Chi Onwurah MP, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Culture and the Digital Economy, responding to the Government’s pledge on broadband, said:  

“For people and businesses struggling with slow and non-existent broadband, this announcement of another five years on the broadband back-burner will ring hollow.

"Five years after abandoning Labour’s fully-funded commitment to Universal Broadband, the Government’s ‘superfast’ broadband rollout is still being hit with delays and at the mercy of a single provider.  At the same time, 11 million people in the UK now lack basic digital skills. 

"The Government’s lack of digital vision is a threat to our economic future.  We need to see how this new pledge will be funded and when consumers and businesses will actually see the benefits.”