The alleged email, included in the Epstein Files, written by Peter Mandelson on 9 May 2010.
Tag: Speeches
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Peter Mandelson – Alleged 2009 Email Leaking Financially Confidential Material
The alleged email, included in the Epstein Files, written by Peter Mandelson on 13 June 2009.
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Keir Starmer – 2026 Statement on Visit to China and Japan
The statement made by Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, in the House of Commons on 2 February 2026.
With permission, I will update the House on my visit last week to China and Japan, where we delivered for the British people.
With events overseas directly impacting on our security and the cost of living, I made it a founding principle of this Government that, after years of isolationism, Britain would face outwards once again. This was an 18-month strategy to rebuild our standing and we have delivered: strengthening our US relationship with our world-first trade deal; resetting our relationship with the EU; striking a groundbreaking free trade agreement with India; and now, thawing our ties with China to put this relationship on a more stable footing for the long term.
China is the second biggest economy in the world. Including Hong Kong, it is our third biggest trading partner, supporting 370,000 British jobs. It is also an undeniable presence in global affairs. It would be impossible to safeguard our national interests without engaging with this geopolitical reality. Yet we inherited a policy from the previous Government not of engagement with China, but of hiding away and sticking their heads in the sand. While our allies developed a more sophisticated approach, they let the UK fall behind. We became an outlier. Of my three predecessors, none held a single meeting with President Xi. For eight years, no British Prime Minister visited China—eight years of missed opportunities. Meanwhile over that period, President Macron visited China three times, German leaders four times, the Canadian Prime Minister was there a few weeks ago, and Chancellor Merz and President Trump are both due to visit shortly.
Tom Tugendhat (Tonbridge) (Con)
They went on their feet, not on their knees. [Laughter.]
Mr Speaker
Order! Mr Tugendhat, you will withdraw that remark.
Tom Tugendhat
I am sorry, Mr Speaker. I withdraw it.
Mr Speaker
Thank you. Can we calm it down? I am sure you will want to catch my eye and I would like to hear what you have to say, so let us not ruin the opportunity.
The Prime Minister
In this context, refusing to engage would be a dereliction of duty, leaving British interests on the sidelines. Incredibly, some in this House still advocate that approach. But leaders do not hide. Instead, we engage and we do so on our own terms, because, like our allies, we understand that engagement makes us stronger.
Protecting our national security is non-negotiable. We are clear-eyed about the threats coming from China in that regard, and we will never waver in our efforts to keep the British people safe. That is why we have given our security services the updated powers and tools they need to tackle foreign espionage activity wherever they find it, and to tackle malicious cyber-activity as well. The fact is that we can do two things at once: we can protect ourselves, while also finding ways to co-operate. It was in that spirit that we made this visit.
I had extensive discussions, over many hours, with President Xi, Premier Li and other senior leaders. The discussions were positive and constructive. We covered the full range of issues, from strategic stability to trade and investment, opening a direct channel of communication to deliver in the national interest, enabling us to raise frank concerns about activities that impact our national security at the most senior levels of the Chinese system. We agreed to intensify dialogue on cyber issues and agreed a new partnership on climate and nature, providing much-needed global leadership on this vital issue.
I raised a number of areas of difference that matter deeply to this country. I raised the case of Jimmy Lai and called for his release, making clear the strength of feeling in this House. Those discussions will continue. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary is in touch with Mr Lai’s family to provide further briefing.
I raised our human rights concerns in Xinjiang and Tibet. We discussed Taiwan, wider regional stability, Iran and the middle east. I called on China to end economic support for Russia’s war effort, including the companies providing dual-use technologies, and urged it to use its influence on Putin to push for the much-needed ceasefire in Ukraine.
I also raised the fact that Members of this House have been sanctioned by the Chinese authorities. In response, the Chinese have now made it clear that all such restrictions on parliamentarians no longer apply. I want to be clear: this was not the result of a trade. Yes, Members will want to see more—I understand that—but that is precisely the point: ignoring China for eight years achieved nothing. This step is an early indication, not the sum total, of the kind of progress that this sort of engagement can achieve through leader-to-leader discussion of sensitive issues, in standing up for British interests.
My visit was also about creating new opportunities for British businesses to deliver jobs and growth for the British people. We took with us a brilliant delegation of nearly 60 businesses and cultural powerhouses—the very best of British—as an embodiment of what this country has to offer. If anyone is in doubt as to why this matters, I urge them to spend a few minutes with any one of those businesses; they will describe the incredible potential there and the importance of getting out there and accessing the market.
We made significant progress, paving the way to open the Chinese market for British exports, including in our world-leading services sector. We secured 30-day visa-free travel for all Brits, including business travellers. We secured China’s agreement to halve whisky tariffs from 10% to 5%, which is worth £250 million to the UK over the next five years—a significant win for our iconic whisky industry, particularly in Scotland. That lower tariff comes into force today. In total, we secured £2.3 billion in market access wins, including for financial services, £2.2 billion in export deals for British companies and hundreds of millions of pounds-worth of new investments.
In addition, we agreed to work together in some key areas of law enforcement. Last year, around 60% of all small boat engines used by smuggling gangs came from China, so we struck a border security pact to enable joint law enforcement action to disrupt that supply at source. We also agreed to scale up removals of those with no right to be in the UK and to work together to crack down on the supply of synthetic opioids.
We will continue to develop our work across all these areas, because this is the start of the process, not the end of it. My visit was not just about coming back with these agreements, but about the wider question of setting this relationship on a better path—one that allows us to deal with issues and seize opportunities in a way that the previous Government failed to do.
Finally, I will say a word about my meetings in Tokyo. Japan remains one of our closest allies; together, we are the leading economies in the comprehensive and progressive agreement for trans-Pacific partnership, and we are partners in the G7, the G20 and the coalition of the willing. Japan is the UK’s largest inward investor outside the United States and Europe.
I had an extremely productive meeting with the Prime Minister of Japan, where we set out our shared priorities to build an even deeper partnership in the years to come. Those include working together for peace and security, supporting Ukraine as we work for a just and lasting peace, and deepening our co-operation in cutting-edge defence production, including through the global combat air programme. We discussed how we can boost growth and economic resilience by developing our co-operation: first, in tech and innovation, where we are both leaders; secondly, in energy, where Japan is a major investor in the UK; and, thirdly, in trade, where we are working together to maintain the openness and stability that our businesses depend on. That includes expanding the CPTPP and deepening its co-operation with the EU. We will take all of that forward when I welcome the Prime Minister to Chequers later this year.
This is Britain back at the top table at last. We are facing outward, replacing incoherence and isolationism with pragmatic engagement, and naive posturing with the national interest. In dangerous times, we are using our full strength and reach on the world stage to deliver growth and security for the British people. I commend this statement to the House.
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Yvette Cooper – 2026 Statement on the Fifth Anniversary of the Military Coup in Myanmar
STORY
Five years on from the military’s coup, the people of Myanmar face a deepening crisis.
By overthrowing Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratically elected government, the will of the people was overturned and their political freedom taken away.
Amidst this crisis, the UK remains committed to supporting a stable future for the people of Myanmar.
In the past year we have supported over 1.4 million people with humanitarian assistance and provided 1.3 million people with essential health services. We will continue to stand by those most affected.
Yet conditions on the ground remain dire.
Half of Myanmar’s children are now out of school, while women and girls face persistent violence.
Crimes that affect us in the UK, like drug production and cyber scams, have flourished.
The recent military-run elections were neither free nor fair.
For the aspirations of the Myanmar people to be met, there is much that still needs to be done.
We continue to urge all parties to protect civilians.
We call on the military regime to end its airstrikes; to allow unhindered humanitarian access; to release all political prisoners including Aung San Suu Kyi, and to engage in genuine dialogue towards a democratic and peaceful transition.
Today and always, we stand in unwavering solidarity with the people of Myanmar.
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Yvette Cooper – 2026 Holocaust Memorial Day Speech
The speech made by Yvette Cooper, the Foreign Secretary, on 26 January 2026.
I am pleased to gather with you here on such a significant and important day.
As we remember the 6 million Jewish men, women and children who were murdered by the Nazis. And as we remember all victims of Nazi persecution – from Roma communities to gay and disabled people.
Alongside all victims of genocide across history. An occasion for us to commemorate and to learn. And also, to combine remembrance with resolve.
To spur us to work even harder to tackle the scourge of antisemitism. And to relentlessly confront prejudice, persecution and hate.
The violent and corrosive effects of which are all too present in our own society today. And so tragically evident across the world.
Thank you to Daniela for co-hosting today’s event – a joint initiative with the FCDO that goes back over a decade.
And thank you to the Holocaust Educational Trust, the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, and to the Association of Jewish Refugees. For their essential, longstanding work and their contributions to this event, and for creating such powerful exhibitions that I encourage you all to view today.
The theme of this year’s Memorial Day is ‘bridging generations’. Reminding us that responsibility for remembrance does not end with the survivors.
Instead, it must reverberate through those that follow. Through all of us. A bridge across years. But also a bridge to join memory and action. A bridge across generations. So that our engagement with horrors past animates our engagement with horrors present.
Something that I discussed earlier with Holocaust survivor Mala Tribich who I am honoured is with us today. Huge thank you for being with us today. She has now spoken at countless national events and, perhaps most importantly, to tens of thousands of students across the country.
Mala, who for many years found it too painful to talk about her experiences and who has shown such strength and bravery speaking out, and will kindly speak shortly to share her story.
For decades, Holocaust survivors have carried the truth across time. Sharing achingly distressing experiences with extraordinary courage, so future generations would know what happened – and would never forget.
Each personal testimony an act of generosity to humanity. Bestowing the gift of truth, of wisdom so that we may honour their suffering. By reckoning with the meaning of their experiences. And by taking action in our own lives to make real the all too easy phrase of ‘never again’. To make that real.
Each year, fewer survivors remain. Each time a survivor’s voice falls silent, we are reminded that soon there will be no first‑hand witnesses. Their absence does not bring an end to remembrance. It simply places it firmly in our hands. So that we carry and reinforce it through education, dialogue and action.
I’d want to say how pleased we are to have the presence today of Meg Davis – Young Ambassador of the Holocaust Educational Trust – who has contributed so much to this cause.
And because education remains our strongest defence. Lest the passage of time dulls the urgency of the lessons. Or is exploited for the distortion of truth, the manipulation of facts, or – even more shockingly – the antisemitic denial of Holocaust altogether.
Because truth does not endure on its own. It endures because people chose to humanise it, to share it and to defend it.
That is why I’m so pleased that Parliament has now, finally, passed the Holocaust Memorial Act, which received its Royal Assent late last week and passed through Parliament.
A vital step towards establishing the national Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre that this government has so long championed. And that we want to see built just a few hundred metres from where we stand today, at Victoria Tower Gardens. A location so close to Parliament is fitting because we must never forget that the road to the Holocaust began in a democracy.
I am also pleased to announce that Jon Pearce will be appointed as UK Special Envoy for Post-Holocaust issues. To give advice and push forward UK policy – including promoting Holocaust education, remembrance and research here and around the world.
Jon who brings his deep personal commitment, having spoken movingly in the House exactly a year ago of his trip to Yad Vashem and of standing in the Hall of Names, overwhelmed by Pages of Testimony detailing the individual lives so brutally cut short.
We mark Holocaust Memorial Day at a time of successive repugnant attacks on Jews here in the UK and overseas. Jews killed for being Jews, in the twenty first century.
The appalling Manchester synagogue attack of 2 October during the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur.
The terrorist murders in December as Australian families gathered at Bondi Beach to celebrate the joyful time of Chanukah.
Instead facing an unimaginable ordeal and loss of life. And the ever-present, horrific October 7 Hamas attacks – the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.
All the grieving families and friends are in our thoughts today.
The loved ones of Adrian Daulby and Melvin Cravitz and all the congregants of Heaton Park Synagogue.
The parents of Ran Gvili in such anguish and pain as the wait continues for the return of his remains. And all communities mourning victims and facing hate today.
Here in the UK, I want to pay tribute to the light of the Jewish community that shines so brightly in our country, enhancing in so many areas our communal life.
The volunteers from Community Security Trust guarding against attacks and protecting communal events. The fantastic, life-saving work of Jewish Women’s Aid, who support victims of domestic abuse.
The brilliance of Mitzvah Day – with thousands of people volunteering in their communities up and down the country.
The humanitarian work of World Jewish Relief, helping keep Ukrainian families warm this winter in the face of Russian aggression.
And I want to say clearly on behalf of this Government. That we stand with the Jewish community today and every day. Unresolving in our resolve to tackle those who spread the poison of antisemitism online and on our streets. Unrelenting in our determination to stand against antisemitism.
Hence further allocations to the CST through the Jewish Community Protective Security Grant. Including for additional security staff and equipment following the Manchester attacks.
The Home Office’s independent review of public order and hate crime legislation. Steps in the education sector to tackle antisemitism in schools, universities and colleges.
In the NHS through Lord Mann’s review of the regulatory system for healthcare professionals.
And in my role as Foreign Secretary, I will continue to work with counterparts around the world to tackle the global of rise of antisemitism. Including close collaboration with Canada and Australia in the wake of recent attacks.
Just as I am committed to preventing atrocities and pushing for accountability wherever they occur – from Sudan to Iran.
We cannot only be witnesses to memory. We are its custodians. How we remember shapes how we act for the future. And how we act shapes the world we pass on.
By bridging generations, we honour those who were lost. We defend those who remain. And we protect those yet to come.
Thank you.
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António Costa – 2026 Statement on the EU/India Trade Deal
The statement made by António Costa, the President of the European Council, on 27 January 2026.
Thank you dear Prime Minister Modi, for welcoming us on this special occasion. We were privileged yesterday to be your Chief Guests for the Republic Day celebrations, such an impressive display of India’s capabilities and diversity.
Today is a historic moment. We are opening a new chapter in our relations – on trade, on security, on people to people ties.
I am the President of the European Council but I am also an overseas Indian citizen. Then, as you can imagine, for me, it has a special meaning. I am very proud of my roots in Goa, where my father’s family came from. The connection between Europe and India is something personal to me. Also because we conclude today our trade negotiations we relaunched at the Leaders’ meeting that I had the pleasure to host, in May 2021, in my previous capacity.
Our summit sends a clear message to the world: at a time when the global order is being fundamentally reshaped, the European Union and India stand together as strategic and reliable partners.
Today, we are taking our partnership to the next level. As the two largest democracies in the world, we are working hand in hand:
- to deliver concrete benefits for our citizens; and
- to shape a resilient global order that underpins peace and stability, economic growth, and sustainable development.
I would like to share three messages.
First: the European Union and India must work together towards our shared prosperity and security. India is the world’s fastest-growing major economy.
Trade has flowed between our two continents for centuries. Trade is a crucial geopolitical stabiliser. And a fundamental source of economic growth. Trade agreements reinforce rules-based economic order and promote shared prosperity.
That’s why today’s Free Trade Agreement is of historic importance. One of the most ambitious agreements ever concluded. Creating a market of two billion people. In a multipolar world, the European Union and India are working together to grow spheres of shared prosperity.
But prosperity does not exist without security:
- strengthening our cooperation to better protect our citizens and our shared interests;
- working together to counter the full range of security threats we face, in the Indo-Pacific, in Europe and around the world;
- reaching a new level of strategic trust between us.
That is the significance of our agreement on a Security and Defence Partnership. The first such overarching defence and security framework between India and the European Union. And the first step towards even more ambitious cooperation in the future.
This brings me to my second message: as the world’s largest democracies and champions of multilateralism, the European Union and India share the responsibility of upholding international law, with the United Nations Charter at its core.
Earlier this morning, we had the opportunity to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. And I reflected upon his words which still hold true today: “Peace will not come out of a clash of arms but out of justice lived and done by unarmed nations in the face of odds.”
Our summit reaffirmed our commitment to supporting efforts towards a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine. One that fully respects Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
This is a key moment. We are supporting all efforts to reach a just and sustainable peace. Ukraine has shown its readiness, including at the cost of difficult compromises. I know, dear Prime Minister, that we can count on you to help create the conditions for peace, through dialogue and diplomacy.
And this is my final message: together we must show leadership on global issues. Cooperation between the European Union and India will help shape a more balanced, resilient, and inclusive global order.
Just two examples: I am proud of the commitments we are making for greater cooperation on clean energy, green transition, and climate resilience. And our collaboration through the Global Gateway and on the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor is decisive for global connectivity.
By implementing the ambitious Joint Comprehensive Strategic Agenda towards 2030, we will align our priorities with concrete actions for the next five years: delivering real benefits to our citizens.
Today, we have tangible progress and set an example of cooperative leadership on global issues. With:
- our Free Trade Agreement;
- our Security and Defence Partnership; and
- our Joint Strategic Agenda for 2030.
These outcomes are a crucial milestone on a longer path. We look forward to continuing the journey. Together, as always.
Thank you very much.
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Liz Lloyd – 2026 Speech on Software Security and Cyber Resilience
The speech made by Liz Lloyd, the Minister for the Digital Economy, in London on 15 January 2026.
On the 19 of September, a ransomware attack hit a major software supplier used by airports across Europe.
Overnight, checks and systems failed, flights were delayed, staff were forced back to pen and paper.
Thousands of people, families, workers and travellers were left stranded. It wasn’t an attack on any airport directly.
It was an attack on a software supplier, a single weak point rippled across a whole sector.
Incidents like this are becoming more common.
In the UK, 43% of businesses have experienced a cyber security breach or attack in the last 12 months. We estimate that cyber breaches cost the UK about £15 billion a year – around 0.5% of GDP.
And while the digital economy, especially AI, offers huge opportunities for growth across many sectors in the economy, none of that potential can be realised without confidence.
People need to trust the systems they use right now, but they still hesitate.
They worry about how their data is handled and whether the technologies they rely on are secure.
So software security isn’t just technical. It’s a commercial imperative. And trust is what unlocks growth.
Government’s first duty is to keep citizens safe. By securing our technologies, we protect citizens, their businesses, the economy.
Strong cyber security and supply chain security underpin enterprise, prosperity, and jobs.
That’s why we must do everything we can to protect against these attacks, and support our brilliant tech companies, so they can get on with what they do best.
We’re starting in a good place.
The UK has some of the strongest cyber defences globally.
We have fast-growing clusters of expertise in Cheltenham and Manchester, as well as Belfast and Scotland’s cyber cluster that spreads across several Scottish cities.
And our cyber sector is the third largest in the world – achieving double-digit growth, year on year.
As a government, we also know we must do our part.
Backed by over £210 million, the Government Cyber Action Plan published last week sets out how the government will rise to meet the growing range of online threats.
This will improve digital resilience across the public sector.
And as we strengthen government’s defences, we are also setting clear expectations for industry.
The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will ensure that our critical national infrastructure is protected.
In October, we wrote to FTSE 350 companies, urging them to strengthen their defences – adopting things like our ‘Cyber Essentials’ certification.
This was followed by a similar letter to entrepreneurs and small businesses, in November, with bespoke advice for smaller teams.
We know these things work: organisations that adopt ‘Cyber Essentials’ are 92% less likely to claim on cyber insurance than those who don’t.
We have also worked closely with industry to identify the minimum actions to secure the technology that our economy relies on.
This includes working hand-in-glove with the NCSC [National Cyber Security Centre], UK companies, and international counterparts to develop policies that set a global standard for technology security.
For example, the UK’s AI Cyber Security Code of Practice has been developed into a global standard through the European Telecommunication Standards Institute.
This follows in the footsteps of the PSTI ACT: world leading legislation to ensure consumer devices secure by design that came into force in 2024.
But we cannot rest where we are.
The threat landscape is evolving rapidly, and adversaries are becoming more sophisticated with attacks on software.
Software now underpins almost every critical service in our economy, from healthcare, to transport, to national security. So it’s fundamental to our resilience and public trust.
To start to address this, the Department [for Science, Innovation and Technology] and the NCSC published the Software Security Code of Practice in May last year.
This Code outlines the minimum actions that software suppliers should take to ensure a baseline level of security across the software market.
But communicating those expectations is just the first step.
We now need to ensure that these actions are embedded in UK supply chains to provide businesses with confidence in the technologies they need to operate and to grow.
Currently, just 21% of organisations say they think about cyber security when buying software.
So it’s time to address this.
The question is how, exactly, we do this.
On one side, there are those who push for new regulation, and stronger government oversight.
On the other, there are those who say ‘do nothing’, businesses will get there themselves – just wait it out.
But I believe we can be more ambitious than that.
The UK is home to some of the best software firms anywhere in the world, and we’re lucky to have great examples here in this room today.
As well as the brilliant international firms who invest here, set up offices here, and make the UK their home.
I believe we need to learn from these companies – to find the ones who are leading the way and celebrate them, as role models.
The firms whose software is developed with security, top of mind.
Who appoint dedicated cyber experts.
Who have brilliant communication between buyer and seller.
Who offer best-in-class training to their workforce.
And whose leaders take safety seriously – with accountability at the very top.
That is what a true pioneer looks like.
And we see the same forward-thinking security posture throughout supply chains.
The UK hosts a burgeoning ecosystem of supply chain security experts.
This includes buyers leading the way in how they manage risks in their supply chains, and cyber security experts offering their services and knowledge to disseminate crucial cyber security capabilities.
Now we must learn from them and spread these habits to as many organisations as possible.
So today I am very proud to announce the UK’s new Software Security Ambassador Scheme, a group of leaders – 13 companies, in total – who are making a public commitment to champion secure software and to be role models for the UK government’s Software Security Code of Practice.
This Code has been written in partnership with industry and with cyber experts, at every step, including the National Cyber Security Centre.
And our national ambassadors span the whole software field – from vendors…
…Sage, Cisco, and Palo Alto Networks, Hexiosec, Zaizi and Nexor…
…to buyers – like Lloyds, and Santander…
…to expert advisors – Accenture, NCC Group, ISACA, ISC2, and Salus Cyber.
Now, we hope you will use your position as industry leaders, and first adopters, to spark a change in the sector more widely.
We’ve seen how effective this model can be.
A voluntary code of practice is a tried-and-true way of setting a professional standard.
Look at the World Health Organization’s code of practice for hand hygiene. First introduced in 2009, the code has become a global benchmark despite not being enforced by law, and has helped to significantly reduce infection rates as hospitals can draw on a single, definitive source of best practice in one place.
That’s exactly what we want the Software Security Code of Practice to become.
Every sector that depends on software, a single trusted reference point that lifts standards across the whole economy.
Our Software Security Code of Practice sets out 14 principles, and clear expectations for how software should be secured in our supply chains to build a common understanding between vendors and buyers of what level of security a software supplier should be responsible for.
I’m delighted to say it’s already being used in the public sector, by the NHS.
So our health service can help to lead by example too.
If we get it right, this could be a real moment of achievement.
Great UK industry, paving the way.
Modelling safe, secure tech for the rest of the market.
And perhaps the start of a new, international benchmark too.
To protect our country from attacks.
Back British growth and prosperity.
And create a better future for all of us, starting here today.
Thank you all.
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Robert Jenrick – 2026 Extracts of Speech (Alleged)
The text of the comments that were allegedly part of the speech Robert Jenrick, the former Shadow Secretary of State for Justice, was to make defecting to Reform on 15 January 2026. This text was released by the Conservative Party.
The Tories and Labour have forfeited the right to govern the United Kingdom. And the mantle now passes to Reform.
Nigel has stood for the real change we need for over a decade. If one puts party allegiance – personal ambition – to one side, he is obviously the right person to lead the movement for it – and delivery of it. And I am convinced Nigel will deliver the real change needed.
Thanks to Zia & Richard, Reform’s policies already meet the moment more than any other party’s. But they and Nigel know the extraordinary challenges Britain faces requires [ sic ] a comprehensive plan to turn things around. Developing the best one possible will be a major priority this year. As will [ sic ], as Nigel has said many times, building and recruiting the team to execute it.
For all these reasons, today, I am proud to become Reform’s 281,000th member. To back Nigel. And join this movement. I know in my heart it’s what’s right by our country.
If like me, you’ve backed another party but know it’s lost its way, don’t stay. Don’t stay in a party that hasn’t been loyal to you. When your country needs you.
And, perhaps more importantly, if you’ve never been near politics before, but think you have the energy and ideas and experience to turn Britain around. Come join.
I agree Britain is broken. In major decline. On the brink. In need of real change. And know neither Conservatives nor Labour will deliver it. Come join Reform.
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Kemi Badenoch – 2026 Comments on Sacking Robert Jenrick
The comments made by Kemi Badenoch, the Leader of the Opposition, on 15 January 2026.
I have sacked Robert Jenrick from the Shadow Cabinet, removed the whip and suspended his party membership with immediate effect.
I was presented with clear, irrefutable evidence that he was plotting in secret to defect in a way designed to be as damaging as possible to his Shadow Cabinet colleagues and the wider Conservative Party.
The British public are tired of political psychodrama and so am I. They saw too much of it in the last government, they’re seeing too much of it in THIS government.
I will not repeat those mistakes.
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Shabana Mahmood – 2026 Statement on the Chair of West Midlands Police
The statement made by Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, in the House of Commons on 14 January 2026.
With permission, I will make a statement on the decision to ban the travelling fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv from attending a game at Villa Park in November last year. The decision was taken by Birmingham city council, following the advice of the safety advisory group, which acted on a recommendation by West Midlands police.
The House will be familiar with much of the detail, not least as the Home Affairs Committee has applied itself to the matter with its customary forensic focus, but it is important to begin this statement by laying out the facts. On 8 October, at a meeting with a number of chief constables from across the country, I was informed that West Midlands police force was considering its options to ensure the game could be conducted safely. As the minutes of the meeting show, a ban on fans was one of the options under consideration.
Such policing decisions are subject to operational independence. Politicians cannot dictate how the police choose to manage risk, so although my Department sought information thereafter on what decision was to be taken, I did not seek to influence it. I did not because I could not while a range of options were still under consideration. All options remained on the table until a decision was eventually taken by the safety advisory group on 16 October. The decision taken that day to ban the travelling fans was clearly of considerable national and even international importance. Maccabi Tel Aviv fans who sought to travel to this country to enjoy a football match were told that they could not, because the game’s safety could not be guaranteed. This came, lest we ever forget, just two weeks after the most horrific antisemitic terrorist attack this country has ever known. On 16 October, the day the decision was taken, the Prime Minister and I both voiced our considerable concern, setting out our belief that the game should go ahead with all fans present.
The Government sought further information from West Midlands police and offered the resources required to ensure that the game could go ahead. A subsequent meeting of the safety advisory group was then arranged, on 24 October. At that moment, its chair requested
“a wholly fresh consideration of the issue”,
at which point the intelligence provided by West Midlands police hardened, and the recommendation to ban fans was upheld.
In the days that followed, it was clear to me that an external review of the decision was required, as well as a review of wider questions around safety advisory groups. On 31 October, I commissioned a rapid review by His Majesty’s inspector of constabulary and fire and rescue services, Sir Andy Cooke, and on 27 November, as the intelligence that the force provided was called into doubt, I asked him to look specifically at that issue.
Today, I have received Sir Andy’s interim report, and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House. Sir Andy’s findings are damning—there is no other way to describe them. The force, we now discover, conducted little engagement with the Jewish community, and none with the Jewish community in Birmingham, before a decision was taken. As Sir Andy says, it is no excuse to claim, as the force now does, that high holy days during the relevant time prevented engagement.
Most concerningly, Sir Andy describes, in the approach taken by West Midlands police, what he characterises as “confirmation bias”. This means that rather than following the evidence, the force sought only evidence to support their desired position, which was to ban the fans. This saw West Midlands police speaking to Dutch police following a game in which there had been fan violence, while failing to speak to police in other countries—Greece, Ukraine and Denmark—where Maccabi Tel Aviv had played more recently, and where things had gone more peacefully.
The West Midlands police engagement with the Dutch police is one of the most disquieting elements of Sir Andy’s report. The summary provided as evidence to the safety advisory group ahead of its crucial meeting on 24 October was inaccurate. Claims including those about the number of police officers deployed, the links between fans and the Israel Defence Forces, the targeting of Muslim communities, the mass tearing down of Palestinian flags, and attacks on police officers and taxi drivers were all either exaggerated or simply untrue.
In his report, Sir Andy is clear that the force’s validation of intelligence was a cause for “significant concern”, and that record keeping within the force was “poor”. He was “especially concerned” about the handling of sensitive information that should never have been shared without redaction. Sir Andy also points to a series of public statements from West Midlands police that we now know to have been misleading. He shows that the police overstated the threat posed by the Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, while understating the risk posed to Israeli fans if they travelled to the area. The term “misleading communications” also extends to the words of the chief constable himself at his appearance in front of the Home Affairs Committee; he claimed that artificial intelligence tools were not used to prepare intelligence reports—a claim since refuted by one of his own officers, who blames incorrect evidence on “an AI hallucination”.
I know better than most that West Midlands police officers do their duty bravely, day in and day out. Sir Andy’s report does not argue that the entire force is failing, but it is clear from the report that on an issue of huge significance to the Jewish community in this country, and to us all, we have witnessed a failure of leadership that has harmed the reputation of and eroded public confidence in West Midlands police, and policing more broadly.
Faced with a game of such importance, the chief constable of the force, Craig Guildford, should have ensured that more professional and thorough work was done. As Sir Andy says, the shortcomings detailed in his report are
“symptomatic of a force not applying the necessary strategic oversight and not paying enough attention to important matters of detail, including at the most senior levels.”
The ultimate responsibility for the force’s failure to discharge its duties on a matter of such national importance rests with the chief constable. It is for that reason that I must declare today that the chief constable of West Midlands police no longer has my confidence. It has been, as I understand it, over 20 years since a Home Secretary last made such a statement, but on the evidence provided by Sir Andy Cooke, the chief inspector of policing, that is now the case.
Until 2011, the Home Secretary had the authority to dismiss a chief constable, but the power was removed by the previous Conservative Government. Today, only police and crime commissioners hold that power, so the chief constable’s future rests with the local police and crime commissioner, and not with me. I am sure that Simon Foster will now follow all due process as he considers the question for himself. However, I believe that this case illustrates that Home Secretaries should, in future, have that power restored to them. When a chief constable is responsible for a damaging failure of leadership, the public rightly expect the Home Secretary to act, and I intend to restore their ability to do so. I can announce today that the Government will soon reintroduce the Home Secretary’s power to dismiss chief constables in the light of significant or persistent failings, and that this will be part of the Government’s upcoming White Paper on wider police reform, with legislation to follow. I do not expect the power to be used often, but it must be available at those rare moments when it is warranted.
Sir Andy Cooke’s report is devastating. It catalogues failures that did not just affect the travelling fans but let down our entire Jewish community in the west midlands and across the country. I speak today not just as Home Secretary, but as a Member of Parliament for a Birmingham constituency. In his report, Sir Andy says that he believes that the police acted in an attempt to avoid long-term damage to local community relations; if that is the case, what a grossly misguided effort it was.
Peaceful, harmonious communities rely on a police service that, above all else, pursues the truth. We live in a world where misinformation flows freely and dangerously; in this case, the police added further misinformation to the public debate, when they could and should have provided the truth, which could have allayed fears. In doing what it did, West Midlands police force did not support community relations; instead, it inadvertently made things worse. This must serve as a lesson to police forces throughout the country—a reminder that they are called to their profession to serve truth and the law, and to police our streets without fear or favour, and that community trust and cohesion depend on them doing that above all else. With that, I commend this statement to the House.