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Category: Speeches

  • Rishi Sunak – 2024 Statement on Safety of Rwanda Bill

    Rishi Sunak – 2024 Statement on Safety of Rwanda Bill

    The statement made by Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, on 23 April 2024.

    The passing of this landmark legislation is not just a step forward but a fundamental change in the global equation on migration.

    We introduced the Rwanda Bill to deter vulnerable migrants from making perilous crossings and break the business model of the criminal gangs who exploit them. The passing of this legislation will allow us to do that and make it very clear that if you come here illegally, you will not be able to stay.

    Our focus is to now get flights off the ground, and I am clear that nothing will stand in our way of doing that and saving lives.

  • Rishi Sunak – 2024 Statement on Stopping the Boats

    Rishi Sunak – 2024 Statement on Stopping the Boats

    The statement made by Rishi Sunak on 22 April 2024. Please note that this is the Downing Street press release, with redactions for political impartiality reasons. Rishi Sunak’s office were unable to supply a complete text.

    Last week – yet again – Peers in the House of Lords contrived to stop the Safety of Rwanda Bill.

    For almost two years our opponents have used every trick in the book to block flights and keep the boats coming.

    But enough is enough.

    No more prevarication. No more delay.

    Parliament will sit there tonight and vote no matter how late it goes.

    No ifs, no buts. These flights are going to Rwanda.

    We are going to deliver this indispensable deterrent…

    …so that we finally break the business model of the criminal gangs and save lives.

    Starting from the moment that the Bill passes…

    ..we will begin the process of removing those identified for the first flight.

    We have prepared for this moment.

    To detain people while we prepare to remove them, we’ve increased detention spaces to 2,200.

    To quickly process claims, we’ve got 200 trained dedicated caseworkers ready and waiting.

    To deal with any legal cases quickly and decisively, the judiciary have made available 25 courtrooms…

    …and identified 150 judges who could provide over 5,000 sitting days.

    The Strasbourg Court have amended their Rule 39 procedures in line with the tests set out in our Illegal Migration Act…

    …and we’ve put beyond all doubt that Ministers can disregard these injunctions…

    …with clear guidance that if they decide to do so, civil servants must deliver that instruction.

    And most importantly, once the processing is complete, we will physically remove people.

    To do that, I can confirm that we’ve put an airfield on standby…

    …booked commercial charter planes for specific slots…

    …and we have 500 highly trained individuals ready to escort illegal migrants all the way to Rwanda, with 300 more trained in the coming weeks.

    This is one of the most complex operational endeavours the Home Office has carried out.

    But we are ready. Plans are in place.

    And these flights will go come what may.

    No foreign court will stop us from getting flights off.

    Rwanda is ready too.

    And I would like to thank the government of Rwanda for their work…

    …in strengthening their asylum system, passing legislation, and setting up a new appeals tribunal.

    The next few weeks will be about action.

    But whilst I’m conscious people want deeds not words…

    …I’m not going to outline now exactly what will happen when.

    There are good operational reasons for this.

    There is a loud minority who will do anything to disrupt our plan…

    …so we will not be giving away sensitive operational detail…

    …which could hinder all the progress made to date.

    Teams across government need to be able to get on and deliver without interference.

    They are working flat out to deliver this genuine game changer.

    The first flight will leave in 10 to 12 weeks.

    Now of course, that is later than we wanted.

    But we have always been clear that processing will take time…

    [Please note political content redacted here.]

    …and if Peers had not spent weeks holding up the Bill in the House of Lords to try to block flights altogether, we would have begun this process weeks ago.

    And the success of this deterrent doesn’t rest on one flight alone.

    It rests on the relentless, continual process of successfully and permanently removing people to Rwanda…

    …with a regular rhythm of multiple flights every month over the summer and beyond until the boats are stopped.

    Now I know there are some who will hear all of this and accuse me of lacking compassion.

    But the truth is the opposite.

    We are in a battle with callous, sophisticated, and global criminal gangs…

    …who care nothing for the lives they risk in unseaworthy dinghies.

    Nine people have died already attempting to cross the Channel just this year – including a seven-year-old girl.

    That’s why we secured the largest ever deal with France to strengthen interceptions on the French coastline.

    And because a third of all arrivals were coming from Albania…

    …we struck a deal that reduced illegal Albanian migrants by 90 per cent.

    Taken together we’re doubling illegal working raids and returning 150 hotels backto our communities…

    …we got the number of small boat arrivals last year down by more than a third…

    …the first time they had fallen since this phenomenon began, and at a time when European countries were seeing numbers rise exponentially.

    But these sophisticated gangs are changing tactics once again.

    As well as piling twice as many people into small dinghies…

    ….and increasing violence against French police…

    …they have shifted their attentions towards vulnerable Vietnamese migrants.

    Vietnamese arrivals have increased ten-fold…

    …and account for almost all of the increase in small boat numbers we have seen this year.

    And just as we succeeded in reducing Albanian arrivals dramatically, so I’m confident we will do the same when it comes to the Vietnamese.

    President Macron and I have agreed to work with European partners on closing loopholes to enter Europe in the first place.

    The Home Office have signed a Joint Statement with the Vietnamese Government committing…

    …to deepen our already very strong migration relationship…

    And just last week officials from the Government of Vietnam were at Western Jetfoil and Manston…

    …to observe Border Force operations on the front line as they continue to manage small boat arrivals.

    But we can’t keep reacting to the changing tactics of these gangs.

    The truth is we need innovative solutions to address what is a global migration crisis…

    …to disrupt the business model of people smuggling gangs and save lives.

    And that means a systematic deterrent.

    The only way to stop the boats is to eliminate the incentive to come…

    …by making it clear that if you are here illegally, you will not be able to stay.

    This policy does exactly that.

    [Please note political content redacted here.]

    I believe it should be this country and your government who decides who comes here, not criminal gangs.

    And I have the plan to deliver it.

    So we will start the flights – and stop the boats.

    Thank you.

  • Keir Starmer – 2024 Article on Sadiq Khan

    Keir Starmer – 2024 Article on Sadiq Khan

    Part of the article by Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, published in the Guardian on 1 May 2024.

    One of the most important decisions taken tomorrow will be who leads our nation’s capital. Labour’s candidate for London mayor, Sadiq Khan, knows what it is like to inherit a Tory shambles. His predecessor spent eight years wasting £53m, £43m of it taxpayers’ money, on a garden bridge to nowhere, burying a report about the appalling state of London’s air and squandering taxpayers’ money on unusable water cannon.

    I have known Sadiq for many years, and I am proud to call him a friend and a colleague. He is someone driven by the principle of giving people the same opportunities he had, which allowed him to go from a council estate in Tooting to leading our capital. During his tenure, Sadiq has transformed the mayoralty from a laughing stock to showing leadership. Every pupil in every London state primary school now receives a free school meal. The capital’s air is cleaner to breathe. The Hopper bus fare, allowing unlimited journeys within one hour for one price, the Superloop express bus routes and the Elizabeth Line have all been delivered. Overall housing completions recently hit their highest level in London since the 1930s and more new council homes are being built now than at any time since the 1970s. And 330,000 good jobs have been created through City Hall initiatives. This is the power of Labour in government. And let us not forget that Sadiq has managed all of this in the teeth of a Tory government; just imagine what could be achieved working with a Labour one.

  • Lucy Frazer – 2024 Statement on Neutral Athletes from Russia and Belarus in International Sport

    Lucy Frazer – 2024 Statement on Neutral Athletes from Russia and Belarus in International Sport

    The statement made by Lucy Frazer, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, on 19 April 2024.

    Putin’s devastating war against Ukraine is barbaric and evil, and the UK Government continues to stand firmly with our Ukrainian allies.

    In the course of the war, Russia has killed scores of Ukrainian athletes and destroyed Ukraine’s sporting infrastructure.

    The Minister for Sport and I are personally committed to supporting Ukraine in the face of Putin’s illegal invasion. That is why we took action and led a coalition of 36 countries to protect the integrity of international sport and ensure that athletes representing Russia and Belarus are unable to compete.

    It is for the independent international sports bodies, such as the International Olympic Committee (IOC), International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and FIFA, to set the rules for participation in their events. But our position is clear. Putin’s regime does not deserve to see its athletes line up on the starting blocks of races or stand on podiums during medal ceremonies as representatives of their countries.

    This has never been about punishing individual Russian or Belarusian athletes.

    What we stand against is athletes competing representing the states of Russia and Belarus.

    We continue to vigorously oppose Russian and Belarusian state participation. Our policy has never been a complete and total ban on neutral athletes from Russia and Belarus participating at all. Athletes from Russia and Belarus have been able to compete in the UK as neutral athletes since the invasion. For example, our guidance allowed athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete at tennis competitions under strict neutrality conditions.

    Instead, our efforts – and the efforts of our international coalition – have been focused on urging the IOC and IPC to change their approach, apply the strictest neutrality conditions possible and ensure they are implemented rigorously.

    After two years of concerted lobbying, they have done that. And the result is that the number of athletes from Russia and Belarus expected to participate in the Olympics is in the tens, not hundreds.

    As a result, we have written to the IOC and IPC noting that their final neutrality rules for Paris achieve the widely accepted baseline of ensuring that Russia and Belarus are not represented as states in international sport. Our focus now turns to ensuring these rules are stringently enforced and maintained as long as the war goes on.

  • Rishi Sunak – 2024 Statement on Attack in Hainault

    Rishi Sunak – 2024 Statement on Attack in Hainault

    The statement made by Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, on 30 April 2024.

    This is a shocking incident. My thoughts are with those affected and their families.

    I’d like to thank the emergency services for their ongoing response, and pay tribute to the extraordinary bravery shown by police on the scene. Such violence has no place on our streets.

  • Rishi Sunak – 2024 Speech on Welfare

    Rishi Sunak – 2024 Speech on Welfare

    The speech made by Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, at the Centre of Social Justice on 19 April 2024.

    Today I’d like to talk about the growing number of people who have become economically inactive since the pandemic…

    …and the moral mission of reforming welfare to give everyone who can, the best possible chance of returning to work.

    The values of our welfare state are timeless.

    They’re part of our national character – of  who we are as a country.

    We’re proud to ensure a safety net that is generous for those who genuinely need it – and fair to the taxpayers who fund it.

    We know there are some with the most severe conditions who will never be able to work.

    And some who can no longer work because of injury or illness.

    And they and their loved ones must always have the peace of mind that comes from knowing they will always be supported.

    But we also have a long-standing and proudly British view that work is a source of dignity, purpose, of hope.

    The role of the welfare state should never be merely to provide financial support…

    …as important as that will always be…

    …but to help people overcome whatever barriers they might face to living an independent, fulfilling life.

    Everyone with the potential should be supported…

    And not just to earn, but to contribute and belong.

    And we must never tolerate barriers that hold people back from making their contribution…

    …and from sharing in that sense of self-worth that comes from feeling part of being something bigger than ourselves.

    That is why this is a moral mission.

    And why the value of work is so central to my vision for welfare reform.

    And it’s fitting to be setting out that vision here, at the Centre for Social Justice.

    Over your 20-year history, you’ve inspired far-reaching changes to welfare.

    I want pay tribute to you and of course your founder, Iain Duncan-Smith…

    …who began the journey of reform in 2010…

    …a journey carried through so ably today, by Mel Stride.

    Because when we arrived in office in 2010, people coming off benefits and into work could lose £9 for every £10 they earned…

    …by far the highest marginal tax rate.

    That was morally wrong.

    So we created Universal Credit to make sure that work always pays.

    We introduced the National Living Wage – and increased it every year, ending low pay in this country.

    We’re rolling out 30 hours of free childcare for every family over 9 months of age.

    We’ve halved inflation, to make the money you earn worth more.

    And we’ve cut workers’ National Insurance by a third.

    A tax cut worth £900 for someone earning the average wage…

    …because it is profoundly wrong that income from work is taxed twice…

    …when other forms of income are not.

    For me, it is a fundamental duty of government to make sure that hard work is always rewarded.

    I know – and you know – that you don’t get anything in life without hard work.

    It’s the only way to build a better life for ourselves and our family; and the only way to build a more prosperous country.

    But in the period since the pandemic something has gone wrong.

    The proportion of people who are economically inactive in Britain is still lower than our international peers.

    And lower today than in any year under the last Labour government.

    But since the pandemic, 850,000 more people have joined this group due to long-term sickness.

    This has wiped out a decade’s worth of progress in which the rate had fallen every single year.

    Of those who are economically inactive, fully half say they have depression or anxiety.

    And most worrying of all…

    …the biggest proportional increase in economic inactivity due to long-term sickness came …

    …from young people.

    Those in the prime of their life, just starting out on work and family – instead parked on welfare.

    Now, we should see it as a sign of progress that people can talk openly about mental health conditions…

    …in a way that only a few years ago would’ve been unthinkable.

    And I will never dismiss or downplay the illnesses people have.

    Anyone who has suffered mental ill health or had family or friends who have, knows that these conditions are real and they matter.

    But just as it would be wrong to dismiss this growing trend…

    …so it would be wrong merely to sit back and accept it…

    …because it’s too hard; or too controversial; or for fear of causing offence.

    Doing so, would let down many of the people our welfare system was designed to help.

    Because if you believe as I do, that work gives you the chance not just to earn…

    …but to contribute, to belong, to overcome feelings of loneliness and social isolation…

    …and if you believe, as I do, the growing body of evidence that good work can actually improve mental and physical health…

    …then it becomes clear: we need to be more ambitious about helping people back to work.

    And more honest about the risk of over-medicalising the everyday challenges and worries of life.

    Fail to address this, and we risk not only letting those people down.

    But creating a deep sense of unfairness amongst those whose taxes fund our social safety net…

    …in a way that risks undermining trust and consent in that very system.

    We can’t stand for that.

    And of course, the situation as it is, is economically unsustainable.

    We can’t lose so many people from our workforce whose contributions could help to drive growth.

    And there’s no sustainable way to achieve our goal of bringing down migration levels, which are just too high…

    …without giving more of our own people the skills, incentives, and support, to get off welfare and back into work.

    And we can’t afford such a spiralling increase in the welfare bill…

    …and the irresponsible burden that would place on this and future generations of taxpayers.

    We now spend £69bn on benefits for people of working age with a disability or health condition.

    That’s more than our entire schools budget; more than our transport budget; more than our policing.

    And spending on Personal Independence Payments alone is forecast to increase by more than 50 per cent over the next four years.

    Let me just repeat that: if we do not change, it will increase by more than 50% in just four years.

    That’s not right; it’s not sustainable and it’s not fair on the taxpayers who fund it.

    So in the next Parliament, a Conservative government will significantly reform and control welfare.

    This is not about making our safety net less generous.

    Or imposing a blanket freeze on all benefits, as some have suggested.

    I’m not prepared to balance the books on the backs of the most vulnerable.

    Instead, the critical questions are about eligibility…

    …about who should be entitled to support…

    …and what kind of support best matches their needs.

    And to answer these questions, I want to set out today five Conservative reforms for a new welfare settlement for Britain.

    First, we must be more ambitious in assessing people’s potential for work.

    Right now, the gateway to ill health benefits is writing too many off…

    …leaving them on the wrong type of support…

    …and with no expectation of trying to find a job, with all the advantages that brings.

    In 2011, twenty percent of those doing a Work Capability Assessment…

    …were deemed unfit to work.

    But the latest figure now stands at 65 per cent.

    That’s wrong.

    People are not three times sicker than they were a decade ago.

    And the world of work has changed dramatically.

    Of course, those with serious debilitating conditions should never be expected to work.

    But if you have a low-level mobility issue, your employer could make reasonable adjustments…

    …perhaps including adaptations to enable you to work from home.

    And if you are feeling anxious or depressed, then of course you should get the support and treatment you need to manage your condition.

    But that doesn’t mean we should assume you can’t engage in work.

    That’s not going to help you. And it’s not fair on everyone else either.

    So we are going to tighten up the Work Capability Assessment…

    …such that hundreds of thousands of benefit recipients with less severe conditions…

    …will now be expected to engage in the world of work – and be supported to do so.

    Second, just as we help people move from welfare into work…

    …we’ve got to do more to stop people going from work to welfare.

    The whole point of replacing the Sick Note with the Fit Note was to stop so many people just being signed off as sick.

    Instead of being told you’re not fit for work…

    …the Fit Note provided the option to say that you may be fit for work…

    …with advice about what you could do; and what adaptions or support would enable you to stay in, or return to work, quickly.

    11 million of these Fit Notes were issued last year alone.

    But what proportion were signed “maybe fit for work”?

    6 per cent.

    That’s right – a staggering 94 per cent of those signed off sick…

    …were simply written off as “not fit for work.”

    Well, this is not right. And it was never the intention.

    We don’t just need to change the sick note – we need to change the sick note culture…

    …so the default becomes what work you can do – not what you can’t.

    Building on the pilots we’ve already started..

    …we’re going to design a new system…

    …where people have easy and rapid access to specialised work and health support…

    …to help them back to work from the very first Fit Note conversation.

    And part of the problem is that it’s not reasonable to ask GPs to assess whether their own patients are fit for work.

    It too often puts them in an impossible situation where they know that refusal to sign someone off…

    …will harm their relationship with that patient.

    So we’re also going to test shifting the responsibility for assessment from GPs…

    …and giving it to specialist work and health professionals…

    …who have the dedicated time to provide an objective assessment of someone’s ability to work…

    …and the tailored support they need to do so.

    Third, for those who could work with the right support…

    …we should have higher expectations of them in return for receiving benefits.

    Because when the taxpayer is supporting you to get back on your feet…

    …you have an obligation to put in the hours.

    And if you do not make that effort, you cannot expect the same level of benefits.

    It used to be that if you worked just nine hours a week, you’d get full benefits without needing to look for additional work.

    That’s not right. Because if you can work more, you should.

    So we’re changing the rules.

    Anyone working less than half a full-time week will now have to try and find extra work in return for claiming benefits.

    And we’ll accelerate moving people from legacy benefits onto Universal Credit, to give them more access to the world of work.

    One of my other big concerns about the system…

    …is that the longer you stay on welfare, the harder it can be to go back to work.

    More than 500,000 people have been unemployed for 6 months…

    …and well over a quarter of a million have been unemployed for 12 months.

    These are people with no medical conditions that prevent them from working…

    …and who will have benefitted from intensive employment support and training programmes.

    There is no reason those people should not be in work, especially when we have almost 1 million job vacancies.

    So we will now look at options to strengthen our regime.

    Anyone who doesn’t comply with the conditions set by their Work Coach…

    …such as accepting an available job…

    …will, after 12 months, have their claim closed and their benefits removed entirely.

    Because unemployment support should be a safety net – never a lifestyle choice.

    Fourth, we need to match the support people need to the actual conditions they have.

    And help people live independently and remove the barriers they face.

    But we need to look again at how we do this through Personal Independence Payments. I worry about it being misused.

    Now its purpose is to contribute to the extra costs people face as they go about their daily lives.

    Take for example, those who need money for aids or assistance…

    …with things like handrails or stairlifts.

    Often they’re already available at low cost, or free from the NHS or Local Authorities.

    And they’re one-off costs…

    …so it probably isn’t right that we’re paying an ongoing amount every year.

    We also need to look specifically at the way Personal Independence Payments support those with mental health conditions.

    Since 2019, the number of people claiming PIP citing anxiety or depression as their main condition, has doubled…

    …with over 5,000 new awards on average every single month.

    But for all the challenges they face…

    …it is not clear they have the same degree of increased living costs as those with physical conditions.

    And the whole system is undermined by the way people are asked to make subjective and unverifiable claims about their capability.

    So in the coming days we will publish a consultation on how we move away from that…

    …to a more objective and rigorous approach that focuses support on those with the greatest needs and extra costs.

    We will do that by being more precise about the type and severity of mental health conditions that should be eligible for PIP.

    We’ll consider linking that assessment more closely to a person’s actual condition…

    …and requiring greater medical evidence to substantiate a claim.

    All of which will make the system fairer and harder to exploit.

    And we’ll also consider whether some people with mental health conditions should get PIP in the same way through cash transfers…

    …or whether they’d be better supported to lead happier, healthier and more independent lives…

    …through access to treatment like talking therapies or respite care.

    I want to be completely clear about what I’m saying here.

    This is not about making the welfare system less generous to people who face very real extra costs from mental health conditions.

    For those with the greatest needs, we want to make it easier to access with fewer requirements.

    And beyond the welfare system, we’re delivering the largest expansion in mental health services in a generation…

    …with almost £5 billion of extra funding over the past 5 years, and a near doubling of mental health training places.

    But our overall approach is about saying that people with less severe mental health conditions…

    …should be expected to engage with the world of work.

    Fifth, we cannot allow fraudsters to exploit the natural compassion and generosity of the British people.

    We’ve already cracked down on thousands of people wrongly claiming Universal Credit…

    …including those not reporting self-employed earnings or hiding capital

    And we’ll save the taxpayer £600 million by legislating to access vital data from third parties like banks.

    Just this month, DWP secured guilty verdicts against a Bulgarian gang caught making around 6,000 fraudulent claims…

    …including by hiding behind a corner shop in North London.

    And we’re going further.

    We’re using all the developments in modern technology, including Artificial Intelligence…

    …to crack down on exploitation in the welfare system that’s taking advantage of the hardworking taxpayers who fund it.

    We’re preparing a new Fraud Bill for the next Parliament which will align DWP with HMRC…

    …so we treat benefit fraud like tax fraud…

    …with new powers to make seizures and arrests.

    And we’ll also enable penalties to be applied to a wider set of fraudsters through a new civil penalty.

    Because when people see others in their community gaming the system that their taxes pay …

    …it erodes support for the very principle of the welfare state.

    Now, in conclusion some people will hear this speech and accuse me of lacking compassion.

    Of not understanding the barriers people face in their everyday lives.

    But the exact opposite is true.

    There is nothing compassionate about leaving a generation of young people to sit alone in the dark before a flickering screen…

    …watching as their dreams slip further from reach every passing day.

    And there is nothing fair about expecting taxpayers to support those who could work but choose not to.

    It doesn’t have to be like this.

    We can change. We must change.

    The opportunities to work are there…

    …thanks to an economic plan that has created almost a million job vacancies.

    The rewards for working are there…

    …thanks to our tax cuts and increases to the National Living Wage.

    And now, if we can deliver the vision for welfare I’ve set out today…

    …then we can finally fulfil our moral mission, to restore hope…

    …and give back to everyone who can, the dignity, purpose and meaning that comes from work.

    Thank you.

  • Oliver Dowden – 2024 Speech on Economic Security

    Oliver Dowden – 2024 Speech on Economic Security

    The speech made by Oliver Dowden, the Deputy Prime Minister, on 18 April 2024.

    We discuss economic security against the backdrop of Iran’s reckless and dangerous attack against Israel…

    … and six months since the terrorist outrage of October 7th with Hamas still holding innocent people hostage.

    It has been over two years since Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine…

    …meanwhile, China’s aggression in Xinjiang, the South China Sea, and Hong Kong demonstrates its disregard for the rules based order.

    We have returned to substrata geopolitical competition – and tension – at levels not seen since the Cold War.

    While we are not in open hostilities – we are in cyber and economic contestation with an increasing range of state and non-state actors.

    At a time when the global economy is much more integrated…

    … and our strategic competitors play a far more impactful role…

    … our economic and security interests are intertwined as never before.

    We have demonstrated our strength in the face of these challenges.

    We have restored stability after the twin shocks of Covid, and Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine….

    … and continue to create the conditions for business to flourish.

    As the Deputy Prime Minister of a G7 country with the highest inward investment in Europe…

    …the continent’s biggest tech sector…

    …the biggest exporter of services after the US…

    … and the world’s most competitive financial centre…

    …I know we must be doing something right.

    Inflation has been halved…

    … real household disposable income is on the rise…

    … and the pace of growth is increasing.

    That is all testament to the Great British economic model which is the key to our long-term prosperity…

    …a model based on open markets … free trade … and academic liberty…

    …all underpinned by the rule of law.

    But we must also be clear-eyed that one of the great strengths of our system – its openness – also brings vulnerabilities.

    Covid, and Russia’s war in Ukraine both laid bare the interconnectedness of global supply chains…

    …and the extent to which they can be exploited:

    …Russia driving up the price of gas…

    … Chinese acts of economic coercion.

    Indeed, the CCP is seeking to make the world both increasingly dependent on China; whilst making itself less dependent on everyone else..

    Meanwhile, our open economy is being targeted by state-based actors and their proxies.

    Across our inbound and outbound investment flows, our imports and exports, and our academic collaborations…

    … the whole spectrum of our economic security interests is under threat.

    And the nature of these threats is evolving.

    So as our protections increase in one area, new routes of attack emerge.

    And so our response must evolve in kind.

    Our toolkits may be actor agnostic. But, be in no doubt that, we, the leaders who wield these tools, are clear about where the threats are currently coming from.

    In short, while the financial crash and pandemic exposed the economic risks of globalisation…

    …today’s rising geopolitical competition is demonstrating the security risks behind such integration.

    That confronts us with an active choice.

    A careful balancing act between our freedoms, our prosperity, and our security.

    There are those that see this simplistically…

    …who advocate a move to a polarised world…

    …where we detach ourselves from those who do not share our values, or who don’t play by our rules.

    That is not the approach of the UK Government.

    We will not decouple from the global economy. We will continue to default to openness. We must.

    That is what generates growth, guarantees our prosperity, and enables us to invest in our security.

    There is no greater source of resilience than a strong economy.

    So while we won’t decouple; we must de-risk;

    Our rules must constantly adapt.

    And politicians need to be honest about how we are responding:

    We have a plan, and I want to be open about that plan.

    Fundamentally, we need to tighten our controls over the routes by which the UK plugs into the global economy…

    … but in a way that allows investment and trade to flow as freely as possible.

    Those routes are diverse and complex. So our corresponding response needs to be subtle and agile.

    It starts with inbound investment.

    A great source of prosperity and pride for our country.

    I want to be crystal clear with our investment partners – the UK welcomes inbound investment, we are open for business, and my presumption will always be in favour of investment.

    But if we allow money to flow into our country unchecked, we leave ourselves open to abuse.

    This is the area of economic security where we are most developed, thanks to the National Security and Investment Act.

    Since coming into force, it has functioned well.

    The government has reviewed over 1,700 notifications and issued 20 final orders.

    Only 7% of notified transactions were called in for scrutiny, and only 1% were issued a final order.

    So the vast majority of businesses have had zero interaction with the regime, nor do we want them to.

    It typifies what is known as the small garden, high fence approach…

    … safeguarding the UK against the small number of investments that could be harmful to our national security, while leaving the vast majority of deals unaffected.

    That is not to say investment into sensitive areas is off limits…

    …but it must be managed in a way that protects our national security at the same time as driving growth.

    Indeed – to extend the metaphor just a little further – just as important as the garden is the ground that surrounds it.

    Beyond the fence should lie a vast and fertile landscape where trade and investment thrive.

    So to tend to this, we are constantly monitoring the Act’s performance to ensure it stays ahead of threats, while remaining as pro-business as possible.

    So today I have published the Government’s response to my recent Call for Evidence…

    …setting out the important next steps we will take to fine tune the NSI system:

    I will shortly publish an updated statement setting out how I use the powers under the Act…

    …including what we are seeking to protect and how we assess risk.

    And we will publish updated marked guidance, including how the Act can apply to academia.

    We will also update the mandatory area definitions…

    …including new definitions for critical minerals and semiconductors…

    and we will consult in the coming weeks.

    And finally, we will consider targeted legislative exemptions from the Act’s mandatory notification requirements.

    Likewise, when it comes to exports, we must ensure that the goods and technologies we sell overseas…

    …are not being used to harm our own national interest, or in a way that runs counter to our values.

    That is why we have an Export Controls regime, which we have significantly enhanced…

    …responding specifically to risks around new technologies such as quantum.

    Having reviewed the impact of these changes, we are confident we have a strong set of tools to prevent exports of concern.

    But we do recognise that this stronger regime has posed challenges to a small number of UK exporters.

    And really this is an indication of the trade-offs that the Government must navigate.

    And so we will consult on improvements to our controls on emerging technologies.

    We must ensure our system is flexible enough to deal with rapidly emerging threats…

    …that cases are processed more quickly and efficiently…

    … and that we maintain close collaboration with UK researchers and businesses.

    We also connect to the global economy through the import of goods and services.

    Again, we see deliberate attempts at weaponising import and export links through coercion …

    …including trade restrictions by China against Lithuania and by Russia against Ecuador.

    We have also seen examples where public sector procurement poses risks to national security…

    …from surveillance systems…to telecoms infrastructure…each featuring increased capability and connectivity.

    That is why I banned Huawei from our 5G networks, and Chinese surveillance equipment from key Government sites.

    It is not the role of Government to mandate sources of supply across the whole economy.

    We do, though, want business to be aware of the risks of excessive dependence…

    …and where possible to work with us to reduce it.

    And so we will continue to develop the UK’s Anti-Coercion Toolkit…

    … including investing in civil service capability…

    … increasing stress testing and exercising…

    … with more security-cleared officials…

    … and working with the G7 and other partners to tackle future threats.

    But there is one further, more challenging, area of economic security…

    …one that has concerned both us and our allies.

    And that is outward direct investment.

    Now of course the UK is a major source of global investment….

    …one of the few global financial centres.

    UK investors hold 14 trillion pounds of assets overseas…

    … in turn generating hundreds of billions of pounds annually.

    Yet a careful review of the evidence suggests it is possible that a very small proportion of outbound investments could present national security issues.

    Indeed, they might be fuelling technological advances that enhance the military and intelligence capabilities of countries of concern.

    The data is limited, but over the next year we will engage with G7 allies and businesses to better understand this risk…

    …and how our tools can mitigate it.

    In parallel we will evaluate whether further action is warranted.

    We are launching a dedicated analytical team to assess the risk in sensitive sectors…

    …and we will issue public guidance on how the existing NSI powers allow the Government to intervene in certain outbound investment transactions.

    And we are refreshing and enhancing the National Protective Security Authority’s ‘Secure Business’ campaign.

    So this is designed to ensure businesses can make better informed investment decisions.

    This plan of action is based on reassurance, protection, and engagement…

    …giving British business the clarity and coherence they need to plan and to thrive.

    We are not seeking to dampen animal spirits…

    …instead we aim to be precise, proportionate and coordinated.

    It is why I launched the public-private forum on economic security last year…

    …and why we put businesses at the heart of devising the National Cyber Security Centre, the National Protective Security Authority and the Investment Security Unit.

    And we will continue to iterate that support…

    …in particular helping smaller businesses to engage with government.

    I can announce that today the NPSA and NCSC are launching  a new tool…

    … to help small tech businesses and university spinouts assess and improve their security.

    Finally, we are coordinating closely with our universities.

    Our academic base is a jewel in our crown…

    …with four of the world’s top ten institutions.

    Just as openness has been crucial to our economic success…

    …internationalism has been vital to our academic prowess.

    The vast majority of that collaboration is to be welcomed and applauded.

    We should be proud that much of the cutting-edge development in sensitive technologies is happening at our universities.

    But this also has the potential to become a chink in our armoury.

    This is not about erecting fences around entire institutions or areas of research.

    However, it is right that we look at who has access to research frontiers in the most sensitive disciplines.

    Similarly, we must ensure that some universities’ reliance on foreign funding does not become a dependency by which they can be influenced, exploited, or even coerced.

    Or indeed, find themselves vulnerable in the fallout from heightened geopolitical tensions.

    That’s why the government has been conducting a review into academic security…

    … and I will be convening a round-table of university Vice Chancellors in the coming weeks to discuss our findings…

    …and our proposed response.

    In all of this, we do not act alone.

    We are working with our allies around the world…

    …evolving our trading relationships into economic security partnerships, such as  the Atlantic Declaration with the United States…

    …and the G7 Coordination Platform on economic coercion.

    Together, we will succeed in protecting our national security by safeguarding our economic security.

    Because what unites us … unlike our adversaries … is our values.

    Our societies prize innovation, ideas and the successes of individuals.

    We celebrate what we can make – not what we can take.

    We know that a creative, open, outward-facing economy is a strong economy…

    …and that a strong economy makes us all more secure.

    In these uncertain times, that economic model must adapt and respond to new threats…

    …but it must also remain true to the principles which have yielded prosperity, opportunity and security in the past.

    Our prosperity and our security are two sides of the same coin.

    We do not make ourselves more secure by being less open…

    Instead we redouble our efforts to make our open market as secure as possible.

    And in doing so we safeguard the United Kingdom’s position as the best place in the world …

    …to invest …

    …to study …

    …to trade with…

    …to live…

    … and to prosper.

    And long may that continue.

  • Michelle Donelan – 2024 Speech at the Manufacturing Technologies Association Exhibition

    Michelle Donelan – 2024 Speech at the Manufacturing Technologies Association Exhibition

    The speech made by Michelle Donelan, the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, on 16 April 2024.

    Good afternoon.

    It’s a pleasure to be here in Birmingham today.

    Thank you so much for inviting me to speak.

    Today, the UK is one of the world’s leading manufacturing nations.

    A century ago, the name of the game was quantity – the world’s leading manufacturing nations were trying to solve questions of size and scale – churning out more and more, faster and faster.

    Today, the game has reversed, and those questions have largely been solved.

    99% of consumer goods can be manufactured cheaply and at scale.

    The real challenge today – and the one that will define the future of manufacturing – is quality. How do we design and produce the most innovative, intricate technologies like semiconductors for example, in a way that is cost effective?

    This is where the UK’s unique manufacturing history and expertise comes into play.

    Because manufacturing is so much more than what happens on the factory floor…

    Invention… innovation… design… execution… scaling…

    These are the ingredients of high-end manufacturing that the UK has in abundance.

    As the former Universities Minister, I know first hand how our world-class higher education system forms the backbone of advanced manufacturing in the UK. Nearly a decade ago, before I was elected to Parliament, I created the Wiltshire Festival of Engineering. Sponsored by some of the world’s leading manufacturers, including Dyson and Airbus, we were able to inspire thousands of Wiltshire school children into careers in STEM.

    The first debate I ever organised as a newly elected MP was about engineering.

    And my priorities haven’t changed.

    If anything, manufacturing matters even more.

    The past four years have brought with them a relentless barrage of stories about supply chain disruption.

    From the coronavirus pandemic to the war in Ukraine and even a ship stuck in the Suez, the links that hold our economy together seem more fragile than ever.

    And if these stories have taught us anything, it is that the ability to make our own things, on our own terms, is fundamental if we want to face our future head on.

    And we must redouble our efforts to ensure that our strategic goods and technologies, like the machine tools on display this week, do not get into the hands of those who wish to do our nation harm.

    So, as Secretary of State, I have put manufacturing front and centre in my mission to make Britain a science and tech superpower.

    For me, science and technology are not just about labs and lecture theatres.

    Innovation matters most when it is out there in the real world.

    It’s only with the the commercialisation of new ideas, products, processes, and services, that we can create economic growth.

    And it’s only through growing our economy, creating jobs, and driving discoveries that we can make tangible differences to people’s lives.

    British manufacturing businesses are doing just that.

    In fact, materials and manufacturing account for 47% of all business investment in R&D.

    In towns and cities right across the country, you can find some of the most technologically advanced manufacturing in the world.

    In South Wales, we have the world’s first dedicated compound semiconductor cluster.

    In Cambridge, we have the world’s most intensive science and tech cluster, home to Europe’s largest collection of biotechnology businesses – and almost 700 high-tech manufacturing firms. It’s the envy of the world, attracting talent and investment from across the globe.

    Here in the West Midlands, we have a global centre for automotive R&D whose 5G coverage – the highest in the UK – is helping it to lead the way in developing the autonomous vehicles that will transform the way we travel.

    Every pound that goes into British manufacturing is an investment in jobs for British people.

    A vote of confidence in their ability to find the solutions to the immense challenges we face.

    Our £1 billion semiconductor strategy is unlocking new investment in semiconductor manufacturing which will be fundamental for the net zero transition.

    We are boosting life sciences manufacturing with over half a billion pounds, growing an industry that adds almost £20 billion to our economy each year and bolstering our ability to make vaccines that have already saved millions of lives in Britain and beyond.

    Our Wireless Infrastructure Strategy sets out a plan to drive up the adoption of standalone 5G to transform manufacturing, unlocking the potential of technologies like robotics that could make our assembly lines infinitely more efficient, boosting productivity by billions.

    These investments are the decisions of a bold and ambitious government that is prepared to bet big on the ability of British business to build tomorrow’s economy.

    A government that, last year, announced a £4.5 billion plan to back advanced manufacturing industries like aerospace and automotive that employ hundreds of thousands of British people.

    A government that is investing in technologies that don’t just change the things we make, but the way we make them.

    And Britain has reaped the rewards as a result. Between 2010 and 2021, the UK saw the fastest manufacturing productivity growth in the G7.

    But if we want that trend to continue, then we cannot afford to slow down. We must stick to the plan, not go back to square one.

    There is one technology, more than any other, that promises to transform manufacturing in the decades to come: AI.

    AI can help us to make enormous efficiencies in machinery and in supply chains, acting early to prevent days of lost time.

    It can reduce accidents that put workers at risk and test the quality of goods far quicker than any human could.

    It can forecast demand for existing products – and even design new ones that appeal to untapped parts of the market.

    All in all, AI promises nothing less than a revolution for manufacturing.

    And there is no reason why that revolution should not start in the UK.

    Today, we have the third largest AI market in the world – a market that is predicted to grow to over one trillion dollars by the end of the decade.

    Much of that success is thanks to that unique culture of innovation I talked about earlier – a culture where entrepreneurs are unafraid to risk failure in pursuit of success.

    But, I believe, it is also testament to a Prime Minister and government that is prepared to take its own risks.

    Rather than sitting on the fence, playing ‘wait and see,’ we decided to step up and support the technology right from the get-go.

    Over the last decade, we have invested more than £3.5 billion in AI.

    And in the last year, when the extraordinary capabilities of large language models have captured the world’s attention, we kick-started the global conversation on AI safety, hosting the first ever global summit on AI safety. Next month I will travel to Korea to co-host the second summit, and we have the France safety summit planned for early next year.

    But I have always been clear that, while we have one eye on safety, the other must always be on opportunity.

    And that opportunity must be open to everyone.

    Whether you are a small tech start-up looking to scale and succeed in the UK, or a family-owned manufacturing firm looking for ways to stay competitive in a new era, I believe that artificial intelligence has something to offer.

    That is why I set out a pro-safety, pro-innovation approach to regulating AI that will drive growth and create jobs across the country.

    That same mission drove me to set up the AI Opportunity Forum, where we’re working with some of the biggest industry players to encourage the adoption of AI across all businesses, including smaller firms looking to harness the power of artificial intelligence to innovate and grow.

    Some of those firms will benefit from BridgeAI, too, which is supporting British businesses in high-growth sectors like construction and logistics to boost their productivity – and compete on the global stage.

    But no matter how big your business – no matter whether you are designing chips, developing life-saving drugs, or building the next generation of green, electric cars – there is one need that never changes: skills.

    Skills have always been close to my heart. Another one of the drums I’ve been banging for 15 years, a skilled workforce is the foundation stone to everything in our economy.

    If we want British businesses to grow – and if we want that growth to deliver benefits to every British person – then we need people with the skills to succeed in industries of tomorrow.

    To ensure that where you are from does not determine where you can get to.

    So last month, I announced over one billion pounds in support for young people studying PhDs across our five critical technologies – our largest ever investment.

    But you shouldn’t need a PhD to benefit from British science and tech.

    I want to bring its benefits to people from all walks of life.

    That is why we are providing new support for small businesses looking to upskill their employees for the age of AI – and launching a pilot scheme to open apprenticeship pathways into our growing quantum industry.

    I know that there are thousands of apprentices here today. Some of you have even trained at the High Value Manufacturing Catapult my department supports, whose excellent work I have seen for myself at the MTC just down the road in Coventry. I look forward to meeting some of you later this afternoon.

    Because it is talented people like you who hold the key to the kind of sustainable economic growth that will see Britain succeed in the century to come.

    Science and tech can sometimes seem far removed from the reality of our daily lives.

    But behind every one of the breakthroughs we have seen is a person with an idea – and the skills to turn it into a reality.

    The same will be true for the breakthroughs still to come.

    And I have no doubt that some of the people who will be behind them are here in Birmingham this week.

    Some of you will take up jobs with the fast-growing firms who are exhibiting here.

    Others, I’m sure, will use that experience to start innovative businesses of your own.

    But, no matter what path you take, this government will do all it can to support you.

    Because, in your hands, Britain’s manufacturing future is bright.

  • Rishi Sunak – 2024 Statement on the Iranian Attack on Israel

    Rishi Sunak – 2024 Statement on the Iranian Attack on Israel

    The statement made by Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, on 13 April 2024.

    I condemn in the strongest terms the Iranian regime’s reckless attack against Israel. These strikes risk inflaming tensions and destabilising the region. Iran has once again demonstrated that it is intent on sowing chaos in its own backyard.

    The UK will continue to stand up for Israel’s security and that of all our regional partners, including Jordan and Iraq.  Alongside our allies, we are urgently working to stabilise the situation and prevent further escalation. No one wants to see more bloodshed.

  • Graham Stuart – 2024 Resignation Letter to the Prime Minister

    Graham Stuart – 2024 Resignation Letter to the Prime Minister

    The resignation letter sent by Graham Stuart to Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, on 12 April 2024.

    Text of letter (in .pdf format)