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  • PRESS RELEASE : UK signs trade pact with Thailand to boost exports [September 2024]

    PRESS RELEASE : UK signs trade pact with Thailand to boost exports [September 2024]

    The press release issued by the Department for Business and Trade on 18 September 2024.

    UK Trade Minister signs trade pact designed to boost trade and investment with Thailand and open the country up to British businesses.

    • UK seals ambitious Enhanced Trade Partnership (ETP) designed to boost trade and investment with Thailand
    • Pact will help create opportunities for UK businesses in the country, which is the second-largest economy in Southeast Asia
    • News comes as UK auto industry set to save millions exporting cars to Thailand after rules around emissions testing changed

    The UK and Thailand will today [18 September] put pen to paper on an Enhanced Trade Partnership to boost trade and investment between the two countries.

    Trade Minister Douglas Alexander will sign the pact alongside Thai Commerce Minister Pichai Naripthaphan in Bangkok this morning as part of his first visit to Asia since being appointed in July.

    Thailand is the second-biggest economy in Southeast Asia and trade between the UK and Thailand is already worth £5.9 billion a year. The Thai economy is rapidly growing and its middle class is expected to more than double to almost 14 million by 2030, creating huge opportunities for UK businesses to tap into.

    The new partnership signed today is designed to help the Government achieve its driving mission to grow the economy by boosting sales and investment in priority sectors such as automotive, tourism, investment, digital trade, financial services, education, and many more. The pact also commits both sides to identifying opportunities that could be delivered through a potential future UK-Thailand Free Trade Agreement.

    Following the signing, Minister of State for Trade Policy Douglas Alexander said:

    Thailand’s growth is something the UK can and should be capitalising on.

    This Partnership will bring our two countries closer together and help British businesses sell to Thailand, supporting jobs and growth around the country.

    It follows a string of changes which have made it easier for UK companies to sell to the Thai market.

    This includes an agreement on vehicle emissions testing which saw Thailand accept the UK’s testing standards and waive the need for cars to be re-tested at Thai standards.  Re-testing was time-consuming and expensive and its removal could save UK car manufacturers millions of pounds. A similar agreement is now being progressed for British motorbike manufacturers.

    The UK and Thailand also recently also made it much simpler for Thai companies to import UK food and drink – from chocolate and cheese to soft drinks and frozen foods. They can now submit conformity documentation by email instead of the time-consuming process of getting paperwork physically stamped by the British Embassy. Removing this barrier will be worth around £40m-£70m to UK businesses over five years.

    During his first visit to the region, Minister Alexander will also travel to Laos to attend the 56th ASEAN Economic Ministers Meeting. He will use the visit to speak to partners from across the region about the new government’s plans for trade and how this will support the government’s mission to drive growth throughout the economy.

    Surendra Rosha, Group Executive of the HSBC Group and Co-Chief Executive of HSBC Asia-Pacific, said:

    The growing trade and investment synergies between the United Kingdom and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are drawing increased interest from the global investment community.

    As one of ASEAN’s largest international banks, with a footprint in the UK and six ASEAN member markets, HSBC is committed to supporting His Majesty’s Government in working with ASEAN governments to enhance economic integration and upgrade financial services.

    Debra Crew, Chief Executive, Diageo PLC, said:

    ASEAN is one of the world’s most vibrant and dynamic regions, full of opportunity for Scotch Whisky. We warmly welcome the UK’s participation in the Asian Economic Dialogue and the new Enhanced Trade Partnership with Thailand which will boost trade and investment in this important region.

    We hope this enhanced partnership will be the first step towards resolving costly trade barriers, such as those affecting Scotch Whisky.

    Pulkit Abrol, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, ACCA, said:

    With 88 years in Southeast Asia, ACCA members have been integral to the region’s growth, benefiting from the strong UK-ASEAN trade relationship.

    This partnership, centred on talent mobility, sustainability, and digital trade, creates opportunities for ACCA members to thrive across all sectors in both established and emerging markets.

    We welcome the establishment of the UK-Thailand Enhanced Trade Partnership as a further, integrative step towards deepening trade and mobility.

    Notes to editors:

    • Aggregate figures on the valuation of resolved barriers are based on DBT analysis of specific market access barriers using the methodologies set out in the DBT statistical publication. To calculate the aggregate figures, the mid-point for each valuation range is added to provide a central estimate. Further details on the methodology for the aggregate valuation figures are published in a DBT analytical working paper.
  • David Lammy – 2024 Speech at Labour Party Conference

    David Lammy – 2024 Speech at Labour Party Conference

    The speech made by David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, on 22 September 2024.

    Conference, everyone in this room has their own story.

    My story starts in place called Dongola Road, in the shadow of Tottenham’s Broadwater Farm Estate.

    Life was not always easy. My mum struggling to put food on our table.

    Skinheads shouting abuse as we walked by.

    My father leaving when I was 12.

    He didn’t leave me very much.

    But he did leave me a map, an atlas of the world which I put on my bedroom wall. And from this map, I learned about the countries my ancestors had come from. Transported from West Africa to Guyana as part of the Transatlantic slave trade. Long before my parents moved from Guyana to Britain to help rebuild Britain after the Second World War.

    Conference, I can’t tell you how it feels to stand here today. A Black working-class man from Tottenham; a child of the great Windrush Generation.

    Now back on this stage as the Foreign Secretary in a Labour Government.

    My job is to tell a new story about the United Kingdom abroad.

    A story of openness. A story of the future. A story of hope that will reconnect Britain with the world once more.

    Conference, when I stood in this room last year, I said we had a once in a generation chance to get Britain’s future back.

    The chance to win back the public’s trust. To turn the page on 14 years of Tory decline.

    Well Conference, we did it.

    And when I say we did it – I mean you did it.

    Every party member who walked dozens of miles knocking on doors.

    Every activist who convinced a young person to register to vote.

    Every supporter who endured the failing private train networks to campaign in an unfamiliar town.

    Every single one of you who supported our leader – our Prime Minister – Keir Starmer.

    You are the greatest advocates of our values, our missions, and our purpose.

    We are forever grateful to you for the greatest electoral turnaround in our party’s history.

    From electoral oblivion less than five years ago, to a Labour majority today.

    Thank you, thank you.

    Of course, you, the party members in this room, did not just change the fate of our party. You changed the fate of our country.

    Now, together, let’s work to change the fate of our world.

    Conference, for 14 long years, the Conservative Party misused the British state.

    Handing out crony contracts to their mates. Crashing the economy with their delusional ideology.

    For 14 long years, the Conservative Party damaged our reputation abroad, threatening to break international law.

    Threatening our European friends and treating them as our as foes.

    For 14 long years, the Conservative Party abandoned our values.

    Tearing up climate commitments.

    Threatening to leave the European Convention on Human Rights.

    On my first weekend as Foreign Secretary – when I travelled to Germany, to Poland, to Sweden in less than 48 hours – I was proud to say: Britain is back.

    When Keir Starmer, and my dear friend John Healey and I flew to Washington DC a few days later to meet with world leaders and commit unshakeably to NATO, we were proud to say: Britain is back.

    When the Labour government hosted 45 European leaders at Blenheim Palace, to reset our relationship with Europe, we said: Britain is back.

    When we restored funding to UNRWA for their work in Gaza, what did we say Conference? Britain is back.

    When we stood up for international law when it was not easy: what did we say? Britain is back.

    In my first four months, I visited 10 countries, engaged over 20 world leaders and 40 foreign ministers and what did I tell them? Britain is back.

    And when, unlike Rishi Sunak last year, the Prime Minister and I travel later this week to the UN General Assembly later, what will I say?

    Britain is back. Britain is back. My friends, Britain is back.

    Conference, unlike the Tories, We understand Britain needs to work with its neighbours to flourish.

    We know that Britain’s strength is founded on its alliances.

    That is why we are resetting our relationship with Europe. Since July, we have launched negotiations on a wide-ranging bilateral treaty with Germany. I have been on a joint visit with the French Foreign Minister, the first of its kind for more than a decade. I have welcomed the Spanish and Polish Foreign Ministers to London.

    We will reduce trade barriers to help boost business, jobs and economic growth, and we will seek a new broad, ambitious new UK-EU security pact to strengthen cooperation on shared threats that we face, enshrining a new geo-political partnership.

    Because Britain is back. A leading nation in Europe once again.

    Earlier this month I was in Kyiv – the frontline of the defence of European democracy – meeting with President Zelenskyy, two and a half years into Putin’s full-scale invasion.

    I took an overnight train with Anthony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, to send a clear message. If the West does not demonstrate it can outlast Putin, it does not only threaten Ukraine’s democracy, it threatens us all.

    We need to show Putin that Britain and its allies are not going anywhere.

    Which is why this government has increased support to Ukraine and we have committed £3 billion per year in military aid for as long as it takes. And it is why I told Zelenskyy; this Labour government will always stand with his courageous people.

    We need to send another message to Vladimir Putin: your interference in our democracy; promoting disinformation and encourage disorder on our streets; encouraging kleptocrats to store their ill-gotten gains in our property market must end.

    And that is why I am proud to tell Conference, together with two of our closest allies – the United States and Canada – and the rest of the G7, we are taking action against Russian disinformation. Exposing their agents, building joint capability and working with the Global South to take on Putin’s lies.

    Conference, last year, as we boarded trains up to Liverpool, we read the horrific news that Hamas terrorists had murdered around 1200 Israelis and kidnapped 250 others.

    What has followed those atrocities is a horrific war. Tens of thousands of Palestinian women and children killed and injured. Their homes turned to rubble, leaving Gaza a vision of hell on earth.

    Meanwhile dozens of Israelis remain cruelly held captive and Israel faces threats from all angles with Iran and its proxies seeking to wipe Israel off the map.

    Conference, I know, like me, you are desperate to see the conflict in the Middle East come to an end. And this Labour government has already made clear Britain’s principles.

    In my first weeks of government, I went to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories to call for an immediate ceasefire. Words no previous Foreign Secretary had even used.

    We have used the full weight of Britain’s diplomacy to push to protect civilians, now. Get all the hostages out, now. And unrestricted aid into Gaza, now.

    We have provided millions to fund field hospitals in Gaza. We brought the Security Council together to demand polio vaccinations for Palestinian children.

    We have respected the independence of the international courts and we have made the right decisions to stand up for international law.

    We have called out the violent settlers in the West Bank. We have continued to fight for the hostages and to support their families.

    We have never lost sight of the end goal: an irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution.

    I believe in the right of Israel to be safe and secure. I also believe in the justness of the Palestinian cause.

    And it is only once Palestinians and Israelis have the same fundamental rights – sovereignty, security and dignity in their own independent, recognised states – that we can achieve a just and lasting peace for all.

    In recent days, we have seen a worrying escalation between Israel and Lebanese Hizballah.

    This is in nobody’s interest.

    Our message to all parties is clear: we need an immediate ceasefire from both sides so that we can get to a political settlement.

    So that Israelis and Lebanese civilians can return to their homes and live in peace and security.

    And to British nationals still in Lebanon, let me say clearly: for your own safety, leave now.

    Iran is not only destabilising the Middle East but providing support to Putin’s barbaric war through exporting ballistic missiles.

    That is why we put new restrictions on Iran Air that will stop it entering the UK and new sanctions against the IRGC.

    Conference, in a world filled with conflict it is easy to take our eyes off the most fundamental threat that our world faces. The climate emergency.

    Treated by the last government with a cynical disdain that we cannot afford.

    With Keir Starmer and Ed Miliband, I will help restore Britain’s climate leadership, for British jobs, opportunity and growth. And because climate matters.

    The climate and nature crisis will be central to all the Labour Foreign Office does. Because climate matters.

    With Labour, Britain will lead a new Global Clean Power Alliance. Because climate matters.

    With Labour, Britain has founded Great British Energy. Because climate matters.

    We will accelerate onshore wind. Why? Because climate matters.

    We will appoint new climate and new nature envoys. Because climate matters.

    We have pledged to end new oil and gas licences while guaranteeing a fair transition in the North Sea. Why? Because climate matters

    And Conference, the Conservatives abandoned our leadership on international development too.

    With my dear friend Anneliese Dodds, we will strengthen development leadership, capability and expertise, and support faster reform to the global financial system.

    Our goal is nothing less than a world free from poverty on a liveable planet. That’s what a Labour government will achieve.

    Conference, the world we face is filled with disorder. Conflict in Europe, Africa and the Middle East; great power competition, an increasingly assertive China and a climate emergency.

    But together we have a once in a lifetime opportunity to make the change we want to see.

    Not just in Britain, but in Europe and in the world.

    Just as Clem Attlee’s 1945 government rebuilt the country after the second world war; just as Harold Wilson’s government in the 1960s seized the white heat of technology to face the future; and just as Tony Blair and Gordon Brown’s government transformed our public services, we in Keir Starmer’s Labour Party, have the opportunity to make history.

    With a decade of national renewal. Our Prime Minister has laid out five missions for this purpose.

    Five missions that will give our country the growth it needs and the security it deserves.

    Five missions that will allow Britain to return to the top table of international diplomacy.

    A Britain Reconnected.

    Britain back where it belongs.

    Conference, thank you. Thank you very much.

  • Lucy Powell – 2024 Speech at Labour Party Conference

    Lucy Powell – 2024 Speech at Labour Party Conference

    The speech made by Lucy Powell, the Leader of the House of Commons, on 22 September 2024.

    I’m thrilled to be here speaking as the first Labour Leader of the House of Commons in 15 years.

    But what on earth does the Leader actually do apart from carrying swords in Coronations?

    My job is two-fold: restore trust and respect in politics, and ensure we deliver our bold and ambitious legislative agenda.

    Both are vital and connected and much needed.

    Populism and extremism feeds from a belief that nothing ever changes, and that all politicians are the same.

    The easy answers, lies and conspiracy theories too readily sought when the status quo fails to change and improve ordinary lives.

    Progressive politics needs and must show the opposite.

    That politics is a force for good.

    That it can bring about change.

    That it does work in the interest of the many, not the few.

    That democracy, not hate and fear, can deliver change.

    And after an era of false promises, misspent hope, money wasted, long-running injustices, denied, broken public services, economic folly which cost us all, a country which doesn’t work, it’s no wonder people have lost hope.

    That’s why our drive to a government of service is so important.

    Rebuilding trust and delivering what we said we would.

    And let’s be honest, Conference, some want to paint a picture that nothing will change, that we are just the same.

    I totally refute that.

    First, conduct matters.

    That’s why one of the first things I did as Leader was to pass a motion to limit MP’s second jobs.

    And we will go further.

    I’ve set up the House Modernisation Committee to drive up standards, tackle bad culture and make Parliament more effective.

    Transparency matters too and it’s not always easy.

    But the question is ‘are we delivering on our promises, without fear or favour?’

    And judge us by our actions. We are on the side of fans, passengers, consumers, and workers.

    This couldn’t be more different from the recent past.

    Instead of strengthening the rules for MPs, when one of theirs was found in serious breach for lobbying Tory MPs voted to get him off the hook.

    And what about their fast lane for mates, billions of tax-payers cash spent on crony COVID contracts?

    And let’s never forget they changed the law so we couldn’t socialise, while secretly partying themselves and then lying to Parliament about it for months.

    So, don’t let anyone tell you we are all the same, Conference, because we are not.

    The most important thing to rebuild trust, is doing what we said we would, bringing about the real change people voted for.

    It sounds basic, but it is the bedrock.

    In Parliament that change has begun. I was so proud to be at the heart of shaping our first legislative programme for government in 15 years – a Kings Speech that is bold, big and it’s Labour.

    It’s the most ambitious of any new incoming Government for a very long time.

    And look what we’ve done already.

    The Fiscal Responsibility Act – our first new law – so that Liz Truss can never happen again.

    A first Bill to take our railways back into public ownership.

    Legislation to set up Great British Energy.

    A Bill that puts water bosses on notice to clean up our rivers.

    We’ve introduced the renters rights Bill, finally ending no fault evictions.

    House of Lords reform.

    And conference, we are working at pace to meet our manifesto commitment, to introduce the Employment Rights Bill within 100 days.

    All this in a short time, using the Parliamentary majority we all fought so hard for.

    That’s what change looks like.

    We’ve done more to improve lives in 14 weeks than the Conservatives did in 14 years.

    But that’s not all.

    Some of the promises we made go deeper. To those who’ve faced injustices and been let down before.

    We are determined to show we are different.

    It’s why we’ve moved so quickly on the Infected Blood Compensation and Post Office Redress schemes.

    And it’s why we’ve introduced Martyn’s Law. A promise we made to Figen Murray, the mother of Martyn Hett, to help keep venues safe.

    And Conference, I am so proud that it is our Labour Government that will finally enact Hillsborough Law.

    That’s the change a Labour Government brings.

    And there’s lots more to come, I can tell you.

    That’s what a government of service means.

    Power with a purpose, in service of the many, not the few.

    Restoring a belief that politics really can change people’s lives.

    It’s the only antidote we have to cynicism and populism.

    We have a chance now to prove it.

    It’s a big responsibility, so let’s get on with it.

  • Darren Jones – 2024 Speech at Labour Party Conference

    Darren Jones – 2024 Speech at Labour Party Conference

    The speech made by Darren Jones, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, on 22 September 2024.

    Conference, I want to start by saying thank you.

    Thank you to Keir Starmer, our Leader, the seventh Labour Prime Minister of our country, for leading us to victory in an election so many thought was impossible for us to win.

    Thank you to you, our members, for all that you did to give this great party of ours the chance to serve once again.

    For giving me the chance to serve in the cabinet of a Labour government.

    Conference, for generations, my family worked at the Bristol docks.

    Ernie Bevin, that great trades union general secretary and Labour statesman, who started life organising workers in my constituency gave them power at work through collectivism.

    Bevin said to my forefathers: change begins.

    My grandparents grew up in the council flats that the Atlee Labour government built in the 1940s, the same council flats that I grew up in as a child. Homes that gave families like mine the security of a roof over our heads.

    Attlee said to my grandparents: change begins.

    And the Blair Labour government, with the National Minimum Wage and its mantra of education, education, education, lifted me and my family out of poverty.

    Blair said to my family: change begins.

    Each generation. A new Labour government giving power, housing, education, the National Health Service to the National Minimum Wage.

    Generational opportunities for working people like you and me.

    And now, with a new generation, and a new Labour government, Conference, we will deliver generational change for Britain once again.

    But conference, we should want more than that.

    More than a once in a generation chance to serve.

    I want our Labour Party to become the natural party of government.

    A title the Conservative Party claimed for years, but we can take it from them.

    We have the chance to prove that we are the changemakers. That our changed Labour Party can be trusted to govern.

    Not just for one or two terms, but three, four and five.

    That together, as a united Labour Party, we can deliver for Britain.

    Now, conference, I see my job as Chief Secretary to the Treasury – other than the Chancellor – as one of the hardest jobs in government.

    The person responsible for every pound and every penny.

    The person who wants to say yes, but often has to say no.

    The person who follows the money and asks: does it add up? How will it be paid for? Can we afford it? How do you know it will be spent well? How do we really fix this problem?

    But underneath these questions is a serious point.

    When the Conservatives crashed the economy, working people paid the price.

    When they left no money public services and ran away, working people paid the price.

    When the Tories lied to the public, we all paid the price.

    These problems that we are dealing with, they are not inevitable problems, they were problems created by the Conservative Party.

    So, conference, let us be clear: never again.

    Never again will we let the Conservatives wreck the economy.

    Never again will we go back to the chaos of the Conservative Party.

    Conference, never again should we let the Tories get their hands on the keys to Downing Street.

    But Conference, I have a secret to tell you about Downing Street.

    There is no magic wand behind those black doors. It’s just us, people making decisions with Labour values in our hearts.

    To fix the foundations and rebuild Britain requires difficult decisions every day.

    But these difficult decision give us the opportunity to invest in change.

    To deliver a more productive, future facing economy – delivering a better future for families across the country.

    A more modern, effective government to get Britain building again.

    High performing, personalised public services, not least to transform our National Health Service.

    A new Britain, fit for the 21st century.

    Conference, that’s why I’m so proud to be working with Britain’s first female Chancellor of the Exchequer, my friend and boss, the woman who’s going to put rocket boosters under the British economy: Rachel Reeves.

    With Wes Streeting, who will fix our broken NHS.

    With Bridget Philipson, who will give kids from backgrounds like hers and mine that precious thing: opportunity.

    With Ed Miliband who will be bold in tackling climate change, and Yvette Cooper will halve violence against women and girls.

    Why, with our mission leads and all of us around the cabinet table and in Parliament, we will prove once again that Labour governments deliver real change for Britain.

    Conference, progress is always founded on hope.

    Hope that better days lie ahead.

    Let us remember that this is our moment, because it is our Labour movement that gives people like you and me, families like mine and yours, that great opportunity to achieve more together than we do alone.

    Let us together take forward the power of our Labour movement.

    The power that won us this General Election, to win us the next election and the one after that.

    To power the change this country needs.

    Conference: change begins.

  • Angela Rayner – 2024 Speech at Labour Party Conference

    Angela Rayner – 2024 Speech at Labour Party Conference

    The speech made by Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, on 22 September 2024.

    Thank you for that introduction Paul and thank you for what you and your members do to support people across this region.

    Conference, 12 months ago, I stood here and said I hoped never again to open conference as Deputy Leader of the Opposition.

    So, it an absolute great honour to stand here today as your Deputy Prime Minister and it is an honour to open the first Conference of a Labour Government.

    And Conference I want to start off with a thanks to the British people.

    You entrusted us with the task of change and we will not forget it.

    You kept faith with us and we will keep faith with you.

    And let me thank all of you in this room too and my brilliant ministerial team. Every member, activist, councillor, community leader, trade unionist and I saw so many of you on my battle bus during the campaign.

    You have been our voices in our communities for the last 14 years. Voices that spoke up when the Tories’ told us to shut up.

    They thought our Party was history. But this year Conference we made history. Together.

    Not just a victory for our party but a victory of our values. A victory not of politicians but of people.

    We won because we had the courage to change our party. The discipline to make hard decisions and the determination to remain united.

    And now, change begins.

    Even now – especially now – there will be no complacency.

    We’ve seen where that leads.

    Don’t forget what they did: partygate, Covid contracts, the lies, division, scapegoating, and the unfunded tax cuts for the richest that crashed our economy. Don’t forget any of it.

    The Tories failed Britain and they tried to cover it up.

    A crater in the heart of Britain’s economy. A puncture in the pocket of every working family. And a £22 billion black hole.

    And not so much as an apology, let alone an acceptance, from the Tories.

    Instead, next week they will gather in the wreckage of their defeat. Reduced to 10-minute auditions for wannabee leaders, beating each other to different shades of blue. On a show that no-one is watching.

    Perhaps that’s why Kemi launched her leadership campaign with an attack on Doctor Who.

    It was bad enough when they wanted to deal with Farage. Now she’s doing sidedeals with the Daleks.

    But Conference, at least after three months as shadow housing secretary, she finally expressed concern about a tenant. It’s just a pity it was David Tennant.

    And Conference, It’s easy to forget they had five leadership candidates. Not exactly the famous five.

    They have left us to clear up their mess and I’m not just talking about the wallpaper in number ten.

    The Tories have left us facing tough choices. And even tougher ones face families across Britain, struggling to make ends meet.

    Look, I get it – balancing my own department’s budgets brought me back to the old days when I had 60 quid to get me and my son through the week.

    I know more than most that every pound counts.

    So let me be blunt. We can’t wish our problems away. We have to face them.

    That’s the difference between opposition and government.

    But Conference things can get better, if we make the right choices.

    Sustained economic growth is the only way to improve the lives of working people.

    And we are fixing the foundations to put Britain back on the path to growth.

    No more talking, but doing. 80 days in government and we’ve been busy.

    A devolution revolution. A bill to deliver new rights and protections for renters. Planning reform to get Britain building. A landmark review to fix our NHS. A child poverty taskforce. 100 new specialist officers to tackle criminals. An end to one-word Oftsted inspections. Ending the ban on onshore wind, and fines for bosses who pollute our waters.

    Bills to kickstart GB energy and prevent another Liz Truss disastrous mini budget, put buses back in local hands, and bring rail into public ownership.

    Conference, change has begun.

    And Conference many of you know, for me that means: good jobs, secure homes, and strong communities. Fixing the foundations of a good life.

    I know it only too well because they were the foundations on which I built a life for my own family.

    The foundations of what made Britain great – and will do so again.

    When I had my son as a single mum I wanted to work and had to figure out a way to do it.

    My Nana said that as long as I put him to bed she’d have him in the evening and that was after she finished working hard all day herself, so that I could work nights as a home help.

    I got the job. I loved it and loved the people I cared for, but it was tough at times.

    I started on casual terms, and I wasn’t paid for travel. Insecurity at work is the daily reality for so many.

    Far too many people across our country know the world of work isn’t working for them.

    Now, you may have heard me mention that I was a trade unionist.

    If you don’t know that, I should probably tell you that Keir’s dad was a toolmaker. And if you didn’t know Keir’s dad was a toolmaker, I probably need to tell you he’s the Prime Minister.

    But neither of us make any apology for where we came from or how we’ve ended up here.

    So when I took on this job, I promised the biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation – nothing less than a New Deal for Working People.

    And I can confirm today that the Employment Rights Bill will be tabled in Parliament next month.

    They said we couldn’t do it. Some tried to stop it in its tracks.

    But after years of opposition we are on the verge of historic legislation.

    To make work more secure and more family friendly. Go further and faster to close the gender pay gap. Ensure rights are enforced and trade unions strengthened.

    That means repealing the Tories’ anti-worker laws and new rights for union reps too.

    A genuine living wage and sick pay for the lowest earners.

    Banning exploitative zero hour contracts and unpaid internships.

    Ending fire and rehire and we will bring in basic rights from day one on the job.

    Conference, this is our Plan to Make Work Pay – coming to a workplace near you.

    But 14 years of Tory chaos has not just left its mark on people’s jobs, but on homes too.

    Not enough are being built. The Tories failed to meet their targets year, after year, after year.

    Michael Gove handed back nearly £2 billion to the Treasury in unspent housing funds. Mortgages have soared. Leaseholders are left at the mercy of eye-watering charges. Renters face crippling rent hikes in damp and mouldy homes. Homelessness is all around us.

    The simple aspiration of a safe, secure and affordable home is further out of reach than ever and we can’t go on like this. So change must begin at home.

    We are tackling the Tories’ housing emergency.

    We will get Britain building and building decent homes for working people.

    A new planning framework will unlock the door to affordable homes and provide the biggest boost to social and affordable housing in a generation.

    And Conference, our renters’ bill will rebalance the relationship between tenant and landlord and end no fault evictions – for good.

    Our long-term plan will free leaseholders from the tyranny of a mediaeval system.

    And a cross-government taskforce will put Britain back on track to ending homelessness.

    Whether you’re a leaseholder, a tenant, a home-buyer or without somewhere to live – this government is on your side.

    But my mission is not just to build houses, it is to build homes.

    Because we cannot build at any cost. These new homes must be warm, secure and most importantly safe.

    We will give families the security they need to have the best start in life.

    I know first-hand the difference a decent home can make.

    When I was growing up we didn’t have a lot. But we had a safe and secure home. Today, not everyone does.

    Working with the Prime Minister on the Grenfell Inquiry was the most sobering moment of my career: 72 lives lost, 18 children, all avoidable. A fatal failure of market and state. A tragedy that must never happen again.

    It is completely unacceptable that we have thousands of buildings still wrapped in unsafe cladding seven years after Grenfell.

    And that’s why we will bring forward a new remediation action plan this Autumn to speed up the process and we’ll pursue those responsible – without fear or favour.

    This must lead to new, safer social housing for the future.

    Under the Tories, new social housing plummeted.

    We will reverse that tide – with an ambition to be build more social homes than we lose, within the first financial year of this Labour Government.

    In my first weeks in office, I set out how we will start this council housing revolution.

    But Conference, with Government support must come more responsibility.

    This is why today I want to give you my promise that this Labour Government will take action to ensure all homes are decent and safe, and residents are treated with the respect they deserve.

    And Conference, of course, many Housing Associations, councils and landlords do good by their tenants and I know how hard they’ve had it after 14 years under the Tories.

    Which is why I will work in partnership with the sector to deliver the change.

    I will clamp down on damp and mouldy homes by bringing in Awaab’s Law in the social rented sector this autumn and we’ll extend it to the private rented sector too.

    We will consult and implement a new Decent Homes Standard for social and privately rented homes, to end the scandal of homes being unfit to live in.

    We will also ensure social housing staff have the right skills and experience. And I will ensure 2.5 million housing association tenants in this country can hold their landlord to account for their high quality services and homes. So that repairs and complaints are handled faster, but more importantly, so social housing tenants are treated fairly.

    I am under no illusion about the mountain we have to climb.

    We all saw that this summer: violent extremists preyed on our communities and local councils were left picking up the pieces.

    Local leadership is the foundation of strong communities.

    That’s why I have put local government back where it belongs, at the heart of my department’s name and mission.

    Because the best decisions are made by those with skin in the game.

    When I worked in care, me and the home-helps joined the union because we knew we had a part to play in improving things.

    We came together to work with management to deliver a service from 7am -10pm, seven days a week ,and provide flexibility for the predominantly female workforce.

    We proved we could boost productivity and provide an improved service to those we cared for as well as manage our own caring responsibilities outside of work.

    And Keir and I are determined to end this ‘Whitehall knows best’ approach and trust those with skin in the game.

    The last Labour government created the London Mayor, the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Senedd and the Northern Ireland Assembly.

    We will seize this moment and finally complete that irreversible shift in opportunity, power and wealth across our whole country.

    It’s how we can deliver real, sustained change for every region and Labour mayors have already proven it.

    Buses under local control in Greater Manchester, £2 fares in West Yorkshire, Oxford Street regeneration in London, publicly-owned battery trains in Liverpool and opportunities for unemployed young people in the West Midlands.

    Labour mayors have shown what is possible when Labour is in power.

    And that’s why I am giving mayors more powers over house building and planning, as well as transport and skills.

    A new White Paper will map out how we will move power out of Whitehall.

    I am delighted to announce today that we will move forward with two Investment Zones – creating high quality jobs in advanced manufacturing in the West Midlands and life sciences in West Yorkshire.

    Just this week, I agreed eight devolution deals, all four corners of Yorkshire will now have a local champion.

    New Mayors for Hull & East Yorkshire and Greater Lincolnshire.

    Warwickshire, Surrey, Buckinghamshire, and Cornwall will get new powers over skills.

    And today I am proud to announce the next step in our devolution revolution.

    This government will change the future of the North of England, so Northerners will no longer be dictated to from Whitehall.

    Conference, we will be the government to complete devolution in the North.

    The change will be irreversible and I will get it done.

    As a proud Northerner this milestone is personal for me!

    And Conference, it was the foundation of a decent home, secure work and a strong community that nurtured me.

    The youth club on a Friday afternoon gave me somewhere to go, with a youth worker I could trust.

    A sure start centre is where I met other mums and learned how to look after my new baby.

    Conference, a community raised me. None of those people cast me aside or gave up on me.

    And when I became a home help, suddenly it was my job to look after the people who had once looked after me – retired professors, teachers, nurses, police officers. They needed my care in the last years and days of their life. Care that they deserved. Care that it was my honour to provide.

    I find myself once again with the opportunity to serve those people who never gave up on me.

    On 4 July, the people entrusted us with the task of change. And Hope won.

    Now is our moment, not just to say but to do.

    Labour Governments of the past took on this same challenge, at a time when Britain desperately needed change.

    They delivered a better Britain when the odds were stacked against them.

    And that is exactly what this Labour government must deliver once again.

    So Conference, let’s get on with it. Thank you.

  • NEWS STORY : UK Interest Rates Held at 5%

    NEWS STORY : UK Interest Rates Held at 5%

    STORY

    The Bank of England has confirmed that interest rates will be held at 5% after a cut from 5.25% the previous month. The members of the Monetary Policy Committee voted 8-1 to leave interest rates unchanged with Andrew Bailey, the Governor of the Bank of England, saying:

    “It’s vital that inflation stays low, so we need to be careful not to cut too fast or by too much”.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Alfreton man, Darren Lee Fretwell, pays £13,511 for obstructing EA officers [September 2024]

    PRESS RELEASE : Alfreton man, Darren Lee Fretwell, pays £13,511 for obstructing EA officers [September 2024]

    The press release issued by the Environment Agency on 17 September 2024.

    The Environment Agency has successfully prosecuted a man for obstructing officers in the course of their duty at a site near Alfreton in Derbyshire.

    At Southern Derbyshire Magistrates Court in Derby on 13 September 2024, Darren Lee Fretwell, 58, of Golden Valley Caravan Park, Coach Road, Alfreton was fined £2,239. He was also ordered to pay costs of £11,272.

    The case against the driver of a lorry which had failed to stop for officers was withdrawn.

    Fretwell, who is the landowner of Golden Valley Equestrian Centre and Golden Valley Caravan and Camping Park, admitted 2 charges of obstruction.

    The court was told that in August 2023 Environment Agency officers received information that waste was being tipped on land at Golden Valley Equestrian Centre, in Golden Valley near Alfreton.

    On 11 August 2023, an unmarked 8-wheel tipper lorry that had deposited waste on site failed to stop when instructed by an Environment Agency officer.

    Fretwell had told the driver not to stop and to drive past the officer.

    During the same visit, Fretwell also refused to permit excavators which were present at Golden Valley Equestrian Centre to scrape back top layers of soil to examine what had been deposited beneath.

    Also on 11 August, Fretwell refused to provide waste transfer notes relating to waste which had been brought onto site when requested by an Environment Agency officer.

    On 16 August 2023, the Environment Agency officers returned to Golden Valley Equestrian Centre, at the invitation of Fretwell, to conduct a follow up inspection.

    In the course of the visit, officers considered they needed to visit a neighbouring site also owned by Fretwell.  This site is known as Wallis Gorse, and is on Long Lane, Golden Valley.  After some resistance to this from Fretwell, the officers visited that site.

    This is where Fretwell again obstructed officers. He refused to provide waste transfer notes or delivery tickets relating to piles of sand containing shredded tyre rubber which were present.

    During visits on both 11 August and 16 August, Fretwell was extremely abusive and hostile towards the officers.  On the second visit on 16 August 2023, this behaviour was captured on body worn video, which was played in court.

    In mitigation, Fretwell said that he recognised that his behaviour on the 2 dates in question was unacceptable.

    Speaking after the hearing, a spokesperson for the Environment Agency said:

    This behaviour was totally unacceptable. Officers were carrying out their lawful duties to establish whether the site was acting in accordance with environmental regulations.

    Hostile, abusive or obstructive behaviour such as that demonstrated in this case will not deter us from exercising our powers to protect the environment and communities and ensure a level playing field across the industries we regulate.

    If people need to report an environmental incident, they should call our 24/7 hotline 0800 807060.

    Members of the public can provide information 100% anonymously via CrimeStoppers on 0800 55 111 or online at [www.crimestoppers-uk.org] (www.crimestoppers-uk.org)

    The charges:

    1. On 11 August 2023 at land at Golden Valley Equestrian Centre, Codnor Lane, Golden Valley, Alfreton, Derbyshire DE55 4ES, Darren Lee FRETWELL intentionally obstructed an authorised person, namely Senior Environmental Crime Officer Iain REGAN, in the exercise or performance of his powers or duties contrary to section 110(1) and section 110(4)(b) of the Environment Act 1995.
    2. On 16 August 2023 at land at Wallis’s Gorse, Amber Valley, Alfreton, Derbyshire DE55 4ES, Darren Lee FRETWELL intentionally obstructed an authorised person, namely Senior Environmental Crime Officer Iain REGAN, in the exercise or performance of his powers or duties contrary to section 110(1) and section 110(4)(b) of the Environment Act 1995.

    Notes to Editors:

    1. The Environment Agency is the principal body in England with responsibility for the regulation of waste management facilities and the transportation of waste, the investigation of environmental crime and the prosecution of environmental offences.
    2. The cost breakdown was as follows:

    Fine of £932 for each offence of obstruction, totalling £1,866

    Victim surcharge of £373 resulting in a total fine of £2,239

    Ordered to pay Environment Agency costs of £11,272

    Total fines and costs of £13,511

  • PRESS RELEASE : Growth, security and climate on the agenda as Minister visits Singapore [September 2024]

    PRESS RELEASE : Growth, security and climate on the agenda as Minister visits Singapore [September 2024]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 17 September 2024.

    UK Minister for the Indo-Pacific, Catherine West, begins her first visit to southeast Asia in Singapore.

    • Deepening economic ties and climate collaboration focus on UK Indo-Pacific Minister’s first Southeast Asia visit
    • Minister West will set out the new UK government’s approach to foreign policy, growth and climate at the Milken Institute Asia Summit 2024 with government and business leaders
    • Speaking to a meeting of Singapore-based semiconductor firms, the Minister will highlight the link between resilient supply chains and economic growth

    Securing sustainable economic growth, resilient supply chains and climate action are at the forefront as UK Minister for the Indo-Pacific Catherine West begins her first visit to southeast Asia today (17 September).

    In Singapore, Minister West will join government and industry leaders from across the region at influential policy forum the Milken Institute Asia Summit, where she will set out the new UK government’s ambition to work with partners in Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific to address global challenges and support economic growth. This includes through the UK-Singapore Strategic Partnership, launched in September 2023, which is deepening cooperation on trade and investment, defence and security and science and tech.

    Speaking ahead of the visit, Minister West said:

    My message to Singapore and partners in the Indo-Pacific is this: the UK is open for business. We know that our relationships in this region are essential to our future prosperity.

    Secure economic growth relies on us working with partners to tackle the greatest challenges of this century, including the climate crisis and other threats to global security – so that is exactly what this government will do.

    Aligning with Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s pledge to build a Global Clean Power Alliance to tackle the pressing climate crisis, the Minister will visit British-built Marina Barrage, an example of UK-supported infrastructure mitigating the impact of climate change. Attending the Singapore Semiconductor Industry Association Summit, she will set out the government’s ambition to increase UK-Singapore cooperation on the research and development of critical tech including AI and quantum computing.

    Following her visit to Singapore, Minister West will travel to Thailand on 19-20 September for discussions with the new Thai government.

    Notes to editors

    • The Marina Barrage sits across the Marina Channel and was used to create Singapore’s 15th freshwater reservoir. The barrage was designed by UK civil engineering firm Binnies and the reservoir by British engineers Mott MacDonald.
  • NEWS FROM 100 YEARS AGO : 4 September 1924

    NEWS FROM 100 YEARS AGO : 4 September 1924

    4 SEPTEMBER 1924

    It is reported in Cairo that Zaghlul Pasha is returning to Egypt on the 22nd inst. without entering into negotiations with the British Premier.

    Ramsay MacDonald, the Prime Minister, arrived at Geneva, and will speak in the Assembly of the League of Nations to-day on the problem of security and disarmament.

    Georgia and Azerbaijan are reported to have risen against the Soviet forces.

    In Morocco the Riffs are attacking vigorously. An official Spanish communiqué admits that several outposts have been taken, and that others were only saved by the brilliant defence of the troops. The Directory in Madrid state that Spain much reply not only from a sense of pride, but for self-preservation. No commentary prejudicial to the troops or the authority of the Government will be tolerated.

    Two Federal by-elections in Quebec Province have been won by the Government candidates. The Prime Minister, Mr Mackenzie King, has expressed satisfaction with the results, as an endorsement of the Government’s policy of a moderate tariff.

    Mr. SP Gilbert, a former U.S. Treasury official has been appointed Permanent Agent-General for Reparation Payments.

    Interviewed by a Press representative, Mr George Terrell, President of the National Union of Manufacturers, said that, without a shadow of doubt, the proposed loan to Germany under the London Pact was detrimental to British manufacturing interests.

    That the National Debt formed a dead-weight charge upon industry and reduced the ability of industry to create fresh productive capital was contended by two representatives of the Scottish Trades Union Congress, who appeared as witnesses before the Committee on National Debt and Taxation.

  • NEWS FROM 100 YEARS AGO : 3 September 1924

    NEWS FROM 100 YEARS AGO : 3 September 1924

    3 SEPTEMBER 1924

    The Duke and Duchess of York spent a busy afternoon in Glasgow, where they each fulfilled several engagements. Great public interest was taken in the visit, and their Royal Highnesses were everywhere received with much enthusiasm.

    Mr Ramsay MacDonald, the Prime Minister, left London for Geneva, where he is to attend the Assembly of the League of Nations.

    Mr MacDonald, who had a cordial welcome in France, stated in an interview that the importance of the present Assembly of the League was great, for it was the first time that it had met after a real step had been taken to establish European peace. The road was more clear than ever for a real discussion of armaments and national security.

    An official report has now been received regarding the disastrous hurricane which struck the Leeward Islands on the 25th ult. Many lives were lost, and much valuable property was destroyed, especially in Montserrat and Tortola.

    General Obregon, in his closing address as President of Mexico, vigorously attacked the policy of Great Britain in connection with the suspension of diplomatic relations and the expulsion of Mr Cummins, the British agent.