UKPOL.CO.UK

Category: Culture

  • Stephanie Peacock – 2025 Speech at the G20 Culture Ministerial Meeting

    Stephanie Peacock – 2025 Speech at the G20 Culture Ministerial Meeting

    The speech made by Stephanie Peacock, the Minister for Sport, Tourism, Civil Society and Youth, on 29 October 2025.

    It is an honour to represent the United Kingdom here today, and it has been a privilege to experience the diversity and dynamism of South African culture first hand over the past few days, since I arrived here on Sunday.

    It was a pleasure to accompany you, Honourable Minister McKenzie, to the powerful performance of ‘This Is Who I Am’ in Johannesburg earlier this week – an extraordinary example of international cultural collaboration in action, supported by the British High Commission.

    The UK is committed to effective and ambitious multilateralism, and we are grateful to you for convening us to discuss pressing matters affecting the cultural and creative sectors, as well as the great opportunities.

    I would like to thank the South African Presidency, on behalf of the United Kingdom, for your leadership, ambition, and wonderful hospitality throughout this year’s G20 Culture Track.

    The musical and artistic performances we have all enjoyed here highlight culture’s power to unite and connect communities. 

    In the UK, we, too, see how the huge diversity of cultural heritage contributes to our national story. Which is why we are pleased to have ratified the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage last year and warmly welcome our hosts, South Africa, who joined this year.

    The British Library’s Endangered Archives Programme alone has undertaken 130 projects across Africa and we commend South Africa for shining a light on the role of museums and cultural institutions as custodians of heritage in this declaration. 

    Honourable Minister, you have rightly placed a strong emphasis in the declaration from this meeting on the creative economy. 

    In the UK we also recognise the importance of these sectors and we have launched a dedicated plan to tackle barriers to growth and maximise opportunities across the creative industries. 

    Improving cultural access is another key priority for the UK Government. We strongly believe that arts and culture should reach everyone, everywhere.

    This includes supporting our creative and cultural professionals to operate and tour internationally.

    We recognise that the arts and cultural sectors, and creative industries can be critical drivers of innovation, not simply consumers of it.

    The use of digital technologies in these areas offers extraordinary opportunities to expand access, participation and inclusion.

    But we must acknowledge that digital transition and Artificial Intelligence are reshaping how culture is created, shared and valued.

    This is why the UK is committed to international partnership to shape a digital ecosystem for culture that is inclusive, resilient and sustainable – whether through the G20, UNESCO, bilateral agreements, or the work of the British Council.

    The UK is working to safeguard cultural heritage at risk, while advancing innovative, culture-based solutions to the climate crisis at home and around the world through our international programmes.

    Our International Cultural Heritage Protection programme operates globally, in cooperation with the British Council.

    One recent project – delivered in partnership with organisations across Egypt, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Jordan – has  protected six historically important sites impacted by climate change and enabled them to be safeguarded for future generations.

    As G20 members, we individually and collectively recognise our responsibility to use our influence and voices to champion culture’s role in driving climate action.

    The Declaration we will shortly adopt is testament to the immense value we place on culture, cultural heritage and creativity and its important role in driving sustainable development.

    I would like to thank all members of the working group for all their exceptionally hard work on the text. 

    The Declaration sends a powerful message to the world about the role culture can play in transforming all our lives – for the better. The UK is proud to endorse it.

    Thank you.

  • Lisa Nandy – 2025 Speech at the Media & Telecoms 2025 and Beyond Conference

    Lisa Nandy – 2025 Speech at the Media & Telecoms 2025 and Beyond Conference

    The speech made by Lisa Nandy, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, at Convene Sancroft, St. Paul’s, London on 2 June 2025.

    I said when I addressed the Royal Television Society at the end of last year that there is a choice ahead of us, whether we choose to be the last guardians of this chapter or the first pioneers of the next. And those of you in this room are those pioneers, public service broadcasters, providing an engine room of talent development and creativity, a strong independent sector producing and distributing British content seen at home and around the world on screens big and small, a rich and varied press holding the powerful to account, not always comfortably for us in government, but essential to the functioning of a healthy democracy, and an advertising ecosystem that underpins all of this and makes it possible.

    You and your sectors are central to the cultural, democratic and economic life of this country and many other countries around the world. This government values what your sectors bring to the economy, to skills and good jobs, and as a symbol of that, we have chosen to back the creative industries as one of the eight highest growth industries in the UK in our forthcoming industrial strategy. Over the last decade, the creative industries have increased their output at more than one and a half times the rate of the rest of the economy. They, you, are a major UK employer. You drive growth at home and you project the UK overseas. Collectively, you underpin a hugely important industry for this country. And whilst we will have more to say on the sector plan shortly, that will put rocket boosters under the creative industries, I want to say now that this government recognises your value and we have your back.

    But the media is, and always has been, about much more than that. And there’s one issue above many others that I want to talk with you about today. Trust. Last summer, when many of our towns and cities went up in flames, nobody could ignore the fractured nature of society. We have found multiple ways to divide ourselves from one another over recent decades, and it feels at times that we’ve lost the ability to understand one another. When people are working harder than ever before, but can’t make ends meet, when their contribution is not seen or valued, when politicians display a violent indifference to the things that matter, a decent high street, transport, a viable football club, it is no wonder that people lose trust, trust in our leaders, trust in our democratic institutions and trust in each other.

    That’s when news and information becomes critical. Not the sort of news and information that helps to polarise and divide, but trust in news that builds a shared understanding of the world.

    And we’re all of us in this room custodians, custodians of our institutions, but more than that, custodians of a cohesive, self confident country. And who of us can look at this country and the world right now and say that we’re succeeding?

    We know that people rate traditional news sources high on trust, accuracy and impartiality. We also know that news sourced via social media is rated significantly lower, and I think we’re all aware of the darker side of social media, where facts are disputed and division is sown. Against that backdrop, your work is not just important, it is central to the future of this nation.

    I’ve always believed in the power of media, because it is in my blood. My mum was one of the only female editors at Granada TV in 1989, running a busy newsroom on the day that Hillsborough happened. I remember vividly as a 10 year old sitting in the newsroom with my sister until late into the night as the horrific scenes unfolded, watching her make the agonising call for the cameramen on the ground to keep filming rather than aid the rescue effort. That footage would later become critical in achieving justice for the 97, revealing evidence of a cover up and improving safety in stands at football grounds.

    I watched my stepdad make the call to commission ‘Who Bombed Birmingham?’ and persist with the program over several months despite intense opposition. That documentary didn’t just go on to ensure the release of the Birmingham Six. It exposed a miscarriage of justice that would send shockwaves through the country and lead to major reforms to the criminal justice system that persist to this day. It’s in these moments that great journalism shines a light into the darkest parts of our country, holds up a mirror to those in power, and reasserts the power of the people.

    I can think of no better recent example of this than last summer, as our towns and cities were set ablaze by violent thugs. It was local media on the ground who countered mis- and disinformation in real time. And they told the real story, the story of our communities, who came together to defend all of us in all of our diversity and led the community fightback.

    Our national and local media is, in short, too important to fail. But we appreciate as a government that you are businesses with a bottom line, and you have been operating in the toughest of environments for some time. You don’t need me to tell you that consumer habits are changing. Seventy one percent of UK adults consume online news in some capacity, twice as many as a decade ago, and that includes some eighty eight percent of 16 to 24 year olds. Just one in 10 pick up a print newspaper, compared to over half of over 75s. And for Gen Z, internet influencers are considered almost as trustworthy as traditional media. So I’m glad that the next session in this conference is focused on news and media in the AI age.

    But these aren’t the only changes that we are collectively grappling with. When it comes to the media sector, there is enormous upheaval. Print advertising is down by a third, but online advertising has more than doubled. Broadcast viewing is down by a quarter, but on demand viewing is soaring, and the advent of AI, with its enormous potential to support creativity, comes with fresh challenges around copyright, authorship and fair compensation. The consequences of this can be stark and they can be uneven. Take, for example, the dramatic shift in TV commissioning patterns that have seen the UK become a world leader in high end, at the same time that smaller producers have seen the value of their commissions fall by a third and too many talented creatives left out of work.

    We’re living through a revolution, but just as with the invention of the printing press and every revolution since, we don’t run from it, we adapt again, and we learn how to become stronger for it, in a new age. And at a crucial point in our history, governments have always proactively partnered with industry to forge a new path forward, like the Annan Committee in 1974, a landmark review into the future of broadcasting that my dad was a member of. It led to the creation of Channel Four, a recognition that the country had changed, with working classes, women and minority communities crying out to be heard in this new society and a nation that needed to define itself once again.

    We’re in a similar period of transition now, and transitions need to be managed. Our job as a government is to create the framework so you can keep providing rigorous journalism in an evolving news landscape, among which the creative output that is only produced by people coming together across every part of the United Kingdom, that resonates with them and their lives. That’s why we’ve already acted in the last year to fix the foundations, implementing the Online Safety Act to keep users safe while protecting press and media freedom, recognising the value and importance of recognised news publisher content. Implementing the new digital markets regimes to allow you to challenge market dominance that negatively impacts your business, and convening the National Committee for the Safety of Journalists, to bring industry and government together to protect journalists and allow you to speak truth to power.

    I’ve heard from you the need for fair competition and a government that supports you. That’s why we’ve already acted to protect the sustainability of the sector, implementing the Media Act, delivering a new, more sustainable settlement for our public service broadcasters, so they can continue to invest in high quality original UK content, as well as a level playing field for our radio stations. Hearing your concerns about less healthy food advertising restrictions and acting quickly to support clarity and common sense. Increasing funding for community radio stations this year to £1 million to help support hyper local stations that represent and unite their communities. Providing clarity on foreign state ownership of newspaper enterprises, a tough and crucially workable regime to protect our newspapers from foreign interference, while ensuring sustainable investment so that our papers can thrive, and making changes to the media ownership regime to protect news in all its forms from influences that could risk our plural and trusted media.

    But I do want to pause for a moment on AI, which has been the subject rightly of so much debate, not just here, but across the world. We are determined to find a way forward that works for the creative industry and creators, as well as the tech industries. Creators are the innovators, fundamental to our economic success in the future. And with my colleague Peter Kyle, we’re working together to find a better solution. The issue of AI and copyright needs to be properly considered and enforceable legislation drafted with the inclusion, involvement and experience of both creatives and technologists. And so as soon as the Data Bill is passed by Parliament, Peter and I will begin a series of roundtables with representatives from across the creative industries to develop legislation, with both houses of Parliament given time to consider it before we proceed. We approach you with no preferred option in mind. During the consultation we have heard you loud and clear that what works for one part of the creative industries doesn’t work for another. Now you know as well as I do that in this international landscape, there are no easy solutions, but this government is determined to work with you to find a solution with transparency and trust as its foundation. We have heard you loud and clear.

    I will never stop working for creatives to deliver solutions, transparency and the empowerment that you need in the digital age. We are a Labour government, and the principle of people must be paid for their work is foundational, and you have our word that if it doesn’t work for the creative industries, it will not work for us.

    People are at the heart of this industry, and so we’ve also acted to support the people at the heart of this sector, supporting the launch of CIISA to tackle head on the issues of workplace culture that have plagued our creative industries for too long and denied us a chance to harness the full range of talent that exists in our country. I’ve been particularly pleased to see the BBC’s recent announcement that it will no longer commission companies who are not signed up to the CIISA standards. That is what leadership looks like. I’m publishing updated online safety guidance to support journalists to report in the public interest without fear. I’m proud of what we’ve been able to achieve together in just one year.

    But as the sector evolves, so must we, and we want a vibrant and sustainable media ecosystem with PSBs, streamers, indies, radio, TV, press, thriving across the UK, and not just individually, but collaborating together to invest in the skills, infrastructure and co-productions that we need, and when you do well, we won’t penalise you through new taxes and levies, but ensure that we have a regulatory framework that incentivises inward investment that creates opportunities for businesses, both big and small, and the UK talent to be showcased across the world.

    Take Bad Wolf as an example. First, a successful indie partnering with the BBC, then getting long term investment from Sky, HBO and most recently Sony, and now with the help of the Welsh Government, one of the anchor tenants of the Cardiff creative cluster. Or the growing cluster of audio producers in Manchester, such as Made in Manchester and Audio Always supported by the shift of BBC commissioning to the region.

    I told you this government would have your back, and we will. Over the coming months, we will build on Ofcom’s Public Service Media Review during the summer by taking action to ensure our public service broadcasters can continue to do what they do best long into the future. We will publish a Local Media Strategy to ensure that people in every town, city and village can access trust in news that reflects their lives as reserves better, helping them to hold local public services to account. As a government, we are committed to the biggest devolution of power out of Westminster and Whitehall in a generation, which will make local news and local media the most important that it has ever been.

    We will launch the BBC Charter Review later this year to support a BBC that is empowered to continue to deliver a vital public service funded in a sustainable way. A BBC that can maintain the trust and support of the public in difficult times, support the wider ecosystem, and that is set up to drive growth in every part of the United Kingdom.

    Later this month, we’ll publish a Creative Industries Sector Plan to turbocharge the growth of creative industries right across the UK. To support film and TV clusters from Birmingham to Belfast. To tap into the huge potential for growth that exists across our country.

    My commitment to you is an open and collaborative partnership with the government so that we can walk through this transition together. We will play our part, but we need you to play yours. We need more collaboration within your sector and especially between our public service broadcasters, to tackle these great social and economic challenges, working together in a number of areas, particularly tackling mis- and disinformation and promoting high quality news by investing in your journalism arms, partnering more rather than competing with or undercutting local news publishers, improving media literacy by helping consumers find and recognise accurate and impartial news reporting, supporting initiatives like BBC Verify and the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

    We need you to work together to promote high quality children’s content. We all want our young people to grow up to see the high quality content that will educate and inform and equip them for the world. But also to inspire young people who see themselves and their opportunities in your content, bringing untold benefit to the industry in inspiring future generations of content makers. We make great children’s content in the United Kingdom, but we don’t collectively promote it enough.

    And also to understand how you can lead on this great transformation, thinking creatively about alternative ways to monetise your content and assets, and crucially, working together to move to where people are building on and developing more shared platforms and operations, like freely at radio player to help manage costs that make it easier for audiences to access your content.

    We need you to take seriously the need to shift resources, opportunities and commissioning power to every nation and region. There is a principle that will run through our industrial strategy like a thread: economic growth, good jobs, skills and opportunities. Not just in one part of the country, but in every single nation and region, across our towns, villages and cities. So we need you to step up and do more, not just paying lip service to the need for regional and national content, but really embedding yourselves in those communities to make sure that those voices are heard, those stories are told. Because talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not.

    In a world where trust is at a premium, it’s easy to draw divisions: broadcasters versus streamers, online versus print, local versus national, big versus small. But we have to reject that way of thinking. Because despite all the talk of challenges, and there are many, the fundamentals of our media sectors are strong. They have great talent and infrastructure, and I hope that we can work together to create a great policy framework too, so that you can continue to be the custodians of our national life and usher this country into the coming decade.

    It’s my firm belief that this country has been through difficult times, buffeted by global forces and decision-making at home, and we need to take this moment to recover our sense of self confidence. When it comes to the creative industries, whether it’s film, TV, fashion, music, arts, culture, we are really good at this stuff. We light up the world with the content that we’re able to make and produce and we change lives here, at home and overseas.

    Recently, I was in India and then Japan, and I couldn’t fail to be impressed by the esteem in which British media and creatives are held. Millions of people around the world watch big budget dramas like ‘Doctor Who’ and ‘Bridgerton’, but they also watch a slew of other fantastic shows and formats from ‘Planet Earth’ to ‘Come Dine With Me’ and everything in between. They read our news, they watch our adverts, they listen to our podcasts.

    What that does is not just project the UK to the rest of the world, but it connects people in an increasingly fragmented, divided and polarised world. So many of the people I spoke to wanted to come and make things in the UK with the UK, we are a cultural powerhouse. No one will be a more passionate advocate for our sectors than me or our ministerial colleagues at DCMS.

    So know that you have our full support as we enter this new era. Know that I am confident that if we work together, we can face head-on these challenges and make the most of change as a country. We’ve been drifting too long, but now is the time to chart a new course, a media that is fiercely independent, that creates and produces some of the best content in the world. That draws on the talent that exists in every corner of our country to shape, define and give voice to our national story, and provide those moments that bring us together in shared experience at a time when so much of our consumption is fractured and polarising. As we look to this new era and a new country, let nobody say that it falls to anybody else. It falls to us.

  • Keir Starmer – 2025 Comments at the Show Racism the Red Card Reception

    Keir Starmer – 2025 Comments at the Show Racism the Red Card Reception

    The comments made by Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, at 10 Downing Street on 2 June 2025.

    Thank you, Shaka [Hislop] and thank you for all that you’ve done and all that you have inspired—because to look out here so many years after the instant you described a moment ago and see so many people who’ve contributed to this really important campaign and cause—must be inspiring for you. It’s certainly inspiring for us with this great charity, Show Racism the Red Card.

    And as you said, it was almost 30 years ago now from that moment in the petrol station near Saint James’s Park, where you were facing appalling racism and abuse. I think a moment ago you told me you’d just got married. You were newly married, simply stopping to fill up the car, facing that abuse until the perpetrators realised that the person they were targeting was the Newcastle goalkeeper that they so admired. In that moment, they changed completely and you saw the power of football with that—to change our country—and were determined to seize it and to build something better out of that moment. The way Shaka put it to me just now was that at 100 yards he faced racism and hatred; at 100 feet, when people were closer, he experienced friendship and a wanting to have his autograph. That, I think, has driven you—this sense that if we can pull people closer and act in that way, the power of doing so is phenomenal.

    In that particular case, it was the very same individual whose behaviour changed in a very short period of time. And here we are, years later, in Downing Street, and it is my privilege to be able to host you and to host everybody here in this garden with a charity that has reached 1.3 million people. And not just the work that’s been done in football grounds themselves, but in schools, in workplaces, and stadiums across the country. And of course, with so many others that have joined this mission—all of those that are here tonight, but many other people who can’t be here this evening—have played a huge part as well. And we say thanks to them.

    We’ve got pioneers like Trevor Sinclair, Anita Asante, Richard Offiong, and Chris Hughton here today. We’re so special. Thank you to all of them and people across the football world, all doing so much in their own right to support this cause. So not just on behalf of myself as Prime Minister, but on behalf of the whole country, I’d like to say a huge thank you. And when I say the whole country, I always remind myself that it’s a privilege to stand here, and there are millions of people who would love to stand here this evening and say thank you to you for all that you have done.

    I say that as Prime Minister, but I say it on behalf of all the people who would love to stand here and say hello to you and say thank you to you—people whose lives have been affected. As you said, Shaka, the people who you won’t even know, won’t ever meet, but whose lives have been changed by the work that has been done. And that’s the power of inspiration—reaching beyond the immediate and bringing other people in behind this important work and using the power of football to fight racism and build a better, more inclusive Britain. And there’s only one further step tonight that we need to take. I’ve been determined to do it for a long time, which is to put some five-a-side goals back here.

    I’m a season ticket holder, go to football now, but I’ve been going for many years like other people here. And I do remember when going to football was a very different experience than it is today, especially for fans and players from certain communities, it was a very different experience. And I remember that as a fan watching football week in, week out. So yes, we celebrate today how far we’ve come—and we should—but it is also a call to action because we know we’ve got to go further. And we can’t be complacent, even within football itself.

    Never forget, it was only four years ago, in the summer of 2021, when those young England stars faced appalling abuse after that penalty shootout against Italy in the finals of the Euros. But yet that team, after that experience, I can still remember the players going up to take those penalties and the aftermath. And then the outpouring of hatred, vitriol, abuse that came, which I think was shocking for them—certainly shocking for all of us, including for me—because just as we think that we’ve made great strides forward, there’s a brutal reminder: not so fast. Don’t be complacent.

    And yet that team, those young players, supported by Gareth, stood up and showed real leadership in the face of that hatred and that abuse. They used the honour of representing our country in our national game to help us build a better nation, a more inclusive nation, and to make us proud of our national identity, of who we are and what we stand for. And that was a brilliant response to what happened just four years ago and enabled us to bring the country together through that shared emotion of football. And that’s the power of football that we’re all here to harness today, because it doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from, what you do for a living—the basic joy of stepping onto a pitch and kicking a ball is deep in our humanity. And I say this from personal experience: football is for everyone. There’s something special about stepping onto the pitch where almost everything else falls away, and it just depends on you and your teammates around you. And it’s a reminder of the power of football and that football is for everyone.

    Even for me, I am unashamedly ambitious about how we can use the unifying power of football to educate, as you are doing, to fight discrimination, bring our communities together, and promote health and fitness. And it really gives people a leg up with skills, employability, and confidence. And for young people, to my mind, confidence is probably the number one most valuable thing in whatever they do—the confidence it gives and the way that football contributes to all of that. And many of you here are leading the way with that, including many of our football clubs. But just to take some examples that I’ve seen from Arsenal: David Dein pioneering the Twinning Project, using football to reduce reoffending. What a brilliant project that is—to go into prisons and to work with young people to give them a chance when they come out of not going back into prison in the future through the Twinning Project. The Dirt Is Good campaign—tackling the stigma of stains on clothes and bringing down the barriers that have stopped girls playing sport for too long. And how far have we come because of campaigns like that with our women’s football, which has gone through massive strides in the last few years. And the support of Adidas to create new local pitches for people from all backgrounds to come and play, including in my own constituency—what a valuable contribution. Because that gives sport to children and young people who wouldn’t otherwise have it and gives them the chance not to be mucking about on the streets doing other things which wouldn’t do them any good in the long term.

    And they’re just examples. But I’m determined we can do so much more so that in each place there’s the pride that comes with football, the facilities and opportunities for everyone to play. Because investing in high-quality grassroots facilities in our communities can rebuild the social fabric of our country. We have our big clubs, and we have clubs across the whole of the country. And the pride in place of the local club is huge. The power of that to bring young people into the facilities is huge. And just look at any of the playoffs at Wembley. The whole town wants to go to support their community. Something comes out that is bigger than football, and that’s the pride of place that football showcases.

    And so here we are in the Number 10 garden to talk about how we use football to change our country for the better. On my first day as Prime Minister, I stood on the other side of this building, outside on the steps of Downing Street, and said that we would be a government of service. And that means that this is my place of work. It’s also where I live, incidentally. But it also belongs to you. And I want you to feel a sense of this. It’s not a privilege to be here in this garden, because if we’re the government of service, then we’re in your service. And therefore, this is a place to which you’re entitled to come—not just privileged to come. And I want you to feel a real sense that this is my workplace. But in a sense, today I want it to feel like your workplace as well. You’re not just invited to be here—you are entitled to be here, and you’re welcome. And to put your fingerprints on the work of this government—it’s very important that you push us and tell us what else we should be doing. You have the right, given everything you have already contributed, to tell us what else we should do—to put your fingerprints on the next policy, to make sure that we together shape a better future. And what an inspiring group of people to be able to do this here in this garden.

    Thank you for coming. Let’s show racism the red card and use football to help deliver the change this country needs.

    Thank you so much.

  • Lisa Nandy – 2025 Speech at the Evening Reception of UK National Day at World Expo Osaka

    Lisa Nandy – 2025 Speech at the Evening Reception of UK National Day at World Expo Osaka

    The speech made by Lisa Nandy, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on 22 May 2025.

    Good evening everyone. Konbanwa .

    It’s a pleasure to welcome you all to the UK’s Pavilion to celebrate our National Day at the Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai. I would especially like to extend a warm welcome to Her Imperial Highness Princess Akiko of Mikasa and former Prime Minister Kishida, both good friends of the United Kingdom.

    The UK and Japan bilateral relationship is the strongest it has been in decades, underpinned by our common values, shared view of the world and our close people-to-people links. From security to economic growth and working together to tackle global challenges, our partnership is going from strength to strength. This step-up in collaboration was launched under the 2023 Hiroshima Accord – with thanks to former Prime Minister Kishida – and last year Prime Ministers Starmer and Ishiba agreed to build on it even further. The State Visit to the UK by Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress of Japan in June last year celebrated the depth and breadth of our partnership – as His Majesty the Emperor said, ‘we are friends like no other’.

    I have seen this partnership first-hand here in Japan. And if you have had a chance to go through our visitor experience today, you will have seen the power of UK and Japanese collaboration. We can achieve so much more when we harness our shared creativity and innovation. In this spirit, the National Ballet of Japan makes their European debut at the Royal Opera House in London with their production of “Giselle” in July, under the artistic direction of Yoshida Miyako, who made her career as the first Japanese Principal ballerina in the UK’s Royal Ballet.

    Ours is a partnership that is more relevant than ever. With growing uncertainty and instability around the world, there is so much that the UK and Japan can do together to ‘design future society for our lives’. This is, I believe, the defining challenge of our lives – to empower people the world over to build a world that works for us, and us for it.

    So, I am delighted to be launching Musubi: a flagship new initiative that will foster meaningful people-to-people connections between the UK and Japan and build the shared leadership to tackle the challenges and opportunities ahead of us.

    That includes championing our young people and building a pool of international talent. And today we are announcing:

    • A new Musubi Scholarship with University College London, supported by Amano Enzyme Inc.;
    • A Youth Offshore Wind Scholarship Programme with SSE Pacifico to foster future talent in this dynamic sector; and * The Robert Walters career development programme to help our brightest young people reach their full potential.
    • It includes drawing on the power of sport to build connections and enrich lives. Where:
    • 2025 Premier League winners Liverpool Football Club’s International Academy in Kawasaki is developing young players and providing opportunities to build leadership qualities.
    • And the UK Ekiden – inspired of course by Japan’s famous relay race – is bringing teams together in a celebration of teamwork, connection and friendship.

    And it includes building the leadership of the future.  Later this summer at this Pavilion the UK and Japan will host an event focused on promoting female leadership in business, building on the fact that our agreement with Japan was the first UK trade agreement to include a chapter on women’s economic empowerment.

    All of this will be championed by our Musubi Friendship Ambassador – Hello Kitty, presented by Sanrio.

    This is the most ambitious initiative of its kind between the UK and Japan – but it is also just the beginning. Over the years to come, this initiative will continue to grow – building a lasting legacy of connections and opportunity for our countries. Thank you to all our Pioneer Partners – and I hope to see many other companies and organisations joining us on this journey! I am now delighted to introduce a congratulatory message from The Princess Royal in her capacity as Chancellor of the University of London.

    Finally, this event and indeed our pavilion itself would not have been possible without our key sponsors and contributors: I would especially like to thank AstraZeneca, Aston Martin, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Diageo’s Johnnie Walker, Robert Walters, Liberty, the governments of Scotland and Wales, Ampetronic, Brompton and last but certainly not least, BBC Studios.

    Finally, I would like to thank everyone here this evening – I’m delighted that we have been able to gather so many of the UK’s closest friends in Japan, and I know with your support the UK-Japan partnership will continue to flourish. Arigato gozaimasu!

  • Lisa Nandy – 2025 Speech at the National Day Official Ceremony at World Expo Osaka

    Lisa Nandy – 2025 Speech at the National Day Official Ceremony at World Expo Osaka

    The speech made by Lisa Nandy, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on 22 May 2025.

    Your Imperial Highness, your excellency and esteemed guests. It is a great honour to be hosting the UK’s National Day celebrations here at Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai

    Let me start by offering my congratulations to the Government of Japan, the Expo Association and everyone involved in organising Expo 2025. In today’s world where many want to focus on differences and divisions, it is no mean feat to bring together over 150 countries with a shared goal of “designing future society for our lives.” I am very much looking forward to seeing more of this amazing Expo site in the course of today.

    Expo 2025 is very much about a global conversation, and within that global conversation, the UK and Japan have a particularly strong partnership. Our bilateral relationship is the strongest it has been in decades, underpinned by our common values, shared view of the world and our close people-to-people links. As His Majesty the Emperor said on his State Visit to the UK in June last year, we are ‘friends like no other’.

    The UK has a long history with Expos – going back to 1851 when the first ever EXPO was held in London – and a long history with Japan, from the arrival of William Adams/Miura-Anjin in 1600 to the Choshu 5 travelling to Britain in the mid-19th century to learn about the Industrial Revolution which was transforming my country and the world.

    The Japanese pioneers who travelled to Britain learnt much about our industrial prowess, bringing that technology back to Japan helping to transform Japan into the thriving, technologically advanced nation it is today. It is especially pertinent to reflect that one of those pioneers who ventured as far as Manchester went on to found the Osaka Chamber of Commerce, giving rise to Osaka’s tremendous growth. So our links are long and very relevant to this region. I am personally delighted as someone who was born in Manchester to see those links between Manchester and Osaka grow ever stronger.

    It was the sharing of technology and ideas which drove the UK-Japan relationship then, and still drives it now. And it is that belief in the power of ideas to build the future that lies at the heart of the UK pavilion at Expo. The UK’s theme at Expo 2025 is Come Build The Future. It is about the power of small ideas to come together, as children do with building blocks, to create something magical and potentially world-changing.

    We are a country of ideas that thrives on diversity, on a special mix of tradition and modernity. Our ancient universities drive world leading research, our whiskies and gins are still made to centuries old recipes, produced using cutting edge technology by a new generation of female distillers, our historic playhouses showcase the newest creative talents; and our small island is home to people from every country on the globe and has a capital city where over 300 languages are spoken.

    Today our National Day offers a snapshot of that, underlining the message of partnership: the Edinburgh Military Tattoo will perform with taiko drummers, later today the BBC Planet Earth Live III concert will be performed by the Osaka based Century orchestra with a renowned UK conductor, and musicians from across the four nations of the UK will connect with new Japanese audiences.

    I said earlier that the UK-Japan partnership is stronger than ever. This is evident from our ever-deepening economic and trade ties, through CPTPP, our collaboration on the green agenda, in defence, security, and digital technologies. But today I want to draw attention to the powerful cultural and people-to-people connections between our countries which underpin that partnership. I want to salute the power of the creative industries, of our story-tellers, to bring people together to entertain and delight, and to cross divides of language and culture.

    Later today, as part of our National Day, we are bringing the Japanese premiere of BBC’s Planet Earth III Live in concert to the Expo Hall. The BBC will be well known to all of you – it has an average global reach of 450 million people across the world, bringing both independent news you can trust and award-winning television – both drama and documentary. Their BBC Earth natural world documentaries have been seen by a quarter of a billion people and have inspired positive environmental change across the world. Planet Earth, by transforming abstract climate data into personal, emotional experiences, has motivated viewers to care and take action to help shape a sustainable future.  Again, well aligned with our UK pavilion theme and that of Expo 2025.

    For a partnership to flourish you need to bring not only ideas but also people together. That is why later today I shall be announcing a new form of UK-Japan partnership which focuses on that very idea of connection, of bringing people together. The UK and Japan have been connecting for hundreds of years. We want to make sure we continue to do that into the future too. We hope young – and old – visiting Expo 2025 and our pavilion will be inspired to connect globally and to seek out new ideas and new partners.

    To make progress towards the SDGs and tackle the global challenges we all face, we need to come together to share our ideas, to use them as the building blocks of a better future. The UK is committed to doing that, to doing that in partnership with others and is delighted to be here at Expo 2025 to take that partnership still further.

  • Stephanie Peacock – 2025 Speech at the Women and Girls in Sport Conference

    Stephanie Peacock – 2025 Speech at the Women and Girls in Sport Conference

    The speech made by Stephanie Peacock, the Sports Minister, at The Institution of Structural Engineers, Bastwick Street in London on 24 April 2025.

    Thank you all for being here and inviting me to speak to you today. I am sorry I can’t be with you in person.

    I want to talk to you today about the remarkable growth of women’s sport that we have witnessed in recent years, and what the Government is doing to build on this momentum.

    I would like to begin by sharing some statistics. In 2024, UK Women’s Sport attracted audiences of over 44.17 million, an increase of nearly 40% in just two years. Over 2.6 million people attended a women’s sport event in person in 2023, an increase of 23% from the previous year.

    Globally, Deloitte predicts that revenue generated by women’s elite sports will reach at least $2.35 billion, or £1.8 billion, in 2025, with revenues predicted to have risen by 240% in 4 years.

    This is, of course, good news for economic growth and for those playing women’s elite sport. But most importantly the impact that it will have on women and girls across the country will be profound.

    Inspiring women and girls across the country to take part in sport is hugely important to me as Sports Minister.

    Girls need to know from a young age that they belong in sport.  That is why we want to review and shape our education system to inspire girls from an early age to get active and build a lifelong love and affinity for sport.

    To achieve this goal, Government is driving progress across women’s sport: from investing in grassroots facilities to supporting national campaigns.

    It also means action on the elite end of sport, from hosting major events to supporting action to professionalise women’s sport.

    Bringing all of these elements together is our strategy for women and girl’s sport. Let me take you through each of those in turn.

    Firstly, we want more women and girls than ever to stay physically and mentally fit and healthy.

    In order to do this, we need to keep evolving and challenging the way we think of women in sporting environments in order to understand what challenges and motivates them.

    Sport England campaigns like This Girl Can has inspired nearly 4 million women to get active and 8 out of 10 women say that the campaign has boosted their confidence.

    We want women to have options and variety available to them within their local area.

    Getting this right starts with inclusion. Statistics show that for women on lower incomes from under-represented groups, the challenges and feelings of not being included are even greater.

    When we support women’s sport, we will support women and girls right across our communities – not just elite athletes however important they are

    Secondly, we know that in order to reach women and girls from all walks of life, equal access to high quality PE and school sports has a fundamental role to play.

    I have seen first hand the value of school sports in my own constituency in Barnsley South. It was great to visit High View Primary Centre Centre in Wombwell a few weeks ago to watch the FA’s annual Biggest Ever Football Session, and I have enjoyed seeing the impact that events such as the Daily Mile can have on local children across Barnsley.

    So, through our expert-led review of the curriculum, we are going to ensure that every child has the opportunity to engage in a broad range of subjects, including PE and sport.  I’ve been working closely with the Minister for Schools and with National Governing Bodies across a range of issues, and we are committed to ensuring that all children can access high-quality sport and physical activity across the school day.

    We also know that access to facilities, player welfare standards and suitable kit and equipment are all key parts of ensuring women and girls have the opportunity to excel.

    On 21 March, we announced an investment of £100 million to fund grassroots facilities throughout the UK. £98 million of this will support projects in 2025/26.

    This funding will support more women and girls to take part in the sports that they love, particularly by ensuring that funded sites across the UK provide priority slots for women and girls. Beyond this, in England there is funding specifically targeted at creating female-friendly facilities off the pitch, including changing rooms and toilets.

    As well as focusing on getting women and girls active at a grassroots level, progress in women’s sport requires a healthy professional system to fund participation and to create inspirational role models.

    This is why I am acting on the recommendations of Karen Carney’s independent Review of Women’s Football starting with a series of in depth discussions on the recommendations, and led by a taskforce I have convened to drive this forward.

    We want Karen’s excellent Review to lead to tangible change in women’s football, acting as a wider blueprint for all of women’s sport.

    Our work is already making a difference: we the Taskforce recently agreed on a series of concrete actions to improve player welfare in women’s football.

    I also want to address one of the major issues identified by Karen in the Review, which is the lack of research.  Only 6% of all sports science research today is dedicated solely to female athletes. Obviously this imbalance is a global challenge but I believe the UK is well positioned to take the lead in addressing, building on our reputation for world class research. This Government is determined to ensure that our sport science research continues to be world leading and tailored to the needs of our athletes.

    On a recent visit to Loughborough University’s Women in Sport Research and Innovation Hub, I saw first hand ground breaking innovation which will shape the future of women’s sport.

    This includes development in areas such as the menstrual cycle, the design of pregnancy and postpartum sportswear, sports nutrition, and innovation in sports bras.

    This vital work will help us accelerate the progress we have already made and ensure that research into women’s sport is tailored to female athletes.

    Finally, progress in women’s sport also means increasing visibility and inspiring a nation, by showcasing what our world leading female athletes can do.

    We know women and girls across the country are inspired by female role models.

    This summer, some fans will be watching the Lionesses on TV with their family, while others will be at the Women’s Rugby World Cup across England enjoying the atmosphere. Many more will be watching their favourite local teams and athletes from their home town.

    We want everyone to join us in marvelling at the incredible talent we have here in the UK.  We want to create the best women’s leagues in the world and we want to lead the way in helping women’s sport  to stand the test of time and be financially sustainable.

    This will mean that a girl growing up in my area of Barnsley will be able to watch us host major events like the Women’s Rugby World Cup, the Women’s T20 World Cup and the Tour de France Femmes, and be able to recreate moments with their friends at school.

    With our incredible track record for hosting these kinds of events, I know that they are going to be huge success stories that inspire everyone watching women’s sport right across the globe.

    We are also working hard to support the FA’s bid for the 2035 Women’s World Cup, a tournament with the potential to inspire yet another generation of women’s football fans.

    This is how we lead the way in women’s sport and create lasting legacies for generations to come.

    Before I end today, I want to directly address last week’s Supreme Court ruling, which I am sure is on the minds of many of you attending today. As a Government we have always been clear that when it comes to women’s sport, biology matters and we will continue to support sports to develop policies that protect fairness and safety, particularly when it is not possible to balance those factors with inclusion. Alongside this, sports need to come up with approaches to ensure everyone has the opportunity to take part somehow – and I know that sporting bodies will be considering this in light of the Supreme Court decision.

    As I finish speaking to you today, I recognise that we still have challenges to overcome when it comes to women’s sport. However, the future is also one of huge opportunities to drive women’s sport forward.

    Progress in women’s sport requires a clear vision.  From young girls learning about sport and movement in school through PE, to teenagers accessing facilities built with women and girls in mind, to adults having the right knowledge, kit and environment, to excel we want to support women and girls at every stage of their lives.

    We want women and girls across the UK to watch global events hosted at home, to be inspired by their role models and to have the opportunity to dream big.  Every girl deserves that chance.

    And to enable this, this Government is committed to improving access to sport in schools, to making provision of facilities more equal, to improving research, driving visibility and investing in women’s sport at every level.

    It is not enough to focus on one aspect alone.  We must drive progress across all of these areas as part of one cohesive women’s sport strategy.

    I look forward to working with you all to ensure all women and girls have the opportunities they deserve.

    Thank you.

  • Martin Rhodes – 2025 Parliamentary Question on the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games

    Martin Rhodes – 2025 Parliamentary Question on the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games

    The parliamentary question asked by Martin Rhodes, the Labour MP for Glasgow North, in the House of Commons on 3 April 2025.

    Martin Rhodes (Glasgow North) (Lab)

    What discussions she has had with the Glasgow 2026 Organising Company on the 2026 Commonwealth games.

    The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Stephanie Peacock)

    My Department is in regular contact with the organising company, and I was pleased to meet recently with both the CEO and the chair to discuss progress on delivery, at a meeting in my Department and when I was delighted to attend the King’s baton relay launch at Buckingham Palace with His Majesty the King to mark 500 days until the games. The UK has been proud to host the Commonwealth games twice since 2014, and I am delighted that the UK Government have been able to get behind and support Glasgow 2026.

    Martin Rhodes

    I thank the Minister for her response. Does she agree that it is important that the games bring benefits to local communities? What discussions is she having with colleagues in the Scotland Office, the Scottish Government and Glasgow city council to ensure that local communities in Glasgow benefit from the games in 2026?

    Stephanie Peacock

    Of course, I agree with my hon. Friend that it is important that a successful games supports lasting benefits for the city and the region. As I said, I met with the CEO and chair two weeks ago. I was in Edinburgh to meet with my counterpart in the Scottish Government to discuss the games. My team is in close contact with the Scottish Government, the Scotland Office and other delivery partners to understand the games’ ambitions for these wider benefits. The organising company has already confirmed that the games will include £6 million of investment in existing sporting venues, as well as 3,000 trained volunteers and a cultural programme.

    Joe Robertson (Isle of Wight East) (Con)

    The Minister will know the springboard that hosting international events is for the economy, grassroots participation and sporting facilities in the UK. Under the last Government, we secured and hosted a number of major events, with a pipeline of events. What steps are this Government taking to ensure we have that pipeline of major events in the future?

    Stephanie Peacock

    The hon. Member is right to pay tribute to the economic contribution and the huge inspiration of these events. We have a number of exciting events coming up, whether that be rugby or cricket, and the Government are hugely supportive of major events.

  • John Whittingdale – 2025 Parliamentary Question on Use of AI in the Creative Industries

    John Whittingdale – 2025 Parliamentary Question on Use of AI in the Creative Industries

    The parliamentary question asked by John Whittingdale, the Conservative MP for Maldon, in the House of Commons on 3 April 2025.

    Sir John Whittingdale (Maldon) (Con)

    What discussions she has had with representatives of the creative industries on the use of AI.

    The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Lisa Nandy)

    Our creative industries lead the world. This is the top priority for them, and I am clear that if it matters to them, it matters to us, and we are determined to get it right. Since I was appointed, I have discussed this with representatives across music, publishing, film, TV, fashion and gaming. The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology and I will shortly convene further roundtables to work with industry across artificial intelligence and the creative industries to strike the right balance and to grip this issue.

    Sir John Whittingdale

    The Secretary of State will be aware of suggestions that the Government may offer concessions around AI regulation in a deal to reduce US tariffs. Will she assure the creative and news media sectors that any negotiations will not include an offer to weaken our copyright framework, which would be opposed by creative industries both in the UK and in the US?

    Lisa Nandy

    Our creatives are second to none in the world, as I just said, and our copyright framework is an essential part of their success. We have been clear that if it does not work for creatives, it does not work for us and we will not do it. On negotiations with the United States, the Prime Minister has been clear that this is the start of the process, but we will always work in the national interest, and we are considering all steps as we look to the future.

  • Paul Waugh – 2025 Parliamentary Question on Rugby League

    Paul Waugh – 2025 Parliamentary Question on Rugby League

    The parliamentary question asked by Paul Waugh, the Labour MP for Rochdale, in the House of Commons on 3 April 2025.

    Paul Waugh (Rochdale) (Lab/Co-op)

    What steps her Department is taking to help promote rugby league.

    The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Lisa Nandy)

    Mr Speaker, I take this opportunity to pay tribute to the work that rugby league clubs do across the country and to my own team, Wigan Warriors, who absolutely smashed Warrington Wolves in Las Vegas last month.

    Mr Speaker

    Are you still in the cup, by the way? [Laughter.]

    Lisa Nandy

    No comment. Rugby league clubs are at the heart of many communities, including my hon. Friend’s in Rochdale. I was delighted that, in the last financial year, Sport England awarded over £30,000 to his constituency to support grassroots rugby league.

    Paul Waugh

    Rochdale Hornets have had a winning start to their league season—a spicy performance no doubt linked to our new partnership with Nando’s restaurants. Mr Speaker, if you get a Rochdale Hornets season ticket, you can get 20% off in Rochdale Nando’s. Ours is a true community club with the work off the pitch as important as the results on it. Does the Secretary of State agree that we should be promoting rugby league as not just great entertainment, but a brilliant way to help our nation’s mental and physical health?

    Lisa Nandy

    I could not agree more. Rugby league clubs have the ability to reach where others cannot. This week, I was delighted to convene a roundtable with the Prime Minister to discuss the issues raised by the TV series “Adolescence”, and in particular the impact of mental health and isolation on young men. We are working with rugby league clubs to see what more we can do to support young men’s mental health in coalfield communities. I will be in a position to announce more to the House shortly.

  • Peter Kyle – 2025 Speech at techUK Conference

    Peter Kyle – 2025 Speech at techUK Conference

    The speech made by Peter Kyle, the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, on 10 March 2025.

    Normally, it takes half an hour to get blood samples from the Guy’s Hospital, in London Bridge, to the lab over the road at St Thomas’ for testing.

    Like anything in medicine, even that small delay can make a massive difference.

    Between a quick recovery and weeks – months, even – spent bed-bound on a hospital ward.

    The team at Guy’s are acutely aware of that fact. So – working with two innovative firms – Apian, a British start-up founded by NHS doctors, and Wing, a global drone delivery company – they decided to find a solution.

    Fed up with being stuck in traffic jams, they’re using drones to deliver blood samples for high-risk patients who suffer from bleeding disorders like haemophilia. Instead of half an hour, delivery takes just 2 minutes.

    Make no mistake. This will save lives.

    The Civil Aviation Authority’s decision to extend the trial today is brilliant news.

    Too often, though, pioneering projects like these can’t get off the ground in Britain. Or they flounder in the face of bureaucratic headwinds. Even for this trial, my officials were told that if a single noise complaint was made – the whole thing could be blown off course.

    A single noise complaint – and vulnerable people are left waiting for the care they desperately need.

    I think that tells you everything you need to know about what’s going wrong in Britain today.

    In the last decade, we’ve had a succession of strategies.

    Piecemeal plan after piecemeal plan.

    And yet what has changed?

    Growth is anaemic – at best.

    Most households are barely better off now than they were in 2010. Across the country, communities are clinging on to industries that are disappearing.

    Because no one has confronted the question of what comes next.

    You have to ask yourself – why?

    Why has government after government found it so difficult to design or deliver a coherent plan for our economy? I think part of the answer is a failure to imagine what a better future for our country could actually look like.

    That is a failure of optimism. An inability to believe in Britain’s potential.

    But – without a plan for realising that potential – it’s also a failure of pragmatism.

    What other conclusion can you come to? When the data centres we need to power our digital economy get blocked because they ruin the view from the M25?

    When life sciences firms are demanding millions of square feet in new lab space.

    But over half of applications for lab space in Oxford are snarled up in our archaic planning process.

    It doesn’t have to be this way.

    There is 10 times as much lab space in Boston as there is in Oxford, Cambridge and London combined.

    In San Francisco, it takes a couple of minutes to hail a self-driving taxi for you and your kids if you’re late for the school run.

    In many cities in China, a drone delivering your takeaway is an ordinary, unremarkable part of everyday life.

    While others have forged ahead, we risk being left behind.

    And – as ever – it’s working people who have paid the price.

    The stats are clear.

    Mario Draghi’s recent report into European competitiveness showed that the vast productivity gap between the EU and the US is almost entirely down to the growth of the tech sector.

    And Britain isn’t much better.

    That’s not because we have a shortage of brilliant businesses or innovative entrepreneurs.

    We’ve got the third largest tech sector in the world.

    Between 2019 and 2023, our digital sector grew over five times faster than the rest of the economy.

    But, for too long, government has failed to be a reliable partner for you.

    Our industrial strategy – ‘Invest 2035’ – will change that.

    It will set out a decade-long plan for our economy, squarely focused on the eight sectors with the greatest growth potential and anchored in a positive and pragmatic vision of what Britain’s future could look like.

    There is no possible version of that future which does not have technology at its heart.

    Just as there is no route to long-term growth, no solution to our productivity problem, without innovation.

    That’s why I will be bringing forward – for the very first time – a dedicated plan for our digital and technologies sector.

    That plan will be a partnership with you and with local leaders in regions with the highest growth potential.

    And it will be rooted in a firm belief that technology can be a force for good in working people’s lives.

    Whether that’s climate-resistant crops that will provide affordable food in the face of floods and droughts. Quantum scanners that will help us understand devastating diseases like dementia and epilepsy.

    Semiconductors like the ones I saw last week in South Wales, which are powering every part of modern life.

    New telecoms technologies that will allow people and businesses to access the internet anywhere in the UK – or protect our armed forces abroad.
    Drones that can save lives – or simply deliver a takeaway to your door.

    Too often, though, British businesses trying to bring technologies like these to market face a mountain of red tape.

    That’s bad for growth.

    And it’s bad for British people, who spend longer waiting for the products and services they want. I created the Regulatory Innovation Office (RIO) to change that, focusing on four of our fastest-growing, highest-impact sectors.

    Engineering biology. AI in healthcare. Space. And, of course, autonomous technology like drones.

    Today, we have announced that David Willetts will take on the role of Chair.

    David brings with him an unparalleled wealth of experience.

    He may have once sat on the other side of the House.

    But few people know the UK science and technology landscape better than him. That’s just as well – because he’s got his work cut out.

    David and Minister Vallance went to Guy’s last Friday.

    The stifling straightjacket of rules that the team faced before they could start the trial isn’t just keeping drones grounded.

    It’s everywhere you look.

    That’s why transparent, adaptable, pro-innovation regulation will be the central pillar of the digital and technologies sector plan.

    Today, I’ve set up a forum to get our regulators ready for the quantum revolution.

    Because I want them to give British businesses the confidence they need to embrace a technology that will transform every part of our lives. I’ve also launched new funding for engineering biology sandboxes which will help us accelerate regulatory reform for products like lab-grown organs for transplant or cell-cultivated meat.

    This approach is being replicated right across government – even in the places you’d expect it least.

    Right now, the humble banana – Britain’s favourite fruit – is at risk.

    Because almost all the bananas in the world are genetically identical clones, Panama disease could wipe them all out at once.

    So Tropic Biosciences – a UK start-up based in Norwich – have come up with an alternative.

    Their gene-edited, disease-resistant bananas offer hope for the future.

    Better still – they’ve also developed bananas that ripen, but don’t go brown.

    Those have already been licensed for consumption in the Philippines.

    But not yet in the UK.

    Soon, though, that might change.

    Bolstered by the reinstatement of the precision breeding working group, Ministers in Defra are working on enabling a route to market for precision bred crops, that will help us to cope in a new era of climate change and food insecurity.

    Britain must belong to the bold – not the blockers.

    Government must not be afraid to reform the way we regulate to favour innovation.

    Nor must we hesitate to embrace the unpredictable nature of research.

    One of the challenges of designing a plan for this sector is just how rapidly technology is changing. Imagine if you’d published a ten-year plan for AI the day before ChatGPT was released.

    You may as well rip it up and start again.

    Though we can see glimpses of our future in places like Guy’s Hospital, there’s much we cannot predict.

    We can be certain, though, that British science will have a pivotal role to play. To future proof our industrial strategy, we shouldn’t try and guess where research might end up before scientists have even started.

    Instead, we’ve got to be a stable partner that our researchers can rely on – working with them to tackle the challenges that will define the decade to come.

    R&D will be the anchor for this sector plan.

    Today, we’ve invested another £23 million in cutting edge telecoms research that will cement the UK’s leadership in advanced connectivity and support projects delivering real, tangible change for people and businesses across Britain.

    From using smart sensors to prevent damp and mould in social housing in Glasgow.

    To using 5G to help farmers in Sussex monitor their vineyards and maximise their yields.

    We’ve announced the winners of the Quantum Missions Pilot competition, too.

    The ten pioneers we’ve selected will now get to grips with the barriers that are preventing us from commercialising and adopting quantum technologies across the country.

    Every one of these investments sends a clear signal.

    That Britain isn’t just the place where tomorrow’s companies are born.

    But the place where they can scale and succeed.

    A place where the people who are deciding what the next decade looks like will be proud to call home. Because every pound these people on British soil has the potential not just to change working people’s lives, but to secure our nation’s position as a maker, not a taker, of tomorrow’s technology.

    That is why we published the AI Opportunities Plan.

    We cannot afford to simply sit back and wait for the AI revolution to shape us.

    We have got to step up and make sure that Britain is the place where the shape of that revolution gets decided.

    That will require working with companies to deliver the compute infrastructure that the researchers leading it will rely on.

    In the Action Plan, we committed to increasing the capacity of the AI Research Resource – our current network of cutting-edge super computers – by at least 20 times by 2030.

    Today, we are launching market engagement for the private partnerships we will need to meet that commitment. Details of how to take part are now online.

    If you want to work together to secure our stake in the future of this technology, I urge you to get in touch.

    So we will be bold on regulation. On R&D. On infrastructure.

    And I want businesses right across our economy to be bold, too. If we want British people to be the first to benefit from technologies like AI, we’ve got to empower companies large and small with the confidence to adopt them.

    When I talk about partnership, this is what I mean.

    Purposeful, long-term collaboration in pursuit of a common goal.

    So we’ve asked Angela MacLean and Dave Smith to work with you to overcome the barriers to tech adoption in every sector of the industrial strategy.

    But we’re also capitalising on our own position as a customer for our digital and technologies sector, using procurement to drive innovation and deliver a smaller, smarter state that offers better value for money for taxpayers. Everywhere you see, there is an imbalance of power in this country.

    Rules which favour the blockers, not the bold.

    It is that imbalance which has – for too long – made it impossible to imagine a better future for Britain.

    When regulation empowers the people complaining about the sound of drones – not the patients waiting for life saving care.

    When businesses lack the support they need to invest in risky R&D.

    And researchers can’t access the infrastructure they need to make breakthroughs that will make British people better off. When procurement favours the same old suspects.

    And firms struggle to adopt technologies that could keep them competitive in the decades to come.

    We don’t know what 2035 will look like.

    But we know that tech will have a pivotal – and positive – role to play.

    Engineering biology and AI.

    Semiconductors and cybersecurity.

    Quantum and telecoms.

    Every one of the technologies I have talked about today offers a chance to change working people’s lives for the better.

    But that will only happen if we have the courage to take that chance.

    And an understanding of the radical, far-reaching reform which will be required to do that.

    We cannot afford to be cautious.

    Together, we’ve got to shift the balance of power.

    Away from stagnation and old ideas. Towards innovation and opportunity.

    Away from the naysayers. Towards the can-doers.

    Away from the blockers standing in the way of growth. Towards you – the bold people building a new future for Britain.

    Thank you.