12 reasons to vote Labour in Yorkshire and the Humber

By Richard Corbett MEP

1. Labour MEPs believe in fairness. The common market needs fair rules if it is not to be an unregulated playground for short-term commercial interests at the expense of workers, consumers and families.

2. Labour MEPs work to ensure protection of workers rights in the European market. We introduced measures to give part-time and temporary workers the same rights as full-time workers as regards training, pensions, maternity rights and leave.

3. Labour MEPs are committed to protecting consumers. We have, among other things, introduced fines for airlines when they deliberately overbook and doubled cash compensation for stranded rail and airline passengers. We adopted measures to prevent mobile phone companies from charging exaggerated amounts when using your phone abroad. We also introduced a two-year guarantee for shoppers on new electronic products. We have brought in clear labelling for food and drink products.

4. Labour MEPs are committed to stringent emission targets in order to fight climate change. We secured a plan to cut CO2 emissions across Europe by at least 20% by 2020. We will ensure that energy efficiency, recycling and protecting the environment remains at the top of the EU agenda.

5. Labour MEPs work to secure more jobs and EU funding in Yorkshire. Since 2000 more than £1.5 billion of European funding has been invested in the region. This has helped to deliver 40,000 new jobs, helping business increase competitiveness and stimulating the training of employees and young people in schools.

6. Over 60% of Yorkshire & Humber’s exports are to the rest of the EU some 350,000 jobs here depend on that. We will defend our corner to safeguard those jobs in setting the common rules for the common market.

7. Labour MEPs work to enhance the EU’s overseas development programme making the EU the largest donor of development aid in the world. We have made poverty reduction the main focus of EU development policy. Exports from the least developed countries are allowed duty ad quota free into the EU thanks to the work of Labour MEPs.

8. Labour MEPs work to improve human health. We have been at the forefront of calls to ensure safer and better-labelled food. Labour MEPs secured the compulsory labelling of GM foods and more informative packaging on food additives.

9. Labour MEPS support enhancing parental rights and protecting children. We ensured both parents have the right to time off work when they have children or adopt. Labour MEPs called for a Europe-wide Amber Alert system for children who are missing and set up the 116000 missing children hotline to speed up the vital response by national authorities if a child goes missing.

10. Labour MEPs secure Europe-wide rules to help fight crime. We adopted the European Arrest Warrant, which means suspected criminals cannot avoid arrest by moving between EU countries. We have also approved a scheme by which victims of crime travelling between EU countries are eligible for compensation.

11. Labour MEPs defend animal welfare. We have banned the testing of cosmetics on animals and the marketing in Europe of any new cosmetics tested on animals outside the EU. We are currently working to reduce the hours animals are transported for to eight hours maximum. We banned the sale and imports of cat and dog fur into the EU and at present we are pushing for a ban on all imported seal products into the EU.

12. Last but not least we need to Stop the BNP threat in Yorkshire. If Labour voters do not turnout on 4th June we risk losing Richard Corbett MEP’s seat to the BNP. If Labour does well, we could replace UKIP’s Godfrey Bloom (famous for saying women should stay at home and council house tenants are ‘ASBO-carrying monsters’!) with our dynamic third candidate, Emma Hoddinott. Not voting Labour means keeping Bloom and possibly letting in the BNP. Don’t let it happen by forgetting to vote!