Labour Leadership Challenger Dismisses Corporate Manslaughter Bill as cop-out and calls for backbench parliamentary campaign to force amendments

The House of Commons is today debating the first stage of the legislative process for the Government's Corporate Manslaughter Bill. This legislation was promised by Labour in opposition and has appeared in each of its election manifestos since 1997.

John McDonnell MP, challenger for the Labour leadership, who has campaigned for the Bill for a number of years said:

"After 9 years, two detailed consultations and a strong campaign within the Labour movement the Government is finally presenting a Bill to Parliament.

"The overwhelming view of the TUC and the campaigning organisations is that the current proposals in the Government's Bill are utterly ineffective and so weak that the CBI approvingly describes it as "sensible".

"This is an absolute cop-out. The Bill must be significantly amended if it is to be of any use in bringing corporate killers to justice and if it is to help prevent further deaths at work."

"The Government needs to takes note that the legislation in its present toothless form is unacceptable to the Labour movement and we shall be doing everything in our power to ensure that the Government fulfils the promise made in three election manifestos and to the trade union movement in the Warwick Agreement that we would legislate against corporate killing."