Labour

John Healey MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, commenting on Government plans to ban leaseholds on new-build houses, said:

“The Government has known about and ignored the ground rents scandal for a long time, allowing hard-working families to be ripped off under costly leasehold agreements.

“Labour has said for the last year that using leasehold to sell homes is unfair and unjustifiable. And at the Election we said we’d end the routine use of leasehold ownership for all new homes and cap charges on ‘ground rents’ to stop the scam.

“The Government’s pledge is welcome but legislation is needed and this got no mention in last month’s Queen’s Speech. Home-buyers need legislation to ensure the end of this leasehold abuse, cap rip-off rises in ground rent and deal with existing contracts that contain unfair buy-out clauses.

“Nearly half of all newly-built properties were sold leasehold last year, and existing leaseholders need stronger rights too.”

Andy McDonald MP. Labour’s Shadow Transport Secretary, responding to the publication of Transport Focus latest National Rail Passenger Survey, said:

“With promised upgrades delayed or cancelled and fares rising way ahead of wages, it’s disappointing but not surprising that passenger satisfaction remains low despite small improvements on the previous survey.

“The results also reveal a concerning decline in passengers’ sense of personal security, bringing into question the government’s policy of de-staffing and de-skilling the railway.

“With fewer than half of passengers finding value for money in the price of their ticket, it’s becoming more difficult for the government to justify allowing private and foreign state-owned companies to take money out of the system that should be used to improve services or hold fares down.

“It’s clear than an alternative is needed for Britain’s railways. It is time for our railways to be run under public ownership, in the public interest as an integrated national asset, with affordable fares for all and long-term investment in the railway network.”

Justin Madders MP, Labour’s Shadow Health Minister, commenting on the news that NHS officials have ordered a national review of A&E diverts amid serious safety fears, said:

“A&E departments nationwide are under relentless pressure as a result of Theresa May’s sustained underfunding of our NHS, and it is patients with urgent health needs who are paying the price.

“Simply put, it is completely unacceptable for anyone desperately needing treatment to be turned away and yet under the Tories, ambulance diverts have hit record highs.

“Patient safety must be our absolute priority and any streaming system which places patients’ lives at risk is entirely unacceptable.

“It is time Jeremy Hunt accepted our emergency care system stands on a crucial knife-edge. Without urgent and sustained investment to ease these acute strains, an unprecedented crisis this winter looks increasingly likely.”

John McDonnell MP, Labour’s Shadow Chancellor, responding to the IMF downgrade of UK growth forecasts, said:

“Today’s report from the IMF is yet another blow for the Government and its continued austerity agenda that is holding our country back.

“It further reveals that this government has no real plan for Brexit and no real plan to deal with the problem of earnings not keeping up with prices, which is undermining growth and risking living standards.

“Only a Labour government will end austerity and provide the vital programme of investment to boost growth in our economy, underpinned by our Fiscal Credibility Rule, which our country desperately needs.

Rebecca Long-Bailey MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, commenting on the Government’s industrial strategy announcement, said:

‘’Today’s ‘announcement’ is something of a damp squib. The Government’s promise of investment in battery technology is simply a re-announcement of funding promised back in April as part of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, and their record of supporting emerging green industries is abysmal.

“Labour’s plans for energy market reform would see consumers’ bills slashed by £120 and our industrial strategy to create one million good jobs and ensure that we find 60 per cent of our energy from renewable sources by 2030 has real teeth, backed up our £250 billion National Transformation Fund.

“This scale of vision and investment is what is needed to transform the UK economy, not a re-announcement of the same small pot of funding.’’