Blog

  • Graham Stuart – 2020 Comments on UK Export Finance

    Graham Stuart – 2020 Comments on UK Export Finance

    The comments made by Graham Stuart, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of International Trade, on 7 October 2020.

    As well as negotiating new free trade agreements and removing trade barriers, we are able to offer export finance support that can unlock the potential of the UK sup-ply chain. UKEF helps overseas buyers access the financial support they need to procure from the UK. This helps UK companies win more business on the world stage.

    UKEF’s huge increase in capacity can be a real game-changer for the prospects of UK exporters, and will be vital to thousands of suppliers across the country.

  • David Duguid – 2020 Comments on Global Trade

    David Duguid – 2020 Comments on Global Trade

    The comments made by David Duguid, the Minister for Scotland, on 7 October 2020.

    The UK Government is committed to supporting Scottish businesses to trade globally.

    We encourage businesses to work with our world-leading credit agency, UKEF, and take advantage of export finance support to bolster their exports worldwide and strengthen their position on the global stage.

    Through the Trade Hub in Edinburgh, businesses will be able to utilise UKEF, as well as the UK Government’s global networks, expertise and influence.

    Scottish produce is world famous and will benefit from new global trade opportunities once the EU transition period ends. UKEF has the potential to provide a real boost to exporters in Scotland, and every corner of the UK.

  • Liz Truss – 2020 Comments on Government Procurement Agreement

    Liz Truss – 2020 Comments on Government Procurement Agreement

    The comments made by Liz Truss, the Secretary of State for International Trade, on 7 October 2020.

    Today’s announcement will provide British businesses with the certainty they need to continue bidding for £1.3 trillion worth of government procurement contracts overseas, which will ultimately help deliver the growth and jobs we need to recover from the economic challenges of coronavirus.

    It is another significant step towards re-establishing Britain as a major force in global trade and a truly independent trading nation.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2020 Comments on Excel Testing Blunder

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2020 Comments on Excel Testing Blunder

    The comments made by Jonathan Ashworth, the Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on 6 October 2020.

    Because of this Government’s incompetence, there are potentially thousands of people who have been exposed to the virus who could be wandering around not knowing they were exposed and could be infecting people, and the Health Secretary couldn’t even tell us if they’ve been traced. Ministers urgently need to get a grip of their test and trace service.

  • David Lammy – 2020 Comments on Wellingborough Prison

    David Lammy – 2020 Comments on Wellingborough Prison

    The comments made by David Lammy, the Shadow Secretary of State for Justice, on 6 October 2020.

    G4S’s past performance illustrates the failings of privatisation in the justice system. Its well-publicised failure to manage HMP Birmingham led to reports of violence, unsanitary conditions, drink, drugs, and the bullying of staff.

    Serious questions must be asked about why the government has handed the contract for the new prison in Wellingborough to G4S.

    To deliver justice and keep the country safe, prisons must be well-run, disciplined environments that punish offenders while enabling them to rehabilitate.

  • Ian Murray – 2020 Comments on New Restrictions in Scotland

    Ian Murray – 2020 Comments on New Restrictions in Scotland

    The comments made by Ian Murray, the Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland, on 7 October 2020.

    It should never have come to this. Under the SNP Government’s watch, Scotland now has the highest R rate in the UK following a complete failure to tackle the spread of the virus.

    The SNP took too long to set up Test and Protect and ignored warnings about the return of students to university. Businesses and livelihoods are now at risk as a result of the SNP’s incompetence.

    While public health is the priority, people’s jobs must now be protected and there is an urgent need for both the UK and Scottish governments to put their differences aside and work together on the economic impact.

  • Jim McMahon – 2020 Comments on a New Global Travel Taskforce

    Jim McMahon – 2020 Comments on a New Global Travel Taskforce

    The comments made by Jim McMahon, the Shadow Transport Secretary, on 7 October 2020.

    The Government is again incompetently slow to react. They’ve had months to set up a taskforce, months to look into airport testing and months to sort out the flaws of their quarantine proposals. Tory Ministers are in a mess and need to get their act together.

    It will take a long time to recover from the impact of the virus. The Government must come up with a comprehensive financial support package for the aviation sector and its supply chain which supports almost a quarter of a million jobs and protects the environment.

  • Keir Starmer – 2020 Letter on British Farming to Boris Johnson

    Keir Starmer – 2020 Letter on British Farming to Boris Johnson

    The letter sent from Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, to Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, on 7 October 2020.

    I want our country to produce the best food in the world, where our farmers compete on the basis of quality and are not undermined by producers working to lower standards elsewhere. Britain should be a beacon of quality, high standards, ethical treatment of animals and environmental protections in all aspects of food production.”

    Conservative MPs have until now voted down Labour’s attempts to use the Agriculture Bill or the Trade Bill to enshrine in law the UK’s high environmental protection, animal welfare and food standards. The next opportunity for change will come when the Agriculture Bill returns to the Commons next week.

    Labour also wants the new Trade and Agriculture Commission – set up in the wake of the NFU’s million-strong petition – to have the teeth to assess each trade deal against core standards and ensure proper Parliamentary oversight, as called for in the Government’s own National Food Strategy.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2020 Comments on Safety Risks in the NHS

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2020 Comments on Safety Risks in the NHS

    The comments made by Jonathan Ashworth, the Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on 5 October 2020.

    In a normal winter, these risks would be worrying. In the coming winter, with the incompetent handling of the test and trace system leaving the NHS wide open and poorly supported, they take on a whole new meaning.

    We urgently need a commitment from Ministers to fix the problems with test and trace and a timetable by which these issues will finally be sorted. On top of this it is vital that Ministers confirm that the NHS will get the additional support it needs to address these risks.

    Frontline staff and patients cannot be made to carry the can for Boris Johnson and Matt Hancock’s incompetence.

  • Ed Miliband – 2020 Comments on Government’s Offshore Wind Announcement

    Ed Miliband – 2020 Comments on Government’s Offshore Wind Announcement

    The comments made by Ed Miliband, the Shadow Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary, on 6 October 2020.

    Nothing in the Prime Minister’s re-announcement today on wind energy targets will tackle the immediate jobs crisis our country faces. We need ambition on renewable energy, but Boris Johnson rarely delivers on his rhetoric.

    The funding announced today spread over ten years is a drop in the ocean, and pales in comparison to the investment by France and Germany in green jobs.

    The Government must urgently bring forward a genuinely ambitious green recovery that will create jobs now on the scale needed to meet the challenge of the climate emergency and unemployment crisis.