Rebecca Long-Bailey MP, Labour’s Shadow Business Secretary,
commenting on reports of a proposed takeover of Unilever by Kraft, said:

“The Government is failing to provide British businesses with the
much needed certainty they need.

“With Sterling depreciating against the Dollar and the Euro since
last summer, unwelcome takeover bids aimed at buying UK business assets could
well increase.

“This makes the need for a proper industrial strategy all the more
important. At the moment all we are getting from this failing Tory Government
is more of the same, mismanagement and uncertainty.”

Gill
Furniss MP, Labour’s Shadow Business Minister, commenting on Fuel Poverty Awareness
Day, said:

“Fuel poverty
affects four million households in the UK. This has a detrimental effect on
people’s lives – both physically and mentally. Cold homes impact young people’s
ability to study and socialise, and casts a shadow over vulnerable older people
who don’t want to admit they are struggling to heat their homes.

“There are
also huge financial implications for our NHS. It is estimated that suffering
from cold-related ill health costs the NHS £1.36billion each year, and if the
issue is not addressed properly, in the next 15 years £22billion will have to
be spent by the NHS to tackle ill-health related to cold homes.

“We welcome
the Government’s shift in focus towards fuel poverty; however, there is no
significant funding to back these announcements. There has been a shocking
decline in funding available for energy efficiency measures and some of the
most vulnerable fuel poor households are receiving no help at all.

“In my own
constituency of Sheffield, Brightside, and Hillsborough there are 7,241
households in fuel poverty. Whilst there have been fantastic local initiatives
to help those in need, these efforts are hindered by a lack of Government
support.

“As we
mark Fuel Poverty Awareness Day, we know that Theresa May’s
government has slashed energy efficiency incentives,
while offering meagre funding to support households in fuel poverty.

“The Labour
Party has made a commitment to end fuel poverty by making energy efficiency an
infrastructure priority and promising to insulate 4 million homes, as well as
providing support for those struggling with their energy bills so that nobody
has to live in a cold, damp home.’’

 Rebecca
Long-Bailey MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State of Business, Energy and
Industrial Strategy, said:

“I am calling
upon The Government to make support and investment into the industry
surrounding home and premises insulation a key infrastructure priority.

“This makes
clear moral sense in terms of ensuring that individuals, families and
businesses have access to one of our most basic human needs: warmth. Aside from
this however there is a clear
economic case too.

“The return
on investing in energy efficiency is even better than HS2, creating money for
the taxpayer with £1.27 returned for every £1 spent, saves money for the NHS
and will create tens of thousands of jobs in SMEs spread across the country.
The fact the Conservatives are slashing investment in this area beggars
belief.”

Ian
Lavery, Labour’s Elections and National Campaign Co-ordinator, responding to Paul Nuttall’s
speech to UKIP Spring Conference, said:

“You
cannot trust a word Paul Nuttall says, he’ll say anything to try and get
elected. His speech today is simply more empty rhetoric from the leader of a
failing party that has no answers to the challenges we face.

“Paul
Nuttall does not stand up for working people, just as he does not stand up for
the people of Stoke. All he wants is to get to Westminster to back the Tories
and privatise our NHS.  A vote for him is a vote to break up the health
service as we know it.”

John McDonnell MP, Labour’s Shadow Chancellor, speaking at the Open 2017: Platform Cooperatives conference at Goldsmiths University in London today, said:

“The discussion of the challenges for the modern world of work posed by the so called ‘gig economy’ are nothing new. They represent an age-old threat to diminish the hard-won workplace rights, terms and conditions offered by full-time employment.

“However, as technology changes so too does the nature of the threat to job security in the new world of work. That is why it’s exciting to see the ideas and the discussions on how we can help build the economy and society of the future that secures sustainable, well paid jobs.

“Rather than running away from innovation and technological advances, we need to see where we can use them to adapt to the challenges they may present to full-time work.

“The power that these changes in technology give us all is the ability to pool our collective talents and skills and produce wealth not just for the benefit of a tiny handful at the top, but for all of us. It can help us mitigate the potential growth in the ‘Uberisation’ of the workplace.

“Digital technology means there is no longer a convincing reason to allow the wealth of society to be taken by a tiny elite, instead of shared for the many. The old rules about the supposed efficiency of the free market and the private firm are being rewritten right in front of us.

“That’s why the next Labour government will be completely committed to fixing our rigged economy and promoting the co-operative ownership of the wealth we produce, doubling the size of the co-operative sector. We’ll support the development of platform co-operatives instead of allowing new technologies to be exploited for the benefit of an elite few.

“The new National Investment Bank and network of regional development banks will be tasked with supplying the funding to help support a new generation of co-operatively owned Ubers and Airbnbs.”

Ends

Notes to editors:

•         For more on the event please see here for more information:  https://2017.open.coop

•         Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell MP speaking at the Open 2017: Platform Cooperatives conference at Goldsmiths University in London today announced Labour’s support for platform co-operatives by freeing up funding from the National Investment Bank and regional development banks as part of developing a more entrepreneurial state.

•         As part of Labour’s plans to help double the size of the co-operative sector in our economy to £70bn National Investment Bank (NIB) and network of regional development banks will be charged with breaking the existing barriers in the UK financial system that see SMEs and co-operatives unable to access the finance they need to prosper.

•         Labour’s NIB and the regional development banks will be explicitly mandated to provide funds to co-operative enterprises with innovative businesses models, including those social enterprises whose websites and apps are designed to minimise the costs of connecting producers with consumers in the transport, accommodation, cultural, catering and other important sectors of the British economy.

Andy McDonald MP, Labour’s Shadow Transport Secretary,
commenting on reports that Aslef members have rejected a deal with Southern
rail, said:

“Southern services are abysmal even without strike action, but the
failure to resolve this industrial dispute is bad news for both staff and
passengers.

“The Government and Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) have failed to
guarantee passenger safety or accessibility for disabled passengers who face a
loss of independence with the expansion of Driver-Only Operation services.

 “For the sake of long suffering passengers, all parties need to get
back around the negotiation table and thrash out a deal that delivers a safe,
reliable and accessible service.”