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Tag: 2009

  • HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : A greener future for Britain – Gordon Brown [December 2009]

    HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : A greener future for Britain – Gordon Brown [December 2009]

    The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 22 December 2009.

    Gordon Brown has spoken of a “low carbon, greener future” for Britain in his latest podcast following the “tough negotiations” of the Copenhagen climate change summit.

    The PM talked of the challenges of the summit and stressed that Copenhagen should mark the beginning, not the end, of efforts to keep climate change at the top of the political agenda.

    The Prime Minister also looked to the opportunities that the fight against climate change could present for Britain’s economy:

    “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.”

    He also urged the global community to “learn lessons” from the previous week’s conference and called for the creation of a central body to chair future talks:

    “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.”

    In his penultimate podcast of 2009, the Prime Minister expressed his optimism about the coming year, with decreasing crime rates and the recent announcement of new opportunities for job seekers.

  • HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Statement on Briton’s execution in China – Akmal Shaikh [December 2009]

    HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Statement on Briton’s execution in China – Akmal Shaikh [December 2009]

    The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 29 December 2009.

    The Prime Minister has released a statement condemning the decision to execute Akmal Shaikh, 53, from Kentish Town, north London.

    Mr Shaikh was convicted of smuggling heroin into China in 2007 and was executed in Urumqi, north west China, in the early hours of 29 December 2009.

    Prime Minister

    I condemn the execution of Akmal Shaikh in the strongest terms, and am appalled and disappointed that our persistent requests for clemency have not been granted. I am particularly concerned that no mental health assessment was undertaken.

    At this time our thoughts are with Mr Shaikh’s family and friends and I send them our sincere condolences.

  • HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : UK to continue push for change in Burma PM tells ASSK [December 2009]

    HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : UK to continue push for change in Burma PM tells ASSK [December 2009]

    The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 30 December 2009.

    The Prime Minister has written a letter to Burmese pro-democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi in which he says the UK will continue to do everything possible to push for change in Burma.

    In the letter, Gordon Brown calls for free and inclusive elections in Burma next year and urges the Burmese regime to engage Aung San Suu Kyi in a genuine dialogue on democracy.

    The letter has been handed to the Burmese authorities by the British Embassy in Rangoon – the formal channel by which messages to Aung San Suu Kyi are passed.

    TEXT OF LETTER

    Dear Daw Suu

    You have dedicated the whole of your life to the cause of democracy and freedom in Burma. You have selflessly highlighted the wider suffering of the Burmese people rather than dwelling on your own pain. And through that courage you have gained the respect of the entire international community not just for a person,  but for a cause.

    The world knows that as Burma approaches an historic year you will be as resolute as ever in approaching its challenges. If the scheduled elections proceed under a rigged constitution, with opposition leaders excluded and with no international oversight, the military rulers will be condemning Burma to more years of diplomatic isolation and economic stagnation.

    But if the elections are genuinely inclusive, free and fair, then the whole of the international community is ready to stand with Burma, welcome her back into the community of nations, and contribute to rebuilding her future and prosperity. It is clear this is the only path which will lead to Burma’s future security, stability and progress for all her people.

    Sadly, as the year turns, the signs do not look good. Your continuing detention is only the most visible evidence of the bad faith of a regime which has so far shown no signs of listening to regional or international calls for an end to its violent behaviour.

    I continue to call upon the regime to engage with you and allow you further contact with diplomats in Rangoon, and to start a genuine dialogue that can give the Burmese people back their future and their hope.

    You have asked us to use our freedom to secure the freedom of the Burmese people. I assure you that as we move into a new year and a new decade the United Kingdom will continue to do everything possible to advance positive change and genuine democracy in your country.

    As you have said, there is so much that needs to be done in a Burma that cannot afford to wait.

    We are immovably with you – and with the Burmese people.

    Yours sincerely

    Gordon Brown

  • HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : British hostage released after two year ordeal [December 2009]

    HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : British hostage released after two year ordeal [December 2009]

    The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 30 December 2009.

    The Prime Minister has paid tribute to those who have worked to secure the release of a British man held hostage in Iraq for over two-and-a-half years.

    Peter Moore from Lincoln was working in Iraq as an IT consultant when he was taken hostage along with four British bodyguards at the finance ministry in Baghdad in 2007.

    The Prime Minister has spoken to Peter Moore by phone, telling him he hoped he would be reunited with his family as soon as possible.

    In a statement, the PM said:

    “I am hugely relieved by the wonderful news that Peter has been freed, and will be reunited with his family as quickly as possible. They have faced a terrible ordeal, and I know that the whole nation will share their joy that he is coming home. I pay tribute to all those who helped in the protracted effort to secure the release.

    “At this moment of celebration, we also remember the families of British hostages who have been killed in Iraq and elsewhere. And we pledge to continue to do everything we can to bring British hostages back to their loved ones, including the remaining hostage of the group in Iraq, Alan McMenemy. I demand that the hostage takers return him to us.”

    The Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Mr Moore was in good health after his lengthy ordeal and is now with the British Embassy in Iraq.

    “Peter was set free by his captors this morning in Baghdad and delivered to the Iraqi authorities. He is now in the care of the British Embassy in Baghdad.”

    In June the bodies of security guards Jason Creswell and Jason Swindlehurst were passed to British authorities, followed by the body of Alec MacLachlan in September.

  • Gordon Brown – 2009 New Year’s Message for 2010

    Gordon Brown – 2009 New Year’s Message for 2010

    The message made by Gordon Brown, the then Prime Minister, on 30 December 2009.

    In his New Year message the Prime Minister has promised to continue to protect and improve Britain as it enters a new decade.

    The Government’s priorities will be to secure economic recovery, reform public services, clean up politics and continue fighting the threat of terrorism, Gordon Brown said in a podcast released today.

    The PM added that the UK would continue to step up efforts to disrupt terrorists planning to mount attacks on Britain.

    “This will have my relentless focus in 2010, just as Afghanistan will have. We will steadily be giving more control of Afghanistan to Afghan troops and police.

    On the economy, the PM said the Government’s strategy is to “go for growth”, and in his podcast he predicts that the New Year will mark the start of a “great decade for a great nation”.

    Mr Brown said the Government is determined to reduce the deficit without “choking off” the recovery or damaging frontline services.

    “Even as we take the tough decisions to halve the deficit, we can still invest in Britain’s future. I say this because Britain is too great a country with so much potential – and people with such high aspirations – that in the coming decade we must not settle for anything less than big ambitions.”

    The Prime Minister said the Government will shortly publish the first part of its plan for investment in industries and jobs for the future.

    “If we continue to make the right decisions to unleash all the talent that is to be found in these islands, we have much to look forward to – and you and your families have my warm best wishes for the year ahead.”

    The PM’s podcasts, which are available on our iTunes channel and YouTube, are recorded at Downing Street or around the world when the Prime Minister is travelling.

  • Queen Elizabeth II – 2009 Christmas Broadcast

    Queen Elizabeth II – 2009 Christmas Broadcast

    The Christmas Broadcast made by HM Queen Elizabeth II on 25 December 2009.

    Each year that passes seems to have its own character. Some leave us with a feeling of satisfaction, others are best forgotten. 2009 was a difficult year for many, in particular those facing the continuing effects of the economic downturn.

    I am sure that we have all been affected by events in Afghanistan and saddened by the casualties suffered by our forces serving there. Our thoughts go out to their relations and friends who have shown immense dignity in the face of great personal loss. But, we can be proud of the positive contribution that our servicemen and women are making, in conjunction with our allies.

    Well over 13,000 soldiers from the United Kingdom, and across the Commonwealth – Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore – are currently serving in Afghanistan. The debt of gratitude owed to these young men and women, and to their predecessors, is indeed profound.
    It is sixty years since the Commonwealth was created and today, with more than a billion of its members under the age of 25, the organisation remains a strong and practical force for good. Recently I attended the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Trinidad and Tobago and heard how important the Commonwealth is to young people.

    New communication technologies allow them to reach out to the wider world and share their experiences and viewpoints. For many, the practical assistance and networks of the Commonwealth can give skills, lend advice and encourage enterprise.

    It is inspiring to learn of some of the work being done by these young people, who bring creativity and innovation to the challenges they face.
    It is important to keep discussing issues that concern us all – there can be no more valuable role for our family of nations.

    I have been closely associated with the Commonwealth through most of its existence. The personal and living bond I have enjoyed with leaders, and with people the world over, has always been more important in promoting our unity than symbolism alone. The Commonwealth is not an organisation with a mission. It is rather an opportunity for its people to work together to achieve practical solutions to problems.

    In many aspects of our lives, whether in sport, the environment, business or culture, the Commonwealth connection remains vivid and enriching. It is, in lots of ways, the face of the future. And with continuing support and dedication, I am confident that this diverse Commonwealth of nations can strengthen the common bond that transcends politics, religion, race and economic circumstances.

    We know that Christmas is a time for celebration and family reunions; but it is also a time to reflect on what confronts those less fortunate than ourselves, at home and throughout the world.

    Christians are taught to love their neighbours, having compassion and concern, and being ready to undertake charity and voluntary work to ease the burden of deprivation and disadvantage. We may ourselves be confronted by a bewildering array of difficulties and challenges, but we must never cease to work for a better future for ourselves and for others.

    I wish you all, wherever you may be, a very happy Christmas.

  • Boris Johnson – 2009 Speech on Making London Safer

    Below is the text of the speech made by Boris Johnson, the then Mayor of London, on 27 March 2009.

    What did you want to be when you were a child? Was it something, by any chance, that involved wearing an impressive uniform? Did you marvel at the shiny buttons on Fireman Sam’s uniform, or wonder what it would be like to possess the natural authority that came with wearing Postman Pat’s hat?

    I for one trembled at the sight of a policeman, convinced I was doing wrong by my mere presence. When the terror in a tall hat passed, I would secretly yearn for the power that man possessed.

    Most people I know had childhood aspirations of becoming such authority figures with shiny buttons. Yet as we grow up, and we discover that a profession is worth doing for more than the sartorial standards it keeps, we choose different paths.

    However, there are some who keep the dream alive- ultimately for reasons of high public spirit. If they don’t go on to become fully fledged coppers, then they volunteer and become Special Constables – of which there are currently over two and a half thousand in London.

    Today, I was in Harrow to announce that we’ve secured the funding to train and recruit 10,000 Specials by 2012. They have the same powers and responsibilities as police officers. They can still say “‘ello ‘ello, what’s going on here then?” The only difference is that they are unpaid volunteers, working 8 hours a fortnight. So I’m calling on Londoners to reconnect with their childhood ambitions, to release that pent up desire to do good and step forward. You can still do your day job, and have the opportunity to be part of policing the Olympic Games too.

    When I was elected, one of my main promises was to get to grips with crime. This new initiative will see the addition of thousands of new, dedicated police officers to the streets of our city. We’re also continuing with the roll out of the new police teams to patrol bus ‘hubs’. I launched another one in Harrow this morning.

    These teams consist of nine officers and they are attached to an area with a high concentration of buses, typically a town centre with a bus station. By later this year, we will have 29 such teams across London. Their specific remit is to provide a highly visible presence on buses to deter the kind of low level disorder that has been prevalent over the last few years.

    We’ve also seen over 5,000 knives lifted from the streets of London through the sensitive use of stop and search powers. New police officers are also stepping up their patrols at suburban railway stations.

    So that’s what I am doing to honour my promise. My ambition is, by 2012, to have made public transport feel safer, got more police officers out on the streets and made youth violence an extreme rarity. You can help me achieve that by signing up to become a special constable.

  • Michael Martin – 2009 Statement on MP Expenses

    Below is the text of the statement made by Michael Martin, the then Speaker of the House of Commons, in the House of Commons on 19 May 2009.

    I should like to make a statement, for the second time today.

    This afternoon I convened a meeting of party leaders—both major and minor parties—and members of the House of Commons Commission to make decisions on the operation of parliamentary allowances pending the recommendations of Sir Christopher Kelly’s Committee on Standards in Public Life. The Chairman of the Committee on Members’ Allowances was also present to advise us.

    The Committee on Standards in Public Life will come forward with long-term reforms to the current allowances system. All parties are now committed to implementing its recommendations as a whole, subject to the formal agreement of this House, provided that these reforms meet the tests of increased transparency and accountability and reduced cost for the taxpayer. We have today agreed a robust set of interim measures which will take effect at once and do not pre-empt any more substantial changes to be put forward by the Kelly committee.

    Second homes: there will be no more claims for such items as furniture, household goods, capital improvements, gardening, cleaning and stamp duty. The following only should be claimable: rent, including ground rent; hotel accommodation; overnight subsistence; mortgage interest; council tax; service charges; utility bills, including gas, water, electricity, oil, telephone calls and line rental; and insurance—buildings and contents.

    Designation of second homes: no changes to be made to designation of second homes in the years 2009-10, with a transparent appeal procedure for exceptional cases.

    Capital gains tax: Members selling any property must be completely open with the tax authorities about whether they have claimed additional costs allowance on that property as a second home and are liable for capital gains tax. Members should make a declaration in respect of any property on which they claim for expenditure that it is not—and will never be—their main residence for capital gains tax purposes. Whether such a declaration has been made will be made public.

    Couples: Members who are married or living together as partners must nominate the same main home, and will be limited to claiming a maximum of one person’s accommodation allowance between them.

    Mortgages: all those Members claiming reimbursement must confirm that the mortgage continues, that the payments are for interest only, and the amount claimed is accurate. Mortgage interest claims will be capped at £1,250 per month. In the view of the meeting—and subject to the recommendations of the Kelly committee—this maximum figure should be reduced in the longer term. The same cap will apply to rent and hotel accommodation. Some of these measures I am announcing will require a resolution by the House in the near future; others will be put into effect by administrative action.

    Staffing: we confirmed the enforcement of deposit of staff contracts and the registration of any relatives employed.

    While the Kelly committee recommendations are awaited, there will be no specific changes to other allowances. The Department of Resources is instructed to tighten the administration of all claims and apply a clear test of “reasonableness”. If there is any doubt about the eligibility of a claim, it will be refused and there will be no appeal. In future, all authorised payments will be published online at transaction level on a quarterly basis by the Department of Resources.

    All past claims under the former additional costs allowance over the past four years will be examined. This will be carried out by a team with external management; the external manager will be appointed after consultation with the Comptroller and Auditor General. All necessary resources will be made available. The team will look at claims in relation to the rules which existed at that time, and will take account of any issues which arise from that examination which cause them to question the original judgment.

    The meeting also received a paper from the Prime Minister, which was endorsed by the other party leaders, calling for a fundamental reform of allowances—moving from self-regulation to regulation by an independent body. The Government will consult widely on this proposal. Further to this, the Leader of the House will be making a statement tomorrow, which will allow the House a full opportunity to ask questions, and Members to air their views on the decisions we have made and the proposals for the future.

  • Jim Murphy – 2009 Speech to Labour Party Conference

    jimmurphy

    Below is the text of the speech made by Jim Murphy, the Secretary of State for Scotland, at the 2009 Labour Party conference.

    Wherever I go in Scotland I am in awe not just of the beauty of our country but the brilliance of our people.

    Our cities that have helped shape the world can still have their best decades ahead of them.

    Visiting our islands and seeing the wind and wave power technology of the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland and in Aberdeen which we want to be the renewable energy capital of Europe

    On the River Clyde hundreds of apprentices I met making Britain safer by building Royal Navy ships

    Parents I listen to balancing all the pressures of modern life and putting their children first.

    Scotland’s pensioners who worked hard and saved hard to make Scotland all that it is –  probably the most powerful small nation on earth.

    And we are stronger, fairer and more self-confident. But after repairing decades of Tory damage we still have a lot to do to build on our success.

    Of course we have so much in common across the UK but there are also many differences – that’s the nature of devolution.

    But the one big choice over the next year is the same – Labour government or Tory government; Gordon Brown or David Cameron; Gordon’s experience or the most superficial Tory leader in modern history.

    And David Cameron wants to make the Tories a one nation party again – but that nation isn’t Scotland.

    In Scotland David Cameron is even less popular today than Mrs Thatcher was in the 1980s – but he is no less a threat to Scotland’s families and our economy.

    And the Scottish Tory candidates are probably the most hard-line in living memory.

    They think the only problem with the 1980s was that their party didn’t go far enough in cutting back the welfare state and they can’t wait to finish the job.

    Back then they allowed generations of Scots to get stuck on the dole and would have done the same in this recession because they opposed Labour’s £500 million investment to prevent the newly unemployed from becoming the long term unemployed.

    Of course Labour will cut costs, but we’ll protect frontline services. However, the Tories would make savage cuts immediately, they would risk the recovery.

    Because they believe in small government; in the politics of sink or swim and in the politics of your on your own. Today’s Scottish Tory candidates are Mrs Thatcher’s grandchildren.

    And Scotland’s distrust of the Tories isn’t just because of what they did in government in the last recession but because of what they have said in opposition throughout this one.

    They are probably the only opposition party anywhere in the world demanding that their government does less to help those on modest and middle incomes during this global recession.

    In Scotland they are hated by many for their past and distrusted by most because of their present.

    The Tories still don’t get Scotland. But Scotland gets them. And doesn’t want them back.

    It will take an enormous effort from us but we have the team to do it. I am delighted to introduce Labour’s Leader in the Scottish Parliament and Scotland’s next First Minister Iain Gray.

  • Rhodri Morgan – 2009 Speech to Labour Party Conference

    Below is the text of the speech made by Rhodri Morgan, the then First Minister of Wales, to the 2009 Labour Party conference on 27th September 2009.

    Conference, I’ve had the privilege as Labour Leader in Wales, of addressing you since 2000, and today I’m doing so for the last time.

    Over that decade of devolution, I’ve seen Wales grow enormously in confidence.

    Learning the art of government.

    Getting used to making our own decisions.

    Moving away from the old culture of blaming others for anything that goes wrong.

    We would not, and could not, go back to the old days of going on bended knee for help from the likes of William Hague and John Redwood – those figures from what now seems like the prehistoric past.

    That era is over for ever and ever.

    Finito.

    Dead as a Norwegian blue dodo.

    Dead as the Thatcher/Reagan era of ultra free-market economics which ended with the 2008 credit crunch.

    What’s needed now is active, interventionist, strong government, helping people through the recession and re-equipping the country for the coming up-turn.

    You don’t get that from the free marketeers.

    Their only answer is – cue John Maples Tory Deputy Chairman  – ‘this recession must be allowed to run its course’.

    What Labour is doing is to intervene for breakfast, for lunch, for tea and for supper, to shorten the recession and reduce the bad effects on ordinary peoples’ lives.

    In Wales, that has meant a social partnership, getting trade union and business leaders, local government and the third sector, round a table to get a full understanding of where the shoe is pinching. Deciding what to do about it, so that Wales can be ready for the upturn.

    From those summit meetings came the ProAct programme, paying employers to keep workers on their books, instead of making them redundant when orders are low.

    But we pay our £4,000 per head in return for up-grading the skills of those employees on the scheme.

    ProAct is saving thousands of jobs now and, even more important, it will prove its worth in saving thousands of future jobs because of those improved skills.

    That’s creative government intervention for you.

    Wales now has our own state-owned bank, Finance Wales, with a £150 million investment fund for small and medium enterprises.

    I announced the first tranche of investments totalling £6 million in 37 companies last week.

    Also last week, we launched a £105 million fund for our housing associations, mostly from the European Investment Bank, to take the place of the money they can’t get from the market because of the credit crunch.

    Where the market fails, Labour steps in, creating thousands of desperately needed construction jobs and meeting our urgent need for new homes.

    But active government doesn’t end with beating the recession.

    Since I last addressed conference, we have rolled out to every nursery and infant school in Wales our new Scandinavian-style learn-through-play curriculum.

    I have never known enthusiasm like it among all our early years teachers and learning assistants.

    It’s the biggest investment of new money in education in Wales in decades and we will see the benefit in decades to come, shortening the long tail of educational under-achievement from which Wales has always suffered.

    Ten years ago we wouldn’t have had the powers to break with a century of educational tradition in the UK and in any case, we wouldn’t have had the confidence to do it, even if we had.

    Now this new curriculum for the 3 – 7 year olds is a fantastic example of inventive government using devolution to the full.

    We don’t now teach the bended-knee, or the tug of the forelock, any longer in our posture and comportment classes!

    So Conference, a word about the future. Wales’ worst kept secret – I’m not going to be with you next year as Welsh Labour Leader and I’ll be announcing, before too long, the exact details of how and when the election of my successor it going to take place.

    Still, it’s the little things which say the time is coming to move on. Two weeks ago today, Julie and I were having a swim on Barry Island beach, taking advantage of our Indian summer.

    There was a surf life-saving competition going on and as I’m swimming along, quite powerfully so I think – OK, I’m not Michael Phelps, but I was quite impressed with my powerful stroke – next thing I know there’s an inflatable boat alongside me, and there is Miss Baywatch Barry Island 2009 leaning over and saying, ‘I’m just checking that you’re alright sir’!

    At least she said Sir, not Grandad!

    It’s things like that which tell you, to get ready to hand the baton over to the next generation.

    It just remains for me to thank the Labour Party for doing all the heavy lifting – to get devolution up and running 10 years ago, to strengthen our powers in 2006 and to give me the chance to have been First Minister of Wales.

    The Devolution Decade has been the most important thing to happen to Wales since the industrial revolution.

    All because of you.

    All because of Labour.

    And now we need to make sure the British people make the right choice next year.

    This is not the time for a free-market obsessed party to take over.

    It’s not time to make government smaller when there’s such a big job to do.

    It’s a time for a Party that believes in the power of government to develop our public services and to generate the new technologies and the new jobs.

    You only get that from one party – Labour.

    So, two final messages for this conference.

    First, to the whole of the Labour party in this hall and outside.

    I know that we are in difficulty now. We have temporarily mislaid that magic recipe for blending the mushy peas of old Labour with the guacamole of new Labour.

    Those difficulties will be temporary. We will find that recipe again soon.

    Because when the country is in difficulties, the Government takes a hit – it always happens, but when the country is in difficulties, that is precisely when you need the intervention of a government that actually believes in intervention.

    That means Labour.

    Last, to all my Welsh Labour compatriots here:

    Diolch yn fawr am eich ffydd a’ch cefnogaeth di-dor dros y ddegaid ddiwethaf.

    Thank you from the bottom of my heart for coming with me on this incredible journey over the past decade.

    Your loyalty and support has enabled me to do what I’ve been able to do to lead Wales and establish Wales as a ‘Yes We Can’ country.

    I know you will give the same support and loyalty to whoever takes the helm of leadership on after me.

    While my Labour leadership in Wales may not have long to run, Labour’s role of leadership in Wales and in Britain certainly isn’t coming to an end.

    When times are tough, when the future needs to be shaped for everybody’s benefit, Labour is the one party you can count on.