UKPOL.CO.UK

Category: Speeches

  • Keir Starmer – 2025 Statement on the Release of Eli Sharabi

    Keir Starmer – 2025 Statement on the Release of Eli Sharabi

    The statement made by Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, on 8 February 2025.

    I shared the relief of so many at Eli Sharabi’s release earlier today but was dismayed to see his frail condition and the circumstances of his release. Having met his relatives I appreciate the deep pain they have endured and my thoughts are with them.

    We must continue to see all the hostages freed – these people were ripped away from their lives in the most brutal circumstances and held in appalling conditions. The ceasefire must hold and all efforts need to focus on full implementation of the remaining phases. This includes the return of further hostages, the continued increase of aid into Gaza and securing lasting peace in the Middle East.

  • Chris Bryant – 2025 Speech at LEAD Advertising Conference

    Chris Bryant – 2025 Speech at LEAD Advertising Conference

    The speech made by Chris Bryant, the Creative Industries Minister, in London on 6 February 2025.

    My name is Chris Bryant. I’m the Minister for lots of things. And Peter Mandelson, when I was first elected back in 2001 as the Member of Parliament for the Rhondda, I asked him for some advice. And he said he had lots of pieces of advice, but one of them was: “Never go to the same event two years in a row.” Because it means if you don’t go to the third year, everybody will condemn you for being a complete lazy so and so. But this is my second year in a row at this event. So I’ve broken Peter Mandelson’s advice.

    And the second piece of advice he gave me was: “The one word you can never use in advertising and in politics is the word trust.” Because the moment you start talking about trust in politics, people start thinking: “Oh, can I trust you?” And they nearly always come to the conclusion that they can’t.

    But in the end, advertising, I suppose, is fundamentally about trust. It’s about trying to persuade the public that you can trust a particular product or that you can trust a particular brand that is promoting a particular product, or that you can trust the person who is promoting the brand that is promoting the product, or that you can trust the space in which you’re watching or seeing this particular piece of advertising.

    Of course, to enable trust in all and to create great advertising, that requires all sorts of different things. First of all, imagination. And I think sometimes when I speak to some other parts of the creative industries, they think of advertising as the kind of workhorses of the creative industries. But I actually think that in many regards, you’re more imaginative than nearly all the other parts of creative industries put together. And sometimes, of course, you have to bring them all together.

    But the original idea for how to launch a product, or how to sell a product, how to promote it, how to keep it in the public mind, or how to completely change a view of a product or a brand, that’s a phenomenally imaginative process.

    I always think to myself: “How do you come up with a television or a cinema advert for perfume?” How on earth can you give the impression that this is a perfume that somebody would want to wear when you cannot smell it? Which is fundamentally what perfume is all about. And of course, you do that in advertising with so many different products. Sometimes you’re trying to encourage people to try products that they would never have touched before, either because they’re brand new products, or because they’re something that has never come into their way of life before or because their life has changed.

    That requires phenomenal imagination, but it also requires craft, serious craft, whether that’s using statistics and market analysis to be able to determine what is really going to work, how big a particular market is, or it’s that whole ecosystem of the whole of the creative industries, through from writers, actors and technicians, location scouts and everybody else that’s part of making a really good advert.

    That combination of imagination, craft and that whole ecosystem is what I think is so special in the United Kingdom. We’re at the moment working with Shriti Vadera and Peter Bazalgette on putting together our Industrial Strategy for the creative industries. We decided as a government that the creative industries are one of the eight key sectors in the UK that are potential growth sectors we want to build on.

    And putting that together, one of the key elements that we keep on arguing with the Treasury and the Department for Business and Trade and everybody else in government is that this is an ecosystem. You don’t get great British films without great British marketing of films. You don’t get great British films without actors who probably performed on the stage as well as in television and in movies. You don’t get great British actors without a commercial theatre that’s successful in the UK and also without a subsidised theatre in the UK.

    All of these things hang together, and it’s really important that we promote the whole of that sector. And that’s, of course, why we are the second largest exporter of advertising in the world. I remember when I first came across this statistic, I thought: “That can’t be right. It must just be the second largest in Europe.” But we are the second largest in the world and I think we could do a great deal more boasting about that.

    I don’t know whether there’s anybody in advertising who could promote the idea of advertising being a very significant part of our economy, worth £21 billion of GVA in 2023 and on track this year for £43 billion of spending. So in the words of Yazz: the only way is up.

    We are very keen on this being a cooperation between industry and government. So first of all, the single most important thing we know that we can do to enable this industry to grow in the UK is to provide political, fiscal and economic stability in the country, so that people can make long-term investments and know where they’re going.

    [political content redacted]

    And secondly, as I just said, we’re working on our Industrial Strategy for the creative industries. If there’s stuff that you still feel that you have you haven’t heard from us in this world, then please do get in touch.

    Thirdly, obviously, there’s a really important issue around skills. For me, this is a matter of passionate belief that you don’t get a good education unless you also get a good creative education. I want to praise Eton and Winchester and everybody else, because they’ll have a pottery class, they’ll have an art room, they’ll have a well equipped theatre, they’ll have a dance studio, they’ll have musical instruments. I just want that for every single child in this country, and that’s why I think it’s so important that we turn the corner on the curriculum in the UK.

    That’s what Bridget Phillipson as the Secretary of State for Education is very intent on doing. Trying to bring a creative education right back into the heart, so that it’s not just STEM, which is very important, but STEAM, including arts and creative education, is part of it.

    Secondly, we need to reform the Apprenticeship Levy. I know lots of people in the industry have said to me: “It just doesn’t work for us at the moment.” And that’s what we’re very focused on doing.

    The first thing we’ve already done is we’ve announced that from August this year, you won’t have to do a 12-month apprenticeship. You’ll be able to do six months and that’s so important for people who are working on a project base, and we need to provide a greater sense of portability between different employers as well, to be able to make that Apprenticeship Levy work across the creative sector.

    Indeed, there’s a perfectly good argument for saying, because of the ecosystem that I’ve been talking about, that the Apprenticeship Levy should enable you to go from different parts of the ecosystem to be able to perfect your craft.

    Now just a few specific things on the Online Advertising Taskforce. Online has provided new challenges and new opportunities. I’m really glad that the influencer working group has come up with its fourth version of a code of conduct, the first in the world. If anybody knows any influencers who could persuade more influencers to take up the influencers’ code of conduct, I’ll be really grateful.

    But that is a really important campaign, because it goes to this issue of trust. If it becomes a whole world when you simply can’t trust what you’re seeing in front of you as promoting a product, then that undermines the whole of the industry. So I think the more we can do in that field, the better.

    I’m really grateful for the work that’s being done on an AI working group. At the moment we’re engaged in a consultation on this and precisely how it works out in relation to copyright. I am absolutely clear that we as a country sell IP. It’s one of the key things that we sell. So making sure that we have a strong copyright system in the UK, that we maintain that, and maintain the ability of people to be remunerated and to control their rights, is a vital part of anything we do in this field.

    But of course, many of you will use AI in all sorts of different ways already, and my guess is in two or three years’ time, every single person will have an AI assistant of some kind on their laptop or on their phone. We need to make sure that we think that there’s a possibility for a win-win in this. If you haven’t looked at the consultation yet, please do. It closes on February 25.

    On less healthy food, some of you might be interested in this subject. Obviously the previous government legislated in relation to less healthy foods and advertising, and we did too in the statutory instrument that was brought forward just before Christmas. I’ve already had several meetings with the ASA. We are very keen on coming to a sensible solution. I think a bit of common sense in this space would be really, really useful. We discussed the matter. I’m saying to you what I said to the ASA the other day. Our priority is proportionate regulation and clear guidance for businesses operating in the sector. And as you would expect from us, we want to reduce the NHS backlog, and we want to support people to lead healthier lives. We want there to be incentives for brands to offer more healthy products. That only happens if we have a clear set of guidance that is proportionate and sensible. I can’t go any further than that, because I’ve got another meeting with all the organisations concerned next week.

    I want to end with my key point, which is that we are very serious about growing the creative industries in the UK. I heard somebody say: “Well, aren’t the arts and the creative industries a bit frou-frou?” I don’t know what that means, really, but I get the point, I suppose.

    But actually, if the UK had no creative industries, we would be a poorer, weaker, less happy, less stable society than we are. And I think that the creative industries not only have an economic role to play – a vastly significant one, one in 14 people in the UK works in the creative industries today and I guess it will be one in 10 in a few years’ time – but if we’re going to build that, we need you to tell us what are the barriers to growth in your sector.

    We need to make sure that there’s a steady stream of people through into these industries. I asked this question last year, and I’m going to ask it again, and I’m going to keep on asking every single year that I come here, which is: If you came to my constituency and asked a 13 year old: “What are you going to do when you grow up, or what careers are you thinking about?” They would probably know what it is to be a doctor and how they would start trying to be a doctor or a lawyer or a teacher, but they wouldn’t have the faintest idea how they would start the process of going into advertising or any of the other creative industries.

    So in four years’ time, I would like us to be in a place where every single child in the country has the creative industries, including advertising, as one of the possible future careers for them, and that they know how to approach that, so that your seats are taken in 10, 15, 20 years’ time by young people who might just as well come from Wigan, Gateshead, Newcastle, London, the Rhondda, Shetland. People with completely varied backgrounds and different experiences, so that they can bring their imagination and their storytelling to the great industry that is yours.

  • Hilary Benn – 2025 Speech at Ulster University

    Hilary Benn – 2025 Speech at Ulster University

    The speech made by Hilary Benn, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, on 4 February 2025.

    I am delighted to be speaking here today, in these wonderful surroundings. My thanks to Ulster University; indeed The Times’ UK University of the Year 2024, no less.

    This institution does so much fantastic work and is truly “a force for good in fostering peace, prosperity and cohesion”, as the judges of that illustrious award so eloquently described you. And it has been a privilege for me to meet some of your remarkable students this morning.

    This week, of course, we are marking the one year anniversary of the return of devolved government in Northern Ireland.

    But before I come to that, I just want to say this about Storm Eowyn.

    At its peak, over 280,000 properties were without electricity including acute hospitals and other essential services. But since the winds abated, there has been an extraordinary effort to deal with the damage, to clear fallen trees and to get electricity supplies up and running again.

    And I know that lots of people have worked really hard over long hours to restore services and I’m glad to say that NIE Networks is now very nearly there with the last electricity reconnections, and it has been a long time for some people to wait.

    It’s been a team effort which shows the strength of the United Kingdom in offering practical support. When trouble strikes, we come to the aid of each other.

    The restoration of power-sharing a year ago was a significant moment. It followed yet another unacceptably long time without a functioning government.

    When I was first appointed as shadow Secretary of State in September 2023, I said to Chris Heaton-Harris that my priority was to see the Executive restored.

    I want to pay tribute to Chris for the pivotal role he played in bringing back the institutions, to the leadership of the DUP for deciding to go back into powersharing, and to them and the leadership of Sinn Fein, the Alliance Party and the UUP for the great start tht the Executive has made. We all hope that its restoration is for good – the good of the people of Northern Ireland.

    By its very nature, power-sharing is difficult – very difficult – but just over a quarter of a century ago we saw extraordinary political leadership make it possible.

    Courage and compromise triumphed over bitter stalemate, as political leaders agreed the principles of power-sharing that endure to this day.

    I have great faith in Northern Ireland’s system of government. Indeed, there were long periods of relative Executive stability prior to 2017 in which we saw the devolution of policing and justice, and the establishment of the PSNI – which today enjoys significant cross-community support. Who could have imagined that 26 years ago? It’s a tribute to the work that Naomi Long and her predecessors have done in the role of Justice Minister.

    There was also significant economic growth, helped by Northern Ireland’s success in attracting inward investment. All examples of what can be achieved by sharing power.

    The people of Northern Ireland need and deserve an Executive that works for them all the time, along of course with an Opposition that holds the Executive to account, an important role being undertaken by Matthew O’Toole and the SDLP. And it is vital that all of us do all we can to ensure that the stability of devolved government endures.

    We have to put the days of collapse behind us and move forward.

    Now I say that not because I am worried about a return to instability. On the contrary, I have been so impressed by the leadership shown by Michelle O’Neill and Emma Little-Pengelly as First and deputy First Minister.

    The Executive has worked constructively together to negotiate an Interim Fiscal Framework, publish a Fiscal Sustainability Plan, bring forward a strategy to end violence against women and girls and a childcare and early learning plan, and agree a draft Programme for Government.

    It’s been a successful start, and I believe the conditions are now in place for the Executive to grasp the opportunities that beckon for Northern Ireland.

    The largest budget settlement since devolution with a funding formula that now reflects Northern Ireland’s level of need.

    Certainty, after the uncertainty that immediately followed the EU referendum in 2016, about Northern Ireland’s place in the UK internal market.

    Advantageous trading arrangements through the Windsor Framework, which can help draw in foreign direct investment.

    And finally – after too many years in which Northern Ireland was too often treated by the previous government as an afterthought – this Executive has a partner in this UK Government that is committed to working together to generate investment and economic growth and to help improve the delivery of public services.

    We all understand the scale of the challenge and the unique circumstances of Northern Ireland, where poverty, paramilitarism and the past are entwined. And where the pain and trauma wrought by the terrible violence that shook this place continue – for many – to be deeply felt.

    And all our thoughts this week, and in the weeks to come, are with those family members taking part in the commemorative hearings in the Inquiry into the Omagh Bombing – a monstrous and despicable act of terrorist violence.

    We now must all play our part in building a more inclusive society which is at peace with itself as it looks to the future.

    And this is the moment for Northern Ireland’s devolved government to address the concerns that citizens have about their lives and their wish to see public services improve.

    My first six months or so in office as Secretary of State has reminded me about what Mo Mowlam once said:

    “People working together can overcome many obstacles, often within themselves, and by doing so can make the world a better place.”

    We are all aware of the acute challenges which we are grappling with right across the United Kingdom.

    Today I want to talk about three of these.

    First, reform and delivery of public services.

    Second, how to ensure the smooth flow of goods across the UK, while seeking to deepen our trade ties with Europe.

    And third, the need for sustained and sustainable economic growth, which is essential if we are to see raised living standards, and more money in people’s pockets on which subject, today the UK Government has announced a 6.7% increase in the National Living Wage from 1 April, which will benefit millions of people across the UK, including in Northern Ireland.

    The challenge for public services is particularly acute in Northern Ireland, and nowhere is this more urgent or obvious than in health.

    The facts are frankly shocking.

    Waiting time performance against cancer care targets continues to deteriorate, corridor care is becoming more frequent and it is striking how many people in Northern Ireland are now going private.

    More than a quarter of people in Northern Ireland are on a waiting list. That is more than double the figure in England.

    53% of people waiting for a first appointment with a consultant are waiting for more than a year in Northern Ireland.

    In England, that figure is 4%. That’s right, 53% compared to just 4%.

    That’s why the First Minister recently described the state of the health service as “dire and diabolical”.

    I agree. And this is despite UK Treasury data showing that spending per head on health is nearly £300 a year higher in Northern Ireland than it is in England.

    It is absolutely not that health and social care staff are somehow not doing all they can. On the contrary, they are working really, really hard to treat patients, but they are doing so in a system that clearly isn’t working.

    And why isn’t it working? Because – over many years – the decisions necessary for systemic and not piecemeal reform to the health and social care system in Northern Ireland simply haven’t been taken.

    Now the Health Minister Mike Nesbitt is developing a long term plan to stabilise, reconfigure and reform the health service. This is really encouraging and I sincerely wish him well.

    And the challenge now for the Executive is to take the difficult collective decisions that are required to enable this change to succeed.

    Doing so is now unavoidable.

    The task of transforming public services won’t be without cost. I get that. And I know that talk of transformation of public services inevitably leads to the issue of funding.

    So, allow me to say this.

    The Autumn Budget provided £18.2 billion for the Executive in 2025/2026 – the largest settlement in real terms in the history of devolution.

    This includes a £1.5 billion increase through the Barnett formula, with £1.2 billion for day-to-day spending and £270 million for capital investment.

    The independent Northern Ireland Fiscal Council has calculated that the relative need in Northern Ireland is 24% more per head than in England for equivalent spending. This rightly reflects the greater needs that there are in Northern Ireland.

    That is why, as part of the restoration agreement last year, a structural change was made to funding by adding a 24% needs-based factor to the Barnett formula, so as to ensure the Executive gets the level of funding it needs, now and in the future.

    This financial year and next financial year, funding for Northern Ireland will actually exceed this level.

    I frequently hear it said, however, that more funding is required from the UK Government and that that is the reason why public services are in such a state. But given the needs-based formula that is now in place, and given the increase in funding that the government has given, a lack of funding is not the impediment to public service transformation.

    The real impediment has been the failure to reform the system. The many missed opportunities to take decisions, or to apply lessons, from other parts of the UK where reform has happened.

    Of course, this has at times been down to there being no Executive in place to take those decisions, which is why it’s essential that the institutions do their job every day of the year.

    At other times, there has simply been a lack of agreement among Executive Ministers on the steps that need to be taken, or on the allocation of resources, or on the revenue that needs to be raised.

    I believe strongly in devolution in Northern Ireland – where decisions are made as close to the people they affect as possible, by the representatives the people have chosen.

    It is only right that the Executive makes decisions about its own spending and revenue raising priorities.

    However, it must take responsibility for balancing its budget and living within its means. Just as all other governments must.

    Now, the Executive has nine priorities set out in its draft Programme for Government, and the work of this UK Government is guided by our five Missions and our Plan for Change. These objectives are in many ways complementary, and I firmly believe the two need to work together.

    Since Fleur Anderson and I took office, we’ve been clear that we want to help ensure that the Executive has the support it needs.

    We want the UK Government to be an active partner and to encourage greater collaboration and sharing of expertise, so helping Northern Ireland to make progress for itself.

    And it is in this spirit that the Public Sector Transformation Board was conceived of, as part of the restoration deal, to bring together experts from across different sectors, and to enable the sharing of best practice from across the UK to support change.

    We have also made available £235m of funding for projects proposed by the Executive departments to transform the delivery of public services.

    I look forward to seeing the first tranche of this funding being allocated soon, followed, I hope, by the Executive -and I want to say that Caoimhe Archibald has done a great job as Finance Minister – bringing forward plans in the Budget for how the Executive will deploy its resources to deliver the wider transformation that is so urgently required in the health service.

    Let me now turn to the second matter I want to address.

    This UK Government will always uphold – in good faith – the Good Friday Agreement and the principle of consent on which it rests. And for as long as the people of Northern Ireland wish it to be so, Northern Ireland’s place in the Union is secure.

    The task now for us as politicians is to ensure that the Union continues to improve the lives of all communities, regardless of their constitutional ambition.

    Now, of course, I couldn’t come here today and speak about the restoration of the Northern Ireland institutions without recognising the issues that led to them not functioning in the first place, and the arrangements that enabled them to get back up and running.

    The concerns that people in Northern Ireland – particularly but not exclusively those from a Unionist background – had about the old Northern Ireland protocol were genuine. I shared many of them. It proved to be unworkable and damaging, and I supported the Windsor Framework that replaced it.

    The Framework brought significant improvements in the arrangements in Northern Ireland, thanks to the pragmatic approach the EU took in the negotiations.

    It recognised that goods staying within the UK’s internal market should not be subject to the full panoply of EU rules and checks.

    It ensured that medicines continue to be available on a UK-wide basis, and it enshrined an important new democratic safeguard in the form of the Stormont Brake.

    The Brake has received quite a bit of attention of late. There are some who have said that because the outcome recently was not as they wished, it doesn’t have any value.

    That isn’t true.

    The main criterion for use of the Brake – namely, that the proposed new EU rule would have a significant and lasting impact on communities in Northern Ireland – and that is quite a high bar – is clearly set out in law. The fact that this bar was not met on this occasion, does not have any bearing on whether it might be met on any future occasion. Why? Because each case must be considered on its merits. That’s the responsibility on me in law.

    But the Brake notification by MLAs – which reflected genuine concerns – did lead to a clear commitment by the UK Government to take the steps necessary to avoid new regulatory barriers in respect of chemicals. Which was the issue that had given rise to the application.

    I think this was a positive outcome, and precisely what the Brake was designed to do.

    More generally, I am not going to rehash old debates about Brexit. My views during the referendum and subsequently are fairly well known.

    But I hope that the experience of what has happened since the referendum taught us all something important. And that is that we should beware those offering simplistic soundbites rather than grappling with difficult and complex questions, like the one which lies at the heart of this debate. How do you deal with trade between two countries with different rules but an open border between them?

    Serious leadership and the questions it has to deal with – such as that provided by those sitting around the Executive table, or operating in constructive opposition in the Assembly, or by the UK Government – requires serious answers.

    And when it became clear that the Windsor Framework was not the final word, through painstaking months, the Democratic Unionist Party worked through the remaining issues to secure some important new commitments in the Safeguarding the Union Command Paper.

    They engaged in the detail and achieved changes for their constituents when it might have been politically safer or easier to demand the impossible from the sidelines.

    Some others did take that latter path – I would say with absolutely no benefit to anyone that they represented.

    So, I commend the role that the leader of the DUP, Gavin Robinson, and the now deputy First Minister, played in that process – and for the courage and commitment to Northern Ireland that they demonstrated in leading their party back into the Executive.

    And for my part, let me say that I am committed to continuing to work in good faith to implement the basis on which devolution was restored.

    We have clearly made good progress:

    • an Independent Monitoring Panel is in place to report on how it’s going on meeting the new Internal Market Guarantee
    • every public authority implementing the Windsor Framework must now look to statutory guidance on the importance of Northern Ireland’s place in the Union in discharging their duties
    • every Government department must set out the impact of major regulatory changes on the functioning of the UK’s internal market, including Northern Ireland.
    • an Independent Review has been established recognising that the democratic vote to continue the Framework’s application was not supported by Unionist MLAs
    • we have new working groups on Veterinary Medicines and horticulture up and running – acknowledging that there is still important work to be done
    • we will shortly establish Intertrade UK.

    But most important of all, goods are flowing back and forth between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

    This is a process, it is not a destination.

    And my commitment, as we continue to take forward Safeguarding the Union, is to continue working with all parts of the community and with all the political parties, to address concerns and problems.

    It certainly won’t always be smooth, but I am really grateful to all those who are willing to engage in the hard slog each day to improve things further for the people of Northern Ireland.

    And as we honour the commitments we have made in the Windsor Framework, as we must, this Government is also working to secure a stronger and better relationship with the European Union.

    An SPS and veterinary agreement just to take that example would produce tangible benefits for businesses and traders in Northern Ireland and indeed across the UK by helping animal and plant products to flow freely across the Irish Sea. So there is light at the end of this tunnel.

    Beyond strengthening Northern Ireland’s place in the Internal Market, investments being made by this UK Government will help to strengthen Northern Ireland’s economy.

    We all know the particular challenges facing the economy in Northern Ireland, not least on productivity, but Northern Ireland’s economic output is now 9.7% above its pre-pandemic level, which is significantly higher than the rest of the UK.

    In the last decade the total number of employee jobs is up 15%. And as we know Northern Ireland now has the lowest level of unemployment in the UK.

    I am determined to ensure that Northern Ireland benefits from UK Government initiatives designed to generate economic growth and power the green transition.

    Central to this will be our new modern industrial strategy – Invest 2035 – and our commitment to make the whole of the UK a clean energy superpower with GB Energy, a publicly owned company, at its heart.

    We will work closely with the Executive and the other devolved governments on our 10-year Infrastructure Strategy and the National Wealth Fund to ensure the benefits are felt UK-wide.

    Alongside the Industrial Strategy, we will mobilise billions of pounds of investment in the UK’s world-leading industries, including Northern Ireland’s strengths in areas like fin-tech and the creative industries.

    I was delighted that last month, Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary, announced that Belfast is one of this Government’s priority regions for the Creative Industries, and this Spring will see the full opening of Studio Ulster – a truly unique facility that will not just support the growing creative industry in Northern Ireland, but will also take it into the next era of screen innovation, making it a global player in performance technology. Fleur and I had a sneak preview before we came into this hall today, and I’m looking forward to visiting the new Studio Ulster itself.

    And of course, the Belfast City Deal has helped to fund Studio Ulster.

    And as we move full steam ahead with the City and Growth Deals right across Northern Ireland, these will demonstrate the significant impact of a partnership that has been developed between the Executive, the UK Government, local councils and businesses to make things happen.

    It is also fantastic that shipbuilding is returning to Belfast. As announced in December, a commercial deal has been reached that will see Navantia UK – a specialist in shipbuilding – purchase Harland and Wolff, thus ensuring the delivery of the Ministry of Defence’s three Fleet Solid Support Ships.

    This deal, which will protect around 500 jobs in Belfast, demonstrates the Government’s unwavering commitment to UK shipbuilding, and to Harland and Wolff.

    Throughout the process, the Government worked with devolved governments, local MPs and the relevant trade unions, on the commitments on jobs that are part of the deal.

    And let’s not forget all of the other strengths of Northern Ireland. Farming, its fantastic universities, including this wonderful institution we’re meeting in today, the voluntary and community sector, advanced manufacturing, thriving life sciences, and a world-leading cybersecurity industry which, with UK Government investment here in Northern Ireland, is so important for UK-wide national resilience.

    Investment is vital for Northern Ireland, but to maximise potential it needs to get its infrastructure right. To take just one example, last year NI Water confirmed that there are 19,000 applications for development that cannot go ahead due to the outdated and at capacity sewage network.

    And, of course, political stability is crucial to encourage investors to put their money into Northern Ireland.

    As I look at all of this, what strikes me most forcefully about Northern Ireland is the energy, the enterprise, the imagination and the innovation of the people and businesses and the local authorities and the politicians that I have met.

    To take just one example of a firm I visited in October – I could tell you of many others – Edge Innovate designs, manufactures and exports its material handling and recycling equipment – and you have to see the size of it, some of those bits of kit are enormous- from their factory in Dungannon all over the world.

    It was so impressive, so let us all tell their and other stories of Northern Ireland’s success.

    Because measured by what went before, the last 26 years really have been a success. Your success. Northern Ireland has been transformed.

    So, as we look towards the 30th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement in 2028, I am so encouraged that a majority of people here continue to view power-sharing as the best form of government.

    Of course, there is a debate about reform of the institutions – it would be surprising if there were not – but my view is this.

    Just as it took agreement between the parties to establish power-sharing in the first place, so it will require agreement between the parties to reform the current arrangements. And the task for now for today is to make them work for the people of Northern Ireland.

    So in doing so, let us take inspiration from the words of the great George Mitchell, I had the privilege of meeting him a couple of months ago, who – on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the Agreement – said:

    “The answer is not perfection, or permanence. It is now, as it was then, for the current and future leaders of Northern Ireland to act with courage and vision, as their predecessors did 25 years ago. To find workable answers to the daily problems of the present.”

    That is the responsibility that each of us takes on when we stand for elected office, whoever we are, and when the people say they want us to get on with the task.

    Let me assure you. The Executive will be in the lead but it will not be alone.

    And at this moment in history and at this time, I believe that Northern Ireland has all it needs to be a success and to be a beacon of hope to the world by showing that peace is truly the foundation on which progress is built.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    We want increased prosperity…

    … we want to strengthen our security…

    …and we want our citizens to be safe.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Research and innovation…

    …reducing red tape…

    …a new skills agenda…

    …boosting productivity…

    …a more resilient economy…

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

    These are areas of mutual interest to both of our economies

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    I agree with them.

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

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

    That is not good for British business or European businesses…

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

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

    [redacted political content]

    It was vital that we re-joined Horizon…

    …we should never have left in the first place…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    The UK and the EU have many mutually beneficial interests…

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

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

    Now this British Government was elected on a mandate…

    …to strengthen national security by reconnecting with our allies…

    …to increase people’s safety through strong borders…

    …and increase prosperity through growth.

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

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

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

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

    …discussing the common threats we face…

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

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

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

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

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

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

    …and boost our living standards…

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

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

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

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

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

    …but I want us to go further.

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

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

    Afterall, these are shared challenges.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    …and I look forward to many more ahead.

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

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

    …the time for ruthless pragmatism is now.

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

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

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

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

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

    Thank you very much.

  • Keir Starmer – 2025 Comments in Brussels

    Keir Starmer – 2025 Comments in Brussels

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

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

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

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

    Because the need for NATO is clearer than ever.

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

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

    Including the situation, of course, in Ukraine.

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

    I saw residential buildings, destroyed just days before.

    I met soldiers in the ICU…

    Recovering from really terrible burns.

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

    On the frontline.

    And, it’s yet another reminder…

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

    It’s a war on Ukraine…

    Against those children and their future.

    That’s why – together –

    We stand with them.

    We are all working to end this war…

    But let’s be absolutely clear –

    Peace will come through strength.

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

    And that means stabilising the front line…

    Providing the kit and the training they need.

    And that’s why, this year…

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

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

    President Trump has threatened more sanctions on Russia…

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

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

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

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

    To crush Putin’s war machine.

    Because ultimately –

    Alongside our military support…

    That is what will bring peace closer.

    And we must keep working together to bolster NATO.

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

    Have now become almost commonplace:

    Russian spy ships loitering off the British coast…

    A campaign of sabotage across Europe…

    Cyber-attacks, election interference, and attempted assassinations.

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

    So we should still be outraged.

    And we must harden European’s defence.

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

    Part of the Forward Land Forces…

    Helping to police our skies and patrol our seas.

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

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

    And NATO plans and requirements…

    As well as the principle of “NATO First”…

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

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

    Because it is our burden to carry.

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

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

    To bolster NATO…

    Covering military technology and R&D…

    Improving the mobility of forces across Europe…

    Protecting our critical infrastructure…

    And deepening our industrial collaboration to increase defence production.

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

    We must lead.

    And that is what I’m determined to do.

    Thank you so much Mark.

  • Bridget Phillipson – 2025 Speech on a New Era of School Standards

    Bridget Phillipson – 2025 Speech on a New Era of School Standards

    The speech made by Bridget Phillipson, the Secretary of State for Education, at the Centre for Social Justice on 3 February 2025. This is the copy of the speech issued by the Government which has political content removed.

    Good morning, everyone.

    Thanks so much for being here. And thanks to the Centre for Social Justice for hosting us. And thanks to Andy.

    It’s great to be back here, this time as Education Secretary, six months into delivering our Plan for Change.

    I know CSJ shares this government’s commitment to ensuring that, whoever you are, wherever you come from, ours should be a country where hard work means you don’t just get by but you get on.

    Some of you were here last year, when I started my speech with a story. And today I want to start with a story too:

    A story about how and why the change I am bringing to the education system matters to me.

    It’s my story.

    I grew up in the late ’80s and early ’90s, a shy little girl, from a tough street in the northeast of England, [political content removed]

    I never met my dad. It was just me and my mum – and my grandparents who lived nearby.

    We didn’t have much. One winter, a neighbour, who himself, he didn’t have very much, found out my mum was struggling with the cost of starting school.

    He put money through the letterbox in an envelope marked “for Bridget’s coat”.

    Now, not everyone turned to kindness. Crime was a big problem. Our house was burgled time and again.

    And when my mum reported it to the police, our windows were put out, a man turned up with a baseball bat.

    It didn’t seem like that big a deal at the time. These were just things that happened, and frankly not just to us.

    I think often of the children I knew then, held back by who they were, by where they were born.

    So many on my street were denied the opportunity to get on and to succeed.

    Not because they were lazy, they weren’t.

    They were no less talented than I was, no less ambitious, no less deserving of success.

    But I was given the opportunities that they were denied. I went to great schools, I was taught by wonderful teachers, I had a family that prized learning.

    I was in the very first full cohort to sit SATs tests at Key Stage 1, 2 and 3. I benefited from the national curriculum brought in by a [political content removed] government.

    My school took up that challenge to push kids like me to achieve.

    I worked hard, of course I did.

    But I had the good luck to go to a great school, to have a family who cared deeply about education, a grandfather who read to me week in, week out.

    And like so many stories, this one has a moral lesson at its core.

    I am proof that the system can work, that a great education can be a transformational force, that background doesn’t have to be destiny.

    That belief formed then, is the core of my politics now.

    That the promise our children deserve, that hard work is what counts, no matter your background.

    I believe in that promise, in making that dream real.

    But I saw so many of my friends from my area let down, let down by a system that lacked a restless ambition for their futures, content, too often, to deliver a mediocre education, middling, in schools that drifted, an education that was seen as ‘just fine’ for ‘these kids’.

    For kids like me.

    Michael Gove used to call this ‘the soft bigotry of low expectations’ and with good reason: he was right.

    But I don’t need to be told about that. I grew up with it all around me, in my community, holding back my friends.

    I don’t forget. Not now. Not ever.

    It’s these memories of those injustices, the doors closed, the dreams stifled, the futures denied, that’s what drives me forward in this job.

    I get up every morning to right those wrongs.

    To break down the barriers to opportunity for each and every child.

    Background wasn’t my destiny.

    And I won’t rest until that is true for all children.

    That is my vision for education.

    Opportunity, for those children, for all children. That is our mission, driven by the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change.

    An excellent teacher for every child, a high-quality curriculum for every school, a core offer of excellence for every parent.

    Raising a floor of high standards, below which schools must not slip, above which schools can and must innovate, with no ceiling.

    Now, those memories are from a long time ago. And in the decades since, standards in England’s schools have risen, and millions of children have benefited.

    Our system now has many strengths, to build into that core. The greater use of evidence in classrooms across the country.

    No more flying blind, guided only by tradition.

    Now, what matters is what works [political content removed] reformed exams – more rigour, more challenge.

    Our national curriculum, a national strength, one from which we will build.

    Raising the floor, removing the ceiling.

    Take one example, one that matters immensely.

    Every child learns about the Holocaust, thanks to the national curriculum. That’s the floor we need.

    But teachers can then innovate in how they teach it.

    Stories from newspaper archives of troops finding concentration camps or hearing the testimonies of Holocaust survivors who have been immortalised using recordings and virtual reality technology.

    And now the Curriculum and Assessment Review will take us onward, delivering a core curriculum for all children that is deep and rigorous, knowledge-rich down to its bones.

    And that matters so much, knowledge is foundational, the building blocks of learning.

    It’s no use developing skills if children lack the knowledge to back it up and that curriculum must be taught by the very best teachers.

    As a profession as well as a calling, teaching has come on leaps and bounds, far ahead of when I was at school.

    The use of phonics is just one example where this has delivered for millions of children. Over 100,000 more children every year are securing the phonic foundations of reading since 2012.

    And we will continue down this proud path, for future generations.

    But now, right now, we need more teachers.

    That’s why we are committed to recruiting an additional six and a half thousand new expert teachers over the course of this parliament, ensuring we have more teachers where they are most needed across our colleges and our secondary schools, both mainstream and specialist.

    Because more teachers in our classrooms means more attention for our children. And that attention makes it easier to learn, and drives better attainment.

    More teaching, better learning.

    But more alone is not enough.

    I want to drive up the quality of teaching too.

    Building on the advances in teaching as a profession, and in teacher training.

    That’s why we are requiring all teachers to work towards qualified teacher status – and doubling down on evidence-based training.

    We’ll back our teachers with the very best AI, part of an exciting new wave of technology to modernise our education system.

    These changes are critical for all of our children. But nowhere are they more important than for our children with SEND.

    It’s hard to say about a system that today is failing so many, that there has been progress. The recognition of additional needs, the debate around how we support children with SEND is a sign of progress.

    But there is much, much more to do.

    We must set high expectations for all, spread pockets of excellence right throughout the system.

    Focus on need and not diagnosis. With children able to access the right support more often in mainstream so that they can learn and thrive.

    Empower schools to intervene earlier, equipping them not just to support, but to excel for children with a range of different needs. Advances in the use of evidence, in the curriculum, in teaching.

    We’ll take that forward, delivering a new for generations of children.

    But perhaps the key driver of rising standards across our schools has been strong multi academy trusts.

    Take an example. Tanfield is a school that sits on the edge of Stanley, just ten miles west of where I grew up.

    Over the decades, tens of thousands of kids with backgrounds just like mine have walked through those school gates.

    And for a long time, the school meandered along, performing poorly, requiring improvement that never quite appeared, delivering outcomes never quite what they could be.

    A reality that year after year, kids were being denied the opportunity to achieve.

    Until Tanfield joined Eden Learning Trust in May 2020. And with a strong head teacher at the helm. That’s when the spark of progress finally arrived.

    The school is now rated as good on some measures, outstanding on others.

    Exam performance rising, above the national average.

    That story fills me with hope, because I know the difference a great school makes to so many children with backgrounds like mine, to severing the tie between background and destiny.

    Academy schools were a part of a great age of reform, from the mid-90s to 2015, a wave of changes that lifted standards for schools and life chances for children.

    Driven forward by a succession of great education reformers – from David Blunkett to Michael Gove, and a generation of dedicated and determined teachers.

    I recognise the focus on tackling low standards in inadequate schools, which previous governments of all parties shared.

    I celebrate the enormous effort by parents and school staff, to haul our entire system into a much better place.

    Strong academy trusts, top teachers, a core curriculum – these are our foundations.

    But sometimes I get the sense that people want to stop there.

    As if we can celebrate progress, but stop pushing for better.

    As if the drive for change, the impatience with failure – that these are the proud tales of yesterday, not the agenda for tomorrow.

    Because I tell you, this government is very clear.

    The journey isn’t over, the mission is never complete.

    It’s almost fifty years since James Callaghan gave a major speech about the purpose of our education system in our country.

    Elements of his challenge, to the established wisdom of his day, are sadly all too familiar.

    He spoke of a system that too often left young people neither ready for work, nor ready for life, the need for more young women to study science, the immense importance of numeracy for the next generation.

    And he spoke of his sympathy with the principle of a national curriculum, a principle that would fall to the next government to deliver.

    But today it is not simply the wisdom of that speech I have in mind.

    Callaghan knew the greatest truth about the determination that governments [political content removed] should have to drive change, for it was he who told us:

    “You never reach the promised land. You can march towards it.”

    So I tell you again, for me, for this government, we know that this march never ends.

    And yet today, the barriers to opportunity have grown only higher, and the stakes for our children are just as high.

    Stuck schools.

    Too many schools coasting.

    Delivering an education that, is just not the standard all children deserve.

    There are more than 600 schools in this country that are stuck, receiving consecutive poor Ofsted judgements.

    More than 300,000 children go to these schools. And what happens to these children?

    They leave primary school with results 14 percentage points worse.

    They leave secondary school with results one grade per subject worse.

    Their life chances, limited by the bad luck of going to a poor school.

    That is our inheritance.  And that is not good enough.

    Stuck schools are the new front in the fight against low expectations.

    I will not accept a system that is content for some to sink, even while others soar.

    These schools must improve, and with the right help, I know they can.

    Our proposals provide a response that is tailored, bespoke, effective – drawing on the insights of new Ofsted report cards.

    Improvement driven by new RISE teams, groups of leading experts who have been there and done it, with a track record of driving up standards.

    Turning around not just schools, but children’s lives.

    The best of the best when it comes to school improvement.

    They will work with schools to get to grips quickly with the problems Ofsted spots, backed with an initial £20m of funding.

    Up to £100,000 per school, dwarfing the basic £6,000 per school that was made available for these very schools by the last government, before being cancelled altogether with structural intervention as a necessary backstop if change does not come quickly enough.

    We now have our first 20 expert advisers in place – and teams are beginning their work with schools up and down the country.

    Trust leaders right at the centre.

    To work with us as partners in the push for better.

    Excellence – for every child.

    High and rising standards – for every child.

    Success – for every child.

    No more stuck schools drifting along.

    Tackling drift by reforming accountability and intervention.

    Now is the time for reform, for renewal, for modernisation.

    To take the whole school system forward.

    The way we hold schools accountable underpins it all.

    How we identify poor performance and drive change,

    To lift the life chances of children.

    We have a strong starting place. The improvements in inspection and accountability starting in the 90s have been instrumental for raising standards in our schools.

    With Ofsted’s role right at its heart.

    And to those who call for the abolition of a strong, independent, effective inspectorate, I have said before and I will say again: never.

    Never will we go back to those dark days of weak accountability.

    Because it was children from disadvantaged backgrounds who suffered the most.

    And because despite those improvements, there is still so far to go.

    So today I am taking us into a new era on school standards.

    Single headline grades were the right innovation at the right time. They brought proper scrutiny to all schools.

    But the time for change has come.

    They had become high stakes for schools but low information for parents.

    And for the challenges we now face, too blunt, too rough, too vague.

    How can it be right that so many critical decisions parents – choices that shape whole lives rest on a single word?

    It simply isn’t enough. Not for schools, not for families, and not for children.

    Our searchlight on poor performance must now become brighter

    to see the problems of today and tomorrow quickly and clearly.

    So a more rigorous system, raising the bar on expectations, on what good really looks like when it comes to the futures of our children.

    Because when we hear that 90% of schools are rated good or outstanding by Ofsted, it’s a reflection of millions of hours of hard work from teachers and leaders.

    But it’s a statistic, I’m afraid, that just no longer paints the full picture.

    Good as a judgement has become too vague to serve its purpose,

    When there are schools rated as “good” in both the top and bottom 1% for attainment.

    So just like we guard against grade inflation, to make sure that results really reflect the achievement of students, we must protect standards here too, because when almost 8 in 10 schools are graded as good, it’s time we bank that progress and take good to another level.

    The imprecision has left too many struggling schools without the support they need to improve.

    If the diagnosis isn’t clear, how can we be confident that the treatment will be right?

    And the change this government brings is one the public know is needed.

    Only 13% of those asked by Ofsted think that the notion that 90% of our schools are Good or Outstanding is truly reflective of the overall quality of schools.

    We need a more diagnostic approach – an approach that is restless and rigorous.

    Our proposals will swap single headline grades for the rich, granular insight of school report cards.

    Raising the bar on what we expect from schools. Shining a light on the areas that matter, each given their own grade.

    Identifying excellence and rooting out performance that falls short of expectations, so that parents have clearer, better information about their local schools.

    And that extra information will underpin changes in how we tackle poor performance.

    The worst performing schools, whether local authority maintained or academies – will be moved to a strong trust.

    That means new leadership brought in to boost the life chances of pupils.

    Children only get one chance: we won’t wait around while schools fail around them.

    And if school report cards identify even one area for improvement for a school, Ofsted will monitor progress, looking out for warning signals, government primed to step in for children, if required.

    The schools and trusts too, able to take swifter action from the more granular school report.

    Because being hands off, for school after school, for year after year, simply cannot be an option when the life chances of our children are at stake.

    And because we know that there is so much brilliance within our schools, so much to learn from and share.

    A new proposed top grade of ‘Exemplary’, for best-in-class practice in a specific area, when Ofsted judge that a school is doing something that is simply too good to be kept inside the school gates.

    Because this is a government that is never content, never complacent, never satisfied, when it comes to standards in schools.

    We want to spread that excellence

    To promote innovation,

    And it’s important we recognise that the best people to do that, the people who so often, will be doing that, are already standing in front of us.

    The best trusts, the best schools, the best leaders.

    Our RISE teams in time providing a universal service, will draw on them, their practice, their knowledge, their experience, helping good schools to become great and the great schools to become even better – spreading their excellence as they go.

    This is a new era in accountability for schools, a new era of relentless improvement. To drive up standards and open up opportunity for all.

    But a new spirit too – including with schools.

    A relationship to improve, not punish, to challenge, not to scold, based on shared aims, not shared hostility.

    An approach that recognises, that when all’s said and done, we all want the same thing.

    Better outcomes for children.

    When I first started in this job, I said I wanted to put education at the forefront of national life.

    So I am delighted to see the debate raging over our reforms – particularly since we introduced our Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

    I have to say, I welcome it.

    It is a sign that under this government, once again, education is coming back to the centre of national debate.

    I welcome spirited engagement, I welcome robust challenge, I welcome different views – and I will listen to them.

    That is how we shape the very best education system that our children deserve.

    And that’s why the changes we are making to accountability will draw on the wisdom of the entire sector.

    So I am pleased to announce a public consultation on our proposals for school accountability reform.

    Alongside that, Ofsted are consulting on their proposals for report cards and inspection structures.

    I want – we want – to hear the views of teachers and parents, schools and trusts – all those who care about our children’s futures.

    All parents worry about their children and that’s because they want so much for them.

    There were times when I was small when my mum worried about me.

    People would tell her that I had speech issues, because I talked so little.

    Well, I’m talking now.

    And to the young people, the families, who feel like they don’t have a voice, don’t have a future.

    I say this,

    Under this government, [Political content removed] no longer will where you’re from decide what you go on to do.

    Opportunity, for every child, in every school, in every part of the country.

    Everything I do as Secretary of State, I do for all children.

    The ones who grow up on streets like mine, who don’t – not yet – have a great school to go to, who are weighed down by their background.

    I am asking more of schools, of trusts, of parents, of Ofsted, of myself, and of this government.

    And I make no apologies for that,

    We need change, to turn the drift and delay of today, into the restless progress of tomorrow.

    Because I believe that background shouldn’t be destiny.

    I believe in the power of education to take us to a brighter future.

    And I believe each and every child in our country deserves nothing less.

    Thank you.

  • Anneliese Dodds – 2025 Speech on New partnerships for Growth at the LSE

    Anneliese Dodds – 2025 Speech on New partnerships for Growth at the LSE

    The speech made by Anneliese Dodds, the Minister for Development, at the LSE on 3 February 2025.

    Thank you so much, Julia [Dame Julia Hoggett, CEO of the London Stock Exchange], and a very good morning to all of you.

    Thank you so much for joining us today, I really appreciate it.

    It was an absolute thrill to see the market open this morning.

    I am very keen to hear from as many of you as possible, so I’m not going to speak for too long.

    I want to leave plenty of time for questions.

    But I do want to share a few reflections with you this morning.

    This is, as Dame Julia kindly said, the second time I had the privilege of opening the London Stock Exchange.

    I had the privilege of speaking in this room almost two years ago, and it was then as now a very moving moment, because sat in the front row were some of the first women, in fact the first women, and others who set foot on the London Stock Exchange because they had not been allowed to do so until then.

    What a privilege to have been there for that moment, as for this moment.

    Two years ago, when I was here, I spoke about my own family background – with my dad having worked in financial services.

    And I want again to place on record, my respect for the work that goes on in this building, and across the country.

    Businesses in the financial sector power jobs and growth across the UK, and indeed often around the world as we’ve just heard.

    Well, of course, a lot has changed in the last two years, since I was last here.

    I am addressing you, not as a shadow minister – but now as the Minister for Development, and for Women and Equalities.

    We have a new government focused on growth and restoring our reputation on the world stage.

    And the Prime Minister and the Chancellor have set us all a guiding mission to grow our economy, and bring opportunity to people across our country.

    They have been clear that supporting growth and development around the globe is not just the right thing to do.

    It is an essential part of how we unlock growth, jobs, trade, investment, and pride in our economy here at home as well.

    Indeed, as the Foreign Secretary said in a major speech at the start of the new year, in today’s contested, competitive world, what we need now is a whole new level of global engagement – drawing on our greatest strengths.

    That absolutely includes the expertise, experience, and dynamism in this room.

    Clearly, the City of London and wider UK financial sector must be at the heart of how we meet the opportunities and challenges of our time.

    Twenty years ago, people marched and campaigned to Make Poverty History.

    That call was heeded and huge progress was made.

    Debt was cancelled, and development assistance was ramped up.

    Lives were saved and lives were changed.

    Today, the challenges we face are growing and becoming increasingly complex – not least because our world is so deeply interconnected.

    We have all seen how shocks can indeed reverberate across the globe.

    A vicious cycle of conflicts.

    The pandemic.

    The climate and nature crisis, and others.

    We have seen supply chains disrupted, and investor confidence shaken – harming our economy, here at home.

    Yet we have all seen the power of harnessing this interconnectedness as well.

    By working together – we can get ahead of global shocks, mitigate their impact, and unlock new opportunities for growth.

    For outward investment by UK businesses.

    To build future markets for UK exports.

    To support low-and-middle-income countries to grow their economies as well.

    As the UK’s Minister for Development, and for Women and Equalities, I am determined to build genuine partnerships across the Global South, based on genuine respect, and in service of our mutual interests.

    Indeed, in all of the visits I’ve undertaken over the last 6 months, from Indonesia to Malawi, to the major global gatherings of the UN General Assembly, the World Bank Annual Meetings, and the climate summit at COP29 – I heard loud and clear that our drive for growth is an ambition our partners all share.

    They want respectful, modern partnerships that benefit us all, too.

    They want to tap into your expertise and the innovative financial solutions you are pioneering – to harness the power of private finance.

    They want to work with us to build resilience to shocks.

    To escape the trap of unsustainable debt.

    To break down the barriers to private investment.

    And they want to work with us to champion much-needed reform of the global financial system, so we unlock more opportunities for everyone – from millions of women and girls around the world whose game-changing potential has yet to be unleashed, to investors right here in the City of London.

    Your hard work is at the heart of these partnerships.

    Already, 115 African companies are listed here.

    London is the world’s number one hub as I said before for green finance.

    All of this puts the UK in pole position to be the leading source of investment for emerging markets – and to build on the reputation you have worked so hard to develop.

    So today, I want to focus on four key areas, where the government and the City can make the most of the important roles we have to play – to support stable, resilient long-term growth, here at home, and around the world.

    Mobilising private capital – to help us maximise the impact of public and private finance.

    Reforming international financial institutions – to make sure they are bigger, better, and fit for the future.

    Tackling unsustainable debt – to achieve the fast, orderly restructuring that helps countries avoid default and supports stability.

    And scaling up insurance – to get more finance in place before disasters strike, to protect and promote growth across the world.

    First – mobilising private capital.

    Together, we can maximise the impact of billions of dollars of public money – and unlock many billions more.

    Consider that globally, there are some $121 trillion of assets under management.

    Currently, Africa accounts for less than 1% of the overseas portfolio allocation of UK pension funds.

    Yet Africa’s GDP growth – and I know I don’t need to tell many in this room of this – is projected to outpace the global average – and almost 70% of UK savers say they want their investments to consider impact on people and the planet.

    It is time to lean in.

    So, I was delighted to hear the Chancellor announce her plans – to consolidate the UK’s fragmented £1.3 trillion pension fund landscape, and create larger, more agile funds, capable of investing in high-growth emerging and developing markets.

    This is exactly the kind of opportunity we need to embrace.

    And I’m delighted that today, a new report from leading UK-based institutional investors sets out how the UK can continue to be the climate finance hub for the world.

    The report makes it clear that investing in other countries to accelerate the transition to clean energy is critical – to growing our economy at home, and to building financial stability long-term, in the UK, and right around the world.

    The Energy Secretary is rightly championing this through the new Global Clean Power Alliance, that the Prime Minister launched at the G20 in Rio.

    Well, today I am pleased to announce that alongside the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, I am convening an Investor Taskforce – to increase UK private investment for climate and development, in markets around the world.

    We are building partnerships with public markets like the London Stock Exchange to pursue this.

    In just four years, our flagship MOBILIST initiative has mobilised almost $250 million for listed products focussed on climate and development globally – including recent investments, like the infrastructure securitisation through Bayfront.

    This method of structuring bank infrastructure loans makes it possible for institutional investors to purchase them through investment-grade listed instruments.

    MOBLIST also helped achieve a $100 million first close for the Green Guarantee Company that will provide up to $1 billion of guarantees – for institutional investors buying green bonds, including those listed on the London Stock Exchange, and green loans issued in the private credit market.

    Today, I am pleased to announce up to £100 million of additional funding for MOBILIST – so we can build on this innovative work pioneering public market investment in emerging markets.

    This will allow MOBILIST to provide a platform for even more partners to draw on UK financial expertise – unlocking opportunities for investments in green growth, and helping more businesses to access new and affordable sources of capital across Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

    MOBILIST is not the only way that we are doing this.

    When I visited the London-based Private Infrastructure Development Group, funded by the UK and others – I saw how they are developing and de-risking infrastructure projects across Africa and Asia.

    The UK financial sector has been a key partner for them.

    For example, one arm of the group – GuarantCo – has guaranteed bonds and loans, to unlock $5.7 billion of private investment in infrastructure, benefitting over 44 million people.

    And – breaking news – I am delighted that a new $50 million deal with Standard Chartered Bank – signed today – will allow them to expand further.

    As another example, take British International Investment, or BII – the world’s oldest Development Finance Institution, at the forefront for 75 years.

    The BII teams were full of ambition when I visited their HQ in November.

    I am always proud to tell our partners that 25% of BII’s new investment commitments already meet the 2X Challenge standard – to increase investment in women.

    By making this a priority, BII is funding everything from affordable housing led by women in India, to making lines of credit accessible to small-scale retailers run by women in Nigeria – supporting jobs and growth.

    And when I sat down with key African investors alongside partners from the City in the autumn, I was able to highlight that over half of BII’s portfolio is invested in Africa, and at least 30% of BII’s investments are in climate finance.

    So today, I want to encourage you to engage with their live call for proposals that is open right now.

    BII are looking for innovative pilots to be funded through a new facility announced by the PM at UNGA in New York – that we expect to mobilise over $500 million of institutional investment.

    We are supporting public markets to mobilise finance in other ways as well.

    UK support has been instrumental in helping Ethiopia to launch its first public stock exchange just a few weeks ago, with support from the UK government through Financial Sector Deepening Africa – or ‘FSD Africa’ for short.

    This exchange brings transparency and international-standard accounting to listed companies – and the diverse ownership that should improve accountability, and broaden both the gains from growth, and the buy-in.

    We are sharing UK expertise on financial regulation with our partners as well.

    Through a partnership with the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office, the Bank of England is now supporting more than 10 countries to improve monetary policy and strengthen financial stability – from Nigeria to South Africa, and from Bangladesh to Indonesia.

    And in the last few days we have signed a new partnership with the Financial Conduct Authority, that will lead to them sharing knowledge with partner countries – to ensure that markets are competitive and fair.

    That is good for our partners – and it is good for us as well.

    Last year, Tanzania’s NMB Bank cross-listed East Africa’s first sustainability bond on the London Stock Exchange and the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange – again, with support from FSD Africa, and an anchor investment from BII.

    The $73 million raised through this ‘Jamii’ Bond will support renewable energy, food security, jobs, and growth.

    In fact, thanks in no small part to your hard work, these sorts of listing are becoming a trend on the London Stock Exchange.

    Last year, the Brazilian Government dual-listed its first $2 billion sovereign sustainable bond on the London Stock Exchange.

    That was followed by a full listing of its second $2 billion sustainable bond, a few weeks later.

    All of this was enabled by UK support that helped Brazil develop a Sovereign Sustainable Bonds framework.

    Now, as we heard earlier, just a few weeks ago, the first $500 million Climate Investment Funds Capital Markets Mechanism bond was issued on the London Stock Exchange.

    It generated considerable investor interest.

    As has already been mentioned of course, it was over-subscribed six times over.

    Further issuances could raise up to $7.5 billion over ten years, for new investments in clean energy in developing countries – leveraging UK government contributions, and those from our international partners.

    So, I could not have been more delighted to open the market this morning – and to congratulate the Climate Investment Funds and World Bank Treasury on issuing this promising new bond today.

    Now, of course, no one in this room is going to invest in developing economies, or provide climate finance – simply because it is a nice thing to do.

    You are making those investments and building those partnerships because they represent a remarkable opportunity – to marry investment in the economies and technologies of the future, with the experience and expertise of the City of London.

    Let us keep up the momentum – so the London Stock Exchange continues to be the preferred choice.

    My second point is about reforming international financial institutions.

    We are asking a lot of all of you – but of course, there are certain things that only governments can do.

    And reforming the multilateral development banks or MDBs is one of the biggest ways that we are holding up our end of the bargain.

    Every year, the World Bank Group and various regional development banks multiply every pound the UK government and other shareholders put in.

    Last year alone, they raised around £30 billion from bond issuances in London.

    Together with finance raised on other markets around the world, this allowed them to deploy over $170 billion to low-and-middle-income countries.

    This finance is on much more affordable terms than many of our partners could access directly – thanks to the banks’ triple-A credit ratings.

    They use this to invest in high-impact public and private projects.

    Green infrastructure, healthcare, education, women and girls – all underpinning the foundations for growth around the world, and here in the UK.

    So clearly, pursuing reforms that make the MDBs bigger, better, and fit for the future is key.

    As the Prime Minister set out at the UN General Assembly last year –that is exactly what we are using the UK’s influence to do, in partnership with the Global South.

    Indeed, when I travelled to Washington D.C in October, as the UK Governor of the World Bank Group, I made it my priority to agree changes to its risk appetite, that will unlock an additional $30 billion over ten years.

    This builds on UK government guarantees that have made it possible for the World Bank and other MDBs to lend an additional $6 billion, across Africa, Asia, and the Pacific.

    Ahead of the next big ‘Financing for Development’ summit in Seville this summer – we must do more.

    To make sure the MDBs can shoulder more risk.

    To create more opportunities for private companies to invest in emerging markets.

    And to empower the women and girls who have the power to lift up whole families, communities, countries, and economies.

    Thirdly – we have to tackle the unsustainable debt that is dampening global growth.

    As we take the next steps now, we need the City to be at the forefront of expertise and solutions, to make sure that countries facing unsustainable debt burdens can restructure it effectively.

    Clearly, fast, orderly restructuring can help countries avoid default, and support stability.

    This is squarely in the interest of lenders, such as bondholders and commercial lenders here in the City.

    Obviously, it is squarely in the interests of borrowers too.

    I heard that loud and clear from the governments of Malawi and Zambia during my visit at the end of last year.

    With some 95% of African bonds issued under English Law, the UK has a key role to play.   We need to leverage this.

    Half of the lowest income countries are now in debt distress, or at high risk of it.

    Some 3.3 billion people are living in countries that are spending more on servicing their debt, than on the health and education services that underpin long-term, global growth.

    So, I want us to build on the successes of Collective Action Clauses that featured in over 90% of new bond issuances.

    These have been rolled out widely since their introduction in 2004.

    They have played an important role in ensuring a smooth process and strong private sector participation, in recent debt restructuring negotiations in Ghana and Zambia – avoiding situations where one or two bondholders can hold up a deal.

    This is a great example of what market-friendly innovation can achieve.

    My challenge to the commercial banks now is to introduce the equivalent clauses for syndicated lending – that the UK government has worked with the International Capital Markets Association, legal and financial advisors based in the City, and international partners to develop.

    No lender has implemented them – yet.

    So today, I am announcing that the UK government will offer support for the first ten transactions that put ‘majority voting provisions’ into existing or new lending to low-or-middle-income countries.

    Together, we can speed up debt restructuring negotiations with syndicated lenders – and get growth recovering more quickly in cases where debt has become unmanageable.

    We can do more on Climate Resilient Debt Clauses as well.

    The UK government was the first bilateral creditor to offer these clauses.

    Several other lenders have followed since.

    The difference they can make is significant.

    They allow repayments to be paused when a shock hits.

    This frees up fiscal space for countries responding to a crisis.

    Helps avoid default.

    Supports stability.

    And safeguards growth.

    Just look at Grenada.

    At the end of last year, following Hurricane Beryl – these clauses were triggered on government-issued bonds

    The result was $30 million of interest payments being suspended over the following year – thanks to the bondholders who pioneered these clauses.

    Already, we are going further.

    In October, I announced that the UK will support small states to take up Climate Resilient Debt Clauses in their World Bank loans, by covering the fees.

    In the long run these should be offered at no cost – improving sustainability, and offering benefits both to borrowers and lenders.

    All of this builds on the leadership of countries like Grenada and Barbados who championed these clauses.

    Today, I am reiterating our call on all creditors to offer these clauses in their sovereign lending, by the end of this year – including private sector lenders here in the City.

    I want to see greater transparency on debt as well.

    This improves investors’ understanding – and reduces the hidden debt that poses substantial risks for creditors here in the City.

    It lowers the cost of borrowing for our partners.

    And it allows citizens across the world to hold their governments to account for borrowing and using resources.

    Already, the UK government publishes all its new lending quarterly, on a loan-by-loan basis.

    Now, we want to see other public and private creditors meeting the same standards of transparency in their lending – especially to low-income countries.

    The UK will keep under review if further action is needed – working together with the private sector, to combat high levels of indebtedness.

    Fourth and finally, we need to get insurance and other contingent finance in place before disasters strike, so we protect and promote growth around the world.

    Extreme weather events are on the rise, as we all know.

    Millions of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people are bearing the brunt of repeated shocks.

    Yet currently, less than 2% of crisis finance is of the ‘pre-arranged’ variety – that makes sure every pound spent yields three or four times its worth in benefits.

    Changing that is so important – to help countries receive the rapid payments they need to avoid losses.

    To reduce the need for humanitarian support.

    And to protect growth and jobs.

    Once again, the City is well-placed to meet the needs of this growing, and largely untapped market – as a global leader in innovative insurance and managing risk.

    In Africa, the Caribbean, South-East Asia and the Pacific, the FCDO has helped to establish regional insurance schemes – helping countries get cheaper prices by buying insurance from the private sector as a group, pooling their risk.

    London reinsurers underwrote a quarter of the first eight pools that have allowed Africa to transfer over $1 billion of risk, through the UK-funded African Risk Capacity.

    On a visit at the end of last year, I saw first-hand the difference that payouts from the African Risk Capacity are making to people in Zambia and Malawi, as they respond to a devastating recent drought.

    I was proud to tell them that this was made possible by UK government subsidies for insurance premiums – for countries that otherwise wouldn’t have been able to afford them.

    Now, I want us all to engage with the ground-breaking report published by a high-level industry panel, that I helped to launch last week – on how we can strengthen the provision of insurance and other contingent finance, and scale up the use of pre-arranged finance.

    Improving modelling, and the way we price risk.

    Championing innovative parametric insurance.

    De-risking investments upfront.

    This work is so important for giving investors confidence, expanding markets in development economies, improving returns, and strengthening the UK’s role as a leading global financial hub.

    Cultivating a virtuous cycle of global resilience and growth is in all our best interests.

    Your expertise, innovation, and investment are critical.

    So, my pledge to you is that I will make it a priority to build stronger partnerships between the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office and the City.

    So we face up to unprecedented challenges.

    Embrace new opportunities.

    And reinvigorate hope for our shared future – and for sustained and sustainable economic growth here and overseas – by working towards it together, in the months and years ahead.

    Thank you.

  • John Healey – 2025 Speech at the ADS Annual Dinner

    John Healey – 2025 Speech at the ADS Annual Dinner

    The speech made by John Healey, the Secretary of State for Defence, on 28 January 2025.

    Good evening. Let me begin by thanking Kevin and his team at ADS for hosting this splendid event and for their work in promoting an industry that is the foundation for our way of life.

    ADS is going from strength to strength, with a double digit increase in your membership last year.

    You represent a commitment to innovation and excellence that are hallmarks of the British business spirit.

    Yours is an industry which proves that we are still – at heart – a nation of makers and inventors. I know recent times haven’t been easy. And as Defence Secretary, I am grateful to you all.

    This event brings us together from across the UK, across the industry and across the political divide.

    I welcome this because defence policy and procurement commitments reach beyond political cycles.

    I believe I’m the first Defence Secretary who’s spoken at this dinner, and tonight, you have two for the price of one with me as the warmup act for Penny Mourdant’s after dinner speech.

    Penny is someone with a lifelong connection and commitment to our armed forces, who rose to become the first woman ever to hold the role of Defence Secretary.

    I’ve had the privilege of six months in the role, part of a government taking on profound challenges in our economy, our public finances and our national security.

    Yet, as a new government, we’ve already:

    • Stepped up and speeded up support for Ukraine…
    • Increased defence spending by nearly £3 billion…
    • Launched a first of its kind Strategic Defence Review…
    • Given service personnel the largest pay rise in over 20 years… and still dealt with a multi-billion in-year deficit…
    • Signed the landmark Trinity House Agreement with Germany…
    • Secured a huge deal to buy back over 36,000 military homes to improve forces housing and save taxpayers billions…
    • Set new targets to tackle the recruitment crisis…
    • Begun a transformational MOD reform programme…
    • And got the Armed Forces Commissioner Bill through the House of Commons to improve service life.

    The point I want to make is that this is a new government that is delivering for defence.

    Something which I was able to underline last Friday at Rolls Royce, announcing a major new contract over 8 years, which will boost British jobs, business and national security.

    There’s incredible work being done there in Derby, by an incredible team, some of whom are here this evening.

    It’s a big investment, but behind the numbers are 200 apprentices a year who now feel they have a future.

    And suppliers – 92 per cent of which are British based – who now feel like have certainty.

    What really struck me – and it happens every time I visit a defence site – is the deep sense of pride and purpose.

    Defence workers are right to feel that way. Their efforts keep us all safe.

    And as an industry, you also invest huge sums in research and development. One of the great strengths of the defence industry is that you force us to reach for the future.

    Down the years, you’ve been responsible for some of the most significant innovations in history. Designed for times of war but which often produce lasting benefits for wider society well beyond the battlefield.

    As a nation, we’re good – and rightly so – at taking pride in the professionalism of our soldiers, sailors and aviators.

    But we know that that they are only as effective as the industry which equips them.

    We must be better at celebrating the role of the coders, programmers, scientists and engineers who provide our forces with the tools they need to protect us.

    It’s why I want us to not only change the way we work with the defence industry, but also change the way we see the defence industry.

    On the way we work with industry, I hope the last few months serve as a glimpse of type of partnership we want to forge.

    From industry involvement – for the first time ever – in our war gaming, to the creation of the new Defence Industrial Joint Council.

    And on the way we see industry, we know we have much to do.

    Right now, there’s growing security concerns for defence firms at university careers, you attend to offer young people a route to a better life.

    You’re facing harassment and intimidation, forced to cancel events on campus. This is wrong.

    This attitude takes for granted the privileged position we enjoy in Britain – to live in freedom and security… security our defence industry guarantees.

    So, today – alongside the Business and Education Secretaries – I’ve written to Universities UK for assurances about your safety on campuses.

    We’re also seeing defence firms ranked alongside tobacco and gambling in Environmental, Social and Governance audits. And pension funds divest from you.

    I have no doubt the intentions are well-meaning. But they’re fundamentally flawed.

    We don’t stop wars by boycotting our defence industry.

    We stop wars by backing it.

    Let’s not forget that national security is a pre-condition for economic security, investor confidence and social stability.

    I will always be a fierce advocate for you in the Department, to wider government, to the City, to the British public and to whoever needs to hear it.

    My challenge to you – as an industry – is to be louder and confident about your role.

    As my friend – Jonny Reynolds– said to the President’s Reception earlier:

    “You are exceptional in your importance… in helping to safeguard our national security and our way of life.

    “But you are also exceptional in your contribution to our economy. Nearly half a million well paid jobs are directly owed to aerospace, defence, security and space sectors.”

    To meet the challenges of this new era of threats, you’ve seen the direction we want to take with our Defence Industrial Strategy Statement of Intent.

    And let me thank everyone who’s shared their insights so far in submissions to both our industrial strategy, and SDR consultations.

    I know – for some – our Statement of Intent may have been met with a degree of scepticism. You’ve been here before… I get that…

    New government, new ideas.

    But old habits die hard and entrenched interests dig in.

    Previous industrial strategies have produced policies – many of them good – but there wasn’t the plan, the structures and the relentless attention to reform needed to make change happen.

    So, why will this be different?

    First, it has to be different.

    The war in Ukraine confronts us with the deep truth that when a country faces conflict or is forced to fight, its armed forces are only as strong as the industry which stands behind them…

    That innovation and production capacity is a major part of our nation’s – and our alliance’s – deterrence.

    And that industry’s constant purpose is to give the nation’s war fighters the advantage over our adversaries.

    The last Defence Industrial Strategy was published in 2021, a year before Putin shattered the peace in Europe.

    Ours will hardwire in these lessons and so too will the Strategic Defence Review.

    Second, I’m driving deep reform to defence.

    It doesn’t make news headlines, but it’s an essential foundation for implementing both the SDR and Defence Industrial Strategy.

    For industry, it means you’ll be brought in earlier to the conversation on how we should fight…

    We’ll ask you how you can help solve our problems rather than giving you a requirement to deliver.

    You’ll also see the creation of a new role, the National Armaments Director, soon-to-be one of the most senior roles in UK Defence, sitting alongside the Chief of the Defence Staff and Permanent Secretary.

    Their responsibilities will include:

    • Repairing a broken procurement system…
    • Ensuring our armed forces have what they need to fulfil their duty of protecting our nation…
    • And championing your industry at home and abroad.

    Third, defence is part of our bigger British drive for growth – the government’s number one mission.

    The Chancellor is speaking tomorrow about how we are going to meet this challenge.

    But the message I want to reinforce is that defence is an engine for driving economic growth.

    Fourth, we’ve proved we can do it by supporting Ukraine through Taskforce KINDRED and HIRST.

    From the onset, when it took 287 days after Putin invaded to sign contracts for new NLAWs…

    … to today, when we’ve created industrial bases for new capabilities – virtually from scratch…

    Supplying – at scale – one of the most effective drone systems in Ukraine.

    Restarted artillery barrel manufacturing in the UK to deliver hundreds to the front line.

    Enhancing our own capabilities through Stormer and Starstreak…while Gravehawk, Snapper and Wasp have all been developed with breathtaking speed.

    I don’t just want this to be the government’s new Defence Industrial Strategy, it needs to be a national endeavour… private and public… SMEs and primes… innovators and educators… trade associations and trade unions…

    All creating a defence industry which is better and more integrated…

    One that can keep our armed forces equipped… and innovating at wartime pace, ahead of our adversaries.

    The Shadow Defence Secretary is familiar with the challenges.

    I know he will play his part in holding us to account.

    And I trust he – and his Party – will play their part in backing reforms that strengthen our country’s defence and its defence industry.

    This is new era of threats, demands a new era for defence.

    Change is essential, not optional.

    Our success rests on a new partnership with innovators, investors and industry.

    Our government is determined to meet the challenge, determined to deliver for defence.

    Together, we will make Britain secure at home and strong abroad.

    Thank you – enjoy your evening and I look forward to working with you over the coming years.

  • Rachel Reeves – 2025 Speech on Kickstarting Growth

    Rachel Reeves – 2025 Speech on Kickstarting Growth

    The speech made by Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on 29 January 2025.

    Thank you everyone.

    It’s fantastic to be here at Siemens at this amazing facility.

    Today, I want to talk about economic growth.

    Why it matters.

    How we achieve it.

    And what we are going to do further and faster to deliver it.

    Before we came into office…

    … the Prime Minister and I have said loud and clear:

    Economic growth is the number one mission of this government.

    Without growth, we cannot cut hospital waiting lists or put more police on the streets.

    Without growth, we cannot meet our climate goals…

    … or give the next generation the opportunities that they need to thrive.

    But most of all…

    … without economic growth…

    … we cannot improve the lives of ordinary working people.

    Because growth isn’t simply about lines on a graph.

    It’s about the pounds in people’s pockets.

    The vibrancy of our high streets.

    And the thriving businesses that create wealth, jobs and new opportunities for us, for our children, and grandchildren.

    We will have succeeded in our mission when working people are better off.

    I know that the cost of living crisis is still very real for many families across Britain.

    The sky high inflation and interest rates of the past few years have left a deep mark…

    … with too many people still making sacrifices to pay the bills and to pay their mortgages.

    But we have begun to turn this around.

    Everything I see as I travel around the country gives me more belief in Britain.

    And more optimism about our future.

    Because we as a country have huge potential.

    A country of strong communities, with small and local businesses at their heart.

    We are at the forefront of some of the most exciting developments in the world…

    … like artificial intelligence and life sciences…

    … with great companies like DeepMind, AstraZeneca, Rolls Royce… and of course Siemens…

    … delivering jobs and investment across Britain.

    We have fundamental strengths – in our history, in our language, and in our legal system – to compete in a global economy.

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

    For too long, we have accepted low expectations and accepted decline.

    We no longer have to do that.

    We can do so much better.

    Low growth is not our destiny.

    But growth will not come without a fight.

    Without a government willing to take the right decisions now to change our country’s future for the better.

    That’s what our Plan for Change is all about.

    That is what drives me as Chancellor.

    In my Mais lecture in March last year, I set out my approach to achieving economic growth…

    … and identified the fundamental barriers to realising our full potential.

    The productive capacity of the UK economy has become far too weak.

    Productivity, the driver of living standards…

    …has grown more slowly here than in countries like Germany and the US.

    The supply side of our economy has suffered due to chronic underinvestment…

    … and stifling and unpredictable regulation…

    … not helped by the shocks we have faced in recent years.

    The strategy that I have consistently set out…

    … is to grow the supply-side of our economy…

    … recognising that first and foremost…

    … it is businesses, investors and entrepreneurs who drive economic growth…

    … a government that systematically removes the barriers that they face – one by one and has their back

    This strategy has three essential elements:

    First, stability in our politics, our public finances and our economy – the basic condition for secure economic growth.

    Second, reform – reform which makes it easier for businesses to trade, to raise finance and to build.

    And third, investment, the lifeblood of economic growth.

    Let me explain each of those in turn.

    Stability – the first line of our manifesto was a promise to bring stability to the public finances.

    It is the rock upon which everything else is built.

    And it is the essential foundation of our Plan for Change.

    Because economic stability is the precondition for economic growth.

    That’s why the first piece of legislation that we passed as a government was the Budget Responsibility Act…

    … so never again will we see our independent forecaster sidelined.

    At my first Budget in October…

    … it was my duty as Chancellor…

    … to fix the foundations of our economy, and repair the public finances that we inherited.

    To restore stability and create the conditions for growth and investment.

    I set out new fiscal rules which are non-negotiable, and will always be met.

    We began to rebuild our NHS and our schools – the start of a programme of public service reform.

    I capped the rate of corporation tax – and I extended our generous capital allowances for the duration of this parliament – as the CBI and the BCC have long called for.

    And I protected working people after a cost of living crisis…

    … by freezing fuel duty…

    … and with no increases in their National Insurance, Income Tax or VAT.

    But taking the right decisions and the responsible decisions does not always mean taking the easy decisions.

    The increase in Employers’ National Insurance contributions has consequences on business and beyond.

    I said that up front in my Budget speech.

    I accept that there are costs to responsibility.

    But the costs of irresponsibility would have been far higher.

    Those who oppose my Budget know that too.

    That is why, since October, I have seen no alternative put forward.

    No alternatives to deal with the challenges we face.

    No alternatives to restoring economic stability…

    … and therefore no plan for driving economic growth.

    Alongside stability, we need to drive forward the reform which makes investment more likely…

    … by removing the constraints on the supply side of our economy…

    … making it easier for businesses to trade…

    … to raise finance…

    … and to build.

    Let me first address our approach to trade.

    We stand at a moment of global change.

    In that context, we should be guided by one clear principle above all.

    To act in the national interest…

    … for our economy…

    … for our businesses…

    … and for the British people.

    That means building on our special relationship with the United States under President Trump.

    The Prime Minister discussed the vital importance of growth with the President last weekend…

    … and I look forward to working with the new Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent…

    … to deepen our economic relationship in the months and the years ahead.

    Acting in our national interest also means resetting our relationship with the EU – our nearest and our largest trading partner – to drive growth and support business.

    We are pragmatic about the challenges that we have inherited from the last government’s failed Brexit deal.

    But we are also ambitious in our goals.

    … we will prioritise proposals that are consistent with our manifesto commitments…

    … and which contribute to British growth and British prosperity…

    … because that is what the national interest demands.

    Our approach to trade also means building stronger relationships with fast-growing economies all around the world.

    That is why I led a delegation to China for the first Economic and Financial Dialogue since 2019…

    … alongside world-leading financial service businesses, including HSBC, Standard Chartered and Schroders…

    … unlocking £600 million of tangible benefits for the UK economy.

    And I am pleased to confirm that the Business and Trade Secretary will shortly visit India …

    … to restart talks on the free trade agreement and bilateral investment treaty.

    Our businesses can only realise these opportunities if they can recruit the skilled staff that they need.

    So we are reforming our employment system to create a national jobs and careers service.

    We have created Skills England to meet the skills of the next decade in sectors like construction and engineering.

    And we will deliver fundamental reform of our welfare system.

    That includes looking at areas that have been ducked for too long…

    … like the rising cost of health and disability benefits…

    … and the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions will set out our plans to address this ahead of the Spring Statement.

    Next, the Immigration White Paper, that will bring forward concrete proposals to bring the overall levels of net migration down.

    But we know that the UK is in an international competition for talent in vital growth sectors.

    That is why last week, I set out plans for attracting global talent.

    We will look at the visa routes for very highly skilled people…

    … so the best people in the world choose the UK to live, work and create wealth…

    … bringing jobs and investment to Britain.

    To help businesses access the finance and support they need to grow…

    … we have delivered significant reforms to provide greater flexibility for firms and founders to raise finance on UK capital markets, by rewriting the UK’s listing rules.

    In my Mansion House speech, I announced a series of reforms to our pensions system…

    … including the creation of larger, consolidated funds…

    … which have much greater capacity to invest in high growth British companies at the scale that we need them to.

    The consultation on these reforms is already complete and the final report will be published in the Spring.

    Yesterday we confirmed that we have plans to go further, whilst always protecting the important role that pension funds play in the gilt market.

    We will introduce new flexibilities for well-funded Defined Benefit schemes…

    … to release surplus funds where it is safe to do so…

    … generating even more investment into some of our fastest growing industries.

    I know too that businesses are held back by a complex and unpredictable regulatory system…

    … and that is a drag on investment and innovation.

    We have already provided new growth-focused remits to our financial services regulators…

    … we have announced a new interim Chair of the Competition and Markets Authority…

    … and we have established the Regulatory Innovation Office, with an initial focus on synthetic biology, space, AI, and connected and autonomous vehicles.

    But we need to go further and we need to go faster.

    So earlier this month, I met the Heads of some of our largest regulators.

    They have already provided a range of options to drive growth in their sectors…

    … and proposals for how they can be more agile and responsive to businesses…

    … and we will publish that final action plan in March to make regulation work much better for our economy.

    To get Britain building again…

    … we have delivered the most significant reforms to our planning system in a generation.

    I have been genuinely shocked about how slow our planning system is.

    By how long it takes to get things done.

    Take the decision to build a solar farm in Cambridgeshire – a decision the Energy Secretary took only a few weeks into the job in July…

    The Deputy Prime Minister has already driven significant progress across government in addressing these issues.

    My colleagues have determined 13 major planning decisions in just six months…

    … including for airports, data centres and major housing developments.

    We have significantly raised housing targets across our country and made them mandatory, so that we can build one-and-a-half million homes in this parliament.

    We have reformed decades-old “green belt” policies, making it easier to build on the “grey belt” land around our major cities.

    And we have opened up our planning system to build new infrastructure – like onshore wind farms or data centres driving the AI revolution.

    Having listened closely to calls from business groups like the Institute of Directors…

    … and businesses across our economy about the need to speed up infrastructure delivery…

    … including Mace, Skanska and Arup who are here today…

    … and members of our British Infrastructure Taskforce like Lloyds, Blackrock and Phoenix…

    … we have now set out plans to go even further.

    Last week we confirmed our priorities for the Planning and Infrastructure Bill …

    … to rapidly streamline the process for determining applications…

    … to make the consultation process far less burdensome…

    … and to fundamentally reform our approach to environmental regulation.

    The problems in our economy…

    … the lack of bold reform that we have seen over decades…

    … can be summed up by a £100 million bat tunnel built for HS2…

    … the type of decision that has made delivering major infrastructure in our country far too expensive and far too slow.

    So we are reducing the environmental requirements placed on developers when they pay into the nature restoration fund that we have created…

    …so they can focus on getting things built, and stop worrying about bats and newts.

    And to build our new infrastructure like nuclear power plants, trainlines and windfarms more quickly…

    … we are changing the rules to stop blockers getting in the way of development…

    … through excessive use of Judicial Review.

    This Bill, the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, is a priority for this government.

    It will be introduced in the Spring…

    … and we will work tirelessly in parliament to ensure its smooth, and speedy and rapid delivery.

    By providing a foundation of economic stability…

    … and by delivering the reforms needed to make it easier for businesses to succeed and grow…

    … we will create the right conditions to increase investment in our economy – the final key element of our strategy.

    Investment and innovation go hand in hand.

    I want to see the sounds and the sights of the future arriving.

    Delivered by amazing businesses like Wayve and Oxford Nanopore.

    They are the future.

    And Britain should be the best place in the world to be an entrepreneur.

    That is why we protected funding for research and development…

    … and it is why one of the first decisions I made as Chancellor…

    … was to extend the Enterprise Investment Scheme and the Venture Capital Trust schemes for a further 10 years…

    … to get more investment into new companies, driving their innovation and growth.

    I am determined to make Britain the best place in the world to invest.

    That was my message in Davos last week.

    That ambition demands action.

    The International Investment Summit that we hosted in October delivered £63 billion of investment right across our country…

    … from Iberdrola doubling its investment in clean energy in places like Suffolk…

    … Blackstone investing £10 billion in a data centre in Northumberland…

    … and Eren Holdings investing £1 billion in advanced manufacturing in North Wales.

    While the lifeblood of growth is business investment, a strategic state has a crucial role to play.

    That is why we established the National Wealth Fund…

    … to create that partnership between business, private investors and government to invest in the industries of the future…

    … like clean energy.

    Today I can announce two further investments by the National Wealth Fund.

    First, a £65 million investment for Connected Kerb, to expand their electric vehicle charging network across the UK.

    And second, a £28 million equity investment in Cornish Metals…

    … providing the raw materials to be used in solar panels, wind turbines and electric vehicles…

    … supporting growth and jobs in the South-West of England.

    There is no trade-off between economic growth and net zero.

    Quite the opposite.

    Net zero is the industrial opportunity of the 21st century, and Britain must lead the way.

    That is why we will publish a refreshed Carbon Budget Delivery Plan later this year, which alongside the Spending Review, will set out our plans to deliver Carbon Budget 6.

    Today, I can also announce that we are removing barriers to deliver 16 gigawatts of offshore wind…

    … by designating new Marine Protected Areas to enable the development of this technology in areas like East Anglia and Yorkshire…

    … crowding in up to £30 billion of investment in homegrown clean power.

    And there’s more.

    Our industrial and manufacturing base, brilliantly represented by Make UK, have been banging their heads against the wall for years at the lack of a proper industrial strategy from government.

    That is why we have launched our modern industrial strategy…

    … to drive investment into the industries that will define our success in the years ahead.

    We have already provided funding to unlock investment in sectors like aerospace, automotives and life sciences…

    … and we have set out reforms to boost financial services, the AI sector and creative industries.

    We are not wasting any time, and we will move forward with the next stages of the Industrial Strategy ahead of its publication in the Spring.

    We will work with the private sector to deliver the infrastructure that our country desperately needs.

    This includes the Lower Thames Crossing, which will improve connectivity at Port of Tilbury and Dover, London Gateway and Medway…

    … alleviating severe congestion…

    … as goods destined for export come from the North, and the Midlands and across the country to markets overseas.

    To drive growth and deliver value for money for taxpayers, we are exploring options to privately finance this important project.

    And we have changed course on public investment, too…

    … with a new Investment Rule to ensure that we don’t just count the costs of investment – we count the benefits too.

    We are now investing 2.6% of GDP on average over the next five years, compared to 1.9% planned by the previous government..

    … delivering an additional £100 billion of growth-enhancing capital spending…

    … which catalyses private sector investment…

    … in more housing…

    … better transport links…

    … and clean energy.

    These are significant steps in just six months…

    … and we are seeing some encouraging signs in the British economy.

    The IMF have upgraded our growth prospects for 2025…

    … the only G7 country outside the US to see this happen.

    This gives us the fastest growth of any major European economy this year.

    And a global survey of CEOs by PWC, has shown Britain is now the second most attractive country in the world for businesses looking to invest.

    The first time the UK has been in that position for 28 years.

    This is all welcome news.

    But there is still more that we can and will do.

    I am not satisfied with the position we are in.

    While we have huge amounts of potential, the structural problems in our economy run deep.

    And the low growth of the last 14 years cannot just be turned around overnight.

    This has to be our focus for the duration of the parliament.

    Because the situation demands us to do more.

    And today I will go further and faster in kickstarting economic growth.

    Our mission to grow our economy is about raising living standards in every single part of the United Kingdom.

    Manchester is home to the UK’s fastest growing tech sector.

    Leeds is one of the largest financial services centres outside of London.

    These great northern cities have so much potential and promise…

    …which our brilliant metro mayors, Andy Burnham and Tracy Brabin, are working hard to realise…

    … just like our other metro mayors are doing to deliver new opportunities in their areas.

    And there is so much more that government can do to support our city regions.

    To achieve this requires greater focus on two key areas: infrastructure and investment.

    If we can improve connectivity between towns and cities across the North of England, we can unlock their true growth potential…

    … by making it easier for people to live, travel and work across the area.

    At the Budget, I set out funding for the Transpennine Route Upgrade…

    … a multi-billion-pound programme of improvements that will connect towns and cities from Manchester to York via Stalybridge, Leeds and Huddersfield.

    We are delivering railway schemes to improve journeys for people across the North…

    … including upgrades at Bradford Forster Square and by electrifying the Wigan-Bolton line.

    We have committed to supporting the delivery of a new mass transit system in West Yorkshire.

    And in Spring, we will publish the Spending Review and a 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy…

    … which will set out further detail of our plans for infrastructure right across the UK.

    New transport infrastructure can also act as a catalyst for new housing.

    We have already seen the benefits that unlocking untapped land around stations can deliver in places like Stockport…

    … where joint work spearheaded by Andy Burnham and council leaders has delivered new housing and wider commercial opportunities.

    We will introduce a new approach to planning decisions on land around stations, changing the default answer to yes.

    We are working with the devolved governments to ensure the benefits of growth can be felt across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland…

    … including by partnering with them on the Industrial Strategy to support their considerable sectoral strengths.

    And in December, I met with Metro Mayors from across England.

    They told me that more opportunities for investment are vital if their local economies are to grow in the years ahead.

    We are listening closely to them.

    As the Metro Mayor of Liverpool, Steve Rotherham, has called for…

    … we will review the Green Book and how it is being used to provide objective, transparent advice on public investment across the country, including outside London and the Southeast.

    This means that investment in all regions is given a fair hearing by the Treasury that I lead.

    The Office for Investment is going to be working hand in hand with local areas…

    … to develop a commercially attractive pipeline of investment opportunities for a global audience…

    … starting with the Liverpool City Region and the North East Combined Authority, led by Kim McGuinness.

    The National Wealth Fund is establishing strategic partnerships to provide deeper, more focused support for city regions, starting in Glasgow, West Yorkshire, the West Midlands, and Greater Manchester.

    We are supporting key investment opportunities across the UK.

    The government is backing Andy Burnham’s plans for the redevelopment of Old Trafford, which promises to create new housing and commercial development around a new stadium…

    … to drive regeneration and growth in the area.

    We are moving forward with the Wrexham and Flintshire Investment Zone…

    … focusing on the area’s strengths in advanced manufacturing…

    … backed by major businesses like Airbus and JCB…

    … to leverage £1 billion of private investment in the next ten years…

    … creating up to 6,000 jobs.

    So I can announce today that we will work with Doncaster Council and the Mayor of South Yorkshire, Oliver Coppard…

    … to support their efforts to recreate South Yorkshire Airport City as a thriving regional airport.

    And finally, I am pleased to announce a partnership between Prologis and Manchester Airport Group in the East Midlands, where the Metro Mayor Claire Ward is doing an excellent job growing the local economy there.

    Prologis and MAG will work together to build a new advanced manufacturing and logistics park at East Midlands Airport …

    … unlocking up to £1 billion of investment and 2,000 jobs at the site…

    … a major investment from a global business into our country…

    … representing a huge vote of confidence in the East Midlands and in the UK.

    This is just the start of our work to get more investment into every nation and region of Britain.

    Next, I want to set out further detail for plans for the area we are in today.

    Oxford and Cambridge offer huge potential for our nation’s growth prospects.

    Only 66 miles apart…

    … these cities are home to two of the best universities in the world…

    … and the area is a hub for globally renowned science and technology firms.

    This area has the potential to be Europe’s Silicon Valley.

    To make that a reality, we need a systematic approach to attract businesses to come here and to grow here.

    At the moment, it takes over two and a half hours to travel between Oxford and Cambridge by train.

    There is no way to commute directly by rail from places like Bedford and Milton Keynes to Cambridge.

    And there is a lack of affordable housing right across the region.

    In other words, the demand is there…

    … but there are far too many supply side constraints on economic growth here.

    We are going to fix that.

    The Ox Cam arc was initially launched in 2003 – over 20 years ago.

    We are not prepared to miss out on the opportunities here any longer.

    So working with the Deputy Prime Minister…

    … who is already driving forward vital work in the region…

    … we are going further and faster to unlock the potential of the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor.

    First, we are funding the transport links needed to make the Oxford Cambridge growth corridor a success…

    … including East-West Rail, with new services between Oxford and Milton Keynes starting this year…

    … and road upgrades to reduce journey times between Milton Keynes and Cambridge.

    East West Rail will also support vibrant new and expanded communities along the route.

    We have already received proposals for New Towns along the new railway…

    … with 18 submissions for sizeable new developments.

    At Tempsford – the nexus of the East Coast Mainline, the A1 and East West Rail…

    …we will move quicker to deliver a mainline station, meaning journey times to London of under an hour…

    … and to Cambridge in under 30 minutes when East West Rail is operational.

    Second, we are ensuring that the area has the right infrastructure and public services in place to support the growth corridor as it expands.

    A new Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital is being prioritised for investment as part of wave 1 of the New Hospital Programme.

    Water infrastructure has also been a major hindrance to development.

    So we have now agreed water resources management plans, unlocking £7.9 billion of investment in the next 5 years…

    …including plans for the new Fens Reservoir serving Cambridge and the South East Strategic Reservoir near Oxford.

    And I can confirm today that the Environment Agency have now lifted their objections to new development in Cambridge, following this government’s intervention to address water scarcity…

    … which means 4,500 additional homes, new schools, and new office, retail and laboratory space can be built.

    Third, I am delighted that Cambridge University have come forward with plans for a new flagship innovation hub at the centre of Cambridge…

    … to attract global investment and foster a community that catalyses innovation, as other cities around the world like Boston and Paris have done.

    Just yesterday, Moderna completed the build for their new vaccine production and R&D site in Harwell, right here in Oxfordshire, alongside a commitment to invest a further £1 billion in the UK.

    And we are creating a new AI Growth Zone in Culham to speed up planning approvals for the rapid build-out of data centres.

    And finally, to take this project forward at real pace…

    … and catalyse private sector investment into the region…

    … I am pleased to announce that the Deputy Prime Minister and I have asked Lord Patrick Vallance to be the champion for the Oxford Cambridge Growth Corridor.

    Lord Vallance has extensive experience across the sciences, academia, and government.

    He will work with local leaders and with the Housing and Planning Minister to deliver this exciting project…

    … including with Peter Freeman, who is already doing excellent work in Cambridge…

    … and a new Growth Commission for Oxford, which will help to accelerate growth in the city and its surrounding area.

    This is the government’s modern Industrial Strategy in action.

    With central government, local leaders and business working together…

    … the Oxford and Cambridge Growth Corridor could add up to £78 billion to the UK economy by 2035 …

    … driving investment, innovation and growth.

    Finally, I come to the decision that perhaps more than any other…

    … has been delayed…

    … has been avoided…

    … has been ducked.

    The question of whether to give Heathrow …

    … our only hub airport…

    … a third runway…

    … has run on for decades.

    The last full length runway in Britain was built in the 1940s.

    No progress in eighty years.

    Why is this so damaging?

    It’s because Heathrow is at the heart of the UK’s openness as a country.

    It connects us to emerging markets all over the world, opening up new opportunities for growth.

    Around three-quarters of all long-haul flights in the UK go from Heathrow.

    Over 60% of UK air freight comes through Heathrow.

    And about 15 million business travellers used Heathrow in 2023.

    But for decades, its growth has been constrained.

    Successive studies have shown that this really matters for our economy.

    According to the most recent study from Frontier Economics, a third runway could increase potential GDP by 0.43% by 2050.

    Over half – 60% of that boost, would go to areas outside London and the South-East.

    … increasing trade opportunities for products like Scotch whiskey and Scottish salmon – already two of the biggest British exports out of Heathrow.

    And a third runway could create over 100,000 jobs.

    For international investors, persistent delays have cast doubt about our seriousness towards improving our economic prospects.

    Business groups, like the CBI, the Federation of Small Businesses and the Chambers of Commerce right across the UK…

    …as well trade unions like GMB and Unite are clear…

    … a third runway is badly needed.

    In 2018, the previous government steered its Airports National Policy Statement through parliament.

    But no action was taken.

    It simply sat on the shelf.

    We are taking a totally different approach to airport expansion.

    This Government has already given its support to expansion at City Airport and at Stansted.

    And there are two live decisions on Luton and Gatwick which will be made by the Transport Secretary shortly.

    But as our only hub airport, Heathrow is in a unique position – and we cannot duck the decision any longer.

    I have always been clear that a third runway at Heathrow would unlock further growth…

    … boost investment…

    … increase exports…

    … and make the UK more open and more connected.

    And now, the case is stronger than ever…

    … because our reforms to the economy…

    … like speeding up the planning system…

    … and our plans for modernised UK airspace…

    … mean the delivery of this project is set up for success.

    So I can confirm today that this Government supports a third runway at Heathrow…

    … and is inviting proposals to be brought forward by the summer.

    We will then take forward a full assessment through the Airport National Policy Statement.

    That will ensure that the project is value for money – and our clear expectation is that any associated surface transport costs will be financed through private funding.

    And it will ensure that a third runway is delivered in line with our legal, environmental and climate obligations.

    Heathrow themselves are clear that their proposal for expansion will meet strict rules on noise, air quality and carbon emissions.

    And we are already making great strides in transitioning to cleaner and greener aviation.

    Sustainable Aviation Fuel reduces CO2 emissions compared to fossil fuel by around 70%.

    At the start of this month, the Sustainable Aviation Fuel mandate became law.

    And today I can announce that we are investing £63 million into the Advanced Fuels Fund over the next year…

    … and we have today set out the details of how we will deliver a Revenue Certainty Mechanism to encourage investment into this growing industry.

    These measures will encourage more investors to back production in the UK, bringing good, high-skilled jobs to areas like Teesside…

    … demonstrating that investment in the right technology can help us deliver both our growth and our clean energy missions.

    Now is the moment to grasp the opportunity in front of us.

    By backing a third runway at Heathrow, we can make Britain the world’s best connected place to do business.

    That is what it takes to make bold decisions in the national interest.

    That is what I mean by going further and faster to kickstart economic growth.

    The work of change has begun.

    We have already made great progress.

    But I am not satisfied.

    And I know that there is more to be done.

    We must go further and faster if we are to build a brighter future.

    The prize on offer is immense.

    The next generation with more opportunities than the last.

    An engineer in Teesside, working in some of the most exciting industries of the future – from carbon capture to sustainable aviation fuel.

    A scientist in Milton Keynes or Bedford, working in our life sciences industry to solve some of the most important medical challenges in the world.

    A small business owner in Scotland, knowing that they can expand and export to new markets right across the globe.

    Wealth created, and wealth shared, in every part of Britain.

    This is a Government on the side of working people.

    Taking the right decisions to secure their future, to secure our future.

    Stepping up to the challenges we face.

    Ending the era of low expectations.

    Putting Britain on a different path.

    Delivering for the British people.

    And I am determined, this Government is determined, to do just that.

    Thank you.

  • Keir Starmer – 2025 Speech on Holocaust Memorial Day

    Keir Starmer – 2025 Speech on Holocaust Memorial Day

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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