Keir
Starmer MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, commenting on latest round of
negotiation talks between David Davis and Michel Barnier, said:

“Once
again, there has been no acceleration in the Brexit talks. With the December
deadline just weeks away, the British people and businesses are no clearer
about what the next phase will look like or how it will affect them.

“Both sides
need to work flat out between now and the next EU Council meeting to ensure
sufficient progress can be made and the talks can move to the next phase.
Labour are committed to a Brexit deal that puts jobs and the economy first.
Failure to reach an agreement would be catastrophic for people’s living
standards. The longer there is no progress in the Brexit talks, the greater the
risk of no deal.”

Rebecca Long-Bailey MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for
Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, commenting on Uber losing its court
appeal against ruling that drivers should be treated as workers rather than
self-employed, said:

“This landmark ruling is a hard-fought victory for worker’s
rights and I congratulate the drivers and trade unions for taking this all the
way to the courts.

"Uber, and companies like it, must now stop exploiting its
workforce. They must immediately implement changes to ensure that workers
receive the rights and protections to which they are entitled. 

“The next
Labour government will support workers with equal employment rights and
clamp down on bogus self-employment.”

Barbara
Keeley MP, Labour’s Shadow Cabinet Minister for Social Care, commenting on new figures which
show the number of NHS delayed days due to a lack of social care are up by
nearly a quarter compared with last year, said:

“These
are alarming figures. The chronic underfunding of social care since 2010 is
having a severe impact on local authorities under pressure to find social care
for vulnerable people, which in turn increases pressure on the NHS.

“The Tory
Government must listen to the will of the House of Commons expressed in our
recent debate on the funding of social care and as such we call on the
Chancellor to use his Budget and end the crisis in social care which Labour
recognised when we pledged an additional £8bn of funding in our election
manifesto. 

Ends 

Notes to
editors:

Text of
motion 

“That
this House notes the Conservative Party’s manifesto commitment to a funding
proposal for social care which would have no cap on care costs and would
include the value of homes in the means test for care at home; further notes
that this proposal would leave people with a maximum of only £100,000 of
assets; calls on the Government to confirm its intention not to proceed with
this commitment; and further calls on the Government to remove the threat to
withdraw social care funding for, and stop fines on, local authorities for
Delayed Transfers of Care and to commit to the extra funding needed to close
the social care funding gap for 2017 and the remaining years of the 2017
Parliament.”

John
Healey MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, commenting on new statistics
showing the number of new social rented homes has fallen to the lowest level
since records began, said:

“After
the Grenfell Tower fire Theresa May admitted the Conservatives haven’t given
enough attention to social housing. These shocking figures show she was
right. 

“The
number of new social rented homes being built is now at the lowest level on
record, and the number of new low-cost homes to buy is at just half the level
it was under Labour.

“After
seven years of failure on housing the Chancellor must use the Budget to tackle
the housing crisis.”

Barry Gardiner MP,
Shadow International Trade Secretary, responding to concerns from the steel industry over the
government’s Trade Bill, said:

“There is a real
danger that our steel industry could be fatally compromised if the government
fails to deal with unfair trading practices by other countries. Proper
structures must be put in place as our exit from the European Union is
planned. 

"Labour is
committed to a robust and comprehensive trade remedies regime that will ensure
we can defend British manufacturing jobs from unfair competition. 

"We understand
the fears expressed by industry and trade unions at the prospect of job losses
in such an important sector. A Labour government would act. This government
must not stand idly by.”