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Tag: 2018

  • Andrew Jones – 2018 Statement on Crossrail

    Below is the text of the statement made by Andrew Jones, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, in the House of Commons on 10 December 2018.

    The government, the Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL) have today (10 December 2018) confirmed a financing package to deliver the final stages of the Crossrail project and open the Elizabeth line to passengers.

    Crossrail Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of TfL, announced in August 2018 that the opening of the Elizabeth line through central London would be delayed. Work is ongoing to identify the remaining works required to complete the infrastructure and then commence the extensive testing necessary to ensure the railway opens safely and reliably. Crossrail is a nationally significant infrastructure project which will add up to £42 billion to the UK economy and will transform travel in, to, and across London.

    The government remains committed to the rapid completion of the project, in a way that is fair to UK taxpayers, and that enables London – as the primary beneficiary of Crossrail – to bear the additional costs. Independent reviews into Crossrail Ltd’s assessment of ongoing funding requirements and governance arrangements are being undertaken by KPMG to ensure the right scrutiny and oversight are in place as the project enters its final phase.

    The emerging findings of the KPMG reviews into Crossrail Ltd’s finances indicate the likely range of additional capital cost due to the delayed opening of the central section could be in the region of between £1.6 billion and £2 billion. That includes the £300 million already contributed by the Department for Transport and TfL in July 2018, leaving between £1.3 billion and £1.7 billion to cover the predicted additional costs of the project.

    The government, the Mayor of London and TfL have agreed a financial package to cover this. The Department for Transport will provide a loan of up to £1.3 billion to the Greater London Authority (GLA). The GLA intend to repay this loan via London’s Business Rate Supplement (BRS) and from the Mayoral Community Infrastructure Levy (MCIL). The GLA will also provide a £100 million cash contribution, taking its total contribution for this package to £1.4 billion.

    As the final costs of the Crossrail project are yet to be confirmed, a contingency arrangement has also been agreed between TfL and the Department for Transport. The Department for Transport will loan TfL up to £750 million in the event that further finance is required for the project.

    This combined financing deal will replace the need for the £350 million interim financing package announced by the Department for Transport in October 2018.

    The combined total of the financing arrangements outlined above, means that the overall funding envelope for the project is now £17.6 billion.

    Crossrail Ltd appointed Mark Wild as CEO on 19 November 2018. Mark is now conducting an extensive review of the remainder of the programme and will provide clarity in the new year on the opening date of future phases. Crossrail Ltd are working to establish a robust and deliverable schedule to open a safe and reliable railway. This will also provide greater clarity on the level of additional funding required.

    Furthermore, both the Department for Transport and TfL have recommended to the Crossrail Ltd board that they appoint Tony Meggs as Chair. Tony Meggs was previously Chief Executive of the Infrastructure and Projects Authority and Head of government’s Project Delivery Function, following a 30 year career in the private sector leading major projects at global, regional and local levels.

    To further strengthen the Crossrail Ltd Board, the Department for Transport have accepted TfL’s nomination of Nick Raynsford as Deputy Chair. Nick is a former MP and served as Minister for London on two occasions between 1997 and 2003.

  • Matt Hancock – 2018 Speech on Dementia

    Below is the text of the speech made by Matt Hancock, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on 5 December 2018.

    To get a sense of the challenge that dementia poses, I think about a man who, as a celebrated writer, gave such a clear account of the impact of dementia and stood determined not to let it stop him living his life.

    Sir Terry Pratchett was a best-selling author of some of the most creative fantasy novels. He continued to write despite his diagnosis of dementia and would not let it stop him. In his words:

    It’s possible to live well with dementia. And write best-sellers. Like wot I do.

    There is not yet a cure, and as Terry himself described it:

    There is no clearly plotted pathway to the course of these diseases. Dementia attacks those facets which make us who we are, and it’s a deeply personal attack that defies prediction.

    Today we know much more about the challenge that dementia poses. But what are we doing to meet this challenge?

    What have we achieved since the summit here in London in 2013, 5 years ago? Have we done enough to tackle stigma and raise awareness of this disease? Are we doing the research that will help us develop a treatment? Are we helping people to live well with dementia?

    Today we’re gathered in London again, 5 years on from David Cameron using the UK’s presidency of the G8 summit to turn the spotlight on dementia.

    Here we have a selection of the people who, working together in a common purpose, can bring change in our organisations, our countries and our world. We have eminent scientists, policy makers, innovators, academia, industry, people with dementia and carers, and politicians too. These are just some of the people that we need to bring together.

    Without working across boundaries, without the collaborations and sharing of ideas we would not be able to make progress.

    Today I want to reflect on some of the achievements we’ve made home and abroad. Let us together renew the call for action to defeat dementia.

    In the UK alone, an estimated 850,000 live with dementia, with numbers projected to rise to over 1 million by 2022 and 2 million by 2051.

    225,000 people will develop dementia this year, that’s roughly 1 every 3 minutes. And an estimated 1 in 5 people over the age of 85 have dementia. Furthermore, there are over 45,000 people under the age of 65 living with dementia in the UK.

    Numbers are rising now. As we make progress in tackling the other major killers, then the numbers will rise more so.

    Globally, nearly 50 million people were living with dementia in 2017. Research commissioned by Alzheimer’s Disease International highlights that the global cost of dementia will double by 2030, to $2 trillion.

    I want to talk about what we are doing in 4 areas:

    care and treatment
    early diagnosis
    prevention
    technology

    On care and treatment, we have made significant progress on staff training to help them care for people with dementia better. This year we reached one million NHS staff receiving dementia training since 2013 and around a million social care staff will have learned about dementia.

    And we are investing in dementia research for better care approaches and new treatments. To that end, we are spending £300 million on dementia research between 2015 and 2020.

    Through the Dementia Research Institute, Dementia Platforms UK, and through international efforts such as the Dementia Discovery Fund – which stands at a staggering £250 million so far – we are creating an environment to develop new approaches to tackling dementia.

    On diagnosis, one of our central achievements has been the improvement in the dementia diagnosis rate. Today, over two-thirds of people living with dementia receive a diagnosis, compared with 2 in 5 in 2010 to 2011.

    A timely diagnosis enables an individual and their loved ones to think about the care and support they need. It means they are able to access support and receive treatment quicker.

    But things move on. As the science improves we are now thinking about even earlier diagnosis informed by understanding of ‘biomarkers’ to ensure that novel medicines and treatments stand the best chance of success.

    On prevention, there is growing recognition that brain health is just as important as heart health: dementia isn’t an inevitable consequence of ageing. Around one-third of Alzheimer’s disease cases may be preventable through improving lifestyle, especially in midlife.

    That is why we have now have dementia messages in our NHS health checks. In England everyone between the ages 40 to 74 years who goes for a health check will be given advice on how to reduce their dementia risk.

    In the last 5 years, 7 million people attended a health check. That’s a fantastic opportunity to get the message out.

    Which brings me to the role of technology. Since 2013 we have a deeper understanding of how technology can transform the lives of those with dementia and their carers.

    Launched by the University of Oxford and the Alzheimer’s Society, the ‘GameChanger’ app contains a collection of memory and thinking games that test specific parts of the brain as well as the memory and thinking abilities believed to be affected during the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

    A fantastic example of using new technology is the Dementia Education and Learning Through Stimulation 2 (DEALTS) programme, which uses virtual reality to help staff understand the challenges someone living with dementia faces in their everyday lives, from shopping to going to the cinema.

    Or Paro the robotic seal. Paro uses artificial intelligence to learn from its surroundings and interact with people. Soft and cuddly, yes. And studies show its potential as a therapeutic intervention for people with dementia – it has been shown to improve socialisation for people living with dementia.

    In all these areas, there are examples of good progress. It will take time. But there are still things we can do now. We are seeing a change in the way people think, talk and act on dementia.

    The Dementia Friends initiative has been successful in raising awareness. We have over 2.7 million people who have become Dementia Friends, and over 400 communities committing to becoming dementia friendly in the UK.

    Supported by my department, the Alzheimer’s Society co-ordinates the Global Dementia Friends Network, which now has 44 countries developing similar programmes, with nearly 16 million Dementia Friends across all continents.

    In Brighton, the Dementia Action Alliance is partnering with Chess in Schools and Communities to give free chess lessons to older people, helping them keep their minds active while giving them opportunities to socialise.

    Participating in music can help bring people together and stimulate memories – through Singing for the Brain for example.

    Or simple ideas like the Southbank Centre using working poets to run a poetry course for people with dementia and their families.

    Common-sense interventions like these are simple yet effective. And I want to see more of them.

    Change is happening. Today’s event is a way of sharing all this great practice. It’s a way of restating our determination to make even more progress towards that goal of transformed care and support, of vastly improved social awareness and the first treatments by 2025.

    I will work with any nation, any partner who has innovative solutions to defeat dementia. We must not become complacent, we must all keep an open mind to embrace the new opportunities offered by technology and science.

    But let’s not lose sight of the simple message from Sir Terry Pratchett:

    “It’s possible to live well with dementia”.

  • Chris Grayling – 2018 Speech on the Withdrawal Agreement

    Below is the text of the speech made by Chris Grayling, the Secretary of State for Transport, in Birmingham on 5 December 2018.

    Opening remarks

    Good morning everyone.

    It’s a pleasure to be here at Birmingham Airport today (5 December 2018).

    The global gateway to the Midlands…

    Which had a record year in 2017…

    With nearly 13 million passengers travelling on flights to over 150 destinations.

    And which has also just announced a £500 million expansion plan to boost capacity and improve passenger facilities.

    Thriving airports say a lot about the places they’re serving.

    They are tangible evidence of business confidence.

    Of ambition to expand into overseas markets.

    To attract inward investment from other countries.

    And to take advantage of opportunities opening up in the global economy….

    As clearly we see here at Birmingham.

    Global outlook

    Yet this is what our island nation has been doing for centuries.

    We’ve always been an outward-facing country.

    It’s part of our DNA.

    Reaching out to markets abroad.

    Investing in transport links.

    To help us strike trade deals around the world.

    And in the post-Brexit world, we’ll need these strengths more than ever.

    It’s why we are expanding Heathrow.

    Why we’ve given regional airports like Birmingham greater freedom to grow.

    And why we’re prioritising new aviation agreements with other nations to prepare for life outside the European Union.

    Just last week – for example – we signed a deal with the US cementing flights across the Atlantic once we leave the EU.

    The deal secures existing air connections, and sets out ways in which new operators can enter the market in future.

    We have worked closely with airlines in both countries to make sure we get this deal right.

    Then at the weekend we also concluded an agreement with Canada, sorting out the last significant non-EU aviation destination after Brexit.

    But of course, maintaining flights to European markets is critical too.

    Within Europe, both the European Commission and other member states have been clear that arrangements will be put in place for the aviation sector – regardless of the broader agreement.

    This will ensure flights between the UK and EU can continue and that passengers have certainty about travelling.

    Supporting the current deal

    Clearly, these deals are in the national interest.

    We’ve reached a stage in the Brexit journey where acting in the national interest takes precedence over all other considerations.

    That’s why it’s imperative we get behind the Prime Minister’s agreed deal with the European Union now.

    I campaigned for Brexit in 2016, and have not changed my view that it’s the right choice for Britain.

    But I’m also a pragmatist.

    It’s equally important that we remain good friends and neighbours to our EU partners, while also deepening ties around the world.

    I believe that the vast majority of the British population want a mutually beneficial deal with the EU, and a smooth transition.

    That’s precisely what the Prime Minister’s agreement will deliver….

    While also delivering the vast majority of benefits that pro-Brexiteers asked for at the Referendum.

    It will give us full control of our money….

    Of our laws ….

    And our borders – ending the free movement of people.

    While maintaining security.

    And protecting the union of the United Kingdom.

    Transport and the PM’s deal

    We’ll benefit from a free trade area with the EU, while also pursuing trade deals with other countries outside Europe.

    And we have agreed ambitious transport arrangements with the EU.

    Not only will we have a comprehensive Air Transport Agreement….

    Visa-free travel for short-term visits, including tourists and business travellers…

    And co-operation where it makes sense – on aviation security, safety and air traffic management….

    But we’ll also have comparable access for hauliers, buses and coaches travelling between the UK and the rest of Europe.

    Bilateral arrangements will allow cross border rail services to continue – such as between Belfast and Dublin, and through the Channel Tunnel.

    And ships will continue to serve ports here and across the EU, protecting vital imports and exports routes.

    And our thriving tourism industry.

    This is a good deal for business and for jobs.

    The best deal for business and jobs.

    It will help us keep our connections with Europe….

    While providing a springboard to pursue new agreements around the world.

    And it will keep Britain moving.

    That’s why transport industry leaders have come out today in support of the agreement….

    Urging the country to get behind a deal that will provide much needed certainty.

    And that’s why as Transport Secretary, I am strongly in favour as well.

    If I had been offered the current deal before the Referendum in 2016, I would have seen it as an obviously better alternative to the status quo of remaining inside the EU.

    But today, when we know that we will not get an improved deal if this one is rejected, then the decision to back it now is even more clear cut.

    No deal

    Of course, we’ve been working hard to prepare for all eventualities after our exit.

    Including no deal.

    As any responsible government would.

    We are making provision to ease the pressure on Dover and Calais if there are customs hold ups after we leave.

    And we are making sure British motorists have easy access to International Driving Licences if they are needed.

    These are just two of the many transport implications of failing to reach a deal with the EU.

    Implications which we set out in detail for each transport mode earlier this year…

    Along with relevant advice for the public.

    But none of us want them to actually happen.

    No-one wants to sever ties with our European neighbours, and leave on bad terms.

    So now our focus is to get on delivering the broader exit agreement.

    And making progress with our withdrawal plans so we leave the European Union in March, while maintaining good relations.

    Conclusion

    We have an historic opportunity here.

    To take back control of our borders and finances.

    To retain a positive working and free trade relationship with our closest neighbours in the EU….

    With no tariffs, fees, or charges across all sectors.

    And no hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.

    While keeping the Common Travel Area, ensuring everyday life continues as now.

    This will ensure the smooth movement of transport and people….

    By road, rail, sea and air.

    Continued access to European markets….

    Yet also the freedom to grow globally…

    Providing airports like Birmingham with the momentum to invest for the future.

    I believe the overwhelming majority of the country now want us to get on with Brexit….

    And turn our attention to what comes next.

    That’s what this agreement will do.

    The deal on the table is also the best deal.

    Best for transport.

    Best for business.

    Best for Britain.

    So let’s get behind it.

    Thank you.

  • Damian Hinds – 2018 Speech on Technical Education

    Below is the text of the speech made by Damian Hinds, the Secretary of State for Education, on 6 December 2018 at Battersea Power Station, London.

    Introduction

    Good morning ladies and gentlemen… Thank you all for joining us here in Battersea… And thank you to Battersea for providing this very striking venue.

    I once came here as Minister for Employment and met some of your apprentices…

    I remember speaking to them about what they were doing…their future plans…and being struck – as I often am when talking to someone on a good quality apprenticeship – by their enthusiasm, their ambition, their optimism… the sense of what is possible in the future.

    Young people know when they are genuinely on a path to a good job, a great career – just as they know when they’re on a route to nowhere.

    And, unfortunately, for too long, we’ve had too many of our young people leaving school without the necessary skills or direction – and ending up on a dead-end route…getting in to work but not able to get on in work and progress to something better.

    I am determined now to change this.

    Everyone must be given the chance to get on a clear path to a skilled job. That could be an academic path – but it could also be a more practical, technical path, as I’ll be setting out today.

    Productivity problem

    There is, of course, one dominant theme in any conversation about the UK economy right now… leaving the European Union. Getting the right deal for our country…the best future trading relationships… ensuring the stability that businesses need to keep growing and investing…and sustaining this unparalleled record we have had on job creation.

    But there is another crucial issue that pre-dates Brexit and should be focusing minds just as much… Our great unsolved issue in our economy of the last fifty plus years: productivity.

    Clearly, productivity matters…higher output per hour means the economy grows, firms can raise wages…and when people earn more, they have higher living standards, higher quality of life.

    …And that goes for everyone’s quality of life, not just those at the top.

    Productivity is also how we afford our public services. When people earn more they can pay more. It’s how we afford the best education for our children, the best care for our parents.

    So what’s the problem?

    Today Germany, France, the US – all produce over 25% more per hour than the UK. And, actually, this productivity gap with Germany and France first opened up in the late 1960s, further back still with the US.

    It is a longstanding problem.

    And this gap really matters. Matching German productivity would allow government to spend tens of billions of pounds a year more in our public services.

    What has kept our economy growing this last decade, is our growing working age population and our buoyant jobs market.

    But… As the OBR point out, we cannot rely on a growing number of workers keeping our economy growing – employment is already at record levels and we’re seeing less inward migration.

    Our high employment rate is a great strength of our economy…

    But the challenge now is more people working in highly productive industries, in rewarding jobs with the opportunity to progress and earn more…not just in work, but getting on in work.

    Skills and people

    So what’s the solution?

    A year ago today, this Government set out our first modern Industrial Strategy for boosting our nation’s productivity…setting out our ambition to put the UK at the forefront of the AI and data revolution…increased investment in Research and Development…a major upgrade to the UK’s infrastructure…

    My colleague Greg Clark will be speaking about many aspects of this strategy later today.

    Clearly, there is more than one factor associated with low productivity…but today I want to focus on a critical one that I believe underpins everything else…

    Skills.

    Yes you need to invest in high-tech machinery and in the latest technology; but you still need people who are trained to use it.

    That’s why our Industrial Strategy also promises a major upgrade on the nation’s skills.

    Right now, when it comes to skills we have an hourglass shaped problem in this country…

    By that I mean that at the top of our hourglass, we have a large number of well-educated people, often with degrees from good universities… They tend to be in the high skilled, high paid jobs. This is worth celebrating.

    But at the bottom of the hourglass, we have a large number of people who either never progressed beyond GCSEs or gained low level vocational qualifications… They are too often ending up in low skilled, low wage jobs.

    If we’re ever going to close the productivity gap then we need more people getting into the top half of the hourglass, and essentially we need to change the shape of the hourglass so it bulges out in the middle…with more skilled jobs for people doing high quality training when they finish school.

    In brief: more skilled workers, more skilled jobs.

    At the moment, the UK benefits from a growing economy and low unemployment, but it suffers from a skills shortage…

    In 2017, employers reported difficulties finding the right skills, qualifications or experience for 42% of skilled trades vacancies.

    Our country needs more computer programmers…more engineers…more electricians and chefs… We need more technicians in fields from advanced manufacturing to healthcare …construction to telecommunications.

    Brexit and automation

    This shortage is becoming more urgent…for two reasons in particular.

    First, the movement of people.

    Our businesses, and our society as a whole, has hugely benefited from our diverse workforce, the fantastic contribution of EU nationals and people from other parts of the world… Everyone working in the UK today, wherever we come from, has an equal stake in our nation’s future.

    As the Prime Minister has set out, once will leave the EU we will be able to set our own immigration policy…a skills based system…

    In the past the easy availability of ready trained labour coming from abroad has led to some reliance, some might say an over reliance, on importing our skills needs. In future, I want to make sure everyone has the opportunity to develop the complex skills needed to play their part in a vibrant, growing economy…

    Secondly, automation…

    It is impossible to predict the timing or the way automation will impact us – although we see various predictions when it comes to the numbers of jobs at risk or may change, no one really knows.

    But we must assume it is those with more training that will do better…

    And by more training I mean better literacy, better numeracy, continuing improvement in general primary and secondary education, as well as practical, technical skills…

    Ultimately, it is about how well our whole workforce can adapt to rapid technological change and a changing job market…the challenges and the opportunities.

    The educational divide

    What does all this mean for our education system?

    Now, let’s be clear: there is a lot to be proud of – standards have risen and, since 2011, we have narrowed the attainment gap between children from disadvantaged backgrounds and their better off peers by 10%.

    That’s a fantastic achievement from teachers and leaders across the country.

    And we should also be proud of our strong higher education sector…students from all corners of the world compete for a place at our top universities.

    But the truth is that while we can boast that our young people have an excellent and clear academic route to a job…A Levels and then university…

    Our vocational, technical routes tell another story. For many, the route is not clear, the expectations are not high enough and the links to a skilled job are too weak.

    In fact, around a quarter of all 16 year olds in the education system are essentially churning around – switching between course types, dropping back to lower-level learning, or repeating study at the same level.

    In recent years we’ve done a lot of work to improve apprenticeships – but before then they’d fallen out of favour with employers… They were too short, with too little off-the-job-training… The apprentice stayed the apprentice rather than mastering the skills needed.

    Behind all of this has been a bit of an attitude problem: as a nation I’m afraid we’ve been technical education snobs.

    We’ve revered the academic but treated vocational as second class – when we do it well, law, engineering, medicine – then we don’t even call it vocational.

    Why has this has been tolerated for so long? I think the reason is the “O.P.C” problem. For so many opinion formers, commentators and, yes, politicians: vocational courses are POC courses: for ‘other people’s children’.

    As the Prime Minister has been very clear – this has to change.

    Young people not on the A-level route have two years of government funded education when they turn 16…precious time, precious investment in the future… And all too often it’s time and money used to train them to a low level in a skill the economy doesn’t need.

    Let me be clear, the answer is not just encouraging more and more people to go to university…

    It is introducing clear, high quality, technical paths to skilled jobs… Paths that are as respected and as easy to understand as the A-level-to-degree route.

    Partnership

    If we’re to achieve this, there are two vital partners for government.

    The first is Further Education Colleges. For too long, Further Education has been something of a neglected sector, playing second fiddle to Higher Education… That needs to change.

    Colleges will play an essential part in delivering the modern Industrial Strategy… They will be our key national infrastructure for technical education.

    Of course, colleges do many important things for their communities… But their core purpose is to help people to move into and thrive in work. And providing world-class technical education – the knowledge and skills people need for the jobs of today and tomorrow – is central to that.

    The second partner is, of course, employers. We can’t guarantee young people that a qualification is a clear path to a job unless we’re working side by side with the people who have the vacancies and the skills needs. That’s why we’re putting employers at the heart of every reform we’re making to technical education.

    Ambition

    I’m not promising an overnight revolution. This is a ten-year project. But in a decade’s time I want us to have a completely different perspective on technical education in this country…

    The core test of our reforms will be this:

    Today, in the UK, just 65% of our working population have completed upper secondary education, with qualifications at what, in the jargon, we call a Level 3 standard – the equivalent of A levels.

    So one third do not; they have only GCSE-level qualifications, or below.

    In Germany, that 65% is 87%…meaning a better chance at a skilled job, a higher wage, a career taking you where you want to go.

    What does that mean in practical terms? Well, the difference to your wages from reaching a Level 3 or A-level equivalent qualification is about £40 a week – more than £2,000 a year.

    I don’t think our young people are less talented, less ambitious or less capable than those in Germany …

    In ten years time we should be able to look back on all the reforms we’ve made, and be able to say, yes, our young people now have the same – or ideally better – training opportunities than they do in Germany, or Holland, or Switzerland, or other leading systems.

    Matching skills with the labour market need

    How do we make this vision a reality? I believe there are four key elements.

    The first is overcoming our system’s failure to match skills with the labour market need…

    Right now, we have a training market that is driven by the choices colleges and other training providers make… For the people putting on the training there is good reason to go for cheap, popular courses that are easier to put on, easier to pass.

    We need a strategy that means both the individuals choosing their courses and the colleges putting the courses on are incentivised to develop skills that match the labour market needs of the future… With the number of people training in proportion to the number of opportunities likely to be available.

    We know, for example, that Germany trains around 11,000 hairdressers per year – in England, around 40,000 people train in hairdressing each year, in a country with fewer actual heads.

    At the same time, employers in the construction sector struggle to fill over a third of their vacancies because they are unable to recruit people with the required skills.

    We need a plan to better ensure supply matches demand…a plan to make sure people are going to be able to find productive, remunerative jobs at the end of their courses.

    A big part of our Industrial Strategy is tailoring policy to local needs, the same goes for skills.

    Simply put – there’s no point in training lots of people to be web designers if a town needs electroplaters.

    So, when it comes to our new T Level qualifications, which I’ll be talking more about in a moment…

    …Our T Level funding consultation proposes that colleges must have regard to local skills plans and strategies before deciding which T levels to offer.

    I want to go further. All areas will have Local Industrial Strategies…. And I’m determined that employers should have real influence over what kind of courses colleges in their area are putting on.

    Some great colleges are already making this happen – let’s make it universal.

    As a starting point, today I’m publishing guidance on the role of our Skills Advisory Panels – local partnerships between public and private sector employers, local authorities and colleges and universities – setting out how they will work together to decide what skills are really needed in each local area.

    I want this done well – so today I am announcing new support for every local area to fully understand and assess their skills needs now and in the future… Each Panel will get £75,000 to analyse their local skills needs, which could include employing a labour market analyst.

    Clear paths to a job

    The second element is the lack of clear, simple path for young people choosing technical study at 16.

    Britain is unique worldwide in offering thousands upon thousands of training courses to our 16-year-olds, more than 10,000 in total.

    But it’s hard to know for sure which course is actually valuable in the job market.

    Often we find that these training courses teach about a broad sector, but they don’t help someone develop the depth of skills they need to succeed in the job.

    Our new T Levels will change this… 25 high quality courses, with a clear line of sight to actual job roles …

    We’ve worked with employers such as Fujitsu, IBM, EDF, GlaxoSmithKline, the Bank of England, KPMG, and the British Army to design rigorous content…

    Crucially, both in the classroom and during the industrial placement, T Levels will focus on developing the skills needed to get, and perform well in, an actual job.

    So looking at the first three T Levels being offered by around 50 colleges in 2020…

    Pass your Education T Level then go and work as a teaching assistant or in an early years setting…

    Pass Digital, Production and Design and apply to be a software development technician…

    Complete the Design, Surveying and Planning T Level and become a civil engineering technician…

    Clear paths to a skilled job.

    And we will make sure that we’re not letting people who need a little more support fall through the gaps…

    By making a ‘transition offer’ available to a number of young people who are not quite ready to do a T Level at 16… extra training so they’ll be ready to start by 17.

    I’ll be setting out more details of this offer in the new year.

    Today, as part of our T Level Action plan, I am also announcing the next set of T Levels we will roll out in 2021…

    A Health T Level…
    A Healthcare Science T Level…
    And a Science T Level…
    An Onsite Construction T Level…
    A Building Services Engineering T Level…
    A Digital Support and Services T Level…
    And a Digital Business Services T Level.

    When fully rolled out, we’ll be putting hundreds of millions of pounds in additional money behind T Levels every year…

    Crucially, this will allow us to support the intensive 3 month industrial placements for every T Level student, so they can put into practice what they’ve learnt…developing their confidence and skills.

    Already this year employers large and small are offering pilot placements to students…

    But as T Levels are fully rolled out in the coming years we are going to need more and more employers to step up in every town and city, across the country. For businesses – this is your opportunity to build up the skills pipeline of the future.

    As we roll T Levels out, we’re also reviewing the qualifications currently on offer…we don’t simply want to add 25 to the 10,000 plus that already exist…

    There are going to be some tough decisions ahead as we think carefully about what we take away from the system as well as what we add – we’ll consult before deciding on the nature of qualifications needed. But I think we’d all agree – better to see young people with a smaller number of high quality choices rather than a plethora of often mediocre ones.

    A clear path to higher skills

    The third element I want to look at is the issue of ¬what comes after your vocational qualification…

    A-level students, of course, often progress to a degree, but what’s the next step on your journey once you’ve completed a T Level or an initial apprenticeship?

    Yes, many will now be wanting and, crucially, will be ready to step straight in to a skilled job.

    But, equally, some will also be ready for the next level of training that can take them to an even higher skilled job…

    The kind of training that helps you step up from being a cook to a chef…a bricklayer to a construction site supervisor…an aircraft maintenance fitter to an aircraft maintenance engineer…

    According to the CBI, the biggest growth in jobs in the years ahead is expected to be in management and professional and technical roles –

    And these roles will require the specialist skills which a higher technical training course could provide.

    At the moment, people in the sector describe these training courses as ‘level 4 and 5’…

    But a lot of people will look blank at this description – which is part of the problem.

    Colleges and universities don’t offer much training at this level… Very few students do it compared to the numbers doing a degree or a lower level of technical training – partly because it’s not available and partly because they’re not aware of it.

    And employers are also less aware of these training courses…which means recruitment is often either focused below the level needed or above…with some jobs being unnecessarily inflated to degree level. Which, it’s worth noting, can mean some people are paying for a degree they might not need.

    It’s not just the lack of college courses that’s a problem here either…in recent years, we have not had enough apprenticeships that train people for more highly skilled jobs. When I visited Germany earlier this year I saw for myself how apprenticeships can be a ladder to more and more specialist, well paid occupations.

    But in this country…last year more sixth form and college leavers went to Oxbridge than went on to do a higher level, that is to say a Level 4 or 5, apprenticeship…

    I’m determined to properly establish higher technical training in this country – so that it’s recognised and sought after by employers and young people alike.

    Right now, with dozens of different qualifications, courses and brands on the market, it’s baffling for employers and students alike.

    But we do know there are good quality higher technical qualifications on the market already… What is missing is widespread clarity and confidence that these qualifications deliver the skills employers need.

    That’s why I intend to establish a system of employer-led national standards for higher technical education which will be set by employers themselves. Through the Institute of Apprenticeships, we plan to identify and recognise existing and new qualifications that meet the knowledge and skills needed by employers.

    I mentioned that Level 4/5 doesn’t mean a lot to most of us… I want us to start calling these courses what they are: higher technical qualifications …and develop clear national recognition…

    Ensuring these qualifications are clearly badged and easy to recognise, meaning that employers are able to start looking for them on CVs and application forms, and advertising for them when recruiting to jobs at that level.

    This process will be overseen by the Institute for Apprenticeships, who will soon become the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education… and we will have the first recognised qualifications in place from 2022 – ready for those first T Level students who will just have completed their course.

    We will be consulting next year on how to deliver this new approach.

    I expect higher training to be offered by high performing colleges and universities, alongside our National Colleges focused on specific industries such as High Speed Rail and Nuclear… And by the new Institutes of Technology we’re establishing across the country, which will specialise in delivering higher technical training.

    Of course, it is essential that different bits of the technical education system also fit together – our reformed apprenticeships, T Levels, higher technical training…

    The Institute of Apprenticeships have documented all the skilled jobs and occupations that you can get to through an apprenticeship or T Level…showing how you can progress from one job to another…that mapping should now extend to Higher Technical qualifications and beyond as well.

    In this way, it will be clearer to everyone – young people, parents, employers and training providers – how, through high-quality technical education, you can get into and can progress to the top of your chosen profession.

    Parity of esteem

    Time to look at the fourth and overarching element: the issue of esteem. As I’ve said, we’ve long been technical education snobs in this country…

    But our ultimate goal is to deliver parity of esteem when it comes to technical and academic routes…equally valid choices.

    In order for technical education not simply to be something for other people’s children, it has to be something you want your child to do as well. That means it’s high quality and leads to a well-paid, rewarding skilled job.

    Government can’t endow esteem on technical education, you can’t legislate for parity in this way…it’s our job to make it high quality, then employers and young people themselves will genuinely value it. Quality has to come first. Get that right and esteem will follow.

    We also need to make clear to young people, and their parents – that a degree is not the only path to a great job.

    When it comes to our schools and colleges, although we have published performance tables where destinations to further education, apprenticeships and employment are all counted…

    We show how many students go to specific universities… without also showing how many students progress to higher technical training…

    So we inherently imply that university is valued more highly than other routes.

    This will end. In the future, our performance tables will lead with publishing a new measure…one measure: young people doing higher learning on either route.

    And this could be a degree at university or higher technical training through an apprenticeship or a Higher Technical qualification.

    I’m clear that the school that gets a young person onto a higher apprenticeship deserves as much praise as when it gets someone to university.

    To be clear, the message here is not don’t do a degree – the message is simply you don’t have to do a degree.

    With the growth in the knowledge economy and the demands of business – we will need a high number of graduates in the future, but we also need more people with higher technical skills.

    We want young people to acquire the higher qualifications that lead to high skilled, more rewarding jobs – whether through a degree, a higher apprenticeship or higher technical qualifications.

    And no longer should schools and colleges feel that they must push students down one route in order to be judged a success.

    We also need to make sure that all young people get the advice and guidance they need to make choices about their future. Just over a year ago we published our careers strategy, setting out our plans to build a world class careers system.

    Thanks to the hard work of our partners like The Careers & Enterprise Company, we are now seeing real changes in schools and colleges, with over 2000 business volunteers helping to connect young people with employers and I commend them for what they do.

    Finally, I want us to break down some of the false barriers we’ve erected between academic and technical routes…

    I don’t see any reason why higher technical training shouldn’t be open to certain A-level students as long as they have the prerequisite knowledge and practical skill –

    Equally, I want T Level students, that want to, to be able to go to university to do relevant technical degrees.

    This will of course depend on the T Level subject, but there will be an obvious path for, say, a Design, Surveying and Planning T Level student to then do a surveying degree or for an Accountancy T Level student to then do an accountancy degree. We will identify and work with specific universities well placed to lead the way on this.

    And I’m pleased to be announcing today that UCAS has agreed to give a T Level UCAS tariff points in line with 3 A-levels. This reflects the size and complexity and demands of the qualification.

    T Levels will be graded Pass, Merit or Distinction…and we are now discussing with UCAS exactly how points will be awarded per grade.

    Conclusion

    What does all this ultimately boil down to?

    A clear quality technical path to a skilled job. More young people gaining higher skills. A more productive economy.

    This won’t all change overnight – this is a ten year project to upgrade our nations’ skills…colleges playing their part as the national infrastructure for technical education, industry playing their part, creating and investing in the workforce of the future…

    And we must see this through…

    Even without the imperative of Brexit, productivity and skills are historic problems that need solving.

    We have a modern Industrial Strategy that is all about making Britain fit for the future, in a world of rapid technological change… But it’s people that are at the heart of this strategy. It’s people that will make it live.

    By investing in our technical education now, we can make sure that everyone is qualified for the jobs of today and tomorrow… That all our young people have the opportunities they need to succeed.

    Thank you.

  • Robert Jenrick – 2018 Speech at the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association Trustee Conference

    Below is the text of the speech made by Robert Jenrick, the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, at the the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association Trustee Conference on 6 December 2018.

    Introduction

    Thank you, Caroline, for that kind introduction.

    And thank you to the PLSA for inviting me here today.

    As a former commercial lawyer, there are always mixed feelings about coming to a place like Allen & Overy.

    I certainly don’t miss some aspects of the old job.

    The late nights and long negotiations…

    …The seemingly intractable arguments over the finest details of complex written agreements.

    Actually, come to think of it, it was all good grounding for a career in politics.

    Now we meet at an important moment for our country and our economy with critical decisions to be taken in the days ahead and the present debates can understandably all-consuming.

    But I want to talk about the long-term direction of our economy and ask you to consider what you can do to define this country’s success, not in the next few years, but for generations to come.

    To create the high-tech, high-skilled, productive and competitive economy that we all desire.

    One that attracts, supports and rewards enterprise, entrepreneurship and innovation.

    With a climate that inspires a new generation to succeed, to prosper and to excel.

    Today, I want to talk about how we can work together to achieve that goal.

    The guidance the PLSA are launching today shows that pensions have the potential to achieve more for everyone.

    …Better long-term returns for the savers who invest…

    …And better long-term impacts for the economy and for society.

    The importance of patient capital

    The UK is home to some of the world’s most innovative companies.

    Harnessing the intellectual might of our great universities, and the strength of our financial services industry…

    …Start-ups are created at a rate greater than anywhere in Europe.

    And we are seeing many of these companies grow into the global brands of the future…

    …With at least 13 unicorns, more than any of our European neighbours, and more than a third of the total number across the continent.

    In government, we have prioritised investment in innovative companies.

    In this parliament, levels of public investment will be at their highest sustained levels in my lifetime.

    And the last Budget gave further support for new technologies, and help for firms to grow.

    Last year we unveiled a patient capital action plan to unlock over £20 billion in innovative firms over the next 10 years.

    Since last year the British Business Bank has launched ‘British Patient Capital’ – a £2.5 billion fund to invest in innovative firms.

    And we ploughed £1.6 billion into our research and development base…

    …to strengthen the UK’s global leadership in science and innovation.

    But there’s a limit to what government can and should do.

    Ultimately, it is the sum of private investment in the engine of the economy that will define our success.

    Britain’s venture capital investment sector is maturing…

    …With 4x more VC investment in tech companies than Germany, and more than France, Ireland and Sweden combined…

    But neither should we be complacent about these favourable comparisons with Europe, nor let that be the limit to our ambitions.

    Last year, the Chancellor identified a £4 billion patient capital gap between American firms and British firms.

    UK firms receive fewer rounds of private investment before an IPO than their equivalents in the US.

    We have to work harder to keep that talent in the UK and to attract international entrepreneurs to the UK who might otherwise go to the US.

    So that those businesses can put down roots here, can thrive and grow here.

    And pension funds have a crucial role to play in achieving this.

    How pension funds could help

    Auto-enrolment has led to a new cohort of younger savers…

    …And an expansion in the amount of money in defined contribution schemes.

    By 2025, we expect the overall pot will swell to £1 trillion…

    …This has the capacity to drive strong and sustainable growth in the UK economy.

    Pension funds are suited to patient capital

    …They accrue gradually over a lifetime…

    …And with this long-term investment horizon comes a greater appetite for investing in things with somewhat higher risk…

    …and a higher reward.

    The next generation of young pension savers have the chance to invest in the next world-changing technology, whether that’s AI or a life-saving cancer drug…

    …Or social impact investment in the infrastructure that underpins the economy – whether that’s housing or health or transport.

    …Investments that generate returns, while also having a positive effect on society or the environment.

    All in all, this type of investment gives people the chance to shape the society they want to live in and to leave to the next generation.

    As the youngest member of the present government and notionally a millennial, I believe the investors of today and those following them will demand that their savings include such investments, and be surprised if they do not. I also believe that technology will rapidly increase transparency. The pensions dashboard will enable savers to view their pensions and in time make choices to amalgamate them…

    …But I want to see technology harnessed, in time, to bring data on a pension to every savers smartphone including informing savers of how their pension is invested. This seems inevitable and will force the question of the industry- would our investments inspire our savers?

    So the vision is clear…

    Pension schemes of the future being able to invest appropriate amounts in patient capital as part of a diverse portfolio…

    …benefiting from the rewards of innovative companies with significant growth potential.

    It happens in America and Australia, where pension pots are more regularly invested in illiquid assets such as private equity and infrastructure.

    We want the same opportunities here. We believe we could even be more innovative.

    And that’s what we’re working towards.

    Some in the field are showing true leadership and invention.

    Strathclyde started a Private Equity programme in 1990.

    And over the years they have invested £2.7 billion, with total returns of more than 13% per annum.

    Others, like Hermes and USS, have also demonstrated the value of investing in patient capital.

    The barriers we face

    To make investment in patient capital the norm…

    …and to close the gap with the likes of the USA and Australia.

    …we have some barriers to overcome.

    At the moment, our pension system is strong in terms of transparency, freedoms with a highly skilled and knowledgeable industry operating within the pre-eminent financial centre.

    But still, defined contribution funds invest very little, if at all, in patient capital.

    There are regulatory reasons for that, which we identified through our Pensions Investment Taskforce… …which some of us in this room were involved in.

    First, there’s the FCA’s permitted links rule, which restricts patient capital type investments that are typically held for the long-term.

    Second, there is the pensions charge cap, which protects savers from high costs.

    We are absolutely committed to retaining protections…

    …but we also know that the way firms are required to confirm compliance can actually prevent savers from accessing the expertise needed for patient capital investment.

    Throughout the year, we have been working with the industry, including the PLSA, the Investment Association and the ABI among others, to open up these avenues.

    The path ahead

    And at the Budget, we laid out a clear plan for progress.

    first, we announced that the FCA will be carrying out a consultation on reforming their permitted links rules, and will publish by the end of the year

    second, we announced that the DWP will consult next year on making the pension charge cap flexible enough to accommodate performance fees, often associated with patient capital investment. The aim will be to follow this up with regulation later in the year.

    third, we announced funding to make pensions dashboards a reality. These will allow people access to information on their multiple pensions in a single place online, helping them to have a clearer picture of their overall financial position
    And we know from polling data how much people are looking forward to having this tool, particularly young people.

    DWP published their consultation on pensions dashboards earlier this week, and are keen to hear from you on their proposals.

    finally, we announced that some of the largest DC pension providers in the UK –Aviva, L&G, HSBC, NEST, The People’s Pension and Tesco Pension Fund – are working with the BBB to develop a blueprint for pooled investment in patient capital

    Global trends suggest that pooling investment could help make investment in patient capital more cost effective for pension schemes.

    The TPR have updated guidance to reflect the growing interest and appetite for patient capital investments as part of a diversified portfolio.

    Conclusion

    So thank you all for your interest so far and for the commitment many have shown.

    But this is just the end of the beginning – we have so much work to do.

    Thanks to the PLSA’s new published guidance and the work of the Pensions Investment Taskforce and DWP we know the path ahead.

    The ultimate decisions are yours as pension trustees, independent governance committees and advisors to them However, I believe if we work together, we can be responsible managers of others’ savings, and ambitious custodians of capital, seeking to achieve higher returns for pension funds….

    … use the latent potential in our pension pots…

    drive the companies and ideas of the future…

    Private investment…

    Building wealth and security for private citizens…

    Doing public good, building an enterprising economy and society for everyone.

    Thank you.

  • Theresa May – 2018 Statement on Brexit

    Below is the text of the statement made by Theresa May, the Prime Minister, in the House of Commons, on 10 December 2018.

    Mr Speaker, with permission I would like to make a statement on Exiting the European Union.

    We have now had three days of debate on the Withdrawal Agreement setting out the terms of our departure from the EU and the Political Declaration setting out our future relationship after we have left.

    I have listened very carefully to what has been said, in this chamber and out of it, by members from all sides.

    From listening to those views it is clear that while there is broad support for many of the key aspects of the deal, on one issue – the Northern Ireland backstop – there remains widespread and deep concern.

    As a result, if we went ahead and held the vote tomorrow the deal would be rejected by a significant margin.

    We will therefore defer the vote scheduled for tomorrow and not proceed to divide the House at this time.

    I set out in my speech opening the debate last week the reasons why the backstop is a necessary guarantee to the people of Northern Ireland and why – whatever future relationship you want – there is no deal available that does not include the backstop.

    Behind all those arguments are some inescapable facts.

    The fact that Northern Ireland shares a land border with another sovereign state.

    The fact that the hard-won peace that has been built in Northern Ireland over the last two decades has been built around a seamless border.

    And the fact that Brexit will create a wholly new situation: on 30 March the Northern Ireland/Ireland border will for the first time become the external frontier of the European Union’s single market and customs union.

    The challenge this poses must be met not with rhetoric but with real and workable solutions.

    Businesses operate across that border. People live their lives crossing and re-crossing it every day.

    I have been there and spoken to some of those people. They do not want their everyday lives to change as a result of the decision we have taken. They do not want a return to a hard border.

    And if this House cares about preserving our Union, it must listen to those people, because our Union will only endure with their consent.

    We had hoped that the changes we have secured to the backstop would reassure Members that we could never be trapped in it indefinitely.

    I hope the House will forgive me if I take a moment to remind it of those changes.

    The customs element of the backstop is now UK-wide. It no longer splits our country into two customs territories. This also means that the backstop is now an uncomfortable arrangement for the EU, so they won’t want it to come into use, or persist for long if it does.

    Both sides are now legally committed to using best endeavours to have our new relationship in place before the end of the implementation period, ensuring the backstop is never used.

    If our new relationship isn’t ready, we can now choose to extend the implementation period, further reducing the likelihood of the backstop coming into use.

    If the backstop ever does come into use, we now don’t have to get the new relationship in place to get out of it. Alternative arrangements that make use of technology could be put in place instead.

    The treaty is now clear that the backstop can only ever be temporary.

    And there is now a termination clause.

    But I am clear from what I have heard in this place and from my own conversations that these elements do not offer a sufficient number of colleagues the reassurance that they need.

    I spoke to a number of EU leaders over the weekend, and in advance of the European Council I will go to see my counterparts in other member states and the leadership of the Council and the Commission.

    I will discuss with them the clear concerns that this House has expressed.

    We are also looking closely at new ways of empowering the House of Commons to ensure that any provision for a backstop has democratic legitimacy and to enable the House to place its own obligations on the government to ensure that the backstop cannot be in place indefinitely.

    Mr Speaker, having spent the best part of two years poring over the detail of Brexit, listening to the public’s ambitions, and yes, their fears too, and testing the limits of what the other side is prepared to accept, I am in absolutely no doubt that this deal is the right one.

    It honours the result of the referendum. It protects jobs, security and our Union. But it also represents the very best deal that is actually negotiable with the EU.

    I believe in it – as do many Members of this House. And I still believe there is a majority to be won in this House in support of it, if I can secure additional reassurance on the question of the backstop.

    And that is what my focus will be in the days ahead.

    But Mr Speaker, if you take a step back, it is clear that this House faces a much more fundamental question.

    Does this House want to deliver Brexit? And if it does, does it want to do so through reaching an agreement with the EU?

    If the answer is yes, and I believe that is the answer of the majority of this House, then we all have to ask ourselves whether we are prepared to make a compromise.

    Because there will be no enduring and successful Brexit without some compromise on both sides of the debate.

    Many of the most controversial aspects of this deal – including the backstop – are simply inescapable facts of having a negotiated Brexit.

    Those members who continue to disagree need to shoulder the responsibility of advocating an alternative solution that can be delivered.

    And do so without ducking its implications.

    So if you want a second referendum to overturn the result of the first, be honest that this risks dividing the country again, when as a House we should be striving to bring it back together.

    If you want to remain part of the Single Market and the Customs Union, be open that this would require free movement, rule-taking across the economy, and ongoing financial contributions – none of which are in my view compatible with the result of the referendum.

    If you want to leave without a deal, be upfront that in the short term, this would cause significant economic damage to parts of our country who can least afford to bear the burden.

    I do not believe that any of those courses of action command a majority in this House.

    But notwithstanding that fact, for as long as we fail to agree a deal, the risk of an accidental no deal increases.

    So the government will step up its work in preparation for that potential outcome and the Cabinet will hold further discussions on it this week.

    The vast majority of us, Mr Speaker, accept the result of the referendum, and want to leave with a deal. We have a responsibility to discharge.

    If we will the ends, we must also will the means.

    I know that members across the House appreciate how important that responsibility is.

    And I am very grateful to all members – on this side of the House and a few on the other side too – who have backed this deal and spoken up for it.

    Many others, I know, have been wrestling with their consciences, particularly over the question of the backstop: seized of the need to face-up to the challenge posed by the Irish border, but genuinely concerned about the consequences.

    I have listened. I have heard those concerns and I will now do everything I possibly can to secure further assurances.

    If I may conclude on a personal note, Mr Speaker.

    On the morning after the referendum two and a half years ago, I knew that we had witnessed a defining moment for our democracy.

    Places that didn’t get a lot of attention at elections and which did not get much coverage on the news were making their voices heard and saying that they wanted things to change.

    I knew in that moment that Parliament had to deliver for them.

    But of course that does not just mean delivering Brexit. It means working across all areas – building a stronger economy, improving public services, tackling social injustices – to make this a country that truly works for everyone, a country where nowhere and nobody is left behind.

    And these matters are too important to be afterthoughts in our politics – they deserve to be at the centre of our thinking.

    But that can only happen if we get Brexit done and get it done right.

    And even though I voted Remain, from the moment I took up the responsibility of being Prime Minister of this great country I have known that my duty is to honour the result of that vote.

    And I have been just as determined to protect the jobs that put food on the tables of working families and the security partnerships that keep each one of us safe.

    And that is what this deal does. It gives us control of our borders, our money and our laws. It protects jobs, security and our Union. It is the right deal for Britain.

    I am determined to do all I can to secure the reassurances this House requires, to get this deal over the line and deliver for the British people.

    And I commend this statement to the House.

  • Jeremy Corbyn – 2018 Letter to Prime Minister on Poverty

    Below is the text of the letter sent by Jeremy Corbyn, the Leader of the Opposition, to the Prime Minister on 28 November 2018.

    Dear Prime Minister,

    While Brexit is understandably dominating the political agenda, I am writing to express my disappointment at the Government’s response to the report into poverty in the UK by the UN Special Rapporteur, Professor Philip Alston.

    Professor Alston deserves our immense thanks for his work and for highlighting the shocking reality of modern Britain – the fifth largest economy in the world.

    However, despite receiving the report more than one week ago, the only formal response from the Government has been supplied by the Work and Pensions Secretary, who expressed disappointment at the language used in the report. Is the Government’s position that it is more disappointed by the language used to describe the poverty in Britain than the alarming facts of poverty in Britain?

    It is no surprise that the rapporteur concluded that, “there is a striking and almost complete disconnect between what I heard from the Government and what I consistently heard from many people directly, across the country”. His conclusion comes just two years after another UN rapporteur found the Government’s welfare reforms and austerity policies had led to “grave and systematic violations” of disabled people’s rights.

    Child poverty has increased by half a million since 2010. We now have over 4.1 million children living in poverty. Professor Alston concluded that levels of child poverty were “not just a disgrace, but a social calamity and an economic disaster”.

    It is imperative that the Government ends the two-child policy in Universal Credit (and the accompanying and shameful ‘rape clause’). In government, Labour would also invest once again in the Sure Start programme and in providing free school meals to all primary school children.

    Rough sleeping has more than doubled and the scale of rough sleepers dying on our streets shames any nation that claims to be civilised. This Christmas, over 120,000 children will be languishing in temporary accommodation, without a home to call their own. We have set out how this crisis can be tackled: we will make 8,000 homes available for those with a history of rough sleeping, we will build council housing on a scale not seen for more than three decades, and we will regulate the private rented sector to control rents – which have risen more than £1800 a year compared to 2010.

    With over one-fifth of the population (14 million people) living in poverty and 1.5 million destitute, this crisis cannot be ignored and neither can the Government delay taking action. Yesterday, a report by the Trussell Trust found that more people than ever will be reliant on food banks this Christmas, including nearly 600,000 children. Poverty has a debilitating effect on people’s life chances – it is shameful that life expectancy has stagnated and is now actually falling in some of Britain’s poorest communities.

    Most children living in poverty live in a working household. In-work poverty is at record levels due to low pay and insecure contracts. Labour believes we must tackle the scourge of low pay by increasing the minimum wage to the level of the real living wage (at least £10 per hour by 2020) and eliminating discriminatory youth rates. The only way to secure and sustain decent pay levels is through strong trade union and employment rights, which is why we would repeal the Trade Union Act and ban zero-hour contracts.

    The UN report should be a wake-up call about the rising levels of poverty and destitution that exist in Britain today – this is a national emergency.

    Austerity was a political choice and the UN Special Rapporteur has laid out the consequences of your Government’s policies. These policies have hit disabled people, women and BAME communities particularly hard.

    Many councils – the democratic local institutions there to support their communities – have seen their budgets slashed by 49% on average since 2010. These cuts have seen libraries, youth centres, and Sure Start centres close in their hundreds. Social services have been slashed and our dedicated public servants, from social workers to youth workers and police, are having to tackle more acute social problems with fewer resources.

    The Labour Party stands committed to tackling injustice and to reversing the shocking trends of rising poverty, rising homelessness and rising destitution. If the Government brings forward any or all of the following measures in legislation, we will expedite these through the House of Commons:

    • Ending the benefit freeze
    • Scrapping the bedroom tax
    • Stopping the roll-out of Universal Credit
    • Ending the five-week wait for a first benefit payment
    • Ending the two child cap and scrapping the rape clause
    • Ending the punitive sanctions regime

    We cannot stand by while our nation – the fifth richest in the world – is condemned by the United Nations for failing the most vulnerable in our society. The Government is failing to tackle the burning injustices faced by the poorest people in our country, but you can change that – and we are willing to help.

    I would also be grateful if you could give the commitment of a date by which the Government will be responding in full to the recommendations in the report.

    Given the public interest in this issue, I will be making this letter public. While this Government shames our nation by being condemned for its neglect of its poorest citizens, the next Labour government will be judged by how we reduce poverty, inequality and homelessness – as any government should be.

    Yours sincerely,

    Rt Hon Jeremy Corbyn MP
    Leader of the Opposition

  • Liam Fox – 2018 Speech on Brexit

    Below is the text of the speech made by Liam Fox, the Secretary of State for International Trade, at Royal Portbury Dock on 30 November 2018.

    It’s a pleasure to be here this morning at the Royal Portbury Dock.

    As MP for North Somerset, as well as Secretary of State for International Trade, it’s fair to say I have a significant interest in the success of a venture that supports more than 500 jobs in my constituency.

    And I can’t help but notice that business is booming.

    At the time of the referendum, we were told that just voting to leave the EU would cause such an economic shock that we’d lose half a million jobs, our investors would desert us, and we would require an emergency budget to deal with the ensuing fiscal imbalance.

    What’s happened since? We’ve added over 700,000 jobs to the economy, with more people finding work than at any time in the past 40 years.

    This upward trajectory shows no signs of slowing. Indeed, the OBR has calculated that we can add another 800,000 jobs without creating inflationary pressure, because there’s still slack in the economy.

    In 2017 we saw total UK exports rise by 10.9% compared with 2016.

    And what did we sell? We sold almost £50 billion worth of mechanical machinery, £41 billion worth of motor vehicles, £16 billion worth of aircraft and £14 billion worth of medical equipment.

    And, as I have to mention on St Andrew’s Day, some £4.3 billion of Scotch Whisky.

    So much for Britain not making anything anymore. And that’s before we even consider our world-leading services sector.

    Clearly, the vote to leave the European Union has not had the catastrophic effect on our economy that was predicted. Quite the reverse.

    Now is the time to raise our sights, and acknowledge that there is a world beyond Europe, and a time Beyond Brexit.

    My Department for International Trade exists to look to this world, and plan for that time. Perhaps more than any other part of government, we are mandated to look beyond the process of leaving the EU and to prepare for the open, global future that lies ahead.

    The referendum settled the question of our departure from the European Union and our manifesto made clear that we will leave the Customs Union and the Single Market as we do so.

    The IMF has predicted that 90% of global growth in the next 5 years will originate outside the EU. So the question is, where do we, as a nation, position ourselves to take advantage of the opportunities that this growth will produce.

    Future relationship with the EU

    The government has made clear that we want to take a balanced approach to the question of our future trading prospects. We need to maximise our access to the EU market but without damaging our potential to benefit from emerging trade opportunities in other parts of the world.

    The 27 nations of the European Union constitute some of our largest trading partners. As a whole, some 44% of this country’s exports of goods and services still go to the EU, although that proportion has been declining over the past decade or so.

    The withdrawal agreement, and the political declaration on the future relationship, have put us on the verge of securing a deal with the European Union.

    It is a deal that delivers on the result of the referendum, ending vast payments to Brussels, and giving the UK control over our own borders for the first time in a generation.

    Of course, the end of free movement does not mean the end of immigration. The UK is always open to those who want to work hard and build a life here. But now, we can offer a level playing field, ensuring that we can admit the people we need to meet business demand, wherever they come from – so it won’t matter if you were born in Marseilles, Memphis or Mumbai. The key difference is that we will set the rules according to what we believe is best for our own country.

    Above all else, the withdrawal agreement and the political declaration provide the stability and certainty that businesses crave, as well as a firm foundation on which to continue to operate across the EU.

    The political declaration proposes the creation of a free trade area for goods, combining deep regulatory and customs co-operation with no tariffs, no fees, charges or quantitative restrictions across all goods sectors.

    This would be the first such agreement between an advanced economy and the EU, a recognition of the unique position of the UK and our economy to those of our European partners.

    Ambitious arrangements have been made in the political declaration for services and investment, arrangements that go well beyond WTO commitments and build on recent EU FTAs.

    And an arrangement on financial services, grounded in the economic partnership, provides greater cooperation and consultation than is possible under existing third country frameworks.

    But we have also been clear that our future relationship with the EU would recognise the development of an independent UK trade policy and not tie our hands when it comes to global opportunities.

    We have set out an approach which means the UK would be able to set its own trade policy with the rest of the world, including setting our own tariffs, implementing our own trade remedies, and taking up our independent seat at the World Trade Organization.

    FTA Consultations

    Perhaps most importantly, during the implementation period, my department will have the freedom to negotiate, sign and ratify new trade agreements. . The Withdrawal Agreement means that, from the 29th of March next year, we can begun to build closer commercial relationships with our closest allies, such as the US, New Zealand and Australia, as well as laying the groundwork for improved market access for UK companies to key global growth economies.

    As some of you may know, we recently carried out extensive public consultations on our future FTAs with those three nations, as well as on the UK’s potential accession to the Trans-Pacific Partnership – known as CPTPP.

    Leaders across these nations have been clear in their endorsement of future trade agreements with the UK.

    As Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan put it, we would “be welcomed with open arms”. Far from being isolated, Britain will be an ‘in-demand’ trading partner.

    Over 14 weeks, we asked businesses, organisations and individuals to tell us what they needed from these FTAs, and how the Department for International Trade can help them to thrive internationally.

    The response rate was phenomenal, far exceeding all expectations.

    Above all, the exercise demonstrated the interest that exists in the shape of the UK’s future trade policy, right across the country.

    How do we take advantage of this groundswell of interest and engagement from businesses and individuals?

    The answer is to harness that enthusiasm to boost exports and attract investment to this country. Clearly, businesses the length and breadth of Britain are eager to move into new markets overseas.

    If we want Britain to become a global exporting superpower, all we have to do is unlock that potential.

    Even before we get to new trade opportunities afforded by new trade agreements there are still considerable export opportunities for British businesses to exploit in existing markets. We still have ground to make up on our international competitors in many of these countries.

    Export Strategy

    Our new Export Strategy, published in August, is an important first step to doing just that.

    I won’t exhaust you with the detail. But suffice to say that the Export Strategy represents one of the most comprehensive export packages offered to businesses anywhere in the world, designed to inform, connect, encourage and finance exporting opportunities for businesses of all sizes.

    There are currently over 24,000 live export and investment opportunities on our website. Put simply, the world wants what Britain is selling. Businesses large and small can find these real-time opportunities at great.gov.uk.

    Royal Portbury Dock

    And the Royal Portbury Dock where we now stand is a perfect example of the dynamic, global outlook that hundreds of thousands of British businesses have already embraced.

    In 1991 the dock was owned and managed by Bristol Council, and it was regarded as a ‘white elephant’.

    Since the port was privatised almost 30 years ago and reborn as the Bristol Port Company, over £500 million has been invested to turn this into one of the most capable and advanced ports in the United Kingdom.

    Each year, the Bristol Port Company handles some 750,000 motor vehicles, 27% of UK aviation fuel imports, 10% of coal imports, and more than 6 million tons of bulk dry goods.

    In all, the work done here at Portbury, and at Avonmouth, contributes over £1 billion to the British economy. Now that is something to be proud of.

    Integrated imports and exports

    This port, and dozens like it across the UK, shows that the UK’s global commercial footprint is not just about what we sell overseas, but also what we import into this country.

    It is crucial in ensuring that competition provides consumers with greater choice and at affordable prices.

    But in a highly integrated economy it would also be wrong to ignore the huge and necessary role that imports play in the production of goods and services for export – some 23% of all UK exports have some added value or component that originated as an import.

    Less than half of this value added originates in EU countries. And it shows how the United Kingdom is already closely linked to global value chains, that extend far beyond the boundaries of Europe.

    In the long-term, a global future for an economy as large, diverse and interconnected as ours was inevitable. Our departure from the EU, combining an open, comprehensive trade relationship there, with the possibility of creating new trading relationships elsewhere is the next phase of that journey.

    WTO/The changing world of trade

    Internationally, of course, a wholesale revolution in the patterns of trade has already arrived. The tectonic plates of global commerce are shifting under our feet. Our future FTAs are hugely important – not least because they are strategic as well as economic tools – but in the long run, it is not what we do unilaterally, or even bilaterally, that will make the biggest difference.

    Instead, it is working to update and improve the rules-based international system that governs global trade.

    How the multilateral trading environment develops will almost certainly be the most crucial determinant of the degree of trade liberalisation that will occur and consequently the scale of future opportunities.

    This is an area in which the UK will play a pivotal role. The world’s fifth-largest economy taking its seat at the WTO, as a powerful and unabashed defender of free trade, will be a key moment for the United Kingdom. It is one of the most important, if seldom mentioned, aspects of Brexit.

    With 164 full members, the WTO is the home of the rules-based international system, and the crucible of free and fair global trade.

    Yet even they will admit that their current rules are in need of updating.

    The fundamental framework of the WTO’s rules has not changed substantially since 1995. A time before the widespread use of business email. A time before internet banking. A time before data became a valuable traded commodity, like cars and steel.

    Consider this: back in 1995, if I asked you whether the digital code that I have sold you on the internet to make something on your 3D printer counts as a good or a service, you wouldn’t even begin to understand the question, let alone be able to answer it!

    This is an example of how the real economy has moved and outgrown the rules and regulations that still attempt to govern it.

    It’s not just the architecture of the WTO itself that needs reform, but also the regulatory framework, which must be flexible enough to move with the new realities of the global economy, updating itself in real time.

    The Prime Minister acknowledged this recently in a speech at the Guildhall when she observed that goods as a proportion of UK and global commerce are declining.

    This will be a priority as she attends the G20 in Argentina, where she will hold trade talks with world leaders including Argentinian President Macri. The leaders are expected to agree the first ever UK Trade Envoy for the country.

    And as the proportion of trade in goods declines, the digital and knowledge economy are racing ahead, as new products and services emerge from the disruption that technology has left in its wake.

    The future of world trade has already arrived, and the United Kingdom is ideally prepared to realise all the opportunities of the digital age and embrace the possibilities of communications technology as a commercial tool.

    To take just one example, a higher proportion of retail spending takes place online in the UK than anywhere else on earth. More than China or the USA. More than South Korea. More than Japan.

    Recent research by PayPal found that in the 12 months to July, 1 in 7 online shoppers globally had bought goods from the UK – more than any other European country.

    In fact, overall, they found that the UK was the third most popular country in the world from which to buy goods online, behind only the US and China.

    There are few countries that are as prepared for the coming digital economic revolution as the United Kingdom.

    The world’s investors already know this – last year, the UK tech sector attracted more venture capital investment than Sweden, France and Germany combined.

    The simple fact is that this country is already a genuine world-leader in fields from artificial intelligence, to digital and data trade, to e-commerce and FinTech.

    In the knowledge economy, Britain’s shelves are already stacked with what the world wants to buy.

    This is not to say that we are falling behind in goods. On the contrary, those same factors that have made us a global powerhouse of the digital economy have enabled us to retain the cutting-edge of advanced manufacturing.

    For example, 17% of all the aerospace products sold in the entire world come from the United Kingdom.

    Nearly half of the world’s planes are flying on wings that have been designed, engineered or assembled within just a few miles of where we are today, either in Filton or across the water in Wales.

    And how do these wings reach their customers in every corner of the world? They are shipped on specialised ferries from right here in the Royal Portbury Dock.

    The world beyond Europe, and the future beyond Brexit, starts right here.

    And if you want to know if the world has confidence in this new Global Britain, then look at our investment record and see where global investors are choosing to put their money.

    According to UNCTAD, in the first 6 months of 2018 the UK was second only to China in terms of FDI, ahead of the United States and data published by Ernst and Young showed that all parts of the UK and all England regions are benefiting with around 50,000 jobs created as a result.

    In the 19th Century, Britain became the world’s first free-trading nation. In the 20th century, we helped to design and create the architecture of global trade.

    And in the 21st, we will help reshape the rules-based international system through our independent trade policy.

    Today I can announce that in April, when we become an independent trading nation once more, I will push for three key things:

    Firstly, the UK will aim to revolutionise the rulebook on digital trade. The existing framework of international trade is vitally important to the functioning of the global economy. Yet, as we have seen, all too often its rules are outdated and unfit for purpose, acting as a brake on the digital economy.

    There are too many innovative, rapidly growing companies who find it too difficult to operate overseas because of ridiculous barriers like unjustified server localisation requirements.

    Our ambition is to negotiate agreements that go further on digital trade than ever before.

    To join those agreements, such as the CPTPP, which take digital seriously.

    And to work in coalition with other like-minded countries to drive reform on digital services at the WTO.

    Secondly, we will put services at the heart of our trade policy.

    The mass liberalisation that has reduced barriers on global goods trade, has never been mirrored for services. Yet the UK is an 80% services economy and has huge comparative advantage across the service sectors, from accountancy and legal, to science, research and development.

    Services are a huge part of our present, and will be a larger part of our future, and we must play to our strengths, creating partnerships with countries around the world who want what we have to offer.

    This is our commitment to the British SMEs of today, so that they can become the digital giants of the future.

    And thirdly, we will continue to fight trade protectionism and improve international economic co-operation.

    This is not something that Britain will be doing alone. As the political declaration with the EU says, our unique relationship with the EU 27 will ensure that we can work together to improve global trade, while continuing to develop and operate our own independent trade policy.

    But our steadfast commitment to the philosophy and practice of free trade is an irreducible element of what we believe and who we are.

    The withdrawal agreement and the political declaration will not please everyone, and we have had some tough choices to make. Choices which many in Parliament, on both sides of the House, are yet to face up to.

    But the deal we’ve reached will give us a firm and stable base on which to leave the EU and build this country’s global future, a future that still encompasses Europe, of course, but also the wide fast-growing markets beyond, with all the opportunity that entails.

    We will maximise our post-Brexit opportunities by helping British businesses take advantage of the considerable untapped potential of existing markets.

    We will use our independent trade policy to negotiate new trade agreements and we will use our ability to act independently at the WTO to shape the global trade environment of the future, defending the open, free and fair trade that is crucial to the elimination of poverty, the nurturing of stability and the building block of our collective security.

    We are well prepared for the future of world trade. We are embracing all the possibilities of the digital economy.

    No other country has the same combination of fundamental strengths that will allow us to thrive in an age where knowledge and expertise are the instigators of success. Our recent export and investment performance show that sceptics have been wrong. Britain is flourishing.

    The divisions of the referendum need to be consigned to the past. Now is the time to set aside our differences, and lead our country to a future of freedom, success, and prosperity.

    In politics we cannot always have the luxury of doing what we want for ourselves, but we have an abiding duty to do what is right for our country.

  • Theresa May – 2018 Speech on G20 Summit

    Below is the text of the speech made by Theresa May, the Prime Minister, in the House of Commons on 3 December 2018.

    With permission Mr Speaker, I would like to make a statement on the G20 Summit in Argentina.

    But before I do so, I would like to put on record my thanks to President Macri for hosting such a successful Summit.

    This was the first visit to Buenos Aires by a British Prime Minister, and only the second visit to Argentina since 2001. It came at a time of strengthening relations between our two countries, when we are seeking to work constructively with President Macri.

    Mr Speaker, as we leave the European Union, I have always been clear that Britain will play a full and active role on the global stage, as a bold and outward-facing trading nation.

    We will stand up for the rules-based international order.

    Strive to resolve with others challenges and tensions in the global economy.

    Work with old allies and new friends for the mutual benefit of all our citizens.

    And remain steadfast in our determination to tackle the great challenges of our time.

    At this Summit, we showed that the international community is capable of working through its differences constructively and the leading role the UK will continue to play in addressing shared global challenges.

    We agreed – along with the other G20 leaders – on the need for important reforms to the World Trade Organisation to ensure it responds to changes in international trade.

    We pursued our objective of making sure that the global economy works for everyone and the benefits are felt by all.

    We called for greater action in the fight against modern slavery and tackling climate change.

    And I held discussions with international partners on security and economic matters, including on the progress of our exit from the European Union and the good deal an orderly exit will be for the global economy.

    Let me take each of these in turn.

    At this year’s Summit I came with the clear message that Britain is open for business and that we are looking forward to future trade agreements.

    Once we leave the EU, we can and we will strike ambitious trade deals.

    For the first time in more than forty years we will have an independent trade policy, and we will continue to be a passionate advocate for the benefits open economies and free markets can bring.

    We will forge new and ambitious economic partnerships, and open up new markets for our goods and services in the fastest growing economies around the world.

    During the Summit I held meetings with leaders who are keen to reach ambitious free trade agreements with us as soon as possible. This includes Argentina, with whom I discussed boosting bilateral trade and investment, and I announced the appointment of a new UK Trade Envoy.

    I also discussed future trade deals with Canada, Australia, Chile, and Japan – with whom we want to work quickly to establish a new economic partnership based on the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement.

    On the global rules that govern trade, we discussed the importance of ensuring an equal playing field and the need for the rules to keep pace with the changing nature of trade and technology.

    There is no doubt that the international trading system, to which the United Kingdom attaches such importance, is under significant strain.

    That is why I have repeatedly called for urgent and ambitious reform of the World Trade Organisation – and at this Summit I did so again.

    And in a significant breakthrough, we agreed on the need for important reforms to boost the effectiveness of the WTO, with a commitment to review progress at next year’s G20 Summit in Japan.

    On the global economy, we recognised the progress made in the past ten years, with this year seeing the strongest global growth since 2011.

    But risks to the global economy are re-emerging.

    In particular, debt in lower income countries has reached an all-time high of 224 per cent of global GDP.

    So I called on members to implement the G20 guidelines on sustainable finance that we agreed last year, and which increase transparency and encourage cooperation.

    At this year’s Summit, I continued to pursue our mission to make the global economy work for everyone, and the need to take action in our own countries and collectively to ensure that the benefits of economic growth are felt by all.

    Around the world we are on the brink of a new era in technology which will transform lives and change the way we live. This has the potential to bring us huge benefits – but many are anxious about what it will mean for jobs.

    That is why in the UK, alongside creating the right environment for tech companies to flourish through our modern Industrial Strategy – we are investing in the education and skills needed so that people can make the most of the jobs and opportunities that will be created.

    We made strong commitments to improving women’s economic empowerment, and alongside this I called on G20 leaders to take practical action to ensure that by 2030 all girls – not just in our own countries but around the world – get 12 years of quality education.

    To build fair economies and inclusive societies we must tackle injustice wherever we find it. Around the world we must all do more to end the horrific practice of modern slavery, and protect vulnerable men, women and children from being abused and exploited in the name of profit.

    Two years ago I put modern slavery on the G20 agenda at my first Summit, and this year I was pleased to give my full support to the G20’s Strategy to eradicate modern slavery from the world of work.

    I announced that next year the government will publish the steps we are taking to identify and prevent slavery in the UK Government’s supply chains in our own transparency statement.

    This is a huge challenge. Last financial year the UK Government spent £47 billion on public procurement – demonstrating just how important this task is. I urged the other leaders around the G20 table to work with us and ensure that their supply chains are free from slavery, as we work to bring an end to this appalling crime.

    On climate change, I made clear the UK’s determination to lead the way on the serious threat this poses to our planet. We need a step change in preparing for temperature rises, to cut the cost and impact of climate-related disasters, and to secure food, water and jobs for the future. As a UN Champion on Climate Resilience, the UK will continue to pursue this agenda at next year’s UN Climate Summit.

    Nineteen of us at the G20 reaffirmed our commitment to the Paris Agreement, but it remains a disappointment that the United States continues to opt out.

    I also announced that the UK will be committing £100 million pounds to the Renewable Energy Performance Platform, which will directly support the private sector in leveraging private finance to fund renewable energy projects in sub-Saharan Africa.

    Mr Speaker, this Summit also gave me the opportunity to discuss important matters directly with other leaders and raise concerns openly and frankly.

    In that context I met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, first to stress the importance of a full, transparent and credible investigation into the terrible murder of Jamal Khashoggi, and for those responsible to be held to account – a matter which I also discussed with President Erdogan.

    And second, to urge an end to the conflict in Yemen and relief for those suffering from starvation – and to press for progress at the upcoming talks in Stockholm.

    Our relationship with Saudi Arabia is important to this country, but that does not prevent us from putting forward robust views on these matters of grave concern.

    I also discussed the situation in Ukraine with a number of G20 leaders. The UK condemns Russian aggression in the Black Sea and calls for the release of the 24 Ukrainian service personnel detained, and their three vessels.

    Mr Speaker, at this year’s Summit we reached important agreements, demonstrating the continued importance of the G20 and international cooperation.

    It also demonstrated the role that a global Britain will play on the world’s stage as we work with our friends and partners around the world to address shared challenges and bolster global prosperity.

    And I commend this Statement to the House.

  • Kate Osamor – Statement After Allegations of Her Attacking a Journalist

    Below is the text of the statement made on Twitter by Kate Osamor, the Shadow Secretary of State for International Development, following allegations made by The Times newspaper that she threatened one of their journalists.

    I am resigning my position as Shadow International Development Secretary to concentrate on supporting my family through the difficult time we have been experiencing.

    I remain fully committed to our programme for creating a society that works for the many, not the privileged few, and will continue to campaign for this from the backbenches.