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  • Theresa May – 2018 Speech at the UK – French Summit

    Below is the text of the speech made by Theresa May, the Prime Minister, on 18 January 2018.

    Prime Minister Theresa May

    Président Macron, je suis très heureuse de vous accueillir aujourd’hui pour votre première visite au Royaume-Uni en tant que Président.

    President Macron it gives me great pleasure to welcome you here today for your first visit to the UK as President.

    There can be no more fitting venue than Sandhurst for these talks. For we are gathered here at one institution to celebrate and strengthen another – the enduring alliance between the UK and France.

    Ours is a uniquely close relationship between two of the world’s oldest and greatest democracies.

    We meet in the year that marks a century since the end of the First World War, when our troops fought side-by-side in defence of our shared belief in freedom and resistance against aggression.

    And we have been clear again today that as global, outward-looking nations we remain committed to defending our people and upholding our values as liberal democracies in the face of any threat, whether at home or abroad. But our relationship has always gone far beyond defence and security.

    Hundreds of thousands of British citizens live in France and a similar number of French nationals have made the UK their home.

    And today we have agreed ways in which we can build on these ties for the benefit of all our citizens.

    While this Summit takes place as the UK prepares to leave the EU, we are and will remain a steadfast partner to our friends and allies.

    And a strong and deep relationship between the United Kingdom and France remains in both of our interests.

    Defence

    The President and I agree on the importance of the UK-France relationship, not just to our security but to European security.

    We are the only European countries who are permanent members of the UN Security Council as well as members of the G7, G20 and NATO.

    And we are Europe’s two foremost military powers.

    It is incumbent upon us to demonstrate leadership in meeting the great challenges of our time, and upholding the international rules-based system.

    We have agreed that UK-France co-operation remains critical to European defence and that together we will continue to play a full role to improve the security of the continent.

    And today we can confirm that the UK-France Combined Joint Expeditionary Force will be ready to deploy up to 10,000 troops quickly and effectively to face any threat by 2020.

    The shared interests of the UK and France and indeed Europe itself extend far beyond our immediate borders. Africa’s security and prosperity is vitally important to us all. In recent years the UK and France worked side-by-side to combat the global threat posed by the Ebola epidemic.

    And today I can announce that in the same spirit of co-operation we will step-up our efforts in the Sahel to prevent Islamist extremism breeding instability and insecurity, fuelling the migration crisis.

    The UK will deploy three UK Chinook helicopters and their crews to the Sahel, and we will continue the support we offer through our heavy lift transport aircraft, increasing the ability of French troops to manoeuvre effectively in their battle against extremists.

    During our discussions today the UK and France have also agreed to work together to ensure EU African Peace Facility funding for AMISOM in Somalia, as part of a comprehensive approach on the continent.

    Closer to home we will stand together in the face of Russian aggression in eastern Europe, where France has agreed to commit troops to the UK-led NATO battlegroup in Estonia in 2019.

    This commitment will build on the successful joint deployment which we visited together last year.

    Security

    Since the last UK-France Summit we have seen appalling and cowardly terrorist attacks in both our countries, in which British and French citizens have died side-by-side.

    There is no circumstance in which we could envisage the vital interests of either the United Kingdom or France being threatened without the other one being affected.

    To tackle this shared threat, for the first time in history all of the heads of UK and French intelligence agencies were brought together ahead of this Summit in a single meeting, underlining our unique co-operation in this field. This afternoon they briefed the President and me on the work they do together.

    It is clear that this co-operation is preventing loss of life on both sides of the Channel and around the world.

    And today we have discussed ways in which we can increase and enhance our collaboration to continue to keep our citizens safe.

    Migration

    The UK and France share a belief in a comprehensive approach to mass migration. And as our efforts in the Sahel and across Africa demonstrate, we will work together to address the instability which fuels it.

    President Macron and I have both confirmed that the UK and France remain committed to the principles of the longstanding Le Touquet agreement, under which the UK is able to carry out full border checks on French soil.

    And today we have agreed additional measures which will work in the best interests of both France and the UK, increasing the effectiveness of our co-operation.

    We will reinforce the security infrastructure with extra CCTV, fencing and infra-red technology at Calais and other border points.

    In 2016 more than 56,000 attempts by clandestines to cross the Channel were stopped at the UK’s juxtaposed border controls.

    The further investment we have agreed today will make the UK’s borders even more secure.

    The UK and France also share a determination to tackle the people traffickers and migrant smugglers who exploit the misery of those making the perilous journey to Europe.

    We are committed to working closely together to close down the networks of smugglers who seek to profit from the misery of others.

    Prosperity

    UK-French economic co-operation is vital to our shared prosperity.

    We share £71billion in trade, making France the UK’s third largest trading partner and the UK France’s fifth largest.

    And our trade relationship continues to thrive following the vote to leave the EU.

    Airbus, a company whose supply chain and ownership spans Europe, have today announced a multi-billion pound deal to provide Emirates Airlines with 36 A380 passenger aircraft, parts of which will be built in both the UK and France, providing a boost to both our economies.

    And just down the road from here in Farnborough UK and French engineers at the company are working side-by-side on the cutting edge Zephyr high-altitude surveillance drone.

    This collaboration on innovation runs through our relationship, and today we have agreed to strengthen the global competitiveness of our world-class researchers and innovators, deepening co-operation between our research agencies.

    People-to-People

    But the UK-France relationship is about far more than a balance sheet.

    Both President Macron and I believe that everyone in society deserves the same opportunities regardless of where they come from.

    And we will use our relationship to make this happen, supporting children from disadvantaged backgrounds to develop their employability and language skills.

    We will create a new fund for exchanges between our schools and revitalising the Entente Cordiale programme with new financing, so that our students can study across the Channel.

    Our shared history will also be reflected in the loan of the Bayeux Tapestry to the UK in 2022, the first time it will be on British soil in more than 900 years.

    The loan of the Tapestry will form part of a wider cultural exchange taking place between Britain and France over the next four years.

    I am honoured at the loan of such a precious piece of our shared history which yet again underscores the closeness of our relationship.

    We have agreed to build a new generation of links between our people, with an ambitious programme of twinning towns and regions, bringing together mayors, leaders of City Regions and others as they address today’s challenges and harness the potential of emerging technologies.

    The UK and France are forever neighbours, united in friendship, and by our common belief in freedom and justice, both at home and in the world.

     

    President Emmanuel Macron

    Thank you very much Madame Prime Minister. Thank you Theresa for welcoming us.

    Ladies and gentlemen I would like to thank the PM for welcoming us here in this magnificent Royal Academy of Sandhurst for this 35th Franco-British Summit. You perfectly reminded us of the historic and deep link which is ours. At the outset of our discussions today I reiterated the two things that nothing can change, be it a vote or a political decision: our history and our geography. These place us together before a common destiny, common geostrategic threats and there is a common destiny which lies there. And it is that which we need to understand today – both the links which exist between the women and men of our two countries, many of whom live and have got used to living on both sides of the Channel, and our shared stories.

    You [PM] stated it perfectly: the first axis of this bilateral relationship and what we have to construct together is to continue to have a common reading and commitment in the realm of foreign policy. The foreign and development policy compact was signed today by ministers which enacts the holding of regular meetings and permanent exchanges on the major issues. Be it Iran, Libya or the Sahel, we are both very attached to working closely together and that all of Europe can work together, in particular on Iran – an issue of considerable concerns to us. This is our wish. And as we have done from the start, we will do so on the one hand by respecting the commitments we made in signing an international agreement because it is the basis of our international credibility; and on the other hand, by reinforcing the collective security in the region via a resolute action to reduce ballistic activities and Iran’s regional influence and also by respecting the framework we gave ourselves.

    On Africa and the Sahel we took several major decisions. I’ll come back to the military plan. We have confirmed your [the UK’s] participation in the alliance for the Sahel which we launched in Bamako last July. It is, I think, an important gesture which is coherent with our strategy aiming to have a common action where we lead together on major issues, particularly in Africa, with common development goals in areas like education and particularly education for young women, health and the fight against global warming. I consider this investment, which was agreed today in the alliance for the Sahel, as an important gesture which contributes to this wider dynamic. When you have this shared policy or at least this convergence or shared outlook on foreign policy, this community of views and interests we give ourselves the means to create a strategic and defence community.

    This is the sense of our relationship with the Lancaster House agreements which date from 2010 and which are in no way called into question by the British vote and the organisation of Brexit. We forcefully reiterated and we continue to invest content in them via the defence relationship which is unique between our two countries. For me, it is one of the elements of credibility for our joint commitments in numerous theatres of operation and testifies to the excellent operational dynamic between our armies.

    You [PM] reminded us we know how to react quickly and with force when we have ascertained a common objective. We had the opportunity to evoke at length our strategic relationship. The main points of our engagement are in the communiqué but I would like to insist on the importance of that relationship.

    Our cooperation in our common arms programme is vast and includes future air combat with our cutting-edge technology, combat drones for which we have asked our defence ministers to perfect a work programme from now until Spring, a project to counter submarine threats and the development of the future generation of missiles which make MBDA one of the international leaders in this area.

    All these projects have been confirmed and reinforced with an agenda which now renders them completely operational.

    Our cooperation in military matters are not just limited to capability development but depends just as much on operational cooperation. The Prime Minister described the UK’s support to the Barkhane mission in the Sahel and I would like to now underline the importance of this commitment to provide Chinook helicopters, the military and support staff. This strong commitment on Barkhane is for us a strong signal of our common view and the will to fight terrorism together in the Sahel-Saharan region. It constitutes a real effort which we wanted.

    Last September we were together in Estonia to visit the deployed British and French troops under British command as part of the NATO advanced presence. I have decided to deploy a new French military detachment in 2019 within the British tactical group. This French commitment to NATO will allow us to further deepen the interoperability between our armies and is also the manifestation of our shared will in this geographic region and a country dear to us.

    We also discussed European defence which has recently undergone major changes with the launch of the permanent structured cooperation project and the creation of the European defence fund. These proposals will prosper within the EU but I think it is indispensable that the very strong relationship between our two countries can continue to contribute to the development of a European defence structure on the basis of procedures developed with our European partners. But already we have built the framework such that this can happen. In the immediate future we agreed that the Franco-British defence relationship could contribute to the European intervention force initiative which will strengthen the links between the armies of a group of countries which are particularly advanced at the operational level.

    We then talked at length about the question of the management of our shared border and in particular the situation in Calais where I was two days ago with several ministers present here today. It’s an issue which you know well, Prime Minister, via your current and previous responsibilities in which you have had to manage it with France. I want to say here today that we saw on the ground two days ago all the difficulties which exist. The history in the region is well known – what was done with the destruction of La Jungle and the shortcomings of the current situation because what the population is experiencing today by the Calais population cannot be considered satisfactory.

    That’s why, and I thank you, the Ministers of the Interior signed a new treaty in front of us—the Treaty of Sandhurst—that will allow us to improve the relationship and management of our common border. It’s the first time in 15 years that we sign a common treaty on this subject. This treaty will allow us, as you have reminded us, to improve the technical and operational cooperation of the common border control, to better the work on transit, and on origins, to prevent movements of population. But it will also allow us to be smarter and more efficient in our cooperation in dealing with this common border. It’s a common challenge which we have to meet together. A new important point for this Sandhurst Treaty is the issue of unaccompanied minors. This treaty will allow us to drastically reduce waiting time for all of those who want to cross the Channel from six months to 30 days for adults and from 6 months to 25 days for unaccompanied minors. It’s about our joint capacity to deal with the issue of unaccompanied minors who have family in the UK, and this will be a major element of this treaty: allowing for a more humane but also a more efficient procedure. I think this treaty will allow us to really change things, whilst also providing a response on the subject of so-called vulnerable minors, who are those unaccompanied minors not covered by the Dublin procedure.

    For me this is a huge step, it’s what I promised in front of the elected leaders and representatives of all the state institutions and the NGOs, and I think it’s a new form of organising our response that will allow us to have a more human approach and efficient system on this issue. This treaty will also help to preserve the quality of our common border and the economic link which it represents, since you [PM] have reminded us of it its importance. I think on both sides of the border we want to continue to develop economic exchanges, relations between our companies, and we have an existing trade that is very intense. But we need a secure border and we need to put an end to this situation, which has been going on for some years.

    Our Ministers of the Interior also agreed on some common projects with common governance that will accompany this situation. I will not list all the common projects we have agreed on here today and that our ministers will have to set up, but they are very varied. They show our deep relationship on nuclear, our research cooperation where we have agreed two important partnerships on space and genomics, our cooperation as economic actors in all sectors, our cooperation on sports and especially in the organisation of major sports events for which a letter of common intention was signed only a few days ago.

    The vast array of subjects covered includes lots of different sectors of the economy, both traditional and cutting-edge. Our cooperation on renewable energy and against global warming shows our willingness to commit together on these strategic issues at both a diplomatic level and on a concrete level with business projects. Before you ask me, I want to say something about Brexit, which hasn’t occupied the majority of these discussions, far from it. I respect the choice that the British people made, even though I regret it as everyone knows. I think that we’ve shown here today, and we will continue to show that, whatever the outcome of the negotiations, they will be managed in an established and organised framework with one unique European negotiator whose mandate we will discuss with him in March at the next European Council. But those discussions should never make us doubt the intensity and the quality of our bilateral relationship.

    Brexit will never stop us from having a very high level of cooperation between our two countries. It can create uncertainty on some subjects in the short term, but I think that our responsibility is to be able to manage this complexity and to be determined to improve the situation on each side of our border.

    This summit illustrates our common will to do just that. Because our relationship is based on this history and this geography that I mentioned earlier, it is also based on extremely strong human ties. We will have the occasion to witness this tonight with several personalities who illustrate the diversity and the quality of this bilateral relationship at the V&A in London, with people from the academic, business and sports sectors and young people. This generation exists already. It is a generation that will continue to grow the bilateral relationship.

    This relationship is based on this unique history that I was talking about, which resonates particularly in this the year of the centenary of the First World War, that saw so many French and British perish side by side. I have in my own family history, traces of not only the war but also of this Franco-British link from that period. But all this dates back even further, this history of almost a thousand years old, can also be seen in the exchange of the Bayeux Tapestry.

    This tapestry is unique, it is a source of pride for France and for Bayeux. There is a lot of work ahead for our ministers, local officials, and all the actors involved in this project. But I wish, as I said in Athens during my Pnyx speech, that we can bring to life this Europe of culture and of cultural heritage because it reminds us all of what precedes us and the responsibilities it entails. And this Bayeux Tapestry invites us to be very humble. Not towards William The Conqueror’s feats, but because of its creative genius and because of the story it tells. There will be a lot of scientific cooperation going on beyond the tapestry as this exchange is subject to very strict conditions that neither of us are part of, but it will be a matter for the experts as the tapestry is extremely fragile. The tapestry has never left French soil in almost 1000 years and it embodies the link between our two countries. I am hoping that the tapestry will open a chapter of reinforced cooperation at cultural and scientific levels. This will allow us to exchange even more artwork as well as allowing our citizens to enjoy this shared history, and also facilitate an on-going intellectual and creative exchange for our contemporary artists and the construction of a borderless imagination based on common stories which keeps them alive.

    This is what, ladies and gentlemen, I wanted to say in front of us all in order to remind us of our exchanges today and their implications whilst thanking again the Prime Minister, dear Theresa, for her welcome and our discussions.

    Q&A

    Question: PM – Many people will look at the Calais deal and think it looks a lot like you are sending money to France while taking migrants from France. Is this the thin end of the wedge? Mr Macron – After Brexit do you think UK PMs are more or less influential figures on the world stage? And is the loaning of the Bayeux Tapestry a sign you think you can win us back?

    PM: No. What we are doing is working with French authorities and providing support to ensure we enhance the security of our border. It is in our national interests, as well as those of the French. But, as you’ve heard, there is a question over unaccompanied minors. We have over time taken a number. We need to ensure for those with family in the UK, that the process is as smooth as possible, and that is what we have agreed, new ways to work together. And also agreed how we can provide support to France to reduce the flow of migrants to Calais and the UK, and that includes working together in Sahel and against human traffickers. So it is in our interests and those of France.

    Emmanuel Macron: it isn’t for me to assess the importance of one PM or another. But I know the UK is a permanent member of UN Security Council and that won’t be affected. We have shared interests, as seen in countering terror attacks, and in Middle East and Africa. The choices made today, in particular on Sahel and Iran, show we are working together, with a country that is a neighbour and a friend. We can of course sometimes have different views but we always agree when it comes to these topics which is why we can work together and why I am so determined in remarks on foreign policy and defence to ensure no changes on this because we are stronger together. For a number of centuries we have decided to wage war together and that has been beneficial to both countries. Next generations will enjoy peace between our countries and hopefully around the world. It requires diplomacy and peace building. We will do this together, creating a new tapestry together.

    Question: PM May – how many isolated minors or other migrants from France will be admitted to British soil and which time frame? And why accepting this French request? Do you expect any return in terms of Brexit. Mr Macron – in March 2016 you told FT that in case of Brexit, no more migrants in Calais. Why did you change your mind?

    PM: As I said before, the UK border in Calais is in UK and French interests. We all want to ensure we don’t see a return to migrant numbers in Calais seen in previous years. French action, together with UK support, has been effective but there are still migrant there. We must work together upstream to reduce numbers coming to Calais and seeking to get through to the UK. We have consistently accepted unaccompanied minors in the UK for some time. We have accepted those without families in the UK and those with families. Today we have agreed that we make that process as smooth as possible. We are working together also to ensure a secure border that will reduce the numbers going to Calais seeking to reach the UK.

    Emmanuel Macron: Le Touquet has nothing to do with Brexit. It is a bilateral agreement. I never said the Agreement should be torn up. To those who call for it, I suggest we remember the situation before, which was possibly worse. We have a shared border and must cooperate. Otherwise it would lead to a humanitarian disaster and one that is bad for both sides. I said we needed a major change and couldn’t have the situation in Calais that we had at the time. We are implementing that. I would commend work done in Calais to dismantle the Jungle. A lot of work has been done with Britain to deal with many topics. That said, the topic is not over and we have taken domestic decisions that have been implemented to aid the situation. Decisions made nationally and agreements today provide framework to bring about a concrete answer in coming months, so no more migrants living in Calais.

    Question: President Macron – why are you so keen to exclude financial services from future trading agreement? To punish Britain? To take British jobs? Or because you think the UK wants to ‘have its cake and eat it’, as Boris Johnson has said? PM – President Macron and others have said financial services will not be included in a deal. What will you do to change the EU’s mind?

    Emmanuel Macron: I am here neither to punish nor reward. I want to make sure the single market is preserved, as that is at heart of the EU. The choice is on the British side but no differentiated access to financial services. You can have access to single market but that means paying into the EU budget and accepting ECJ jurisdiction.

    PM: As set out at Lancaster House and Florence speech, we have a desire to negotiate a comprehensive FTA with EU-27 for a deep and special partnership in the future. We recognise we will no longer be full members of the single market. A different relationship in the future. But I believe it is in the interests not just of the UK but also of the EU to continue to have a good economic relationship and partnership with the UK and believe that should cover goods and services. City will continue to be a major global financial centre, which is good for UK and EU. We will enter negotiations looking for a deep and special partnership, comprehensive trade agreement, and also a strong security partnership. Once again, this is in the interests of all of us. We are leaving the EU, not Europe.

  • Theresa May – 2018 Speech at V&A Reception

    Below is the text of the speech made by Theresa May, the Prime Minister, at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London on 18 January 2018.

    I am delighted to welcome you to the world-famous V&A this evening – a jewel in the crown of Britain’s culture. And now, like so much of Britain, further enriched by a French contribution – with Alice Dietsch as Project Director for the development of the stunning Exhibition Road Quarter which opened last Summer. And I am very pleased that Alice joins us here this evening, together with British architect Amanda Levete, whose practice delivered the whole project.

    This evening marks the culmination of the 35th Franco-British Summit.

    Traditionally this Summit has focused on our security and defence partnership. And it is right that today we have deepened that partnership further.

    And of course we meet in the year that marks a century since the end of the First World War, when our troops fought side-by-side in defence of our shared belief in freedom and resistance against aggression.

    And today we stand together against new threats to that same shared belief in freedom. And as I said in my very first speech as Prime Minister in the British Parliament – in the aftermath of the appalling terrorist attack in Nice – “the values of liberté, égalité and fraternité will prevail.”

    But tonight is about even more than the defence of our shared values. It is about celebrating those values and the extraordinary depth of the people to people links between our countries.

    Here in this Gallery tonight we have partners in business that make up just some of the £71 billion of trade between our countries every year.

    Partners in science – from joint space programmes to joint working on genomics in the fight against cancer.

    Partners in culture – for example, with your wonderful offer to bring the Bayeux Tapestry to our shores. The first time in almost a thousand years that people right here in Britain will have the opportunity to see a piece of French art that is so important to both our national stories.

    Partners in sport – sharing ideas and expertise about major sporting events ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup and the 2024 Paris Olympics.

    Innovative charity partners like Street League and Sport Dans La Ville – working together to use the power of sport to help young people into jobs and training.

    Local partners – with mayors and school leaders who have built links across the Channel, like the new twinnings between Guildford and Versailles, and Tetbury and Chatillon.

    And the leaders of the next generation – including representatives from the young leaders’ programme of the Franco-British Council which launched last year and which I know is looking for new candidates for its second cohort – so please help them find the very best of British and French talent.

    All of us are here because we believe in the profound importance of the historic friendship between our countries – and because we want to strengthen it further for the future.

    Now as the United Kingdom leaves the European Union, I know there has been some uncertainty about that future and what it might mean for French people living here in Britain.

    So let me say this:

    En tant que Première Ministre du Royaume-Uni, je suis fière que plus de trois millions de citoyens européens y compris des centaines de milliers de nos amis français aient choisi de faire leur vie et de construire leur foyer ici, dans notre pays. J’attache une grande valeur à votre contribution à notre pays – vous enrichissez tous les secteurs de notre économie, de notre société, de notre culture, de nos vies. Je sais que notre pays serait plus pauvre si vous le quittiez, et je souhaite que vous restiez.

    [Translation: As Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, I am proud that more than three million EU citizens [including hundreds of thousands of our French friends] have chosen to make your homes and livelihoods here in our country. I greatly value the depth of the contributions you make – enriching every part of our economy, our society, our culture and our national life. I know our country would be poorer if you left and I want you to stay.]

    I know that Emmanuel feels the same about the British community in France.

    And we are proud that the agreement we secured at last month’s EU council means that French people living here and Brits living in France can carry on living their lives as before.

    But the ambition that we share for the future relationship between the UK and France is so much greater.

    So today, more than a century on from the “entente cordiale” let us celebrate our own “entente chaleureuse”.

    And let us show just how much this friendship matters to us all – today and for the generations to come.

  • Theresa May – 2018 Speech on Jo Cox Legacy

    Below is the text of the speech made by Theresa May on 17 January 2018.

    Thank you, thank you very much for those excellent words, Seema, and good afternoon, everyone. It’s an honour to have you all here today as we remember the life of a remarkable woman and thank those who are continuing the work that meant so much to her. And I’d like to give a very special welcome to Jo’s immediate family. Her husband, Brendan, who has been an inspiration to so many over the past year and a half. Her wonderful children, Cuillin and Lejla; her proud parents, Jean and Gordon; Brendan’s parents, Sheila and Gordon; and Jo’s beloved little sister, Kim. Kim once said of her older sister that she wasn’t a complainer but a doer. It’s all too easy to stand on the side lines and say that something must be done. Actually getting out there and doing it, as Jo did throughout her life, takes an extra level of effort and commitment. And that determination to make things happen, to bring about change, was something that defined Jo’s work, both before and after she entered Parliament. And in the 19 months since her death, it’s a legacy that has been carried forward both by her family and by the Foundation and Commission that bears her name, and at the heart of that work is the fight against loneliness.

    In a country of more than 60 million people, and in an age where we can instantly connect with friends, relatives and even strangers around the world, it may seem counterintuitive that any of us could find ourselves feeling lonely. Yet, more than 9 million of us say that we always, or often, feel lonely. 200,000 older people have not had a conversation with a friend or a relative in more than a month. Up to 85% of young adults with disabilities say they feel lonely most days.

    As Jo herself used to say, loneliness doesn’t discriminate. But just as loneliness can affect any of us, so any of us can help to tackle it. And that could mean simply popping round to see an elderly neighbour or picking up the phone to a relative. Or you could follow the example of Phil Burton, a former Royal Artillery Lance Bombardier who is here with us today. After leaving the Army, Phil realised that many of his ex-servicemen were suffering from social isolation; they had lost the close‑knit family that the Armed Forces provided. So, last year, he founded the Veterans Café in Lancashire. Its fortnightly get-togethers create a place where former members of the Armed Forces can come together, talk, share experiences and access support from charities and the NHS, and the projects proved a huge success, attracting hundreds of veterans of all ages. And just talking to Phil earlier on, he was saying that for many veterans they won’t open up to somebody in authority or somebody who’s there to help them, but they will open up to another veteran. And that is so important to them, and so many lives have been changed as a result of what Phil has done. So, I was delighted to meet him and present him with a Points of Light award earlier, which recognises outstanding volunteers in our country for their service to others. And the Veterans Café is exactly the kind of local project Jo supported, celebrated and encouraged.

    And over the past year and a half, the Jo Cox Foundation has continued that work, most notably with The Great Get Together, and last summer’s events were the biggest set of neighbourhood celebrations since the Jubilee street parties. I had the pleasure of attending one in my own constituency, and I am very pleased to confirm that The Great Get Together will return this summer, on 22nd June. It will bring together millions of people on what would have been Jo’s 44th birthday. I am certainly looking forward to it.

    But Jo’s legacy doesn’t end there. There is also the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness, created just over a year ago. And in the spirit of having more in common, it is, as you’ve just heard from Seema, jointly shared by two MPs: one Conservative, my good friend, Seema Kennedy, who you’ve just heard from; and one Labour, Rachel Reeves. And both worked closely with Jo during her all too brief time in Parliament. And both have spent the past 12 months looking at what the Government and others can do, to continue her legacy. And the Commission’s report, which was published just before Christmas, highlights a range of areas where action is needed. And in response, we’ve started work on an England-wide strategy to tackle loneliness, which will be published later this year.

    Work has also begun on developing the evidence base around the impact of different initiatives, across all ages and within all communities. And the Office of National Statistics is committed to establishing a framework for measuring loneliness, so consistent figures can be used in major research studies. And we will create a new, dedicated fund that will see government working with charities, foundations, and others, to stimulate innovative solutions, provide seed funding for community initiatives, and scale-up existing projects. And all this work will be overseen by a new ministerial lead on loneliness, Tracey Crouch. She will be keeping the challenge of tackling loneliness firmly on the agenda of colleagues across Whitehall. And any of you have met Tracey today at the reception, I think will agree that she is hugely enthusiastic about the role that she has taken on. Because this issue isn’t just an issue for our Health Service, or for local councils, every department has a role to play and Tracey will be responsible for bringing them all together to get things done, and she’ll be continuing to work closely with the Jo Cox Commission. And of course, she’ll also be collaborating with people like you here in this room today. People who, like Jo, believe in causes and ideals, in working together in making a difference. And when I look around the room today, those are the kind of people that I see. You are all contributing in your own way, but in so many different ways. And Tracey and I are looking forward to working with you to make this project a fitting tribute to everything that Jo stood for.

    In Brendan’s memoir of life with Jo, he recounts the awful first night after Cuillin and Lejla learnt that their mother had died, and he describes how Cuillin, then aged just five, wrote and sang a song in tribute to her; a song with a simple yet devastating refrain, ‘I love my mummy, I will not leave her behind’. Cuillin, don’t worry, none of us will leave your mummy behind. None of us will forget her life, her ideals, or what she stood for. And all of us will do all that we can to see that, in her memory, we bring an end to the acceptance of loneliness in our society. Thank you.

  • Anne Milton – 2018 Speech at Sixth Form Colleges Association Conference

    Below is the text of the speech made by Anne Milton, the Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills, at the Sixth Form Colleges Association conference on 17 January 2018.

    Thank you Bill for that very kind introduction, and for giving me the opportunity to speak here today. The work that you and your colleagues do to transform the lives of young people is so important for them and for the country. You change lives.

    As I have said before, I am determined to see the sixth form sector get the recognition it deserves. Indeed it is well earned – the work you do transforms lives.

    It probably should go without saying that I value the key role that Sixth Form Colleges and 16-19 academies have to play in post-16 education and I want to work with you to achieve so you can deliver outstanding outcomes for everyone. But I am saying it anyway! I think it is important to restate.

    Our shared vision of a sixth form sector that includes great colleges and academies with excellent teachers, embedded in communities, can only be reached if we work together. I will always be your advocate in Government. That’s what Ministers are there for. I know you have brilliant support from your local MPs whatever political party they belong to. If you have that don’t underestimate it.

    It is not just about great places to study, it’s also how you, as educators of sixth formers, respond to the social and economic challenges that we face as a country today: helping to tackle disadvantage, increasing social mobility and training our future leaders.

    We have significant challenges and there is a focus on the introduction of T-levels and apprenticeships. But, that shouldn’t and doesn’t eclipse how crucial the curriculum you deliver to a significant number of our children is. We want all post-16 education to be prestigious and you are the key leaders in providing consistency and continuity up to and beyond the introduction of T-levels, encouraging pupils into the direction that is right for them and allowing them to be achieve their potential.

    You know, and I know, how powerful the education and the college environment you provide is for social mobility. Social mobility is dependent on education. A few succeed without it – we all know of exceptions – but for the vast majority of us, social mobility doesn’t happen without education. You are there for young people who wish to pursue further education, particularly in academic subjects, and who are ready to study somewhere that is not school.

    That is also at the heart of the Department’s work: extending opportunity, giving a real choice to young people and unlocking ambition for everyone.

    Our recently published Social Mobility Action Plan – Unlocking Talent, Fulfilling Potential – talked about a high quality post-16 education choice for all young people.

    We have more people going to university than ever before, including more disadvantaged young people, but we need to expand access further to the best universities. We need rewarding careers and jobs that develop the potential of everyone.

    In December, I was very pleased to launch the Government’s careers strategy. It sets out a long-term plan to build a world-class careers system that will help young people and adults choose the career that’s right for them. This was a long time waiting for an announcement. For me the front cover says it all. Skills is the largest word. The strategy aims for every school and college to have an excellent dedicated Careers Leader and you can play your part working alongside schools, FE colleges, universities and other local organisations.

    For me, meeting the challenge of both making sure people are, and feel, they can change the direction of their lives – becoming socially mobile – is at the core of why I do this job. I will be your champion within government, ensuring your contribution and that drive for social mobility is understood.

    You have a key role in helping young people from disadvantaged backgrounds do well at university. And, by working together on this shared purpose, we are more likely to succeed. I try very hard never to use the word partnership, as it goes in the category of political clichés. But working together in a meaningful, constructive, dynamic and effective way matters. It can make a difference.

    At the Association of Colleges Conference, I spoke about changing the way we work together. I want to continue that discussion with you, both directly and through the Sixth Form College Association about your particular challenges and discuss any upcoming opportunities and how we can work together differently.

    There are three key areas that matter.

    The first of those is support: from Government, for the sector. Money matters, I know, but there are also other issues that can make a difference.

    Wherever we can, we want to harness capacity to improve from within the sector through collaboration, rather than relying on competition to achieve improvement.

    That’s what we are doing through the new Strategic College Improvement Fund and with the new National Leaders for Further Education programme.

    I am pleased that out of the six applications approved for the pilot phase of the Improvement Fund, two are from sixth form colleges. We have recently recruited the first of our new cohort of National Leaders and I am pleased that this includes Peter McGee from the outstanding St John Rigby Sixth Form College. He will work to help improvement in colleges. And for those of you that are academies, we have recently extended the Strategic Schools Improvement Fund so that it also covers all post-16 institutions.   I said we want to harness capacity from within the sector through collaboration, but where that capacity doesn’t exist we will invest with these funds in programmes such as the Strategic College Improvement Fund and the National Leaders of Further Education.

    I know there is widespread concern about the level of funding for 16-19 year olds and in particular for those young people who will continue to follow academic programmes rather than taking new T-levels.

    When we made the commitment in the 2015 Spending Review to protect the base rate of £4,000 per student per year until at least 2020, that did set spending plans for the next few years and we are still operating within that Spending Review plan. You would like more, I know. With more you can do more.

    However, we have announced additional money as an incentive to grow participation in level 3 maths, with an extra £600 per year for those above the baseline. Again, there is potential here for sixth form colleges to benefit. Yes, we will always return to the question of funding in the longer term and will want to continue to talk to the sector about how to secure the high quality education all our young people need, but to do this in an sustainable and affordable way. Sixth form colleges undoubtedly have a key role in this.

    It would be another cliché for me to say “we also want and need to play an active role in ensuring everyone in society reaches their fullest potential.”

    But I think you will agree that none of us can develop the best response to many of the biggest challenges we face if any of us work in isolation. Only by working together, will we realise our shared ambition of world class sixth form provision for everybody. Richard Atkins’ work as FE Commissioner is an example of this.

    You will know that I have recently extended his role to include sixth form colleges. As well as supporting sixth form colleges to overcome quality or finance issues, he will now step in to support colleges earlier to prevent quality or finance becoming issues in the first place. Richard has an outstanding record, raising standards and improving outcomes for learners, and his unique viewpoint has been of benefit to many colleges. As principal at Exeter College, Richard ensured the college delivered high quality A Level provision giving him insight into the challenges and benefits that come with that. For those of you that lead 16-19 academies, Regional Schools Commissioners play a similar role.

    The area review programme has also helped colleges to think differently. For example, Priestley College in Warrington, Cheshire was a trailblazer, converting to academy status as part of the newly formed The Challenge Academy Trust. Formalising some of the partnerships that emerged as part of the borough wide work during the area review, the Trust brings together existing academies and maintained schools.

    If we are to produce world-class provision, every educator in a region must work together for the good of their learners and local communities. Priestley College, at the centre of their learning community, is a shining example of this.

    The third area I want to touch on is the role you have to play within the local communities you serve, going further in looking outwards to your local communities.

    We should all strive to do more, to reach out to new ideas, to new relationships. We should not remain parochial, but always be looking for new ways to do things, such as innovative ways to make use of your collective resources for learners in your communities or being flexible and reaching out to other organisations and providers. Stale does not work. I am constantly looking for better ways of doing things. No wholesale change. But have we missed an opportunity? Could we extend the reach of good colleges? What about the children who find academic work a challenge? This is why I wanted to be an Education Minister – your Minister. Being open to new ways of thinking, being flexible around how we provide learning opportunities and having a learner centred focus will only improve what we are doing and what we are providing.

    As members of an increasingly diverse organisation, you being here today, continuing long-standing collaboration and beginning new ones with each other, will ensure that high quality post-16 education choice for all young people becomes a reality.

    As Ministers we are fortunate to have very helpful officials who draft us our speeches. And like many draft speeches, I read the conclusion ended with the words that “this is a hugely exciting and challenging time”. What does that mean? It is possibly political speak for the fact that the challenge is money.

    But I guess it is exciting too. Exciting because with the government focus on social mobility clear, we have a choice to change people’s lives.

    Without you – we cannot do this. Your hard work, your commitment and your belief in what you are doing will make that government focus on social mobility become a reality.

  • Greg Hands – 2018 Speech on Britain and German

    Below is the text of the speech made by Greg Hands, the Minister of State for Trade Policy, on 17 January 2018. The speech was originally made in German.

    It is a pleasure to join you today, especially in such an inspiring setting.

    I am particularly delighted to give this speech in German – it is a language very close to my heart.

    Indeed my home is filled with the German language. When I finish my day job as Minister for Trade Policy, I go home to my family: my German wife and our 2 children, both of whom can speak German better than me!

    I must say my children know how to take advantage of being both British and German.

    I should also tell you that as MP for Chelsea and Fulham, football is a big thing in my constituency.

    Before the last World Cup, I asked my son, “Which country are you going to support in the tournament?”

    “Papa,” he said, “I will split my loyalty in the tournament 50:50 between England and Germany. I will support England for the first half, and then switch to Germany”. He is a clever boy.

    We have a home in Germany too, and almost every year I visit the party conferences of both the CDU and the CSU. I may even have more friends in each of them then they have with each other.

    My ties to Germany go back beyond my career in politics. I lived for much of the years 1985 – 1988 in what was then called West Berlin.

    I discovered the particular Berlin dialect –Berlinerisch – while working as a Bädewarter in the exotic location of the Sommerbad Kreuzberg, and working at whatever holiday jobs I could find, such as a the Kaufhaus des Westens (or KaDeWe), and even McDonalds.

    During this time my love of German culture, people and language really took root.

    That is why today I am pleased to have been asked to speak to you about the special and enduring partnership that exists between Britain and Germany.

    If I achieve anything today it will be to impart to you the enthusiasm with which I and my ministerial colleagues believe in this partnership, and in the opportunities for us to work together in the years ahead.

    In June 2016 the people of Britain made a democratic decision to leave the European Union.

    More votes cast for Brexit than Prime Ministers Thatcher, Blair or Cameron ever managed to achieve. 1.3 million more people voted to leave than to remain.

    The instruction from the British people to their politicians, including those who had campaigned on the side of remain such as myself, was crystal clear.

    We are now more than a year on from that historic vote and things have changed. We are no longer a country defined by how we voted, but instead by our willingness to make a success of the result.

    I believe in the success that Brexit can be, if negotiators on both sides get it right.

    I am optimistic about Britain’s future as an independent trading nation and optimistic of the new partnership we will form with Europe and with Germany.

    As Prime Minister Theresa May has clearly stated, we want to be the EU’s strongest friend and partner. For us to thrive side by side.

    The British people chose to leave the European Union. We did not choose to leave Europe.

    Indeed we want to maintain and where possible strengthen our ties around trade, security, law enforcement and criminal justice cooperation.

    In 2016 the UK imported goods worth £242 billion from the EU.

    Conversely, the UK exported £145 billion worth of British goods to the EU in 2016.

    That amounts to a £97 billion goods deficit for the UK with the EU.

    That is why it is to both sides’ advantage that we secure the greatest possible tariff and barrier free access to European Markets, whilst offering the same access to the UK market.

    While the statistics I quote are rightly impressive, they fail to demonstrate the cultural and ideological ties that unite us and that underpin our trading relationship.

    Like Ludwig Erhard, we believe in the power of free trade to strengthen our economies, improve the lives of citizens and vitally to help build a more secure world.

    As Erhard said himself –

    As one’s economy grows, the value of human labour increases.

    Leaving the European Union is not a move away from this desire for improvement.

    Instead, we are becoming a more vocal champion.

    Before the decision to leave the European Union was taken, the department within which I am a minister, the Department for International Trade did not exist. Trade did not have a seat at the cabinet table and had not done for many years.

    Trade is now at the top of our agenda. Both as we move to a new, deep and special partnership with Europe but also as we look out to the world.

    We must both be passionate advocates for free trade at a time when the cause needs champions. The need to resist the tide of protectionism is an endeavour that unites Britain and Germany.

    As the Prime Minister has clearly set out- we are not looking for an ‘off-the-shelf’ solution. Instead the UK and European Union have the opportunity to build a new, bold and ambitious future economic partnership.

    This is of course an ambitious vision, but to quote Ludwig Erhard once more,

    In my experience small things fail too easily, but big plans are filled with a fascination that touches people and that in itself constitutes success.

    I was at the CDU party conference last year and was struck by Angela Merkel’s speech about how the largest demonstration in Germany in recent years was not against Putin, Assad or even Trump, but was against TTIP.

    Championing free trade will of course extend to our support of the EU’s trade agenda. While we remain a member, we will continue to support on-going trade negotiations with third countries. After we leave, we will continue to argue for trade liberalisation at the EU level.

    We want prosperous free trading neighbours on our doorstep; it is in our national interest and, we believe, the route to a safer world.

    Of course, we cannot talk about economic security without reference to the mutual defence interests that exist between the UK and Germany.

    To keep our people safe and to secure our values and interests, we believe it is essential that, although the UK is leaving the EU, the quality of our cooperation on security is maintained.

    Such cooperation is vital not only because we face the same threats, but because we share the same values, of peace, democracy, and the rule of law.

    I believe that we can use that same spirit of cooperation and mutual trust to inform our commercial and political relationship.

    There are few countries in the world that already share such a close economic relationship as Germany and UK.

    We are natural and long standing trading partners.

    Germany accounts for 13% of total UK imports – no other country in the world sells us more. That means around 1 in every 8 pounds spent in the UK on imports goes to Germany.

    A similar story is true on investment. In 2016 the UK invested £21 billion in Germany. And now around 240,000 people in Germany work for British companies based here, making us your third biggest investor.

    For those people, the individuals working for Allianz insurance in Guildford Surrey or their counterparts working for Rolls Royce in Brandenburg, not far from where my family and I own a home, the partnership between the UK and Germany is part of their daily life. It is a natural and easy union.

    We want to protect this in the years to come.

    Touching briefly on the financial services sector as I know this is the topic of the next session.

    We need to think creatively about the options, but we believe we can find a positive solution, using our unique starting point of regulatory alignment to ensure that your businesses continue to have easy access to what will remain by far the largest concentration of financial services expertise and liquidity in Europe, even when the UK is outside the EU.

    So it is not the case, as some have suggested, that Brexit is an attempt to undermine the institution of the EU or the prosperity of its members.

    That would be an inconceivable act of self-harm for the UK. As the Prime Minister has stated to hope for anything but success for our neighbours would be truly perverse.

    Therefore, I look forward to seeing a creative solution to a new economic relationship that can support prosperity for all our peoples. And I am glad that we have now made sufficient progress to move onto the second phase of negotiations.

    The guidelines published by President Tusk for the next phase of negotiations point to the shared desire of the EU and UK to make rapid progress on an implementation period, with formal talks beginning very soon. This will help give certainty to the business community that we are going to deliver a smooth Brexit.

    The council has also confirmed that discussions will now begin on trade and our future security partnership.

    An implementation period means that both businesses and public services will only have to plan for one set of changes in the relationship between the UK and the EU.

    Most of all, the significance of the UK as a trading partner for the European Union should not be underestimated.

    Of course, we need to preserve our productive and open trading relationship. What is more, what kind of message does it send to the rest of the world if we didn’t?

    This is at a time when free trade is being questioned in many parts of the globe. If friendly and trade-liberal powers like the EU and the UK can’t reach a free trade agreement, then what message does that send to Washington, Beijing and Delhi?

    I told you earlier that my rather smart son has opted to support both England and Germany. Well I agree with his approach – maybe not when it comes to football – but when it comes to our shared prosperity and mutually dependent future.

    It is only by working together that we can hope to meet some of the challenges facing our societies and economies in the coming years and that we can truly thrive.

    Thank you.

  • Sajid Javid – 2018 Speech to the Holocaust Educational Trust

    Below is the text of the speech made by Sajid Javid, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, to the Holocaust Educational Trust on 16 January 2018.

    Last October at the Holocaust Educational Trust Appeal Dinner, I sat next to a man named Harry Spiro.

    Unfortunately, Harry couldn’t be here today but he was just 8 years old in 1939 when war broke out in Poland.

    By 1945, aged just 14, he was the only member of his family to still be alive.

    That evening, Harry told me his story.

    In 1942, Harry was working in a factory in his home town of Piotrkow, when the call came from the Nazis for the workers to gather outside the nearby synagogue.

    Harry didn’t want to go, but his mother – anticipating that things were about to get much worse – insisted.

    As she pushed him out, she said: “Hopefully one of us will survive.”

    Tragically, she – and the rest of Harry’s family – were murdered at Treblinka.

    But her words – and their message of hope and endurance through the darkest times – live on.

    They live on through Harry, who survived a death march that killed 2,300 of the 3,000 who set off.

    Her words live on through Harry’s children and grandchildren.

    And through Harry’s exceptional work on Holocaust education, work for which he has just been awarded a British Empire Medal in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list.

    An honour he shares with Freda, another extraordinary survivor, who has just spoken so movingly.

    My warmest congratulations to them both.

    And now stories like Freda’s and Harry’s are inspiring a whole new generation through the work of fantastic young HET ambassadors, like Georgia (Adkins).

    Thank you for everything you’re doing to keep these stories, these words, alive.

    They matter immensely.

    We know, particularly from the world of instant of communication on social media how words can entertain us, educate us, unite us, and uplift us.

    But, also, how they can wound and divide.

    How they can inflame prejudice in echo chambers where ignorance goes unchallenged.

    How they can drive people towards hatred and even violence.

    So it’s fitting that this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day asks us to consider the power of words.

    The Holocaust Educational Trust has never shied away from teaching young people where hatred, intolerance and misinformation can lead.

    The way we use words and language is key to this.

    Which is why the government has been proud to support HET’s vital work through initiatives such as the Lessons from Auschwitz programme.

    This programme has enabled thousands of children and their teachers to understand a little of what it meant to live through.

    What Harry Spiro described to me, as “hell on earth”.

    In 2011, I was privileged to accompany a group from my constituency to Auschwitz-Birkenau.

    It was one of the most moving experiences of my life.

    The hateful inscription on the gate might be familiar, but there are no words to convey the feeling when you walk inside.

    Of imagining all the men, women and children who perished there and whose cries were silenced forever.

    Cries – against hatred, intolerance and misinformation – that we must ensure are heard.

    We all have a duty to speak out in their memory.

    Of course, Holocaust education is not the only answer.

    But it remains one of the most powerful tools we have to fight bigotry today.

    That’s why I am delighted to announce today that my Ministry – together with the Department for Education – will fund a new strand of the Lessons from Auschwitz programme.

    A new initiative, proposed by HET and the Union of Jewish Students, to tackle antisemitism, prejudice and intolerance on university campuses.

    I know this is something that the Trust has been keen to get off the ground.

    And Karen – as anyone who knows her well will agree – is someone you do not turn down or disagree with!

    So I hope this will be welcome news.

    And I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Karen and everyone at the Trust for their tireless dedication to Holocaust education.

    The programme will invite 2 Sabbatical Officers from each university to visit the death camps.

    Vice-Chancellors will also be encouraged to take part.

    I look forward to seeing how this work proceeds and the difference it makes.

    HET’s work is invaluable and I’m honoured to be associated with it.

    Not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because I have seen it works.

    I remember Harry telling me about a visit to a school in London’s East End.

    When a pupil refused to attend his Holocaust presentation because he didn’t want to, in the words of that pupil, “hear from Jews.”

    Harry refused to deliver his talk unless the young man was present.

    And so he was persuaded, reluctantly, to attend Harry’s talk.

    That same young man later wrote to him and said it was one of the most moving experiences of his life.

    So much so, he was inspired to become a passionate champion of greater tolerance and understanding among his peers.

    So our efforts to tell stories like Harry’s, to challenge antisemitism wherever it exists, are absolutely crucial.

    Not just now, but for future generations.

    This is the thinking behind our commitment to build a new national Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre.

    Its presence, right next to the Houses of Parliament, will ensure that the testimony of survivors will never be forgotten in Britain.

    That the message of hope and a better future…

    …whispered from a mother to son all those years ago…

    …serves as a beacon for centuries to come.

    Thank you.

  • David Lidington – 2018 Statement on Carillion

    Below is the text of the statement made by David Lidington, the Minister for the Cabinet Office, in the House of Commons on 15 January 2018.

    With permission, Mr Speaker, I wish to make a statement to update the House on the situation relating to Carillion Plc.

    Today the directors of Carillion concluded that the company is insolvent and that it is going into liquidation. The court has appointed the official receiver as the liquidator. It is regrettable that Carillion has not been able to find suitable financing options with its lenders, and I am disappointed that the company has become insolvent as a result. It is, however, the failure of a private sector company and it is the company’s shareholders and lenders who will bear the brunt of the losses; taxpayers should not, and will not, bail out a private sector company for private sector losses or allow rewards for failure.

    I fully understand that both members of the public and particularly employees of companies in the Carillion group will have concerns at this time, and the Government are doing everything possible to minimise any impact on employees. Let me be clear that all employees should continue to turn up to work confident in the knowledge that they will be paid for the public services they are providing. Additionally, in order to support staff—and in this instance this will apply to staff working for the private sector as well as for the public sector contracts of the Carillion group—we have established a helpline using Jobcentre Plus through its rapid response service.

    The Government are also doing everything they can to minimise the impact on subcontractors and suppliers who, like employees, will continue to be paid through the official receiver. The action we have taken is designed to keep vital public services running, rather than to provide a bail-out on the failure of a commercial company. The role of the Government is to plan and prepare for the continuing delivery of public services that are dependent on these contracts, and that is what we have done.

    The cause of Carillion’s financial difficulties is, for the most part, connected not with its Government contracts, but with other parts of its business. Private sector contracts account for more than 60% of the company’s revenue, and the vast majority of the problems the company has encountered come from these contracts rather than the public sector.

    Our top priority is to safeguard the continuity of public services, and we have emphasised that to the official receiver. We are also laying a departmental minute today notifying the House of a contingent liability incurred by my Department in indemnifying the official receiver for his administrative and legal costs. The official receiver will now take over the running of services for a period following the insolvency of the company. The Government will support the official receiver to provide these public services until a suitable alternative is found, either through another contractor or through in-house provision. The court appointment of the official receiver will allow us to protect the uninterrupted delivery of public services—something that would not have been possible under a normal liquidation process.

    The official receiver is also under a statutory duty to investigate the cause of failure of any company. He is under a duty to report any potential misconduct of the ​directors to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. My right hon. Friend has asked that the investigation look not only at the conduct of the directors at the point of the company’s insolvency but also at that of any previous directors, to determine whether their actions might have caused detriment to the company’s creditors. That includes detriment to any employees who are owed money. The investigation will also consider whether any action by directors has caused detriment to the pension schemes.

    Carillion delivered a range of public services across a number of sectors, including health, education, justice, defence and transport, and in most cases the contracts have been running successfully. We have been monitoring Carillion closely since its first profit warning in July 2017, and since then we have planned extensively in case the current situation should arise. We have robust and deliverable contingency plans in place. These are being implemented immediately to minimise any disruption and to protect the integrity of public service delivery. Other public bodies have been preparing contingency plans for the contracts for which they are responsible. The majority of the small number of contracts awarded after the company’s July profit warning were joint ventures, in which the other companies are now contractually bound to take on Carillion’s share of the work. For example, the Kier group, one of the joint venture partners for HS2, confirmed this morning in a release to the stock exchange that it had now put in place its contingency plans for such an eventuality.

    I recognise that this is also a difficult time for pension holders. The Pensions Advisory Service has set up a dedicated helpline number for staff and pensioners who have concerns about their pensions. Those who are already receiving their pensions will continue to receive payment from the various pension funds, including the Pension Protection Fund. For those people who have started an apprenticeship programme with Carillion, the Construction Industry Training Board has set up a taskforce to assist apprentices to seek new employment, while also working with the Education and Skills Funding Agency to find new training placements. The official receiver will be in contact with all apprentices. Companies and individuals in the supply chain working on public sector contracts have been asked to operate as usual. Normally, in the event of a company going into liquidation, the smaller firms working for it move across to the new contractor when it takes on the work.

    The private sector plays an important and necessary role in delivering Government services—something recognised by this and previous Governments of all political parties. Currently, 700 private finance initiative and private finance 2 contracts reflecting capital investment of up to approximately £60 billion are being delivered successfully, and we also have a number of service provision contracts being delivered successfully by a range of companies. Such contracts allow us to leverage the expertise of specialist providers and to deliver value for money for taxpayers. I would like to reassure the House that we are doing all we can to ensure the continuity of the public services provided by Carillion and to support an orderly liquidation of the company.

    I shall write to all right hon. and hon. Members today to summarise the situation and to inform colleagues of a helpline for the use of Members and their staff to provide answers in the fastest possible time to any ​constituency problems that may arise. Along with other ministerial colleagues, I shall keep the House updated on developments as the official receiver starts to go about his work. I commend this statement to the House.

  • Bambos Charalambous – 2018 Speech on the Misuse of Xanax

    Below is the text of the speech made by Bambos Charalambous, the Labour MP for Enfield Southgate, in the House of Commons on 15 January 2018.

    Until five months ago, I was oblivious to the existence of the drug Xanax. It was only after I was contacted by a concerned mother that I became fully aware of the problem that is going on right under our noses. I am holding the first debate about Xanax in Parliament to raise awareness about a problem that could be widespread.

    Xanax, or alprazolam, is a sedative from the benzodiazepine family of drugs. It is physically and psychologically highly addictive. Its sedative effects start 15 minutes after consumption and can last for between 10 and 20 hours. When it is taken with alcohol, the impact is multiplied, and one of the side effects is memory loss.

    Xanax is licensed in the UK, but it is not prescribed on the NHS. It can, however, be prescribed privately by a doctor. Unsurprisingly, it is hardly ever prescribed in the UK, but it is widely available and prescribed to treat anxiety and panic attacks in the United States of America. It is reported to be the eighth most prescribed drug in the USA. Popular culture is glamorising the drug and creating curiosity and demand in the UK, and the drug is available online for as little as £1 a pill. It is causing a problem that seems to be spreading. That brings me back to my initial interest, which was the result of some casework I picked up in my constituency.

    A concerned mother told me about how her 14-year-old daughter—I will call her Zoe for the purposes of this debate—had become a regular user of Xanax and how this had, in just five months, resulted in a downward spiral leading to Zoe’s permanent exclusion from school. This is Zoe’s story.

    Zoe was a bright and popular girl and had a wide group of friends when she started at a local secondary school in 2013. As is sometimes the case with early teenagers, Zoe had some fallings out with her group of friends and was eager to do exciting things. In July of last year, Zoe and her best friend were approached by an older girl at school and introduced to an ex-pupil whom they started hanging out with, together with a group of slightly older people, some of whom were adults. Zoe and her friend started going to private raves with the crowd and to parties in houses across north London where, swept up in the whirl of the excitement of this new lifestyle, Zoe was introduced to Xanax.

    Throughout July and August, Zoe and her best friend would be out regularly with this crowd, taking Xanax, mixing it with alcohol, and getting sedated and into a zombie-like state. On some occasions, Zoe would come home from a night out with marks and bruises on her arms and legs, and no recollection of how she got them. At best, she had a hazy notion as to what had happened. One of the side effects of Xanax is amnesia, and there is always a risk that users become extremely vulnerable to abuse when under the influence of the drug, and although there was no certainty about whether Zoe was sexually abused, the concern was there.

    Over the summer Zoe had completely transformed. Her mother, like most parents, was absolutely horrified at the change in her daughter since she started hanging ​around with this new crowd. She started rowing with Zoe. On one occasion, with Zoe under the influence of Xanax, she tried to stop Zoe going out. Another side effect of Xanax is aggressive behaviour, so, in addition to the normal behaviour that teenagers express when rebelling against their parents, in this instance Zoe physically and violently attacked her mother, leaving her with bruises on her arms and legs. Zoe then ran out of the flat. Zoe’s mother was desperate and frightened, and had no option but to call the police to restrain her daughter. At the same time, she rushed out barefoot into the street to make sure that Zoe came to no harm, and watched in horror as Zoe stepped out in front of cars and a bus. The police came quickly and arrested Zoe, which seemed to calm the situation down; no charges were brought. The next day, after spending a night in the cells, Zoe had no recollection of what had happened, nor of her arrest.

    The problems continued. Zoe’s mother discovered that Zoe and her best friend were visiting various houses across north London where kids were taking drugs and drinking. Zoe’s mother then found out some of the names of the older people Zoe was mixing with. It transpired that some of those people were known to the police. With the help of the police, Zoe’s mother managed to get abduction warning notices served on six people so that they could be arrested if they were found to be associating with Zoe. An even more worrying discovery by Zoe’s mother were some baggies—small plastic bags used by drug dealers for neatly holding small amounts of drugs—hidden in Zoe’s bedroom. Zoe was now hiding things for her new friends.

    In conversations I have had with the NSPCC, its staff have told me that Zoe’s behaviour is typical of someone who is being groomed. Zoe had been cut off from her school friends and had been warmly embraced by this new crowd, who promised excitement. Having been initiated, she was now doing favours for them. Zoe was now at risk of being exploited by people who were drug dealers, whom she regarded as her new friends.

    Despite Zoe’s mother’s heroic efforts, Zoe continued to find ways of accessing Xanax. Things took a turn for the worse when, in September, Zoe and her best friend were found to be high on drugs in a zombie-like state, with dishevelled clothes and messed-up hair, on the school premises. As anyone who has a connection to a school will know, being drunk or intoxicated by drugs on school premises leads to a permanent exclusion. Despite this and after being implored not to exclude Zoe, the school allowed her to stay on and some support services were provided for her.

    The pressure on Zoe’s mother was unbearable. She was so desperate and struggling to manage that she asked the local council if it could step in and find temporary foster parents for Zoe. Zoe was placed in foster care for just over a week. Although that seemed to shake her up, she was soon back to her old routine when she returned home. Despite Zoe’s mother and the school trying their best to help, Zoe was still able easily to get hold of Xanax, which was being peddled by a dealer from a booth in a McDonald’s restaurant two minutes away from the school. At £1 a pill, it was well within what is affordable to some young people. To make matters even starker, the McDonald’s is next to a police station. All the information that had been pieced together was passed on to the police. Following pressure ​from the school, Zoe’s mother and me, in December the police arrested three people on drug-related charges. This was not, however, before Zoe and her best friend were found to be drunk on school premises and then permanently excluded from school.

    Zoe’s case is not the only one of its kind. On researching the subject, I discovered that on 9 May 2017, some 20 15-year-olds and 16-years-olds were taken ill in Salisbury, Wiltshire and received medical treatment after taking Xanax. A further eight young people were hospitalised in Sussex over the Christmas period after taking the drug, and in Scotland in the past month there has been an unconfirmed cluster of deaths from people injecting Xanax. Since securing this debate, I have been informed by hon. Members of further cases of Xanax abuse that have resulted in the hospitalisation of teenagers. Data about how widespread the misuse is of Xanax is patchy at best.

    Last week, I met King’s College London’s emeritus professor of clinical psychopharmacology, Malcolm Lader OBE, who has over 50 years’ experience of working in this field. He told me more about the effects of Xanax. He said that Xanax was a powerful benzodiazepine which, if overused, could lead to a constantly dazed, zombie-like state and cause amnesia, depression, psychiatric disorders, rage and aggression. Taking it with alcohol would result in faster metabolism absorption of the drug and an amplification of the symptoms. He added that it was highly addictive—more difficult to come off than heroin—with prolonged psychological and physical reactions of muscle tensions, tremors, and perception disorders in relation to light, sound and noise. He added that in serious cases of overdose, it could lead to death due to slowing down of the heart and breathing problems.

    So why has Xanax become so popular recently? Apart from being cheap—I mentioned that it is being sold for £1 a pill in my constituency—and just a click away on the internet, it has been glamorised in American rap music. The rapper Future has referred to Xanax in songs such as “Xanny Family” and “Perkys Calling”. Lil Uzi Vert has done the same in his song “XO Tour Llif3”, also known as “Push me to the edge”, which, as of today, has been viewed 147 million times on YouTube. The artist 6ix9ine, who has over 1.5 million Instagram followers, often makes references to Xanax in his songs, as does Lil Wayne, such as in his song “I Feel Like Dying”. The list of rap songs mentioning Xanax, or “Xannies”, is endless. I wish to thank my nephew Alex for enlightening me about rap music.

    Alex Sobel (Leeds North West) (Lab/Co-op)

    This is not a new issue. Body Count, rapper Ice-T’s rock band, sang in their 1997 song, “Dr K”:

    “Need some (X)anax…want some pills..I want the grim reaper as my guest!”

    Ice-T’s social commentary was a way of getting to the heart of the issue 20 years ago. Does my hon. Friend agree that some rappers, like Ice-T, do not glorify Xanax but give the grim reality?

    Bambos Charalambous

    My hon. Friend makes an excellent point. I am about to come on to how some rappers have been dealing with the issue of Xanax in a very different way.​
    Some rap artists have even allowed themselves to be filmed in a zombie-like state, after claiming to have taken Xanax, before they eventually lose consciousness. But even in the world of American rap, things are changing. On 15 November 2017, American rap artist Lil Peep bragged about taking six Xanax pills on camera. Hours later, he was found dead on his tour bus as the result of an overdose. The clip of him bragging is still available for all to see on YouTube and other social media. Following the death of Lil Peep, the rapper Lil Pump, who previously had a song called “4 Xans” and other songs with references to Xanax, and who had posed for a picture with a Xanax cake to celebrate achieving 1 million followers on Instagram, announced on new year’s day that he would no longer be taking Xanax. Three-time Grammy winning artist Chance the Rapper has also been candid about his addiction to Xanax up until 2014. He told his 6 million Twitter followers—I am paraphrasing—that Xanax was the new heroin and not to be fooled. He has gone on to do interviews where he talks about the damaging effects of Xanax on him and his recovery from addiction.

    Whether this is a matter of art imitating life or of life imitating art, the problem is certainly a real one in the UK. Having questioned adults over the age of 30, I found that very few had heard of Xanax, yet those who are younger, ranging from 12 to 24 years of age, had heard of it and would sometimes mock my ignorance and that of their parents. At the older end of the range, users are self-medicating with Xanax to ease their anxiety.

    The truth is that there is a cultural and age divide, and whatever the reason, the fact remains that Xanax is certainly the drug of choice for some young people. It may be because it helps to numb the pain, because it is a fashionable drug, or because it is cheap and easy to get hold of—I can only speculate—but what I do know is that not enough is being done about the problem, which I believe is likely to get worse. Xanax is the drug of choice for the young generation. If steps are not taken now to tackle the problem, we will suffer the consequences both in the cost to the NHS and in personal tragedies.

    Although it is pleasing to find that Xanax is the No. 1 news item on the Government’s “Talk to Frank” website, which is designed to be accessed by young people, much more needs to done. In the United States of America, abuse of Xanax is endemic and even some of those who were legally prescribed Xanax are dependent on the drug.

    There is widespread ignorance of Xanax among the general public. There is very little, if any, research into or data on the misuse of Xanax and the reasons people use it, and very little is being done for those dependent on it. There are also enormous pressures on children’s and young people’s mental health services. There is a mental health crisis in our classrooms, and funding for child and adolescent mental health services has been cut. There is a window for early intervention, and that is key because half of all mental health problems are established by age 14 and three quarters by age 24.

    If the Government want to do something about the problem, I would strongly suggest that they do three things. First, they should be running campaigns to raise awareness of the dangers of misusing and abusing Xanax to inform the public. The lack of knowledge about Xanax and its side effects is startling. Secondly, they should be providing more support, via specialist ​drop-in centres, for young people who develop a dependency on Xanax. They should not be relying on existing addiction centres because adult drug and substance misuse services are not appropriate for young people. Children and young people’s mental health services also need to be better resourced to cover this need. Thirdly, the Government should commission, carry out and publish research into the prevalence of Xanax use and its effects. We do not know how big this problem is nationally, yet we know that young people are attending local A&E units suffering from the effects of Xanax.

    Those three actions will go some way to help to alleviate some of the immediate problems caused by Xanax. They will not help Zoe, who has been robbed of six months of her life with potentially life-changing consequences, but they may help others, and that is something that we should all be striving to do.

  • Nick Hardwick – 2018 Statement on John Worboys

    Below is the text of the statement made by Nick Hardwick, the Chairman of the Parole Board, on 16 January 2018.

    I believe public bodies should be open to scrutiny and accountable for their decisions.

    So, I would welcome a decision by the Lord Chancellor to judicially review the Parole Board in the Worboys case and we will not stand in the way of such a review taking place. I hope such a review will provide assurance that the Parole Board itself has acted in accordance with the law and the evidence.

    Public concern about the Worboys case is completely understandable and it is right that the anguish of his victims should be heard.

    The Parole Board considers nearly 25,000 cases a year. Almost every one of those cases involves horrible offences with victims’ lives changed forever. There will be victims of offences that did not go to trial or result in a conviction and there will be others indirectly but painfully affected such as family members, witnesses and those who have to deal with the crime. The ripples from serious offences spread very wide.

    That is the reality of the Parole Board’s work.

    For prisoners like Worboys, once they have served the ‘tariff’ or the punishment part of their sentence set by a judge, they will be referred to the Parole Board by the Secretary of State and the Board must then determine if they are safe to release. The test that Parole Board’s 250 members must apply in deciding whether to release a prisoner is that ‘it is no longer necessary for the protection of the public that they should be detained’; in other words, the burden is on the prisoner to demonstrate they are safe to release, not the panel to demonstrate they are too dangerous to do so.

    The law governing the Parole Board’s decisions is quite clear. We have to make decisions about future risk. We cannot re-assess the prisoner’s guilt or innocence or whether the original sentence was appropriate even if we would like to do so. The decision about future risk will be informed both by evidence of how the prisoner has changed and the robustness of plans to manage him or her in the community.

    I do not make decisions on individual cases, but I have observed many hearing and am struck by the careful and sensitive way panels make their decisions. Do they always get it right? No. Less than one per cent of those we release commits a serious further offence and each is a terrible incident. But I would not be honest if I pretended risk could be eliminated completely. Parole Board members need to be confident a prisoner will not reoffend – but they cannot be certain. If certainty is required that needs to be reflected in the length of the original sentence.

    The Parole Board Rules prohibit the Parole Board from disclosing details of individual cases. I do not think this is right. Justice needs to be seen to be done. If the parole system is closed and secretive we cannot complain if people do not understand it.

    I welcome the government’s review of this area and hope it will be radical.

    I don’t say this will be easy. Some victims tell us they want to put the offence behind them and fear that opening the system up would put them through the media mill again and expose them to prurient public interest.. So, while looking at all the options we should proceed carefully and make sure we do not do more harm than good.

    Although we are prohibited from revealing details of the Worboys case I will say something about the processes followed.

    First, I share the concerns that victims say they were not kept informed or consulted about licence conditions.

    The law says victims do not have a say in whether a prisoner is released on parole or not – that happens at the original trial when the tariff is set – but they should have an opportunity to ensure the panel understands the impact the offence had on them and have a say in the licence conditions that apply after release. They can make a written statement, attend the start of a hearing to read their statement in person or say nothing at all.

    Other than receiving and carefully considering their statements, the Parole Board has no role in contacting or liaising with victims. That is undertaken by the Victim Contact Service, part of the National Probation Service, on behalf of the Secretary of State. The Parole Board sought and received assurance on a number of occasions that victims who wanted to make a victim statement had the opportunity to do so and were informed about the outcome of the hearing.

    There are very serious allegations that some victims who should have been kept informed were not and victims and the public deserve to know exactly what happened. There should be an independent investigation by someone outside the Parole Board and Ministry of Justice into this specific issue and I call on the Secretary of State to initiate this.

    As for Worboys’ hearing itself, it was a three-member panel chaired by one of our most experienced women members. One of the other members was a parole board psychologist. The panel considered a dossier of 363 pages and heard evidence from four other psychologists, and prison and probations staff responsible for Worboys. The Secretary of State was represented at our request. Worboys himself was questioned in detail. The panel considered a written statement from one victim.

    It is particularly concerning that other victims now state they did not have an opportunity to give their views. I know that some victims are frightened. The licence conditions are very detailed but can be varied. The probation service must now ensure that even at this stage victims have an opportunity to have any concerns about licence conditions considered and should apply to the Parole Board for licence variations where this is appropriate.

    Finally, let me say this. The Parole Board is in effect a court. We should be open to legal challenge but I hope when people think about it, they will agree it is right we resist political interference in our decisions. Like any court, the Parole Board members must make independent decisions in accordance with the law and on the basis of evidence. It would be a bad day for us all if people’s rightful abhorrence of Worboys’ crimes or even justified concern about a Parole Board decision allowed these basic principles of justice to be overturned.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Maiden Speech to the House of Commons

    Below is the text of the maiden speech made by Daniel Zeichner, the Labour MP for Cambridge, in the House of Commons on 8 June 2015.

    It is a pleasure to follow that inspiring speech by my hon. Friend the Member for Lewisham, Deptford (Vicky Foxcroft). It is also a pleasure to hear so many initial contributions from so many fine hon. Members.

    I speak today as the new Member for Cambridge, and let me start by saying a few words about my predecessors. Dr Julian Huppert is a knowledgeable scientist and a committed defender of civil liberties, who argued hard in this House and well in the Select Committee on Home Affairs, where he won many friends. He has been a passionate advocate for cycling and for environmentalism, and he is extremely well regarded in the constituency, having fought hard to improve the funding situation for our local schools and to raise the status of mental health. But my predecessors in Cambridge set a very high bar. Some here will remember David Howarth, another Liberal Democrat MP who was also very well regarded in this House. Before that, we had my dear friend Anne Campbell, a Labour MP from 1992 to 2005, who has been a source of huge support and great wisdom for me.

    I suspect that not every Member gets elected to this House at their first attempt. For some it will take two attempts, whereas for others it takes three or four. I am on my fifth, but I am here at last. I suspect that those who have followed a similar course may well have reflected early in their career on the merits of enthusiasm and youth. As one’s career progresses, one recognises the benefits of experience and perhaps a little wisdom—one hopes.

    I also suspect that many Members are full of enthusiasm and optimism when they are first selected—I was first selected to fight a rural seat in Norfolk—and find themselves writing their maiden speech. When I reflect on that speech from 20 years ago, I see that quite a lot of it is still valid today: I see a Conservative Government, a Labour Opposition and much talk of Europe. The biggest thing that has changed for me has been moving back to the fine city of Cambridge 10 years ago—it has been the biggest change in my life. What I have seen in Cambridge over those years is a city on the cusp of a technological revolution; the number of jobs in the knowledge-intensive sector is phenomenal. For me, there is the link with today’s discussion about Scotland and devolution, because what our hugely successful companies such as ARM and the Babraham Institute need are more flexibilities, and people in Scotland are arguing for the same. As someone who has argued for many years for devolution to the English regions, I think we need to sort these issues out in a sensible way, which is why I did support the idea of a constitutional convention, as proposed by the Labour party at the last election.

    Cambridge is also, like so many other places, a tale of two cities; the challenges our city faces are partly the challenges of success, but we also have divisions. Our businesses need an answer to the traffic problems and the appalling housing crisis we have. A terraced house in Cambridge costs £450,000 and our average rents are ​double those in England for most homes. Our housing benefit bill has doubled in the past five years—why? It is because 12,000 people in the prosperous city of Cambridge are earning below the living wage—it is not always the way we imagine it. We need different solutions in different places.

    I am glad to say that Cambridge now has a Labour council and it is trying to tackle those issues, but it is hard to do. The biggest issue is affordable housing, and I see fellow hon. Members here who have been involved in these debates with me over many years. The biggest problem we have is that although we have a valuable housing stock, we are not allowed to borrow against it. The city deal is welcome, but it is a drop in the ocean compared with what we really need to turn Cambridge into the economic driver that could so help our economy, right across the UK.

    When we look at those issues, we ask: why can we not borrow? Some 18 months ago, there was a chink of light from the Treasury, when people began to talk about “tax increment financing”—I apologise for the jargon—or the possibility of borrowing against that value. What happened? The usual forces of conservatism in the Treasury won out yet again, as has happened to Governments of both complexions. I say to both Front-Bench teams: we need to think imaginatively if we are to solve these huge challenges facing not only cities such as Cambridge, but our whole country and our other nations as well.

    Creating the kind of tolerant, diverse city that people in a place such as Cambridge want will mean balancing a range of complicated and difficult issues, and recognising that even within a city such as Cambridge there are many different Cambridges. Cambridge has not only the university we all know and love so much, but three other universities: Anglia Ruskin University, which is doing so well; the University of the Third Age; and the Open University—my mother was pleased to be one of the first people to go to it back in the ‘60s. I recall one moment earlier this year when Cambridge United played Manchester United in a rather unequal battle—perhaps—in the FA cup and we held those mighty people to a goalless draw at the Abbey stadium. That was a brief moment when people saw that other Cambridge. I suggest that in our communities right across the country there are other cities and other places, and we need to understand all of them.

    I stand before you today as a Labour MP for Cambridge who will represent the buccaneering investors and high-tech gurus of our city who will create wealth. But most of all, I will be standing up and arguing for our public sector workers, who so often are forgotten, but without whom the rest of the city cannot do its job. I am proud to represent Cambridge and look forward to standing up for the city in the years ahead.