Tag: 2009

Gordon Brown – 2009 Webchat on Afghanistan

The text of the webchat with Gordon Brown on Afghanistan on 14 December 2009.

The Prime Minister took part in a live webchat this morning – his first on the Number 10 website – on the issue of building a stable Afghanistan.

The PM’s webchat follows his weekend visit to Afghanistan where he met British forces and held talks with President Karzai.

Read the transcript:

Moderator says: Good morning. Welcome to the webchat. The Prime Minister will be joining us very shortly.

Sue Pritchard: The history of the region tells us that external interventions do not create, let alone sustain, stability, peace or prosperity. What’s different this time?

Gordon replies: Hello, Gordon Brown here. I returned in the early hours of this morning from visiting British troops in Afghanistan. As we approach Christmas I wanted to thank them for their courageous service and to tell them that the people back home were in awe of their acheivements.

To answer your question Sue, we know that the Taleban do not have the support of the Afghan people. And above all we know that a stable Afghanistan means a safer Britain. So the question is whether we can help the Afghan people build a stable, democratic and prosperous future – so it is right to train their forces, police and security services so they can take control of the security of their country for themselves.

stacey hemming: I know there is a lot of negative press and views regarding Afghan, with pressure to be pulled out. My husband is currently serving over there and I just want to say that I’m proud and don’t want them to be pulled out until the job is finished. Like many, we don’t want the losses we have suffered to be for nothing. I support you, I support our forces. It would be nice if you would stand tall and tell everyone that your not backing down and we will finish the job and do our fallen soldiers proud.

Gordon replies: Stacey, I don’t know if I have met your husband but he is clearly a brave and dedicated man who is making an important contribution to this important mission. We have a job to do to destroy the attempt by Al Qaeda to attack the streets of Britain and to prevent the Taleban from offering them safehaven in Afghanistan. We have just stepped up the number of forces dedicated to this job and are now training the Afghan forces so they can take on the role of maintaining the security. We will never forget the sacrifice of those who have given their lives.

hanif rehman: Plz say a thank you to the troops. Secondly, has the PM thought of spending more on infrastructure i.e.schools and roads rather than sending more troops. Or does he feel constrained by level of corruption in Afg?

Gordon replies: Hanif

We’re doing both. Our military and our civilian stabilisation advisors are working very closely together. There are double the amount of health services in Helmand than 3 years ago and more than a hundred schools open in Helmand, over half in the last year.

On corruption, President Karzai has given me and the international community assurances that he will work to tackle corruption and at the London Conference on Jan 28th next year we will be asking him for updates on progress. Of course it is about delivery not just words and we will be vigilant in seeking action.

khasail: How did you come to the decision of sending more troops into afghanistan in the middle of a recesion?

Gordon replies: Some of you have asked similar questions so to answer, the terrorist threat to the UK is real. We cannot allow the Taleban to again give space to Al Qaeda to operate in Afghanistan. This is not a conflict of choice, it is about necessity. And all 43 nations of the coalition agree. Our additional 500 troops will be complemented by more than 35000 from the US and other countries. It is vital that our troops have the resources to do the job at hand.

Ben Blankley: Can there ever be a military solution that will stop the 1 in 4 Afghan children dying before their fifth birthday?

Gordon replies: Already the child mortality rate has been cut. The estimate is that now 100,000 children under 5 who would have otherwise died are now kept alive by better healthcare. This is because of British and other international countries paying for programmes to immunise children, to pay nurses, midwives and doctors and to make healthcare sustainable.

Glen Oglaza Sky News: Since Afghanistan is and always has been “tribal”, training Afghan army and police recruits who are mostly Tajik will not hold sway with the majority Pushtuns so How can the NATO effort stop the country simply sliding back into the old ways of rival warlords and the re-emergence of the Taliban? And was President Obama wrong to give an exit date – and a date for the Taliban to take back control?

Gordon replies: I met Afghan troops being trained by British troops in Helmand yesterday. They came from every region of Afghanistan and showed it is possible to build a national army that is both professional and united. They are ready to take on the Taleban and the Afghan army will rise in number to 135,000 over the next year. And I discussed this very issue with the President of Afghanistan and the defence minister who are committed to this strategy.

The issue is the Afghan army, security forces and police gradually taking control and it is at that point that our forces can start to come home.

Sarah Taylor: In reply to Hanif Rehman, I am the wife of a Royal Engineer and I can assure you that he is kept very busy in Afghanistan by helping the infrastructure. Recently completing an access road which will allow local people to travel more freely to and from school.

Gordon replies: Thank you for that Sarah. This is vital work and I’m very proud that your husband has made such a big contribution to the future of Aghanistan.

Jim Aldus: Until quite recently, your government has been saying that the troops have had all the equipment they need or have asked for to do the job in Afghanistan. If that’s the case, why is more specialised equipment being sent to deal with roadside IEDs that have been used by the Taliban since before the invasion?

Gordon replies: Jim

We are always adjusting to the threat that is posed to our forces by getting the best equipment to deal with it. Over the last year the Taleban have increasingly used explosive devices rather than fight the British army face to face where they know they would lose, and the types of devices are always changing. So to deal with that threat we have increased our specialist forces, our electronic surveillance, our intelligence and our hand held detectors and we have dismantled around 1500 IEDs in the recent months. It is right we respond to the threat with the best equipment.

pedro: If the russians couldnt succeed in many years in afganistan, what makes you think that uk efforts will?

Gordon replies: The Russians didn’t have the popular support of the people for what they were trying to do – they were working against, not with or for the Afghan people. Our strategy is to partner the Afghan forces and we are clear that this is not an army of occupation.

Tom W: We can’t pull out until the job is finished, but this could result in us being in Afghanistan for decades to come, because the goal is not very clear-cut. How will you asses when the job is done?

Gordon replies: When Afghanistan is able to run its own affairs free of the Taleban and Al Qaeda.

Nigel F: Will you continue sending personal letters to relatives of the fallen, despite the (unfair) criticism you received?

Gordon replies: Nigel.

Yes I will. And I understand the feelings who have lost loved ones and it is their concerns that are uppermost in my thoughts.

Thomas Oliver Bromfield: As a ex serviceman,can you reassure me that all the help possible will be provided to the wounded serviceman?

Gordon replies: Thomas, thank you for your question. Yes, I saw the medical facilities at Camp Bastion yesterday. The staff and the equipment are the best in the world. I am also determined that all the care we can provide at Selly Oak and in other hospitals is the best. I recognise the enormous sacrifice people make on behalf of our country and thank them all.

Asli Aral: What will be the main aim/purpose of the London Afghanistan conference on Jan. 28th?

Gordon replies: Asli

To get more support for our Afghanistan strategy to train, mentor and partner the Afghan secuirty forces and to help the economy and people of Afghanistan to get a bigger stake in their own future. President Karzai will bring forward his plan for the future of Afghanistan for discussion at the conference.

tony: If all 43 nations of the coalition agree about the necessity of this war is it not time that British service personal were replaced by the service personel of another country in Helmand Province and let them have a spell of death and destruction?

Gordon replies: Our NATO and coalition allies are offering more troops, including the US who are offering 30,000 more and around 5000 from the non-US allies.

English: Why don’t “we” start buying the Opium? There are several reasons why they should. It would establish peaceful trade with farmers (who can grow little else), it starves the Taliban of recruits and funds, it keeps heroin off our streets, it solves the world shortage in opium. The current “strategy” of burning farmers crops only strengthens the Taliban by supplying angry ex farmers.

Gordon replies: The UN and most people looking at this oppose this policy as they believe farmers would simply multiply the amount of opium they produce.

Harry: When the troops leave Afghanistan, what legacy would you ideally like to leave on the Afghani people and how reachable do you think this is? Also, in terms of percentage, what population of the Afghani people do you believe are truly behind what our troops are doing in Afghanistan?

Gordon replies: A stable Afghanistan in which the army and police can deal with security and terrorism and where the people have a stake in their future.

Sam Ornbo: How close are we to finding Osama Bin Laden?

Gordon replies: Sam

In the last year 8 of the leading figures in Al Qaeda have been killed. Al Qaeda is being seriously disrupted by the actions in Afghanistan and in Pakistan. At present we have no specific knowledge about Osama Bin Laden but we continue to hunt him down.

James Kirkup – Daily Telegraph: Do you have any concerns about public support for the deployment? There’s clearly very strong sympathy for Armed Forces personnel, but does it worry you that a significant proportion of the electorate appear to want a quick or even immediate withdrawal? And could signs of public unease over the mission actually embolden the Taliban and persuade them that they can break Britain’s resolve to stay?

Gordon replies: Morale in Afghanistan amongst our troops I found to be very high indeed. They know they are doing an important job to defeat the Taleban to help security in the UK. I believe that when people at home see why we are there – to defeat terrorism and see our strategy to train and partner Afghan forces so we can hand over security control, they understand that we have no intention of being an army of occupation, that the mission is vital and that our forces will stay until the job is done. The soldiers I met are very proud to be playing their part.

Mike Naylor: When will a Government Minister meet the bodies of brave service persomnnel when they are re-patriated?

Gordon replies: Everything Ministers do is on the advice of our service chiefs and in accordance with the wishes of the families who have lost loved ones. I try to write to every family that has suffered these tragic losses. We do indeed owe everyone who has given their life for our country and their families our thanks and gratitude. Our forces are the best in the world.

Thank you to everyone for taking the time to send in your questions. I am sorry I’m unable to answer more but I hope you have found it useful.

Gordon.

January 5, 2023
HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Prime Minister Gordon Brown announces more equipment and support for troops [December 2009]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 14 December 2009.

The Prime Minister has announced that the Government “will go further” in providing equipment and support to troops serving in Afghanistan.

In a statement to the House of Commons following his visit to Kandahar and Camp Bastion in Helmand Province, Gordon Brown said the Defence Secretary is due to announce plans for more equipment, including specialist counter-IED support.

“The latest tranche of urgent operational funding from the treasury will include an extra £10 million for handheld mine detectors to follow the £12 million set aside earlier this year for new explosive disposal robots, over 30 of which are now in operation. And I can also announce a package of longer-term investment in our counter-IED capability including new facilities for training and for intelligence – an extra 50 millions pounds a year – £150 million in total this year and over the next two years.”

The PM said the announcement follows a doubling in helicopter numbers over the past three years; an increase of almost 80 per cent in mastiff vehicles and double the number of Ridgback vehicles since the summer; and a 20 per cent increase in aerial surveillance to track and target Taleban Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

Gordon Brown said he also began preparations with president Karzai on the London conference in January. He said the focus for the conference would be on security, reintegration, economic development, and the coordination of international efforts in Afghanistan.

The Prime Minister also thanked British Armed Forces in a year in which “100 of their colleagues have made the ultimate sacrifice”.

On the EU Council meeting held on 10-11 December 2009, the Prime Minister said European leaders addressed the economic recovery and how Europe can move forward a climate change deal at Copenhagen.

Leaders also expressed their “grave concern” over Iran’s nuclear weapons intentions.

January 5, 2023
HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Gordon Brown pledges to tackle youth unemployment [December 2009]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 15 December 2009.

The Prime Minister assured young jobseekers that new measures would bring down unemployment in the coming year during a visit to the Acton Jobcentre Plus in London today.

Whilst hearing the stories of a number of young people who had been helped by their local Jobcentre, he said:

“We really don’t want to have a generation of young people who are out of the labour market for too long because it does hurt ambition and it causes a cycle for the next generation.”

Gordon Brown was joined by Work and Pensions Secretary Yvette Cooper as it was announced that 100,000 new jobs, apprenticeships and training opportunities for under 25s would be created in 2010.

Yvette Cooper, who today launched the employment white paper “Building Britain’s Recovery, achieving full employment” made the point that youth unemployment has historically continued rising after a recession and should remain a focus for Government:

“Unemployment is around 400,000 lower than we expected it would be at the time of the Budget as a result of a lot of the extra support and help that has been put in place.

“But it is still causing a big problem for families right across the country and we still expect unemployment to keep increasing in the New Year.

“That is why we need to do more to help people, especially young people, get back into work.”

“Our aim is to work with employers to get youth unemployment falling in the second half of next year.”

The Government will guarantee employment or training for all under-25s who have been out of work for six months or more. The white paper also sets out plans to change the benefits system to help motivate older unemployed people, single parents, carers and those starting up new-businesses.

January 5, 2023
HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Prime Minister Gordon Brown in Copenhagen for climate talks [December 2009]
The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 15 December 2009.

The Prime Minister is in Copenhagen where he will work towards securing an ambitious agreement that limits global warming to a maximum two degrees.

Gordon Brown is calling on developed and developing countries at the United Nations Climate Conference to work together to advance shared goals at a “critical moment”.

After arriving in Copenhagen, the PM went straight into talks with the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, and Australian PM Kevin Rudd.

He said:

“It is possible that we will not get an agreement and it is also true that there are many issues to be sorted out. But I am determined – with the conversations I have had already today with President Obama, with Chancellor Merkel, with President Sarkozy, and with President Meles of Ethiopia and now I have been talking to the prime minister of Bangladesh, to do everything I can to bring the world together.”

Shortly before leaving for Copenhagen, the Prime Minister met his Ethiopian counterpart, Prime Minister Meles, who has played an important role in bringing together the views of African countries.

In a statement released after their meeting, Gordon Brown said Africa’s survival now depends on a climate change deal.

“Some degree of climate change cannot now be prevented; but we can avert the utter catastrophe that would be the 4, 5 or 6 degree rise implied by a business as usual path of emissions. And we can provide the nations of Africa with the financial support they need to cope with its effects.”

The PM said he supported proposals presented by Prime Minister Meles, saying they offer a basis for agreement in Copenhagen on the “difficult financing question which lies at the heart of the talks”.

Prime Minister Meles has proposed:
- A commitment to predictable and long-term finance, with a clear trajectory from the fast start period of 2010-12 to 2020. I have argued for this to reach 100 billion euros annually by 2020.
- A commitment to additonality, ensuring that we do not use climate finance to detract from our determination to meet the Millennium Development Goals.
- And a focus on the use of innovative financing mechanisms, such as a global transactions tax, to raise funds.
During the UN Climate Conference Mr Brown will also meet leaders from other African nations and the European Union, the UN Secretary General and representatives from hard-hit, small island states.
January 5, 2023
HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Prime Minister Gordon Brown determined to reach “legally binding treaty” [December 2009]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 16 December 2009.

Gordon Brown has spoken of the challenges of his role at the Copenhagen climate change summit after initial talks with leaders including UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, but says that he is determined to help bring the 192 nations involved to a consensus.

The PM said he hoped there would be an agreement by the end of the week, and a legally-binding treaty within six months.

Gordon Brown emphasised the importance of the talks both for the UK and for the future of the world’s population, and said that he would use his experience to bring countries together to discuss the various issues involved:

“This deal matters for Britain. I think if we could get a carbon change, then it is worth about half a million jobs to Britain in the longer run, so it is worth it for jobs.

“But I also think our children, growing up, going to school every day, I don’t want them to live in a world of floods, of droughts, of extreme weather.

“It is really important, therefore, for Britain that we get this deal and it is important that I do everything I can in the next few days to make that possible.”

He also spoke specifically about helping developing countries after backing Ethiopian prime minister Meles Zenawi’s proposals that African nations receive funding to tackle global warming:

“You have got island states that are evacuating their people in the next few years unless we do something about it.

“You have got refugees in Africa – climate change refugees for the first time – you have got Bangladesh, which faces floods and the loss of land to sea as a result of what is happening.”

Britain has pledged £1.5 billion over the next three years to help kick start anti-global warming measures.

Later today, Gordon Brown will meet leaders from Bangladesh, Nepal, East Timor, Lesotho, the Maldives and Brazil, as well as attending an EU/African Union meeting.

January 5, 2023
Gordon Brown – 2009 Joint Statement with Irish Taoiseach on Northern Ireland

The statement made by Gordon Brown, the then Prime Minister, on 17 December 2009.

While work remains to be done, we are both convinced that significant progress is being made on the remaining issues concerning devolution of policing and justice and other issues still outstanding from the St Andrews Agreement.

It is clear that all the main Northern Ireland parties support the devolution of policing and justice and want to see this happen. The Governments believe that, while there remain issues to be resolved, the parties have made substantial progress over recent months towards the transfer of policing and justice powers.

The First and deputy First Ministers set out in November last year the steps that they both agreed needed to be taken to finalise the process. Those steps are near to completion.

The legislation to create the model for the new Justice Department was agreed at Westminster in March. The legislation to create the new Justice Department has completed its passage through the Assembly. The process to identify the Justice Minister is now underway.

The Prime Minister agreed a generous financial settlement in September that will ensure that a devolved Justice Department will have the resources it needs to manage particular financial pressures around, for example, hearing loss claims without detriment to front line policing and justice services. The financial package will only be available if devolution is completed in the coming months.

Maintaining this progress and the early completion of devolution are important to sustaining public confidence across the whole community and to further enhancing Northern Ireland’s international reputation.

This is both realistic and achievable.

The only steps that remain in the process agreed by the First and deputy First Ministers are for the Northern Ireland parties, once the outstanding issues are resolved, to complete the process of public consultation and an Assembly vote seeking the transfer of powers.

Once final agreement is reached by the parties, approval by Westminster of the necessary transfer orders can be achieved within a matter of weeks following a request from the Assembly. The British Government stands ready to bring forward these orders in the New Year.

We have discussed the limited number of outstanding issues with the parties. We believe that there are no differences incapable of resolution and are optimistic the parties can find early agreement.

We will stay in close touch with the parties as they continue discussions over the coming days.

We believe that early completion of devolution is important. We have, therefore, asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and the Minister for Foreign Affairs to meet at the beginning of January to review progress towards the necessary cross community vote in the Assembly.

While these matters can best be resolved by the Parties themselves, we remain available to help as required.

January 5, 2023
HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Copenhagen climate negotiations continue [December 2009]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 18 December 2009.

The Prime Minister said the conditions that would make a climate financing agreement possible were now in place, following a long day of discussions in Copenhagen.

Negotiations continued early into the morning as Gordon Brown and other leaders worked to secure a deal that would limit global temperature rises to two degrees.

The United Nations Climate Conference in Copenhagen continues today, with US President Barack Obama joining the discussions.

Yesterday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that the United States would play its part in a $100 billion dollar-a-year climate financing agreement for developing countries, by 2020.

The PM said:

“We have now got to the position where it is possible that we will get agreement tomorrow on the $10 billion plan to 2012 and the $100 billion, public and private, including the carbon market and international finance.

“We have also made progress in other areas and I believe that the conditions for an agreement are now there.”

January 5, 2023
HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Gordon Brown to push for legally binding treaty on climate [December 2009]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 19 December 2009.

The Prime Minister has pledged to lead an international campaign to turn the agreements established at the Copenhagen summit on climate change into a legally binding treaty.

Speaking at the conclusion of the summit in Denmark late on Friday night, the PM said that nations had made progress and taken a “vital first step” but that more work was needed.

Mr Brown said that the international community had set a target to limit rises in global temperatures by 2050 to two degrees centigrade and for every nation to publish emissions plans to be held up for scrutiny by their peers.

The PM said:

“This is the first step we are taking towards a green and low carbon future for the world, steps we are taking together. First steps are difficult, but they are also necessary.

“Having taken that first step I hope that we can move quickly to the next step which is to get a legally binding treaty.”

US President Barack Obama described an agreement with several nations, including China and Brazil, as “meaningful and unprecedented” but acknowledged that there was “much further to go” in the fight against global warming.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said that all nations had signed up to a plan to provide developing nations with up to $100 billion per year in climate change-related aid by 2020 and that follow up meetings to Copenhagen would be held in the German city of Bonn in six months time.

January 5, 2023
Gordon Brown – 2009 Message to NHS Staff

The message sent by Gordon Brown, the then Prime Minister, on 21 December 2009.

2009 has been a tough year for us all, but your dedication and commitment has seen our cherished National Health Service rise to the challenge – and so I want to thank you for your enormous contribution to the country this year.

Public satisfaction with the NHS is at an all time high and recently it was rated as one of the world’s best health care systems. We saw over the summer just how deeply the public love it and just how much we all appreciate your devotion to saving lives, relieving pain, preventing sickness, curing illness, caring for the old and comforting all those who have fallen in the struggle of life. As we enter the world and as we leave it, and at all those moments of trauma and transition in between, we need the workers of the NHS – and you are there.

You make the difference between fear and hope, anxiety and security, between giving in and going on, and so often the difference between life and death. It is only thanks to you that this Government has been able to offer not a gamble but a guarantee; a legal right that anyone with suspected cancer will see a specialist within two weeks, and a future programme to introduce a new right to cancer diagnostic tests, with results, within one week. I know that this country can lead the way in fulfilling the dream of a generation; beating cancer. We can only do it because the NHS enables us to pool the resources of each of us to guarantee excellent care for all of us.

I firmly believe that we measure a society best not by the size of its wealth but by the width of its compassion, the breadth of its care and the depths of its generosity. Ours is a country where all of these qualities are best realised in one iconic national achievement – a National Health Service based on need and not on ability to pay, a service for the whole nation that is the finest insurance policy in the world.

As you face another Christmas sacrificing time with loved ones to serve others, let me also pay tribute to the incredibly long hours you have put in this year to confront the Swine Flu epidemic. The response of the NHS has been extraordinary and the whole country is extremely grateful.

However deep or difficult the financial implications of the recession, my pledge to you is that we will always put the front-line first. The staff of the NHS are the backbone of our wonderful country, and we will not let you down.

January 5, 2023
Gordon Brown – 2009 Podcast on Copenhagen Climate Change Summit

The text of the podcast made by Gordon Brown, the then Prime Minister, on 21 December 2009.

This weekend the world came together in the first step towards a new alliance to overcome the enormous challenges of climate change.

But, as you saw, the talks in Copenhagen were not easy. And, as they reached conclusion, I did fear the process would collapse and we would have no deal at all.

Yet, through strength of common purpose, we were able finally to break the deadlock. In a breakthrough never seen on this scale before – secure agreement from the international community.

But this cannot be the end – in fact, it is only the beginning and we must go further still.

To do that, we must learn lessons from Copenhagen and the tough negotiations that took place.

Never again should we face the deadlock that threatened to pull down those talks. Never again should we let a global deal to move towards a greener future be held to ransom by only a handful of countries.

I believe that in 2010 we will need to look at reforming our international institutions to meet the common challenges we face as a global community.

And we’ll need to harness the best of low carbon technology for the world to continue to grow whilst keeping to our pledge made this weekend to limit the increase in global temperatures to two degrees celsius.

I am convinced that Britain’s long term prosperity lies in leading the necessary transformation to a low carbon, greener future.

We must become a global leader not just in financing greener technologies but in the development and manufacture of wind, tidal, nuclear and other low-carbon energy.

And as we look towards a new decade, be assured that your government will play its part in supporting the ambitions of our entrepreneurs and leading businesses and the expertise of our scientists and engineers in making this transformation.

For it is not just at international summits that Britain must lead the fight to tackle climate change – it’s here at home too.

Working to protect the only planet we have is about our moral duty to our children and grandchildren.
Like every parent, I understand we all want to see our children get on and do well in life and I believe that each generation should have greater opportunities and possibilities than the last.

And I believe in making Britain more ambitious and in helping you to fulfil your aspirations for a better quality of life and a better standard of living.

A fairer Britain is the driving force behind everything we do. Government is there to help people get on, not just get by.

That’s why we have helped ensure that the past year has not been as bleak for the vast majority of you as past recessions.

Last week we had encouraging news that as we approach Christmas, there are more people in jobs, and also that more young people are being helped through these challenging times.

If the experience of the last recession had been repeated, unemployment would have been so much higher; repossessions twice as bad and company insolvencies two and a half times worse.

And it’s not just the economic measures which are giving me cause for optimism.

Crime has continued to decline – bucking the trend of every other recession when it has soared.

Of course, there are no grounds for complacency. Challenging months and tough decisions lie ahead and we’re determined to do more.

Jobs, apprenticeships, training and work experience will help kick start the careers of thousands of young people, giving them the confidence and self-esteem that comes with playing an active role in society.

We’ve also guaranteed that every person on unemployment benefits for six months – whatever their age – will be £40 a week better off when moving into work.

So our message is that we are a country of aspiration and opportunity and we as a government will support the hard-working majority and that is a government of optimism.

We have faith in our young people, in our shared futures and in a greener, fairer Britain for all that I’ve just talked about.

Can I take this opportunity to wish you and your family a very happy Christmas.

January 5, 2023