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Tag: Speeches

  • Caroline Lucas – 2023 Statement Confirming Standing Down at General Election

    Caroline Lucas – 2023 Statement Confirming Standing Down at General Election

    The statement made by Caroline Lucas, the Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion, on 8 June 2023.

    Dear Brighton Pavilion residents and friends,

    When I first stood to be your Member of Parliament back in 2010, I knew I was asking a lot of you. It was the closest election for a generation, in the midst of the worst recession since the war, and after people’s faith in politics had been trampled into the mud of the expenses scandal. Not the best time to come to people and ask them to take a risk and put their trust in a new kind of politics.

    But on the day of the General Election in 2010, 16,238 people in Brighton did exactly that – and with the election of Britain’s first ever Green MP, together we made history. It has been the privilege of my life to serve this extraordinary constituency and community, both those who voted for me, and those who did not, ever since – and to see my majority increase at each of the subsequent three General Elections.

    And when I think back over the past 13 years, my strongest emotion is deep gratitude. Thank you so much to all those who put your faith in me and put the politics of hope above the politics of fear. To every person who has stopped me on the bus and in the street to ask how I am and to share your personal stories, and who has offered encouragement as I have stood up in parliament to champion your concerns and to hold this government to account, thank you.

    I love this city and its people, and I know how incredibly blessed I’ve been to have been given the opportunity to represent you, and to work alongside you. I have always prided myself on being, first and foremost, a good constituency MP. The people who have come to me in my regular surgeries are often desperate, feeling like they have nowhere else to turn – they’re looking for care and compassion not the tangled bureaucratic web that passes for a safety net, and that all too often just causes confusion and complication. I’ve done everything possible to help wherever I can and always worked to ensure that people feel heard, that their concerns matter, and that they are not alone.

    But the intensity of these constituency commitments, together with the particular responsibilities of being my Party’s sole MP, mean that, ironically, I’ve not been able to focus as much as I would like on the existential challenges that drive me – the Nature and Climate emergencies. I have always been a different kind of politician – as those who witnessed my arrest, court case and acquittal over peaceful protest at the fracking site in Balcombe nearly ten years ago will recall. And the truth is, as these threats to our precious planet become ever more urgent, I have struggled to spend the time I want on these accelerating crises. I have therefore decided not to stand again as your MP at the next election.

    The reason I came into politics was to change things. Thirteen years ago it’s inconceivable that Parliament would have declared a climate emergency. And I’ve put issues like a universal basic income and a legal right to access nature on the political agenda; secured the first Parliamentary debate in a generation on drug law reform; and thanks to my work in Parliament, a Natural History GCSE will soon be on the syllabus. I have said the previously unsayable, only to see it become part of the mainstream, on coal, on the myth that endless economic growth makes us happier, on a Green New Deal.

    My determination to trying to make change is stronger than ever. I look forward to having the time to explore ever more imaginative and creative ways of helping to make a liveable future a reality. Watch this space!

    My heart will always be in this most special city, and with the inspiring communities and individuals I’ve been privileged to get to know. On election night 2010, I pledged that I would do my very best to do you proud. I can only hope that – whether you voted for me or not – you will judge that that is what I have done.

    With love and gratitude,

    Caroline Lucas.

  • Andrew Mitchell – 2023 Speech on Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act

    Andrew Mitchell – 2023 Speech on Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act

    The speech made by Andrew Mitchell, the Foreign Office Minister, on 29 May 2023.

    The UK government is appalled that the Government of Uganda has signed the deeply discriminatory Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023 into law.

    Democracy depends on the guarantee of equal rights under law and freedom from discrimination for everyone in society. This legislation undermines the protections and freedoms of all Ugandans enshrined in the Ugandan Constitution. It will increase the risk of violence, discrimination and persecution, will set back the fight against HIV/AIDs, and will damage Uganda’s international reputation.

    As outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone is entitled to human rights and freedoms, without distinction of any kind. The recognition of these inherent rights has been hard-won by citizens across the globe. The strongest, safest and most prosperous societies are those in which everyone can live freely, without fear of violence or discrimination, and where all citizens are treated fairly and can play a full and active part in society. The UK is firmly opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances.

    We will continue to stand up for these rights and freedoms in Uganda and around the world.

  • Alex Chalk – 2023 Lord Chancellor Swearing-in Speech

    Alex Chalk – 2023 Lord Chancellor Swearing-in Speech

    The speech made by Alex Chalk, the Lord Chancellor, at the Royal Courts of Justice in London on 25 May 2023.

    My lords.

    Thank you to the Lord Chief Justice for that welcome.

    It’s more than I deserve – and it’s more than I’m used to frankly…

    You mentioned my Lord the number of Lord Chancellors. You’ll be aware of course that between 1678 and 1689 there were seven Lord Chief Justices. So we all have our rough patches.

    My Lord, there will be more to say in due course as your retirement draws closer, about your extraordinary career and contribution to the law. For now I hope it can simply be noted that you are held in the highest regard across the House of Commons, including by the Justice Select Committee.

    Members of all political parties would wish me to thank you for your many years of service to the law and latterly to the courts and tribunals. Parliament wishes you well for the next chapter, wherever it may take you.

    It is the greatest pleasure to see so many friends and distinguished colleagues from the Bar here today. Those that have led me, those that I’ve led. I do hope that you were intending to come to this swearing-in and you’ve not stumbled into Court 4 by mistake.

    I always knew my colleagues at the Bar were brilliant lawyers and advocates, literally some of the finest this country has produced. What I hadn’t quite appreciated before I entered Parliament is that they were such expert political pundits too. Over recent years I have been pleased to receive regular political insights from colleagues via text message – although some have included Anglo-Saxon words that I don’t understand…

    Let me put on record my particular thanks to my pupil supervisors from 6 Pump Court where I first became a tenant and 6KBW College Hill (I had to resign my tenancy and undergo a second pupillage, all very complicated…) I want to thank them for instilling in me as a junior barrister the core principles that underpin our legal tradition: in particular that abiding priority of fairness.

    From the very start of my career I did more prosecuting than defending, and I well understood from my very first appearance for the Crown that prosecutors are bound to act as ministers of justice, with an overriding duty to preserve and promote the overall fairness of the proceedings – not simply to win at all costs. But before anyone misunderstands me, and any of our friends in the media present today, let me stress that fair prosecutors are very often the most deadly – and I’m looking at some of them now.

    I remember leading a young barrister from 6KBW in the prosecution of three councillors for election fraud. We were prosecuting, but I couldn’t attend for the cross-examination of D3 as I had an appeal listed in the Court of Appeal Criminal Division. When I came back, I listened to the tape. Once I’d got over the grim realisation that it was considerably more skilful than my cross-examinations of D1 and D2, I was able to appreciate it for what it was – calm, courteous, scrupulously fair…and utterly devastating. All in the finest traditions of the English & Welsh Bar.

    Now, the appeal hearing that kept me away that day took place in this very courtroom.

    I experienced then as I waited for the hearing to be called on that tingle of apprehension that I always did whenever I had to appear in the Court of Appeal Criminal Division. It is a tingle rooted in respect. Respect for the quality of this tribunal; respect for the ruthlessly searching analysis that every advocate knows is to come.

    Candidly, it’s partly too because I lost rather more often than I won in this court. Over time I became increasingly skilled at detecting my doom before it was confirmed. In the case of Soe Thet my spirits lifted as I heard Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers open his ruling to note that I had “argued a difficult case with admirable clarity and eloquence”… before finding against me on every single point. I soon learnt that compliments tend to spell catastrophe.

    But more importantly, a message sunk in about the true meaning of some of the aphorisms that get bandied around – the rule of law, access to justice, independence of the judiciary.

    Because when you appear in this court you soon realise that these aren’t quaint, airy notions to pay lip-service to – but the essential building blocks of a safe, fair and prosperous society.

    What access to justice and independence of the judiciary mean in practice is this: as you walk out of this court having lost, you know deep down that despite your disappointment you have been heard by judges of enormous intellect and unimpeachable integrity. And you have had a full and fair hearing.

    It is difficult to overstate how precious that is.

    And so, as I sit here as your Lord Chancellor with responsibility for our justice system, I am aware of the responsibility I hold. It’s like carrying a Ming vase – ancient, priceless… but also fragile – and doing so whilst walking across a polished floor.

    It would be easy to feel overawed. After all, I’m following in a line that includes some greats (Sir Francis Bacon and Ken, now Baron, Clarke spring to mind).

    But it’s quietly reassuring that there are some absolute howlers in that list.

    Richard Rich who was Lord Chancellor under Edward VI is remembered for being immoral, dishonest, a perjurer and a man “of whom nobody has spoken a good word.”

    I hope I can modestly improve on that.

    So what will this Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State prioritise?

    As the Prime Minister has made clear, this Government will act to protect the public. That includes, of course, working to expand capacity in our justice system.

    We will redouble our efforts, working with the independent judiciary, to manage and reduce the court and tribunal caseload, speeding up access to justice for litigants and victims. In doing so, we will continue to tackle violence against women and girls. Prosecutions for adult rape continue to rise remarkably following some very hard work by counsel, prosecutors, court staff and others; charges are up over 90% percent compared to the quarterly average in 2019 pre-Covid.

    Second, we will progress the Victims and Prisoners Bill, with its emphasis on ensuring entitlements contained within the Victims Code 2020 are promoted and secured.

    Third, we will play our part in operationalising any immigration legislation that Parliament is minded to enact. We will do so whilst being careful to provide individuals with the due process which is the hallmark of our legal system. The rule of law requires that illegality has consequences, but it also requires that individuals have the proper opportunity to make representations in their own cause.

    Fourth, I will work to promote access to justice. As a parliamentary under-secretary of State, I devised a concept called ELSA – Early Legal Support and Advice – and I will be seeking out opportunities to drive that agenda forward. It is access to justice that empowers individuals, strengthens society and bolsters the rule of law.

    I take very seriously the oath that I have sworn today.

    I swear it as someone who sees this very much as a destination job, whatever Quentin Letts might say. That’s important because I believe that occupiers of this sensitive position in our constitution shouldn’t be looking over the political horizon. Nor indeed, should they be looking over their shoulder.

    And, as your Lord Chancellor, I will do everything I can to uphold the judiciary’s hard-won reputation for excellence, integrity and independence.

    But this role is not all about interactions with the judiciary, important though those are. I am responsible for over 90,000 prison officers, probation officers, HMCTS staff, LAA staff and others. And I want to say a few words to them.

    First I want to thank you for what you delivered during the pandemic. You are the ones who ensured that neither our courts nor our tribunals ever closed completely. Thanks to you vulnerable litigants were able to access justice and get the orders they needed to keep them safe. Thanks to you, ours was one of the first – if not the first – jurisdiction to resume jury trials. (We believe in jury trials by the way, even if others seem to be having a bit of a wobble…)

    But perhaps above all that, I want to note the quiet miracle that you delivered in our prisons. Many have already forgotten that at the start of the pandemic, Public Health England and Public Health Wales predicted around 3,000 deaths in custody. In the event the total was less than 300. Every one remains a tragedy for the individual and families involved, but the fact is that there are thousands of people alive today who would not have been if prison officers had not done their duty and come to work – when no doubt concerned family members were begging them not to. The same is true for probation officers who worked hard to manage risk in the community.

    So let me conclude with this.

    One of my predecessors, Francis Bacon, observed that, “if we do not maintain justice, justice will not maintain us.”

    Let us turn to the task ahead. I as Lord Chancellor will do my duty. And I know that all of us, whatever part we play, will join today in committing to maintaining that justice, endeavouring to leave the rule of law in our country stronger for our having been here.

    Those are my submissions.

  • Robert Halfon – 2023 Speech to the UCAS Admissions Conference

    Robert Halfon – 2023 Speech to the UCAS Admissions Conference

    The speech made by Robert Halfon, the Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education, at the Midland Hotel in Manchester on 24 May 2023.

    Hello everyone. I’m very sorry that I can’t be with you today as planned – because I think UCAS is brilliant. It’s one of our great institutions, alongside all the other great institutions it serves. It helps young people to bridge the gap between school and the great unknown, supporting them to navigate all their options for further study. Like myself, it’s passionate about providing applicants with the path that’s right for them.

    As offers season draws to a close, teenagers across the country are now lining-up their post-school options as they finish revision before exams. I know your role can sometimes be almost pastoral – particularly on results day – advising young people on what’s available to build the best education foundation for their future. I’d like to thank everyone here for the work you do to facilitate this progression, by guiding thousands of young lives each year.

    I also want to thank you for your support of students and applicants during the pandemic. This episode of unprecedented disruption is now, thank goodness, behind us, but I know its effects will be felt for some time. This is reflected in your student-centred approach to admissions, and in how we’re returning to pre-pandemic grading this summer. Where national performance is lower than prior to the pandemic, senior examiners will make allowances in grade boundaries to acknowledge the last 3 years’ disruption. This means a UCAS applicant should be just as likely to achieve a particular grade this year, as they would have been in 2019.

    As you know, I believe higher education should serve society with high quality degrees, that lead to jobs, skills and social justice.

    UCAS is helping this government to propel the skills revolution, righting the balance between academic and vocational qualifications. Young people need to leave education with skills the jobs market is demanding, which will in turn power economic growth. In 2023, higher education is a considerable investment. For those who choose to give it their time and future earnings, a good job must be the pay-off.

    And universities should do all they can to welcome those who need good jobs the most – applicants with great capability but the least advantages in life. And certainly not the family connections to show them the sectors where they could thrive.

    Higher education should perpetuate social justice – not reinforce the status quo, passing privilege hand-to-hand down the generations. It should extend its intake wherever it can, and leverage its prestige to acknowledge the high career value of high-quality technical education.

    This is where degree-level apprenticeships come in. No one should be surprised to hear me championing these prestigious courses, which offer superb vocational and academic education at some of our best universities. They hold particular value for less well-off students, preparing them for a successful career, whilst allowing them to earn while they learn without tuition fees.

    There are now almost 160 apprenticeship standards at Levels 6 and 7, for occupations including nursing, aerospace engineering and journalism. Word is spreading. Degree-level apprenticeships make up 16% of all starts so far this year [August 2022 -Feb 2023], with numbers up 11% compared to the same period last year. This follows year-on-year growth, with a total of over 185,000 starts since their introduction in 2014.

    There is much more to do to meet rising demand – and to spread the word to build that demand still further. We’re working with higher education institutions to increase supply of both employer vacancies, and applications from young people. Over the next 2 years we are providing an additional £40 million to support providers to expand degree apprenticeships, and help more applicants access these opportunities. Building on our £8 million investment last year, this funding could transform the uptake of degree apprenticeships. More people, from more diverse backgrounds, entering professions that might have been closed to them without a traditional, expensive, undergraduate degree. That would be real social justice in action.

    As with Levels 6-7, technical education for sixteen-year-olds has long been seen as the poor relation of academic courses. In 2020, we brought in T Levels to change that. These offer a credible alternative to A levels, drawing on the best of Level 3 technical education from around the world.

    We know universities may take time to get to grips the performance standards of T Level grades, particularly in comparison to other vocational qualifications. T Levels were designed to ensure rigour and quality, and their performance standards are more aligned with A levels to reflect that.

    I appreciate T Levels represent a significant change, which means recalibrating offers to recognise the difference between their grades and existing vocational qualifications. I’d ask you to recognise just how stretching these qualifications are in your admissions policies, particularly when considering which students to accept onto courses this year.

    Last summer many universities embraced T Levels’ value, and the achievements of the pioneering students who’d studied for them. For those yet to do so, I would urge every institution to do justice to these young people’s efforts, and provide a clear online statement of relevant courses and entry requirements for T Levels.

    Although it’s primarily known for university admissions, UCAS shares our vision to demystify and promote all the options available to 18-year-olds. Their next step could be higher education. But it doesn’t have to be, particularly for someone who thrives in the workplace rather than the library, and enjoys putting their tuition to immediate use. We want to raise young people’s awareness of the many routes up the Ladder of Opportunity, to good jobs and higher wages.

    With a million young people expected to be able to apply to UCAS by the end of the decade, we need high quality provision of all kinds to await them. My ambition is that UCAS will eventually stand for the Universities, Colleges, Apprenticeships and Skills service.

    The UCAS Hub already does a brilliant job of engaging users with many of the choices relevant to their career aspirations, including links on where to go next. From this autumn, apprenticeships will sit alongside degree courses on the Hub, with subject searches displaying all relevant routes. Apprenticeships from Level 2 through to degree level will be displayed, giving them new visibility on the platform and functional parity with traditional degrees. Search results will also show affordability, duration of training or study required, and likely career outcomes. Presenting all this information in one place will better inform applicants’ decisions on the right course for them.

    And from next year, young people will be able to apply for apprenticeships via the UCAS Hub, creating a comprehensive gateway for post-16 options. This forms part of our broader vision to integrate skills into the formal systems that direct people through education towards the labour market. We want to eventually create a one-stop-shop, where citizens can explore their career and training options at any point in their lives.

    At the start of that journey, school pupils will be fully appraised of all their post-16 choices and where these could lead. We’ve recently formed a partnership with UCAS to raise 18 year-olds’ awareness of apprenticeships, in order to increase starts in this age group. Students will be better supported to apply for apprenticeships, and employers given access to promote vacancies to local schools and colleges. This will create a talent pipeline for businesses, enabling them to fill skills gaps and offer further apprenticeships. It will result in improved opportunities for under-represented groups, and a virtuous circle of apprenticeships demand and supply.

    None of these big ambitions would be possible without your collaboration. I know everyone here is united in supporting the ambitions of the young (and not so young) people who apply through UCAS each year. I believe these ambitions are intrinsically linked; our plans could make a seismic difference to the prosperity of future generations, our society and the economy.

    I want to thank you again for your remarkable work with government in the past, present, and future.

    I hope you enjoy the rest of today’s events, building bridges to bright futures for upcoming generations.

  • Tom Tugendhat – 2023 Speech at the PIER Annual Conference

    Tom Tugendhat – 2023 Speech at the PIER Annual Conference

    The speech made by Tom Tugendhat, the Security Minister, at Anglia Ruskin University on 23 May 2023.

    Good afternoon.

    It’s a pleasure to be here with you today.

    Before I begin, allow me to say a few words about the response to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.

    For those of you who took part, thank you. I know a lot of different experts have contributed in different ways to help our understanding and I hope you’re understanding as well of the situation that we’re facing.

    This independent enquiry was indeed a wake up call, it was extraordinarily important to shed a light on the unimaginable abuse that we’ve seen suffered by children over many many years. It found quite simply appalling examples of organisations placing their own interests ahead of children’s safety: either by turning a blind eye or covering up the abuse.

    Frankly it is deeply dispiriting to see.

    I deeply admire the courage of those survivors who came forward.

    We owe it to them – as well as to future generations – to ensure that it never happens again.

    Later today I’ll be speaking to a group of students.

    They are going to be asking the questions that students so often ask, I’m sure.

    They are going to be asking questions that are relevant to today and about gossip in the media that we’ve been hearing.

    They’ll be asking about the challenges we face, and yes, occasionally heckling me…

    One thing I can guarantee I’ll be asked is whether I would recommend politics as a career.

    It’s a difficult question to answer really and I’ve never really known how to answer.

    I’ve never thought of politics as a profession, at least not in the traditional sense.

    For me it’s a form of service.

    Now, having already met a few of you I’m very aware that I’m speaking to an audience of professionals.

    Many of you are at the top of your fields.

    But I also understand that for many of you protecting children online isn’t just a career.

    It’s more of a calling, every bit as personal as it professional.

    The reason I’m here today is that for me keeping children safe isn’t just another issue, or even just the right thing to do.

    It’s personal, and every bit as important as my role’s traditional focus on terrorism and state threats.

    Let me explain why.

    Earlier this year I visited the US to meet my counterparts in intelligence and homeland security.

    While I was there I had the opportunity to visit the National Centre for Missing & Exploited Children, NCMEC for short, a heroic organisation on the vanguard of global efforts to keep children safe online.

    NCMEC receives reports of suspected cases of child sexual exploitation from US-based tech companies including enticement, where children are lured into sharing explicit images and videos of themselves; sextortion, when predators target their victims using blackmail; and the online distribution of child sexual abuse material.

    I’ll be straight with you.

    I wasn’t prepared.

    I wasn’t prepared for the depravity of some of the examples of offending they gave.

    I wasn’t prepared for the scale of the threat that our children face.

    And, as the father to a wonderful son and daughter of my own, I wasn’t prepared for the horror that children just like them are made to suffer every day.

    The thing that struck me was how vulnerable they are.

    To predators, social media sites like Facebook and Instagram are a one stop shop.

    Without leaving Meta’s ecosystem they can choose their target…do their research…start a conversation with them…and transfer that conversation onto a private messaging service.

    And that’s exactly what they do – in their thousands.

    In 2022 NCMEC received over 32 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation and abuse.

    21 million of these came from Facebook alone, which not only speaks to the severity of the issue they face.

    It also leads me to suspect that other companies are significantly under-reporting.

    I want to be clear – this isn’t a US issue.

    We face exactly the same problem right here in the UK.

    The NCA estimates that there are up 850,000 people in this country who pose a sexual risk to children, including both contact offending and offending online.

    Of course, in reality the scale of the threat our children face is much larger.

    We mustn’t forget that the computers in our children’s homes, and the mobile phones in their pockets don’t just make them accessible to people here in the UK.

    They connect them to the world.

    That works both ways of course.

    I’m appalled by the increase in so-called live streamed abuse, where predators pay to victimise children remotely – and often in other countries – via webcam.

    The UK is one of the top 3 consumers of livestreamed child sex abuse from the Philippines.

    Equally, in addition to the threat they face domestically, our children are also the targets of predators and offenders overseas.

    It’s clear, then, that this is a threat of immense scale and complexity, and I’m grateful for the valiant efforts of our law enforcement agencies.

    Every month UK law enforcement agencies arrest 800 people and safeguard 1200 children.

    Last week, for example, Bernard Grace was sentenced to 8 years in prison for making 600 payments to direct and livestream the sexual abuse of children in the Philippines.

    In March earlier this year, Christopher Manning was jailed for 25 years for using a chat platform to distribute child sexual abuse material and encouraging others to do the same.

    And in 2021 the NCA caught David Wilson, one of the most prolific child sexual abuse offenders the UK has ever seen.

    Wilson posed as a teenage girl on Facebook to manipulate his victims into sending sexually explicit material of themselves before using it to blackmail them into abusing their friends and siblings.

    His case is the perfect illustration of why our partnership with tech companies and organisations such as NCMEC are so important.

    He was brought to justice because law enforcement were able to access the evidence contained in over 250,000 Facebook messages.

    And he’s far from alone.

    NCMEC sends suspected cases of child sexual abuse in this country straight to the NCA, who process them before sending the resulting intelligence to the police.

    In 2021, they contributed to 20,000 criminal investigations across the UK.

    For predators that’s a significant deterrent.

    And for their victims, it’s a lifeline.

    That lifeline is now under threat.

    Despite its past record of dedicated protection, Meta is planning to roll out end-to-end encryption on Messenger and Instagram Direct later this year.

    Unless they build in robust safety measures, that poses a significant risk to child safety.

    Let me be clear.

    Privacy matters.

    The UK government is in favour of protecting online communications.

    And it is possible to offer your customers the privacy they expect…while also maintaining the technical capabilities needed to keep young people safe online.

    Meta are just choosing not to, many others have already taken the same path.

    The consequences of that decision are stark.

    Facebook and Instagram account for over 80% of global NCMEC referrals, meaning that 20 million suspected cases of child sexual abuse a year will go unreported.

    Meta will no longer be able to spot grooming – including cases like David Wilson’s – on their platforms, leaving tens of thousands of children in the UK, and around the world, beyond our help and in danger of exploitation.

    Faced with an epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse Meta have decided to turn a blind eye, and are choosing to allow predators to operate with impunity.

    This is extremely worrying.

    But it also raises questions for parents like myself right across the country.

    Questions about big tech, and the balance of power and responsibility enjoyed by social media companies.

    My children love going to a playground near where we live.

    While they’re there it’s clear who’s responsible for their safety.

    Me of course, as their parent – but also the council, who have a duty to ensure the environment is safe and well-maintained, and our local police force, who have a duty to make sure nothing dangerous or illegal is taking place.

    Both have clear lines of accountability to me and to our local community.

    My children are currently too young to have social media profiles.

    But what happens when they do go online?

    Who’s responsible for their safety?

    And is anyone accountable to them – or to me?

    In my view it’s clear.

    Companies like Meta enjoy vast power and influence over our lives.

    With that power should come responsibility.

    It’s not acceptable for tech executives to make vast profits from their youngest users, only to pass the buck when it comes to protecting them from the dangers on their own platform create.

    The first duty of government is to protect its people, and none are more precious than our children.

    In that sense, the stakes couldn’t be higher.

    Over the past few minutes we’ve covered a lot of frightening statistics.

    But we must never forget that behind every NCMEC referral, flagged image, and Police investigation is a real child being hurt in the real world, for whom the consequences of their victimisation are devastating.

    However it’s not just these children’s futures that are at stake.

    I personally believe you can judge a society by how it looks after its most vulnerable members, and that, in a nutshell, is why this is so fundamental.

    Because the importance we place on protecting our children isn’t just a policy issue.

    It speaks to the health of our society.

    This is a test for governments and tech companies alike.

    For governments: one of resolve, and standing up for what we believe in.

    For tech companies: one of priorities, and making sure they do no harm.

    As with many issues we’re not facing this alone.

    All around the world, governments are in a similar position.

    And each of us has a choice.

    To lean in or to look away.

    Well, I can tell you very clearly:

    This government will not look away.

    Some will have heard the words I have used today to be particularly critical of one company, they are right, I am speaking about Meta specifically and Mark Zuckerberg’s choices particularly. These are his choices, these are our children. He is not alone in making these choices, other companies have done too.

    Let me be clear again: this government will not look away.

    We will shortly be launching a campaign. A campaign to tell parents the truth about Meta’s choices, and what they mean for the safety of their children.

    And a campaign to encourage tech firms to take responsibility and to do the right thing.

    We’ll set out our case in the papers, in magazines, over the airwaves and online.

    We’ll work with law enforcement agencies, children’s safety organisations, like-minded international counterparts through bodies such as the G7 and Five Eyes, and tech experts with authority on technical solutions and their feasibility.

    We will not stop until we are satisfied that Meta and others are serious about finding a solution, and until they have strong safety systems in place to protect children.

    I hope that, like me, this isn’t a fight that you’re prepared to lose, and I hope you’ll join us.

    Our voices are louder when we speak together.

  • Jeremy Hunt – 2023 Comments at the IMF Article IV Press Conference

    Jeremy Hunt – 2023 Comments at the IMF Article IV Press Conference

    The comments made by Jeremy Hunt, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on 23 May 2023.

    Intro

    Thank you, Kristalina, for being here today. It’s a pleasure to welcome you to London for the first in-person Article IV mission since 2018.

    I welcome the publication of your statement today, which provides a timely, independent assessment of the UK economy from the IMF.

    The backdrop for your visit is one of challenge and opportunity.

    Since the Fund’s last assessment of the UK economy in February 2022, our world and our economy has been challenged fundamentally by Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine, and the whole continent is feeling the knock-on effects.

    And so since becoming Chancellor, my central mission has been to restore macroeconomic stability and deliver our priorities to halve inflation, grow our economy and get debt falling.

    Today, the IMF’s assessment shows that we are on the right track.

    Macroeconomic Outlook

    Their report forecasts growth of 0.4% in 2023 – a 0.7 percentage point upgrade versus their April forecast.

    That is even higher than the Bank of England’s forecast – published last week – for 0.25% growth in 2023.

    The IMF say that we have acted decisively to fight inflation, which will “substantially” reduce to around 5% by the end of the year.

    And the IMF say that our approach to fiscal policy will help to significantly reduce the deficit over the forecast – by 3% of GDP between 22/23 and 27/28.

    Together, these forecasts demonstrate that we are on the right path, but the job is not done yet.

    Growth Measures

    Growing our economy is one of this government’s top priorities.

    I was pleased to see that the IMF agree with the need for “ambitious evidence-based structural reforms” to support growth because that is exactly what we are delivering.

    At Spring Budget, I announced measures to grow the economy focusing around four key areas – Employment, Education, Enterprise, and Everywhere.

    The OBR judged these policies – including a major expansion of childcare support – will result in 110,000 more individuals in the labour market by 2027-28, directly increasing employment by 0.3% and GDP by 0.2%.

    The OBR also say that full expensing would boost business investment by almost 3.5% in 2024-25 and 2025-26.

    Today the IMF say that the supply-side measures in the Budget “should have a positive effect on medium-term growth” and we will continue this work in the months ahead.

    Fiscal Policy

    But despite this positive news, I know that high inflation and energy prices – issues shared internationally – remain key challenges.

    People are worried about the cost of living, which is why I announced the extension of the Energy Price Guarantee in the Spring; why we are delivering cost of living payments to more than 7 million households; and why we are freezing fuel duty to keep more money in people’s pockets.

    Like the government, the IMF recognise inflation is a major challenge for the UK economy and affirm that we are taking the right strategy to support the Bank of England in their efforts to combat inflation.

    And I know the IMF agree that we have among the best macroeconomic institutions and frameworks anywhere in the world to respond to these challenges.

    Reducing Uncertainty and Promoting Long-term Growth

    Finally, I am pleased the IMF have recognised our work to reduce uncertainty for households and businesses in the face of some of the biggest challenges we face.

    That includes agreeing the Windsor Framework which the IMF say will “favourably impact business investment” …

    … setting the conditions for long-term growth, with world-leading ambitions and legal frameworks for our net-zero goals…

    … and ensuring that our banking sector remains well capitalised and resilient to shocks.

    Final Remarks

    We are working hard every day to grow our economy and deliver on this government’s priorities, and the IMF today show we are doing just that.

    Thank you, Kristalina, to you and your team for your work.

    I will now hand over to you.

  • James Cleverly – 2023 Speech at the Gabriela Mistral Cultural Centre in Santiago, Chile

    James Cleverly – 2023 Speech at the Gabriela Mistral Cultural Centre in Santiago, Chile

    The speech made by James Cleverly, the Foreign Secretary, in Santiago, Chile on 22 May 2023.

    Thank you for hosting me.

    It’s an honour to be here. Our setting has so much resonance for Chile’s recent political history. Constructed by volunteers during the Allende presidency. Requisitioned by the Ministry of Defence in the Pinochet era. Re-born as a Cultural Centre, it now bears the name of one of two Chilean Nobel prize winners, Gabriela Mistral.

    Two hundred years ago, a fierce revolutionary struggle was raging on both sides of the Atlantic. A battle of ideas in which liberty, self-determination and representative government set themselves against absolutism and autocracy.

    It reached its dramatic climax here. In Latin America. Under the inspirational leadership of figures like Simon Bolivar, Bernardo O’Higgins, José de San Martín or Miguel Hidalgo.

    Latin America’s struggle for independence was surely one of the most uplifting episodes of the momentous revolutionary era that laid the foundations of the modern world. A tale of hardship, perseverance, exile and betrayal. Of stunning victories and extraordinary sacrifice. Of inspiration, leadership and unity.

    From the very beginning, my great and gifted predecessor, George Canning, foresaw that Latin America would hold the balance of power in world politics.

    And this is also the continent that gave birth to the extraordinary genre that is magical realism. And imagine if I were giving this speech in the magical realist tradition. I would tell you that George Canning appeared to me in my dreams, taking the form of a mighty, powerful jaguar, conveying a message for me to pass to you.

    Although actually, that didn’t happen. But Canning’s wisdom about ‘the New World being called into existence to redress the balance of the Old’ rings as true today as when he said it in 1826.

    The allure and romance of this continent drew many others, including thousands of battle-hardened veterans who volunteered in the British Legions. Men like James Rooke, after whom a battalion is named in the Colombian army. Or Admiral Thomas Cochrane, the man Napoleon dubbed ‘the Sea Wolf’. And who established both the first Chilean Naval Squadron and the forebear of today’s Brazilian Navy. Or Martin Guisse, who founded the Peruvian Navy. I am delighted that warships in Latin American navies bear their names to this day.

    I am also proud of the role the United Kingdom played in supporting the struggle for Latin America’s independence, and in laying the foundations for your subsequent success. British engineers and British finance helped build the railways and the ports that connected Latin America to the markets across the world.

    Two hundred years on from that revolutionary period, the tectonic plates of world politics are shifting once again. Today I want to talk about values, climate and the shared bonds between our peoples.

    We are living through the beginning of a new era of geopolitical competition. Alongside these trends, a battle of ideas is taking place once again. This time, its focus is on the nature and the future of the international order.

    Our position is clear. Respect for sovereignty, respect for territorial integrity, respect for self-determination and human rights must prevail. Alongside democracy, the rule of law, liberty and freedom. Free and fair elections are the foundation of any stable, healthy democracy.

    I know these values are shared across Latin America, although not yet enjoyed by all. Your support in the UN for Ukraine’s right to defend itself against Russian aggression has made that crystal clear.

    Talking of self-determination and democracy, it would be remiss of me not to talk about the Falklands.

    The Falkland Islanders, like everybody else, deserve the freedom to decide their own future, in political, cultural, economic and development terms. Their 2013 referendum made clear that they wish to maintain their current relationship with the UK, as is their absolute right. And the UK will continue to support them.

    But protecting self-determination and democracy is not the sole challenge.

    We live in a world of rapidly increasing transnational threats. Climate change is the most urgent and obvious example. We need strong multilateral institutions, representing the world as it is today, economically, politically and demographically.

    This is not currently the case. The UK recognises that. And we want to work with you to change it.

    Countries across Latin America have a decisive role to play in reshaping the international order and the multilateral system to fit the world of the 21st century. Just as Canning foresaw.

    The population of this corner of our planet and its economy have grown rapidly in recent decades. In the year of my birth, 1969, Latin America was home to 279 million people. Today that figure is more than 664 million people.

    Your demographic and economic weight gives you a pivotal role in determining whether the international order will endure.

    As I said last December, the shift in world power has been evident for some time. And it is my goal as the UK Foreign Secretary to ensure that our strategic thinking reflects this simple fact. That’s why I’ve come to Latin America this week.

    I want to take forward the agenda set out in 2010 by my predecessor William Hague at Canning House in London.

    Since then, we’ve opened or reopened embassies and high commissions across the region. The UK has dozens of honorary consuls from Tijuana on the Mexico-US border to Punta Arenas on the southern tip of Chile.

    The UK has welcomed thousands more Chevening scholars to our universities. And the number of Latin Americans visiting the UK has nearly doubled. The British Council has extended its reach 5-fold since 2010, reaching more than 100 million people across the Americas last year.

    UK trade and investment with Latin America recovered strongly last year from their post-pandemic low. The total value of imports and exports rose by a massive 45% last year to more than £40 billion.

    But with Latin America representing only 2% of UK imports and only 2.5% of UK exports worldwide, I recognise that there is much more to do on trade and investment. Our shared strategic focus on critical minerals, green hydrogen and sustainable infrastructure is encouraging.

    The UK’s imminent accession to the Trans Pacific Partnership, joining Mexico, Peru and Chile, is a positive step forward. And hopefully soon joined by Costa Rica, Ecuador and Uruguay.

    Last week, the UK completed the third round of talks on a UK-Mexico Free Trade Agreement.

    Together we have a strong democratic voice in favour of the rules-based international system. Together we must speak out against the systemic threats to these values arising from multiple parts of the globe. And together we must work together on climate, the rights of women and girls, green energy, cyber security, science and technology.

    At COP26 in Glasgow, my country pledged £300 million to protect the Amazon. As a result of our Partnerships for Forests programme, which I saw just days ago in Colombia, more than 62,000 hectares of land are now being managed sustainably across Colombia and Peru.

    Another joint focus is the globally strategic lithium triangle that lies between Argentina, Bolivia and Chile. Rio Tinto’s billion-dollar investment is forecast to yield 100,000 tonnes of lithium by 2027. This will fuel the green battery revolution.

    We’ve supported Chile to sell bonds worth more than £21 billion on London’s Sustainable Bond Market. We’ve leveraged $464 million of green finance for Mexico.

    Our green hydrogen technology offers Latin American farmers a cheaper and cleaner alternative to petroleum-based fertilisers, boosting food security everywhere.

    As part of our International Women and Girls Strategy, the UK has helped Chevening Alumni establish a gender-focused NGO called Hace la Fuerza.

    Bringing together women from Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay, we have built a community of future Latin American leaders. Because when women’s rights are advanced, everyone gains.

    These examples – and others like them – show how partnership between the UK and the countries of Latin America can make a real difference. Not just to our security and prosperity, but to that of the whole world.

    There is so much more that I would like us to do together.

    Our bilateral joint roadmaps will set direction in Brazil, Colombia, Peru and elsewhere.

    The universal values on which the international order stands are timeless. But our world’s multilateral institutions do need reform, in particular to give more voice and more influence to Latin America. The UK wants Brazil to sit as a permanent member of the UN Security Council.

    And we must work towards broader reform, in partnership with others. The call for systemic reform of our international financial institutions must be strengthened.

    Together we can unlock the critical green investments that this region needs from the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank.

    The UK government supports the momentum behind Prime Minister Mottley’s Bridgetown Initiative. The poorest and most vulnerable must benefit from overdue reform of international financial institutions.

    International tax reform, coupled with a crackdown on money laundering and illicit finance will stop the leakage of much-needed funding from national treasuries. Which is why the UK is providing £20 million for rule of law and anti-corruption reforms in Panama, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. And £2.2 million for tax reform in Brazil.

    But we should not neglect people-to-people ties.

    The UK is home to more than a quarter of a million Latin Americans – amongst them are 71 players in the English Premier League, including 6 players from Argentina’s World Cup winning squad. My team Arsenal, even with 3 fantastic Brazilian players, all called Gabriel, still couldn’t win the league.

    Hundreds of thousands of Britons visit this outstandingly beautiful region every year.

    Spanish is already the second most popular foreign language in British schools – and is forecast to take the top slot in the coming years.

    I want your best and brightest researchers and students to come to the UK’s world-leading universities. And I want more British students to come to Latin America to study as well.

    We should be ambitious for our future relationship. Not just because of the historical bonds of friendship that have united us for more than 200 years, but because we all treasure the same fundamental values that inspired the creation of the international order. It will only evolve, survive and ultimately prosper with the support and whole-hearted engagement of this great region.

    Two hundred years ago, Simon Bolivar said that “the freedom of the New World is the hope of the universe”. Your love of freedom continues to inspire the world today.

    It’s why I’ve come here from London to revive old friendships and build new ones. And to pledge our long-term commitment.

    I’m offering the UK’s support on the issues that we together most care about. And I ask for yours in exchange, as a partner. But, even more importantly, as the representative of this continent’s oldest friend.

    Thank you.

  • Rishi Sunak – 2023 Remarks at the G7 Press Conference

    Rishi Sunak – 2023 Remarks at the G7 Press Conference

    The speech made by Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, in Japan on 21 May 2023.

    Let me start by thanking Prime Minister Kishida and the people of Japan for their warm and generous welcome and hospitality.

    At this pivotal moment for peace, freedom, and democracy, the G7 came together with our allies and friends to confront a more dangerous world.

    We leave Hiroshima stronger and more united than ever.

    And through this summit, we have advanced the priorities of the British people with two big aims – economic security and national security.

    First, economic security.

    On this trip, we’ve secured almost £18 billion of new investments into the UK from Japanese businesses.

    That’s a huge vote of confidence in the UK – creating hundreds of new jobs, with significantly more to come as projects get underway.

    All helping to grow our economy – one of my five priorities for the UK.

    And alongside our unprecedented new defence and security partnership it’s clear that the UK-Japan relationship has never been closer as we work with G7 allies to support a free and open Indo-Pacific.

    The G7 also demonstrated unity of purpose on China.

    China poses the biggest challenge of our age to global security and prosperity. They are increasingly authoritarian at home and assertive abroad.

    And, as the G7 have showed, the UK’s response is completely aligned with our allies.

    This is all about de-risking – not de-coupling.

    And with the G7, we are taking steps to prevent China from using economic coercion to interfere in the sovereign affairs of others.

    A new theme of this Summit was also AI.

    AI can bring huge benefits for our economy, society, and public services.

    But of course – it needs to be developed safely, securely, and fairly.

    And that will require international cooperation something the UK is in a natural position to lead.

    Our second aim for this Summit was national security.

    All leaders at this Summit are grappling with the issue of illegal migration.

    My policy is this: it is the British government who will determine who comes to Britain.

    We must stop the boats and break the business model of the criminal gangs.

    This is a global issue – and it will increasingly be a focus of our international engagement.

    Just last week, at the Council of Europe we agreed to strengthen cooperation with the EU’s border force.

    At this Summit, we secured the G7’s agreement to deepen our work together.

    And we expect this to be an important focus of the G7 next year, under Italy’s leadership.

    And there is no more pressing issue facing the G7 and the world – than Ukraine.

    I want to pay tribute to my friend, Volodymyr. It was a privilege to welcome him to Chequers earlier this week.

    And I believe his attendance at this G7 was a moment of historic significance.

    The image of the G7 and our partners standing shoulder to shoulder with President Zelenskyy sends a powerful message about the unity and determination of the G7 allies.

    We will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes, because their security is our security.

    The G7’s strategy is clear:

    Our military, diplomatic and economic tools are all part of the Ukrainian counter-offensive.

    We’re delivering more support on the battlefield through air defence, artillery, tanks, and long-range missiles – which the UK was the first country to provide.

    We’re supporting Ukraine to develop the air force it needs for the future with the UK training Ukrainian pilots, starting this summer.

    And we’ve made a real breakthrough at this Summit, thanks to President Biden’s support for an international coalition to provide F-16 jets.

    We’re ratcheting up the economic cost to Russia with a new package of sanctions.

    And we know that Ukraine must not only win the war but win a just and lasting peace.

    We’re working with allies to provide coordinated bilateral security arrangements and a collective commitment to Ukraine’s future defence, to guarantee they can deter future attacks.

    And any peace settlement must be on Ukraine’s terms.

    I want to just quote from the statement that the G7 and our partner countries have just agreed:

    “We support a just and durable peace, based on respect for international law, the principles of the UN Charter, and territorial integrity and sovereignty.”

    In other words: we must, and we will show that violent territorial aggression does not reap rewards.

    There could be no more fitting place to discuss the urgent need for peace, than Hiroshima.

    I was deeply moved to visit the peace memorial on Friday.

    What we saw there was haunting.

    A child’s tricycle, twisted by the blast.

    School uniforms bloodied and torn.

    And with those images in our minds, we resolved never to forget what happened here.

    And at this historic summit, G7 leaders recommitted ourselves to the path of peace, freedom, and democracy.

    Thank you.

  • Labour Party – 2023 Statement on the Suspension of Geraint Davies

    Labour Party – 2023 Statement on the Suspension of Geraint Davies

    The statement made by the Labour Party on 1 June 2023.

    These are incredibly serious allegations of completely unacceptable behaviour.

    We strongly encourage anyone with a complaint to come forward to the Labour party’s investigation.

    Any complainant will have access to an independent support service who provide confidential and independent guidance and advice from external experts throughout the process.

  • Lucy Frazer – 2023 Speech to the Enders Media & Telecoms Conference

    Lucy Frazer – 2023 Speech to the Enders Media & Telecoms Conference

    The speech made by Lucy Frazer, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, in London on 18 May 2023.

    Good morning,

    Today I want to set out my reflections on three key parts of my portfolio as Culture Secretary.

    They are Potential. Opportunity. And Freedom.

    That is:

    Unlocking the potential that exists in the industries my department represents, including the creative industries

    Ensuring DCMS and Government as a whole support and create opportunities for young people.

    And highlighting the challenges to press freedom and identifying the principles by which we need to resolve those challenges

    Before I turn to these thoughts I want to talk about delivery

    As you will know we have a Prime Minister who is laser-focussed on delivery.

    And he appointed me 100 days ago to deliver

    On a number of projects that affect our communities

    And I have taken that challenge to deliver very seriously.

    And in that time I have brought to fruition a number of previous commitments

    These include:

    A draft media bill with reforms to level the playing field for our public service broadcasters

    A Football White Paper to protect our beautiful game

    A Gambling White Paper that delivers for the smartphone age

    Millions of pounds to support Youth facilities across the country

    100m to support our charities and 60m to upgrade our swimming pools

    An international summit setting out our opposition to Russian and Belarusian participation in international sporting events

    As well as working with my department, the Royal Family and the BBC to deliver the coronation and the events surrounding it as well as Eurovision, where we worked closely with Liverpool

    And now that I’ve delivered on these commitments , I want to lay out a clear agenda for the months ahead.

    One centred around potential, opportunity and freedom.

    And I wanted to start by telling you a story about a brilliant woman called Yetta who understood the importance of freedom, opportunity and potential.

    Her parents were Russian, and came to our free country as refugees fleeing persecution.

    And despite a number of potential drawbacks of that age – being Jewish, the child of immigrants and a woman.

    She succeeded.

    Yetta ignored obstacles.

    And focussed instead on the opportunity she had been given to be brought up here in the UK and in her very own extensive potential.

    My grandmother, Yetta Frazer, became the first female barrister in Leicester and practised at the bar until she was 80.

    And on every visit I made to see her, she reminded me of a line in a poem by Robert Browning.

    ‘A man’s reach should exceed his grasp, Or what’s a heaven for.’

    It’s a line about believing in your ability to succeed and taking advantage of the opportunity to realise your potential.

    It totally summed up her life

    and it is my guiding principle in this role.

    I think my Department – gets to represent some of the very best of Britain.

    Musicians and songwriters like Adele and Ed Sheeran. World-class footballers.

    Budding young writers and producers, video game creators and fashion designers.

    To my mind, DCMS is the Department for talent and opportunity.

    And our industries are truly world-class.

    I represent so many companies that have understood their potential and done everything possible to maximise it.

    Taking just 2 examples from companies here in this room.

    Sky who launched in 1989 in a prefab structure in an industrial park on the fringes of west London.

    Today Sky is among our leading entertainment companies, with 23 million subscribers.

    Or Netflix who were founded as a mail order rental firm in the 90s and have evolved into a business that has spent £4.8bn in the UK since 2020 making TV shows and films here and kickstarting long-term studio leases at Shepperton, Longcross, and a new London HQ opening last year.

    Indeed our creative industries are world class. They generated £108 billion in 2021 and employ over two million people across the country.

    And to put things in perspective they are worth more than our life sciences, automotive manufacturing, aerospace and the oil and gas sectors combined.

    We are in the global age of the silver screen.

    We rival any country in the world at sound and visual effects, and are on track to double UK film stage space by 2025.

    And the world over, there is demand for high-end British productions not just because of our fantastic actors and our great locations, but because of our tech know-how and production skills.

    The imagination of our designers, our producers, our content creators, our writers and artists is spearheading growth right across our economy.

    But it’s also owed, in-part, to how the Government and industry have worked together to back talent in this country and make Britain one of the best places in the world to be creative.

    And I am here to continue to maximise that growing potential.

    This Conservative Government has shown what can be achieved when we work with and listen to all of you working in industry.

    It is that same model of public-private partnership that gave us:

    A world-class vaccine development programme and rollout across the country.

    A £1.5bn covid relief package during Covid that helped protect our cultural and creative industries.

    A highly successful Film and TV Production Restart Scheme that ensured the industry was able to keep making great new content despite the lack of commercial insurance to cover Covid risk

    And tax reliefs that have been a huge catalyst for growth for our creative industries.

    I have no doubt that we in Government can do more to support our creatives.

    But we cannot simply rely on the formula for that past success.

    We face increasing global competition and we cannot afford to be complacent.

    By turbocharging growth and investment in sectors like video games, visual effects, music, fashion, film and television and more, we can retain our status as a creative industries superpower for decades to come.

    In order to do that we need to maximise potential. So I am committing to:

    Growing the creative industries by an extra £50bn by 2030.

    Creating a million extra jobs – all over the country – by 2030.

    And delivering a Creative careers promise that builds a pipeline of talent into our creative industries. And I want to work with you to deliver it.

    And I know we can. Because we are fortunate to have a PM and Chancellor who have identified this sector as one of 5 priority sectors for Government.

    And who have shown their commitment by taking action to support the industry.

    At the Budget the Chancellor backed our theatres, museums, galleries, orchestras, film, High-end TV and video games sectors by extending and reforming tax reliefs that create jobs, drive growth and support talent.

    Over the next few months we will be identifying how we can go further.

    First – growing these sectors by promoting skills from primary school children to those returning to the workforce.

    Whether that is in music at school or extracurricular activities, and working with the creative sector on maximising the opportunities of bootcamps and apprenticeships.

    Secondly we want to harness talent in clusters across the UK and support cannot be at the expense of London or detract from those places that are already thriving.

    It needs to build on what we have already seen across the country. Whether that’s video games in Dundee and Leamington Spa, or TV in Birmingham and Leeds.

    And thirdly, targeting specific support at different sub sectors, to unlock growth across the UK.

    And now I would like to turn to opportunity. Particularly for young people.

    Because we need inspired, empowered and creative young people to drive these industries forward in the future

    And I want to ensure that young people, wherever they are, and whatever their backgrounds are, have the opportunity to realise their potential, to fulfil their dreams, and reach, like Yetta did for something better than the probable destiny of their background.

    Before taking up this role in DCMS I was responsible for youth justice and met many young people who had, unfortunately, gone down the wrong path.

    None of them intending or really wanting to.

    I remember meeting John, who had struggled at school, then dropped out of school, and then been sent to a young offenders institution.

    He said to me ‘I don’t understand why no-one realised I was struggling and needed help, why no-one noticed me’.

    Through a mentoring support scheme, after he came out of prison he got back on track.

    And he himself became a mentor for other young children.

    We already have the National Youth Guarantee but I plan to expand that offer and make youth central to how we do things, as a Department.

    We need to offer all young children inspiration, aspiration, fulfilling education, hope and support.

    And finally freedom.

    As the descendant of someone who had to flee persecution for freedom, I appreciate what it means to live in a free society, and how dangerous it is when those freedoms are threatened.

    Organisations in this room today play a vital role in protecting both our democracy and our freedoms.

    We often talk about freedom of the press, but the reality is that it’s you, the media, who are helping protect the freedom of others.

    You who live up to the words of George Orwell, inscribed by his statue outside BBC Broadcasting House that ‘If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.’

    I recognise this basic right is under threat across the world.

    The New York Times chairman told Unesco earlier this month that ‘All over the world, independent journalists and press freedoms are under attack.’

    And he was right.

    You only need to look at the Russian arrest of a Wall Street Journal journalist to see that.

    I know that the challenges to free, fair and truthful reporting are coming from so many quarters: from the potential misuse of AI to mis and disinformation.

    And that is without even mentioning the speed of the changing media landscape.

    Staying competitive in a rapidly changing environment is a challenge for everyone. Challenger companies like BuzzFeed and Vice that were once the new kids on the block, are facing uncertain futures.

    As a government we are taking steps to increase press freedoms and make sure journalists can do their jobs effectively.

    With measures like the protection of public service broadcasters and prominence in the draft media bill and our commitment to the repeal of section 40 or the protection of journalists in the online safety bill, we are actively guarding your ability to uphold the rights of others.

    If we want a thriving media sector in the future – our focus has to be on a free press and a press that is free to grow.

    I know that is a major focus of your discussions today – looking at what the future looks like for companies big and small.

    And through our draft Media Bill we are updating a decades old regulatory framework to level the playing field and help guarantee the long term future of those first class Public Service Broadcasters.

    While also giving a broadcaster like Channel 4 even greater freedoms to produce, own and sell outstanding British content across the globe.

    No Government has all the answers to all the challenges the media faces, but what I can promise you is that my approach will be guided by the following principles.

    Protect our public service broadcasters.

    Stand up for independent voices.

    And nurture a thriving media landscape which upholds and champions fearless truth telling.

    To finish, I want to end with a thought.

    Last Saturday I enjoyed seeing the amazing cultural programme organised by Liverpool as the host city for the Eurovision Song Contest which showcased Ukrainian artists. And I also celebrated with 7,000 others in the Liverpool arena at the Grand Final.

    Creative excellence, TV production at its finest, world class BBC output.

    I was sitting next to the Ukrainian culture minister.

    As the show started Russia bombed Ukraine. He turned to me and said ‘it’s surreal.’ He looked around at the glitter, the spectacle and the sparkle. And said ‘I am here. And my wife is in a bomb shelter in Ukraine.’

    Here in the UK we are lucky to have it all. Potential. Opportunity. Freedom.

    And we must embrace it.

    Because as my grandmother would have said, ‘what’s a heaven for’?