The letter sent by Grant Shapps, the Secretary of State for Transport, to Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, on 31 August 2022.
Category: Speeches
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Liz Truss – 2022 Comments on Sky News Following Confidence Vote in Boris Johnson
The comments made by Liz Truss on Sky News on 7 June 2022.
INTERVIEWER
[Has Prime Minister’s authority been undermined?]
LIZ TRUSS
What we saw in yesterday’s vote was a clear majority in support of the Prime Minister. And what we’ve been doing today is getting on with the business of government. We’ve had a Cabinet meeting. We’re working on making housing more affordable, making childcare more affordable, lowering taxes. And that’s what the public wants us to be doing.
INTERVIEWER
On the Prime Minister’s authority, though, if you go back to that first question, has it been undermined?
LIZ TRUSS
As I said, the Prime Minister remains committed to our agenda, he’s already delivered on Brexit, he’s delivered on COVID and on helping the economy recover. He’s delivered on supporting Ukraine in the face of appalling Russian aggression and that’s what the cabinet want him to carry on doing and that’s what the country wants him to carry on doing.
INTERVIEWER
So what’s your message to those 148 of your colleagues who declared they had no confidence in the party leader?
LIZ TRUSS
My message is we had a vote yesterday, there was a clear result in that vote. Now is the time to get behind the Prime Minister to deliver on what people in Britain want to see, which is dealing with issues around the affordability of housing, the affordability of childcare, getting taxes down, getting our economy going, that’s what people want to see.
INTERVIEWER
What does this mean with regard to your ambitions potentially, for the leadership of the party?
LIZ TRUSS
My 100% focus is on my role as Foreign Secretary. There’s a lot to do, we need to carry on supporting Ukraine, we need to make sure that Russia is driven out of Ukraine and that we get successful peace for Ukraine and we need to help them rebuild. I’m also working on the Northern Ireland protocol, making sure we restore the balance for the Belfast Good Friday Agreement, bringing forward legislation. I can assure you that is taking up all of my time.
INTERVIEWER
Should colleagues feel able to continue to criticise the Prime Minister?
LIZ TRUSS
Well, we had a vote yesterday. The Prime Minister won a clear majority. It’s time to draw a line, move forward and focus on what people want us to be talking about, housing, childcare, delivering on lower taxes.
INTERVIEWER
Now you mentioned the Northern Ireland protocol. Are you willing to risk a trade war with the European Union to sort this all out?
LIZ TRUSS
What we want to do is create clear green lanes for goods flowing into Northern Ireland and a red lane for goods flowing into the EU. That will protect the EU single market, at the same time as enabling goods to flow freely around the UK. That’s a win-win for both of people of Northern Ireland and protecting the EU single market.
INTERVIEWER
You also mentioned bringing taxes down. Lord Frost today has said that the National Insurance increase should be reversed, that the corporation tax rise should not go ahead. Do you agree?
LIZ TRUSS
Today at cabinet the Prime Minister confirmed that he wants to see taxes come down. That is very, very important. We need to make sure people have more money in their pockets, we need to get the economy going and the way to do that is lowering taxes. Thank you.
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Maria Caulfield – 2022 Comments on Reciprocal Health Arrangements with Guernsey
The comments made by Maria Caulfield, the Minister of State for Health and Social Care, on 31 August 2022.
Post Brexit we are focussed on delivering deals which mean UK travellers can use their GHIC in more places, including in the Bailiwick of Guernsey where UK visitors will receive free healthcare should they need it during their visit.
None of us can plan for unexpected medical emergencies, and I want to encourage anyone planning to travel to Guernsey next year to take their GHIC so they get all the benefits of this deal.
This arrangement will help both residents of the UK and those across the Bailiwick of Guernsey, and is testament to the strength and close cooperation across the British family.
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Kit Malthouse – 2022 Statement on the Cost of Living
The statement made by Kit Malthouse, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, on 31 August 2022.
My chief priority has been to make sure that we are prepared for the significant challenges we expect to face this autumn and winter, and I have held regular meetings to make sure departments maintain pace and grip on this essential work now, and in the coming months, as this will be a marathon not a sprint.
The cost of living, driven in part by higher energy prices, is biting for individuals, families and businesses, and the NHS is already under pressure – and that’s ahead of the flu season. These risks have potentially severe impacts, stacking up on the most vulnerable people in society, and it is vital that we develop robust plans urgently to mitigate their impact and come up with solutions.
I’ve tasked departments with identifying the key operational decisions that should be taken without delay across priority risks such as health, energy, cost of living, supply chain disruption, labour market shortages, and industrial action, that have the potential to compound together. They will also map out the key moments over the next 18 months where specific groups of society may be significantly impacted, including the clinically vulnerable, socially and economically deprived, the elderly, the young, and the disabled, and produce further options so that decisions can be made quickly once a new administration is in place.
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Alister Jack – 2022 Comments on Scottish GDP Figures (August 2022)
The comments made by Alister Jack, the Secretary of State for Scotland, on 31 August 2022.
We are facing unprecedented global challenges, but our economy showed huge resilience emerging from the pandemic and I feel sure we will come through these uncertain times too.
Supporting families and businesses is our priority. A quarter of all UK households will receive £1200 of direct help as part of our £37 billion package to assist the most vulnerable, with the first cost of living payments already paid out to over seven million people.
Our steps to support businesses include slashing fuel duty, reducing employer National Insurance and freezing alcohol duty which helps pubs and our hospitality industry. All this is in addition to the Scottish Government receiving a record £41 billion per year settlement for the next three years.
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Sir John Major – 2022 Comments on the Death of Mikhail Gorbachev
The comments made by Sir John Major, the former Prime Minister, on 30 August 2022.
Mikhail Gorbachev was the most remarkable figure in post-war Russia, and was instrumental in bringing the Cold War to a close.
At the moment it was needed, he acted and spoke for peace, and stood on the right side of history.
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Keir Starmer – 2022 Comments on the Death of Mikhail Gorbachev
The comments made by Keir Starmer on Twitter on 30 August 2022.
One of the great figures of the 20th Century, Mikhail Gorbachev’s pursuit of reform forged a path for diplomacy over conflict.
He will forever be remembered as the last leader of the Soviet Union who had the courage and conviction to end the Cold War.
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Joe Biden – 2022 Statement on the Death of Mikhail Gorbachev
The statement made by Joe Biden, the President of the United States, on 30 August 2022.
Mikhail Gorbachev was a man of remarkable vision.
When he came to power, the Cold War had gone on for nearly 40 years and communism for even longer, with devastating consequences. Few high-level Soviet officials had the courage to admit that things needed to change. As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I saw him do that and more. As leader of the USSR, he worked with President Reagan to reduce our two countries’ nuclear arsenals, to the relief of people worldwide praying for an end to the nuclear arms race. After decades of brutal political repression, he embraced democratic reforms. He believed in glasnost and perestroika – openness and restructuring – not as mere slogans, but as the path forward for the people of the Soviet Union after so many years of isolation and deprivation.
These were the acts of a rare leader – one with the imagination to see that a different future was possible and the courage to risk his entire career to achieve it. The result was a safer world and greater freedom for millions of people.
Even years after leaving office, he was still deeply engaged. When Mr. Gorbachev visited the White House in 2009, he and I spoke for a long time about our countries’ ongoing work to reduce U.S. and Russian nuclear stockpiles. It was easy to see why so many worldwide held him in such high esteem.
We send our deepest condolences to his family and friends, and to people everywhere who benefited from his belief in a better world.
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Greg Clark – 2022 Comments on the Social Housing Rent Cap
The comments made by Greg Clark, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, on 31 August 2022.
We must protect the most vulnerable households in these exceptional circumstances during the year ahead. Putting a cap on rent increases for social tenants offers security and stability to families across England.
We know many people are worried about the months ahead. We want to hear from landlords and social tenants on how we can make this work and support the people that need it most.
The rent cap would be temporary and would apply from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024. The consultation also seeks views on whether to set a limit for 2024-25. The government understands this will impact social housing landlords and is engaging fully with the sector.
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Boris Johnson – 2022 Comments on More Police Officers
The comments made by Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, on 31 August 2022.
Making our streets safer has always been central to my mission to level up this country, because everyone should have the security, confidence and opportunity that comes from having a safe street and a safe home, wherever they live.
We are cracking down on vile gangs and putting dangerous offenders behind bars for longer – and at the heart of these efforts are the 20,000 new officers who will be out on the streets providing the firepower for years to come in the fight against crime.