Andrew
Gwynne MP, Labour’s Campaigns and Elections Chair, commenting on the
unravelling of the Tory Budget, said:

“The
Tories are in a mess, riven by infighting and failure and disarray.

“They
have embarrassed themselves over the Budget, they still have no answers on
Brexit and they’re fighting between themselves rather than fixing the problems.

“Theresa
May says she has a plan and is sticking to it, but almost every day we see
another promise broken or another change of heart. Flagship policies are being
delayed or abandoned altogether while working people across this country bear
the brunt of the Tories’ incompetence.

“It is
now clearer than ever that Theresa May cannot give Britain the change we need.
Working people deserve
better than Tory failure – only a Labour Government will stand up for them and
their families.”

Ends

Rebecca Long-Bailey
MP, Labour’s Shadow Business Secretary,
commenting on reports that Toyota is to invest in a UK plant at Burnaston,
said:

“The
decision by Toyota to invest £240 million to upgrade its Burnaston plant is
very welcome news. It is testament to the world-class workforce there whose
excellence, hard work, and efficiency makes the UK car industry so strong.

“However,
we should not be complacent. As the chief executive of Toyota Motor Europe
warned; continued, predictable and uncomplicated tariff and impediment-free
access will be important for future success. This is why the Government needs
to secure tariff and impediment free access to the Single Market and
Customs Union and re-enforce this with a coherent industrial strategy, which
invests in the supply chain, R&D, infrastructure and skills. Only by
doing this will the Government protect jobs in the UK car industry and ensure
the continued success of this sector.”

Nick
Thomas-Symonds MP, Labour’s Shadow Solicitor-General, commenting on
the Government’s failure to guarantee the SFO’s (Serious Fraud Office) future
as an independent entity, said:

“This
Tory Government needs to recognise the value of the Serious Fraud Office and
its importance to our international reputation for tackling cases of bribery
and corruption. 

“It
would be a grave mistake to dispose of the SFO and its unique structure.
Ministers must provide clarity on its future immediately.” 

Tory
manifesto commitment on mixed sex wards in tatters as incidents rise 50% in a
year

Theresa
May has been accused of abandoning yet another Tory Manifesto commitment as new
figures reveal the number of NHS patients in mixed sex wards running 50% higher
than this time last year.

New
figures published by NHS England today show that hospitals breached mixed sex
accommodation rules 1750 times during January and February this year – compared
to 1164 in the same period last year

Mixed
sex accommodation breaches have gone through the roof since Theresa May took
over last July – with 5618 in the 8 months since she became Prime Minister,
compared with just 4259 in the whole of 2015.

Ending
mixed sex wards was a key pledge of David Cameron’s Government in 2010 and the
2015 Conservative Manifesto included a promise to “continue to eliminate mixed
sex wards”.

Labour
said today’s figures showed that Theresa May’s decision to restrain NHS
spending was pushing hospitals to the brink.

Jonathan
Ashworth MP, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, said:

“Tory
cuts to social care have seen hospital attendances rocket and now it seems
Theresa May has given up on her manifesto promise to eliminate mixed sex wards.
Patients expect dignity and respect when they’re being treated in hospital but
this Government is letting them down. The Government has overseen a
catastrophic collapse of patient standards and this failure on mixed sex wards
is yet another sign that England’s hospitals are at breaking point.

“The
Prime Minister needs to get a grip and explain what she is going to do to fix
the crisis which she has created. Every day that goes by brings more news of
patient care getting worse under this Government. Quite simply the Government’s
policy of underfunding and mismanaging the NHS has left hospitals on the
brink.”

Ends

Editors notes

·        
The Conservative Manifesto 2015 (P37) said: “We
will ensure that English hospitals and GP surgeries are the safest in the
world, places where you are treated with dignity and respect. We will continue
to eliminate mixed-sex wards.”

“Mixed
sex wards virtually gone.” Jeremy Hunt, Speech to Conservative Party
Conference, 1 October 2013

http://www.ukpol.co.uk/jeremy-hunt-2013-conservative-party-conference-speech/

“The
number of hospital-acquired infections continues to go down and mixed–sex wards
have been virtually eliminated.”  Jeremy Hunt, Hansard, 23 October 2012

https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2012-10-23/debates/12102347000022/NHSCost?highlight=mixed%20sex#contribution-12102347000044

“We said that we would sort out mixed-sex
wards and hospital-acquired infections—promise delivered.”

David Cameron, Hansard, 18 March 2015,
Column 756

·        
Mixed sex accommodation breaches available here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/mixed-sex-accommodation/msa-data/

·        
There were 1040 breaches in January and 710 in
February – a 50% rise on the combined 1164 for the same two months last year.

Diane Abbott MP, Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary, responding to comments
from the new independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, said:

“This review is welcome. Max Hill makes some good points on
removing laws that are never used. We need protection from terrorism, but
pointless laws serve no purpose.

“He also highlights the fact certain communities, in particular
Muslims, feel unfairly targeted.  This will add to wider concerns around
the Government’s Prevent strategy, which should also be reviewed.”