| Labour figures pay tribute to Michael Foot |
Labour leader and Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, paid tribute to former Labour Party leader, Michael Foot at his funeral today. Gordon Brown praised Foot as "one of the most elegant of orators, one of the greatest parliamentarians ever" and said that he lived a life "in the service of the greatest of progressive causes". The Prime Minster went on to say that "He graced the country and for those of us privileged to know him, he graced all of our lives". Neil Kinnock, who followed Foot as Labour leader paid tribute to him, saying "In thought and in word and in deed, Michael Foot was brave and brilliant." Senior Labour figures past and present attended the funeral along with family and friends....
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| Ashok Kumar MP |
The Labour Party is extremely saddened to hear about the death of Ashok Kumar, MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland. Mr Kumar was found dead at home this morning. Mr Kumar was 53 years old and first entered parliament in November 1991 at a by-election for the Langbaurgh constituency. He re-gained the seat at the General Election in 1997. David Walsh, Secretary of Middlesbrough South & East Cleveland CLP said "Ashok was a fine politician who served his constituency and his constituents with diligence and unswerving commitment. He was a natural fighter and a community leader." Prime Minister Gordon Brown said that he was "greatly saddened" by Ashok Kumar's death, mentioning that he was a "tenacious campaigner" and "a warm and incredibly generous man". He added: "Ashok was a hard-working constituency MP who took pride in representing the people of Middlesbrough as both a councillor and MP since 1987. "His long-standing campaigns to keep shipbuilding in Teesside were respected by all sides of the House."...
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| It’s time for the Tories to come clean - Ed Balls |
Ed Balls MP, Labour’s Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, is today urging people to take a long hard look at the Tories plans for schools. He is challenging the Tories to come clean on how they will pay for their two flagship schools policies – new ‘free market’ schools and a national ‘pupil premium’. Earlier today, Ed Balls set out to Parliament further details of funding for schools up to 2013, following the Pre-Budget Report announcement that funding for Labour’s frontline priorities will be protected, including schools, Sure Start and 16-19 education. Ed Balls MP said: “Labour’s Pre-Budget Report made clear that while there will be tough decisions to halve the deficit within four years, we will protect frontline funding for our priorities, including schools, Sure Start and 16-19 education. “But there is an unresolved conflict in the Conservatives’ plans for education: while George Osborne is applying a downward pressure to the budget for the Department for Children, Schools and Families, Michael Gove’s two flagship policies – new ‘free market’ schools and a national pupil premium – apply an upward pressure on costs. How can this circle be squared? “Michael Gove refuses to say but what is clear is that his options are limited: the costs of these two policies run into billions and those billions must come from cuts within the DCSF budget. The challenge being set to Michael Gove today is to identify what he intends to cut in order to fund his two flagship...
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| Securing the recovery is essential - Gordon Brown |
Alongside a speech by Gordon Brown MP, Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party, on the economy, the Labour Party is today publishing A Future Fair for All: Securing the recovery, not putting it at risk. The document sets out the choice that Britain faces between growth and increasing prosperity with Labour, or a decade of austerity, low growth and low employment under the Tories. To read a copy please click here Gordon Brown said: "There is nothing pre-ordained or automatic about the upturn, either here or around the world. While we have come through the worst of this dreadful storm, the waters are still choppy. There are still real risks to the recovery. And we must be alive to them. "So the choices we will make in the coming months are just as important - and just as urgent - for families, jobs, mortgages and companies, large and small - as the difficult choices we made to protect them at the height of the storm. "We are at a turning point - a crossroads for our domestic economic recovery, where we have to choose now to maintain the stimulus until recovery is assured or cut it - and at a crossroads for the global economic governance that will shape the next decades for us and our children. "I believe that character is not about telling people what they want to hear but about telling them what they need to know. It is about having the courage to set...
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| Take a long hard look at the Tories on crime - Johnson |
When it comes to crime, David Cameron is more concerned with headlines than policies. That’s why he talks Britain down by deliberately misleading the public about crime figures even though his party has been censured by the Statistics Authority for doing this. The reality is the Conservatives have voted against Labour’s measures to fight crime including opposing changes to the retention of DNA evidence – making it harder for the police to catch criminals. And they have campaigned against the use of CCTV which reduces the fear of crime and anti-social behaviour. Alan Johnson MP, Labour’s Home Secretary said: “Labour wants to see a future fair for all and today I am setting out the tough action we are taking to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour. “While crime has been cut by over a third since 1997 and Labour is protecting front line policing the Conservatives have refused to say if they would protect the police budget. “Labour is clear about what we will do to keep people safe –the Tories’ refusal to reveal their own plans should not go unchallenged. Nor should their election candidates be able to continually mislead the public with dodgy crime statistics. “I am urging people today to take a long hard look at the Tories’ policies on crime and particularly the fact that they would make it harder for the police to use DNA to catch criminals. Our hard hitting short film exposes how weak the Tories are when it comes to fighting crime....
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