GMB's Adil Ray asks Labour's Jon Ashworth what party stands for - he says 'it's confidential'
The Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Jonathan Ashworth, told ITV’s Good Morning Britain that Labour’s values are “confidential”.
During this morning’s interview, Ashworth was discussing foreign travel policy and the upcoming by-election when he was quizzed by show host Adil Ray
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Hide AdRay questioned Ashworth as to whether he had discussed the values and policies of Labour, before urging Ashworth to inform viewers of what Keir Starmer’s shadow government stands for.
‘what does the Labour Party stand for?’
He asked: “Have you spoken to Keir Starmer? Have you sat in a room and gone ‘Right guys, what does the Labour Party stand for?’”
“Of course we have,” Ashworth responded, Ray then put it to him to share what they agreed on. “Can you share that with us then?” he said.
Ashworth laughed before refusing to provide details. “They’re confidential meetings. I can’t,” he replied.
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Hide AdRay seemed confused by Ashworth’s refusal, telling him: “Confidential meetings, I’m not asking for your pin numbers.”
Earlier in the interview, Ashworth had accused the government of acting too quickly in allowing international travel to green list countries and leaving borders “as secure as a sieve”.
‘Surge vaccinations’
He told Ray and co-host Susanna Reid: “I would have paused on that [international travel] and we’ve also said we should have proper controls at the borders.
“Our borders have been as secure as a sieve throughout this which is sadly why these new variants have managed to find their way in and spread with such speed and severity across the country.”
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Hide AdReid asked the Labour MP if he would have allowed travel to green list countries, considered as posing only a low risk of UK tourists contracting Covid.
Her questioning comes as the Prime Minister and other government ministers are accused of giving out mixed messages regarding whether or not UK holidaymakers should be travelling abroad.
Ashworth said: “I would want us to spend a little bit of time reassuring ourselves we are on top of this particular variant and really contain it.
“What I would do to contain the variant and to go back to your point where you say Labour never has any policies or ideas as it were.
“I would put in surge vaccination into the areas where we know it is spreading quickly, that means vaccinating everybody.
“I would also pay people decent sick pay,” he concluded.