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Tag: Comments

  • Jack Dromey – 2012 Comments on Subletting Council Houses

    Jack Dromey – 2012 Comments on Subletting Council Houses

    The comments made by Jack Dromey, the Shadow Housing Minister, on 11 January 2012.

    The subletting of council homes for financial gain prevents those in real need from getting a home and should be stopped. Labour is committed to ending this abuse and before the 2010 election we set out plans to make the unlawful subletting of social homes a criminal offence.

    However, Grant Shapps has taken his eye off the ball and is looking for someone to blame for this Government’s failures. Labour councils have been cracking down on sub-letters for years. The vast majority of people living in council houses pay their taxes and play by the rules. The real problem is that this Tory-led Government’s failed economic policies led to a catastrophic 99% collapse in the building of affordable homes in the last six months.

    Since the Government launched its housing strategy in November, we have seen the effects of this out of touch Government’s failing housing and economic policies laid bare. Housebuilding is down, homelessness is up, we have a mortgage market where people can’t get mortgages and rents are soaring in the private rented sector. These are the fundamental issues the Government needs to address.

    With millions in need of a decent home at a price they can afford, the country is gripped by a growing housing crisis. We need an increase in house building now more than ever and the Government is failing to deliver.

  • Mary Creagh – 2012 Comments on Woodlands

    Mary Creagh – 2012 Comments on Woodlands

    The comments made by Mary Creagh, the then Shadow Environment Secretary, on 11 January 2012.

    This new report [Our Forests report into woodlands and the environment] is a welcome addition to the debate about the future of our forests. Our woodlands are a precious reflection of our national heritage, and will play a pivotal role in the green economy and our low carbon future.

    The forest sell-off debacle demonstrated just how out of touch the Tory-led Government is with anyone who cares about the environment. Labour has already called on Ministers to listen to public concern and drop their remaining plans to sell 15% of England’s forests.

  • Boris Johnson – 2022 Comments on the Barbara Windsor Dementia Fund

    Boris Johnson – 2022 Comments on the Barbara Windsor Dementia Fund

    The comments made by Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, on 14 August 2022.

    Dame Barbara Windsor was a British hero. I had the pleasure of meeting her both on the set of Eastenders as Peggy Mitchell, and at Downing Street as we discussed the injustices faced by dementia sufferers.

    I am delighted that we can now honour Dame Barbara in such a fitting way, launching a new national dementia mission in her name.

    Working with her husband Scott, and on behalf of everyone who is living with dementia or has a loved one affected by this devastating condition, I am doubling research funding and calling for volunteers to join ‘Babs’ Army.’ We can work together to beat this disease, and honour an exceptional woman who campaigned tirelessly for change.

  • Boris Johnson – 2022 Comments on the Cost of Living

    Boris Johnson – 2022 Comments on the Cost of Living

    The comments made by Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, on 12 August 2022.

    Countries around the world are feeling the impact of Putin’s damaging war in Ukraine. We know that this will be a difficult winter for people across the UK, which is why we are doing everything we can to support them and must continue to do so.

    Following our meeting today, we will keep urging the electricity sector to continue working on ways we can ease the cost of living pressures and to invest further and faster in British energy security.

    We are continuing to roll out government support over the coming months, including the second £324 instalment of the cost of living payment for vulnerable households, extra help for pensioners and those with disabilities, and the £400 energy bills discount for all households.

  • Caroline Flint – 2012 Comments on Energy Price Increases

    Caroline Flint – 2012 Comments on Energy Price Increases

    The comments made by Caroline Flint, the then Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, on 12 January 2012.

    With falling wholesale costs, all energy companies must cut their prices for now. They are very quick at hiking up energy bills when prices rise – they need to be just as quick in cutting them when prices fall.

    For the future we need a more a responsible and competitive energy market that works in the public interest. But one thing all energy companies should do now is ensure that all over 75s are on the cheapest possible tariff.

  • Andrew Adonis – 2012 Comments on Rail Fare Increases

    Andrew Adonis – 2012 Comments on Rail Fare Increases

    The comments made by Andrew Adonis, the former Labour Secretary of State for Transport, on 11 January 2012.

    Prior to 2010, train companies had the right to increase individual train fares by up to five per cent above the average RPI+1 per cent level. This was a legacy of the privatisation settlement.

    I scrapped this flexibility because I believed it was deeply unfair to allow commuters to be penalised with such hefty fare increases. There was also a lack of transparency, and I was not convinced that train companies were not gaming the system at passengers’ expense in their use of this flexibility.

    The ending of the flexibility was strongly opposed by the train companies, but they complied and it was highly popular with passengers. It was my firm intention to continue the policy for subsequent years, and I was mystified when Philip Hammond, my successor, reinstated the fares flexibility. The only people who supported this change were the train companies.

    It is the job of government to be on the side of the travelling public. Labour took this seriously, which is why we scrapped the fares flexibility. By contrast, the present government appears just to be on the side of the train companies.

  • Liz Truss – 2022 Comments on China and Taiwan

    Liz Truss – 2022 Comments on China and Taiwan

    The comments made by Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary, on 10 August 2022.

    The UK and partners have condemned in the strongest terms China’s escalation in the region around Taiwan, as seen through our recent G7 statement.

    I instructed officials to summon the Chinese Ambassador to explain his country’s actions. We have seen increasingly aggressive behaviour and rhetoric from Beijing in recent months, which threaten peace and stability in the region. The United Kingdom urges China to resolve any differences by peaceful means, without the threat or use of force or coercion.

  • George Eustice – 2022 Comments on Maintaining Water Supplies

    George Eustice – 2022 Comments on Maintaining Water Supplies

    The comments made by George Eustice, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on 10 August 2022.

    Today I met the chief executives of water companies to discuss the measures they are taking to protect water supplies in what is the driest summer in over 50 years.

    All water companies have reassured me that water supplies remain resilient across the country. Each company has a pre-agreed drought plan which they are following, and I have urged them to take any precautionary steps needed to protect essential supplies as we go into a likely very dry autumn.

    We are better prepared than ever before for periods of dry weather with a system that is working well to manage water usage, protect the environment and maintain water supplies for the public and critical sectors. We will continue to actively monitor the situation, working alongside partners including the Environment Agency.

  • Kit Malthouse – 2022 Comments on the Cost of Living

    Kit Malthouse – 2022 Comments on the Cost of Living

    The comments made by Kit Malthouse, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, on 10 August 2022.

    The winter is always a challenge, but a particular difficulty this year is the number of problems coming together at the same time.

    People are already feeling the squeeze of rising energy and fuel costs, and we are continuing to work on boosting our energy security to mitigate these. We also have the wider global inflation problem, which is further adding to the cost of living pressures. Our NHS is also still recovering from Covid-19 but is going into a winter where there may again be a rise of cases but also the usual seasonal flu.

    My job is to test, challenge, and coordinate work across government, working with ministers and officials, as well as our partners and industry, to make sure we have a real grip of the issues and that they’re all addressed at the same time, making sure we protect people as much as possible from the challenges this winter will bring.

  • Ed Balls – 2010 Comments on the Government’s Immigration Policy

    Ed Balls – 2010 Comments on the Government’s Immigration Policy

    The comments made by Ed Balls, the then Shadow Home Secretary, on 17 December 2010.

    The government’s immigration policy is in a state of chaos. Their so called cap may have sounded good before the election but it wasn’t properly thought through and didn’t get the scrutiny it deserved. Not only will it do little to control immigration it also risks damaging British businesses. Cutting the number of border officers and staff by nearly a quarter raises serious questions about the security of our borders and whether the government’s policies can be enforced. And David Cameron’s flagship election promise to bring net migration down to the tens of thousands has now been watered down from a firm pledge to just an aim.