The comments made by Robin Walker, the Conservative MP for Worcester, on Twitter on 21 October 2022.
To deliver for Britain we need economic credibility, experience & great communication, someone who can be trusted to look after the most vulnerable, protect livelihoods & support our NHS – Rishi Sunak has all of this & can bring the party together. #ReadyForRishi
The comments made by Caroline Ansell, the Conservative MP for Eastbourne and Willingdon, on Twitter on 21 October 2022.
Hoping Penny Mordaunt will once again put herself forward to lead our Party and Country. She has the qualities and qualifications. #PM4PM
The comments made by Huw Merriman, the Conservative MP for Bexhill and Battle, on Twitter on 20 October 2022.
I feel enormous sympathy for Liz Truss. I did not put a letter in for a leadership contest and hoped the change in policies would give her time to work this through. That did not happen and I send her my thanks and best wishes. I’m sorry we have not done the best for our country.
Now it’s time to unite around Rishi Sunak. We have adopted his policies. It’s now time to have him leading our country and delivering them. The economy needs a solid, experienced operator; Rishi is the leader to raise this country back to where it belongs.
The comments made by Simon Hoare, the Conservative MP for North Dorset, on Twitter on 20 October 2022.
I’m supporting Rishi Sunak to be Leader and Prime Minister. He will ensure market confidence, pragmatic policies and a steadying of the ship.
The comments made by John McDonnell, the Labour MP for Hayes and Harlington, on Twitter on 20 October 2022.
Truss was selected by 150,000 Tory Party members. We are now facing the selection of the next Prime Minister by a few hundred Conservative MPs. That cannot be right. This is meant to be a democracy. We need a general election.
The comments made by Richard Foord, the Liberal Democrat for Tiverton and Honiton, on Twitter on 20 October 2022.
We do not need another un-elected Conservative Prime Minister lurching from crisis to crisis. We need a general election, to get this rotten Government out of power and enable us to deliver the real change our communities need.
The comments made by Mary Lou McDonald, the President of Sinn Fein, on 20 October 2022.
Forty-five days of chaos and dysfunction at the heart of the Tory Party has ended with the resignation of Liz Truss.
Forty-five days that worsened an economic crisis and fuelled political instability in the north, while punishing ordinary workers and families who are struggling to heat their homes and put food on the table.
Forty-five days which laid bare the damage that Brexit has caused Britain politically on the international stage and which has deepened the conversation on constitutional change.
This is a rudderless Tory government which has no mandate in Ireland.
Liz Truss’ legacy will be soaring mortgage payments, wrecking the economy, lifting the cap on bankers’ bonuses and working in the interests of the super-rich.
Only a locally elected Executive and Ministers working together will properly serve the interests of people here.
The comments made by Emily Thornberry, the Shadow Attorney General, on Twitter on 20 October 2022.
Whoever takes charge of the Tory shambles next, their plan is to inflict another massive round of spending cuts on our public services, entirely as a result of their disastrous actions this past month. They must tell the truth about why that is happening, and what it will mean.
The speech made by Sarah Atherton, the Minister for Defence People, Veterans and Service Families, in Windsor, London on 20 October 2022.
I might not have been a defence minister for very long, but having been a soldier in the Army Intelligence Corps and an Army wife, I know how important decent accommodation is.
It’s not just about making sure the shower works, the roof doesn’t leak, and the kitchen is mould-free, as important as those things are.
It’s about having somewhere that you can look forward to returning to, somewhere you, your partner and your family can call home. In other words, somewhere that doesn’t make you want to ditch the military life in favour of a less exciting but more predictable civilian one.
Your home should incentivise you to pursue a long, rewarding military career, alongside your family. Home is where the heart is – as cliché as it sounds – so we shouldn’t be surprised if people don’t want to live in below par accommodation.
Thankfully the Defence Secretary, who (to be honest, quite a while ago) lived in these barracks, is determined to get this right. So we talked to service personnel and families. We listened to what they had to say and today I am delighted to launch Defence’s new Accommodation Strategy.
Our plan focuses on three areas:
Firstly, it’s about raising the bar: setting a new minimum standard for Single Living Accommodation across the entire Defence estate.
As a bare minimum we will ensure every room is quiet, secure, dry, well ventilated and heated with access to hot water on demand. That is a minimum. And there’ll be a proactive approach to ongoing maintenance, regularly checking to make sure things don’t go wrong in the first place, with regular upgrades.
I know things have moved on since I was a military wife, so we’ll also be ensuring stronger Wi-Fi connections for all. Which is great news for those who want to video call home or stream online.
And in the coming months and years, we’ll keep talking to our personnel, and their families, to understand how their needs change, and what more can be done.
Secondly, our plan is about fairness.
In the past, subsidised accommodation was divvied-up according to rank. From now on we’re going to ensure it is allocated primarily based on need.
The question we’ll be asking is not how many stripes or pips they have, or how many people they command, but do they have a family? How old are their children? Do they have any special requirements?
Service families’ accommodation will be allocated on individual requirements, not rank. We’re also going to make sure our strategy better reflects the reality of today’s society. That means giving personnel in long-term relationships the same access to accommodation as their married colleagues.
Finally, this plan is about value for money.
We’re dealing with the rising cost of living, and a war in Europe, so we’ve got to get smarter about getting more for our money. This means reducing the current stock in places where beds are continually unused and going empty. It means making our homes more sustainable by increasing their energy efficiency, through better insulation and modern heating systems. And it means future-proofing renovated accommodation with things like electric car charging ports.
It’s no coincidence that we chose these barracks to launch our new Accommodation Strategy today. When Queen Victoria visited, it was in such a state of disrepair, she ordered a complete renovation.
Now we’re ensuring that in today’s Armed Forces, wherever our people live, they will have a place they are proud to call home. Ensuring they are incentivised to do their job to the best of their abilities.
After all, we expect our brave men and women to protect our backs; and the least we can do is show them that we have theirs.
The comments made by Nick Gibb, the Conservative MP for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, on Twitter on 20 October 2022.
I am supporting Rishi Sunak to lead our Party. Rishi’s competence, compassion, economic foresight and his leadership skills means he is the candidate to unite our Party. Rishi’s charisma & wider appeal in the country means he is best placed to rebuild support for our Party.