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  • Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2023 Speech on the International Day of Education

    Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2023 Speech on the International Day of Education

    The speech made by Anne-Marie Trevelyan, the Minister of State at the Foreign Office, in Westminster Hall, the House of Commons on 26 January 2023.

    I am grateful to my right hon. Friend the Member for Chelmsford (Vicky Ford) for securing this debate to mark International Day of Education. I pay tribute to her work to drive progress on education around the world, both in her previous ministerial role and through her continued efforts as the new co-chair of the APPG on global education.

    My colleague, the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr Mitchell), would have been delighted to take part in this debate, but he is travelling on ministerial duties. However, it is a pleasure to be able to respond on behalf on the Government. I am grateful to all hon. Members for their contributions. The strength of feeling about the importance of global education is clear and unequivocal, as it should be. Colleagues will be aware of my commitment to this cause, as the former Secretary of State in the Department for International Development who published our first strategy on 12 years of girls’ education back in 2020.

    Education, especially for girls, is a top priority for this Government. Over five years from 2015, UK aid supported more than 15 million children, including 8 million girls, to benefit from a decent education. We continue to stand up for the right of every girl, everywhere, to access 12 years of quality learning. We know that that is the key to unlocking individual potential, as well as advancing prosperous, thriving societies and economies. In short, and as all hon. Members have said, it is one of the very best investments we can make. That is because not only do educated girls’ earnings increase significantly, but they are less likely to be subjected to child marriage and domestic violence, and more likely to have smaller, healthier and better educated families.

    Too many children around the world lack these opportunities and face many barriers: poverty; a lack of safe and accessible schools; and the twin threats of conflict and climate change. As my hon. Friend the Member for West Worcestershire (Harriett Baldwin) has said, this is seen most shockingly right now for girls in Afghanistan. I reiterate the Government’s condemnation of the Taliban’s decision to prevent girls from returning to secondary school and women to universities. Through our joint G7 Foreign Ministers’ statement and the UK national statement, we have repeatedly made that clear, and we continue to lobby the Taliban to reverse those destructive decrees.

    As my right hon. Friend the Member for Chelmsford has set out, about 244 million children are out of school around the world and more than half are girls. About seven in 10 children in low and middle-income countries are unable to read by the age of 10, and that generation could lose $21 trillion in earnings over their lifetimes as a result. Put simply, we face the real risk of a lost generation, and we cannot let that happen. That is why the UK is driving international action to tackle the education crisis.

    In 2021, we hosted in London the global education summit, which raised an unprecedented $4 billion for the Global Partnership for Education. We put girls’ education at the centre of our G7 presidency that year and secured G7 endorsement of the two global objectives mentioned by my hon. Friend the Member for Maidstone and The Weald (Mrs Grant): to get 40 million more girls into school and 20 million more girls reading by the age of 10 by 2026.

    We support developing countries to help children to learn in a safe, inclusive and sustainable way. Of course, that begins, just as it does in every school in all our constituencies, with strong foundations: basic reading, maths and social skills—the building blocks on which all children everywhere can make progress in school and reach their potential so that they have choices later in life. That is why the UK launched a commitment to action on foundational learning last year at the UN summit on transforming education. We are calling on all Governments around the world to prioritise those basics, especially for the most marginalised girls.

    We also support girls and young women to make their way into higher education and training, to boost their employment prospects. As part of that, we launched the girls’ education and skills programme on International Women’s Day last year. That innovative partnership between Government and major global businesses was initiated by my hon. Friend the Member for Maidstone and The Weald in her role as special envoy on girls’ education. I thank her for her relentless advocacy, her enthusiasm and the globetrotting that she does on behalf of the Prime Minister to bring these issues to light across the globe.

    We want to continue to prioritise reaching the poorest and most marginalised girls, with a particular focus on reaching children affected by emergencies and protracted crises. On climate change in particular, the figures are bleak: 40 million children each year have their schooling disrupted by its impacts. For example, I met some children in the village of Mele in Vanuatu—a Pacific island literally the other side of the planet from here. I met them in December, and their school had been battered by sea storms unprecedented in the island’s history. That was a real, practical and destructive event for those small children, who had not experienced that in their lives before.

    Those climate threats are creating the sort of disruptions that are absolutely destructive and will cause damage for so many more children, so our focus on helping developing countries to adapt and become more resilient to the climate shocks we know they will have to face will be critical to protecting those children who are in education and enabling them to continue their education. We are supporting education for the poorest through UK-led programmes in 19 countries. That is complemented by our significant investments through the Global Partnership for Education and Education Cannot Wait, which supports children through emergencies.

    It is of course important to leverage financing. That is why we are a leading partner in developing the new international finance facility for education, which is focused on lower middle income countries to help girls into learning. Meanwhile, the UK Girls’ Education Challenge is the largest programme of its kind in the world. More than 1 million girls who were most at risk of dropping out are now staying in school and making progress, and over 150,000 with disabilities are able to attend school.

    Our new position paper, which we published last month, is our road map towards addressing the climate, environment and biodiversity crises in and through girls’ education. I reassure colleagues that we will be publishing the new international women and girls strategy in the coming months, which will be framed around the three E’s of educating girls, empowering and championing the health and rights of women and girls, and ending violence.

    Members have raised concerns about the reduction in the aid budget and its impact on education programmes. Colleagues are all aware that difficult decisions have been made to meet the 0.5% commitment, and to support those fleeing the war in Ukraine and insecurity in Afghanistan.

    Harriett Baldwin

    Will my right hon. Friend commit to writing to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to make the point that the money for Ukrainian refugee children in the UK, which I believe comes from the official development assistance budget, is not necessarily following that child if they move to a new school?

    Anne-Marie Trevelyan

    My hon. Friend raises an important point, of which I was not aware; it has not been brought to me in my constituency. I will take it up with the Secretary of State and ensure that we understand where those issues are, the size of the problem, and how we can ensure that, whichever schools are looking after those young people who are here from Ukraine, they can have the support they need.

    We are prioritising our 0.5% aid spending in line with the priorities that we set out in our international development strategy, which, of course, includes girls’ education. The UK remains one of the most generous global donors, spending £11 billion in aid in 2021.

    I reassure colleagues that, in relation to the Afghanistan crisis, FCDO officials are in regular contact with the NGO community to understand the impact of the Taliban ban on female workers. Where NGO partners have had to suspend activity, the FCDO is continuing to cover staff salaries and other critical associated operational costs, and we are encouraging UN agencies to do the same with their NGO counterparts.

    As Members know, development is not just about aid packages. UK support to global education includes our valuable country partnerships, expertise, and power to convene others, such as through the global summit.

    As colleagues have already said, and championed, we are proud to be a co-founder of, and leading donor to, Education Cannot Wait. Members have asked for details on the UK’s future commitment to ECW. The Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sutton Coldfield, will announce the UK’s future contributions— I am afraid that I cannot steal his thunder—at the high- level financing conference in February.

    I will end by reaffirming the UK’s unwavering commitment to global education, which remains at the heart of our work towards a more prosperous, stable and equal world. I know that all colleagues here today will continue to champion education as the most effective investment every nation can make.

  • Bambos Charalambous – 2023 Speech on the International Day of Education

    Bambos Charalambous – 2023 Speech on the International Day of Education

    The speech made by Bambos Charalambous, the Labour MP for Enfield Southgate, in Westminster Hall, the House of Commons on 26 January 2023.

    It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Sharma. I refer the House to my entry on the Register of Members’ Financial Interests—I am the co-chair of the APPG on global education. I thank my friend, the right hon. Member for Chelmsford (Vicky Ford), for securing this timely and important debate to mark the International Day of Education and for her excellent speech. As co-chairs of the APPG, we both care deeply about this topic and are working closely together to shine a light on the importance of inclusive and quality education for all.

    As we mark the International Day of Education this week, it is staggering to note that 222 million children around the world are affected by emergency and protracted crises and in need of urgent educational support. This has grown from an estimated 75 million in 2016, as more children around the world are missing out on essential education time. We find these children facing some of the world’s foremost challenges, from the war in Ukraine and the repression of women and girls in Afghanistan to the impact of food insecurity in the horn of Africa and climate-related disaster in the Sahel.

    Education is every child’s right. It is fundamental to creating a peaceful and prosperous world. My hon. Friend the Member for Harrow West (Gareth Thomas) emphasised the value of education for all. Labour recognises the importance of quality, safe, inclusive and free public education as the cornerstone of the UN sustainable development goals. Education saves lives; improves nutrition and health; reduces child, early and forced marriage; and leads to more equal, respectful and open societies.

    On visits abroad, I have seen the scale of the challenges we face in global education, in particular for women and girls. As the hon. Member for Maidstone and The Weald (Mrs Grant) succinctly put it, girls’ education is an absolute game-changer. She is absolutely right to make that point. Every day, girls face barriers to education caused by poverty, child marriage and gender-based violence, poor infrastructure, cultural norms and practices and fragility. Around the world, 129 million girls are out of school, including 32 million of primary school age, 30 million of lower secondary school age and 67 million of upper secondary school age. As eloquently pointed out by the hon. Member for West Worcestershire (Harriett Baldwin), in countries affected by conflict, girls are more than twice as likely to be out of school than girls living in non-affected areas.

    This year, UNESCO has dedicated the International Day of Education to the women and girls of Afghanistan. What is happening there is an absolute tragedy: the Taliban’s barbaric ban on the participation of women in public life means schools and universities have been closed to Afghan women and girls, in violation of their fundamental rights and freedoms. Since the fall of Kabul, the Taliban has stopped 850,000 secondary age girls from attending school; as we have heard throughout today’s excellent debate, the impact of that ban is devastating. At the same time, the world has watched in awe as brave girls and women in Afghanistan have protested and demanded the right to go to school in the face of repression by the Taliban. Afghanistan can never flourish while half its population is relegated from public life.

    We must pay tribute to all those fighting for their right to education, but they need more than warm words and solidarity. The UK must act by working internationally to hold the Taliban to account for its escalating crackdown on women’s rights and doing everything possible to support education for all in Afghanistan, including through the Global Partnership for Education, which is making up to $300 million available in support of education for Afghan women and girls. Can the Minister say what steps the UK Government are taking with the international community to support women and girls’ education in Afghanistan? More specifically, will she rule out reductions in UK funding to Afghanistan while negotiations between the de facto authorities and the diplomatic and humanitarian communities are ongoing?

    The UK is, and continues to be, a vocal supporter of girls’ education. But it is fair to say that the Government need to translate that rhetoric into results. According to analysis by the ONE Campaign, an estimated 7.1 million children, including 3.7 million girls, lost their education due to recent cuts to the UK’s aid budget. Alongside cuts, we also have delays—most recently to the international women and girls strategy, which the Government confirmed last week has been delayed once again. We cannot allow ourselves to fail a generation of young people, and that is why Labour urges the Government to announce a strong and early pledge for the Geneva Education Cannot Wait conference next month.

    Since its establishment in 2016, Education Cannot Wait has reached 7 million children and adolescents with quality education in some of the toughest crisis zones globally. UK funding has supported an estimated 1.5 million of those children, but the challenge has grown since then. Civil society, members of the public and many parliamentarians have called for the UK to pledge £170 million over the 2023-26 period: a 13% share of Education Cannot Wait’s fundraising target. That would directly provide 2.6 million children in an emergency or protracted crisis with quality education, 60% of whom would be girls. Can the Minister confirm whether the UK Government will commit to make such a pledge ahead of next month’s conference? If so, when can we expect the announcement?

    It is imperative that the Government meet their own targets on providing quality foundational learning to the most marginalised, including girls and children with disabilities. Girls and boys in conflict zones, climate shocks and natural disasters, and refugee settlements deserve to learn to read and write, do maths and prosper as much as any other child, yet just one in 10 of the 222 million children affected by crises are meeting required minimum levels for literacy and numeracy. Such extreme levels of illiteracy and innumeracy are an early warning sign that global educational goals, and related sustainable development goals, are in jeopardy. At the current rate of progress, it will take at least 40 years to achieve the sustainable development goal 4 target on learning.

    In 2019, over half of children in low and middle-income countries were living in learning poverty, meaning that they were unable to read and understand a simple text by age 10. In sub-Saharan Africa, that figure is closer to 90%. Behind those numbers, millions of vulnerable girls and boys around the world await our collective action. From inside makeshift refugee settlements, the damaged walls of classrooms, and communities torn apart by war and disaster, those children are holding on to the hope that education will allow them to realise their dreams of becoming doctors, engineers, scientists, teachers or whatever other profession they seek to achieve.

    As we mark International Day Of Education, I want to end by sharing the thoughts of young people campaigning for their generation’s future. This week, I had the pleasure of meeting with the Global Partnership for Education youth leaders in Parliament as part of their youth action tour. The youth leaders are young people with lived experience from partner countries, and it was incredibly moving to hear directly from them about why we need to protect and increase education funding worldwide.

    Another group of young people that I would like to highlight are Send My Friend to School youth campaigners. Each year, around 250,000 young people from across the UK take part in the campaign, meeting dozens of MPs. I have met their excellent campaign champions on a number of occasions. I am always inspired by the passion and commitment that they have for other children around the world, who are not fortunate enough to receive the kind of education that we do here in the UK.

    I end with the following words from Jenson, aged 10, speaking on behalf of his classmates at Colne Engaine Primary School in Braintree:

    “We think every child has the right to have an education. Reasons that stop children from going to school like natural disasters and disease, war and famine are not chosen by the children.”

    Let that ring true in all our ears and urge us to act now as we celebrate International Day of Education.

  • Patricia Gibson – 2023 Speech on the International Day of Education

    Patricia Gibson – 2023 Speech on the International Day of Education

    The speech made by Patricia Gibson, the SNP MP for North Ayrshire and Arran, in Westminster Hall, the House of Commons on 26 January 2023.

    I am very happy to participate in this debate, as an English teacher of 23 years before I was elected to this House. The International Day of Education is an important date in our calendar, and the theme this year is:

    “To invest in people, prioritise education”.

    I pay tribute to the hard work of the teachers in my constituency. I am currently undertaking my annual visit to my local schools, and I am always impressed by our young people’s political engagement, which is both impressive and refreshing. I pay tribute to them and the staff, who work hard to deliver education in my constituency.

    The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 24 January as the International Day of Education in celebration of the role of education in peace and development. I thank the right hon. Member for Chelmsford (Vicky Ford) for securing the debate. Education is a human right, a public good and a public responsibility. The right hon. Lady reminded us that illiteracy across the globe disproportionately affects women and girls, and that educating women and girls provides huge and lasting benefits to their communities and children, and helps to avert child marriage, which is important for the future and prosperity of developing countries.

    I agree with the point the hon. Member for Harrow West (Gareth Thomas) made about the FCDO doing international development work of such importance in this and many other fields. We really should be looking to restore the Department for International Development; everybody in this Chamber agrees that the FCDO does important international development work, but that merits a Department for itself.

    The hon. Member for Maidstone and The Weald (Mrs Grant) reminded us of the huge benefits of educating women and girls and of the vast scale—some might say the daunting scale—of the challenge. It is important that the international community works together to address it, if for no other reason—although there are many reasons—than the risk of violence to women and girls, which goes alongside being deprived of and facing barriers to education.

    It is indisputable that inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong opportunities for all are inextricably linked to a country’s success in achieving gender equality and breaking the cycle of poverty that leaves millions of children, youth and adults behind. Today, 244 million children and youth are out of school, and 771 million adults are illiterate. Their rights to education and so much more are being violated. That is unacceptable.

    UNESCO is dedicating this year’s International Day of Education to girls and women in Afghanistan who have been deprived of their right to education, and is calling for the immediate lifting of the ban restricting access to education. The hon. Member for West Worcestershire (Harriett Baldwin) said that global education commands agreement and support across the House—it is one of the rare occasions when we see that happening. I note her comments that children are being deprived of their education in far too many circumstances, both refugees and in a more general, global sense. The international community must continue to work to change that.

    I want to focus on the situation in Afghanistan, which is alarming and bewildering to many of us looking on in the west. The Taliban regime is denying its daughters, wives and sisters access to any form of schooling whatever. Today marks 493 days since the Taliban banned teenage girls from school, and 32 days since it banned women from going to university and working in national and international non-governmental organisations.

    Currently, there are 2.5 million Afghan girls and young women out of school, 1.2 million of whom were denied access to secondary schools and university places following the regime’s diktat about women in education. Despite international condemnation, the Taliban regime justified that step on the basis that some women had not adhered to its interpretation of Islamic dress code, and that conservative traditions must be protected. It is an interesting conundrum that repressing, diminishing and controlling women in that way is such a priority for the Taliban regime, despite the fact that 28 million Afghans require aid, with some 6 million on the brink of famine—some 93% of Afghans do not have enough food, according to the UN. Winter temperatures are plunging as low as -17°C, and even lower in mountainous areas, so making it a priority to deprive women of their education seems bizarre to anybody looking on.

    Amid all that, Save the Children had no choice but to pause its aid efforts in areas where it could not operate without its female staff, because women are essential to the safe and effective delivery of its services. Can it really be true—I cannot believe that I am asking this question—that the Taliban would rather its people died of starvation than women be seen to undertake useful work to assist Afghan civilians?

    Being a girl or woman in Afghanistan under the Taliban must surely be a frightening, marginalising and desperate experience. In essence, Afghan women are back to being invisible in public life, imprisoned in their home and, where applicable, ordered to cover their ground and first-floor windows so that women inside cannot be seen from the street. Women can have the end of their thumbs cut off for wearing nail varnish. In such a regime, where women are viewed as chattels and the possession of male relatives, of no value as human beings, robbed of their dignity and their identity reduced to the clothes that they must wear, how can we be surprised that such a regime explicitly forbids the education of its women?

    It is heartbreaking to consider that in the 20th century, until the conflicts of the 1970s, Afghanistan was seen as a progressive country. Afghan women were first eligible for the right to vote in 1919, only a year after women in the UK enjoyed that right and a year before women in the US were allowed to vote. As part of that, how women’s rights to education in Afghanistan have been rolled back is remarkable and frightening.

    No society can truly prosper socially, economically or culturally unless there is access to education for all on an equal basis. Until the Taliban in Afghanistan understands that, the international community must continue to stress it and to engage on the issue when possible. I hope that the UK Government will play a leading global role in that international effort. Access to education is such a basic universal human right that denying it to women in Afghanistan or anywhere based on gender is incompatible with all that is right and decent.

    As we commemorate the International Day of Education, it is right and fitting that we dedicate this day in 2023 to girls and women in Afghanistan who have been deprived of their right to education. Only a regime that seeks to control and tyrannise would fail to recognise that access to education for all its people has no downside for that society. We see that depriving Afghan women and girls of education goes hand in hand with the loss of so many other rights.

    I know that all right hon. and hon. Members will seek to show solidarity with Afghan women and seek to restore their access to education. That should be a fundamental red line in all international engagement with the Taliban regime. Without access to education, the lives of Afghan women will be poorer, their children will be poorer, their communities will be poorer, the once great country of Afghanistan will be poorer, the climate will be poorer and the world will be poorer—poorer in ways that are beyond measure. We must stand up for Afghan women and girls and for the access to education that they need and deserve, with all the opportunities and fulfilment that go alongside securing that education. That applies to women and girls not just in Afghanistan, but across the world.

  • Helen Grant – 2023 Speech on the International Day of Education

    Helen Grant – 2023 Speech on the International Day of Education

    The speech made by Helen Grant, the Conservative MP for Maidstone and the Weald, in Westminster Hall, the House of Commons on 26 January 2023.

    I, too, congratulate my right hon. Friend the Member for Chelmsford (Vicky Ford) on securing this important debate in recognition of the International Day of Education.

    I am hugely honoured to be the Prime Minister’s special envoy for girls’ education. My role is to globally champion his message that providing 12 years of quality education for every single girl on the planet is one of the best ways of tackling many of the major issues facing the world today, such as poverty, climate change and inequality. Investing in girls’ education is an absolute game changer: if we want to change the world for the better, girls’ education is a great place to start. The child of a mother who can read is 50% more likely to live beyond the age of five, twice as likely to attend school themselves, and 50% more likely to be immunised. Girls who are educated are more able to choose if and when to have children, and how many children they have.

    Girls’ education is, of course, vital for women and girls, but it is also extremely important in levelling up society, boosting incomes and developing economies and nations. Tragically, the pandemic has been one of the biggest educational disruptors in our history, affecting 1.6 billion learners at its peak in 2020. It also created a global education funding gap of $200 billion per annum. In poorer countries now, over 70% of children cannot read a simple text by the age of 10.

    Many of those children are girls, many of whom will never return to school, or even start school, lowering their chances of future employment and decent livelihoods. Out of school, girls are at greater risk of violence, sexual violence, forced marriage, early marriage, female genital mutilation and human trafficking. All those factors are creating the very real risk of a lost generation of girls, and we must work hard and together to stop that happening.

    We also need to work better and differently. The UK has played a leading role in education policy and financing: we put girls’ education at the very heart of the 2021 G7 summit in Cornwall, giving it the priority and profile—as well as the financial and political commitments—that it needs and deserves. We also agreed two new, ambitious global targets: getting 20 million more girls reading by the age of 10, and getting 40 million more girls in primary and secondary school in low and low-to-middle income countries by 2026.

    At the global education summit in London, also in 2021, we raised a landmark $4 billion for global education with our international partners, which will help another 175 million children to learn. At COP26 in Glasgow that year, we made the important connection between girls’ education and climate change, showing how girls’ education can be very much part of the solution. That is because girls who are educated are much more able to participate in decisions, actions and leadership in relation to climate resilience, adaptation and mitigation.

    We know that education interventions must provide more than just learning, and the UK will continue to be a gender equality leader, tackling the issues that prevent girls from getting to school and staying in school. No girl should have her hopes and dreams dashed because she has had to marry too early or become a mother due to a lack of family planning advice.

    In my role as the Prime Minister’s special envoy, I have been able to travel extensively to see for myself some of our education programmes and how they are changing lives for the better. In Ghana, in the hills of Aburi, I sat in on non-formal community classes where young mothers brought their babies to school. In Sierra Leone, I saw programmes that focused on improved learning, but also on special measures to address violence in and out of school and other safeguarding issues. In Nigeria, I saw how our teams on the ground have adapted programmes to respond to covid school closures. They achieved that through community-based learning programmes, the recording of radio and TV lessons, and accelerated learning programmes to help children catch up. I had the opportunity to meet virtually with schoolgirls and teachers affected by the conflict in Syria. I heard how education was providing a real lifeline and a space for children to see their friends, rebuild their self-confidence and self-esteem and develop the skills they need to break the cycle of poverty, while also providing them with a sense of hope and optimism for the future. I was inspired by the dreams of one young girl who hoped to become an architect to rebuild Syria for the future, and another who wanted to be a social worker to protect children from violence. These girls are our future, and ensuring their right to safe, quality education is essential.

    The weight of the challenge on girls’ education is significant, but our ability to make a change in the world —if we work together—should never be underestimated. We all must raise our game and rally the world behind the global targets that have been set and agreed. Achieving global targets requires a global response. Governments must prioritise education reforms, listen to civil society and not be afraid to partner with technical experts so that they can design their reforms around real evidence of what actually works. We need to urgently recover those learning losses caused by covid by focusing on foundational learning skills. Basic numeracy and literacy are essential for children to be able to stay in school and progress to higher levels.

    We must listen carefully to our girls and hear what they say they want and need from their leaders—be it safer roads for walking to school, free sanitary products to help with confidence and school attendance, or separate toilets for privacy. Last but certainly not least, our global leaders need to speak out much more about the importance of educating our girls and to explain all the advantages for girls and women and for their children, their families, their communities and, of course, their nations.

  • Justin Welby – 2023 Statement on Stephen Sizer Penalty Judgment

    Justin Welby – 2023 Statement on Stephen Sizer Penalty Judgment

    The statement made by Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, on 30 January 2023.

    I note the findings of the Bishop’s Disciplinary Tribunal for the Diocese of Winchester regarding the Revd Dr Stephen Sizer and his subsequent prohibition from licensed ministry in the Church of England. It is clear that the behaviour of Stephen Sizer has undermined Christian-Jewish relations, giving encouragement to conspiracy theories and tropes that have no place in public Christian ministry and the church. I renew my call for the highest possible standards among ordained ministers of the Church of England in combatting antisemitism of all kinds.

  • Doug Beattie – 2023 Comments on Northern Ireland’s Place with the United Kingdom’s Internal Market

    Doug Beattie – 2023 Comments on Northern Ireland’s Place with the United Kingdom’s Internal Market

    The comments made by Doug Beattie, the Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, on 16 January 2023.

    This is a much more low-key statement from the UK and EU than the build up implied, which provides a lesson in raising expectations in such a delicate negotiation. I would implore both the UK Government and the European Union not to become tempted to agree a deal simply to conclude negotiations, and rather focus on taking time to find a deal that provides long lasting solutions to the range of problems caused by the Northern Ireland Protocol.

    Northern Ireland’s place with the United Kingdom’s Internal Market must be restored and protected. Sticking plaster solutions will not cut it. The long-term effect of the implementation of the Protocol in its current form will be the erosion of Northern Ireland’s place within the United Kingdom. We have warned of this since 2019 and will continue to oppose any deal which makes Northern Ireland a place apart from the rest of the UK.

    Nobody can be expected to agree a deal over which they have no input or control. London is adding to the democratic deficit, not solving it. We must have a say in our own future. There would never have been a Belfast Agreement if the Government had behaved like this. It’s intolerable.

  • Robert Halfon – 2023 Speech to the University UK’s Conference on Degree Apprenticeships

    Robert Halfon – 2023 Speech to the University UK’s Conference on Degree Apprenticeships

    The speech made by Robert Halfon, the Higher Education and Skills Minister, to the University UK’s conference held on 1 February 2023.

    It’s great to be speaking to you today at the first Universities UK apprenticeships conference.

    I’m disappointed to not be able to join the conference today. Degree apprenticeships and higher technical education are my favourite subjects, and the agenda has several topics which are dear to my heart.

    I particularly want to talk to you about the role of degree apprenticeships in the ladder of opportunity, which enables people to climb, rung by rung, towards a good job and a great career. Our shared challenge is to grow these brilliant opportunities.

    Successes to date

    Degree apprenticeships are a real success story. Level 6 and 7 programmes now make up over 12% of apprenticeships overall. In the last academic year, they have risen from just over 39,000 to more than 43,000.

    This phenomenal growth is thanks to the hard work of everyone involved – including Universities UK and its members. I want to thank Professor Steve West, Vivienne Stern, and the whole UUK team for everything they’ve done to help drive this expansion, working with you all.

    I hope you’ll agree that the Secretary of State and I are some of the most passionate advocates for degree apprenticeships in Parliament. But we need to go further to ensure even more people can benefit from them.

    The package of earning while you learn, studying at our world-leading universities, and working for some of Britain’s best employers is a unique selling point. Especially when you consider the earnings potential! Data published last year shows that Level 6 apprentices have median earnings of over £34,500 after they achieve their apprenticeship – with no student finance to repay.

    The Ladder of Opportunity

    The ‘ladder of opportunity’ I mentioned earlier is something I believe in wholeheartedly. It’s a way of thinking about what we need as a country, to get to where we want to go.

    Opportunity and social justice

    The ladder has two crucial pillars that hold it up. The first is opportunity and social justice. Degree apprenticeships offer an opportunity for those who might not normally go to university to get started in a profession. This is real social mobility – getting into careers which might otherwise be closed off. We need to reach-out to those with potential, especially from disadvantaged backgrounds, and connect them with employers who value alternatives to traditional graduate recruitment.

    A good example is the Medical Doctor apprenticeship standard, which has recently been approved for delivery. This will offer a genuinely new route into a profession currently dominated by traditional degree entrants.

    The Department of Health & Social Care recently updated me on this apprenticeship, with new funding for a pilot announced a few weeks ago. It will support healthcare providers to employ these apprentices from underrepresented groups, helping to create more doctors that reflect the population they serve.

    Strong HE and FE

    The second pillar of the ladder is about strengthening Higher and Further education. Degree apprenticeships have an important role in widening access and participation to university. Many UUK members have built their flexible offers to serve employers’ and apprentices’ diverse needs.

    When I made my first speech in this job, I challenged those universities who don’t offer any degree apprenticeships to ask themselves “Why?”

    With funding of up to £8 million on offer this year through the Strategic Priorities Grant, there is a great opportunity to forge strong employer partnerships and develop new offers. I know Universities UK are keen to drive forward the expansion of degree apprenticeships – particularly when it comes to engaging with SMEs.

    Ladder rungs:

    Careers information

    The first rung on the ladder of opportunity is careers empowerment. Careers information must include skills-based options, and help young people understand the incredible opportunity of a degree apprenticeship. It should also offer guidance on applying for a route where employers (not universities) are sifting applications.

    My department and UCAS are currently exploring how we can offer a more joined-up experience for school leavers who want to access apprenticeships – including at degree-level.

    Championing apprenticeships and employers’ skills need

    The next rung is about championing apprenticeships and meeting employers’ skills needs. I know there are some amazing apprenticeship champions among UUK members.

    But we need to look beyond the industries that have fuelled the growth of degree apprenticeships to date. There are more than 150 standards at degree level, and a handful of them have thousands of starts. There is untapped demand elsewhere. This might be in standards which have been approved relatively recently. Or it might be amongst employers who traditionally recruit graduates – those who could be tempted by the prospect of recruiting talent to shape into their ideal employee while they study.

    Quality

    Another rung of the ladder is about championing quality, so that technical education and training – including degree apprenticeships – gain parity of esteem with traditional degrees.

    It is great the Ofsted inspections of Higher Education Institutions are so positive – 88% are good or outstanding. This confirms my belief that Universities are brilliantly placed to deliver these unique programme; and IfATE’s new policies to drive greater integration of degrees in occupational standards will also support this work.

    Even so, there are areas for improvement. I encourage those among the 88% to delve into Ofsted’s reporting, and the reviews of Apprenticeship Service submitted by employers and apprentices. Only through continuous appraisal and improvement – and flagging our success to the wider world – will we build the standing of degree apprenticeships.

    Regulatory burden

    With this focus on quality comes the question of regulation. Universities UK have raised this issue on your behalf and I want to thank all the UUK members who have also discussed this with us directly at the end of last year.

    I hear you loud and clear, and whilst we will never compromise on quality, I am equally clear that want strip out unnecessary regulation that gets in the way of delivery. I recognise that being subject to several layers of assurance and intervention by different organisations is challenging for providers; and we continue to look critically at what we can discontinue and what we can change, so that you can spend more of your time delivering more apprenticeships. I want to continue that conversation and expect that we will have more to say on this issue very soon.

    Lifelong learning and jobs, security and prosperity

    The final two rungs of the ladder are lifelong learning, jobs and security. On this point I’d like to recognise the huge contribution universities’ degree apprenticeships courses make in providing access for older employees and career-switchers. Facilitating continuous career progression and getting a degree while in work is fantastic for social mobility – breaking a glass ceiling for those who can’t otherwise progress without graduate status.

    I mentioned earlier that our data shows strong earnings potential for degree-level apprentices. That same publication shows that sustained employment or learning for level 6 and 7 apprentices is over 94% – a great indication that the apprenticeships you deliver set people up for prosperous careers.

    UUK’s plan for growth – Progression

    I want to finish by talking about UUK’s plan for growth. Greg Wade will be introducing it later this morning – so I don’t want to steal his thunder – but I want to thank him for sharing it with me.

    I’d like to pick out an aspect of the plan that is close to my heart. I’d like to focus on progression.

    I think you will have gathered by now that this is something I care deeply about. I believe that progression through different routes under the banner of technical education can deliver great outcomes, regardless of someone’s background.

    Progression isn’t just about going from A Levels to University – or even to a degree apprenticeship. Progression could also mean moving from a T Level to a higher apprenticeship, or a Higher Technical Qualification to a degree apprenticeship. All that it takes to help people move forward and capitalise on their potential is the right support. And we can facilitate this by putting in place the right partnerships between employers, Further and Higher Education. I know that together, through degree apprenticeships, we can transform many more people’s lives in this way.

    Thank you for your time.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2023 Speech on Brexit at the Mansion House

    Sadiq Khan – 2023 Speech on Brexit at the Mansion House

    The speech made by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, at the Mansion House in London on 12 January 2023.

    I’d like to align myself with the Lord Mayor’s words on levelling-up… he is of course entirely correct – London both requires levelling-up and is required for levelling-up to be successful across the country.

    The Lord Mayor is already proving a tireless champion for the City of London – both here at home and across the world – and I’m looking forward to working more closely with him in future. As the Lord Mayor said, London’s diversity of thought, cultures and backgrounds has long given our city a competitive edge, as I can see looking around Mansion House this evening. As Mayor, I’m committed to harnessing the thinking and talent to deliver a better London, a city that is fairer, and more prosperous for everyone. Now we know, that neurodivergent Londoners have so much to offer our city, from innovative thinking to creative approaches. City Hall is proud to already be working closely with Neurodiversity in Business and tonight, I’m committed to making London the neurodiverse capital of the world.

    I’d also like to pay tribute to everyone from local government here with us.

    As someone who began my time in public life as a councillor, I can’t imagine a more difficult period to serve in local government.

    Terrible pressure on budgets.

    Covid.

    And now the worst cost-of-living crisis for a generation.

    You play a critical role supporting the welfare and wellbeing of our communities.

    And you don’t get anywhere near the recognition you deserve.

    So, I want to express my sincere gratitude to all the council leaders, councillors and officers here tonight from across the political spectrum – not only for continuing to deliver vital public services, but for standing up for Londoners in the most challenging of circumstances.

    My Lord Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen, I want to use this opportunity to speak mostly about a phenomenon that occupied our TV screens, newspapers and Twitter feeds for many years.

    But which seemingly has now vanished without trace from our national political discourse.

    No, not Boris Johnson…

    But Brexit.

    Given a sizeable number of politicians seem to have taken a vow of silence on its damaging impact, I’m conscious that breaking the Brexit omerta makes me somewhat of an outlier.

    I understand the genuine apprehension many share about this issue.

    No one wants to see a return to the division and deadlock that dominated our body politic for 5 long years.

    I certainly don’t want to re-open old wounds.

    However, the inescapable truth is that this unnecessarily extreme, hard-line version of Brexit is having a detrimental effect on our capital and country – at a time when we can least afford it.

    We can’t – in all good conscience – pretend that it isn’t hurting our people and harming our businesses.

    As Mayor of this great city, choosing not to say anything would be a dereliction of duty.

    We’re gathered in one of the great financial districts in the world – supporting millions of jobs and generating billions in tax revenue – but the reality is that the City of London is being hit by a loss of trade and talent… because of Brexit.

    So, my message is this:

    Trying to will Brexit into a success, or simply ignoring its impact, is not a strategy that will deliver prosperity for London or a brighter future for Britain.

    If we’re not honest about this problem we cannot ever hope to fix it.

    Raising Brexit this evening is not about trying to make a partisan point.

    Or just a chance to moan about the past.

    What I’m interested in is the future – doing what we all know is right for London – and looking at how we can sensibly and maturely mitigate the damage that’s being inflicted.

    Let me share three short examples: First, our national economy.

    We’re facing an economic downturn.

    Yes, we’re not alone – the economies of the US, EU and China are all forecast to contract – but the UK is predicted to face the worst recession and weakest recovery in the G7.

    In fact, UK GDP is set to shrink by 1 per cent this year, compared to 0.1 per cent for the eurozone.

    What makes us exceptional?

    Well, Brexit has already reduced our GDP by 5.5 per cent…

    It’s reduced investment by 11 per cent…

    And reduced goods and services trade by 7 per cent.

    The hard mainstream? Brexit we have is a drag on growth, investment and trade.

    Fixing it would mean the recession would be less painful and less prolonged.

    This is what businesses are telling me across our city – and I have a responsibility as Mayor to speak up on their behalf.

    Second, the cost-of-living emergency…

    The London School of Economics found that Britons are paying an extra 6 billion pounds to eat because of Brexit.

    That’s 210 pounds added to the average household’s supermarket bill over a two-year period.

    Food inflation is now running at more than 13 per cent and its poorer families – who spend a higher proportion of their income on groceries – who are being hit the hardest.

    A Brexit tax on life’s essentials is the last thing they need right now.

    So, putting right the wrongs of Brexit would mean we can ease the pain on those less able to shoulder the burden.

    Third, our public services…

    Many are now in a desperate state, most acutely our NHS and I want to pay tribute to all of those who work in our national health service.

    The estimated cost to the Treasury in lost tax revenues due to Brexit is 40 billion pounds.

    With more than one million Londoners currently waiting for treatment…

    With nurses on strike for the first time in history… and doctors, paramedics, 999 call handlers, physiotherapists soon to join them..

    With patients needlessly dying because of unprecedented delays…

    We simply cannot forgo 40 billion pounds of potential investment in our health service.

    So, repairing our relationship with Europe would mean we can better support our NHS.

    After two years of denial and avoidance, we must now confront the hard truth:

    Brexit isn’t working.

    It’s weakened our economy…

    Fractured our Union…

    And diminished our reputation…

    But crucially… not beyond repair.

    A New Year brings new opportunities.

    And political leaders must now seize the opportunity, and with renewed purpose set out the need to reform our relationship with Europe.

    Not with a return to the interminable Brexit wars of the past.

    But with a sincere, considered, civil debate about Britain’s future that has at its core a clear-eyed view of the national interest.

    Let me be clear:

    We need greater alignment with our European neighbours – a shift from this extreme, hard Brexit we have now to a workable, softer version that serves our economy and people.

    That includes having a pragmatic debate about the benefits of re-joining the Customs Union and the Single Market.

    If the government wants to get the ball rolling on fixing Brexit, the perfect place to start in London would be addressing our labour and skills shortage.

    The number of businesses in our city experiencing at least one skills shortage has now risen to almost 7 in 10.

    Meanwhile, the number of jobs in our city held by EU-born workers has fallen by over 80,000 – putting huge strain on crucial sectors such as hospitality and construction.

    Devolving powers to London and allowing us to create a regional shortage occupation list would be one way to give businesses the ability to attract and retain talent in the areas they need it most.

    But another option would be a fundamental rethink of the existing Brexit deal.

    Securing a better Brexit would mean more trade, higher investment and stronger growth.

    It would mean a boost to both exports and living standards.

    It’s key to unlocking London’s full potential and, in turn, helping us to power the national recovery.

    More broadly, the government needs to entrust communities with the power to control their destiny.

    Devolution improves our economy and politics.

    Even in the face of huge challenges, we’ve shown what can be achieved from City Hall…

    We’re building more council homes than at any time since the 1970s.

    We’re taking huge strides to clean up London’s toxic air.

    We’re offering free skills training to anyone who’s unemployed or in low-paid work.

    We’ve delivered the Elizabeth Line and much, much more.

    But fixing Brexit will mean we can accelerate our efforts to build a better London for everyone – moving faster to achieve a city that is safer, fairer, greener and more prosperous for all.

    Let me just end by saying this:

    While it’s true that the twin nightmares of the pandemic and Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine continue to cause great harm, we cannot continue to hide under the covers from the damage being done by Brexit.

    We are no longer in 2016 or 2019.

    The landscape has shifted.

    More and more Londoners are worried about the impact of Brexit on our city.

    Our business community is increasingly speaking out and in growing numbers.

    It’s time the government caught up.

    Ministers seem to have developed selective amnesia when it comes to one of the root causes of our problems.

    Brexit can’t be airbrushed out of history, or the consequences wished away.

    Europe was, is and will remain our most important relationship, but it’s in desperate and urgent need of repair.

    So, let 2023 be the year we summon up the political courage to rebuild those essential bridges and tear down those needless walls standing in the way of our businesses and our people.

    The future prosperity of our capital and country depends upon it.

    Thank you.

    Finally, can I ask everyone to join me in raising a glass… to the Lord Mayor and the Lady Mayoress.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2023 Statement after Three Years of UK Leaving the European Union

    Sadiq Khan – 2023 Statement after Three Years of UK Leaving the European Union

    The statement made by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, on 31 January 2023.

    Three years on from leaving the European Union, we must all now face the inescapable truth: that this unnecessarily hard-line version of Brexit is having a detrimental effect on the London and UK economy – at a time when we can least afford it.

    While Whitehall has taken a vow of silence on the damage Brexit is causing, businesses across the country are drowning under the weight of increased bureaucracy, staffing shortages and supply chain challenges. London is being hit hard by the loss of trade and talent to our global competitors.

    It is time to abandon the hostile mentality of the referendum years and open a dialogue with our European neighbours about greater alignment.

  • Therese Coffey – 2023 Speech on the Environment Improvement Plan

    Therese Coffey – 2023 Speech on the Environment Improvement Plan

    The speech made by Therese Coffey, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, at Camley Street Natural Park on 31 January 2023.

    Welcome everyone to Camley Street Natural Park for the launch of our Environment Improvement Plan.

    And thank you to the London Wildlife Trust for hosting us.

    I was at another of your sites yesterday – Woodberry Wetlands – and I also recently visited Suffolk Wildlife Trust’s Hazlewood Marshes which after a breach of its walls by the tidal surge a decade ago is a great example of mitigation and adaptation actually leading to a rejuvenated nature reserve.

    I am delighted to support the important work that you do in every part of the country, both conserving nature and connecting nature to people – in the heart of the city or the countryside.

    As MP for Suffolk Coastal, I am really blessed to represent a very special part of our country with many precious habitats and protected sites, on land and offshore.

    I always said it felt like I had six years of a perfect apprenticeship before I became the Environment Minister in 2016.

    During that three years I was in office then I am proud of much of what we achieved or got going: the Clean Air Strategy, the Resources and Waste Strategy, progress on flood defences, tackling illegal wildlife trade, and much much more.

    The standout legacy from that time was our 25 Year Environment Plan, which set out our vision and the ten complementary goals designed to leave the environment in a better state than we inherited.

    I am delighted to be back now as Secretary of State, supported by a great team of ministers and civil servants here today, to present our Environmental Improvement Plan the delivery plan to achieve our ambitious, stretching environmental targets the most critical of which is to halt the decline of nature by the end of this decade.

    We can and must achieve this – both here in the UK and globally, and we have a heck of a lot to do to make that happen.

    Back then, we had anticipated that 2020 would be the magical year for bringing together the golden triangle, the triumvirate of climate change, nature and the ocean – with COP26, CBD15 and the UN Ocean Conference – especially at the time with the UK trying to secure the presidency for Climate COP26 and our intention to integrate nature.

    2020 would have started the roaring twenties – the decade for delivery for the planet. Then Covid hit.

    We saw first-hand the risk of zoonoses and pandemics. And WHAT an impact it had.

    Speaking selfishly for the environment, it was a real body blow as all the progress that had been made into turning our vibrant economy into a circular economy was somewhat derailed, understandably, in the quest to tackle the greatest public health crisis that I will ever witness.

    The silver lining, if any can be had, was the power of science and collaboration around the world to create the vaccine in record time while for the environment, it was an opportunity for us to reconnect with nature providing that break from the lockdown hell that we endured.

    Even then, initially, it was a tale of two cities – as families with no garden were shut out of their local park. That is why I am particularly pleased by our pledge in this plan to bring access to a green or blue space within 15 minutes’ walk of everyone’s homes – whether that be through parks, canals, rivers, countryside or coast.

    But nature cannot wait any longer.

    The IPBES report from 2019 set that out clearly. So, we will need to catch up at pace.

    We started in late 2021 by putting nature at the heart of (the UN Climate Summit) COP26 in Glasgow, and that has continued in Egypt and is now embedded in future climate COPs.

    The multiple pledges, coalitions for ambitions and the commitment of finance all were critical to unlocking transition to a greener future, including nature-based solutions, and keeping 1.5 alive.

    As the Prime Minister said at COP27, ‘there is no solution to climate change without protecting and restoring nature’.

    And indeed, one look at the marvellous mangroves – it wouldn’t be a speech of mine if I didn’t mention mangroves, those brilliant blue forests that capture carbon, protect coastlines and communities from storm surges, and provide vital nurseries for fish, including critical commercial stocks.

    That shows us that investing in nature is an essential, effective, cost-effective way to take on a multitude of challenges, including the causes and impacts of climate change.

    In 2022, the UN Ocean conference produced a call for action but undoubtedly, the key achievement of 2022 was the agreement of the Global Biodiversity framework at the UN’s Nature Summit – the CBD COP15 held in Montreal, to halt the decline of nature by 2030, protect 30% of the world’s land and ocean by 2030, unlock the benefits of DSI – digital sequencing information re on genetic resources, and much, much more – including a financing package to make this the decade of global action to put nature on a road to recovery.

    Our expert negotiators, including our ministers, empowered by our world-renowned scientists and UK jewels like Kew Gardens and the Natural History Museum were all critical in delivering this global agreement and we will keep up the pace.

    But why does any of this matter?

    It still remains a challenge to explain why a particular bug or beetle matters in the global web of life, or why people are so passionate about reintroducing the beaver which has been out of our domestic environment for hundreds of years.

    Nature is a crucial part of our islands’ story and our shared future. We know what is special with our rare habitats, our iconic species, and we also know the pressures it is under.

    We rely on our natural capital for a secure supply of food, for clean air, and for clean water, as well as for leisure and genuine joy.

    However, nature has been taken for granted for too long, used freely as a resource with little thought for the consequences.

    We have to reverse that and respect nature. And while the full force of nature can bring us challenges and I am mindful of 70 years ago today of the Great Flood of 1953 in which over 300 people died in our country nature can help us tackle some of our great challenges, and so we need to help protect nature too.

    I know there is much more to do to restore the natural world and to level with you, some of these challenges are not always so easy to fix as we might all hope.

    Yet, I can assure you though that with our new legal duty to consider biodiversity, guided by our Environmental Principles Policy, we are embedding nature in the heart of every decision that government will take – for the long haul.

    This is a plan for the whole of government and this is a national endeavour. And we have already started the journey, and we have seen improvements.

    Our transformation on support for farmers and landowners to prioritise improving the environment, reducing carbon emissions and enabling sustainable food production is absolutely symbiotic and truly world-leading.

    We have cleaner air. I want it to be even cleaner. Now, I would have loved to have made our target to achieve 10 micrograms by 2030, not 2040.

    Many parts of the country already enjoy this but the evidence shows us that with the best will in the world, we cannot achieve that everywhere by the end of the decade – particularly in London.

    Councils ask for a lot of powers.

    I need them to use the powers they already have, including on tackling litter and fly-tipping, rather than just asking for more.

    I will be publishing what they are doing and seeking to share best practice across the country.

    On trees, we have to accelerate our planting rate.

    The Forestry Commission will start growing their estate and increase planting fulfilling their original statutory obligation, to help rejuvenate the forestry and timber industry.

    We have strengthened the financial support through ELMS and we will continue to promote urban tree planting so children everywhere can enjoy their local woods.

    On our water bodies, without the specific uPBT chemical issue, nearly all of them are in good condition. those persistent chemicals, none currently reach the new standards – which is also the case in Germany.

    The science and modelling is clear that it will take decades for those to recover and heal. There is little if anything we can do about that specific issue but we will continue to put the spotlight on water quality and get industry to clean up its act.

    We have already seen a huge improvement in our bathing waters.

    Last year nearly 3 in 4 beaches were deemed excellent and fewer than 3% deemed poor, when it was only about half excellent back in 2009 and over 10% were poor.

    And I can tell people that I do care about the sewage in our waters. That is why we – a Conservative government – have turned on the monitoring and is why we are holding industry to account on fixing this.

    Indeed, when it comes to tackling storm overflows, we have set clear expectations on improvements that we will track against performance

    The next formal review will be in 2027 so if we can go further, faster, then that’s exactly what we will do.

    Today, the new environmental targets come into law as they were agreed by Parliament, though bizarrely the Opposition tried to vote them down.

    I am also aware of the concerns people have about EU retained law. I spent a lot of time post-Brexit putting all that into domestic law and after nearly 50 years in the EU, it is no surprise that there is a lot of legislation on our statute books.

    Nor should it be a surprise though that a lot of that legislation is actually superfluous to our needs, as rather a lot of it has nothing to do with the UK at all or no longer does in terms of we do not need to report to various agencies.

    A lot of the legislation is absolutely key to what we do which is why we will be keeping it. To avoid any doubt, I have already set out our approach to Parliament.

    We will remove legislation superfluous to the UK, review the effectiveness of EU regulation in achieving environmental outcomes and we will retain, by default, environmental legislation for the UK to achieve existing environmental outcomes.

    But this is also an international endeavour.

    We have a globally recognised track record of action helping communities protect and restore their national treasures, reinforced by our science expertise and financial support, we already help the nature around the world.

    And we will continue to do so as the impacts elsewhere can and do have consequences here in the UK.

    Having committed to doubling UK international climate finance to 11.6 billion pounds, and to spending at least 3 billion on nature, we are building on decades of action, backing efforts to take on the whole host of threats that now face the world’s flora and fauna – well beyond climate change alone.

    We do that through the Blue Belt programme, protecting an area of ocean larger than India around our biodiverse Overseas Territories, our world-renowned 39 million pound Darwin Initiative, and the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund.

    Now, we are ploughing all that expertise and experience into our newly established 500 million pound Blue Planet Fund, and our 100 million pound Biodiverse Landscapes Fund to help some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable communities restore, protect, and connect globally important but fragile habitats.

    And I am so proud that we are UK is leading, co-leading, and actively supporting the global coalitions that are committed to securing the maximum possible ambition, and achieving the greatest possible impact, on everything from taking on the scourge of illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing, to persuading countries to agree a new, legally-binding global treaty to end plastic pollution, by 2040, or supporting efforts to establish a global gold standard for taking nature into account across our economies.

    As you can probably tell, I could spend hours talking about nature, about our mission, about what we have already achieved.

    And indeed here are many more parts to our plan – on sustainable use of resources, on biosecurity, on resources, on sustainability, on adaptation, on access to nature, on green finance, and so on.

    But we have work to do.

    I am determined to make this a decade of delivery for Defra, for the whole government and most importantly, for the environment.

    Driven by data and dashboards, I expect the whole Defra family to be working together – our agencies, delivery partners and regulators.

    And in all this, our aim is to catalyse action across government, across the economy, and across the country.

    And together, we can achieve this. And whether you live in a city or town, in the countryside or on the coast, I invite you to join us, because we all have a part to play, in this truly national endeavour.

    Nature needs us to accelerate and scale up our help if we want to enjoy nature and have its help for generations to come and that is exactly what we are going to do.