The comments made by Kit Malthouse, the Crime and Policing Minister, on 12 October 2021.
This was our third Home Nations drug summit and the collective determination to confront the harm and degradation that drugs bring was strongly reaffirmed. This is a complex and deep-rooted challenge, and there was strong recognition that we all benefit from working together to prevent drug deaths and build stronger neighbourhoods.
The comments made by Dominic Raab, the Deputy Prime Minister, on 11 October 2021.
Equipping prisoners with the skills to help secure a job upon release is vital to enabling them to turn their lives around, providing them with a purpose and allowing them to give something back to society.
The Lifecycle project is a terrific scheme, providing skills in demand, and recognising the doctors, nurses and other key workers who have been the heroes of our pandemic response.
The comments made by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, on 5 October 2021.
The horrific murder of Sarah Everard by a serving police officer has shattered public confidence in the police. That trust has been further eroded by the news of another officer being charged with rape as well as reports of sexism, misogyny, racism and homophobia amongst some groups of officers.
Over recent days, I’ve been in detailed discussions with the Home Secretary about how we must urgently do everything necessary to rebuild trust and confidence in the police – in London and across the country. We agreed that the gravity of the situation required no less than a proper inquiry.
This inquiry must leave no stone unturned to ensure that the failures that led to a serving police officer killing Sarah Everard can never happen again. And while I know the vast majority of officers are decent and dedicated public servants, the inquiry must also address reports of widespread cultural issues. All police officers must adhere to the highest possible standards, we must stamp out misogyny, sexism, racism and homophobia, root out those who abuse their trusted position as officers, and ensure that tackling violence against women and girls is treated with the highest priority.
There is no time to waste. So while this inquiry moves ahead, I’ll continue to hold the Met to account so that we start to see the changes we need right now – both to rebuild trust in the police and to make our country safer for women and girls.
The speech made by Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, on 5 October 2021.
Conference, it is good to be back.
Meeting old friends and coming together as a Conservative family to reinforce our common values.
These have been tough times for our country.
But despite the unprecedented challenges we have faced, this Government has remained grounded and guided by Conservative values and the good sense of the British People.
It has brought out the very best of our nation.
From the carers to the volunteers, the scientists to the doctors and nurses
to the brave men and women of our police and fire service who have risen to the challenges presented by Covid with great professionalism and commitment.
Let our thanks to them go out from this hall today.
Two years ago in Manchester, I said the British people would always be my compass.
That I would deliver on their priorities.
And I make that commitment to you again today.
The British people want a government on their side, keeping them safe.
All our thoughts remain with Sarah Everard’s family and friends.
Her murderer, whose name I will not repeat, was a monster.
His explicit intention was to instil fear and terror in women and girls.
I say this as Home Secretary, but also as a woman.
Such unconscionable crimes and acts of violence against women and girls have no place in our society.
And that is why I have redoubled my efforts to ensure women and girls feel safer.
Since I became Home Secretary, cross-government funding to tackle these abhorrent crimes has trebled in relation to any other two-year period.
The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill extends Whole Life Orders to child murderers and ends automatic halfway release for serious sexual and violent offenders.
And nearly a year ago, I launched the first ever survey of women and girls on tackling the crimes disproportionately affecting them.
In the wake of Sarah’s tragic murder, I re-opened that survey.
One hundred and eighty thousand women and girls were brave enough to share their stories with me, some for the first time.
Their experiences informed my Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, which I launched earlier this year.
I have wasted no time in putting that plan into action.
I want to thank Nimco Ali – here with us today – for her pioneering work in tackling these abhorrent crimes.
This month, our country’s first ever dedicated national police officer
for reducing and preventing crimes against women and girls will get to work, providing national direction to the police.
Deputy Chief Constable Maggie Blyth.
Accountable to you, through me.
This Government will always back the brave men and women of our police.
And it is because of our strong relationship with the police, that I can ask the difficult questions and support them to do better.
Recent tragic events have exposed unimaginable failures in policing.
It is abhorrent that a serving police officer was able to abuse his position of power, authority and trust to commit such a horrific crime.
The public have a right to know what systematic failures enabled his continued employment as a police officer.
We need answers as to why this was allowed to happen.
I can confirm today, there will be an inquiry, to give the independent oversight needed, to ensure something like this can never happen again.
Later this year I will launch the first ever standalone Domestic Abuse Strategy
I am undertaking a review of the police management of registered sex offenders to stop paedophiles and rapists, including members of grooming gangs, from returning to the very communities they tore apart.
I am outlawing the sickening practice of virginity testing.
A barbaric, medieval, and invasive practice exclusively performed on women.
Often to control them. Often without their consent.
Well not under this Home Secretary.
Women and girls have said enough is enough.
And the Conservative Party agrees.
Crime and policing
The safety and security of our citizens is paramount.
Without safety and security, there can be no freedom.
Our approach to crime will always be based on seeking justice for victims and survivors, ensuring perpetrators feel the full force of the law.
We have delivered more powers to the police so that they can do so, including stop and search.
We are toughening sentences for the worst and most serious offenders, including terrorists, rapists and child abusers.
We are nearly halfway to recruiting twenty thousand additional police officers.
This summer we launched a new Beating Crime Plan to cut murder, serious violence and neighbourhood crime – including anti-social behaviour.
Under my watch we have seen some of the biggest law enforcement raids in our country’s history, with our crackdown on county lines drugs gangs resulting in…
Over 1,000 county lines – shut down.
Millions of pounds in cash – seized.
And over 6,000 criminals – arrested.
We are cutting the head off the snake and taking down the kingpins behind these deadly supply lines.
Thanks to my brilliant Ministerial team we are delivering for the British people.
Drug abuse and addiction ruins communities, devastates lives and tears families apart.
Drugs are also responsible for the crimes I am committed to cutting.
Today I am announcing the expansion of drug testing on arrest across all 43 police forces in England and Wales.
Those who test positive as confirmed drug users will be supported to tackle their drug abuse and regain their independence…
but for those unwilling to address their drug misuse, there will be the harshest possible legal sanctions and consequences.
While Sir Keir Starmer backs calls to decriminalise drugs, we will take the tough decisions needed to build back safer…
And continue to put the best interests of our country first.
Our values embody service before self.
This can be neatly defined by the Hindu word Seva which can mean service, commitment and dedication to others.
Ensuring the best interests of our country come first is what drives me each and every day.
That is my responsibility.
That is my service.
That is our Party.
And it is because of our commitment to putting the needs of the hardworking, often silent, majority first, that I will not tolerate so called eco-warriors, trampling over our way of life and draining police resources.
Their actions over recent weeks have amounted to some of the most self-defeating ‘environmental’ protests this country has ever seen.
Freedom to protest is a fundamental right our Party will forever fight to uphold.
But it must be within the law.
Measures already going through Parliament will ensure these criminals can be brought to justice for the disruption they are causing.
But we are going further to close down the legal loopholes exploited by these offenders.
So today I can announce I will also
– increase the maximum penalties for disrupting a motorway
– criminalise interference with key infrastructure such as roads, railways and our free press
– and give the police and courts new powers to deal with the small minority of offenders intent on travelling around the country, causing disruption and misery across our communities.
This Conservative Government is taking the tough decisions needed to cut crime and make our streets safer.
And that is not all.
We have finally ended free movement.
Delivered our new points-based immigration system, welcoming people to our country based on the skills they have to offer, not the colour of their passport.
Our new routes are attracting the best and brightest talent from around the world…
Welcoming brilliant scientists, the finest academics, and leading people in their fields…
All helping to drive our economy forwards as we Build Back Better from the pandemic.
And at long last:
The British immigration system is under the control of the British Government.
But despite what we have already delivered, we must be honest with ourselves about the long-standing problems we still face.
We owe it to our country to continue confronting difficult issues, no matter how controversial, or complex.
Taking action on the difficult decisions that have stumped politicians for too long.
All states have a responsibility to control their borders.
For where there is a door, there must be a door keeper.
What is happening in the Channel with small boats is unsafe, unfair, and unacceptable.
From the vast camps outside Calais of mainly male, economic migrants
To the shocking images of people crammed onto flimsy boats crossing the Channel, exploited by people smugglers.
Vile criminals characterised by ruthlessness and greed, who even threaten to drown small children to line their pockets.
This cannot continue. Which is why we are going after the criminals behind this perilous trade in people smuggling.
And then there is the legal process.
If an asylum claim is rejected, there is nearly always an automatic right to appeal.
No surprise that nearly everybody appeals.
Even if the decision to refuse asylum is upheld, there can be yet another appeal.
Right up until the possibility of further appeals at the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.
If that fails, the claimant and their lawyers can start a fresh claim.
And then, even when seated on the plane, their lawyers can still block their removal.
Britain’s asylum system might have worked twenty years ago, but not now.
The system is collapsing under the pressures created by these parallel illegal routes to asylum, facilitated by criminal smuggling gangs.
Labour would have you believe the capacity of our asylum system is unlimited.
But the presence of economic migrants – through these illegal routes – is undermining our ability to support those in genuine need of protection.
To that I say, no. Our system must uphold our reputation as a country where criminality is not rewarded, but where playing by our rules is.
My New Plan for Immigration is already making its way through Parliament.
At the heart of this Plan is a simple principle.
Control.
That is not unreasonable.
Through our New Plan for Immigration, Britain will be fair but firm.
We will continue to be outward facing and provide sanctuary to those in need through safe and legal resettlement routes.
From Uganda to Syria, Hong Kong to Afghanistan, under Conservative leadership, the United Kingdom will always hold out the hand of friendship to those most in need…
Which is why I established a new resettlement route for Afghans fleeing persecution, prioritising women and girls.
And we will always support the brave men and women of our armed forces who served in Afghanistan and continue to keep us safe around the world.
We are smashing the economic model of the people-smugglers so that they can no longer profit from human misery.The current maximum penalty for entering the country illegally is six months. We are increasing that to four years.
The current maximum sentence for people smugglers is fourteen years.
We are changing that to life.
In standing by the world’s most vulnerable, we will prioritise those who play by our rules, over those who seek to take our country for a ride.
For the first time, how somebody arrives in the United Kingdom will impact on how their asylum claim is processed.
Our new “one stop” shop will tackle the multiple claims and appeals which frequently frustrate removal.
And our new laws will speed up the removal of those with no legal right to be in our country.
I know from the briefings I receive from the intelligence and security agencies that there are people who attempt to come to our country to do us harm. Plotting to strike at our way of life.
And, I shall continue to fight with every ounce of my being to protect and uphold the safety and security of our nation.
With all of this, we will continue to pursue joint solutions to joint problems.
France is a safe country, one not riven by war or conflict.
There is no reason why any asylum seeker should come to the United Kingdom directly from France.
We make no apology for securing our borders and exploring all possible options to save lives by ending these horrific journeys.
Which is why, right from the start, Boris and I have worked intensively with every institution with a responsibility to protect our borders…
Border Force, The police, The National Crime Agency…
Maritime experts, And yes, the military…
To deliver operational solutions
Including new sea tactics, which we are working to implement, to turn back the boats.
Whilst this represents progress, this single measure alone cannot solve this problem.
We must stay the course and see this whole New Plan for Immigration through.
It will take time.
But I will continue to take the difficult action needed to address this long-standing issue.
And what do our opponents say about our plans?
Of course, they attack them, because they want open borders…
They do not care about intolerable pressures on public services and local authorities.
They do not care about damage to our labour market and driving down the wages of the hardworking majority.
They do not care about the British people who will have to foot this bill.
And what is worse…
…They do not care about ensuring victims of crimes, committed by foreign national offenders, can rebuild their lives safe in the knowledge their attackers are no longer here.
Labour MPs, some of whom even sit with the Leader of the Opposition at his Shadow Cabinet table, shamefully campaign to halt the removal of these murderers, rapists and child abusers.
Criminals who have caused untold harm and devastation on our soil, including to women and girls.
Whilst they busy themselves writing letters defending these convicts, this Home Secretary will always put the rights of victims first…
We have removed nearly eight and a half thousand foreign national offenders from our country.
Conference, I will never flinch from taking the difficult decisions needed to keep our country safe and secure.
Where criminals attempt to incite fear, harm and terror in our communities, I will act.
Where lights are being switched off on other people’s liberties, I will act.
Where our borders and our laws need strengthening, I will act.
Our party owes it to our country to continue confronting difficult issues, no matter how controversial, or complex.
There will be new challenges and new tests.
And we will meet them, strengthened by our belief in this country.
That is my promise to you, that is my service to the people of Britain.
Thank you.
The speech made by Dominic Raab, the Deputy Prime Minister, on 5 October 2021.
Seven years ago, when he was Mayor of London,
I took our Prime Minister down to Fight for Peace,
A boxing and martial arts academy in Newham.
I wanted to show him the power of sport and mentoring to turn young lives around.
We were both blown away.
I had been volunteering there,
Working with one teenager from a particularly tough background.
He had served time for armed robbery.
He was a risk-taker, Conference,
You could even say he was entrepreneurial
It was just channelled in the wrong direction.
I watched this young man take a second chance to turn his life around before my eyes…
With the self-belief instilled by his boxing coach,
The tutoring to equip him with GCSE level English and Maths,
And his first job as a steward at the London Olympics …
After that he never looked back.
If, like me, you believe in a second chance society …
Then we need to tap the reforming power of local groups like Fight for Peace,
To divert young people away from the gangs, the drugs, the violence…
So their lives are better and our streets are safer.
Because, our first duty is always to protect the public.
We’re investing £4 billion to deliver 18,000 extra prison places…
We need the extra cells to restore some honesty in sentencing,
And incarcerate those who threaten the public with serious harm.
Take the case of Timothy Deakin.
In 2013, he was sentenced to 4 years and 8 months, for biting another man’s ear off.
But he was released automatically half-way through his sentence.
Eight months later, he stabbed to death a 27-year old father …
Leaving behind a devastated family.
That’s just plain wrong.
So, right now, we’re passing a new law through Parliament,
For violent and sexual offenders… we’re ending the automatic half-way release from prison.
Of course, conference,
Most offenders will eventually be released from prison.
So, for those who are serious about taking that second chance to turn their lives around,
We must do more to support them.
You may remember the Clink scheme,
A restaurant set up at HMP High Down in 2009.
Training offenders in their kitchens,
To give them the skills to get a job when they are released.
The Clink now operates in 8 prisons,
And the prisoners who take part are a third less likely to re-offend …
Because if you give someone a job, if you give them something to lose …
They’re much less likely to return to crime.
So, this year, I’m trebling the Clink scheme, and extending it to another 17 prisons.
And I say to any employer with skills shortages, come and talk to us.
Because we need more employers willing,
Under the right conditions,
And with the right kind of vetting for those involved,
To work with us to train and take on ex-offenders.
To help businesses plug staff shortages,
And to help us reduce re-offending.
Next, we’re expanding the use of tech to protect victims and reform offenders.
Women who have been the victim of sexual attacks can give virtual testimony,
To avoid having to face the assailant in person.
And we’re investing in modern GPS tracking,
So we can better monitor offenders released on licence …
To make sure they turn up to work,
Keep away from their victims,
And stay on the straight and narrow.
We also know that 39% of violent crime is linked to alcohol.
Now, game-changing innovation in sobriety tags can test whether someone has been drinking every 30 minutes.
We piloted the scheme.
And, because offenders know they’ll be caught if they breach an alcohol abstinence order … 95% comply,
With 1,500 offenders taking that positive step forward …
Towards cleaning up their act,
And creating a brighter future for them, their families and their communities.
I want to expand their use,
And deliver the same technology for offenders on drugs.
Friends, there is one area where we must do a whole lot better.
Like you, I was shocked by the harrowing murders of Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa.
These cases have sparked a national outpouring of fear and anger,
Because they go to the heart of the kind of society we want to live in
Making our communities safer,
So that women can walk home at night,
Without having to look over their shoulder in fear …
As Justice Secretary, that’s my number one priority.
In July, we launched our Violence against Women and Girls Strategy …
With a dedicated policing lead reporting directly to the Home Secretary.
We’re investing £30 million to make the streets safer at night,
We’re introducing a 24/7 rape and sexual violence hotline.
We will transform the way the justice system treats violence against women
From the time it takes to examine a mobile phone in evidence
To the ordeal vulnerable victims face at trial,
And we will take the Victims Code, and turn that guidance into law
To make sure that in every case, for every victim
Their voice is heard, and they see justice done.
It’s a team effort, ladies and gentlemen, and I’m blessed with the very best …
In Kit Malthouse, Vicky Atkins, Lord Wolfson,
James Cartlidge, Tom Pursglove, Scott Mann,
Joy Morrissey, Julie Marson and Mike Wood.
All supporting the crime fighters across our justice system,protecting the public and cutting crime.
As for the Labour party, they’ve got a Shadow Home Secretary who voted against extra funding for the police.
They’ve got a Shadow Justice Secretary who opposed our stop and search reforms to clear our streets of knives.
And Labour voted en masse against tougher sentences for child murderers and rapists.
Labour would dismantle our ability to fight crime.
Only the Conservatives will stand up for the police, the victims and the British public.
And there’s one other big change the public want to see.
Too often they see dangerous criminals abusing human rights laws.
In one case, a drug dealer convicted of beating his ex-partner,
A man who hadn’t paid maintenance for his daughter,
Then successfully claimed the right to family life to avoid deportation.
Conference, it is absolutely perverse that someone guilty of domestic abuse …
Could claim the right to family life to trump the public’s interest in deporting him from this country.
We’ve got to bring this nonsense to an end.
So, today I can tell you that, under this Prime Minister and before the next election,
We will overhaul the Human Rights Act
To end this kind of abuse… and restore some common sense to our justice system.
Conference, Labour will fight us all the way.
They’re out of touch, they’ve got no plan.
But we know that it’s our mission as Conservatives:
As we build back better from this pandemic,
To bring criminals to justice,
To give hope to the victims of crime,
And to stand up for the firm but fair, common sense, British justice …
That the people of this country deserve.
The comments made by Dominic Raab, the Deputy Prime Minister, on 5 October 2021.
It is right that the offenders who have damaged their communities should be seen to pay back with their time and some hard graft.
With new projects such as the one run by The Canal & River Trust offenders will learn new skills and do their bit clearing and maintaining our country’s waterways.
The comments made by Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, on 5 October 2021.
Recent tragic events have exposed unimaginable failures in policing.
It is abhorrent that a serving police officer was able to abuse his position of power, authority and trust to commit such a horrific crime.
The public have a right to know what failures enabled his continued employment as a police officer and an inquiry will give the independent oversight needed to ensure something like this can never happen again.
The comments made by David Lammy, the Shadow Justice Secretary, on 5 October 2021.
After eleven years of Tory Government, court backlogs have reached record levels, violence and self-harm in prisons have soared, rape convictions have plummeted, and many women have lost confidence in the criminal justice system.
Yet instead of addressing any of these problems, the new Justice Secretary chose to focus on vague threats to take away ordinary people’s rights.
The only thing Dominic Raab has demonstrated today is that the Conservatives have no plans whatsoever to fix the crisis they’ve created in the criminal justice system.
The comments made by David Lammy, the Shadow Justice Secretary, on 30 September 2021.
11 years of Conservative cuts and the closure of 295 courts since 2010 has led to a record-breaking Crown Court backlog.
These delays are failing victims of rape, domestic abuse, violent assault, trafficking and every kind of serious crime.
In government Labour would put victims first, by rolling out further Nightingale courts, guaranteeing 33,000 extra sitting days and by ensuring the justice system is never left so vulnerable again.
The comments made by Alex Chalk, the Solicitor General, on 28 September 2021.
Thomas Thompson’s actions were predatory and premeditated, and fuelled child sexual abuse. Good police work stopped him in his tracks, and should serve as a warning to those thinking of grooming underage victims in cyberspace. I am pleased that the Court of Appeal has seen fit to increase his sentence.