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Tag: 2020

  • Grant Shapps – 2020 Comments on a Cycling and Walking Revolution

    Grant Shapps – 2020 Comments on a Cycling and Walking Revolution

    Text of the comments made by Grant Shapps, the Secretary of State for Transport, on 28 July 2020.

    We’ve got a once in a lifetime opportunity to create a shift in attitudes for generations to come, and get more people choosing to cycle or walk as part of their daily routine.

    The measures we’ve set out today in this revolutionary plan will do just that. No matter your age, how far you’re travelling, or your current confidence on a bike – there are plans to help and support you.

    By helping to fix your bike – or get an electrically powered one; by increasing storage space at stations, on trains and buses; and by introducing more ways to keep pedestrians and cyclists safe, we’re making it easier than ever to make active travel part of your daily life, and leading England to become a great cycling nation.

  • Boris Johnson – 2020 Comments on a Cycling and Walking Revolution

    Boris Johnson – 2020 Comments on a Cycling and Walking Revolution

    Text of the comments made by Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, on 28 July 2020.

    From helping people get fit and healthy and lowering their risk of illness, to improving air quality and cutting congestion, cycling and walking have a huge role to play in tackling some of the biggest health and environmental challenges that we face.

    But to build a healthier, more active nation, we need the right infrastructure, training and support in place to give people the confidence to travel on two wheels.

    That’s why now is the time to shift gears and press ahead with our biggest and boldest plans yet to boost active travel – so that everyone can feel the transformative benefits of cycling.

  • Kit Malthouse – 2020 Comments on the Safer Streets Fund

    Kit Malthouse – 2020 Comments on the Safer Streets Fund

    The text of the comments made by Kit Malthouse, the Crime and Policing Minister, on 28 July 2020.

    Persistent street crime and burglary have a corrosive effect on a neighbourhood, leaving people apprehensive about leaving their homes, and afraid of what they might encounter when they return.

    But simple modifications like better street lighting or CCTV can do a lot to prevent crime.

    So alongside more focussed thief-taking by the police, these projects should have a big impact on the communities hardest hit by burglars, robbers and villains in general.

  • Paul Scully – 2020 Comments on Social Mobility

    Paul Scully – 2020 Comments on Social Mobility

    Text of the comments made by Paul Scully, the Minister for Small Business, on 28 July 2020.

    Creating opportunities through education, work and training is at the heart of our ambition to level up all parts of the UK economy, enabling people from all walks of life to reach their full potential.

    Businesses not only provide jobs and skills but can also be a force for creating lasting social change, and we want to recognise that in the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise

  • Ed Miliband – 2020 Comments on the Largest Recession for 300 Years

    Ed Miliband – 2020 Comments on the Largest Recession for 300 Years

    Text of comments made by Ed Miliband, the Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, on 28 July 2020.

    While it’s welcome that retail sales figures are up, we cannot be complacent with many parts of the sector still struggling. These figures reinforce the cause for concern for many non-food retailers including clothing, furniture and shoe shops.

    The UK is facing the biggest recession in 300 years and we are seeing a wave of redundancies. High streets are the backbone of communities across the country, and their continued vitality is absolutely essential to local economies and livelihoods.

    If the government is serious about protecting the high street, they should back up their words with deeds. Labour is calling on ministers to put in place a new £1.7 billion fightback fund, which will give local communities the flexibility to support their local businesses.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2020 Comments on Children with Special Educational Needs

    Tulip Siddiq – 2020 Comments on Children with Special Educational Needs

    The comments by Tulip Siddiq, the Shadow Minister for Children and Early Years, on 28 July 2020.

    The physical and mental health of many children with SEND has deteriorated in this pandemic, and we know that their families have felt abandoned.

    The Government has failed to show the leadership needed to ensure SEND provision was not overlooked during this crisis. The sad result is that risk assessments have been few and far between and very few children with SEND have had their needs met.

    There must now be a laser-like focus on ensuring that schools and local authorities can get every child back to school safely in September, with proper support for vulnerable children and those with SEND.

  • Marsha de Cordova – 2020 Comments on Financial Inequality

    Marsha de Cordova – 2020 Comments on Financial Inequality

    The comments made by Marsha de Cordova, the Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities, on 28 July 2020.

    This new evidence shows that working time inequality between lower and higher-income households was worsening even before the crisis hit.

    The Government must carry out and publish an Equality Impact Assessment of the financial and social measures it has taken so far to support people through the pandemic.

    It’s vital to prevent lower-income households bearing the brunt of the crisis when they were already doing less paid work than high-income households and many wanted to be doing more.

    With the gap in total hours of paid work between high and low-income households growing, Labour will continue to push for a response that stops families from falling into hardship.

  • Liz Truss – 2020 Comments on the Trade and Agriculture Commission

    Liz Truss – 2020 Comments on the Trade and Agriculture Commission

    Comments made by Liz Truss, the International Trade Secretary, on 27 July 2020.

    We’re stepping up our engagement with all the groups who have an interest in Britain’s agriculture trade policy. The Trade and Agriculture Commission will ensure the voices of the public and industry are heard, and that their interests are advanced and protected. It will advise the government on how Britain can remain a world-leader in animal welfare and environmental standards, and how we can seize new export opportunities for our farmers.

    This is about putting British farming at the heart of our trade policy and ensuring that our agriculture industry is amongst the most competitive and innovative in the world.

  • Jim McMahon – 2020 Comments on Protecting Jobs in Travel Industry

    Jim McMahon – 2020 Comments on Protecting Jobs in Travel Industry

    Comments made by Jim McMahon, the Shadow Transport Secretary, on 29 July 2020.

    The Government’s handling of this issue has been nothing short of chaotic. The airline industry and passengers need clarity.

    The past few days have been symptomatic of the Government who were too slow to enter the lockdown, too slow to get vital protective equipment to NHS, social care and other key workers, and too slow on testing and tracing to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

    It will take a long time to recover from the impact of the virus. The Government must focus support on the sectors that desperately need it, like aviation, aerospace and its supply chain, which supports almost a quarter of a million jobs, with strict climate conditions and ensuring the gains are shared with the public.

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2020 Comments on Funding for Cycling

    Kerry McCarthy – 2020 Comments on Funding for Cycling

    Comments made by Kerry McCarthy, the Shadow Cycling Minister, on 27 July 2020.

    It’s been five months since the Government first announced this funding for cycling in the Spring Budget, three months since Shapps’ cycling press conference and yet again all we have is a re-announcement.

    Tory Ministers have dragged their feet and failed to seize the opportunity this crisis has posed. Although funding is welcome, cyclists will be rightly concerned about how long it is going to take to actually put these plans into practice.

    No one wants a return to the levels of pollution and congestion we saw before the lockdown began, but, if we fail to make our roads safe enough to cycle, people will revert back to taking the car.