Labour

Clive Lewis MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, in advance of the publication of the Government’s industrial strategy, said:

“This belated attempt to develop a proper industrial strategy is a step in the right direction, but once again what the Tories are offering looks like too little too late.

“We await further detail, but what’s been announced so far will fall far short of getting us back to where we were in 2010, let alone equip our economy for the challenges of the 21st Century. The £170m announced for vocational education, for example, will do little to plug the £1.15bn hole in the Adult Skills Budget created by Tory cuts since 2010. 

“It will be a great shame if the Government wastes this opportunity to put our economy on a new path. But they have already watered down a series of flagship commitments, from putting workers on boards to tackling executive pay, and there are too many people on the Tory benches who think that the only role of Government is to deregulate markets. The reality is that a Prime Minister who wants to turn us into a tax haven cannot be trusted to deliver an industrial strategy.”

Nia Griffith MP, Labour’s Shadow Defence Secretary, commenting on the Prime Minister’s failure to explain when she knew about the Trident test blunder, said:

“This report of a Trident missile veering off course during a test is clearly a very serious matter indeed, and we need to know exactly what happened.”

“Furthermore, it is completely unacceptable that today the Prime Minister chose to side-step questions on the test, and would not even tell us when she knew about the incident.

“I am demanding the Prime Minister come to Parliament tomorrow to give a full explanation to MPs.”