Labour

In response to Kensington and Chelsea council suspending rent payments for Grenfell residents, Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Andrew Gwynne MP, said:

 “It is unacceptable that it has taken until now for the council to suspend rent for displaced residents in Grenfell Tower and the surrounding area that were evacuated from their homes.

 “People have been made homeless in this tragedy, lost family, friends and everything they own – Sajid Javid needs to finally show some leadership and send in commissioners to take control of this council.” 

Jonathan Ashworth, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, has today accused Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt of “trying to cover up” a new round of NHS cuts, which include closing wards and services, extending waiting times and stopping treatments.

The NHS Capped Expenditure Process involves hundreds of millions of pounds of reductions to local health economies, but Government Ministers have so far refused to comment on the proposals.

Jonathan Ashworth said:

“I’ve today written to Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt asking a raft of questions and outlining in no uncertain terms the major concern that Labour has regarding hundreds of millions of pounds of cuts to local health budgets.

“The process has been going on since at least April but so far there has been no announcement from the Health Secretary, his Ministers or the Department for Health. There is an astonishing lack of transparency around this whole process.

“Across the country patients and their families are living in fear that local services they rely on will be cut back to plug black hole which this government has created.

“This government wants to give the impression that this is for NHS managers to sort out and wash their hands of a process which involves hundreds of millions of pounds of public money. This is an unacceptable abdication of responsibilities to patients and the public and gives the impression of trying to cover up this new round of NHS cuts.”

The Labour Party will be out in force on Saturday 1st July promoting the message that the government has #NoMandate.

 In the first day of national campaigning since the election result, over 400 Constituency Labour Parties will be taking part in campaign activity, with Shadow Cabinet members out in every region across the country.

 As part of the national campaign day, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Leader of the Labour Party, will address a general election-style rally in Hastings. The constituency of Hastings and Rye is Home Secretary Amber Rudd’s seat, and is among the most marginal in the country with a majority of just 346 votes.

 Jeremy Corbyn will say:

 “I am proud to be here today in Hastings where you came within a whisker – 346 votes – of painting the town red and electing Peter Chowney as a Labour MP.

“Labour gained seats across the country at the last general election, in every region and nation of Britain.

“Labour is no longer just the Official Opposition, we are a government in waiting.

“It is not good enough for politicians – including your MP the Home Secretary – to praise the police, firefighters and NHS staff when they respond to horrific incidents like the recent terrorist attacks or the Grenfell Tower fire, and then vote to make them worse off again year after year.

“This is what happened in parliament this week. Nurses in our hospitals have had a real terms pay cut of 14 percent under this government and some are even having to use food banks. Yet the government refused to back our calls to lift the public sector pay cap and recruit more police and firefighters. 

“You can’t keep our communities safe on the cheap. When you cut over 20,000 police officers, over 11,000 firefighters, and leave our hospitals in record deficit having to cut back on services.

“We have to change our economic system so that it works for the many, not just a few.”

Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Andrew Gwynne MP, commenting on Nick Paget-Brown stepping down as Leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council, said: 

“It is right that the Kensington and Chelsea Leader has resigned after his handling of the Grenfell fire.

“It is clear that that the community has lost trust in their council, and Sajid Javid needs to finally show some leadership and make sure all residents are getting the support they need.

“The lack of management of this tragedy, from both local and central government, has been a disgrace – and Javid needs to call an immediate review into the council’s corporate governance with a view to sending in commissioners to take control of the council.”

Jeremy Corbyn MP, Leader of the Labour Party, has today (Friday) written to the Prime Minister asking for the terms of the Grenfell fire inquiry to be broadened and for residents to be heard throughout the process.

In his letter, Jeremy expresses concern at the narrow terms of reference, saying: “it is clear to me from talking to Grenfell residents that their concerns and questions stretch beyond these narrow terms.”

The Labour Leader suggests conducting a “two part inquiry, with the first part looking at the specific issues around Grenfell and reporting back quickly and the second part looking at the national issues.”

Jeremy also urges an interim report, writing: “ongoing uncertainty and long delays would add to the trauma Grenfell residents and victims’ families have already experienced.”

Jeremy also asks the Prime Minister to commit to taking action now on areas not related to the outcome of the inquiry, including identifying all those missing or dead, amnesty for victims concerned at immigration status, providing permanent in-borough accommodation to all residents, committing up-front funding for councils, and overhauling building regulations.

The letter is attached and published in full here  http://www.labour.org.uk/page/-/PDFs/Letter%20to%20The%20Prime%20Minister%20on%20Grenfell%2030.06.17.pdf