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Tag: 2020

  • Lisa Nandy – 2020 Comments on Agreement Between Israel and the UAE

    Lisa Nandy – 2020 Comments on Agreement Between Israel and the UAE

    The comments made by Lisa Nandy, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, on 13 August 2020.

    This agreement is an important step forward and we welcome the normalisation of relations between Israel and the UAE. We also welcome the suspension of proposals by Israel to annex large parts of the West Bank – an act that would have been in clear violation of international law and one opposed by governments around the world.

    The Labour Party is hopeful that this announcement will be the first step towards the full withdrawal of annexation proposals, and that this can be a catalyst for a meaningful and lasting peace to be negotiated between the Israelis and Palestinians – an outcome we believe can only be achieved by a peaceful two-state solution in the Middle East.

  • Nick Thomas-Symonds – 2020 Comments on Quarantine Measures from France and the Netherlands

    Nick Thomas-Symonds – 2020 Comments on Quarantine Measures from France and the Netherlands

    The comments made by Nick Thomas-Symonds, the Shadow Home Secretary, on 13 August 2020.

    While we support evidence based measures at the border, it’s vital that the Government has a joined-up strategy, and recognises the impact of this on travel-related businesses. It is vital that a sector-specific deal is put in place urgently.

    That the Government has still not put in place an effective track, trace and isolate system has made matters far worse and made it more likely that we are reliant on the blunt tool of 14-day quarantine.

    The Government should publish all of the scientific evidence its decisions are based on and details of any work being done to reduce the time needed to isolate through increased testing and other measures.

  • Keir Starmer – 2020 Comments on Government’s “Exam Fiasco”

    Keir Starmer – 2020 Comments on Government’s “Exam Fiasco”

    The comments made by Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, on 14 August 2020.

    Across the last twenty four hours we have heard heartbreaking stories and the scale of the injustice caused by the fatally flawed results system has become clear.

    Young people and parents right across the country, in every town and city, feel let down and betrayed. Claims from the Schools Minister this week were grossly misleading.

    The unprecedented and chaotic circumstances created by the UK Government’s mishandling of education during recent months mean that a return to teacher assessments is now the best option available. No young person should be at a detriment due to Government incompetence.

    Time is running out. We need action in days, not weeks. That also means an urgent technical review of the standardisation model ahead of GCSE results next week. We need to end this fiasco.

  • Andy McDonald – 2020 Comments on Protection of Rights for Pregnant Women

    Andy McDonald – 2020 Comments on Protection of Rights for Pregnant Women

    The comments made by Andy McDonald, the Shadow Employment Rights Minister, on 13 August 2020.

    It is wrong that pregnant women have not only lost income as a result of being wrongly sent home on sick pay rather than their full wage, but have had their maternity pay slashed as well.

    Covid-19 related spells on Statutory Sick Pay should not mean women have their maternity pay cut, and the Government needs to act now, end this injustice and protect pregnant women’s rights.

  • Emma Hardy – 2020 Comments on High Student Drop Out Rates

    Emma Hardy – 2020 Comments on High Student Drop Out Rates

    The comments made by Emma Hardy, the Shadow Universities Minister, on 12 August 2020.

    Education should be a right for all and it is clear that the Government must do more to support disadvantaged students in attending university.

    To give students confidence to attend university this Autumn there needs to be clear guidance on how to make campuses COVID secure and an effective national track and trace system.

    Students’ university experience will not be the same and it is disingenuous for either universities or the government to suggest it will be.

    Action must be taken to prevent high student drop out rates and universities must urgently reassure students about the benefits of attending university this year.

  • Gavin Williamson – 2020 Comments on Triple Lock on Student Results

    Gavin Williamson – 2020 Comments on Triple Lock on Student Results

    The comments made by Gavin Williamson, the Secretary of State for Education, on 12 August 2020.

    Every young person waiting for their results wants to know they have been treated fairly. By ensuring students have the safety net of their mock results, as well as the chance of sitting autumn exams, we are creating a triple lock process to ensure confidence and fairness in the system.

    No one wanted to cancel exams – they are the best form of assessment, but the disruption caused by Covid-19 meant they were not possible.

    This triple lock system will help provide reassurance to students and ensure they are able to progress with the next stage of their lives.

  • Layla Moran – 2020 Comments on UK Entering Recession

    Layla Moran – 2020 Comments on UK Entering Recession

    The comments made on Twitter by Layla Moran, the Liberal Democrat MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, on 12 August 2020.

    Even during a recession, everyone should have the security to live life as they choose. We need a Universal Basic Income, decent investment in public services and a greater focus on wellbeing – for a sustainable, fair recovery that leaves no-one behind.

  • Justin Madders – 2020 Comments on More People Studying Nursing

    Justin Madders – 2020 Comments on More People Studying Nursing

    The comments made by Justin Madders, the Shadow Health Minister, on 12 August 2020.

    Nurses have been at the heart of the fight against Coronavirus, working day and night to protect the NHS and save lives. It is a positive that the great work they have done has received greater recognition and more applications, but with over 40,000 nurse vacancies we are still nowhere near the scale required to end the staffing crisis.

    Too often we hear of nurses leaving in their droves because they are overworked, underpaid and underappreciated. If this government is serious about attracting people to work as nurses then they need to show that it values those who already do, give them the equipment they need and give them the pay talks they deserve.

  • Anneliese Dodds – 2020 Comments on Worst Recession in Europe

    Anneliese Dodds – 2020 Comments on Worst Recession in Europe

    The comments made by Anneliese Dodds, the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, on 12 August 2020.

    We’ve already got the worst excess death rate in Europe – now we’re on course for the worst recession too. That’s a tragedy for the British people and it’s happened on Boris Johnson’s watch.

    The Prime Minister will say there’s only so much he could do during a global pandemic, but that doesn’t explain why our economy is tanking so badly compared to other countries.

    It was his government that snatched away wage support for businesses that hadn’t even reopened yet. And his government that failed to get test, trace and isolate working despite claiming it’s a ‘world-beating’ system.

    A downturn was inevitable after lockdown – but Johnson’s jobs crisis wasn’t. Now he must take responsibility, scrap the one-size-fits-all withdrawal of wage support and bring the health crisis properly under control.

  • Jonathan Reynolds – 2020 Comments on Universal Credit Numbers

    Jonathan Reynolds – 2020 Comments on Universal Credit Numbers

    The comments made by Jonathan Reynolds, the Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, on 11 August 2020.

    Britain is in the midst of a jobs crisis. As Universal Credit hits 5.5 million the Government must reconsider its position on sanctions and conditionality, which risk plunging millions into hardship and do nothing to help people back to work.

    In particular, it is extremely worrying that this increase in unemployment has hit older workers, the self-employed and part-time workers hardest.

    Every job lost is a tragedy and we must do all we can to safeguard people’s livelihoods. The Government must wake up to the scale of this crisis and adopt a more flexible approach targeted at the sectors who need it most.

    Labour believes Universal Credit should be replaced with a system which offers a proper social security safety net and decent support to all.