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Tag: Speeches

  • Bridget Phillipson – 2023 Speech on Higher Education

    Bridget Phillipson – 2023 Speech on Higher Education

    The speech made by Bridget Phillipson, the Shadow Secretary of State for Education, in the House of Commons on 17 July 2023.

    I thank the Secretary of State for advance sight of her statement.

    Today’s statement tells us several stories about this Government. It tells a story about their priorities: why universities, and why now? It tells a story about their analysis: what they think is wrong and what they think is not. It tells a story about their competence: why these changes, when their own regulator has used a different approach for so long? It tells a story about their prejudice, about why they continue to reinforce a binary choice for young people: either academic or vocational, university or apprenticeship. Above all, it tells a story about values—about the choice to put caps on the aspirations and ambitions of our young people; about Ministers for whom opportunity is for their children, but not for other people’s children; about a Government whose only big idea for our world-leading universities is to put up fresh barriers to opportunity, anxious to keep young people in their place. It tells you everything you need to know about the Tories that this is their priority for our young people.

    This is the Tories’ priority when we are in the middle of an urgent crisis in this country; when families are struggling to make ends meet; when patients are facing the biggest waiting lists in NHS history; when children are going to school in buildings that Ministers themselves acknowledge are “very likely” to collapse; and when a spiral of low productivity, low growth, and low wages under the Tories is holding Britain back. It is because the Prime Minister is weak and he is in hock to his Back Benchers that we are not seeing action on those important priorities. Instead, after more than 13 years in power, the Government have shown what they really think of our universities, which are famous across the world, are core to so many of our regional economies and were essential to our pandemic response: that they are not a public good, but a political battleground.

    The Government’s concept of a successful university course, based on earnings, is not just narrow but limiting. I ask the Secretary of State briefly to consider the case of the right hon. Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Rishi Sunak). The Prime Minister has a degree in politics from one of our leading universities, yet his Government lost control of almost 50 councils this year, he was the second choice of his own party, and now he is on track to fail to deliver on the pledges he set himself publicly. Does the Secretary of State believe that the Prime Minister’s degree was in any sense a high-value course?

    Let us be clear what today’s announcement is really about. Many of our most successful newer universities—the fruits of the determination of successive Governments, Labour and Conservative, to spread opportunity in this country—often draw more students from their local communities. Many of those areas are far from London, far from existing concentrations of graduate jobs. Many of those students come from backgrounds where few in their family, if any, will have had the chance to go to university. Many of those young people benefit from extra support when they arrive at university to ensure they succeed. We on the Labour Benches welcome the success of those universities in widening participation and welcoming more young people into higher education, yet today, the Secretary of State is telling those young people—including those excited to be finishing their studies this year—that this Government believe their hard work counts for nothing. Can the Secretary of State be absolutely clear with the House, and tell us which of those universities’ courses she considers to be of low value?

    The Secretary of State is keen to trumpet her party’s record on apprenticeships, but let me set out what this Government’s record really is. Since 2015-16, apprenticeship starts among under-19s have dropped by 41%, and apprentice achievements in that age group are down by 57%. Since the Secretary of State entered this place, the number of young people achieving an apprenticeship at any level has more than halved, failing a generation of young people desperate to take on an apprenticeship.

    Lastly and most importantly, the values that this Government have set out today are clear: the Conservatives are saying to England’s young people that opportunity is not for them and that choice is not for them. The bizarre irony of a Conservative Government seeking to restrict freedom and restrict choices seems entirely lost on them. Labour will shatter the class ceiling. We will ensure that young people believe that opportunity is for them. Labour is the party of opportunity, aspiration and freedom. Let us be clear, too, that young people want to go to university not merely to get on financially, but for the chance to join the pursuit of learning, to explore ideas and undertake research that benefits us all. That chance and that opportunity matter too. Our children deserve better. They deserve a Government whose most important mission will be to break down the barriers to opportunity and to build a country where background is no barrier. They deserve a Labour Government.

    Gillian Keegan

    As usual, the hon. Lady has more words than actions. None of those actions was put in place either in Wales, where Labour is running the education system, or in the UK when it was running it in England. We have always made the deliberate choice of quality over quantity, and this is a story of a consistent drive for quality, whether that is through my right hon. Friend the Schools Minister having driven up school standards, so that we are the best in the west for reading and fourth best in the world, or through childcare, revolutionising the apprenticeship system—none of that existed before we put it in place—and technical education and higher education.

    I was an other people’s child: I was that kid who left school at 16, who went to a failing comprehensive school in Knowsley. I relied on the business, and the college and the university that I went to. I did not know their brand images and I knew absolutely nobody who had ever been there. I put my trust in that company, and luckily it did me very well. Not all universities and not all courses have the trusted brand image of Oxford and Cambridge, which I think is where the hon. Lady went, along with my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister. I have worked with many leaders all over the world in my many years in business, and the Prime Minister is a world-class leader.

    On apprenticeships, it is a case of quality always over quantity. What we found, and this is why I introduced the quality standards, is that, yes, the numbers were higher, but many of the people did not realise they were on an apprenticeship, many of the apprenticeships lasted less than 12 months and for many of them there was zero off-the-job training. They were apprenticeships in name only, which is what the Labour party will be when it comes to standards for education.

  • Gillian Keegan – 2023 Statement on Higher Education

    Gillian Keegan – 2023 Statement on Higher Education

    The statement made by Gillian Keegan, the Secretary of State for Education, in the House of Commons on 17 July 2023.

    With permission, Mr Speaker, I would like to announce the publication of the Government’s higher education reform consultation response. This country is one of the best in the world for studying in higher education, boasting four of the world’s top 10 universities. For most, higher education is a sound investment, with graduates expected to earn on average £100,000 more over their lifetime than those who do not go to university.

    However, there are still pockets of higher education provision where the promise that university education will be worthwhile does not hold true and where an unacceptable number of students do not finish their studies or find a good job after graduating. That cannot continue. It is not fair to taxpayers who subsidise that education, but most of all it is not fair to those students who are being sold a promise of a better tomorrow, only to be disappointed and end up paying far into the future for a degree that did not offer them good value.

    We want to make sure that students are charged a fair price for their studies and that a university education offers a good return. Our reforms are aimed at achieving that objective. That is why the Government launched the consultation in 2022, to seek views on policies based on recommendations made by Sir Philip Augar and his independent panel. The consultation ended in May 2022, and the Department for Education has been considering the responses received. I am now able to set out the programme of reforms that we are taking forward.

    I believe that the traditional degree continues to hold great value, but it is not the only higher education pathway. Over the past 13 years, we have made substantial reforms to ensure that the traditional route is not the only pathway to a good career. Higher technical qualifications massively enhance students’ skills and career prospects, and deserve parity of esteem with undergraduate degrees. We have seen a growth in degree-level apprenticeships, with over 188,000 students enrolling since their introduction in 2014. I have asked the Office for Students to establish a £40 million competitive degree apprenticeships fund to drive forward capacity-building projects to broaden access to degree apprenticeships over the next two years.

    That drive to encourage skills is why we are also investing up to £115 million to help providers deliver higher technical education. In March, we set out detailed information on how the lifelong learning entitlement will transform the way in which individuals can undertake post-18 education, and we continue to support that transformation through the Lifelong Learning (Higher Education Fee Limits) Bill, which is currently passing through the other place. We anticipate that that funding, coupled with the introduction of the LLE from 2025, will help to incentivise the take-up of higher technical education, filling vital skills gaps across the country.

    Each of those reforms has had one simple premise: that we are educating people with the skills that will enable them to have a long and fulfilling career. I believe that we should have the same expectation for higher education: it should prepare students for life by giving them the right skills and knowledge to get well-paid jobs. With the advent of the LLE, it is neither fair nor right for students to use potentially three quarters of their lifelong loan entitlement for a university degree that does not offer them good returns. That would constrain their future ability to learn, earn and retrain. We must shrink the parts of the sector that do not deliver value, and ensure that students and taxpayers are getting value for money given their considerable investment.

    Data shows that there were 66 providers from which fewer than 60% of graduates progressed to high-skilled employment or further study fifteen months after graduating. That is not acceptable. I will therefore issue statutory guidance to the OfS setting out that it should impose recruitment limits on provision that does not meet its rigorous quality requirements for positive student outcomes, to help to constrain the size and growth of courses that do not deliver for students. We will also ask the OfS to consider how it can incorporate graduate earnings into its quality regime. We recognise that many factors can influence graduate earnings, but students have a right to expect that their investment in higher education will improve their career prospects, and we should rightly scrutinise courses that appear to offer limited added value to students on the metric that matters most to many.

    We will work with the OfS to consider franchising arrangements in the sector. All organisations that deliver higher education must be held to robust standards. I am concerned about some indications that franchising is acting as a potential route for low quality to seep into the higher education system, and I am absolutely clear that lead providers have a responsibility to ensure that franchised provision is of the same quality as directly delivered provision. If we find examples of undesirable practices, we will not hesitate to act further on franchising.

    As I have said, we will ensure that students are charged a fair price for their studies. That is why we are also reducing to £5,760 the fees for classroom-based foundation year courses such as business studies and social sciences, in line with the highest standard funding rate for access to HE diplomas. Recently we have seen an explosion in the growth of many such courses, but limited evidence that they are in the best interests of students. We are not reducing the fee limits for high-cost, strategically important subjects such as veterinary sciences and medicine, but we want to ensure that foundation years are not used to add to the bottom line of institutions at the expense of those who study them. We will continue to monitor closely the growth of foundation year provision, and we will not hesitate to introduce further restrictions or reductions. I want providers to consider whether those courses add value for students, and to phase out that provision in favour of a broad range of tertiary options with the advent of the LLE.

    Our aim is that everyone who wants to benefit from higher education has the opportunity to do so. That is why we will not proceed at this time with a minimum requirement of academic attainment to access student finance—although we will keep that option under review. I am confident that the sector will respond with the ambition and focused collaboration required to deliver this package of reforms. I extend my wholehearted thanks to those in the sector for their responses to the consultation.

    This package of reforms represents the next step in tackling low-quality higher education, but it will not be the last step. The Government will not shy away from further action if required, and will consider all levers available to us if these quality reforms do not result in the improvements we seek. Our higher education system is admired across many countries, and these measures will ensure that it continues to be. I commend this statement to the House.

  • Nigel Farage – 2023 Comments on the Resignation of Alison Rose

    Nigel Farage – 2023 Comments on the Resignation of Alison Rose

    The comments made by Nigel Farage on Twitter on 26 July 2023.

    Dame Alison Rose has gone. Others must follow.

    I hope that this serves as a warning to the banking industry.

    We need both cultural and legal changes to a system that has unfairly shut down many thousands of innocent people.

    I will do my best to be their voice.

  • Alison Rose – 2023 Statement on Standing Down as Natwest Group Chief Executive

    Alison Rose – 2023 Statement on Standing Down as Natwest Group Chief Executive

    The statement made by Alison Rose following her resignation as the Chief Executive of the Natwest Group on 26 July 2023.

    I remain immensely proud of the progress the bank has made in supporting people, families and business across the UK, and building the foundations for sustainable growth. My NatWest colleagues are central to that success, and so I would like to personally thank them for all that they have done.

  • James Cleverly – 2023 Speech at the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development

    James Cleverly – 2023 Speech at the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development

    The speech made by James Cleverly, the Foreign Secretary, in New York on 17 July 2023.

    In 2015, 193 countries agreed the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. This was a landmark multilateral achievement, to chart our course towards a fairer, healthier and more prosperous world by 2030.

    Yet today at the halfway point, we are on course to miss a staggering 88% of the targets that we set.

    This is clearly unacceptable. We cannot continue with business as usual if we are to end poverty, improve health and education, increase prosperity, or slow climate change.

    But if we act together, we can still get the SDGs back on track. So what do we need to do?

    My top priority is reforming development finance – and targeting it to areas which will accelerate progress, like food security, health, renewable energy, and the empowerment of women and girls.

    This is not my idea. It’s what my fellow foreign ministers from developing countries tell me that we need to do. That’s why the UK supports the ambitions of Mia Mottley’s Bridgetown Initiative.

    We need Multilateral Development Banks to free up trillions more for developing countries by implementing the G20’s independent review on Capital Adequacy Frameworks.

    We need more private sector investment, particularly in clean energy, water and sanitation, and climate-resilient infrastructure.

    We need all creditors to offer Climate-Resilient Debt Clauses, to pause loan repayments when disasters strike – as the UK Export Finance is doing in 12 African and Caribbean countries.

    And we must ensure developing countries have strong public finances through better tax collection and tackling of illicit financial flows.

    Our international financial system needs to become more responsive to shocks – so we can help poorer and smaller countries – especially those at risk of natural disasters – to sustain development gains and to prevent roll backs.

    We cannot stop floods, we cannot stop droughts, we cannot stop hurricanes. But we can stop the economic crises and debt spirals that they cause.

    I recognise that the UK doesn’t have all the answers. But we are committed to working with all our partners to urgently accelerate progress towards the SDGs over the next 7 years.

    All of us need to recommit to the Sustainable Development Goals at the upcoming Summit at UNGA in September. Because we will need political will and partnership to forge bigger, better, fairer international financial systems which meets today’s development needs.

    And we can translate our joint political ambitions into concrete reforms through the G20, World Bank, IMF and at COP28.

    It is time for us to go further and faster. Let us seize the opportunity.

    Thank you.

  • James Cleverly – 2023 Speech at the United Nations Security Council

    James Cleverly – 2023 Speech at the United Nations Security Council

    The speech made by James Cleverly, the Foreign Secretary, in New York, United States, on 17 July 2023.

    More than 500 days have now passed since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

    At least nine thousand innocent civilians lie dead – including 500 children. Thousands more Ukrainians have been kidnapped, imprisoned and tortured.

    Homes, businesses, schools and hospitals have been reduced to rubble.

    Russia’s incessant attacks have knocked out 60% of Ukraine’s power supply.

    This war has claimed countless victims.

    I’m going to focus on those who have been forcibly deported in this war – and those who are going hungry as a result of it.

    In Kyiv last month I met a teenage boy – I’ll call him Denys.

    When the Russians captured his home town, they told Denys and his classmates that they were going on a holiday.

    They were in fact transported to a Russian camp where they were neglected, indoctrinated and abused.

    Denys’ distraught mother was desperately searching for him.

    But the Russians pretending to look after Denys and countless others told him his parents had abandoned him.

    This boy’s ordeal lasted for 7 months before his mother – thanks to the charity Save Ukraine – found him and brought him home.

    But 19,000 Ukrainian children remain in Russian camps – and their parents are desperately searching for them.

    A further 2½ million Ukrainian men and women have been deported to Russia.

    These are barbaric crimes. Russia is trying to erase Ukrainian identity and cultural history. And they are using children as an instrument of war.

    But the world is watching and Russia will be held accountable. We welcome the International Criminal Court’s investigation. And we will leave no stone unturned until the responsible are brought to justice.

    Ukrainians are Russia’s principal victims. But this war is also harming the poor and the vulnerable across the world – particularly in Africa, in Asia and in Latin America.

    Energy prices rocketed by 20% worldwide last year – almost doubling global inflation from 4.7% to 8.7%.

    World food supplies have fallen sharply.

    Ukrainian food exports – maize, barley or wheat – have plummeted by more than 40%.

    With catastrophic consequences for Sub-Africa which relies on these supplies.

    Food prices are rocketing – by a staggering 332% in Lebanon last summer.

    Some of these losses were offset by the Black Sea Grain Initiative – brokered by the UN Secretary-General and Turkey.

    But today Russia has announced it is refusing to extend it and is taking a colossal 23 million tonnes of Ukrainian food off of world markets over the forthcoming year.

    As the UN Secretary General said this morning: “Today’s decision by the Russian Federation will strike a blow to people in need everywhere”. We call on Russia to return to the table and agree to extend the Black Sea Grain Initiative indefinitely – and to implement it fully without delay.

    Let us be clear – Russia’s actions are taking food out of the mouths of the poorest people across Africa, the Middle East and Latin America.

    We cannot allow this war to go on for another 500 days.

    The UN General Assembly has called – repeatedly – for peace.

    A peace that is based on the principles of the UN Charter and our shared belief that might does not equal right.

    President Zelensky’s 10-point peace plan shows the way forward.

    Ukraine wants peace. We want peace. The whole world wants peace.

    Peace will bring home Ukraine’s lost children – and feed the hungry of the world.

    Peace will keep the promises we all made in the UN Charter.

    Peace will pave the way to a reformed multilateral system.

    Peace will help deliver the Sustainable Development Goals.

    A just and lasting peace is what we all want.

    The Russian Federation can choose peace – today. By withdrawing all Russian forces from Ukraine.

    Mr Putin – bring your troops home. End this war now.

  • James Cleverly – 2023 Statement on Russia’s Withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative

    James Cleverly – 2023 Statement on Russia’s Withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative

    The statement made by James Cleverly, the Foreign Secretary, on 17 July 2023.

    The United Kingdom condemns in the strongest terms Russia’s decision to withdraw from the Black Sea Grain Initiative. Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine has obstructed the free flow of grain and other foodstuffs through the Black Sea, causing worldwide suffering. We urge Russia to re-join the initiative, which was developed by the UN in 2022, and allow the unimpeded export of grain.

    Since its inception, the initiative has played a significant role in lowering and stabilising global food prices, delivering over 32 million tonnes of food products to world markets. Russia has obstructed the proper operation of the deal for several months. In doing so, Russia is serving its own interests and disregarding the needs of all those around the world, including in the poorest countries, who are paying higher food prices as a result. The UN estimates that without the grain provided by the BSGI, the number of undernourished people worldwide could increase by millions.

    While exports of grain from Ukraine are restricted, Russian exports of food are at higher levels than before the invasion. We have always been clear that the target of our sanctions is Russia’s war machine and not the food and fertiliser sectors. Contrary to Russian claims, the UN and other partners have taken significant steps to ensure that Russian food is able to access world markets. The best way for Russia to address concerns around global food security would be for it to withdraw its forces from Ukraine and end the war.

  • Rishi Sunak – 2023 Statement on the Public Sector Pay Review

    Rishi Sunak – 2023 Statement on the Public Sector Pay Review

    The statement made by Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, on 13 July 2023.

    When making decisions on pay, as your Prime Minister, I have a responsibility to be fair.

    Fair to public sector workers, who do so much in the service of our country.

    But also fair to taxpayers, who ultimately fund our public services.

    And the best way we’ve found of making fair decisions about public sector pay…

    …are the independent Pay Review Bodies.

    They were called for by the Unions themselves.

    And for over four decades, they have been the independent arbiters of what is fair and responsible.

    Those bodies have considered a range of evidence about where to set this year’s pay.

    And their recommendations to government are for public sector pay to go up by a significant amount.

    Now clearly, this will cost all of you, as taxpayers, more than we had budgeted for.

    That’s why the decision has been difficult and why it has taken time to decide the right course of action.

    I can confirm that today we’re accepting the headline recommendations of the Pay Review Bodies in full.

    But we will not fund them by borrowing more or increasing your taxes.

    It would not be right to increase taxes on everyone to pay some people more, particularly when household budgets are so tight.

    Neither would it be right to pay for them by higher borrowing…

    …because higher borrowing simply makes inflation worse.

    Instead, because we only have a fixed pot of money to spend from…

    …that means government departments have had to find savings and efficiencies elsewhere…

    …in order to prioritise paying public sector workers more.

    And now there is a clear message here.

    There are always choices.

    Budgets are not infinite.

    When some ask for higher pay, that will always create pressures elsewhere…

    …costs which must be ultimately be borne by the taxpayer, or by spending less on our other priorities.

    So that’s our decision.

    And having honoured the independent pay review process…

    …I urge all union leaders to accept these pay offers and call off their strikes.

    Already, earlier this year, the NHS staff council…

    …representing over half a dozen unions, and over a million NHS workers…

    …made a significant decision, and voted to accept their our pay offer and suspend strikes.

    I’m grateful to them and their members.

    And today, in response to the news of our decision, I’m pleased to say that we’ve had another major breakthrough.

    All teaching unions have just announced that they’re suspending all planned strikes immediately.

    Teachers will return to the classroom.

    Disruption to our children’s education will end.

    And the unions have themselves confirmed that this pay offer is properly funded.

    And so, they’re recommending to their members an end to the entire dispute.

    So it is now clear: momentum across our public services is shifting.

    The vast majority, who just want to get on with their life’s calling of serving others, are now returning to work.

    And in that spirit, I want to address those yet to do so.

    Now that we’ve honoured the independent pay recommendations, I implore you:

    Do the right thing, and know when to say yes.

    In particular, for Doctors and Consultants, I would say this:

    We have a national mission for all of us to make the NHS strong again.

    The government has not only made today’s decision on pay…

    We’ve backed the NHS with record funding…

    Delivered the first ever, fully funded Long-Term Workforce Plan…

    … and met the BMA’s number one ask of government, with a pensions tax cut worth £1bn.

    So, we should all ask ourselves, whether Union leaders – or indeed political leaders…

    …how it can it be right to continue disruptive industrial action?

    Not least because these strikes lead to tens of thousands of appointments being cancelled – every single day…

    …and waiting lists going up, not down.

    So: today’s offer is final.

    There will be no more talks on pay.

    We will not negotiate again on this year’s settlements.

    And no amount of strikes will change our decision.

    Instead, the settlement we’ve reached today gives us a fair way to end the strikes.

    A fair deal for workers.

    And a fair deal for the British taxpayer.

    Thank you.

  • Rishi Sunak – 2023 Statement to Leaders at NATO Summit in Lithuania

    Rishi Sunak – 2023 Statement to Leaders at NATO Summit in Lithuania

    The statement made by Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, in Lithuania on 12 July 2023.

    This summit stands out as a landmark in NATO’s long history.

    We arrived here faced with a more volatile and dangerous world…

    A mechanised war in Europe on a scale not seen since 1945…

    And increasing aggression from authoritarian states, challenging our security in Europe and beyond.

    But as we leave Vilnius, we are more confident and more united than ever.

    Let me set out three reasons why that’s the case.

    First, we’ve acted decisively to strengthen this alliance.

    Agreeing the most fundamental transformation to NATO’s readiness since the Cold War…

    Comprehensive warfighting plans to defend the UK and its allies…

    Scaled up defence production to boost our stockpiles, which will benefit British industry…

    And increased defence spending…

    …with all allies now committed to hitting the 2% target.

    And we did something here in Vilnius that not long ago seemed impossible…

    We welcomed Finland to the table as a NATO member…

    ….and very soon we’ll be doing the same with Sweden.

    We are stronger with them by our side… and in time we will be stronger with Ukraine as a NATO ally too.

    This is my second point…

    It is now over 500 days since Russia’s invasion.

    500 days of barbarity.

    Of innocent people being murdered in their homes.

    Of children being killed, abducted and used as human shields.

    I want to pay tribute to the Ukrainian people and to their incredible bravery and resilience.

    They’re still standing strong and defiant… and the counteroffensive is making progress.

    In the last few weeks, they’ve taken back more ground than Russia has taken in the last year.

    We are standing with them…

    …and allies are doubling down in their support.

    At the Munich Security Conference in February, I called for long-term security arrangements…

    …to protect Ukraine, break the cycle of Russian violence, and ultimately help to end this war.

    And today we have delivered.

    Together with our G7 partners we have agreed to provide the long-term bilateral security commitments that Ukraine needs.

    These commitments mark a new high point in international support for Ukraine.

    And I want to be clear, they are not a substitute for NATO membership.

    The summit communique echoes the UK’s long-held position that “Ukraine’s future is in NATO.”

    And we’ve taken a big step this week towards bringing Ukraine into the alliance.

    Together we’ve shortened their path to membership…

    …removing the need for a Membership Action Plan…

    …and holding the first meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council with President Zelenskyy sitting at the table, by our side, as an equal.

    Finally, I‘d like to say a word about the UK’s role here.

    I was struck once again this week by just how highly valued our contribution is.

    The British people should know that – and they should be proud.

    We are the leading European contributor to NATO.

    We were one of the first to hit the 2% target and now we’re moving towards 2.5%.

    We spend more than 20 other NATO countries combined, but it’s about much more than that.

    It’s about our incredible Armed Forces across land, air and sea.

    We’re one of the only countries that contributes to every NATO mission with RAF jets patrolling the eastern flank…

    Troops on the ground in Estonia and Poland as part of NATO’s enhanced forward presence…

    And the Royal Navy, including our two aircraft carriers, providing around a quarter of NATO’s maritime capability.

    It’s about our deep partnerships…

    With Japan and Italy we’re producing a sixth-generation fighter through our Global Combat Air Program…

    …and with AUKUS, we’re working with Australia and the US to build some of the most advanced nuclear-powered submarines the world has ever known.

    And it’s about leadership.

    We’ve led the way on Ukraine… moving first on tanks and long-range missiles… training their troops for the counter-offensive.

    Just today I’ve announced we’re providing more ammunition, 70 more combat vehicles, as well as a new rehabilitation centre for injured Ukrainian veterans.

    We’re moving forward with the combat air coalition…

    …and the UK starts training Ukrainian pilots next month.

    And we’re using our leadership in technology to keep NATO at the cutting edge…

    Hosting the European Headquarters of the Defence Innovation Accelerator in the UK…

    …and holding the first global summit on AI Safety later this year.

    The UK has been there since the start of this alliance.

    In 1948, in the hope of avoiding another devastating war, we joined together with a handful of allies…

    …to pledge that we would come to one another’s defence.

    That pact was the seed of the North Atlantic Treaty.

    75 years later, faced with new threats in Europe, NATO is more important than ever.

    It has proved itself to be the most successful Alliance in history…

    …and this week we’ve shown once again that the UK is at its heart.

    Thank you.

  • Andrew Mitchell – 2023 Speech at the Towards the Global Refugee Forum

    Andrew Mitchell – 2023 Speech at the Towards the Global Refugee Forum

    The speech made by Andrew Mitchell, the Minister for Development and Africa, on 12 July 2023.

    Good morning.

    I am sorry not to be able to join you at Wilton Park, where I trust there have been lots of lively discussions over the last few days. However, I do want to thank you all for coming to be a part of this important conversation. I extend particular thanks to our friends at the World Bank for their support for this event. Also to UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), and to those who have travelled considerable distances to join us.

    It is fitting that this, the year of the second UN Global Refugee Forum (GRF), also marks the halfway moment of the Sustainable Development Goals – a moment when we are all thinking more than ever about what it truly means to ‘leave no one behind’. It is this spirit which animates so much of the global effort to support those who have been forced to flee their homes.

    This support to refugees would not be possible without the work of our partners at UNHCR, or the generosity and dedication of those countries hosting large refugee populations. We are very pleased to have some of these states represented at this conference, and I commend them for their efforts.

    However, we are all too aware that the challenge of meeting even basic needs for forcibly displaced people is getting harder. The trends are against us, with total displacement climbing in 2022 to over 108 million people, including nearly 40 million refugees. These are truly sobering figures, but there are things we can do.

    First, we can work together across sectors and geographies to tackle the root causes of displacement.

    From Sudan to Ukraine, we’ve seen in the last year alone the extent to which armed conflict and violence drive displacement. Alongside other members of the international community, the UK has been proud to provide emergency humanitarian assistance in these contexts and around the world. But we must all redouble our efforts to support and sustain peace, in order to enable the safe return of refugees to their homes.

    I am also aware that I am speaking when climate migration and displacement is no longer a hypothetical, but a reality. We cannot afford to ignore accelerating climate impacts such as drought and environmental degradation. And as the threat of climate change increases globally, the number having to leave their homes will continue to grow.

    And yet, there are reasons for hope. From the Bridgetown agenda to COP (Conference of the Parties), the world is coming together to address this existential threat and protect the most vulnerable from its impacts.

    It is all of our responsibility to make sure that forcibly displaced people are included in this conversation. This includes using all the possibilities afforded by international fora, such as COP28, to ensure that we are not working in silos.

    The UK is acting to mobilise climate funding that will address the underlying climate-related drivers of humanitarian crises. This will increase the supply of, and access to, the climate finance that vulnerable countries need. We are, in fact, very pleased to be hosting an event at Wilton Park, on the subject next week.

    Secondly, we can put those who bear the brunt of displacement at the centre of our approach to solutions. The UK is proud to champion the rights of women and girls around the world.

    A core principle of this is ensuring access to 12 years of quality education. Education for displaced girls in emergencies or conflict settings is a powerful tool. It is one of the best mechanisms for protecting them from gender-based violence and it gives them the tools to rebuild their home communities when they are able to return. It can maximise the potential of educated populations for addressing the climate crisis, and for promoting peace and tolerance.

    But this is about hosting countries, as well as refugees. We know that delivering this education through national systems will also benefit host community children, as investment in their education systems makes these systems more resilient, and more sustainable. This will ensure that strong education provision is left behind when refugees can return home. As a proud champion of girls’ education, the UK is excited to be driving forwards an education multi-stakeholder pledge at this year’s GRF.

    Thirdly, we can help refugees contribute to their host communities. By supporting refugees’ freedom of movement and right to work, we enable their agency. And, in the words of the Global Compact on Refugees, we enhance their self-reliance.

    These mutually reinforcing benefits cannot be realised without both the right policy environment, and a strong enabling environment made possible through development. Including refugees in national systems and national planning is central to this.

    We all recognise the potential of the GRF to be a moment that galvanises meaningful change. That transforms the lives of both forcibly displaced people and their host communities. To fulfil these ambitions, how we use the next 6 months is vitally important.

    In my recent speech at Chatham House, I launched the UK’s new development platform, UKDev, which at its heart is about partnerships: partnerships with donor countries, partnerships with recipient countries, and partnerships across the sector. We must harness a wide range of actors to engage in the GRF. We must be clear in our intent, consistent in our approach, and strategic about our priorities. Above all, we must work together.

    I look forward to hearing the results of your discussions and to working together over the coming months to realise our common ambitions for the GRF.

    Thank you very much.