Category: Speeches

James Cleverly – 2022 Speech to Conservative Party Conference

The speech made by James Cleverly, the Foreign Secretary, in Birmingham on 4 October 2022.

Thank you Conference.

It’s great be back together,

As a party.

As a family.

Big thank you to Jake Berry our chairman

Organising conference is a mammoth task.

And a big thank you our party staff, our volunteers,

And you, the members.

I loved being party chairman,

working with you all, with Ben my co-chairman,

And working alongside Boris.

And if I remember rightly we did alright.

an 80-seat majority –

A great team of new MPs from all over our great country –

And Boris’s leadership:

…Delivered Brexit…

…Got us through the Covid…

…And he led the world in support for Ukraine.

It’s a legacy that we should be proud of.

And I was proud to serve under him.

It’s a legacy that Liz Truss will build on.

I’ve seen her take bold action as Foreign Secretary:

…her steadfast support for Ukraine and standing up to Russia…

…her passionate defence of our Union…

…her determination to promote democracy and freedom around the world.

As Prime Minister she is also being bold.

…helping with energy bills…

…ensuring you can see your doctor promptly…

Reducing the taxes paid by ordinary, hardworking people across the country.

I backed her from the start:

And I know I made the right choice.

I’m the foreign secretary of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Wow, that still sounds strange!

It is an honour to be the face and voice of our country overseas.

I’m the UK’s sales guy.

I’m pretty good at sales, it was how I paid my bills.

But I know that the greatest salesperson that the UK ever had was her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth.

Our greatest diplomat

Our greatest advocate

Our greatest champion

Elizabeth the Great.

I’ve had the honour of meeting King Charles,

and I know he will work tirelessly and to continue her work…

and be our new chief ambassador.

During the funeral week of her late Majesty

I was reminded of the standing that our country has in the world.

When I travel on behalf of our country,

I am lucky enough to see the UK as others see us.

And I can tell you the view of here, from over there is really, really good.

It’s not a terribly fashionable thing…

To be proud of your country…

But I am –

So sue me!!!

My mother chose to make this country her home.

She was a young woman from Sierra Leone who adored this country then,

Just as I adore this country now.

In fact,

I am from immigrant stock on both sides of my family:

My mum came here from West Africa in 1966

And my dad’s family came here from Normandy in 1066.

There will always be people that talk our country down…

Belittle our achievements…

Underestimate our standing…

Those self-loathing keyboard warriors…

Who hate our country’s every success…

And pray for bad news.

Those people who aren’t happy until they’re unhappy:

They want to stand on the side-lines,

Never contributing,

Only moaning and bleating.

But that isn’t us;

That isn’t this party;

That isn’t this government;

That isn’t this country.

We aren’t commentators watching the match,

And saying “Ohhhhh I wouldn’t have done that”.

We are players on the pitch…

Making a difference…

Promoting our values…

Competing on the world stage for what we believe is right.

And we believe in freedom.

We believe in the rule of law.

We believe that an aggressor cannot invade its neighbour with impunity.

This is why we stand shoulder to shoulder with those brave Ukrainians defending their homeland.

And Britain has the strategic endurance to see this through to their victory.

Back in February this year, at the United Nations I said that if Putin was foolish enough to attempt to invade Ukraine,

The Ukrainians would defend their country ferociously.

And they have done just that.

Their bravery and passion has been amplified by the arms and training that we, the UK, have supplied.

We will support them until this war is won.

We will support them until their sovereignty is restored.

We will support them until the last Russian tank is dragged away by a Ukrainian tractor.

We need to have the strategic endurance to see this through to the end.

Because, if we don’t…

we send a message to every potential aggressor that our resolve is fragile.

We cannot, must not, will not send that message to the world.

And if you happen to be listening to this speech, Mr Putin, Mr Lavrov:

Let me be clear:

We will never recognise the annexation of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, or Crimea.

They are Ukraine.

And when Ukraine has won this war,

– And it will –

then we will support them as they rebuild their homes, their economy, and their society.

We will work with our friends and allies around the world to hold the perpetrators to account.

To punish those who use rape as a weapon of war;

To punish those who knowingly target civilian infrastructure;

To punish those who murder women and children

We do not do this alone.

We are a member of many international groups:

The commonwealth, NATO, UN Security Council, AUKAS, the G7, the G20.

We intend to build more alliances, friendships and partnerships around the globe.

It’s why we have ambassadors, high commissioners, and diplomats in hundreds of locations.

It’s why I and my fantastic team of ministers travel the world.

Trust me, it isn’t to stock up on those giant Toblerones.

When there is war, our work on the international stage is visible and obvious:

Building coalitions of condemnation at the UN for example,

Coordinating sanctions against those who facilitate the war,

Working to ensure the exports of food and fertiliser from the Black Sea ports.

But much of what the FCDO does is less visible,

But no less important

I have just returned from a series of meetings in East and South East Asia.

I paid my respects at the funeral of Japan’s former prime minister Shinzo Abe.

Then I went to the Republic of Korea;

And then to Singapore;

In each country I met with senior ministers;

met a number of international business people…

I set out the details of our Indo-Pacific tilt.

It’s a part of the world which is growing fast.

And through trade agreements, cooperation agreements, and our ASEAN dialogue partner status,

We are shrinking the distance between us.

I spoke about the opportunities that at available to us all.

And, of course, I spoke about the role that China plays in the region and globally.

I made our position clear:

That China could and should take a different path;

That it should adhere to the rules and norms of the international community;

And it should stop persecuting its people at home and stop sanctioning my friends and colleagues in parliament.

And while I was on the other side of the world,

FCDO ministers were in the USA, in European capitals, in Africa,

And a number of my ministers are overseas as I speak.

Because we have to invest in our international relationships.

Patient, but effective diplomacy:

We invest time,

We invest energy,

And yes, we invest money.

Because that’s how we generate influence on the world stage

And that’s how we drive improvements in the lives of people overseas,

And how we improve the lives of people here in the UK.

The development money that we spend,

Our overseas development assistance or “ODA”:

It helps women and children brutalised by conflict,

It helps prevent starvation,

We use our expertise in financial services through British Investment Partnerships to amplify the money that we provide to part-fund projects that generate green energy,

And increase trade…

And stimulate economic growth in some of the least developed countries.

We don’t just stand idly by and watch problems happen:

We step in to improve things,

Not passive, but active.

It is the right thing to do, it helps people that need our help.

And it also helps us at home.

Because safe, secure and prosperous countries don’t generate refugees or hundreds of thousands of economic migrants;

Safe, secure and prosperous countries don’t export terrorism;

Safe, secure and prosperous countries are good trade partners for us;

So obviously we want to see more safe, secure and prosperous countries.

That is the active role that our ODA plays.

But just because we look to build peace and prosperity in distant places,

we mustn’t forget the need to build prosperity closer to home.

A good diplomatic and economic relationship with the EU and its member states is good for us all:

we’ve worked closely on sanctions against Russians who have enabled the war in Ukraine.

I want to see more cooperation across the channel and across the Irish Sea,

And addressing the current problems with the Northern Ireland Protocol is key to that.

I want to ensure that we restore the integrity of the UK internal market,

I want to protect North/South trade,

and restore the balance of the Belfast Good Friday Agreement, which has been disrupted by the protocol.

I want to see all the communities in Northern Ireland represented again in the Stormont executive,

So that devolved government is re-established.

I will work hard to get that.

Last week I spoke to the EU’s lead negotiator Vice President Maroš Šefčovič.

We agreed on our desire to reach a solution that works for all parts of the UK, especially the people of Northern Ireland;

We have the Northern Ireland Protocol bill working its way through parliament.

In the meantime, we continue to pursue a negotiated settlement which respects the constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom and our single market,

and supports the institutions of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement.

As you can see my great ministers Vicky Ford, Jesse Norman, Leo Doherty, Zac Goldsmith, Tariq Ahmad, and Gillian Keegan and I have plenty to keep us busy.

But it is a job worth doing.

Promoting global Britain on the world stage

And I speak for the ministers and the civil servants and diplomats in the FCDO when I say:

It is an honour to represent the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland:

It is a great country

A country I am proud of

A country I love

Thank you.

04/10/2022
Fiona Shackleton – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II (Baroness Shackleton of Belgravia)

The tribute made by Fiona Sara Shackleton, Baroness Shackleton of Belgravia, in the House of Lords on 10 September 2022.

My Lords, having read and listened to the many and various tributes to our beloved Queen and her exemplary life and selfless service to this country, the Commonwealth and the realms, it is impossible to do her justice. I should like, with humility, to pay a small tribute to her private family life. As any working parent knows, striking the work/life balance is almost impossible, but despite performing the most demanding job in the whole world for seven decades as a working mother, a working grandmother and a working great-grandmother, she juggled until the day she died. I am in no doubt that her family and the line of succession was of paramount importance to her.

I should like to share three vignettes of her humanity. This is the first. My brothers, three years younger than me, attended the same gym class as Prince Andrew and, as a consequence, were invited to Buckingham Palace to his birthday parties. On returning home, my mother, cross-examining the boys, said, “What was Andrew’s mummy like?”, to which one of them responded, “Mummy, she was just like any other mummy”, and then, referring to her brooch, “but she wears a much bigger badge.”

Secondly, sitting next to one of her nephews at a dinner, he told me that during his parents’ separation and divorce, the Queen and her family had been like a port in a storm when life had been very difficult for them. This sentiment was echoed by many of her grandchildren, who, over the Jubilee, spoke movingly of her extreme kindness to them.

Thirdly and lastly, I had the privilege on two occasions to meet the Queen on my own, save for the presence of a private secretary. The meetings concerned family matters, and I was left in absolutely no doubt that she loved and cared passionately about all concerned. She was totally fair and non-judgmental, and did all in her power to ameliorate and solve the very difficult problems they were suffering from. She was loyal to her family to the end, and I can think of no better way of showing our immense gratitude to her than supporting her children, her grandchildren and great-grandchildren at this sad time and in future.

She passed the baton on, and for her, there was no question of changing any rules mid-term. To make sense of her sacrifices and her passing, and to reward her unstinting service to all of us, we can do no better than to wholeheartedly support our monarch, His Majesty King Charles III, and his family, as she would have wished and prayed for.

04/10/2022
Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2022 Speech to Conservative Party Conference

The speech made by Anne-Marie Trevelyan, the Secretary of State for International Trade, in Birmingham on 4 October 2022.

Conference, thank you.

It’s wonderful to be back here with so many of you in Birmingham this year.

Speaking to you today from the heart of the West Midlands – it serves as a powerful reminder that this region was the crucible from which much of the modern world was built.

As the Mayor, Andy Street, is tireless in saying as he promotes this wonderful region.

The infrastructure that powered that growth can still be seen today, and we are giving it a new 21st century boost.

Less than a mile away from here, I visited Curzon Street – one of the first train stations built in the UK. It has facilitated passengers and freight for over a hundred years.

Designed by Robert Stephenson – one of Newcastle’s finest exports, providing designs and inspiration for constructions around the world – it took 20,000 workers nearly five years to build.

Today, 27,000 workers have spades in the ground, with so many of them working to reopen and transform stations. These will serve at the heart of our newest high-speed railway delivering additional capacity for the network, drawing in huge investment into the region – and of course, helping the whole country and our economy to grow.

From land to sea, the UK also has a historic leadership in underwriting prosperity and trade.

Shipping continues to drive the global economy today, just as it has done for millennia.

Our seas are by far the most important arteries for global trade, carrying over 95% of all goods.

But while our maritime industry normally conducts its business beyond the public gaze, recent events have thrust global supply chains into the spotlight-and in particular, the importance of resilient and secure shipping routes.

At Transport, we are charged with ensuring the security of all networks that move goods, people and information around the world, and that underpin our way of life and our economy.

We have seen Putin weaponise food by trying to crush the economic and humanitarian criticality of Ukraine’s agricultural economy.

In blockading those Ukrainian ports, Putin has prevented the export of global grain supplies.
Our maxim is to ensure the UK is and remains the most secure and reliable nation to trade with globally.

Because at a time when Russian aggression is disrupting established trade routes,

it has never been more important for the international community to come together and protect global shipping.

So, we will work with all our partners to ensure maritime trade and travel continues to operate safely, securely and sustainably, right around the world.

Now Conference, there is an elephant in the room today.

We cannot ignore that nine out of ten train services were at a standstill last Saturday – with further strikes planned tomorrow and this coming Saturday.

While our priority, our overwhelming objective, is to grow our economy and tackle the rising cost of living, we also have to deal with rolling strike action.

Strikes disrupt everyday life for everyone and slow down our prospects for growth.

The more quickly we can resolve these disputes, the sooner all our efforts can be spent on getting our economy motoring at full speed.

Despite soaring international energy prices, the war in Ukraine and the continued global impact of COVID, we are taking the necessary action to help families and businesses.

We can only do this through growth and having the infrastructure that makes this possible.

We want to transform the rail industry to make it sustainable for the next 100 years.

The very last thing our country needs right now is more damaging industrial disputes.

My message to the trade union membership is simple: please take your seats at the negotiating table and let’s find a landing zone which we can all work with.

Punishing passengers and inflicting damage on our economy by striking is not the answer.

As a former Trade Secretary, I know something about making deals.

And I can tell you, there is a deal to be done between the unions and our train operators. It’s a deal that will require compromise. So I want to see positive proposals to bridge the differences.

As part of these, I am asking industry to launch consultations on reforming our ticket office provision across the country.

The way we buy everything from groceries to holidays has transformed over the last decade. Online shopping is increasingly the norm, and all our favourite retail stores are using the latest self-service tech, making the in-store experience quicker and smoother, with fewer queues and more convenience.

We’re seeing the same trend on the railways with a huge increase in online ticket sales – today, only 12% of transactions take place at ticket offices. We need to be looking at ways to move with the trend and support our customers in the most effective way possible.

There will be some stations where the ticket office will be important to the running of the station. In other areas rail employees may be better in front of the glass helping passengers in other ways.

This is not about cutting jobs – this is about putting the passenger at the heart of the Railway.

We all want the same outcome – to modernise the railway so that customers can choose rail as their preferred travel method with confidence and with ease.

I hope Union leaders together with employers will work with us to deliver the much-needed changes and resolution, so that together we can grow the economy for everyone.

Conference –

Just as coal power and steam propulsion powered a global revolution in growth and development – which transformed everything from medicines to transport and brought prosperity across the world – we are at the tipping point of another revolution that has the potential to transform.

The way that all our modes of transport are powered is changing at pace.

Hydrogen fuels. Net Zero Emission Vehicles. Sustainable Aviation Fuels. Green shipping corridors.

Those markets that change first, and have the potential to grow fastest, will go the furthest. We want UK Business to lead the way on this new clean growth revolution.

That’s why we are investing record amounts in our roads, in our railways and future green transport solutions, to provide the conditions that will make sure business can grow on the back of clean transport.

Building the vital connections that will open up access to jobs, education and housing across the whole of the United Kingdom.

This Government is unashamedly going for growth.

Growth is key to delivering jobs, higher wages and more money to invest in world class public services.

A key part of achieving that growth is keeping our promises and delivering for the people.

Speaking as the Member of Parliament who has campaigned for dualling the A1 – a road improvement first promised in 1992 – and was elected on that promise, delivering on our promises is firmly on my mind.

The A1 is just one example.

The A303 is another. One of the main gateways to the South West, it acts as a bottleneck to growth. So we are committed to getting these road solutions delivered.

Delivery is the key.

Something my fantastic ministerial team are focussed on.

Kevin Foster – is taking on the challenge of modernising our Railway.

Katherine Fletcher – will deliver the Roads the Prime Minister has asked me to accelerate, which the Chancellor announced in his Growth Plan.

Baroness Vere – will work to decarbonise the aviation industry.

Lucy Frazer who will be working on the Future of Transport, making it fit for a modern world.

And our Parliamentary Private Secretaries Marco Longhi, Anthony Browne, and Damian Moore in the Whips Office are going to help us stay on track.

As a rural constituency MP, one of the most common issues that gets raised with me is the state of my local roads. Indeed – I became very popular overnight with many colleagues who have constituents raising similar issues with them.

That’s why we have set aside a pothole fund to repair 10 million potholes a year.

So motorway or local street, this is a government which will invest so that our country can grow. We are a team that is determined to get spades into the ground at pace.

Conference, we’ve got a lot to do – it’s time to Get Britain Moving.

Thank you.

04/10/2022
Therese Coffey – 2022 Speech to Conservative Party Conference

The speech made by Therese Coffey, the Deputy Prime Minister and Health & Social Care Secretary, in Birmingham on 4 October 2022.

Conference, I am delighted to be here in Birmingham for my first speech as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and as Deputy Prime Minister.

I was here just a couple of months ago for the Commonwealth Games,

And I was absolutely blown away,

by the Games themselves,

and also by how the city has been transformed since we were last here.

And that is thanks to Conservative Mayor, Andy Street.

Andy has shown,

That being ambitious for the people and communities he represents,

getting on with the job at hand,

and focusing on delivery,

is exactly what our voters want,

and why he was re-elected,

resoundingly.

Conference, as a Conservative government,

we believe in the Great British people,

and we are ambitious for our country.

Despite the severe challenges facing the global economy, in the wake of Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, and the aftershock of Covid,

Now is the time we must come together,

to tackle the issues that we have long faced.

And we will take decisive action

to get Britain moving again….

… from getting Britain building,

to channelling investment into local areas,

to helping families get on in life.

We will deliver, deliver, deliver…

Conference,

Our National Health Service has the admiration and gratitude of the British people, particularly for getting us through COVID.

The doctors, the nurses, the midwives, the paramedics, the chemists, the cleaners, and all the clinical and support staff,

As well as all the carers, working in care homes or our communities.

They regularly go the extra mile.

They are the pride of Britain.

The NHS is and always has been a national endeavour.

That was set out in 1944, when it was a Conservative politician, Sir Henry Willink, who put forward the proposals for “A National Health Service”.

That’s right, a Conservative MP,

from my home city of Liverpool,

who conceived the NHS,

– a good omen, I think!

And I continue to be proud of the many doctors, nurses, and dentists serving as Conservatives in Parliament,

far more than we see in the Labour Party.

And it is because of our Conservative Party’s commitment to the NHS,

…That we will be spending 173 billion pounds this year on health and social care, in England alone,

…up from 124 billion pounds when we entered office in 2010,

…and that’s accounting for inflation –

This has resulted in more doctors and nurses than ever before.

But, as Health Secretary, it’s my job to be honest, and level with you about the scale of challenge ahead of us.

And frankly,

I won’t be turning to Labour for solutions.

If you want to see the Labour Party running the NHS,

just look across the border into Wales,

where around 60,000 patients are still waiting for more than 2 years for treatment, higher than last year.

This isn’t the time for brickbats though.

It is precisely because healthcare matters so much

that we need to have honest discussion

and be prepared to hold the NHS to account

forging a partnership with them focused on delivery, not on dogma.

So, let’s be honest.

While most patients receiving care in our NHS have a good experience,

Too many do not…

…Whether it’s the 8am scramble to see a GP…

…Or the long waits to get tests or treatment…

Or the struggle to see an NHS dentist at all.

Much of this has been made worse by the pandemic.

And I must level with you,

Backlogs are expected to rise before they fall,

as more patients come forward for diagnosis and treatment.

But this isn’t just about Covid.

There is still too much variation in patient experience.

I saw that for myself this July when I went to A&E.

I waited nearly nine hours to see a doctor,

before being asked to return the next day for treatment.

Now I knew, from previous experience,

that would be too late,

so I took myself to a different hospital,

and was treated that same day.

That is the sort of variation we see across the NHS.

From two hospitals just a couple of miles apart, and it must change.

That is why my first job in the Department was creating Our Plan for Patients, which puts the needs of patients front and centre.
Our new Plan for Patients deliberately places an emphasis on primary care, the gateway to the NHS for most people.

It empowers doctors and nurses by reducing bureaucracy,

…which gets in the way of them doing their jobs.

And it seeks to improve performance across the country by unlocking data.

Now,

You may have heard ‘ABCD’ are my immediate priorities.

No, I wasn’t broadcasting my A Level results to the nation.

Nor was I reciting a new hip hop beat by Dr Dre.

Those four letters represent my commitment to focus – resolutely – on the issues that affect patients most:

Ambulances.

Backlogs.

Care.

Doctors and Dentists.

And with my excellent ministerial team,

Robert Jenrick,

Will Quince,

Neil O’Brien,

Nick Markham,

and our very own in-house ministerial medic, Dr Caroline Johnson,

Together, we WILL focus on the issues that affect patients most

To deliver their priorities.

AND be their champion.

Starting with ‘A’ for Ambulances.

Access to urgent treatment can be life-saving.

When people phone 999 because they think they or their loved one is having a heart attack or a stroke, they want to know help will come,

and will come soon.

Let’s be clear,

Average waiting times are too long,

So, we are increasing the number of 999 call handlers.

And we must also get ambulances back on the road from handovers at hospitals,

so we are placing a laser-like focus on our most challenged trusts, because as we saw last winter,

nearly half of all handover delays were at just 15 trusts.

We also know to be able to admit more patients,

we need to open up more space in hospitals.

So we are acting immediately to create more capacity,

the equivalent of 7,000 more beds, this winter.

But it’s not just capacity in our hospitals we need,

it’s also in our communities,

to help support people…

…who could be cared for more appropriately at home or in a care home, rather than being kept in hospital, unnecessarily.

That is why the ‘C’ for care is such an integral part of Our Plan.

And why we have invested a further 500 million pounds this winter,

so local councils and the local NHS,

can work together to tackle delayed discharges.

It isn’t all about emergency care though.

It is also about diagnosis and treatment.

And that is where we go back to ‘B’ for backlogs.

The waiting list for planned care, made worse by the pandemic, currently stands at about 7 million.

This includes people waiting for diagnosis, to know if they need any treatment at all.

While, in England, we have now virtually eliminated waits of over two years,

we are speeding up our plans to roll out community diagnostic centres, as well as new hospitals.

And we will maximise the use of the independent sector too, when patients are waiting too long for treatment.

Lastly, but key is ‘D’ – for doctors and for dentists.

Now, I think it is perfectly reasonable when people need to see a GP, they should expect to do so within a fortnight.

Of course, I would like to be more ambitious, and while I will not be prescriptive on how GPs interact with their patients,

I am clear Patients must be able to see their doctors promptly.

To help achieve these priorities,

I will publish a lot more information for patients,

so they can see how their local NHS is performing, including their GP practice, and on access to NHS care and treatment.

Another key element is personnel.

I have listened to why people say they are leaving the NHS,

or what is holding them back, from offering more services.

And I am responding.

I am empowering GPs to use their funding more flexibly for the recruitment of more support staff, and making significant changes to pension arrangements.

I am extending the emergency clinical register,

so that health professionals who have come out of retirement,

can continue to practise for a further two years.

I am opening up more prescription capability and services to pharmacists.

I am investing in IT for telephony and digital appointments.

And I am making it easier for clinicians registered outside England to be accredited, to get to work more quickly, treating patients.

It is, frankly, bonkers, that we have restrictions on the recognition of doctors, dentists, and nurses within the UK itself.

That is why I am laying regulations next week,

…which will allow the General Dental Council to get on with accrediting dentists to work right across our United Kingdom,

so we can have oases of oral care, rather than dental deserts.

This is all on top of our existing commitments,

to boost the health and care workforce,

including our manifesto pledge to recruit 50,000 more nurses by 2024.

Conference,

Whether you live in a city or a town,

in the countryside or on the coast,

this Conservative Government will always be on your side,

when you need care the most.

This is just the start of our ambitions for health and care.

Our Plan informs patients and empowers them to live healthier lives.

Because we know prevention is better than cure.

It is right we continue our longer-term health approach,

Strengthening mental wellbeing and resilience,

as well as the physical health of the nation,

because that is also good for the economic health of the nation.

We have a record number of people, in work, on the payroll, but there are many vacancies still to be filled.

We know work is good for you,

both physically and for mental wellbeing,

as well as putting more pounds in your pocket.

That is why I will strive to support

those not working now due to ill health,

to help them to start, stay, and succeed in work;

building on the Prime Minister’s pledge to have more mental health support in communities.

Because together, we can deliver a healthier, more productive society, all the stronger, to help grow our economy.

As the Prime Minister said on the steps of Downing Street,

she has three clear priorities:

growing the economy,

tackling energy security and costs for households and businesses;

and the NHS.

When I first went into the Department,

I asked what the biggest risk was this winter and what we could do to help?

I was told – help with energy bills,

so older people would not worry about the cost of turning on the heating,

and for health and care providers too.

The Prime Minister and the Chancellor listened.

They acted.

They have delivered.

And we need to act on growing the economy too.

We need a strong economy to have a strong NHS.

We need a resilient, sustainable economy,

to have a resilient, sustainable NHS.

And we need a compassionate, and considered, Conservative government,

to deliver, deliver, deliver.

And that, Conference,

is what we will do.

Thank you.

04/10/2022
George Robertson – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II (Lord Robertson of Port Ellen)

The tribute made by George Robertson, Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, in the House of Lords on 10 September 2022.

My Lords, ordinarily on such occasions the repetition of words and sentiments can be tedious and unproductive. Too often we hear, “Everything’s been said, but not yet by everyone”, or the House of Lords equivalent, which is, “Everything’s been said, but not yet by me.” However, in the last 48 hours the repetition of such words as duty, service, honour, decency, commitment and dedication does not jar at all; it seems both appropriate and fitting when they apply to the 70 year-long reign of the late Queen Elizabeth. She set a standard and a vector against which all who serve in public life can and indeed should be measured, and we should be profoundly grateful for that example, as well as for so many other things. Indeed, she was the gold standard—the glue that kept a fractious country together when multiple pressures of populism and extremism were tearing, but never destroying, our communal fabric. With our latest Prime Minister and the nation facing serious crises in energy, the cost of living, health and a foreign war, her example of cool, clear thinking is more necessary than ever it was.

As these two days of debate have shown, we all have memories of Her Majesty the Queen, especially those of us who had the opportunity to meet her. My latest one was of returning last year the insignia of the Chancellor of the Order of St Michael and St George by Zoom. I have to say that she was a lot more comfortable with the situation then I was. “Come forward”, she demanded, “I can’t see you”, as I nervously walked towards the screen at the end of the long room.

However, I have another vivid memory, of her visit in 1996 with the Princess Royal to Dunblane after the ghastly murders in the primary school. The noble Lord, Lord Forsyth, was the Scottish Secretary at the time and the local MP. I was his shadow and both a local resident and a parent. We were, at that time anyway, tough political adversaries, but we had been welded together by the tragedy in that small community. We witnessed that day the monarch, with just her presence and simple words, speak to and for a grieving town and indeed a shell-shocked nation. It helped immeasurably to bind some of the gaping wounds of that time, and that was her powerful effect.

Another, more pleasant memory I have is of when, as Defence Secretary, I brought the then Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed, to Balmoral to meet the Queen. After our lunch, he accepted an offer from her to see the estate but, boy, was he astounded, coming from a country which banned women from driving, to find the Queen behind the wheel of the Land Rover and rolling off without the rest of the party. I was at the castle entrance when they all came back. She looked at me and said, “I think he thought I was driving too fast.” I said nothing at all. Then she said, “I also think he thought I was lost.” I bravely said, “Well, you can’t get lost. You’re the Queen, and where you are is where you’re supposed to be.” She frowned at me and then said emphatically, “Quite right”, and marched away. Soon after that, the Crown Prince became King of Saudi Arabia, and belaboured every visiting Brit with stories of the Queen’s mad driving.

My final point is to talk about the Queen’s deep loyalty to the Commonwealth; my noble friend Lord Boateng also mentioned that. When she made that famous pledge to preserve and protect the Commonwealth at the point when she took the Throne, it was not some nominal pledge or promise, it was to her a sacred commitment. That passionate commitment to the unique and precious club of like-thinking nations that is the Commonwealth was to matter to her over all her years, especially those years when not a few irritated politicians would quite happily have strangled the organisation. Getting past the Queen, dispassionate and non-partisan as she might well have been, would have required a lot more tenacity and political force than is possessed by any mere politician yet to be born. The Commonwealth survives and thrives because of Her Majesty and her promise.

Last night, as so many have said, the new King spoke to the nation with raw personal feeling about the loss caused by the Queen’s death and what it meant to the Royal Family. It was a moving and incredibly significant address. The fact is, however, that we are all her family, and he spoke for us in our loss as well. He becomes King at a momentous time and we must, with memories of his mother fresh in our minds, wish him the very best in his demanding new role. The family that is his nation is with him.

04/10/2022
George Carey – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II (Lord Carey of Clifton)

The tribute made by George Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, in the House of Lords on 10 October 2022.

My Lords, I was not intending to contribute to the tributes today until last night, when I realised that we are weaving a tapestry that all our memories, recollections and stories can be part of and which other generations can read in years to come, learning from the mistakes as well as the lessons that our generation can contribute in the light of the Queen’s amazing reign. I was her fifth Archbishop of Canterbury. We have had 15 Prime Ministers, but we archbishops seem to endure a little longer than our political colleagues. Long may that endure. However, that means that if you are an archbishop or a bishop, you have very close relationships with the Royal Family.

I see it as like a hive in which there are lots of parts. Obviously there is Westminster, Sandringham, Windsor and the clergy, which together form a generous establishment. That generosity came out in the most reverend Primate the Archbishop’s speech yesterday when he referred to the umbrella. During the Queen’s time she gave access to that. She made us all feel very welcome. This is no longer the Church of England dominating. We have a Catholic presence in this country that is strong and vigorous, and we saw the impressive contribution that our present King Charles has made to Muslim-Christian secular dialogue.

In my decades I had no royal wedding, sadly, and I even missed two baptisms because I was abroad. However, I had more than my fair share of funerals, such as that of Princess Margaret, who became a very dear friend. I anointed her on her deathbed, and my wife Eileen, who is here, was with me on that occasion. I spent a lot of time with the Queen Mother and learned a lot from that very loving and distinguished lady, who died at the age of 101, and I was able and privileged to preach at her funeral service.

Princess Diana’s death moved me in a very sad way. I saw through her something of the value of a verse in Jeremiah 1 about the role of politics to destroy at times but then to build up. I have to say—I have discussed this with Her Majesty and members of the Royal Family—that I saw Her Majesty’s strong faith and fortitude as she resisted all the destructive power that could have destroyed the Royal Family but which did not because of her strength of character. However, I also saw something that is important for our own time as we now support King Charles III, which is to do with the fourth estate: the power of the press to destroy as well as to build up. I hope that we as part of Parliament can make our contribution to building up, strengthening and getting behind our King, as well as giving thanks to a remarkable woman, but also to say to the press today, “It’s your job also to join us in building up so that we can pass on the real lessons of what it is to be a land that is focused on building up the young and the strong today.” We give thanks to Her Majesty and we pray for King Charles III.

04/10/2022
Alex Neil – 2022 Comments on the Death of Ian Hamilton

The comments made by Alex Neil, the former SNP MSP for Airdrie and Shotts, on Twitter on 4 October 2022.

Very sorry to hear that Ian Hamilton has passed away. Ian’s daring recovery of the Stone of Destiny along with Kay Matheson and others will be remembered for a thousand years. He was a man of distinction, a great thinker and a true patriot.

04/10/2022
Caoimhe Archibald – 2022 Comments on Conservative’s Economic Policy

The comments made by Caoimhe Archibald, the Sinn Fein’s Economic Spokesperson, on 3 October 2022.

The British Chancellor has again defended his outrageous mini-Budget that will line the pockets of the rich, push up mortgages and do nothing to support ordinary people.

And to add insult to injury, the Tory chancellor has now announced his intention to attack public services with cuts amounting to £18 billion following a decade of Tory assaults on health and other services.

Rather than u-turning on just one part of their scandalous budget, the Tories should scrap the whole thing and instead invest in our public services and help workers, families and small businesses who are struggling.

We need an Executive up and running immediately so that locally elected ministers can work together to put money in people’s pockets. The DUP must end its cruel boycott now.

04/10/2022
John Finucane – 2022 Comments Calling for DUP to End Boycott of Executive

The comments made by John Finucane, the Sinn Fein MP for North Belfast, on 4 October 2022.

DUP representatives are tripping over themselves to double down on their shameful boycott of the Executive and dereliction of duty during a cost-of-living emergency.

Inflammatory language such as what was used today is irresponsible and does nothing to help reach a resolution.

They are also clearly having trouble respecting democracy and refusing to accept the democratic outcome of the Assembly election.

Sabre-rattling and threats do nothing for people who are suffering on hospital waiting lists and people who are struggling to heat their homes.

It’s time Jeffrey Donaldson’s party stopped sitting on their hands, ended its cruel boycott and turned up for work on behalf of the people who elected them.

Sinn Féin is ready to form an Executive today, to work together with others, and put money in the pockets of workers and families. They need help now.

04/10/2022
Simon Clarke – 2022 Speech to Conservative Party Conference

The speech made by Simon Clarke, the Secretary of State for Levelling up, Housing and Communities, in Birmingham on 4 October 2022.

Hello conference, I’m delighted to be with you virtually today in my new role as Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities.

I’m sorry I cannot be there in person as I would like, but I hope over the coming weeks and months I will get a chance to meet and talk to as many of you as possible as we work to deliver for our country, and earn the chance to do so again at the next general election.

I want to start with a single, core proposition.

Levelling up matters.

It matters economically.

It matters politically.

It matters morally.

This spring I visited St Pius X Catholic Primary in Park End in my constituency.

Park End is a ward in Middlesbrough, not far from where I grew up.

It is one of the most deprived communities not just on Teesside, but in the whole of the UK.

But it is also home to people who are determined, resilient and proud of their community, their town and their country.

I had lunch with the pupils at St Pius’. You could not find and a nicer, more thoughtful, polite and friendly group of children.

They were an absolute credit to their headteacher Mrs Walker, their parents and each other.

And it was a visit that has stayed with me.

Because delivering on levelling up is about transforming the life chances of those children and children across the country.

For too long, Middlesbrough has been one of the scores of places across this country that have been associated with economic decline, and all the social ills that come with that…

High unemployment…

Higher crime, and lives blighted by the fear of it…

And lower life expectancy.

I’ll return to the Teesside story in a moment.

But it has much wider applicability.

For Middlesbrough read Blackpool, or Burnley, or other northern towns.

And not just to towns and cities in the North.

I could equally well be speaking of parts of Glasgow, or the Welsh Valleys, or Jaywick in Essex, or Hastings on the south coast.

Levelling up matters to all these places and more.

The task of delivering it is the work of a generation.

The prize of delivering it is enormous.

If the performance of the bottom-performing quarter of places by productivity were to be “levelled up” to the median, the boost to productivity would be equivalent to a pay rise of around £2,300 for individuals in the poorest areas.

Levelling up is about kickstarting growth in the areas where it is hardest, the areas of our country that have been left behind in previous pushes for growth.

We want to turbocharge success, but to do that we must recognise that we are not working on a level playing field.

It is my job and that of this Government and our Party to address this.

And here I would say one thing above all else: we have no lessons to learn here from the Labour Party.

The legacy of the last Labour government on these questions was one of failure.

Their solution to a lack of jobs was an unsustainable expansion of the public sector, that did nothing to deliver economic opportunity or resilience.

They squandered the opportunities of a time of global stability and affluence on gimmickry, ducking the hard challenges of public service reform.

Labour ignored the Midlands and the North when they were in power. For every ten private sector jobs created in the London and the South between 1998 and 2008, only one was created in the Midlands and the North.

And they patronised and ignored the voices of Britain’s left behind communities in a way that reached its logical nadir in their arrogant response to the people’s decision to leave the European Union, that was embodied by no one more than Sir Keir Starmer.

Labour is no longer trusted by the places that need levelling up the most.

Instead, we have been given the chance to deliver for them – and so far, our Conservative government and Conservative local leaders across the UK have made excellent strides in this direction.

The work done by my predecessors to get the levelling up mission off the ground means that we are already seeing tangible change, from Stoke to Teesside.

And I am absolutely determined that we should continue in this fashion. But we must also go further, be bolder, and more ambitious.

We must continue to help rejuvenate our local areas, support our high streets, and re-instil a sense of community.

But we must also take more fundamental action, to unleash our local economies, drive growth and boost opportunity too.

In delivering this agenda, I am fortunate to have the support of a truly brilliant ministerial team…

Paul Scully as Local Government Minister and Minister for London…

Andrew Stephenson taking the lead on vital issues like homelessness and supporting Ukrainian refugees…

Lee Rowley as Housing Minister, working tirelessly to unlock the homes we need…

Dehenna Davison, my near neighbour in the North East, as Levelling Up Minister…

Baroness Jane Scott, our champion in the House of Lords…

As well as our whips Nigel Huddleston and Olivia Bloomfield, and our excellent PPSs Jason McCartney and Simon Jupp.

I could not be more glad to have their support and advice, and I could not be more grateful to our Prime Minister for making it so clear how much of a personal priority this work is for her.

Recent weeks should have quelled any doubts about this Government’s appetite for bold action.

Last month’s fiscal statement was defined by its ambition and scope and at DLUHC, we really are hitting the ground running.

I am proud that our work on Investment Zones holds its place among so many exciting announcements that fire the starting gun on our mission to grow our economy.

Investment Zones represent an amazing opportunity for every corner of our country, and illustrate perfectly how this government intends to go further on levelling up.

A truly exciting and meaningful offer to help accelerate homes, development and enterprise across the UK.

They will bring jobs and opportunities to the areas that need them most, boosting growth on local people’s terms.

They will roll back the bureaucracy that shackles our local economies to bring homes and jobs to families across the UK.

We remain committed to the same outcomes we always have been clear on, on the environment and beyond, but are determined to speed up processes to get growth going.

Investment Zones are ultimately defined by three things.

The first is consent. We are absolutely clear that these zones must be led by the people who know best what their area needs and what it does not.

There will be no top-down imposition of these arrangements on anywhere that does not want them.

Don’t get me wrong, I am passionate about the benefits that these zones can bring and will advocate for them wherever I can.

But ultimately if local people decide an investment zone isn’t for them – then that will be the final word.

The second principle is of targeted and precise action.

Investment Zones will target specific and effective sites that would benefit from accelerated development and a tax structure that incentivises investment.

This is a practical proposal for change.

Which brings me to the third principle – of pragmatic acceleration. This is an outcomes-focused policy that seeks to accelerate investment, development and growth.

That means finding where things can be sped up and doing it, not revisiting already shovel-ready projects, slowing them down.

I am delighted that we have already got the portal open for local areas to submit their applications to get an investment zone in their area…

And let me give you a sneak preview conference – the reception from MPs, councils and Mayors alike has been fantastic.

Investment Zones are the first major step that we have taken in this new look government to deliver on our promise to level up in a Conservative way.

This conservatism will guide our agenda across the department’s portfolio. Which is why I am also steadfastly committed to increasing home ownership.

Getting more people on the housing ladder, to give people security, a stake in society, and somewhere to call their own, is a fundamentally conservative goal.

Investment Zones will help deliver many of the homes that we need, but we must go further.

I want to reassure those hoping to get on the housing ladder, that you remain at the heart of our agenda for Government.

In the coming weeks I will be fleshing out how we intend to get more homes on the market, and improve access to those homes.

This will build on the work of both this government’s recent measures to lift the worst of the Stamp Duty burden, and of previous Conservative administrations, which is paying dividends in the form of record numbers of homes being built today.

I want, like the Prime Minister, to build more houses, and to do so in the right way.

Accelerating development of brownfield sites is of the upmost importance, as is building beautifully. We want to grow organic communities, not impose cardboard boxes across our shires. As with investment zones, local consent will sit at the heart of our plans.

Because it is not the case that either home ownership, investment zones, or the wider challenge of levelling up, can be addressed from Whitehall.

We know as Conservatives that decisions are best taken as close as possible to the people that they affect.

I am proud and passionate about what devolution has brought to many of our regions and want to build on those successes.

The people of Birmingham don’t need me to tell them that.

Andy Street has truly led the way here in the West Midlands and we meet in a city and a region transformed by his leadership.

His leadership and championing of this region are a fine example of the good that mayors can do.

I want to create many more mayors, in areas like the East Midlands where Ben Bradley is leading the way, but also in the south of our country – where even if the title may differ, the principle of strong, directly-elected leadership is central to enabling the highest level of devolved government.

I also want to strengthen and deepen the powers of our existing mayors, so that they can crack on with the work of delivery.

People like Tees Valley’s Ben Houchen.

I want to return for a moment to what has been happening on Teesside.

I talked earlier in my speech about the challenges that my home area faces.

But there are also huge opportunities, which Ben is helping to unlock.

In so doing, he is showing just why elected Mayors can make such an extraordinary difference.

Whether it be in saving Teesside Airport from closure…

Securing thousands of new jobs in clean energy on sites like Teesworks, right next to our new Freeport…

Ben champions our area both to central Government and to investors at home and abroad…

Delivering opportunities that until recently, few would have dreamed of.

He has shown what Conservatives can do locally when we are empowered to.

And as we deliver, so we unlock pride and purpose.

Teesside is becoming somewhere that successful people are moving to, rather than move from.

And somewhere where a child studying today at a school like St Pius Primary can realise a bright future.

So there is so much we can enable through devolution – and this is why I care so much about it.

The flipside of devolving and empowering local government is that strengthening accountability is vital.

I intend to support the Local Authority sector and be an advocate for it, but I will also crack down on mismanagement wherever I find it, such as in Thurrock, Nottingham or Croydon.

I believe in local government because I believe that it delivers for our people, the taxpayers.

Where it does not, there must be effective scrutiny, turnaround programmes and consequences – and I will say more about this in the weeks ahead.

Conference, there is so much else that I am charged with delivering, and on which I will expand over the months ahead.

When it comes to building safety, I want to finish what my predecessors started to fix our system for the long term, to protect leaseholders and ensure the industry fixes the problems it created.

I will push on with pragmatic, common-sense reform that protects leaseholders…

Facilitates an operable insurance industry…

And ensures we never have to face a tragedy like Grenfell again.

The legacy of Grenfell must be better standards and safer homes for everyone.

That is why I am resolved to fix the cladding issue as soon as possible.

As we enter into Autumn and Winter, the Government also remains focused on protecting the most vulnerable from rising energy costs and the wider cost of living in a world turned upside down by Putin’s aggression.

Our measures to protect households during the pandemic worked, and to help those facing cost of living pressures now we are delivering thousands of pounds worth of support to households and businesses – as well as our new energy price guarantee.

We remain committed as a Department, and I as a Secretary of State, to doing all that we can to limit homelessness and rough sleeping.

I will be working closely with my new colleague Andrew Stephenson on this.

Together, we will work to ensure that we build upon the fantastic support and dedication that this Government has already given to tackle the scourge of homelessness.

I know I will have the support of you all in delivering on this work.

And that is why I want to end this speech by saying thank you.

I know the importance of the grassroots of our party to what we are trying to achieve.

You, the boots on the ground, the activists and volunteers, the canvassers, the candidates and the Councillors, are the backbone of our great party.

It is because of your delivery – of leaflets through doors, local services from our Conservative Councils, and our message of optimism and patriotism to every corner of the country, that we have the platform and ability to deliver for the country in Government.

And as Secretary of State responsible for levelling up, for local government, and for communities, I want to ensure I am always working with and for you to deliver on the extraordinary opportunities that lie ahead.

04/10/2022