Tag: Downing Street

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 14 July 2024.

The Government will use its mandate for change to put economic growth at the heart of its legislative agenda as it prepares for The King’s Speech at the State Opening of Parliament on Wednesday 17 July.

The Government will use its mandate for change to put economic growth at the heart of its legislative agenda as it prepares for The King’s Speech at the State Opening of Parliament on Wednesday 17 July.

Departments are working on more than 35 bills to deliver an ambitious parliamentary session that will be built on a bedrock of economic security, to enable growth that will improve the prosperity of our country and the living standards of working people.

Legislation will include a bill to enforce tough new spending rules, designed to ensure economic growth, while avoiding the chaos which left families with spiralling bills and wreaked misery on people’s lives.

To ensure nobody can play fast and loose with the public finances ever again, this new bill will strengthen the role of the Office of Budget Responsibility, meaning significant fiscal announcements must be properly scrutinised and that taxpayers’ money is respected.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:

Our work is urgent. There is no time to waste. We are hitting the ground running by bringing forward the laws we will need to rebuild our country for the long-term – and our ambitious, fully costed agenda is the downpayment on that change.

From energy, to planning, to unbreakable fiscal rules, my government is serious about delivering the stability that is going to turbo charge growth that will create wealth in every corner of the UK.

The task of national renewal will not be easy, and this is just the down payment on our plans for the next five years, but the legislation set out at the King’s Speech will build on the momentum of our first days in office and make a difference to the lives of working people.

His Majesty’s Most Gracious Speech will build on the momentum of the Government’s first week in office which saw the Prime Minister and his ministerial team roll up their sleeves and get to work. Legislation to enact announcements made this week, including the launch of a National Wealth Fund to drive investment into the UK, to a new Mission Control tasked with turbocharging UK to clean power by 2030, to opening the recruitment of a new border security command, show that the Government is getting on with the job.

The package of bills will focus on growing the economy through turbocharging building of houses and infrastructure, better transport, more jobs and securing clean energy – helping to make every part of the country better off.

As part of the Government’s plans to empower regions to deliver change for their communities, new legislation will also help to create wealth in every community and hand the power back to local leaders who know what is best for their areas.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 14 July 2024.

More than 45 European leaders will converge on Oxfordshire next week to discuss some of the most pressing generational issues facing Europe.

The Prime Minister will welcome leaders from across the continent to Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Winston Churchill, for the European Political Community (EPC) meeting on Thursday [18 July].

Today’s threats are generationally challenging, and the Prime Minister is clear that the United Kingdom is always stronger when working in close collaboration with others. The UK government will use the summit to discuss closer collaboration to tackle illegal immigration and greater security cooperation with European counterparts to keep Britain safe.

For the first time at a meeting of the EPC, NATO, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Council of Europe will be in attendance, demonstrating the importance of unity in response to the arc of conflict and instability inside and near Europe’s borders that affects the UK and the continent’s interests equally.

The PM wants to rebuild relationships with key European partners so ahead of the summit, the Prime Minister will host the Irish Taoiseach, Simon Harris, for his first official inward visit since becoming Prime Minister. The Prime Minister will also hold a bilateral dinner with the French President in Blenheim Palace after the summit.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:

Europe is at the forefront of some of the greatest challenges of our time.

Russia’s barbaric war continues to reverberate across our continent, while vile smuggling gangs traffic innocent people on perilous journeys that too often end in tragedy.

We cannot be spectators in this chapter of history. We must do more and go further, not just for the courageous Ukrainians on the frontlines, or those being trafficked from country-to-country, but so our future generations look back with pride at what our continent achieved together.

I said I would change the way the UK engages with our European partners, working collaboratively to drive forward progress on these generational challenges, and that work starts at the European Political Community meeting on Thursday.

The EPC meeting comes at a vital time Ukraine, as Russian aggression intensifies over the summer. The Prime Minister has been clear that the UK’s support for Ukraine is ironclad, and he will use the meeting as a platform to push for continued international military and financial support for Ukraine, ahead of what is expected to be a difficult winter.

There will be an opening plenary, followed by three roundtables on migration, energy and connectivity, and defending and securing democracy, before ending with a closing plenary.

Sustainability is at the heart of summit planning, with 80% of the fruits and vegetables being served to delegates coming from Blenheim’s gardens. Showcasing the best of British at Blenheim, attendees of the summit will enjoy Oxfordshire strawberries and cream, alongside more than 800 scones being served during afternoon tea.

Blenheim Palace, which was used by MI5 from 1940 to 1945 after their headquarters was damaged in the Blitz during the Second World War, has been transformed to accommodate more than 450 delegates.

This is the fourth EPC meeting since the grouping was founded in October 2022. Previous meetings, hosted in the Czech Republic, Moldova, and Spain, have been instrumental in uniting Europe to support Ukraine, forging cooperation on energy security and tackling the shared challenge of illegal migration.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 11 July 2024.

The Prime Minister met President Erdoğan of Turkey at the NATO summit this afternoon.

The Prime Minister welcomed the deep ties between the two countries, and the significant contribution that Turkish communities provide to the culture and economy of the UK. He said Turkey was a hugely important NATO ally, and that the UK wants to deepen the bilateral relationship.

The President discussed his aspiration to strengthen the bilateral relationship across trade, tourism, defence, counter-terrorism, energy and the economy.

They discussed Ukraine and welcomed the enhanced support provided by this NATO summit.

On the Middle East, the Prime Minister said he wanted to see an immediate ceasefire to let the hostages out and increase aid in.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 11 July 2024.

The Prime Minister met President Yoon of the Republic of Korea at the NATO summit today.

The President congratulated the Prime Minister on his election victory and thanked the UK once more for hosting him on an excellent State Visit last year.

Discussing current geopolitical challenges, they agreed that the Republic of Korea is a key NATO partner and we must continue to work closely together on defence, because Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific security are indivisible.

The two leaders remarked that the UK and the Republic of Korea share a strategically important partnership and agreed there are further opportunities to develop stronger ties between our countries – building on the Downing Street Accord signed in November.

They looked forward to deepening our relationship across a number of issues including even deeper cooperation on security and defence, as well as further collaboration on green energy, trade, and artificial intelligence.

The President finished by wishing England good luck in the final of the Euros on Sunday.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 11 July 2024.

The Prime Minister met President Biden at the White House yesterday evening.

The Prime Minister congratulated President Biden for hosting an excellent NATO summit so far. Both leaders agreed that in its 75th year, NATO is stronger and more united than ever.

They reflected on the importance of the NATO alliance and the special relationship in the context of current geopolitical challenges, including the ongoing war in Ukraine. They agreed we must continue to do whatever it takes to support Ukraine and ensure aggressors like Putin do not win.

Moving on to discuss the situation in Israel and Gaza, they discussed their shared ambition for an immediate ceasefire to get hostages out, get humanitarian aid in and make progress towards a two-state solution.

The President welcomed the Prime Minister’s recent comments on establishing closer relationships with our European counterparts, as well as the UK’s commitment to AUKUS. They reflected that at a time when we face growing challenges across the world, we are at our strongest when we unite and work together.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 11 July 2024.

The Prime Minister met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the NATO summit this afternoon.

They agreed on the importance of a strong UK-Canada relationship based on our shared values, and warmly welcomed the opportunity to deepen the partnership between our two countries.

The Prime Minister welcomed Prime Minister Trudeau’s leadership on Ukraine, including Canada’s significant financial support so far. Both leaders agreed we must continue to stand alongside Ukraine for as long as it takes.

Discussing the situation in Israel and Gaza, they both agreed an immediate ceasefire is vital in order to get hostages out, get humanitarian aid in and make progress towards a two-state solution.

The two leaders agreed to work more closely together on what we can do to strengthen our relationships with the Commonwealth, and agreed to keep in touch ahead of the next Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting later this year.

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.

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.

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.

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.