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Tag: 2020

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2020 Comments on Panorama’s Investigation into Cancer Deaths

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2020 Comments on Panorama’s Investigation into Cancer Deaths

    Below is the text of the comments made by Jonathan Ashworth, the Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on 6 July 2020.

    These figures should be wake up call for Ministers – we already know that there’s been a drop in urgent referrals for cancer and waiting times for vital scans are soaring.

    There will be tragic consequences if Ministers do not urgently put in place the measures needed to restore cancer services and get people the treatment they need.

    We need a fully-resourced plan to restart cancer services; a strategy that enables us to move between the competing demands of the Covid-19 pandemic and non-Covid related care in the months ahead.

  • Justin Madders – 2020 Comments on Not Publishing Daily Virus Figures

    Justin Madders – 2020 Comments on Not Publishing Daily Virus Figures

    Below is the text of the comments made by Justin Madders, the Shadow Health Minister, on 6 July 2020.

    This is an absolute shambles. It seems that the real reason why the Government stopped issuing figures for the number of people tested each day is because they never hit their 100,000 people a day target and they were too embarrassed to admit it.

    We know that the number of people actually tested is less than a third of the number of tests they state are being completed. It is clear that Ministers are losing control over the testing regime and are failing to not only keep track of the tests but to ensure the results are returned swiftly.

    Ministers need to get to grips with the state of the testing regime and be far more open about where the failings are. As lockdown measures are relaxed it is vital the public have confidence that there is an effective test and trace system in place.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2020 Comments on Government Selling Arms to Saudi Arabia

    Emily Thornberry – 2020 Comments on Government Selling Arms to Saudi Arabia

    Below is the text of the comments made by Emily Thornberry, the Shadow International Trade Secretary, on 7 July 2020.

    Even by this Government’s standards, their decision to resume the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia for use in Yemen is morally indefensible, justified on the basis that the air strikes that have killed thousands of innocent men, women and children over the past five years somehow do not represent a ‘pattern of non-compliance’ with international law.

    And announcing this decision the very day after 20 Saudi officials were rightly placed on the Foreign Office’s Magnitsky sanctions list for their part in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a journalist killed in part for criticising Saudi conduct in the war in Yemen, is at the very least a case of mixed messages, undermining the government’s claim to be human rights defenders.

    We have demanded that ministers come to Parliament to explain this decision, and we will continue to fight it over the coming months. Because at a time when millions of Yemeni children are facing the mortal threat of starvation and disease, Britain should be working flat out to bring this terrible war to an end, not selling the arms that continue to fuel it.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2020 Comments on Underfunded Nurseries

    Tulip Siddiq – 2020 Comments on Underfunded Nurseries

    Below is the text of the comments made by Tulip Siddiq, the Shadow Minister for Children and Early Years, on 6 July 2020.

    Long-term Government underfunding left nurseries and childminding businesses on the brink of collapse even before this crisis hit, and thousands of providers now fear closure.

    This call for an urgent review into funding for the childcare sector should spur the Government into action. It has been sleepwalking through this crisis and ignoring the warnings from parents and sector leaders.

    Labour has been warning for months of the dire consequences that early years providers will face without a concrete plan for funding and support in place. The Government must now step in before it is too late.

  • Liz Kendall – 2020 Comments on Prime Minister’s Statement on Care Home Deaths

    Liz Kendall – 2020 Comments on Prime Minister’s Statement on Care Home Deaths

    Below is the text of the comments made by Liz Kendall, the Shadow Social Care Minister, on 6 July 2020.

    There have been 30,000 excess deaths in care homes and at least 20,000 of these caused by Covid-19. 25,000 elderly people were discharged from hospitals to care homes without any tests whatsoever and frontline care workers were left without vital PPE.

    Staff who have gone the extra mile to care for elderly people, and experienced things the rest of us can only imagine, will be appalled to hear the Prime Minister’s comments.

    Boris Johnson should be taking responsibility for his actions and fixing the crisis in social care, not blaming care homes for this Government’s mistakes.

  • Ed Miliband – 2020 Comments on Government’s Green Jobs Announcement

    Ed Miliband – 2020 Comments on Government’s Green Jobs Announcement

    Below is the text of the comments made by Ed Miliband, the Shadow Business Secretary, on 6 July 2020.

    We have consistently called for a recovery which has energy efficiency at its heart, and will welcome any measures which achieve that.

    However, this is not a comprehensive plan. It appears there is almost nothing for the people who rent the 8.5 million homes in the social rented sector and private rented sector, which has the worst energy efficiency standards. That means one third of people are left out.

    It also needs to be part of a much broader and bigger scale strategy for getting back on track for net zero which includes a zero carbon army of young people getting back to work, investment in nature conservation, driving forward renewable energy, helping our manufacturers be part of the green transition and a plan for our transport network.

    The French government has promised 15 billion euros for a green recovery, the German government 40 billion euros. The UK government £3 billion so far. When the moment demands the Government creates the most ambitious green recovery possible, the Government has not so far risen to the challenge.

  • Anneliese Dodds – 2020 Comments on Resolution Foundation Report

    Anneliese Dodds – 2020 Comments on Resolution Foundation Report

    Below is the text of the comments made by Anneliese Dodds, the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, on 7 July 2020.

    This report indicates the enormous long-term costs of mass unemployment to the UK economy. If the Conservatives are serious about adopting Labour’s calls for a focus on ‘jobs, jobs, jobs’, they urgently need to change tack.

    The Government must abandon their ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to withdrawing the Job Retention and Self-Employment schemes, and develop support for jobseekers using examples like Labour’s Future Jobs Fund.

    They must also increase their ambitions for supporting infrastructure beyond the largely reannounced projects promoted by the Prime Minister last week, which amounted to a tenth of Germany’s package.

  • Jo Stevens – 2020 Comments on People Refusing Vaccine

    Jo Stevens – 2020 Comments on People Refusing Vaccine

    Below is the text of the comments made by Jo Stevens, the Shadow Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, on 7 July 2020.

    This poll lays bare just how dangerous disinformation online can be.

    The rapid spread of false information about vaccinations could literally be a question of life and death.

    Social media companies must ensure this content has no place on their platforms and Ministers must do more to promote the benefits of vaccines and counter the harmful, dangerous myths which surround them before a coronavirus vaccine becomes available.

  • Cat Smith – 2020 Comments on a Lost Generation of Teenagers

    Cat Smith – 2020 Comments on a Lost Generation of Teenagers

    Below is the text of the comments made by Cat Smith, the Shadow Minister for Young People, on 7 July 2020.

    Vulnerable young people have been falling through the gaps in support since long before the coronavirus pandemic. With youth services decimated by the Tories over the last decade, young people have nowhere to turn for professional support during these difficult times.

    Youth services in England have fallen by £1 billion since 2010, a reduction of 73%. This report shows that the Government must urgently invest in youth services, to support and re-engage vulnerable young people coming out of lockdown.

  • Oliver Dowden – 2020 Comments on Heritage and Culture Investment

    Oliver Dowden – 2020 Comments on Heritage and Culture Investment

    Below is the text of the comments made by Oliver Dowden, the Secretary of State for Culture, on 6 July 2020.

    Our arts and culture are the soul of our nation. They make our country great and are the lynchpin of our world-beating and fast growing creative industries.

    I understand the grave challenges the arts face and we must protect and preserve all we can for future generations. Today we are announcing a huge support package of immediate funding to tackle the funding crisis they face. I said we would not let the arts down, and this massive investment shows our level of commitment.