Angela Rayner MP, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, commenting on
reports that the Treasury has taken back £384 million originally promised for
schools in England, said:

“It is astonishing that the Treasury is now clawing money
back from the Education budget at the same time as schools spending is being
drastically cut.

“There is no better investment a government can make than
in education and it is deeply depressing that the Tories have chosen to
take money away from schools like this.

“Theresa May needs to answer some serious questions on what this
money is now going to be used for if not to help ease the pressure on
struggling schools.”

John
McDonnell MP, Labour’s Shadow Chancellor, commenting on the Public Affairs Committee (PAC)
report on HMRC’s tax collection efforts from high net worth individuals, which
shows that the very wealthy are receiving preferential treatment, said:

“This latest report from the PAC shows how the Tories have run a rigged economy
where the super-rich pay less and less in tax while earnings for average
working households are still below their level of a decade ago. It’s a national
disgrace that the amount lost in tax from a super-rich elite under the Tories
would be enough to help end the crisis in social care.

"Labour will call time on the super-rich tax-dodgers and give HMRC the
legal and staff resources it needs to close the tax avoidance loopholes and
scams. We’ll stop the Tories using the excuse of Brexit to turn Britain into a
tax haven off the coast of Europe, and build an economy that leaves no-one and
no community behind.”

Jonathan
Ashworth, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, commenting on reports that the Prime Minister has
refused to exclude health services from a possible trade deal with the US,
said:

“It
is beyond belief that our Prime Minister is bartering away our health service
in her desperation for post-Brexit trade deals. Labour is committed to the NHS
both free at the point of use and free at the point of delivery. Theresa May
has presided over the worst winter for the NHS in years and she must not now be
allowed to sell off the NHS to big US healthcare corporations. 

"Labour
will oppose any attempt to sell off our health service. The Prime Minister
needs to urgently confirm that a rushed trade deal with President Trump will
not be a Trojan horse for NHS privatisation. The British people did not vote
for Theresa May to use our NHS as a bargaining chip with Donald Trump.”

Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Labour Party  said:

“I’m so sad to hear of the death of my good friend and comrade Tam Dalyell. Our thoughts are with his family.

“Tam was a titan of parliamentary scrutiny, fearless in pursuit of the truth. From Iraq to the miners’ strike, he doggedly fought to expose official wrongdoing and cover ups.

“The title of his autobiography summed Tam up to a tee: ‘The Importance of Being Awkward.’

“But he was much more than that: Tam was an outstanding parliamentarian, a socialist and internationalist, and a champion of the underdog, here and abroad.”

Today
Labour has tabled a number of targeted amendments to the Article 50 Bill (the
European Union [Notification of Withdrawal] Bill).

The
amendments seek to improve the process, and would ensure Parliament is able to
hold the Government to account throughout the Brexit negotiations.

Labour
is also tabling an anti-tax haven amendment to ensure the Prime Minister doesn’t use Brexit to weaken Britain’s laws concerning tax avoidance and evasion.

Labour
will also support two amendments drafted by Melanie Onn MP which would protect
workers’ rights and ensure there is no drop in employment protection after the
UK leaves the EU.

Labour’s
amendments will:

i)                   
Allow a meaningful vote in Parliament on the final Brexit deal. Labour’s
amendment would ensure that the House of Commons has the first say on any
proposed deal and that the consent of Parliament would be required before
the deal is referred to the European Council and Parliament.

ii)                 
Establish a number of key principles the Government must seek to negotiate
during the process, including protecting workers’ rights, securing full
tariff and impediment free access to the Single Market.

iii)               
Ensure there is robust and regular Parliamentary scrutiny by requiring the
Secretary of State to report to the House at least every two months on
the progress being made on negotiations throughout the Brexit process

iv)               
Guarantee legal rights for EU nationals living in the UK. Labour has
repeatedly called for the Government to take this step, and this amendment
would ensure EU citizens’ rights are not part of the Brexit negotiations.

v)                 
Require the Government to consult regularly with the governments in Wales,
Scotland and Northern Ireland throughout Brexit negotiations. Labour’s
amendment would put the Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC) on a statutory
footing and require the UK Government to consult the JMC at least every two
months.

vi)               
Require the Government to publish impact assessments conducted since the
referendum of any new proposed trading relationship with the EU. This amendment
seeks to ensure there is much greater clarity on the likely impact  of the
Government’s decision to exit the Single Market and seek  new relationship
with the Customs Union

vii)             
Ensure
the Government must seek to retain all existing EU tax avoidance and evasion
measures post-Brexit

Jeremy
Corbyn, leader of the Labour Party, said:

“Labour
will seek to amend the Article 50 Bill to prevent the Government using Brexit
to turn Britain into a bargain basement tax haven off the coast of Europe. Our
country can do much better than that.

“We
respect the will of the British people, but not the will of this Tory
government to impose fewer rights at work and worse public services, while the
largest corporations pay even less tax.

“Labour
will ensure that the British people, through Parliament, have genuine
accountability and oversight over the Brexit negotiations because no one voted
to give Prime Minister Theresa May a free hand over our future.”

Keir
Starmer, Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the EU, said:

“Now
that Parliament has the right to trigger Article 50, we need to ensure there is
proper grip and accountability built into the process.

“Labour’s
amendments will also seek to ensure the Prime Minister secures the best deal
for the whole country – including tariff and impediment free access to the
Single Market and that there is no drop in workers’ rights.

“Labour’s
amendments will significantly improve the Government’s Bill – in particular by
ensuring the House of Commons has the first say on the final Brexit deal and
that there are regular opportunities to hold the Government to account.

“Labour’s
amendments will also seek to ensure the Prime Minister secures the best deal
for the whole country – including tariff and impediment free access to the
Single Market and that there is no drop in workers’ rights. We will also
vigorously oppose any plans to reduce powers to tackle tax avoidance or
evasion’.

“The
Article 50 Bill will be the start, not the end of the Brexit process and Labour
will hold the Government to account all the way”

Melanie
Onn MP,
who has tabled two amendments with Frontbench support on workers’ rights said:

“The
Tories can’t be allowed to use Brexit as an excuse to water-down people’s
rights at work.

“That’s
why I am introducing amendments to protect in British law all workers’ rights
which originate from the EU, including maternity pay, equal rights for agency
and part-time workers, and the working time directive.

“The
British people voted to leave the EU, but I don’t think anyone was voting for
more insecure contracts or a less safe workplace.”