Diane Abbott urges shift in Boris's London 2012 priorities

31 May 2011

Diane Abbott MP, the Shadow Health Minister, has called on Boris Johnson to rethink his priorities for London 2012, following the Mayor of London’s announcement today that he is giving each London borough £50,000 to splash out on flags, banners and bunting in their area.

Ms Abbott said: “We must get more detail on issues like jobs, public safety and the long-term legacy of London 2012 before Boris’s focus shifts to flags, banners and bunting.”

“We have worked hard to bring the Olympics to London. With the eyes of the world on Britain and millions of visitors flooding into the country, it is certainly important that we put on a good show, and really showcase what London is about.”

“However, I think there will be concern that Boris is not getting the priorities quite right: he is giving £50,000 to each London borough to splash out on flags, banners and bunting, but we are still awaiting crucial details on jobs, public safety and the long-term legacy of London 2012.”

“The London Olympics were won on a promise to radically transform the economic landscape of east London. The immediate focus should be on providing a life-changing programme that would see thousands of unemployed Londoners put into work, with thousands of new jobs being created in the Olympic Park and the Lower Lea Valley.”

“Similarly, part of the Tory-led coalition's top down re-organisation of the NHS is sweeping changes in public health including emergency planning. These multiple re-organisations have left every level of the health service and every organisation concerned with emergency planning in confusion and uncertainty. I believe that the 2012 Olympics, with the eyes of the world on Britain and millions of visitors flooding into the country, is exactly the wrong time to introduce far-reaching organisational changes into public health and emergency planning, including abolishing the Health Protection Agency.”

Notes to Editors

1) The Health Protection Agency’s view on the public health changes are outlined here, in paragraphs 25 to 36: www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1296682855643

Ends
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