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PRESS RELEASE : Environment Secretary in Northern Ireland for UK-EU Reset talks [May 2026]
The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 14 May 2026.

Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds visits Northern Ireland to highlight how a UK-EU food and drink deal will cut red tape, lower costs and keep trade flowing.

Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds is visiting Northern Ireland this week to meet farmers, growers and businesses at the heart of its agri-food sector and discuss the benefits of the new UK–EU food and drink deal.

Northern Ireland already benefits from full EU market access, thanks to its unique position under the Windsor Framework. But for the first time since EU Exit, most food and drink goods moving from GB to NI will no longer require checks, including regulatory certificates that can cost between £80 and £200 each, saving businesses millions every year. Over the last three years, these charges for Export Health Certificates have cost businesses between £13m and £32m.

By cutting “paperwork tax” an SPS agreement will make trade easier for businesses, help British produce reach European markets and could help bring down the cost of food and drink.

The new SPS agreement is part of rebuilding the UK’s relationship with Europe in a way that strengthens the economy and supports trade, with the potential to boost UK GDP by up to £5.1 billion a year.

Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds said:

We are cutting red tape and scrapping unnecessary checks, making it easier and cheaper to keep goods moving between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland’s food and drink businesses deserve a better deal. That means protecting the UK internal market, supporting businesses and giving families more choice, availability and value across Northern Ireland.

At the Balmoral Show on Thursday 14 May – Northern Ireland’s premier farming event – the Environment Secretary will meet stallholders and sector representatives from across the farming and horticultural communities, who will benefit from the removal of certification requirements for plants, seeds and used agricultural and forestry machinery.

Northern Ireland Office Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Minister Matthew Patrick will also meet with farming community representatives and businesses at the Balmoral Show. He said:

Northern Ireland’s agrifood sector is of great importance to the UK economy and to our food security, and I’ve been hugely impressed by the high-quality produce on offer at the Balmoral Show.

It’s great that this deal will provide real benefits for consumers, helping to ensure availability and cut costs at a time when many are facing cost of living pressures.

The Environment Secretary and Borders Minister Baroness Hayman will also chair a roundtable discussion with members of the Confederation of British Industry, ensuring Northern Ireland businesses are represented in a deal that will cut paperwork, support choice and availability on supermarket shelves, and help ease food price inflation for families across Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

Eddie Murphy, Country Director for M&S Ireland and Northern Ireland, said:

We have over 20 stores and work with nearly 2,000 Select Farm partners in Northern Ireland.

This deal will remove unnecessary bureaucracy and reduce cost pressures, helping us to go further in offering Northern Irish customers the very best of M&S by speeding up the flow of goods and access to fresh produce.

The visit comes as the European Partnership Bill was announced at the State Opening of Parliament yesterday, kickstarting the legislative framework needed to implement the agreement and allow businesses to start realising its benefits from mid‑2027.

Along with the removal of the vast majority of food and drink checks, the new agreement will also dramatically reduce costs, paperwork and checks on flowers, plants and seeds moving between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, while final restrictions on the movement of certain tree species will disappear.

Together, these changes will support Northern Ireland’s farmers, gardeners, garden centres, environmental projects and rural businesses, ensuring they can benefit fully from smoother trade with Great Britain.

NOTES TO EDITORS
- The Windsor Framework facilitates Northern Ireland’s ability to trade freely within both the UK internal market and the EU Single Market. This will remain in place, addressing NI’s unique dual market access and safeguarding the Good Friday agreement.
What businesses in Northern Ireland can do now
- While negotiations continue, businesses can take practical steps to get ready:
- Engage with their relevant trade body or industry association: They will be key partners in providing sector-specific guidance and many are already working with government to help members prepare.
- Engage with your supply chain: To understand any changes that may apply to them.
- Sign up to Defra email alerts here for regular updates: To receive the latest information on negotiations, implementation timelines, and details of guidance and support available.
- Detailed guidance will be published as negotiations progress to ensure businesses across Northern Ireland – from farmers and processors to retailers and hauliers – are ready to benefit from day one.
May 14, 2026
PRESS RELEASE : Joint Statement on the invocation of the OSCE Moscow Mechanism [May 2026]
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 14 May 2026.

UK and 40 other OSCE countries invoke the Moscow Mechanism to investigate indoctrination of Ukrainian children by Russia.

[Delivered in French]

The Russian Federation’s full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine is in its fifth year. Russia’s illegal occupation of parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions is now in its fifth year, while its illegal occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the city of Sevastopol, and parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions is in its thirteenth year. There continue to be reports of large-scale violations and abuses of international human rights law (IHRL) and international humanitarian law (IHL), many of which may amount to the most serious international crimes.

Against this backdrop, we are profoundly alarmed by credible and mounting reports that the Russian Federation is systematically subjecting Ukrainian children – especially those staying in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and those forcibly transferred to such territories or unlawfully deported to Russia – to militarization, indoctrination, coercion, and other repressive practices aimed at, inter alia, erasing Ukrainian identity and compelling loyalty to the occupying power.

We recall that OSCE participating States, following bilateral consultations with Ukraine under the Vienna (Human Dimension) Mechanism, have invoked Paragraph 8 of the Moscow (Human Dimension) Mechanism five times in response to Russia’s aggression. Since 2022, Moscow Mechanism missions have documented violations of IHL and IHRL and identified patterns of serious international crimes. Notably, in 2023, a dedicated Moscow Mechanism mission reported on the forcible transfer and/or unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children to the Russian Federation, including their exposure to assimilationist policies and “military education”.

We note, inter alia, that Ukraine, the UN and civil society organizations continue to document the unlawful deportation and/or forcible transfer of children and the severe harm inflicted on them. As of 23 March 2026, Ukraine’s official “Children of War” platform reports, among other figures, 20,000 children “deported and/or forcibly displaced” (Bring Kids Back UA figure), alongside other verified child-casualty and missing-person data.

In its latest report, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine concluded that the Russian authorities had committed acts “amounting to crimes against humanity and war crimes of deportation and forcible transfer of children” on the basis of compelling evidence concerning the deportation and transfer of a total of 1205 children from five oblasts in Ukraine.

Building upon findings by previous Moscow Mechanism missions, as well as other credible reports, we are now confronted with a distinct and urgent human dimension question: the protection of Ukrainian children under occupation and/or in armed conflict against unlawful deportation, forced assimilation, re-education, militarisation, indoctrination, coercive propaganda, intimidation, and violence.

“Credible open-source research has mapped an extensive infrastructure supporting these practices. For example, the Yale School of Public Health Humanitarian Research Lab reported in September 2025 that children from Ukraine have been taken to at least 210 facilities in Russia and temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine, describing patterns of “re-education” and militarization.

In addition to indoctrination and militarization, we underline our deep concern that Russia’s conduct towards Ukrainian children includes pressure, repression, illegal adoptions, and exposure to psychological and physical violence, especially in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and during forcible transfer or unlawful deportation.

These acts strike at the very core of OSCE commitments and the international legal framework protecting children, including participating States’ obligations under international human rights law and international humanitarian law.

Gravely concerned by these developments, the delegations of:

Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, The Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, following consultations with Ukraine under the Vienna (Human Dimension) Mechanism, hereby invoke the OSCE Moscow (Human Dimension) Mechanism under Paragraph 8 of that document.

We request that ODIHR inquire of Ukraine whether it would invite a mission of experts to build upon previous findings and to:
1. Establish the facts and circumstances surrounding possible contraventions of relevant OSCE commitments, and violations and abuses of IHRL and IHL, related to the militarization and indoctrination of Ukrainian children by the Russian Federation, including in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and including in the context of forcible transfer and/or unlawful deportation;
2. Collect, consolidate and analyse information on these practices, including patterns of coercion, intimidation, repression, unlawful deprivation of liberty, illegal adoptions, ill-treatment, and other forms of violence affecting children;
3. Further collect, consolidate and analyse information on the legislative framework adopted by Russia for this purpose, and the school curricula imposed on Ukrainian children in the temporarily occupied territories;
4. Assess whether such practices indicate a coordinated and systematic policy aimed, inter alia, at erasing Ukrainian identity of children, including through their illegal adoptions as well as alteration of their nationality, and conditioning children for service to the occupying power;
5. Assess the impact of these practices on the rights of Ukrainian children, including the rights to life and development, health, education, family life, equality and non-discrimination, and protection from all forms of violence, and provide recommendations on urgent protective measures, prevention, and accountability pathways;
6. Offer recommendations on relevant accountability mechanisms, including how OSCE participating States and OSCE institutions can support documentation, child protection, return and reintegration efforts, and international co-operation to end impunity for crimes against children.
We also invite ODIHR to provide any relevant information or documentation derived from any new expert mission to other appropriate accountability mechanisms, as well as national, regional, or international courts or tribunals that have, or may in future have, jurisdiction.

Russia’s refusal to co-operate with OSCE human dimension mechanisms in relation to Ukraine has been a persistent feature of previous missions. We nevertheless affirm that the Moscow Mechanism was adopted by consensus by all participating States and remains a vital OSCE instrument to establish facts, identify patterns, and issue recommendations to participating States when serious human dimension concerns arise.
May 14, 2026
PRESS RELEASE : Government reviews access to face to face banking services [May 2026]
The press release issued by HM Treasury on 14 May 2026.

An independent review will look at how shifts in face-to-face banking services affect people and communities, with new powers enabling the Government to act on what it finds.
- Lucy Rigby, Economic Secretary to the Treasury, has commissioned independent review to protect access to face‑to‑face banking across the UK.
- Review to be led by Richard Lloyd, former Which? director and former board member of the FCA.
- Findings will inform new powers for Government to act where access to banking is at risk.
The Government is taking action to ensure people and communities across the UK can continue to access the banking services they need by commissioning an independent review alongside delivering new powers to act on the findings.

The way people across the UK use retail banking services has changed significantly, with many customers now choosing to bank online. In response, banks and building societies have reshaped their branch networks, reflecting changing customer preferences – but this may be creating challenges for those who rely on in-person banking services.

The review will gather evidence on the real‑world impact of branch closures, identify who is most affected, and assess where further action may be needed to protect access to banking services.

The Review follows the announcement of the Financial Services and Markets Bill in the King’s Speech, where the Treasury intends to include a power to be able to act swiftly if the evidence supports intervention on access to banking services.

Lucy Rigby, Economic Secretary to the Treasury, said:

Banking services are a really important part of lives and communities, and it’s critical we can all access what we need – whether through local banking services or strong community-based alternatives like credit unions.

We are supporting industry’s roll out of banking hubs , but we also need a clear picture of where communities are still losing out. This independent Review will show us where the problems are and what further action may be required – and we will move quickly to legislate where the evidence shows it is needed.

The Access to Banking Review will be chaired by Richard Lloyd OBE, who will provide a report and recommendations to Government by October 2026. He brings strong regulatory and consumer experience, having served as a non-executive director (and interim Chair) of the Financial Conduct Authority and as Executive Director of Which?

The Bill will also take forward some of the credit union common bond reforms announced in March, making it easier for credit unions in Great Britain to expand and broaden their membership.

The changes will see more people access affordable credit and a safe place to save The move will strengthen community-based financial services, delivering on the manifesto pledge to grow the mutuals sector.

He also contributed to the Access to Cash Review, which set out practical recommendations to make sure people can still withdraw and deposit cash locally. The findings of the review helped inform later changes in law and regulation, including new FCA powers and encouraged industry solutions such as banking hubs. Richard is currently the Chair of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA).

Richard Lloyd OBE, Chair of Access to Banking review, said:

Banking is an essential service that every consumer and community in the UK needs. That’s why it’s so important to take stock of the impact that the big shift to digital services has already had, and to understand the need for access to in-person banking in the future. I hope to hear from as wide a range of views as possible, and welcome the Treasury’s commitment to taking action should this independent review find evidence that new legislation is needed.

Gareth Oakley, Chief Executive Officer, Cash Access UK said:

While cash usage continues to decline as digital payments expand, we’ve seen first-hand how important local access to cash and face-to-face banking is for many households and businesses. Our job is to deliver solutions where these are needed and to date we’ve opened 237 banking hubs and over 140 deposit services.

There’s more work to be done, but the good news is that 95 percent of customer needs are met when visiting a banking hub and nearly 9 in 10 customers would recommend Hub services to family and friends.

We look forward to contributing towards the review and working with Government.

Sarah Harrison, Chief Executive, Building Societies Association (BSA)

Building societies and credit unions are rooted in local communities and provide more than 1 in 3 high street branches.

As customer needs change, building societies are continuing to meet these both by investing in digital channels as well as innovating in high street branches and the use of community spaces – so it’s the customer’s choice of how and when to engage. We welcome the Government’s Access to Banking Review and look forward to contributing.

The proposed credit union reforms are an important step in helping more people to access fair, straightforward financial services, essential at a time when household finances are under real pressure. Access to affordable borrowing and a safe place.

Matt Bland, Chief Executive, All Together Money – The credit union movement, said:

We’re delighted to see credit union common bond reform confirmed in the King’s Speech. This is a significant step forward for the sector in delivering our Credit Union Sector Growth Plan. The proposed changes will remove barriers to growth and provide credit unions with greater flexibility to reach many more people with affordable financial services alongside the major Fair4All Finance investment in credit union transformation committed to in the Financial Inclusion Strategy.

Notes to editors:

Banking hubs
- Access to cash is already protected by regulation, with voluntary solutions like banking hubs being put in place. The Government has a manifesto commitment to work with industry to deliver 350 banking hubs by the end of this Parliament. Delivery is well underway, with over 275 hubs announced, and more than 230 already open. But there are no equivalent protections for wider in-person banking services.
- Banking hubs are a voluntary industry initiative from the largest UK high street banks which provide ‘assisted cash services’ in shared premises. They were developed by the industry as a way to comply with their obligations under the FCA’s access to cash regime.
- Hubs offer cash counter services provided by Post Office staff, allowing the vast majority of UK banking customers to withdraw and deposit cash. Beyond cash services, banking hubs also provide some wider in-person banking services to customers of banks, voluntarily.
Building societies
- Building societies are customer-owned businesses which reinvest their profits for the benefits of their members and communities. They all provide mortgages and savings and a number also provide current accounts.
- With all of their headquarters outside London, building societies operate through approximately 1,300 branches, holding a 35% share of branches across the UK.
Credit unions
- Credit unions are financial co-operatives that receive savings deposits from their members and provide loans to members using these funds, with the interest paid contributing to the provision of their services.
- Credit unions must have a ‘common bond’ – a defined connection between members, such as living or working in a particular area, or sharing a workplace or profession.
Financial Services and Markets Bill

This Bill was announced in the King’s Speech on the 13 May.
May 14, 2026
PRESS RELEASE : Michael Salter-Church reappointed as Chair of the Horniman Museum [May 2026]

The press release issued by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on 14 May 2026.

The Secretary of State has reappointed Michael Salter-Church as Chair of the Horniman Museum and Gardens from 14 August 2026 to 13 August 2030.

Michael Salter-Church

Michael has been Chair of the Horniman Museum and Gardens since 2021. He is also a Trustee and Council member of the National Trust.

His professional background is in corporate affairs, including media, public policy, sustainability and campaigning. Most recently he worked on the deployment of gigabit broadband with Openreach, where he also led work on digital inclusion and was sponsor of their Pride employee network. Roles prior to this include Sainsbury’s and 10 Downing Street. He is also a member of the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership.

He is a campaigner for equality and inclusion which has included: championing more diversity in governance roles; founding and for nine-years co-chairing the LGBTQ+ Pride event in London; serving as the then Prime Minister’s principal advisor on LGBTQ+ issues and equal marriage 2010-2015; and co-chairing the industry working group to improve diversity in the telecoms sector. He also serves on Action for Children’s organising committee for their largest annual fundraising event.

He accepted The Queen’s Award for Voluntary service on behalf of the volunteers who ran Pride in London, and was awarded an MBE for public service in 2015.

He lives with his husband and two partially sighted cats near the Horniman Museum and Gardens.

Remuneration and Governance Code

The Chair of the Horniman Museum is not remunerated.

These appointments have been made in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments. The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election.

Michael Salter-Church has declared no such political activity.

May 14, 2026
NEWS STORY : UK Economy Records Surprise Growth Despite Global Uncertainty

STORY

The UK economy grew unexpectedly in March, delivering a boost for Rachel Reeves as the Chancellor argued that the Government’s economic plan was beginning to work. Official figures showed GDP rose by 0.3% in March, defying forecasts of a 0.2% contraction. The stronger-than-expected monthly figure helped the economy grow by 0.6% across the first quarter of 2026, up from 0.2% in the final quarter of 2025.

The growth was driven largely by the services sector, with computer programming and advertising among the areas performing strongly. Construction also grew in March, while production fell slightly. Across the quarter, services output rose by 0.8%, construction by 0.4% and production by 0.2%.

The figures are politically important for Reeves, who said they showed ministers had the “right economic plan” and warned against putting economic stability at risk during Labour’s leadership turmoil. She argued that a leadership contest could create further uncertainty at a time when the economy was showing signs of recovery.

May 14, 2026
Wes Streeting – 2026 Letter of Resignation as Health Secretary

The resignation letter sent by Wes Streeting, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, on 14 May 2026.

House of Commons
London SW1A 0AA

14th May 2026

Dear Prime Minister,

The results are in and I am pleased to report that I have delivered against the ambitious targets you set for me when I became your Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. Today’s figures confirm that we surpassed our waiting times target despite strikes, and that waiting lists fell by 110,000 in March – the biggest monthly drop outside of Covid since 2008 – meaning that we are on track to achieve the fastest improvement in NHS waiting times in history.

The only question that matters in government is whether we leave our successors a better situation than we inherited. Ambulance response times for heart attacks and strokes are now the fastest in five years. A&E waiting times are improving, with four-hour waiting figures also the best in five years. We’ve recruited 2,000 more GPs and satisfaction has risen from 60 per cent to 74.5 per cent since we came to office. We hit our target of recruiting 8,500 mental health staff three years early. We’ve achieved this at the same as balancing the books for the first time in nine years and smashing the 2 per cent NHS productivity target by achieving 2.8 per cent, which means the investment we’re putting in goes further and that the public can have greater confidence that their money is being well-spent.

None of this would have been achieved without the brilliant leadership team of ministers, officials, and special advisers we have established in the Department of Health and Social Care and the NHS – superbly led by Samantha Jones and Sir Jim Mackey, who has been a knight in shining armour and a brilliant leader of 1.5 million staff upon whom all this success depends.

The National Health Service is the embodiment of all that is best about Britain and our values. Thanks to our Labour government, it is on the road to recovery: lots done, but so much more to do.

These are all good reasons for me to remain in post, but as you know from our conversation earlier this week, having lost confidence in your leadership, I have concluded that it would be dishonourable and unprincipled to do so.

Last week’s election results were unprecedented – both in terms of the scale of the defeat and the consequences of that failure. For the first time in our country’s history, nationalists are in power in every corner of the United Kingdom – including a dangerous English nationalism represented by Nigel Farage and Reform UK. This represents both an existential threat to the future integrity of the United Kingdom, but Reform UK also represent a threat to the values and ideals that have made this country great. Progressives across our country understand this threat and our responsibility to confront it, but they are increasingly losing faith that the Labour Party is capable of rising to our historic responsibility of defeating racism and offering hope that Britain’s best days lie ahead through social democracy.

There is no doubt that the unpopularity of this Government was a major and common factor in our defeats across England, Scotland and Wales. Good Labour people lost through no fault of their own. There are many reasons we could point to: from individual mistakes on policy like the decision to cut the winter fuel allowance to the ‘island of strangers’ speech, all of which have left the country not knowing who we are or what we really stand for.

You have many great strengths that I admire. You led our party to a victory few thought possible in 2024 and I was proud to fight alongside you in the trenches of that campaign. You have shown courage and statesmanship on the world stage – not least in keeping Britain out of the war in Iran.

But where we need vision, we have a vacuum. Where we need direction, we have drift. This was underscored by your speech on Monday. Leaders take responsibility, but too often that has meant other people falling on their swords. You also need to listen to your colleagues, including backbenchers, and the heavy-handed approach to dissenting voices diminishes our politics.

As a member of your government, I know better than most that governing is hard. It should be, because it matters. There are enormous challenges facing this country. For the first time in our history the next generation faces a worse inheritance than the last. We have wars raging in Europe and the Middle East that are making our challenges harder, not easier. We are in the foothills of a technological industrial revolution that has huge implications for every aspect of our lives – not least the future of work. It is not clear whether democracy or tyranny will define the 21st century. After the financial crisis, austerity, the disaster of Brexit, Liz Truss, the covid pandemic, the war in Ukraine and now the war in Iran, the country needs to believe again that things can be better than this and that politics is part of the answer, not the source of the problem. These are big challenges that require a bold vision and bigger solutions than we are offering.

It is now clear that you will not lead the Labour Party into the next general election and that Labour MPs and Labour Unions want the debate about what comes next to be a battle of ideas, not of personalities or petty factionalism. It needs to be broad, and it needs the best possible field of candidates. I support that approach and I hope that you will facilitate this.

Serving as your Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has been the greatest joy of my life and, regardless of our differences this week, I remain truly grateful to you for the opportunity to serve and I am deeply saddened to be leaving government in this way.

Yours sincerely,

The Rt Hon Wes Streeting MP

May 14, 2026
NEWS STORY : Wes Streeting Resigns as Health Secretary

STORY

Wes Streeting has resigned from his role as the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care saying that it is clear that Keir Starmer “will not lead the Labour Party into the next election”.

May 14, 2026
PRESS RELEASE : Andrew Figgures’ term extended as Trustee of the Imperial War Museum [May 2026]

The press release issued by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on 14 May 2026.

The Prime Minister has extended the term of Lieutenant-General Andrew Figgures CB CBE FREng for 9 months, from 1 February 2026 to 31 October 2026.

Lieutenant-General Andrew Figgures CB CBE FREng

Lieutenant General Andrew Figgures was commissioned from Sandhurst into the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. He has served in Germany and the United Kingdom and on operations in Northern Ireland, the Former Republic of Yugoslavia and Iraq in 2003-2004 where he was Senior British Military Representative and deputy to the US Commander.

He has been on the directing staff at the Royal Military College of Science responsible for the instruction of Surveillance, Target Acquisition, Aerial Vehicles’ Guided Weapons and Emerging Technology. In 2004 he became Technical Director of the Defence Procurement Agency and Defence Logistic Organisation, Master-General of the Ordnance and a member of the Army Board. On promotion to Lieutenant General in 2006 he became Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff responsible for the Defence Equipment Plan for all three services.

In 2010 on leaving the Army, he was appointed to the position of Chief Executive of the British Transport Police Authority with the responsibility for policing the railways in Great Britain until 2016.

Remuneration and Governance Code

Trustees of the Imperial War Museum are not remunerated.

May 14, 2026
Fleur Anderson – 2026 Speech on the Loyal Address

The speech made by Fleur Anderson, the Labour MP for Putney, in the House of Commons on 13 May 2026.

It is a privilege to speak in this debate on the Loyal Address in reply to the King’s Speech. I thank my hon. Friends the Members for Bradford West (Naz Shah) and for Harlow (Chris Vince) for their proposing speeches and congratulate them.

It is an honour to be the MP for Putney, Southfields, Roehampton and Wandsworth Town, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people who have stopped me—on the street, at events or when I go to schools—to thank me for the work I do for our community. That is not often the image of MPs, which is usually about being constantly harassed and abused, but, honestly, the people of Putney are wonderful and I am so grateful for their support for my work. We do not always agree on everything, but they are very supportive of my work as an MP, and I thank them for that.

In a short time, His Majesty’s Government have delivered real change that matters to people in Putney, Southfields, Roehampton and Wandsworth Town, who tell me what the Government are doing to make a difference to their lives. We have raised the minimum wage and strengthened workers’ rights, including day one sick pay, protecting renters’ rights and stopping the unfair section 21 evictions. In the last few months leading up to section 21 evictions being stopped, it has been horrific to see that, while the good landlords remain good, the rogue landlords have taken the opportunity to evict people. That just shows why we needed to make that change, and how good it is to rebalance the equation in favour of renters. We have also brought the railways back into public ownership, starting with our own South Western Railway, and I am so proud that we have lifted 450,000 children out of poverty by abolishing the two-child benefit cap.

I welcome the ambitious package of legislation announced today. The 37 Bills include those on health, education and security. There is a clean water Bill to tackle pollution and hold water companies to account. There is a Bill to speed up remediation for those living with unsafe cladding, which is still affecting so many people on developments in Putney. There is long-term investment in social housing, and support for victims of domestic abuse to stay in their own home. There is reform of the leasehold system by accelerating the transition to commonhold, including stronger transparency measures alongside tighter regulation of managing agents. This issue plagues so many people in Putney, who have been looking forward to the commonhold and leasehold transformation coming down the line. It will make such a difference to people who do not get enough information on their bills, do not know what they are being asked to pay for and see their bills go up time and again. We are giving them the security of tenure that they have not had up to now. There is also the scaling up of clean energy through the energy independence Bill.

The Northern Ireland legacy Bill will build a fairer Northern Ireland, with justice for the families who have waited for too long.

Jim Shannon

I commend the hon. Lady for her very positive speech. Unfortunately, however, we do not see in the legacy Bill the emphasis that we wish on victims. Does she agree that, if we are going to have a legacy Bill, it must address the issues of victims? It must also address the issue of the Republic of Ireland, which has more say in the process than we have here.

Fleur Anderson

I absolutely respect the work that the hon. Member does in his constituency and across Northern Ireland to bring about reconciliation, but I would say that the Bill does put victims at its heart. The victims have been spoken to constantly to create the Bill and rework it, since the Tories’ Bill did not work, and to put the justice they want at its heart. Across the Chamber, we should make sure that the Bill does deliver what he advocates, because it should deliver justice and the answers for which families have been waiting for so long.

I must say that I am disappointed there was no mention of the renovation of Hammersmith bridge in the King’s Speech. I live in hope that one day the King will sit on the Throne and talk about the renovation of Hammersmith bridge. We are one step further, because there is a timetable for applying to the structures fund, and I am very hopeful that funding will be announced soon—this year—for that renovation, so that the bridge can reopen for the six bus routes and all the vehicles now prevented from going across it, which impacts us so much in Putney.

However, I was most keen to see the focus on closer alignment with the European Union, and I will focus my speech on that, as well as on protecting children online and international security. Brexit has imposed a deep and enduring cost on our economy and living standards. It is the elephant in the room when we talk about the economy, and the context for the very difficult financial position we are in as a country. Because of Brexit, GDP per person is 6% to 8% lower, business investment is about 18% lower, and employment and productivity are down 3% to 4%. The hon. Member for Clacton (Nigel Farage) will talk about everything he did, except the consequences of the single policy that he has delivered. He sold the country false promises, and we are seeing the consequences today, but he is not the only one that bears the cost.

Madam Deputy Speaker (Caroline Nokes)

Order. The hon. Lady might like to consider withdrawing the comment “false promises”, because I think she is suggesting falsehoods from the hon. Member for Clacton (Nigel Farage).

Fleur Anderson

I certainly will withdraw that. Thank you very much, Madam Deputy Speaker.

The cost is being borne by families who cannot magic away the detrimental economic consequences of Brexit with a £5 million gift. The damage that the hon. Member for Clacton has inflicted has compounded, year after year. The Brexit effect has built up and up through uncertainty, higher trade barriers, and businesses being forced to divert time and resources away from growth, innovation and job creation.

As a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, I recommend that all Members read our report on the EU reset. The most important lesson the Committee drew is that a reset cannot simply be a collection of lots of initiatives; it must be guided by a clear strategic vision. We need a whole-of-government strategy that defines what we want the relationship with the EU to look like in five, 10 and 15 years’ time, and aligns our economic, security and diplomatic priorities accordingly. I therefore welcome the announcement of the European partnership Bill in the Gracious Address. I welcome the priority that is being given to a better working relationship with the EU. This will benefit the whole country through better security, increased economic growth and more investment for businesses. This is how we tackle the cost of living crisis.

On economic co-operation, we must reduce the real-world frictions holding back British businesses. A veterinary sanitary and phytosanitary agreement will cut border checks and bring down costs. Mutual recognition of professional qualifications will unlock services and trade, and where alignment supports jobs and growth, we should pursue it.

On security and defence, in a more dangerous world, the UK’s security and that of Europe are indivisible. We should seek to return to frameworks such as Security Action for Europe, which increased military readiness and defence scale-up. We should strengthen co-operation on defence capability, industrial resilience and strategic planning. The choice is not between sovereignty and co-operation; it is between influence and absence.

On people-to-people links, the return to Erasmus+ must be built upon with a youth mobility scheme. We should reverse the cutback in school visits, and ensure better access for touring musicians, creatives and researchers. This parliamentary Session will include action on social media and its impact on under-16s. Across Putney, parents raise with me again and again the harmful impact of social media. I recently had consultations in schools in my constituency—in Hotham primary school, Putney high school and Ashcroft technology academy—in which I talked to young people about the impact. I talked about the addictive design, harmful content and sheer amount of time young people are spending online—wasted time that they feel disappointed about.

I am really pleased that the Government are already taking action; there are consultations, pilots and proposals for restrictions right now. I agree that we must now go further, and with greater clarity. Other countries are already acting on this issue. The debate here has progressed very fast in the last year, and action now, it is agreed by everyone, is essential. The time has come to set a clear principle that childhood should not be shaped by predatory algorithms designed to maximise engagement at any cost. I support raising the age of social media use to 16, alongside robust and enforceable age verification. This is not about being anti-technology; it is about being pro-childhood. The campaign on this issue in Australia is called 36 Months. It said it so well: raising the age for social media use by 36 months, from the age of 12 to 16, gives young people 36 months to get to know themselves before the world gets to know them.

Internationally, I welcome our stance on Ukraine and Iran, and urge the Government to go further in opposing the illegal settlements on the west bank, which undermine peace in the region, and to take more action to boycott illegal settlement goods. In Sudan, 25 million people need assistance, yet the funding gap means that food, medicine and water, sanitation and hygiene services are being rationed.

Next week’s development conference at the beginning of this new parliamentary term is a test of whether the changes are more than rhetoric and will be backed up by action. If we reverse the cuts, put money behind frontline health and water systems, and back local leadership, instead of bypassing it with top-down contracts, we can effect real change. There is a false dichotomy between spending on aid and development, and on defence and security. Spending on aid is frontline defence and security spending, just delivered differently. Funding global health, WASH and conflict prevention cuts off the instability that terrorists and armed groups thrive on. Aid preserves a political space for diplomacy and stops conflict, the need to evacuate citizens, and the need to deploy troops.

This is a King’s Speech for talent. Britain’s got talent and Putney’s got talent. This King’s Speech shows that this Government back the talent of Putney’s young people. My constituents in Putney voted for Labour at the general election for action—action to change their lives for the better; action from a Government in touch with the issues that really matter to them; and action that takes a long-term view of the changes that are needed. This King’s Speech is a programme that delivers on that, and I look forward to working with the Government on continuing to achieve the ambitious programme for change that we promised.

May 14, 2026
Jerome Mayhew – 2026 Speech on the Loyal Address

The speech made by Jerome Mayhew, the Conservative MP for Broadland and Fakenham, in the House of Commons on 13 May 2026.

Madam Deputy Speaker, you do not need me to tell you that this is a deeply unhappy Government. It is a deeply unhappy party sitting on the Government Benches, and Labour Members do not appear to understand that their core problem is a lack of economic growth. If the Labour Government were presiding over fast economic growth, the taxes would come rolling in, their ability to spend on their pet welfare projects would be unlimited, and they would be riding high in the polls. They used to know that. When they came into office, they said that their No. 1 mission was to deliver economic growth, yet what we have seen in the two years since is the most appalling example of a fundamental misunderstanding of how an economy works.

Instead of bringing in policies to increase economic growth, we have entered into the depressing doom loop of increased taxes to fund increased welfare, leading directly to reduced economic activity, which leads to increased welfare needs and therefore an increased need for tax rises. We need a leader and a Government who have a plan, not just words, to support economic growth—something that reverses the welfare taxation doom loop. And what do we have in the King’s Speech? Where is the welfare reform bill?

It is an appalling statistic that we now spend more on welfare than we recover in income tax. Four million adults receive PIP—the figure has gone up by half a million since the last general election. The Centre for Social Justice came out with a really terrifying argument the other day: according to its analysis, 25% of all full-time workers would be better off receiving benefits than they are in employment—a quarter of the working population. Yet, in this King’s Speech, there is nothing to fix the relationship between welfare and the productive economy.

Iqbal Mohamed

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

Jerome Mayhew

I will just deliver this point and then give way.

We have the extraordinarily named “regulating for growth Bill”, which I think is oxymoronic—or perhaps just moronic—because it seems to me that the Government’s answer to anaemic growth is more regulation. We will also have “more Europe”, according to the Prime Minister.

Noah Law

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

Jerome Mayhew

I said I would give way to the hon. Member for Dewsbury and Batley (Iqbal Mohamed).

Iqbal Mohamed

Would the hon. Member enlighten me and help me understand why the Tories, during 14 years in power, did not address the welfare ticking time bomb? What would he do to address the wage disparity whereby people on benefits can be better off than if they are in work?

Jerome Mayhew

The hon. Gentleman will acknowledge that the previous Government absolutely did take action to reduce the welfare state, although the global crisis caused by covid knocked that back a bit. The shadow Chancellor, in his previous role as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, was bringing in wide-scale reform, which would have been effective, but it was cut short by the general election. So this was a long-term project for the Conservative Government, but it has gone into reverse as a result of the Labour Administration.

If there is one message that the election results last week should have transmitted loud and clear to all of us, it is that the country is frustrated. People feel that we are bogged down in bureaucracy, with Ministers announcing plans and then nothing happens, but it costs a fortune and takes forever, with costs spiralling. So where was the “reducing bureaucracy Bill” that would unlock the power of the state to actually get things moving? We heard the Leader of the Opposition, in her powerful response to the Gracious Address, setting out the plans of a Conservative Administration, yet without such a bureaucracy-busting Bill, this Government are doomed to failure, even on their own terms.

For that matter, without cheaper energy, manufacturing in the United Kingdom is also doomed to failure. Commercial energy in the UK is now the highest in the world, which is a sobering fact, and domestic energy is the second highest in the developed world. So Labour Members cannot be surprised when we have a decline in manufacturing if its energy, which is its primary input, is the highest in the world. It is higher not because it costs us more to produce energy in this country than elsewhere, but because of deliberate taxation and levy decisions taken by the Government. The Government have taxes and levies on electricity to subsidise expensive renewables. Where is the cheap energy Bill? They have done the opposite. The Labour Government have doubled down on their renewable levies, tying this country into the world’s most expensive energy for decades to come.

Let us look at the wider economy. The high street has been hammered by Labour, whether from the business rates revaluation, the removal of the hospitality and leisure exemption, or employer national insurance contributions. Pubs and shops right across the country—not just in my constituency, but in every one of the Labour Members’ constituencies—have been closing in record numbers. So where is our “bring back the high street Bill”? It is not there. In fact, there is no coherent plan for a stronger economy and a stronger country. Instead, the King’s Speech is just a hotchpotch—bureaucratic fiddling while the Prime Minister burns.

The Government have had two years—two years already—yet the Opposition are doing more serious thinking about solving the problems of this country than the Government, with all their resources, which is shaming. [Laughter.] Labour Members should not be laughing; they should be ashamed of themselves and of their Government, given that the Opposition have a more complete King’s Speech, with more complete answers to the problems of this country, than their Government seem able to bring forward. It is extraordinary that we have this weak legislative programme from a weak Government. The country deserves so much better.

May 14, 2026