The comments made by Lucy Powell, the Shadow Minister for Business and Consumers, on 9 December 2020.
It’s unsurprising that so many businesses aren’t sure they will be ready for the end of the transition period. Businesses are in the dark and trying to prepare for January 1 without knowing what they’re preparing for.
Boris Johnson promised businesses across this country an oven-ready deal and he must get on and deliver it.
The comments made by Ed Miliband, the Shadow Business Secretary, on 9 December 2020.
Businesses have been sounding the alarm for weeks about the problems at ports. While there are pressures caused by Covid-19 all over the world, no other country is facing the kind of uncertainty we are around the end of the transition period.
With businesses still not knowing whether there is going to be a deal, and the exact nature of any deal, it is throwing massive uncertainty into their decision making. The government must take responsibility for having left the country in this position, not keep putting the burden of blame on businesses.
Car production halting, Christmas presents possibly going undelivered, and food supplies being thrown out are terrible for businesses across our country. And there is a real worry that unless the Government listens and urgently acts, the disruption today will just be the tip of the iceberg.
The comments made by Emily Thornberry, the Shadow International Trade Secretary, on 9 December 2020.
Whatever long-term hopes of a US trade deal may lie behind this announcement, and whatever the truth about the legal advice the government has received, the immediate facts and consequences are clear.
Liz Truss is unilaterally capitulating in a dispute caused in part by unlawful US subsidies, even while those subsidies are – in the words of her own statement – continuing to cause significant harm to Airbus, a vital business and employer for our country.
She is doing so with no apparent guarantees that the harm being done to Airbus will come to an end any time soon, and with no public assurances from Washington that punitive US tariffs on Scotch whisky and other UK exports will be removed in response.
We are therefore left to hope against all prior evidence that the government knows what it is doing, because on the surface of this announcement, Liz Truss is leaving Airbus, the Scotch Whisky industry, and their thousands of employees totally undefended in this dispute, while receiving absolutely nothing from the US in return.
The comments made by Michael Ellis, the Solicitor General, on 8 December 2020.
Heroin and cocaine are deadly substances pushed by unscrupulous dealers. The offender was carrying a significant amount of Class A drugs with the intention of selling them for profit. This trade is ravaging our communities, and today’s decision by the Court of Appeal is welcome and sends a message that a custodial sentence will ordinarily follow street dealing.
The comments made by Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, on 8 December 2020.
It was a pleasure to visit Bahrain, a country with which the UK’s close and important relationship has flourished for more than 200 years.
I am committed to supporting Bahrain as it continues to make important reforms, and both our nations will work closely together to promote peace and security in the Gulf region and across the world.
The Christmas Card message from Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, on 8 December 2020.
The clap for carers was a moment of huge national solidarity, and we continue to owe our carers and key workers a huge debt of gratitude. Their courage and dedication in the face of this virus has been truly incredible.
This Christmas, carers and emergency workers, alongside our Armed Forces and other key workers, will step up yet again. They will sacrifice precious time with their families to keep us safe.
We must repay them, not just with our gratitude, but by fighting for fair pay and conditions for all those who have given so much to help our country through this pandemic.
The comments made by Louise Haigh, the Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, on 8 December 2020.
This is a welcome step forward, after months of crippling uncertainty for Northern Ireland. An agreement, not reckless threats, has always been the responsible way forward. Huge challenges remain to implement the Protocol by January 1st, and the Government must now work flat out to help businesses prepare, deliver the much-needed detail, and ensure the new arrangements impact as little as possible on Northern Ireland.
The comments made by Ed Miliband, the Shadow Business Secretary, on 8 December 2020.
It’s crushing news the Grenadier car will now be built in France rather than Bridgend, especially following the closure of Ford’s plant leading to scores of highly-skilled jobs lost.
Boris Johnson’s dithering, delay, and failure to deliver appears to have led to the loss of two major employers in the area – and it’s devastating that communities in Wales will pay the price of his incompetence.
It’s also a big betrayal of the promises made by the Conservatives during the election to deliver jobs and investment in Bridgend.
The comments made by Bridget Phillipson, the Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, on 8 December 2020.
With 23 days until the end of the transition period the Government has brazenly and recklessly pushed the country to the brink of a no-deal Brexit.
This irresponsible, last-minute approach explains why the Government is in chaos tonight – but the damage done to Britain’s global reputation by threatening to break international law will last for years to come.
Labour wants a deal to be done, as this uncertainty is inflicting untold damage on businesses that still have no idea today what conditions they will be trading under next month.
As Britain counts the cost of this Government’s irresponsible decisions, it’s clear the Conservatives have relinquished any claim to be the party of the economy.
The comments made by Amanda Solloway, the Science Minister, on 7 December 2020.
We want the UK to be a world leader in space technology which is why we are supporting our most ambitious innovators who are developing first-of-a-kind technologies to help solve some of our greatest challenges.
From slashing carbon emissions to protecting the UK’s critical services from harmful cyber-attacks, today’s funding will unshackle our most entrepreneurial space scientists so that they can transfer their revolutionary ideas into world-class products and services, while helping to boost the UK economy.