Tag: Ed Miliband

The comments made by Ed Miliband, the Shadow Business Secretary, on 4 March 2021.

The Business Secretary has revealed his true agenda and now we can see plain as day his devotion to the market and his aversion to supporting industry. Scrapping the Industrial Strategy Council is another sign of what’s to come – a binned industrial strategy and a Government that simply gets out of the way.

Now we have a Secretary of State for Industrial Strategy that doesn’t believe in an industrial strategy – that’s no surprise after yesterday’s Budget which failed to support our manufacturers and a green recovery.

Labour believes in a strong partnership between businesses and government, actively working together to grow industry, create wealth and jobs, and tackle the issues facing our society including inequality and the climate emergency.

The comments made by Ed Miliband, the Shadow Business Secretary, on 2 March 2021.

Labour is a firm proponent of high ambition, cutting edge science and research and we will continue to support and champion the work of our country’s scientists. We support the creation of an agency for high-risk science, if it is created with and rooted in the science community.

But ‘maximum flexibility’ sounds like an excuse for no competition. The Government’s procurement has been riddled by conflicts of interests and lack of transparency.

Ministers must not use ARIA as cover for further cronyism, and there will be further concerns raised by the news that the agency will have a blanket FOI exemption. Taxpayers have a right to know how and in whom their money is being invested.

The comments made by Ed Miliband, the Shadow Business Secretary, on 19 February 2021.

Labour has long called for investment in high ambition, high risk science. From artificial intelligence to quantum technologies and life sciences, the UK has long been at the forefront of cutting-edge research and development. Labour will continue to support and champion the work of our country’s scientists.

But Government must urgently clarify the mission and mandate of this new organisation, following strong engagement with the UK’s science base – those closest to the work. And it is important ARIA does not have a blanket exemption from FOI laws as has been reported, so taxpayers know how their money is being invested.

Many researchers have been hit hard during the crisis but have been excluded from government support, and there is still no clarity about what the science budget will be in just six weeks time and where it will be spent, leaving the industry in limbo. Funding for ARIA must therefore be accompanied by a multi-year roadmap for funding across the whole sector.

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

The 48-hour week is a vital right for workers. Scrapping this hard-won protection would be the thin end of the wedge, causing working hours to spiral up, risking safety and wellbeing, and meaning many people could have less time to spend with their families.

The future of this right should not even be up for discussion. That Ministers are clapping key workers on the front step and considering forcing a longer working week on them via the back door, shows how seriously out of step their priorities are with those of the British people.

The Government is also failing to listen to businesses who are urging them to tackle the virus, secure the economy and protect jobs – not take a wrecking ball to the rights of working people. Conservative MPs must keep their promises and vote today in line with the needs of workers and businesses – not rip up their protections.

The comments made by Ed Miliband, the Shadow Business Secretary, on 14 January 2021.

This leak exposes the truth about the Government’s priorities, which are way out of step with the needs of workers and their families. In the midst of the worst economic crisis in three centuries, ministers are preparing to tear up their promises to the British people and taking a sledgehammer to workers’ rights.

These proposals are not about cutting red tape for businesses but ripping up vital rights for workers. They should not even be up for discussion. People are already deeply worried about their jobs and health. It’s a disgrace the Government is considering forcing them to work longer hours or lose paid holidays.

The Government wants Britain to compete on the back of ordinary working people losing their rights. This is a vision not set out anywhere in their manifesto and for which they have no mandate. Labour will fight tooth and nail against this attempt to deny even the basic rights we have to the workers of our country.

The comments made by Ed Miliband, the Shadow Business Secretary, on 13 January 2021.

Every worker should be paid a fair wage they can live on. It’s just wrong that so many of our key workers, including in sectors like supermarkets and care, are being asked to survive on low pay.

Labour strongly supports a real living wage of at least £10 an hour. As we rebuild our country and economy after coronavirus, we cannot just go back to business as usual.

We owe the workers of our country an obligation to enable them to be paid a wage they can live and bring up their family on. The Government must take action to move our country to a real living wage.