Category: Speeches

  • Marvin Rees – 2021 Comments on World Environment Day

    Marvin Rees – 2021 Comments on World Environment Day

    The comments made by Marvin Rees, the Mayor of Bristol, on 4 June 2021.

    Bristol’s journey towards carbon neutrality by 2030 needs to be fair and inclusive. Achieving a just transition where everyone feels the benefits of a healthier and better environment is central to our approach.

    We need to continue to build sustainable solutions to tackle the twin challenges of a climate and ecological emergency. We need our buildings, streets and open spaces to support wildlife and create a more nature friendly city, and we need new developments to do the same. We need to consider the natural world when we make any big city decisions.

    As a council, we want to lead by example, and we will be considering the environmental impacts of all the decisions we make, however we know we cannot do this alone, and are calling out to all businesses and organisations in the city to help us make a difference to our planet before it is too late. We will also do everything we can to help our communities across Bristol who want to make changes to their own lifestyles.

  • James Duddridge – 2021 Comments on Nigeria and Twitter

    James Duddridge – 2021 Comments on Nigeria and Twitter

    The comments made by James Duddridge, the Minister for Africa, on 7 June 2021.

    I am concerned that the Government of Nigeria has suspended Twitter. We hope that all Nigerians are able to enjoy their full rights to freedom of expression, and do so responsibly.

  • Nadhim Zahawi – 2021 Comments on Dating Apps and Vaccinations

    Nadhim Zahawi – 2021 Comments on Dating Apps and Vaccinations

    The comments made by Nadhim Zahawi, the Vaccines Minister, on 7 June 2021.

    I am thrilled that we are partnering up with dating apps to boost vaccine uptake across the country. This is another incredible asset to our vaccination programme – the biggest and most successful in our history.

    The vaccine is our way out of this pandemic and we have made incredible progress so far with over three-quarters of adults receiving at least one dose.

    I encourage everyone who is eligible to roll up their sleeves and get the jab – it could save your life and protect your loved ones.

  • Gordon Brown – 2021 Comments on Aid Cuts

    Gordon Brown – 2021 Comments on Aid Cuts

    The comments made by Gordon Brown, the former Prime Minister, on 7 June 2021.

    It’s a life-and-death issue, we’re actually deciding who lives and who dies, particularly at this point where if we withdraw the money for vaccination it’s the equivalent of pulling away the needle from a kid or from an adult who is sick who needs the vaccination, a 90% cut, for example, in support for polio vaccination.

    There has been an all-party consensus, all parties, for 25 years that we need 0.7%, we need to play our role in the world by being one of the leaders in aid and, really, this is not the right time to pull things away because basically this is when the poorest countries need help most.

  • Ben Wallace – 2021 Comments on Military Personnel Helping with Vaccine Programme

    Ben Wallace – 2021 Comments on Military Personnel Helping with Vaccine Programme

    The comments made by Ben Wallace, the Secretary of State for Defence, on 6 June 2021.

    The Armed Forces continue to show their incredible versatility and flexibility, deploying wherever and whenever they are needed in support of this national vaccination effort.

    I am delighted to see that across all corners of the UK, military personnel are working side by side with their NHS counterparts to help get the British public vaccinated as quickly as possible.

  • Nadhim Zahawi – 2021 Comments on 40 Million Receiving First Vaccine

    Nadhim Zahawi – 2021 Comments on 40 Million Receiving First Vaccine

    The comments made by Nadhim Zahawi, the Vaccines Minister, on 5 June 2021.

    Our vaccination programme, the biggest and most successful in NHS history, has now delivered over 40 million first doses into arms – a fantastic achievement.

    I am incredibly proud of everyone involved who have worked tirelessly to help us reach milestone after milestone. It is time to redouble our efforts on the second dose, to ensure everyone has maximum protection.

    The offer is open to everyone over the age of 30, so when you get the call, get the jab. It could save your life and protect your loved ones.

  • Matt Hancock – 2021 Comments on 40 Million Receiving First Vaccine

    Matt Hancock – 2021 Comments on 40 Million Receiving First Vaccine

    The comments made by Matt Hancock, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on 5 June 2021.

    It is an astonishing achievement to deliver over 40 million first doses in just 6 months. In all 4 corners of the UK, people are stepping up when their time comes to protect themselves and the people around them.

    It seems with every day we pass another major milestone on the road back to recovery. Over three-quarters of adults have received a first dose and over half of adults have now been vaccinated with the life-saving second dose.

    I pay tribute to the tireless work of the NHS and armed forces in building this momentum – but our work is not yet done. I encourage everyone who is eligible to join the millions who have the fullest possible protection from this virus by getting their jab when the time comes.

  • Rachel Reeves – 2021 Comments on G7 Deal on Multinational Taxation

    Rachel Reeves – 2021 Comments on G7 Deal on Multinational Taxation

    The comments made by Rachel Reeves, the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, on 5 June 2021.

    It’s encouraging to see these first moves towards a global pact on tax avoidance.

    But this government has spent the last few weeks actively watering down what was initially intended to be an ambitious 21% rate of global minimum corporate tax.

    That would have brought £131 million extra a week to Britain for our NHS and other public services, while also stopping our high streets being aggressively undercut.

    This government must now show leadership, push for a 21% rate in negotiations, and use the money to fund our schools and our NHS.

  • Andy Burnham – 2021 Comments on the Williams-Shapps Plan for the Railways

    Andy Burnham – 2021 Comments on the Williams-Shapps Plan for the Railways

    The comments made by Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, on 20 May 2021.

    I broadly welcome these reforms and believe they could bring some much-needed sense and stability to what has felt in recent times like a chaotic railway. Rail privatisation as we have known is over and there won’t be many tears shed in Greater Manchester about that. But we do have concerns that this move back to a centrally-controlled railway could weaken the powers of the North over our railway and we are seeking reassurances from the Transport Secretary that this will not be the case.

    It is important to remember that Northern Mayors and Leaders led calls for change following the timetable chaos in May 2018. We said enough was enough, demanded a better rail service here and this is a significant response to that call. While these changes are clearly a sizeable step in the right direction, they do appear to fall short of what the Prime Minister promised at the Convention of the North in 2019 – notably devolved control of services and stations. In Greater Manchester, we want that local control so we can deliver a London-style public transport system by the end of the decade. We hope that these proposals will not cut across that vision and want to work with the Transport Secretary and the new Great British Railways to deliver it.

  • Jane Hutt – 2021 Comments on Volunteers

    Jane Hutt – 2021 Comments on Volunteers

    The comments made by Jane Hutt, the Minister for Social Justice in Wales, on 4 June 2021.

    Volunteers and the projects they support have always been an integral part of our local communities across Wales. As the last year has shown, volunteers are the glue which hold our communities together.

    This amazing volunteering attitude has never been more evident than it has over the past 12 months, where we have seen people of all ages and backgrounds rise up to the enormous challenges Covid-19 has presented.

    This year’s Volunteers’ Week and our latest commitment to funding 12 fantastic community projects across Wales are especially poignant and it has never felt more fitting to take the opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to each and every person and organisation who has given their time to help.