Peter Dowd MP,
Labour’s Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, responding to
today’s inflation figures, said:

“Today’s rise in
inflation to its highest level in over five-and-half years is extremely
concerning, and once again reveals that after seven years of Tory economic
failure, this Government has no answers to the problem of wages continuing
to fail to keep up with prices.

“We shouldn’t
forget that there will be millions of working families who will be struggling
this Christmas already as a direct result of government policies such as the
benefits freeze and the public sector pay cap; this is a further reminder of
just how bad this double whammy of rising prices and Tory austerity policies
will be this month for them.

“The
next Labour government will ensure working people’s living standards are
protected with a Real Living Wage of £10 per hour, ending the public sector pay
cap, and by building a high wage, high skill economy that works for the
many, not the few.”

Ends

Rebecca
Long-Bailey MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial
Strategy,
commenting on the recent Resolution Foundation report, said:

“Britain
needs a pay rise – and this applies to both standard and overtime hours. The
fact that fewer workers get overtime pay coupled with a fall in the number
enjoying a premium of more than 10% is indicative of wage stagnation in this
country. This is why Labour wants to introduce a package of employment rights,
including sectoral collective bargaining to improve the pay and conditions of
workers.”

Ends

Sue Hayman MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, commenting on the Government’s publication of a new Animal Welfare Bill, said:

“This is a rushed and haphazard attempt to backtrack on the Government’s mistake of not including animal sentience in the EU Withdrawal Bill.

“There are serious questions about whether this Bill is equivalent to current EU standards given that it does not appear to cover wild animals – giving this Tory Government freedom to pursue their pro-fox hunting and reckless badger culling agenda across England.

“Labour calls on the Government to rectify this situation by supporting Labour’s calls for animal sentience to be included as part of the EU withdrawal Bill, to maintain existing EU standards on animal welfare after the UK leaves the EU.”

Peter Dowd MP, Labour’s Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, commenting on the vote on Labour’s reasoned amendment to the Finance Bill said:

“It is deeply shocking that this Government would rather give billions away to the big banks than invest in children’s services.

“This Bill does nothing to reverse seven years of wasted austerity, which has seen growth slowing, wages stagnating and poverty on the increase.

“The next Labour Government will make very different decisions to ensure that children’s services are fully funded and protected through our plans to build an economy for the many, not the few.”

Matthew Pennycook, Shadow Brexit
Minister,
responding to the Government’s decision to accept the Procedure Committee’s
amendment to the EU Withdrawal Bill, said:

“It is encouraging that Ministers
have listened and accepted this change to the EU Withdrawal Bill.

“However, their concession does not
go far enough. 

“Labour has been clear that when it
comes to the secondary legislation that will flow from this Bill, Parliament
must not only be able to effectively scrutinise, but also to be able to amend
and improve it. Without the latter, Parliament will be offered a take it or
leave it choice on key issues. That would be unacceptable.

“The Government must go further and
make clear they’ll give Parliament a meaningful role in shaping this
legislation. If they fail to do so, then Tory MPs should back Labour’s
amendments.”