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Tag: Comments

  • Robert Buckland – 2022 Comments on Wrexham Becoming a City

    Robert Buckland – 2022 Comments on Wrexham Becoming a City

    The comments made by Robert Buckland, the Secretary of State for Wales, on 1 September 2022.

    Congratulations to Wrexham on achieving city status. The city and surrounding area already has so much to offer – it’s home to the famous Wrexham Lager Brewery, the Unesco World Heritage Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and a fantastic football club which is Wales’s oldest and one of the oldest in the world.

    There is already much for Wrexham to be proud of and its future is equally exciting. I hope that the city of Wrexham continues to prosper and grow.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2022 Comments on Supporting London’s Creative Industries

    Sadiq Khan – 2022 Comments on Supporting London’s Creative Industries

    The comments made by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, on 1 September 2022.

    The capital’s world-leading arts, cultural and creative industries help to drive our economy and inspire young people, but the energy crisis is hitting the sector hard and it is vital that it is supported to become more energy efficient, especially as these businesses are not protected by the energy price cap. This latest investment reaffirms my commitment to placing the environment at the centre of our economic recovery and will help workplaces deal with burden of the cost of living crisis and spiralling energy bills as we build back a fairer, greener city for all.

  • Paul Scully – 2022 Comments on Expansion of Commissioner Power at Slough Borough Council

    Paul Scully – 2022 Comments on Expansion of Commissioner Power at Slough Borough Council

    The comments made by Paul Scully, the Local Government Minister, on 1 September 2022.

    The people of Slough deserve a council that can deliver for their needs and drive long-lasting improvements and a brighter future.

    Given the scale of the challenges set out in the Commissioners report, I am granting further powers to Commissioners to help implement much-needed changes.

    I am confident that these expanded powers will support the Council so they can drive forward long-term change and protect hardworking taxpayers.

  • Boris Johnson – 2022 Comments on Australian and UK Defence Partnership

    Boris Johnson – 2022 Comments on Australian and UK Defence Partnership

    The comments made by Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, on 31 August 2022. There is an associated press release.

    HMS Anson is the perfect example of where levelling up the UK and generating jobs, skills and growth across our country goes hand-in-glove with Global Britain.

    From the Pacific Ocean to the Baltic Sea, our submarine service is protecting the UK and our allies 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and the deployment of Australian submariners alongside our British crews epitomises the strength of the AUKUS partnership.

  • Ben Wallace – 2022 Comments on Australian and UK Defence Partnership

    Ben Wallace – 2022 Comments on Australian and UK Defence Partnership

    The comments made by Ben Wallace, the Secretary of State for Defence, on 31 August 2022. There is an associated press release.

    Today is a significant milestone in the UK and Australia’s preparation to confront growing threats to the liberal democratic order, especially in the Indo Pacific.

    Not only have we progressed our defence planning but Minister Marles participated in the commissioning of our latest attack submarine, on which will Royal Australian Navy submariners will be embarked as we develop our shared capabilities in the years ahead.

    Built in a UK shipyard, HMS Anson demonstrates the very best of British industry, sustaining our world-leading sub-surface capabilities and underlining the UK’s readiness to contribute them to shared security, especially with our closest allies Australia and the United States under the AUKUS initiative.

  • Matthew Parris – 2022 Article on Liz Truss

    Matthew Parris – 2022 Article on Liz Truss

    A paragraph from the article in The Times by Matthew Parris, published on 19 August 2022.

    Liz Truss is a planet-sized mass of overconfidence and ambition teetering upon a pinhead of a political brain. It must all come crashing down. Her biggest job has been foreign secretary. Does she join her new best friend, Tom Tugendhat, in condemning the UN security council for its criticism of illegal Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory? Does she really want to “review” (as she’s suggested) Britain’s decision not to join the Americans in moving our embassy to Jerusalem? What did she mean by saying Britain’s civil service culture “strays into antisemitism”? These explosive hip shots are only indicative.

    And now that she moves her attention to domestic politics, does she really believe that “freedom” and deregulation will help red-wall England? Mansfield isn’t being held back by big government; it’s being held together by it. What are her instincts — not the corrections she’s been forced to row back to, but her personal instincts — on help for the poor, on Theresa May’s “good that government can do”? I think we know.

  • Alistair Burt – 2022 Comments on Liz Truss Saying Jury out on French President

    Alistair Burt – 2022 Comments on Liz Truss Saying Jury out on French President

    The comments made by Alistair Burt on Twitter on 26 August 2022, following Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary, saying that the “jury is still out” on whether Emmanuel Macron was a friend or foe of the UK.

    This is a desperately serious error, which the Foreign Secretary should take back. The better answer would have been ‘of course he and France are friends and allies, both in NATO and the cause of freedom: it doesn’t mean we don’t have our differences and need to talk honestly, as I will’.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2022 Comments on Extending Notice Period for Renters

    Sadiq Khan – 2022 Comments on Extending Notice Period for Renters

    The comments made by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, on 30 August 2022.

    Nearly a third of Londoners are private renters, the majority of whom are set to be hit by a devastating combination of rent and bill rises in the coming months, with no sign rampant inflation slowing down.

    That’s why I’m calling on the Government to act urgently give Londoners breathing space by extending notice periods for tenants ahead of landlords taking possession of properties. This will allow them to access support and advice and save, if they can, for a move, before their tenancies end.

    Shorter notice periods disproportionately affect vulnerable households, so I urge whoever becomes the new Prime Minister next month to commit to delivering on this as soon as possible, as well as giving me the power to freeze rents in London for two years until the cost of living crisis subsides.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2022 Comments on the TFL Funding Agreement

    Sadiq Khan – 2022 Comments on the TFL Funding Agreement

    The comments made by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, on 30 August 2022.

    This funding agreement comes after more than a month of tough negotiations because I’ve been determined to stand up for London and to fight for our transport network, which so many Londoners and businesses rely upon.

    The good news is that we have managed to win a number of key concessions from the Government, which mean we will be able to avoid TfL having to make the devastating cuts to vital transport services previously proposed – moving us away from the managed decline of London’s transport network.

    However, I want to be frank with Londoners – this deal is far from ideal. The Government is still leaving TfL with a significant funding gap, meaning we will likely have to increase fares in the future and still proceed with some cuts to bus services. There are also onerous strings attached, such as the Government’s condition requiring TfL to come up with options for reform of TfL’s pension scheme at pace, which could well lead to more industrial action and more disruption for commuters.

    These are things we have had no choice but to accept in order to get the deal over the line to avoid TfL becoming bankrupt, to save the jobs of thousands of transport workers and to keep trains, tubes and buses running across our city.

    The sole cause of TfL’s financial crisis was the impact of the pandemic so it’s simply wrong to punish Londoners and transport workers in this way. Levelling up the country should not be about levelling down London.

    We will now be working flat out to mitigate the impact of the conditions required by the Government so that we can maintain a world-class transport network in our city, which is so crucial as we strive to continue building a greener, fairer and more prosperous London for everyone.

  • Liz Truss – 2022 Comments on Sky News Following Confidence Vote in Boris Johnson

    Liz Truss – 2022 Comments on Sky News Following Confidence Vote in Boris Johnson

    The comments made by Liz Truss on Sky News on 7 June 2022.

    INTERVIEWER

    [Has Prime Minister’s authority been undermined?]

    LIZ TRUSS

    What we saw in yesterday’s vote was a clear majority in support of the Prime Minister. And what we’ve been doing today is getting on with the business of government. We’ve had a Cabinet meeting. We’re working on making housing more affordable, making childcare more affordable, lowering taxes. And that’s what the public wants us to be doing.

    INTERVIEWER

    On the Prime Minister’s authority, though, if you go back to that first question, has it been undermined?

    LIZ TRUSS

    As I said, the Prime Minister remains committed to our agenda, he’s already delivered on Brexit, he’s delivered on COVID and on helping the economy recover. He’s delivered on supporting Ukraine in the face of appalling Russian aggression and that’s what the cabinet want him to carry on doing and that’s what the country wants him to carry on doing.

    INTERVIEWER

    So what’s your message to those 148 of your colleagues who declared they had no confidence in the party leader?

    LIZ TRUSS

    My message is we had a vote yesterday, there was a clear result in that vote. Now is the time to get behind the Prime Minister to deliver on what people in Britain want to see, which is dealing with issues around the affordability of housing, the affordability of childcare, getting taxes down, getting our economy going, that’s what people want to see.

    INTERVIEWER

    What does this mean with regard to your ambitions potentially, for the leadership of the party?

    LIZ TRUSS

    My 100% focus is on my role as Foreign Secretary. There’s a lot to do, we need to carry on supporting Ukraine, we need to make sure that Russia is driven out of Ukraine and that we get successful peace for Ukraine and we need to help them rebuild. I’m also working on the Northern Ireland protocol, making sure we restore the balance for the Belfast Good Friday Agreement, bringing forward legislation. I can assure you that is taking up all of my time.

    INTERVIEWER

    Should colleagues feel able to continue to criticise the Prime Minister?

    LIZ TRUSS

    Well, we had a vote yesterday. The Prime Minister won a clear majority. It’s time to draw a line, move forward and focus on what people want us to be talking about, housing, childcare, delivering on lower taxes.

    INTERVIEWER

    Now you mentioned the Northern Ireland protocol. Are you willing to risk a trade war with the European Union to sort this all out?

    LIZ TRUSS

    What we want to do is create clear green lanes for goods flowing into Northern Ireland and a red lane for goods flowing into the EU. That will protect the EU single market, at the same time as enabling goods to flow freely around the UK. That’s a win-win for both of people of Northern Ireland and protecting the EU single market.

    INTERVIEWER

    You also mentioned bringing taxes down. Lord Frost today has said that the National Insurance increase should be reversed, that the corporation tax rise should not go ahead. Do you agree?

    LIZ TRUSS

    Today at cabinet the Prime Minister confirmed that he wants to see taxes come down. That is very, very important. We need to make sure people have more money in their pockets, we need to get the economy going and the way to do that is lowering taxes. Thank you.