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NEWS FROM 100 YEARS AGO : 29 September 1925

29 SEPTEMBER 1925

The admissibility of Communists to membership of the Labour party was expected to be the sharpest issue before the party Conference at Liverpool, which begins today.

Mr A. J. Cook, speaking at Wigan, said the most difficult phase in the history of the Labour movement had arrived. While he himself held views which he hoped some day would be applied, he recognised that other people had their views too. He hoped the Labour Conference would consolidate the programme laid down by the Trade Union Congress. He held the view that if the Communists thought they could convert the Trade Unions to their point of view they had a right to try.

Addressing a miners’ demonstration near Nottingham, Mr Frank Hodges said there was no universal model for expressing the will of the Labour movement; each country had its own methods. The effort to inject the Communist party and doctrine into the movement must be thwarted at Liverpool. Labour and Communism were mutually opposed in fundamentals; there was no basis of reconciliation.

In an interview at Liverpool, Mr A. J. Cook said he was hopeful that the present difficulties regarding the Coal Commission would be overcome.

Mr J. R. Clynes, at Liverpool, declared that the growth of the Communist movement was very largely the result of bad trade conditions. These things, he added, were due far less to influences from Moscow than to wage reductions the men had to suffer.

The Allied Conference with the representatives of Germany on the Security Pact will be held at Locarno.

October 7, 2025
Stuart Andrew – 2025 Speech to Conservative Party Conference

The speech made by Stuart Andrew, the Shadow Health Secretary, in Manchester on 7 October 2025.

When I took on this job as Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care I did so in the knowledge that we have a huge challenge.

Because even though we all in this Hall have been treated by our NHS

And Some of our families and friends’ lives have been saved by our NHS.

We all also have something else in common.

As members of the Conservative family, we’ve all been accused of wanting to undermine the core principles of our National Health Service,

So let me clear from the outset, the National Health Service will always be free at the point of use under the next Conservative Government.

And we’ll strengthen it, harness it and make it even better.

Because I’ve seen what our health services in this country do everyday for people,

Before becoming an MP, I worked in the hospice movement and saw the wonderful services they provide to children and adults across the country.

When families face the most challenging times in their lives, our hospice movement and the NHS is there to support them.

Always.

But let’s look at what this Labour Government has done in 14 months.

Strikes despite huge pay rises that Wes Streeting signed off on.

Remember when he told us to ‘get around the table?’ Well perhaps he should listen to his own advice.

Because more strikes are threatened.

And remember when they criticised NHS reorganisation plan, well they have now started a reorganisation without any funding allocated to deliver it.

Now I’m not against reforming our NHS, conference, the Conservatives always back good reforms, but we are a party that always makes sure we have the money to pay for it and the will to deliver it.

Because our NHS staff need certainty, certainty to do the job that they love with stability,

And a clear direction from their government.

But conference I also want to be constructive in opposition, where Government seeks to bring about meaningful and effective reform we will not oppose for the sake of opposition.

We will look at the detail. We will ask the difficult questions and where we can agree we will be constructive.

Because at the end of the day we want a NHS that works for the patient

It was in that spirit that in my first week in this job I attended the cross-party talks on the future of social care.

For too long governments of both colours have failed to address the increasing demands on social care,

Which is putting strain on NHS budgets, local government budgets and the personal budgets of families across the country.

We will engage in these talks in the spirit of seeking a genuine long-term solution.

It’s not going to be easy, but I believe it’s the right to sit down and talk to find the areas where we can agree.

My vision is simple: a health and care system where patients are in control, staff are valued, and innovation is harnessed to save lives and improve wellbeing.

This isn’t about ideology, it’s about outcomes. Whether you are a patient waiting for surgery, a carer looking after a loved one, or a nurse working a night shift, what matters is not the politics, it’s whether the system delivers.

And I am ably assisted in this task with a fantastic shadow health and social care team, who have real experience in the sectors. Thank you to Dr Caroline Johnson, Dr Luke Evans, Lord Kamal, Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst and Greg Stafford.

Now, clearly, we as a party are embarking on a major policy renewal programme, and today, for what is I think the first time ever, you will have an opportunity to vote on what you think should be the key priorities of the next Conservative Government.

To help in that task I’m delighted to be joined by Lord Markham CBE, who will be advocating that we need to use technology to build a truly 21st century national health service.

Dr Kartik Kavi, who is a GP who will argue we need to get patients out of hospitals and into primary care.

Former Olympic Swimmer Sharron Davies who will make the case for prevention being better than cure

And Dr Robert Kilgour who is the founder of the social care foundation who will argue for reform of our social care system.

October 7, 2025
Chris Philp – 2025 Speech to Conservative Party Conference

The speech made by Chris Philp, the Shadow Home Secretary, in Manchester on 7 October 2025.

In the last reshuffle, the Prime Minister removed more ministers from the Home Office than he has illegal immigrants back to France.

Now, let’s start with a simple fact. Keir Starmer lied to get power. He lied to the Labour Party about what he believed in, he lied to the country about what he would do, and he lied to himself that he was up to the job.

No wonder Labour spent their conference plotting to replace Keir Starmer, who believes nothing, with Andy Burnham, who apparently believes anything.

Keir Starmer came to office with no proper plan, no competent team and no principles. The result? The worst start for a newly elected government in decades.

So, we must learn not just the lessons of our defeat last year, but also the lessons of Labour’s victory. We must never repeat Labour’s mistakes: winning an election on a false prospectus and arriving in power with no plan.

The last general election was incredibly tough for us. But I know this: Conservative values and Conservative principles are more important today than ever before. We have a Labour government taking us back to the 1970s – inflation doubling, unemployment rising, taxes skyrocketing, successful people fleeing the country in droves. A real fiscal black hole opening up to swallow Rachel Reeves. Rampant trade unions dictating policy. All led by a weak Prime Minister who’s lost control of his government and watches passively as they drift a million miles from moderate Blairism. It’s a cross between incompetence and old-school, destructive socialism, and we Conservatives will fight it tooth and nail.

And what does Reform offer? They offer simple slogans with no substance, scribbled in a pub on the back of a fag packet. That will not fix our country.

So, we must show we have the right principles and the right plan. Because if we apply Conservative principles with courage and conviction, I know our country will be strong, prosperous and safe again, and that our best days still lie ahead.

And that’s why I’m proud to be a Conservative. As a south London grammar school boy, I believe in opportunity. Having studied Physics at university, I believe in practical solutions which actually work. Before Parliament, I set up and ran several businesses. My very first business, set up when I was 23, was a delivery company. I started off driving the delivery van myself and generally managed to avoid crashing it.

A few years later, that company was listed on AIM and was bought by a large competitor, which in turn is now part of Tesco.

So, I believe in hard work and free enterprise, and I literally know what it is to deliver.

It’s a shame no Labour cabinet minister, not even one, has ever set up a business. Although some do seem to have worked in the creative industries – mainly CV creation.

Look, Rachel Reeves may not be a real banker, but she did work in customer complaints, which I imagine is coming in handy now.

Now, let me start with Labour’s clearest failure, which is on borders. Their weak gimmicks have not worked. First, they said they would smash the gangs. Well, that is laughable. Then they said the French would stop boats near the coast. That hasn’t happened either.

Next, they said they would send a handful of people back to France. Maybe one of them can have a turn at being French Prime Minister.

But none of their gimmicks have worked. This year so far has been the worst in history for illegal immigrants crossing the Channel.

And Channel migrants have committed some terrible crimes, including brutal rapes and sexual assaults of young children. Some have even blamed that on their own culture. Labour has lost control of our borders, and they are not fit to govern.

And Keir Starmer has been saying for decades that calling for border control is somehow racist. We have seen him smear campaigners as “far right” for demanding the very inquiry into rape gangs he was finally forced to agree to.

His government even instructed lawyers to argue that the rights of illegal immigrants were more important than the rights of people in places like Epping. It’s disgusting.

Well, I’m here to say border control is not racist. Standing up for rape gang victims is not far right. And if Keir Starmer won’t stand up for Britain, then this Conservative Party will.

Now, this weekend saw a historic announcement: that a Conservative government would leave the ECHR. Because we cannot, any longer, remain part of a system that prevents us from controlling our borders, no matter how noble its original aims. Those aims have been twisted over the years by judges here and in Strasbourg, so the ECHR now protects dangerous foreign criminals and illegal immigrants.

This madness has to end. We must leave the ECHR. We must do it as soon as possible.

And we will use the freedom provided by leaving to ban asylum and other claims for illegal immigrants. We will abolish the immigration tribunal, thereby getting rid of every single activist judge. We will stop vexatious judicial reviews, and we will end legal aid for immigration cases, so our money is no longer wasted on this.

We will use visa sanctions to make sure countries take back their own nationals. We will set up a removals force to remove 150,000 a year who have no right to be here – three quarters of a million over a Parliament.

And we will deport all illegal arrivals within a week and all foreign criminals. That’s our plan: back to their country of origin if safe and possible, or a third country like Rwanda if not.

So, Labour’s gimmicks are not working. And Reform’s slogans, written on the back of a fag packet, collapse after a few minutes of cursory scrutiny. We are the only party with the courage to act and the diligence to do detail. We will secure our country’s borders. We will end illegal immigration.

Let me turn to legal migration. I’ll start by being brutally honest. For many years now, legal migration has been far too high – high under successive governments, including the last one.

It was a mistake. It should never have been allowed to happen. And under new leadership, we pledge it will never happen again.

Here’s another truth. Mass low-skilled immigration is not good for our country. It puts pressure on housing. It puts pressure on hospitals and schools. And before the open-borders Left say anything, less than 3 per cent of recent immigration has been for NHS doctors and nurses.

It also undermines social cohesion. Over a million people speak little or no English. In one east London borough, a shocking 73 per cent of children don’t speak English as their first language.

For some nationalities, workforce participation – especially for women – is pitifully low. And Afghan national men are 22 times more likely to be convicted of a sex offence. We can’t carry on like this.

A nation that is not united by common values and a common identity will fracture and break. As Abraham Lincoln said, a house divided cannot stand. And so it is with our society. A fractured society will lead to a broken country.

Being British is not about colour. But it is about accepting and embodying our long-standing values as a nation. It is about loving this country and its history, and believing in this United Kingdom. It means caring more about this country than about any other. That is what it means to be British.

And here’s another truth. We must also be honest that mass immigration is not good for the economy. Just one in seven of recent arrivals from outside Europe came here primarily for work. And even those who did come here to work, around half did so for low wages. People who work on low wages pay less in tax than they consume in services. So, it is a myth – it’s untrue – that mass low-skill immigration is good for the economy. It isn’t.

Perhaps one reason that productivity has stagnated is that some businesses have relied on importing low-skilled workers instead of investing in technology and automation, as many other countries have.

And one of the reasons there are nine million adults not working is that business has hired low-skilled foreign workers instead. So, rather than import low-skilled workers, let’s get people here into work and let’s invest in technology.

Now, of course we welcome limited high-skilled immigration – in the tech sector, in the finance sector, in scientific research, or for medicine. We should make it easy to come and work in those high-skill, high-wage sectors. But the days of mass low-skilled migration have to end.

And that is why we will ensure that those who have come here to work, but have not worked or have only worked on low wages, must leave when their visa expires.

And that is why only those who are making a contribution can stay permanently, and those who are not citizens cannot expect to receive any benefits funded by taxpayers.

And that is why we will set a binding annual cap on immigration, voted on each year by our sovereign Parliament. A Conservative government will set that cap at a low level to ensure more people leave than arrive. We will deliver sustained negative net migration.

This is a common-sense plan. Strong policies, properly worked through. Real change. Building a genuinely united society. That is the change we will deliver.

And we will have a common-sense plan for crime and policing too, supporting the fantastic Conservative Police and Crime Commissioners we have elected. Stand up and have a round of applause. There we are. Fighting crime up and down the country.

And while I am saying thank you to our team, I should say thank you to Katie Lam and our shadow ministerial team, and to Matt Vickers, Alicia Kearns and Harriet Cross.

Now, nothing is more important than keeping our families safe. And this calls for zero tolerance on crime.

But Labour seems more interested in what people say on social media than in catching burglars. It is time to end the madness of police showing up on someone’s doorstep because they have offended someone online. The police should catch real criminals, not off-colour tweets.

Policing non-criminal social media posts is a catastrophic waste of time, and it tramples on free speech. In government we would end this nonsense, and we will abolish non-crime hate incidents. So you can tweet away.

Conference, there is no room in policing for politically correct posturing. And what I have to tell you now will shock you: there is a so-called anti-racism commitment plan from the College of Policing and the Police Chiefs’ Council that literally says policing should not be colour-blind.

Let me be clear: yes, it should.

Treating racial groups differently to engineer the same arrest rate even if offending rates are different is immoral. It’s plain wrong. People should stand equal before the law. It is that simple. Woke nonsense in policing has to end, and as Home Secretary I will scrap that absurd document.

Now, we left office with record-ever police numbers – nearly 150,000 in fact, 149,769 to be precise, in March 2024. Not that I was counting. Now, under Labour these numbers are already going down, while shoplifting has surged 20 per cent to a record level, and overall crime went up 7 per cent in Labour’s first year, reversing the declining trend under the last government, I might add.

Real crimes are going uninvestigated. Weak on crime, weak on the causes of crime. That is Labour today.

So, we need to turn this around. We commit today to hiring 10,000 extra police officers at a cost of £800 million per year, funded by some of the Chancellor’s savings announced on Monday.

These 10,000 extra police officers will catch more criminals, and they will protect our streets. That is our commitment.

And we will use some of these extra officers to deliver surge hotspot policing in 2,000 high-crime neighbourhoods across the country. They will deliver eight million hours a year of hotspot surge patrolling and prevent 35,000 crimes.

Every area where there is a serious crime problem should have intensive patrolling, all year round. That will deter crime and catch criminals. All of the evidence clearly shows that this works, as I saw with Katy in Brighton a year or so ago – Katy Bourne, the PCC for Sussex. So, we will mandate this hotspot patrolling. And I hope there will be support for her mayoral campaign too.

Now, we will also take knives off the streets. As a London MP, I’m afraid to say I’ve seen first-hand the devastating effects of knife crime, including the unimaginable grief of bereaved parents at their child’s funeral. I will never forget that as long as I live.

Stop and search takes knives off the streets. It catches criminals. When its use is measured not against the general population, but against the offending population, the use of stop and search is not racially disproportionate.

Under the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, stop and searches dropped 60 per cent – and what do you think happened to knife crime? It went up by 86 per cent under Sadiq Khan. People are losing their lives as a result of this piece of Labour woke ideology.

It’s insane that the smell of cannabis alone, or someone wearing a menacing mask, does not generally allow a stop and search.

In my view, a single suspicion indicator should be enough. So, in our hotspot areas, we will allow routine stop and search without suspicion – anyone can be searched. We will change the law to do this, and we will triple the use of stop and search. Lives will be saved, and knives will be taken off our streets. We have the courage to do that; Labour does not.

We will also continue to fight for victims of rape gangs, where the sickening rape of young girls was covered up because the perpetrators were of mainly Pakistani origin. The government only agreed to a national inquiry, as you saw from that video, because they were forced to. And months later, that inquiry has still not been set up. Keir Starmer may think standing up for rape gang victims is a far-right bandwagon, but we think it’s justice, and we will keep fighting until we get it.

We will also fight the scourge of terrorism. We stand here on the anniversary of the atrocity committed on 7 October 2023 – a day that will live in infamy. And we saw it on the streets of this city, just a few miles from where we now stand, at 9.31 last Thursday morning.

But let me say this: we will never be intimidated by terror. We will stand with this country’s Jewish community and fight, with all our energy and all our resolve, the ancient evil of antisemitism wherever it is found.

And we must be honest. Islamist extremism makes up the clear majority of counter-terrorism caseloads. We must all stand up, all of us in society, to extremism wherever we see it. Because standing by and saying nothing when encountering extremism is complicity. Those expressing extremism, antisemitism, racial or religious hatred of any kind, or support for terrorism, who are not British citizens, should be removed from this country, including those at the student marches today.

I would like to thank all the officers who responded bravely to last Thursday’s terrorist murder, and all the officers and security services up and down the country who take risks to protect us every single day. So let us say this to them: thank you.

Now let me finish by saying this. There is now only one party that will stand up for working families and for business; only one party that will stand up for pensioners, for farmers, for parents and pupils; only one party that will stand up for our military; only one party that will stand for law and order; only one party with a proper plan to protect our borders; and only one party that will stand up for Britain and all its people. That party is the Conservative Party. And if we stand together, if we stick together, we will win together, and deliver the change this country needs.

October 7, 2025
Laura Trott – 2025 Speech to Conservative Party Conference

The speech made by Laura Trott, the Shadow Education Secretary, in Manchester on 7 October 2025.

Conference, hello.

It is an honour to address you as Shadow Education Secretary, a job I have always dreamed of doing.

Education Secretary would obviously be better, but I am working on it.

Three people are on my mind as I speak to you today, three people who have shaped my thinking, whose stories I want to replicate across the country.

The first is a girl called Celine, who I heard about from her headteacher.

She lived on a dangerous council estate in Sheffield.

The closest school to her home was not delivering for children.

It was unsafe, with dismal results and terrible behaviour.

It had been that way for years, as was the case with all the schools in the area.

That is, until the arrival of the free schools programme, a Conservative policy pioneered by the formidable Michael Gove and Nick Gibb.

Thanks to them, a brilliant headteacher called Dean Webster was able to establish Mercia School.

When Mercia opened, Celine got her sliding doors moment: a chance to attend a different, better school.

When she started at the new school, the headteacher Dean visited Celine in her flat.

He told me how, on his way there, he passed gangs on the corner and had to step over people passed out on drugs.

It was a glimpse into the world awaiting Celine. However, through a traditional academic education, a longer school day, and zero tolerance for bad behaviour, Mercia School gave Celine a lifeline.

I am delighted to tell you that this summer, Celine achieved top A-Level results and is now going on to study Law at university.

A brilliant school set her on a very different path, a school which did not exist 15 years ago and would never have existed without Conservatives in Government. That is the difference we can make.

The second person whose story I would like to share today is a young boy I met in Ilford. I shall call him Mason, but that was not his real name.

He had a horrendous home life and, for understandable reasons, was acting out terribly at school.

He was not coping.

He was making life a misery and learning impossible, not just for him but for the other 29 children in his class too.

Enough was enough, and Mason was rightly removed from mainstream education and placed in alternative provision for children with behavioural problems.

That is where I met him. This specialist provision helped change his life. It was his version of intensive care, helping him to get back on his feet, with the highly specialised support that he needed and so craved.

There are too many who think it is compassionate to keep a child like Mason in mainstream school, at the expense not just of his future, but that of his classmates’ futures too.

Let me tell you what real compassion looks like:

It is taking Mason out of a setting that was failing him, letting him get the extra support he clearly needed.

That is what we need to fight for, for children like Mason.

The third person whose story I would like to share is a teacher called Kat.

I met Kat on a recent visit to her school, Trinity, a free school in a deprived area in Leeds where she is the Principal.

Sixty-one per cent of her pupils are disadvantaged, and over 70 per cent do not have English as their first language.

Kat radiates passion for her school, her teachers, and her students, and her energy is infectious.

She was rightly proud of the curriculum they have developed, the high standards of behaviour they expect from every student, and the results they are seeing every day, which far outstrip anything previously achieved in the local area.

Results, I might add, that they can only achieve because of the freedoms that come with being an academy.

Freedoms that I refuse to let the Labour Government take away casually without any thought for the consequences.

Celine, Mason, and Kat: I am in their service, and that of the thousands like them.

They are why I do this job.

Unlike Bridget Phillipson, I will never come to work thinking only about the unions.

Conference, we know that this Party, the Conservative Party, is the true party of opportunity.

We know it is not about where you have come from, but where you are going.

You should not be defined by who your parents are or where you were born, but by your ideas and what you have to contribute.

That is why the Conservative Party is the party of opportunity. We Conservatives never succumb to the soft bigotry of low expectations, because we believe that every child should have a chance in life.

Reforming schools unleashes opportunity. Plain and simple.

However, it is not enough just to believe in public service reform. The inconvenient reality, and other parties might want to note, is that you actually have to have a plan to deliver it too.

That is exactly what the Conservatives in Government did.

An Academies Act passed in 77 days.

Hundreds of new free schools.

Thousands of new academies.

A rigorous curriculum.

High-quality technical education.

Tougher exams.

Better teaching standards.

Phonics.

A stop to grade inflation.

Calculators in exams thrown out.

Millions more children in good and outstanding schools.

That is what Conservatives did in Government.

We reformed schools, and standards went through the roof.

Those schools have improved not through words, but through strong accountability, academic rigour, rigorous inspection, and freedoms.

Crucially, all of that happens with teachers, not bureaucrats, in control.

Conference, under us, English children became the best at reading and maths in the Western world.

This is an achievement that other countries marvel at. They look to us as an example of what they want to replicate in their schools.

They are eager to learn how this was achieved. However, unbelievably, all of these reforms are under threat.

They are under threat from a Labour Party who believe in backing unions over backing children, a Labour Party that even booed one of Britain’s best headteachers in the House of Commons, simply because she runs a school that was opened by a Conservative Government.

The only consistent strand of this Labour Government is that union demands come ahead of the interests of children in this country.

It should be no surprise to anyone that Bridget Phillipson is running to be deputy leader of the Labour Party.

As Education Secretary, she has spent more time appeasing union bosses than standing up for children.

From the outset, her loyalties were clear.

In her first few months, she held dozens of meetings with union leaders, allowing them to write her policies.

What was the result?

A Schools Bill that nobody voted for.

Botched Ofsted reforms.

A dumbing down of standards.

A misguided curriculum review.

Every single time the Education Secretary has been confronted with a tough decision, she has capitulated to the left.

This might help with her deputy leadership election, but it does not help children at school.

In all the chaos going on in the world, we must stop and realise the extent of the damage that Labour are doing to schoolchildren, and that starts with unpicking our school reforms.

There is no evidence that Labour’s so-called reforms driven by unions will improve a single school. Not one.

The sad fact is, we already have a live case study of why Labour’s changes will not work. It is a little over 40 miles away from this hall.

Over the border, children in Labour-run Wales are being let down. They are untouched by the education revolution seen here in England. Unfortunately, Wales has seen plummeting standards and poorer outcomes.

Just look at this graph. Instead of learning what not to do from Wales, the Education Secretary is inexplicably repeating the very same policies. The very same mistakes.

Why? Because union bosses want her to.

Trading policy for their votes.

All to the detriment of children’s education.

Shame on the Labour Party.

Shame on them for letting that waste of potential happen here.

Labour are turning their backs on everything we know improves schools, everything that people in this hall have worked so hard for, everything that Celine, Mason, and Kat need.

This is a quiet betrayal of all children, but it is the poorest who will be most affected.

This is nothing less than educational vandalism.

Conference, together with my brilliant Shadow Education team, Diana, Saqib, Rebecca, and Jack, we will fight it every step of the way.

Let me turn now to one of the key problems facing our schools: behaviour.

We must ensure that every child who goes to school is given the chance to learn from excellent teachers and without fear for their safety.

I went to a good comprehensive, with some brilliant teachers to whom I am extremely grateful.

However, I also saw the consequences of bad behaviour.

I can tell you, being at a school where teachers are sometimes locked in cupboards, things are thrown in the classroom, and fights break out in the hallway does not make it easy to learn, or for teachers to teach.

The truth is that children cannot learn if they are stuck in a chaotic environment where bad behaviour runs rife.

You would think this is obvious, but not, it seems, to the Labour Party.

Sadiq Khan thinks that when you bring a knife into a classroom, you should not be expelled.

Andy Burnham, who has been a popular topic of conversation recently, called for an end to pupil referral units, so no more expulsions for the most disruptive pupils. That is mad.

North of the border in Scotland, the SNP have actively sought to keep disruptive pupils in mainstream schools, to the point where last year just a single pupil was permanently excluded over an entire academic year, across the whole of Scotland.

Conference, turning a blind eye to aggression, disruption, or violence is not moral leadership; it is an abdication of responsibility.

Pursuing inclusion at the expense of order is the opposite of compassion.

It abandons the child who needs real specialist help and who is crying out for support.

Instead of this left-wing nonsense, we have a blueprint to improve discipline, building on the work of the last Government.

It starts with being honest about the need for permanent exclusions.

We cannot shy away from setting clear boundaries, excluding pupils when they have been extremely violent or are carrying a knife.

This is not about giving up on those children. It is the opposite.

Children must learn that actions have consequences. That is how the world works.

Under the Conservatives, our policy is simple: one knife and you are out.

If you assault a teacher, then you are out.

If you sexually assault someone, then you are out.

If you have been expelled from not just one but two mainstream schools, then it is clear that mainstream classrooms are not for you.

If children bring knives into the classroom, then they should not be there.

If they are violent, then they should not be there.

Under the Conservatives, they will not be there.

However, the important piece of the jigsaw here is that, once children have been excluded, it is our duty to them and their future to give them the support they need, moving them into specialist alternative provision, where they stand a real chance of success.

Staff in these settings work with extraordinary dedication to turn around the lives of children.

I have seen this first-hand. When done well, it is a quality of education that can be tailored to their needs.

I saw that with Mason. However, we need more places like this.

It is clear to me that there is not enough high-quality alternative provision, and as a result, disruptive pupils are being kept in mainstream education for far too long.

Our blueprint will create more high-quality places in alternative provision, reducing disruption for the many who suffer from it and delivering specialist support for the few who need it.

Every local area should have specialist provision, partnering with football teams and sports clubs who are brilliant at engaging young people.

Just yesterday, I visited Old Trafford and saw the amazing work that Manchester United Foundation are doing to provide young people with role models, mentors, routine, and discipline. This should be everywhere.

Girls should have separate provision from violent young men. We should push standards up through every academy chain, partnering with one.

We should make alternative provision independent of local authorities. We should ensure that every provider is registered so that every setting is inspected by Ofsted, ensuring proper accountability and rigour, especially in those settings for some of the most disadvantaged and challenged children.

We must ensure that those children, especially the most violent, are turning up to their alternative provision, that they are not slipping out of sight and into criminality.

We believe children should be in the classroom, not on the street. Fines should be issued automatically when they are not there, because these children need help, and we need to ensure they get it, and they only get it if they turn up.

If we do all this, we can show compassion for those who need it most, not by some false inclusivity that damages everyone, but by challenging and fixing the behavioural issues.

Now, let me address another problem causing behaviour issues: smartphones.

Time after time, teachers have told me that smartphones are one of the biggest causes of bad behaviour.

The government’s own research shows that they disrupt nearly half of GCSE classes every single day.

Look abroad: in Portugal, schools that banned smartphones saw a huge drop in bullying.

Australia, Norway, Finland, and France are all tightening restrictions on smartphones.

Meanwhile, Labour ignore our calls for action.

The single biggest thing Labour could do, right now, to improve behaviour is to get smartphones out of the classroom.

Yet, the Prime Minister says a ban is unnecessary.

Bridget Phillipson calls it a gimmick.

While they stick their heads in the sand, who suffers the most?

It is the most disadvantaged.

When I first started going into schools to talk about this to the students, I did not necessarily expect to be the most popular person.

Taking away smartphones from teenagers is not something you think will go down particularly well.

Yet I have been overwhelmed by the response.

The most frequent reaction from students after a ban has been put in place is one of pure relief.

I will never forget the face of one boy when he told me that it made him feel safe.

Young people do not want this to be an issue they have to deal with. They want the adults to sort this out.

I am speaking to Bridget Phillipson directly now:

For goodness’ sake, just get on and do it.

The sad truth is this: we have had broken promise after broken promise from the Department for Education.

You simply cannot trust Bridget Phillipson when she says she is going to improve our schools.

Conference, you all know about Labour’s plans to become the only country in Europe to tax education.

It was one of their core manifesto pledges and one of their most vindictive.

The result of their attack on the independent sector is not more teachers in state schools, but fewer. Four hundred fewer, to be precise.

We have not got a better state school system from Labour’s education tax. We have just got more crowding in classrooms, because independent schools are closing at a record rate.

Pressure is being piled on the state sector in a way that teachers across the school system warned about.

The Prime Minister himself admitted money is not going to state schools.

Conference, and I promise you I am not making this up, instead of using the money to hire more teachers as the manifesto said, the Prime Minister is using the money to house illegal migrants.

Under the Conservatives, we will never tax education to make our state schools worse off.

Conference, as I have laid out for you today, by blindly following trade union orthodoxy, Labour are taking us backwards.

It took real courage and conviction for us to get those school reforms through 15 years ago. Headlines of local papers at the time read: “Hands off our failing schools.”

Unions were allergic to the change, competition, and accountability.

Decades on, Labour’s stated ambition for their so-called reforms is to create more consistency in the education system. Not excellence.

In practice, that means levelling down across the board.

In recent decades, parents and children have voted with their feet.

Bad schools closed. Good schools thrived. That is the strength of choice. Those are Conservative principles in action.

Labour’s Schools Bill rips that apart, handing local authorities sweeping new powers, not only to block good schools from growing, but even to stop an outstanding school from keeping the same number of pupils. This is madness.

It risks shattering the life chances of some of our most deprived children.

We know that turning failing schools into academies is the single most effective way of helping children.

Yet Labour will keep children trapped in failing schools for longer, denying them the opportunity they deserve.

This will be Labour’s record.

That will be Bridget Phillipson’s legacy.

That is why we must fight them all the way.

Fight the educational vandalism of Bridget Phillipson, who puts the unions’ interests above British interests, above the interests of Celine, Mason, and Kat.

Teachers deserve better. The next generation deserves better. Our country deserves better.

It is the Conservatives who have reformed education for the better before.

We will do so again.

Thank you.

October 7, 2025
James Cleverly – 2025 Speech to Conservative Party Conference

The speech made by James Cleverly, the Shadow Housing Secretary, in Manchester on 6 October 2025.

Owning your own home should not be a luxury.

The Conservative Party is the party of aspiration.

We are the party that believes in reward for hard work.

So, when we see home ownership becoming a fantasy for many people, when a home of your own is an impossible dream, no matter how hard you work, we know we must act.

And when Conservatives are in charge, we do act.

Remember, it was the Conservatives who cleared the slums in the 1930s.

Harold Macmillan built 300,000 homes a year in the 1950s.

And Margaret Thatcher made home ownership a reality for millions of people with the Right to Buy in the 1980s.

The point is, we don’t just have to look at the distant past.

Since 2010, Conservatives have delivered 2.5 million homes, a million of those in the last Parliament alone.

Last year, in the South East of England and the East of England, Conservative-run regions, about 2.5 new homes were built per thousand people.

In London, run by Labour for the best part of a decade, 0.5 homes per thousand.

And so, what do those figures mean for real people, for ordinary hard-working Londoners?

In 1980, the average London home cost £25,000, about four times the average national salary.

Today, the average London house costs over half a million pounds, and that is fifteen times the average salary.

That is Sadiq Khan’s record of failure.

We should not, and we cannot, and we must not accept it.

But what did Angela Rayner do when she was Housing Secretary?

She gave Sadiq Khan a free pass.

She dropped the Government’s call-in for the London Plan.

And she cut London’s housing target.

And what was the result? A mere 5,000 private homes are forecast to be built across the whole of London this year, against a target of 88,000 homes.

Rayner’s failure to deal with Khan’s failure ends up by dumping that housing shortfall on rural Britain.

I’ve got a small confession to make, ladies and gentlemen.

I was actually looking forward to holding Rayner to account.

I was looking forward to going toe to toe with a real firebrand of the modern Left.

Instead, I’m up against Steve Reed.

Steve “I’m not Wikipedia” Reed.

No, Steve, you’re not Wikipedia, Wikipedia can actually be useful.

And let’s remind ourselves, ladies and gentlemen, Steve Reed is a man who has just spent the last year destroying family farms so that he can spend next year concreting over them.

He wears a baseball cap that says “Build, Baby, Build”, but in reality, it’s “Block, Baby, Block”.

Because he said no to new homes being built in his urban London constituency, where they are both needed and wanted.

And that’s Labour all over, isn’t it?

Slogans say one thing; their record shows something completely different.

And as for the Labour Government’s pledge of 1.5 million homes built by the end of this Parliament, either they are lying about how many homes they are going to build, or they’re lying about how long this Parliament is going to last.

And what about these fabled Labour new towns?

Initially, they said they were going to build twelve of them.

Then they said they only might start three during this Parliament, and that’s only if you count one spade in the ground as progress.

For me, it’s like being promised a pony for Christmas and ending up with a goldfish.

Now, when I drive through London, from my home in Essex, I see the Olympic Park, a brownfield site transformed into homes and businesses by Boris, a Conservative Mayor of London.

I see Canary Wharf, derelict docks turned into homes and a world-class financial hub, by Heseltine and Thatcher, a Conservative Government.

And that same story is true beyond London: Ben Houchen in Teesside, Paul Bristow in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Conservative Mayors rolling up their sleeves and getting stuff done.

And look, I know London isn’t the only place that matters, we all understand that.

But the UK’s biggest city does have a unique role to play.

And the Labour Mayor of London has not, and will not, get a grip of the situation, which is why we need a Conservative Mayor of London who will.

We need a Conservative Mayor to rewrite the London Plan, focus on delivery, and unlock tens of thousands of desperately needed homes in that city, near transport links, near the night-time economy, and near job opportunities.

By prioritising brownfield sites and turning them into business and housing hubs, just like we did before in Canary Wharf and in the Olympic Park.

Now, to get this done, we need to cut down the mountains of well-intentioned regulation.

We have affordable housing targets so high they basically prevent anything from getting built.

And I wonder if the Steve Reed now in charge of housing will look back at the Steve Reed who was in charge of environmental regulation and have a word with himself.

Because we’ve made it too easy to say no to housing.

And we need to find reasons to say yes to housing.

We need to win the argument.

We need to make people want to say yes.

Now, just so you know where I’m coming from, I reject the false choice between low-rise sprawl into the green belt and soulless tower blocks.

We can, and we should, build homes that are liveable, attractive, and welcomed by their neighbours.

Because beauty in the built environment should not be the preserve of the wealthy, it should be for everyone.

Building is important, of course it is.

But we must also make better use of the homes we already have.

I’m going to give you a scenario, and I expect a few of you will recognise it.

In every town and city across the country, there are roads full of empty nesters.

You know the kind of houses I mean, three, four, maybe even five-bedroom family houses, where the children have grown up and moved out, and now just one or two people are living there.

I don’t want to force anybody to leave the home they love.

But we should make it easy for older couples to downsize, without punishing them with ever more property tax.

Because encouraging downsizing frees up a whole chain of homes, helping retirees, bigger families, smaller families, and first-time buyers all at the same time.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is just common sense.

And that is what should underpin Conservative housing policy: common sense.

Easing the burden of regulation, getting stuff built.

Easing counterproductive taxation that stops homes being bought and sold.

That is the Conservative answer.

But compare that with Labour’s answer, even more taxes.

They are hiking council tax by more than £11 billion over this Parliament, with more to come, through higher tax bands and new taxes on family homes.

But we Conservatives know that you cannot tax your way to growth.

Real growth comes not from the state, but from its citizens and the communities they build.

Strong communities need a smaller state, and we know strong communities matter.

Many of you in this hall today are councillors, and you are on the front line, working in and for your local communities.

You are the manifestation of Conservative values that people actually see in their day-to-day lives.

And I want to thank you.

Because when I speak about Conservative leadership, and I try not to do that so much these days, I’m talking about Conservative leadership in town halls, county halls, and village halls.

Conservative councillors who improve their high streets, who stand up for local businesses, who defend community pubs, local parks, and village greens.

Who deliver leaflets late at night and early in the morning, whatever the weather.

Whatever the political weather, and whilst you deliver, other parties let their communities down.

Labour councils, taxes up, bins uncollected. Over-taxing, under-delivering.

Liberal Democrats, hiking council tax to some of the highest levels in the country.

And Reform? Well, being angry about stuff doesn’t get bins collected, or schools run better, or parks maintained, or old people cared for.

Because being a keyboard warrior doesn’t prepare you to manage a multi-million-pound council budget.

That is why they are failing and infighting wherever they get elected.

So, let Reform chase the clicks and likes online, and let real Conservatives serve their communities.

In our party, we understand the difference.

But we must understand why so many people are angry.

And rather than just reflect that anger back to them, we look to do something about it.

Because that’s how you build policy, not just press releases.

A party that is ready to govern, and communities built on unity, not division, that is us.

And we also know that the scale of immigration has put unprecedented pressure on housing provision and on our neighbourhoods.

That’s why, as Home Secretary, I took action to halve net migration.

Because people are angry when they see an immigration system that gives houses to asylum seekers whilst local families wait for years.

This madness has got to stop.

That is why we brought in the Rwanda plan that Labour scrapped as soon as they entered office.

That is why we have committed to leaving the ECHR so that we can prioritise the people of our country.

That is why we must have stronger borders.

That is why we must have a stronger economy.

Because simply building more homes is not enough.

We have got to cut immigration, and we have got to rebuild our communities too.

The foundation stone for successful communities is the simple fact that we all play by the same rules, and that people who break those rules are punished, not rewarded.

Where no group is above the law, and where the laws are universally applied.

Communities where hard work is rewarded.

Where pride in place, pride in country, is valued and praised, not vilified and mocked.

A tradition of free speech, and yes, that does mean the right to offend.

But the right to offend is not the same as a duty to offend.

Because we do have a long-standing tradition of decency, politeness, and good manners.

But we don’t need to turn that tradition into law, which is why blasphemy laws have no place in the United Kingdom.

The cherished right of freedom of religion must be protected, and protected robustly, by all of us.

Protected with the strength of the Jewish men and women who held that door shut at the synagogue on Yom Kippur, here in Manchester just last week.

Because warm words or empty symbolism will do nothing to keep people safe.

That is why, when I was Home Secretary, I overruled officials to ensure record funding to protect the security of Jewish communities.

But we must do more to tackle the growing challenge of antisemitism in this country, much, much more, with the strength of our words and our actions.

And as we see Labour councils bringing in anti-Israel boycotts and divestment in a cynical, sectarian attempt to win votes, we should recognise what it is and call it out for what it is.

Labour is currently trying to jump on a patriotic bandwagon.

Starmer is trying to wrap himself in the Union flag.

But in reality, he is an emperor with no clothes.

Labour is not fooling anyone.

Did you see it at Labour Conference in Liverpool?

You could see it on their faces.

They were forced to wave the St George’s flag and the Union flag with gritted teeth, and Andy Burnham scuttling out via the back door.

Starmer allegedly opposes division, but frankly, he can’t even unite his own party, let alone the country.

It is his party that is pushing identity politics.

It is their misplaced ideal of multiculturalism that leads to parallel cultures rather than integrated communities.

The Conservatives have always been, and will always be, the party of patriotism.

And more than that, we know the formula for success.

Multi-ethnic communities, of course.

Diverse religions within communities, yes.

But an adherence to the norms, values, and laws of our country.

That is how successful, integrated, sustainable communities are built.

And that is what we should work towards, bringing society together across class, colour, and creed.

That is how we build trust.

That is how we build strong neighbourhoods.

That is how we make Britain a home for everyone who is willing to play their part.

I was chuffed when Kemi asked me to take on this role, because fixing our housing crisis and restoring pride in our communities are two of the biggest challenges we face.

And the simple truth is, Labour does not want to fix these problems.

And Reform cannot fix these problems.

But we can, and we will.

We will build more homes.

We will build stronger communities.

We will build stronger borders.

We will build a stronger economy.

And we will restore pride in this great country once again.

Thank you.

October 7, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Russia’s war in Ukraine has been built on a foundation of falsehoods [October 2025]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 2 October 2025.

Ambassador Holland examines the various falsehoods that Russia deployed in seeking to justify its illegal and unjust war of aggression against Ukraine.

Thank you, Mr Chair.

The recent Moscow Mechanism report further highlighted widespread and systematic mistreatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war, reflecting Russia’s ongoing disregard for International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law. Now, it is right that this Council devotes significant attention to Russia’s conduct in its illegal war against Ukraine. But we should also not forget to challenge the falsehoods that have been used as justifications for this war.

This week marks three years since Russia’s unlawful attempts to annex Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk, and Luhansk oblasts. Russia attempted to justify these actions, along with its eleven-year occupation of Crimea, by claiming to protect Russian-speaking populations. But there is no credible evidence that these communities faced any genuine threat. Instead, the occupation has brought suffering, violence, and fear—denying freedoms, abducting children, forcing Russian passports, and destroying local communities. Furthermore, the notion that speaking Russian in Ukraine equates to support for Moscow and its war is flawed. Russia’s narrative of “protecting Russian-speakers” is unsubstantiated, oversimplifying Ukraine’s diverse linguistic and ethnic landscape.

On 24 February – in addition to the false claim that Russian-speakers in Ukraine were facing a genocide – President Putin claimed that Russia’s “Special Military Operation” aimed to demilitarise and “denazify” Ukraine and prevent NATO’s expansion. These justifications have proven to be gross distortions.

Firstly, the assertion that Ukraine needed to be demilitarised is unfounded. Indeed, Russia itself thought the Special Military Operation would last three days. Ukraine posed no threat to Russia; its military was significantly smaller, and it had voluntarily given up its nuclear arsenal, with Russia pledging in the Budapest Memorandum to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence. We have seen, though, over the past three and a half years that size isn’t everything.

Secondly, the objective to “denazify” Ukraine is a misapplication of historical facts. Ukraine’s president is Jewish and has family members who were Holocaust victims. Far-right parties received only 2.15% of the vote in the last parliamentary election, which further undermines Russia’s claims.

And thirdly, President Putin’s claim of acting to prevent NATO expansion does not stand up to scrutiny. NATO is a defensive alliance, and membership is voluntary. Allies do not seek expansion, though experience shows states may feel compelled to seek membership in such alliances precisely because of the aggressive behaviour Russia has displayed towards Ukraine and its neighbours. And the Helsinki Final Act guarantees each nation’s sovereign right to determine its own alliances.

Russia’s illegal war is built on falsehoods and has resulted in the deadliest conflict in Europe since the Second World War. So, while we rightly tackle the appalling conduct of its war, we should always remember that this is an unjust war. Moscow’s true objections are to Ukrainian sovereignty and the existence of an independent, democratic neighbour. The 1991 Ukrainian independence referendum, where Ukraine voted overwhelmingly for independence and three years of determined resistance demonstrate Ukraine’s clear desire for self-determination and freedom from external control. Russia must respect this will and withdraw its forces unconditionally from all of Ukraine.

Thank you.

October 7, 2025
Andrew Griffith – 2025 Speech to Conservative Party Conference

The speech made by Andrew Griffith in Manchester on 6 October 2025.

Conference, business builds Britain.
It is business that takes ideas and turns them into reality.
Takes jobs and turns them into livelihoods.
And it is business that pays the nation’s bills.
With strong business, everything is possible.
I spent 25 years in business where I saw optimism at work every day.
That is why I am optimistic.

I know Britain can return to being a world-leading economy.
Our country has huge strengths which even years more of this government will not diminish.
The English language, respect for property, our deep, sophisticated financial markets, and a mix of the businesses that thrive globally.
Around the world, people want what we produce.
And they want our skills, our capital and our ideas.
Thanks to the last Conservative government, we have an independent trade policy which allows us to sell not just to Europe but to our long-standing allies and most of the fastest growing economies on the planet.
Compare that distinguished record on trade to the press release politics we’ve seen over the last year.
The Prime Minister told us in May his US deal was signed, sealed and delivered.
Yet tariffs remain.
He told us he had a deal for pharmaceuticals.
But it never materialised, and our drug companies are leaving.
He told us he finally understood Brexit
And he then went running back to Brussels to let them dictate our rules, killing our flexibility for future deals.
It’s clear that Labour and the other parties simply don’t understand business.
How could they? Unlike our Party, their ranks are full of professional politicians, trade unionists and the public sector.
No government that understood business would ever have imposed a jobs tax and changes to national insurance thresholds which hurt those employing the most the hardest.
Or the family business tax – a death tax.
Or doubled rates on the very businesses which keep our high streets alive.
And conference, no government that cared about British firms and British workers would ignore energy costs that are four times higher than our competitors.
Instead of creating wealth, they attack it, driving away entrepreneurs, investors, and top talent.
Too many of our best and brightest are exchanging Docklands for Dubai or Manchester for Milan.
And what Labour do nationally, the Greens, Lib Dems and the nationalists do locally.
Hostile planning policies frustrating businesses trying to expand.
Blocking new infrastructure.
And suffocating firms with traffic congestion, parking restrictions and red tape.
The next government will fix this and more just as after the failed consensus of the seventies, Britain picked itself up, restoring our pride and our growth.
But the process of change requires being honest about where we start.
We are no longer the rich country many think we are.
For too long we’ve been slipping down the international rankings in GDP per capita, competitiveness, and inward investment.
Under Labour, Britain is competing in the veterans’ race – comparing ourselves to the G7 – when the real competition are those younger, fitter economies who are overtaking us.
We Conservatives know that it is only private enterprise that creates growth, not government.
There were moments in office where we strayed from that truth.
More regulations, raising taxes, the state as nanny.
Indulging the idea that government is the solution, when we know very often it is the problem.
But the Conservative Party is under new management.
And at the heart of our strategy is an approach that’s proud to champion wealth creators and risk takers.
Creating a new generation of entrepreneurs and backing our businesses.
I am announcing clear policies today which start that work.
In our very first budget, we will repeal the family business tax which punishes success and dis-incentivises growth.
We will build a tax system which values those who take a risk and helps the smallest businesses.
And the next Conservative government will actively reverse the job destroying measures in Labour’s Unemployment Rights Bill.
A Bill which allows strikes to be called even if just a tiny fraction of the workforce vote.
A Bill which will destroy job opportunities for young people whilst topping up Labour’s political fund without workers being given the choice.
And the opposition to this terrible Bill in Parliament has been led by your Conservative shadow business team.
David Hunt and Andrew Sharpe in the House of Lords.
My shadow Ministers Harriet Baldwin, Gareth Davies and my PPS, Ali Griffiths in the Commons.
Not by any other party. By the Conservative Party.
And there is more.
I understand there are far too many hurdles for small businesses to jump.
Red tape that steals away the precious time of those who run them.
Take HMRC, an organisation which literally tried to turn its helplines off for six months of the year.
We say ‘enough’. That is unacceptable.
So, within weeks of entering government, we will that ensure every time a small business contacts HMRC, they are given the opportunity to rate their experience in the same way as companies seek customer feedback.
No more hanging on the phone for an hour with no one held accountable.
No one loves paying their taxes. But the taxman needs to respect those whose hard work and enterprise pays their salaries.
Nowhere. Nowhere is that more important than the self-employed.
They’re risk-takers, striking out on their own, often with nothing more than a laptop and a belief they can make it work.
That’s why we commit today to doing better for the self-employed. And that includes looking again at reforming IR35.
Because if Britain is to have ladders of opportunity, then the self-employed need to be able to climb them.
Similarly, opening a bank account today is so hard it is a miracle anyone starts a business at all.
It can take weeks or even months to do what other countries do in minutes.
It shows just how far our regulators have lost the plot and it’s a brake on growth we cannot afford.
So, we will transform a process which makes banks treat you as guilty until proven innocent.
From the tone at the top of the regulators to repealing EU era rules, we have a clear plan, and we will fix this.
So: scrapping the family business tax, reversing the Unemployment Bill, easier bank accounts and a better service from HMRC.
Real policies that will make a real difference.
And, where we can, we need a tax framework which shows our support with actions not words.
No sector has been hurt harder by Labour’s onslaught against enterprise than hospitality, retail, and leisure/
89,000 jobs lost in the hospitality sector alone since Rachel Reeves’ Autumn Budget.
One of her first actions in office was to more than double business rates for many of our high street businesses by cutting the relief that previous Conservative governments introduced.
Because of the choices she’s made, the life in our high streets is ebbing away.
And we know the heart of our communities are suffering.
So, we want to give them hope.
Today, we are announcing that when we return to government, we will introduce a permanent, one hundred per cent rate relief in business rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure.
250,000 businesses will benefit from that change.
Pubs, shops, restaurants struggling across the country will be saved.
And our high streets will get an enormous boost.
But conference there’s one more thing.
We want to reignite a culture of entrepreneurship in Britain.
To support and celebrate those who take a risk.
A mission the like of which we’ve not seen since my friend and mentor, Lord David Young was Mrs Thatcher’s Secretary for Trade and Enterprise.
To create a new generation of entrepreneurs.
As Business Secretary, I want to see young entrepreneur schemes flourish in every school and college in the country.
Building on existing schemes, delivered by people who’ve been there and done it and who want the next generation to succeed.
We will provide the support to make this happen because this is what we believe a stronger economy requires.
So, Conference, let me be clear.
The Conservative Party as the party of enterprise, the party of the entrepreneur, the party of business.
On the side of the pub landlord, the restaurateur, the small business owner, the self-employed, and the family business.
Those who work for themselves and give work to others.
The builders, not the blockers.
Those that make, not those that take.
That’s who we support, that’s who we believe in, that’s who our government will serve.
Nations that seize opportunity, rise.
We will seize that opportunity, and together we will make Britain’s economy strong again.
Thank you.
‍

October 6, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Pension firms urged to boost investment into the UK sci-tech unicorns of the 2030s [October 2025]
The press release issued by the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology on 2 October 2025.

Science Minister Lord Vallance urges pension schemes to invest more in world class UK firms as new innovation cluster map outlines areas of outstanding research and commerce.
- Pension schemes and venture capital are ‘underexposed’ and should invest more in world class UK science and tech firms
- The UK has deep pools of institutional capital, yet only a small fraction reaches our most promising growth companies, says Science Minister Lord Vallance at BVCA event
- To support pension firms to invest with clarity, government unveils innovation cluster map, outlining pockets of outstanding research and commerce across different parts of the UK – helping to boost growth and jobs through our Plan for Change
Pensions firms should capitalise on the enormous opportunity to boost private investment into UK science and technology, Science Minister Lord Vallance will tell an audience of top investors later today (Thursday 2 October), as part of a speech at the British Venture Capital Association’s (BVCA) private capital showcase.

The Minister will acknowledge that the UK has long been renowned for excellence in research and incubating companies at the very cutting-edge of the most important fields of our generation, including life sciences, AI and quantum technology – but many promising UK companies have been held back from scaling to their full potential due to a lack of available capital.

While $16 billion has been invested into UK start-ups and scale-ups last year, and more than $8 billion raised in the first half of 2025, exceeding France and Germany combined, the government wants to go further and faster to boost growth through its Plan for Change.

Taking Cambridge-founded Arm as a flagship example of British innovation that scales globally, he will call on private pensions investors to work with VCs and other assets managers to back our next generation of high growth companies. This would deliver long-term returns for investors, while keeping more of the value and jobs created by those companies in the UK.

Science Minister Lord Vallance said:

There are far too many UK companies operating at the cutting-edge of emerging technologies, like AI, biotechnology and quantum to which UK investors are underexposed.

Through our Industrial Strategy, we are building an environment where public funding, streamlined regulation and partnerships with industry are channelling investment into science and technology.

Encouraging greater flows of capital into the sector is another piece of the puzzle, supporting companies to grow and jobs to be created.

To help support investors to better identify the companies, sectors and regions of the UK to target for investment, the Minister has today also unveiled a new and improved Innovation Clusters Map.

This map identifies areas and regions where networks of businesses and research institutions are benefitting from close proximity to one another, boosting the effects of research, development, and innovation. This means investors know where to seek out expertise and crucially how to make the most of the skills that exist around the country – supporting regional growth and creating quality jobs in places where they are most needed.

It will include detailed information on a range of sectors, aligned with the government’s Industrial Strategy, including:
- advanced manufacturing
- creative
- digital and tech
- financial services
- professional and business services
- life sciences
Clusters ripe for investment featuring as part of the map include the north west of England, where life sciences companies are developing new drugs to fight cancer and inflammation and vaccines to protect against bacterium behind diseases like pneumonia and sepsis. Meanwhile the Glasgow city region, also known as ‘satellite city’, is building the satellites that help to underpin modern technology, keeping Britons connected.

The tool allows potential investors, industry, research institutions and government to understand local innovation ecosystems and identify growth and investment opportunities.
October 6, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Cowell affirms UK support to Lebanon’s social protection systems [October 2025]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 2 October 2025.

They addressed support for conflict-affected populations, internally displaced persons, and the evolving refugee file.

British Ambassador to Lebanon, Hamish Cowell, met with the Minister of Social Affairs (MoSA), Haneen Sayed, to reaffirm the UK’s ongoing commitment to strengthening Lebanese national social protection systems. This includes MoSA’s rights and access programme for people with disabilities and support to vulnerable Lebanese communities through the UK’s £5 million contribution to the AMAN programme.

They discussed ongoing UK support to MoSA programmes on social protection through international and local partners including the World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Ambassador Cowell congratulated Minister Sayed on the restructuring of the Ministry and her vision and priorities. They also addressed support for conflict-affected populations, internally displaced persons, and the evolving refugee file.

Following the meeting Ambassador Cowell said:

I am proud of our partnership with the Ministry of Social Affairs to strengthen vital national social protection systems and reach the most vulnerable Lebanese families. Through recent £5M UK funding, over two hundred thousand vulnerable Lebanese individuals have accessed basic assistance through the AMAN programme.

The UK remains committed to working with the Government of Lebanon and partners to support those in need.

October 6, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : From truffles to trade: Cotswold firm grows with UKEF’s Small Export Builder [October 2025]

The press release issued by the Department for Business and Trade on 2 October 2025.

Award-winning Gloucestershire food specialist enters Southeast Asian markets thanks to government-backed export insurance.

TruffleHunter, a Queen’s Award-winning business from South Cerney in the Cotswold District, has successfully expanded into new international markets thanks to UK Export Finance’s innovative Small Export Builder (SEB) facility.

The speciality food company, which produces truffle-based products and gourmet ingredients, has used the government-backed export insurance to secure contracts worth £22,500 in Malaysia and the Philippines – markets where commercial insurance wouldn’t offer cover for smaller value exports.

UKEF’s SEB allows businesses to start with a credit limit of up to £25,000 and build up to £100,000 in 50% increments, as they establish a positive trading history with their buyers. This approach has given TruffleHunter (an experienced exporter who won the Queen’s Award for International Trade in 2021) the confidence to pursue opportunities in emerging markets where commercial insurers would not offer cover.

TruffleHunter has delivered contracts worth £7,500 in Malaysia and £15,000 in the Philippines, with further orders secured for Thailand and Ecuador and Mexico in the Americas.

Hugh Francis, UKEF Export Finance Manager for Gloucestershire, said:

TruffleHunter’s success demonstrates exactly why we launched the Small Export Builder, which is to help smaller businesses access markets that commercial insurers won’t cover. The beauty of this facility is that it grows with the business, allowing them to build confidence and trading relationships incrementally.

Nigel Whitehouse, CEO of TruffleHunter, said:

The SEB has been a game-changer for our business. The inability to secure commercial insurance for smaller value orders was a real barrier to access new markets for us like Malaysia and the Philippines.

UKEF’s support has given us the confidence to diversify our export base, enter new territories and build relationships with buyers we simply couldn’t have worked with before.

The Small Export Builder is part of UKEF’s enhanced business support announced in the government’s Trade Strategy, designed to make export protection more accessible to smaller businesses seeking financial security when trading internationally.

This latest announcement follows the publication of UKEF’s annual report & accounts for 2024/25. 

Over the last financial year, UKEF provided a record £14.5 billion in new financing, helping over 667 UK companies to export and grow and supported up to 70,000 jobs.

October 6, 2025