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Category: Foreign Affairs

  • Nick Thomas-Symonds – 2025 Speech at the EU-UK Forum

    Nick Thomas-Symonds – 2025 Speech at the EU-UK Forum

    The speech made by Nick Thomas-Symonds, the Minister for European Union Relations, on 4 February 2025.

    Many thanks, Paul, and many thanks to the EU-UK Forum for organising this conference.

    And, of course, for the invitation for me to come along to speak.

    I suppose I should also say a big thank you to the Prime Minister for the warm-up act last night.

    It’s a real pleasure to share a stage with my EU counterpart Maros Sefcovic.

    Even though, of course, Maros joined us virtually, our mutual goal of reaching a better UK EU relationship is very real.

    And today, I want to explain why that is so important…

    …what it could mean for the UK and for Europe…

    …and what I believe the defining structure of that relationship could look like.

    It is obvious to me – as I am sure it is to all of you – that at a time of such intense global change, the UK and the EU have many mutually aligned interests and challenges.

    We want increased prosperity…

    … we want to strengthen our security…

    …and we want our citizens to be safe.

    Those joint challenges that we face were powerfully set out by our UK Chancellor, Rachel Reeves…

    …and, indeed, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen just last week.

    In her growth speech, my Friend the Chancellor didn’t shy away from the economic challenges that we are confronting. She said:

    “Growth will not come without a fight. Without a government willing to take the right decisions now to change our country’s future for the better.

    “But for too long, that potential has been held back.”

    On the same day, the President von der Leyen presented the ‘Competitiveness Compass’ saying that, and I quote:

    “Europe has everything it needs to succeed. But, at the same time, we must fix our weaknesses to regain competitiveness.”

    The ‘Competitive Compass’ sets out the importance of “trade openness”, “not only for sustaining Europe’s prosperity, but also for enhancing its resilience”.

    We know that low growth is not the destiny for our economies.

    Research and innovation…

    …reducing red tape…

    …a new skills agenda…

    …boosting productivity…

    …a more resilient economy…

    …all these elements found in the Compass are also crucial parts of the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change.

    These are areas of mutual interest to both of our economies

    It is also clear about the vital interconnection between security and prosperity…

    …that is why the work we are all engaged in – that Maroš and I are driving forward – is so vital.

    In the UK and indeed in Brussels – we are clear-eyed about the scale of challenges that we face – and the opportunities for growth and innovation.

    The European Union is the UK’s biggest trading partner, with trade totalling – in 2023 – over £800bn.

    Many of our best education and science facilities have lifelong links…

    …and our collaboration on research and development has been the springboard for hugely successful innovations that have driven growth and jobs.

    And in a more uncertain world, we are regularly reminded that allies are more secure together than they are apart.

    This Government’s position is simple: the UK and the EU are linked through trade and international organisations like NATO…

    …and even though we voted to leave the EU, our role as key allies and trade partner remains.

    We know that for these relationships to flourish, trust is a vital ingredient.

    This Government recognises that the UK’s signature means something.

    So, we are committed to implementing the Trade and Co-operation Agreement and the Windsor Framework and building on that structure to address emerging challenges and opportunities.

    Now, I want to say – straightforwardly – that we see real opportunities to improve the status quo.

    As ‘Businesseurope’ set out in their report this Autumn:

    “There remain many unnecessary barriers to trade and investment. Following the elections of new governments in the EU and UK, there is a clear opportunity to upgrade the relationship to deliver for businesses and citizens.”

    I agree with them.

    A study published last year showed that between 2021 and 2023, the goods EU businesses export to the UK were down by 32%…

    …while UK goods exports to the EU were down by 27%.

    That is not good for British business or European businesses…

    …especially at a time when our economies need a kickstart.

    Reducing trade barriers is of mutual benefit to the UK and the EU.

    [redacted political content]

    It was vital that we re-joined Horizon…

    …we should never have left in the first place…

    …but the gap in continuity and other challenges means we haven’t together achieved as much as we could have done.

    It’s especially bad when global competition for innovation has never been fiercer.

    When the UK should have been working more closely with international law enforcement on security…

    …we frankly wasted years undermining the role of the ECHR, in pursuit of a doomed Rwanda deportation scheme.

    We cannot continue in this way with one of our largest, most important partners…

    …that is why this Government will always work in the UK’s national interest…

    …and for me, that means being a ruthlessly pragmatic negotiator.

    That means making the case for closer working with our allies in the EU, to make people across the UK and the EU safer, more secure and more prosperous…

    …that means making sure that we are working to strengthen cooperation, moving away from a zero sum, win, lose dynamic we have seen in recent years…

    …and that is the spirit I take into discussions with the EU.

    The UK and the EU have many mutually beneficial interests…

    …I want to build on these as we work to reset our relationship…

    …to help construct a more secure, a safer and a more prosperous UK and EU.

    Now this British Government was elected on a mandate…

    …to strengthen national security by reconnecting with our allies…

    …to increase people’s safety through strong borders…

    …and increase prosperity through growth.

    Our European friends are a part of every single one of those priorities…

    …and I believe it’s these priorities that form the three pillars of a reset in our relationship.

    On security – you saw yesterday how seriously we’re taking this.

    Our Prime Minister met with all 27 of the EU leaders and the Secretary General of NATO…

    …discussing the common threats we face…

    …and the value that closer EU-UK cooperation on defence could bring…

    …whether it’s securing undersea cables or working together on research and development.

    On safety – I am clear that if we want to protect our respective borders and keep our citizens safe, then we need to work together.

    That is the only way we’re going to break up the vile global trade in human trafficking…

    …that’s the only way to tackle organised crime and terrorism, which plagues us all.

    And on prosperity – if we want to grow our economies…

    …and boost our living standards…

    …then we need to reduce barriers to UK and EU trade.

    And I am pleased to say that – that on all three of these issues – we are making progress.

    On security, the Prime Minister and the President of the European Council have made clear they wanted closer cooperation on security and defence…

    …and the EU High Representative and the Foreign Secretary have already agreed to new six-monthly Foreign Policy dialogues

    On safety, we have already increased the UK’s presence at Europol…

    …but I want us to go further.

    We need to find to find ways to better coordinate law enforcement so that we can smash the gangs behind the small boats.

    To make people safer, we must do all we can to strengthen our collective ability to tackle organised crime and work together on illegal migration.

    Afterall, these are shared challenges.

    And on prosperity, we have said we will seek to negotiate a Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement to remove barriers to trade…

    …and find ways to resolve issues like the Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications.

    We can go much further on energy and the green transition.

    Our Government’s commitment is to Make Britain a Clean Energy superpower by 2030…

    …and together, we need to deliver energy security so that we are never again left exposed as we were when Russia – illegally – invaded Ukraine.

    These challenges all span borders and we must work together to seize opportunities that lie ahead.

    All of this work is supported by much greater cooperation between the UK Government and the EU.

    Right from the very top – with the Prime Minister meeting with President von der Leyen and Council President Costa…

    …agreeing to a leader-level summit that will be held in May, where we hope we can deliver a balanced, yet ambitious outcome to benefit all of our citizens.

    Just before Christmas, our Chancellor attended a meeting of the EU finance ministers…

    …the first time a British Chancellor has been invited to the Eurogroup since Brexit.

    These meetings form only some of the nearly 70 direct engagements…

    …between UK Ministers and our EU counterparts since coming into Government…

    …and I look forward to many more ahead.

    And I say to you all: I look forward to working with you throughout this year and into the future.

    But ladies and gentlemen – the time for ideologically-driven division is over…

    …the time for ruthless pragmatism is now.

    It is through a new partnership between the UK and the EU that we will deliver for the people of the United Kingdom, and for people across the continent.

    The future of the EU and the UK lies beyond the status quo…

    …reaching forward to deliver benefits for all our people to share.

    So, let us rise to our shared challenges and grasp this opportunity.

    Because together we will create a stronger UK and we will create a stronger Europe.

    Thank you very much.

  • Keir Starmer – 2025 Comments in Brussels

    Keir Starmer – 2025 Comments in Brussels

    The comments made by Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, in Brussels on 3 February 2025.

    Thank you, Mark – it’s very good to be here.

    I should say it’s very good to be back here.

    And as you know, the UK’s commitment to NATO is stronger than ever –

    Because the need for NATO is clearer than ever.

    We’ve had a very good and productive discussion today…

    On how we can meet the rising threats that Russia poses across our continent…

    Including the situation, of course, in Ukraine.

    A couple of weeks ago, as you know, I was in Kyiv…

    I saw residential buildings, destroyed just days before.

    I met soldiers in the ICU…

    Recovering from really terrible burns.

    And I met children, whose parents are out there now…

    On the frontline.

    And, it’s yet another reminder…

    That this is a not a war not just in Ukraine…

    It’s a war on Ukraine…

    Against those children and their future.

    That’s why – together –

    We stand with them.

    We are all working to end this war…

    But let’s be absolutely clear –

    Peace will come through strength.

    And we must do all we can now to support Ukraine’s defence…

    And that means stabilising the front line…

    Providing the kit and the training they need.

    And that’s why, this year…

    The UK will give more military support to Ukraine than ever before.

    We need to see all allies stepping up – particularly in Europe.

    President Trump has threatened more sanctions on Russia…

    And it’s clear that that’s got Putin rattled.

    We know that he’s worried about the state of the Russian economy.

    So I’m here to work with our European partners on keeping up the pressure…

    Targeting the energy revenues and the companies supplying his missile factories…

    To crush Putin’s war machine.

    Because ultimately –

    Alongside our military support…

    That is what will bring peace closer.

    And we must keep working together to bolster NATO.

    And as you say, things that would have provoked utter outrage, just a few years ago…

    Have now become almost commonplace:

    Russian spy ships loitering off the British coast…

    A campaign of sabotage across Europe…

    Cyber-attacks, election interference, and attempted assassinations.

    Russia is seeking to destabilise our continent – target our values.

    So we should still be outraged.

    And we must harden European’s defence.

    In the UK we are proud to be a leading NATO ally…

    Part of the Forward Land Forces…

    Helping to police our skies and patrol our seas.

    Our defence spending is of course 2.3% of GDP now…

    And we are working hard work to set the path to 2.5%…

    And NATO plans and requirements…

    As well as the principle of “NATO First”…

    Will be at the heart of our Strategic Defence Review this year.

    Across Europe, we must shoulder more of the burden now –

    Because it is our burden to carry.

    Now that’s what I’ll be discussing at the EU Council this evening.

    We want to deliver an ambitious UK-EU Security partnership…

    To bolster NATO…

    Covering military technology and R&D…

    Improving the mobility of forces across Europe…

    Protecting our critical infrastructure…

    And deepening our industrial collaboration to increase defence production.

    We can’t be commentators when it comes to matters of peace on our continent.

    We must lead.

    And that is what I’m determined to do.

    Thank you so much Mark.

  • Keir Starmer – 2025 Speech on Holocaust Memorial Day

    Keir Starmer – 2025 Speech on Holocaust Memorial Day

    The speech made by Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, at the Guildhall in London on 27 January 2025.

    Earlier this month, my wife and I were in Block 27 of Auschwitz searching for members of her family in the Book of Names. It was harrowing.

    We turned page after page after page just to find the first letter of a name. It gave me an overwhelming sense of the sheer scale of this industrialised murder.

    And every one of those names, like the names we were looking for – was an individual person. Someone’s mother, father, brother, sister brutally murdered, simply because they were Jewish.

    Last week I met Renee Salt and Arek Hersh who somehow survived but whose loved ones were among those victims. I was humbled by their courage to speak of being in that place. I felt waves of revulsion at the depravity they described, at the cynicism.

    People told to bring their belongings like the piles of pots and pans I saw myself. The commandant living next door bringing up his family, the normalisation of murder, like it was just another day’s work.

    In Auschwitz, I saw photographs of Nazi guards standing with Jewish prisoners staring at the camera – completely indifferent – and in one case, even smiling. It showed more powerfully than ever how the Holocaust was a collective endeavour by thousands of ordinary individuals utterly consumed by the hatred of difference.

    And that is the hatred we stand against today, and it is a collective endeavour for all of us to defeat it.

    We start by remembering the six million Jewish victims and by defending the truth against anyone who would deny it. So we will have a National Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre to speak this truth for eternity.

    But as we remember, we must also act. Because we say never again, but where was never again in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, Darfur, or the acts of genocide against Yazidi.

    Today, we have to make those words mean more. So we will make Holocaust education a truly national endeavour.

    We will ensure all schools teach it and seek to give every young person the opportunity to hear a recorded survivor testimony. Because by learning from survivors like Renee and Arek we can develop that empathy for others and that appreciation of our common humanity, which is the ultimate way to defeat the hatred of difference.

    As I left Block 27, I saw the words of Primo Levi. It happened, it can happen again: that is the warning of the Holocaust to all of us.

    And it’s why it is a duty for all of us to make “never again” finally mean what it says: Never again.

  • David Lammy – 2025 Comments on Donald Trump’s Statement that Palestinians Must Leave Gaza

    David Lammy – 2025 Comments on Donald Trump’s Statement that Palestinians Must Leave Gaza

    The comments made by David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, in Ukraine on 5 February 2025.

    Donald Trump is right. Looking at those scenes, Palestinians who have been horrendously displaced over so many months of war, it is clear that Gaza is lying in rubble. We have always been clear in our view that we must see two states and we must see Palestinians able to live and prosper in their homelands in Gaza, in the West Bank. That is what we want to get to.

    That is why it’s important we move out of phase one of this hostage deal, to stage two and then to phase three and reconstruct Gaza. We will play our part in that support for reconstruction, working alongside the Palestinian authority and Gulf and Arab partners. That’s the guarantee to ensure that there is a future for Palestinians in their home.

  • David Lammy – 2025 Speech on Holocaust Memorial Day

    David Lammy – 2025 Speech on Holocaust Memorial Day

    The speech made by David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, on 27 January 2025.

    Thank you, Ambassador, for organising this event with us, and I want to echo Hazel’s thanks to Janine Webber.

    I hugely admire the willingness of her and other survivors to continue sharing their stories with the world.

    Many of you will have seen Prime Minister Keir Starmer visiting Auschwitz recently.

    I can distinctly remember my own visit there some years ago, and the many stories on display.

    The raw emotion of seeing a site of such evil. Such suffering. Such loss.

    80 years on from the liberation, we must face up to the reality described so eloquently by Auschwitz survivor, Primo Levi:

    Everyone needs to know that Auschwitz existed…

    Auschwitz is outside of us, but it is all around us, in the air. The plague has died away, but the infection still lingers and it would be foolish to deny it.

    Foolish, indeed.

    As a black man descended from the Windrush generation, as MP for the most diverse constituency in Britain – including, I am proud to say, a thriving Jewish community. And now, as Foreign Secretary, I see all too many signs of that lingering infection.

    Auschwitz did not start in its gas chambers. Genocide does not start with genocide. It starts with denial of rights. With attacks on the rule of law. With a festering resentment of the other.

    And so, as Levi and so many other survivors rightly insisted, it is a duty for us all to reflect on what had happened. ‘Never again’ is a solemn promise which we owe to the victims, but also which we must uphold for our own sake, and for the sake of future generations.

    We need Holocaust remembrance. Holocaust education. Action against antisemitism – it is how we build a better future for us all together.

    That is why it was a great honour to make my first visit as Foreign Secretary to Yad Vashem last July. Why I am proud to host you all in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on Holocaust Memorial Day and why I have been so glad to come into this job as the UK holds the Presidency of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.

    I want to thank all those involved in running our Presidency, in particular Lord Eric Pickles, whose work as Envoy only reinforces the cross-party nature of our country’s commitment to Holocaust remembrance.

    One of the projects we have been sponsoring during our Presidency has been 80 Objects – 80 Lives. curated by the Association of Jewish Refugees and the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation, this exhibition connects the testimonies of 80 survivors with 80 objects from before.

    Wedding rings. The pages of a prayer book. A doll. A suitcase. Everyday objects, connecting the courageous survivors to the communities, the families, the lives they have lost forever.   I like this project as well because it charts a path for this work in the years ahead. 80 years on from the defeat of Nazism, the number of survivors still with us is inevitably dwindling.

    The world of the 1930s and ‘40s can feel ever more distant from our high-tech world of today. The next generation risks being distracted, clickbait making it all too easy not to grasp the full horror of the Holocaust.

    We therefore need to find new ways to tell the story.

    To capture people’s imagination – young people’s most of all, and prompt real reflection.

    We need them to understand what a catastrophic moral failure for humanity Auschwitz was, and how the seeds of such a catastrophe are still around us.

    Another Auschwitz survivor, Viktor Frankl, wrote that one lesson he drew was how everything can be taken from human beings. But not our ability to “choose one’s own way”.

    Today, for all the great challenges we face, we are fortunate to live in a very different moment. But it is still up to each of us to choose our own way.

    For this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day, my hope is that people here in Britain, people all over the world, choose to heed the Auschwitz story.

    And I am choosing once again to work with all who share this hope to try to make sure they do.

    Thank you.

  • Keir Starmer – 2025 Statement Ahead of President Trump’s Inauguration

    Keir Starmer – 2025 Statement Ahead of President Trump’s Inauguration

    The statement made by Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, on 19 January 2025.

    On behalf of His Majesty’s Government and the United Kingdom, I would like to send my warmest congratulations to President Donald Trump on his inauguration as the forty-seventh President of the United States.

    For centuries, the relationship between our two nations has been one of collaboration, cooperation and enduring partnership. It is a uniquely close bond. Together, we have defended the world from tyranny and worked towards our mutual security and prosperity.

    With President Trump’s longstanding affection and historical ties to the United Kingdom, I know that depth of friendship will continue. The United Kingdom and United States will work together to ensure the success of both our countries and deliver for people on both sides of the Atlantic.

    Since our first meeting in September, the President and I have spoken about the need to deepen and invest in the transatlantic relationship. We will continue to build upon the unshakeable foundations of our historic alliance as we tackle together the global challenges we face and take our partnership to the next level focused on shared opportunities ahead for growth.

    I look forward to our next meeting as we continue our shared mission to ensure the peace, prosperity and security of our two great nations. The special relationship between the United Kingdom and United States will continue to flourish for years to come.

  • David Lammy – 2025 Statement on the Release of Three Hostages in Gaza

    David Lammy – 2025 Statement on the Release of Three Hostages in Gaza

    The statement made by David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, on 19 January 2025.

    We welcome the release of three hostages in Gaza, including British national Emily Damari, and thank Qatar, Egypt and the US for their support in bringing these individuals’ and their families’ horrific ordeal to an end.

    Our thoughts are also with those still waiting to be reunited with their loved ones, including the families of UK linked hostages Eli Sharabi, Oded Lifshitz and Avinatan Or.

    We are clear the deal must be implemented in full; all hostages be returned and aid be allowed to flow into Gaza now.

    This ceasefire must lead to a credible pathway towards a two-state solution in which Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in peace.

  • Keir Starmer – 2025 Statement on the Release of Three Hostages in Gaza

    Keir Starmer – 2025 Statement on the Release of Three Hostages in Gaza

    The statement made by Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, on 19 January 2025.

    The release of three hostages today is wonderful and long-overdue news after months of agony for them and their families. Among them is British citizen Emily Damari, who will now be reunited with her family, including her mother Amanda who has never stopped her tireless fight to bring her daughter home.

    I wish them all the very best as they begin the road to recovery after the intolerable trauma they have experienced. We stand ready to offer assistance and support.

    However, today also represents another day of suffering for those who haven’t made it home yet – so while this ceasefire deal should be welcomed, we must not forget about those who remain in captivity under Hamas.

    We must now see the remaining phases of the ceasefire deal implemented in full and on schedule, including the release of those remaining hostages and a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza. The UK stands ready to do everything it can to support a permanent and peaceful solution.

  • Keir Starmer – 2025 Comments Following Visit to Auschwitz

    Keir Starmer – 2025 Comments Following Visit to Auschwitz

    The comments made by Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, on 17 January 2025.

    Nothing could prepare me for the sheer horror of what I have seen in this place. It is utterly harrowing. The mounds of hair, the shoes, the suitcases, the names and details, everything that was so meticulously kept, except for human life.

    As I stood by the train tracks at Birkenau, looking across that cold, vast expanse, I felt a sickness, an air of desolation, as I tried to comprehend the enormity of this barbarous, planned, industrialised murder: a million people killed here for one reason, simply because they were Jewish.

    My visit today has also shown me more clearly than ever before, how this was not the evil deeds of a few bad individuals. It took a collective endeavour by thousands of ordinary people who each played their part in constructing this whole industry of death. To build the tracks, drive the trains, extract the hair and teeth, conceive the method of mass murder – each stomach-churning step rooted in the hatred of difference. The lessons of this darkest of crimes are the ultimate warning to humanity of where prejudice can lead.

    My wife was equally moved by what she saw today. It was her second visit, but no less harrowing than the first time she stepped through that gate and witnessed the depravity of what happened here.

    Time and again we condemn this hatred, and we boldly say “never again”. But where is never again, when we see the poison of antisemitism rising around the world in aftermath of October 7th? Where is never again, when the pulse of fear is beating in our own Jewish community, as people are despicably targeted once again for the very same reason, because they are Jewish.

    The truth that I have seen here today will stay with me for the rest of my life. So too, will my determination to defend that truth, to fight the poison of antisemitism and hatred in all its forms, and to do everything I can to make “never again” mean what it says, and what it must truly mean: never again.

  • Keir Starmer – 2025 Statement on the Israel-Hamas Ceasefire

    Keir Starmer – 2025 Statement on the Israel-Hamas Ceasefire

    The statement made by Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, on 15 January 2025.

    After months of devastating bloodshed and countless lives lost, this is the long-overdue news that the Israeli and Palestinian people have desperately been waiting for. They have borne the brunt of this conflict – triggered by the brutal terrorists of Hamas, who committed the deadliest massacre of Jewish people since the Holocaust on October 7th, 2023.

    The hostages, who were brutally ripped from their homes on that day and held captive in unimaginable conditions ever since, can now finally return to their families. But we should also use this moment to pay tribute to those who won’t make it home – including the British people who were murdered by Hamas. We will continue to mourn and remember them.

    For the innocent Palestinians whose homes turned into a warzone overnight and the many who have lost their lives, this ceasefire must allow for a huge surge in humanitarian aid, which is so desperately needed to end the suffering in Gaza. And then our attention must turn to how we secure a permanently better future for the Israeli and Palestinian people – grounded in a two-state solution that will guarantee security and stability for Israel, alongside a sovereign and viable Palestine state.

    The UK and its allies will continue to be at the forefront of these crucial efforts to break the cycle of violence and secure long-term peace in the Middle East.