The comments made by Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, on 31 October 2022.
Congratulations, @LulaOficial , on your election as President of Brazil. I look forward to working with you to address pressing global challenges, from food security to trade and climate change.
The comments made by Mark Spencer, the Minister for Food, on BBC News on 31 October 2022.
INTERVIEWER
[Mentioned that another incident about sewage being pumped into the sea. Why was this happening?]
MARK SPENCER
It’s something that we need to stop. It is again when we get huge downpours of rain, it is quite a challenge to deal with that volume of water within those sewage facilities. We can all help as individuals, we can all check where the water spout from the roof, it shouldn’t go into the sewage system. Actually, one of the challenges as people build an extension on their house or put their conservatory up, they drop the down pipe into the sewage system and not into a soakaway or into a top water drain. One thing that you could do as an individual is check your own down pipe and check where they go.
INTERVIEWER
[Asked what the Government was going as they’ve been in power for 12 years and things aren’t getting any better]
MARK SPENCER
It is getting better.
The comments made by Adrian Ramsay, the Joint Leader of the Green Party, on Twitter on 31 October 2022.
Huge congratulations to @LulaOficial on his election as President of Brazil. His victory marks a real sense of hope for the people of Brazil and for protecting the Amazon.
The comments made by Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, on 31 October 2022.
Congratulations to @LulaOficial on the great news of his election as President of Brazil. This win must also be the start of a new era of global cooperation and action in the fight against climate change.
The comments made by Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, on 31 October 2022.
Congratulations to @LulaOficial on his victory in Brazil’s election. I look forward to working together on the issues that matter to the UK and Brazil, from growing the global economy to protecting the planet’s natural resources and promoting democratic values.
The comments made by Suella Braverman, the Home Secretary, on 30 October 2022.
There was a distressing incident in Dover earlier today. I am receiving regular updates on the situation. My thoughts are with those affected, the tireless Home Office staff and police responding. We must now support those officers as they carry out their investigation.
The comments made by Rachel Reeves, the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, on Twitter on 31 October 2022.
Families across the country are now facing eye-watering mortgage hikes of £6,700 a year.
12 years of Tory failure and economic chaos are turning people’s dreams into nightmares.
We need stability for our economy and a proper plan for growth.
The comments made by Mark Spencer, the Minister of State for Food, on Sky News on 31 October 2022.
INTERVIEWER
[Asked about danger of personal mobile phones being listened into and secrets overheard]
MARK SPENCER
We all talk on personal phones don’t we? I ring my wife and maybe there’s some little man in China listening to my conversations between me and my wife. You just have to be careful about what information you use on which phone.
![PRESS RELEASE : Government to take no further action under the National Security and Investment Act (2021) on Royal Mail share acquisition [October 2022]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/businessenergy.png)
The press release issued by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on 31 October 2022.
The government has today (Monday 31 October) decided to take no further action under its national security powers on the proposed increase in shareholdings by Vesa Equity Investment in Royal Mail.
The proposed acquisition of increased shareholdings in Royal Mail by Vesa Equity Investment was called in for a full national security assessment by the previous Business Secretary on 25 August 2022.
The government has powers under the National Security and Investment Act (2021) to scrutinise and, if necessary, intervene in qualifying acquisitions on national security grounds.
Following careful consideration, the government will take no further action on the acquisition of increased shareholdings by Vesa Equity Investment in Royal Mail and a Final Notification has been issued to parties.
The government will not hesitate to act to prevent risks to the UK’s national security where we judge action is necessary. Under the National Security and Investment Act (2021) acquisitions are assessed on a case-by-case basis, so any future acquisition could be subject to a separate assessment under the Act if deemed necessary.
![PRESS RELEASE : Trussell Trust Top Priorities for New Prime Minister [October 2022]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/trusselltrust.png)
The press release issued by the Trussell Trust on 27 October 2022.
Over recent weeks, opinion polls about the popularity or otherwise of our political leaders have animated debate, shaped decisions and filled many pages and screens of media content.
As Rishi Sunak takes up the role of Prime Minister, we are calling on him to turn his attention to the public’s opinion on a different matter, and one which is of critical importance at this time.
Eighty-five percent of adults in the UK agree that ensuring everyone has enough money for basic needs should be a high priority for the UK Government.1
And in a period when the cost of essentials including food and fuel are spiralling, only 20% of UK adults believe our benefits system is doing a good job of protecting people from poverty.
We urge the new Prime Minister to take action on this. Protecting people from destitution, which means not being able to afford the essentials we all need to stay warm, fed and dry, clearly matters to the UK public, and we know this is a concern for MPs across all parties too.
Sadly, this isn’t just a matter of opinion. Our data on food bank use over recent months give us reason to expect this will be our network’s busiest ever winter, worse even than the levels of need we saw during the pandemic. Food bank use data is a barometer, and what it tells us is that hundreds of thousands of households across the UK are already struggling or unable to afford the essentials, often going without meals in order to make ends meet, and that many more will fall deeper into poverty this winter if further action is not taken.
“I want to build a country where ideally nobody needs to use a food bank”
Rishi Sunak, speaking to the media during the summer leadership contest.
As Chancellor he remarked that it was his job to ensure that people didn’t need to turn to food banks for support. As Prime Minister he now has the opportunity to make this aspiration a reality.
Measures introduced during Sunak’s time as Chancellor, including the £20 uplift to Universal Credit and the Cost of Living payments being made to people who are entitled to certain benefits or tax credits, have had an important impact for people on the lowest incomes. But with 40% of people on Universal Credit reporting in August that they had skipped meals during the previous three months to keep up with other essential costs, much more support is needed to protect people from destitution this winter and beyond.
The circumstances are undoubtedly extremely challenging, globally and domestically. But in the face of very difficult choices, this government must place a high priority on protecting people most at risk of harm in this crisis: namely people on the lowest incomes who are at risk of being unable – or indeed are already unable – to afford the essentials.
Three areas we urge the new Prime Minister to take action on as a priority are:
We stand ready to work with the Prime Minister and his government, and with politicians of all political parties, to make our vision of a UK where nobody needs to use a food bank a reality.
As the Prime Minster himself said, in September last year:
“Everyone should be able to afford the essentials and we’re committed to ensuring that’s the case.”
He must honour this commitment.
1This survey was conducted by YouGov Plc UK. The survey was completed online. The total sample size for this survey was 12,338 UK adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 24th August and 13th September 2022. The figures have been weighted by age, gender, social grade, ethnicity and UK region, and are therefore representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).