Tag Archives: Labour

Baroness (Angela) Smith of Basildon, Labour’s Leader in the House of Lords, in response to reports of potential government concessions on the Article 50 Bill, said:

“Reports that the Government is considering a serious concession on parliamentary engagement and a vote on the negotiations are welcome.

“What happens next is a pivotal moment and will determine the tone and trust in the weeks, months and years to come on this issue.

“Ministers have rightly conceded the need for a vote before the deal is concluded and we welcome that.

“Our amendment on a vote on the outcome of negotiations has been drafted by taking note of what happened in the Commons, including ministerial comments, as well as expert advice from peers in the Lords debates. The Government will have heard the senior cross bench peer and former Supreme Court judge Lord Hope’s speech about the need for further legislation should this Bill not be amended.

“We believe we would win that vote. The Government of course could try to overturn it in the Commons.

“But rather than Ministers just holding to the line that they won’t amend the bill but will make a statement on the record, it would be a positive and mature signal for future progress of legislation if having accepted the principle they write this into the bill.”

Ends

Richard Burgon MP, Labour’s Shadow Justice Secretary, responding to the Government’s Prison and Courts Bill, said:

“While there are some welcome proposals, overall this is a damp squib from a Tory Party who have no solutions to the problems they have created in the justice system

“We were promised the ‘biggest overhaul of prisons in a generation’ but there is no plan to deal with understaffing and overcrowding – the two biggest challenges facing the prison system.

“A duty on prisons to reform is of course welcome. But without a plan to back it up, this is simply a symbolic gesture.

“Labour is open to Governors having greater autonomy, but this must not become a way for Ministers to simply shift responsibility for their policy failures elsewhere.

“And the Chief Inspector of Prisons has already queried whether league tables could be meaningful.

“Preventing cross examination of victims of domestic violence by the perpetrator is welcome. However, the Tories’ reckless cuts to legal aid have greatly contributed to this unacceptable situation.”

Diane Abbott MP, Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary, responding to the release of the latest migration statistics, said:

“The Tories’ immigration policy is a complete mess. Despite their claims, they are still nowhere near to achieving their unworkable target.

“The Tories blame the EU for this, but EU and non-EU long-term migration are the same, and each of them is way over 100,000 by themselves. The ONS are clear there was no statistically significant fall in net migration numbers. 

“The only significant drop was in international students, who enrich our education system and the wider economy and whose decline will make us all worse off.”

Paul Blomfield MP, Shadow Brexit Minister, responding to a BMA report that reveals more than four in ten European doctors are considering leaving the UK following Brexit, said:

“Labour has been warning the Government for months now that its failure to guarantee the status of Europeans living and working here is not in the national interest.

“These findings from the BMA are a stark wakeup call about the consequences of this uncertainty for a health service already at breaking point.

“The Government must act urgently and guarantee the status of Europeans – for our health service, for our economy and to create goodwill amongst our future negotiating partners.

“It’s failure to do so is an act of self-harm.”

Andy McDonald MP, Labour’s Shadow Transport Secretary, responding to Transport Secretary Chris Grayling’s refusal to commit to delivering schemes in the Government’s Road Investment Strategy at today’s Transport Questions, said:

“The Office of Rail and Road report into Highways England showed the Government’s Road Investment Strategy to be in chaos. The agency are over budget, behind schedule and serious doubts have been cast on whether promised investment will be delivered on time, if at all.

“The Road Investment Strategy is beginning to look like a wish-list rather than a deliverable plan to improve England’s road network. The government must reassure the public that promised works won’t be cancelled or delayed, and they should explain how they will guarantee road users’ safety following their failure to manage investment in England’s roads.”