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Dan Jarvis – 2025 Speech at the International Security Expo

The speech made by Dan Jarvis, the Home Office Minister, on 1 October 2025.

Good morning. It’s good to see everyone. This is slightly more people than I was expecting but I hope that’s a good thing.

I can’t quite believe it’s been a year since I was last at this event.

If a week is a long time in politics, then a year is… well, a very, very long time in politics!

Last year, I was relatively new in post.

And this year, I’m relatively new in another post, but back with more experience, more insight, and – unfortunately – much more grey hair!

One thing is the same though – I’ve had to dash back from my Party Conference to be here with you this morning!

But rightly so.

There are many reasons why I wanted to ensure I was here with you this morning.

This event showcases the very best that our security sector has to offer, and I learn a lot from the collective wisdom in this room and in the hall out there.

And there’s also the added bonus that I feel like I’m less likely to be heckled here than at the Labour Party Conference!

So far, this has proved to be the case. We’ll see where we get to.

And as with last year, I’ve not yet been lobbied by anyone dressed as a badger, but let’s see what the rest of the morning brings!

Seriously, though, it’s a great pleasure to join you all at ISE 2025.

Looking back at my speech a year ago, I was struck by how much has changed.

Twelve months ago, I was talking about building my policy knowledge based on watching Spooks, Narcos and Line of Duty.

You’ll be pleased to hear that I’ve come a very long way since then.

For one thing, I’ve now watched Slow Horses!

So that’s helped – not to mention all the briefings, meetings and visits.

And in that vein, can I take the opportunity to thank Peter and Rachel from the NineteenGroup, for inviting me to speak here this morning.

Now I told last year’s expo that the threats and challenges we face are more complex and interchangeable than ever before.

And it is an assessment that bears repeating.

We are living through a period of deep global instability and volatility.

And the sources of danger are broader and more connected.

Fraud. Border security risks. Hostile state activity. Terrorism. Cyber crime.

All pose acute risks to our democracy, our economy and our society.

Just recently, criminal cyber gangs targeted our critical national infrastructure at Heathrow and other European airports.

This has followed similar attacks on Marks & Spencer and Jaguar Land Rover.

These incidents serve as a stark reminder why so many of the companies that we see here today are vital to defending our thriving industrial base.

And of course, the government is taking concerted action to repel the many different threats we face.

For example, we are ramping up enforcement activity and returns agreements to tackle border security challenges at source, introducing tougher offences for espionage, sabotage and foreign interference and improving our domestic sanctions regime to target terrorist-linked groups.

On cyber, earlier this year, I announced a new package of measures to tackle ransomware, and we are boosting police powers through the Crime and Policing Bill.

And during the recent government reshuffle, which is quite a nerve-wracking experience I can tell you, my role has expanded to be shared across the Home Office and the Cabinet Office.

This is a recognition from the Prime Minister that we did not need separate spheres of activity when it comes to national security, and a single minister working with all the key agencies and individuals, driving forward a single vital agenda across government and beyond.

More broadly, our recently published National Security Strategy sets out a historic commitment to invest 5% of GDP on national security by 2035.

This transformative uplift in funding underscores the government’s unshakeable commitment to protecting our country and all those who live here.

And it is also about backing ourselves…

…developing our sovereign capabilities…

…rebuilding our industrial base and supporting UK plc.

It is about recognising that industry is not just another supplier, but is absolutely fundamental to our national security.

That is why the National Security Strategy sits alongside the Strategic Defence Review.

Taken together, they map out for a vision for a ‘whole-of-UK’ approach to national security, delivered through partnerships across government, industry and society.

And we strive to make this vision a reality, the security sector will undoubtedly have a vital role to play.

The numbers bear that out: the security sector alone directly employs 148,250 people in the UK over the last 10 years, turnover has grown by 176%, and exports by 244%.

In 2024, the UK Security Industry achieved £24 billion in turnover and contributed £11.7 billion in value added to the UK economy and the most recent statistics show £11 billion in security export sales.

These are big numbers and this success funds innovation in increasingly crucial strategic capability areas, including AI, cyber, communications, digital forensics, border screening, counter drone capabilities and many others.

They span across many of the IS-8 sectors highlighted in the Industrial Strategy – specifically Defence and National Security, Advanced Manufacturing, Professional and Business Services, and Digital and Technologies.

These strategies mark a clear shift towards embedding SMEs into national security innovation, with funding, procurement reform and eco-system building all designed to support their growth.

Understanding threats and developing strategies to mitigate them is only one part of the mission.

As we move into the second year of this government, my focus is on implementation and delivery.

When I visited Intersec Riyadh last year – one of the Middle East’s leading exhibitions for safety, security and emergency response – I saw first-hand just how highly UK expertise is regarded on the global stage.

For my part, I want to amplify your success every opportunity I get.

To that end, I will shortly be chairing a briefing with all of the government’s trade envoys.

These roles are held by senior parliamentarians who support the government’s growth mission by engaging with key markets right around the world. I am determined to raise their awareness of the innovation and world leading capabilities the UK security sector has to offer.

I am also writing to every UK ambassador and high commissioner across our diplomatic network – asking for their direct support in driving UK security exports at source, including identifying market opportunities for UK companies to access.

I have engaged with international counterparts to promote what UK security industry has to offer, including countries as diverse as Poland, Columbia, Morocco and Saudi Arabia.

But I also repeat the ask I made of you a year ago.

You are the experts grappling with the challenges of maintaining competitive advantage and driving the industry forward.

I therefore need you to tell me what more we can do to secure our sovereign capabilities and access market opportunities, both here and abroad.

Because we are here to back you.

UK SMEs, particularly those operating in the security sector, now have access to a diverse range of government-backed funding opportunities designed to support innovation, growth and export potential.

These include Innovate UK, which offers grants and innovation loans for Research and Development and commercialisation and the British Business Bank, which provides loan guarantees, equity investment, including the Cyber Seed Fund, and startup support.

UK Export Finance can help SMEs secure international contracts through guarantees and insurance.

And Sector-specific programmes such as the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) and the UK Defence Innovation Fund offer targeted funding for emerging technologies like AI, autonomous systems and cybersecurity.

Strategic initiatives like the Defence Industrial Strategy, Defence SME Action Plan, and the National Security Strategic Investment Fund further embed SME support into national security and industrial policy, promoting access to procurement, partnerships and regional growth.

Alongside all the work we are doing to support industry, strengthen resilience and supply chains and build up our security ecosystem, we must also make sure our laws are fit for purpose.

And that brings me on to the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act, which became law earlier this year.

The Act is more commonly known as ‘Martyn’s Law’ after Martyn Hett, who alongside 21 other victims, was killed in the horrific Manchester Arena attack of 2017.

Martyn’s mother Figen Murray, who is here today, has campaigned heroically for the changes we are now implementing.

The Act will ensure the public are better protected from terrorism by requiring certain public premises and events to be prepared and ready to keep people safe in the event of an attack.

We intend for there to be an implementation period of 24 months before the act comes into force.

This is to give those responsible for premises and events time to understand their new obligations, and to plan and prepare accordingly.

Over the summer, officials from the Home Office and the SIA have briefed over 1,000 people on the implications of the act through their webinars.

And we will continue to engage far and wide with those in scope of the legislation to adopt good protective security practices support stakeholders in different ways.

For example, we heard yesterday from Jon Savell from CT Policing about the launch of ACT for local authorities. This Home Office sponsored project is designed to provide local authorities and partners with specialist support to embed good CT practice into their everyday activity.

Since taking over the oversight for the SIA, I am overseeing a substantial programme of work to enhance it and deliver the government’s ambitious agenda.

This includes strengthening the SIA’s approach to past criminality, tackling training malpractice and delivering on the Manchester Arena Inquiry Monitored Recommendations 7 and 8.

The SIA’s public consultation on its stricter approach to past criminality by applicants received strong support and I have asked the SIA to begin implementation.

This will improve the SIA’s approach to public safety, as it will mean there is a presumption to refuse anyone with sexual, child abuse or serious offending, and a broader range of offences will be considered when assessing applicants.

To improve this further, my officials are considering options to introduce higher level criminal record checks for certain security roles across the UK.

On tackling training malpractice, the SIA is developing a joint strategic approach whilst scaling up enforcement activity.

The government also remains committed to delivering the intended outcomes of the Manchester Arena Inquiry.

My officials have carefully reviewed Monitored Recommendations 7 and 8, and have worked with the SIA to develop practical proposals for implementation.

I am keen to ensure a wide range of views are included on the significant changes proposed, and that the cost and regulatory burden from the changes is proportionate.

I am also keen that, if necessary, this government will deliver primary legislation in support of these ambitious changes to the SIA. This will be one of the few times any government has delivered primary legislation for the SIA to increase better public safety.

I am very pleased to announce the formation of the S12, a new industry led initiative to bring together various parts of the private security industry and speak to the government with one voice.

Earlier this morning we had a good and constructive meeting with the elected leaders who make up the S12 and listened to how they will organise to improve standards in the security industry. I am keen for the government and the SIA to work closely with them.

And before I finish, I want to take the opportunity to encourage everyone here to visit the government zone, speak to officials and explore ways how we can deepen our collaboration.

We have a team within the Home Office called the Joint Security and Resilience Centre who are here to support, listen and feed back.

JSaRC is a bridge between government and industry. Tell them about your company, the sectors you operate in and the challenges and opportunities where we can deepen collaboration.

The Accelerated Capability Environment or ACE, a name you might recognise, are also showcasing their innovation expertise in the government zone. Engage with them to explore collaboration opportunities and how we can come together to unlock the potential of data, technology and AI for government.

Finally, the Home Office will also be hosting, alongside our ADS partners the Security and Policing event in Farnborough next March to showcase UK industry solutions across the world.

This year’s event was the biggest and best ever with just under 10,000 visitors across the 3 days and over 400 exhibitors in attendance. I would encourage you all to sign up for what is a truly flagship event for the UK security sector and for the UK government.

I will wrap up with a word of thanks and a challenge.

First, the thanks.

Whatever sector, field or discipline you work in, you are part of the most important mission for any society – namely keeping people, organisations and institutions safe from harm.

So, please know that your efforts matter, they are making a difference, and they are appreciated by me, by the Home Secretary and by the whole government.

Finally, the challenge – and this applies to the public and private sectors alike:

Let’s set our sights even higher, let’s break new ground in our quest for new and better solutions to the challenges we face and let’s make the partnerships we already depend on stronger than ever.

That is I think the way forward, and it is the way we will build a stronger, more secure country for us all.

Thank you.

October 6, 2025
Chris Philp – 2025 Speech to Conservative Party Conference

The speech made by Chris Philp, the Shadow Home Secretary, in Manchester on 5 October 2025.

Like Kemi, let me start by condemning the appalling terrorist attack in this city last Thursday.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families whose lives, on that holy Yom Kippur morning, were so wickedly torn apart. But we will also stay strong in the face of terror. We will never change our way of life, because we are stronger than them. And I know everyone in this hall and beyond will renew their resolve to fight the ancient evil of antisemitism wherever it is found.

It has no place in any civilised country. Not in our United Kingdom. Not ever.

And if a foreign citizen expresses racial hatred, including antisemitism or supports extremism or terrorism, I’ll tell you this as Home Secretary I’ll deport them.

And I would like to thank the police and security services who responded so fast last week. They take risks up and down the country every single day to protect us, and we owe them a debt of gratitude. Thank you.

Conference, this is a historic moment. As the Leader just announced, we have concluded it is right for our country to leave the ECHR.

This is not a decision taken lightly. We have thought long and hard. And unlike others, we did not leap without first carefully considering all the implications. I thank Lord Wolfson for his detailed and masterful legal analysis. There he is, thank you David.

We are, of course, deeply aware of why the Convention was originally written, in the aftermath of the horrors that ravaged Europe in the 1930s and 1940s. And we remain as committed as ever to protecting rights and to the rule of law.

But the way the courts now interpret the ECHR makes it unrecognisable from the system which Winston Churchill first helped shape.

And we are clear about this: the ability to control our country’s borders is non-negotiable.

We will not, and we cannot, compromise on the ability of our democratically elected parliament to set the laws that govern who comes here, and who stays

Because if we can’t control our borders then we are no country at all. With no border control we would lose our identify and we would lose our security. And this party will always protect our identify and will always protect our security.

Now, the small boat crisis has brought this issue into sharp focus. The government said they would smash the gangs. Well, that is now laughable. Because so far all they have smashed are records for illegal arrivals. This year has been the worst in history. This Labour government has lost control of our borders. They are weak and they have let Britain down.

The Prime Minister’s latest gimmick is his one-in-one-out deal with France. Since that deal was announced, 11,000 illegal immigrants have come in, and about seven have gone out. Even Rachel Reeves with her dubious CV can tell that doesn’t add up.

And every single channel migrant is coming here illegally and is a paying customer of people smugglers. They are departing from France, a safe country. These journeys are unnecessary.

And we have seen some terrible crimes committed by migrants who came on small boats and were accommodated in hotels at our expense.

Let me tell you about Abdelrahmen Abouelela. He is a 42-year-old Egyptian illegal immigrant who came here by small boat. He was accommodated in a Hilton Hotel in Ealing – at our expense. He then proceeded to brutally rape a young woman, who was walking home at night in Hyde Park. She was alone and she was vulnerable. It now turns out that Abdelrahmen is also has convictions in Egypt as an Islamist terrorist. In another case, a fourteen-year-old girl was sexually assaulted by a channel immigrant – who later said in his culture that was acceptable behaviour.

This is sick. We must do whatever it takes to end this madness.

It is now clear to this new leadership that our international obligations have been stopping us from acting effectively. We experienced this in government and the decision to leave the ECHR was reached partly as a result of that.

And now Lord Wolfson has clearly advised, and I quote, that “ECHR membership places significant practical limits on the UK’s ability to maintain control of its borders.” And that is why must come out. Because this party is determined to control our borders.

And to those who say this will make us an international pariah where rights are casually disregarded, look at Australia or Canada. They aren’t in the ECHR. And the UK is the land of the original Bill of Rights, the body common law, the writ Habeus Corpus and protections in law that Parliament has passed. Our rights in this country long predate the ECHR.

And to those who say we must stay in the ECHR to set an example to others, I ask this: does our membership of the ECHR really make the slightest difference to way that Russia or China behaves? No, of course, not

The ECHR started as a noble endeavour. But it has become twisted by Judges expanding the meaning of well-intentioned but vaguely worded clauses. Shocking examples of this abound.

Like a paedophile not returned to Zimbabwe in case he faces hostility there – without a single thought for the rights of children here to be protected.

Or a drug dealer not returned to Iraq because he’s too westernised.

Or a violent murderer not returned to Uganda because mental health services there are apparently not as good as here. All ECHR cases.

These criminals are all still in the UK. They’re still all posing a risk to our citizens. All thanks to the ECHR.

So, this madness must end.

But as Lord Wolfson very wisely said, leaving the ECHR alone is not enough. We need a full plan, a complete plan to fix Labours’ borders crisis – which leaving the ECHR enables.

And let me be clear about this. The Reform Party has not bothered to develop such a plan. They trumpet slogans dreamt up in a pub and written on the back of a fag packet. But they have not done the detailed work needed to make real change happen.

Well, this party has done the work. It’s called the BORDERS Plan, and we published today.

Enabled by ECHR exit, we will ban all asylum and other claims by illegal immigrants. And this will mean all those arriving illegally – including by small boat – will be immediately deported back to their country of origin if possible or to a third country like Rwanda if not within a week of arrival.

And the deterrent effect of that will mean people will rapidly stop bothering to attempt the crossing in the first place. Why would you attempt the crossing in the first place? Why would you attempt the crossing if you are going to be immediately removed?

It worked in Australia 12 years ago. It is working in the United States of America this year. And it will work here too.

And we will also deport all foreign criminals. Not some, all. There are currently about 20,000 serious foreign criminals roaming our streets who should have been deported already. They have gone on to commit between them a further 10,000 offences, including murder and rape.

It still shocks me that Keir Starmer and Shabana Mahmood signed a letter opposing deporting dangerous foreign criminals to Jamaica – one of whom later went on to commit murder here after he should have been deported.

Well, we won’t be signing letters like that. Instead, we will deport all those who pose a danger to the public. And that means every single foreign criminal.

And we will also end the legal quagmire. With endless appeals and judicial reviews. Made up and contradictory claims being heard.

Lawyers running up huge legal aid bills. I hope there are none of them here.

One man claimed asylum, you won’t believe this, one man claimed asylum saying he was Iraqi. When that claim was rejected, he said, he suddenly remembered that in fact he was Iranian, and the whole process started again.

And there was the notorious case of Yacub Ahmed, a Somali man who gang raped a 16-year-old girl.

After his sentence in prison had finished, it took eight years, eight years to deport Ahmed, because he made repeated asylum, human rights, and modern slavery claims.

Many migrants make claims on the eve of deportation to stay here, usually very shortly after they meet a taxpayer-funded lawyer who tells them what they need to say.

Judges accept all kinds of nonsensical arguments. Just last week, eight Afghans who can’t speak a word of English were allowed into the UK from Turkey – a safe country – on tenuous human rights grounds. Some Immigration Tribunal Judges even used to be open borders campaigners.

You literally couldn’t make this up.

So, we will abolish the Immigration Tribunal entirely, with decisions will be taken inside the Home Office.

There won’t be any immigration judicial review, except on the narrow grounds of statutory power.

And we will completely end the immigration legal aid gravy train by abolishing it.

People don’t need lawyers to make their claims, they just need to tell the truth, and their claim will be fairly decided.

We will compel countries to take back their own nationals. If a country won’t take back their own citizens where they commit a crime or have no right to be here, we will simply stop issuing entry visas to nationals of those countries to come here. We will use visa sanctions and withdraw overseas aid to countries who don’t take back their own nationals. We always take back ours and they should do the same.

We will also create a new Removals Force in the Home Office – doubling the current budget of the current enforcement team to £1.6 billion.

And by stripping away the legal obstacles, that I have described, and doubling that budget means we can remove 150,000 people a year that no legal right to be here. That is three-quarters of a million over the course of the next Parliament. This illegal immigration scandal will end.

So, Conference, we have a plan. Leave the ECHR. Deport all illegal immigrants immediately upon arrival and all foreign criminals. A new Force to remove 150,000 people year with no right to be here. Abolish the Immigration Tribunal. End Judicial Review and legal aid in immigration cases. And make sure countries take back their own citizens just as we do.

Now, we have thought deeply about this. Our plan is radical, yes, not because we are ideologues but because this plan has to be radical in order to work. The old ways have been tried, and they have failed. That’s why a new approach is needed.

Now, we have taken our time over this, and some people have criticised us for that. But we are now the only party, the only party to have a plan which is not only radical but will actually work in practice.

So, now, the Conservative party is back.

Back with the resolve to do what is needed to protect our country’s borders.

Back with determination to ensure the laws passed by our parliament are actually implemented

And back with a plan to end illegal immigration.

October 6, 2025
Kemi Badenoch – 2025 Speech to Conservative Party Conference

The speech made by Kemi Badenoch, the Leader of the Conservative Party, in Manchester on 5 October 2025.

Thank you.

Conservatives love Manchester. It is a great city of free trade and free thinking.

240 years ago, in the 1780s, this was still a small market town.

But something was stirring.

A spirit of enterprise that would turn Manchester into a global economic powerhouse.

And it was back in the 1780s that the very first Jewish community was established in this city.

A small group of families, worshipping in a rented room in a back alley, just a short walk from where I am standing.

And right from the very start, Jewish people have been part of the fabric of Manchester.

Adding their distinct, unique contribution to this fantastic city, while at the same time embracing Britain as their home.

The horrific and despicable attack at Heaton Park Synagogue on Thursday has shocked us all.

But for many in the Jewish community, it did not come as a surprise.

Many have been living with a sense of rising dread that an attack like this was becoming inevitable.

Yesterday, I met members of the congregation and visited the site of the attack.

The strength of Manchester’s Jewish community is humbling.

Targeting the centre of community life on the holiest day of the year, was not just an attack on British Jews, it was an attack on all of us.

It was an attack on our humanity and our values of freedom, compassion, and respect.

It was an attack on the idea that Britain is a safe place for Jews.

On Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, Jews take time for introspection. To ask themselves – where have we gone wrong in the past, and what do we need to do, to be better in the future?

These are questions we urgently need to ask ourselves as a nation.

Extremism has gone unchecked.

We see it manifest in the shameful behaviour on the streets of our cities. Protests which are in fact carnivals of hatred directed at the Jewish homeland.

You hear it in the asinine slogans.

You hear it in ‘From the river to the sea’ – as if the homes, the lives, of millions of Jewish people should be erased.

You hear it in ‘Globalise the intifada’ – which means nothing at all, if it doesn’t mean, targeting Jewish people for violence.

We have tolerated this in our country for too long.

And we have tolerated the radical Islamist ideology that seeks to threaten not only Jews, but all of us, of all faiths and none, who want to live in peace.

So, the message from this conference, from this party, from every decent and right-thinking person in this country must be that we will not stand for it, anymore.

We cannot import and tolerate, values hostile to our own.

We must now draw a line and say that in Britain you can think what you like, and within the bounds of the law, you can say what you like but you have no right to turn our streets into theatres of intimidation. And we will not let you do so anymore.

To our Jewish friends, we stand with you shoulder to shoulder.

You are part of the fabric of Britain, and you always will be.

We pray for the recovery of the victims still in hospital.

And we mourn with you the loss of Adrian Daulby and Melvin Cravitz.

May their memories be a blessing.

But we must never let terrorism defeat our democratic process. We must demonstrate that it is through political argument, not violence, that we reach our decisions and improve our country.

We all know the scale of the challenge we face, the mountain we have to climb.

Last year, the public sent us a clear message.

One we could not mistake and which we will never forget.

They want serious change.

For politics to be done differently so our country can get back on track.

That’s what I promised you when I stood for the leadership of our party.

A reset. Politics done differently. Politics done properly.

A Conservative Party under new leadership ready to earn the trust of the British people again.

In the last 12 months we’ve started doing politics in a new way.

No more making the announcement first and working out the policy detail second.

No more thinking we can leave quangos and bureaucrats to their own devices and then wonder why we don’t see results.

No more accepting that our laws can be used as a tool to subvert democratic decisions and basic common sense.

An end, once and for all, to the drift of our institutions away from truth, honesty and decency. And a return to the values that define our country at its best.

That’s what this week is all about.

But I didn’t say it would be easy, and I didn’t say it would be quick.

Nothing really worth doing is.

Anyone who tells you there are easy answers to the big questions our country faces is either lying to you or lying to themselves.

We are taking a new approach.

Credible plans rooted in Conservative values.

Hard though the task is, we have plenty of reasons to be cheerful.

Because as one of my great predecessors, Margaret Thatcher put it ‘the facts of life are Conservative.’

The facts of life are Conservative, Conference. The fact that countries, like families, have to live within their means.

The fact that individuals know better than governments how best to spend their own money.

The fact that freedom depends on order and only works under the rule of law.

There is a gap for the responsible, optimistic, competent Conservative approach.

An approach rooted in values.

Values like personal responsibility – as my dad often said to me: “only 20% of what happens to you is down to others. 80% is down to your actions and your choices”.

Like citizenship – a commitment to a country and the people in it.

Family – different shapes and sizes, the bedrock of social stability and the foundation of our society.

Freedom – freedom to think, to speak and to live as each of us chooses.

These are the values of British people.

They are crying out for a politics rooted in those values which puts their needs first.

Conference they are crying out for a Stronger Economy – where hard work is rewarded and everyone has a chance to get on.

For Stronger Borders – where we control who comes here and can remove those with no right to stay.

This is our political DNA as Conservatives.

Our job is to prove to the country that we are the only party that can deliver it.

Conference, post-war, Conservatives spread prosperity and built millions of new homes – the bedrock of the property-owning democracy.

In the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher broke the cycle of high inflation, low growth, and trade union strife, giving Britain back her national pride and economic strength.

Labour accuse us of achieving nothing in the 14 years since 2010.

I’ll tell you what we did.

Remember what we inherited from them back then.

They spent all the money, sold the gold, piled up debt.

Like every Labour government in history, they left unemployment higher than they found it.

We were elected to fix it and Conservatives got to work.

We slashed the deficit every year so that when the pandemic hit, we had the means to weather the storm.

We reformed our schools to put rigour back into the curriculum.

And today, a whole generation of young people will enter the world with better maths and literacy skills than any generation before them.

We reformed welfare.

We got people into work.

Four million new jobs were created.

Over a million new businesses

We gave the British people a choice on our membership of the EU, and we implemented that decision.

And what followed?

The fastest vaccine roll-out in the west.

Billions of pounds worth of trade deals.

No other party would have done these things.

But they were right for our country, and we can all be proud of them.

And Conference, we mustn’t forget that in each election from 2010 to 2019, our vote share went up.

That’s unprecedented in modern history.

And the British people don’t get it wrong.

But if we take pride in what we got right, we also have to face up to what we got wrong.

People won’t listen to us again until we show them, we have learnt from our mistakes and changed.

We’ve got to do this and do it properly.

What have we learned?

That you can’t have a budget that has £150 billion of spending giveaways and billions more in tax cuts without saying where the money is coming from.

We have to show that we have learnt from the policy mistake of letting bureaucrats decide the immigration system.

We failed to bring numbers down and stop the boats. Let’s be honest.

And that happened on our watch.

Yes, we tried but put simply, we didn’t achieve enough.

After years of responsible and effective government our mistakes on the economy and on immigration lost us the trust and confidence of the public.

So, we start this week saying we have learnt, and we will never repeat the financial irresponsibility of spending commitments without saying where the money is coming from.

Never again, Conference.

This week we will set out how we have changed, how we will be different – and, most importantly, how we will make a difference.

Economic responsibility is the hallmark of the Conservative approach and today it is right back at the heart of everything we stand for.

We may be in Manchester, but the theme of economic responsibility will run through this conference like the words in a stick of Blackpool rock.

You’ll be hearing a lot more about that this week

But there are two parts to our message at this conference: Stronger Economy, Stronger Borders.

And it’s stronger borders that I want to talk to you about today.

I was elected leader because I promised to renew this party and our policies,

So, we can win the next election and then rewire the state to make it work for people again.

We are not interested in superficial fixes.

Instead, we are taking a systemic approach.

Asking the difficult questions that others avoid.

We have the courage to follow through with credible plans to answer them.

It’s the rigorous, practical, Conservative way.

And on so many of those questions, the answers come back to the same thing.

Why is it that every time we try to build anything in this country, we have to spend millions of pounds on paperwork, and still get bogged down in litigation?

Why are protesters allowed to block roads and disrupt lives, time and time again?

Why are our veterans, relentlessly chased through the courts by activist lawyers?

Why couldn’t we deport those foreign nationals, who raped girls in communities across the UK?

Why do we still allow them to remain in the very same towns where their victims live? Why?

It is fundamental, why can’t we control our borders and remove those who need to go?

All these questions boil down to who should make the laws that govern the United Kingdom?

Conservatives, believe it should be our sovereign Parliament, accountable to the British people.

The reality today, is that this is simply not the case.

I saw it again and again in government.

So often, we had the right instincts and the right policies, but our hands were tied by a system that frustrated democratic control.

This use of litigation as a political weapon is what I call lawfare.

Well-meaning treaties and statutes – like the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Convention on Action against Trafficking drafted with the best of intentions in generations gone by, and more recent additions like the Modern Slavery Act, are now being used in ways never intended by their original authors.

What should be shields to protect the vulnerable, have instead become swords to attack democratic decisions and frustrate common sense.

Conference, this isn’t just damaging our security, it’s also damaging our prosperity.

It is that whole system which we need to reform.

And the place to start is the European Convention on Human Rights.

None of us has a problem with the rights in the original charter.

It was drafted in 1950 by British lawyers – Conservative lawyers – and it drew on British traditions.

The problems stem from how it has been enforced and how its meaning has been twisted and changed.

Today, it is used as a block on deportations, a weapon against veterans, and a barrier to sentencing and public order.

Labour pretend it can be fixed, but when a group of nine European countries, led by Italy, recently pushed for reforms at the court, the Labour government didn’t support them.

They wouldn’t even try.

Our human rights lawyer Prime Minister, and his good friend the Attorney General. An Attorney General who likened those of us questioning ECHR membership to Nazis will never fix this problem.

Instead, Conference they have gone in the opposite direction.

Paying to surrender British territory in the Chagos Islands,

And plotting to force everyone in this country to carry Starmer’s digital ID. Conference, we will fight them every step of the way.

Reform just shout that we should “leave” the ECHR without any plan to do so or understanding any of the consequences.

They are practicing that old, failed politics I talked about.

That politics of announcements without a plan.

That’s the way to chaos and failure.

It is only the Conservatives who are taking the honest, responsible approach, prepared with a plan to deliver.

To make sure we can strike at the root of the problem, we need to understand the full extent of the problem.

That’s why I identified five essential policies that the Government must be able to implement, if we are to secure our border and restore order to our society.

Five tests that a country has to pass to be truly sovereign.

First, can we deport foreign criminals and those who are here illegally?

Second, can we stop our veterans being harassed through the courts?

Third, can we put British citizens first for social housing and public services?

Fourth, can we make sure protests do not intimidate people or stop them living their lives?

And fifth, can we stop endless red tape and legal challenges choking off economic growth?

Any self-respecting sovereign nation should be able to answer all five of those questions with a clear, yes.

Anything that is stopping us from doing so is a barrier we have to remove.

So, I asked the Shadow Attorney General, the distinguished King’s Counsel Lord Wolfson, to lead an in-depth analysis.

The question I posed was whether these five tests can be lawfully met, as a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights, bound by the court in Strasbourg.

I want to thank Lord Wolfson for his immense and detailed work. So forensic, so thorough.

In nearly 200 pages of legal advice, he has provided his answer.

This is what he said.

‘When it comes to control of our sovereign borders, preventing our military veterans from being pursued indefinitely, ensuring prison sentences are applied rigorously for serious crimes, stopping disruptive protests, or placing blanket restrictions on foreign nationals in terms of social housing and benefits, the only way such positions are feasible would be to leave the ECHR.’

And so to me and the shadow cabinet, the resulting policy decision is also clear.

We must leave the ECHR and repeal the Human Rights Act.

Conference, I want you to know that the next Conservative manifesto will contain our commitment to leave.

Leaving the Convention is a necessary step, but not enough on its own to achieve our goals.

If there are other treaties and laws, we need to revise or revisit then we will do so. And we will do so in the same calm and responsible way, working out the detail before we rush to announce.

The rights we enjoy did not come from the ECHR.

They were there for hundreds of years in our common law.

Parliament has legislated over centuries to reflect and protect our freedoms.

Human Rights in the United Kingdom did not start in 1998 with the Human Rights Act, and will not end with it.

As we work through our detailed plan, we are clear that leaving the ECHR and repealing the Human Rights Act will not mean that we lose any of the rights we cherish.

But this is the only way to end spurious legal claims from immigrants with dubious stories and excuses.

This is the only way to allow a British Government, the next Conservative Government, to deliver a British BORDERS plan in full.

Conference, the Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Philp, has done a brilliant job pulling together this BORDERS plan. The Conservatives are a strong team. And he will be saying more about this shortly, including our plans to remove 150,000 illegal immigrants a year.

Lord Wolfson has also advised that leaving the ECHR is fully compatible with the Belfast Agreement – the Good Friday Agreement.

But I know that there will be particular challenges in Northern Ireland.

The difficulties are not a reason to avoid action, they are a reason to work harder to get it right.

So, to ensure that this is an orderly and respectful process across the whole United Kingdom. I am asking Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary Alex Burghart to lead a review into Union-wide implementation.

So, at the next election, we will present the people of the United Kingdom with a clear, thorough and robust plan.

Not the vague mush that we see day in, day out from Labour

Nor the vacuous posturing that we see day in day out from Reform.

Conference, you would have seen last week, both Labour and Reform shouting at one another, trading insults instead of solutions.

One flings around the word racist and will not be realistic about what is going wrong.

The other whips up outrage, offering simplistic answers that fall apart on first contact with reality.

That is not serious politics.

Conference, neither offers the leadership Britain deserves.

The truth is that Labour and Reform are two sides of the same coin.

Both deal in grievance.

Both divide our country into tribes and labels.

Both practice identity politics which will destroy our country.

I am saying no: no to division and no to identity politics.

Conference, what Britain needs is national unity.

I am black.

I am a woman.

I am a Conservative.

And I know that identity politics is a trap.

It reduces people to categories and then pits them against each other.

But I am more than black, female, and even Conservative.

I am British.

Conference, I am British, as we all are.

My children are British.

And I will not allow anyone on the Left to tell them they belong in a different category or anyone on the Right to tell them they do not belong in their own country.

Yes, Britain is a multiracial country.

That is part of our modern story.

But it must never become a multicultural country where shared values dissolve, loyalty fragments and we foment the home-grown terrorism we saw on the streets of Manchester this week.

Nations cannot survive on diversity alone.

We need a strong, common culture, rooted in our history, our language, our institutions, and our belief in liberty under the law.

That is what holds us together.

And that is why borders matter.

Why numbers matter.

But most of all why culture matters.

Who comes here, why they come, and how they contribute that is how we protect the inheritance that generations before us fought for and died for.

Conference, Britain needs deep change.

But I reject the politics that everything must go. Everything must be torn down. That everything is broken.

But if we leave it to Labour or Reform, Britain will be divided.

Only the Conservatives can bring this country back together.

This is a battle we must win.

By combining secure borders, with a shared culture, strong values, and the confidence of a great nation, we can win the debate, and win the next election.

Conference, this is a party under new leadership and with a renewed purpose.

We have listened, we have learned, and we have changed.

Only Conservatives will tell you the truth.

Take the difficult decisions.

Do the hard work.

Only Conservatives have the courage, the honesty, and the plan to strengthen our borders, restore our sovereignty, and rebuild our prosperity.

So, I say to you all, as we start our conference.

Yes, we have a mountain to climb but we have a song in our hearts.

And we are up for the fight.

October 5, 2025
NEWS STORY : Government Pledges Record Court Days to Speed Up Justice for Victims

STORY

The UK Government has announced it will fund an additional 1,250 Crown Court sitting days this year, bringing the total to 111,250 days, the highest level on record, in a bid to reduce the backlog of criminal cases and deliver swifter justice for victims.

Justice Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy said the backlog inherited by the current administration exceeds 78,000 cases, meaning many victims wait three to four years for their trial. He described the new investment as the biggest on record under the government’s Plan for Change, while admitting that long-term reform will also be required.

Lammy said in a statement:

“The Crown Court backlog we inherited stands at over 78,000 and behind each case is a real person, waiting years for justice. That is why we are acting with the biggest investment on record as part of our Plan for Change. An additional 1,250 sitting days will be allocated to the Crown Court this financial year, allowing it to hear many extra cases. We know there is more to do, and generational reform that cannot wait, but this investment will help ease the torment and bring swifter justice to many more victims.”

October 4, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Extra funding for courts to deliver speedier justice for victims [October 2025]
The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 1 October 2025.

Victims will get faster justice thanks to the courts sitting for a record number of days, the Deputy Prime Minister will announce in a speech today at the opening of the legal year (Wednesday 1 October).
- More trials will be heard as Deputy Prime Minister funds an extra 1,250 Crown Court sitting days
- Funding will help more cases to be heard this year, speeding up justice for victims
- Part of this Government’s Plan for Change to get the justice system back on its feet
The Crown Court will be able to sit for a total of 111,250 days this year – up by 5,000 compared to last year and reaching the highest levels on record. This follows an announcement from the Deputy Prime Minister later today that the government will fund an extra 1,250 days.

This will mean more trials can be heard – tackling the backlog of cases, making sure victims see their day in court more quickly and holding more criminals to account.

Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Justice, David Lammy, said:

The Crown Court backlog we inherited stands at over 78,000 and behind each case is a real person, waiting years for justice.

That is why we are acting with the biggest investment on record as part of our Plan for Change. An additional 1,250 sitting days will be allocated to the Crown Court this financial year, allowing it to hear many extra cases.

We know there is more to do, and generational reform that cannot wait, but this investment will help ease the torment and bring swifter justice to many more victims.

While extra sitting days will help to bring the backlog down in the short-term, only major reform will address the crisis in our courts.

Statistics released last week showed that there are now 78,329 Crown Court cases waiting to be heard. This means that victims are often waiting three or four years for their case to come to trial.

Sir Brian Leveson is conducting an Independent Review of the Criminal Courts to identify ways to reform the courts system. The first phase of his review has already been completed – the Deputy Prime Minister is carefully considering its proposals and the Government will respond in due course.

The review forms part of the government’s commitment to safer streets by reducing the court backlog, speeding up hearings for victims and defendants, and rebuilding public confidence in the criminal justice system.
October 4, 2025
David Lammy – 2025 Speech at Lord Chancellor Swearing In

The speech made by David Lammy at the Royal Courts of Justice on 1 October 2025.

My Lords, Ladies, friends, colleagues,

Lady Chief Justice, thank you for that generous welcome, and your kind words.

I am deeply grateful for your leadership…

And look forward to working alongside you…

In the months and years ahead.

I congratulate my colleague and friend, Ellie Reeves…

On her appointment as Solicitor General.

Madam Solicitor, your dedication…

Your expertise…

And your energy…

Will be of enormous value to this Government…

And to this country…

And I know you will serve the law with distinction.

I also want to pay tribute to my predecessor, Shabana Mahmood…

Who achieved so much in her time in this office…

Steering the system back onto a steadier path…

After such difficult years.

It is the honour of my life to be sworn in as Lord Chancellor.

The boy from Tottenham…

Son of parents who came to this country from Guyana…

Part of the great Windrush generation,

Answering the call of a country…

That needed rebuilding after the war.

They came here with little, but gave so much…

Because they believed in the values of this nation:

In fairness, freedom, and equality.

The boy whose Mum brought up five children alone…

Working every hour god sent…

Just to put food on the table…

Teaching us the meaning of service, and sacrifice.

The boy who fried chicken in KFC…

But who carried aspirations far bigger than his uniform…

Though not, perhaps, quite as big as this day…

Nor indeed, quite as big as this uniform…!

That boy could never have imagined…

That he would be standing here, before you today.

It has been a long journey…

But in many ways, it feels like coming home.

My whole life has been about justice.

Growing up in the shadow of the Broadwater Farm Estate…

Justice was not abstract.

It was real.

Ever-present.

Often harsh.

Too many boys who looked like me were written off.

Too many were told to set their sights low.

Too many found themselves on the wrong side of the law.

But I was fortunate.

Education gave me a way out…

A gift that lifted my sights,

… when others told me to lower them.

Even then, though, I recall one teacher saying to me:

“A barrister, David? Really?

I think you should become a fireman.”

But justice is what called me to the Bar….

To advocacy…

To giving a voice to those who had none…

To defending the principle that all are equal before the law.

It led me into public service…

Into politics…

And my work on the Lammy Review…

Into racial inequality in our criminal justice system.

From student, to barrister, to practice in California…

Justice has been my compass.

Justice has been my cause.

And now, as Lord Chancellor…

Justice is my charge.

So I stand here humbled,

I stand here honoured,

And believe me when I say –

I stand here feeling the full weight of this ancient office…

More than a thousand years old.

The names of its holders echo through history:

Becket… Bacon… More… Wolsey.

Some of them noble,

Some… notorious.

And I wonder what they would think about our nation’s first black Lord Chancellor.

I think of those who came before me,

Who gave new life to the ancient promise of Magna Carta:

That no one is above the law…

And that the law must protect the liberties of us all.

I think of Lord Elwyn-Jones…

Who, before he wore these robes, stood at Nuremberg…

To face down the architects of racial hatred and war…

Ensuring that even the most powerful can be held to account before the law.

And who later passionately defended legal aid…

So that fairness would not be the preserve of the wealthy.

And I think of Lord Irvine of Lairg…

Who brought the Human Rights Act into being…

Weaving equality into the fabric of our common law.

And so my task is threefold.

First, to respect the rule of law.

As Thomas Fuller once said – and Lord Denning often quoted –

“Be you never so high, the law is above you.”

That is the essence of our inheritance.

No one is above the law, and all are equal beneath it.

Woman or man.

Rich or poor.

Black or white.

This is Britain’s greatest gift to the world.

But we take these principles for granted…

At our peril.

As rights are eroded abroad…

As democracy retreats in too many places…

I will do everything in my power to defend those values…

At home, and overseas.

Second, I am to defend the independence of the judiciary.

That independence is part of our prestige…

It is why our justice system is trusted the world over…

And why international businesses choose our courts…

And our laws…

To settle their disputes.

And I promise you –

I will defend that independence to the hilt.

In recent years we have seen troubling signs…

Of judges denounced for doing no more than interpreting the law…

And even attacked in their own courtrooms.

And we have seen, at the darkest extreme…

Where this road ends.

We see it in Putin’s Russia…

Where the courts no longer speak for justice…

But for power…

To crush, silence and oppress critics.

I am clear:

In Britain there will always be space for dissent.

There will always be space for debate –

The freedom to disagree is part of who we are.

But debate must never become intimidation.

Disagreement must never become violence.

You must be free to do your work…

To make decisions on the most difficult and contested questions…

Without interference…

Without influence…

And without fear for your safety.

Because when those who uphold the law are threatened…

The rule of law itself is threatened.

That is something no free society can ever allow.

And on my watch, it will not be.

Finally,

I am charged with the efficient and effective support of the courts…

Ensuring they are fit for the people they serve.

I inherit a system that has been under too much pressure…

For far too long.

The past few years have tested the justice system like never before.

From the pandemic…

To the pressures now facing our courts, prisons and probation services.

I know you, our judiciary…

And so many others across our courts and tribunals…

Have carried that weight.

You have kept the machinery of justice turning…

Never letting it falter.

I am profoundly grateful.

Thanks to my predecessor, the justice system is now stabilising…

And we are on the road to recovery.

It will be a long journey…

But we walk it with determination.

Those efforts have, necessarily, focused in on criminal justice…

On prisons, and probation…

On driving down the backlog in the Crown Courts.

And I will carry on that transformative work,

Through the Sentencing Bill…

Delivering punishment that cuts crime…

And Sir Brian Leveson’s Independent Review…

So our criminal courts are not just fit for today’s demands…

But resilient for tomorrow’s…

And so justice is no longer delayed, and denied…

To so many.

At the same time, our justice system is far broader…

Touching every single part of our lives.

Workers, seeking redress against unfair treatment…

Small businesses, fighting for payment owed…

Separating families, securing their child’s future…

All of them rely on our civil and family courts…

And our tribunals.

So I will strive to protect and advance every part of that system…

From legal aid, that protects the most vulnerable…

To support for victims of crime.

And I will champion our world class legal services…

Which power growth…

Generating over £42 billion for our economy each year.

That is something we shouldn’t whisper about, but shout with pride.

As Foreign Secretary, I once found myself in a skyscraper…

In the heart of Abu Dhabi…

Some 4000 miles away…

Yet in that glittering tower…

Billions of dollars in transactions…

Were carried out under English law…

Just one illustration…

Of the phenomenal reach of our greatest export.

English law is now used in around 40 percent of all cross-border business and financial transactions…

But – we can go even further…

And, supported by our new English Law Panel…

We will…

To reinforce our position as a global legal leader…

For the prosperity of this nation.

I’ll come to a close with this.

I pledge that this office will stand, as it has at its best moments in history…

For fairness…

For dignity…

And for the belief that every citizen is equal under the law.

To my wife, Nicola, and to my children: thank you.

None of this would be possible without your love and support…

Your patience…

And dare I say it, your tolerance.

I am proud – incredibly proud – to be the first Lord Chancellor of African-Carribean heritage…

And to swear this oath today is the greatest honour of my life.

I will work with determination.

I will serve with devotion.

And I will defend…

With every fibre of my being…

The rule of law.

The boy from Tottenham is now Lord Chancellor…

And he remains, above all, a servant of justice.

Thank you.

October 4, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Great British Energy to extend solar scheme to military sites [October 2025]

The press release issued by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero on 1 October 2025.

Great British Energy to roll out solar on military land, schools and hospitals, and more protections for clean energy workers.

Great British Energy solar

Communities across the country will benefit from extra investment in vital public services as more funding is confirmed for Great British Energy solar panels.

Multiple military sites, around 50 more schools and over 70 further NHS sites will save money on their energy bills thanks to up to £75 million in funding from Great British Energy.

Hospitals and schools across England are already cutting their energy bills thanks to a £180 million investment from Great British Energy and government announced in March.

In total the expanded scheme will be worth up to £255 million, supporting around 250 schools, over 270 NHS sites and around 15 military sites across the country.

This includes a new partnership between Great British Energy and the Ministry of Defence which will see technologies such as solar panels and micro-wind turbines deployed across a range of military sites, including remote training ground and equipment stations, allowing energy bill savings to be redirected towards vital defence spending.

The NHS sites set to benefit from lower energy bills will include large acute teaching hospitals, community hospitals and mental health and learning disability facilities.

Clean energy job protections

Later this month the Clean Energy Jobs Plan will set out how UK workers will benefit from hundreds of thousands of new clean energy jobs across the country.

The Energy Secretary today announced plans to ensure that clean energy jobs are always good jobs, with action to close loopholes that give offshore renewable energy workers fewer rights at work than oil and gas workers – including some who are not currently covered by the national minimum wage.

This plan will include newly mandated worker representation on boards of publicly owned bodies like Great British Energy.

Meanwhile a new Fair Work Charter will be introduced to ensure companies benefitting from public funding through the successful Clean Industry Bonus are ensuring their workers receive a decent wage and the very best rights at work.

Negotiations over the charter are ongoing with offshore wind developers, and are expected to cover things like pay and benefits, worker voice, employment terms and job security, among a range of areas designed to ensure public support for clean energy improves the quality of jobs in the sector.

Fracking

The Energy Secretary also confirmed plans to bring forward legislation to end new onshore oil and gas licensing in England, including new licences that could be used for fracking. This will help make Britain a clean energy superpower to protect current and future generations.

October 4, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Online GP appointment requests available everywhere from today [October 2025]
The press release issued by the Department of Health and Social Care on 1 October 2025.

From today, patients will be able to request appointments online throughout the day rather than calling their surgery or visiting in person.
- Phone lines unclogged as all GP practices in England now required to keep online consultation tools open from 8am to 6:30pm, Monday to Friday
- Move takes best of the NHS to rest of the NHS – with one surgery already cutting waits from 14 to 3 days and most patients seen within one week
- Comes alongside an extra £1.1 billion funding for general practice and over 2,000 more GPs hired
GP phone lines across the country will be freed up as practices are now required to keep their online consultation tools running throughout the day, in a major step towards the government’s ambition of ending the 8am scramble.

From today (1 October 2025), patients will be able to request appointments, ask questions and describe symptoms online throughout the day rather than calling their surgery or visiting in person. This will help free up practice phone lines for those who need them most, and make it more convenient to access appointments.

Online access is not consistent across the country and is especially difficult in overlooked areas. Some GP practices turn online requests off when they reach a certain number, while others only have the online function available for a few hours a day. When patients can’t get through on the phone, 6.6% end up in A&E, which is worse for them and more expensive for the taxpayer. By fixing the front door of the NHS, these reforms will help to ease pressures on other parts of the health service.

Care Minister Stephen Kinnock said:

We promised to tackle the 8am scramble and make it easier for patients to access their GP practice – and through our Plan for Change, that’s exactly what we’re delivering.

We are bringing our analogue health service into the digital era, giving patients greater choice and convenience. We’ve learned from GPs who are already offering this service and reaping the rewards.

We’ve invested an extra £1.1 billion in general practice – the biggest increase in over a decade – and hired an extra 2,000 GPs across England. There’s more to do, but this government is fixing the front door to the NHS.

This change was agreed with the BMA back in April, as part of the reforms the government made to the GP contract.

To ensure all GPs provide this service and meet demand, the government is providing unprecedented support for general practice and shifting care and vital resources to the community. This includes investing an additional £1.1 billion in general practice – the biggest increase in over a decade – and hiring an extra 2,000 GPs since July 2024. This has led to 5 million more appointments being delivered this year compared to last, with latest ONS data showing 3 in 4 patients now find it easy to contact their practice.

The new requirement for online access represents best practice that some GP practices across England have already adopted successfully. Evidence shows that where practices have moved to this ‘modern general practice’ approach, both staff and patients report improved service quality.

One London GP surgery that adopted this approach to online requests reduced waits from 14 days to just 3, with 95% of patients seen within a week.

Online patient submissions have grown significantly, with almost 6 million submissions in July 2025 compared to 3.4 million in July 2024, demonstrating growing patient preference for digital access options that fit around their daily lives.

Dr Amanda Doyle, National Director for Primary Care and Community Services at NHS England, said:

Improving access to general practice is a top priority for the NHS and while latest data shows a record 3 in 4 people found it easy to contact their GP, there is much more to do – which is why requiring all practices to keep their online consultation tools open during core hours is so vital.

This step will help modernise general practice by making online access as easy as calling or walking in to your practice, ensuring the phone lines are available for those who need them most and making it easier for practices to triage patients based on clinical need.

NHS England has provided extensive support to help practices implement the changes, including a peer support programme and case studies from practices already offering online access throughout core hours.

Practices are now also required to publish a new patient charter dubbed ‘You and Your GP’ on their websites – informing patients what they can expect from their practice and how to give feedback or raise concerns. Practices are now required to have clear processes in place to receive patient feedback or concerns so they can be swiftly addressed.

Jacob Lant, Chief Executive of National Voices, said:

Online booking systems are a fundamental building block of a 21st century NHS, but until now implementation has been frustratingly patchy.

The best GP practices have shown what’s possible. Through this announcement the government, in keeping with the founding principles of the NHS, is rightly making this offer universal.

It is true that primary care is under immense pressure, but the answer to managing demand has to be in using these digital systems more effectively.

Dr Duncan Gooch, GP and chair of the Primary Care Network at the NHS Confederation said:

We know that access to GP services has consistently topped the public’s priorities. The ‘8am GP scramble’ is one of the most frustrating issues for the public when trying to book an appointment, and for practices – resulting in a strain on primary care. Providing patients with a range of routes to access their practice – such as by telephone, online or walk-in – can help ensure fair access to advice and treatment.

We also recognise that GPs may fear that this will lead to uncontrolled demand which impacts on patient safety. However, many of our members are operating in this way already and have been positive about the impact – not only on patients, but on the workforce too. Managing demand and providing better access has reduced stress on staff, conflict with patients and created a positive environment where job satisfaction is high.

This is not to take away from the fact that we still need more investment into general practice and GPs to help stem the increasing turnover and provide patients with the service they need.

Louise Ansari, Chief Executive of Healthwatch England, said:

Patients often tell us how frustrating they find the early-morning scramble for on-the-day GP appointments. Many people are stuck in long phone queues, only to be told all the appointment slots have gone. People also tell us that online booking systems can be unpredictable – switched on and off at different times during the day with little notice.

Giving people the ability to contact their GP using the booking method that most suits them, at any time during their surgery’s core hours, is a welcome shift. This move will help improve consistency, give patients greater choice, and mean they can fit appointment booking around work or caring responsibilities.

It’s now up to NHS commissioners to ensure this change is felt nationwide so patients no longer face a postcode lottery when booking a GP appointment.

To make sure those most in need are prioritised, GPs are now also being incentivised to identify patients who would benefit most from seeing the same GP at every appointment, so more patients see their regular doctor each appointment.

Patients will also benefit from over 8.3 million more appointments each year as over 1,000 doctors surgeries receive a bricks and mortar upgrade to modernise practices under the government’s Plan for Change.
October 4, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : The path to peace in Gaza must be through dialogue and diplomacy, not further bloodshed – UK statement at the UN Security Council [October 2025]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 1 October 2025.

Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on Gaza.

The United Kingdom voted in favour of the draft Security Council resolution proposed for adoption on 18 September, in line with our longstanding demand for urgent action to address the appalling humanitarian situation in Gaza, bring the hostages home and end the conflict.

Since Hamas’ atrocities of October 7, hostages have been held in unimaginable conditions in Gaza.

We reiterate our condemnation of Hamas and its terrorist ideology.

Hamas must have no role in the future of Gaza – they need to disarm and end their rule.

However, the path to peace must be through dialogue and diplomacy, not further bloodshed.

The UK condemns Israel’s reckless expansion of its military operation which has already cost the lives of 65,000 Palestinians.

We are witnessing an entirely man-made famine in Gaza, and are shocked by images of starving Palestinians killed while desperately seeking scraps of food for their families.

This is abhorrent.

We urge Israel to ensure the protection of civilians, and immediately lift its restrictions on the entry of aid, to allow the UN and humanitarian agencies to save lives, in line with its obligations under international humanitarian law.

As my Prime Minister said this week, we welcome US efforts to develop a plan for sustainable peace.

We call on all sides to come together and to work with the US Administration to finalise this agreement and bring it into reality.

Hamas should now agree to the plan and end the misery, by laying down their arms and releasing all remaining hostages.

Together with our international partners, we will continue work to achieve consensus on a permanent end to the conflict and a pathway towards a peaceful future.

The UK’s historic recognition of the state of Palestine last week is part of our commitment to protecting the viability of a two-state solution – the only path to a just and lasting peace and to security for Palestinians and Israelis alike.

October 4, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Prime Minister call with His Highness the Crown Prince of Kuwaitcall with His Highness the Crown Prince of Kuwait [October 2025]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 1 October 2025.

This morning the Prime Minister had a call with His Highness the Crown Prince of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah.

The Prime Minister said the UK would work with close allies including Kuwait to implement President Trump’s peace plan for Gaza. The Prime Minister added that he felt a strong sense of responsibility that this plan delivered an end to the fighting in Gaza and a long-term pathway to peace.

The Crown Prince commended the Prime Minister for recognising a Palestinian State, adding the UK, with other partners including Canada and Australia, were keeping alive the viability of a two-state solution.

Discussions then turned to other parts of our bilateral relationship with Kuwait. The Prime Minister and the Crown Prince said they would continue to secure closer trade, improve business ties and deepen investment as longstanding allies.

They agreed to stay in close contact in the coming days and beyond.

October 4, 2025