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Jeremy Corbyn responds to Theresa May’s speech in Downing Street

Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Labour Party, responding to Theresa May’s speech in Downing Street, said:

“Theresa May is playing party games with Brexit in the hope of winning advantage for the Tories in the General Election.

“By winding up the public confrontation with Brussels, the Prime Minister wants to wrap the Conservative party in the Union Jack and distract attention from her government’s economic failure and rundown of our public services.

“But Brexit is too important to be used as a political game in this election.

“These are vital negotiations for every person in Britain and for the future of our country. But Theresa May is putting party interest ahead of the national interest.

“The Prime Minister is right that there are those in Brussels who don’t want a deal. But that is also true of leading figures in the Tory party, who want to use Brexit to turn Britain into a low wage tax haven.

“The Prime Minister says that no deal would lead to a different economic model for Britain.

“In plain terms, that means wiping out employment rights and consumer protections and giving still more tax breaks to the rich and big corporations.

“That’s the threat and the risk that comes from this Tory Government.

“Only Labour can be trusted to negotiate a Brexit deal that puts jobs and living standards first. Labour will negotiate a Brexit for the many not the few.”

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Labour •

Even Theresa May’s own backbenchers realise her approach to school funding is an exercise in moving inadequate sums of money around – Angela Rayner

Angela Rayner, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, commenting on reports that Theresa May is facing her first uprising of the election as the Tories urge her to abandon school funding plans, said:

“It speaks volumes that even Theresa’s own backbenchers realise her approach to school funding is simply an exercise in moving inadequate sums of money around. On top of this, their cuts to per-pupil spending will mean fewer teachers, cuts to school support staff and larger class sizes; while some schools are not even able to afford basic school repairs.

“Labour supports the principle of moving towards a fairer funding formula for schools and will ensure that all schools have the funding they need. Only Labour will build an education system accessible to everyone, not just the privileged few.”

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Labour •

Calls for investigation into SNP Government announcement

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3 May 2017

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The Scottish Conservatives have called on the Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government to investigate a Scottish Government announcement of an £8 million investment for Glasgow just two days before the local council election.

Official guidance states that Civil Servants in the Scottish Government should take ‘particular care’ over ‘official support, and the use of public resources, including publicity, for Ministerial or official announcements which could have a bearing on matters relevant to the local elections. In some cases, it might be better to defer an announcement until after the elections’.

It says “particular care” should be taken in the three week period before the elections.

The Scottish Government announced £8.35million of funding for redevelopment in Glasgow – a key SNP target area in the local authority elections – late on Tuesday.

Ross Thomson, the party’s General Election candidate in Aberdeen South, questioned the motives behind the announcement.

He has written to Leslie Evans, Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government, requesting an investigation into the propriety of the timing.

Scottish Conservative candidate for Aberdeen South, Ross Thomson said: 

“This looks like a blatant attempt to sway voters in an area that is being targeted by the SNP.

“I have written to the Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government asking for an explanation as to how this could be announced just 48 hours before voters go to the polls.

“People need to have absolute confidence that public money is not being used for party political ends.”

The letter from Ross to the Permanent Secretary can be found here.

Guidance found here.

Nicola Sturgeon has said: ‘In the council elections next May, let’s work as hard as we ever have to bring the SNP to power…Glasgow is a vivid illustration of the success of our party’ (Speech to SNP Conference, 15 October 2016, link).

Susan Aitken, the SNP Group Leader in Glasgow, has also said: ‘We think we are on track to achieve our target of at the least being the biggest party [in Glasgow] and I think we may well have an overall majority within our grasp. Winning in Glasgow would definitely help us ahead of the general election’ (The Scotsman, 30 April 2017, link).

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Scottish Conservatives

Green Party slams UKIP aid proposal

3 May 2017

The Green Party has condemned UKIP’s proposal to cut aid spending from 0.7% of national income to 0.2% [1]. The Green Party is opposed to any cuts to the foreign aid budget and believes it should be increased to 1%.

Jonathan Bartley, Green Party co-leader, said:

“Cutting the aid budget will cost lives. Any move to rollback our commitment to international development would be a dereliction of this country’s duty to the rest of the world.

“UKIP’s little-Englander approach has no place in a global, interconnected world. We should be increasing our aid budget, not slashing it by billions of pounds. There’s nothing anti-establishment about scrapping help for those in need.

“Our foreign aid spending is crucial to help stamp out inequalities around the world. A solution that simply creates another problem elsewhere is no solution at all.

“We know that aid alone isn’t enough, and that it must come alongside fairer trading rules, but it is the bedrock of a credible foreign policy where Britain can play a positive role in world affairs. In the coming weeks the Green Party will put forward a bold plan to step up Britain’s global commitments on aid, climate change and nuclear disarmament.”

Notes:

  1. http://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/799256/Ukip-overseas-aid-spending-cut-ten-billion-year

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Green Party •