Jonathan
Reynolds MP, Labour’s Shadow City Minister, responding to the further fines for RBS from
its involvement in mis-selling US subprime mortgages in the run up to the
financial crisis, said:

“It is
our hope that this significant fine will mark one of the final
settlements in a dark period in the history of the banking sector. 

“We
need a long-term plan: not just for RBS, which continues to face its own
challenges, but to ensure that the culture and practices of our banking sector
are centred on the customers they serve.

“Protecting
the value of the taxpayers’ stake in RBS has to be the top priority for the
Chancellor, while also rebuilding the
reputation of British banking which plays such a crucial role in our economy.”

Andy McDonald MP, Labour’s Shadow Transport Secretary, responding to reports that the
Government is considering taking direct control of Govia Thameslink, said:

“Reports
suggest that the Government is finally recognising what Labour has been saying
for over a year: that Southern is failing passengers and taxpayers and should
be stripped of their franchise.

"It is wrong that passenger fares and taxpayer subsidy that should be used
to improve services and hold down prices are siphoned off to fill the coffers
of train operating companies who are providing a disgraceful service.

"There’s no need for the Government to prolong the suffering of Southern
passengers any longer. Private rail isn’t working: it’s time for the Tories to
admit defeat and take Southern back under public control as a public service.”

Jeremy Corbyn MP,
leader of the Labour Party, commenting on a report by the
Social Mobility Commission, said:

“This
report underlines just how rigged our economy and country actually is in favour
of the wealthiest and the privileged few. While the Conservatives look after
the interests of their friends, they are closing down opportunity for the many
by slashing funding for education.

"Labour
is committed to a country that works for all, a real living wage of at least
£10 an hour by 2020, investment in industry, infrastructure and public services
and a national education service which equips the next generation with the
skills our country needs to succeed, so that no one and no community is left
behind.”

Barbara
Keeley, Labour’s Shadow Cabinet Minister for Social Care, commenting on an
investigation by the Health Service Journal and Disability United, which
reveals that Clinical Commissioning Groups are drawing up new
restrictions governing care for older and disabled people, said:

“It
is deeply worrying that thousands of vulnerable people could be forced to move
into care homes against their will just because that is a cheaper option than
living at home.

“Evicting
older or disabled people from their homes due to decisions about the cost of
their care is unacceptable. This could also affect people who need care at home
at the end of their lives.

“Tory
Health Minsters should be acting to address the challenges on the costs of
care. The Government must ensure that the NHS and social care has the funding
it needs.”

Debbie
Abrahams MP, Labour’s Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, commenting on the
Government’s two child limit on tax credits, said:

“An arbitrary cap on the number of
children that the Government will support is not only cruel, but is bad policy.
As 90 per cent of lone parents are female, it is a further example of how these
six years of wasted austerity have been borne on the backs of low income
mothers.

“Of equal concern is the lack of detail surrounding the so-called ‘rape
clause’. Should the burden of proof be placed upon survivors of rape by the
Department for Work and Pensions, this would constitute a wholly unacceptable
extension of the Department’s remit into deeply sensitive areas of women’s
lives.

“People would be right to feel little
confidence in the Government’s competence when approaching this highly
sensitive issue. More so when viewed in the context of the punitive DWP culture
fostered by this government.

“The sum of these deeply concerning
questions, which hang over the policy as a whole, suggests that the only
solution can be to scrap this policy once and for all. I urge the Prime
Minister to do so before it takes effect.”

Ends