The comments made by Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on 3 August 2021.
I’m thrilled that apprentices and employers in freelance industries such as film and TV can start to benefit from our new flexi-job apprenticeship scheme as part of our Plan for Jobs.
Together, we’re creating exciting new opportunities for apprentices and employers – harnessing the skill and talent of today for the jobs of tomorrow.
The comments made by Gillian Keegan, the Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills, on 3 August 2021.
We want to build an apprenticeship system that enables everyone to get the experience and knowledge they require to get the job they want, while ensuring employers have a diverse talent pipeline to meet their skills needs.
Our flexi-job apprenticeships will unleash exciting new opportunities in sectors such as the creative industries and construction where employment is increasingly flexible and project-based, while also helping larger organisations to grow starts in their supply chains, levelling up chances for people to build the life they want.
The comments made by Kate Green, the Shadow Education Secretary, on 3 August 2021.
Under the Tories the number of new apprenticeships is plummeting, with tens of thousands of people unable to access these opportunities.
Support for greater flexibility does little to end the stark decline in apprenticeship starts, particularly for those young people who could benefit most.
The Government must get a grip, stop tinkering at the edges and put forward a credible plan to put education and training at the heart of our economy recovery from the pandemic.
The comments made by Anneliese Dodds, the Chair of the Labour Party, on 3 August 2021.
The public will be appalled that the Co-Chair of the Conservative Party’s company was marketing the same tests used by the NHS to its super rich client base in April last year – a time when even care homes weren’t able to access the tests many of their staff and residents needed.
We need to know just who in the Conservative Party knew what Mr Elliot was up and what action they are going to take in light of these allegations.
The daily revelations about Ben Elliot raise serious questions about the Prime Minister’s judgement in appointing him to his post and the culture within the Conservative Party.
There cannot be one rule for senior Conservatives and their cronies, and another rule for everyone else.
The comments made by Angela Rayner, the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, on 3 August 2021.
The British people want to be able to work flexibly after Covid and the Chancellor seems to be the only person who doesn’t recognise the benefits that flexible working can deliver to workers and employers alike.
The Chancellor should check the manifesto that he was elected on in 2019 which committed the Government to making flexible working the default. The Chancellor and his colleagues should bring forward the Government’s promised Employment Bill so we can enshrine the right to flexible working in law.
Labour will give all workers the right to flexible working so everyone can enjoy the benefits of flexible working and make their own minds up about what works for them so that work fits around our lives instead of dictating our lives.
The comments made by Liz Kendall, the Shadow Social Care Minister, on 3 August 2021.
These heartbreaking figures are a stark reminder of the devastating impact drugs have on families and communities across the country.
Drug treatment services are vital not just for those who are themselves struggling with substance abuse issues, but also the wider community. Yet, a decade of Tory cuts to drug treatment and addiction services and chronic underfunding of local councils has left us ill-equipped to tackle the scourge of addiction.
The Government must take action now. We need a new settlement for public health services, a clear target to reduce inequalities and action to minimise harm and help prevent so many dying from addiction.
Parts of the article by Andrew Bridgen, the Conservative MP for North West Leicestershire, on 31 July 2021. The full article is at https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1470465/HGV-driver-shortage-Tony-Blair-university-andrew-bridgen.
For many years I have been raising the issue of the shortage of lorry drivers, citing the lack of dedicated apprenticeship scheme as far back as 2015. In the intervening period, the shortage of drivers has doubled and only now have the Government acted and implemented a lorry driver apprenticeship.
When I raised this issue in 2015 the estimated shortage of HGV drivers was 50,000, now it is double that and whilst there are 600,000 HGV licence holders in the UK, only half of those are active in the industry and for many, it is the reasons that have been cited above why they have left the job, the drivers have voted with their feet.
If Covid has taught us anything it is how much we rely on key workers and how so many have felt undervalued over many years, this is one of the major contributing factors to the Brexit result that the metropolitan liberal elite didn’t grasp in 2016 and which they still don’t.
The statement made by Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, on 29 July 2021.
We had planned, at today’s meeting of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, to hear from our new Chief Constable on his improvement plans for GMP.
Alongside that, I was planning to provide more detail about how we intend to take the force into a new era of greater openness and strengthened accountability.
Following the cancellation of today’s meeting, I thought it was important to set out these next steps in a written update.
The Chief Constable will now attend a meeting of the GMCA on 10 September. On the same day, his forward plan for GMP will be published together with the full analysis provided by PwC.
We will aim to publish the independent review into Child Sexual Exploitation in Oldham by November or, at the very latest, by the end of the year.
We will publish the independent review into CSE in Rochdale early in the New Year, with the aim of February.
We will hold our first Greater Manchester Police Public Accountability Meeting for elected members across GM in Oldham on 26 November. The event will be live-streamed and will follow the meeting of the GMCA. Details of how elected members can apply to attend will be issued shortly. From now on, there will be two public accountability meetings every year.
These steps towards more transparency and accountability build on the publication earlier this week of the first Achieving Race Equality report, which from now on will be updated quarterly, and the introduction in January of a named and contactable police officer and PCSO for every ward in Greater Manchester.
The comments made by Matt Warman, the Digital Infrastructure Minister, on 2 August 2021.
Whether someone wants to prove who they are when starting a job, moving house or shopping online, they ought to have the tools to do so quickly and securely.
We are developing a new digital identity framework so people can confidently verify themselves using modern technology and organisations have the clarity they need to provide these services.
This will make life easier and safer for people right across the country and lay the building blocks of our future digital economy.
The comments made by Anneliese Dodds, the Chair of the Labour Party, on 1 August 2021.
The Conservatives have serious questions to answer over this latest cash for access scandal.
The public have a right to know which government ministers are meeting with donors who have access to the corridors of power, including what appears to be exclusive access to the Prime Minister and the Chancellor.
The way that Boris Johnson and his friends go about their business seems to be less about what is right and more about what they can get away with.
There cannot be one rule for high-ranking Conservatives and their friends, and another rule for everyone else.