LABOUR will not stop calling a general election, one of the party’s Shadow Cabinet members has said.

Speaking to GB News Breakfast, the Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, said: “Everywhere I go, people say that they want the chance to have their say. They’ve been denied that by the Conservatives, and we’re not going to stop calling for it.”

Commenting on the changes Labour would bring in if they were in Government, she said: “We would reform the Apprenticeships Levy, we will make it easier for people to upskill and retrain throughout their working lives. And we’d also support employers to make sure that we’re creating more apprenticeships. I think that’s incredibly important. We’d also reform our childcare system. So, we deliver modern childcare systems so that working parents are able to take on the jobs and hours that they want and are not forced into making choices about how much childcare they can afford. We do need to see a real shift in our economy.”

Hitting out at Rishi Sunak’s record, she said: “The Conservatives crashed our economy and we’re in a terrible situation. That black hole that they’ve created, we still don’t actually fully know the scale of the damage, because they’ve refused to publish the report from the Office of Budget Responsibility that would give us that information. But there is no plan for growth. We’ve had terrible growth under the Conservatives for the last 12 years and in fact, under Rishi Sunak, who was chancellor for a significant period of that time, I don’t think we’re going to see more stability.

“Stability is what our country desperately needs. But I think we’re only going to get that with a General Election where the British people can have their say about how our country moves forward, not just Conservative MPs.

Revealing how Labour would approach power, she said: “When it comes to the approach that Labour would take, we think we need to build a fairer modern economy with jobs created in every corner of our country. So, you know, we do face the challenge around climate change, but it’s also a brilliant opportunity to create highly skilled jobs in every corner of our country, but if we’re going to do that, we have to invest in the people that will make that happen. And that’s why we do need to see a real shift when it comes to skills, but also changes in our school system too.

“So, we would end the tax breaks that private schools enjoy and put that money into a brilliant state education. I think that’s a really straightforward area where Rishi Sunak could raise some money to fund education that’s not been educated, the kind of money that we’re talking about.

“We bring in a windfall tax on oil and gas companies who’ve made such record profits during this crisis that we’re seeing. We’d be looking at different ways that we could have a fairer tax system, because I think it’s only right that if there are tough choices, then they shouldn’t take those options off the table. But I think it really remains to be seen whether they’ll even consider any of those options. I think they absolutely should, because it would get us a long way.

“This is a great opportunity for us to set out to change and the difference that the Labour government would make from investing in skills, investing in the green jobs of the future and making that shift right across our country. But I think you do also see; people do want an election.”