Tag: 2025

PRESS RELEASE : New cyber laws to safeguard UK economy and secure long-term growth [April 2025]
The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 1 April 2025.

The government sets out the scope and ambition of the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill for the first time today.
- Plans set out to bolster UK’s online defences, protect the public and safeguard growth – the central pillar of the UK government’s Plan for Change.
- New measures will boost protection of supply chains and critical national services, including IT service providers and suppliers.
- Cyber Security and Resilience Bill to be introduced later this year to face down growing range of online threats.
Hospitals and energy suppliers are set to boost their cyber defences under the new Cyber Security Bill, protecting public services and safeguarding growth as government delivers its Plan for Change.

This will ensure firms providing essential IT services to public services and the wider economy are no longer an easy target for cyber criminals. 1,000 service providers will fall into scope of measures expected to be introduced later this year.

The move forms part of the government’s drive to secure Britain’s future through the Plan for Change, delivering security and renewal by strengthening our critical infrastructure. It will give the British public, businesses and investors greater confidence in digital services – supporting the government’s mission to kickstart economic growth.

Cyber threats cost the UK economy almost £22 billion a year between 2015 and 2019 and cause significant disruption to the British public and businesses. Last summer’s attack on Synnovis – a provider of pathology services to the NHS – cost an estimated £32.7 million and saw thousands of missed appointments for patients. Figures also show a hypothetical cyber-attack focused on key energy services in the South East of England could wipe over £49 billion from the wider UK economy.

Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Technology, Peter Kyle, said:

Economic growth is the cornerstone of our Plan for Change, and ensuring the security of the vital services which will deliver that growth is non-negotiable.

Attempts to disrupt our way of life and attack our digital economy are only gathering pace, and we will not stand by as these incidents hold our future prosperity hostage.

The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, will help make the UK’s digital economy one of the most secure in the world – giving us the power to protect our services, our supply chains, and our citizens – the first and most important job of any government.

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said:

Cyber attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated and create real risks for our health service if we do not act now to put the right protections in place.

We are building an NHS that is fit for the future. This bill will boost the NHS’s resilience against cyber threats, secure sensitive patient data and make sure life-saving appointments are not missed as we deliver our Plan for Change.

The government is also exploring additional measures to make sure it can respond effectively to new cyber threats and take rapid action where needed to protect the UK’s national security. This includes giving the Technology Secretary powers to direct regulated organisations to shore up their cyber defences – putting the UK in the strongest possible footing to defend against new and existing threats.

Another potential avenue may include new protections for more than 200 data centres – bolstering the defences of one of the main drivers of economic growth and innovation, including through AI. Data centres process mountains of data which they need to churn out new products which have become commonplace everywhere from banking and online shopping to booking holidays and staying in touch with friends and family. The government will now consider the best route to deliver these additional measures.

In the year to September 2024, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) managed 430 cyber incidents, with 89 of these being classed as nationally significant – a rate of almost two every week. The most recent iteration of the Cyber Security Breaches Survey also highlights 50% of British businesses suffering a cyber breach or attack in the last 12 months, with more than 7 million incidents being reported in 2024.

To face down this threat, the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will ensure the vital infrastructure and digital services the country relies on are more secure than ever, as the government sets out its legislative ambitions for the first time today.

Richard Horne, NCSC CEO, said:

The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill is a landmark moment that will ensure we can improve the cyber defences of the critical services on which we rely every day, such as water, power and healthcare.

It is a pivotal step toward stronger, more dynamic regulation, one that not only keeps up with emerging threats but also makes it as challenging as possible for our adversaries.

By bolstering their cyber defences and engaging with the NCSC’s guidance and tools, such as Cyber Assessment Framework, Cyber Essentials, and Active Cyber Defence, organisations of all sizes will be better prepared to meet the increasingly sophisticated challenges.

While the legislation will arm the UK with the cyber defences it needs to meet the challenges of today, it also includes measures to ensure a swift response to new threats which emerge in the future. To do this, the Technology Secretary will be given powers to update the regulatory framework to keep pace with the ever-changing cyber landscape.

Confirmed in last year’s King’s Speech, today marks the first time the government has shared full details on its plans for the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, which will be introduced to Parliament this year.

The legislative proposals follow other government recent action to boost UK cyber security, including a new, world-leading AI cyber security standard to protect AI systems, a new international coalition to boost cyber skills and the Cyber Local programme to support the UK’s rapidly growing £13.2 billion cyber security industry, which has created 6,600 new jobs in the past year.

Further Information

A full copy of the policy statement containing details of the measures in the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill policy statement has been published today.

Figures on the economic impact of a hypothetical cyber incident targeting the South East’s energy structure (PDF) by the University of Cambridge.

If the proposals are adopted:
- More organisations and suppliers will need to meet robust cyber security requirements, including data centres, Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and critical suppliers. This means third-party suppliers will need to boost their cyber security in areas such as risk assessment to minimise the possible impact of cyber- attacks, while also beefing up their data protection and network security defences.
- Regulators will have more tools to improve cyber security and resilience in the areas they regulate, with companies required to report more incidents to help build a stronger picture of cyber threats and weaknesses in our online defences.
- The government would have greater flexibility to update regulatory frameworks when needed, to respond swiftly to changing threats and technological advancement. This could include extending the framework to new sectors or updating security requirements.
April 1, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Landmark summit agrees new measures against organised immigration crime [March 2025]
The press release issued by the Home Office on 31 March 2025.

The Prime Minister and Home Secretary gathered leaders from across the world in London today (31 March) to tackle organised immigration crime.

The purpose of the Organised Immigration Crime Summit is to agree new action to tackle organised immigration crime (OIC) and boost border security.

Discussions at day 1 of the summit included:
- tackling the supply chains and enablers of OIC
- the role of criminal finances in facilitating OIC
- the UK’s systems based approach to border security
as well as how countries can tackle organised crime groups’ operations online in relation to the advertising, promoting and facilitating of illegal immigration services.

The UK and allies including France, Iraq, Vietnam and the USA, and partners including the National Crime Agency (NCA) and representatives from social media organisations, met to agree actions to secure our collective borders, protect vulnerable people from exploitation, and tackle the global threat of organised immigration crime.

Unlike previous summits, this event engaged both European nations and key source and transit countries, as well as those that are integral to the supply of equipment, including small boats and engines, ensuring a broader, more comprehensive approach to tackling OIC.

Concrete outcomes have been agreed across Europe, Asia, Middle East, Africa, and North America to strengthen international partnerships to disrupt OIC networks. This also includes new joint work with France to tackle irregular migration in source and transit countries, through community outreach and bolstering false document detection capabilities to Iraqi officials.

The agreement represents a key step forward in the government’s Plan for Change to deliver on working people’s priorities to restore order to the immigration system and comes after the publication of new figures showing more than 24,000 people with no right to be here have been returned since the election – the highest rate of returns in 8 years.

A communiqué was issued that sets out how we will deepen our collaboration internationally to tackle this vile crime.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said:

Organised immigration crime undermines our security and puts lives at risk. The criminal networks have spread across the globe and no single country can tackle this problem alone.

Today, at the Organised Immigration Crime Summit, the UK has led the way forward by securing international commitments to disrupt and pursue this vile criminal trade in people – part of our Plan for Change to strengthen our borders and keep communities safe.

Border Security Commander Martin Hewitt said:

I have said since I came into my post as Border Security Commander that organised immigration crime requires a coordinated international response to effectively dismantle criminal networks.

In my role I have seen first-hand how the cruelty and greed of criminal gangs puts the lives of the most vulnerable at risk in dangerous small boat crossings all for financial gain.

This summit marks a step change in the international community’s approach to tackling the problem, presenting a critical opportunity to strengthen global cooperation, disrupt criminal networks, and prevent further loss of life.

Director General of the National Crime Agency (NCA) Graeme Biggar said:

Criminal gangs are using sophisticated online tactics, the abuse of legitimate goods and services, and illicit financial networks to facilitate dangerous and illegal journeys which put thousands of lives at risk each year and undermine border security.

Today’s summit sets out international agreements to tackle an international problem.

International intelligence sharing and cooperation is absolutely crucial to track criminal activity across borders allowing us to put a stop to these dangerous criminals.

In addition, today the Home Secretary confirmed over £30 million in funding within the Border Security Command to tackle Organised Immigration Criminal Networks. This significant funding package will be spent on key security projects across Europe, the Western Balkans, Asia and Africa, designed to strengthen border security and combat international criminal smuggling gangs.

The Home Secretary also announced joint work with France to fund an additional grassroots engagement programme to educate local communities on the dangers of irregular migration and people smuggling gangs, raising awareness of the realities and difficulties with travelling to Northern France to cross the Channel to the UK.

This will target both potential irregular migrants and, for the first time, teachers, religious leaders, and family members within vulnerable communities, and builds on the Home Office digital deterrence comms campaign that is already running in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

The UK will also collaborate with France to deliver critical training to Iraqi officials and commercial transport staff, helping them detect fraudulent documents and passports used to facilitate irregular migration and OIC activities.
April 1, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Keir Starmer meeting with President Stubb of Finland [March 2025]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 31 March 2025.

The Prime Minister welcomed the President of Finland Alexander Stubb to Downing Street this afternoon.

They discussed the successful Coalition of the Willing meeting in Paris last week, noting the strong momentum from European leaders to keep Ukraine in the fight and increase the pressure on Putin to agree a peace deal.

The Prime Minister then updated the President on his ongoing work to strengthen the UK’s relationship with the European Union across a number of areas including defence and security, trade and economic growth. The President warmly welcomed the progress made so far.

As fellow NATO and JEF members, they agreed that the UK and Finland share a close and unique partnership which they will continue working to strengthen in the coming months.

April 1, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Downing Street opens doors to Adolescence creators for vital discussion on protecting our children [March 2025]
The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 31 March 2025.

The Prime Minister met with Adolescence creators, charities and young people to discuss the issues raised in the series during a meeting focused on rethinking adolescent safety today.
- Prime Minister convenes conversation on rethinking adolescent safety and how to prevent young boys being dragged into “whirlpool of hatred and misogyny”
- Downing Street welcomes Adolescence creators, charities and young people to listen to experiences of children today
- Backed by the Prime Minister, students to watch Netflix drama Adolescence for free in secondary schools across the country
Today the Prime Minister met with Adolescence creators, charities and young people to discuss the issues raised in the series during a meeting focused on rethinking adolescent safety.

Joined by Adolescence co-writer Jack Thorne and producer Jo Johnson, the group met to discuss the challenges facing children and parents today. It also looked at how the Government can work in collaboration to ensure young people have the right tools, support and environment to learn about healthy relationships.

The meeting comes as Netflix makes the drama free to all secondary schools across the country through the Into Film+ schools streaming service and backed by the Prime Minister in the House of Commons. The series will help students better understand the impact of misogyny, dangers of online radicalisation and the importance of healthy relationships.

Giving children the best start in life, making our communities safer and preventing young people falling into crime are central to this government’s Plan for Change.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:

As a father, watching this show with my teenage son and daughter, I can tell you – it hit home hard.

It’s an important initiative to encourage as many pupils as possible to watch the show. As I see from my own children, openly talking about changes in how they communicate, the content they’re seeing, and exploring the conversations they’re having with their peers is vital if we are to properly support them in navigating contemporary challenges, and deal with malign influences.

This isn’t a challenge politicians can simply legislate for. Believe me, if I could pull a lever to solve it, I would. Only by listening and learning from the experiences of young people and charities can we tackle the issues this groundbreaking show raises.

At the meeting, the Prime Minister set out how this issue is personal to him. After years spent working as the Director of Public Prosecutions, he has seen the devastation that misogyny and violence leaves behind, and how it tears through families and communities.

Charities invited to Downing Street include the NSPCC, Movember, Beyond Quality, Children’s Society as well as a young person who shared their own experience of becoming immersed in similar online content.

The Prime Minister was also joined by Netflix and Tender charity who have provided resources and guides for parents, carers and teachers on the issues explored in Adolescence, as well as Into Film, the charity enabling the free viewing in schools via its Into Film+ schools streaming service.

Jack Thorne, Adolescence Co-Writer, said:

We made this show to provoke a conversation. We wanted to pose the question – how do we help stop this growing crisis. So to have the opportunity to take this into schools is beyond our expectations. We hope it’ll lead to teachers talking to the students, but what we really hope is it’ll lead to students talking amongst themselves.

Anne Mensah, Netflix VP UK Content, said:

Adolescence has captured the national mood, sparking important conversations and helping articulate the pressures young people and parents face in today’s society.

We’re incredibly proud of the impact the show has made, and are delighted to be able to offer it to all schools across the UK through Into Film+. As part of this, healthy relationships charity Tender will create resources for teachers and parents to help them navigate the important topics the show explores.

The Government has taken action to ensure it is protecting children from the issues raised in the series.

The Online Safety Act’s illegal content duties have come into force targeting the most harmful material including extreme pornography.

From the summer, platforms will also have to ensure children have an age-appropriate experience online preventing them from seeing dangerous content which includes abusive and hateful misogyny and violence.

The Online Safety Act is not the end of the conversation but the foundation. As the Prime Minister has done so today, the Government is committed to listening and will not hesitate to strengthen the law further where necessary.

The Government is also reviewing the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) statutory guidance, following a consultation that closed last summer. It is closely looking at the consultation responses, engaging with stakeholders and considering the relevant evidence before setting out next steps to take the guidance forward.

Maria Neophytou, NSPCC Director of Strategy & Knowledge said:

The debates around the Netflix series Adolescence, and the themes within it, are both disturbing and important. Today’s meeting with the Prime Minister was a critical milestone for young people and for the NSPCC; a chance to come together and discuss what we can do to ensure young people are growing up in healthy, happy and safe environments.

The online world is being polluted by harmful and misogynistic content which is having a direct impact on the development of young people’s thinking and behaviours. This cannot be allowed to continue.

It is vital young people have access to high-quality, age-appropriate lessons in school about healthy relationships and understand why misogyny is so harmful and has no place in our society. And that parents have guidance and support around how to keep their children safe online. But we can’t expect teachers and parents to do all the heavy lifting.

Tech companies must now put the wellbeing of children first, as demanded by the Online Safety Act. They have a responsibility to ensure their platforms and sites are safe by design for young users: that age limits are enforced, that children’s privacy is respected, that algorithms are not targeting and bombarding them with harmful content, and that there are clear and simple ways for young users to complain about what they are experiencing online and seek support.
April 1, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Pub-owning businesses agree minimum standards for tenants on short agreements [March 2024]

The press release issued by the Pubs Code Adjudicator on 31 March 2025.

The 6 regulated pub-owning businesses have worked together with the PCA to agree minimum standards in dealing with tied tenants on short agreements over and above what the Pubs Code requires.

A tenancy at will or short agreement is often used by pub companies to enable a tenant to begin operating a pub while a longer-term agreement is finalised. Such an agreement can provide an opportunity for both parties to understand whether the business relationship will work, and it can be a good introduction to the trade for a new operator.

If the business relationship is going to develop well, it is vital that the operator on a short agreement gets off to the right start. These transparent minimum standards for dealing fairly with tenants on short agreements can support them in their businesses.

Most rights in the Pubs Code do not apply to tenants on short agreements. However, those entering into such an agreement do have the right to certain information from their pub company and must be advised to complete pubs entry training unless they have certain business experience. A short agreement under the Pubs Code is a tied agreement which is either a tenancy at will or a tied tenancy which (when considered together with any other agreements) entitles the tenant to occupy the pub for under 12 months.

Using the relevant Pubs Code rights of tenants on substantive agreements as a guide, the pub companies regulated under the Pubs Code have worked together with the PCA to agree minimum standards. While largely reflecting existing business practices, these standards provide clarity to those entering into a short agreement on what they can expect from their pub company in addition to what the Pubs Code requires.

Fiona Dickie said:

“Everyone wants tied tenants to do well, and getting off to a strong start is essential. Those on tenancies at will and other short agreements are entitled to be treated fairly. It is particularly important that they should be advised not to invest their own money in the pub when on agreements which can be terminated at short notice. I’m pleased that the regulated pub companies have agreed to a consistent set of minimum standards to reflect their business practices over and above what the Pubs Code requires them to do. This should help tied tenants to understand what they can expect from their relationship with them”.

The short agreements minimum standards document can be found here: Short agreements – minimum standards (March 2025) – GOV.UK

April 1, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Homes England agrees purchase of key Nottingham regeneration site [March 2025]

The press release issued by Homes England on 31 March 2025.

Acquisition of Broad Marsh site signals boost for city’s regeneration vision  and the start of major redevelopment in Nottingham.

The regeneration of Nottingham city centre has taken a major step forward following an agreement for Homes England to purchase the Broad Marsh site from Nottingham City Council.

The Government’s housing and regeneration agency will acquire the council’s land ownership of the former shopping centre, land to the west of the Green Heart, a multi-storey car park, Severns House and a former college site.

The next stage of development will include de-risking of the site, such as demolition and enabling works, to attract private sector developers with the necessary credentials and proven track record to deliver transformational, exemplar city centre projects.

The development of the site will bring forward around 1,000 homes, up to 20,000 square metres of retail, office and community spaces and create around 2,000 full-time jobs.

Eamonn Boylan, Chief Executive of Homes England, said:

The acquisition of Broad Marsh is a major milestone in the city council’s vision of regeneration for this area of Nottingham.

We have worked closely with the council since 2022 to provide professional advice and support. Now that we have acquired the site, our teams will be working with partners to attract the right developer to deliver the new homes, employment spaces and leisure facilities necessary to create a vibrant city centre neighbourhood that the people of Nottingham can be proud of.

Broad Marsh is Nottingham’s top priority regeneration project, with significant progress already made by Nottingham City Council (NCC) in advancing its vision. Key achievements include the establishment of a new Nottingham College hub, the opening of the Central Library, Broad Marsh bus station, car park, and, most recently, the completion of the Green Heart public realm.

Councillor Neghat Khan, Leader of Nottingham City Council, said:

It’s great to finally reveal the name of the buyer for such an important site. I have confidence in Homes England and the work they have already delivered across the country.

This is really positive news for Nottingham and marks the start of a major redevelopment for this key part of our city.

We know that people have wanted to see progress here for a long time and we understand that it has been a frustration for some that this hasn’t happened.

We’re excited by the plans that Homes England has, and we look forward to working closely with them to bring these to fruition.

The project will also benefit from investment by the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA), underlining Broad Marsh’s strategic significance to the region and showcasing the collaboration of organisations skilled in delivering complex regeneration projects, in line with the Government’s new Devolution arrangements.

The Mayor of the East Midlands, Claire Ward, said:

Homes England’s purchase of Broad Marsh is an investment into the future of Nottingham – a future that the people of Nottingham have been asking for and the city council has been pushing for, which can now be realised.”

As the Mayor of the East Midlands, I have been pleased to lead EMCCA into investing its resources so that this purchase could occur. This is exactly what the region expected when it chose to have a directly elected Mayor, and EMCCA will continue to work closely with Homes England as they transform the area.

Homes England will maintain close collaboration with the council, ensuring the strategic vision for Broad Marsh is successfully realised. The Agency will also commit to continue the work undertaken so far by the council, to engage residents, partners and stakeholders in shaping the delivery of this important project.

April 1, 2025
Harriet Cross – 2025 Speech on Fishing Quota Negotiations

The speech made by Harriet Cross, the Conservative MP for Gordon and Buchan, in Westminster Hall, the House of Commons, on 26 March 2025.

I thank the hon. Member for St Ives (Andrew George) for securing the debate. I rise to speak on behalf of the fishing communities in both my Gordon and Buchan constituency and wider north-east Scotland, who play such a crucial role in the UK’s fishing sector but are facing unprecedented challenges following, among other things, the most recent quota negotiations.

The total allowable catch quota negotiations have been another example of the UK losing when Labour Governments negotiate. Analysis by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs itself shows that, as a result of the most recent negotiations, UK quota fell by 5% for 2025, representing a 38,000 tonne decrease and a £9 million reduction in the value of fishing opportunities. In total, the UK secured approximately 747,000 tonnes of quota, valued at about £950 million—a decrease from 2024 in both tonnage and value.

Let us not forget that behind every percentage point of the reduction are real people—fishermen and women, their families and our coastal communities—who now face difficult decisions about their future. That is before we even start to consider “paper fish”, or quota allocations that cannot realistically be caught—that is to say, their benefit exists only on paper. That might happen, for example, when a country is allocated quota for species that are not present in sufficient quantities in its water, when quota is allocated for species that the fleet does not have the correct gear or capability to catch, or when the quota exists administratively but does not translate to actual fishing opportunities. The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation and other fisheries organisations have highlighted the distorting effect of paper fish when discussing quota negotiations, because it means that actual usable quota is less than what appears in official statistics. Some quotas look great on paper, but provide no benefit to the fleet.

DEFRA has published two reports—one on economic outcomes and the second on sustainability—considering the UK’s fishing opportunities for this year. We should remember that sustainability under the Fisheries Act 2020 has three pillars—environmental, social and economic —and that no one pillar takes precedence over the others. In Scotland, about 70% of key commercial stocks are fished sustainably. Yes, there is still room for improvement, but it is important to recognise that progress has been made in the last 30 years. For example, in 1991, the same indicator showed that sustainability levels were only at 35%. The industry has driven that progress alongside fisheries scientists and managers, because no one has a greater vested interest in healthy seas and fish stocks than our fishermen and those who depend on them for their livelihoods.

There is still much work to do for the UK’s fishing industry to benefit fully following Brexit and our departure from the broken, inequitable common fisheries policy. Under the adjustment period in the trade and co-operation agreement, the EU still has unrestricted access to the UK exclusive economic zone. That benefits the EU far more than the UK and, unsurprisingly, the EU wishes for that position to continue. As other Members have mentioned, we just have to look at how things have developed in recent weeks to get a true understanding of the EU’s approach to fishery negotiations. Some EU member states are now saying that, unless the UK gives way to exactly what the EU wants on fishing, it will be excluded from the EU’s defence fund. It is almost unbelievable that anyone would risk the safety, security and defence of Europe and its allies on such a pretence.

Fishing and defence—indeed, national and international security—should not be conflated. Our national security is vital, our energy security is vital and our food security, in which fishing plays a major part, is vital, and each should be dealt with in its own right. We cannot allow our fishing communities to be caught up in this EU posturing. The UK Government must state unambiguously that giving up their rights to our waters and natural resources would represent a long-term loss of a national asset critical for food security and production of climate-smart food. I invite the Minister to do so in this debate.

I urge the Minister to commit to securing a better deal for UK fishing in the revised TCA—one that genuinely rebalances quota towards zonal attachment principles—and protect our fishing grounds. Will the Government ensure that small-scale and coastal fishing operations have proper representation in future negotiations? The Conservative party committed to that in our manifesto, along with seeking additional opportunities for these vital parts of our fishing fleet.

March 31, 2025
Jim Shannon – 2025 Speech on Fishing Quota Negotiations

The speech made by Jim Shannon, the DUP MP for Strangford, in the House of Commons on 26 March 2025.

It is a pleasure to speak in this debate and to serve under your chairship, Mr Vickers. I commend the hon. Member for St Ives (Andrew George) for setting the scene so well. Fishing is important to me, as the representative of the village of Portavogie. The hon. Member for South Down (Chris Hazzard) takes his money but does not take his seat in this House, so I also have to speak for the fishing sector in Kilkeel and Ardglass. I am quite happy to do that; I do it regularly to represent the collective viewpoint of the sector and to ensure that we have a voice in this House.

I liaise with the fishing bodies in Northern Ireland. The feeling, as things stand, is that they are happy with the quota negotiations at the moment, provided that the Government continue to deliver to the sector in Northern Ireland the quota allocations that they have indicated they will deliver, and that they do not take a backward step and grant the EU more than it has currently, at the expense of our fishing industry.

The message from my fishermen—from the Anglo-North Irish Fish Producers Organisation and the Irish Fish Producers Organisation—is simple. The Minister has met them and he knows that. I hope that he will come over sometime shortly to meet our fishermen, and I look forward to that. I know they have a very high opinion of him; they see him as one who stands firm, and they hope that the Government will stand firm and not—to use a pun—row back on where we are at the moment.

The Northern Ireland industry’s priority for the negotiations is not necessarily quota; it is access to the Republic of Ireland’s 6 to 12 nautical mile zone, which we lost through Brexit. My questions to the Minister will be along those lines. In the original withdrawal agreement, France was granted access to UK waters—specifically, English waters on the south coast—on the basis of grandfather rights. There is therefore, I believe, a precedent for offering access to limited named vessels in the negotiations. The principle of promoting access for UK vessels to EU waters has mixed receptions from those who want their scallopers—and we have many of them in Northern Ireland—to have access to French waters, and those who would like to see EU vessels, with the exception of EU-owned flagships, out of UK waters.

It is my belief, as I said, that the top priority for the Northern Ireland fleet in the upcoming negotiations is to have access restored to those parts of their traditional fishing grounds, which they had grandfather rights to, that lie in the 6 to 12 nautical mile zone of Irish waters. Given that precedent was set when the UK granted access to its territorial waters to a limited number of named EU vessels, will the Minister confirm that he will press for Northern Ireland’s vessels to have the same privilege as those granted by the previous Government to the French? That is the first of my three questions.

My second question comes from the—I will use an Ulster Scots word—shenanigans being played out between the UK and the EU. The UK has banned bottom trawling in some areas of UK waters that are important to the French trawling fleet. I understand the reason for that and I support it. The ban applies to both the UK and all other countries. By way of retaliation—the French are well known for their retaliation; if we give them a kick, they kick us back almost twice as hard—the French have linked fishing rights to the Security Action for Europe initiative. There is always a clause or add-on to anything that the French do—I could make some further comments, but I will not. There are claims that the EU is trying to play politics with the livelihoods of UK fishermen by attempting to link defence contracts to fishing rights, so will the Minister take this opportunity to renew his commitment to treating food security as national security, and will he commit to pushing back against any attempt to use our fishing communities as pawns in wider political games? I know the Minister: he is an honest politician and an honest Minister. His fight will be for our fishermen, and I wish him well in that.

Our fishing industry relies on the Government to be its mouthpiece and its strength. I know that that is the Minister’s desire and I believe that now is the time to prove to our fishing crews and fish producers that this new Government are on the side of our industry and prepared to push and, if necessary, fight their part. The industry is more than the fishing crew; so many subsidiary businesses rely on it. On behalf of those people—my people—I ask the Minister to send the clear message from our Government and this House that the fishing industry is alive and well and ready to thrive even more.

March 31, 2025
John Cooper – 2025 Speech on Fishing Quota Negotiations

The speech made by John Cooper, the Conservative MP for Dumfries and Galloway, in Westminster Hall, the House of Commons on 26 March 2025.

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Vickers. I congratulate the hon. Member for St Ives (Andrew George) on securing this important debate.

I declare a sort of interest: in a previous life, I was a special adviser with the Scotland Office, and I spent the larger part of 2021 working on exports from Scotland to the EU. I have to tell the hon. Gentleman that the EU, far from being our avuncular friends in this matter, were a protectionist bloc. Many of the difficulties we faced, including the transport of live langoustines—he mentioned vivier transport—were to do with problems on the far side of the short strait. It was bloody-mindedness at best and outright protectionism at worst.

But let us talk about chips—not the golden-fried essential component of what we Scots call the fish supper, but bargaining chips, for that is yet again what our fishing crews risk becoming. The statistics are superficially simple: the Office for National Statistics says that fishing accounted for just 0.03% of the UK’s economic output in 2021. However, that does not capture the reality that a great many of our fragile coastal communities, not only in Scotland but across the UK, are entirely dependent on jobs in fishing’s at-sea component and its allied onshore processors.

If fishing were a trifling little homespun affair, why is the EU so interested in it? With the Business and Trade Committee, I travelled to Brussels to discuss this Government’s reset of relations. What Labour expects from this reset is opaque at best, but the EU—good protectionist that it is—has already drawn up an invoice, and top of its list is fishing. Amid warm words about security and co-operation between Britain and the EU, the French are keen to lock us out of the new £150 billion Euro defence fund, only to then show a bit of ankle on negotiations involving—quelle surprise!—fishing.

Just as Labour’s Employment Rights Bill, with its heavy pro-union bias, takes us back to 1979 and the winter of discontent, so fishing is drifting back to 1973. Then, our prized and pristine waters were the quid pro quo for access to what was then the European Economic Community. Today, the dice are loaded in favour of the EU fleet. According to the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation—I note that the hon. Member for St Ives is not a huge fan of it, but I certainly am—the EU catches around seven times more fish by value in UK waters than we land from EU waters. Britain’s status as an independent coastal state was hard won, and we must not allow our fleet to be dragged back into the ambit of the hated common fisheries policy. We cannot allow a linkage between fisheries and access to markets to be established.

British fishing is already under a series of threats. Let us be as clear as the blue ocean about the conservation issue: fishermen are to the fore in this area, for they know that if they clear the seas of fish today, there is no tomorrow for them. Things such as spatial squeeze are real. Our seas are vast but not limitless. Boats cannot fish between floating wind turbines or trawl near those turbines’ subsea infrastructure. To say that boats can simply up nets and go elsewhere is to demonstrate a terrifying lack of knowledge about the sea. Fish and seafood are not evenly suffused; they are in some places and not in others.

Fishing is food security, as we have heard. It is a livelihood for many—not just for those who literally risk life and limb on the storm-tossed seas, but for those onshore. Fish and chips are as emblematic of this country as the bright fishing boats at quaysides from Kirkcudbright to Kirkwall and more. They must not be frittered away at the behest of an avaricious EU.

March 31, 2025
Yvette Cooper – 2025 Speech at the Organised Immigration Crime Summit

The speech made by Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, on 31 March 2025.

Thank you very much. Thank you Prime Minister, thank you to the Italian Prime Minister and good morning everyone.

Can I thank everyone for travelling here from all over the world. Interior ministers, senior law enforcement, delegations from over 40 countries and organisations, we are so pleased to welcome you to London and here to Lancaster House for this, the first summit of its kind on organised immigration crime and border security, and to have so many people come from across the world, shows the seriousness with which all our countries are taking these issues, but also, bluntly, how much more together we need to do.

Of course, we are not the first generation to grapple with international migration, the societal, economic security consequences that flow through the centuries.

Of course, people have travelled across borders to work, to study, join family, to flee war or persecution, to escape poverty, to seek a better life for a different future, to chase new resources, or to forge new nations.

But in recent years, we have seen new and serious patterns and scales of irregular and illegal migration causing major challenges for border security, for national security, for the rule of law, for countries and the economy across so many of our countries, in source, in transit and in destination, countries alike.

And 2 facts have accelerated and changed some of the challenges our countries face.

Firstly, technology. The physical distances between nations and continents may not have changed, but technology has made the world feel a lot smaller.

Organising journeys can be faster and easier than ever, and the details of a different future is suddenly right there on a smartphone in the palm of your hand.

And the second factor is the emergence of a vast and ruthless criminal industry that stretches across borders and across continents worth billions of pounds.

The criminal smuggler and trafficking gangs who profit from undermining our border security, our national security and the rule of law and from putting lives at risk, have grown and stretched across the globe.

And every country here will have different stories to tell and insights to share, but across all of our countries, we’ve seen that organised immigration crime posing a significant and growing global threat with far reaching consequences for us all – breaking our laws, undermining our security and our cohesion.

From the source countries where gangs prey on the vulnerable, to transit countries where people and equipment pass through towns and borders unchecked, to destination countries managing the financial, the social and the criminal fallout, no part of the journey is untouched.

And those gangs profiting from what is a vile trade in human beings are exploiting more people than ever before.

You have heard from our Prime Minister what that means for us here in the UK, and in just 6 years, we’ve seen a criminal industry organising the small boat crossings take hold along our borders.

Three hundred people crossed the channel on flimsy, dangerous small boats 6, 7 years ago, but 4 years later, that rose to over 30,000, an increase, a 100 fold increase, powered by smuggler and trafficking gangs.

The gangs who advertise on social media false promise of illegal jobs, gangs who organise the logistics, the fake papers, the illegal finance networks to take everyone’s money, have thousands of pounds, the supply chains, the flimsy rubber boats, the engines.

And perhaps for us, one of the most disturbing things of all, for us and for France, for the Calais Group, to see some of the fake life jackets, including fake life jackets for children that would not keep anyone afloat in the cold sea.

And then the organisation along the beaches of France, the violence, the increasing and outrageous violence, against law enforcement.

And to give you the example of how they run some of those organisations, we’ve seen the small boats, the flimsy rubber boats, take off as taxi boats and make people wait in the freezing water, in the freezing sea, so they then wait to be picked up, to climb onto the boats and then they overcrowd the boats with women and children put in the centre of the boat, the boat can then fold in. There’s the women and children who get crushed and then if the fuel in flimsy containers then leaks and mixes with salt water that can cause terrible, terrible burns.

And then we’ve seen children crushed to death, and yet the boat carries on and that shameful, disgraceful crime where people, criminal gangs have profited from those lives being lost.

And that’s why we cannot let that carry on.

All of your countries will have the different stories of the way in which the gangs are exploiting people into sexual exploitation, into slave labour, into crime.

The way in which the gangs are using new technology, not just the phones, the social media to organise, but even the drones to spot where the border patrols are, the operations along the land borders, across continents.

But it is governments, not gangs, who should be deciding who enters our country, and those gangs are operating and profiting across borders.

So we and our law enforcement need to co-operate across borders now to take them down.

That’s why, as you heard from our Prime Minister, we are strengthening our laws here in the UK, bringing in new counter-terror powers so we can seize phones, investigate preparatory acts, so we can crack down on the illegal working of modern slavery and establishing our new Border Security Command.

But we know that strengthening our border security means working with all the countries on the other sides of our borders, not just standing on our shoreline, shouting at the sea.

We know too that no country can do this alone, and that is why the partnerships and everyone gathering here is so important.

So today we will talk about what to do to tackle this vile trade in human beings.

How we choke off the supply chains, the false papers, how we go after the money, how we take down the advertising.

And how we disrupt, how we pursue, how we prosecute, how we pursue this global battle against a trade in people.

It is our determination to do this together, the alliances that we build across our borders can be stronger than the criminal gangs who seek to undermine us.

Thank you all for joining with us in this event today, this first summit. We have so much work to do during the course of the day, so many conversations to have, but thank you so much for being part of it, and I look forward to hearing everyone’s views during the conference today.

Thank you very much.

March 31, 2025