Clive
Lewis MP, Labour’s Shadow Business Secretary, commenting on the launch of the Government’s new
industrial strategy, said:

“We welcome the Prime Minister’s talk of government taking a ‘new, active’ role
in backing businesses, but what we’ve heard today is full of rhetoric and thin
on detail.

“From business rates to Brexit, many of businesses’ most pressing concerns are
currently going unanswered. Unless the Government puts a lot of flesh on these
bones this will be a strategy of spin rather than substance.

“All the signs so far are that the Government is not prepared to put its money
where its mouth is. The money offered for skills falls far short of reversing
the cuts to adult education since 2010, for example, while the “cash boost” for
the North is a fraction of the budgets of Labour’s RDAs.

“For all the fanfare, reversing the economic damage done by the Tories and
steering the economy through the turbulent times ahead is going to require the
Government to be much bolder.”

Diane Abbott MP, Labour’s Shadow Home
Secretary, speaking in response to reports that plans by councils to
settle refugees have stalled without Government resources, said: 

“Many councils across the country are willing to step up and take
their share of refugees. But they cannot provide the housing and services these
incredibly vulnerable people need without adequate support from the Home
Office.

“This Tory Government needs to live up to its moral and legal
obligation to help people fleeing persecution and war.”

Dave Anderson MP, Labour’s Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary, commenting on
reports of the shooting of a police officer in Belfast, said:

“This attack is deeply concerning; our thoughts are with the
injured officer.

“This is a stark reminder of the danger all PSNI officers face
every day when performing their duties. We cannot let those who wish to take
Northern Ireland back to its painful and violent past succeed.“

Clive
Lewis MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial
Strategy, in
advance of the publication of the Government’s industrial strategy, said:

“This belated attempt to
develop a proper industrial strategy is a step in the right direction, but once
again what the Tories are offering looks like too little too late.

“We await further detail, but
what’s been announced so far will fall far short of getting us back to where we
were in 2010, let alone equip our economy for the challenges of the 21st
Century. The £170m announced for vocational education, for example, will do little
to plug the £1.15bn hole in the Adult Skills Budget created by Tory cuts since
2010. 

“It will be a great shame if the Government
wastes this opportunity to put our economy on a new path. But they have already
watered down a series of flagship commitments, from putting workers on boards
to tackling executive pay, and there are too many people on the Tory benches
who think that the only role of Government is to deregulate markets. The
reality is that a Prime Minister who wants to turn us into a tax haven cannot
be trusted to deliver an industrial strategy.”

Nia Griffith MP, Labour’s
Shadow Defence Secretary, commenting on the Prime Minister’s failure to
explain when she knew about the Trident test blunder, said:

“This
report of a Trident missile veering off course during a test is clearly a very
serious matter indeed, and we need to know exactly what happened.”

“Furthermore,
it is completely unacceptable that today the Prime Minister chose to side-step
questions on the test, and would not even tell us when she knew about the
incident.

“I am demanding the Prime Minister come to
Parliament tomorrow to give a full explanation to MPs.”