Tag: 2024

Cat Smith – 2024 Speech in Support of Lindsay Hoyle Remaining as Speaker

The speech made by Cat Smith, the Labour MP for Lancaster and Wyre, in the House of Commons on 9 July 2024.

I beg to move, That Sir Lindsay Hoyle do take the Chair of this House as Speaker.

As far as I am concerned, the best thing about having Lindsay as Speaker is how good it is to have someone in the Chair who does not have an accent. I have been talking to lots of my constituents over the past six weeks, and they agree with me! So I have figured it out, Lindsay. We are not the ones with the accents; it is everyone else.

But seriously, Lindsay is a great champion for Lancashire, just as he is for this House of Commons. None of us in Lancashire could have imagined that Nancy Pelosi would walk those famous cobbles of Coronation Street, but Lindsay, you did it. It seems that no part of Lancashire’s cultural reputation is out of bounds for Lindsay when hosting international speakers—indeed, having a pint of mild in the Rovers Return with Nancy Pelosi.

It is a great pleasure today to be able to speak about my good friend from Chorley. I have several friends from Chorley, including my office manager Steven, who often regales my Lancaster constituency office with tales of his childhood in Lancashire’s second town. One of my favourite anecdotes is of Chorley zoo—I did not know that Chorley had a zoo. Apparently, it is known as Chog zoo; that might be the first reference in Hansard to Chog, which is the slang for Chorley. Upon further investigation, the zoo was in fact Pets Corner in Astley Park. However, to this day, I suspect that a young Steven was mistaking the Hoyle household menagerie for an actual zoo. With cats, dogs, parrots and tortoises, Lindsay Hoyle really does live out the truism that we are a nation of animal lovers.

If you head three hours south from Lancashire, you will find yourself here. Arriving in this grand building as a newly elected Member is daunting—the weight of pressure that you feel to deliver for your constituents, using parliamentary procedures that seem so confusing to bring about the change you have promised, can be immense. It can be difficult to know where to start, but a good place to start is by electing a good Speaker of the House of Commons, one with experience of eventualities that could not be foreseen. Lindsay recalled in his remarks the covid restrictions we needed to adapt to at speed during the pandemic. Indeed, he is the Speaker who steered us through that pandemic and steered us through those Rees-Mogg congas. He adapted procedures for the times we found ourselves in.

It is also important to know that we have a Speaker who champions the voices of us Back Benchers, and one who ensures that all voices—Government and Opposition—are heard. Our Speaker is fair, impartial and independent. Newly elected Members will find a great friend in our Speaker, and I know I have. Being from Lancashire myself, I had the good fortune of knowing Lindsay before I was elected, and over the years he has been a great source of advice and guidance, some of which I took and some of which I chose to ignore. All I can say is that the advice I ignored I regret ignoring, and live to tell the consequences. Despite being annoyingly right about many things, which is a good Lancashire trait by the way, he will ensure that his door is open to all Members at times of need. I can vouch that he does a good brew—it is Yorkshire Tea though—but for those who prefer something from the right side of the Pennines and from the red rose county, I can say that his is the only place on this estate outside my own office I have managed to get a hot Vimto.

However, we all have our character flaws, and regrettably Lindsay does not support Lancashire’s finest football team, Barrow, instead donning the colours of Bolton Wanderers.

Yasmin Qureshi (Bolton South and Walkden) (Lab)

Yay!

Cat Smith

We have a Bolton Wanderers fan.

We should note that that team has both blue and red on its crest, and I think that exemplifies Mr Speaker’s even-handedness. As a proud champion of Lancashire’s rugby league tradition, outside Westminster his favourite place is cheering on Warrington Wolves, and in the summer months Lancashire county cricket club. Like all good sports people, Lindsay knows fair play and hard work. For all those reasons and so many more, I am proud and honoured to propose that Sir Lindsay Hoyle takes the Chair today.

July 10, 2024
Lindsay Hoyle – 2024 Speech Accepting Nomination to Remain as Speaker

The speech made by Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker of the House of Commons, in the House on 9 July 2024.

First, I thank my constituents of Chorley for returning me to this House and allowing me to put myself forward again as Speaker. It is an honour to serve the people of Chorley, as I have done steadfastly for the last 44 years, as a councillor on the local authority and then as their Member of Parliament for the past 27 years. I also thank my wife Catherine and daughter Emma, and the staff in the constituency office in Chorley, for all their support.

Of course, it was the first time in my political career that I campaigned without hearing the wise words of my late father Doug, giving me his opinions on how to campaign—he was always going to give me that, whatever the polls were doing and whatever needed to be said. I can still hear him now, saying, “Don’t stop now. You have to keep going.” I must say, after 25,000 steps a day during the campaign, I certainly did that.

I want to give a warm welcome to all the new Members of the House. I also welcome Sir Edward Leigh to his new role as Father of the House, and Diane Abbott to her place as Mother of the House. Sir Edward, you have served this place and your constituents for 41 years. Diane, you have served for 37 years, and broken many glass ceilings along the way. I thank the former Father of the House, Sir Peter Bottomley, and of course the former Mother of the House, Baroness Harriet Harman, for the support they gave me during my speakership.

Sir Edward, I know you are a man who respects traditions. Indeed, when you ran for Speaker in 2019, you were keen to bring back the use of the wig by the Speaker. Hopefully, though, you will look kindly on me and agree that I still have a decent enough head of hair, although not quite as luscious as that of the former Member for Lichfield—[Laughter.] You know I am only joking, Michael! I was thinking just the other day, Sir Edward, that you must be the only person who went to bed last Thursday evening as a father of six children, and woke up the father of 649.

On a serious note, it has been an absolute privilege to serve this House as the 158th Speaker. I must say that four and a half years have flown. With the authority of the Chair comes great responsibility, which is something I have never taken lightly or for granted.

I know from experience that decisions have consequences, but with experience comes wisdom, and if re-elected, I will be guided by that experience as I continue to be fair, impartial and independent.

To say that I had the most unusual speakership in the last Parliament is an understatement, from ensuring that the House could function during the covid pandemic —new Members might want to google the Rees-Mogg conga—to adapting technology developed during covid to allow President Zelensky to be the first world leader to broadcast to MPs in this Chamber. It was, of course, an honour to represent this House at the lying in state of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, to present the address to the new King in Westminster Hall, and to attend his coronation. Needless to say, in this role, you need staying power. I have already been Speaker during the tenure of three Prime Ministers, two monarchs—and one Jim Shannon! [Laughter.]

There has never been a dull moment; it is an incredible job, which I want to continue. There is so much more still to do, because I care about the reputation and the standards of this House. I care about enabling the Government to do their job in this Chamber, and about enabling the Opposition to hold the Government to account. I care about supporting Back Benchers to pursue issues that are important to their constituencies— as someone who was a Back-Bench Member for many years, I know how important that is—and I care about you individually, both as Members who have a job to do in this building and as people trying to do those jobs with constituents, staff and families to consider. I have worked tirelessly, and will continue to do so, to keep Members safe, which is the fundamental part of protecting democracy. On that basis, I submit myself to the House as your Speaker, seeking to be your champion.

July 10, 2024
Keir Starmer – 2024 Comments at Downing Street

The comments made by Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, on 6 July 2024.

Thank you all for coming. Yesterday the work of change began…

And as the dust settles on Thursday’s result, what is becoming clear for, I think, all to see is the mood of the nation, of the country…

What is expected of us and the mandate that we have to deliver change…

It’s a mandate not just to govern, although it is certainly that, but it’s a mandate that has put trust in us to change the country and to deliver…

And it’s a mandate to do politics differently…

And that change started yesterday as well…

I have, as you’ll have seen, appointed a Cabinet…

That was done yesterday afternoon and completed…

Some went to the Privy Council this morning to receive their seals, which was a moment in history…

We followed that with the first Cabinet meeting of the Labour government of 2024…

At that Cabinet meeting, I had the opportunity to set out precisely what I expect of them in terms of standards, delivery and the trust that the country has put in them…

And yesterday I met Laurie Magnus, the Independent Adviser on standards, to discuss how we deliver in government…

At the Cabinet meeting, I also discussed mission delivery…

How we would put into action the plans that we have set out in our manifesto…

And that we will have mission delivery boards to drive through the change that we need, and that I will be chairing those boards to make sure that it’s clear to everyone that they are my priority in government…

We also talked about preparations for the King’s speech…

And I reminded the entire Cabinet, that we will be judged on actions, not on words…

And this afternoon, I will continue to make a number of frontbench appointments…

We clearly on Thursday got a mandate, from all four nations for the first time in 20 plus years…

We have a majority in England, in Scotland and in Wales…

And that is a clear mandate to govern for all four corners of the United Kingdom…

And therefore, I shall set off tomorrow to be in all four nations…

I shall go first to Scotland…

I shall then go to Northern Ireland…

Then to Wales, and then back to England…

Where I will meet the First Ministers, not just to discuss the issues and challenges of the day. Of course, we will do that…

But also to establish a way of working across the United Kingdom that will be different and better to the way of working that we’ve had in recent years, and to recognise the contributions of all four nations…

On Thursday, we also got a mandate on economic growth – the number one mission of the Labour government…

And so we discussed at Cabinet and have started the work on driving growth…

And to make sure that growth is everywhere across the whole country so that people are better off everywhere, wherever they live…

The principle I operate to is those with skin in the game know what’s best for their communities, and that does require us to be bold about pushing power and resource out of Whitehall…

And therefore, when I return from the four nations, I shall hold a meeting of the Metro mayors to discuss with them their part in delivering the growth that we need across the United Kingdom…

That will be on Tuesday…

That will include non-Labour Metro mayors…

There’s no monopoly on good ideas…

And I’m not a tribal politician…

And the principle I operate to, whether it’s mayors or other elected representatives, is that where regional leaders want to deliver for their area…

Then, regardless of the colour of their rosette, my door is open and my government will work with them…

Later on Tuesday, I shall set off to Washington for the NATO summit…

I’ve already had a number of international calls, as you will know, and as you would have expected, to establish the relations across with other countries to have really important discussions about Ukraine and other pressing issues…

And Washington will be an opportunity for me to have further discussions with some of the leaders I’ve already spoken to and some that I’m due to speak to…

It is, of course, an important summit on NATO…

It is for me to be absolutely clear that the first duty of my government is security and defense, to make clear our unshakable support of NATO…

And of course, to reiterate, as I did to President Zelenskyy yesterday, the support that we will have in this country and with our allies towards Ukraine…

So this will be a politics and a government that is about delivery, is about service…

Self-interest is yesterday’s politics…

I want a politics and a country that works for you…

Thank you very much.

July 9, 2024
PRESS RELEASE : Keir Stamer call with Prime Minister Albanese of Australia [July 2024]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 6 July 2024.

The Prime Minister spoke to the Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, this morning.

The Prime Minister thanked the Australian leader for kind words of congratulations on his election victory.

Looking ahead to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa later this year, the leaders discussed key challenges facing the region, including strategic competition and climate change.

He added that he hoped to build on the already strong AUKUS partnership between the UK, Australia and the US.

The leaders agreed to stay in close touch.

July 9, 2024
PRESS RELEASE : Keir Starmer call with Prime Minister Kishida of Japan [July 2024]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 6 July 2024.

The Prime Minister spoke to the Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida, this morning.

The Prime Minister welcomed the strength of the relationship between the UK and Japan, adding that he had been honoured to meet the The Emperor and Empress of Japan during their State Visit to the United Kingdom last month.

Discussing regional stability, as well as the situations in the Middle East and Ukraine, the leaders underscored that the security of the Euro-Atlantic region and Indo-Pacific was indivisible.

The Prime Minister added that both countries were more resilient to shared global challenges when they worked together, including in defence of an open international order.

Both leaders looked forward to meeting in person at the NATO Summit next week.

July 8, 2024
PRESS RELEASE : Keir Starmer call with Prime Minister Modi of India [July 2024]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 6 July 2024.

The Prime Minister spoke to the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, this morning.

The leaders exchanged congratulations on their respective election wins, and reflected on the strength of the relationship between the UK and India.

The Prime Minister said he looked forward to further deepening the strong and respectful relationship between both countries, and welcomed Prime Minister Modi’s leadership on key global challenges, such as climate change and economic growth.

Discussing the importance of the living bridge between the UK and India, and the 2030 roadmap, the leaders agreed there was a wide range of areas across defence and security, critical and emerging technology, and climate change, for the two countries to deepen cooperation on.

Discussing the Free Trade Agreement, the Prime Minister said he stood ready to conclude a deal that worked for both sides.

The leaders hoped to meet at the earliest opportunity.

July 8, 2024
John Healey – 2024 Speech to Defence Staff

The speech made by John Healey, the Secretary of State for Defence, on 5 July 2024.

Thank you for that welcome. It is for me an honour to be asked by the Prime Minister to serve in this role and to have the chance to work with you all in the months and years ahead.

The work you do is vital and we are proud of the professionalism and your dedication to serving this nation, both in uniform and out. So thank you for everything that you do.

You will have my fullest support as your Defence Secretary.

We know these are serious times – war in Europe, conflict in the Middle East, growing Russian aggression, increasing global threats.

We know there are serious problems – with our Armed Forces hollowed out and under funded for 14 years.

And this government now is totally committed to 2.5% of Defence spending, to NATO, to the nuclear deterrent and to support for Ukraine.

The country has new leadership. This Ministry has new leadership. Our mission is to make Britain secure at home and strong abroad, with the guiding principle of one Defence. Because it isn’t just those who serve in uniform who defend this country, it’s those of you who serve in the Civil Service, who work on the production line, who staff the research labs, who develop software – and I want to see Defence at the heart both of the future security of this country, and the future success of this country.

And that means an Armed Forces well-equipped and ready to fight, a skilled, scalable industrial base, a stronger relationship with allies, a more influential MOD, a public that understands and better supports, those who are willing to serve – those whose service is the ultimate form of public service.

And I do have to tell you I am more interested in results than photo opportunities. And I look forward to learning from your experience and hearing your ideas about how we can develop one Defence.

I will rely on your experience, your honesty. I’ll rely on your dedication to solve the problems, in delivering the government’s defence plans.

And I know I will also be inspired by what you do.

And as Keir Starmer said in Downing Street, we will be a government that respects all. So we will have an Armed Forces and Civil Service, drawing on all the talents. We’ll have a culture that values all, and we’ll have zero tolerance for any abuse, in the military or the Civil Service.

We must forge one Defence, one mission: to make Britain secure at home and strong abroad.

And to all of you, I and the ministerial team, look forward so much to that opportunity to work with you, to deliver just that for our country.

Thank you very much indeed.

July 8, 2024
David Lammy – 2024 Speech on Reconnecting Britain for our Security and Prosperity

The speech made by David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, on 5 July 2024.

It is the honour of my life to stand before you as Foreign Secretary. A descendant of enslaved people. A black, working class, man from Tottenham. A community which has never produced a Foreign Secretary before.

This speaks to what a modern, multicultural Britain can be. Proudly internationalist. Determined to deliver for working people. And committed to building a better future for us all.

Britain has enormous potential. But the world faces huge challenges. More countries engaged in conflict than at any time since World War II. Rapidly changing technology. And a climate emergency.

This government will reconnect Britain for our security and prosperity at home. What happens here in the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office is essential. Diplomacy matters.

We will begin with a reset with Europe, on climate and with the global South.  And a gear-shift when it comes to delivering on European security, global security and British growth.

My story is a story of progress. Progress won by all those who fought for a better future.

Together, let us fight for a better future once again. Change begins now.

July 8, 2024
PRESS RELEASE : Keir Starmer call with Prime Minister Trudeau of Canada [July 2024]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 5 July 2024.

The Prime Minister spoke to the Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau this evening.

Prime Minister Trudeau began by congratulating the Prime Minister on his election victory and expressed his warm wishes for him in his new role.

The leaders reflected on the strong relationship between the UK and Canada and agreed on the importance of working closely together on areas of shared interest, including trade, security and support for Ukraine.

Both looked forward to meeting at the NATO Summit in Washington next week.

July 8, 2024
PRESS RELEASE : Keir Starmer call with Prime Minister Tusk of Poland [July 2024]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 5 July 2024.

The Prime Minister spoke to the Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk this evening.

The Prime Minister thanked Prime Minister Tusk for his kind words of congratulations and said he was pleased to have another Arsenal supporter in the European world leader ranks.

Reflecting on the close relationship between the UK and Poland, the leaders discussed the strong defence ties between both countries and their unwavering commitment to Ukraine.

The leaders welcomed the opportunity to further strengthen both the bilateral and wider European relationship, including through the upcoming European Political Community Summit.

July 8, 2024