UKPOL.CO.UK

Author: admin

  • Keir Starmer – 2018 Speech at Labour Party Conference

    Below is the text of the speech made by Keir Starmer, the Shadow Brexit Secretary, at the Labour Party conference held in Liverpool on 25 September 2018.

    Conference, it’s great to be back here in Liverpool.

    A city of great energy and passion.

    And we need both of those as we debate Brexit today and in the coming weeks.

    But first let me start by saying thank you to my fantastic shadow Brexit team:

    Jenny Chapman. Paul Blomfield. Matt Pennycook. Dianne Hayter. Emma Hardy and Jess Morden.

    Thanks also to a special group of colleagues. Our Labour MEPs.

    These past two years have been especially difficult for you. But you’ve served our Party and our country with distinction.

    _____________________

    Conference, the last two years have not been easy.

    Like many of you, I was devastated by the referendum result.

    Like many of you, I’d campaigned passionately to stay in the EU.

    Not for the technical benefits – important though they are.

    But because I’m an internationalist.

    Because I believe that nations achieve more together than they do alone.

    I believe that the greatest challenges facing our nation – armed conflict, terrorism, climate change or unchecked globalisation – can best be met together with our EU partners.

    And the greatest opportunities – medical research, scientific advancement, art and culture – can only be realised together with our EU partners.

    Those values did not die on 23 June 2016.

    And those values must guide our every step as we move forward.

    We cannot allow Brexit to be driven by narrow and divisive Tory ideology.

    That’s why we have not ducked the challenge of Brexit.

    We could have wished away the result.

    But instead we stepped up. We stuck together and fought the government tooth and nail.

    That was the right thing to do.

    We were right to say that jobs and the economy should come first.

    We were right to say that EU citizens aren’t bargaining chips.

    We were right to argue for a transitional period to prevent a cliff-edge.

    We were right to argue for a customs union with the EU and a strong single market deal.

    And we were right to insist that Parliament should have a meaningful vote on the final deal.

    ____________________________________

    Over the coming weeks and months, we will be tested again.

    Hugely important decisions will have to be made on Brexit.

    Decisions that will affect each and every one of us.

    The Prime Minister says that we should “trust her” to deliver Brexit but how can we trust a Prime Minister whose first choice for Foreign Secretary was Boris Johnson?

    And whose second choice was the man who spent the last few years running down our NHS?

    How can we trust the person responsible for the hostile environment. And for appointing a Northern Ireland Secretary who doesn’t even understand the basics about Northern Ireland, let alone the complexities.

    Conference, this Prime Minister doesn’t deserve our trust.

    Just when we need a strong government, what do we see?

    Division. Chaos. And failure.

    No credible plan for Brexit, no solution to prevent a hard border in Ireland and no majority in Parliament for the Chequers proposals.

    A Tory civil war that has gone on for years, now threatens our prosperity.

    The party that once promised that it would fix the roof while the sun was shining is now intent on burning the whole house down.

    So I’ve got a message for the Prime Minister.

    ‘If your party wants to tear itself apart, that’s fine… but you’re not taking our country with you.’

    _________________________________________

    That’s why I set out six tests for the final Brexit deal.

    Not just technical tests, but tests that spell out what kind of country we want to live in.

    Where the well-being of all our communities matters.

    Those tests were not plucked from thin air. They were based on the promises the Tories made about the Brexit deal they would deliver. They are tests Theresa May said she was “determined to meet”.

    Well she may have lowered her expectations, but I haven’t lowered mine.

    Conference, I know that you want clarity on where we stand on the deal now.

    Because some have said Labour could vote for any deal the Tories reach.

    Some have said we may abstain.

    Some have said we may support a vague deal – a ‘blind Brexit’ – that gives no detail about the terms of our future relationship. So, let me be very clear – right here, right now:

    If Theresa May brings back a deal that fails our tests – and that looks increasingly likely – Labour will vote against it.

    No ifs, no buts.

    And if the Prime Minister thinks we’ll wave through a vague deal asking us to jump blindfold into the unknown she can think again.

    You can’t meet Labour’s tests by failing to provide answers.

    We will vote down a blind Brexit.

    This isn’t about frustrating the process.

    It’s about stopping a destructive Tory Brexit. It’s about fighting for our values and about fighting for our country.

    ________________________________________

    And when it comes to the vote in Parliament we do not accept that the choice is between whatever deal Theresa May cobbles together or no deal.

    That’s not a meaningful choice.

    No deal would be a catastrophe and no government has the right to plunge this country into chaos because of its own failure.

    So, if Parliament votes down the Prime Minister’s deal or she can’t reach a deal that’s not the end of the debate.

    Labour must influence what happens next.

    And we must keep all options on the table.

    Our preference is clear:

    We want a general election that can sweep away this failed Tory Government.

    And usher in a radical Labour Government that would put jobs and living standards first.

    But if a General Election is not possible then other options must be kept open. That includes campaigning for a public vote.

    It is right for Parliament to have the first say but if we need to break the impasse, Labour campaigning for a public vote must be an option.

    That’s why I’m happy to throw our full weight behind the motion being debated this morning.

    In particular I want to thank the several hundred delegates who spent their Sunday evening in a compositing room.

    It was a long meeting! But we reached consensus.

    And conference, fast forward a week and contrast that to what you’ll see at Tory conference.

    ______________________________

    Conference, there’s one final point I want to make.

    Whatever happens in the coming weeks, whatever deal this Prime Minister delivers or does not deliver. The terms of the Brexit deal are only part of the much wider debate we need.

    Because the referendum result was about something much deeper than the technical question of EU membership. It was a vote on the state of the nation.

    About the way our economy and politics work – or don’t work.

    And the message from millions of people was clear.

    We need to transform our economy. We need to rebuild our public services. We need to bring power back to our communities and back to people’s lives.

    There can be no adequate response to the referendum unless the right deal with the EU is matched by a new deal for Britain.

    That’s the other side of Brexit.

    __________________

    Conference, I’m under no illusion about the challenge ahead. These are uncertain times.

    Brexit has divided this country.

    We must remain united in the fight for our values.

    The values that hold our party together.

    Values that can bring our country back together.

    That is our challenge.

    We must rise to it.

  • Rebecca Long Bailey – 2018 Speech at Labour Party Conference

    Below is the text of the speech made by Rebecca Long Bailey, the Shadow Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary, at the Labour Party conference held in Liverpool on 25 September 2018.

    Conference. There’s a saying that “if Liverpool did not exist, it would have to be invented.”

    I think that captures the energy, the creativity, eternal pride and solidarity of this city.

    But in today’s Britain that energy is being held back. I don’t need to tell you in Liverpool about the Tories and “managed decline”. But it sometimes feels as if managed decline is the Tory’s plan for the entire country.

    We have a government overwhelmed by the process of Brexit – with no idea about the type of country they actually want to live in.

    On all the big questions – the economy, climate change, inequality, what our working lives will look like – this government has simply nothing to offer.

    Time and time again they have ignored the concerns of businesses, such as Jaguar, Land Rover and Airbus, who know the looming catastrophe we face if we crash out without securing a good deal.

    We also know the Tories can’t be trusted, we know that they will use Brexit as a cover to roll back on our hard won workers’ rights.

    Eight years of Tory government has seen insecurity in the workplace become the norm and many workers now don’t have access to basic employment rights.

    Laura Pidcock our Shadow Minister for Labour Rights and Justin Madders, her maternity cover, have forensically held this Government to account but they don’t care.

    They don’t care about the tragic stories of gig workers, sick, stressed and under paid. They don’t even care about staff in their own departments of justice and business, campaigning simply for basic protections and a living wage.

    We care: workers under Labour will get full legal rights – such as sick pay, holiday and parental leave and protection from dismissal from day one, even those working in the gig economy.

    But, this precariousness extends beyond employment rights. Over three years there have been 100,000 job losses in retail alone, our biggest employment sector.

    Thriving high streets were once the centre of communities, somewhere local people were proud of but once flourishing businesses are now replaced by boarded-up shops with almost 25,000 vacant retail and leisure premises across Great Britain. Household names such as Toys R Us and Maplin have disappeared and big brands like New Look and M&S are closing stores across the country.

    The move to online retail and the changing nature of the way we shop doesn’t need to mean empty high streets and job losses. It can mean a vibrant community space, with local independent shops, cafes and restaurants.

    But that will require Governmental action to reinvigorate our high streets.

    Some of that action will be long-term changes, such as addressing the imbalance of tax treatment between traditional retailers and online sellers. That is why my colleague Bill Esterson is convening a cross-departmental taskforce to look into these complex issues.

    And Roberta Blackman-Woods will be leading a planning commission which will enable Labour to create policies that will revitalise our high streets, tackle climate change and environmental protection, as well as giving communities a stronger voice to shape their areas.

    Together these working groups will develop a long-term strategy for our high streets. But some actions can be done immediately.

    Today I am announcing Labour’s emergency 5-point plan to save Britain’s high streets.

    The next Labour government will ban ATM charges and stop Post Office and bank branch closures.

    We will provide free bus travel for under 25s.

    Deliver free public Wi-Fi in town centres.

    Establish a register of landlords of empty shops in each local authority.

    And finally, on one of the most pressing issues, business rates we will introduce annual revaluations of rates, exempt new plant and machinery from revaluations, ensure a fair appeals system and fundamentally review the business rates system to bring it into the 21st century.

    You see, it is only Labour that has the energy, the ideas and the courage to challenge the big issues and shape the world as we would like to see it.

    We just don’t accept that decline is inevitable, that productivity and wage stagnation is normal, that critical industries such as steel and manufacturing don’t need support or that it’s acceptable for public and private investment to be around 4 per cent below the developed country average.

    My brilliant colleagues Chi Onwurah and Gill Furniss have already championed necessary investment to support industry from research and development through to infrastructure and skills.

    We have stated that under Labour public procurement will support home grown supply chains and support strategic industries.

    And while we’d love to bring as many public contracts back in-house as possible, we cannot reverse overnight the Tories’ devastating cuts to the capacity of the civil service and local government. We must, and we will, rebuild our public services.

    And we must, and we will, set out a bold industrial strategy with ‘missions’ to deal with the big societal issues of our time.

    Perhaps one of the biggest issues we face, which the market has proven uniquely incapable of addressing – is climate change. The debate is over. The super-storms of the last fortnight are further evidence that the climate is changing, and the consequences are severe.

    Ten years ago a Labour government passed the Climate Change Act. World leading legislation binding the Government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050.

    But ten years later, the science is clear. We need to go further and faster to avoid dangerous climate change. My colleagues Alan Whitehead and Barry Gardiner magnificently show up the Tories’ rhetoric. The truth is the Tories are off track to meet our current targets.

    We acknowledge that the UK needs to do much more to meet the Paris Agreement goal of limiting warming to 1.5°C. So today I state firmly that A Labour government will back a target for net zero emissions by 2050.

    And that’s just the start because targets aren’t enough. We need a plan of action.

    And we’ve got one. We’ve been working with an expert team of energy professionals and engineers supported by leading academics. They have looked at Labour’s mission to provide 60 per cent of the UK’s energy demand from renewable or low-carbon sources within 12 years. They have asked – can it be done? How can it be done? And with what consequences for our climate and economy?

    And yes, it can be done! Offering a profound economic opportunity to revive our productivity and reshape our economy.

    Now this is just a taster in the time I have.

    The report recommends a diverse energy mix, one part, harnessing the best offshore wind prospects in the world to deliver a seven-fold increase in offshore wind power. That’s over 7000 turbines, a massive 52 gigawatts – enough to power 12 million homes.

    They propose doubling onshore wind power, and almost tripling solar power. Together, that’s enough to power over 7 million homes.

    And the report proposes making every single house in the UK a warm, dry, energy efficient home – eliminating fuel poverty.

    Conference, George Harrison once said “it’s being here now that’s important. We can hope for the future, but we don’t know if there is one.”

    So this is not the time for piecemeal measures. We do not have to settle for whatever the market can deliver, and sleep walk into catastrophe.

    Because we can unleash the energy of the wind and the waves, and of our people, who have been criminally neglected through this country’s long deindustrialisation.

    Because for Labour, this is about boosting the fundamental quality of life for millions of people. This is about reinvigorating our towns and communities so that they truly symbolise local pride and prosperity. This is about kick-starting an industrial revolution with workers and unions at its heart, one that is built in Britain, and that can rebuild Britain.

    And by doing so, we can reclaim the future.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2018 Speech at Labour Party Conference

    Below is the text of the speech made by Emily Thornberry, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, at the Labour Party’s conference in Liverpool on 25 September 2018.

    Chair, Conference, it’s a privilege to be opening this debate on behalf of my good friends Nia Griffith and Kate Osamor, their shadow teams, including Liverpool’s own Dan Carden, and my own superb ministerial team: Liz McInnes, Khalid Mahmood, Fabian Hamilton, Helen Goodman, Ray Collins, and my PPS Danielle Rowley.

    And it’s wonderful to be back in Liverpool: a city we really thought couldn’t get any more Labour, but where last year, we won 37,000 more votes than in 2015, our biggest ever vote in this city. And next time round, under the inspirational leadership of Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell, we’ll go one better.

    It’s been 35 years since we kicked the last Tory MP out of Liverpool. And next time round, we’ll win Southport as well, and kick the Tories out of Merseyside for good.

    ———–

    Conference, as we all know, this is a year of important anniversaries in the history of the socialist movement – a movement always based on the unstoppable momentum of the masses, the incredible inspiration of courageous individuals and a core belief that injustice done to any of us is injustice done to all of us wherever we are in the world.

    And in this year of anniversaries, we start by celebrating 150 years of the TUC: 150 years spent fighting for workers, not just in Britain but all across the globe, and stronger than ever today thanks to the leadership of Frances O’Grady, and thanks to a Labour leadership which now respects the representatives of our workers, rather than treating them with deliberate contempt.

    And in this year of anniversaries, Conference, let’s recall it’s 130 years since a thin, humble, bearded socialist – it’s funny how those men can change the world – a Frenchman called Pierre De Geyter sat down and wrote a new melody for some old lyrics, and created the song we know as ‘The Internationale’, which inspired the working class of Europe and shook the ruling class, because it rejected war, rejected exploitation, and urged the human race to unite.

    And of course, conference, it’s 100 years since the first women in our country won the right to vote and won the right to stand for Parliament. And don’t let anyone ever say that we were ‘given’ those rights, because the women who came before us weren’t given anything! They fought for those rights, they suffered for those rights, and some died for those rights. And everything we now enjoy was won for us by those brave, brilliant women.

    But it’s also 100 years, Conference, since a young woman who never got the right to vote gave birth to her only son: a son who was refused permission to attend her funeral 50 years later because he was in a prison cell on Robben Island. Nosekeni Mandela never got to see her son freed. She never got to see him change his country and inspire the world. But he called her “the centre of his universe” so we owe it to her that he did.

    And Conference, we also this year celebrate the anniversaries of some of Labour’s greatest achievements: 70 years since the Attlee Government created the NHS; 50 years since the Wilson Government helped create the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty; and 20 years, Conference, since Gordon Brown brought in the Tax Credits which the Tories are trying to dismantle; 20 years since Tony Blair secured the Good Friday Agreement which the Tories are trying to jeopardise; and 20 years since a Labour government started the Devolution Revolution which the Tories are trying to ignore as they hurtle towards a false choice between the ‘Chequers Deal’ and ‘No Deal’, either one of which will kill jobs and growth all across our country, and neither one of which we will accept.

    ————-

    But Conference, it is also a year of solemn anniversaries.

    100 years since the end of the First World War, when young men from every corner of the human race united across Europe, Africa, The Middle East and Asia, not in the spirit of The Internationale, but – in the words of Keir Hardie – “to fill the horrid graves of war” in the name “of selfish and incompetent statesmen” who had failed to preserve peace.

    And it is 70 years too Conference, since the assassination of Gandhi and 50 years since Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy: three men of peace, three men of hope, all shot dead because they believed in an alternative to violence and hatred and war.

    And there is a final anniversary we must pause and remember today. Because Conference, it was 80 years ago this very week that the International Brigades were disbanded after their brave struggle against fascism in Spain, and their heroic final stand at The Ebro. And we pay tribute today to those brave men and women, including one of this city’s greatest sons, the legendary Jack Jones, who were prepared to sacrifice their youth, their futures and their lives to try and stop the rise of fascism in Europe.

    And we need that same spirit today, Conference, because make no mistake, those dangerous forces are on the rise again in our world on a pace and scale not seen since the days of the International Brigades.

    And it is not just the scenes from Charlottesville to Stockholm of masked thugs marching under Neo-Nazi Banners. It is also – far more dangerously – the rise of leaders projecting a form of nationalism not defined by love of one’s country and one’s people, but by hatred towards everyone else; by the erosion of democracy and free speech; and by the demonisation of any minority, any religion, and indeed any media outlet deemed to be ‘the enemy’.

    And everywhere we see those governments today, we know they are contributing to the creation of a world which is the opposite of The Internationale’: a world where the human race is more divided, more drowning in hatred than at any time since the 1930s. And a world which is therefore utterly unable to deal with the problems that we all collectively face.

    That is why our world leaders shrug their shoulders as the Climate Change crisis reaches the point of no return. That is why governments like ours continue to sell arms to Saudi Arabia even when it is proven that those weapons are being used to murder innocent children in Yemen. That is why the war in Syria too remains so intractable and destructive, with the dozen major countries involved not striving to stop it, but playing their own lethal power games with other peoples’ lives.

    That is why North Korea can happily continue developing their bomb; Iran can keep Nazanin jailed for a third year; Myanmar and Cameroon can slaughter their own citizens at will; Russia can act with impunity not just in Syria but in Salisbury; and Donald Trump can tear up treaties it took other leaders years to agree.

    All because Conference, the world order has been turned into a global free-for-all, and the leadership to fix it is simply not there. But Conference, it’s here in this hall, it’s here on this stage, it’s here in Jeremy Corbyn. And we as the Labour Party in government must strive to lead the world in a different direction.

    So with Nia Griffith’s leadership, we will support our forces, maintain 2 per cent spending on defence, invest more in peacekeeping, respect our international treaties, and never hesitate to defend ourselves, our allies, and our citizens abroad. But equally, we will never as a party go back to supporting illegal, aggressive wars of intervention with no plans for the aftermath, and no thought for the consequences, whether in terms of the innocent lives lost or the ungoverned spaces created within which terrorist groups can thrive.

    And with Kate Osamor’s leadership, we will also rise to the challenge that Nelson Mandela set this Conference eighteen years ago when he told us that “one of Labour’s major political and moral tasks in the 21st century” was to “become once more the keepers of our brothers and sisters [all around] the world.”

    And with Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, we must and will lead the world in promoting human rights, in reforming the arms trade, in pursuing an end to conflict, in supporting not demonising refugees, and in turning the promise of a nuclear-free world from an impossible dream to a concrete goal.

    And with the leadership of every single one of us, Conference, we must also honour the memory of the International Brigades, and lead the fight against the forces of fascism, of racism, and prejudice, and anti-semitism. Because that is what we have always done both at home and abroad, and that is what we must always do.

    ————–

    We were there in Spain fighting Franco in 1936. We were there in Cable Street that same year fighting alongside the Jewish community to stop the Blackshirts. We were here in Liverpool a year later, when Oswald Mosley tried to speak in this great city and was forced out without saying a word. And we were there in the 1980s – I was there myself – when we marched against the National Front.

    And let’s remember Conference, we won all those battles! We beat the Blackshirts, and the NF, and the BNP, and the EDL, and whatever they call themselves today, however they dress up their racial hatred, we are there in the same streets telling the fascists: ‘No Pasaran’.

    And when we look back on all those battles, stretching back 80 years, I make a simple point, it hasn’t been thousands of Tories assembling in the streets to fight the forces of fascism. It’s been the men and women in this room. It’s been Jack Jones and Jeremy’s parents. It’s been Jon Lansman and Len McCluskey, Diane Abbott and Dawn Butler, Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell. So while I make a point of never disagreeing with John on anything, I disagree with him on this: we don’t need a new Anti-Nazi League, because the Anti-Nazi League is in this hall and on this stage.

    ————

    But Conference, let me speak to you from the depths of my heart and my soul and say something I never thought I’d have to say in my lifetime as a Labour member and activist, and it is simply this: that if we want to root out fascism and racism and hatred from our world, and from our country, then we must start, we must start, with rooting it out of our own party.

    We all support the Palestinian cause, we are all committed to recognise the Palestinian State, and I stand here with no hesitation when I condemn the Netanyahu government for its racist policies and its criminal actions against the Palestinian people.

    But I know as well, and we must all acknowledge, that there are sickening individuals on the fringes of our movement, who use our legitimate support for Palestine as a cloak and a cover for their despicable hatred of Jewish people, and their desire to see Israel destroyed. Those people stand for everything that we have always stood against and they must be kicked out of our party the same way Oswald Mosley was kicked out of Liverpool.

    —————

    And Conference, there is something more. Because if we truly want to realise the dream of The Internationale to unite the human race, and re-unite our country, then again we must start with uniting our own party, and ending the pointless conflicts which divide our movement, which poison our online debate, and which distract us from fighting the Tories.

    Because as Gandhi said: “We but mirror the world so if we could change ourselves, the world would also change.” But if we can’t show the strength to change ourselves to change the way we behave to each other, how can we ever hope to change the country, and aspire to change the world?

    But if we can do all that, just think what we’re capable of. Think what history we can create in government. Think what we can achieve that future Labour Conferences will remember as great anniversaries.

    ————–

    And I want to close with a story told by Dolores Gomez about the siege of Madrid in 1936, when every day she and her fellow citizens expected their streets to fall to the fascist forces surrounding the city. And sure enough, one day, they heard a huge army on the march

    “Iron clad boots”, she said, “Men marching silent, severe, with rifles on their shoulders and bayonets fixed, making the earth tremble under their feet.” She and others crouched on balconies overlooking the street, rifles cocked and grenades ready to be thrown, just waiting for the order to attack.

    But then she said, the army began to sing. “A thrill goes down the spines of the people, `Is this a dream?’ ask the women, sobbing.” But no, it was not. The men marching down the street had begun singing ‘The Internationale’, each in their own language – French, Italian, German, and English – the men of The International Brigades, all singing different words, but all with the same meaning, that when any of us is under attack from the forces of hatred, prejudice and exploitation, we are all under attack and we must unite and fight back together.

    And if we can show that same unity today in our party, if we can root out prejudice and end division in our own ranks, then we can heal our divided country, we can unite our fractured world, and we can show that the greatest achievements of our socialist movement lie not in our past, but in our future. That is the kind of government we need for our country and that is the kind of Britain we need for our world.

  • Sajid Javid – 2018 Speech on Security Relationship with the EU

    Below is the text of the statement made by Sajid Javid, the Home Secretary, in Madrid on 25 September 2018.

    Good afternoon.

    Estoy encantado de estar hoy aqui en Madrid! (Translation – I am delighted to be in Madrid today.) I’d like to thank the organisers, EFE, for hosting this event.

    I’ve been lucky enough to hold various posts within the British government.

    But one similarity between them all is that I spend a lot of time trying to convince people to have a warm, open and productive relationship with Britain.

    But I’m pleased to say that with Spain, the UK already has a strong and valuable relationship.

    We have a proud history of working together…

    And I’m not just talking about Gareth Bale helping Real Madrid win the Champions League and David Silva helping Manchester City win the Premier League!

    There are strong ties between our nations.

    More than 180,000 Spaniards live in the UK, and 2 million visit every year.

    19 million Brits holiday in Spain each year and around 300,000 have made their homes here.

    We have 5,000 Spanish people working in our National Health Service…

    …and another 5,000 working in scientific research, including trying to find cures for illnesses like Alzheimer’s and cancer.

    There are also 12,000 Spaniards studying in UK universities and 55,000 students are in British schools in Spain.

    That means that British schools have more of a footprint here in Spain than anywhere else in Europe.

    We are also allies in business.

    Spain is now the UK’s seventh largest trading partner and our total bilateral trade was up 5% last year.

    The UK is Spain’s top destination for foreign direct investment.

    But perhaps it is our security relationship that is the real jewel in the crown.

    Whether it be against Daesh, drugs runners, or human traffickers, we could not ask for more from Spanish law enforcement and intelligence agencies in terms of commitment and collaboration.

    Our 2 countries regularly work together to protect our people.

    We share tools to crack terror cells.

    We stop murderers and rapists slipping over our borders.

    We end exploitation by organised crime gangs.

    And we bring these monsters to justice.

    It’s a sad fact that our countries share many of the same security threats and challenges.

    We have a shared history of fighting terrorism – be that in the form of the IRA or ETA.

    Our countries have both also been victims of terrorist attacks in recent years.

    Last year, the UK was rocked by terror attacks in Manchester and in London.

    In Spain, innocent people were mown down on Las Ramblas.

    Our countries shared the pain of these attacks.

    During the London Bridge attack, it was a Spanish national – Ignacio Echeverría – who sadly lost his life when he confronted terrorists with only his skateboard to try to save others.

    He was posthumously awarded Britain’s highest honour – the George Medal last year…

    …and I’m pleased to say that his father will collect his posthumous George Medal in Buckingham Palace next month.

    In Barcelona, one of the victims was a 7 year old boy with dual British-Australian nationality.

    I will pay tribute to all victims of this mindless terrorism later today in the Bosque del Recuerdo.

    Both our countries face an enduring threat from Islamist terrorism, which we work together to combat on a daily basis, wherever it manifests itself – be that on our streets or online.

    There are other threats which our countries face together too.

    For instance, the threat from large scale cybercrime is growing as digital technologies advance.

    Cybercrime does not respect borders and this was shown with devastating effect when the WannaCry ransomware attack impacted more than 100 countries around the globe.

    We also both face the threat of hostile state activity.

    We both have a watchful eye on Russia following on from the despicable nerve agent attack in Salisbury, which left 4 people fighting for their lives and one innocent woman dead.

    Following this attack, many European countries stood with the UK to take decisive action, with Spain expelling 2 Russian diplomats in response. We are grateful to Spain for standing with us.

    When it comes to our security, we know that when we collaborate we are at our strongest.

    We know that sharing tools, sharing data and expertise keeps people safe in Spain, in Britain – and across Europe too.

    And that’s exactly what we’re doing.

    We’re working together through the EU, through NATO and bilaterally in all sorts of different ways.

    For example, in March this year, 39 women were freed from sexual exploitation at the hands of an organised criminal gang here in Spain…

    …as a result of a joint operation between the UK’s National Crime Agency and Spanish and Nigerian law enforcement.

    In April, the National Crime Agency again worked with Spanish law enforcement to seize nearly 9 tonnes of cocaine in Algeciras … the largest ever haul from a single container in Europe.

    And, of course, nowhere is Anglo-Spanish co-operation stronger or more visible than in the joint operation called the Captura campaign … which has seen 81 dangerous British fugitives successfully tracked down and arrested.

    Without cooperation between our agencies, these dangerous fugitives, these 81, could still be at large…

    …these people traffickers could still be lurking in our communities…

    …and these drugs still flooding our streets.

    This co-operation is often underpinned by EU law enforcement and criminal justice measures, which we both make use of to our mutual benefit.

    In particular, I welcome the strong co-operation and leadership that the UK and Spain have shown within Europol to drive forward the EU’s efforts to tackle illicit firearms trafficking.

    We make extensive mutual use of European Arrest Warrants to arrest criminals, helping to fight trafficking and so much else.

    For example, in the last 5 years, the UK arrested over 200 people on behalf of Spain, and the Spanish authorities have arrested over 180 on our behalf.

    We are also both a part of the Schengen Information System, which enables the sharing of real-time automated alerts on missing and wanted people with law enforcement agencies across Europe.

    We’re working together to tackle child sexual abuse.

    Just last year, our Spanish partners assisted in the arrest of one of the UK’s most wanted sex offenders.

    This twisted paedophile had been hiding in Spain for nearly 2 years and if he hadn’t been caught, he may well be preying today on more children.

    The European Arrest Warrant enabled Spanish authorities to locate him and return him to face justice in the UK where he is now behind bars.

    These are just some examples of the collaborative security work that is going on every single day.

    In all areas – from counter-terrorism to serious and organised crime, we are working together to keep our citizens safe.

    That’s in both our interests.

    The nature of the current threat from serious organised crime, cybercrime, terrorism and hostile state activity is truly global.

    And it constantly changes, as geopolitics and technology evolve.

    To keep pace with this and to ensure we are able to respond effectively, we must continue to work together.

    Criminals who seek to harm our citizens, exploit vulnerable people, damage our economies, and challenge our values, are finding new ways to do so – regardless of borders or geography.

    We must continue to find new ways to fight back.

    That means having seamless operational co-operation, real-time sharing of data, and state of the art technology.

    It means ensuring those who would cause us harm know that they cannot escape justice by crossing from the UK into Spain or vice versa.

    It means sharing our expertise, experience and intelligence, so we can stay one step ahead.

    The UK Prime Minister said earlier this year that the UK is unconditionally committed to European security.

    And I want to reiterate that message today – that deal or no deal – we remain committed to ensuring the security of Europe.

    I’m pleased that Minister Grande-Marlaska has taken the time today to discuss with me the future of our security co-operation.

    Because the benefits of our security cooperation – and its importance – are clear.

    And this co-operation is facilitated and enhanced by access to EU tools and measures to the benefit of citizens in both our countries and across Europe.

    We want an ambitious security relationship going forward after Brexit, which we have clearly set out.

    We accept that outside the EU, our relationship must of course be quite different. But it does not have to be weaker.

    We accept that things will need to change.

    We will not be carrying on as if we were a member state.

    We will be leaving all the various EU institutions.

    We will no longer be involved in EU decision-making.

    But the point is, we can make these changes and others without undermining the day-to-day operational co-operation which plays such an important role in keeping European citizens safe.

    We want our security relationship with Spain – indeed with all our European partners – to be as strong and effective as ever once we have left the European Union.

    That’s why the UK government has proposed a comprehensive treaty between the EU and the UK which will allow security co-operation to continue and lives to be saved.

    And I will keep putting forward the case for this continued co-operation.

    The kind of model we are proposing is one the EU is familiar with.

    It’s relatively simple.

    But we need the political will to make this happen.

    The alternative – abandoning EU co-operation tools – would lead to a damaging reduction in our ability to work together, despite our best efforts.

    While we have had some initial conversations with the Commission, we now need to go further and faster to help make sure that all our citizens stay safe and that crooks can’t prosper.

    I’ve spoken a lot today about the importance of working together.

    Working together in all sorts of different areas.

    Indeed, it’s something our 2 countries have been very good at for a great many years.

    In fact, UK and Spanish diplomatic ties go back 500 years.

    Commercial ties go back even further.

    As I’ve said, the security links between the UK and Spain have been going from strength to strength.

    But we are now facing an intensive period of negotiations which will define the future relationship between the UK and the EU.

    That will of course have implications for our security co-operation in the future.

    I very much hope that the negotiations will reach a conclusion which ensures we are able to continue to co-operate effectively with our European partners to keep our people safe.

    We have made the UK’s commitment to Europe’s security very clear.

    Setting out what we think is the best way to guarantee it.

    Today I want to promise you this.

    That I will continue to do all I can to make sure that the relationship between our two great nations remains strong…

    …that our citizens are kept safe…

    …and that we continue to face our common threats and challenges together, long into the future.

  • John McDonnell – 2018 Speech to Labour Party Conference

    Below is the text of the speech made by John McDonnell, the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, to the Labour Party conference in Liverpool on 24 September 2018.

    I want to start by thanking the Treasury Team: Peter Dowd, Shadow Chief Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, Anneliese Dodds, Clive Lewis, Lyn Brown, Lord Dennis Tunnicliffe, Lord Bryan Davies and PPS Thelma Walker who won back Colne Valley from the Tories last year.

    This month is the 10th anniversary of the financial crash. J.K.Galbraith in his book on the 1929 crash said sure you can try to create institutions to avoid crashes in the future but the best protection is memory. So it’s worth remembering. The causes of the crash were:

    Yes, greed; yes, the deregulation that turned the City into a multibillion pound casino, but more importantly it was caused by the power of a small, financial elite who exercised too much power over our political system.

    That power meant the bankers and speculators who caused the crisis wouldn’t be the ones who’d pay for it. It would be our families, working people, our businesses, our young people and especially the most vulnerable in our society.

    It’s been 8 hard years of austerity and economic failure. In the 6th richest country in the world it cannot be right that 5000 of our fellow citizens are sleeping on our streets and that 4 million of our children are living in poverty, two thirds of them in households where someone is in work.

    That tells you that wages are so low, still below 2010 levels. They are not sufficient to provide a decent life for many of our people. The Tories have created an age of insecurity where people have little if any power or control over their lives. It’s no wonder so many people voted for Brexit. They voted for any form of change. It was an anti-establishment vote.

    So I believe it’s time. It’s time to shift the balance of power in our country. It’s time to give people back control over their lives.

    Another Anniversary

    You know, there’s another anniversary this year. One hundred years ago in 1918 the Labour Party adopted Clause Four as part of our party’s constitution. Let me remind you what it said: “to secure for the workers, by hand or by brain, the full fruits of their industry.”

    I say the Clause 4 principles are as relevant today as they were back then. Fair, democratic, collective solutions to the challenges of the modern economy.

    The Labour movement has always believed that democracy should not stop when we clock in at the factory gate, in the office lobby, or – like my Mum in BHS – behind the counter.

    Democracy is at the heart of our socialism – and extending it should always be our goal. Our predecessors fought for democracy in Parliament, against the divine right of kings and the aristocracy. They fought for working people to get the franchise.

    Our sisters fought for women’s suffrage in the teeth of ferocious opposition and our movement fought for workers to have a voice at work. The trade unions founded this party to take that democratic vision even further. So in 2018 I tell you that at the heart of our programme is the greatest extension of economic democratic rights that this country has ever seen.

    It starts in the workplace.

    It’s undeniable that the balance of power at work has been tipped against the worker. The result is long hours, low productivity, low pay and the insecurity of zero hour contracts.

    I want to thank the IPPR for its recent report. It was a brilliant critique of the inequality embedded in today’s economy.

    Archbishop Welby took some stick in the media and from some in the establishment for his support for the report. He wasn’t engaging in party politics. He was simply speaking the truth as a moral leader in our society. Just a few words of advice though Archbishop, when they get round to calling you a Marxist, I’ll give you some tips on how to handle it.

    So let’s be certain. We will redress the balance of power at work. We will be proud to fulfil John Smith’s, our late leader’s promise, that workers will have trade union rights from day one whether in full time, part time or temporary work.

    We’ll ban zero hours contracts. We will lift people out of poverty by setting a real living wage of £10 an hour. Wages will be determined by sectoral collective bargaining. And yes we will tackle the continuing scandal of the gender pay gap.

    Corporate Governance

    Real power comes from having the right to a collective say at work. Large corporations play a huge role in our lives, yet the decisions about running them are in the hands of a tiny few. Employees who create the wealth have no say in the key decisions that affect their future. After decades of talking about industrial democracy, Labour in government will legislate to implement it. As Jeremy announced yesterday, a third of the seats on company boards will be allocated to workers.

    Power also comes from ownership. We believe that workers, who create the wealth of a company, should share in its ownership and, yes, in the returns that it makes.

    Employee ownership increases a company’s productivity and encourages long term decision making. Let me thank the Co-op Party for its work on this and Gareth Thomas MP in particular for his ideas.

    We will legislate for large companies to transfer shares into an “Inclusive Ownership Fund.” The shares will be held and managed collectively by the workers. The shareholding will give workers the same rights as other shareholders to have a say over the direction of their company. And dividend payments will be made directly to the workers from the fund. Payments could be up to £500 a year. That’s 11 million workers each with a greater say, and a greater stake, in the rewards of their labour.

    Societal Dividend

    But we all know it’s not just the employees of a company that create the profits it generates. It’s the collective investment in infrastructure, education and research and development that we as a society make that enables entrepreneurs to build and grow their businesses.

    So we believe it’s right that society shares in the benefits that investment produces. That’s why a proportion of revenues generated by the ‘inclusive ownership funds’ will be transferred back to our public services as a social dividend. Over time, this will mobilise billions that could be spent supporting our public services and social security system.

    Public Ownership

    We are extending economic democracy even further by bringing water, energy, Royal Mail and rail into public ownership. Some press said the voters would be horrified. They couldn’t have been more wrong.

    Public ownership has proved its popularity in opinion poll after opinion poll. It’s not surprising, look at the scandal of the privatisation of water. Water bills have risen 40% in real terms since privatisation. £18 billion has been paid out in dividends. Water companies receive more in tax credits than they pay in tax. Each day enough water to meet the needs of 20 million people is lost due to leakages. With figures like that, we can’t afford not to take them back.

    But be clear, nationalisation will not be a return to the past. We don’t want to take power away from faceless directors to a Whitehall office, to swap one remote manager for another.

    Today, Rebecca Long Bailey and I are launching a large scale consultation on democracy in our public services. We are also setting out our plans for a new publicly-owned water system that puts this essential service back in the hands of local councils, workers and customers.

    There will be an unprecedented openness and transparency in how the industry will be managed. We are ending the profiteering in dividends, vast executive salaries and excessive interest payments.

    Surpluses will be reinvested in water infrastructure and staff, or used to reduce bills. Real investment will allow the highest environmental standards.

    Public and Community Ownership Unit

    People have had enough of being ripped off by privatisation. That’s why we’ve said no more PFIs and we’ll bring the PFIs back in house. Through our public ownership programme we will set up a ‘Public and Community Ownership Unit’ in the Treasury. It will bring in the external expertise we will need.

    Let me make it absolutely clear that the full weight of the Treasury will be used to take on any vested interests that try to thwart the will of the people. Some said our manifesto was a fantasy or a wish list, attractive but ultimately not deliverable. I’m telling you today that we are planned, ready and prepared.

    Not just to fight another election campaign but to implement our programme when we win.

    Green Book

    For too long that establishment has used the Treasury as a barrier against putting power back into the hands of the people. So we will reprogram the Treasury, rewriting its rule books on how it makes decisions about what, when, and where to invest.

    We will end the Treasury bias against investing the regions and nations. And we’ll make sure it assesses spending decisions against the need to tackle climate change, protect our environment, drive up productivity and meet the investment challenges of the 4th industrial revolution.

    Fair Taxation

    We need to exert some people power over our tax system. There are millions of businesses out there which deserve our respect and we will always support them. They are responsible, ethical entrepreneurs, who pay their taxes and support our community. They should know that we are proud of them.

    But there is a minority that don’t live up to those standards. They avoid paying their taxes on an industrial scale. They are denying our hospitals, our schools and carers the resources they need.

    The Tories record on tackling tax avoidance and money laundering has been a disgrace. We can’t trust the Tories on this but we shouldn’t just wait until we get into government. We should act now.

    One way is to mobilise shareholder power to demand companies uphold basic tax justice standards. Numerous institutions from churches to trade unions and pension funds have large scale shareholdings in many of the companies that avoid taxes.

    So today, I’m announcing my intention to bring together these organisations to launch a shareholder campaign. We’ll be demanding companies sign up to the Fair Tax Mark standards, demonstrating transparently that they pay their fair share of taxes.

    So fair warning to the tax avoiders, we are coming for you.

    Global Dialogue

    Gordon Brown recently expressed his concern at the current weaknesses in global relationships to deal with any future economic crises. With major nations on the brink of a trade war, and with climate change accelerating, we can’t risk the kind of international breakdown that led to the Great Depression. Just as at the Bretton Woods conference in 1944, there is an urgent need to work out if the current international system can cope with these threats.

    Over the past few decades that system has concentrated power in the hands of an international financial elite. Individuals, communities, and even nation states have been made increasingly powerless. It isn’t working for the Western world, where stagnant wages have helped feed the rise of the racist right. And it isn’t working for the developing world, whose wealth is plundered by multinational corporations or stashed in Western banks.

    We will be convening in the spring an international social forum to bring together leading economists, politicians and civil society representatives, launching a dialogue on the common risks we face and the actions we need to take.

    I am pleased to announce that Nobel Prize winning economist, Joseph Stiglitz, has agreed to lead this discussion for us.

    Brexit

    This leads us inevitably to the urgent question of Brexit. I don’t have to repeat the criticisms we all have of the Tories’ behaviour over this echoed in the earlier conference debate. Their failures are in plain sight.

    I just say to the Tories, in the interests of our country get out of the way and let us get on with securing a way forward. A way forward that will protect our economy, our jobs and standards of living for our people. If they won’t do that then, you know my preference, let’s have a general election.

    We are keeping all the options for democratic engagement on the table. But look, I feel so strongly that these Tories should face the people. Face the people for the way they have recklessly put our country’s future at risk over the last two years.

    On so many fronts you know the scale of the mess we will inherit from the Tories. A society whose social fabric has been run down to the point of dereliction. A struggling, mismanaged economy vulnerable to another crisis.

    Past Shadow Chancellors have come to conference with warnings about how bad the situation is to reduce people’s expectations of what can be achieved when we go into government. This Shadow Chancellor is different.

    Real change

    I want you to know that:

    The greater the mess we inherit, the more radical we have to be; the greater the need for change, the greater the opportunity we have to create that change and we will.

    The Tories’ austerity has been brutal. But what I have resented most is that they try to take away the dreams, the hope and optimism our people, especially our young people, that dream of building a better world.

    But they fail to understand that we have an unwavering faith that together people can change the world. We will not settle for anything less.

    Yesterday the press reported the Tories were drawing up secret plans for a quick general election. So the message from this conference is bring it on.

    Whenever the general election comes, we are ready. Ready to campaign for victory, ready for Government, ready to build the future.

    And you know, like Bill Shankly, we’ll be proud to call that future, socialism. Solidarity.

  • Penny Mordaunt – 2018 Statement on Humanitarian Situation in Idlib

    Below is the text of the statement made by Penny Mordaunt, the Secretary of State for International Development, in the House of Commons on 13 September 2018.

    The Syrian regime’s systematic and blatant disregard for international humanitarian and human rights law during the eight years long civil war has resulted in the worst humanitarian catastrophe of this century so far. An estimated 400,000 people have been killed, 13 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, 6.2 million have been internally displaced and 5.6 million refugees have fled to neighbouring countries.

    The UK remains extremely concerned over escalating military action in the north-west of Syria by the Syrian regime and its international backers, putting at risk almost 3 million people, many of whom have fled to the region to seek shelter. The last few days has seen dozens of Russian and regime airstrikes against areas of Idlib. Last weekend, we received reports of three hospitals, two White Helmets offices and three ambulances being attacked and put out of service, leaving thousands with no access to medical care. Last month alone there were over 100 civilian fatalities, and since the start the start of this month, already 30,500 people have been displaced.

    A disaster in Idlib is still avoidable. It is not too late for the Syrian regime and Russia to change tack. The British Government continue to call on them to work with Turkey, the UN Security Council and the rest of the international community to find a negotiated way forward to avoid the needless loss of human life. If they were genuinely concerned about the presence of terrorist groups, this is what they would do. Sadly, the experience of Aleppo, eastern Ghouta and elsewhere is that this is just a pretext, and that their real intention is to reimpose regime control through brutal military means regardless of the cost.

    So, in addition to our diplomatic efforts, we are working with the UN, Turkey, humanitarian agencies and our international partners to undertake contingency planning in case the regime and Russia indeed launch a full-scale offensive against Idlib in the coming days and weeks. Our aim is to ensure that the lives of innocent Syrian civilians are saved.

    For this reason today I announce that the UK will provide additional aid funding of up to £32 million for north-west Syria. This money will help to provide shelter, clean water and sanitation, mental health services, and support heath workers and facilities. This is our second uplift of emergency funding for northern Syria in recent ​weeks. On 17 August I announced a £10 million package of support, including the provision of emergency assistance and vital support for medical centres and mobile medical clinics.

    Sadly, north-west Syria is just the latest target for the regime in eight years of devastating civil war. Over that time the UK has been at the forefront of the international response, providing life-saving and life-changing support for millions of people in places like Idlib, Aleppo, eastern Ghouta and most recently south-west Syria. We are the second largest bilateral donor and have pledged £2.71 billion to date, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis. Last year our support in Idlib governorate provided approximately 653,000 people with access to clean drinking water, immunised 1,335,000 children under five, helped 321,000 children access education and provided 398,000 medical consultations.

    But money alone is not enough. We are working with the UN to ensure robust planning and preparation for north-west Syria. With our international partners, the UK continues to use our position in the UN Security Council and the International Syria Support Group to advocate above all else for the protection of civilians, and calls on all parties to allow humanitarian agencies unfettered access to deliver aid to those most in need.

    Regardless of what happens in Idlib, this sadly will not be the end of the suffering of the Syrian people. To achieve that requires a political solution, leading to an inclusive, non-sectarian Government which can unite the country and protect the rights of all Syrians. That is why we continue to support the UN-led Geneva process aimed at reaching a negotiated settlement.

  • Caroline Nokes – 2018 Statement on Calais Migration

    Below is the text of the statement made by Caroline Nokes, the Minister for Immigration, in the House of Commons on 13 September 2018.

    As part of the clearance of the Calais camp in October 2016, the Government transferred 769 unaccompanied children to the UK, all of whom claimed asylum in the UK. The Government acted decisively at this time to remove vulnerable children from a dangerous situation where they were at risk of violence and abuse. The unique situation in Calais and unprecedented action we took to safeguard children demonstrated the Government’s commitment to supporting the most vulnerable children affected by the migration crisis.

    Of the 769 cases, 220 cases were transferred in accordance with section 67 Immigration Act 2016 (the Dubs amendment), and formed the first tranche of these cases. Some of these cases did not qualify for refugee or humanitarian protection under the existing rules; as such, in June 2018 we introduced a new form of leave (section 67 leave) for these cases.

    The remaining 549 cases were transferred to reunite with family members already in the UK. These cases have been considered carefully and on their individual merits, and a large proportion of these cases have been recognised as refugees.

    It is our view that all those 549 transferred from Calais to the UK to reunite with family should be able to remain here with their family members. In keeping with our commitments to family unity, we do not consider that it would be in their best interests to separate children from their families, having received significant support from UK authorities to reunite and integrate.

    It is our intention to introduce, by laying a new immigration rule, a new form of leave for any of these cases that have not already been considered refugees. This leave will only be available for those that were bought over as part of the Calais clearance exercise in October 2016, who were under the age of 18 at this time, and who had recognised family ties in the UK. Individuals who qualify for this leave will have the right to study, work, access public funds and healthcare, and can apply for settlement after 10 years.

  • Kelly Tolhurst – 2018 Statement on the Retail Sector

    Below is the text of the statement made by Kelly Tolhurst, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, in the House of Commons on 13 September 2018.

    The UK’s retail sector is a driving force in our economy and plays an important social role in communities across the UK. The industry employs 3.1 million people and generated £93 billion of gross value added in 2017—5% of UK GVA.

    Change has always been an inherent part of the UK’s dynamic retail sector and the Government are clear that we want all types of retail to thrive now and in the future. We are supporting the sector as it undergoes structural change and responds to changing consumer expectations, embraces new technology and prepares for EU exit.

    Government and industry have recognised that positive action is needed to ensure the sector thrives in the future. To achieve this, and as part of the industrial strategy, we established the Retail Sector Council in March.

    The council is jointly chaired by the Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Corporate Responsibility and Richard Pennycook (chair of the British Retail Consortium). All retail activity in the UK is represented: large and small; independents; and traditional and online or disruptive retailers. Through the council the Government are helping the retail industry to come together to develop sector-led solutions to support its productivity and growth. The council has now met twice and is identifying its priorities and actions to be agreed at the next meeting later this year.

    In addition, the Government are also committed to supporting the retail sector through a range of measures.

    In July the Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, my hon. Friend the Member for Rossendale and Darwen (Jake Berry) appointed a panel of experts to diagnose issues that currently affect the health of our high streets and advise on the best practical measures to help them thrive now and in the future. Chaired by Sir John Timpson (chairman of Timpson—the multiple service retailer) the panel will focus on what consumers and local communities want from their high streets. They are holding a series of evidence sessions across the country to hear directly from communities. The panel will look at the current challenges and work out options to ensure our town centres remain vibrant. The panel of experts have a wealth of experience and include representatives from the retail, property and design sectors.

    We have taken action to reduce the business rates burden faced by some businesses, with reforms and reductions worth over £10 billion by 2023, and the ​Government are currently reviewing the wider taxation of the digital economy to make sure all businesses pay their fair share.

    The Government understand the concerns of those affected by job losses in the sector, and the uncertainty this can cause. Where job losses occur, Jobcentre Plus, along with other Government Departments, works with the companies affected to understand the level of employee support required to get people back into employment as soon as possible.

    British retailing is transforming and the Government are committed to doing all they can to ensure the sector continues to thrive.

  • Penny Mordaunt – 2018 Speech on Modern Slavery

    Below is the text of the speech made by Penny Mordaunt, the Secretary of State for International Development, in New York, United States, on 24 September 2018.

    Good morning and thank you all for being here. I’m Penny Mordaunt and I’m the UK Secretary of State for International Development and it’s my privilege to be chairing the session today.

    A year ago, the UK Prime Minister was joined by world leaders to launch a Call to Action to eliminate the scourge of forced labour, modern slavery and human trafficking from our societies once and for all. It is fitting that they came together here at the United Nations General Assembly because the UN is the centre of this fight.

    We are making progress. But we need more urgency. As the Secretary General has said, we need to respond to people trafficking with the same speed and sense of purpose as we do with drug and gun trafficking.

    The Call to Action is not meant to replicate existing frameworks like the Palermo Protocol to counter Human Trafficking, the Forced Labour Protocol or initiatives such as Alliance 8.7. It is here to energise all of them. To put combatting modern slavery at the top of our political agendas and to spur countries to increase their efforts. To demonstrate our collective will to deliver on our agenda and the 2030 commitment.

    I’m pleased to stand before you today to report that 77 countries, well over a third of the UN membership, have now endorsed this Call to Action. And I encourage those who have not yet done so to join us in this visible statement of intent, which will now be housed on a new knowledge platform that is being launched by the UN University today.

    I am also delighted to be joined by my esteemed co-hosts from Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Canada, Nigeria and the United States, countries who have been championing this agenda. It is a true demonstration of the need to tackle this crime in every region of the world. Shortly you will hear from them on the steps they have taken over the last year to turn that political will into action.

    Because whether it’s young girls affected by trafficking across borders for sex, men and women forced to work in factories and fields, or the child labour that goes into our smartphones, no nation is free from the terrible abuses and violence that go hand in hand with these human rights violations.

    The statistics are shocking. At least 40 million victims of modern slavery, 25 million victims of forced labour, and perhaps the most troubling – one in four victims of modern slavery is a child. And beyond those statistics are real people, enduring real suffering.

    Child slavery is truly one of the most heinous crimes imaginable . It has no place in any society. We must do more to protect and support all those at risk of falling into the clutches of people traffickers and organised criminals, but particularly those children who are most vulnerable. Children caught up in conflict, many of those who have lost parents or carers, children displaced from their homes because of war, child refugees trying to escape along the dangerous routes on their own.

    And that is why the UK is stepping up its support. Last year, our Prime Minister vowed to double the amount the UK spends on combatting modern slavery up to £150 million. And today, I can report that we are, in fact, increasing our funding to over £200 million so we can reach those most in need of our help.

    £10 million of that will go to UNICEF to protect more than 400,000 boys and girls at risk of violence and slavery in the Horn of Africa and along migratory routes in Somalia, Sudan and Ethiopia. UK Aid, working with UNICEF, will provide birth registration services so children can legally prove their age, identity and nationality. Giving them protections against forced labour and underage marriage. Our support will also educate vulnerable children against the dangers of trafficking, support social workers and carers to respond to the needs of vulnerable people, and help reintegrate victims back into society.

    And we are investing £26 million in a new regional programme to tackle child labour in South Asia. This will be alongside a £5 million to support the Government of Bangladesh fulfil its ambitious commitment to end hazardous Child Labour by 2021.

    As our Prime Minister said on her recent visit to South Africa, we have to tackle the root causes of instability and extremism that fuel people trafficking.

    That means promoting political stability and economic growth. Creating the quality jobs to meet the needs and aspirations of a growing and young population, and helping lift people out of poverty themselves.

    The UK has committed £21 million to support the Government of Nigeria in their efforts to combat trafficking, £3 million of which will provide 30,000 improved livelihoods in Edo State, a known trafficking hotspot. By providing better jobs than those traffickers and criminals promise, we hope to reduce the number of people who end up being duped and exploited.

    Traffickers thrive in fragile and conflict-afflicted states. That is why we are pledging up to £12 million, through UK Aid Connect, in areas of concern in Africa, to equip thousands of girls and boys with the knowledge and skills to help them avoid falling victim to traffickers. As well as improving livelihoods opportunities for families this funding will also support businesses to improve their supply chains to ensure child labour is eradicated.

    These are just some of the steps that the UK is taking with our partners. Working together to end trafficking is firmly in the interests of all our nations. As well as acting individually to stop abuses, we must have a more joined-up approach. That means better co-ordination between governments, UN agencies, civil society and the private sector. And it also means greater action from the development community.

    This is why the UK, alongside the US, has committed £20 million to the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery, which aims to develop new and innovative approaches to tackling slavery. The fund aims to be transformative and we hope that other donors will invest.

    Because delivering true change can only happen if we act in partnership and at scale. And this also means getting the private sector on board.

    It is shocking that forced labour is embedded in almost every supply chain. It has become ‘normalised’. When so little value reaches the people working at the end of our supply chains, it is not surprising that slavery is so widespread. It is not good enough for businesses to turn a blind eye or say they did not know.

    We need every CEO in every company to recognise this reality and place at the heart of their business plans this issue. And some companies and investors are leading that change.

    In our second panel today, you will hear more about the innovative solutions and approaches that companies are championing, such as Blockchain technology, to trace the origin of a product and its journey from source to sale. And we need more of these leaders, and to tap into the expertise of those at the forefront of technological innovation, if we are going to be successful in this fight.

    But as we do this, must also ensure our own house is in order. That is why I can announce that the UK will take action to eliminate slavery from our own public procurement practises alongside a review of our Modern Slavery Act to ensure that our legislation is as strong and effective as it can be. And the message here is clear. Doing business with the UK requires you to act responsibly.

    I hope this event today will shine a light on the encouraging progress, innovative solutions and lasting partnerships we are making, as well as the extra steps that we must take.

    Because we must not forget that as we speak, millions of men, women and children are living and working in unimaginable conditions, facing violence, abuse, exploitation on a daily basis.

    We owe it to them to put our strong words into even stronger actions, to hold ourselves accountable for our commitments, and to ensure that each day is a day closer to ending this injustice.

    And now I would now like to introduce Rani Hong – a survivor of child trafficking and a leading voice in the fight against modern slavery. Her dedication to this injustice is truly inspirational and I am delighted that she has been able to join us here today.

  • Jeremy Wright – 2018 Speech at Royal Television Society Conference

    Below is the text of the speech made by Jeremy Wright, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on 18 September 2018.

    Good afternoon everybody and thank you to the Royal Television Society for inviting me here today.

    I feel very fortunate to have been in this wonderful role for three months.

    One of the many brilliant things about heading up DCMS is it provides an opportunity to play a part in the blistering advances in technology that are transforming all of our lives.

    As leaders in the media and creative industries you know about these advances better than most.

    In this rapidly changing and increasingly polarised world, the role of the media is evolving, and in my view becoming more important than ever.

    For the media, and for the television industry in particular, trust is a vital commodity.

    It may not capture the imagination in quite the same way as a new drama; be as immediately celebrated as an overnight BARB rating; or even be treasured quite as much as new revenue..

    But all broadcasters need trust to succeed.

    In an era of rapid technological change, infinite consumer choice, and spectacularly-resourced international competition – trust is something that is vital to the success of British media.

    So I want to talk today about what the TV industry – and public service broadcasters in particular – can do to maintain that trust, and help us address some of the most pressing issues in our society and democracy.

    Disinformation

    The most obvious aspect of trust is in relation to the accuracy of news.

    Disinformation, and misinformation, is one of the most significant issues of our age.

    We have all seen how it can sow discord and pose a risk to free and fair elections.

    And in my previous role of Attorney General, I saw firsthand how it can jeopardise our criminal process.

    As the digital revolution continues to transform our lives, the potential to disrupt our civil society and democratic institutions becomes greater than ever.

    An emerging example is how artificial intelligence can be used to manipulate audio and video content quickly and in ways that make it very hard for consumers to detect.

    Now while this has many potentially exciting benefits for the creative industries – such as re-dubbing films and television in different languages – it can also be employed in the creation of what are called ‘deepfakes’.

    That is to say very realistic, but nonetheless fake, audio and video content – for example the widely cited video of President Obama that I know you saw earlier.

    Given the speed of technological change, it is perhaps no wonder that according to Reuters, only 42 per cent of people trust the news they read.

    Crucially, however, 70 per cent of viewers consider television a trustworthy source of news.

    This is something for the industry to be proud of. But while TV is still where most adults in the UK turn for their news, this is not true for younger audiences. Indeed Ofcom found that for 82 per cent of 16 to 24 year olds, the Internet is their first port of call.

    And yet while people are increasingly turning to the online space for news, less than a third of people believe that most news apps and websites are trustworthy.

    As we all know, the Internet, once described by a former executive of Google as “the largest experiment in anarchy” – is not a place where fact and fiction can be easily distinguished.

    In our Digital Charter we set out a clear goal to tackle disinformation and misinformation here in the UK. One of the ways we will do this is by giving people the digital literacy and critical thinking skills needed to properly assess online content.

    This will add to the important work that has been done by The Times, the Guardian Foundation, the BBC and others in launching projects to improve media literacy.

    We are also developing a range of regulatory and non-regulatory measures to improve transparency and accountability online, and thus tackle a range of online harms.

    I would like to take this opportunity to spend a moment on one of the most egregious examples of inaccurate information online.

    Following the Salisbury incident, Russia has begun a blatant disinformation campaign: with misleading procedural questions and over 40 different official narratives, all false. Many of these were carried and promoted on Kremlin-backed media.

    Russia Today, funded by the Russian state, is a major concern.

    Ofcom has repeatedly found that RT has been in violation of standards; these include cases when Ofcom say RT’s coverage has been labeled “materially misleading”.

    Ofcom currently has 10 investigations into the impartiality of RT’s news and current affairs programmes. I welcome these investigations and I await their conclusions with great interest.

    It is true, the tech sector has been taking action, especially Twitter, to make mounting disinformation campaigns more difficult and costly.

    This has included the development of algorithms to spot fake accounts and the deletion of hundreds of thousands of suspect accounts, many linked to hostile states such as Russia.

    But of course, they can and should do more in this battle. Our democracy depends on it.

    And as well as tackling sources of inaccurate information, we want to strengthen and support high quality sources that people can trust. High quality and properly researched journalism is the best possible weapon in our battle against fake news.

    And so the sustainability of our high quality media is something that should concern us all.

    In March we launched an independent review, chaired by Dame Frances Cairncross, to look at how the production and distribution of high-quality news journalism can be sustained in a changing market, with a particular focus on the online space.

    The call for evidence closed just two days ago, and I look forward to Dame Frances’ report and recommendations early next year.

    Similarly, the PSBs and other trusted broadcasters have a vital role to play.

    As well as continuing to provide high quality news on linear TV, PSBs must also work to reach a wider audience.

    And we have seen a lot of success here – for example Channel 4 News: on Facebook they get sixty million views per month – the largest of any British news programme. And last year they had two billion video views across Facebook and YouTube.

    It is not for me to tell PSBs, or other major broadcasters, how to operate but I welcome these developments and I am sure we will see more of them in the coming years.

    Representation

    Of course, the accuracy of news is not the only way for PSBs to generate trust.

    Our public service broadcasters are national institutions. For decades, they have entertained, informed and educated; establishing a trust which was inherited from generation to generation.

    For a long time this was never in doubt – until 1997 most people only had access to four television channels.

    But, of course, the market is now changing rapidly.

    Competition for eyeballs, subscriptions, and most importantly time has never been more intense.

    Data has become key in the battle to produce the next hit – global media giants with vast audience analysis budgets are operating at a significant advantage.

    We often hear how our PSBs struggle to compete against these leviathans – and that may be true in part when it comes to some budgets.

    But for the same money that Netflix spent on the first two series of the Crown, the BBC made eighteen series, which were seen by 74% of the population.

    Our PSBs have so many unique advantages that they need to exploit to the full.

    But as national institutions in a multichannel world, they must also work to secure the trust of the whole UK.

    One example is making younger viewers just as engaged in PSB programming as their parents were.

    Younger viewers are more open to new technology and more receptive to new brands than any generation before them.

    This change in consumption habits is showing no sign of slowing down. So you must reach them where they want to be reached. And they must find you where they expect you to be found.

    I want to see the PSBs being nimble, working across platforms, innovating and collaborating. Internationally this has been a success: Britbox is showing the best of British to viewers in the US and Canada. PSBs should not be afraid of building on this success at home.

    To support this, we are launching a Contestable Fund pilot, of up to 60 million pounds, to stimulate the provision and plurality of original UK content for young audiences, both on linear TV and on demand.

    This will help create new funding avenues for creators of original content and bring new voices to the market.

    We will be publishing a policy paper shortly on the final design, and I strongly encourage the commercial PSBs and other free-to-air broadcasters to demonstrate their commitment to young audiences by supporting the fund once it is launched April next year.

    PSBs are national institutions and at their best, they have an innate ability to tap into the mood of the nation. This is their competitive edge.

    And so it is crucial that these organisations are made up of the people that they serve – both on and off screen.

    We all know that people want content that speaks to them and their experiences – this means people from different regions, ethnic backgrounds and social groups. Proper representation is vital to maintaining the trust of different audiences.

    83 per cent of viewers think it is important that PSBs portray their region fairly, however only 63 per cent think that they do.

    I am very pleased that the BBC and Channel 4 have agreed to increase their regional impact, and I hope other broadcasters will continue to do more.

    More than half of black viewers felt that there weren’t enough black people on TV, and when they are, 51 per cent feel that they are portrayed negatively.

    This means asking some searching questions too about the makeup of our media organisations. Because to know how to evolve to meet the needs of younger, more diverse audiences as they get older; it is easier if you employ them.

    This means providing genuine opportunities for those who have talent but may not yet be the finished product, or might not know the right people.

    Michaela Coel talked compellingly in Edinburgh just a few weeks ago about how in her early years in the TV industry she felt like a misfit or an outsider.

    As national institutions it is your job to invite people in. By doing so, you will not only create and solidify that trust: you will secure it for generations to come.

    So today I am asking you to go further in your efforts.

    By doing more to build trust in the accuracy of news through high quality journalism and reporting;

    By doing more to provide for diverse, young and UK-wide audiences, and exploring innovative ways to reach them;

    And by providing opportunities for under-represented groups both on and off screen.

    In exchange, the government will support PSBs to ensure they continue to thrive, and stay prominent, as part of a healthy, sustainable and dynamic media landscape.

    So I can assure you I will be looking closely at the results of Ofcom’s work on Prominence, and will work with the PSBs and the whole sector, to ensure the government is playing our part in supporting the future of public service broadcasting at the very heart of our vibrant media sector.

    Conclusion

    Broadcasting is one of this country’s greatest success stories. Our extraordinary content and talent are respected around the world.

    Indeed, the UK recently reclaimed top position in the Global Soft Power Index, driven in large part by our culture and creative industries, not least our superb broadcasting sector.

    Shows and formats such as Doctor Who and Bake Off are known and admired the world over, and one study found that among US readers four of the 10 most trusted sources of news are based in Britain.

    We need to build on this.

    Because a strong media means a strong democracy and a strong nation.

    And we cannot be complacent.

    Those sowing discord want to undermine this trust and the institutions upon which our liberal democracy relies.

    Trust is a precious commodity and bolstering it is vital to our future.

    Thank you for the part that you play in this and that you will continue to play; I will be on your side as you do so.

    Thank you very much.