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  • Rishi Sunak – 2023 Speech on the Loyal Address

    Rishi Sunak – 2023 Speech on the Loyal Address

    The speech made by Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, in the House of Commons on 7 November 2023.

    This is the first King’s Speech in 70 years, and the first of His Majesty’s reign, which is already defined by the same wisdom, grace and compassion that marked a long record of service. May I take this opportunity on behalf of the whole House to express our admiration and gratitude to His Majesty the King?

    Before we get into the traditional debate, let me first address the situation in Israel and Gaza. All of us in the House care deeply about the suffering of innocent people and the scenes we have witnessed. We abhor the way in which Hamas have used innocent Palestinians as human shields. It is right that the United Kingdom is doubling our aid funding for Palestinian civilians. We have been consistent throughout in our calls for a humanitarian pause as soon as possible to get aid in and hostages and foreign nationals out, but a unilateral and unconditional ceasefire would simply allow Hamas to entrench their position and continue their attacks against Israel. Only last week, Hamas reiterated their intentions, stating clearly:

    “We will repeat the October 7 attack time and again until Israel is annihilated.”

    Faced with such a threat, no country could reasonably be expected not to act.

    Last week, I spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu to reiterate the United Kingdom’s backing for Israel’s right to defend itself; it is the first duty of any Government. I also stressed the need to allow more aid into Gaza, to take all possible measures to minimise civilian casualties, and to avoid inflaming tensions in the west bank, where settler violence must stop. I can update the House that now well over 100 British nationals have been able to leave Gaza, thanks to our diplomatic efforts to reopen the Rafah crossing. The Development Minister will make a full statement to the House tomorrow.

    Let me also reiterate this: we will not stand for the hatred and antisemitism we have seen on our streets. It sickens me to think that British Jews are looking over their shoulder in this country, and that children are going to school covering up their school badges for fear of attack. This Government will do whatever it takes to keep the Jewish community safe, just as we will do whatever it takes to keep every community safe. We will fight hatred and extremism in all its forms, wherever it is found, today, tomorrow and always. We are the world’s most successful multi-ethnic, multi-faith democracy, and we will protect our democracy from all threats to it.

    This King’s Speech is about what this Government are about—taking long-term decisions to build a brighter future for our country. It builds on foundations that were far stronger than they were just a year ago: inflation falling and on track to be halved; an economy now growing faster than France and Germany; national debt on track to fall; more support for the NHS this winter; and we are stopping the boats, with crossings this year down by over a fifth, as we ensure that it is this Government, not criminal gangs, who decide who comes to our country.

    Now that we have strengthened the foundations, this King’s Speech turns to the future, taking long-term decisions with a single objective—to change our country for the better: change in our economy with new legislation to improve our energy security, join a huge trade pact with the fastest-growing region in the world and prepare to seize the opportunities of a new technological age; change in our society with new protections for leaseholders and renters, a Bill to safeguard the future of football clubs and fans, and the historic legislation that will finally create the first smoke-free generation; and change to keep our nation secure and our communities safe with tougher sentences for criminals, more powers for the police and security services, and tough new action to clamp down on antisocial behaviour.

    What will all this mean for the British people? More jobs, more investment and higher growth; more police on the streets with stronger powers to keep us safe; places people are proud to call home; and a country strong at home, confident abroad and with a better future ahead for all our people. That is the change that this King’s Speech and this Government will deliver.

    The Loyal Address was brilliantly proposed by my right hon. Friend the Member for Scarborough and Whitby (Sir Robert Goodwill). I will always be grateful to him, because when I was first selected as the Conservative candidate for Richmond (Yorks), my right hon. Friend took a call from a prominent farmer in my local community who had expressed some consternation about the revelation that I did not eat beef. Quick as a flash, my right hon. Friend replied, “Don’t worry, he’s the perfect candidate—there’ll be more for me and thee!”

    As a proud Yorkshireman, my right hon. Friend has a reputation for being very careful with money. Just the other day, he went shopping for a new pair of shoes, and when the shop assistant tried to throw away the old pair, he said, “Hang on a second, I want to keep those laces—there’s still life in them yet!” I have often regarded myself as a trainee Yorkshireman, and it turned that out that, with him, I was also a trainee fiscal Conservative. That is why I asked my right hon. Friend to apply his same zeal for savings to efficiencies that we could make across Whitehall. He came back with a great list: Yorkshire teabags are perfectly fine for another three or four goes, the DEFRA thermostat was set far too high at 17° and seven bins are simply far too many.

    My right hon. Friend is probably the only Member of this House who is the proud owner of his own graveyard. Apparently, he even does some of the digging himself. No wonder he is such a staunch supporter of the Government’s plan to protect renters: he fully supports the right of his tenants to be left undisturbed over the very long long-term. In his maiden speech, my right hon. Friend proudly boasted that Whitby in his constituency was

    “voted No. 1 weekend holiday destination by the readers of Saga Magazine”.—[Official Report, 6 June 2005; Vol. 434, c. 1052.]

    I am delighted, as my right hon. Friend retires and lifts his gaze from his own copy of Saga, that he already finds himself in the home of blue skies, blue waters and blue rinses. Whitby is, as he reminded us, where Dracula made landfall—that shadowy, pale, haunting figure aged beyond his years. And that is what two decades in this House can do for you!

    As a Government Whip, a Minister in four Departments, and a dedicated constituency MP, my right hon. Friend has had an extraordinary career. Among his many achievements, I would particularly highlight his introduction of the first ever roadside drug tests. Before that we had no way of clamping down on dangerous drug driving, and that landmark policy has saved untold numbers of lives. It is a legacy he should be proud of, and a reminder of the good that politics can do. My right hon. Friend is a great parliamentarian, and I am proud to call him a friend. His speech was in the finest traditions of this House, and his wit, integrity and sound good sense will be much missed on all sides.

    Continuing the North Yorkshire theme, the Loyal Address was brilliantly seconded by someone who was also born and bred in God’s own county, my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud (Siobhan Baillie). I am sure the whole House will join me in paying tribute to our fantastic NHS, and send our very best wishes to her daughter Tilly. Some may think of my hon. Friend as a shy, retiring and studious type. After all, as she said today, she often prefers to be in the Library. But we are discovering another side to my hon. Friend; we have heard about her time in the naughty corner, and about the Spice Girl platforms. I can also reveal today that back in the 1990s she won the prestigious, fiercely contested crown of “Yorkshire rock ’n roll dancing queen”.

    In a rich and varied career, my hon. Friend was also a highly regarded yoga teacher. So when she read in The Times that the shadow Cabinet were being encouraged to take up yoga in the office, she was waiting for the phone call. It turns out that no Conservative, not even one as supremely talented as my hon. Friend, can teach the Labour party anything when it comes to constantly changing from one contorted position to another.

    My hon. Friend also mentioned taking advice and inspiration from a certain parliamentary sketch writer. If she is hoping that one day he might make her the target of his acerbic wit, I would just say this: be careful what you wish for. I have been called many things in my time, but I am not sure that I will ever forget being branded

    “the titch in vacuum-packed underpants”.

    On a serious note, my hon. Friend has already made a huge impact in her short time in this place, and nowhere more than in her fantastic campaign to improve childcare provision, inspiring my right hon. Friend the Chancellor to announce 30 hours of free childcare a week for under-fours in England in the March Budget. That landmark policy will make an enormous difference to millions of families up and down the country, and my hon. Friend should be incredibly proud of her part in making that happen.

    My hon. Friend overcame great odds to reach her place today. Growing up on free school meals, she left home as a teenager and worked her way up as a family lawyer, without attending university, before becoming the first female MP of Stroud in 2019. Sometimes people ask me what being a Conservative is all about, and I can think of no greater example than that. My hon. Friend is a remarkable person, a dedicated MP, and someone with a huge future ahead. Her speech was in the finest traditions of this House.

    Let me also thank the Leader of the Opposition for his contribution to this debate, and indeed his first U-turn of it. As a former republican, he used to think that this country should not even have a King’s Speech, but at least that is one U-turn the whole country will welcome. The right hon. and learned Gentleman is prone to changing his position, but in fairness his speech did strike a few consistent notes: higher inflation, more strikes, more immigration and higher borrowing. The Labour party’s plan to unnecessarily borrow £28 billion more every year and give in to inflation-busting pay demands from its union paymasters is dangerous, inflationary, and the British people would pay the price in higher interest rates and higher taxes. In truth, Labour will borrow anything—people’s money or people’s ideas—and it now turns out that his copy-and-paste shadow Chancellor is happy to borrow other people’s work, too, but she is not the only Member on the Opposition Benches to get unstuck by a book. Earlier this year, the Leader of the Opposition had to abandon writing his own book and return the deposit. It was supposed to be his vision for Britain, but his publishers discovered what the British people already know: he simply does not have one. While he stands for the same old ideas, we are focused on the long-term decisions that will provide a better and brighter future for everyone. That is what this King’s Speech will deliver.

    That change starts with changing our economy. We have already delivered the largest fall in inflation since the 1980s, a faster recovery from the pandemic than Germany, France and Japan, and tens of billions of pounds of new investment from around the world. We believe that the role of Government is to create the conditions for the private sector to thrive. That is where new growth and new jobs come from. It is why we have given business a £27 billion tax cut on investment, launched 12 freeports around the UK to create jobs and investment, and introduced legislation in this King’s Speech so that we can confirm our membership of the comprehensive and progressive agreement for trans-Pacific partnership, a huge trading pact with the fastest growing region in the world. [Interruption.] I hear from those on the Opposition Benches that it will make no difference. We can only do that because of our new freedoms outside the European Union—freedoms that the Leader of the Opposition wants to abandon, instead locking the United Kingdom into a new European deal that would tie us into EU rules and regulations that we would have no say over and opening our borders to 100,000 additional EU migrants every single year.

    As well as failing to secure our borders, the Opposition would also fail to secure our energy supplies. We know that economic growth requires energy security. We have already invested record amounts in renewables such as offshore wind. We backed Sizewell C, the first new nuclear in decades. The King’s Speech introduces new legislation for North sea oil and gas, supporting hundreds of thousands of British jobs. We can compare and contrast that with the Opposition’s energy policy—

    Sir Chris Bryant (Rhondda) (Lab)

    Will the Prime Minister give way? [Interruption.]

    Mr Speaker

    Order. Members have the right to intervene. If the Prime Minister wishes to give way, that is up to the Prime Minister. If he wishes not to do so, that is also fine.

    The Prime Minister

    We can compare and contrast—

    Sir Chris Bryant

    Will the Prime Minister give way? [Interruption.]

    Mr Speaker

    Order. The Prime Minister is not giving way.

    The Prime Minister

    We can compare and contrast the proposed new legislation with the Opposition’s energy policy, and there is one word for it: naive. That is not my word, but that of their own union paymasters. I will happily give way.

    Sir Chris Bryant

    I am very grateful to the Prime Minister. Bearing in mind that a significant proportion of people who sleep rough are Army veterans and people with acquired brain injuries, does the Prime Minister agree with the Home Secretary when she says that homelessness—sleeping rough—is “a lifestyle choice”? If he does not, will he sack her?

    The Prime Minister

    I am not sure about the link between that and energy security, but I can tell the hon. Gentleman that thanks to the efforts of my right hon. Friend the Member for Plymouth, Moor View (Johnny Mercer), veterans’ homelessness is at record low levels in this country. Rough sleeping overall is down by around a third since the peak, thanks to the actions of this Government and in particular the landmark Homelessness Reduction Act 2017—passed by this Government—which has helped relieve or prevent more than 640,000 people from becoming homelessness.

    Returning to energy security, the Opposition want to ban all new oil and gas licences, risking our becoming even more dependent on Putin’s Russia for our crucial supplies of energy. What is even more absurd about their policy is this: the Leader of the Opposition is not against all oil and gas; he is just against British oil and gas. Unlike the Opposition, who want to pursue net zero with an ideological zeal—going even faster and further no matter what the cost or the disruption—we on the Conservative Benches are cutting the cost of net zero for working people, saving British families £5,000, £10,000 or £15,000, and that is the choice.

    Caroline Lucas (Brighton, Pavilion) (Green)

    I am grateful to the Prime Minister for giving way. I want to ask him when he will start being straight with the British public. He pretends that new oil and gas licences will somehow guarantee our energy security, when he knows that that oil and gas is sold on international markets to the highest bidder. He pretends that it will get people’s bills down, yet his own Secretary of State for Energy has said that it will not. When will he stop governing by gimmick, and when will he start actually rolling out the home insulation programme that will get people’s bills down?

    The Prime Minister

    The hon. Lady talks about being straight. It is the Conservative party and me who were straight with the British people about the cost of getting to net zero—something that she and the Labour party would do well to follow. Because we have been honest and transparent and have cut those costs, we will save British families £5,000, £10,000 or £15,000—

    Caroline Lucas indicated dissent.

    Mr Speaker

    Order. The Prime Minister gave way to the hon. Lady. She should at least do him the courtesy of hearing the answer.

    The Prime Minister

    That is the simple choice: a Government on the side of hard-working people or an Opposition and the hon. Lady on the side of the eco-zealots.

    If we want truly to change our country, we need a stronger society. That is why this King’s Speech introduces a landmark Bill to create the first smoke-free generation. It will prevent deaths, improve people’s lives and free the NHS to support others. It is the most significant public health intervention by any Government for generations—historic change from a historic King’s Speech.

    But that is not all that the Government are doing for the NHS. We have invested record sums, created 50 million more primary private care appointments and brought more beds and more ambulances. Through the NHS’s first ever long-term workforce plan, we will recruit more doctors, nurses and dentists than ever before. That is what the NHS needs, not the damaging strike action that Labour refuses to condemn, even though it is adding tens of thousands of people to waiting lists every single day. The Opposition also opposed our plans to provide a minimum safety level during the strikes. Do they and the Leader of the Opposition think that vulnerable patients do not deserve life-saving healthcare, or are they just too weak to stand up to the unions? Either way, the conclusion is clear: you simply cannot trust Labour with the NHS.

    Let me turn to the most important part of a stronger society: education. Of all that we have achieved since 2010, this is what I am most proud of. Under the Labour party, only two thirds of schools were rated “good” or “outstanding”; now it is about 90%. They took us down the international league tables; we are now soaring up them. They devalued apprenticeships; we are investing in them. They backed rip-off degrees, and we are ending them. We are also introducing the new advanced British standard, so that everyone will study maths and English to 18, learn a broader range of subjects, with more hours in the classroom, and we will finally break down the barriers between academic and technical education. More teachers, higher standards and more apprenticeships: on the Government side of the House, a stronger society is an opportunity society, and this Conservative Government are delivering.

    We can only build that stronger society with stronger communities, and that is what this King’s Speech does. We are reforming the housing market to empower leaseholders and to give renters more security; establishing a new independent football regulator to give fans a greater voice in their clubs; and delivering our promise to level up with record investment in local areas. We are building a million more homes, all the while protecting the green belt—unlike the charter for sprawl that we see from the Labour party.

    That brings me to transport. Every single penny that would have been spent on High Speed 2—a repeatedly delayed, expensive project that failed to meet people’s real needs—is now being invested in the north, in the midlands and right across the country, with £36 billion of investment in projects that people really need and actually want. Network North is without question the most ambitious scheme for northern transport that any Government have developed, ever. Yet first the Leader of the Opposition was against it, then he was for it, and now he is not really sure. One thing is for sure: you simply cannot trust a word he says.

    None of those important changes will mean anything if people do not feel safe in their communities. The facts are clear: it is this Government that is on the side of law and order. This King’s Speech introduces legislation to better support victims, as well as new measures to combat the scourge of antisocial behaviour, all building on a proud record of tackling crime—20,000 more police officers on the streets, more police on the streets than ever before. [Interruption.] We have heard a lot about 13 years, but since 2010: crime halved; violent crime halved; burglary also halved; antisocial behaviour down by 70%; tougher sentences for rapists and sex offenders, which is something the Labour party voted against; and, for the worst offenders, life finally means life—all while the Leader of the Opposition and those on the Opposition Front Bench campaigned to stop the deportation of dangerous foreign criminals.

    We are just days away from Remembrance Sunday, so let me close by paying tribute to our armed forces. At this moment, over 7,000 servicemen and women are deployed overseas. From the frozen waste of the High North to the streets of Kosovo, they are the best of us. We owe to all our veterans a lifelong debt of gratitude. I am proud of our work, led in Cabinet by my right hon. Friend the Member for Plymouth, Moor View, to make this the best country in the world to be a veteran. That is what you get with this Government. We are on the side of Britain’s armed forces. We are investing record amounts in defence, we are an unwavering ally to the Ukrainian people and we are proud to be one of the largest contributors to NATO. But in contrast, Mr Speaker, what do you get with the Opposition? They tried to install—[Interruption.] They never like being reminded about it, but Labour Members tried to install as Prime Minister a man who wanted to abolish the armed forces, withdraw from NATO and back the UK’s enemies over its allies. Labour cannot be trusted with our nation’s security.

    This King’s Speech builds on the strong foundation of an economy well on its way to recovery. It rejects big Government and instead backs people and businesses to thrive. It strengthens society, with historic measures to support the nation’s health and education. It secures our streets and borders, with tougher sentences for criminals and powers for police. Above all, this King’s Speech delivers change—change in our economy, change in our society, change in our communities. It takes long-term decisions for a brighter future, and I commend it to the House.

  • Rishi Sunak – 2023 Speech on AI Safety Summit

    Rishi Sunak – 2023 Speech on AI Safety Summit

    The speech made by Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, at Bletchley Park on 2 November 2023.

    It was here at Bletchley Park where codebreakers including the British genius Alan Turing cracked the Enigma cipher…

    …and where we used the world’s first electronic computer.

    Breakthroughs which changed the possibilities for humanity.

    So there could be nowhere more fitting for the world to come together…

    …to seize the opportunities of the greatest breakthrough of our own time….

    …while giving people the peace of mind that we will keep them safe.

    I truly believe there is nothing in our foreseeable future that will be more transformative for our economies, our societies and all our lives…

    ….than the development of technologies like Artificial Intelligence.

    But as with every wave of new technology, it also brings new fears and new dangers.

    So no matter how difficult it may be…

    ….it is the right and responsible long-term decision for leaders to address them.

    That is why I called this Summit….

    …and I want to pay tribute to everyone who has joined us, and the spirit in which they have done so.

    For the first time ever, we have brought together CEOs of world-leading AI companies….

    … with countries most advanced in using it….

    …and representatives from across academia and civil society.

    And while this was only the beginning of the conversation,

    I believe the achievements of this summit will tip the balance in favour of humanity.

    Because they show we have both the political will and the capability to control this technology and secure its benefits for the long-term.

    And we’ve achieved this in four specific ways.

    Until this week, the world did not even have a shared understanding of the risks.

    So our first step was to have open and inclusive conversation to seek that shared understanding.

    We analysed the latest available evidence on everything from social harms like bias and misinformation…

    …to the risks of misuse by bad actors…

    …through to the most extreme risks of even losing control of AI completely.

    And yesterday, we agreed and published the first ever international statement about the nature of all those risks.

    It was signed by every single nation represented at this summit covering all continents across the globe…

    …and including the US and China.

    Some said, we shouldn’t even invite China…

    ….others that we could never get an agreement with them.

    Both were wrong.

    A serious strategy for AI safety has to begin with engaging all the world’s leading AI powers.

    And all of them have signed the Bletchley Park Communique.

    Second, we must ensure that our shared understanding keeps pace with the rapid deployment and development of AI.

    That’s why, last week I proposed a truly global expert panel to publish a State of AI Science report.

    Today, at this summit, the whole international community has agreed.

    This idea is inspired by the way the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was set up to reach international science consensus.

    With the support of the UN Secretary General…

    …every country has committed to nominate experts.

    And I’m delighted to announce that Turing Prize Winner and ‘godfather of AI’ Yoshua Bengio…

    …has agreed to chair the production of the inaugural report.

    Third, until now the only people testing the safety of new AI models…

    …have been the very companies developing it.

    That must change.

    So building on the G7 Hiroshima process and the Global Partnership on AI…

    …like-minded governments and AI companies have today reached a landmark agreement.

    We will work together on testing the safety of new AI models before they are released.

    This partnership is based around a series of principles which set out the responsibilities we share.

    And it’s made possible by the decision that I have taken – along with Vice President Kamala Harris…

    ….for the British and American governments to establish world-leading AI Safety Institutes…

    …with the public sector capability to test the most advanced frontier models.

    In that spirit I very much welcome the agreement of the companies here today to deepen the privileged access that the UK has to their models.

    Drawing on the expertise of some of the most respected and knowledgeable AI experts in the world…

    …our Safety Institute will work to build our evaluations process in time to assess the next generation of models before they are deployed next year.

    Finally, fulfilling the vision we have set to keep AI safe is not the work of a single summit.

    The UK is proud to have brought the world together and hosted the first summit.

    But it requires an ongoing international process…

    …to stay ahead of the curve on the science…

    …and see through all the collaboration we have begun today.

    So we have agreed that Bletchley Park should be the first of a series of international safety summits…

    …with both Korea and France agreeing to host further summits next year.

    The late Sir Stephen Hawking once said that –

    “AI is likely to be the best or worst thing to happen to humanity.”

    If we can sustain the collaboration that we have fostered over these last two days…

    …I profoundly believe that we can make it the best.

    Because safely harnessing this technology could eclipse anything we have ever known.

    And if in time history proves that today we began to seize that prize…

    …then we will have a written a new chapter worthy of its place in the story of Bletchley Park…

    …and more importantly, bequeathed an extraordinary legacy of hope and opportunity for our children and the generations to come.

  • Rishi Sunak – 2023 Speech on AI

    Rishi Sunak – 2023 Speech on AI

    The speech made by Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, at the Royal Society in London on 26 October 2023.

    I’m delighted to be here at the Royal Society, the place where the story of modern science has been written for centuries.

    Now, I’m unashamedly optimistic about the power of technology to make life better for everyone.

    So, the easy speech for me to give – the one in my heart I really want to give…

    …would be to tell you about the incredible opportunities before us.

    Just this morning, I was at Moorfields Eye Hospital.

    They’re using Artificial Intelligence to build a model that can look at a single picture of your eyes…

    …and not only diagnose blindness, but predict heart attacks, strokes, or Parkinson’s.

    And that’s just the beginning.

    I genuinely believe that technologies like AI will bring a transformation as far-reaching…

    …as the industrial revolution, the coming of electricity, or the birth of the internet.

    Now, as with every one of those waves of technology, AI will bring new knowledge…

    …new opportunities for economic growth, new advances in human capability…

    …and the chance to solve problems that we once thought beyond us.

    But like those waves, it also brings new dangers and new fears.

    So, the responsible thing for me to do – the right speech for me to make – is to address those fears head on…

    …giving you the peace of mind that we will keep you safe…

    …while making sure you and your children have all the opportunities for a better future that AI can bring.

    Now, doing the right thing, not the easy thing, means being honest with people about the risks from these technologies.

    So, I won’t hide them from you.

    That’s why today, for the first time, we’ve taken the highly unusual step…

    …of publishing our analysis on the risks of AI…

    …including an assessment by the UK intelligence communities.

    These reports provide a stark warning.

    Get this wrong, and AI could make it easier to build chemical or biological weapons.

    Terrorist groups could use AI to spread fear and destruction on an even greater scale.

    Criminals could exploit AI for cyber-attacks, disinformation, fraud, or even child sexual abuse.

    And in the most unlikely but extreme cases, there is even the risk that humanity could lose control of AI completely…

    …through the kind of AI sometimes referred to as ‘super intelligence’.

    Indeed, to quote the statement made earlier this year by hundreds of the world’s leading AI experts:

    “Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war”.

    Now, I want to be completely clear:

    This is not a risk that people need to be losing sleep over right now.

    I don’t want to be alarmist.

    And there is a real debate about this – some experts think it will never happen at all.

    But however uncertain and unlikely these risks are, if they did manifest themselves, the consequences would be incredibly serious.

    And when so many of the biggest developers of this technology themselves warn of these risks…

    …leaders have a responsibility to take them seriously, and to act.

    And that is what I am doing today – in three specific ways.

    First, keeping you safe.

    Right now, the only people testing the safety of AI…

    …are the very organisations developing it.

    Even they don’t always fully understand what their models could become capable of.

    And there are incentives in part, to compete to build the best models, quickest.

    So, we should not rely on them marking their own homework, as many of those working on this would agree.

    Not least because only governments can properly assess the risks to national security.

    And only nation states have the power and legitimacy to keep their people safe.

    The UK’s answer is not to rush to regulate.

    This is a point of principle – we believe in innovation, it’s a hallmark of the British economy…

    …so we will always have a presumption to encourage it, not stifle it.

    And in any case, how can we write laws that make sense for something we don’t yet fully understand?

    So, instead, we’re building world-leading capability to understand and evaluate the safety of AI models within government.

    To do that, we’ve already invested £100m in a new taskforce…

    …more funding for AI safety than any other country in the world.

    And we’ve recruited some of the most respected and knowledgeable figures in the world of AI.

    So, I’m completely confident in telling you the UK is doing far more than other countries to keep you safe.

    And because of this – because of the unique steps we’ve already taken – we’re able to go even further today.

    I can announce that we will establish the world’s first AI Safety Institute – right here in the UK.

    It will advance the world’s knowledge of AI safety.

    And it will carefully examine, evaluate, and test new types of AI…

    …so that we understand what each new model is capable of…

    …exploring all the risks, from social harms like bias and misinformation, through to the most extreme risks of all.

    The British people should have peace of mind that we’re developing the most advanced protections for AI of any country in the world.

    Doing what’s right and what’s necessary to keep you safe.

    But AI does not respect borders.

    So we cannot do this alone.

    The second part of our plan is to host the world’s first ever Global AI Safety Summit next week, at Bletchley Park – the iconic home of computer science.

    We’re bringing together the world’s leading representatives…

    …from Civil Society…

    …to the companies pioneering AI…

    …and the countries most advanced in using it.

    And yes – we’ve invited China.

    I know there are some who will say they should have been excluded.

    But there can be no serious strategy for AI without at least trying to engage all of the world’s leading AI powers.

    That might not have been the easy thing to do, but it was the right thing to do.

    So, what do we hope to achieve at next week’s Summit?

    Right now, we don’t have a shared understanding of the risks that we face.

    And without that, we cannot hope to work together to address them.

    That’s why we will push hard to agree the first ever international statement about the nature of these risks.

    Yet AI is developing at breath taking speed.

    Every new wave will become more advanced, better trained, with better chips, and more computing power.

    So we need to make sure that as the risks evolve, so does our shared understanding.

    I believe we should take inspiration from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change…

    …which was set up to reach an international scientific consensus.

    So, next week, I will propose that we establish a truly global expert panel…

    …nominated by the countries and organisations attending …

    …to publish a State of AI Science report.

    Of course, our efforts also depend on collaboration with the AI companies themselves.

    Uniquely in the world, those companies have already trusted the UK with privileged access to their models.

    That’s why the UK is so well-placed to create the world’s first Safety Institute.

    And at next week’s Summit I will work together with the companies and countries to deepen our partnerships.

    My vision, and our ultimate goal, should be to work towards a more international approach to safety…

    …where we collaborate with partners to ensure AI systems are safe before they are released.

    And so to support this, we will make the work of our Safety Institute available to the world.

    That’s the right thing to do morally, in keeping with the UK’s historic role on the international stage.

    And it’s also the right thing economically, for families and businesses up and down the country.

    Because the future of AI is safe AI.

    And by making the UK a global leader in safe AI, we will attract even more of the new jobs and investment that will come from this new wave of technology.

    Just think for a moment about what that will mean for our country.

    The growth it will catalyse, the jobs it will create, the change it can deliver –for the better.

    And that’s the third part of our plan – to make sure that everyone in our country can benefit from the opportunities of AI.

    We’ve already got strong foundations.

    Third in the world for tech, behind only the US and China.

    The best place in Europe to raise capital.

    All of the leading AI companies – choosing the UK as their European headquarters.

    The most pro-investment tax regime…

    The most pro-entrepreneur visa regime, to attract the world’s top talent…

    …and the education reforms to give our own young people the skills to succeed.

    And we’re going to make it even easier for ambitious people with big ideas to start, grow, and compete in the world of AI.

    That’s not just about having the technical skills, but the raw computing power.

    That’s why we’re investing almost a billion pounds in a supercomputer thousands of times faster than the one you have at home.

    And it’s why we’re investing £2.5bn in quantum computers, which can be exponentially quicker than those computers still.

    To understand this, consider how Google’s Sycamore quantum computer…

    …can solve a maths problem in 200 seconds, that would take the world’s fastest supercomputer 10,000 years.

    And as we invest more in our computing power, we’ll make it available for researchers and businesses, as well as government…

    …so that when the best entrepreneurs in the world think about where they want to start and scale their AI businesses, they choose the UK.

    And finally, we must target our scientific efforts towards what I think of as AI for good.

    Right across the western world, we’re searching for answers to the question of how we can improve and increase our productivity.

    Because that’s the only way over the long-term to grow our economy and raise people’s living standards.

    And in a million different ways, across every aspect of our lives, AI can be that answer.

    In the public sector, we’re clamping down on benefit fraudsters…

    …and using AI as a co-pilot to help clear backlogs and radically speed up paperwork.

    Just take for example, the task of producing bundles for a benefits tribunal.

    Before, a week’s work could produce around 11.

    Now – that takes less than an hour.

    And just imagine the benefits of that rolled out across the whole of government.

    In the private sector, start-ups like Robin AI are revolutionising the legal profession…

    …writing contracts in minutes, saving businesses and customers time and money.

    London-based Wayve is using sophisticated AI software to create a new generation of electric, self-driving cars.

    But more than all of this – AI can help us solve some of the greatest social challenges of our time.

    It can help us finally achieve the promise of nuclear fusion, providing abundant, cheap, clean energy with virtually no emissions.

    It can help us solve world hunger, by making food cheaper and easier to grow…

    …and preventing crop failures by accurately predicting when to plant, harvest or water your crops.

    And AI could help find novel dementia treatments or develop vaccines for cancer.

    That’s why today we’re investing a further £100m to accelerate the use of AI…

    …on the most transformational breakthroughs in treatments for previously incurable diseases.

    Now I believe nothing in our foreseeable future will be more transformative for our economy, our society, and all our lives, than this technology.

    But in this moment, it is also one of the greatest tests of leadership we face.

    It would be easy to bury our heads in the sand and hope it’ll turn out alright in the end.

    To decide it’s all too difficult, or the risks of political failure are too great.

    To put short-term demands ahead of the long-term interest of the country.

    But I won’t do that.

    I will do the right thing, not the easy thing.

    I will always be honest with you about the risks.

    And you can trust me to make the right long-term decisions…

    …giving you the peace of mind that we will keep you safe…

    …while making sure you and your children have all the opportunities for a better future that AI can bring.

    I feel an extraordinary sense of purpose.

    When I think about why I came into politics…

    Frankly, why almost anyone came into politics…

    It’s because we want to make life better for people…

    …to give our children and grandchildren a better future.

    And we strive, hour after hour, policy after policy, just trying to make a difference.

    And yet, if harnessed in the right way, the power and possibility of this technology…

    …could dwarf anything any of us have achieved in a generation.

    And that’s why I make no apology for being pro-technology.

    It’s why I want to seize every opportunity for our country to benefit in the way I’m so convinced that it can.

    And it’s why I believe we can and should, look to the future with optimism and hope.

    Thank you.

  • Rishi Sunak – 2023 Speech at the Future Resilience Forum

    Rishi Sunak – 2023 Speech at the Future Resilience Forum

    The speech made by Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, on 9 October 2023.

    Last night we flew the Israeli flag over Number 10.

    To show our solidarity with the people of Israel

    And our utter condemnation of the horrific values that Hamas unleashed over the weekend.

    On Saturday morning terrorists crossed into Israel intent on murder and kidnap.

    Whole families were killed.

    Women, children and the elderly were taken hostage.

    Innocent teenagers at a festival of peace were gunned down in cold blood.

    And the sickening evidence posted online.

    It is unhuman – and it will not stand.

    Terrorism will not prevail.

    Israel has the absolute right to defend itself and to deter further incursions.

    We are working with the Israeli authorities to support them.

    And we are doing everything possible to support British citizens who were caught up in the attacks.

    And the families of those who perished.

    I also want to say a word to Jewish communities here at home.

    I am with you.

    And we are taking the necessary steps to ensure that you feel safe.

    And it is with all of this in mind, together with Russia’s barbaric strikes on civilians in Ukraine.

    That we meet here today to talk about resilience.

    So the creation of this forum could not be more timely.

    Too often, democracies fail to recognise their own inherent strength.

    They worry about whether they have the resilience to cope in a more dangerous world.

    They have to think about elections, accountability, public opinion.

    Contrast that with Putin’s approach.

    His idea of resilience is based on aggression and coercion, and he puts everything in the service of that goal.

    Sacrificing his people. Draining his resources.

    Tearing up international rules and commitments.

    But let me tell you, democracy will out-perform autocracy every single time.

    Because we are more adaptable and more open.

    We have deep enduring partnerships based on shared values.

    We innovate faster. We waste less. We value our people.

    And we stand up for the international order and the fundamental rules it represents.

    And you can see all of this in our response to the invasion of Ukraine.

    We are backing our Ukrainian friends because it is right.

    Because the UN Charter must be upheld.

    But also because we know that Ukraine’s security is our security.

    We will continue to stand with them until they prevail.

    And let’s just reflect on the fact that this is already a strategic disaster for Putin.

    Russia has suffered over a quarter of a million casualties.

    They’ve lost 2,000 main battle tanks and 4,000 infantry fighting vehicles.

    Half of the territory they initially seized has been taken back.

    They have seen an armed rebellion marching on Moscow.

    And they’ve faced a more united response from the G7 and beyond than they could have ever possibly imagined.

    They have been met with true, democratic resilience.

    But the war has also caused us to look at own our preparedness.

    It has proved that the threats we face have changed and multiplied.

    And that they demand a change in how we respond.

    And the UK was out ahead of this in the Integrated Review of foreign and security policy that we published back in 2021.

    And the Refresh that I published earlier this year.

    These far-sighted documents set out a broader, long-term perspective of what we mean by resilience.

    Because today, it’s about more than the traditional concept of national security.

    It’s also about our economic security.

    Our energy security.

    The strength of our institutions.

    The undersea cables we rely on.

    The openness of the trade routes we need.

    And our ability to anticipate new threats.

    So let me quickly set out five ways that we’re working to boost our resilience today.

    First, we are investing in our security.

    We are moving away from our baseline commitment to spend two per cent of GDP on defence to a new ambition of two and a half per cent.

    And we’re building up our defence-industrial base, together with our closest allies.

    With Japan and Italy, we’re building the next generation of combat air fighter jets.

    And through our AUKUS partnership with the US and Australia we’re developing one of the most advanced nuclear-powered subs the world has ever known.

    Second, we’re delivering a stronger economy at home, as the foundation of our strength abroad.

    Now people love to talk our economy down, but the fact is we are ahead of the pack.

    Inflation is coming down.

    We are growing faster than France and Germany.

    We are a leading innovator and a science and tech superpower.

    We are securing our supply chains with trade deals around the world.

    And negotiating a critical minerals agreement with the United States.

    And with measures like the new National Security and Investment Act.

    We are blocking acquisitions which could harm our security.

    And safeguarding critical infrastructures – including energy.

    That brings me to my third point.

    We are boosting sovereign energy generation, so that we are less reliant on imported hydrocarbons from the likes of Putin.

    We are already home to four of the world’s largest offshore wind farms.

    And now we are building the biggest one yet at Dogger Bank.

    We are building new nuclear power stations for the first time since the 1990s.

    And we are tapping the oil and gas reserves under the North Sea.

    Fourth, we are tackling global drivers of instability.

    We are striking new agreements to tackle illegal migration and break up the business model of the people smugglers.

    We have heard the concerns of the global south and so we are working to boost food security.

    By helping Ukraine to open up routes to export their grain to those who need it most.

    And by bringing the world together at a conference on ending global hunger in just a few weeks’ time.

    We are leading the charge to improve development finance with fundamental reforms of the World Bank.

    We are delivering our Net Zero targets, even as we work to deliver them in a more pragmatic way that will carry people’s consent.

    And we are working to deliver a step change in climate finance through our Just Energy Transition Partnerships, our pioneering Climate Resilient Debt Clauses.

    And committing over £1.6 billion for the Green Climate Fund – the single biggest international climate pledge the UK has ever made.

    Finally, we are leading efforts to safely harness the power of AI as a tool for good.

    Now AI can help to strengthen our resilience.

    By fuelling economic growth and finding new vaccines and cures for diseases it can help to solve the biggest problems of our time.

    But it also poses significant risks.

    AI will make it easier for malign actors to build bioweapons, take down banks, disrupt energy grids, or worse.

    We need a response that keeps pace with its development.

    That makes AI a tool to strengthen open societies, not undermine them.

    And that’s why the UK is hosting the first global AI Safety Summit next month.

    So when I talk about building the UK’s resilience this is what I mean.

    A global defence power.

    An economy built on innovation and openness.

    A domestic energy producer.

    A leader and a partner in tackling global challenges.

    A frontier nation in the tech revolution.

    And a robust, thriving democracy.

    That is the British model of resilience.

    That’s what I’m working to deliver.

    And that is why I’m taking the long-term decisions for a stronger, safer country – and a more stable world.

  • Rishi Sunak – 2023 Statement on Hamas Attacks on Israel

    Rishi Sunak – 2023 Statement on Hamas Attacks on Israel

    The statement made by Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, on 7 October 2023.

    I am shocked by this morning’s attacks by Hamas terrorists against Israeli citizens.

    Israel has an absolute right to defend itself.

    We’re in contact with Israeli authorities, and British nationals in Israel should follow travel advice.

  • Rishi Sunak – 2023 Speech to Conservative Party Conference

    Rishi Sunak – 2023 Speech to Conservative Party Conference

    The speech made by Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, in Manchester on 4 October 2023.

    Thank you, Akshata for that introduction…

    …and thank you for always being there for me.

    My wife: truly the best long-term decision for a brighter future, I ever made.

    I have been blessed in my life.

    I have a wonderful wife and two daughters who make me proud every single day.

    And I was also lucky enough to grow up in the most loving of homes.

    My Dad was a GP and my Mum a pharmacist…

    …you did need a smaller mention than last summer I know.

    In so many ways, I wouldn’t be standing here before you today without them.

    They were—and are—my inspiration.

    Thank you, Mum, thank you Dad.

    Like so many of us in this hall, they understood the importance of community…

    …and made sure that I did too.

    They didn’t believe community was some extension of government.

    Rather, they understood community is sustained by individuals…

    …by those who look out for their neighbour, treat others as they would like to be treated.

    They understood the fundamental importance of service.

    It was seeing the difference they made to people’s lives that made me want to go into politics.

    My mother set up her own pharmacy.

    It was a proper family business.

    We all chipped in; as a teenager I helped deliver prescriptions and do the books.

    I learnt there the importance of being able to meet your commitments and make good on your promises.

    My parents are long retired now.

    But the Sunak pharmacy left me with a lasting respect for every small, family business.

    This Conservative party, the party of the grocer’s daughter and the pharmacist’s son, will always be the party of enterprise, the party of small business.

    I have been Prime Minister for almost a year now.

    We have done good things in that time.

    We have made progress on our five priorities…

    …to halve inflation, grow the economy, reduce debt, cut waiting lists, and stop the boats.

    But today I want to share with you my reflections on what I have seen and what I have learnt doing this job.

    I have seen up close the quality of our armed forces and intelligence services.

    Truly, the finest in the world.

    The debt of gratitude we owe them is why we are making this the best place to be a veteran.

    I know we will deliver because we have a Minister for Veterans Affairs sitting in Cabinet.

    Johnny served in Afghanistan; this is personal for him.

    He stood with his fellow soldiers in battle…

    …and now he is ensuring that it is this Conservative government making our country fit for our heroes.

    We have backed our military with record investment.

    Working with Ben—a great defence secretary–we put the defence budget on a sustainable footing.

    Now, Grant will ensure that our advanced Aukus submarine alliance…

    …with Australia and the United States…

    …keeps the world safe for decades to come and create jobs here at home.

    And, through our leading role in NATO, we remain the bulwark of European security.

    All testament to this country’s global reach and influence…

    …and our determination to take long-term decisions in the national interest.

    By contrast, just remember that not once, but twice…

    …Labour tried to make a man Prime Minister who didn’t believe in NATO…

    …who would have surrendered our nuclear deterrent and who blames Britain for every problem.

    Sir Keir Starmer might want us to forget about his repeated support for Jeremy Corbyn, but we never will.

    You can never trust Labour with our country’s security.

    I am proud to say we have led the world in providing support to Ukraine.

    We were the first country to send Western battle tanks to Kyiv, now more than ten others have followed.

    We were the first country to send long range weapons to Kyiv, now France and the United States have followed.

    We were the first country to agree to train Ukrainian pilots, now more than a dozen others have followed.

    I say this to our allies, if we give President Zelensky the tools, the Ukrainians will finish the job.

    Slava Ukraini.

    Doing this job, I meet and talk to inspirational men and women across our country.

    You see that our most potent strength, our most powerful resource, our greatest hope is our people.

    But what I have learnt is that there is an undeniable sense that politics just doesn’t work the way it should.

    The feeling that Westminster is a broken system—and the same goes for Holyrood, Cardiff Bay, and Stormont.

    It isn’t anger, it is an exhaustion with politics.

    In particular, politicians saying things, and then nothing ever changing.

    And you know what: people are right.

    Politics doesn’t work the way it should.

    We’ve had thirty years of a political system which incentivises the easy decision, not the right one.

    Thirty years of vested interests standing in the way of change.

    Thirty years of rhetorical ambition which achieves little more than a short-term headline.

    And why?

    Because our political system is too focused on short term advantage, not long-term success.

    Politicians spent more time campaigning for change than actually delivering it.

    It doesn’t have to be this way.

    I won’t be this way.

    Conference, our mission is to fundamentally change our country.

    The Labour Party have set out their stall: to do and say as little as possible and hope no one notices.

    They want to take people’s votes for granted and keep doing politics the same old way.

    It is a bet on people’s apathy.

    It does not speak to any higher purpose, or brighter future.

    It is about power for the sake of power.

    It is in short, everything that is wrong with our politics.

    So, if this country is to change, then it can only be us who will deliver it.

    Because if we do not our growth will be stunted.

    More places will be left behind.

    And ever more of our time will be spent debating the side issues and symptoms…

    …rather than the deeper, more structural challenges we face.

    We won’t allow this to happen.

    So, where a consensus is false, we will challenge it.

    Where a vested interest is placing itself above the needs of the people, we will stop it.

    And where common sense is under attack from an organised assault, we will defend it.

    Today, I will set out how we will achieve this.

    Beginning with a set of long-term decisions…

    …to build a brighter future for our children…

    …and fundamentally change our country.

    And conference, you can already see my approach in the course I charted on net zero.

    We Conservatives love our natural world.

    We are determined to be good stewards of it.

    In my own constituency, it is the beauty of the North York Moors…

    …and Swaledale and Wensleydale that makes the place home.

    We Conservatives also value frankness and consent.

    We believe that politicians have a duty to treat household budgets with respect…

    …and that change only endures if we bring people with us.

    As you could tell by the reaction to my decision to chart a new course to Net Zero…

    …it was not the easiest argument to have.

    But when I looked at the reality of what people were being asked to do…

    …the thousands of pounds people would need to pay…

    …all of that disproportionately falling on the poorest in society by the way…

    …and all of it not actually necessary in those time frames to meet our net zero targets…

    …and in spite of us doing more than any other country—I concluded it simply was not right.

    So, I decided to take a pragmatic, proportionate and realistic approach to reaching Net Zero.

    And I won’t take any lectures from other countries that have done far less than us…

    …or from those for whom spending thousands of pounds of means nothing.

    Change is difficult, particularly for those who disagree.

    But remember this: we will still meet our international obligations…

    …we will still meet our domestic targets and we will still get to Net Zero by 2050.

    We have solved a problem and offered an unapologetic defence of good Conservative common sense.

    So as much to the country, I make this promise to all of you in this hall.

    As I did last summer: I will tell it as it is.

    I will lead in a different way.

    Because that is the only way to create the sort of change in our politics and in our country that we all desperately want to see.

    Now I came into office in difficult circumstances…

    …and I don’t want to waste time debating the past because what matters is the future.

    The facts are the facts.

    You can’t borrow your way out of inflation.

    And if we want fundamental change in our country, we need a strong economy as a foundation.

    That is why halving inflation was the first and most important of the five priorities I set out at the start of the year.

    Everything that we want to achieve requires getting inflation under control.

    ‘Inflation is the biggest destroyer of all—of industry, of jobs, of savings, and of society.’

    ‘No policy which puts at the risk the defeat of inflation—no matter its short-term attraction—can be right.’

    Not my words, but those of Margaret Thatcher: as true now as they were then.

    I know you want tax cuts, I want them too—and we will deliver them.

    But the best tax cut we can give people right now is to halve inflation and ease the cost of living.

    And with inflation under control, our debt reduction will become easier…

    …and as debt falls, confidence grows, and as confidence grows so too will our economy.

    We need our economy to grow faster, and for people across the country to feel the benefits of that.

    Like other Western economies, we haven’t grown quickly enough in recent years.

    But don’t let Labour and the others talk down our country.

    We now know that we have had one of the fastest recoveries from the pandemic of any major economy in Europe.

    Since leaving the single market, we’ve grown faster than France and Germany.

    Not despite Brexit, because of Brexit.

    We have the largest life sciences, financial services, creative and tech sectors in all of Europe.

    And we have near record numbers of people with the security that a job provides.

    And if we want to keep growing…

    …we have to create the conditions in which businesses can drive growth…

    …and that’s exactly what we’re doing.

    We still have the lowest corporation tax rate in the G7.

    And thanks to the Chancellor’s business tax cuts…

    …we are the best place to invest in the machinery and equipment that your business needs to grow.

    Innovation drives growth in a modern economy…

    …so, we also have the most generous tax regime for research and development in the G7.

    And our Brexit freedoms make us ever more competitive.

    From financial services to clinical trials to agriculture, we are creating a more agile regulatory system…

    …freeing up businesses to drive the growth our country needs.

    The fact we control our own trade policy now is why we can be the first European country to join the £11 trillion Pacific trade pact…

    …linking us to the fastest growing region in the world and opening up new markets for our farmers and great British products.

    We have new free ports from the Firth of Forth to the

    Solent…

    …ensuring the benefits of trade and investment are spread across our country.

    And thank you Kemi for cutting away Brussels red tape and saving small businesses a billion pounds a year.

    Brexit was more than a vote to leave the EU: it was a vote to change, to become something more.

    It was a statement of our belief that Britain could begin a new story…

    …one which reached all parts of our country and everyone in it.

    We must keep making the case for taking back control because if we don’t…

    …our opponents will try and neuter this change.

    To align us with the European Union so that we never seize the full opportunities of Brexit.

    We know where Keir Starmer’s heart lies on this issue—and we know he can’t be trusted on it either.

    First, he said he’d respect the referendum result.

    Then he wanted a second referendum.

    Then he wanted free movement.

    Then he didn’t.

    He said he wouldn’t try and renegotiate our deal.

    Then he said he would.

    And then just two weeks ago he was caught on camera telling a meeting of international politicians…

    …that he now just wants to follow all the EU rules.

    The irony isn’t lost on me.

    While we’re busy thinking about the future of the United Kingdom…

    Keir Starmer’s just banging on about Europe.

    You just cannot know what you are going to get with him.

    The only thing that is certain is that it won’t be what he is promising you.

    But the worst thing about Sir Keir is that he just says whatever he thinks will benefit him the most.

    It doesn’t matter whether he can deliver it…

    …doesn’t matter if it’s true…

    …it doesn’t matter if he said the opposite just a few weeks or months ago.

    He is the walking definition of the thirty-year political status quo I am here to end.

    That is why we have to beat him—and Conference that is why we will!

    If we are to create change and drive growth across our country, then we must get our infrastructure right.

    A false consensus has taken root that all that matters are links between our big conurbations.

    This consensus said that our national economic regeneration should be driven by cities…

    …at the exclusion of everywhere else.

    It said that the most important connection those cities could have was to London, and not anywhere else.

    And it said that the only links that mattered were north to south: not east to west.

    What we really need, though, is better transport connections in the North.

    A new Network North that will join up our great towns and cities in the North and the Midlands.

    I wanted to come here to Manchester today, to say that this will be our priority, our focus, our project.

    HS2 is the ultimate example of the old consensus.

    The result is a project whose costs have more than doubled, which has been repeatedly delayed and it is not scheduled to reach here in Manchester for almost two decades…

    …and for which the economic case has massively weakened with the changes to business travel post Covid.

    I say, to those who backed the project in the first place, the facts have changed.

    And the right thing to do when the facts change, is to have the courage to change direction.

    And so, I am ending this long running saga.

    I am cancelling the rest of the HS2 project.

    And in its place, we will reinvest every single penny…£36 billion pounds…

    …in hundreds of new transport projects in the North and the Midlands, and across the country.

    This means £36 billion of investment in the projects that will make a real difference across our nation.

    As a result of the decision we are taking today…

    …every region outside of London will receive the same or more government investment than they would have done under HS2…

    …with quicker results.

    No government has ever developed a more ambitious scheme for Northern transport than our new Network North.

    This is the right way to drive growth and spread opportunity across our country. To level up.

    With our new Network North, you will be able to get from Manchester to the new station in Bradford in 30 minutes…

    …Sheffield in 42 minutes…

    …and to Hull in 84 minutes on a fully, electrified line.

    Don’t worry. There’s more.

    We’ll protect the £12 billion pounds to link up Manchester and Liverpool as planned…

    …and we will engage with local leaders on how best to deliver that scheme.

    We’ll build the Midlands Rail Hub, connecting 50 stations.

    We’ll help Andy Street extend the West Midlands Metro…

    We’ll build the Leeds tram, electrify the North Wales main line…

    Upgrade the A1, the A2, the A5, the M6…

    There is more. There’s lots more.

    …and we’ll connect our Union with the A75 boosting links between Scotland and Northern Ireland.

    We’ll fund the Shipley bypass, the Blyth relief road and deliver 70 other road schemes.

    We’ll resurface roads across the country.

    We’ll bring back the Don Valley line.

    We’ll upgrade the energy coast line between Carlisle, Workington, and Barrow.

    Build hundreds of other schemes.

    And keep the £2 bus fare across the whole country.

    I challenge anyone to tell me with a straight face that all of that isn’t what the North really needs.

    Our plan will drive far more growth and opportunity here in the North than a faster train to London ever would.

    As John Stevenson and Ben Houchen have long argued, east-west links are more important than north-south ones.

    Given how far along construction is, we will complete the line from Birmingham to Euston.

    And yes, HS2 trains will still run here to Manchester. And journey times will be cut between Manchester, Birmingham, and London by 30 minutes.

    And I say this to Andy Street, a man I have huge admiration and respect for, I know we have different views on HS2. But I also know we can work together to ensure a faster, stronger spine: quicker trains and more capacity between Birmingham and Manchester.

    The management of HS2 will no longer be responsible for the Euston site.

    There must be some accountability for the mistakes made, for the mismanagement of this project.

    We will instead create a new Euston development zone…

    …building thousands of new homes for the next generation of homeowners, new business opportunities and a station that delivers the capacity we need…

    And in doing so, for the first time in the life cycle of this project – we will have cut costs.

    The £6.5 billion of savings that Mark and I are making will be taken from the Euston site…

    …and given to the rest of country.

    The decision I have made and the stance I am taking will be attacked.

    They will say that halting it signals a lack of ambition.

    There will be people I respect, people in our own party, who will oppose it.

    But there is nothing ambitious about simply pouring more and more money into the wrong project.

    There is nothing long-term about ignoring your real infrastructure needs…

    …so, you can spend an ever-larger amount on one grand project.

    They will say that we have already spent so much on it that it would be embarrassing to stop.

    That, though, would be an absurd reason to continue: an abdication of leadership.

    They will say that there is somehow a cross party consensus on the project…

    As I have already said… that consensus is wrong.

    For too long, people in Westminster have invested in the transport they want…

    …not the transport the rest of the country, particularly the North and Midlands, wants and needs.

    And to those who disagree, who will focus on what I have stopped, I ask you to consider what we have just created with Network North.

    An alternative, which in place of one delayed and over running project…

    …will now begin hundreds upon hundreds of new projects…

    …large and small, road and rail, bus and train, covering the whole country.

    That will be delivered faster.

    That will see every region receiving more investment than they would have done.

    You can’t have both.

    So those who wish to disagree with me, I respect that.

    But they should have the honesty to admit that they would now be cancelling the hundreds of alternative projects…

    …right across the country, that people will benefit from instead.

    Conference, I think our new plan is simply a better long-term investment of £36 billion of taxpayers’ money.

    We need to bring this willingness to make the right decision, not the easy one…

    …to every aspect of our national life.

    The NHS is important to us all.

    It is the birthright of every person in this country.

    It was the NHS and social care staff who worked night and day to get us through the pandemic.

    Our commitment to the principle of an NHS free at the point of use is immovable.

    And this Conservative government is putting record resources into our NHS, and social care too.

    But we Conservatives know that you don’t measure your affection for the NHS…

    …just by how much money you put in, but by how you reform it for the challenges ahead.

    I know that right now waiting lists are patients’ most pressing concern.

    Just as in Scotland and Wales, they have risen because of the pandemic.

    And now strikes have led to more than a million cancelled appointments.

    Now, this is a reasonable government.

    We have negotiated and reached pay deals with over a million NHS workers, including nurses and hospital porters.

    We have met the recommendations of the independent pay review bodies for junior doctors and consultants in full.

    We have cut their taxes on their pensions as they requested.

    But they continue to demand, massive unaffordable pay rises.

    And that they have chosen to walk out this week says it all.

    This strike is all about politics, not patients.

    These strikes are not in the spirit of the NHS.

    This year we celebrate its 75 years of service…

    …and one of my abiding aims as your Prime Minister is to set the NHS up for the next 75.

    True believers in the promise of the NHS want it to reflect the world we live in today.

    That means a higher quality service that offers you—the patient—more choice…

    …allowing you to use any provider, independent or NHS, free of charge, if that will get you treated quicker.

    A common-sense reform that this Conservative government has made.

    Next, Steve and I want to give the NHS the staff it needs.

    For decades, we have not trained enough doctors and nurses.

    The result: the NHS either hiring staff from abroad or paying temporary agency workers huge fees.

    And we are ending that with the first ever long-term workforce plan for our health service.

    Let me repeat that, the first ever long-term workforce plan.

    It says everything about the short-termism of our politics that for the last 75 years…

    …not a single government has planned for how many doctors and nurses the NHS will need in the decades ahead.

    Our plan doubles the number of students training to be doctors and nurses.

    But it is also a reform plan for the NHS with new ways of training…

    …new roles and new ways of working, all driving up productivity.

    I know vested interests will oppose some of these measures.

    But we Conservatives must do the right thing and make the changes that will enable the NHS…

    …to work as productively as the best healthcare systems anywhere in the world.

    And this is what a long-term decision really is.

    Given it takes up to 15 years to train a consultant, there’s no politics in this investment, it’s not about credit.

    It’s about our kids and their kids, they’ll get a much better and stronger NHS.

    And that’s why we’re here.

    That’s why we Conservatives do what we do, up and down the country from Whitehall to Town Hall.

    We’re building a better future for the next generation.

    But to ease the more fundamental burden of demand on the NHS…

    …we need more preventative care to stop people having to go to hospital in the first place.

    We must tackle the single biggest entirely preventable cause of ill-health, disability, and death and that is smoking.

    In our country smoking causes one in four cancer deaths.

    It kills 64,000 people a year and leads to almost one hospital admission every minute.

    It significantly increases the risk of strokes, heart disease, dementia, and stillbirth.

    Now we’ve made great progress in tackling smoking.

    The number of people smoking is down by two thirds since the 1970s.

    But if we are to do the right thing for our kids we must try and stop teenagers taking up cigarettes in the first place.

    Because without a significant change…

    …thousands of children will start smoking in the coming years and have their lives cut short as a result.

    People take up cigarettes when they are young.

    Four in five smokers have started by the time they are 20. Later, the vast majority try to quit.

    But many fail because they are addicted and they wish had never taken up the habit in the first place.

    If we could break that cycle…

    …if we could stop the start…

    …then we would be on our way to ending the biggest cause of preventable death and disease in our country.

    So, I propose that in future we raise the smoking age by one year, every year.

    That means a 14 year old today will never legally be sold a cigarette…

    …and that they—and their generation—can grow up smoke free.

    We know this works.

    When we raised the smoking age to 18, smoking prevalence dropped by 30 percent in that age group.

    When the US raised the age to 21, the smoking rate dropped by 39 per cent in that age group.

    Smoking places huge pressures on the NHS and costs our country £17 billion a year.

    We have a chance to cut cancer deaths by a quarter, significantly ease those pressures and protect our children, and we should take it.

    This is not a values judgement on people who smoke.

    I don’t believe it would be fair to take away the rights of anyone to smoke who currently does so…

    …and the vote on this in parliament will be a free vote…

    …as the bar on smoking in public places was and raising the smoking age to 18 was.

    There will be no government whip, it is a matter of conscience…

    And I want you all, and the country, to know where mine is.

    For a Conservative, measures that restrict choice are never easy.

    I know not everyone in this hall will agree with me on this.

    But I have spent a long time weighing up this decision.

    Simply put: unlike all other legal products, there is no safe level of smoking.

    And what has ultimately swayed me is that none of us, not even those who smoke, want our children to grow up to be smokers.

    This change can make that a reality.

    It will save more lives than any other decision we could take.

    And as any parent or teacher knows, one of the most worrying trends at the moment is the rise in vaping among children: one in five children have used vapes.

    We we must act before it becomes endemic.

    So, we will also bring forward measures to restrict the availability of vapes to our children. Looking at flavours, packaging, displays and disposable vapes.

    As Prime Minister I have an obligation to do what I think is the right thing for our country in the long-term.

    And as Conservatives we have never shirked that responsibility.

    We have always been at the front of society, leading it.

    And when we have the tools at our disposal…

    …to deal with the biggest cause of preventable illness and death in our country…

    To cut cancer deaths by a quarter…

    …to significantly reduce long-term pressure on our NHS…

    …and to do for our children what we all, in our heart of hearts, know is right…

    …we must act, we must lead.

    Conference, we must put the next generation first.

    And that is what I will do.

    But all the boldness in the world will only mean so much…

    …if we can’t similarly deal with matters of fundamental sovereignty, safety, and control.

    I’m talking of course about illegal immigration.

    It is non-negotiable that you, the British people decide who comes here… and not criminal gangs.

    Those gangs ply a trade that leads to innocent people dying, we have a moral duty to defeat this evil — and we will.

    I never pretended that stopping the boats will be easy.

    At the time I committed the government to delivering that goal the consensus was simple…

    …there was nothing we could do about it.

    They pointed to four years of growing crossings and said ‘impossible.’

    Well conference: they were wrong.

    It is not impossible and we are proving it.

    Small boat crossings are, for the first time since the phenomenon began, down 20 per cent this year.

    All while entry into Europe is up.

    We are by no means where we want to be.

    But don’t let anyone tell you we aren’t making progress.

    We are.

    And we will get there.

    Our new law will ensure that if you come here illegally, you will be detained and swiftly removed.

    I am confident that once flights start going regularly to Rwanda, the boats will stop coming.

    Just look at how our returns agreement with Albania has seen the numbers coming from there fall by ninety per cent.

    I am confident that our approach complies with our international obligations.

    But know this, I will do whatever is necessary to stop the boats.

    By contrast, Labour’s plan is to cook up some deal with the EU…

    …which could see us accepting around 100,000 of Europe’s asylum seekers.

    If your answer to illegal migration is to increase it…

    You clearly just don’t get it.

    And that’s why we have got to stop them.

    And that’s because on this and so many other issues Labour simply don’t share our and the country’s values.

    My values are simple: service, family, work.

    I was brought up to understand the value of work.

    Work gives you security, work gives you purpose.

    When the pandemic hit, we were faced with the prospect of 12 million people losing that security, that purpose overnight.

    And once you’re out of work, it can be hard to get back in.

    I wasn’t prepared to cast 12 million people into that darkness.

    I am proud that furlough not only prevented this…

    …but helped ensure our economy recovered more strongly from the pandemic…

    …than France, Germany, and Japan.

    Never forget the scale of what we did for so many.

    In six weeks, we did something that had never been done before: from scratch.

    I was told it wasn’t possible, that it wouldn’t work, but I got it done.

    Furlough was compassionate Conservatism in action.

    If furlough was one thing that helped us get through Covid, then Iain Duncan Smith’s welfare reforms were another.

    The old system could not have coped with the pressure in the way that universal credit did.

    But we have more to do.

    We must end the national scandal…

    …where our benefits system declares that more than two million people of working age are incapable of actually doing any.

    That’s not Conservative, that’s not compassionate—that must change.

    In 2011, one in five of those doing a work capability assessment were deemed unfit to work.

    But the latest figure now stands at 65 per cent.

    Are people three times sicker today than they were a decade ago?

    No, of course not.

    It’s not good for our economy…

    …it is not fair on taxpayers who have to pick up the bill…

    …and it’s a tragedy for those two million people being written off.

    I refuse to accept this and that is why we are going to change the rules so that those who can work, do work.

    Your values and your priorities should be expressed in everything the public sector does.

    Too often it is not.

    In too many parts of our permanent state, virtue-signalling has replaced common sense.

    As Suella has said, there is no such thing as a minor crime.

    If the police tolerate crime and anti-social behaviour in any form, we will have more crime of all sorts.

    So, that’s why we now have record numbers of police officers and every crime should be investigated. Our streets will be safer, our communities more secure, no one should be afraid to walk home alone at night.

    Our London mayoral candidate Susan Hall is doing a great job of holding Sadiq Khan to account for his failings on policing.

    Londoners, you will be safer with Susan.

    And I am clear: there are some crimes so heinous…

    …that those who perpetrate them should spend the rest of their lives behind bars.

    So, I can confirm that we will legislate for sexual and sadistic murders to carry a full life term…

    …with no prospect of release.

    We are going to change this country and that means life means life.

    Now that shouldn’t be a controversial position.

    The vast majority of hardworking people agree with it.

    And it also shouldn’t be controversial for parents to know what their children are being taught in school about relationships.

    Patients should know when hospitals are talking about men or women.

    And we shouldn’t get bullied into believing that people can be any sex they want to be.

    They can’t; a man is a man and a woman is a woman.

    That’s just common sense.

    We also should never be afraid to talk about the thing that matters most to most of us, family.

    Whenever you want to talk about family, someone whispers ‘is that wise Prime Minister?’

    You’ll be accused of promoting a one size fits all view.

    But in this Conservative Party…

    …the party that legislated for same sex marriage and is investing record amounts in childcare…

    …we know that what matters is that love cascades down the generations.

    It is family that cares for us at the beginning of our life…

    …it is family that helps us learn…

    …it is family that sustains us…

    …and in old age it is family that lightens the autumn of our days.

    Family matters, and as proud Conservatives we should never be afraid to say that.

    And there’s another family that matters to us all, our family of nations: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

    Today, our Union is the strongest it has been in a quarter of a century.

    The forces of separatism are in retreat across our country.

    Nicola Sturgeon wanted to go down in the history books as the woman who broke up our country…

    …but now it looks like she may go down for very different reasons.

    We are a remarkable combination of four nations with a proud history…

    …and that history should give us enormous confidence in our future.

    My grandparents did not emigrate to just Leicester or Southampton, but to the United Kingdom.

    They came here because our country stands for a set of values.

    We are the home of fair play, the best of British.

    We are the place for those who want to add to our national story.

    The United Kingdom has done a huge amount for my family.

    I often think about how different our lives would be…

    …if my grandparents had not left India and East Africa all those years ago.

    I owe our country everything.

    And it is my duty to do what I can to help this country take the right long-term decisions for the years ahead.

    This United Kingdom is also the most successful multi-ethnic democracy on earth.

    And our party has led the way on that.

    We had the first ethnic minority Prime Minister when Queen Victoria was still on the throne…

    …we have had three female Prime Ministers…

    …and I stand before you today as the first non-white leader in our country’s history.

    Meanwhile, Labour’s last three leaders all live within the same square mile of North London.

    When the Richmond Conservative Association selected me in North Yorkshire, people in other countries couldn’t understand it.

    One American magazine even sent a reporter to Yorkshire to write about how…

    … ‘a candidate of the wrong race [could] cost the Tories one of the safest seats in England?’

    But they should not have projected their own prejudices onto our country.

    The people of North Yorkshire were not interested in my colour, but my character.

    Never let anyone tell you that this is a racist country.

    It is not.

    My story is a British story.

    A story about how a family can go from arriving here with little to Downing Street in three generations.

    What does the Conservative Party offer a family of immigrants?

    The chance to become Energy Secretary, Business Secretary, Home Secretary, Foreign Secretary…

    Even the chance to become Prime Minister.

    When I first became an MP, my grandfather came to parliament to see me.

    As we stood in Westminster Hall, on that floor which Disraeli and Churchill had walked across so many times…

    …my grandfather got out his mobile phone and made a quick phone call.

    I was a new MP and I wasn’t quite sure whether phones were allowed there or not.

    I was like, Nanaji, can this not wait a moment.

    He replied that he was calling the landlady he had when he had first arrived in this country:

    He said to me, ‘I just wanted to tell her where I was standing.’

    I am proud to be the first British Asian Prime Minister, but you know what…

    …I’m even prouder that it’s just not a big deal.

    And just remember: it was the Conservative Party who made that happen, not the Labour Party.

    If we want to change the direction of our country and build a better future…

    …nothing is more important than making our education system the best it can be.

    When our party came to power in 2010, our schools were slipping down international league tables.

    Now, they are rapidly rising.

    Of what we have done in government since 2010, what I am proudest of is our record on education.

    With Michael and Nick Gibb, we took on a failed ideology.

    We brought back proper knowledge.

    We empowered reformers.

    We gave parents more choice and helped them to hold schools to account.

    But, perhaps, the most profound thing we have done…

    …is to disprove the idea there is something pre-destined about who will succeed and who won’t.

    We have state schools in some of the most deprived parts of the country, producing some of the best results.

    These state schools, empowered by reform, don’t think there are limits to these children because of the postcode they were born in.

    Rather, they demand, inspire, and deliver excellence.

    A Labour government would never have done this.

    Rather, Labour pursued the false dream of 50 per cent of children going to university and abandoned apprenticeships.

    This assumption that the only route to success was the university route…

    …was one of the great mistakes of the last 30 years.

    It led to thousands of young people being ripped off by degrees…

    …that did nothing to increase their employability or earnings potential.

    So, we are stopping universities from enrolling students on courses that do nothing for their life chances.

    Under us, no more rip off degrees.

    And if you want to know how much I value apprenticeships, look at the fact that in Gillian we have our first ever apprentice to be Education Secretary.

    Today, I want to build on these Conservative achievements and take a long-term decision to address the problems with our 16 to 19 education system.

    Technical education is not given the respect it deserves.

    Students don’t spend enough time in the classroom.

    A quarter of our children leave education without the basic literacy and numeracy they need to fulfil their potential.

    And our students study too narrow a range of subjects.

    Today, I am changing all of that, pulling one of the biggest levers we have to change the direction of our country.

    We will introduce the new rigorous, knowledge rich Advanced British Standard…

    …which will bring together A-Levels and T-Levels into a new, single qualification for our school leavers.

    First, this will finally deliver on the promise of parity of esteem between academic and technical education.

    Because all students will sit the Advanced British Standard.

    Second, we will raise the floor, ensuring that our children leave school literate and numerate.

    Because with the Advanced British Standard all students will study some form of English and maths to 18, with extra help for those who struggle most.

    In our country no child should be left behind.

    Third, our 16- to 19-year-olds spend around a third less time in the classroom than some of our competitors.

    We must change this.

    So, with our Advanced British Standard, students will spend at least 195 hours more with a teacher.

    And fourth, A-Level students, generally, only do three subjects compared to the seven studied by our economic competitors.

    The Advanced British Standard will change that too, with students now, typically, studying five subjects…

    …and thanks to the extra teaching time that we are introducing…

    …this greater breadth won’t come at the expense of depth which is such a strength of our system.

    Our new plan will require more teachers in the coming years.

    So, I can announce today that in order to attract and retain more teachers…

    …those who teach key subjects in schools and, for the first time, in our further education colleges too…

    …will receive special bonuses of up to £30,000 tax free over the first five years of their career.

    Our teachers do one of the most valuable jobs in our society, and we should reward them for that.

    And Conference, I can tell you: my main funding priority in every spending review from now on will be education.

    Why?

    Because it is the closest thing we have to a silver bullet.

    It is the best economic policy, the best social policy, the best moral policy.

    It the best way to spread opportunity and to create a more prosperous society. It is not just my way. Conference, it is the Conservative way.

    I know times have been tough.

    We have all had to deal with unprecedented challenges.

    And I will be straight with you: we have mountains to overcome still.

    But today we have made three huge decisions to change the direction of our country.

    We will give Britain the infrastructure it needs…

    …protect the long-term future of our NHS and cut cancer deaths by a quarter…

    …and create the best education system in the Western world…

    …to set our children up for the opportunities of the future.

    If we commit, if we come together, then we can achieve truly great things.

    We can build a country where work is truly valued…

    Where welfare is a safety net and not a way of life…

    Where small businesses drive our economy…

    Where innovation makes life better…

    Where our NHS is properly funded and properly reformed…

    Where our children are the best educated in the western world…

    Whether that’s at university or yes: through an apprenticeship.

    Where the scourge of anti-social behaviour is treated as the crime it is and not some social condition…

    Where for the most violent offenders life means life…

    Where the people and their government decides who can come here and who can‘t…

    Where the next generation can achieve the dream of owning their own home…

    Where the elderly grow old with dignity and where the young grow up with opportunity…

    Where decency and mutual respect bind communities together.

    Where the very idea of Britain is a symbol of hope and stability across the world…

    And where our United Kingdom remains united.

    All this and more is ours if we want it…

    …but we have to fight for it.

    At the next election, the choice the people face is bigger than party politics:

    Do we want a government committed to making long-term decisions…

    …prepared to be radical in the face of challenges, and to take on vested interests…

    …or do we want to stand still—and quietly accept more of the same?

    You either think this country needs to change or you don’t.

    And if you do, then you should stand with me—and every person in this hall.

    You should stand with the Conservatives.

    Today this party put the needs of the British people first.

    We’ve taken the decision many should have done: but didn’t.

    We’ve ended the HS2 drama…

    …and in its place will embark upon a full-scale national reinvestment…

    …in the infrastructure people actually use and want…

    …and the skilled workforce who’ll build it.

    And no more hiding: no more pretending in the face of overwhelming evidence.

    Too many sons and daughters, fathers and mothers are lost to lung cancer, heart disease, dementia, still birth and we can change that.

    Today we went beyond ideology and put the people first again…

    …and committed ourselves to ensure our children and grandchildren…

    …can be the first generation that doesn’t have to suffer the false choice to quit smoking or not…

    …because they will have never started.

    Today we set a course for our education system that will set our children up for the opportunities of the future.

    No more rip off degrees; no more low aspiration; no more denigration of technical education.

    Just the best education system in the Western world.

    We will be bold.

    We will be radical.

    We will face resistance and we will meet it.

    We will give the country what it so sorely needs, and yet too often has been denied:

    A government prepared to make long-term decisions so that we can build a brighter future—for everyone.

    Be in no doubt: it is time for a change.

    And we are it.

    Thank you.

  • Rishi Sunak – 2023 Speech on Net Zero

    Rishi Sunak – 2023 Speech on Net Zero

    The speech made by Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, at 10 Downing Street on 20 September 2023.

    Let me get straight to it.

    I know people in our country are frustrated with our politics.

    I know they feel that much gets promised, but not enough is delivered.

    I know they watch the news or read the papers and wonder why in the face of the facts as they have them, choices are made as they are.

    I know that they dislike Westminster game playing, the short termism, and the lack of accountability.

    But most of all I think people are tired of the false choice between two versions of change that never go beyond a slogan.

    I have been Prime Minister for nearly a year now and it is the privilege of my life.

    I know the fundamentals of our great country are solid and timeless.

    Its people are its greatest strength, economically and socially.

    Their hopes and genius are what propel us forward, not Government.

    Government can set the framework, step in when needed, and step back when necessary.

    It can make big decisions.

    But what I have concluded during my time so far as Prime Minister, is that those decisions – the decisions that could bring real change, change that could alter the trajectory of our country – can be so caveated, so influenced by special interests, so lacking in debate and fundamental scrutiny that we’ve stumbled into a consensus about the future of our country, that no one seems to be happy with.

    And this is because too often, motivated by short term thinking, politicians have taken the easy way out.

    Telling people the bits they want to hear, and not necessarily always the bits they need to hear.

    We are making progress, including on my five priorities.

    Inflation – down again today and on track to be halved.

    Fastest growth in the G7 over the last two years.

    Debt – on target to be falling.

    The NHS – treating more patients than last year.

    And small boats – crossings significantly down on last year.

    But put simply: that isn’t enough.

    If for too many, there remains a nagging sense that the path we’re on no matter which party is in government isn’t quite what we hoped for, and that no one seems to have the courage to say so.

    That we make too little, that we spend too much, that things take too long and that even when we know these things, we seem powerless to change them.

    Now, I am here today to tell you that we do not have to be powerless.

    Our future doesn’t have to be a foregone conclusion.

    Our destiny can be of our own choosing.

    But only if we change the way our politics works.

    Can we be brave in the decisions we make, even if there is a political cost?

    Can we be honest when the facts change, even if it’s awkward?

    And can we put the long-term interests of our country before the short-term political needs of the moment, even if it means being controversial?

    I have spent my first year as Prime Minister bringing back stability to our economy, your government, and our country.

    And now it is time to address the bigger, longer-term questions we face.

    The real choice confronting us is do we really want to change our country and build a better future for our children, or do we want to carry on as we are.

    I have made my decision: we are going to change.

    And over the coming months, I will set out a series of long-term decisions to deliver that change.

    And that starts today, with a new approach to one of the biggest challenges we face: climate change.

    No one can watch the floods in Libya or the extreme heat in Europe this summer, and doubt that it is real and happening.

    We must reduce our emissions.

    And when I look at our economic future, I see huge opportunities in green industry.

    The change in our economy is as profound as the industrial revolution and I’m confident that we can lead the world now as we did then.

    So, I’ll have no truck with anyone saying we lack ambition.

    But there’s nothing ambitious about simply asserting a goal for a short-term headline without being honest with the public about the tough choices and sacrifices involved and without any meaningful democratic debate about how we get there.

    The Climate Change Committee have rightly said you don’t reach net zero simply by wishing it.

    Yet that’s precisely what previous governments have done – both Labour and Conservative.

    No one in Westminster politics has yet had the courage to look people in the eye and explain what’s really involved.

    That’s wrong – and it changes now.

    The plans made on your behalf assume this country will take an extraordinary series of steps that will fundamentally change our lives.

    A ban on buying new boilers even if your home will never ever be suitable for a heat pump.

    A ban that takes effect in just three years for those off the gas grid.

    And mandatory home upgrades for property owners in just two years’ time.

    There have even been proposals for:

    Taxes on eating meat
    New taxes on flying
    Compulsory car sharing if you drive to work
    And a government diktat to sort your rubbish into seven different bins.
    Now I believe deeply that when you ask most people about climate change, they want to do the right thing, they’re even prepared to make sacrifices.

    But it cannot be right for Westminster to impose such significant costs on working people especially those who are already struggling to make ends meet and to interfere so much in people’s way of life without a properly informed national debate.

    That’s especially true because we’re so far ahead of every other country in the world.

    We’ve had the fastest reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in the G7. Down almost 50% since 1990.

    France? 22%.

    The US? No change at all.

    China? Up by over 300%.

    And when our share of global emissions is less than 1%, how can it be right that British citizens, are now being told to sacrifice even more than others?

    Because the risk here, for those of us who care about reaching Net Zero – as I do – is simple: If we continue down this path, we risk losing the consent of the British people.

    And the resulting backlash would not just be against specific policies but against the wider mission itself, meaning we might never achieve our goal.

    That’s why we have to do things differently.

    We need sensible, green leadership.

    It won’t be easy.

    And it will require a wholly new kind of politics.

    A politics that is transparent, and the space for a better, more honest debate about how we secure the country’s long-term interest.

    So, how do we do that? What is our new approach to achieving net zero?

    First, we need to change the debate.

    We’re stuck between two extremes.

    Those who want to abandon Net Zero altogether – because the costs are too high, the burdens too great or in some cases, they don’t accept the overwhelming evidence for climate change at all.

    And then there are others who argue with an ideological zeal: we must move even faster, and go even further no matter the cost or disruption to people’s lives and regardless of how much quicker we’re already moving than any other country.

    Both extremes are wrong.

    Both fail to reckon with the reality of the situation.

    Yes, Net Zero is going to be hard and will require us to change.

    But in a democracy, we must also be able to scrutinise and debate those changes, many of which are hidden in plain sight – in a realistic manner.

    This debate needs more clarity, not more emotion.

    The test should be: do we have the fairest credible path to reach Net Zero by 2050, in a way that brings people with us?

    Since becoming Prime Minister, I’ve examined our plans and I don’t think they meet that test.

    We seem to have defaulted to an approach which will impose unacceptable costs on hard-pressed British families.

    Costs that no one was ever told about, and which may not actually be necessary to deliver the emissions reduction that we need.

    And why am I confident in saying that?

    Because over the last decade or more, we’ve massively over delivered on every one of our carbon budgets despite continuous predictions we’d miss them.

    We’ve seen rapid technological advances which have made things like renewables far cheaper:

    Just consider offshore wind, where costs have fallen by 70% more than we projected in 2016.

    And people are increasingly choosing to go green – look at how demand for electric vehicles has consistently outstripped forecasts.

    Given these things, I’m confident that we can adopt a more pragmatic, proportionate, and realistic approach to meeting Net Zero that eases the burdens on working people.

    And that’s the second part of our new approach.

    Now I’m not saying there will be no hard choices.

    And nor am I abandoning any of our targets or commitments.

    I am unequivocal that we’ll meet our international agreements including the critical promises in Paris and Glasgow to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees.

    I’m proud that our country leads the world on Net Zero, with the most ambitious 2030 target of any major economy.

    And as we’re as committed as ever to helping developing countries.

    Just the other week I announced $2bn for the Green Climate Fund – the single biggest commitment of its kind, the UK has ever made.

    But we can do all this in a fairer, better way – and today I can set out the details of what our new approach will mean for people.

    That starts with electric vehicles.

    We’re working hard to make the UK a world-leader.

    I’m proud that we’ve already attracted billions of new investments from companies like Tata’s Jaguar Land Rover gigafactory.

    And I expect that by 2030, the vast majority of cars sold will be electric. Why?

    Because the costs are reducing; the range is improving; the charging infrastructure is growing.

    People are already choosing electric vehicles to such an extent that we’re registering a new one every 60 seconds.

    But I also think that at least for now, it should be you the consumer that makes that choice, not government forcing you to do it.

    Because the upfront cost is still high – especially for families struggling with the cost of living.

    Small businesses are worried about the practicalities.

    And we’ve got further to go to get that charging infrastructure truly nationwide.

    And we need to strengthen our own auto industry, so we aren’t reliant on heavily subsidised, carbon intensive imports, from countries like China.

    So, to give us more time to prepare, I’m announcing today that we’re going to ease the transition to electric vehicles.

    You’ll still be able to buy petrol and diesel cars and vans until 2035.

    Even after that, you’ll still be able to buy and sell them second-hand.

    We’re aligning our approach with countries like Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Australia, Canada, Sweden, and US states such as California, New York and Massachusetts and still ahead of the rest of America and other countries like New Zealand.

    Now, to get to Net Zero, we also need a fairer, better approach to decarbonising how we heat our homes.

    We’re making huge advances in the technologies that we need to do that, like heat pumps.

    But we need a balance.

    Between incentivising businesses to innovate, so heat pumps become even cheaper, more effective, and more attractive.

    But without imposing costs on hard-pressed families, at a time when technology is often still expensive and won’t work in all homes.

    For a family living in a terraced house in Darlington, the upfront cost could be around £10,000.

    Even the most committed advocates of Net Zero must recognise that if our solution is to force people to pay that kind of money support will collapse, and we’ll simply never get there.

    So, I’m announcing today that we will give people far more time to make the necessary transition to heat pumps.

    We’ll never force anyone to rip out their existing boiler and replace it with a heat pump.

    You’ll only ever have to make the switch when you’re replacing your boiler anyway, and even then, not until 2035.

    And to help those households for whom this will be hardest I’m introducing a new exemption today so that they’ll never have to switch at all.

    Now, this doesn’t mean I’m any less committed to decarbonising our homes.

    Quite the opposite.

    But rather than banning boilers before people can afford the alternative; we’re going to support them to make the switch.

    I’m announcing today, that the Boiler Upgrade Scheme which gives people cash grants to replace their boiler, will be increased by 50% to £7,500.

    There are no strings attached.

    The money will never need to be repaid.

    And this is one of the most generous schemes of its kind in Europe.

    Next, energy efficiency.

    This is critical to making our homes cheaper to heat.

    That’s why we’ve got big government grants like the Great British Insulation Scheme.

    But under current plans, some property owners would’ve been forced to make expensive upgrades in just two years’ time.

    For a semi-detached house in Salisbury, you could be looking at a bill of £8,000.

    And even if you’re only renting, you’ll more than likely see some of that passed on in higher rents.

    That’s just wrong.

    So those plans will be scrapped, and while we will continue to subsidise energy efficiency – we’ll never force any household to do it.

    And that’s not all.

    The debate about how we get to Net Zero has thrown up a range of worrying proposals and today I want to confirm that under this government, they’ll never happen.

    The proposal for government to interfere in how many passengers you can have in your car.

    I’ve scrapped it.

    The proposal that we should force you to have seven different bins in your home.

    I’ve scrapped it.

    The proposal to make you change your diet – and harm British farmers – by taxing meat.

    Or to create new taxes to discourage flying or going on holiday.

    I’ve scrapped those too.

    And nor will we ban new oil and gas in the North Sea which would simply leave us reliant on expensive, imported energy from foreign dictators like Putin.

    We will never impose these unnecessary and heavy-handed measures on you, the British people but we will still meet our international commitments and hit Net Zero by 2050.

    And if we’re going to change politics in the way I’m talking about, we can never allow carbon budgets to be set in the same way again.

    The last Carbon Budget process was debated in the House of Commons for just 17 minutes and voted through with barely any consideration given to the hard choices needed to fulfil it.

    It was the carbon equivalent of promising to boost government spending with no way to pay for it.

    That’s not a responsible way to make decisions which have such a bearing on people’s lives.

    So, when Parliament votes on carbon budgets in the future, I want to see it consider the plans to meet that budget, at the same time.

    If the first part of our new approach to meeting Net Zero is to change the debate and the second part is a more pragmatic, proportionate, and realistic approach that eases the burdens on families…

    …then the third is to embrace with even greater enthusiasm, the incredible opportunities of green industry and take the necessary practical steps to create whole new sectors and hundreds of thousands of good, well-paid jobs right across the country.

    We’re already home to the four of the world’s largest offshore wind farms, we’re building an even bigger one at Dogger Bank and we’re improving our auction process to maximise private investment into this world-leading industry.

    We’re lifting the ban on onshore wind.

    We’re investing in four new clusters to capture and store carbon from the atmosphere.

    And we’re building new nuclear power stations for the first time in thirty years.

    Just this week, we took a significant long-term decision to raise funding for Sizewell C – putting beyond all doubt our commitment to decarbonising our power sector.

    And later this autumn, we’ll shortlist the companies to build the new generation of small modular reactors.

    But one of our biggest constraints to reaching Net Zero and improving our energy security, is this:

    We’re investing billions in new energy projects, yet we don’t have the grid infrastructure to bring that power to households and businesses.

    And when energy security is national security – that’s unacceptable.

    Right now, it can take fourteen years to build new grid infrastructure.

    There are enough projects waiting to be connected to generate over half of our future electricity needs.

    So, I can announce today that the Chancellor and Energy Security Secretary will shortly bring forward comprehensive new reforms to energy infrastructure.

    We’ll set out the UK’s first ever spatial plan for that infrastructure to give industry certainty and every community a say.

    We’ll speed up planning for the most nationally significant projects.

    And we’ll end the first-come-first-served approach to grid connections by raising the bar to enter the queue and make sure those ready first, will connect first.

    So, from offshore wind, to nuclear, to a revolution in our energy infrastructure investors should have absolute confidence that we’re getting on with the job and the UK will remain the best place in the world to invest in the green industries of the future.

    Not least, because of something else this country has always excelled at: innovation in new technologies.

    As a country that emits less than 1% of the world’s carbon emissions, one of the most powerful contributions, we can make is our unique ability to develop new technologies that can help the world.

    Like the SENSEWind team in Scotland developing the technology to service floating offshore wind turbines while still out at sea.

    Or the researchers at Cambridge who pioneered a new way to turn sunlight into fuel.

    And that’s why today we’re going further, creating the new, £150m Green Future Fellowship.

    This will support at least 50 leading scientists and engineers to develop real, breakthrough green technologies.

    And it builds on the £1 billion I invested as Chancellor, in the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio.

    And finally, we can’t tackle climate change without protecting nature; and vice versa.

    Just the loss of forests alone accounts for the equivalent of ten times the global emissions of the entire United Kingdom.

    And in the coming weeks, ahead of my attendance at COP28, I will set out the next stage in our ambitious environmental agenda.

    So, in conclusion.

    This country is proud to be a world leader in reaching Net Zero by 2050.

    But we simply won’t achieve it unless we change.

    We’re now going to have a better, more honest debate about how we get there.

    We’ll now have a more pragmatic, proportionate, and realistic approach that eases the burdens on families.

    All while doubling down on the new green industries of the future.

    In a democracy, that’s the only realistic path to Net Zero.

    Consent, not imposition.

    Honesty, not obfuscation.

    Pragmatism, not ideology.

    That’s how we’ll turn the challenge of net zero into the greatest opportunity – and the proudest achievement – of our lifetimes.

    And this is just the start.

    What we begin today, is bigger than any single policy or issue.

    We are going to change the way our politics works.

    We are going to make different decisions.

    We won’t take the easy way out.

    There will be resistance, and we will meet it.

    Because I am determined to change our country and build a better future for our children.

    Nothing less is acceptable.

  • Rishi Sunak – 2023 Speech on Net Zero

    Rishi Sunak – 2023 Speech on Net Zero

    The speech made by Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, on 20 September 2023.

    I’m absolutely committed to reaching Net Zero by 2050.

    But no one in politics has had the courage to look people in the eye and explain what that involves.

    That’s wrong – and it changes now.

    We’re changing our approach to meeting Net Zero to ease the burden on working people.

    So what does that mean for you?

    Removing unnecessary and heavy-handed measures
    The debate about how we get to Net Zero has thrown up a range of worrying proposals and I want to confirm that under this government, they’ll never happen.

    I’m scrapping the proposal for government to interfere in how many passengers you can have in your car and the idea that we should force you to have 7 different bins in your home.

    I’m also scrapping the proposal to make you change your diet – and harm British farmers – by taxing meat.

    And the proposal to create new taxes to discourage flying- I’ve scrapped that too.

    We will never impose these unnecessary and heavy-handed measures on you, the British people, but we will still meet our international commitments and hit Net Zero by 2050.

    Extending deadlines to transition to clean energy
    We know the upfront costs for families are still high – so to give us more time to prepare, we’re easing the transition to electric vehicles on our roads and heat pumps in our homes.

    That means you’ll still be able to buy new petrol and diesel cars and vans until 2035, in line with countries like Germany and France.

    It also means we’ll never force anyone to rip out their old boiler for an expensive heat pump, which for a family living in a terraced house in Darlington, could cost up to £10,000.

    How can we afford to make these changes
    This country is proud to be a world leader in reaching Net Zero by 2050.

    Because of the progress we have already made, the UK’s share of global emissions is now less than 1%.

    In fact we are a world leader in cutting emissions, surpassing the targets most countries have set for 2030 including Australia, Canada, Japan and the US.

    We have overdelivered on all our previous targets to date.

    Given this progress, reaching our targets does not need to come unnecessarily at the expense of people facing higher costs – and that’s why today we can ease the burden on working families.

    We will continue to meet our international agreements, including the critical promises in Paris and Glasgow to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees, but our new approach to Net Zero is:

    Pragmatic, proportionate and realistic
    Accountable to the British public
    Meet our Net Zero commitment
    Supporting British families
    In a democracy, that’s the only realistic path to Net Zero.

    Consent, not imposition.

    Honesty, not obfuscation.

    Pragmatism, not ideology.

    That’s how we’ll turn the challenge of Net Zero into the greatest opportunity – and the proudest achievement – of our lifetimes.

  • Rishi Sunak – 2023 Message for Rosh Hashanah

    Rishi Sunak – 2023 Message for Rosh Hashanah

    The message issued by Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, on 15 September 2023.

    To Jewish families in the UK and around the world, I want to wish you a very Happy New Year.

    British Jews play an integral part in the success of this nation, and I am delighted the vibrant and diverse Jewish faith continues to thrive across the country.

    I have personally seen how Jewish organisations operate to the highest standards in caring for those who may be vulnerable and in need. Over the coming year, I will continue to support you in this valuable work.

    I will always stand with you. You can count on me to keep you safe, to champion the ban on boycotts, divestments and sanctions, and fight antisemitism in any form.

    So as you come together to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, may this coming year be filled with peace and prosperity. L’Shanah Tovah U’Metuka.

  • Rishi Sunak – 2023 Interview on Failing Concrete in Schools

    Rishi Sunak – 2023 Interview on Failing Concrete in Schools

    The interview broadcast by Sky News with Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, on 4 September 2023.

    RISHI SUNAK

    New information came to light relatively recently and it’s important that once it had that, the Government acted on it as swiftly as possible. Of course, I know the timing is frustrating, but I want to give people a sense of the scale of what we’re grappling with here. There are around 22,000 schools in England and the important thing to know is we expect that 95% of those schools won’t be impacted by this. Around 50 schools have already been mitigated, another 100 are in the process of being so and our expectation is that in a matter of weeks the bulk of the remaining schools that will have this issue will be identified as well. Also, important context to know that in many cases, this could be limited to as a single classroom, for example, and so people should have a sense of the scale of what might be happening as well.

    INTERVIEWER

    The former Permanent Secretary of the Department for Education has said this morning that when they wanted to put more money into repairing schools, you as Chancellor didn’t allow that to go ahead and, in fact, cut that budget. Are you to blame for what’s happening now and you want to apologise to parents?

    RISHI SUNAK

    That is completely and utterly wrong. Actually one of the first things I did as Chancellor, in my first spending review in 2020, was to announce a new 10 year school rebuilding programme for 500 schools. Now that equates to about 50 schools a year that will be refurbished or rebuilt. If you look at what we’ve been doing over the previous decade, that’s completely in line with what we’ve always done, about 50 or so schools a year, refurbished or rebuilt. That’s what I announced as Chancellor in my first Spending Review. On top of that, I also invested 5 billion pounds to help our kids catch up with lost learning from COVID, the education recovery programme, that you’ll remember at the time, that was rightly a priority of the country to help our kids who’ve been disrupted by COVID with extra tutoring, for example, to help them catch up and that cost 5 billion pounds, which I invested in as Chancellor.

    INTERVIEWER

    But the former Permanent Secretary said 50 schools a year, yes, but they asked that they had funding initially for 100. They thought the total number that needed to be done per year was 300 to 400. Prime Minister, you talk a lot about trade offs, but isn’t this simply a trade off that if you choose to save money in this area and don’t put as much money into repairing schools as senior officials ask, then you run the risk of them having to shut down because of a risk of them falling down?

    RISHI SUNAK

    Well, if you look at what we’ve been doing over the past decade, we’ve been rebuilding or refurbishing about 50 schools a year. As Chancellor, I announced a new 10 year programme to refurbish and rebuild 500 schools over the decade, completely aligned with what historically we’ve done in this country. On top of that, I announced record funding for schools not just to help catch up our children with lost learning, 5 billion pounds it was an enormous amount invested in the largest ever tutoring programme that this country has seen, that was seen rightly at the time as the priority. Our kids’ learning had been hugely disrupted by COVID, it was important that we helped them catch up, particularly the most disadvantaged pupils were the ones that were impacted the most. So I thought it was right also to invest in that, as alongside just increasing the day to day schools budget back to the record levels that we had seen previously. Taken together there has been a very strong investment in schools and now we’re getting on with mitigating the issues that we’re seeing today in a way that will help children quickly get back into the classroom.

    INTERVIEWER

    And just finally on those mitigations. Can you promise that schools will get all the money they need on things like transport to new classrooms, or other costs to make sure that in the schools that are impacted, kids can go on learning in person and we won’t have a return to remote learning that we saw during the COVID pandemic?

    RISHI SUNAK

    The Chancellor has been crystal clear that schools will be given extra money for these mitigations, it won’t come from their existing school budget, there will be extra money to the school so the school budget won’t be impacted by this. They will be given the extra money to deal with the mitigations, and again, just for context is our expectation is 95% of schools won’t be impacted by this and then the 50 or so schools that have already been mitigated. What we’ve seen is in the majority of cases, children continue to go to school, they’re taught elsewhere on the school estate, and for those that do have to be home that on average, it’s been just for about six days or so. So hopefully people can get a sense that we can work through this relatively swiftly and we want to minimise disruption on kids’ learning.