Party Lines: December 17th

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk

In response to the High Court ruling on the government’s temporary immigration cap, Ed Balls said that government immigration policy was in “a state of chaos”:

“The government’s immigration policy is in a state of chaos. Their so called cap may have sounded good before the election but it wasn’t properly thought through and didn’t get the scrutiny it deserved. Not only will it do little to control immigration it also risks damaging British businesses.”

“Cutting the number of border officers and staff by nearly a quarter raises serious questions about the security of our borders and whether the Government’s policies can be enforced. And David Cameron’s flagship election promise to bring net migration down to the tens of thousands has now been watered down from a firm pledge to just an aim.”

Emily Thornberry attacked Andrew Lansley’s decision to scrap targets for NHS emergency services in an interview with BBC News:

“Andrew Lansley says he is listening to the public but he can’t be because the public will be really worried about this, they do think that it is possible that we are going back to the days of people waiting on trolleys in A and E.”

“My starting point is the public, and the public think that a four hour wait is quite long enough, and I don’t know if you’ve ever been in with a sick child, but four hours seems like a lifetime as it is.”

“Obviously people need to be treated quickly and they need to be triaged, and the most urgent cases need to be treated first, but you shouldn’t have to wait in A and E for longer than four hours to see a doctor. It’s not very much to ask and it is what the public asks for.”

“And as for the idea that, let’s say, this weekend an elderly woman goes out to get her shopping, goes out, falls over, beaks her leg, and isn’t seen within minutes by an ambulance, the public will be very worried by this.”

And Yvette Cooper said that David Cameron had achieved “little” for Britain at the EU summit – and despite trying to appear tough for his backbenchers, he offered nothing other than giving more money to Europe:

“David Cameron has achieved little for Britain. The EU Budget is still going up by 2.9% this year, and there is no serious plan to get the budget down in future years. There is no agreement to even discuss serious reforms on things like the Common Agricultural Policy that could cut the budget.”

“We welcome the agreement on a permanent crisis mechanism for the eurozone after 2013, but this Council has not addressed the challenges Europe’s economy faces right now. There is little to improve eurozone stability in the short term, and no serious strategy to support growth and jobs across Europe, so Britain’s exports are still at risk.”

“In reality David Cameron is desperately trying to appear tough in front of his Eurosceptic backbenchers at home, but is failing to appease them. He has offered nothing of substance other than agreeing to give more money to the EU.”