Ian Lavery MP, Chair of the Labour Party, responding to comments by Boris Johnson that he could earn more money outside politics, said:

“This sums up Boris Johnson and Tory contempt for people. A bunch of
greedy millionaires complaining they aren’t rich enough and whinging
that their day job doesn’t pay them enough money.

“These Tories are totally out of touch with the struggles that people
in our country face. Tory Britain is one where nurses rely on foodbanks
and millionaire newspaper columnists complain they don’t earn enough
money.

“It is no surprise that Johnson said that no one defended the bankers
who crashed the economy more than him. We have had nearly a decade of
Tory cuts, and their new policies from tax cuts for the richest to the
bringing back barbaric fox hunting, are more of the same and worse.

“A Labour government will be on the side of the people and will boost their pay and public services, for the many not the few.”

Labour is calling on Boris Johnson to confirm if he
still “loves” fox hunting after it emerged he wrote one year after the
Act banning hunting was passed by Parliament, that he wanted it to go on
“for ever”.

It comes a day after his leadership rival Jeremy Hunt refused four times to say if he thought the bloodsport was cruel.

One year after Labour banned hunting, Johnson described how he
“loved” his day with a hunt, saying he wanted hunting to go on “for
ever” and that “if the hounds pick up a fox, so be it”. He has also
voted in favour of hunting.

Sue Hayman MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary, said:

“It is a simple question: does Boris Johnson still support fox
hunting, yes or no? The fact that he is refusing to answer shows how far
he will go to avoid scrutiny.

“There is overwhelming support in both rural and urban areas for
keeping the ban on fox hunting that Labour was proud to bring in and
will strengthen in government.”

Rebecca Long Bailey MP, Shadow Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary,
commenting on the news Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is investing in building
a range of electric vehicles at its Castle Bromwich plant in
Birmingham, said:

“This is welcome news for the workers at JLR and a ray of hope for the automotive sector at this difficult time.

“However, the fact remains that overall investment in UK automotive
is plummeting and global players are choosing to invest in
electrification elsewhere.

“The government must urgently work with industry and trade unions to
ensure this investment from JLR is a model to other manufacturers and
not an exception.”

John McDonnell MP, Shadow Chancellor, responding to news of productivity decreasing by 0.2% in the first quarter of 2019, said:

“We now have three consecutive quarters of falling productivity – another sign of an economy going backwards under the Tories.

“For nine long years, we’ve seen not just brutal austerity but also
an utter failure by the Tories to get a grip on the productivity crisis.

“While the Tory leadership candidates talk about tax cuts for the
rich, it’s clearer than ever that it’s time for a Labour Government,
which will tackle the productivity crisis through a package of policies
including a National Transformation Fund, National Investment Bank, and
£10 per hour real living wage.”

John McDonnell MP, Labour’s Shadow Chancellor,
responding to reports that Boris Johnson held a secretive dinner at a
restaurant owned by donors accused of money laundering, said:

“Boris Johnson’s association with a company being investigated for
money laundering makes him wholly unfit to be Prime Minister.”