Richard Burgon MP, Labour’s Shadow Justice Secretary, commenting on the Tory Government’s plans to build four new prisons, said
“We need modern prisons fit for the modern age. But simply replacing one prison with another prison doesn’t deal with the overcrowding crisis. No amount of press releases can distract from that.”
read moreBarbara Keeley MP, Labour’s Shadow Cabinet Minister for Mental Health, commenting on the EPI report in to Child Mental Health Improvements, said:
“The Prime Minister said in January that she wanted to ‘transform the way we deal with mental health problems right across society’ but the findings in this report show these were just warm words.
“With nearly three quarters of Clinical Commissioning Groups failing to meet NHS England’s improvement standards in children’s mental health, and more than two thirds of these groups without fully-funded crisis care plans, it is clear that the Prime Minister’s rhetoric on child mental health is not being matched by reality.
“The most worrying part of this report is the increase in the number of young people being treated on adult mental health wards which shows an abject failure of the Government to grasp the problems in the mental health system.
“The Government need to make sure that frontline mental health services get the money they need rather than using it to balance NHS budgets elsewhere.”
read moreRichard Burden MP, Labour’s Shadow Aviation Minister, responding to the announcement of a cabin baggage ban on laptops on certain direct passenger flights to the UK from Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia, said:
“The safety and security of passengers must always be the overriding priority for Government and for airline operators. If the Government has evidence the level of security checks on passengers carrying electronic devices is of exceptional concern in the countries listed then it is right that prompt precautionary action should be taken.
“This announcement leaves a number of important questions unanswered and we are seeking urgent clarification from Ministers. It’s important the Government set out clearly the precautionary steps they have taken in response to advice from security services to reassure passengers and the public. The Government must also work with airline operators to ensure all passengers are given the necessary information and flights can continue where appropriate with minimal disruption as possible.”
read moreRebecca Long-Bailey MP, Shadow Secretary for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, following the Competition and Markets Authority’s recent drive to crack down on Cartels, commented:
“The Government have for too long not given enough attention to the rights of consumers whose interests have been inadequately safeguarded. This is why we very much welcome the new drive by the Competition and Markets Authority, ‘Cracking Down on Cartels’, which seeks to raise public awareness of the problem and offers £100,000 to whistle-blowers.
“Cartels are illegal and deeply damaging to both consumers and other businesses by stifling competition and raising prices. By making people more aware of what cartels look like, the consequences of joining one and how to report it, ‘Cracking Down on Cartels’ makes a valuable contribution to the fight against cartels.
“However, the government should not be complacent and needs to do more to safeguard the interests of consumers against unscrupulous practices.”
Ends
read morePeter Dowd MP, Labour’s Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, responding to this morning’s ONS statistics showing a 2.3 percent increase in inflation and the national debt at £1.7 trillion, said:
“Today’s sharp increase in the cost of living means that after seven years of Tory economic failure, it is working households and small businesses who are taking the hit with wage growth once again below price rises.
“As inflation breaks through the Bank of England’s target for the first time in more than three years, real earnings are lower than they were before the crash. At the same time this is a government that is handing out £70 billion in tax giveaways to the big corporations and the super-rich, but doing nothing for ordinary working people.
“The national debt is set to hit almost £2 trillion by the end of ten years of the Tories in government, and our NHS and social care system are in the worst crisis in their history. Only a Labour government will invest in our public services, create a fair tax system, and introduce a £10 an hour Real Living Wage.”
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