Jonathan Ashworth, Labour’s Shadow Health
Secretary, has today accused Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt of “trying to cover
up" a new round of NHS cuts, which include closing wards and
services, extending waiting times and stopping treatments.

The NHS Capped Expenditure Process
involves hundreds of millions of pounds of reductions to local health
economies, but Government Ministers have so far refused to comment on the
proposals.

Jonathan Ashworth
said:

“I’ve today written to Health Secretary
Jeremy Hunt asking a raft of questions and outlining in no uncertain terms the
major concern that Labour has regarding hundreds of millions of pounds of cuts
to local health budgets.

“The process has been going on since at
least April but so far there has been no announcement from the Health
Secretary, his Ministers or the Department for Health. There is an astonishing
lack of transparency around this whole process.

“Across the country patients and their families are living in fear
that local services they rely on will be cut back to plug black hole which this
government has created.

“This government wants to give the impression that this is for NHS
managers to sort out and wash their hands of a process which involves hundreds
of millions of pounds of public money. This is an unacceptable abdication of
responsibilities to patients and the public and gives the impression of trying
to cover up this new round of NHS cuts.”

The
Labour Party will be out in force on Saturday 1st July promoting the message
that the government has #NoMandate.

 In the
first day of national campaigning since the election result, over 400
Constituency Labour Parties will be taking part in campaign activity, with
Shadow Cabinet members out in every region across the country.

 As part
of the national campaign day, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Leader of the Labour Party,
will address a general election-style rally in Hastings. The constituency of
Hastings and Rye is Home Secretary Amber Rudd’s seat, and is among the most
marginal in the country with a majority of just 346 votes.

 Jeremy
Corbyn will say:

 “I am
proud to be here today in Hastings where you came within a whisker – 346 votes
– of painting the town red and electing Peter Chowney as a Labour MP.

“Labour
gained seats across the country at the last general election, in every region
and nation of Britain.

“Labour
is no longer just the Official Opposition, we are a government in waiting.

“It is
not good enough for politicians – including your MP the Home Secretary – to
praise the police, firefighters and NHS staff when they respond to horrific
incidents like the recent terrorist attacks or the Grenfell Tower fire, and
then vote to make them worse off again year after year.

“This is
what happened in parliament this week. Nurses in our hospitals have had a real
terms pay cut of 14 percent under this government and some are even having to
use food banks. Yet the government refused to back our calls to lift the public
sector pay cap and recruit more police and firefighters. 

“You
can’t keep our communities safe on the cheap. When you cut over 20,000 police
officers, over 11,000 firefighters, and leave our hospitals in record deficit
having to cut back on services.

“We have
to change our economic system so that it works for the many, not just a few.”

Labour’s
Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Andrew Gwynne
MP,
commenting on Nick Paget-Brown stepping down as Leader of Kensington and
Chelsea Council, said: 

“It
is right that the Kensington and Chelsea Leader has resigned after his handling
of the Grenfell fire.

“It
is clear that that the community has lost trust in their council, and Sajid
Javid needs to finally show some leadership and make sure all residents are
getting the support they need.

“The
lack of management of this tragedy, from both local and central government, has
been a disgrace – and Javid needs to call an immediate review into the
council’s corporate governance with a view to sending in commissioners to take
control of the council.”

Jeremy Corbyn MP, Leader of the Labour Party, has today (Friday) written to the Prime Minister asking for the terms of the Grenfell fire inquiry to be broadened and for residents to be heard throughout the process.

In his letter, Jeremy expresses concern at the narrow terms of reference, saying: “it is clear to me from talking to Grenfell residents that their concerns and questions stretch beyond these narrow terms.”

The Labour Leader suggests conducting a “two part inquiry, with the first part looking at the specific issues around Grenfell and reporting back quickly and the second part looking at the national issues.”

Jeremy also urges an interim report, writing: “ongoing uncertainty and long delays would add to the trauma Grenfell residents and victims’ families have already experienced.”

Jeremy also asks the Prime Minister to commit to taking action now on areas not related to the outcome of the inquiry, including identifying all those missing or dead, amnesty for victims concerned at immigration status, providing permanent in-borough accommodation to all residents, committing up-front funding for councils, and overhauling building regulations.

The letter is attached and published in full here 

http://www.labour.org.uk/page/-/PDFs/Letter%20to%20The%20Prime%20Minister%20on%20Grenfell%2030.06.17.pdf  

Commenting on the adjournment of Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council’s cabinet meeting last night, Andrew Gwynne MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, said:

“It is completely unacceptable that Kensington and Chelsea would rather cancel their meeting than obey court ruling to provide for a basic level of transparency.

“I welcome that Sajid Javid has supported Labour’s call in urging for the democratic process to be open and transparent but the response from the Government falls short of actually doing anything to address the utter chaos in the way this tragedy has been handled.  

“Sajid Javid needs to immediately ensure that all residents who are now homeless or in temporary accommodation are getting the support they need, and undertake an immediate review into the adequacy of corporate governance with a view to sending in commissioners to take control of the council if necessary.”