Category: Speeches

  • John Healey – 2026 Speech to Labour Party Conference

    John Healey – 2026 Speech to Labour Party Conference

    The speech made by John Healey, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in Liverpool on 28 September 2026.

    Now Conference, I have to be honest. 

    I’m no first-time delegate.

    My first Labour conference was in 1986, 40 years ago, in Blackpool.

    Back then, I had hair.

    Back then, Neil Kinnock was leader – he was calling for sanctions on apartheid South Africa. 

    John Smith was calling for an industrial strategy to deal with the Tory slump. 

    John Prescott was just arguing. 

    But it was a vibrant time, it was a vibrant time, and I still get that very special energy that comes when the Labour movement gets together at conference. 

    So Conference, it is the privilege of my life to stand before you today as Labour’s Chancellor of the Exchequer.

    And to have this man as our Leader.

    Our Prime Minister – and as he likes to remind us – the first ever Co-operative Prime Minister of this country.

    Andy, you have the vision, you have the determination, and you have the plan to get things done.


    To give people hope again. 

    And frankly anyone who can do the Great North Run in under two hours just deserves respect!

    I do have to say though, you’re still wrong about the best pub snack.

    And I know Manchester is a great city, just like Liverpool is a great city. 

    But give me Rotherham any day of the week.

    Conference, before I go any further, I want to pay tribute to our former Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

    She brought to this country financial discipline, she delivered two Labour budgets that mean we’re cutting NHS waiting lists and we’re lifting half a million children out of poverty.

    And after 800 years, she will always be recognised as this country’s first-ever female Chancellor. 

    And to Keir Starmer. 

    He took on this party as our leader. 

    He took us from one of our worst-ever defeats to one of our biggest-ever victories. 

    And then as Prime Minister, he rebuilt Britain’s respect and international reputation, especially standing up to Russia in defence of Ukraine. 

    On behalf of us all, we thank you, Keir.

    And you know, as politicians, we can only be as good as the people who work with us, and work behind us.

    So I can’t tell you how fortunate I count myself to have this talented team of Treasury ministers:

    Emma and Lucy, Torsten, James, Dan and David.

    And a small dedicated team who work with me in the constituency office.

    To you all, I say a huge thank you.

    And finally, there’s someone else I want to thank.

    When I say Labour is my family, I mean it literally. 

    My guide, my inspiration, my blessing, my wife Jackie.

    Jackie is a third-generation Labour activist. 

    You know, her Grandma Jones kept Labour Party meetings running throughout the Second World War in Stoke-on-Trent, even during the bombing raids.

    And Jackie worked in Labour HQ. I worked for the MSF union. 

    We met at a union conference and within two weeks we were engaged. 

    And she’s been by my side ever since. 

    Jackie, thank you. 

    Conference, today, I want to talk about the politics of hope. 

    Our belief in a better day.

    Our conviction that committed citizens can change the world.

    No matter how hard the task, how daunting the odds.

    This is our Labour politics. 

    The hope that is earned. 

    Earned through fiscal discipline, through good work and through strong industries.

    So, I want to tell you how we’ll bring back hope.

    How we’ll get Britain growing. 

    With hope for our young people.

    With good work, good jobs and a new age of industrialisation. 

    Because Conference, I believe in Britain and we believe in Britain. 

    Conference, I’m a proud optimist. 

    I’m also a proud Yorkshireman, representing a former coalfield community. 

    Like many in our area, I have a miner’s lamp on my shelf at home.

    Those miners didn’t just use their lamps to light their own steps, they shone them to help others. 

    A symbol of solidarity. A symbol of hope. 

    That no matter the darkness, there’s always light at the end of the tunnel.

    And you know, the same goes now for Britain’s future.

    Why?

    Because this country has such resilience, such strengths, still such greatness.

    We’re home to nearly half the most innovative companies in Europe. 

    We’re world-leaders in life sciences, in defence tech, in AI.

    Our financial services, led by London, are some of the best in the world. 

    Our theatre, our TV shows, our fashion, our music is treasured the world over.

    And we have the best people. 

    The veterans in the Royal British Legion at Remembrance. 

    The winners of the Daily Mirror’s Pride of Britain awards.

    The lifeboat volunteers of the RNLI risking their own lives to save others in danger on the sea.

    This is the quiet patriotism that makes Britain great. 

    So, despite everything that we face, there are many reasons for optimism.

    New leadership. New confidence. And new hope.

    Conference, much as I believe in Britain, I also believe in Labour. 

    In what we can achieve by the strength of common endeavour. 

    I was part of the Labour government in 1997 that rebuilt Britain after 18 years of Tory failure.

    Leaving the country fairer.

    Giving the next generation a better start in life.

    From the day they’re born in the NHS to the schools they go to, to the first job they get.

    And Labour in power – at our best – has always been about building institutions that we pass on to the next generation. 

    The NHS. NATO. The Open University. The national minimum wage. The Good Friday Agreement. 

    And Conference, in just the last two years, look at what we’ve achieved as a Labour government.

    Railways coming back into public hands.

    New rights for renters. New rights at work. British Steel saved.

    And look at how we acted in Andy’s first week as Prime Minister.

    We acted on the cost of living pressures.

    We cut VAT from electricity bills.

    We capped bus fares at £2.

    We reduced business rates on pubs, clubs, and music venues.

    To give people just a bit of breathing space.

    A bit of breathing space today and hope for tomorrow.

    Conference, if we don’t talk up Labour’s actions, no one else will.

    So here’s my first challenge to you as your Labour Chancellor: be confident in who we are. 

    Be confident in our past. Be confident in our future.

    Let’s tell the story of how Labour can deliver change.

    How we can change lives, and how we can change this country. 

    Let’s tell people what we’ve done, what we’re doing, and what we will go on together to do.

    Labour – creating hope again!

    Now I first worked in the Treasury under Gordon Brown, in the late nineties and noughties. 

    It was New Labour, New Promise then

    And Gordon was and is an inspiration. 

    His determination.

    His drive.

    His block cap emails in the middle of the night. 

    And I joined him in 1999 and one of my first duties was to join him at Labour Party Conference in Bournemouth that year.

    He had been at the IMF, he flew in overnight and arrived just before he was due to give his conference speech.

    So I was in this small room with this big group of Gordon’s top aides.

    I was the new boy, they were big names then.

    Ed Miliband was there, Douglas Alexander was there, Ed Balls was there.

    Suddenly, Gordon was just about to go on and I said:

    Gordon needs a red tie!


    And the only person in the room wearing a red tie was me.

    So in 1999 in Bournemouth, Gordon made his speech as Chancellor with my tie.

    I did get it back, he signed it and I’ve never worn it since. 

    Until today. 

    Now I know the nineties is having a bit of a revival, 

    To Andy’s excitement, Oasis are going back on tour. 

    To Angela’s joy, Gladiators is back on Saturday night TV.

    But I have to level with you, Conference. 

    The money New Labour had in the nineties is simply not there now. 

    Economic growth under Gordon was more than double the Tory years that followed. 

    And Britain has it harder now. 

    We had 14 years of flatlining Tory growth and living standards – when Cameron’s austerity gutted our public services.

    When Johnson’s Brexit hammered our exports.

    And Truss’s mini Budget crashed the economy and collapsed confidence in Britain’s fiscal strength.

    They lost control of Britain’s finances.

    They left a legacy of sky-high debt costs – for families and for government. 

    And yet Kemi Badenoch – her new Shadow Chancellor is the very minister who helped Truss write that mini Budget!

    And even now, he still claims there were “lots of good things” in it!

    So, I say to them:

    Your reckless actions are still causing pain for people today.

    You left crumbling public services. 

    And you left Britain spending more on debt than the Home Office, Defence and Justice put together. 

    And people won’t forget, people won’t forgive.

    The cost of the nation’s debt is not just a number in a Chancellor’s Budget. 

    It’s the money that we can’t spend on the NHS, on schools, on housing, on social care. 

    On policing our streets, on controlling our borders, on defending our country.

    And I tell you these levels of debt are an assault on our common sense, they are an affront to our values. 

    And that’s why the Prime Minister and I are in lockstep that we will meet the fiscal rules. 

    That we will maintain control of Britain’s finances.

    And it’s not just the debt the Tories have left us. 

    Over the decades – as Andy has argued – this country has seen:

    Political power centralised.

    Economic control privatised.

    Britain deindustrialised.

    And the result? 

    Too many people today feel that Britain hasn’t been working for them, for their family, and for their area.

    And we also know how worried people are about the cost of living. The insecurity of work. The cost of business. 

    And they’re worried about the world, and they’re right. 


    Because the worldwide economic shocks, conflicts, trade tensions are felt hard here at home.

    From the prices at the pump to the cost of the monthly mortgage payments.

    But Conference, you know what?

    These times demand of us a greater resolve, a greater determination, and a greater hope.

    To build a more resilient country.

    And remember, Conference, we are Labour. 

    It was Labour that stepped up to clear the slums and build the council houses during the Great Depression.

    It was Labour that stepped up to build NATO and the NHS after the war.

    It was Labour that stepped up to lead the world through the global financial crisis. 

    When times are tough, we step up.

    And now, Conference, we are stepping up again.

    With a Plan for Britain.

    With our international leadership.

    And with our Labour values. 

    That is the Labour I know. 

    That is the Labour I love.

    So let me tell you how we’ll do it. 

    How we’ll bring fresh hope to Britain. 

    Built on the rock of fiscal discipline.

    Built on a growing economy, with good work and jobs in more places.

    Built on a new age of industrialisation. 

    On day one as Chancellor, I said my first duty is fiscal discipline. 

    And I’ll tell you why.

    It underwrites every promise this Government makes. 

    On growth, on jobs, on national security, and on public services. 

    We can’t succeed without it. 

    That’s why the Prime Minister and I are united in meeting the fiscal rules.

    Balancing the books, with a buffer against uncertainty.

    Controlling borrowing to bring down inflation.

    And reducing long term pressures on our finances.

    Conference, that commitment is so important. 

    There’s nothing progressive about losing control.

    Because it’s working people who pay for it. 

    And Conference, just look at who offers the opposite.

    It’s not just the Shadow Chancellor. 

    But Reform UK.  

    Dodgy donors, fantasy funding behind every plan. 

    And Nigel Farage, he wants you to think he’s a man of the people.

    But when it comes to the economy, he’s Liz Truss with a Bitcoin account.

    That’s not my politics. That’s not our politics. 

    And so, through the core of the Budget I deliver a month today will be fiscal discipline.

    To give families and businesses a bit of breathing space.

    To drive good growth and jobs in more places. 

    And to write a new chapter of hope for Britain’s future. 

    Conference, that miners lamp on my shelf at home in Rotherham came from Cortonwood Colliery – the pit where the miners’ strike started.

    Where Thatcher’s crusade against coalfield communities started.

    And our last pit – in Silverwood – was closed by the Tories in 1994. 

    The jobs went away.

    Hope and opportunity went too. 

    One in three men were unemployed.

    So when I was first elected, I had as my first top three priorities jobs, jobs,  and jobs.

    And now, as then, I still have that burning determination.

    Good work. Good jobs. Britain working again.

    This Party, our party, was founded by workers, for working people.

    The rhythms of work, the value of work, the pride that good work brings.

    That’s been Labour’s watchword for more than 100 years. 

    In the 30s, it drove the Jarrow Crusade to London. 

    In the 40s, it drove the Attlee Government to build full employment.

    And in the 90s, it drove Gordon and Tony to launch the New Deal for Young People.

    Getting them off benefits and into work for the first time.

    Their futures transformed. And making their contribution to the future of the country.

    Now, Conference, we all remember our first job. Mine was in a pub called the Milburn Arms in North Yorkshire. I washed pots and glasses.

    I worked for John and Betty Young. 

    They worked me hard, but fair. 

    And that job taught me the basics – about turning up on time, about getting on with others, about respecting those with more experience.

    It also taught me the glory of a hand-pulled pint.

    But every person, every young person should know the pride of getting their first job, and taking home their first pay check. 

    And while I learnt about work in the Milburn Arms, it’s Alan Milburn’s work now, for government, that lays bare the scale of the challenge young people face once again today.

    After Covid, and before the election, the Tories let the number of young people in this country not in employment, in education, or training rise to nearly one million.

    Two thirds have never worked.

    Potential wasted. Ambition frustrated. Opportunity closed. 

    Signed off, written off.

    And I know it’s tough for young people today. 

    Some find it hard to face the world. 

    And I hear the fear in their mum’s and dad’s voices when they talk about their kids’ futures, when they talk about the dark forces on the internet.

    And our social security system must always be there for those who can never work.

    But for everyone else, benefits should be a bridge to work, to wider participation, to a better life, not a trap that people can’t escape. 

    And Conference, it is simply not progressive to allow a bigger and bigger benefits bill and a system which offers an income but doesn’t offer a future. 

    So once again, as a Labour Government it falls to us to act. 

    And this is more than an economic must.

    This is a moral duty. 

    And Conference, I refuse to write off a million young people like the Tories have done. 

    When some people see a million youngsters with no work and no training, they see despair. 

    I see hope. 

    I see the future workforce of a reindustrialised Britain. Future business founders. Future union stewards. Future homeowners.

    I see a generation born this century, digital natives, whip smart, questioning, ambitious, brave. 

    I see the best asset we have in Britain: in our young people. 

    And I believe this generation has the potential to be a great generation.

    I believe we can help this generation move from Generation Jeopardy to Generation Hope. 

    Let me tell you about an apprentice pipe fitter called Ste. 

    I met him on Saturday when I went with Andy Burnham and Mayor Steve Rotheram on the first newly built ferry across the Mersey in 60 years.

    Ste helped build it, built here on the Mersey at Birkenhead. 

    And I asked him what advice he would give to a younger brother or sister about apprenticeships. 

    And he said: “Just go for it.”

    “Just go for it” he said, “because you’re earning and learning at the same time. And you can take these skills anywhere in the world.”

    Well Conference I’m happy to say that Ste is here today with some of those other apprentices, 150 at the Cammell Laird yard, that helped build that ferry.

    Lads, it’s great to see you today. Thanks for joining us, and thanks for what you’re doing for this great city.

    So today I want to announce a downpayment on Alan Milburn’s work.

    A Local Apprenticeships Service, expanded to more places, led by Mayors, targeted at these young people.

    Delivering thousands more apprenticeships for those young people.

    With local teams, a bit like football scouts for apprenticeships.

    Local teams who will go to local firms that’ve never taken on a trainee, and say: we’ll help you do it.

    That will go to the youngsters who’ve been out of work and say: we’ve got a place for you.

    Led by mayors, because it’s the mayor that knows their areas best. 

    They know which firms are hiring, they know which colleges are delivering, and they know which estates have been left behind.

    That’s what devolution means.

    And we had planned to start in a few areas. Now every mayor will have the chance to do it.

    Backed by an extra £100 million, fully funded by savings from the DWP.

    Because Conference the best thing we can offer a young person isn’t a benefit payment.

    It’s a first job. With training. And a wage.

    Our determination to help matched by their determination to hope.

    Conference, my politics have been shaped by the industrial heartlands of South Yorkshire. 

    The most brutal day of that bitter Miners’ strike was at Orgreave.

    Today, on the site of the Orgreave pit, is Rotherham’s Advanced Manufacturing Park. 

    One of the most concentrated areas of innovation anywhere in Britain.

    It’s where South Yorkshire’s young people are working with high-tech systems, making things that their grandparents could never have dreamed of.

    And one of those young people is Sean.

    Sean’s dad was a local miner – but there were no pit jobs for Sean.

    So he joined the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, he joined as an apprentice.

    So while his Dad mined the coal that kept Britain’s lights on, above the same coal seam Sean is now working on high tech research for the future of nuclear power. 

    Our coal mines are not coming back. But this is how Britain’s industrial past is being remade now for the modern world. 

    It’s how people are starting to tell each other stories of the future, and not the past.

    And this, Conference, is a story we can tell across the country. 

    In Scotland, where Dundee’s old tyre factory closed, a new innovation park stands in its place. 

    On Deeside in Wales, where generations of Shotton steelworkers were laid off, Airbus is now recruiting hundreds of workers to build the wings that fly the world.

    And in Derby, where they made the Spitfire engines, Rolls-Royce now build nuclear reactors and put the UK at the front of clean energy globally.

    And today, I can announce that Rolls-Royce will invest an extra £300 million more into its British factories.

    In Derby, in Bristol, in Glasgow, and in Rotherham.

    Conference, this is the new age of industrialisation. This is the new confidence in Britain.

    Lit by this government. Driven forward by business.

    So don’t tell me, don’t tell me it’s not possible to create a new age of British industry.

    Don’t tell me it’s not possible to have good growth in every postcode.

    And don’t tell me that people can’t hope again.

    Conference, we will use everything we can to create good jobs and industrialise Britain. 

    We’ll use the National Wealth Fund – creating and supporting a further 130,000 jobs across the UK by 2030. 

    Pulling in the private investment to create jobs in AI, in tech, in defence, and in clean energy. 

    And we’ll use the power of public procurement to direct more of British taxpayers’ money to British business, British jobs, and British innovation. 

    We’ll work in partnership with business and unions. 

    We’ll work with patriotism.

    Proud to back British firms, promote British exports and get British people working people in the jobs we create. 

    I know how national industrial strength is national security. 

    It means no dictator, no adversary can ever push us around.

    And so I want to confirm today that this British government will commit to £6 billion of contracts for our British shipyards.

    They’ll build the new docks for the new submarines that will defend us all for decades to come. 

    Built in Britain, by British workers because of decisions taken of this Labour Government.

    And Conference, credit where credit is due – to the GMB for helping us get this over the line.

    Because I’m proud to say that the British trade unions are full partners in this new age of industrialisation. 

    Proud it was a Labour government that put unions as full members on our Industrial Council.

    And yes, unions on the board of the Bank of England. 

    Because Britain’s economic success is built on the success of working people. 

    So to every union delegate in this hall, especially to those of you who serve as union reps and stewards.

    Today, I’m also announcing the rebirth of the Union Learning Fund.

    Set up by Labour. Abolished by the Tories. Now re-established by this Labour Government. 

    I talked before about the quiet patriotism that makes this country great. 

    These volunteers who step forwards to help their colleagues in the workplace, they do so as volunteers, sometimes at a cost to themselves, but always with the strength of the trade union behind them. 

    They too are the very best of us all.

    So I’m proud to bring back this Union Learning Fund.

    I’m proud of the fact that last time, 180,000 workers every year got new training opportunities through that fund. 

    And we’ll do that again.

    Better skills, better prospects, for British workers because of decisions taken by this Labour Government.

    And Conference, I want this new Learning Fund to come with a new focus. 

    To help British workers harness Artificial Intelligence, not be outrun by it. 

    AI is the greatest innovation of our time.

    It’s a general-purpose technology that will simply transform our society at every level.

    Every business, every community, every hospital, every school, everywhere can benefit from adopting it.

    It’s at the centre of a groundswell of new, world-leading British tech companies.

    And it’s the driving force with which this new age of industrialisation can be built. 

    Yes we need to face the serious risks to national security, to personal data, and our children’s wellbeing. 

    And it will change our labour market in fundamental ways.

    But I give you this commitment: 

    We won’t let AI leave Britain’s workers behind.

    And we will make sure that Britain wins in this AI revolution.

    Conference, as we draw inspiration from our values, we also draw strength from our past.

    And it was 70 years ago, at a Labour conference, Tony Crosland published his book on the future of our Party.

    He wrote it then believing that economic growth will take care of itself and that Labour’s job was simply to share out the proceeds.

    20 years later, he realised he’d been wrong. 

    That growth doesn’t just happen. We have to work for it. We have to create the conditions for it.

    And without growth, there is no social democracy.

    You can’t fund the ends without the means.

    That’s the lesson for our generation.

    Labour isn’t here just to cut the cake in a different way. We have to bake a bigger cake, and make sure that it’s fairly shared.

    So whether it’s the cost of business or the cost of living, the only long-term answer is growth.

    Good growth in every postcode.

    A dual mission from the Treasury and No10 North. 

    London, the powerhouse of Britain’s economy for so long – should not shoulder the economic burden alone. 

    We need growth generated in more places. 

    We need wealth created in more places. 

    And I want our government decisions and our policies to bring new levels of confidence, investment and yes, profits in British business.

    Because it’s businesses that will create this country’s jobs, and wealth, and growth.

    And I say, growth isn’t just a graph or a spreadsheet.

    It’s a family at the kitchen table saying: yes, it looks like we can afford that holiday this summer.

    It’s the sole trader saying: yes, for the first time I think I can take on that apprentice.

    And it’s the community looking at its high street or its town centre and saying: there are new shops, there are new businesses, the pubs haven’t closed. We’re turning a corner.

    And this is what I dedicate myself to as Britain’s Chancellor. 

    The growth that drives progress: better wages, better lives.

    That is the Labour way. 

    So Conference, let’s bring back hope to Britain.

    For the next generation of young people.

    For a new age of industrialisation.

    For growth made here, by British firms and British workers.

    So, when you leave this hall, when you leave this conference, remember that miner’s lamp.

    Those Cortonwood workers didn’t carry it for themselves.

    They carried it for those beside them. They carried it for their community. 

    They carried it for the ones who came after.

    That is our job now.

    To light the way for a generation that’s been told there is no way through.

    Good work. Fresh hope. A new age of industry. 

    And the solidarity that has always carried this country forward.

    A country that can hope again. 

    A country that will hope again. 

    Earned by Labour. Delivered for Britain. 

    Thank you.

  • Ed Miliband – 2026 Speech to Labour Party Conference

    Ed Miliband – 2026 Speech to Labour Party Conference

    The speech made by Ed Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, in Liverpool on 28 September 2026.

    Thank you friends and can I thank you for your support.

    And let me start by echoing Wes’ words earlier. Events at RAF Fairford yesterday are a reminder of the threats our country faces.

    I want to thank our security services, Armed Forces and police for the work they did yesterday and they do all year round to help keep our country safe.

    Friends, we will always stand up for our security against those who would do us harm.

    And friends, I am so proud to be your Labour Foreign Secretary, and to support Andy Burnham, our Prime Minister, who has put Labour values back at the heart of our Labour Government.

    I want to start today by telling you about the spirit that animates my work as Foreign Secretary, driven by two refugees a world away from us here today.

    The first of them walked 100km from Brussels to Ostend with his father, leaving behind his mother and his sister, to take one of the last boats to Britain to flee the Nazi invasion.

    He learned English, he joined the Royal Navy and fought fascism. You know, he would tell stories of being at sea watching the lights of the D-Day landings and he would say it softly, but I know he always felt an incredible sense of pride that he had played his part in defeating the Nazis.

    The other refugee spent her childhood in hiding in Poland. She faced experiences that no child should face – the loss of her father in a concentration camp, as well as separation from her mother and her sister.

    She only survived because, unlike 60 family members, she was saved by the heroism of the bravest people. Ordinary people who did extraordinary things.

    Then she got to Britain after the war as a teenager, learned English and built a life.

    Friends, I am sure you have guessed this, those two refugees were my father and mother. My dad and my mum. And I want to start today by saying their history, my family history, means it is the honour of my life to be your Labour Foreign Secretary.

    My parents found sanctuary in Britain, but they also found something else. As fascism engulfed Europe, they found in Britain a country that was a beacon of light against the darkness.

    A country that stood for fundamental values – freedom, democracy, the rule of law. A country that was rebuilt after the war by the 1945 Labour Government, and with other nations, that government built the world anew.

    Think what that generation achieved. That Labour Government led the way in holding the Nazis responsible for their crimes. That Labour Government helped create NATO. That Labour Government ratified the convention on human rights. And that Labour Government led the way in establishing the United Nations – an international system built by our values, Labour values, British values.

    Friends, we should be all proud of that legacy.

    And I come to this conference today to tell you it is time to roll up our sleeves all over again. Because once again the world order needs rebuilding anew.

    We need to be honest about the world we confront. War has returned to Europe. Democratic norms are under threat as they haven’t been for generations. The international rule of law is being brazenly flouted. New threats have emerged from the climate crisis to AI.

    There is only one response to these challenges – to fight for our values. The values my parents saw in Britain. Values which today are more important than ever.

    Fighting for those values of democracy, the rule of the law, protection for rights and freedoms, is essential to tackle injustice and suffering.

    But hear me well when I say this, it is also the only way to fight for our interests as the only real route to stability in the world and therefore peace and prosperity.

    You see, what we understand is we fight for our values and our interests as a country together. So just like in 1945, now it falls to this generation, this Labour Government, to play our part defending and advancing Labour values, Britain’s values, the values this party has always fought for.

    And friends, this must begin by confronting the fact that war has returned to Europe with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. A war which has already seen more than 100,000 Ukrainian civilians and soldiers killed, as well as hundreds of thousands of Russians.

    A war on our doorstep. The worst conflict in Europe since World War Two.

    And here’s the thing, this is not just a war which is killing innocents. It is a war of terror.

    The Kremlin says it wants to “freeze” the Ukrainians into defeat. Last winter temperatures in Kyiv reached minus 25 degrees and power was interrupted almost every day. Drone warfare leaves people afraid to go out onto the streets.

    Friends, this war matters to all of us. If our values mean anything, they mean standing firm against this invasion.

    The future security of all of Europe is on the line in this fight. If Putin wins, we would have allowed war and force to beat sovereignty and self-determination on our continent.

    Now, I am proud that since 2022, under successive governments, Britain has stepped up. Stepped up our military aid, stepped up our humanitarian support, and the British people have stepped up too, taking in Ukrainian refugees.

    Friends, I say today we will never, never give in to Russia’s threats that we must stand aside and abandon the people of Ukraine. And we will always, always stand up to Russia’s threats wherever they are.

    Today I salute the courage of the people of Ukraine. We send our solidarity to President Zelenskyy and his government. And we say with one voice we will stand with the people of Ukraine until they prevail.

    We are part of this fight as humanitarians, but also as proud Europeans. This is our continent. And if there is one lesson that I have seen demonstrated to me again and again in this job, it is this – Europe is not just our geography but so much more.

    It is how we pursue our values, from climate to the Middle East. It is how we pursue our interests, from trade to defence. It’s where we build and protect our alliances, so it is not simply Britain acting alone but Britain with others.

    And on economics, on defence, on security, I say to this conference, our future lies in a stronger, deeper partnership with the European Union.

    Of course, our alliance with the United States in trade, defence and security remains essential, including as part of NATO. But Europe also needs to do more to defend itself.

    That is why investment in our defence is an absolutely core part of this government’s foreign policy. And as we speak, British forces are deployed across the globe, from Cyprus to the Falklands, Estonia to Somalia.

    Let me take this opportunity to pay tribute to the men and women of our Armed Forces, serving in operations across the world to maintain our security, keep the peace, and uphold our values. Friends, let us all applaud them today.

    And we must be prepared to confront all the security threats that Europe and the world faces.

    We will stand up to prevent a nuclear Iran through economic sanctions. We will act against the proxies of Iran. And we will continue to isolate Iran so that they reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which is so essential to tackling the cost of living crisis here at home.

    We also face new threats in today’s world. This summer’s heatwaves and wildfires in Europe are just the latest wake up call about the climate crisis.

    Friends, we know the longer we wait the greater the costs. We know the effects will spread across borders. And we know that future generations will hold us in infamy if we leave them with climate disaster unaddressed.

    So let us therefore ask each and every party, where do you stand on tackling the climate crisis? Where do you stand on defending our way of life?

    And I say to those parties that deny, delay, and dissemble on the climate threat, your position would leave our country unsafe and threaten our national security.

    And I pledge to you, we will lead the efforts across the world to put climate at the heart of national security.

    And friends, we will also confront the urgent risks we face from AI. The technological progress offered by AI as we see in our daily lives is inspiring. But the threat it poses, according to its own inventors, is daunting.

    Now some are calling for us to act, but other tech companies are saying we should leave it all to them.

    But friends, the lesson of history is that we cannot leave it to corporations to put in place the guardrails to serve the public interest. It is neither their purpose nor their motive. Theirs is to maximise profits. Friends, we cannot and will not allow that to come at the expense of our children or indeed humanity.

    That is why as part of our G20 presidency next year, this country will lead the efforts to manage AI so we keep our country and our world safe, and I say no tech titan should stand in our way.

    And as we think about our role in the world, we will never be silent about injustice and suffering.

    Let us state the reality about the Middle East. The only route to peace is two states, a secure Israel and a secure Palestine, with freedom, dignity and self-determination for both peoples.

    We all know how far away we are from that.

    Hamas’ murderous attack on October 7th united the vast majority of the world in rightful condemnation.

    We stand, I say, against antisemitism wherever we find it and in whatever form. And this party will always recognise the threats Israel faces and stand emphatically against those who seek its destruction.

    But this cannot justify the suffering the Netanyahu government has inflicted in Gaza and the West Bank. This suffering is a stain on the conscience of the world.

    And I want to say to the millions of people in this country, and indeed elsewhere who have been moved and outraged by the plight of the Palestinian people, we hear you. You were right. And under Andy’s leadership, we have reset our approach.

    We call out ethnic cleansing by the settler terrorists in the West Bank. We call out the evidence of war crimes In Gaza. We call out Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. And we match words with actions.

    We will ban the import of goods from illegal settlements. We will disrupt the supply lines of British finance, British construction and British services for illegal settlements.

    And when it comes to the attempt to destroy the two-state solution, this party, this movement, this government, says we will not let you succeed.

    And friends, our argument is not with the people of Israel, but with the actions of its government.

    My grandmother was given shelter and sanctuary after the Second World War by Israel.

    And the bonds of solidarity between the British people and those who yearn for peace in Israel and Palestine are too strong to be broken. And our decision to act mobilised the international community, country after country.

    And you see, there is a lesson here. This is how we make change happen in today’s world. Doing what is right and galvanising others to act too.

    And there is also a wider lesson for our party from Israel and Palestine about how we have changed our approach. As a government we can, must and we will succeed because of, not in spite of, our progressive values.

    We are proud to be Labour. Proud to believe in changing the world for the better. Proud to believe in international solidarity.

    We stand up for what is right. We act on what we believe. We are not here to accept the status quo, but to change it.

    And that confidence, that belief in boldness, is the change that Andy has brought to our party and our government and it is why I am so proud of his leadership.

    And we will apply our principles to other conflicts in the world, including the worst humanitarian crisis there is – the conflict in Sudan. Millions displaced, tens of thousands killed, malnutrition rampant.

    Friends, we will use every diplomatic and political tool to address the suffering of its people. And we will use our leadership to reform the international financial system so it properly serves the developing world.

    So many countries you know, and I meet this when I meet foreign ministers, so many countries face the triple challenges of climate breakdown, debt burden – unsustainable debt burden – and poverty.

    In two weeks time, I will attend the annual meetings of the World Bank, where I will use Britain’s seat on the board to drive change.

    And friends, I promise this. We will use our G20 presidency next year to meet our responsibilities and mobilise the world, building on the great achievements on debt and development of the last Labour Government.

    Friends, from security and defence to Israel and Palestine, to Europe, to climate, to AI, this is our foreign policy. Stronger in our values, bolder in our action, building alliances across the world.

    Now friends, I began by talking about my parents. And after my Mum died at the end of May of this year, I received a letter from a friend. It said she had a special quality that he recognised from his own family. Resilient idealism.

    Resilient idealism. I love that phrase. Resilient because, let’s be honest, it is hard to change the world. You get knocked down – don’t I know it – you get knocked down and you have to pick yourself up.

    Idealism because for all the world’s complexities and compromises, Labour exists to stand up for what is right.

    Labour is here to defend the principles that my parents admired about our country and that means so much to me now.

    You see my parents didn’t just observe a country fighting for values, they taught me that I have a responsibility to fight for them too.

    There is this phrase that people use about Holocaust survivors – survivor’s guilt. I think my parents had something else. Survivor’s responsibility.

    Survivor’s Responsibility to pass on the message to the generations that come next that we are here to leave the world a better place than we found it. To never walk by on the other side. To never be bystanders to oppression and injustice.

    Those are the reasons I joined this party and so many of you did too.

    You know, they say that as you age, you become more cynical. Why? Not me. Not you. Not us.

    I believe in our ability to change our country and the world for the better now more than ever.

    And I promise you, I promise you that every day as Foreign Secretary, every day as your Labour Foreign Secretary, I will fight for your values. Labour values. Britain’s values.

    Thank you so much.

  • Lucy Powell – 2026 Speech to Labour Party Conference

    Lucy Powell – 2026 Speech to Labour Party Conference

    The speech made by Lucy Powell, the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, in Liverpool on 27 September 2026.

    Thank you, Conference, it’s great to be here at my first conference as your Deputy Leader of the Labour Party.

    I mean what a year it has been. A lot has happened since I last stood here for the hustings last year.

    But some things, conference, never change. I’m still raving after my DJ set at the LGBT disco last night. People are still trying to get hold of Oasis tickets, me included. And Andy Burnham’s still on the front cover of the New Statesman.

    But the biggest constant of all? You, our brilliant members, who embody the mission of this movement and support us every day.

    That same spirit of service runs through our General Secretary too. Thank you to Hollie Ridley for your leadership. You’ve served this party and movement relentlessly for 14 years and made a huge contribution to our general election victory. We’re forever grateful. Thank you, Hollie.

    And to Joe Fortune – our new General Secretary – I can’t wait to get stuck in working with you working as we build towards the next election. Joe – like me, you have big shoes to fill – shoes worn by strong, working-class, pioneering women of our movement. And in Angela’s case, make that many pairs.

    And conference, can we take a moment to thank Angela Rayner for being a brilliant Deputy Leader for more than five years – from opposition into government. She continues to inspire us.

    Conference, when I asked for your support last year, I promised I would be your voice at the top of our party. I said I would help us get the politics right, to show our values more strongly, and to give people a reason to believe and trust in Labour.

    I’ve taken my ‘Lucy Listens’ right across the country, which has helped to shape what we’re doing in government. It’s been a time of big change, but we’ve come out stronger and more united. Our mission remains; hope and optimism.

    Because we believe that life can be better, that things need – and can – change. That’s what progressive politics has always been about. It’s why we are the party of hope.

    Out of the ruins of the Second World War, we didn’t accept that devastation meant we couldn’t be radical. Instead, our labour forefathers created our beloved NHS and the welfare state.

    In the 1960s, we didn’t accept that the white heat of technology was a threat, we saw it as an opportunity to give rise to huge social mobility and progress.

    And in the face of the Tory recession of the 1990s, we didn’t accept those who said that unemployment and low pay were a price worth paying, we introduced the national minimum wage, statutory maternity pay and the New Deal for young people.

    That’s what the Labour Party does.

    And today, in the face of difficult economic and global political headwinds, we’re determined to fix the big challenges politics has ducked for too long. We look forward, with optimism and hope. Our heads held high, our shoulders back. Our values guiding us every step of the way.

    That’s what you, our members and activists – the life and soul of our movement – have been helping us to deliver.

    And you should take huge pride in what you have helped this Labour government to deliver.

    Free school meals for over 3 million children.

    Day one rights to sick pay for workers.

    Rail back into public control. And local buses too – one for Andy.

    We’ve ended exploitative zero hours contracts.

    We’ve lifted the two-child benefit cap, lifting half a million children out of poverty.

    Brought in the biggest social housing programme in a generation.

    Recognised the state of Palestine.

    Shown global leadership in Ukraine, and the Middle East and beyond.

    We’ve reset relations with Europe.

    We’ve reduced waiting times and recruited more teachers.

    Set up Great British energy and raced towards clean power.

    We’ve ended no fault evictions.

    Boosted pay for the lowest paid and cut VAT from energy bills.

    And – yes – conference, we’ve finally ended hereditary peers sitting in the House of Lords.

    These are good Labour things we should shout about.

    But, conference, doing all this and more, isn’t enough on its own. It clearly hasn’t been. The elections this year told us a different story. We lost hundreds of great Labour representatives across the UK. There’s no sugar-coating it. We let you down and you deserved better. And I’m sorry.

    Because we also have to make the argument and win it. We are in a big battle of ideas, a battle of values, a battle for attention. It’s no good anymore just diligently getting on with the job. We have to show purpose, underpinned by values.

    And that’s what Andy Burnham’s leadership is giving us – showing us the why, not just the what. Making and winning the big arguments. Leadership, purpose and values.

    Let’s seize this opportunity we have with this second hearing, to really punch home that Labour story. I’m really excited about what’s in store, I hope you are too?

    Because conference, we all know that the extremes of British politics are seeking to tear our communities apart, to pit neighbour against neighbour, thriving on fear and division, but won’t let them win.

    Nigel Farage wants us to all blame immigrants for our country’s ills. He wants a race to the bottom on workers’ rights and deregulation. Especially for his Billionaire crypto mates. He believes in trickle-down economics, that never actually trickles down.

    Conference, he’s just a modern-day love child of Enoch Powell and Margaret Thatcher. And quite bizarrely, for someone who seems to hate foreigners so much, he really does love their money, doesn’t he?

    And as for the Tories … well, they seem somewhere between an identity crisis and collective amnesia.

    But we won’t forget – the British people won’t forget – the damage they did in 14 years of government. They left this country worse off, our public services hollowed out, and now they’ve got the nerve to lecture us on the crises they created. They left the prisons completely full. They tanked the economy. They left 5 million people on the NHS waiting lists. Forgive me I’m not going to be taking any lessons from them.

    Our opponents are locked in the arguments of the past, while we look to the future. And that’s how we’ll win, and I am confident there’s a majority in this country who agree.

    Conference, I’m also here today as your Education Secretary, your Labour Education Secretary. And what an enormous honour that is. It’s definitely the best job in government.

    Almost my entire family are in education – many of them are here today too – so I get no shortage of advice. I’m sure I’ll get full written feedback on my speech later as well.

    Our Labour values of opportunity for all, of a better life, of progress and advancement are channelled through our collective commitment to education. It’s the passport to success, to fulfilment, to life.

    Education is hope.

    In many ways, I lead the Department of Hope.

    Conference, there’s also a big argument that we’ve got win in education too. It’s an argument about the future vs the past.

    It was exactly 30 years ago at this conference that Tony Blair declared the Labour Party’s three priorities were education, education, education.

    That declaration, that commitment, drove significant and sustained improvement. Not only through our school system but with the establishment of the great Sure Start programme. We transformed millions of lives and gave a whole new generation new hope of new possibilities.

    That’s the power of a Labour mission for education. We won the argument then and we will win it again.

    Our promise that every child matters; our belief that no young person should be left behind, our commitment that everyone should have the opportunity to fulfil their potential.

    And that in this fast-changing, technological age, we have a duty to equip young people with the knowledge, know-how and skills they need to thrive.

    Not a one-size-fits-all system that sets some up for failure by only offering a narrow view of what good is, nor one stuck in the past, unwilling and unable to adapt.

    Conference, our schools are now some of the best in the world and we should celebrate that. But we can also recognise that it’s not working for everyone.

    Too many left behind, without the passport they need to go further. The disadvantage gap remains stubbornly wide. The gap between regions is widening. A crisis in special educational needs support.

    And at the last general election, 1.5 million children were persistently absent from school.

    And today, over 1 million young people – all educated under the Tories – not in education, training or employment.

    These are the warnings.

    Literacy and numeracy will always be the core, and we’re doing internationally well in these areas. But the Head of PISA also said that too many young people think school is a waste of time and don’t feel they belong. It’s become a straitjacket for too many.

    And this is what happens when children and young people lose hope. And hope matters.

    Now look conference, you might have seen Michael Gove and his acolytes criticising us. He said I was bringing back stupid.

    Well, I’ll tell you what’s stupid, only choosing to see one-side of the story. I’ll tell what’s stupid, being stuck in the past whilst the world changes fast. And I’ll tell you what’s stupid, claiming to be evidence-led while saying you’ve had enough of the experts.

    Michael Gove wants all the plaudits for the good bits but wants to take no responsibility for the bad. I think Ofsted would say he Requires Improvement. Although of course under the new framework he’d need attention. Let’s not give him anymore of that because he loves it too much.

    We’re not bringing back stupid, conference – we’re bringing back hope.

    A Department for Hope with a prospectus for change.

    If a young person believes that education will open doors for them, they’ll turn up. They work hard. But when they don’t, they check out.

    We have to be relevant as well as outstanding. More pathways not fewer, more choice not less. Taking down barriers, not putting them up. Engaging not disconnecting. Closing the gap between the classroom and work. Always high standards but looking to the future not the past.

    That’s why I am putting technical and vocational qualifications on a par with academic ones.

    We’re introducing new vocational GCSEs alongside T Levels and V Levels and new apprenticeships post 16.

    High quality, high esteem, underpinned by national standards in subjects in demand for the future economy. I’m ending the snobbery towards technical education.

    Not a two-tier system, far from it, but technical excellence alongside academic excellence too.

    More practical assessment in practical subjects, who knew! And strong oracy and speaking skills throughout. And more work experience.

    Because in the AI age, high levels of knowledge and skills will be even more important, but there will be some jobs that AI will never be able to do either.

    We will change how schools are measured to incentivise that broader offer.

    We’ll expand access to enrichment activities – from music groups to debating societies, to engineering and sports.

    We’ll go further on the Curriculum Review to allow more time to go deeper and for richer experiences.

    We’ll tackle the SEND crisis, with early intervention and help, more investment to support children, families and schools. Reforming the system so it’s refocused on inclusion and improving outcomes for children.

    And beyond schools, we’ll build on the legacy of Sure Start, giving every child the best start in life.

    And let’s not underestimate what a gamechanger we’re delivering here – 30 hours of free childcare from nine months old and free breakfast clubs rolled out across the country.

    And on that point, can I just pay tribute to my predecessor, Bridget Phillipson, for the work she did to make that happen. Thank you, Bridget.

    And as part of our plan to put care at the heart of everything we do, we’ll tackle profiteering in children’s care and ensure loving, enduring relationships.

    Further Education was decimated by the Tories – we’ll reverse that decline. Because further education is the link between school and work.

    We’ll make sure that young people today see the value in going to university. The future requires more not less highly qualified young people.

    Conference, we will win that argument again, that education needs to confidently face the future.

    We can only be the Department for Hope though, if we take everyone with us. We have amazing teachers, school leaders and support staff doing their best, every day, to help children thrive. It’s not a job it’s a calling.

    I will always value school leaders and the school workforce. And their well-being. I understand the job you do, even in some of the most challenging contexts.

    And I want a culture built on respect, collaboration, not competition. Self-improving and self-sustaining. Communities of schools working together for their community of children.

    And conference I will establish our School Support Staff Negotiating Body to ensure all staff get the recognition and reward they deserve.

    These are the arguments we need to win.

    Conference, the world is changing fast, and childhood is changing with it. In this technological revolution, it’s the next generation that has to thrive in it – not the last one. It’s our job to help them navigate it – safely, with confidence and with relish.

    The world has never been more connected, yet children have never felt more isolated. Childhood itself needs reimaging in this new era. Play, exploring, freedom, belonging and happiness.

    So, my Department for Hope, this government of hope, will put the children’s hopes at the very heart of everything we do.

    Because that’s what a Labour government does – it doesn’t just manage decline, it gives people something to believe in again.

    The country’s crying out for it.

    And together, conference, we will bring it back.

    Thank you very much.

  • Wes Streeting – 2026 Speech to Labour Party Conference

    Wes Streeting – 2026 Speech to Labour Party Conference

    The speech made by Wes Streeting, the Secretary of State for Defence, in Liverpool on 28 September 2026.

    Thank you, Jack – that was absolutely brilliant. You keep being ambitious and as for my own, like HMS Agamemnon last week, I think that ship has sailed.

    But you Jack are a great example of the future that a stronger Britain can offer the next generation.

    Jack’s proud of where he’s from.

    Proud of where he works.

    Proud of the contribution he is making to our nation.

    So to Jack and all the young men and women who are building a stronger, wealthier, safer Britain – thank you.

    Given events, you will understand that before getting into my speech today I want to say something about yesterday’s events around RAF Fairford.

    You will understand there is a live police investigation and I can’t provide much further detail than that which is reported.

    But I do want to say that our friendship with America is the closest alliance of any two nations on Earth, and we will always stand together against those who hate our freedom and those who wish us harm.

    What we saw yesterday from our security services, our armed forces, and our police, was just a small glimpse of the extraordinary work they do every day, around the clock and around the world, behind the scenes and without recognition, to keep our country safe.

    To all of them, from all of us, thank you.

    It is great to be back in Liverpool.

    Last year, I stood on this stage and spoke about a great legacy of the Attlee government.

    Our National Health Service.

    Built on a simple principle: to provide freedom from fear – fear that illness would bring financial ruin.

    And that Labour government built another great institution too – NATO – based on the same principle: to provide freedom from fear – fear that tyranny would once again bring catastrophe to Europe.

    Bevan created the NHS. 

    Bevin founded NATO.

    Two institutions born of the same generation.

    Rooted in the same belief in security.

    One built security at home.

    The other built security with our allies abroad.

    And beneath them both lies the same conviction: solidarity. 

    The belief that an injury to one is an injury to all.

    But it is easy to believe in solidarity when it costs nothing.

    The test comes when another nation needs us.

    And I am proud that we’ve shown throughout our history that when allies call, Britain answers.

    Nowhere has this been clearer than Ukraine.

    Ukrainians did not ask for this war.

    Putin invaded their country. 

    I saw the consequences of his imperialism first hand when I visited Kyiv this summer.

    The bombed-out shopping centres.

    The make-do shelters in underground carparks.

    Children’s toys lying in the rubble of the homes that Putin destroyed. 

    Ukraine’s frontline is the frontline for freedom and democracy everywhere.

    So, when a Ukrainian trade unionist leaves their workplace, puts on a uniform and goes to defend their family from invasion, I know whose side the Labour movement should be on.

    Theirs.

    When a Ukrainian nurse treats casualties under drone attack, I know whose side we should be on.

    Hers.

    When Ukrainian children spend their nights in underground shelters because Russian missiles are overhead, I know where our solidarity belongs.

    With them.

    So, to President Zelenskyy and our friends in Ukraine:

    Yesterday, today, tomorrow, we are with you for as long as it takes.

    Slava Ukraini.

    Closer to home, those who serve in our armed forces do so knowing they may be asked to pay the ultimate price for our collective freedom.

    I’m proud of the work John Healey started for our people: the biggest pay rise in years, investment in housing for our families, and action to support our veterans. 

    For many of those men and women, their service requires them to work in the shadows, so that the rest of us can go about our lives in safety and with confidence.

    Whether in our intelligence services or our special forces, they serve quietly, neither seeking nor receiving the public recognition their courage, professionalism and quiet dedication deserve.

    Secrecy does not negate the need for scrutiny.

    And our special forces don’t ask for special treatment. 

    They themselves set the highest standards for those who wear the uniform. 

    All they ask in return is that the historic misconduct of a few is not used to smear the heroism and integrity of the many.

    Because they will always have our back.

    And as Defence Secretary I will always have theirs.

    We are living in a new age of insecurity. 

    It is not yet clear whether freedom or tyranny will define the 21st century.

    War has returned to Europe. 

    Old alliances are being tested.

    Warfare is as tough, as bloody, and as deadly as it has ever been.

    But it is also being transformed by drones, by data, and by digital networks, in a way which would have been unrecognisable even when the war in Ukraine began.

    The conclusion is simple.

    We need to step up.

    We need to spend more.

    And friends, we are.

    With the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War.

    And a cast iron guarantee to honour the promise we made to our NATO allies, to spend 3.5% of GDP on core defence by 2035.

    And we are well on our way with our investment plan.

    We are putting half a billion pounds into our UK Commando Force, giving them the latest drone technology as they help defend NATO’s High North.

    Over a billion pounds will help upgrade our British-made Typhoons.

    We will invest over 8 billion pounds to build a sixth-generation fighter jet, along with partners around the world, to ensure we can dominate the skies in decades to come.

    At sea, 1.3 billion pounds will give our Royal Navy new autonomous ships and underwater vessels to hunt threats, protect our waters and keep our enemies at a distance.

    And we are renewing another great Labour achievement, the protection provided every day by our nuclear deterrent. 

    I know that more spending on defence comes with choices and trade-offs. 

    But our critics on the right need to understand that you don’t make your country stronger by making our people poorer.

    And I also have to say directly to some of our critics on the left:

    You are not defending our public services by attacking investment in our national defences. 

    As a Labour Defence Secretary called Mr Healey once said:

    “Once we cut defence expenditure to the extent where our security is imperilled, we have no houses, we have no hospitals, we have no schools. We have a heap of cinders.”

    Denis Healey was right in 1969, and another Mr Healey called John was right to demand more when he was Defence Secretary just this year.

    In this Labour Chancellor we have a champion for defence.

    He knows it is not ‘either/or’ when it comes to public services and national security. 

    They depend upon one another.

    But with more money, comes greater responsibility.

    Every pound the Ministry of Defence spends must be spent well.

    And so today I make a promise:

    The Ministry of Defence I lead will be at the heart of our Prime Minister’s mission to reindustrialise Britain.

    Giving our young people skills, just like we’ve given Jack, to earn a good wage, in a good job, in their part of the country.

    Because there is neither an economic nor a moral justification for Britain’s defence sector hiring thousands of workers from abroad, when we have one million young people out of work here at home.

    But solving that problem needs more than words. 

    It demands bold action.

    And that is why today, the Chancellor and I are taking one of the biggest defence procurement decisions in a generation.

    The contract to build the docks for our nuclear subs.

    Our ultimate deterrent.

    Six billion pounds worth of work.

    Today, we commit to that contract staying in thiscountry.

    Supporting thousands of British jobs, for years to come.

    That is what growth in every post code means in practice.

    Backing Britain by buying British. 

    Nowhere is the Prime Minister’s appeal for problem solving, rather than point scoring, more relevant than on defence and national security.

    The Labour Party has a proud record of standing with our political opponents in the national interest.

    Clem Attlee did with Winston Churchill when he joined the Wartime Coalition.

    Michael Foot supported Margaret Thatcher when Argentina invaded the Falklands.

    And Keir Starmer supported Boris Johnson’s leadership on Ukraine. 

    But I am afraid we haven’t seen that responsible leadership from the current Leader of the Opposition.

    Nor have we seen her party taking any responsibility for the consequences of their failure to fund defence.

    The smallest army since the Napoleonic Wars.

    Every single recruitment target missed.

    Morale down 20%.

    Almost every equipment programme over-budget, behind schedule – often both.

    Our Armed Forces, in the words of their own Defence Secretary: “hollowed-out and under-funded”.

    So if Kemi Badenoch wants to go toe to toe with Labour on defence, we will wipe the floor with the Tories’ so comprehensively they will see their abysmal record reflected back at them.

    In the face of aggression from Russia and terrorism from those who hate our freedom, unity is strength.

    Let our allies and our adversaries hear this loud and clear: regardless of which party is leading in the polls or in parliament, our nation stands united.

    United behind our armed forces.

    United with Ukraine.

    United with NATO against Russian aggression.

    When it comes to keeping our country safe, we are far more united, and have far more in common, than the things that divide us.

    So let’s build that kind of politics. Problem solving not point scoring. 

    At no point in my lifetime has the threat of war loomed as large as it does today.


    Our adversaries are more dangerous, across more domains, and they are on our doorstep.

    To prevent the worst, we must prepare for it. We must meet this moment with action and with strength.


    John Healey and Dan Jarvis put in the hard yards to get the right plans and the right funding in place.

    Defence spending, up.

    Morale, up.

    New kit and equipment in the hands of our armed forces. 

    Lots done, but a lot more still to do.

    Because defending our country means more than strengthening our armed forces. It means strengthening the country they defend.

    Our enemies feed on division and fear. 

    Our leader, our Prime Minister, Andy Burnham is giving us hope again.

    Together, with this Labour Prime Minister and this Labour Government, we will build a country ready to fight and a Britain worth fighting for. 

    Thank you. 

  • Alex Davies-Jones – 2026 Speech at the United Nations Crime Congress

    Alex Davies-Jones – 2026 Speech at the United Nations Crime Congress

    The speech made by Alex Davies-Jones, the Minister for Victims, on 28 September 2026.

    Your Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen…

    It’s a huge honour to be here…

    Thank you to the United Arab Emirates Government for bringing us all together…

    And to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and Executive Director, for their leadership.

    The United Kingdom greatly values its partnership with the UAE, including our work to tackle illicit finance.

    That partnership goes right to the heart of this Congress:

    Crime does not respect borders.

    It’s ever more organised…

    Ever more sophisticated.

    So our response has to be every bit as connected, and relentless…

    It has to be built on co-operation, and a determination to act– together.

    That could not be more important than in tackling violence against women and girls.

    At home, the UK has an ambitious goal:

    To halve this violence in a decade.

    But I do not want the fight to stop at our own borders.

    We want women and girls to live free from fear wherever they are in the world…

    And whether they are online, or offline.

    As more of our lives move into a digital space, abuse follows.

    The technology that connects and empowers…

    Also intimidates, and harms.

    On Sunday, the United Kingdom will host a side event on technology-facilitated violence against women and girls …

    And I hope you’ll join us later today…

    So that together, we can find truly global solutions to protect our women.

    We need for a genuinely global response applies to fraud, too.

    The United Kingdom was proudly the main donor to this year’s UNODC-INTERPOL Global Fraud Summit.

    But now we need to turn commitments made there into actual action…

    And I’m looking forward to discussions and commitments made on maintaining momentum this week…

    And strengthening our response even more.

    The United Kingdom is also committed to UNODC’s Global Programme on Implementing the Organized Crime Convention…

    And promoting the Organized Crime Strategy Toolkit…

    Supporting thousands of practitioners in 20 countries worldwide.

    And this year, we’re investing £1.5 million more into initiatives to counter organised crime

    But these criminals increasingly operate online…

    And today, almost every serious investigation relies on digital evidence.

    So our capabilities also have to keep pace.

    Making sure agencies can access the data that they need to counter serious, organised crime…

    Coupled with the right oversight…

    That is a priority for the UK…

    And we will also carry on working with our friends around the world…

    To strengthen policing and justice systems…

    And also share our expertise and knowledge.

    But we also need to look ahead.

    AI gives us huge opportunities to deliver swifter, faster, fairer justice for the public we serve.

    The UK is pursuing this responsibly, through our AI Action Plan…

    And while keeping public trust, human rights and the rule of law at the heart of everything we do.

    Friends, no country can tackle these challenges alone.

    It’s only by sharing expertise…

    And working together…

    That we can build justice systems that are stronger…

    More effective…

    Trusted….

    And safer societies for all.

    I can’t wait to see what this Congress will achieve.

    With a view to advancing crime prevention and criminal justice, I pledge that, between 2026 and 2031, the UK will:

    • Provide financial support to dismantle transnational scam compounds in Southeast Asia and strengthen our collective response to fraud.
    • Build capacity across Ukraine’s justice system, including prisons, probation, and rehabilitation, with continued support for law enforcement and criminal justice reform.
    • Launch a call for evidence on online misogynistic image-based abuse, to identify new harms and how we respond to them.
    • Introduce effective protections on phones and tablets, to stop our children from taking, sharing or viewing nude images, legislating to secure compliance if required.
    • Continue supporting the UNODC’s Global Programme on Implementing the Organized Crime Convention, helping states develop evidence-based responses to transnational organised crime.
    • And protect survivors when they cross borders, hosting the first ever Hague Conference Working Group meeting in London later this year, to strengthen international cooperation.

    Thank you.

  • Ed Miliband – 2026 Speech on the Two State Solution

    Ed Miliband – 2026 Speech on the Two State Solution

    The speech made by Ed Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, in New York on 24 September 2026.

    As the son of two Jewish refugees, I speak to this gathering as somebody with profound gratitude for the state of Israel for looking after my grandmother after the Second World War, after she lost her husband at the hands of the Nazis.  

    I speak as someone that, I think everyone in this room would agree, was appalled by the attacks of October the seventh by Hamas and the murder that they perpetrated.  

    But I can speak equally as somebody appalled by the suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank.  

    There is only one route to security, freedom, and dignity for the Israelis and Palestinian people, and that is the two-state solution. But the truth is that we all now have belief in the two-state solution, but it is being destroyed by the facts on the ground. The latest being the E1 tender that took place in August of this year.  

    That is why the UK government, alongside France and Canada, following the fantastic example of countries like Ireland and Spain, the Netherlands, and Norway, took the decision to not only declare that the occupation of the territories was illegal, but to take action on the basis of our economic relationships with the illegal settlements: the banning of the import of goods, and the attempt to break off the supply lines of finance and construction to settlement expansion.  

    These are necessary steps, but they are not sufficient.  

    It is good that we acted with others.  

    It is important that we say that the work of the Palestinian Authority to provide a single legitimate Palestinian framework is important.  

    It is important that we say that Hamas will play no role in the future governments of Gaza, but it must decommission weapons and must irradicate terrorism.  

    It is important also that we support the U.S.-led 20-point plan.  

    But let us be absolutely honest in this room, that the biggest danger we face is in a year’s time, we are sitting here again talking about the importance of the two-state solution and the facts on the ground that only got worse.  

    So, what is it that we need to do?  

    I think there are two things that will make all the difference, and I think all of the countries in this room and those not in this room to consider this.  

    First of all, moral clarity about what is happening. If we are silent, if we avoid the truth, then we cannot hope to make progress.  

    And secondly, political pressure on the government of Israel. This is absolutely crucial to making a difference. I chaired with Jordan this morning a meeting about the humanitarian situation in Gaza. The humanitarian situation in Gaza, the blocking of basic medical supplies, children dying waiting for operations, waiting for treatment, should shame us all. It should shame the whole international community, and indeed, I think it should shame members of the Israeli government, who are letting this happen.  

    So I appeal to everybody in this room. Let us think very, very hard about what we can do in the weeks and months ahead, so that we do not meet again in a year’s time with more suffering, more tragedy for the people of Gaza and the West Bank. Thank you, Council.

  • Heidi Alexander – 2026 Speech on Active Travel

    Heidi Alexander – 2026 Speech on Active Travel

    The speech made by Heidi Alexander, the Transport Secretary, in Manchester on 22 September 2026.

    Good morning, everyone. And thank you, Chris [Boardman], for that introduction.

    It’s really, really good to be here with so many of you this morning (22 September 2026).

    I’ve often found myself in Manchester in recent months – I’ve no idea why – but somebody (perhaps that bloke called Andy [Burnham]) tells me it’s the place to be.

    I also know there is a panel discussion later, so I won’t take up too much time in my opening remarks.

    However, I did want to touch on briefly about the why, the how and the what of this government’s approach to active travel.

    Why active travel matters – to me personally and to the government as a whole. 

    How we want to work with you.  

    And what we, and I mean all of us here, are delivering.

    Personal reflections

    So let’s start, as all good stories as they do, in Swindon – my hometown.

    For me, it starts with a blue bike with a white basket and a set of very solid stabilisers – which was my first bike as a 3- or 4-year-old.

    Now it won’t surprise anyone that, in the 1980s, the town which gave us 6 roundabouts in one (which is otherwise known as the magic roundabout) – wasn’t particularly cycle-friendly.

    But it never really stopped me.

     As a teenager, a bike gave me my first job.

    Two early morning paper rounds, on my dad’s old road bike, with 2 massive orange bags nestled under either armpit, all done in the hours before college. I just wish I could get up those same hills now without stopping.

    It gave me good health.

    A way to clear my head out on the hills of the Ridgeway when I was doing my A-levels – a route I still do now but with the aid of an electric Brompton.

    It gave me independence, which is at the heart of what I believe active travel is all about. And it gave me joy. It never really leaves you, does it?

    It didn’t leave me in my 20s, when I cycled 7 miles across London when I first moved to our capital city to do a temp job, because I couldn’t afford the cost of a travel card.

    It didn’t leave me as the Deputy Mayor of London, where, alongside Will Norman, I helped deliver segregated cycle lanes and lower speeds on some of London’s busiest roads. 

    People often ask me what I’m most proud of from my time working as Deputy Mayor of London and everyone always thinks I will say the Elizabeth line.

    But I’m just as proud of delivering segregated cycling infrastructure on Cycleway 4 going down to Greenwich, which now gives thousands and thousands of people joy every day.

    So my determination to deliver on active travel hasn’t left me.

    Building the integrated transport network

    And as Transport Secretary, I’m really serious about building that integrated transport network.

    I’m really serious about increasing the use of public transport.

    And if we’re serious about giving people the choice and the tools to get out and get on, then the days of active travel being an afterthought, or a bolt-on, must end.

    Instead, I think we need to see walking, wheeling and cycling for what they are.

    Essential parts of everyday journeys. That walk to the bus stop. Wheeling along a station platform. The cycle to work, to school, or to the shops.

    It’s not about pitting one mode of travel against another. No one is declaring war on this or that. And you definitely won’t find me leading a charge of the lycra brigade.

    I simply want to give people greater choice in their lives.

    I want a coherent transport system where each stage of a journey complements the next.

    Where accessibility is baked in. Where signage is clear and simple. Where all of us – from Olympians like Chris [Boardman] to fair-weather cyclists like me – feel confident and safe to choose the more active option.

    Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? Not necessarily.

    Look outside here [Manchester] and you’ll see a city setting the benchmark.

    The Bee Network

    I truly believe that the Bee Network is devolution’s greatest success story.

    And I’m not just saying that to flatter Chris, who was one of its main architects.

    Nor to curry favour with my new boss, who was its biggest champion. But I say it simply because it’s true.

    And let’s not forget, the Bee Network was originally the active travel plan for Greater Manchester.

    Andy loved it so much he brought the rest of the transport network under its banner.

    A one-stop shop for getting around this great city – and it started with a bold vision for active travel. 

    And just look at the results: 700 million active travel trips taken last year.

    That’s almost a walk, a wheel or a cycle every working day for each resident.  

    And this isn’t by accident, but by design.

    We’ve seen a surge in active travel where new safe routes have been completed.

    Like on the Chorlton Cycle Way or on Oxford Road – showing the demand for active travel exists, we just need to give people a chance to realise it.

    The future of active travel

    Yes, that’s about better infrastructure – of course it is.

    But it’s also about where the power to make decisions lies.

    Decisions about pavement parking. Decisions about school streets. And it’s that ability to see and meet an area’s needs.

    The small things national leaders are blind to, yet which are blindingly obvious to many of you. which is why I’ve always felt the levers of power must be held locally.

    And I’m so pleased that devolutionary spirit runs through the latest cycling and walking investment strategy.

    Delivered locally by mayors and councils. Supported nationally by Active Travel England.

    The vision is simple: safe, easy, accessible choices for more people in more places.

    Taken together, billions will be invested in active travel by 2030.

    Most of that will be devolved to local government, meaning record multi-year funding to make good on their long-term plans.

    And we must be ambitious.

    At least 60% of children should be walking and cycling to school by 2035 – building on the landmark agreement we’ve signed with mayors to deliver 3,500 miles of footways, safer crossings and cycle lanes.

    It’s why we are supporting local pilots, including for wayfinding, as we move towards a consistent national Active Travel Network.

    And finally, it’s why, today, I can announce £104 million to transform the National Cycle Network. That means maintaining and expanding the 12,000-mile network.

    Fixing bridges and updating signage. As well as developing new routes around the High Speed Two (HS2) line.

    Heart of government’s vision

    So let me finish with this.

    I can think of few better ways to deliver on the Prime Minister’s vision than by going hell for leather on active travel.

    Because when Andy talks of giving people hope, I see the millions of extra journeys we’re unlocking by foot, by cycle or wheels – journeys that connect us to jobs, to friends, to the things that matter most. 

    When Andy talks of places in which we’re proud to live, I see roads that are less congested and more safe. High streets with a new lease of life. Women and girls able to breathe a little easier when walking home alone.

    And when Andy talks of Britain back on its feet, I see the sick days we avoid, the productivity we gain, and the burden we lift on the NHS – all by being more active.

    In the end, active travel is more than just another way to get around.

    It’s about connecting people with the lives they aspire to lead. While designing places in which we all aspire to live. 

    And so a conversation about footways, junctions and wayfinding ends up being a reflection on the type of country we want to be.

    That’s why conferences like this matter.

    It’s why the work all of you do matters so much.

    And it’s why I am determined to work with you to put active travel at the heart of our transport network.

    Thank you and enjoy the rest of the conference.

  • Ed Miliband – 2026 Speech on Sudan

    Ed Miliband – 2026 Speech on Sudan

    The speech made by Ed Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, in New York on 21 September 2026.

    Excellencies, colleagues, friends,

    Let me start from the stark truth: More than three years into this conflict, Sudan is the worst humanitarian crisis this century.

    I see three pillars for urgent action:

    Diplomatic: Pushing for a ceasefire and a future transition to civilian government.

    Humanitarian: Working to ensure aid reaches the most vulnerable.

    Civilian protection: Pushing for restraint and protection of civilians together with accountability to tackle impunity and deter further abuses.  

    I think it is important though to begin with the context.

    Right now, over 33 million people require humanitarian assistance – more than the population of London, New York City and Paris combined.

    And unfortunately El Nino is set to worsen hunger in Sudan – driving the numbers people starving ever higher.

    Worse – and I think we need to be frank about this – warring parties are deliberately destroying life-saving aid and attacking humanitarian workers – this month’s attack on a World Food Programme Convoy is but the latest shocking example.

    And I want to highlight that the conflict is evolving in even more lethal ways. 

    Nowhere is this more clear than in the growing use of drones.

    What was once a war concentrated around active frontlines, is increasingly being fought from the air, vastly expanding the deadly terrain.

    It is a sobering fact that in the first five months of this year alone, drone strikes reportedly killed more than 1,000 civilians.

    Hospitals, markets, fuel depots, power stations and humanitarian supply routes have all come under attack.

    Sudan is already amongst the most dangerous places on earth to be a humanitarian worker. Drones are making it more perilous still.

    And of course the consequences are not only humanitarian.

    They are also feeding the illusion – and other have referenced this – that military means can end this war.

    We must be clear that they cannot.

    There can be no military solution in Sudan.

    No amount of new weaponry, new technology, or new external support will change that fundamental reality.

    This growth in drone warfare and the continuing humanitarian crisis demands a step change in our response.

    New drone capabilities do not appear by accident.

    They are procured, financed, transferred and sustained through the networks of multiple countries outside Sudan that continue to fuel this war.

    That is why the renewal of the UN sanctions regime is so important.

    We welcome the efforts of the United States to strengthen the regime and ensure it reflects the realities of today’s conflict.

    And we should all support that ambition.

    The UN Fact Finding Mission Report of 3 September is unambiguous. It points to how external support ‘sustains operations involving serious violations and international crimes’.

    And the Mission ‘calls on states to enforce the Darfur arms embargo and suspend transfers of weapons, drones, components or military assistance’.

    And it further ‘calls on the Security Council to extend the arms embargo throughout Sudan’. 

    So a simple rollover of the embargo is not enough.

    We must use this opportunity to increase the scrutiny, pressure and consequences for those supplying, financing and enabling this war.

    And we must be united in pressing the parties to protect civilians, comply with international humanitarian law and facilitate safe and unhindered humanitarian access.

    In practice, this means an end to the competing visa requirements, work permits and taxation on aid imposed by both sides.

    It means opening key humanitarian routes permanently, including the vital Adré border crossing due to expire this month, and routes into El Obeid and El Fasher, so aid can flow at scale.

    Colleagues, we came together as an international community earlier this year to sound the alarm around El Obeid. That attack did not happen as we feared. But we cannot be complacent.

    The people of Sudan cannot afford further escalation. They cannot afford another year of bloodshed.

    And they cannot afford an international community that fails to deliver and fails to adapt to the new reality of this war.

    We can all issue words of concern – as I am doing – and appeals for peace at grand international gatherings. But they matter little unless backed up with action.

    So let us strengthen practical efforts to de-escalate the conflict, support a ceasefire, and advance a civilian-led political process that reflects the aspirations of the Sudanese people.

    Let us apply real pressure to protect civilians…

    To expand humanitarian access…

    And also to hold to account those who profit from and perpetuate this devastating conflict.

    Thank you.

  • Ed Miliband – 2026 Speech at Accra Reset Event

    Ed Miliband – 2026 Speech at Accra Reset Event

    The speech made by Ed Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, in New York on 21 September 2026.

    Can I just start by saying what a privilege it is to join this incredibly important conversation, and I want to pay particular tribute to President Mahama for this incredibly important initiative with the Accra Reset.

    If you will allow me, I also want to recognise, as I think a number of speakers have, the amazing contribution that former Prime Minister Gordon Brown still makes on these questions. I am incredibly proud to be here alongside him. He is a fantastic asset to the United Kingdom.

    So the Accra Reset begins from a fundamental value that we in the UK believe in, which is international solidarity, and it is based on a partnership of equals, a solidarity based on a partnership of equals.

    It must mean countries shaping their own priorities, their own institutions that reflect the world they serve, and a responsibility shared by all of us.

    And the UK has overhauled its approach to reflect these realities.

    We are moving from donor to investor, and from funding piecemeal service delivery to strengthening whole systems.

    We’re moving from grant funding to much wider plans centred on finance, expertise, science, and technology, and moving from international intervention to backing local leadership and innovation, and that set of shifts speaks to the agenda before us today.

    And the programme today rightly connects health reform with negotiating capacity, investment, private enterprise, and stronger South-North cooperation.

    But to make real progress together, we need change in the following areas, and I just want to briefly set those out.

    First, we need finance at greater scale and on fairer terms.

    There is no shortage of capital in the world. The challenge is enabling it to flow into productive investment, infrastructure, stronger public services, and sustainable growth.

    So the UK will continue to support reform of the multilateral development banks, the smarter use of guarantees and private capital, and action on unsustainable debt and illicit finance.

    And indeed, I will be going to the annual meetings in my role on the board of the World Bank to pursue this agenda.

    Second, we need institutions with greater legitimacy.

    Countries most affected by global decisions must have a stronger voice in making them. The World Bank, the IMF, the United Nations, and the wider development system must better reflect the world of today.

    And third, reform must be measured by real results.

    New initiatives should reinforce effective institutions and strengthen coordination.

    And as the United Kingdom looks towards its G20 presidency, we want to work with Ghana and indeed others represented here to turn shared ambition into practical cooperation.

    Ghana’s leadership of the Accra Reset is already an important contribution, and I do want to say the United Kingdom comes to this conversation not with a finished answer, but with a clear commitment to listen, to build genuine partnerships, and to put our diplomatic, financial, and technical strength behind reforms that are locally led, mutually beneficial, and capable of delivering at scale.

    And if I can end on this note, the real test is not to describe the world differently, but to change it for the better, and that’s precisely the spirit that I approach my role as Foreign Secretary.

    I am clear that Britain needs to be stronger in its values, bolder in its action, and relentless in pursuing alliances with our friends across the world.

    So I conclude where I started with a message of solidarity and with the UK’s unwavering commitment to work with you in a spirit of true partnership and a true partnership of equals.

    Thank you very much.

  • Ed Miliband – 2026 Speech at New York Climate Week

    Ed Miliband – 2026 Speech at New York Climate Week

    The speech made by Ed Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, in New York on 21 September 2026.

    It is really fantastic to be back here at NY Climate Week, I can honestly say to you, this is my second favourite Climate Week in the world, after London of course.   

    No really, it is fantastic to be here, and look, I think the first thing I want to say is to sound a note of optimism, because despite challenging political times, it is set to be the case that in 2026 we’re going to see $2.2 trillion dollars in clean energy against $1.2 trillion in fossil fuels.  

    I think that deserves a round of applause, ladies and gentlemen.  

    I was here last year as the Energy Secretary. I’m now the Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom, but I come here as passionate about the cause of New York Climate Week, the cause that we are all fighting for.  

    And I want to make a simple argument to you today, which is that climate and nature loss represents an urgent national security issue and demands action equal to the scale of the challenge, and that it demands a shift in our thinking and a shift in who in government takes an interest and cares about these issues and puts them front and centre.  

    And I think the history on this is instructive, like many people in this room, I’ve been at this some time for the better part of two decades.  

    Because for many years when I was the Climate Change Secretary in 2008, climate change and the destruction of nature were treated as peripheral environmental issues. Yes, they were seen as important, but they were separate from the core business of economic growth, or indeed energy security.   

    And over these last two decades, the penny has dropped about the opportunity that the energy transition offers in terms of the good jobs at good wages that so many people in our different countries want to see.   

    And Russia’s invasion of Ukraine underlined the dependence that so many countries face on fossil fuel markets, the fossil fuel roller coaster, as we call it in the UK. And the situation with Iran, the Iran war has underlined that again. And I think people now see the energy security imperative, the energy independence imperative of clean energy.  

    But having understood the jobs opportunity and the energy security imperative, my argument to you today is: we need to take the next step and recognize the national security imperative too.   

    And I think you all know the picture, and it is gloomy, I warn you, but I’m just going to say some of it to you today because we need to be truth-telling about this.  

    Over 150 million hectares burned globally in the first four months of 2026 alone.  

    Record extreme heat causing widespread loss of life.  

    Nepal’s devastating floods happening due to glacial collapse and the coming El Nino, as Prime Minister Albanese said, is already forecast to be the strongest in living memory.  

    And the nature loss crisis is just as acute, with ecosystems being degraded in every region of the world. 

    That is the conclusion of the UK’s recent nature security assessment, which you can all read.  

    This is why. These facts. What is happening in our world. Is why climate breakdown, in my view, must be an issue for foreign ministers and prime ministers, as well as energy and climate ministers. The security community, not just the activist community, the generals, not just the green campaigners. 

    And once we accept this, several implications follow.  

    First, we must change how we assess risk. Climate and nature must be embedded in national security systems, in threat assessments, and contingency planning. Countries need to pool information because a shock beginning in one country can rapidly travel through supply chains, financial markets, and migration patterns to other countries.  

    Second, we have to become better at managing shocks. These shocks that cross borders, better forecasting and early warning systems, more resilient infrastructure, health and food systems, more effective disaster risk finance and insurance. Acting before the crisis hits, rather than simply picking up the pieces afterwards.  

    Third, and in some ways this is the most important point of all, we cannot avoid some of these effects which we’re already seeing unfolding in our world. But it is up to us how severe they become.  

    That’s why we all have a responsibility, if we care about national security, if we care about keeping our populations safe, to act as countries against the threat of the climate crisis. 

    Since we met last year, the UK has passed world-leading and 1.5 degree-aligned carbon budgets for an 87% reduction in emissions by 2040.  

    We recently announced our intention to invest £400 million in the Tropical Forest Forever facility to support international action to protect tropical forests.  

    We are driving forward with our world-leading clean power plan for clean power, clean power system by 2030.  

    These are just some of the things that we are doing.  

    For us as a government, clean energy, the clean energy mission, is front and centre to our economic policy, our energy security policy, and indeed our national security policy too.  

    And my pledge to you is that the UK will pursue this national security imperative, and I see my work as Foreign Secretary as being about using our extensive embassy network, our expertise to work with others, starting here at New York Climate Week and at UNGA, at this autumn’s annual meetings at the World Bank and IMF at COP31, and in our G20 presidency next year.  

    Let me make three points to end on. First, we can do this, and it’s really, really important to say this. If we don’t say it, nobody else is going to.  

    When I left the Copenhagen climate summit, which didn’t go so well for those of you from your memories, in in 2009 we were heading for a four degree world.  

    Now we’re heading for something like a two and a half degree world, that is still fierce, fearsome, and deeply, deeply worrying, but it shows that the world has made progress. So we can do this.  

    Secondly, we must do this because for our generation we have a unique responsibility, and the unique responsibility is this. Which is we know the scale of the problem, it’s not some theoretical future thing that might happen as it was 20 years ago, we see the climate crisis unfolding, but we have time to do something about it. That is why we must do this. We must act.  

    And finally, we will do this, in my view, because I believe that actually countries all around the world now recognize this threat, and they recognize that we can only solve it acting together.  

    Last year, when I was here, I said, “don’t give up on multilateralism”, and I think the countries across the world are not giving up on multilateralism. So many countries, I mean, so many foreign ministers and others, I mean, know that no country can tackle climate change on its own, but we can do it together.  

    So, friends, this is about what makes our country safe. This is about what makes our economies strong, and this is about what will sustain our planet and our people for future generations to come. Please enjoy New York Climate Week. Thank you so much.