Tag: 2022

Keir Starmer – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II at Labour Party Conference

The tribute made by Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, on 25 September 2022.

Conference, the Late Queen Elizabeth II was this great country’s greatest monarch. She created a special, personal relationship with all of us. A relationship based on service and devotion to our country. Even now, after the mourning period has passed it still feels impossible to imagine a Britain without her.

Hardly any of us have ever known anything else. For us, the Late Queen has always been simply the Queen, the only Queen. Above all else, our Queen. And I am proud to lead our party’s tribute to her today.

Because our Queen’s devotion to Britain was underpinned by one crucial understanding – she knew that the country she came to symbolise is bigger than any one individual or institution.

Between the history we cherish and the present we own she was the thread. A reminder that our generational battle against the evil of fascism and the emergence of a new Britain out of the rubble of the Second World War don’t belong only to the past but are the inheritance of each and every one of us.

An example that taught us that whatever challenges we face, the value of service endures. And a reminder that the creativity, the hard work, the enterprise that defines this nation is as abundant now as it ever was.

That the prospect of a better future still burns brightly. That’s why the people came in their droves to pay their respects.

So conference, as we enter a new era, lets commit to honouring the late Queen’s memory. Let’s turn our collar up and face the storm, keep alive the spirit of public service she embodied and let it drive us towards a better future.

For seventy years, Queen Elizabeth II stood as head of our country. But, in spirit, she stood amongst us.

So please join me in paying tribute to the Late Queen.

September 25, 2022
Shabana Mahmood – 2022 Speech to Labour Party Conference

The speech made by Shabana Mahmood, the National Labour Campaign Co-ordinator, on 25 September 2022.

Good afternoon, Conference.

As your National Campaign Coordinator, it is my great pleasure to report that, after a decade of defeat, decline and embarrassment at the ballot box – the Labour Party is back on its feet.

Keir appointed me over a year ago and I know how lucky I am to have this fantastic job. It has taken me all over the country – from Scotland to the south coast, from Wales to Wakefield.

But I have to let you into a little secret Conference. No matter where I go there are always two constants.

The first is that this job is completely incompatible with any kind of diet! It’s been catastrophic for my waistline, something I’m sure my predecessors will attest to! You’ll all be familiar with the campaign diet, which is now my daily reality. The long days, late nights and trips around the country mean that healthy eating is now basically out of the window.

The problems with food don’t end there. I had lunch recently with a very senior Labour figure and we were discussing the massive electoral challenges facing our party. Our debate was punctuated with his offering of food from the prepared spread – different breads and cheeses, all very nice.

The stumbling block was his repeated offer of the ham that he’d bought which, as a Muslim, is obviously a total no go! It was all very embarrassing and I was desperate not to cause any offence.

Conference, I am willing to sacrifice my waistline for the general election but not so much my place in heaven.

Second, and I want to say this as delicately as I can, anyone who wants a seat in Parliament seems rather adept at tracking me down to lobby me. No matter where I go, in every part of the country they seem to have a special GPS and beat a path to my door. In fact, I’ve been lobbied for various seats three times in the ladies’ loo already this morning.

So anyone planning to grab five minutes with me over the next few days be warned: I have no shame in taking the credit for anyone’s future success wherever I can but I have to level with you, I actually have no power over who gets selected.

But Conference, those are small prices to pay for such an important role.

And in this role my priority is getting the party ready for a general election. This has mostly been about the organisation, our party machine. And I want to say a special word of thanks to my deputy, Conor McGinn, for the work he’s done and the difference he’s made over the last year

Winning in May’s local elections was a key milestone. Our machine has been fine-tuned. This was evident both in May and in the by-elections we have contested over the last year.

We have seen significant progress, not least in those so called Red Wall seats. Based on this year’s results we’d be winning back seats we lost in 2019 and more besides. We’re competitive in seats we thought were out of reach, certainly in the short term.

And the significance of Labour’s victory in the Wakefield by-election cannot be downplayed. We exceeded expectations in a seat that illustrated the crushing move away from Labour in 2019. Winning back a seat like Wakefield is a huge deal.

Our majority was the highest we have ever had in that seat. So a massive well done to the whole team and in particular Simon Lightwood – our newest MP.

Voters in Wakefield backed a confident, renewed Labour Party that proved it had the ideas and drive to appeal to working people. We were side by side with local people in Wakefield, taking on the issues that mattered to them.

And we offered a clear choice between a failing government and a Labour Party that has listened since the 2019 general election and changed itself to acknowledge the bruising lessons we were taught.

I am very pleased that we are winning and you should be too. You – and our activists across the party and across the country – are winning. The work you do matters; you are the beating heart of our party. You secured our results in May.

And you delivered over 2 million conversations with voters – the most in any election campaign since our records began! I applaud the time and effort you give and I thank you for it. You have set a high standard and I want to maintain it.

My hope is that one year from now I will stand here and report to you on how we won a general election.

May’s results have us winning in Copeland, Great Grimsby, Hartlepool, Plymouth Moor View, Stevenage, Thurrock, West Bromwich East, West Bromwich West, Workington and Worcester.

Fantastic. An absolutely fantastic position to be in. But conference, do you know what? That isn’t good enough.

Those results would only give us 291 seats in Parliament. We would be the biggest party, sure. But that’s not good enough for me – and I know that is not good enough for you. It certainly isn’t good enough for the British people.

I want a majority Labour government. We want a majority Labour government. Conference, Britain needs a majority Labour government.

After our defeat in 2019 that looked impossible. But it is possible. We have done it before and we can do it again. And all over the world, centre-left parties are winning.

Now, we’re going to talk about Labour’s road to Downing Street. To do that, I’m delighted to have with us, all the way from a stunning general election victory in May, Paul Erickson – National Secretary of the Australian Labor Party.

But, before I talk to Paul, we’re going play a little video about the last time we came into government from opposition with a stunning Labour landslide.

Conference, we can do this. We have done it before and we can do it again.

The road to Downing Street runs through all those seats I mentioned earlier but if we want a Labour majority then we must also pass through Dudley, Blackpool and Uxbridge. And there’s no Labour majority without wins in Scotland and in Wales.

We are selecting the candidates for each of these contests – and we have some of those fantastic candidates here with us today.

They’re in the front row, so I’d like them to stand up, turn around so you can see them all – and conference please show your support for our brilliant candidates and future MPs. Thank you all of you and to all the candidates who couldn’t be here today.

Conference, these are the people who we need to get elected to deliver a Labour government. They are the people we need to get behind if we are going to reach Downing Street.

The road we must travel is long and there are many obstacles. No matter how finely tuned our party machine is, the organisation can’t outrun the politics. The politics has to set the pace.

It is the politics that will win us the next election. Our organisation will not be found wanting but only the politics can build the coalition we need to win.

And this impacts on all of you because I need you to get uncomfortable.

If we are going to build that coalition then we have to talk and listen to the voters who aren’t with us yet. There is no ideological one size fits all. We must have uncomfortable conversations.

We won’t build that coalition without talking, without discomfort and we won’t build it without compromise. That is a dynamic process. Every conversation teaches us something about where we are going, and how far we still have to go.

But I know you can do it. When the general election comes, we will be ready.

Now, you met our new army of trainee organisers earlier – they will reinforce our superb staff team providing a solid foundation for our campaign. Not just for the election before us but for many elections to come. You’ve met our candidates, the standard bearers in every seat. And we have you – the party’s most important asset. The people who deliver the leaflets, slog the streets and notch up millions of conversations with voters!

The Tories can fool themselves as much as they want and they can bask in the false light of their latest leader. They need to know this – we are coming for them.

The public is not fooled. Whether that’s in Ashfield, in South Thanet, in Carmarthen, or in Inverclyde. The Labour Party is on the road to Downing Street.

Thank you Conference. See you on that road!

September 25, 2022
Anneliese Dodds – 2022 Speech to Labour Party Conference

The speech made by Anneliese Dodds, the Chair of the Labour Party and Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities, on 25 September 2022.

I want to start with some words of tribute to our late Queen, Elizabeth II. For seventy years, she devoted herself to our nation, the Commonwealth and the British people. She did so much to bring Britain together, through the good times and the bad.

Our country made great strides for women’s equality during the Elizabethan era – from measures for equal pay to the legalisation of abortion to the passing of the Sex Discrimination and Equality Acts.

Those changes only happened because of Labour Governments.

What a contrast with the appalling inequality laid bare after twelve years of Tory-led governments.

Conservative Governments have left women brutally exposed to the cost of living crisis and the current epidemic of violent crime.

They have slashed support for disabled people and refused to uprate legacy benefits.

They saw how Black, Asian and ethnic minority people were overexposed to the pandemic – only to patronise with claims that structural racism doesn’t even exist.

And they binned their LGBT Action Plan, disbanded their LGBT Advisory Panel, and broke their promise to ban conversion therapy.

Who owns this dreadful record?

You probably missed it – she didn’t seem to notice herself – but the Minister for Women and Equalities for the last three years was… Liz Truss.

A minister so dedicated to women that one of her first acts as Prime Minister was to scrap the dedicated role for women in Cabinet.

A minister so steeped in Conservative failure that she sat on the Tory frontbench for ten long years.

A minister who said nothing about all those Tory scandals – from the golden wallpaper squirrelled into Boris Johnson’s flat, to the suitcases of booze wheeled into Number 10, to the X-rated tractors beamed into the Commons chamber.

We can’t expect change from a continuity Conservative leader.

We can’t expect delivery from someone who’s failed to deliver.

And we can’t expect fairness from someone who’s governed so unfairly.

We can expect all those things from Labour.

To women grafting day and night on incomes £200 less on average today than in 2010, I say: Labour will deliver a fairer future.

To the half a million women waiting for gynaecological treatment, I say: Labour will deliver a fairer future.

To female victims of the Tory epidemic of violence, misogyny and discrimination: Labour will deliver a fairer future.

To the millions of disabled people facing fuel poverty, to the majority of Black children growing up in poverty, to LGBT+ people faced with the surge in homophobic and transphobic hate crime: Labour will deliver a fairer future.

The last Labour Government did more to advance equality than any other in British history. The next will match that record – and we will start with the economy.

We will act to eradicate gender, ethnicity and disability pay gaps.

We will bring in strong family-friendly rights.

We will measure what we do and be accountable for it – equality impact assessing every budget.

And we’ll always – always – treat the British people with dignity and respect.

Respect. A concept this Tory Government will never understand. But one that I will put at the heart of Government as Labour’s first ever Secretary of State for Women and Equalities.

Respect means equalising the law so that all forms of hate crime are treated as aggravated offences.

Respect means modernising the Gender Recognition Act and upholding the Equality Act, including its provision for single-sex exemptions.

Respect means banning all forms of conversion therapy outright while making sure that doesn’t cover psychological support and treatment. Because unlike the Tories, we will never hide behind strawman arguments to avoid doing what’s right.

Respect means working with disabled people, not against them – ending cruel disability assessments and supporting disabled people to live the lives they want and deserve.

And respect means tackling the epidemic of violence against women and girls – with specialist rape units in every police force area, minimum sentences for rape and stalking, and making misogyny a hate crime.

Labour won’t dismiss structural racism – we’ll tackle it head on, with a landmark, new Race Equality Act, by implementing all the Lammy Review recommendations, and with a curriculum that reflects our country’s diverse history and society.

We will never pit communities against each other for cheap political points like the Conservative Party. And unlike the Tories, we will always tackle issues around inequality or prejudice in our own ranks.

The Forde Report made difficult reading for anyone who cherishes our Party and its values. It’s unacceptable that members of our party and party staff, were subject to sexism, misogyny and racism. As Chair of the Labour Party, I want to reiterate the apology that David Evans and Keir Starmer have made.

Over the last two years we’ve acted to change our party:

A new Independent Complaints Process – passed at conference last year – and now in operation as the most robust complaints process of any political party.

New Codes of Conduct against Islamophobia and Afrophobia and Anti-Black Racism. Mandatory training against bias, for staff.

And radical reforms to recruitment.

But that job of work will never be finished – as Chair, I will always act to ensure the Party we love is a safe place for everyone who shares our values.

That is how we prepare our Party for the responsibility of government.

This year was a turning point. This year, we were the only party to win councils in Scotland, England and Wales. We won in the North West, the South East, and Tory-run bastions like Wandsworth and Westminster. After twelve long years in opposition, we are assembling excellent candidates to take the fight to the Tories at every single contest between now and whenever Liz Truss dares to go to the country.

Let’s hope it’s soon, because the country can’t take much more chaos from the Conservative Party. I’ve now seen off four different Tory Party Chairs over the last year. But no matter how much the Conservatives rearrange their Party Chairs, their ship of state is sinking fast.

They’re clapped out. Checked out. It’s high time they cleared out.

Whenever that election is called, I say – bring it on. Because Labour will be ready with the policies we need to change lives.

Over the last year, I’ve learned from brilliant examples of Labour in power – from West Dunbartonshire to Worthing to Wales. They show that Labour works in government – and you can read all about the difference our Labour councillors, MSPs, Senedd members, metro mayors and Police and Crime Commissioners are already making on the Labour Works website – released to conference and the public, today.

As Chair of the Stronger Together policy review, I’ve also worked with Keir, the Shadow Cabinet, our affiliated trade unions and hundreds of you – our members – to develop the ambitious policy agenda that’s in this year’s Stronger Together report, which I am delighted to present to conference today.

No-one who reads this report can doubt that Labour is the party of ideas in British politics. From tackling the cost of living and climate crises to building a stronger, more secure economy to delivering a New Deal for Working People – it shows that Labour is ready to take on the challenges our country faces.

Only Labour can unite our country, clean up our politics, and build a fairer, greener future for Britain. That future is in our grasp. I look forward to joining you on the campaign trail to make it a reality.

Thank you.

September 25, 2022
David Evans – 2022 Speech to Labour Party Conference

The speech made by David Evans, the General Secretary of the Labour Party, on 25 September 2022.

Conference, it is so great to be here in Liverpool.

This year we have the largest exhibition for a decade and our biggest ever fringe. We will all leave more motivated, more committed and more inspired.

I was certainly inspired last time I was here as a member. In a small room, at the back of this conference centre, I had the privilege to hear Jack Dromey. He told the story of the struggle that was the Grunwick dispute, honestly, openly and with absolute conviction. He spoke of the Asian workforce denied union recognition. Of the passion and resolve of Jayaben Desai and the other strikers and the power of a movement standing by those in need. He represented the very best of our movement. We miss you Jack and we carry on the fight.

From this conference floor to the fringe, there will be moments just like that this week. Moments that give complete clarity to our mission. To gain power, political power. Not for itself but so we can give it to those who don’t have it. Root out injustice, and set our country on a fairer course. To do this we need to win and keep winning.

When I was appointed in 2020, some confided that they had doubted we would ever win again. They looked at the electoral map – an endless ocean of blue. They saw a party at sea, in danger of being washed away altogether. And be in no doubt, 163 seats behind the Tories, 2019 was a near death experience.

But because of Keir and Angela’s leadership, because of your hard work, your belief, your dedication, we have a real chance to do something never done before and turn a defeat of that scale into victory in a single term. We are tackling everything that stands in the way. Not measuring ourselves against 2019 but against the best campaigns in the world. Focused on the voters we need to persuade in the seats we need to win.

We’ve made hard financial decision so today we have no debt, no deficit, now able to invest in a winning campaign. We’re also making sure our Party lives up to its values. So that anyone who walks into a CLP meeting is welcomed, supported, and included in our Labour family, just as I was 43 years ago when I first walked in.

That’s why I have apologised on behalf of this Party for the unacceptable behaviour set out in Martin Forde’s report. And why we will act on the report, without fear or favour. And why we must never forget the contents of the EHRC’s investigation into us for anti-Semitism.

It showed we had not just fallen short of our values, we had fallen short of the law, a law the Labour Government created. That is why, because of your votes last year, we set up an independent complaints process for all forms of discrimination. The strongest of any political party in the world. That is why, at this podium last year, I said I would not accept prejudice directed at anybody in the party or by anybody in the party. I have not and I will not.

Conference, to win, we start with the voters. I’d like talk about Sarah, who I canvassed in Wakefield in July. She was in her back kitchen where she ran a hairdressing business. She left us at the last election, she voted Conservative. She made an honest choice based on what she thought was best for her, her family and her business. She’d lost faith in politics. Lost trust in us. We need to earn her trust, because only then can we persuade her.

Think about who you trust? People you know well, who share your values, who you can depend on when you need them. It is the same for our Party.

Sarah needs to see and hear a Labour Party that listens, is authentic, rooted in everyday life that has genuine answers to the problems she faces. And in the next General Election she will. She will see this on the TV and hear it on the radio. From our incredible frontbench team right through to our equally incredible councillors. She will hear it from our campaigners and candidates, online and on her doorstep, who will take the time to understand her concerns. She will see it in the posters in shopfronts and in her neighbour’s windows. Leaflets through her letterbox. And she will feel through the leadership of Keir Starmer. On her side. A prime minister in waiting. Ready to change Britain.

We are starting to earn that trust back. In the local elections, we had a clear offer about energy prices, the cost of living, the need to have a windfall tax.

What were the Tories talking about? Their repugnant Rwanda policy and a curry house in Durham. The same old Tory playbook. Using the defenceless as political pawns, creating division and distrust.

Our message cut through by going directly to voters. Earning trust, one voter at a time. Over two and a half million conversations on the doorstep, the highest ever recorded in a local election campaign. And we got our best results for a decade. Our vote up six per cent. Dominant in Wales. Back as the main opposition in Scotland. Winning councils for the first time from Worthing, to Westminster to Cumberland. That was in May.

In June, we got our best by-election win for a decade. And by the way, Sarah did vote Labour in that by-election in Wakefield. But we need to keep her with us. By July, Boris Johnson was forced out. Was that inevitable? No. These wins did that, we did that, you did that, Sarah did that.

This is what political activism means. This is what it can achieve. And these wins were also the work of our staff. All our successes are built on small acts of empathy, creativity and graft, that taken together amount to something awe-inspiring. This is what I see every day from our Labour staff. You are brilliant. Thank you.

But conference, be in no doubt about the scale of the challenge. Public services hang by a thread. Poverty rising. Living standards falling. Under this government, every shock we’ve seen austerity, Covid, energy prices. It has been the poorest who have paid the price. That’s why our job is not just to win the next general election. For deeper, more fundamental change, so this never happens again.

We need to win, win and win again. This means building a Party that sustains Labour in government that gets ahead of the Conservatives and stays ahead. We all have a role in this.

I was working for the Party last time we went into government. And winning isn’t the end, it’s just the beginning of change. Look being in opposition is retched. But being in government is tough, it’s easy for the Tories, they are in it for themselves, but we want to transform our country, change the world. Our goal now is to forge a closer relationship between our Party that will be in government and our Party in the country. A more honest, open, modern politics.

We need a Labour government listening, engaging, drawing on the full strength of our movement. Our Party in the country, acting as a direct line to the people. That’s why I’m determined that our Party grows deeper roots into every community. It’s how we win and it’s also how we achieve lasting change.

That’s why I’m so pleased we’ve just hired 31 trainee organisers to join our brilliant team in every region and nation of this country. They are here today. And by 2024 we’ll have 30 more. They will work in the seats that will decide this election and the next.

It is also why I’m so thrilled about our newly selected candidates. A new generation of Labour representatives, with the life experience, dedication and values we need to win and to govern.

Conference, this is the future of the Party we’re building together. A party that will get Keir Starmer into Downing Street and Labour into Government. A party that will end this 12 year nightmare. A party united in our common mission.

So let’s get out there and show we are ready. Let’s keep organising. Let’s keep listening. Let’s win.

And let’s keep winning.

September 25, 2022
Angela Rayner – 2022 Speech to Labour Party Conference

The speech made by Angela Rayner, the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, on 25 September 2022.

Conference, it is a pleasure to speak to you today as your Deputy Leader and to be back in Liverpool, together again. After all our country has endured, all those we lost during the pandemic and at a time of national mourning.

The Late Queen stood for unity in the darkest of times and public duty above all else. This is her legacy. For many, this time has been a painful reminder of losing a loved one – as too many of us did during the pandemic. For others, it’s a moment to reflect. For me – I think about a lifetime of public service, and the legacy we all leave.

Our duty to the next generation to shape a future that is brighter than the past. That is our task this week – to set out the future that should face our children. Because I see too much lost potential. Britain deserves better – and I know we can do better.

Just look at this government’s record since we last gathered in Liverpool just four years ago:

Three different leaders, a catalogue of sleaze, waste and lies, Cummings, Paterson and Pincher backed to the hilt.

Chris Grayling. Grant Shapps. And too much Matt Hancock. Far too much Matt Hancock.

Green Cards and Non-Doms, treehouses and even Tractor Porn.

Breaking the law – in a specific and limited way.

Queues at the airports. Chaos at the borders.

Mountains of PPE unfit for use. Billions in fraud written off.

Sewage in the rivers. A Prime Minister hiding in a fridge.

Three sleaze watchdogs out in the cold.

The Barnard Castle eye test.

The Downing Street crime scene.

Broken swings, wine stains, sick on the walls.

126 fines – more than anywhere else in the UK.

Rules made. Rules Broken.

Partygate. Wallpapergate. Too many gates. Too little, too late mate.

And now a Prime Minister who says people don’t work hard enough. Well, enough is enough.

Just as our country was desperate for change in 1997, we need change now. Because Britain is at a crossroads. A moment of decision. About what future we want. About what we can collectively achieve. About who we can be.

And at this moment, what do the Conservatives offer? Lining the pockets of oil and gas executives. Enriching bankers while families are starving. Attacks on our most basic rights. Be in no doubt – they are coming after the most basic things we expect. Decent work, fair pay. The foundations of a family life.

Conference, so long as I have a breath left in my body I will defend those rights. Including the right to strike. And when in power we will repeal all the anti-worker and anti- trade union laws this Conservative Government has enacted. All of it.

The Tories are not on the side of the working people in Britain today. Liz Truss has already made that clearer than it’s ever been. She’s chosen to stand for vested interests. For the oil companies and bankers. For those profiting from this crisis not suffering from it. And it is working families who bear the brunt.

When I was a young mum, I remember the sick feeling in my stomach. All it takes is one break, one accident, one mishap and you can’t get by. If your kids have holes in their shoes, their feet get wet on the way to school. If your fridge breaks, you can’t feed your family. That is not a vision of a modern Britain. It is the result of years of Tory decision. Families up and down the country this winter – many for the first time in their lives – are now living on the edge.

And it’s not just families that are suffering. Years of under investment have shattered the resilience of British businesses. I think of the small business owners, like Pauline in my constituency of Ashton who runs the local pub that doubles as a foodbank and a community support centre. During the pandemic, Pauline had to close her doors – another small business left out in the cold by this government. And now she is sick with worry as she watches her energy bills skyrocket, fearing closure yet again.

Local pubs and businesses are the lifeblood of our communities. But at every twist and turn, the Government poured money into the pockets of cronies, leaving people like Pauline high and dry. They need a government on their side. Instead, they get Liz Truss. Levelling down Liz. Trickle down Liz.

And so, I ask Liz Truss today – whose side are you on? When you boost bankers’ bonuses but force working people to carry the can for the energy crisis, whose side are you on? Using a pandemic to pile billions into the bank accounts of cronies while nurses wore bin bags. Whose side are you on? When you say the working people of this country need more graft then deprive them of fair pay. Whose side are you on?

Conference, I’ll tell you who was on my side when I needed it. A Labour government was on my side when I had my first baby and had nowhere else to turn. A Labour government was on my side when I didn’t have a home – let alone enough money to heat it. A Labour government was on my side when I wanted to be a good mum to my kids and improve their lives. And I promise you now, that when I am Deputy Prime Minister a Labour government will be on your side.

I will make it my mission to spend every penny of public money for the good of the nation. Making Britain work for working people, investing in our local communities and talent and standing up for this country.

The moment of choice is upon us. Our moment. To show our country what we can do together.

The next Labour government will pump money back into the pockets of local communities. The people who built Britain. Consider this. A third of all government spending goes on procurement. More than the NHS. Double the education budget. Labour will unleash the power of procurement to drive up standards.

Today I am announcing our Value for Money Guarantee. Our pledge to ensure that every single penny of taxpayer’s money provides the best possible value to the public. We will turn the Tory procurement racket on its head – so it serves the national interest, not the vested interests.

Our five-point National Procurement Plan will start by rewarding businesses and enterprises who pay their taxes and their workers properly, creating opportunities for new jobs and skills, and helping our high streets thrive again. To unlock opportunity everywhere and reverse the tide of young people forced to leave their home towns. Hand in hand with Labour’s Green Prosperity Plan for green growth across Britain, we will partner with businesses to boost green growth.

Second, we will give small enterprise a level playing field at winning contracts. Where the Tories handed billions of pounds to their cronies with links to tax havens, we will ensure local businesses are no longer shunted to the back of the queue behind giant corporations with more form fillers than they have workers. We will cut red tape and streamline the bidding process, giving small businesses a genuine shot. It will no longer just be the giant corporations with the glossiest leaflet that wins. Everyone will get a fair chance. Those who put into the system and uphold good standards will be rewarded.

Now, the Tories had a VIP lane. Their donors, cronies, firms with Tory MPs on their books or anyone who could WhatsApp Matt Hancock. We will replace that approach entirely. The only fast track lane I will allow is for local businesses and enterprises who create wealth in all our communities and contribute to a fairer society. The VIPs under a Labour government will be all of you: the British public.

Thirdly, we will raise standards across the economy by clawing back the public’s money from those who fail to deliver for taxpayers and plough that money straight back into dynamic, ethical local enterprise. Quality and innovation – not failure – will be rewarded. By striking off failed providers we will help local business thrive.

Never again Conference, can we see a repeat of the scandal that has seen Tory Ministers write off £10 billion on unusable PPE they bought with our money. Defective. Substandard. Unfit for use. We’ll give the Tory sleaze merchants their marching orders. Instead, we will use the power of procurement to boost local businesses that work for Britain. With Labour, they will no longer be locked out of the system.

And fourthly, we will guarantee transparency about how taxpayers’ money is spent through a public dashboard of government contracts. Inspired by Ukraine’s anti-corruption blueprint. Even under attack from Russia they are honest about how they spend public money. What’s the Tories’ excuse? They were at it again this week, refusing to come clean to the British public and allow the spending watchdog to assess the true damage of the Tories’ discredited trickle-down approach. There will be no hiding place for cronies – and no corner for corruption. We will keep the receipts and publish them. And conference, we won’t stop there.

We will back the workers who are creating Britain’s wealth, demanding better for our people. Which brings me to outsourcing.

Conference, the Tories have become too dependent on handing away our public services on the cheap, and now we are paying the price. We will oversee the biggest wave of insourcing for a generation.

Today I can announce that before any service is contracted out, public bodies must show that work could not be better done in-house. And we’ll reinstate and strengthen the Two-Tier Code, created by the last Labour Government and scrapped by the Tories, to end the scandal of outsourced workers getting second class pay and conditions. But we will go further still. Building on our New Deal for Working People, I can today unveil Labour’s Fair Work Standard. Inspired by Labour in power across the country – in Wales, in London, West Yorkshire, the North of Tyne, Greater Manchester and here in Liverpool,

It will underpin a new Fair Work Code for the public sector, guaranteeing fair conditions, job security, wellbeing, proper training, rights at work, and union access. We will also create a Fair Work gold standard to champion the very best of employers. And a Labour government will be on the side of the self-employed too. We will give genuinely self-employed workers the right to a written contract and timely payment by law – so they aren’t left out of pocket and chasing invoices. Because our Fair Work Standard will raise standards for all.

Conference, I say all this to you because Labour doesn’t just have a vision for this country. We have a plan. We have a plan to grow a fairer, greener economy. We have a plan to rebuild trust in public office. And to clean up politics. We have a plan to unleash the potential the Tories have held back for far too long. And our plan for Britain means we’ll rise to the occasion – just as we did in 1997. Because the Conservatives have made their choice. They’ve chosen their side. But we are on yours. And are ready to lead this country to better.

A Labour Government to unite this country through the dark times ahead. A Labour Government to hand power back to the people and the places that once powered Britain. And a Labour Government that will always be on the side of working people.

The Tories have broken Britain – but together we’ll rebuild it again.

And make Britain work for working people once again.

September 25, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : UK Armed Forces kick off major series of exercises in the Indo-Pacific [September 2022]

The press release issued by the Ministry of Defence on 25 September 2022.

The RAF has started a series of exercises that will see the UK Armed Forces training with Australia, Japan, the Republic of Korea and other Indo-Pacific nations, until December.

Four Typhoon fighters and one Voyager air-to-air refuelling aircraft from the RAF joined Exercise Pitch Black in Darwin, Australia. It was the first time the RAF had taken part in the exercise since the pandemic, with around 100 aircraft and 2,500 personnel from 17 countries participating in large-scale, complex training missions.

The RAF Typhoons flew by day and night as part of large multi-national formations of aircraft over one of the largest air training areas in the world. Pilots operated in both the air-air and air-ground role, often in the same sorties, both as attacking and defending forces. Each exercise mission was supported by a Voyager air-air refuelling tanker which provided fuel to jets from a number of participating nations.

The RAF’s contribution to Exercise Pitch Black is a tangible demonstration of UK air power and highlights the UK’s ability to deploy rapidly at long range. It also illustrates the UK’s desire to enhance international military relationships for the safe and effective conduct of air operations with partner nations. As part of this aim, the Typhoon fighters flew back to the UK via Malaysia and India to conduct further defence engagement activity.

The Royal Navy, meanwhile, celebrates one year of permanent presence in the Pacific, following the departure of HMS Spey and HMS Tamar from Portsmouth. In the year since they left, the vessels have sailed 40,000 nautical miles each and collectively visited 17 nations and British Overseas Territories.

The two UK warships are deployed to the Indo-Asia-Pacific as part of the UK’s tilt towards the region. HMS Spey has just completed participation in the largest military exercise in northern Australia this year, Kakadu 22, while HMS Tamar will host teams from the US Navy and Royal New Zealand Navy for a large-scale mine warfare exercise off the Republic of Korea. These teams will operate Remus autonomous underwater vehicles from the ship.

UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:

Security and stability throughout the Indo-Pacific remains paramount, and with the Pitch Black exercises and the persistent presence of the Royal Navy in the Pacific, we are able to demonstrate our commitment and shared responsibility across the region and further strengthen our close ties with friends and allies.

The UK Government has identified the Indo-Pacific region as being critical to the UK’s economy, its security, and its global ambition to support open societies. The RAF’s participation in the exercise is deepening engagement in the region in support of shared prosperity and regional stability.

Meanwhile, the deployment of HMS Tamar and HMS Spey has seen the Royal Navy enforce a UN embargo against North Korea; deliver aid to Tonga in the wake of a tsunami and take part in numerous regional exercises from large-scale military workouts, through to the principal humanitarian support mission, Pacific Partnership, which ended last month. This saw HMS Tamar involved in community projects in Palau and Commando engineers build a school in the Philippines.

October will see the UK commence further exercises with Australia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and other Indo-Asia-Pacific nations. These will include Exercise Vigilant Isles and Exercise Puk Puk, both land-based exercises. Exercise Vigilant Isles will see personnel from 1 Regiment Royal Horse Artillery deploy to Japan to conduct Ground Based Surveillance training. Meanwhile, Exercise Puk Puk will enable UK Royal Engineers to hone their tactical skills by supporting Australian Army Engineers conducting construction activities in Papua New Guinea.

Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, Richard Marles said:

These exercises demonstrate Australia’s longstanding commitment to deepening cooperation in the region. They reflect the high value we place on regional stability, shared security and fostering closer ties throughout the Indo-Pacific. Australia and the United Kingdom share these values and continue to advance their cause.

These exercises follow the recent visit of Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles to Barrow-in-Furness, where he attended the commissioning of the fifth of seven new Astute-Class Royal Navy submarines, HMS Anson, alongside other bilateral engagements.

September 25, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : A hand-up for start-ups – 33,000 new loans for small businesses as £900m Government scheme widened [September 2022]
The press release issued by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on 25 September 2022.
- Start Up Loans of up to £25,000 now available to start-ups that have been trading for up to three years, up from two years
- New ‘second loans’ available for businesses that have been trading for up to five years
- Loans to provide much-needed support for the UK’s innovators and entrepreneurs
An £884m loan scheme for new businesses is to be greatly expanded, delivering much needed finance to the UK’s array of innovative start-ups, the Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg has announced today (Sunday 25 September).

The Start Up Loans programme has provided more than 95,000 loans to start-ups across the UK since its inception in June 2012, offering an average of just over £9000 in support.

With 33,000 new loans available, the programme’s eligibility will be expanded to support businesses trading for up to three years, up from two years. Businesses can apply immediately under the new criteria.

Start Up Loans provide a fixed interest rate of 6%, as well as mentoring, support and funding to aspiring business owners across the UK, providing support to those who might find it difficult to secure loans from traditional lenders.

Alongside this, a new second loan will be available to businesses operating for up to five years, providing eligible businesses between 3 and 5 years old a much-needed Government-backed finance to support their expansion at a crucial juncture.

Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg said:

“This government is relentlessly focused on driving growth to create better jobs, boost wages and fund our vital public services like the NHS.

“Encouraging entrepreneurship and new businesses to thrive is critical to growing the economy and raising living standards.

“From a hair salon in Wales, to a furniture business in Northern Ireland and a cake seller in the Lake District, expanding the Start Up Loans Scheme will support these small businesses through this challenging period and position them to grow – creating jobs and opportunities across the UK.”

The scheme has backed businesses across the United Kingdom, with more than £54m provided to businesses in Scotland, £42m in Wales and over £12m in Northern Ireland.

Expansion of the Start Up Loans scheme follows the 2021/22 Spending Review, at which the government made the commitment to provide 33,000 loans to the programme over the next three years.

The extension provides further government support for businesses grappling with cost pressures and adds to measures announced by the Chancellor earlier this week, including the introduction of the Energy Bills Relief Scheme to help support them with the costs of energy, reforming off payroll working rules and simplification of the alcohol duty system.

It also builds on key measures the Government has announced for small businesses in particular, including extending the £4.5 billion Recovery Loan Scheme and delivering the Help to Grow schemes, which provide mentoring and free software to thousands of businesses across the UK.

Michelle Ovens CBE, founder, Small Business Britain said:

“The expansion of funding opportunities for start-ups and growing businesses will certainly be welcomed by small firms as a positive move to unleash their potential. Access to finance is vital for entrepreneurs to grow, and with rising costs and challenges across the board they need all the help they can get right now to realise their ambitions.”

British Business Bank, Managing Director of Start Up Loans, Richard Bearman, said:

“We are delighted to be able to extend the reach of the Start Up Loans programme to help support businesses who need extra support during a time of continued economic unrest.

“This extension of the programme will enable us to work with those businesses that had perhaps just got going when the pandemic hit, or are ready to scale up now that they are back on their feet. We want to ensure that these businesses do not get left behind.”
September 25, 2022
Jacob Rees-Mogg – 2022 Statement on Retained EU Law

The statement made by Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, in the House of Commons on 22 September 2022.

On 31 January, to mark the two-year anniversary of the UK’s departure from the European Union, the Government set out their plans to bring forward the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill.

Retained EU law is a category of domestic law created at the end of the transition period. It consists of EU-derived legislation that was preserved in our domestic legal framework by the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 to ensure continuity as we left the EU.

However, retained EU law was never intended to sit on the statute book indefinitely. The time is now right to bring the special status of retained EU law in the UK statute book to an end on 31 December 2023, in order to fully realise the opportunities of Brexit and to support the unique culture of innovation in the UK.

To achieve this, the Bill I have introduced today includes the following provisions;

Sunsetting retained EU law

The Bill will sunset the majority of retained EU law so that it expires on 31 December 2023. All retained EU law contained in domestic secondary legislation and retained direct EU legislation will expire on this date, unless otherwise preserved. Any retained EU law that remains in force after the sunset date will be assimilated in the domestic statute book, by the removal of the special EU law features previously attached to it. This means that the principle of the supremacy of EU law, general principles of EU law, and directly effective EU rights will also end on 31 December 2023. There will no longer be a place for EU law concepts in our statute book.

Before that date, Government Departments and the devolved Administrations will determine which retained EU law can be reformed to benefit the UK, which can expire, and which needs to be preserved and incorporated into domestic law in modified form. They will also decide if retained EU law needs to be codified as it is preserved, in order to preserve specific policy effects which are beneficial to keep.

The Bill includes an extension mechanism for the sunset of specified pieces of retained EU law until 2026. Should it be required, this will allow Departments additional time where necessary to implement more complex reforms to specific pieces of retained EU law, including any necessary legislation.

Ending of supremacy of retained EU law in UK law by 2023

Currently, retained direct EU legislation still takes priority over domestic UK legislation passed prior to the end of the transition period when they are incompatible. This is not in keeping with our status as an independent, sovereign trading nation, and the Government’s 2019 commitment to remove this.

Therefore, the Bill will reverse this order of priority, to reinstate domestic law as the highest form of law on the UK statute book. Where it is necessary to preserve the current hierarchy between domestic and EU legislation in specific circumstances, the Bill provides a power to amend the new order of priority to retain specific legislative effects.

Assimilated law

Following the removal of the special features of EU law from retained EU law on 31 December 2023, any retained EU law that is preserved will become “assimilated law” to reflect that EU interpretive features no longer apply to it.

Facilitating departures from retained EU case law

To ensure that EU law concepts do not become “baked in” through over-cautious court judgments, the Bill will also provide domestic courts with greater discretion to depart from the body of retained case law. It will also provide new court procedures for UK and devolved law officers to refer or intervene in cases involving retained EU case law.

Modification of retained EU legislation

To correct an anomaly created by European Union Withdrawal Act which gave some retained direct EU legislation legislative parity with Acts of Parliament for some purposes, despite it not having been properly scrutinised, the Bill will downgrade the status of retained direct EU law for the purposes of amendment. The Bill will modify powers in other statutes, to facilitate their use to amend retained direct EU law in the same way they can be used on domestic secondary legislation. This will enable the amendment of retained direct EU law, with the appropriate level of parliamentary scrutiny.

Powers relating to retained EU law

The Bill will also create powers to make secondary legislation so that retained EU law or assimilated law can be amended, repealed and replaced more easily. This Bill will allow Government via Parliament to clarify, consolidate and restate legislation to preserve its current effect. Using these powers, the Government via Parliament will ensure that only regulation that is fit for purpose, and suited for the UK will remain on the statute book.

Business impact target

Having left the EU, the UK has further opportunities to reform its regulatory regime. The UK Government published their consultation response to the “Reforming the Better Regulation Framework” and is in the process of implementing the wider reforms outlined.

As part of these reforms, the Bill repeals the business impact target, which is outdated and not fit for purpose. Any subsequent replacement of the business impact target, when combined with the other wider reforms, will ensure that the UK’s regulatory framework is fit for the UK economy, business and households, into the future.

September 25, 2022
Jacob Rees-Mogg – 2022 Statement on Energy [September 2022]

The statement made by Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, in the House of Commons on 22 September 2022.

Following the Prime Minister’s announcement on 8 September, yesterday, the Government published further details of the support we are offering to people and businesses in the face of soaring energy prices. This package of unprecedented assistance for the whole UK provides the certainty families and business owners need to help them manage their energy bills.

Details of the energy price guarantee for domestic consumers and the energy bill relief scheme for business and non-domestic properties are available on gov.uk. The Chancellor of the Exchequer will set out more details of the costs of the Government’s support as part of his fiscal statement on 23 September.

We have designed the schemes to be simple for energy consumers. Families and eligible businesses do not have to take action or apply for support, energy suppliers will automatically apply the appropriate reduction via their energy bill. Households will receive an equivalent level of financial support wherever they are in the UK. The same is true for businesses across the UK too.

The energy price guarantee will ensure that a typical household in Great Britain pays an average £2,500 a year for their energy from 1 October 2022, for the next two years. Households in Northern Ireland will see equivalent benefits on the energy bills. On average usage, a household in Great Britain will save £1,000 a year. This is in addition to the already announced £400 energy bills support scheme for households across the UK. The most vulnerable UK households will also continue to receive £1,200 of support. For consumers in Great Britain who pay for their energy through a monthly, quarterly or other regular bill, the energy price guarantee will be applied when their bill is calculated. The guarantee limits the amount the bill payer can be charged per unit of gas or electricity, so the exact bill amount will continue to be influenced by how much energy is used.

The energy bill relief scheme will provide protections for all businesses, voluntary sector and public sector organisations in Great Britain which face excessively high energy bills over the winter period, whether they are on existing fixed price contracts agreed on or after 1 April 2022, signing new fixed price contracts, variable or deemed tariffs or flexible purchase contracts. To administer support, the Government have set a supported wholesale price—expected to be £211 per MWh for electricity and £75 per MWh for gas, less than half the wholesale prices anticipated this winter—which is a discounted price per unit of gas and electricity. Suppliers will pass the reduction in the wholesale price through to their customers.

The energy bill relief scheme will run initially for six months covering energy use from 1 October 2022 until 31 March 2023. There will be a review of the operation of the scheme, to be published in three months’ time. This review will consider how best to offer further support to customers who are the most vulnerable to energy price increases. These are likely to be those who are least able to adjust, for example by reducing energy usage or increasing energy efficiency.

A similar scheme will be established in Northern Ireland, providing a comparable level of support. We intend to provide more information on the comparable support for non-domestic customers in Northern Ireland by the end of September.

The scheme for domestic consumers will be different, because of the different way the electricity and gas market operates in Northern Ireland. But it will provide households with an equivalent level of support as for those in Great Britain. Households do not need to take any action to receive this support, although it may take a little longer than for Great Britain for relief to take effect. However, the savings will be applied to energy used from October onwards so that households get the same overall benefit as those in Great Britain. The energy price guarantee limits the amount you can be charged per unit of gas or electricity, so households’ exact bill will continue to be influenced by how much energy is used.

Households in Northern Ireland will also receive the £400 discount on their bills through the Northern Ireland energy bills support scheme, which will offer the same level of support as for households in Great Britain. We aim to provide this £400 discount for Northern Ireland as soon as possible.

A comparable scheme to the energy bill relief scheme will be in place for businesses and other non-domestic customers in Northern Ireland. This will follow a similar structure to the GB scheme. We intend to provide more information on the comparable support for non-domestic customers in Northern Ireland by the end of September.

As the Prime Minister said on 8 September, the Government are bringing forward emergency legislation to underpin the delivery of our support package. We will introduce a Bill immediately after parliamentary recess. It will include measures for the GB energy price guarantee for domestic consumers and the energy bill relief scheme for businesses and non-domestic properties so all of GB receives equivalent support; and enable the delivery of comparable schemes in Northern Ireland. It will provide powers to enable low carbon generators to move on to fixed prices to end the situation where electricity prices are set by the marginal price of gas, ensuring consumers pay a fair price for their energy.

Contingent liabilities

I have laid before Parliament a departmental minute describing contingent liabilities arising from the energy price guarantee. It is normal practice when a Government Department proposes to undertake a contingent liability of £300,000 and above, for which there is no specific statutory authority, for the Department concerned to present Parliament with a minute giving particulars of the liability created and explaining the circumstances.

I regret that because of the urgency of establishing this scheme before 1 October, I have not been able to follow the usual timelines for issuing notice at least 14 parliamentary sitting days before the liability begins to be incurred.

The Treasury has approved the scheme in principle. I will continue to update Parliament on this scheme.

New oil and gas licensing

We are scaling up renewables, nuclear, and lower carbon energy sources, to boost Britain’s energy security in the long term, and reduce our exposure to high fossil fuel prices set by global markets outside our control. While we do this, there will continue to be ongoing demand for oil and gas over the coming years during this transition, with oil and gas needed to maintain the security of the UK’s energy supply. Making the most of our own domestic resources under the North sea will make us less dependent on foreign imports.

In the light of Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and weaponisation of energy, strengthening our energy security is an absolute priority, and—as the Prime Minister said—we are going to ensure the UK is a net energy exporter by 2040. To get there we will need to explore all avenues available to us through solar, wind, oil and gas production, so it’s right that we’ve lifted the pause to realise any potential sources of domestic gas.

In 2021, it was decided that a climate compatibility checkpoint should be put in place, so that compatibility with the UK’s climate objectives is assessed as part of the decision on whether or not to endorse continued oil and gas licensing rounds.

In December 2021, a consultation on the design of this checkpoint was launched, running until the end of February 2022. A large number of detailed and thoughtful responses were received. The HM Government response, which is being published today, engages with many of the arguments put forward, and sets out the Government position on these. HM Government has also designed a checkpoint which takes the responses to the consultation into account; a document setting out this design and the tests to be included in the checkpoint is also being published today.

Having reviewed the results of these tests in the context of a 33rd licensing round, it has been decided that a 33rd licensing round is compatible with the UK’s climate objectives.

The Government understand that the North Sea Transition Authority will shortly be launching a new licensing round for oil and gas exploration. This round could result in the award of more than 100 licences to developers, strengthening the UK’s vital offshore oil and gas sector, putting more UK gas on the grid for longer, and bolstering the future energy security of the UK.

Shale gas extraction

The current pause (moratorium) on shale gas extraction was put in place on the basis that HM Government would only support shale gas exploration if it could be done in a safe and sustainable way, and that it would be led by the science on whether this was possible. The stated policy aim was to minimise disturbance to those living and working nearby, and to prevent the risk of damage.

Much has changed, however, since 2019.

In April this year, HM Government commissioned the British Geological Survey to advise on the latest scientific evidence around shale gas extraction, to assess progress in the scientific understanding which underpins Government policy, and to allow Ministers to consider next steps. Having considered their advice carefully, HM Government are publishing this report today.

The report makes clear that forecasting the occurrence of felt seismic events remains a scientific challenge for the geoscience community. It also makes clear that to improve our understanding we need more exploratory sites to gather the necessary data.

Geomechanical modelling has been an important tool in the United States for this purpose, but requires accurate mapping of sub-surface faults, for which more data is required in the UK. There have only been three test wells which have been explored for shale gas in the UK to date.

On the wider geopolitical stage, Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and the resulting restrictions on gas supply to Europe have impacted on global energy prices and the energy security of our neighbours and allies. This emphasises the need for “home grown” sources of energy to reduce our reliance on imports.

The Government remain committed to net zero by 2050, but we have to get there, and to get there we are going to need oil and gas. And domestic sources of gas clearly have a lower climate impact than shipping liquified natural gas by tankers halfway across the world.

Under these circumstances, HM Government consider it appropriate to pursue all means for increasing UK gas production, including shale gas extraction. The Government are therefore lifting the pause on shale gas extraction and will consider future applications for hydraulic fracturing consent with the domestic and global need for gas, and local support for developments, in mind.

While HM Government will always try to limit disturbance to those living and working near to sites, tolerating a higher degree of risk and disturbance appears to us to be in the national interest given the circumstances described above. With this in mind, it is important that the policy relating to shale gas extraction reflects this. HM Government will be reviewing this aspect of shale gas policy as part of a wider reflection on how to better support the industry throughout the whole life cycle of the investment, from initial exploration to large-scale production and I will provide an update on this in due course.

We will look to the North Sea Transition Authority and other licensing authorities to be proactive in extending existing consents and permissions where practicable, to support the development of energy resources in the national interest.

It is clear that we need more exploratory sites in order to gather better data and improve the evidence base and we are aware that some developers are keen to assist with this process. We look forward to seeing these proposals in detail.

Offshore energy strategic environmental assessment

HM Government have completed an offshore energy strategic environmental assessment (OESEA) of a draft plan/programme to enable further offshore licensing/leasing for offshore marine renewables, including wind, wave and tidal energy, oil and gas, gas storage including carbon dioxide storage, and offshore production and transport of hydrogen.

The renewable energy elements of the draft plan/programme cover the relevant parts of the UK exclusive economic zone and the territorial waters of England and Wales; for hydrocarbon gas storage it applies to UK waters, territorial sea and the relevant parts of the UK exclusive economic zone, and for carbon dioxide storage it applies to UK waters, the UK exclusive economic zone and relevant territorial sea, excluding the territorial sea in Scotland; for hydrocarbon exploration and production it applies to the UK territorial sea and the UK continental shelf; and for offshore production and transport of hydrogen it applies to UK waters.

A public consultation on the OESEA4 environmental report was undertaken between 17 March 2022 and 27 May 2022. All comments received on the draft plan/ programme and the environmental report have been considered by HM Government and a HM Government response for OESEA4 has been prepared and will be placed on the gov.uk website. This summarises stakeholder comments and HM Government’s clarifications and responses to them. The environmental report and the comments received have informed the HM Government’s decision on whether to proceed with the draft plan/programme.

HM Government have decided to adopt the draft plan/programme, with the area offered restricted spatially through the exclusion of certain areas together with a number of mitigation measures to prevent, reduce and offset significant adverse impacts on the environment and other users of the sea. On the basis of the evidence set out in the environmental report, which discussed the alternatives to the chosen approach, and the comments received during consultation, HM Government conclude that there are no overriding environmental considerations that would prevent the achievement of our draft plan/programme of offshore marine renewables leasing wind, wave and tidal technologies, offshore oil and gas licensing, offshore gas storage and carbon dioxide storage leasing/licensing, and offshore production and transport of hydrogen, provided appropriate mitigation measures are implemented along with future research. In all cases, the relevant competent authority should undertake any appropriate assessments prior to awarding licences or leases, where screening in accordance with the relevant conservation of habitats regulations shows this to be necessary.

The plan/programme based on OESEA4 will have a lifespan of approximately four years. HM Government, therefore, commit to refreshing the OESEA in two to three years’ time to account for the higher ambitions relating to offshore wind and hydrogen in the BESS that are expected to be delivered in the period 2026-2030 and any additional changes to the energy policy context, technology, and understanding of the environmental baseline and effects assessment. The associated documents have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

September 25, 2022
Stuart Andrew – 2022 Speech on Worcester Warriors Rugby Club

The speech made by Stuart Andrew, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in the House of Commons on 22 September 2022.

I am pleased to respond to this debate and am grateful to my hon. Friend the Member for Worcester (Mr Walker) for securing it. The interest shown this afternoon is testament to the importance that this club represents to the local community and to the sport of rugby as a whole. I pay tribute to him for the work that he has done. I also offer my thanks to my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Worcestershire (Nigel Huddleston), who did this job extremely well. I know that I have very big shoes to fill. I know, too, that he is now able to take a keen interest in this issue.

As we have heard today, the club has had many different forms, but can date back to Worcester Rugby Football Club, which was first established in 1871. It was a long and eventful journey to the club’s debut in the men’s top flight in 2004, under the stewardship of John Brain and Cecil Duckworth, whom my hon. Friend has talked so movingly about today. Both of them have had a lasting impact on the club and local community.

The club has gone from strength to strength and seen its talent recognised at an international level with multiple players, including current captain Ted Hill being capped for England. The dramatic extra-time premiership cup win against London Irish in May provided an unforgettable moment for all involved with the club. The success is not limited to the men’s team, however, with the Worcester Ladies team having won their inaugural premiership title in 2013 before becoming part of the Warriors group in 2016. The success has continued since then, with Laura Keates and Lydia Thompson both being named in England Women’s world cup squad this week. Off the pitch, the Warriors Community Foundation makes a significant impact around the local area, providing vital services including a positive and safe learning environment for some of the hardest to reach young people.

For all these reasons, I was pleased that the Government were able to support the club to survive the challenges of the covid-19 pandemic through the sport survival package. Like many other sectors, the sport sector suffered as a result of the essential restrictions we all lived under during the pandemic. The Government were proactive in taking action to protect the sector through the £600 million package.

The package was set up to ensure that as many sport clubs reliant on spectators survived the period of restrictions during the pandemic as possible, while also seeking to minimise the potential long-term damage to sport, with a particular focus on the importance of grassroots activity and women’s sport. That intervention was essential in maintaining professional sport in this country through such a difficult period.

However, as the nation recovers and crowds return to stadiums, it is right that the Government take a step back from providing direct financial support. The sport survival package was administered by Sport England on behalf of DCMS and all decisions for awards were taken by an independent board set up by the Department, based on a robust assessment of an individual organisation’s financial circumstances; where appropriate, security was taken to protect the taxpayer.

I know this is a time of stress and anxiety for all associated with the club, from the playing and non-playing staff to the fans who have stuck with the club over so many years. My hon. Friend the Member for Worcester described so well many of the things they have gone through recently. The match this weekend was a demonstration of the passion and commitment that so many people have for the club within the local community and I applaud everyone involved in ensuring that the fixture went ahead.

The Department is working tirelessly with the club’s directors, Premiership Rugby and the Rugby Football Union to seek the best possible outcome for all concerned. We have expended more energy on Worcester than on any other club and we will continue to do so. That has included daily dialogue with stakeholders and the club’s directors to explore all options available and to take appropriate professional advice.

While I am only in the first few hours of my time in this role, I assure my hon. Friend that I and the Secretary of State take a keen interest in this issue and that we will continue to do so and to explore every possible option. Indeed, one of my very first meetings in this role was on this matter. At this stage, we are not ruling out any options and are sending in professional advisers imminently to take a closer look at the club and potential options. If it emerges from that work that the most viable option for saving the club is to put it into administration, that is a decision we will not be afraid to take.

Of course the responsibility for governance and oversight of the game sits with the RFU and PRL, and any potential investors will need to pass the RFU’s fit and proper owner tests as part of any takeover. DCMS does not have a direct role in finding new owners or investment for the club, but we have continued to encourage all interested parties to put their offers to the current owners or administrators, should that step be taken.

I understand the frustration of supporters due to the lack of progress over the past weeks and the calls for Government action. This is clearly a fast-moving situation, and we continue to reassess all options available to us as a creditor to protect taxpayers’ money and deliver the best possible outcome for the players, staff and club on a daily basis as the situation evolves. As I have said already, we are taking action and not ruling anything out.

Any claim that Sport England or the Government are responsible for asset stripping or at any point were not working in the best interests of the club or taxpayers is incorrect. DCMS and Sport England have not been involved in the management decisions of any club to which they have lent. Those decisions were and remain, rightly, the responsibility of the directors of those clubs, and I can assure the House that the Department and Sport England thoroughly assessed all applicants’ financial information and provided clubs with strict conditions on how the funds could be utilised following an assessment of need. As my hon. Friend highlighted, any administrators appointed would also look to explore the actions of directors and the previous use of funds in any administration. Unfortunately, I cannot comment further on the specifics of individual cases, including on the issue that he has raised, because of the confidentiality obligations in the legal agreements with the club.

As this debate has clearly demonstrated, Worcester Warriors has a rich history and is a crucial part of the local community. I thank my hon. Friend for calling the debate, and thank him and other hon. Members in the area for the work that they are doing to discuss the future of that important community asset. The Department will continue to engage closely with the owners, Premiership Rugby and the Rugby Football Union to try to ensure a positive outcome for the rugby offering in Worcester. I give him a guarantee that I will take an extremely close interest as the issue develops.

September 25, 2022