Category: Speeches

Priti Patel – 2022 Comments on Her Meeting with Rwandan Minister Dr Vincent Biruta

The comments made by Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, on 18 May 2022.

I am proud of the partnership agreed between our two countries, which aims to break the people smugglers’ business model and prevent further loss of life in the English Channel, while ensuring protection for the genuinely vulnerable.

We are pushing ahead with delivering this world-leading plan which epitomises the kind of international approach that is required to tackle an international challenge like the migration crisis.

I look forward to meeting UNHCR representatives with Minister Biruta this week, as we continue the vital conversation on illegal migration and the importance of global cooperation.

May 18, 2022
Derek Thomas – 2022 Speech on the Cost of Living Crisis

The speech made by Derek Thomas, the Conservative MP for St. Ives, in the House of Commons on 17 May 2022.

I welcome the opportunity to speak in this debate. We have heard much this afternoon about the hike in energy prices. It is well-documented and concerning. However, I welcome the supercharging of the effort to boost homegrown clean energy, which will drive down costs, take the volatility out of the energy markets and cut our carbon footprint. That is all welcome, but more must be done now to help. Those changes will help in the future, but we need help in our homes now, as we have heard. We also need to look closely at the use of the standing charge—a daily charge on every household—which has risen to 50p plus, putting £150 more on the bill. I am concerned that these standing charges will never come down, so it is important that we raise the matter here and that we keep our eye closely on the use of them by energy companies.

We also know that food prices are on the rise, but we are not seeing the same kind of supercharging in the Government’s response when it comes to increasing homegrown food production. Now that we have left the EU, the Government have the power to prioritise food production, using money already available through the environmental land management scheme to supercharge food production to make sure that farmers have the confidence, security and funding to produce the food that we need. Surely if there was ever a time to boost food production in the UK it is now.

I know from speaking to many people in food, farming and fishing that the sector is willing to step up and increase production, but, at the moment, they are planning to sow less, rear less and fish less because of their concerns about the cost of fertilisers, fuel, energy and so on. The Government must look very closely at how we can supercharge homegrown food production.

The real squeeze is on household budgets, especially for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. One area that we have heard little about this afternoon is the cost of housing. Rents in recent years have rocketed. In my constituency, people can barely find a house to rent. If they can find one, a three-bedroom house costs £1,400-plus, which is a massive increase on perhaps a year ago. House prices have also rocketed in the south-west, and action is needed, and needed now, to address the matter.

I welcome the fact that the Queen’s Speech includes a levelling up and regeneration Bill, but it must be a response to the housing challenges in coastal areas in particular. Existing homes must be made more efficient; that would help with energy costs, as we heard from the right hon. Member for East Ham (Stephen Timms). New homes must be protected for permanent residence. It is far easier to get homes built in rural areas such as mine if local people know that they will meet a recognisable need, such as the acute need of housing.

More must be done to safeguard the homes in which people already live. Every week, I meet families who have been turfed out of their homes, and those homes are then flipped for other uses. Landlords are not entirely at fault, as changes in the tax system and the energy performance rating system have discouraged them from providing homes for local families. I welcome the Government’s recent commitment to changing the methodology of energy performance certificates, but more must be done to make sure that being a landlord, or providing homes for people to live in, is both attractive and secure. It is vital that the Government take more decisive action to support home ownership, secure a quality home for everyone who needs one and drive down the cost of those homes through good energy efficiency measures.

May 18, 2022
Paul Blomfield – 2022 Speech on the Cost of Living Crisis

The speech made by Paul Blomfield, the Labour MP for Sheffield Central, in the House of Commons on 17 May 2022.

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr Fysh), who made some important points about the need for action now, in recognition of the severity of the crisis we face.

I spent yesterday morning at a crisis meeting in a part of my constituency where incomes are lowest. We looked at how the cost of living crisis was impacting on people. The meeting involved the voluntary sector, energy advisers, food banks, debt advisers, schools, housing providers, local councillors and more. We talked about people’s real struggles to feed families and pay bills; about the impact of that on the mental health of people who had previously been just managing but could not see how that could continue; about suicide attempts as a consequence of what people in the constituency were facing; and about the re-emergence of the problem of loan sharks exploiting people’s hardship.

We discussed the efforts of all those at the meeting to try to offset some of the damage faced by families, and those efforts were extraordinary, but time and again everybody said, “What we are doing is not enough. The Government need to act.” A lot could be done, including the restoration of the universal credit uplift, a meaningful increase in the household support fund and, of course, a windfall tax so that we can cap energy bills and reduce VAT on them.

The Prime Minister knows that it can be done. Last Tuesday he opened the debate on the Queen’s Speech by telling the House that the Government

“have the fiscal firepower to help families up and down the country with all the pressures that they face now.”—[Official Report, 10 May 2022; Vol. 714, c. 17.]

The problem is that they are not going to use it. They shrug their shoulders and say, as the Chancellor did again today, “What can the Government do to solve these problems?” It is not true to say that, and they know it.

Other countries have acted. To protect consumers and businesses, France has limited energy bill increases to just 4% this year by taking £7 billion out of EDF’s profits. Spain has committed to cutting connection fees and to taxing excess profits on new electricity supply contracts to protect people from soaring prices. It is spending €16 billion on support. Germany has instigated a range of measures, including tax reliefs, a reduction in fuel duty and a monthly public transport ticket costing just €9, which will also encourage the modal shift we need in the way people move about. It is a matter of choice. The Government point to growth as the answer, and growth clearly is important, but their record shows that they cannot deliver it.

In November 2019, before we knew the word “coronavirus”, growth was the slowest that it had been in a decade. Our bounce back from the pandemic has been slower than expected this year, with the Brexit deal failing to deliver for supply chains, and the Government’s failure to insulate from the cost of living crisis limiting spending and productivity. Either they do not understand the depth of the pressures—and comments such as “learn to cook” or “work more hours” perhaps indicate that they do not—or they simply do not care. If we let people sink or swim, the problem is that too many people will sink. As we know, the money is there. The oil and gas companies have it—more than they know what to do with. What we need is action now, as the hon. Member for Yeovil said. We face an unprecedented crisis in the cost of living. We needed a Gracious Speech that addressed it. We need an emergency Budget. The Government cannot sit on their hands any longer.

May 18, 2022
Priti Patel – 2022 Comments on Fire Reform

The comments made by Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, on 18 May 2022.

The government’s priority is keeping the public safe and the reforms we’ve set out today will strengthen and support our hard-working fire and rescue services.

The White Paper will be transformative in how firefighters are trained and will enable fire and rescue services to build on their strengths and leadership.

The Grenfell tragedy must never happen again and we are continuing to drive forward progress on putting the Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommendations into law.

May 18, 2022
Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2022 Speech at Bloomberg

The speech made by Anne-Marie Trevelyan, the Secretary of State for International Trade, at Bloomberg in London on 18 May 2022.

Thank you for having me in your wonderful building this morning.

You are at the heart of the City and of course, London is one of the world’s greatest green financial centres.

The greatest city on earth, as the Prime Minister always says – and one, of course, that is built on trade.

The ancient temple below our feet, reminds us how the Romans sent goods to every part of their empire, from their warehouses along the Thames.

While today, millions of pounds of financial services are sold every minute, of every hour, of every day to the world from the skyscrapers around us and above us and the buildings that we walk past everday.

So the story of trade has shaped this city and indeed the whole of our nation.

So this morning I want to discuss its latest chapter: our ambitions to become a green trade global leader.

I’m going to set out how we’re doing this, how we’ll achieve it and what we’re doing right now.

But first, if I may, I would like to say a few words about Ukraine.

Because as we are all too painfully aware, this illegal and unprovoked war by Putin has levied an immense cost on lives, on the economy and on individual freedoms of those living across Ukraine.

As the Prime Minister has said on many occasions, the UK stands firm with Ukraine and we will continue to do all in our power to support the Ukrainians to fight and win, and to rebuild their democratic nation.

That is why, with our allies, we have brought in the largest and most severe economic sanctions that Russia has ever faced…

Measures that will degrade Putin’s ability to attack the people of this brave country.

And trade is an important element of that response.

We’ve supported Ukraine’s economy by cutting tariffs under the UK-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement to zero.

Since the start of the invasion more than £4 billion of Russian products have been subjected to full or partial import and export sanctions.

Because this terrible conflict has underlined what can be achieved through a cohesive global approach.

And it has also reminded us that most urgently, we must de-Putinise the world’s economy…

Both through sanctions, and by cutting off access to the oil revenues that power his war machine. That’s why here in the UK, we have announced that we will phase out imports of Russian oil and gas.

More broadly, these past months have highlighted the need to accelerate our journey as a global community away from hydrocarbons.

To decisively turn our backs on the era of dependence on those polluting fuels, and to transition to a Net Zero future.

I don’t choose the word, journey, accidentally.

Because whilst we are unrelentingly focused on reaching net zero; this must be done by transitioning to a new clean energy world without economic damage, to new energy-efficient homes cost effectively, and to clean transportation as individuals and businesses invest in their next vehicles.

And it will only succeed if this is a genuine national endeavour.

In addition, if we are to together build a net zero world, we must share our ideas, our expertise and our innovations.

The UK has all of these in abundance and we therefore have a responsibility and an opportunity that we must not miss.

Indeed, there’s a real moral imperative on us to act. To borrow the Prime Minister’s words which he spoke at COP26 in November:

‘As we look at the green industrial revolution that is now needed – We in the developed world must recognise the special responsibility to help everybody else to do it.’

It won’t come as a surprise to you that I think that green trade is going to be a key tool that will allow us to address some of those imbalances.

International cooperation is going to be essential.

And at COP26 in Glasgow last November, we saw what we can achieve together.

197 countries demonstrated the power of collective and concerted international action…

By pledging to combat change and keep 1.5 degree target alive…

Pushing forwards to COP27 in Egypt later this year and COP28 in the UAE in 2023 to drive a steady drum beat of action.

And in Glasgow, the world also agreed that decisive action is needed now.

And that delivering net zero is not just in our environmental interest but, of course, in our economic interest too.

So, the financial case for green trade is very clear:

The global market for low-carbon exports is growing rapidly.

By 2030, it’s projected to be worth almost £2 trillion.

While a potent combination of ambitious entrepreneurs, high ambitions and steadfast and determined government backing, the UK is now in a leading position to take a first mover advantage.

This translates into some exciting opportunities for us:

Because quite simply green trade, spells green jobs.

In fact, by 2050, over 1.2 million people could be directly employed in low carbon goods and services sectors, a six-fold increase from today.

That’s a really extraordinary figure, and will be critical to achieving our domestic goals of levelling up across the whole of the UK too.

Our challenge now is to turn this potential into firm reality.

Unsurprisingly, our approach is rooted in our fundamental belief of the benefits of free trade.

Because it is only when trade is free and fair…

When markets accurately account for environmental costs…

And when business can properly compete…

That we can together succeed in generating real green growth for developed and developing countries alike.

Some have argued that pursuing a free trade agenda is somehow anti-environmental…

Or that protecting the climate, we must somehow turn our backs on the world.

This kind of thinking isn’t just patently wrong; I think it’s dangerous.

We need to be very clear about what life without free trade would entail from an environmental perspective.

Without free trade – the world would face an uphill struggle in developing the technologies we need to cut emissions.  By contrast, thanks to global competition, since the 1990s for instance, the price of lithium-ion batteries has fallen by 97%.

Without free trade – Some nations will be unable to access the green technology required to transition to a low carbon economy.

Because right now, 90% of the world’s lithium production is concentrated in just three countries.

And without free trade – the cost of clean technology won’t fall quickly enough. Conversely, with free trade, lower tariffs on electric vehicle batteries are helping to decrease production costs, making them more affordable for consumers.

Without free trade – global communities can’t benefit from specialisation, and the emissions reductions that it can deliver.

This might sound counterintuitive. But, in fact, apples shipped here from South America by sea create just half the carbon emissions of apples held in storage for 10 months.

The World Bank has also found that following tariff liberalisation, free trading countries receive a growth dividend of about 1.5 percent per year. Gains that can be channelled into future green growth.

Of course, the benefits of free trade are not only measured in pounds and pence.

They of course have those broader implications too:

Because when we shut our doors, we lose the mutual growth we get by human interactions.

Countries that trade together think, work, and grow together.

Closer trade ties mean stronger relationships with the academics, with scientists and engineers who will help us all to move to a low carbon economy.

So, the UK is an unabashed advocate of free and fair trade. And we’re committed to working with our international partners to progress this agenda globally.

So how are we going to do it?

Well our work is focused around four key principles:

Building our green industrial base

Boosting green exports

Liberalising green trade

and greater alignment of our trade and environmental policies.

So let me turn to the first point – building a green industrial base.

UK businesses are already at the vanguard of green growth.

So now we want to tell that story to the world – so that we can drive greater investment in those high-tech industries that will boost productivity, increase exports, create jobs and cut emissions.

We’ve already taken some major steps:

The Global Investment Summit, which we hosted last year, secured £9.7 billion of foreign investment for UK offshore wind, hydrogen, and electric vehicles.

And since then, we’ve seen real action right across the country:

Fifty-five miles off the Yorkshire Coast, Danish energy firm Orsted is forging ahead with its £6 billion Hornsea2 offshore wind project. It’s one of the largest on the planet and it will directly create 521 long-term jobs.

In Hull, Siemens Gamesa has ploughed £186 million into expanding their offshore wind blade factory, taking its workforce to around 1,200 people.

While in North Wales, Turkish firm, Eren Paper, is investing £500 million into building a new corrugated cardboard factory, which will save millions of trees, through using paper waste and creating 500 new jobs.

Since the Global Investment Summit last autumn, leading Australian businesses have also announced they will commit £28.5 billion into clean energy, technology and infrastructure projects across the UK. Another clear statement of confidence in the UK as a world leader in green trade and investment.

So this is just some of all that’s happening.

This Autumn, my Department, along with BEIS, is going to be hosting a new Green Trade and Investment Expo in the North East…

I’m really excited about this – not least because I’m a Northumberland MP and it’s always good to bring the world to my little corner of the UK. The Expo is going to bring together UK businesses and global investors, joining forces so that we will be able to capitalise on the commercial opportunities from our drive to net zero.

We are also supporting the Port of Tyne in raising capital to create a centre for the North East’s growing renewables sector.

At COP26 in Glasgow, we were the lead signatory of the Clydebank Declaration – a coalition of 24 countries committed to establishing at least six zero-emission shipping corridors by 2025.

And our team at the Office for Investment is also pulling out the stops to encourage high value green investment.

One great example is their collaboration with BEIS to secure Britishvolt’s £2 billion injection into a Gigafactory in Northumberland that will create around 3,000 jobs.

But we want to do even more to encourage global businesses to consider what the UK, has to offer.

We want turbine, monopiles, electric vehicles and their components manufactured and assembled here – to create jobs, supply chains and growth in the UK.

That’s why last year we launched our Investment Atlas – showing the opportunities across the economy and across the country…

Whether that’s supporting Scotland to become a global pioneer for floating offshore wind… or helping the South West’s sustainable aviation industry to take off.

And our second priority is boosting exports.

From renewable energy and green finance to sustainable construction and precision agriculture – there is enormous potential here.

By 2030, low-carbon industries could generate up to £170 billion of UK exports.

If we succeed in super charging our green exports – we will create jobs, boost productivity and build that expertise that will benefit the world.

Clearly, we recognise that to play their part businesses will need finance.

UK Export Finance, our export credit agency, has an essential role to play here in supporting companies access finance as they seek to export.

Its Export Development Guarantee allows businesses to access high value loan facilities to finance sustainable production and to boost those important exports.

So today I’m thrilled to announce a £50 million UK Export Finance-backed loan guarantee for construction company Mace, a green construction pioneer, to bolster its growing export business.

The loan includes sustainability targets to incentivise the company’s transition to net zero and green growth. And it will enable Mace to continue supporting environmentally friendly infrastructure projects and to create new, green jobs.

I’m also delighted to announce that, Megger, an electrical testing solutions manufacturer, will be receiving a £138 million UKEF-backed guarantee.

This will help the firm to secure a new £50 million factory in Dover from where it can export to the world.

And of course, all this is a major shot in the arm for the town of Dover itself.

But we really are just getting started.

UKEF has £2 billion of direct lending standing ready to support overseas projects. And our teams of trade and export finance experts are focused on getting more businesses exporting and on showcasing our great innovators’ work to the world.

Our third priority – using the full reach of our independent trade policy to liberalise green trade – is a critical new tool in our armoury.

You might recall, one of our first steps after Brexit was to introduce the UK Global Tariff. This removed duties on more than 100 environmental goods – lowering prices and turbocharging our green economy.

The free trade agreements that we’ve struck, and demolishing barriers to green trade, reinforcing shared environmental commitments, are increasing international collaboration.

In fact, our Australia deal goes further on climate, than any previous trade deal signed by them before this one.

It removes tariffs on goods which benefit the low carbon economy, including eliminating tariffs on imports of Lithium batteries…

And the deal opens the door to new co-operation across green industries.

Our deal with New Zealand removes tariffs on the most comprehensive list of environmental goods in any FTA to date.

And we are now preparing for agreements with India, Mexico, Israel, Canada, Switzerland and the Gulf Co-operation Council.

Liberalisation should be consistent with our domestic and international commitments on trade and the environment.

We recognise that some of our partners will have different views on what’s included in these agreements, including on the environment.

But, of course, they are all on their own paths towards a green transition. So by developing closer ties, we believe we can help them speed up those journeys.

So, we’re working hard to ensure these deals deliver practical benefits, while allowing our partners and their businesses to fully harness the expertise of our renewable energy sector… including our world-leading services industry that will play a key role in enabling the journey to net zero.

For example, if we can remove barriers, a deal with India could support the rapid growth of its offshore wind industry…helping one of the world’s largest economies build a more sustainable future.

Of course, trade agreements are one part of our efforts to build a freer, fairer, and greener international trading system.

But alone, they won’t propel the world to net zero or indeed reverse biodiversity loss.

We can only make the large-scale change we need through multilateral co-operation.

And that’s why my department is putting green trade at the heart of our agenda at the WTO.

I’m very pleased to say that our ambassador – Simon Manley – was recently appointed chair of the WTO Committee on the Environment – which is going to be a really key role.

We are playing an integral part in establishing the WTO’s Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions. This very valuable forum, which is allowing policymakers and civil society to discuss the future of green trade, now counts 71 members – including the US and China.

And we want to go further, calling on WTO members to launch negotiations to liberalise green trade and push for substantive outcomes as soon as possible.

The growth of global trade has taken place against a backdrop of persistent market failures – like the under-pricing of carbon – and distortions – like harmful fossil fuels subsidies.  Such issues have incentivised wasteful consumption, damaged the environment, and warped trade flows.

These are global issues. And tackling them abroad will be essential to achieving our environmental ambitions here back home.

This leads me to our fourth and final priority: greater alignment of our trade and environmental policies.

Aside from some humanitarian exceptions, the UK has ended support for fossil fuels overseas, ceasing trade promotion for oil and gas companies…

…and stopped offering export credit guarantees for oil extraction or processing.

I was really proud that at COP26, more than 30 countries and institutions followed our lead and pledged to end export finance support for fossil fuels by the end of this year.

Last year, under our presidency, the G7 collectively recognised the risk of carbon leakage – where businesses shift production to countries with lower emissions regulations.

This a global problem, and it will require a global solution.

The UK believes we should design a framework that properly addresses the issue alongside our international partners and avoid a complex patchwork of regulations that stifle business.

This would prevent UK emissions from being simply offshored, which of course harms global efforts to reach net zero.

And it would enhance incentives for overseas producers to “go green” and break into new markets.

It goes without saying that any solution must account for the needs of developing countries, who are often worst equipped to mitigate climate threats and indeed hardest hit by inaction.

We know tackling carbon leakage won’t be easy. But it really is integral to building a truly global green economy. And we are entirely committed to this challenge.

So, I hope this morning I’ve given you a sense of the scope of our green trade agenda and indeed the importance that Government places upon it.

Trade has shaped countless civilisations.

That principle hasn’t changed.

Today the power of free and fair trade, along with British expertise, ideas and leadership, is accelerating our progress to net zero.

Cutting emissions to tackle the climate crisis;

Generating jobs across every part of our great country;

Creating prosperity in every town and city based on clean energy;

And building a better future both for the UK and for our friends and partners around the world.

Thank you.

May 18, 2022
Grant Shapps – 2022 Comments on the International Transport Forum

The comments made by Grant Shapps, the Secretary of State for Transport, on 18 May 2022.

Transport binds nations together for the common good. But access to the international transport network is a privilege. It requires countries to act in a responsible and respectful way to each other.

So we cannot stand back when one state, entirely unprovoked, attacks another, killing thousands of innocent people, violating international law and breaching the UN Charter.

The targeted destruction of one nation’s infrastructure, in particular its transport system, clearly contravenes the very foundations on which the ITF is built.

The United Kingdom stands with our partners in condemning the outrageous actions of Vladimir Putin and the Russian military in Ukraine.

May 18, 2022
Maria Caulfield – 2022 Comments on the Maternity Disparities Taskforce

The comments made by Maria Caulfield, the Minister for Women’s Health, on 18 May 2022.

We must do everything we can to empower women with the information and services they need to ensure a healthy pregnancy for mum and baby, no matter their background or where they live.

The latest Maternity Disparities Taskforce meeting brought together experts from across the NHS, health charities to share ideas and experiences on how we can ensure women from ethnic minorities and the most deprived areas receive the support they need.

By listening to women’s experiences we can better understand the issues they face and how to improve care, and I look forward to making progress in this area.

May 18, 2022
Jeremy Quin – 2022 Comments on Defence BattleLab

The comments made by Jeremy Quin, the Defence Procurement Minister, on 18 May 2022.

As the pace of technological change continues to spiral, Defence must be forward leaning and innovative in its approach.

Collaboration and innovation will be the catalysts to maintaining advantage over our adversaries. The BattleLab will bring together the best talent and expertise in industry and push technology boundaries to equip our Armed Forces with the latest state of the art kit.

This will be supported by our new Land Industrial Strategy, which will increase transparency with industry to help drive joint working.

May 18, 2022
Chloe Smith – 2022 Speech at the Disability Confident Jobs Fair

The speech made by Chloe Smith, the Minister for Disabled People, at the Disability Confident Jobs Fair on 18 May 2022.

Introduction

It is a pleasure to be here today to open this Disability Confident Jobs Fair at Hillman Street JCP.

I think events like this are so valuable for connecting disabled people with employers and employers with disabled people.

Because, no-one should be left behind, frozen out of the workplace or lose their potential simply because they have a disability or health condition.

Everyone should have the same opportunity for a fulfilling working life, to get all the benefits that come from a regular pay packet and to build a secure and resilient future for themselves and their family.

Work and progressing in work is the best route to raising living standards – and a disability should not disqualify you from being part of that growth.

The last two years though have been really tough.

But because of our sustained focus on getting people into work, we had the highest level of employment this country had ever seen when Covid hit.

And since then, by our Plan for Jobs – whether through the furlough scheme or our wide range of employment programmes – we have protected jobs and livelihoods and helped people back into work.

Now we are supporting families with the cost of living with £22 billion worth of help in 2022-23. But we’re also focussing on the long-term solutions by growing our economy and getting people into good and well paid jobs. And there are so many opportunities out there right now, with record high numbers of vacancies and employers looking to fill roles quickly.

I want to help as many disabled people as possible to start, stay and succeed in the strong labour market we have at the moment. I want you to be part of our growth as a country, and the opportunities in your community.

That means helping the many disabled people who want to work to break down the barriers they may still face and blowing apart remaining perceptions, presumptions or stereotypes.

For example, the false notion held by some that disabled people have lower productivity or that making adjustments is too difficult or too expensive. Of course, many employers are already welcoming diversity and thinking profoundly about inclusion.

Today is part of how we break down even more barriers by showcasing the passion, skills, dedication and talent of disabled people and the benefits they can bring to an employer.

To see past a disability to a person’s potential.

To focus on what a person can do rather than what they can’t.

To complete the empowerment through employment that so many disabled people tell me they want.

I’m thinking about disabled People like Sukhraj, who has kindly shared his story for me to share with you today. He has a hearing impairment from birth and had been relying on family members for support. With help from a Disability Employer Adviser, specialist employment support, adjustments like the Calm and Quiet provision, and Access to Work, Sukhraj has got himself trained up and nearly ready to go into a job offer as a pastry chef.

I think his story shows how with the right support and employer approach, disabled people can succeed. It makes me want to say “ready, steady, bake!” to Sukhraj, and anyone else who will be a star baker!

This is why Disability Confident itself is such an important scheme to change attitudes, cultures and behaviours, as well as give employers the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to attract, and help people develop in the workplace.

One million milestone

I want to touch on a milestone we hit yesterday. The good news is that we know more employers are reaping the benefits of having disabled people on their payroll.

The disability employment gap has closed by about five percentage points since 2013.

And yesterday, the latest labour market statistics showed that we have smashed the commitment we made in our 2017 manifesto to see one million more disabled people move into employment over ten years.

The fact this has been achieved now, in just half the time, reflects our wider focus on, and success in, getting people into work and the extra support we have introduced to help disabled people move into jobs, as well as broader changes in society, and in the workplace.

I think everyone here can share in the success of having reached this milestone.

Employers, work coaches, charities, representative organisations – and most of all disabled people themselves.

And I hope we can continue that momentum as we continue to focus on improving accessibility and inclusion in the 21st Century world of work.

Because, we know that while reaching that milestone is fantastic, this job is not done.

There are still far too many disabled people who could – and should – be enjoying the benefits that employment brings. But this challenge won’t be cracked by Government alone.

I am genuinely excited about the opportunities across the jobs market and in wider society right now to build on the progress that we have made.

That is why I am focused on improving, reforming and transforming the support disabled people can access both to get into work and while they are working.

I will talk about that, and then come on to how others beyond government have every bit as much a role to play.

White Paper

As our 2019 manifesto set out, we want to empower and support disabled people. The benefits system is one important lever we have to help achieve this.

That means taking a close look at how the system works, how disabled people interact with it and looking at ways it can be improved so it better delivers for disabled people.

Our Health and Disability White Paper later this summer will help disabled people to live more independently, including with more help to move into work, where work is right for the individual.

The White Paper will set out our plans to ensure the benefits system better meets the needs of disabled people now and in the future, informed by the huge amounts of feedback we received to the Green Paper.

It will set out how we will go further to ensure that disabled people and people with health conditions have every opportunity and the support that they need to thrive in life and in work, and to improve the experience of everyone when they call on DWP for support.

More Work Coach support

We will offer more support to the 2.8 million people with health conditions receiving Universal Credit or Employment Support Allowance.

From 14th June, we will be trialling an offer of additional Work Coach support for claimants currently awaiting their Work Capability Assessment, initially across a third of the country.

Later in the year, we will expand the offer to claimants after their Work Capability Assessment with limited capability for work but who want help to move closer or into the labour market over time.

This additional Work Coach support in jobcentres like the one we’re in here today, will enable disabled people to access employment and wider skills support, and our employment programmes earlier.

Our increasing numbers of Disability Employment Advisors will help embed the benefits of this additional support, using their expert knowledge to help Work Coaches understand the challenges faced by disabled people and provide tailored support.

Access to Work reform & pilots

Turning to Access to Work, this is a fantastic scheme offering financial support to people who need extra help.

In 2020/21, it provided over £100 million of funding to over 37,000 people. But we want to do more, and support more disabled people to access employment.

I want it to be even better by improving the service, removing time consuming and bureaucratic parts, streamlining it for claimants and making it innovative, visible, and accessible.

I know applying for it and receiving it often takes too long and I want to radically improve the service disabled people get and the time it takes.

And I am pleased to be able to tell you that we are working to transform Access to Work and offer disabled people a more streamlined, digital service that is visible and accessible.

We are making good progress, with the first phase of the digital transformation, the payments process, being delivered this year.

We are also piloting Adjustment Passports to help support and empower disabled people to have a more structured conversation with potential employers about their disability, and to speed up the Access to Work process and reduce the need for assessments.

The passport is already up and running in three universities, including Kings College here in London.

The pilots are going well, and I was delighted to hear more about how it was going in Wolverhampton and hear from the students who are starting to complete the passport.

This month we are rolling out the Health Adjustment Passport across all jobcentres, helping all disabled jobseekers to have the opportunity to get access to that.

We are also continuing to develop our Access to Work Mental Health Support service. Mental health wellbeing is key to enabling people to sustain employment and I’m committed to ensuring that, that service continues to provide that tailored mental health support.

Access to Work Plus

We will also be testing a new approach, called Access to Work Plus to open up employment opportunities for disabled people who have the greatest barriers to employment.

That will provide financial support to those employers who go further in the support they provide and consider how jobs can be flexed to open up even more opportunities.

My ambition is to enable disabled people who have high in work support needs, such as severe learning disabilities or complex autism, to see work as a real possibility.

That would be a huge step forward.

Reforming Disability Confident

Reforming the way those processes work is important.

But just as we can all rightly share in reaching the one million milestone that I referred to, we also all share in the responsibility to go further, do more to reduce the disability employment gap.

And to do that, I need more employers and businesses to sign up. Which again is why it is so great to be here with you today. And see so many Disability Confident employers here today.

In fact, there are over 700 such businesses in the East London JCP District area, including over 100 employers who have progressed to higher levels of the scheme including the London Borough of Hackney itself.

There are over 11 million employees who are reported to be employed by nearly 19,000 organisations who have joined the scheme with around 30,000 live vacancies with Disability Confident organisations. 30,000 chances that are likely to be suitable for disabled people.

But I mentioned that we have record vacancies at the moment of around 1.3 million, so that puts that 30,000 figure in context. I want all disabled people to be able to consider any one of those 1.3m vacancies in the U.K, and any employer to consider all the talent that is available.

So we need to ensure Disability Confident continues to provide the right support for all employers, particularly smaller employers, and stays fit for purpose.

That is why we have been reviewing the scheme with a range of stakeholders, including employers of all sizes and critically disabled people, to ensure the scheme remains up to date, credible and sufficiently challenging in support of disability employment.

The scheme is being refreshed with new guidance and supporting products, to provide specific content designed to meet the needs of small and medium sized companies, which should let more of the 12,000 smaller employers in the scheme to progress to the next level.

We are really pleased to be working with the Federation of Small Businesses, and smaller employers to make these changes.

And I was also delighted that DWP could partner with Disability Confident employer Microsoft, who helped to provide training for Work Coaches on accessibility fundamentals.

This will help the Work Coaches to create accessible experiences for disabled jobseekers and show them how they can use free tools at home as well, to get support with the use of technology and in the recruitment process.

We all have a role to play, and today I call on you to encourage more employers to sign up to the Disability Confident scheme to create more diverse and inclusive workplaces.

If you are not already a member of the Disability Confident scheme, please join the scheme by speaking to a member of staff today.

If you have already begun your Disability Confident journey, consider what you need to do to move to the next level of the scheme, explore the employer packs for Level 2 or Level 3, don’t wait three years to progress.

If you are already a Disability Confident Leader, I want you to ask yourselves what more you can do to encourage employers in your business networks and supply chains to join up to the scheme.

I would also encourage you to consider the vital role that expert work and health services, such as occupational health, can play in helping your employees to remain and thrive in your workplace. Employers who use these services value the benefits they provide for their employees and their business. Retention is an essential part of success we’re looking for.

Conclusion

Coming to a conclusion then, and I’m so grateful you’ve come here to be part of this jobs fair. Let’s think about this in context.

One in five people are disabled.

One in three have a long-term health condition.

So ensuring that the same opportunities are available for a fulfilling working life is important to all of us.

I, myself, learned a little about this in a very personal way last year when I was recovering from cancer. The gamut of treatment reminded me how important my work is to me.

I’m lucky to be in a role about that I’m totally passionate about.

And I’m even more determined to ensure others with health challenges, and more people like Sukhraj whose example I used earlier on get into work and the benefits of it.

Sukhraj’s journey to his job as a pastry chef is just one example of the kind of personal story that actually sits behind those big numbers I quoted from yesterday’s statistics announcement.

Those all represent more disabled people leading independent lives and having the chance to reach their full potential.

I am immensely proud of the progress we have made.

But I know there is much more to do.

My ambition is to close the gap further, by working with you and a broad range of partners, seeking out what has been successful, here and in other countries.

We had that profound achievement by seeing 1.3m more disabled people go into work, that has improved the lives of many disabled people, but there’s more to do to change lives tomorrow, the next day, next month and in the next decade.

As a key part of levelling up the country, we want disabled people to be part of our economic growth.

These have been challenging times, which demand leadership like this on issues like these.

So let’s not rest on our laurels, lets keep going…lets keep pushing…keep reaching to ensure that growth, has employers finding the talent they desperately need, and disabled people finding the opportunities that are rightly theirs to start, stay and succeed in work.

Thank you for being part of that today, and let’s do more of that together.

May 18, 2022
Marcus Fysh – 2022 Speech on the Cost of Living Crisis

The speech made by Marcus Fysh, the Conservative MP for Yeovil, in the House of Commons on 17 May 2022.

I draw the House’s attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests.

As a former global investment manager, I am very concerned about the trajectory of the global economy. Unfortunately, I do not think the UK is going to escape that. I am very concerned that the inflation regime around the world has changed substantially in the past couple of months. The deglobalisation that will be one of the impacts of what has happened through the Ukraine crisis will be a permanent feature and a permanent shift. We need to take account of it and be aware of what this House can do to help people with the cost of living in that environment. We know that the price of food is going to go up, but the price of fertiliser is going through the roof because supply has been disrupted to such an extent. We are in danger of being complacent about that and the change it will bring about.

I do not agree with those on the Opposition Benches who, as ever, are saying that tax and spend is the way forward. We need to look at ways in which we can help out the Bank of England. It is not the Bank’s fault that its only tool is interest rates, but unless we in this House find ways of getting prices down for people now, the Bank of England, like the Federal Reserve in America, will have no choice but to keep jacking up interest rates to the point where demand is destroyed and recession is created. Very severe recession may ensue, and that is incredibly bad for budgets and for balancing them.

I welcome what our Front Benchers have tried to put forward through the Queen’s Speech—it is fine as far as it goes, and I appreciate the help that is there for people. I agree with my right hon. Friend the Member for Chipping Barnet (Theresa Villiers) that a focus on regulatory reform is particularly welcome, but unless we take radical fiscal measures to reduce prices now, in a Bill next week or the week after, I am afraid that it will be too late and we will be tipped into severe recession later this year.

I therefore recommend that we look urgently at bringing forward measures to reduce VAT rates throughout the economy and reduce fuel duty. In essence, unless we try, right now, to keep price rises to 4% or 5%—otherwise, they might be plus 10%, plus 12% or plus 15%; we do not know what they will be—we will be in very serious trouble as a country. Inflation hurts most the people at the bottom end of the spectrum. I encourage the Government to target reforms at those people and to make price help available to them. To be honest, I do not think our side of politics has focused enough on what we can do about absolute prices. It is great to help people out, but subsidising higher prices just perpetuates the problem and makes it worse.

We have to look hard at some of these things. Yes, we need to look at investment, and I welcome what the Chancellor said about that. Energy investment is going to be particularly important. We need to focus on making sure we invest in domestic food production so that we get it firing on all cylinders. We need to be almost on a war footing in that respect, because it is that serious. We need to help people with prices and to get our economy moving. I fear that if we do not, we will come up against stagflation, which is very damaging to people’s house prices and, in the end, to everything, so we have to focus on that massively.

I come back to the point that growth is the key. I agree that we should try to limit spending and look at ways to reform administration and services—I welcome the talk of reforming the civil service—but at the end of the day budgets depend more than anything else on economic growth for tax revenue increases over time. I really fear that, unless we take action this day, we will be in for a rude awakening. We cannot let our constituents down.

May 18, 2022