The comments made by Chi Onwurah, the Shadow Science, Research and Digital Minister, on 11 August 2020.
It cannot be right that hundreds of thousands of businesses have been shut out of the support promised to them in this time of crisis. Ministers need to sort their system out and urgently accelerate access to support. Failure to do so risks the future of all these businesses, the bread and butter of Britain’s economy, as well as scores of livelihoods across the country.
Comments made by Edward Argar, the Health Minister, on 11 August 2020.
Our NHS did an amazing job to ensure emergency care continued to be available for everyone who needed it during the peak of this pandemic.
Today, we are announcing the details of the Trusts across the country who will receive a share of £300 million to upgrade their A&Es and support emergency care to help them to continue to deliver safe and accessible services throughout the normally busy winter period.
This funding is part of our record investment in NHS infrastructure to ensure our health services continue to meet the needs of the present and to be fit for future demands placed upon it.
Comments made by Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, on 11 August 2020.
We continue to deliver on our promise to build back better and faster, with £300 million allocated today for NHS trusts to upgrade their facilities and improve A&E capacity.
These upgrades will help our fantastic NHS prepare for the winter months, helping them to deliver essential services and reduce the risk of coronavirus infections.
Thanks to the hard work and tireless efforts of NHS staff throughout the pandemic, our A&Es have remained open for the public.
It’s vital that those who need emergency treatment this winter access it, and for those who remain concerned about visiting hospitals, let me assure you that the NHS has measures in place to keep people safe.
The comments made by Gavin Williamson, the Secretary of State for Education, on 11 August 2020.
I’m confident the system Ofqual has put in place is fundamentally a fair one, that will award the vast majority of students a calculated grade that genuinely reflects the grade they would have achieved. Provisional data published by Ofqual suggests that the number of As and A*s being awarded will increase compared to last year and moderation has ensured students from all backgrounds have been treated fairly.
We know that, without exams, even the best system is not perfect. That is why I welcome the fact that Ofqual has introduced a robust appeals system, so every single student can be treated fairly – and today we are asking universities to play their part to ensure every young person can progress to the destination they deserve.
The comments made by Preet Gill, the Shadow International Development Secretary, on 11 August 2020.
The Government should be completely focused on getting on with its job of governing the country and steering us through the huge challenges we face.
Getting rid of an independent Department for International Development during a global pandemic is irresponsible, counter-productive and wrong. It is consistently rated as the most effective and transparent department at delivering real value for money for British taxpayers, whereas the Foreign Office routinely ranks far worse.
At a time when we need the global health expertise to drive the global response to Covid-19 and avoid further deadly waves, abolishing the department will undoubtedly put the lives of people here in the UK and those abroad at serious risk.
The comments made by Jo Stevens, the Shadow Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, on 11 August 2020.
Labour believes that technology has already changed lives for the better, but it also provides a space where disinformation, hate speech and other online harms have been allowed to flourish.
This is something that should worry all of us. The corrosive effect of this harm does not stop when we put down our phones, it has a significant impact on our everyday lives.
There are also growing signs that too much power is being concentrated in the hands of unaccountable tech companies whose decisions increasingly affect our rights, freedoms, and the political system itself.
We can and must demand more from the tech we use and build a digital future that is safer, fairer and more inclusive. We are asking people to take part in our consultation and help us make that happen.
The comments made by Jonathan Reynolds, the Shadow Secretary for Work and Pensions, on 11 August 2020.
Labour has repeatedly warned the Government their one size fits all approach will lead to job losses. These figures confirm what we feared – Britain is in the midst of a jobs crisis.
It is extremely worrying that this increase in unemployment has hit older workers, the self-employed and part-time workers hardest.
The Government must wake up to the scale of this crisis, and put an end to this jobs crisis and adopt a more flexible approach targeted at the sectors who need it most.
Every job lost is a tragedy and we must do all we can to safeguard people’s livelihoods.
The comments made by James Duddridge, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office Minister, on 10 August 2020.
The UK calls on the Government of Belarus to refrain from further acts of violence following the seriously flawed Presidential elections. The violence and the attempts by Belarusian authorities to suppress protests are completely unacceptable.
There has been a lack of transparency throughout the electoral process in addition to the imprisonment of opposition candidates, journalists and peaceful protestors. We are deeply concerned that Belarus’ failure to issue a timely invitation prevented the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the Council of Europe from observing the electoral process. It is also unacceptable that British Embassy staff and other members of the diplomatic community were obstructed from carrying out their duties as fully accredited independent election observers.
Throughout this election campaign we have witnessed the demands of the Belarusian people for democracy, for fundamental freedoms and for the right to determine their futures in an independent, sovereign Belarus. The UK, along with our international partners, calls on the Government of Belarus to fulfil its international commitments and the aspirations of its people.
The comments made by Jonathan Reynolds, the Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, on 10 August 2020.
This research confirms what many businesses have been saying for months – the removal of government support while some businesses have yet to even open their doors again has created a jobs crisis.
Every job lost is a tragedy. We know that unemployment scars employees, their families and their communities. The Government must act now to put an end to this jobs crisis.
The Government’s one size fits all approach is clearly not working and they must now adopt a tailored approach, getting support to where it is needed to prevent even more redundancies.
The comments made by Justin Madders, the Shadow Health Minister, on 10 August 2020.
The Government must be as transparent as possible with all aspects of coronavirus, including daily death figures. While there may be issues with how the figures are collated, Ministers must find solutions rather than end the publication of these statistics.
Throughout the pandemic there has been a failure to publish accurate statistics on a whole range of matters – from the number of people tested each day to the constant revision of the number of covid-related deaths.
It is vital that Ministers commit to continuing to publish daily death figures. Failing to do so risks sending the message out that the virus has been beaten when we know full well it is still circulating.