Labour

John McDonnell MP, Labour’s Shadow Chancellor, commenting on the Grenfell Tower fire, said:

“The tragic fire that occurred on Grenfell Tower must never be allowed to happen again. The lessons of Camberwell, Shepherds Bush and Southampton have not been learned, and it is the responsibility of government to provide solutions.

“The Government must now as a matter of urgency lift the housing revenue account borrowing cap to free councils to undertake the urgent retrofitting work required on all existing housing stock found not to meet required safety standards. 

“Councils must also be given the power, as Labour’s housing manifesto pledges to do, to borrow to invest in council housing on the scale necessary to allow all those living in homes deemed to be unsafe to be properly rehoused.

“The next Labour Government will take any and all steps required to address the critical housing crisis in our country. Labour have pledged to invest to build over a million new homes over the course of the next parliament. Within five years, our manifesto commits to building at least 100,000 council and housing association homes a year for genuinely affordable rent or sale.”

Ends

Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Labour Party said:

“I feel very angry that it was possible for the fire to spread in the way it did. I feel very angry that so many have lives have been lost when the system didn’t work.

“The many residents I met today are very angry too; their concerns about the building were not responded to and their questions were not answered.

“They asked me to speak for them when I get back to Parliament and I will make sure I do, alongside their new MP Emma Dent Coad.

“There are thousands of tower blocks around our country. Every single person living in one today will be frightened. They need answers to provide them with security and peace of mind.

“Kensington is a tale of two cities – it is among the wealthiest parts of this country but the ward where this took place is one of the poorest.

“The judge-led public inquiry must be speedy and all residents should have access to legal aid and the support they need.

“Residents must also be re-housed, using requisition of empty properties if necessary, in the community they love.

“I would like to give thanks to the firefighters who risked their lives to save the lives of others, and the police and the paramedics who did the same.

“Some hard questions need to be answered. It cannot be right that in the 21st century a fire like this happens.

“It’s the responsibility of Government to tell us why the lessons of Camberwell, Southampton and Shepherds Bush have not been learned.

“There must be a proper ministerial statement in the Commons when the Commons is once again sitting and the Government must also immediately make sure the families affected have the resources they need.”

Commenting on the first National Clean Air Day in the UK, Sue Hayman, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said:

“With nearly 40 million people in Britain living in areas with illegal levels of air pollution and more than 2,000 schools and nurseries close to roads with damaging levels of diesel fumes, the first ever National Clean Air Day today is a timely and welcome reminder of the scale of the problem of illegal air quality in the UK.

“Labour welcomes this first National Clean Air Day to raise awareness about the need to cut harmful vehicle emissions and fight pollution.

“On this National Clean Air Day, Labour reaffirms our commitment to bringing forward a new Clean Air Act and calls on the government to stop ducking and diving on this issue and take responsibility to end the public health scandal of poor air quality.”

Jeremy Corbyn MP, Leader of the Labour Party, said:

“I am delighted to announce four appointments to fill shadow cabinet vacancies. I look forward to working with the strengthened shadow cabinet as we prepare a government in waiting to carry out our manifesto for the many not the few.

“Our party is now on a permanent campaign footing in anticipation of the failure of Theresa May’s attempt to establish a stable administration with the support of the DUP.

“I am therefore appointing Ian Lavery, Co-National Campaign Coordinator, to the additional role of Labour Party Chair to strengthen our campaigning and party organisation, as we prepare to contest a new general election and form the next government.”

Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and Co-National Campaign Coordinator – Andrew Gwynne MP

Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland – Lesley Laird MP

Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland – Owen Smith MP

Shadow Minister for Diverse Communities – Dawn Butler MP

Co-National Campaign Coordinator and Party Chair – Ian Lavery MP

Rebecca Long-Bailey MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, responding to news that senior Conservatives are urging a u-turn on their energy price cap manifesto promise, said:

“If correct, this is potentially another stunning U-turn from a weak and wobbly Prime Minister.

“One in ten households are living in fuel poverty and customers are being overcharged a whopping £2 billion every year. Theresa May unequivocally guaranteed a price cap before the general election but now it appears she is preparing to row back on that promise. It now looks like this price cap was simply an election gimmick and that the Conservatives were never serious about taking action to keep energy bills down.

“Britain needs a serious and long term approach in order to bring energy costs down, not cheap gimmicks that may simply be thrown into the bin just a week after the General Election.”