveal that he is clearly feeling the pressure from Tory MPs calling for him to be sacked. The tone of this rhetoric will obviously not unblock negotiations or help protect our economic interests.

“The Chancellor should be putting the country before the infighting in his own party when he is representing us overseas, and refrain from acting like Basil Fawlty on holiday. It is vital that these negotiations do not lead to a situation where Britain crashes out of the EU without a deal, risking jobs and living standards.

“This weak government has squandered the past months of the Brexit negotiations, squabbling with each other rather than trying to get the best deal for Britain. If they are not up to the job then they should step aside and let Labour take over.”

Barbara Keeley MP, Labour’s Shadow Cabinet Minister for Social Care, commenting on new figures for delayed transfers of care due to a lack of social care, said:

“It is worrying that the number of days that patients are stuck in hospital due to a lack of social care has increased by more than a quarter since last year.“

“Delayed days caused by patients waiting for care packages at home and in care homes and nursing homes have also increased this month, yet we still see no action from the Tory Government to deal with the social care crisis.

“A Labour Government would provide the urgent additional funding needed to deal with the crisis in social care.”

Rebecca Long-Bailey MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, commenting on the Government’s energy price cap announcement, said:

“The price cap legislation introduced today is wholly inadequate and proof that the Tories have broken their promise to help consumers.

“It has no detail on the cap, what level it will be at, how it is to be calculated or whether consumers will receive the £100 savings they were promised. It passes the buck yet again to Ofgem.

“It does not even guarantee when the cap will be introduced. And there is no reform of the market just an overall review which will be drawn out.

“Labour would introduce an immediate emergency price cap to ensure that the average dual-fuel household energy bill remains below £1,000 per year, while we transition to a fairer system for bill payers.”

Jonathan Ashworth MP, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, responding to the latest NHS Combined Performance Statistics, said:

“These shocking figures demonstrate that Theresa May’s winter crisis has firmly stretched into the summer months.

“NHS patients are now paying the price of Tory underinvestment all year round, with thousands left stranded on trolleys or waiting to be seen in overcrowded, understaffed A&E units.”

Keir Starmer MP, Labour’s Shadow Brexit Secretary, has written to David Davis calling on him urgently to request an additional emergency round of talks to try and reach an agreement with EU negotiators before next week’s crucial EU Council meeting.

“Today’s press conference confirms that the Government has failed to meet the target for this round of negotiations.

“Ministers have wasted months of the Brexit talks fighting amongst themselves. This increases the chances that Britain will crash out of the EU without a deal. That would be catastrophic for jobs and living standards and must be rejected as a viable option.

“That is why I have written to David Davis calling on the Government urgently to request an additional emergency round of talks with EU negotiators in the coming days to try and reach an agreement before next week’s EU Council meeting.

“The Government must recognise the gravity of the situation. They must drop their ideological red lines and work round the clock to find a resolution to the current situation.”

Ends

Notes to editors:

Full text of the letter:                     

Dear David

Article 50 negotiations between the United Kingdom and the European Union

I write regarding the Article 50 negotiations between the UK Government and the European Union (EU) following today’s press conference.

The announcement of further progress on the rights of EU citizens and the issue of Northern Ireland is welcome. It is also encouraging to see a more constructive tone in the talks.

However, I am deeply concerned that more than six months on from the triggering of Article 50 this round of discussions has ended without an agreement, with the European Union warning of a “disturbing deadlock” over the divorce settlement. It now looks likely that the EU Council next week will not be able to agree negotiations have proceeded sufficiently to open up trade talks.

The deadlock in negotiations increases the risk of Britain crashing out of the EU without a deal. That would be catastrophic for jobs and living standards and must be rejected as a viable option.

That is why Labour is calling on the Government urgently to request an additional emergency round of talks with EU negotiators in the coming days to try and reach an agreement before next week’s EU Council meeting. The Government must recognise the gravity of the situation, must drop the ideological red lines and work round the clock to find a resolution to the current situation.

Given the significant interest in this matter, I am making this letter public.

Yours sincerely

Keir Starmer MP

Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union