The comments made by Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, on 29 August 2022.
It is excellent to see official recognition given to the City of Gibraltar, a huge accolade to its rich history and dynamism.
This official recognition re-affirms Gibraltar’s special status in the Realms of Her Majesty, and rightly signifies the pride that Gibraltarians feel for their community and their distinctive heritage.
The comments made by Alok Sharma, the President of COP26, on 27 August 2022.
Urgent action is needed to limit global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees and help build prosperous, low-carbon, resilient communities across the planet.
The proposed Just Energy Transition Partnership provides an excellent opportunity for Viet Nam to accelerate its transition away from coal in delivery of its 2050 net zero target. I am pleased to be back in Viet Nam to engage with government ministers, public sector bodies, business leaders, local communities, and civil society to discuss ways we can work together for effective climate action.
A clean, just energy transition not only delivers enhanced climate action, it will help create new jobs, economic growth, clean air and a resilient, prosperous future.
The comments made by Nadhim Zahawi, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on 25 August 2022.
I know people are really concerned by rising prices so I’m glad that over a million more low earners will shortly receive their first Cost of Living Payment. We are also preparing options for further support so the new Prime Minister can hit the ground running.
Alongside £400 off most people’s energy bills, tax cuts and the Household Support Fund, these direct payments are a very important part of our £37 billion package of help for households, which is targeted at those who need it most.
The comments made by Mary Lou McDonald, the President of Sinn Fein, on 24 August 2022.
This week the nature of the current coalition government, and in particular their failed approach to housing, was laid bare for all to see.
As each day passed, further revelations about Minister Troy’s behaviour as a landlord came into the public domain. Properties that had failed to be registered with the Residential Tenancies Board, a property without fire certification, RAS arrangements not declared in the Dáil register, other interests not properly declared and the list went on.
Throughout this period both the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste offered their full support describing Robert Troy as a ‘first class Minister’.
Indeed earlier today the Tánaiste was still continuing to fight to maintain Mr Troy’s position in government.
Tonight’s inevitable announcement from Robert Troy casts very serious questions on their judgement and those are questions that will not go away as a result of this action.
The provision of social and affordable housing has been sub-contracted to the private sector under successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael governments.
The result for ordinary people is exorbitant rents, rocketing homelessness and the fact that the ability to purchase a home has been put well beyond reach of the majority.
That policy will not change with the resignation of Minister Troy. That policy will only change with a new government.
The comments made by Caoimhe Archibald, the Sinn Fein MLA for East Londonderry, on 24 August 2022.
There are hundreds of millions of pounds locked in a Stormont bank account that can help ease the pressures people are facing, but it cannot be spent because of the DUP’s cruel block on an Executive being formed.
The DUP’s refusal to form a government has also created uncertainty on the roll out of the £400 payment to support every household in the north.
So rather than looking for others to blame for their failures, the economy minister should tell his party to stop punishing ordinary workers and families and form a government now. That is the easiest way to get money into pockets.
As we face an increasingly bleak winter, people rightly want ministers around the table and working together to help workers, families and businesses who are struggling to pay their bills and keep their shutters up.
Sinn Féin is ready to form an Executive today, to work with others, and put money in people’s pockets to tackle the cost-of-living emergency. That’s our focus.
The comments made by Caoimhe Archibald, the Sinn Fein MLA for East Londonderry, on 23 August 2022.
We are facing an increasingly challenging economic outlook driven by high inflation and spiralling costs for businesses, workers and families.
The Protocol provides important protections for businesses here from the worst impacts of Brexit, it prevents a hard border on this island, and it protects the all-island economy.
Economic evidence is showing the Protocol is helping to create jobs and attract investment and our businesses are benefiting from unique access to both the EU and British markets. This needs to be built upon.
The British government’s intention to break international law and tear up an international agreement by pursuing the Protocol Bill which the Business Brexit Working Group has today said will create a ‘myriad’ of risk for many businesses.
There now needs to be renewed talks and good faith engagement between the EU and the British government to provide businesses and wider society with certainty and stability.
The comments made by Tony Blair, the former Prime Minister, on CNN News on 25 May 2022.
So the first Putin I met was Western facing, anxious to have a good relationship with the West, he used to insist that we met in St. Petersburg because it’s the Western facing great city of Russia. Then I think he found the challenges of reform and change in Russia too great and he decided to consolidate power in a more autocratic way, and then become a Russian nationalist. And so, the second incarnation of Putin if you like, was cold and calculating and brutal, but still, I would say entirely rational within his own terms.
The anxiety I think everyone has is that he’s now completely detached from reality, surrounded by people who won’t tell him the truth. And this is why this incredible miscalculation, I mean, leave aside the the wickedness of it. I mean, the miscalculation strategically and in every possible way has been enormous. Anyone who knows Ukraine would know that there was never any question of Ukrainians agreeing to be subjugated to Russia in this way. So, I think that’s that’s the worry, the trajectory has been away from a reforming Western oriented leader who could have allowed Russia to become part of the West. People even used to talk in the old days, talking about those times when I was there, about could Russia become a member of the European Union? Is there a way Russia could be accommodated, literally within the structures of NATO? And it’s very important people remember this because, this myth that Putin perpetrates, that we were somehow always trying to push him and humiliate Russia. Russia’s problems is not the result of our humiliation of Russia, it’s as a result of bad government in Russia.
The comments made by David Cameron, the former Prime Minister, on Channel 4 News on 16 March 2022.
QUESTION:
If you were Prime Minister today, would you rule out a no-fly zone?
DAVID CAMERON:
I’m afraid I would, you know, in our hearts every shred of our being wants to do everything we can to help the Ukrainians in their struggle, and we are helping, we’re helping with weapons, we help with training, we’re helping with refugees, but there’s more we can do on humanitarian aid. But I think we have to be very clear with our friends and allies and people who we care deeply about, we must be clear about what we can do, but I’m afraid we also have to be clear about what we can’t do. That said there are more things that we can do.
QUESTION:
Like what?
DAVID CAMERON:
Well, I think the process started under my premiership of sending more troops to frontline states in NATO; to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, let’s turn some of those into permanent bases. Let’s be absolutely clear about the strength of Article 5 and our commitment to defend every inch of NATO territory. Let’s do more on humanitarian aid. We achieved 0.7% of GDP in our aid payments, I’m sad we got away from that. I hope we can get back to it. Let’s with the EU leave the Donor Conference, lead the aid effort. Let’s have a dedicated aid minister in the cabinet, doing development. The Foreign Office ministers do a great job, but it’d be good to have someone who’s 100% dedicated to humanitarian aid and development.
QUESTION:
Is there a danger here that this could turn into World War Three?
DAVID CAMERON:
What Putin has done is so much more ghastly and awful than many people predicted that I think it’s very dangerous to predict what he might do next. I think the best thing we can do is be absolutely clear about how vital Article 5 is, how vital NATO is, to be absolutely clear about the consequences of that sort of action.
The comments made by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, on 25 August 2022.
Congratulations to everyone across the capital who is receiving their GCSE results today. The last two years have been incredibly challenging for our schools, but students and teachers have worked very hard in the face of such adversity. I hope that you’ve got the grades you were expecting today, but if things haven’t gone to plan, please remember there is no single route to success and you should seek advice on the many different options available.
The comments made by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, on 23 August 2022.
It is hugely important to remember and honour the millions who suffered as a result of the Transatlantic slave trade and the impact this has had on generations of Black communities here in London and worldwide. By bringing Londoners together for this event we provide an opportunity to reflect on the injustices of the slave trade, while learning about and celebrating all those who resisted and helped bring about change. We will also pay tribute to grassroots Black activist movements in present day and the work they are doing to improve our society.