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Tag: Rishi Sunak

  • Rishi Sunak – 2017 Parliamentary Question on “Living Within Our Means”

    Rishi Sunak – 2017 Parliamentary Question on “Living Within Our Means”

    The parliamentary question asked by Rishi Sunak, the Conservative MP for Richmond, in the House of Commons on 18 July 2017.

    The Chancellor will be aware that the current cost of Government borrowing is at a historical low, with gilt yields at 1%. Does he agree that, if markets lose confidence in our ability to live within our means, the cost of that borrowing would spiral, costing us billions of pounds? That would mean less to spend on our public services.

    Mr Hammond

    My hon. Friend is right to warn of the danger of a loss of market confidence in UK fiscal policy—I am looking very hard at the right hon. Member for Hayes and Harlington (John McDonnell). If markets lose confidence in UK fiscal policy, they will re-price lending to the United Kingdom. We already spend more every year on servicing our debt than on our armed forces and police services together. It would do a huge disservice to taxpayers in this country if we created conditions that would cause the cost of that debt to rise.

  • Rishi Sunak – 2017 Speech on Universal Credit Roll-Out

    Rishi Sunak – 2017 Speech on Universal Credit Roll-Out

    The speech made by Rishi Sunak, the Conservative MP for Richmond, in the House of Commons on 18 October 2017.

    I believe our welfare system should do three simple things. It must be compassionate to those who need our help, it must be effective in getting them the help they need, and it needs to be fair to those who pay for it. Simply put, universal credit is a rare example of a policy that delivers on all three counts.

    To start with compassion, rather than recipients having to make calls to up to three different agencies when something in their life changes, universal credit simplifies the system and ensures that nobody misses out on a benefit that they are entitled to because of a bureaucracy that is simply too complicated to navigate.

    Dr Philippa Whitford (Central Ayrshire) (SNP)

    Is the hon. Gentleman aware that people trying to claim universal credit have reported being on the phone for an hour trying to get their case dealt with? At 55p a minute, that cost is astronomical.

    Rishi Sunak

    I am sure that the hon. Lady was here and heard the Secretary of State make the point that the calls that have been made were all to local rate numbers. It is not right to say that they were premium rate numbers. As of today, those calls have been made free for all claimants, although they were offered the opportunity to be called back for free if the call charge was difficult. I am aware that the average wait time is two minutes, and of course a wait time of an hour is unacceptable. I am sure Ministers have heard that and will be doing everything they can to ensure that everyone across the country benefits from a prompt and cheap response.

    At the same time as simplifying the system, universal credit humanises our bureaucracy by recognising that those who need our help do not have exactly the same needs. Instead of a faceless homogeneity, for the first time personalised work coaches can compassionately take into account the specific needs of each individual and their specific circumstances, tailoring the approach to them and ensuring that they get the specific help that they need.

    Neil Coyle

    How simplified, fair and supportive does the hon. Gentleman think it is for the 116,000 working disabled parents who are set to lose £40 a week from the disability income guarantee?

    Rishi Sunak

    I cannot say that I recognise that figure, because £700 million more was made available in the last set of universal credit reforms, all of which was directed at the most vulnerable in our society.

    Neil Coyle

    Will the hon. Gentleman give way again?

    Rishi Sunak

    No, I will carry on, given the number of people who want to speak.

    Compassion alone is not enough. The effectiveness of our welfare system should be properly judged by the number of lives that it transforms, and that transformation comes from well-paid work. Universal credit ends the well-documented problem of single parents effectively working for free if they want to work for more than 16 hours. Universal credit ensures that all work truly pays, and it is working. Compared with the system that it replaces, claimants spend twice as much time actively looking for work and, for every 100 claimants who found employment under the old system, 113 will find employment under universal credit. In reality, the lives of more than 250,000 people will be transformed over the course of the roll-out through having a decent job and the opportunity to build a stake in our society.

    Finally, universal credit is fair to the people who pay for it. In Britain today, we spend around twice as much on working-age welfare as we do on education. To put it another way, for every £1 that the taxpayer sends to the NHS, they also send £1 to the working-age welfare bill. Given the sums involved, I make no apology for speaking up for those who ask me, “Is this money well spent?”

    Sarah Jones (Croydon Central) (Lab)

    The hon. Gentleman talks of the transformational impact of universal credit, so will he please comment on the transformation for my constituents? In Croydon, two thirds of families in local authority housing are now in rent arrears and face eviction, compared with less than a third before universal credit was introduced.

    Rishi Sunak

    I obviously cannot comment specifically on what is going on in Croydon, but the reasons for rent arrears are complicated. The evidence shows that the level of rent arrears after three months of universal credit is exactly the same, if not lower, than under the old system.

    Returning to the sums involved, universal credit ensures a responsible and sustainable system by putting in place a sensible regime of conditionality. That gives hard-working taxpayers the confidence that when they contribute to the system, not only will that help somebody to get back on their feet, but that the person will also have a responsibility to do their bit. That is fair.

    Universal credit is not perfect—no system so large and complex can be—and we should make improvements where we can, but it is significantly better than what it replaces, and the fundamentals of what it is trying to achieve are sound. It has been implemented slowly and methodically. It is insane to argue that it has been rushed when the full roll-out will have taken almost a decade from start to finish. This is welfare reform in action: making things simpler, ensuring work pays, and transforming lives. I urge the Government to carry on with their plan.

  • Rishi Sunak – 2017 Speech on Transport in the North

    Rishi Sunak – 2017 Speech on Transport in the North

    The speech made by Rishi Sunak, the Conservative MP for Richmond, in the House of Commons on 6 November 2017.

    My hon. Friend has done excellent work analysing these numbers, and I completely agree with his point that it is multigenerational. The point is that, from now on, that gap needs to start closing.

    Secondly, London has Crossrail, the midlands is getting HS2, and now we in the north need the Government to back Northern Powerhouse Rail. The Government’s £300 million down-payment is certainly welcome, but we will need a lot more to show the people of the north that the Government mean business.

    Thirdly, in my own area, the new Tees Valley Mayor has campaigned to upgrade Darlington station, to vastly improve its capacity and connectivity. It is an excellent proposal and the Government should get behind it.

    Fourthly, from Teesside to Merseyside, and from Tyneside to the Humber, one of the north’s many strengths are its great ports. As I set out last year, after we leave the EU we should create a new generation of US-style free ports to turbocharge manufacturing, trade and employment in our great northern port cities.

    Finally, we must make sure that the rural north is not left behind. Advances like autonomous vehicles will have their biggest impact in sparsely populated rural areas like mine—for example, by allowing elderly constituents to access distant health services more easily, or stimulating our local economies by allowing people to head to the pub without worrying about who will drive home.

    It might seem strange to hear all this from a boy born in Southampton, but I am deeply proud to now call the north my home. So as long as I have a voice in this House, I will speak up loudly and forcefully for my home’s bright future, and for an economy that, with the right investment, can be the powerhouse not just of Britain but of the world.

  • Rishi Sunak – 2017 Parliamentary Question on Transport Funding for the North

    Rishi Sunak – 2017 Parliamentary Question on Transport Funding for the North

    The speech made by Rishi Sunak, the Conservative MP for Richmond, in the House of Commons on 6 November 2017.

    Does my hon. Friend agree with the point made by the hon. Member for Bradford South (Judith Cummins) that the Treasury and the Department for Transport need to consider economic development and the rebalancing of the economy as criteria for the allocation of new money, so that it does not go only to the places that are already economically vibrant?

    Kevin Hollinrake

    I absolutely agree. I have looked at the figures in detail and, as my hon. Friend said in his speech, the distribution of central Government spending is much more level before other factors are added in. In London, the money allocated by central Government per person per year is about £40 per person, but if other investment is added in—from the European Investment Bank, local authorities and private finance—that is when the disparity occurs. We have to find mechanisms to make sure that the north gets a fair deal. It is not just about central Government distributing money unfairly; other factors are at work, which is why we need to work across party lines to make sure we can deliver a solution.

    As I said earlier, the way things are now is how they have been for decades—for generations—so we all need to work together. It is not just north versus south; it is principally London versus the rest of the country. We have a big constituency of MPs and businesses right across the country who have a stake in making sure that we get a fair deal, but we need to look behind the broad, headline figures, because it is simply not right that the Chancellor is allocating lots of money to London and not to the rest of the country. Other factors are at work that we need to take into account and find solutions for.

    Once we have found those solutions, there are so many projects that we need to support. It is absolutely right that we should look at northern powerhouse rail or HS3. As my hon. Friend the Member for Cleethorpes (Martin Vickers) said, we need to look at extending the M11 up to the Humber bridge. We need a tunnel across the Pennines. We also need to look at the small regional roads, such as the A59 and the A1079 in my constituency, and particularly the A64, on which a journey of around 40 miles from York to Scarborough can take two hours. We need more funding for the smaller, less high-profile projects that are so critical to our local economies. If we can get the money—if the people holding the purse strings will give us the tools—we can do the job.

  • Rishi Sunak – 2022 Comments Regretting Appointment of Gavin Williamson

    Rishi Sunak – 2022 Comments Regretting Appointment of Gavin Williamson

    The comments made by Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, in the House of Commons on 9 November 2022.

    Keir Starmer (Holborn and St Pancras) (Lab)

    May I join the Prime Minister in his comments about Remembrance Day? We remember all those who paid the ultimate price, and all those who have served and are serving our country.

    The Member for South Staffordshire (Sir Gavin Williamson) told a civil servant to “slit your throat”. How does the Prime Minister think the victim of that bullying felt when he expressed great sadness at his resignation?

    The Prime Minister

    Unequivocally, the behaviour complained of was unacceptable, and it is absolutely right that the right hon. Gentleman has resigned. For the record, I did not know about any of the specific concerns relating to his conduct as Secretary of State or as Chief Whip, which date back some years. I believe that people in public life should treat others with consideration and respect, and those are the principles that this Government will stand by.

    Keir Starmer

    The Member for South Staffordshire spent years courting the idea that he could intimidate others, blurring the lines to normalise bullying behaviour—it is precisely why the Prime Minister gave him a job. The truth is simple: he is a pathetic bully, but he would never have got away with it if people like the Prime Minister did not hand him power. Does the Prime Minister regret his decision to make him a Government Minister?

    The Prime Minister

    I obviously regret appointing someone who has had to resign in these circumstances, but I think what the British people would like to know is that when situations like this arise, they will be dealt with properly. That is why it is absolutely right that he resigned, and it is why it is absolutely right that there is an investigation to look into these matters properly. I said my Government will be characterised by integrity, professionalism and accountability, and it will.

    Keir Starmer

    Everyone in the country knows someone like the Member for South Staffordshire: a sad middle manager getting off on intimidating those beneath him. But everyone in the country also knows someone like the Prime Minister: the boss who is so weak and so worried that the bullies will turn on him that he hides behind them. What message does he think it sends when, rather than take on the bullies, he lines up alongside them and thanks them for their loyalty?

    The Prime Minister

    The message that I clearly want to send is that integrity in public life matters. That is why it is right that the right hon. Member has resigned, and why it is right that there is a rigorous process to examine these issues. As well as focusing on this one individual, it is also right and important that we keep delivering for the whole country. That is why this Government will continue to concentrate on stabilising the economy, strengthening the NHS and tackling illegal migration. Those are my priorities and the priorities of the British people, and this Government will deliver on them.

  • Rishi Sunak – 2022 Statement to the House of Commons on COP27

    Rishi Sunak – 2022 Statement to the House of Commons on COP27

    The statement made by Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, in the House of Commons on 9 November 2022.

    With permission, Mr Speaker, I will make a statement on COP27 which I attended in Sharm El Sheikh on Monday.

    When the UK took on the UK Presidency of COP just one third of the global economy was committed to net zero.

    Today that figure is 90 percent.

    And the reduction in global emissions pledged during our Presidency is now equivalent to the entire annual emissions of America.

    There is still a long way to go to limit global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees.

    But the historic Glasgow Climate Pact kept that goal within reach.

    And the whole House, I know, will want to join me in paying tribute to My Rt Hon Friend the Member for Reading West for his inspirational leadership as COP President.

    The question at this Summit, Mr Speaker, was whether countries would deliver on their promises.

    I’m pleased to say that our nation will.

    We have already cut our carbon emissions faster than anyone else in the G7.

    And we will fulfil our ambitious commitment to reduce emissions by at least 68 per cent by the end of the decade.

    Now, I know that some have feared Putin’s abhorrent war in Ukraine could distract from global efforts from tackling climate change.

    But I believe it should catalyse them.

    Climate security and energy security go hand in hand.

    Putin’s contemptible manipulation of energy prices has only reinforced the importance of ending our dependence on fossil fuels.

    So we will make this country a clean energy superpower.

    We will accelerate our transition to renewables which have already grown four-fold as a proportion of our electricity supply over the last decade.

    We will invest in building new nuclear power stations for the first time since the 1990s.

    And by committing £30 billion to support our green industrial revolution we will leverage up to £100 billion of private investment to support almost half a million high wage, high skilled green jobs.

    Mr Speaker, there is also no solution to climate change without protecting and restoring nature.

    So at COP27, the UK committed £90 million to the Congo Basin as part of £1.5 billion we are investing in protecting the world’s forests.

    And I co-hosted the first meeting of our Forests and Climate Leaders’ partnership which will deliver on the historic commitment to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030.

    Now, central to all our efforts, is keeping our promises on climate finance.

    So the UK is delivering on our commitment of £11.6 billion.

    And to support the most vulnerable who are experiencing the worst impacts of climate change we will triple our funding on adaptation to reach £1.5 billion a year in 2025.

    In Glasgow, the UK pioneered a new global approach using aid funding to unlock billions of pounds of private finance for new green infrastructure.

    So I was delighted to join President Ramaphosa to mark the publication of his investment plan which delivers on this new model.

    South Africa will benefit from cheaper, cleaner power cutting emissions while simultaneously creating new green jobs for his people.

    And we will look to support other international partners in taking a similar approach.

    We also made further commitments to support clean power in developing countries.

    This included investing a further £65 million in commercialising innovative clean technologies and working with the private sector to deliver a raft of green investment projects in Kenya.

    Now Mr Speaker, the Summit allowed me to meet many of my counterparts for the first time.

    With the Egyptian President, I raised the case of the British-Egyptian citizen Alaa Abd el-Fattah.

    And I know the whole House will share my deep concern about his case, which grows more urgent by the day.

    And we will continue to press the Egyptian government to resolve the situation.

    We want to see Alaa freed and reunited with his family as soon as possible.

    With President Macron, we discussed our shared determination to crack down on criminal smuggling gangs.

    And I also discussed illegal migration with other European leaders too.

    We are all facing the same shared challenge – and we agreed to solve it together.

    And finally, I had good first meetings with the new Prime Minister of Italy, the German Chancellor, the President of the EU, the President of Israel, and the leaders of UAE, Kenya and Norway, as well as the UN Secretary General.

    In all of these discussions, the UK is acting with our friends to stand up for our values around the world and to deliver stability and security at home.

    Tackling climate change and securing our energy independence is central to these objectives.

    So even though we may now have handed over the Presidency of COP, the United Kingdom will proudly continue to lead the global effort to deliver net zero.

    Because this is the way to ensure the security and prosperity of our country for today and for generations to come.

    And I commend this statement to the House.

  • Rishi Sunak – 2022 Letter Responding to the Resignation of Gavin Williamson

    Rishi Sunak – 2022 Letter Responding to the Resignation of Gavin Williamson

    The letter sent by Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, to Gavin Williamson on 8 November 2022.

    Letter (in .pdf format)

  • Rishi Sunak – 2022 Statement at COP27

    Rishi Sunak – 2022 Statement at COP27

    The statement made by Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, in Egypt on 7 November 2022.

    When Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II addressed COP 26 last year,

    she reflected how history has shown…

    “…that when nations come together in common cause, there is always room for hope.”

    I believe we found room for hope in Glasgow.

    With one last chance to create a plan that would limit global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees,

    ….we made the promises to keep that goal within reach.

    And the question today is this: can we summon the collective will to deliver them?

    I believe we can.

    When we began our COP Presidency, just one third of the global economy was signed up to net zero…

    …today it’s 90 per cent.

    And for our part, the UK…

    …which was the first major economy in the world to legislate for net zero….

    …will fulfil our ambitious commitment to reduce emissions by at least 68 per cent by 2030.

    And because there is no solution to climate change without protecting and restoring nature …

    In Glasgow, more than 140 countries which are home to over 90 per cent of the world’s forests…

    … made a historic promise to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by the end of this decade.

    And just this afternoon I co-hosted the first meeting of the Forests and Climate Leaders’ Partnership to ensure this is delivered.

    Central to all our efforts, is honouring our promises on climate finance.

    I know that for many, finances are tough right now.

    The pandemic all but broke the global economy.

    And before coming here today…

    …I spent last week working on the difficult decisions needed to ensure confidence and economic stability in my own country.

    But I can tell you today…

    ….that the United Kingdom is delivering on our commitment of £11.6 billion.

    And as part of this – we will now triple our funding on adaptation to £1.5 billion by 2025.

    Let me tell you why.

    First, I profoundly believe it is the right thing to do.

    Listen to Prime Minister Mottley of Barbados, as she describes the existential threat posed by the ravages of climate change.

    Or look at the devastating floods in Pakistan…

    …where the area underwater is the same size as the whole United Kingdom.

    When you see 33 million people displaced…

    …with disease rife and spreading through the water…

    …you know it is morally right to honour our promises.

    But it is also economically right too.

    Climate security goes hand in hand with energy security.

    Putin’s abhorrent war in Ukraine and rising energy prices across the world are not a reason to go slow on climate change.

    They are a reason to act faster.

    Because diversifying our energy supplies by investing in renewables…

    …is precisely the way to insure ourselves against the risks of energy dependency.

    It is also a fantastic source of new jobs and growth.

    In Glasgow, we began an approach globally…

    ….using aid funding to unlock billions of pounds of private finance for the development of new green infrastructure.

    So instead of developing countries being unfairly burdened with the carbon debt of richer nations and somehow expected to forgo that same path to growth,

    ….we are helping those countries deliver their own fast track to clean growth.

    And the UK is making further commitments to support this today …

    ….including by investing £65 million in a range of green investment projects in Kenya and in Egypt.

    I’d like to pay tribute to President Sisi for his leadership in bringing us all together…

    ….and to thank the UK’s President of COP26, Alok Sharma…

    …for his inspiring work to deliver on the Paris Agreement and Glasgow Climate Pact.

    By honouring the promises we made in Glasgow….

    ….and by directing public and private finance towards the protection of our planet….

    ….we can turn our struggle against climate change into a global mission for new jobs and clean growth…

    …and we can bequeath our children a greener planet and a more prosperous future.

    That’s a legacy we could be proud of.

    So as we come together once again in common cause today,

    there really is room for hope.

    Together, let us fulfil it.

  • Rishi Sunak – 2022 Comments on Benjamin Netanyahu Winning Election in Israel

    Rishi Sunak – 2022 Comments on Benjamin Netanyahu Winning Election in Israel

    The comments made by Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, on 7 November 2022.

    On behalf of the UK, I would like to congratulate Benjamin Netanyahu on his victory in the Israeli elections. Across areas like trade, security and technology there is a huge amount our countries do together and I look forward to working with the returning Prime Minister.

  • Rishi Sunak – 2022 Comments on COP27

    Rishi Sunak – 2022 Comments on COP27

    The comments made by Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, on 7 November 2022.

    When the world came together in Glasgow last year, nations agreed an historic roadmap for preventing catastrophic global warming. As I travel to COP27 in Egypt today, it is more important than ever that we deliver on those pledges.

    Fighting climate change is not just a moral good – is it fundamental to our future prosperity and security. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and contemptible manipulation of energy prices has only reinforced the importance of ending our dependence on fossil fuels.

    We need to move further and faster to transition to renewable energy, and I will ensure the UK is at the forefront of this global movement as a clean energy superpower.