Tag: 2023

Maria Caulfield – 2023 Speech on International Women’s Day

The speech made by Maria Caulfield, the Minister for Women, in the House of Commons on 9 March 2023.

May I thank right hon. and hon. Members for their contributions this afternoon? I particularly thank my right hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke (Dame Maria Miller) for securing this debate and for her work every day of the year on championing women’s rights. I thank all hon. Members who have spoken so passionately today about the issues on which they are campaigning on behalf of women up and down the country.

As my right hon. Friend pointed out, many women who have gone before us have led the way to our being here today. The hon. Member for Erith and Thamesmead (Abena Oppong-Asare) mentioned Baroness Boothroyd, but there have also been women such as Margaret Thatcher, the first female Prime Minister, who broke that glass ceiling. Unlike the shadow Minister, the hon. Member for Oxford East (Anneliese Dodds), I am not afraid to compliment and pay tribute to female Members on the other side of the House. A personal heroine for me was Mo Mowlam. The hon. Member for Bristol South (Karin Smyth) spoke about how women have been erased from photos and others have often taken the credit for their hard work; Mo Mowlam was instrumental in delivering peace for Northern Ireland, but she is very often forgotten when we talk about issues around the Northern Ireland protocol. However, she is very much remembered for the work that she did.

My right hon. Friend the Member for Chelmsford (Vicky Ford) said that there is a special place in heaven for men who stand up for women. Today I want to remember Sir David Amess, who usually spoke in these debates; I think particularly of his work on endometriosis. I am sure that he would be very pleased to see his successor, my hon. Friend the Member for Southend West (Anna Firth), taking part in this debate. It has also been great to see my hon. Friend the Member for Worthing West (Sir Peter Bottomley) spending most of the afternoon in this Chamber to listen to women speak about the issues that we face. We are very lucky to have such a Father of the House who respects female Members.

On International Women’s Day yesterday, I was particularly pleased that so many Departments were able to showcase the work that has been done and make announcements on tackling the issues that women face, many of which have been raised today. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office launched its first international women and girls strategy yesterday, which highlights the work being done globally to tackle threats to gender equality across the world. From climate change and crisis to conflicts and coronavirus, those threats disproportionately affect many women in certain countries; hon. Members have spoken particularly about Iran and Afghanistan today. Significant work is going on to support women across the world.

I want to touch in particular on the issues facing the women of Ukraine. I had the great pleasure and honour of meeting the First Lady, Mrs Zelenska, this year. While of course planes, weapons and resources are important, her plea to us in this place was to make people aware of how rape is being used as a weapon of war against women in Ukraine—there are young girls, women, older women and elderly women who are being raped as part of the war against Ukraine.

I am pleased that the UK has cemented its position as a leading global actor standing up for women who are under attack. We know the scale and severity of gender-based violence at times of conflict and insecurity. I am proud that the UK is recognised internationally for the preventing sexual violence in conflict initiative, committing £60 million to preventing and responding to conflict-related sexual violence since 2012. Last November the UK hosted the PSVI international conference in London, with more than 1,000 delegates, and secured new political declarations with 53 countries and 40 national communities. That is incredible work.

However, this debate has mainly focused on the domestic issue of the gender-based violence that women and girls are experiencing up and down the country. We heard a very moving speech from the hon. Member for Birmingham, Yardley (Jess Phillips), who highlighted the sheer scale of the women who have been murdered in the past year. The right hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull North (Dame Diana Johnson) described the terrible, tragic case of Libby Squire, and the hon. Member for Livingston (Hannah Bardell) told us Wendy’s story about her daughter Aimee. Members cannot have failed to be moved by that.

Of course we are doing great work in improving the experience of women. We have announced the awarding of grants to rape crisis centres in England and Wales to set up a national telephone support line, open 24/7, which was launched on 7 December, and we are providing £27 million to recruit more independent sexual and domestic violence advisers. Despite all that, however, there is clearly a significant problem. Violence against women and girls was included in the women’s health strategy because it is not just a criminal issue or a justice issue. I was pleased to see both my right hon. Friend the Member for Charnwood (Edward Argar), the Minister for Victims and Sentencing, and the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, my hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Miss Dines), in the Chamber earlier to hear about this staggering problem.

Sarah Owen (Luton North) (Lab)

I have listened intently to the debate, and it is an honour to be able serve alongside such fantastic female representatives on both sides of the House. The Minister is talking about eradicating sexual and domestic violence from society. Does she agree that we should not be rewarding, in any way, any perpetrators of that sort of abuse and violence?

Maria Caulfield

I absolutely agree. As I have said, that is why we included violence against women and girls in the women’s health strategy, and as we approach the first anniversary of the strategy, I am keen for us to move towards making that our priority for the second year, working across Government. I am happy to work across parties as well, because this is such an important issue. Despite all the strategies, plans and—let us be fair—significant funding, we are still not making progress in the areas in which we want to make it. We have been presented with many images, but I was particularly struck by what was said by the hon. Member for Brent Central (Dawn Butler) about the way in which language is used to describe both female victims and their perpetrators, which suggests that an offence of that kind can be justified—that it simply happened, that it was a mistake, and that it was not all that significant. That has to change, which means changing the culture as well as creating the infrastructure to support it. I am keen for us to make progress on that in the next 12 months.

Jackie Doyle-Price (Thurrock) (Con)

I am very interested by what my hon. Friend has just said. She referred earlier to putting violence against women and girls at the heart of the health strategy. If we are serious about increasing the rate of convictions for rape and sexual violence, and indeed domestic violence, we should bear in mind that women report being treated like pieces of evidence. What we need is wraparound therapeutic support for victims, so they are not re-traumatised every time they try to obtain justice. Will that be a large part of what my hon. Friend is doing?

Maria Caulfield

Absolutely. We do need to look at how we support women, and that includes female MPs. I am thinking of Rosie Cooper, who simply left the House of Commons because of what she had experienced. She has gone on record as saying that she did not feel safe continuing.

Wera Hobhouse

Will the Minister give way?

Maria Caulfield

I do not have a huge amount of time, but I will give way a couple more times.

Wera Hobhouse

I will be very quick. The police are saying that they need to move away from viewing the victim as a credible witness, and move on to the perpetrator. Too often, the perpetrator gets away while the police are investigating the victim.

Maria Caulfield

I entirely agree. This is about changing culture as much as about changing the structure of services: we have seen plenty of evidence of that. Let me also pay tribute to the hon. Lady for her private Member’s Bill, which will tackle sexual harassment in the workplace. She has done tremendous work on the Bill, and we hope that it will make swift progress in the other place.

Vicky Ford

The issue of spiking has, unfortunately, been coming up in my constituency. If the perpetrators are to be caught, it is important for victims to come forward quickly and provide physical evidence, such as a urine sample, within 24 hours. I wonder whether there is more that my hon. Friend could do, using her own voice, to get that message out to victims.

Maria Caulfield

Yes, absolutely. That is why we need a cross-Government approach. We need to work with the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice team so that we have a united voice.

Abena Oppong-Asare

Will the Minister give way?

Maria Caulfield

I will give way one more time.

Abena Oppong-Asare

I appreciate the Minister’s generosity. I just want to put on record the work that Sistah Space has done—particularly in relation to Valerie’s law—for victims of abuse, especially black victims. The Minister’s predecessor started to do some work with me and with Sistah Space before the change of Government. Will she please continue that work?

Maria Caulfield

I shall be happy to do that, and we can certainly arrange to meet following this debate.

The shadow Minister was slightly dismissive of the groundbreaking Online Safety Bill. However, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chelmsford has reported that the UN special rapporteur on violence against women and girls has described it as world- leading. Many other countries are following our progress, and, indeed, may adopt similar legislation. The Bill will tackle criminal activity online. It will protect children from harmful and inappropriate content, and it aims to stop the rise of online misogyny. Several Members have mentioned the importance of that.

Let me say something about business. The UK is now successfully including gender provision in all the free trade agreements that we have made since leaving the EU. Our trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand, for instance, contain dedicated trade and gender equality chapters. That too is groundbreaking work. As for our domestic business focus, our taskforce on women-led high- growth enterprise was established last summer. I want to pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Meon Valley (Mrs Drummond) for her work in the all-party parliamentary group on women and work, not just her work in pushing science, technology, engineering and maths for women, but the high-growth sector work she is doing. If we deliver more women with ambition, we will improve growth in our economy and also improve the outcome for those women as they thrive in the workplace.

We know that childcare is an issue. That is why we have spent more than £3.5 billion over the last three years on early education entitlement, and have increased the funding for local authorities to £160 million this year, £180 million next year and £170 million thereafter, to allow them to increase their payments to local childcare providers. I recognise the challenges and the cost that childcare imposes on families, but I also know how difficult it is for the providers to sustain their business model.

Turning briefly to women’s health, I am proud that in the past year we have published the first women’s health strategy for England. The hon. Member for Vauxhall (Florence Eshalomi) mentioned that in particular, and I am very keen that we make progress in that space, especially on maternity disparities. We have appointed Dame Lesley Regan as the first women’s health ambassador to lead that work. We announced yesterday that we are investing £25 million to roll out women’s health hubs across the country, providing a one-stop shop for women’s healthcare needs.

We will also level up IVF access to same-sex couples and across the board, ensuring consistent provision across the country, which does not currently exist. The HRT prepayment certificate will be launched from 1 April, cutting the cost of HRT by hundreds of pounds. We also aim to announce our pregnancy loss certificate later this summer, so that babies born before 24 weeks can be registered—an important issue for those parents who have lost babies. The major conditions strategy will look at long-term conditions such as heart disease, musculoskeletal conditions and dementia, the leading cause of death in women, which for too long have been ignored.

Finally, I want to touch on girls’ education, which it is a top priority for us in both our international commitment—we want 12 years of quality education for every girl, which is the best way to get girls and women out of poverty—and our domestic commitments. The Prime Minister in his first speech set out his ambition to ensure that all school pupils in England study some form of maths to the age of 18. My hon. Friend the Member for Thurrock (Jackie Doyle-Price) raised the issue of teaching materials in schools; the Prime Minister yesterday committed to a review of those and we will look forward to what that shows.

We need to get more women and girls into science, because, as my right hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke said, despite getting more girls into STEM A-levels and on to undergraduate courses, we only see women making up 29.4% of the STEM workforce. That is why we are running our STEM Returners pilot; there are 75,000 people, mainly women, with experience and qualifications in STEM who are not working in the sector and who we want to see return to practice.

I hope that that showcases some of the work we are doing across the board. There are many challenges—we do not deny or shirk that fact—but we are making significant progress. In particular, domestically, on violence against women and girls, I hope that this time next year we will have a better story to tell.

Dame Maria Miller

I say an enormous thank you to everybody who has taken part in the debate. This debate always demonstrates how much agreement there is across the House; I always see more heads nodding on the Opposition side and the Government side in this debate than in any other. My final comment, therefore, is, “Let us not allow party politics to get too involved in some of these issues.” They are not about party politics; they are about changing the culture of our country, to make sure that women have the same opportunities and the same barriers as men—not different ones, but not bigger ones. The more we can keep the politics out of this, the more progress we make in that culture change. I think the vast majority of this debate has demonstrated how much agreement there is. I applaud that, and thank colleagues for taking that approach.

March 14, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Bangladesh-UK Accord on Climate Change [March 2023]
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 14 March 2023.

Bangladesh and UK signed an agreement for working together on climate action bilaterally and multilaterally to help deliver the outcomes of COP26 and COP27.
- The Governments of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland are committing to address the global challenge of climate change, the impacts of which are becoming ever more severe at both national and international levels.
- Building on the long-standing and highly-valued relationship between our two countries, we resolve to demonstrate leadership and to enhance cooperation in climate action bilaterally and multilaterally, to help deliver the outcomes of COP26 and COP27.
- We will aim to build on the climate leadership demonstrated by the Bangladesh Presidency of the 58-member Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) and the UK’s Presidency of the COP26 at Glasgow. Bangladesh’s leadership at COP26 in coordinating and promoting the voices from the most climate vulnerable countries contributed to securing additional ambition from many of the big emitters. The UK Presidency successfully brokered the Glasgow Climate Pact, which will speed up the pace of action on mitigation, adaptation, finance and loss and damage. However, even with the action committed both during and before COP26, communities around the world will continue to feel the devastating impacts of a changing climate. All countries must continue with concerted and immediate efforts to deliver on all pledges made at COP26 and COP27.
- As part of UK’s global commitment to tackle climate change, new bilateral, regional and central programmes were announced at COP26 for Bangladesh. The programmes will contribute to build resilience, protect biodiversity, expand renewable energy, prevent pollution and better manage waste, while also supporting women’s leadership, increased access to climate finance, education and skills in Bangladesh.
MITIGATION
- We recognise the urgent need to take bold and comprehensive action to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. The UK and Bangladesh will continue to take actions in line with the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius. We decide to submit ambitious and enhanced Nationally Determined Contributions expanding emissions reductions targets as far as possible. We will work together to support implementation of the measures necessary to achieve these targets. And we will encourage all other countries to be as ambitious as they can be.
- Bangladesh commends the UK for its commitment to achieve a net-zero by 2050, and for being the first major economy to put this commitment into law. The UK has also committed that by 2040 all new cars sold will have zero emissions.
- The UK welcomes Bangladesh’s Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan that calls for strategic investments into low-carbon development initiatives and tackling frontline climate threats. The UK appreciates the addition of Agriculture, Forestry and other Land use and waste management in Bangladesh’s updated NDC. The UK welcomes Bangladesh’s intention to increase the share of clean energy up to 40% of the total energy by 2041 and low carbon development pathway.
- We emphasise the importance of international cooperation and investment in achieving our mitigation targets. We also recognise the need to ensure this delivers wider benefits such as energy security and access to energy, poverty eradication, economic growth and job creations.
ADAPTATION
- We recognise that Bangladesh as a climate vulnerable country is facing multiple climate change impacts, including sea level rise, heat stress, drought and devastating natural disasters often causing displacement on a large scale.
- We look forward to working closely through the Dhaka office of the Global Center on Adaptation to develop and take integrated approaches to avert, minimise and address displacement related to the adverse impacts of climate change. The newly launched Global Hub on Locally Led Adaptation will help climate vulnerable communities throughout the South Asia region benefit from adaptation solutions developed and tested in Bangladesh, the UK, and other countries.
- Both countries have expertise to share, based on their own National Adaptation Plans, in developing the Global Goal on Adaptation. We look forward to working together to accelerate adaptation locally, nationally and globally.
- As signatories to the 75th UNGA Leaders’ Pledge for Nature, we reiterate our pledge to continue to develop and share expertise on nature-based solutions. We are committed to combine efforts and expertise to scale up nature-based solutions domestically and internationally and demonstrate their cost-effectiveness to other countries. We decide to encourage greater public and private investments in nature-based solutions for adapting to and mitigating climate change. We are determined to implement the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use and to work together to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030.
- We reiterate our shared commitment to work closely in support of collaborative global coalitions including the Resilience and Adaptation Coalition and the Adaptation Action Coalition. We resolve to work with other UN members to show greater political ambition, and to support action on the ground.
LOSS AND DAMAGE
- We welcome the agreement at COP27 to establish new funding arrangements, including the setup of a dedicated fund, to respond to loss and damage from climate change. We look forward to working to develop the detail of these new arrangements ahead of COP28, including through the UK’s role as a member of the transitional Committee.
FINANCE
- We recognise the crucial role of climate finance in accelerating the development and deployment of environmentally preferable and low carbon technologies. We will work together to encourage all global stakeholders to play their part in collectively meeting the $100 billion a year target, and in setting ambitious post-2020 financial commitments. We call upon multilateral development banks and development finance institutions to contribute to delivering climate finance goals, and to support a green, inclusive and resilient recovery from Covid-19.
- Bangladesh commends the UK for its doubling of international climate finance to £11.6 billion over 2021-2025, setting a clear benchmark for the international community. The UK commends Bangladesh for setting up the domestically resourced Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund financing nationwide adaptation and mitigation climate action projects.
- The Taskforce on Access to Climate Finance sets out to transform access to finance through a new, country-led approach. The UK, as co-lead, and Bangladesh as pioneer country, can play leading roles in ensuring more finance reaches more people on the frontline of climate change.
- We commit also to work domestically and internationally to enhance private finance for adaptation and mitigation, by creating an enabling environment to increase strategic investments in clean and renewable energy, and in protection of nature. We stress the need to work to increase access to climate finance by climatically vulnerable countries, secure greater funding for adaptation and to improve gender-responsiveness of climate finance.
COLLABORATION
- Bangladesh and the UK will exchange expertise, facilitate partnerships, and identify practical solutions to common climate challenges.
- The two countries will hold regular joint events and dialogues on climate action. The events would be inclusive of all parts of society and focussed on scaling up action on the ground. We recognise the critical role of young people, and seek to meaningfully engage them in climate dialogue and action.
- We stress the need for realizing the opportunities of a clean energy transition and working with national and international institutions and investors towards that end. We decide to cooperate to expand renewable energy through detailed resource assessments for offshore renewables and by testing new technologies more suited to Bangladesh’s land constraints.
- We reaffirm the importance of global collaboration on research, development and capacity building to tackle climate change, and will strive to further collaboration in these areas.
- We express our resolve to continue to work together for sustainable ocean development under the Commonwealth Blue Charter and the UK-led Global Ocean Alliance. We reaffirm our shared commitment to tackle marine plastic pollution under the Commonwealth Clean Ocean Alliance. We propose to also enhance protection of marine resources including by reducing land-based sources of pollution, supporting better management of solid waste, and restoring natural ecosystems.
- We firmly believe by taking the actions outlined above we can contribute to meeting our commitments under the Paris Agreement, and to improving the resilience of the most vulnerable people to climate change.
Signed on 12 March 2023 by

Honourable State Minister, H.E. Mr Md. Shahriar Alam, MP For the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

Rt Hon. Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP, Minister of State (Indo-Pacific) For the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office of the UK
March 14, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Rishi Sunak meeting with US President Joe Biden [March 2023]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 14 March 2023.

The Prime Minister met US President Biden in San Diego today.

The leaders welcomed today’s announcement of the next phase in the AUKUS defence programme, which will see Australia build submarines supported by the UK and US.

The Prime Minister updated President Biden on the UK’s updated national security and foreign policy strategy, which has been published today. The leaders agreed on the convergence between the UK and US’ ambitions and interests in the world, and on the importance of working together to bring about global stability.

The Prime Minister and President Biden discussed the need to remain steadfast in our support of Ukraine and staunch opposition to Putin’s abuse of international law and disregard for human life. The Prime Minister detailed the UK’s accelerated support to Ukraine, both in terms of the volume of support and the advanced nature of the capabilities we are providing – including tanks and training.

The leaders agreed that, as Ukraine’s two biggest international supporters, the UK and US have a role to play coordinating international efforts to support Ukraine. We need to ensure that Ukraine both wins the war and secures a lasting peace where it cannot be threatened by Russia in the same way again.

On China, they noted the challenged posed by the increased assertiveness of the Chinese Communist Party. The Prime Minister outlined the steps the UK is taking to protect our national and economic security interests. The leaders agreed on the need to engage China and maintain dialogue.

The Prime Minister stressed the importance of likeminded countries working together to protect our shared economic security, providing an active alternative to those governments who use protectionism and unfair market practices to destabilise the global economy.

The leaders discussed the US’ Inflation Reduction Act. The Prime Minister expressed his hope that our governments can continue to work together to increase jobs and growth in both of our countries as we transition towards Net Zero.

The President and Prime Minister discussed the importance of further deepening the strong, enduring economic relationship between the UK and US. President Biden invited the Prime Minister to visit Washington in June to continue this conversation.

The US and UK will work and invest together to drive the clean energy transition, foster the industries of the future and bolster our economies’ resilience to a range of shocks. Our two countries will explore ways to deepen our trade and investment relationship and confront the shared economic and national security challenges we face.

The leaders agreed that their teams should work intensively to advance this agenda, making progress ahead of the G7 Summit in May. As part of these efforts, the US and UK will work within the G7, with other international partners and bilaterally to strengthen and diversify critical supply chains, including for critical minerals.

The Prime Minister invited President Biden to Northern Ireland next month to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.

March 14, 2023
Rishi Sunak – 2023 Statement at AUKUS Trilateral Press Conference

The statement made by Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, in San Diego on 13 March 2023.

Sixty years ago, here in San Diego, President Kennedy spoke of: “A higher purpose – the maintenance of freedom, peace and…security”.

Today, we stand together, united by that same purpose.

And recognising that to fulfil it we must forge new kinds of relationships to meet new kinds of challenge – just as we have always done.

In the last 18 months, the challenges we face have only grown.

Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine…

China’s growing assertiveness…

The destabilising behaviour of Iran and North Korea…

…all threaten to create a world defined by danger, disorder, and division.

Faced with this new reality, it is more important than ever that we strengthen the resilience of our own countries.

That’s why the UK is today announcing a significant uplift in our defence budget.

We’re providing an extra £5bn over the next two years, immediately increasing our defence budget to around 2.25% of GDP.

This will allow us to replenish our war stocks.

And modernise our nuclear enterprise, delivering AUKUS and strengthening our deterrent.

Our highest priority is to continue providing military aid to Ukraine, because their security is our security.

And we will go further to strengthen our resilience.

For the first time, the United Kingdom will move away from our baseline commitment to spend 2% of GDP on defence to a new ambition of 2.5%.

Putting beyond doubt that the United Kingdom is – and will remain – one of the world’s leading defence powers.

But ultimately, the defence of our values depends, as it always has…

…on the quality of our relationships with others.

Those alliances will be strengthened through AUKUS…

…the most significant multilateral defence partnership in generations.

AUKUS matches our enduring commitment to freedom and democracy…

…with the most advanced military, scientific, and technological capability.

Nowhere is that clearer than in the plans we’re unveiling today for the new Aukus submarine…

…one of the most advanced nuclear-powered subs the world has ever known.

Those plans could not happen without cutting-edge American technology and expertise…

…so I pay tribute to you, Mr President, for your leadership.

And to you, Prime Minister, for your vision of what Aukus can achieve.

For our part, the UK comes to this with over sixty years’ experience of running our own fleet.

We’ll provide the world-leading design, and build the first of these new boats…

…creating thousands of good, well-paid jobs in places like Barrow and Derby.

And we will share our knowledge and experience with Australian engineers so they can build their own fleet.

Our partnership is significant not just because we are building these submarines together…

…they will also be truly interoperable.

The Royal Navy will operate the same submarines as the Australian Navy.

We will both share components and parts with the US Navy.

Our submarine crews will train together, patrol together, and maintain their boats together.

They will communicate using the same terminology and the same equipment.

And through AUKUS, we will raise our standards of nuclear non-proliferation.

This is a powerful partnership.

For the first time ever, it will mean three fleets of submarines working together across both the Atlantic and Pacific…

…keeping our oceans free, open, and prosperous for decades to come.

Joe, Anthony –

We represent three allies who have stood shoulder to shoulder together for more than a century.

Three peoples who have shed blood together in defence of our shared values.

And three democracies that are coming together again…

…to fulfil that higher purpose of maintaining freedom, peace, and security…

…now and for generations to come.

March 14, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : British-led design chosen for AUKUS submarine project [March 2023]
The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 13 March 2023.

The first generation of AUKUS nuclear submarines will be built in the UK and Australia, based on the UK’s world-leading submarine design.
- A new fleet of submarines will be built by the UK and Australia based on the UK’s nuclear-powered submarine design.
- UK’s submarines will be in operation by the late 2030s following massive, trilateral building project which will create thousands of jobs in the UK.
- Next stage of AUKUS submarine project announced by the Prime Minister, Australian Prime Minister Albanese and US President Biden in San Diego.
The first generation of AUKUS nuclear submarines will be built in the UK and Australia, based on the UK’s world-leading submarine design, the Prime Minister has announced today alongside the leaders of Australia and the United States.

In September 2021 the UK, Australia and the United States of America announced an historic, trilateral endeavour to support Australia to acquire a conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarine or ‘SSN’ – a partnership known as AUKUS.

Following an 18-month scoping period to establish the optimal pathway to Australia acquiring this capability, a model has been chosen based on the UK’s world-leading design and incorporating cutting-edge US submarine technology.

Australia and the UK will both build new submarines to this design, known as ‘SSN-AUKUS’, with construction of the UK’s submarines taking place principally in Barrow-in-Furness. Australia will work over the next decade to build up its submarine industrial base, and will build its submarines in South Australia with some components manufactured in the UK.

The first UK submarines built to this design will be delivered in the late 2030s to replace the current Astute-Class vessels, and the first Australian submarines will follow in the early 2040s.

The SSN-AUKUS submarines will be the largest, most advanced and most powerful attack submarines ever operated by the Royal Navy, combining world-leading sensors, design and weaponry in one vessel.

This massive multilateral undertaking will create thousands of jobs in the UK in the decades ahead, building on more than 60 years of British expertise designing, building and operating nuclear-powered submarines. As the home of British submarine building, most of these jobs will be concentrated in Barrow-in-Furness with further roles created elsewhere along the supply chain, including in Derby.

Choosing an interoperable submarine design will allow the Royal Navy, with its Australian and US counterparts to work together to meet shared threats and deter aggression. This includes in the Indo-Pacific where the refresh of the UK’s Integrated Review, published today, has confirmed the importance of increased engagement in this febrile region. The strategy confirms the Indo-Pacific ‘tilt’ as a permanent pillar of the UK’s international policy.

The UK’s SSN-AUKUS submarines will also help us maintain our commitment to defending the Euro-Atlantic region, adding to the work we do through NATO as the alliance’s largest European contributor.

The Prime Minister said:

“The AUKUS partnership, and the submarines we are building in British shipyards, are a tangible demonstration of our commitment to global security.

“This partnership was founded on the bedrock of our shared values and resolute focus on upholding stability in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.

“And I am hugely pleased that the plans we have announced today will see pioneering British design expertise protect our people and our allies for generations to come.”

The Prime Minister announced today (Monday) that an additional £5 billion will be provided to the MoD over the next two years, which will be spent in a number of areas including modernising the UK’s nuclear enterprise and funding the next phase of the AUKUS submarine programme.

This will be followed by sustained funding over the next decade to support the SSN-AUKUS programme and will build on the £2bn invested last year in our Dreadnought-class submarine programme.

Construction will start on the UK’s SNN-AUKUS submarines towards the end of this decade. Decisions about how many submarines the UK requires will be made in the coming years, based on the strategic threat picture at the time. The UK’s SSN-AUKUS submarines will be built by BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce. Once they are operational, the UK’s new SSN-AUKUS submarines will replace our current Astute-Class submarines.

The Defence Secretary said:

“This is a significant step forward for our three nations as we work together to contribute to security in the Indo-Pacific and across the world.

“Supporting thousands of jobs across the UK, with many in the north-west of England, this endeavour will boost prosperity across our country and showcase the prowess of British industry to our allies and partners.”

To deliver the new submarines by the earliest possible date, Royal Australian Navy personnel will be embedded in the Royal Navy and US Navy, and – subject to necessary arrangements – at British and American submarine industrial bases, by the end of this year. This process will accelerate the training of Australian personnel required for them to operate a submarine fleet.

US submarines will also increase port visits to Australia from this year with the UK increasing visits from 2026. British and American SSNs will make longer term deployments to Australia from as early as 2027 to accelerate the development of Australia’s workforce, infrastructure and regulatory system.

As part of the agreement, to fulfil Australia’s need for a nuclear-powered submarine until the SSN-AUKUS is operational, the US intends to sell Australia a number of Virginia-Class submarines in the 2030s.

The approach we have taken on the AUKUS programme has included extensive engagement with the International Atomic Energy Agency, with all countries committed to developing an approach which protects classified information and strengthens the global non-proliferation regime.
March 14, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Diplomatic missions visit Palestinian families under imminent threat of forced eviction in East Jerusalem [March 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 13 March 2023.

Diplomatic missions met with Palestinian families under imminent threat of forced eviction from Silwan, Sheikh Jarrah and the Old City of Jerusalem today.

Representatives from Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and United Kingdom call on Israeli authorities to reverse the decisions on the intended evictions.

This month, six Palestinian families in Silwan, Sheikh Jarrah and the Old City of Jerusalem are facing imminent forced eviction and/or decisive hearings on eviction cases initiated by Israeli settler groups, placing more than 80 individuals under imminent threat of forced displacement.

The abovementioned representatives reiterate their strong opposition to Israel’s settlement policy, which is illegal under international law, and actions taken in this context, including evictions, and call on Israeli authorities to reverse the decisions on the intended evictions.

Domestic laws do not exempt Israel, as the occupying power, from meeting its obligations to administer the occupied territory in a manner that provides for and protects the local population.

The continuation of Israel’s illegal settlement policy fuels tensions. In the context of escalating violence in the West Bank, it is particularly worrying that Israeli authorities plan to continue demolitions in East Jerusalem during the month of Ramadan.

Israel’s illegal settlement policy undermines the viability of the two-state solution and the prospect for a lasting peace in the region and seriously jeopardises the possibility of Jerusalem serving as the future capital of both states.

March 14, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Police will prioritise freedom of speech under new hate incident guidance [March 2023]

The press release issued by the Home Office on 13 March 2023.

New statutory guidance on the recording of so-called non-crime hate incidents will ensure police prioritise freedom of expression, the Home Secretary has announced.

Under a new draft code of practice laid before Parliament today, the police will only record non-crime hate incidents when it is absolutely necessary and proportionate and not simply because someone is offended. The measure will better protect people’s fundamental right to freedom of expression as well as their personal data.

The draft code follows concerns around police involvement in reports of ‘hate incidents’ which are trivial or irrational and do not amount to a criminal offence.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said:

I have been deeply concerned about reports of the police wrongly getting involved in lawful debate in this country.

We have been clear that in recording so called non-crime hate incidents, officers must always have freedom of expression at the forefront of their minds.

The new code will ensure the police are prioritising their efforts where it’s really needed and focusing on tackling serious crimes such as burglary, violent offences, rape and other sexual offences.

The draft code introduces new safeguards to ensure that personal data may only be included in a non-crime hate incident record if the event is clearly motivated by intentional hostility and where there is a real risk of escalation causing significant harm or a criminal offence.

It addresses concerns that those who express views which some consider offensive, but are not against the law, are at risk of becoming the subject of a non-crime hate incident report, and that this may result in their personal data being stored on a policing record.

Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire, Chris Philp said:

We are committed to supporting the police to fulfil their vital role of keeping the public safe, including tackling the scourge of hate crime.

Their focus must remain on catching dangerous criminals and bringing them to justice.

That’s why we’re taking action to ensure a clear threshold must be met in order for incidents of this type to be recorded.

The code will better protect people’s fundamental right to freedom of expression as well as their personal data, while continuing to ensure vulnerable groups are appropriately safeguarded.

It also provides detailed guidance on freedom of expression, and clear case studies to illustrate how this fundamental right should be considered by the police.

Chief Constable Stephen Watson of Greater Manchester Police said:

Crimes that are motivated by hate cause great distress for the victims, many of whom can be both marginalised and vulnerable. It is right and proper therefore that the perpetrators of hate crime are dealt with robustly and prosecuted in line with the well-defined legal provisions which are specifically designed to safeguard the interests of the victim. The duty of the police in these cases, as with all incidents of criminal offending, is to do our outmost part in ensuring that justice is properly served.

It is not automatically unlawful to say or do things which can be unpleasant, hurtful, distasteful or offensive. This guidance is replete with sensible provisions to safeguard victims of hate crime and better distinguishes between that which should involve the police and that which, in a free country, should emphatically not. It gives effect to what the public actually expect the police to do. I support the new code of practice and consider the revised guidance to be fair, timely and welcome.

The new code will provide democratic oversight to the recording of non-crime hate incidents, as it is subject to Parliamentary scrutiny. The College of Policing will update their operational guidance so that it is in line with the new code.

It is the latest measure announced by the Home Secretary focused on delivering ‘common sense policing’, which includes putting more police officers on the beat and focusing on tackling crimes that impact people the most.

Under the government’s unprecedented recruitment drive, we are on track to deliver 20,000 additional police officers by the end of March – which will see the highest number of officers in England and Wales in history.

Police forces across England and Wales have agreed to send an officer to attend every domestic burglary and the government is working on an action plan to crack down on anti-social behaviour causing misery in communities.

And last month we set out plans for a new agreement between policing and health partners to free up police officers’ time to focus on fighting crime after concerns over the amount of resource being diverted away from police work to respond to mental health emergencies.

We are determined to reduce unnecessary burdens keeping police from their primary focus – fighting crime and keeping people safe.

March 14, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Forestry funds open to boost biodiversity and futureproof forests against pests, diseases and climate change [March 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 13 March 2023.
- £4m funding will enable innovative projects to enhance tree planting stocks and woodland resilience to help meet Government net zero by 2050 ambitions
- Funding will support multi billion pound sector to create new markets for wood products, driving trade and growing the economy
Applications for the Forestry Commission delivered Woods into Management Forestry Innovation Funds and the Tree Production Innovation Fund have today (13 March) reopened to further support expansion and management of our nation’s trees and forests and futureproof them against stresses like pests, disease and climate change.

This year, almost £4 million will be allocated to successful applicants across both funds, which together boost nature regeneration efforts, promote biodiversity, and support innovative approaches to tree production, tree health, and woodland resilience through increased and improved active management of woodlands, amidst a changing climate.

As tree planting across the country increases, the Tree Production Innovation Fund will support the development and deployment of new technologies and ways of working which will provide a diverse supply of healthy young trees. This will support Government ambitions to treble tree planting rates by the end of this Parliament and plant 30,000 hectares of trees across the UK per year by 2025.

The announcement comes ahead of the new woodland episode of the BBC wildlife documentary Wild Isles, presented by Sir David Attenborough, that will explore how ecosystems and habitats support wildlife around the UK, including the importance of protecting our woodlands.

Richard Stanford, Chief Executive, Forestry Commission, said:

“Our trees and forests are under threat from climate change, pests and diseases. Trees have to be resilient for the very long term of their lives and we need to innovate to ensure the woods we have, and those we must grow, thrive.”

“The projects supported through these funds are essential in supporting efforts to build larger, more diverse and more resilient treescapes across the country and I strongly encourage all suitable projects to apply today.”

The Woods into Management Forestry Innovation Funds aims to bring an additional 20,000 hectares of existing woodland into active management, which can help boost biodiversity and protect against pests and diseases. The fund will also support projects which will develop new technologies and working practices to help homegrown timber production meet domestic and international demand.

This will help to bolster timber security and grow the United Kingdom’s forestry and primary wood processing sectors, which support 30,000 jobs and contribute over £2 billion to our economy every year.

The third round of the Woods into Management Forestry Innovation Funds and the Tree Production Innovation Fund are now open. The closing date for the Tree Production Innovation Fund is Tuesday 9th May. The closing date for the Woods into Management Forestry Innovation Funds is Monday 15th May.

Forestry Commission are hosting webinars to support with the application process. To sign up to a webinar, for further information about the funds and to apply visit:

Tree Production Innovation Fund – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Woods into Management Forestry Innovation Funds – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
March 14, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : UN HRC52 – Statement on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities [March 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 13 March 2023.

During the 52nd session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, the UK delivered a statement on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on 13 March 2023.

We thank you, Special Rapporteur, for your report on transformation of services for disabled people highlighting, among other points, the importance of devolved, personalised budgets and personal support plans.

The United Kingdom remains committed to championing the rights of persons with disabilities and implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities through strong policies and legislation. Our 10-year vision to transform support and care in England is set out in the adult social care white paper, published in December 2021.

Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities have a duty to produce a care and support plan and offer a personal budget following a needs assessment. The Act allows people to receive personal budgets enabling them to plan their own care and support as well as exercise control over how it is provided.

In line with the report’s recommendation to improve transparency and accountability, the Health and Care Act 2022 includes a new duty for the Care Quality Commission to assess local authorities’ delivery of adult social care duties and to better understand the quality of care in local areas.

Special Rapporteur,

What more can States do to ensure disabled people are systematically included in the process of designing new models of services?

March 14, 2023
Anneliese Dodds – 2023 Speech on International Women’s Day

The speech made by Anneliese Dodds, the Labour MP for Oxford East, in the House of Commons on 9 March 2023.

It is always an honour to speak in this debate and celebrate the wonderful achievements of women. I thank the right hon. Member for Basingstoke (Dame Maria Miller) for proposing the debate and the Backbench Business Committee for securing it. I associate myself with her remarks celebrating women in this place for all of their achievements. So many trailblazers have been mentioned: Betty Boothroyd, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Camberwell and Peckham (Ms Harman), Barbara Castle, Maureen Colquhoun and many more. But we need many more. As my hon. Friend the Member for Erith and Thamesmead (Abena Oppong-Asare) said, on the Opposition Benches we are proud of the fact that more than half of our representation is female. We need to see that change across all parties and extending away from this place into local government. It was wonderful to hear many Bristolian examples from my hon. Friend the Member for Bristol South (Karin Smyth), and from right across the country, of women in local government, but we need many more.

I thank everyone who has spoken in this debate, and above all my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Yardley (Jess Phillips). She delivered, yet again, her powerful memorialisation of the women killed over the past year. It was an honour, yet again, to have some members of the families of those individuals join us in the Public Gallery. There can be no starker or more sobering illustration that so many women still lose their lives to male violence and far too many others are still living in fear of it. Let us compare our situation in safety here to the situation that those women remain in right now, in our country, in their homes, in their workplaces and on the street.

I am grateful to my right hon. Friend the Member for Kingston upon Hull North (Dame Diana Johnson) for speaking so authoritatively about the behaviour of male perpetrators and the need to end their impunity, including when they commit gateway offences such as exposure. I am also grateful to my hon. Friend the Member for Vauxhall (Florence Eshalomi), who was absolutely right that we should call a spade a spade, and a murderer a murderer. As the hon. Member for Thurrock (Jackie Doyle-Price) rightly said, these are not soap operas but despicable crimes and despicable criminals. That must always be the case in the broadcast and print media, as my hon. Friend the Member for Brent Central (Dawn Butler) so powerfully set out in her contribution. That must also be the case on social media, and I associate myself with the remarks from my hon. Friend the Member for Erith and Thamesmead.

We need stronger action against violent misogyny online. I am afraid that the Online Safety Bill is simply not tough enough to deal with that cancer in our society. We need more action on policing and in other areas on criminal justice, too. Police-recorded rape and sexual offences are at record highs, but just 1.5% of recorded rapes lead to convictions. More than two thirds of women have experienced some form of sexual harassment in a public space, and 86% of 18 to 24-year-olds.

The criminal justice system is in disarray, I am afraid to say; we all know that, because as constituency MPs we see it in our casework every single day. Women’s refuges—those that are still open—are full. Women and girls are being put at risk. Many of us will question, as hon. Members have done today, why there was no mention of making Britain safer for all in the Prime Minister’s five key priorities.

No one believes that ending violence against women and girls will be easy, but we certainly cannot do it with short-term, sticking-plaster solutions. We need a comprehensive approach. That is why Labour’s cross-cutting Green Paper “Ending Violence Against Women and Girls” sets out our plan to embed action across every Department. It includes proposals for a new street harassment law, tougher sentences for rapists and whole-life tariffs for those who rape, abduct and murder. It includes having domestic violence specialists in every 999 control centre. It includes making misogyny a hate crime. It would ensure the compulsory vetting of police officers in every police force. We would give victims access to the justice that they deserve. We really cannot delay.

Nor can we delay in other areas that are critical to women’s lives. Previous Labour Governments did not delay: they introduced the Equal Pay Act 1970, the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and of course the Equality Act 2010. We are determined to go further. We will match that record and go beyond it by putting women’s equality at the heart of everything we do, and we will start by taking action on the gender pay gap. It is disturbing that that gap has increased by 12% in the past two years alone.

The Minister for Women (Maria Caulfield) indicated dissent.

Anneliese Dodds

Those are ONS statistics. We need proper action to eliminate that inequality for women, so I am delighted to be working with my right hon. Friend the Member for Leeds West (Rachel Reeves) and with Frances O’Grady to review how we can go further and faster to close the gap. We also need action so that flexibility for women in the workplace is not just in the hands of employers. We need equal pay comparisons between employers, not just within a single employer. We need a modern childcare system, as my hon. Friend the Member for Houghton and Sunderland South (Bridget Phillipson) has ably set out.

As I have the floor for a few more moments, I want to talk about a group of women who rarely get a hearing in this place. I am talking about midlife women: women in their 40s, 50s and 60s. They experience a series of immense pressures—they are often expected to hold down a job, care for elderly parents and support older children—but when we look at how they are faring economically, we can see that over recent years things have moved backwards for them. In the past decade, women in their 40s and 50s have seen their real wages fall by almost £1,000 a year. Since the pandemic, 185,000 women between 50 and 64 have left the workforce at a cost of up to £7 billion to the British economy.

Karin Smyth

My hon. Friend is making an excellent point. Does she agree that it is astonishing that the Government are not looking at the issue in the way that we have done? They are concerned about growth in the economy and particularly about the loss of women from the workforce, but they are not looking at social care or childcare. Does she agree that if they want to steal our plans, they are welcome to do so and we will cheer them on?

Anneliese Dodds

I would be delighted if the Government stole those plans. I would also be delighted if they looked at Labour’s measures for the NHS, because a fifth of the women I spoke about are on an NHS waiting list. I have been up and down the country talking to women on gynaecology waiting lists, women who are not getting breast cancer referrals on time and women who have not been able to access cervical cancer screening, for which rates have been falling. We can see how big a problem there is and we can see how our plan for the workforce is so urgently needed.

We would also love the Government to steal Labour’s plan for larger employers to have menopause action plans. Many businesses have welcomed that measure, but so far the Government have not yet adopted it, although the nodding of the Minister on the Front Bench leads me to hope that they may do so. We need action on that, and we need greater action for women.

Women need answers to these questions because, sadly, too many women will feel that they have little to celebrate on this International Women’s Day in our country. Sadly, that applies even more in many other countries, as hon. Members have discussed throughout this debate. Earlier this week, I had the immense privilege of taking part in a roundtable with women activists from Iran and Kurdish women. Their strength is inspiring, but what they have been through is horrendous. We must stand with them, as has been said. We must also stand with the women of the United States, following the attacks on their bodily autonomy. We must stand with the women of Afghanistan and of Ukraine. We must stand with women in countries subject to appallingly high rates of femicide, such as El Salvador. We must stand with women from all nations in which women’s lives are devalued.

My mission as shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities is to ensure that every woman is recognised, valued and empowered to reach their full potential. I want us to be able to look forward to a future in which our debates in the week of International Women’s Day can focus solely on the brilliant achievements of women and girls in all their diversity—those women and girls who make this country great—rather than on having to detail so many barriers holding them back.

March 13, 2023