Richard
Burgon, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Justice, commenting
on Theresa May’s refusal to create a Grenfell Inquiry panel as requested
earlier today by survivors and their bereaved families in a petition handed in
at Downing Street, said:

“For
the Grenfell Inquiry to deliver truth and justice, Grenfell residents must have
full confidence in it. To tackle the obvious current lack of trust, Theresa May
should use her powers under the Inquiries Act to deliver a diverse Inquiry
panel as demanded by the survivors and bereaved families. This would
ensure that the Inquiry reflects the range of backgrounds and experiences
of those affected by the Grenfell fire. Theresa May needs to take
responsibility for this decision and stop passing the buck.” 

Rachael Maskell MP, Labour’s Shadow Rail Minister, commenting on a Transport Focus investigation which has found the rail industry is failing to tell passengers in time if their journey will be disrupted, said:

“Not only will passengers suffer the steepest fare hike in five years in January, they are also being tricked into buying tickets for non-existent services over Christmas.

“Train companies should guarantee that passengers who have been mis-sold tickets will be notified immediately and that they will incur no additional cost to transfer onto on the most suitable alternative train.

“Under the Tories, train companies are ripping people off and the solution is a Labour Government that puts people before profit and brings our railways into public ownership.”

Nia
Griffith MP, Labour’s Shadow Defence Secretary, responding to the
Government’s statement on locally employed staff who worked alongside British
forces in Afghanistan, said:

“Afghan
citizens who worked with British forces as interpreters or drivers put themselves
in extreme danger and many continue to face threats and intimidation today.

“It
is hugely disappointing that the Government has refused to extend support
packages to those who completed their duties between 2006 and 2011. This
arbitrary approach risks letting down those who put their lives on the line in
support of our Forces. The Ministry of Defence should re-examine this
short-sighted decision as a matter of urgency.”

Diane Abbott
MP, Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary, commenting on the Government admitting that the current system
for EU citizens applying for permanent residency in the UK is unfit, said:

“Labour
consistently argued that the Government’s plans were unfair and unworkable. Now
the government has conceded as much.

"But
a lot of uncertainty remains, which affects both UK citizens living in the EU
as well as EU citizens here. The Government needs to give clarity on what it
has agreed, and to stick to its word. Labour has always argued for guaranteed
rights for UK and EU citizens.”

Ends

Tom Watson MP,
Labour’s Shadow Secretary State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, responding to the
Gambling Commission’s ‘Young People and Gambling 2017 Survey’, said:

“This new
research from the gambling commission shows that there are still far too many
young people gambling in Britain today.

“It is worrying
that children continue to be bombarded with adverts promoting gambling through
TV, online and via social media. 80 per cent of young people say they see
gambling adverts on TV each week.

“The rise of
‘skins’ gambling and other forms of gambling online or in games which encourage
children to trade-in cosmetic online items for cash, only serve to demonstrate
that our gambling laws are woefully out of date.

“The next Labour
government will bring in a new Gambling Act that ensures our gambling laws are
fit for the digital age and finally tackle Britain’s hidden gambling epidemic.”