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Category: Speeches

  • Scott Benton – 2024 Resignation Statement

    Scott Benton – 2024 Resignation Statement

    The statement made by Scott Benton, the Independent MP for South Blackpool, on 25 March 2024.

    It’s been the honour of a lifetime to represent our wonderful community in Parliament over the last four years.

    It’s with a heavy heart that I have written to the Chancellor this morning to tender my resignation as your MP. I’d like to thank the hundreds of residents who have sent supportive messages, cards and letters over the last few months and who have urged me to continue and fight the next election. The support that so many local people have given to me has made it all worthwhile.

    A Labour government would be catastrophic for our country. I’m mindful of giving a new candidate the time and space to campaign to prevent that from happening and it is for this reason that I have made this decision at this time.

    As your MP I have always sought to do what I believed to be in the best interests of Blackpool, and of our country. Over the last four years we’ve faced significant challenges with Covid and the cost of living. Despite the economic challenges these have created, our community has benefited through over £400 million in additional government funding and capital investment – the highest amount of any town in the entire country. Most of these projects (including planned regeneration in Revoe, Central Drive & Bond Street; the new multiversity; Blackpool Central Development; and many other Levelling Up projects) have yet to commence but we will reap the rewards of these in terms of regeneration, new jobs and opportunities in the years ahead. Our A&E, schools and Police have also benefited from significant extra funding too and I’m proud of the role that I’ve been able to play in delivering that. Blackpool is a special place and it’s future is bright.

    The most enjoyable part of the job has been being able to meet so many of you, either on the doorstep, or at the over 650 different charities, voluntary groups, sports clubs, churches and businesses I have visited. I will always cherish being able to contribute towards, and to see, the brilliant work which goes on, often by unsung heroes, in our community. I’ve held over 220 surgeries and events and my team and I have assisted over 19,500 local people with different issues and problems, having much success, but sadly some failures, along the way too. Being able to help those who have needed it most has been a privilege and my team and I will continue to work on all existing casework for those who have previously contacted me in this interim period.

    The global events of the past four years would have been extremely challenging for any government to deal with. The optimism and hope felt by many after we delivered Brexit in early 2020 was quickly overtaken by the pandemic and the challenges Covid has led to in terms of the economy and public services have proven incredibly difficult since. The government hasn’t got everything right and I’ve always been robust in speaking out for what I think our community and country needs in Parliament, having spoken on more than 350 occasions – one of the highest of all MPs since 2019. It’s easy for opposition politicians to criticise from the sidelines when they haven’t got any policies or a plan of their own. It’s a lot harder delivering for people when there are no easy solutions to many of the complex problems we face.

    In 2019, I pledged to be an active, hardworking and relatable MP who would listen to your concerns and views and act upon them: I’d like to think that I have more than succeeded in that aim. It’s in the best interests of our community that my successor succeeds and I wish them well.

    With best wishes

    Scott

  • Rishi Sunak – 2024 Speech on Extremism

    Rishi Sunak – 2024 Speech on Extremism

    The speech made by Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, outside Number 10 on 1 March 2024.

    In recent weeks and months, we have seen a shocking increase in extremist disruption and criminality.

    What started as protests on our streets, has descended into intimidation, threats, and planned acts of violence.

    Jewish children fearful to wear their school uniform lest it reveal their identity.

    Muslim women abused in the street for the actions of a terrorist group they have no connection with.

    Now our democracy itself is a target.

    Council meetings and local events have been stormed.

    MPs do not feel safe in their homes.

    Long standing Parliamentary conventions have been upended because of safety concerns.

    I need to speak to you all this evening because this situation has gone on long enough…

    …and demands a response not just from government, but from all of us.

    Britain is a patriotic, liberal, democratic society with a proud past and a bright future.

    We are a reasonable country and a decent people.

    Our story is one of progress, of great achievements and enduring values.

    Immigrants who have come here have integrated and contributed.

    They have helped write the latest chapter in our island story.

    They have done this without being required to give up their identity.

    You can be a practising Hindu and a proud Briton as I am.

    Or a devout Muslim and a patriotic citizen as so many are.

    Or a committed Jewish person and the heart of your local community…

    …and all underpinned by the tolerance of our established, Christian church.

    We are a country where we love our neighbours.

    And we are building Britain together.

    But I fear that our great achievement…

    …in building the world’s most successful multi-ethnic, multi faith democracy…

    …is being deliberately undermined.

    There are forces here at home trying to tear us apart.

    Since October 7th there have been those trying to take advantage of the very human angst that we all feel…

    …about the terrible suffering that war brings to the innocent, to women and children…

    …to advance a divisive, hateful ideological agenda.

    On too many occasions recently, our streets have been hijacked by small groups…

    …who are hostile to our values and have no respect for our democratic traditions.

    Membership of our society is contingent on some simple things…

    …that you abide by the rule of law, and that change can only come through the peaceful, democratic process.

    Threats of violence and intimidation are alien to our way of doing things: they must be resisted at all times.

    Nearly everyone in Britain supports these basic values but there are small and vocal hostile groups who do not.

    Islamist extremists and the far right feed off and embolden each other.

    They are equally desperate to pretend that their violence is somehow justified…

    …when actually these groups are two sides of the same extremist coin.

    Neither group accept that change in our country can only come through the peaceful democratic process.

    Both loathe the pluralist, modern country we are.

    Both want to set Briton against Briton…

    …to weaponise the evils of anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim hatred for their own ends.

    The faith of Islam, peacefully practised by millions of our fellow citizens…

    …is emphatically not the same thing as the extremist political ideology of Islamism…

    …which aims to separate Muslims from the rest of society.

    Islamist extremists and far rights groups are spreading a poison, that poison is extremism.

    It aims to drain us of our confidence in ourselves as a people, and in our shared future.

    They want us to doubt ourselves, to doubt each other, to doubt our country’s history and achievements.

    They want us to accept a moral equivalence between Britain and some of the most despicable regimes in the world.

    They want us to believe that our country, and the West more generally, is solely responsible for the world’s ills…

    …and that we, along with our allies, are the problem.

    In short, they want to destroy our confidence and hope.

    We must not allow that to happen.

    When these groups claim that Britain is and has been on the wrong side of history, we should reject it, and reject it again.

    No country is perfect, but I am enormously proud of the good that our country has done.

    Our place in history is defined by the sacrifices our people have made,

    …in the service of our own freedom and that of others.

    And when these groups tell children that they cannot – and will not – succeed because of who they are…

    When they tell children that the system is rigged against them or that Britain is a racist country…

    This is not only a lie, but a cynical attempt to crush young dreams, and turn impressionistic minds against their own society.

    I stand here as our country’s first non-white Prime Minister, leading the most diverse government in our country’s history…

    …to tell people of all races, all faiths and all backgrounds…

    …it is not the colour of your skin, the God you believe in or where you were born, that will determine your success…

    …but just your own hard work and endeavour.

    We must be prepared to stand up for our shared values in all circumstances, no matter how difficult.

    And I respect that the police have a tough job in policing the protests we have seen and that they are operationally independent.

    But we must draw a line.

    Yes, you can march and protest with passion…

    You can demand the protection of civilian life…

    …but no, you cannot call for violent Jihad.

    There is no “context” in which it can be acceptable to beam antisemitic tropes onto Big Ben in the middle of a vote on Israel/Gaza.

    And there can be no cause you can use to justify the support of a proscribed terrorist group, like Hamas.

    Yes, you can freely criticise the actions of this government, or indeed any government: that is a fundamental democratic right.

    But no, you cannot use that as an excuse to call for the eradication of a State – or any kind of hatred or antisemitism.

    This week I have met with senior police officers and made clear it is the public’s expectation…

    …that they will not merely manage these protests, but police them.

    And I say this to the police, we will back you when you take action.

    But if we are asking more of the police, we in government must also back up that call with action.

    To that end, this month the government will implement a new robust framework for how it deals with this issue.

    To ensure that we are dealing with the root causes of this problem…

    …and that no extremist organisations or individuals are being lent legitimacy…

    …by their actions and interactions with central government.

    You cannot be part of our civic life if your agenda is to tear it down.

    We will redouble our support for the Prevent programme to stop young minds being poisoned by extremism.

    We will demand that universities stop extremist activity on campus.

    We will also act to prevent people entering this country whose aim is to undermine its values.

    The Home Secretary has instructed that if those here on visas…

    …choose to spew hate on protests or seek to intimidate people…

    …we will remove their right to be here.

    And our Britain must not be a country in which we descend into polarised camps…

    …with some communities living parallel lives.

    It is not enough to live side-by-side, we must live together…

    …united by shared values and a shared commitment to this country.

    And I want to speak directly to those who choose to continue to protest:

    Don’t let the extremists hijack your marches.

    You have a chance in the coming weeks to show that you can protest decently, peacefully and with empathy for your fellow citizens.

    Let us prove these extremists wrong and show them that even when we disagree…

    …we will never be disunited from our common values of decency and respect.

    I love this country.

    My family and I owe it so much.

    The time has now come for us all to stand together to combat the forces of division and beat this poison.

    We must face down the extremists who would tear us apart…

    …there must be leadership, not pandering or appeasement.

    When they tell their lies, we will tell the truth.

    When they try and sap our confidence, we will redouble our efforts.

    And when they try and make us doubt each other…

    …we will dig deeper for that extra ounce of compassion and empathy…

    …that they want us to believe doesn’t exist, but that I know does.

    If we can do that, we can build on our great achievement in creating today’s Britain…

    …a country of kind, decent, tolerant people.

    We can make this a country in which we all feel a renewed sense of pride.

    This is our home.

    So let us go forward together, confident in our values and confident in our future.

  • Michael Gove – 2024 Speech at the Convention of the North

    Michael Gove – 2024 Speech at the Convention of the North

    The speech made by Michael Gove, the Levelling Up Secretary, on 1 March 2024.

    Today is the day the North truly takes back control. Today, at this Convention, we inaugurate the biggest transfer of power and resources to the North in living memory. We all know that power is best exercised by those closest to the people they represent. We all know that the divisions in our society – economic, social, educational – are best bridged by empowering local leaders and local communities to determine the futures of the places where they live and the towns and cities that they love. And that is why today – at this Convention of the North – together – we are bringing about a power surge for the North.

    We have already agreed deals – agreed, not imposed or dictated – agreed deals with the mayors of the West Midlands and Greater Manchester to give them greater power over skills, transport and housing so the opportunity to get on, access to the best jobs and a safe, warm, decent home of your own are within reach of many more.

    And today we’re extending these same opportunities to West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and the Liverpool City Region. In technical terms that means Level 4 Devolution. In real terms it means more money and a bigger capacity to make a difference for Tracy Brabin, Oliver Coppard and Steve Rotheram.

    Yes, I know Tracy, Oliver and Steve are Labour politicians. And in a few months’ time we’ll be arguing passionately about different visions for the country as a whole. But – much more importantly to me, Tracy, Oliver and Steve are directly accountable local politicians with a mandate and a mission and a responsibility to deliver economic growth and improved opportunities for people in Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield, Castleford, Huddersfield, Dewsbury, Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, Doncaster, Liverpool, Knowsley, Runcorn, Southport and the Wirral.

    And what’s important to me, and I know to them, is delivering for people in those cities and towns. Giving local politicians more power – with greater accountability – so local people can enjoy better jobs, higher wages, quicker journeys to work, more opportunities to learn, more attractive homes and an enhanced environment around them.

    The theology is devolution, the reality is improved lives for all.

    And I am also today clear we want to take forward devolution to many more areas across the country. With the North leading the way. I’ll be continuing to support the extended North East Mayoral Combined Authority grow from strength to strength. And I know the Chancellor will be saying more on how we support the north east in days to come. And I want to conclude a Level 4 deal with the great Ben Houchen – the one-man Northern Powerhouse who has done so much to bring investment and hope to the Tees Valley.

    And as well as the Level 3 deal we have with York and North Yorkshire we are also now implementing Level 3 deals with Hull and East Yorkshire, and also with Greater Lincolnshire. There are further Level 3 deals moving forward in Norfolk and Suffolk and, of course, a Level 3 deal has been secured for the East Midlands, and a Level 2 deal for Lancashire. We will also shortly be announcing more Level 2 devolution deals covering other parts of England.

    So we now have 19 devolution deals either established or in implementation covering over 33 million people. This is the most profound change to the way England has been governed in generations, it is a vote of confidence in local democracy and, in particular, a vote of confidence in Northern leadership. We  together are levelling up the North by giving power to its people.

    But that is very far from all we are doing together to demonstrate our commitment to the North of England and our shared determination to level up.

    We are working in partnership with civic leaders to irrigate the soil for the private sector investment which is vital for the enduring economic growth the North needs – which we all need.

    Here in Leeds, we are working with the council and the mayoral combined authority to lever in investment for new housing and new enterprises in Mabgate, the Innovation Arc, in Holbeck, West End Riverside, Eastside and Hunslet Riverside and on of course on the iconic Southbank. We’re working closely with the Royal Armouries here and working to secure and bring into public ownership a site for British Library North at Temple Works. I was also excited recently to meet with the Poet Laureate, Yorkshire’s own Simon Armitage, to hear his fantastic plans  for the UK’s only National Poetry Centre to be situated here in Leeds. I and my department will be doing everything we can to support that endeavour. And we’re also working to ensure that the existing strengths of the universities in Leeds, the life sciences sector, financial services sector, the tech sector and of course the cultural jewels of Opera North, Leeds Art Gallery and Channel Four can all be reinforced.

    And today I can go further.  I am delighted to be able to announce  that we have agreed with West Yorkshire the final plans for their new Investment Zone, focused in particular on health tech.  , It will direct £50m of additional investment to accelerate capital projects here in Leeds, and in Bradford and Huddersfield. And a further £25m of the funding will be used to give local people the skills they need to take advantage of over 7000 new high-quality jobs being created in the region all because of the Investment Zone.

    And to ensure that the Leeds Renaissance can benefit the greatest number of people in West Yorkshire – and beyond – we’re also investing two and a half billion pounds in a mass transit system which will link Leeds with Bradford, Halifax, Huddersfield and Wakefield. The heart of West Yorkshire will be stronger and the arteries which connect Leeds to these proud towns will be enhanced – I don’t believe any  Government for decades has shown this level of commitment to Leeds, to West Yorkshire, to Yorkshire and indeed the North as a whole – and it is central to our shared moral mission to make opportunity more equal for everyone.

    Because Levelling Up – at its heart – is about public and private investment, partnership between central and local government, empowering local people to determine their own future and using all the resources of communities which have been overlooked and undervalued in the past – their educational, cultural, and entrepreneurial talents to shape economic growth and to deliver greater social justice.

    And that is why in our Levelling Up White Paper we set the direction for future central government spending in areas such as tech and culture – the two of the principal motors of growth in the decades ahead. And we are committed therefore to increasing spending on research and development – from both public and private sectors – faster outside the golden triangle of the South East and in the North .

    We are increasing Arts Council spending in the coming years outside of London and the South East and in the North And the Network North transport spending, which was announced earlier this week, sees millions more committed to improving transport links within and between the communities of the North and Midlands.

    Re-directing spending is crucial to Levelling Up – but so is making sure those resources are in the hands of the communities that they’re intended to benefit. That’s why Network North funding goes to councils, why Arts Council spending will support grassroots cultural organisations in the North, and enhanced R&D spend will be delivered through the North’s great universities.

    And we also know that across the North different communities have very specific needs which we can only effectively support by working in partnership with people on the ground to identify obstacles and opportunities.

    So, for example, in Liverpool, we know that the immense potential of the city and the wider region has been held back by an insufficiently coherent approach towards urban regeneration. There are iconic new investments and of course handsome historic buildings, but they sit alongside stalled sites and areas of untapped potential. That is why the vision set out in the Liverpool Strategic Futures Advisory Panel report is so important and we will back it with £31 million of new money  I can announce today for regeneration projects which trace an arc from the Knowledge Quarter to Bramley Moore docks on the waterfront.

    In Sheffield we know that city’s proud industrial heritage – augmented of course by the innovation we see at South Yorkshire’s Advanced Manufacturing Centre – also requires additional investment to reap benefits in the future. That’s why we’re investing £67 million to create over 1,330 new homes and 4,000 square metres of commercial space in the heart of the city. That’s on top of the £12 million we’re already invested through the Brownfield Housing Fund. And by working with Sheffield council and Oliver Coppard we hope to unlock a further half a billion pounds of private sector investment.

    We’re also investing more in Blackpool – a great town which has had to adjust to the changing nature of the visitor economy and has been held back by historically terribly poor housing – so we’re devoting another £90 million to transform some of the most deprived parts of the town centre to power Blackpool’s revival

    I’m also committed personally to ramping up our support in Barrow – where the commitment that we have with British Aerospace to develop and build the next generation of nuclear submarines will generate thousands of new highly-skilled, high-paying jobs for decades to come – but with those jobs must come new housing, improved transport links for Barrow and even better educational institutions, and that’s a mission to which my Department is committed.

    In each of these communities – with diverse needs but all optimistic about the future – we’ve worked together to identify where the additional investment that we’re committing to the North can make the biggest difference.

    And that’s the philosophy driving our Levelling Up Partnerships – new initiatives from my department which lead to  deep relationships between the department and local leaders in Blackpool, Blyth, Grimsby, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland and now, most recently in Blackburn. Together we identify the barriers to growth, and thendeliver bespoke investments which build on the community’s existing strengths. So in Blackburn our announcement today means £8 million for the arts and community venue King George’s Hall, £1.5 million to redevelop the Cotton Exchange and £1.5 million to revive Tony’s Empress Ballroom – one of the very few original Northern Soul dancefloors in the country. Sadly, I won’t be Out on The Floor for any forthcoming all nighters but as Levelling Up funding goes, do I love it? –  indeed I do.

    The principles governing our Levelling Up Partnerships – and indeed the 4.8 billion pounds worth of investment delivered though the Levelling Up Fund – are also behind our Long Term Plan for Towns. We know that for towns to succeed our great cities need to grow, but we also know that it’s the specific needs of towns, their individual strengths, their particular challenges, that need to be addressed if they are to benefit from the growth that our cities are powering. So that we know that in the towns around Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield and Newcastle and other great cities some, towns are doing better than others, some are better connected than others, some have higher productivity than others, but all have potential.

    In the 55 towns we’ve identified for investment, we’re making £20 million per town available – and we’re ensuring it’s a locally-constituted, grassroots-led town board which will draw up the bespoke plan for how that investment meets specific local needs. So in the Yorkshire towns with which we are currently working – Barnsley, Castleford, Dewsbury, Doncaster, Keighley, Rotherham and Scarborough – it will be local people who will be empowered and  local priorities which will be supported. Under the leadership of my friend Adam Hawksbee – who is committed to driving down power and opportunities much closer to these intimate communities – we will be building on  the success of this programme in weeks to come.

    I want to end on a personal note.

    And I want to end soon because the last time I spoke at this Convention I had so much to say about Levelling Up that Evan Davies had to cut me off. And I can see Clive eyeing his watch carefully.

    The reason why I am so committed to Levelling Up is because I came into politics to tackle inequality, to give a stronger voice to those who’d been cut out of the elite conversation, to uphold the principle that everyone is of equal worth and no one should be held back because of their background, their birthplace or their beliefs.

    Tackling entrenched inequalities, overcoming historic injustices, giving space and opportunities to those who’ve been overlooked and undervalued, it takes time – it requires money, yes, but it also requires us to reach across old political divides, to see the other person’s perspective, and to trust in the spirit of public service that animates so many of those who enter public life.

    In the election months ahead there’ll be arguments, of course, about priorities, policies and people. But at a time when the risks of division and polarisation are heightened I want us all here at the Convention of the North to recall and celebrate what he have in common – to feel optimistic and proud about every community in our country and resolved to ensure that we make the pursuit of greater opportunity for all a fight in which we are all in this room on the same side.

  • Oliver Dowden – 2024 Speech on AI for Public Good

    Oliver Dowden – 2024 Speech on AI for Public Good

    The speech made by Oliver Dowden, the Deputy Prime Minister, at Imperial College on London on 29 February 2024.

    INTRODUCTION

    Ladies and gentlemen…

    The story of technological advancement is one of constant evolution…

    … punctuated by game-changing innovations.

    In my lifetime, the personal computer, the internet, the smart phone, have all made the tech world – and our interaction with it – unrecognisable.

    And they have all – in turn – transformed the way that citizens interact with government, and with public services.

    I believe another such game-changer has arrived…

    … in the form of transformative AI models – including Large Language Models – that enable computers and humans to interact in totally new ways.

    The last fourteen years has been a period of incremental tech improvements.

    The digital interfaces we use are largely recognisable.

    Yes – we have seized new opportunities…

    … such as rolling out gov.uk…

    … and making our services “digital by default”.

    But many of the systems that we use have not kept up with advances…

    … indeed some of them, I’m afraid to say, have not moved on at all.

    Modern AI has the potential to fundamentally change the way that public services operate within just a few short years.

    Indeed, if we are still working off the same systems – and in the same way – in another 14 years… or even frankly another two or three…

    …then we will have failed to embrace the opportunity that now lies before us.

    OPPORTUNITY

    And so, just as the UK is leading the world in the field of AI safety…

    … the Prime Minister has asked me to ensure we are leading the world in the adoption of AI across our public sector.

    The opportunity here is hard to put a value on…

    … although I notice the IPPR have estimated that there is the potential to save £24 billion each year from roll-out of these new technologies.

    So for me it’s only by the rapid adoption of AI that we will drive the savings needed to put us on a sustainable path to a smaller state and better delivery of services.

    The pace of change is such that new opportunities are being uncovered literally on a daily basis, and a new world is opening out before us…

    AI is potentially – and I don’t say this lightly – a ‘silver bullet’…

    … it dangles before us the prospect of increased productivity, vast efficiency savings, and improved services.

    We are already beginning to see glimpses of what these tools have to offer…

    … and so I’d like to paint a brief picture of what the world might look like if we get this right:

    VISION OF SUCCESS

    In healthcare – AI diagnostic tools could transform primary care…

    …with appointments transcribed in real time by ambient AI, then instantly producing prescriptions and referrals…

    …  scans read by AI with far greater accuracy …

    … and medicines tailored to individuals based on their genetics – again using AI.

    In education – … AI could help eliminate excessive paperwork …

    …freeing-up teacher time to focus on what they do best…

    …AI assistants could help teachers to adapt lessons to the specific needs of each pupil…

    … and AI-augmented reality can take interactive learning to another level.

    In crime prevention – AI can direct police to where they are most needed…

    … spot patterns of criminality to discover culprits quicker than ever…

    …and help keep the streets safer for everyone.

    And in all kinds of public sector casework – from immigration processing to benefit claims – AI can be used to summarise complex information…

    … enabling expert case-workers to spend more time actually making decisions.

    I could go on nearly forever to cover all areas of public administration…

    … because there are very few areas of the public sector that don’t have the potential to be enhanced by these tools.

    HOW DO WE GET THERE?

    The question, though, is how do we get there?

    I believe the measures we are bringing forward put in the structures, resources, and mindset…

    … to put the UK on the fastest path to successful adoption of public sector AI.

    Taking advantage of our unique strengths…

    … to revolutionise public services for everyone in the months and years ahead.

    Last year, I established a small team of data scientists, engineers and machine learning experts at the heart of Government – the Incubator for AI – or ‘i.AI’ – under the energetic leadership of Dr Laura Gilbert.

    The idea of these experts was to work with departments to target the biggest opportunities to both save money and deliver better public services.

    The quality of applicants for this program has been phenomenal.

    It is incredibly exciting to see such talented technical people choosing to enter public service…

    … bringing in new ideas to help change the way government delivers services.

    In a few short months this team of just 30 individuals have instigated 10 pilot programs, including…

    • AI to flag fraud and error in pharmacies – that costs the taxpayer £1 billion every single year.
    • A tool that will read and summarise responses to Government consultations, this says something about the scale of Government consultations, but this could save up to £80 million a year in central government alone…
    • And AI algorithms to help move asylum claimants out of hotels more efficiently… helping to save further millions.

    And I can also announce our intention to roll out a new gov.uk chatbot that will provide an interactive interface for people to better navigate Government information and services.

    But this is clearly just the very start…

    …I want to ensure that – where these pilots have proof of concept – we can scale them up as fast as possible…

    i.AI scale-up

    …And so, I can announce today that we will more than double the size of i.AI – to 70 people – recruiting the very best of British talent to drive this work across the public sector.

    This unprecedented influx of cutting-edge expertise into Government will enable us to design, build and – crucially – implement AI swiftly and at scale…

    Of course, there is still a huge role for the private sector – and I welcome the collaboration that we have with so many of the businesses in this room today.

    Nothing will match the strength and depth of the private sector AI innovation that is happening right now – and as all of you know so much of it here in the UK.

    But I believe that by embedding experts at the heart of Government…

    … and upskilling public servants to utilise these tools…

    …we will set ourselves up to deliver the benefits to citizens as quickly – and as efficiently – as possible.

    HORIZONTALS

    The other reason it is so important to have this team at the centre of Government is to ensure that – as AI rolls-out across the public sector – we adhere to the following principles:

    … sharing best practice…

    …deploying individual models to multiple use-cases…

    … finding economies of scale..

    … and, crucially, ensuring interoperability.

    Although I don’t claim for the moment to have the expertise needed to actually build AI models…

    … I can see that – like so many great inventions – there is something beautifully simple about what they are actually doing.

    Indeed, when you boil it down, I think there are four ways AI can be applied to much of public sector activity…

    … spotting patterns of fraud and error;

    … helping the public to navigate services;

    … managing casework;

    … and automating internal processes.

    And so the i.AI team have been looking across these applications with those principles in mind…

    … And I have agreed with the Treasury that we will make all funding for Government AI projects contingent on departments collaborating with i.AI.

    Never again should we be investing money in IT systems without considering how to make them as efficient and interoperable as possible…

    … or without robustly challenging both the timelines and the costs to deliver better value.

    I want to ensure that where we develop a tool for one department – we are considering where else it could be deployed.

    MINISTERIAL FORUM

    And do to facilitate this discussion…

    …to ensure departments are fully integrated into this cross-government effort…

    … we need a regular dialogue between all those involved across government.

    And so I am convening a meeting of the National Science and Technology Council on AI for public sector good …

    … alongside my Co-Chair, Michelle Donelan – our fantastic Secretary of State for Science and Technology.

    Every department has now designated a specific minister to be responsible for AI in their area…

    … and I have asked for them to meet on a regular basis.

    In the Cabinet Office, this work will be led by Minister Burghart…

    … and I want to thank him for the passion, purpose and drive that he has brought to the programme so far, as is often the case when you run a department you get to stand up and make the announcements, but actually Minister Burghart who has actually done the work to bring Government together to do this.

    WIDER PUBLIC SECTOR JOIN-UP

    Of course, central Government can only take this work so far…

    To truly maximise the benefits on offer we need to work with bodies and agencies right across the public sector.

    And so I am delighted to announce today that i.AI will sign a ‘Collaboration Charter’ with NHS England.

    This first-of-a-kind initiative will provide a framework for our experts in the incubator to support the NHS to identify and deploy AI solutions that improve services for patients.

    And I would urge other public sector bodies to consider doing exactly the same thing, I think it can bring enormous benefits

    RESOURCING

    There is no shortage in the Government’s ambition to use AI for public good.

    We have put the expertise and the structures in place…

    … and we are making progress on our early pilot projects…

    …but we also appreciate the investment that will be needed to make good on our ambition to see the UK leading the pack.

    And crucially, investment will be required both to improve services and cut costs…

    But also to pave the way for a leaner public sector.

    MITIGATING RISK

    Through all of this, we are conscious of the need to guard against the risks that have rightly been flagged.

    And, while every effort will be made to eliminate bias, misinformation, and hallucinations…

    … ultimately, we are very clear about the need for human oversight…

    … and a clear distinction between AI suggestions and support on the one hand…

    …and human decision making on the other.

    CONCLUSION

    I believe we can take the worst things about public services…

    …whether that’s the time-wasting, form-filling, pencil-pushing, computer-says-no, the mind-numbing-ness of it…

    … and the kinds of things that make us want to tear our hair out…

    We can take those things and we can turn them around with the help of AI.

    This is not about replacing real people with robots…

    …it is about removing spirit-sapping, time-wasting admin and bureaucracy…

    …freeing public servants to do the important work that they do best…

    … and saving taxpayers billions of pounds in the process.

    We’ve got the political will. We’ve got the world-class civil service. We have the big data. We have the tech companies.

    We are ready.

    So let’s not wait.

    Let’s lead the way…

    …and join me in the AI revolution today.

  • Stuart Andrew – 2024 Speech at the Beacon Philanthropy and Impact Forum

    Stuart Andrew – 2024 Speech at the Beacon Philanthropy and Impact Forum

    The speech made by Stuart Andrew, the Gambling Minister, at Guildhall Yard in London on 29 February 2024.

    Thank you for the introduction, Cath, and good morning everyone.

    It’s a pleasure to be speaking with you, on this extra day of the year.

    It seems apt to mention that today is also the final day of Payroll Giving Month

    And I would encourage us all to consider this fantastic, tax-efficient way of donating to charity directly from your pay or pension.

    Giving is in the DNA of this country

    And the UK is rightly acknowledged as a world leader in philanthropy.

    We know we are one of the most generous countries in the world – the record £12.7 billion given by the public in 2022 is a phenomenal amount.

    We know we have a proud tradition of philanthropy, but there is nonetheless plenty of room for growth.

    As the Minister for Civil Society, I am acutely aware of how central giving is to our communities and charities across the country.

    It’s something I also saw first-hand from my early career in the charitable sector.

    It’s not just across civil society that I have seen the transformative role that philanthropy plays.

    Philanthropy is integral to everything we do in DCMS.

    In sport, fundraising has been fundamental in delivering programmes which seek to deliver social outcomes through participation in sport and physical activity.

    In arts and heritage, philanthropy sustains our most beloved institutions – our museums, heritage sites, and performing arts venues.

    Our partnership with the Wolfson Foundation has played a major role here.

    As has our work with Arts Council England to support arts and cultural organisations to develop their fundraising skills and capacity to attract more private investment.

    The Cultural Gifts and Acceptance In Lieu scheme, meanwhile, has meant treasures such as Tolkien’s manuscripts in Oxford.

    Or the archives of children’s author Judith Kerr in Newcastle.

    Have permanent homes and are made accessible to the public.

    I know philanthropy is not just of critical interest to DCMS.

    Multiple departments are recognising the value of private capital for the public sector.

    The Office for Investment, a joint unit between No.10 and the Department for Business and Trade, has created a new concierge service for high value transformational philanthropic capital.

    Its objective is to increase giving from international donors, in the same manner that it does with inward investment.

    The lead official, Heather Davenport, is here today so please do speak with her to discuss this important topic.

    Spearheaded by the Secretary of State, DCMS is taking the lead role in coordinating efforts across Whitehall to foster a better operating environment for philanthropy in the UK.

    The Secretary of State spoke on this recently at an event I know many of you were able to attend, for the launch of the Onward report.

    She spoke about how we are committed to helping more people give and helping people give more.

    I want to reiterate the three core areas that she mentioned that we can accelerate across Government.

    Firstly, we want to better enable philanthropy and ensure the UK continues to be a good place to give.

    This includes helping people understand how they can give.

    We are working with the Financial Conduct Authority, wealth management firms and the Treasury to explore the possibility of providing greater philanthropy training for financial advisors.

    There is already some innovation in this space, with CFA Society UK recently launching their Certificate in Impact Investing.

    This provides investment professionals with the information they need to advise their clients on how their capital can have greater social and environmental impact.

    Alongside this, my officials are collaborating with HMRC to consider how the tax environment affects philanthropy, and are engaging with them on their potential work to digitalise Gift Aid.

    Complementing this work, we are continuing to support the growth and development of the social impact investing market, which delivers benefits to society alongside financial returns.

    We’re working with large scale investors, such as pension funds, to achieve the change we are looking for.

    We are also focused on unlocking the huge potential of Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFIs).

    These regional lenders provide affordable loans in the UK’s most disadvantaged places.

    Steps like these can make a huge difference for setting in place the right infrastructure across the country for both philanthropy and impact investing.

    Secondly, we want to encourage more philanthropy, particularly at a regional level.

    One example is West London Zone, a social outcomes partnership where philanthropic money is blended with national and local spend that only pays when measurable outcomes are achieved.

    Partly funded by DCMS, it has made a significant difference to children and young people’s life chances.

    Yet we know that philanthropy is still primarily concentrated in London and the south.

    So we want to explore how similar models could potentially be developed around the country that can maximise social impact.

    Can better reach marginalised communities, and can involve people of all backgrounds.

    The sharing of expertise is central to encouraging people to donate.

    Peer influence also makes a huge difference – one-third of wealthy donors report donating after being encouraged by friends or family.

    So we want to help bring together established philanthropists, and high net worth individuals, with the next wave of budding donors

    Who are socially conscious and want to make an impact.

    People like Sir Lewis Hamilton, who has given £20 million to create his charity Mission 44

    And empower young people from underserved communities and diverse backgrounds.

    This leads me onto our third area of focus, of fully recognising how philanthropy transforms lives and communities.

    We’re seeing how alive and kicking philanthropy is in Stoke-on-Trent, for example

    Where philanthropists of all levels of giving are making a difference.

    From Denise Coates, who has donated millions towards projects in the city, including £10 million to University Hospitals of North Midlands during the pandemic

    To 23-year-old Matthew Bridger, who created his own foundation to provide grants for Stoke charities helping vulnerable people.

    Matthew was recognised earlier this year through the Prime Minister’s daily Points of Light award

    Which recognises the exceptional service people give to their communities.

    We want to celebrate more people who give through awards like these, especially through the Honours system

    And I encourage you all to nominate worthy candidates.

    We also want to champion campaigns and events that highlight the impact of giving.

    So we want to help lead this conversation.

    But the Government cannot, and should not, drive this alone.

    To enable philanthropy, there are key evidence gaps we still need to understand.

    We need high net worth individuals and impact investors to play an active role.

    We need to be hearing from those making a difference with their giving, for us to amplify their voices.

    And so we also want to learn from you and listen.

    Today’s forum provides a perfect opportunity for this.

    As the name suggests, Beacon has been shining a light for many years now on the potential for philanthropists to unlock many of the challenges we face today

    bringing together those with a shared social purpose, and the means to drive investment towards the places that need this most.

    I know there will be many rich conversations over the course of today

    Because there is a real buzz around philanthropy right now

    And, as you have said, Cath, a real sense of hope, in what we can achieve together

    There is an opportunity to capitalise on the kindness of the British public and help make their gifts go further

    To help our charities and communities stay resilient and sustainable

    To allow our world-leading sport, creative and cultural sectors to continue to flourish

    So with that in mind, thank you again for inviting me to speak to you.

    I wish you a very successful day ahead and I look forward to continuing to work closely with the philanthropy sector to help it grow to its full potential.

  • Stuart Andrew – 2024 Speech at the Betting and Gaming Council Annual General Meeting

    Stuart Andrew – 2024 Speech at the Betting and Gaming Council Annual General Meeting

    The speech made by Stuart Andrew, the Gambling Minister, on 29 February 2024.

    Good morning everyone, and thank you for the invitation to speak today.

    Before I begin, I would like to say thank you to Brigid for all your work during your time as Chair of the BGC. We appreciate the constructive and considered input you and the BGC have provided to my department’s work, not just during my time as Minister but throughout your tenure.

    Last year my predecessor spoke of the important contributions BGC members make to our national economy. I would like to again recognise this contribution, not just in revenue terms, but also the social and entertainment benefits your businesses bring to millions of customers who enjoy gambling and suffer no harm at all. Throughout my time as minister, and as an MP, I have seen how this industry boosts both local and national economies through jobs and tourism.

    A lot has happened since your last AGM, I think that is a bit of an understatement. In April last year we published the White Paper, setting out 62 proposals that will ensure our gambling laws are fit for the modern age and I am absolutely aware of just how much hard work this has required from the BGC and its members, as well as my department and the Gambling Commission. I would therefore like to put on record my thanks to you all for your cooperation, your engagement and help in developing the proposals, as well as your hard work to begin their implementation over the last 10 months.

    I know that Michael is sick of the sight of me given that we meet almost every week but I have found that engagement really valuable.

    I would now like to provide you with an update on our programme of work and ensure you have clarity on the direction of travel.

    As you will all be aware, our White Paper strikes a balance between consumer freedom – preserving the rights of those who enjoy gambling and suffer no ill-effects – with the necessary action to tackle harmful gambling and the devastating consequences it can have for some individuals and communities.

    It includes a comprehensive range of measures that covers every aspect of the industry, reflecting the huge changes in the gambling landscape since 2005. Around half of the proposals in the White Paper have now been consulted on or have been completed.

    During Monday’s debate I made reference to the white paper consultations. I make no apologies for emphasising the importance of the consultations undertaken by the Government and the Gambling Commission. They have given us invaluable evidence to inform policy making. They ensure that the measures are robust, proportionate, and in line with the White Paper’s objectives. And they show that the Government is listening to your views and evidence.

    I would like to focus the rest of my time today on the announcements made last week by DCMS and the Gambling Commission on our work on online gambling measures.

    You will have seen that last Friday we confirmed the introduction of stake limits for online slot games. Bringing in limits for the first time is a key step in ensuring the regulatory framework is fit for the digital age. Our aim is not to prohibit play, but to embed best practice that many of you already do.

    We are confident that the limits of £5 for over 25s and £2 for 18 to 24 year olds represents a proportional response. It will see online slots aligned with casino limits and will ensure customers are further protected from unaffordable and life-changing losses.

    As set out in the consultation response, these limits will come into force in September this year and have the support of industry.

    We are confident that this is an important step forward in ensuring that the vast majority of people who gamble safely can continue to do so, but that enhanced protections are in place for those who may suffer harm.

    Turning to financial risk checks, the Gambling Commission confirmed last week that they will be proceeding with these proposals. I am sure you hear more on this from Andrew Rhodes later today, but their plans include both the light-touch financial vulnerability checks and the enhanced financial risk assessments.

    The financial vulnerability checks are intended to be introduced in two stages over the course of this summer. Responding to feedback received through the consultation, the Commission has reassured everyone that they will never require gambling businesses to consider an individual’s personal details, such as their postcode or job title, as part of the checks.

    To ease the introduction of these checks, they will initially come into force at a higher threshold for a short period of time, before reverting to a lower threshold later in the year. We expect this lower threshold to be closely aligned with that proposed in the white paper.

    I know that some of your members have concerns with the proposed system of checks. I would like to reiterate that both the Government and the Gambling Commission are listening, because we genuinely we want to get this right.

    We are clear that financial risk checks should not overregulate the gambling sector, should not unduly disrupt the millions of people who gamble without suffering harm, and should not cause unnecessary damage to the industry.

    The proposed system will be a significant improvement to the current system of inconsistent so-called ‘affordability’ checks, which are often onerous for customers to complete. It will provide clear and proportionate rules which all operators are held to, and allow for financial data to be shared seamlessly with operators, instead of burdening customers with information requests.

    I have been clear that these checks should be genuinely frictionless – one of my first discussions with officials on taking on the gambling brief was around how we would deliver this – and the White Paper was clear that they will not be implemented until we can guarantee that they are.

    To ensure these checks are implemented in an effective but proportionate manner the Gambling Commission has announced it will conduct a pilot over the coming months. I am pleased that the pilot will involve collaboration between the Commission, credit reference agencies and a selection of gambling businesses to ensure that the process of an assessment is effective. The sector’s involvement gives me confidence that we will be able to find a solution that everyone can support.

    We are therefore grateful for the input of BGC members into this pilot to ensure it is a meaningful test of the policy. The Commission will consider all issues that arise during the pilot stage – and are clear that this will help refine the final requirements and the models for data-sharing. I, and the Government, are supportive of the evidence-led and consumer-centred approach being proposed during this pilot.

    But until these checks are fully in place, it is essential that the industry is more transparent with its customers.

    An industry-led code is an important stepping stone while frictionless checks are piloted. It will mitigate the impact of customers having to provide documentation, while we develop this new, frictionless system of checks.

    I know that discussions are ongoing between the Commission and industry, and I really would urge all parties to come to an agreement on this code as soon as possible for the benefit of customers.

    I would now like to turn briefly to horse racing and the concerns about the impact of financial risk checks on the sport. I want to reassure you again that we have heard these concerns and take them very seriously.

    I have met with the British Horseracing Authority and the Betting and Gaming Council several times as we conduct our review of the Horserace Betting Levy, which is due by April this year.

    As there is currently no legislative opportunity to amend the levy, I have encouraged the betting and racing industries to work together on a voluntary deal. I am very grateful for the constructive manner in which those negotiations have taken place. We said in the White Paper that we will ensure that racing is appropriately funded going forward, and I am confident that agreement can be reached which is mutually beneficial and is in the best interests of the sport.

    I am grateful for the work which operators have undertaken with the Gambling Commission to explore the practical aspects of implementing these checks. We want to protect those at risk of harm – something that I make no apologies for – but with minimal disruption to the majority, who I recognise bet on horse racing with no ill effect.

    We know that British racing is a substantial asset to the country. We remain committed to supporting the industry to prosper, and I am confident that the way in which these checks will be implemented will not prevent that from happening.

    I know you will be keen to understand what is coming next in the pipeline.

    We will publish our consultation responses on land-based gambling measures and the statutory levy in the coming months, and will lay secondary legislation to bring measures into force across all relevant areas as soon as parliamentary time allows. Nonetheless, I am absolutely determined to ensure that we deliver on our commitment to bring key measures into force by the summer of this year.

    Thank you again for inviting me to speak today, and giving me this opportunity to update you on our programme of reform. As we look to conclude work on our key proposals I hope I have demonstrated to you that we will continue to listen, we will test, and we will adapt our approach as this fast-moving industry develops and I thank you for that continued engagement.

  • David Cameron – 2024 Speech at the Blue Belt Symposium

    David Cameron – 2024 Speech at the Blue Belt Symposium

    The speech made by David Cameron, the Prime Minister, on 29 February 2024.

    It is a huge pleasure to be with you on this day where we are celebrating yet another expansion of the Blue Belt.

    It is something I started as Prime Minister in 2014. I remember some very talented and committed environmental enthusiasts like Zac Goldsmith, Oliver Letwin, Richard Benyon coming and seeing me and telling me about this idea and getting really excited by the idea of what it could all mean. You have these sort of meetings and think, ‘will anything come out of it?’ And now when I look around and see what you have all achieved, it really is a great cause for celebration and so it is a real privilege to be with you and celebrate it tonight.

    There are 5 obvious things to say about why I’m so enthusiastic about it.

    Firstly, incomparably, it is the right thing to do. We all know the stress that our oceans are under. We all know problems of plastic, the problems of overfishing, the problems of deep-sea mining, the problems of over-extraction, we know all those problems.

    This isn’t the answer to all of them, but it is part of the answer. And it is such a brilliant answer. And, we know the oceans are responsible for 50% of the oxygen in our atmosphere and so it is undoubtably the right thing to do.

    My father used to say to me, “if you get involved in politics, always remember, it is never the wrong time to do the right thing”. Well, this is incomparably the right thing. And it is so good that we are all doing it together.

    The second is, it is beautifully simple.

    I’m a bit of country boy, I represented a rural seat in Oxfordshire for many years, and the idea of fallowing, leaving a field fallowed, to let the land get back some of the minerals, some of the goodness, some of things you need in order to have productive soil. Something we’ve done for ages, forever.

    And applying that principle to our oceans is such a simple concept. As I say, it won’t solve all the problems but giving a large part of our oceans a rest, a break, is so easy to get a hold of as a concept. It something we are doing, which the rest of the world is applauding. The United Nations have set a target that 30% of our oceans should have this break by 2030 and the Overseas Territories of Britain are certainly doing our bit. In fact, more than our bit.

    The third thing I love about it is that it is big and it is bold. We are not the biggest country in the world, we are the 6th largest economy in the world. Some of the Territories represented here – from Pitcairn to British Virgin Islands to Tristan da Cunha – are not the largest countries in the world either but what we have done is something amazing.

    This is the biggest Blue Belt in the world. On the planet. The biggest one that has ever been created. Between us, we’ve done something together that is absolutely world-beating and world-leading. And bigger than anybody.

    The fourth thing I wanted to say is this is such a good example of partnership.

    I know that sometimes the Overseas Territories can feel as though they are not as loved as they should be, they can sometimes feel that they don’t get all the attention they should get. I really want us to change that and I think we are changing. I think you’ve got an excellent minister in David Rutley, he is not here tonight he’s probably on one of the islands. He works so hard and has done so much to bring the Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies together.

    I’m feeling pumped up about the Overseas Territories having just come back from a trip to the Falklands Islands, a wonderful place. There aren’t many places where a politician like me can go for a walk about and you have such a wonderful time and everybody is lovely to you, I thought ‘this is great, I can even come and live here’.

    Fifth and final thing, is this issue of legacy.

    Legacy for all of us. I’ve got 3 relatively young children. And they care about this issue on our planet, on our climate and what we are going to leave to our children, more than any other issue. And they are always quite rightly challenging me and others about what we are doing.

    There is no doubt that when the history books are written, about what we did to cut carbon in our atmosphere, what we did to make the green transition, what we did to move away from coal, there will be some good things we’ll be able to say and some things we’ll be less mad about.

    But there is no doubt that on this agenda, we’ll be able to say that Britain created, with the OTs, the biggest, the best, the boldest in terms of marine conservation and in terms of Blue Belt, in terms of giving our oceans, our seas, a break.

    I think that is something we can all be proud of. It is something to celebrate, it is something to think about. There are so many issues we discuss every day that we won’t even remember in ten, twenty years’ time. ‘Why did that minister resign, why was that scandal happening in parliament?’ Can’t remember any of them. But this we will remember, and we should remember it with pride.

    I want to thank everyone that has made this possible. All the organisations that have helped. But above all, the Overseas Territories that have helped bring this together, that have helped create this Blue Belt, and create this massive bonus for the environment, bonus for oceans and legacy for our children and grandchildren.

    Thank you very much indeed.

  • Rishi Sunak – 2024 Speech at the CST Annual Dinner

    Rishi Sunak – 2024 Speech at the CST Annual Dinner

    The speech made by Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, in London on 28 February 2024.

    Lloyd, thank you for that kind introduction.

    And in fact can I start by asking everyone to join me in thanking Gerald, Mark, and everyone at CST for all you do to keep our Jewish community safe.

    It is shocking, and wrong, the prejudice, the racism we have seen in recent months.

    That Hamas attack of October 7th was the most abhorrent act of terrorism against Israel that any of us have ever known.

    And it’s been followed by record levels of antisemitism in this country that are utterly, utterly sickening.

    Don’t let anyone try and tell you this is just a reaction to the response of the Israeli government as unacceptable as that would be.

    The highest weekly total of antisemitic incidents came before Israel responded…

    It is hatred pure and simple.

    An assault on the Jewish people – here in this country, in this century and I tell you tonight: we will fight this antisemitism with everything we’ve got.

    When Jewish children are hiding their school uniforms Jewish students are facing harassment on campuses the birth certificates of Jewish children are being defaced and Jewish families feel unable to enter the centre of our capital city at the weekend the whole fabric of our nation is under threat.

    When I went to Kinloss Synagogue in the immediate aftermath of October 7th I said I would stand with you today, tomorrow, and always.

    And I truly meant it.

    Of course, we cannot solve this problem overnight.

    But as Prime Minister I will lead this government in a long-term effort to strengthen your security defend our liberal democratic values and change our culture so we tackle the root causes of this hatred.

    Let me say a word about each.

    One of the things I most remember about that vigil in Finchley was walking out of the synagogue at this heightened moment of grief and fear in the community and seeing CST volunteers working with the police to keep us safe.

    Just as they are doing here today. Just as they do every day.

    They are some of the bravest volunteers in this country and on behalf not just of the Jewish community – but the whole nation I want to say a huge and heartfelt thank you.

    In October we announced an additional £3 million for CST taking our total support to £18 million for this financial year.

    And I can confirm we’ll commit a further £18 million next financial year.

    But that’s not enough.

    For years you’ve been asked to bid for funding one year at a time as if there might not be the same threat to deal with next year.

    Sadly, we know CST is going to be needed for many years to come.

    So tonight, I am changing the way CST is funded to help you plan for the long-term.

    I’m not just committing £18 million for next year.

    I’m committing a minimum of £18 million every year for the next four years.

    More than £70 million for the protection of our Jewish community.

    And I tell you – that is the single biggest financial commitment that any government has ever made.

    Of course, it’s not just the Jewish community that has been targeted.

    It’s also those who represent you.

    Members of Parliament – like Mike Freer, here tonight.

    Whatever political loyalties people might have I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say how sorry we are, Mike, that you had to stand down and how grateful we are for all you’ve done to support CST.

    As Prime Minister, I’m not prepared to stand by, and watch MPs forced out of public service because of fears for their safety.

    Nor I am prepared to allow this pattern of increasingly violent and intimidatory behaviour seemingly intended to shout down elected representatives and hijack the democratic process through force itself.

    It is as un-British as it is undemocratic.

    And it cannot stand.

    So today I met senior police leaders in Downing Street to discuss how they will use the powers they have to defend our democracy and our values from those that seek to hijack them.

    This included agreeing today a new Defending Democracy Protocol with additional patrols on MPs’ homes and constituency offices and new guidance to make clear to officers how they should protect surgeries, fundraisers, and protests all underpinned by £30 million of new funding for protective security – with every MP, councillor and candidate having a named police contact.

    We will never give in to the threats of violent extremists.

    We will not be cowed into changing the way our parliamentary democracy operates.

    We will do whatever it takes to defend our democratic processes just as we will do whatever it takes to keep you safe.

    But it’s not enough merely to strengthen our physical security we must also be far bolder and more assertive in defending our British values.

    We’ve got to end this passive tolerance of words and actions that go against what we stand for.

    Yes, you can march and protest with passion; you can demand the protection of civilian life but no, you cannot call for Jihad there is no “context” in which its acceptable to beam antisemitic tropes onto Big Ben and there’s no cause you can use to justify the support of proscribed terrorist groups, like Hamas.

    And yes, you can freely criticise the actions of this government, the Israeli government or indeed any government.

    But no, you cannot use that as an excuse to call for the eradication of a State – or any kind of hatred or antisemitism.

    These statements are fundamental to the liberal democratic values that define Britain.

    They are the very essence of our identity of who we are as a country.

    To belong here is to believe these things; to stand up for these things.

    And it’s time we were much, much clearer about this.

    Now, we’ve already taken some important steps.

    Within days of October 7th CST joined Ministers and police chiefs around the cabinet table in Downing Street to discuss the policing of protests.

    And since then we’ve taken decisive measures to stop a small and aggressive minority of protestors carrying out antisemitic and intimidating actions.

    Under our proposed laws:

    The possession of flares and other pyrotechnics at protests – illegal.

    Purposefully concealing your identity – illegal.

    Climbing on our war memorials – illegal.

    Treating protest as an excuse to engage in disruptive acts like criminal damage, blocking highways or ignoring police instructions – we’re ending that too.

    And when Hizb ut-Tahrir celebrated that October 7th attack this government drew a line in sand and proscribed it.

    But we need to go further – especially in our universities.

    What is happening right now on campuses is simply not acceptable.

    Jewish students are being targeted, threatened, and assaulted simply for being Jewish.

    The Chaplain at the University of Leeds having to take his family into hiding after death threats because he’s an IDF reservist.

    Iranian generals – let me say that again – Iranian generals – giving antisemitic speeches as people abuse the right to freedom of speech as a cover for hate speech.

    This cannot go on.

    Where people break the law on our campuses they will be met with the full consequences.

    And where they create a culture of intimidation we will hold the university leadership to account.

    University leaders must take personal responsibility for protecting Jewish students in their institutions.

    I want you to know that we are calling in the Vice Chancellors of the country’s leading universities to meet in Downing Street to discuss exactly how they will do that.

    And this goes to my third point.

    Because we cannot just litigate our way to defeating antisemitism and extremism.

    We’ve also got to change the culture in our country.

    Where is the willingness to speak out and challenge hateful narratives?

    Where is the ability to disagree with each other while retaining respect for one another?

    None of this will change overnight.

    It will take painstaking work over months and years.

    But this government will lead by example and make an unprecedented effort to tackle the root causes of antisemitism across our society in a more joined up way.

    We will call out hateful narratives.

    We’ll invest in interfaith work to build greater community cohesion and understanding between others tackling anti-Muslim hatred as well as antisemitism, with the help of brilliant organisations like Tell Mama.

    But we won’t fund those who risk undermining that effort.

    So when the Inter Faith Network charity appointed a trustee from the Muslim Council of Britain whose previous leaders have taken positions that contradict our fundamental values we ended their funding.

    We will continue to use all our diplomatic efforts to free the hostages through an immediate humanitarian pause.

    Earlier this month I met the families of Emily Damari, Nadav Popplewell, Eli Sharabi and Oded Lifschitz.

    Their harrowing ordeal is beyond heartbreaking.

    We have to bring them home.

    And we must work towards the long-term future we all want to see, of a safe and secure Israel with Palestinians living in dignity on a pathway to a viable Palestinian State.

    But we don’t achieve anything by calling for a permanent ceasefire without those hostages being returned and Hamas being removed from Gaza.

    A permanent ceasefire without those things isn’t a ceasefire at all.

    It’s a victory for Hamas.

    And this government won’t stand for it.

    The biggest step we can take in changing our culture is education.

    As so many of our extraordinary Holocaust survivors have said so much more eloquently than I ever could we’ve got to teach people not to hate.

    That’s why we’re investing another £7 million to tackle antisemitism in our schools and universities.

    And it’s why the Learning Centre is such an important part of the Holocaust Memorial.

    Not only to educate those who visit the Memorial in London but as the cross-party Holocaust Commission first recommended to support a national educational mission to fight antisemitism and hatred in all its forms.

    Britain is the most successful multi-ethnic democracy on earth.

    But we won’t stay that way if we end up with some communities living parallel lives.

    It is not enough to live side-by-side, we must live together united by shared values and a shared commitment to this country.

    Let me finish on a personal note and I hope a positive one.

    Now my own personal story is different from yours.

    Despite the assertion in the Jewish Chronicle that and I quote – “Rishi Sunak is a nice Jewish boy” I’ve still not found any Jewish ancestry in my family tree.

    But I do know something of what it is like to be seen as different from others and even to experience hatred directed towards your community because of who you are.

    I know something of what it is like to be part of a community that is both proud of its own heritage and proud of its Britishness too.

    I know something of what it is like to be part of a community that integrates with others from all backgrounds in society and that makes such an extraordinary contribution to our proud multi-faith, multi-ethnic democracy.

    That’s why supporting Britain’s Jewish community feels so personal to me.

    You represent who we are and what we stand for in the world.

    And that’s not just something to be defended.

    It’s something to be cherished and celebrated.

    And that is what I will always do.

    Thank you.

  • James Cartlidge – 2024 Speech at the International Military Helicopter Conference

    James Cartlidge – 2024 Speech at the International Military Helicopter Conference

    The speech made by James Cartlidge, the Minister for Defence Procurement, on 27 February 2024.

    On the subject of medium helicopters as it were, as you know, they’ve been involved in almost every operation of significance for decades, ferrying troops and supplies under fire in the Falklands, Iraq and Afghanistan and evacuating casualties, helping NATO restore peace to the Balkans, saving countless lives with humanitarian aid from Mozambique to the Caribbean, and moving our diplomats around Kabuk when travel by road was too dangerous. And they have been in a constant state of readiness in a counter-terrorism role.

    Now over the decades, UK Governments have commissioned, procured and upgraded numerous platforms including many iconic names that you’re all very familiar with, from the Scout in the 1950s, the Sea King in the 1960s, the Lynx, Puma and Gazelle in the 1970s to the more recent Wildcat and Merlin, and I’ve had the privilege of flying in a number of them, recently aboard one of our Wildcats flying to Yeovilton to see how artificial intelligence has improved their support and crucially, their availability. Very recently I visited RAF Valley to fly in the Jupiter training helicopter and actually learned while I was there this really pleasing fact that, for the first time in a long time, we now have more pupils training than in hold, which is, as you know, one of the accumulated issues from the pandemic which led to significant holes. So that’s really positive,

    But a particularly memorable flight for me was last summer between Schipol and Den Helder for what’s called the Navy Day in the Netherlands. Is anyone here from the Netherlands? I don’t know if you were there, but anyway, I had an interesting ride with the Dutch Marines in the NH-90. So we’re just flying about 2,000 feet. I was in that seat by the door. You have a little sort of X-strap. And the marine said, ‘Minister you want to put your plastic glasses back on. I’m gonna give you a close up view of the offshore wind farms’, and he opened the door. All I can say is if you’ve ever experienced that, it’s very windy a few thousand feet up. The thought that went through my mind was ‘I think the Prime Minister is going to have to have another by-election very quickly’. It was very windy.

    Turning to procurement and the main subject, so when my predecessor took the decision in 2021, to invest in the next generation of medium helicopter power – the efficiencies that would come from a versatile single platform were clear for all to see in terms of procurement, training, contract support, and maintenance. Fast forward to today and we’re at the next stage of that process. I’m pleased to announce that I’m about to issue the paperwork that will initiate an invitation to negotiate with all three candidate suppliers of our next generation New Medium Helicopter, Airbus Helicopters UK, Leonardo Helicopters UK, and Lockheed Martin UK.

    All three companies have shown their platforms can meet the different needs of our Armed Forces, and you’ll note, listed alphabetically without any prejudice, all good competitor companies. So later, you can hear more about the process and other procurement programmes from Commodore Woodard, our SRO, senior responsible owner for delivering the New Medium Helicopter programme. And I know Commodore Woodard shares my determination to ensure that this programme is a beacon of smart procurement because as you will discover quite soon hopefully we are right in the middle of a very significant form of defence acquisition in the UK.

    So this will be built around affordability and more timely and thorough challenge. Future proofed by factoring adaptability and spiral development at the concept stage. And above all, a procurement programme that implements the lessons from Ukraine which is quite simply that we must close vulnerabilities in our supply chains by strengthening UK defence skills and production. We want to expand on each of these elements. When we first announced the programme, we quickly put in train a pre-qualification process to select credible candidates ahead of the outline business case stage. This has delivered significant efficiencies for both government and industry.

    We’ve also adapted our approach as a result of timely and robust internal decisions, ditching our original plan to include helicopters for our bases in Cyprus and Brunei within this programme, and instead announcing our intention to acquire six Airbus H155 helicopters to avoid unnecessary over-speccing, and overspending on platforms that were never intended operating in a war zone. In short, making a significant saving without the inefficiencies of diversifying our existing helicopter fleet.

    Another important feature of our Medium Helicopter programme will be our ability to spirally develop these platforms – we will order largely off the shelf models with open system architecture that we can spiral with enhanced capabilities to meet different operational needs or to accommodate new innovations, meaning our new medium helicopter will be adaptable and future proof.

    The final element that reflects our smarter approach to procurement is our UK industrial contribution consideration. This is a points based decision making process that we have designed to favour suppliers who do more to strengthen the UK defence industrial base – which should account for 15% of our overall procurement decision, we will reward those who invest in the UK’s rotary wing design industry, a critical national capability and sector and it will advantage those platforms with export potential by using an export criteria that is worth 20% of the UK industrial contribution weighting. This matters because exports sustain UK manufacturing and high value jobs in the UK and they strengthen and sustain our indigenous skills base, which is essential to building resilience into our defence sector and national security and critical if we are to remain a global player in the sector for decades to come.

    Our New Medium Helicopter programme is one of the very first to have this pro-export component built into our selection criteria. As Minister for Defence Procurement, I will ensure exportability becomes a factor in all relevant new procurement programmes. We’ll be saying more on that soon. But that formula of the design requirement plus export requirements equals, if you like, a combination of the quality of work we want to see in the UK, plus its sustainability for the long term.

    And I will also work to ensure that an expectation of spiral development also becomes a default in all relevant programmes. Our procurement must have the dynamism and flexibility to respond to this era of seismic technological change. That means being open minded to all that tech can offer. No platform is sacred.

    So last week, I launched our new uncrewed systems strategy at the headquarters of a successful UK drone company, Malloy Aeronautics, they gave a demonstration of their T-150 drone, which has proven extremely effective delivering supplies to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, including supplying Ukrainian Marines on the other side of the Dnipro River. Underlining that they really are in action on the front line. And uncrewed systems like the Malloy drone are transforming warfare and they will continue to shape it in ways we are barely able to conceive. To make sure we keep ahead of our adversaries, we are building a renewed relationship between government and industry, turning intelligence from the battlefield into solutions in the factory and a competitive edge for our forces in weeks, days, even minutes.

    Now, obviously in lots of countries here some people may be sceptical about the speed of procurement as all countries face the challenge in this area. But my most insightful visit I’d say, as the Minister for Defence Procurement I’ve visited many bases and companies, was to a UK SME called Callen-Lenz, based in the southwest, who were spiralling a drone for use in Ukraine. And while I was there we had feedback from the frontline and the next day they put those changes in place. As Minister of Defence Procurement, you do not normally see that sort of turnaround in learning from procurement. That is the era we are now in – rapid spiral development. And I believe that taking that into account the recent decisions of the US to cancel their FARA programme was in large partly a reflection of this new reality and aligns with our own thinking.

    Procurement must be smart, agile, and responsive, ready to pivot and adapt to the changing nature of threats and to accommodate war-winning innovations. That’s why our next generation medium lift helicopter will deliver a Swiss Army Knife platform, future proofed and procured in a way to give the UK Armed Forces and our defence sector maximum clout and flexibility, a 21st century platform delivering on our modernisation agenda that can meet multiple needs now, and be easily adapted in the future, procured through a process that incentivises investment in the UK, which will deliver high value jobs, high value exports and help make us more secure. I look forward to your questions.

  • Robert Halfon – 2024 Speech to the Annual Apprenticeship Conference

    Robert Halfon – 2024 Speech to the Annual Apprenticeship Conference

    The speech made by Robert Halfon, the Education Minister, in Birmingham on 27 February 2024.

    Hello – I’m sorry I can’t be with you today as planned.

    I hope you’ve had a brilliant couple of days discussing every aspect of apprenticeships delivery.

    I want to say thank you to Shane [Mann] and FE Week for organising this conference.

    I always say that FE Week makes the life of a Skills Minister difficult – but it makes complacency impossible!

    Whenever I want to find out what’s going on in the DfE, I read FE Week.

    My whole political life has been about championing apprenticeships and skills.

    I’ve done this because I’ve seen the good they can do in my own constituency.

    They are the greatest tool we have for advancing social justice.

    A range of complementary training options, from Level 2 to degree level, will allow people of all backgrounds to climb the Ladder of Opportunity – gaining the skills they need to improve their income and their future.

    Recently I took a journey from West to East, from St Austell to Ipswich.

    The Proclaimers may have walked 500 miles, but I covered 843 over the course of National Apprenticeship Week.

    I met apprentices, employers and training providers who were full of enthusiasm for the programme, keen to demonstrate their skills and teaching.

    They really want skills education and industry to succeed in this country.

    More importantly, they are putting in the hard yards to make it happen.

    My 3 Goals for Apprenticeships

    The government’s reforms and investment have seen a transformation of the skills landscape.

    This has already brought about incredible dividends.

    There are now nearly 690 apprenticeship standards – each one designed by employers with IfATE to teach the skills that employees really need.

    While a lot has been achieved – with the help of many here today – there is still much to do.

    My 3 goals I’d like to discuss today are:

    • Building an Apprenticeships Nation
    • Prioritising quality over quantity, and
    • Making sure apprenticeships serve social justice, by bringing opportunities to those who need them most.

    Building an Apprenticeships Nation

    Building an Apprenticeships Nation means integrating apprenticeships into the way that everyone sees work, study and recruitment. They are not a minority pursuit for people who didn’t choose university, or just a pathway dedicated to ancient, guilded trades (though they’re great for those too!) They are about spreading opportunities to enter every trade possible, in away that allows the employer to specify your training. Currently nearly 70% of occupations can now be entered via an apprenticeship – and we intend to build on this! Apprenticeships should be part of the conversation at every Sixth Form careers fair, and whenever businesses seek to hire specific skills.

    The Levy

    To build an Apprenticeships Nation, these qualifications needed to be fully and intelligently financed. We met this challenge by asking the employers with the deepest pockets to contribute to high quality training. The Apprenticeship Levy came into effect in 2017; it has allowed us to double apprenticeships spending in cash terms, from £1.2 billion in 2010-11 to £2.5 billion in 2022-23. To keep pace with the cost of living last year, IfATE awarded funding uplifts to almost 80 apprenticeship standards, by an average of 35%. And to ensure apprentices gain vital skills, we recently increased the apprenticeship funding rate for English and maths tuition by 54%.

    In 2024-25, we will spend £2.7 billion on high-quality apprenticeships.

    I’m passionate about the Apprenticeship Levy, and not just because of the money it brings in!

    Putting a statutory obligation on big companies to contribute to the programme has really helped shift the culture in how apprenticeships are perceived and who offers them. It’s why I don’t agree with calls to spend the Levy on other skills training. Fewer apprentices would be employed, with more people doing shorter qualifications of varying quality. Using half of Levy funds in this way could have resulted in around 60% fewer apprentice starts last academic year.

    I’m determined that it will remain the Ronseal Levy that does what it says on the tin: supports employers to take-on more apprentices and invest in the high quality training needed for a skilled workforce.

    Degree Apprenticeships

    An Apprenticeships Nation means extending this training up to degree level, at the best universities. Degree apprenticeships are so important because of their unique offer. Students benefit from brilliant collaborations between top businesses and world-class universities which fit them for a great career, pay them a wage, and don’t charge tuition fees. This is particularly valuable to people from disadvantaged backgrounds. A degree apprenticeship can act as a launchpad to a highly-paid job for someone without any background in that industry. Level 6 apprentices have median earnings of over £34,500 once they complete – demonstrating just how valuable these workers are to employers.

    Over 222,000 people have started on these prestigious training pathways since 2015. That’s remarkable – but I’m determined that these opportunities reach many, many more people. It’s why we’ve made up to £40 million available for universities to expand degree-level apprenticeships.

    Careers Education

    But to really build an Apprenticeships Nation, we must continue our revolution in careers provision.

    School pupils should have awareness of apprenticeships, and where they can take you, well before their tertiary choices at 16. That is why we strengthened the provider access legislation, known as the Baker Clause, via the Skills and Post-16 Education Act in 2022. We now stipulate that every school must provide pupils with a minimum of six education and training provider encounters, to build their understanding of what technical routes can offer.

    I am determined that students have more opportunities to see industries and occupations up close, and to learn about the benefits of technical routes and skills education. Over 95% of schools and colleges are now part of The Careers & Enterprise Company’s network of Careers Hubs, working with almost 400 major employers.  Our ASK programme is raising older pupils’ awareness of the benefits of apprenticeships and T Levels. It had 625,000 interactions with young people in over 2,400 schools in 2022/23.

    I’ve met with Sir Martyn Oliver since his appointment as the Chief Inspector of Ofsted, and he is fully onboard with this vital aspect of skills reform – that careers education fully educate pupils on all their options.

    Quality over Quantity ..but we still want more!

    My next goal for apprenticeships is quality over quantity. There is no point wracking-up huge numbers of participants if the training people receive is not second to none.

    To raise the prestige of vocational, technical education, we must ensure that these employer-led qualifications are to the highest standard.

    If you compare pre-2010 apprenticeships with 2024 apprenticeships, you’re not comparing apples and pears. You’re comparing apples with tortoises.

    There were fewer than half a million people participating in apprenticeships in 2009/10.

    Those training programmes had no requirement to last at least a year, and no minimum guided learning hours.

    Last year over 750,000 were participating – and training to the more rigorous, industry-designed standards we introduced from 2014.

    I know participation has fluctuated over the last decade, as high quality standards and the Levy were introduced.

    But quality matters more than quantity because it serves everyone in the long term – businesses, the economy and learners’ outcomes. Quality will help us to achieve our ambition of reaching a 67% achievement rate for apprenticeship by 2025.

    Government is sometimes accused of not thinking about the long term.

    I’m glad we did 10 years ago, at about the same time as the first Annual Apprenticeship Conference was being organised.

    Now, although I prioritise quality over quantity, quantity comes a close second.

    This academic year we’ve already seen over 160,000 apprenticeship starts, up 3% on the same period the previous year. Among those, the number of young people under 19 starting an apprenticeship is up by 6%, to over 50,000 starts. Overall, 65% of these starts are at Levels 2 & 3 – the crucial point at which young people may finish their education. An apprenticeship allows them to build to higher levels later if they chose.

    There have been nearly 27,000 apprenticeship starts at degree level in the first quarter, up 4% on same period last year. And the number of achievements is up 22% so far this academic year, with 37,400 people passing their apprenticeship.

    But that’s not enough!

    It won’t surprise you to hear I want as many people as possible to do apprenticeships.

    Social justice

    My final goal for apprenticeships is that they serve social justice.

    This is a core part of my personal mission in politics, and why I have such enthusiasm for this training.

    It is not fair that opportunities to enter good work, with progression and a rising pay scale are often not given to those who need them most.

    Apprenticeships provide a Ladder of Opportunity for people to climb to a better life – that’s why I champion them.

    I’m keen that we present apprenticeships to all kinds of candidates as an attractive, supported option. This includes young people who’ve spent time in care, and haven’t enjoyed a stable family life to guide decisions about their future. In August we raised the bursary for care-experienced apprentices to £3,000. These young people can now begin their training confident they can cover the living costs usually met by family. This is on top of the £1,000 available to both the employer and training provider who take on a care-experienced apprentice. It’s total of £5,000 additional funding for each young person who’s spent time in care, which will boost these apprentices’ outcomes.

    We know there are specific challenges to hiring younger apprentices, and those with health and learning conditions. That’s why we also provide an additional £1,000 of funding to employers and training providers who hire apprentices aged 19-24 with an Education, Health and Care Plan.

    The same subsidy is also available for hiring younger apprentices aged 16 to 18.

    And to further assist hiring candidates with an EHC plan, we have recently lowered the English and Maths requirements to ‘entry level 3’ for these apprentices.

    I also want to explore how we can help more disabled people to progress and complete their apprenticeship. That’s why we’ve begun a pilot scheme to help training providers offer quality mentoring to these individuals. It will give participants tailored support from someone who understands the apprenticeship programme, as well as their individual needs and circumstances.

    Social justice means making sure apprenticeships are offered as a choice to everyone who could benefit from them – particularly those unlikely to apply unless encouraged by their school or college.

    Conclusion

    We set lofty goals when we began reforming the apprenticeships programme 10 years ago.

    I’m determined that we continue to set our sights high, to make apprenticeships better and better throughout the 2020s and 2030s.

    I have a picture in my office of John F Kennedy – the 35th President of the United States.

    Back in the 1960s, he also had high ambitions.

    He said: “We choose to go to the Moon … and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”

    His point was – that’s what makes it worthwhile! We could spend less money and time and effort, but we wouldn’t have a space programme – or an apprenticeships programme – to be proud of.

    I know this because I’ve been campaigning for these reforms for a long time.

    We’re doing it not because it’s easy, but because it’s hard.

    We know that every apprenticeship undertaken, and every apprenticeship taken-on, means better prospects and security for the apprentice, and better business outcomes for the employer.

    Let me leave you with that high-flying thought.

    Thank you, and I hope you enjoy today’s conference.