Tag: Ed Miliband

The comments made by Ed Miliband, the Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on 3 September 2021.

The Government must get a grip on the supply chain crisis facing our economy. While they act as if the problem will solve itself, businesses are telling government these problems are only going to grow. The serious disruption and added costs risk harming our recovery and passing costs to consumers.

Ministers have a habit of ignoring warnings and shifting the burden of blame to businesses. But it is their undermining of our country’s skills training system, failure to deliver on their promise to cut barriers facing businesses and belief in an insecure labour market with poor terms and conditions that has created this crisis.

The long-term problems in the HGV sector will not be solved by making drivers work longer hours but by training workers and improving their terms and conditions. What we are seeing across our economy should be a wake-up call to government that insecurity and low pay cannot build the high performing economy we need.

It’s time for the Prime Minister to take this situation seriously and appoint a minister to work across government and come up with a clear plan with businesses and unions to improve wages and conditions in key sectors. Any responsible government would act to sort out the problems firms are facing. This is what Britain’s businesses, workers and consumers have a right to expect.

The comments made by Ed Miliband, the Shadow Secretary of State for Business, on 29 June 2021.

There is just one day to go until the Government announces whether or not it will retain crucial steel import safeguards.

This is an incredibly significant decision for our steel industry, and a major test of this Government’s promise to protect and champion British businesses post-Brexit.

The Business Secretary cannot allow our vital UK industries to be thrown under the bus by the Trade Secretary. Failure to maintain these safeguards would be a betrayal of Britain’s steel industry, a betrayal of communities across the country, and a self-defeating hammer blow to our national interest.

The comments made by Ed Miliband, the Shadow Business Secretary, on 21 June 2021.

Businesses have done right by our country during this crisis and the Government must do right by them. But Ministers have repeatedly failed to grasp the simple principle that public health restrictions must be matched by fair economic measures.

A month’s delay may seem like a short time, but for businesses legally closed from trading or those hanging on by their fingertips from going under and relying on the summer season the delay is another blow. That businesses unable to reopen are being sent huge bills defies logic. Unless Ministers take action, we risk pushing more firms over the edge.

The comments made by Ed Miliband, the Shadow Business Secretary, on 24 May 2021.

Labour has called repeatedly for the Government to do whatever it takes to protect jobs and our steelmaking capacity, but instead ministers sat on their hands.

It’s absolutely vital the Government and Liberty secure legal assurances that the Stocksbridge plant, which is a British asset supplying our aerospace and defence industries and providing good jobs, will remain open and the workforce will be protected. Crucially we also need assurances about all of Liberty’s other plants.

The Government must show it has a plan B to protect the long-term future of our steel industry, including at Liberty – and public ownership must remain an option on the table.

The comments made by Ed Miliband, the Shadow Business Secretary, on 11 May 2021.

The Government claims to be serious about tackling insecurity at work. But this legislative programme fails the most basic test of introducing an Employment Bill to improve workers’ rights and tackle the appalling practice of fire and re-hire.

Once again we see the yawning chasm between government rhetoric which says that the epidemic of fire and re-hire is unacceptable and their deeds which is to fail the workers of this country.

The key workers in our country have often been paid the least and had the least security. But rather than learn the lessons of this crisis and answer the call to bring something better, the Government is letting down workers and failing to act to protect them.

Labour would strengthen employment protections including outlawing fire and re-hire, tackling exploitation in the gig economy, increasing the living wage, and transform our unequal, insecure economy. Only Labour will deliver the more secure, fairer economy our country needs.

The comments made by Ed Miliband, the Shadow Secretary of State for Business, on 23 April 2021.

It’s time Ministers stood up for businesses in this country, even if they don’t have the Prime Minister’s mobile number. The path to recovery will be long and difficult for many businesses, and a big challenge facing these firms is the debt overhang built up to keep themselves afloat in the crisis.

The Government has refused to introduce the kind of flexibility these businesses need, yet Ministers have acted quickly and flexibly to address issues raised by their personal connections. Rather than fast-tracking the concerns of their friends, Ministers should be listening to businesses of all sizes across the country struggling to deal with debt.

Forcing businesses to repay debt while they are still in the red makes no economic sense. The Government must give our businesses the time to get back on their feet by linking repayments to profits, or risk businesses going to the wall and taking their debt with them – threatening many good businesses and inflicting further damage on our high streets.