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Tag: Speeches

  • Keir Starmer – 2025 Statement on the Israel-Hamas Ceasefire

    Keir Starmer – 2025 Statement on the Israel-Hamas Ceasefire

    The statement made by Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, on 15 January 2025.

    After months of devastating bloodshed and countless lives lost, this is the long-overdue news that the Israeli and Palestinian people have desperately been waiting for. They have borne the brunt of this conflict – triggered by the brutal terrorists of Hamas, who committed the deadliest massacre of Jewish people since the Holocaust on October 7th, 2023.

    The hostages, who were brutally ripped from their homes on that day and held captive in unimaginable conditions ever since, can now finally return to their families. But we should also use this moment to pay tribute to those who won’t make it home – including the British people who were murdered by Hamas. We will continue to mourn and remember them.

    For the innocent Palestinians whose homes turned into a warzone overnight and the many who have lost their lives, this ceasefire must allow for a huge surge in humanitarian aid, which is so desperately needed to end the suffering in Gaza. And then our attention must turn to how we secure a permanently better future for the Israeli and Palestinian people – grounded in a two-state solution that will guarantee security and stability for Israel, alongside a sovereign and viable Palestine state.

    The UK and its allies will continue to be at the forefront of these crucial efforts to break the cycle of violence and secure long-term peace in the Middle East.

  • David Lammy – 2025 Statement on the Israel-Hamas Ceasefire

    David Lammy – 2025 Statement on the Israel-Hamas Ceasefire

    The statement made by David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, on 15 January 2025.

    Today’s announcement of a ceasefire agreement is a moment of hope after over a year of agony, following Hamas’s appalling attack on 7 October 2023.

    For the hostages and their loved ones, including British citizen Emily Damari, and Eli Sharabi, Oded Lifschitz and Avinatan Or, this has been an unbearable trauma.

    For the people of Gaza, so many of whom have lost lives, homes or loved ones, this has been a living nightmare.

    For the region, this has brought yet more division and conflict.

    With this agreement, hostages and their families will be reunited and Gazans can begin to rebuild their lives. I pay tribute to the tireless diplomatic efforts of Qatar, Egypt and the incoming and outgoing US administrations.

    Much remains to be done – to implement all phases of the deal in full and establish a pathway to lasting peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike.

    From our first day in office, this Government has pressed for an immediate ceasefire, to free the hostages, and to bring relief, reconstruction and hope to civilians who have suffered so much.

    We will play our full part in the coming days and weeks, working alongside our partners, to seize this chance for a better future.

  • Sir Laurie Magnus – 2025 Report into Tulip Siddiq

    Sir Laurie Magnus – 2025 Report into Tulip Siddiq

    The letter sent by Sir Laurie Magnus, the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards, on 14 January 2025 following Tulip Siddiq’s self-referral to him.

    Text of Letter (in .pdf format)

  • Keir Starmer – 2025 Letter to Tulip Siddiq Following Her Resignation

    Keir Starmer – 2025 Letter to Tulip Siddiq Following Her Resignation

    The letter sent by Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, to Tulip Siddiq, the Treasury Minister, on 14 January 2025.

    Dear Tulip,

    Thank you for your letter. It is with sadness I accept your resignation from your Ministerial role.

    I want to thank you for your commitment during your time as Economic Secretary to the Treasury including spearheading the rollout of Banking Hubs and opening our 100th site, leading our thinking on financial inclusion, and contributing to the success of the Chancellor’s first Mansion House speech.

    In accepting your resignation, I also wish to be clear that Sir Laurie Magnus as Independent Adviser has assured me he found no breach of the Ministerial Code and no evidence of financial improprieties on your part. I want to thank you for self-referring to the Independent Adviser and for your full co-operation with the establishment of facts.

    I appreciate that to end ongoing distraction from delivering our agenda to change Britain, you have made a difficult decision and want to be clear that the door remains open for you going forward.

    All best wishes,

    Keir Starmer.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2025 Resignation Letter to the Prime Minister

    Tulip Siddiq – 2025 Resignation Letter to the Prime Minister

    The resignation letter sent by Tulip Siddiq, the Treasury Minister, to Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, on 14 January 2025.

    Dear Prime Minister,

    Thank you for the confidence you have shown in me in recent weeks.

    I am grateful to your Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards Sir Laurie Magnus for acting with speed and thoroughness in response to my self-referral, and for giving me the opportunity to share the full details of my finances and living arrangements, both present and historic.

    As you know, having conducted an in-depth review of the matter at my request, Sir Laurie has confirmed that I have not breached the Ministerial Code. As he notes, there is no evidence to suggest that I have acted improperly in relation to the properties I have owned or lived in, nor to suggest that any of my assets ‘derive from anything other than legitimate means’.

    My family connections are a matter of public record, and when I became a Minister I provided the full details of my relationships and private interests to the Government. After extensive consultation with officials, I was advised to state in my declaration of interests that my aunt is the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh and to recuse myself from matters relating to Bangladesh to avoid any perception of a conflict of interest. I want to assure you that I acted and have continued to act with full transparency and on the advice of officials on these matters.

    However, it is clear that continuing in my role as Economic Secretary to the Treasury is likely to be a distraction from the work of the Government. My loyalty is and always will be to this Labour Government and the programme of national renewal and transformation it has embarked upon. I have therefore decided to resign from my Ministerial position.

    I would like to thank you for the privilege of serving in your Government, which I will continue to support in any way I can from the backbenches.

    Best wishes, Tulip Siddiq MP

  • Steve Reed – 2025 Speech at the 2025 Oxford Farming Conference

    Steve Reed – 2025 Speech at the 2025 Oxford Farming Conference

    The speech made by Steve Reed, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on 9 January 2025.

    Thank you for hosting me here today.

    A lot has changed since the first Oxford Farming Conference in 1936.

    In the early twentieth century, facing an explosion in population growth, Britain faced food shortages. But farmers collaborated with scientists and yields increased. During the Second World War, food from our farmers sustained the war effort. In the following decades, armed with new technologies, farming became more productive than ever before. In just a few generations, many parts of the sector adopted automation and precision farming. And embraced technology and innovation – from robotic milking to genetic breeding.

    Faced with global supply shocks during the Covid pandemic and the Ukraine War, farmers grew the food that kept us fed. The sector has continually evolved and changed, to make sure one thing remained constant: through thick and thin, farmers have produced the food that feeds the nation. In the spirit of the examination halls where we are today, year upon year, farmers have passed the test.

    Thank you for that.

    Today, we stand on the edge of an unprecedented global transition. Food security is national security but we face new challenges. Leaving the European Union was undoubtedly the biggest change for British farming for generations, moving away from the Basic Payment Scheme that simply paid you for the land you farmed, to our Environmental Land Management Schemes that pay for actions that support sustainable food production. We’re experiencing more frequent and severe flooding and droughts as the climate changes, affecting yields and, vitally, your profits. We’re seeing increasing pressures and competing demands on our land. Geopolitical events such as Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine are damaging global supply chains, causing costs of fertilisers and energy bills to soar.

    Yesterday I visited D’Oyleys farm, just outside Oxford. Fi and Phil are two of many farmers around the country already transforming their business to meet future challenges.They are embracing sustainable and regenerative farming practices. They are one of almost 50 farms working together to restore freshwater and floodplains across the Ock and Thames catchment. They have a Saturday farm shop and a wild camping business. They are producing food, supported by nature and new sources of income. We want to make it easier for all farmers to meet the demands of the transition and run successful businesses. But what I’m hearing from so many of you is that the turmoil of recent years has made farming incredibly tough.

    When farmers came to protest in Westminster last year, it wasn’t just about tax. Too many rural communities feel misunderstood, neglected and disrespected by politicians over many, many years. Farms are battling volatile input costs and tight margins. Imbalances in the supply chain are preventing fair returns for the food farmers produce. A shortage of skilled workers is putting the brakes on growing farm businesses. Farmers spend long hours in the fields, followed by an evening of paperwork. There are growing concerns about more extreme weather. The promised continuing access to European markets after Brexit was broken. Other trade deals have undercut British farmers. The straws are piling up and up – and the camel’s back is close to breaking.

    The last few months in particular have not been easy. You’ve heard it before, but the £22 billion pound black hole left by the Conservatives was bigger than anybody could have expected. The previous Government is being investigated by the Independent Office for Budget Responsibility – which they set up – for covering up the true state of public finances. Our planning in opposition was done without knowledge of a hidden financial black hole greater than the cost of the entire police service in England and Wales. It meant we had to take immediate tough decisions across the economy to balance the books, including on APR. We were shocked by the size of the black hole we were left to fill. I’m sorry if some of the action we took shocked you in return. But stable finances are the foundation of the economic growth needed to get the economy growing again after it flat-lined through a decade of chaos.

    Looking to the future, I will be frank about what’s coming down the line, delivering the news, good and bad, as and when it comes. I want our farming sector to succeed. I want it to be sustainable – financially and environmentally.  I know we can only get there by working together in partnership. I am a politician, not a farmer. My job is to listen to your expertise and use my role in Government to support you.

    During my time as a politician – including as a council leader – I have taken on the issues that matter to people and found a solution by working together with people on the front line. I listened to them, then acted with them. Like reversing a rising tide of knife crime. Turning round the council’s children’s services from one of the worst to the best-rated in the country. Bringing in investment to regenerate once-declining neighbourhoods. It’s an approach based on working together that I’m offering to you. I can’t control the weather, pandemics or how other countries act. But I will ensure the Government is there with you to face those challenges. That requires a clear end goal.

    The last Government talked about transition – but never said what farmers were transitioning to. Today I’ll set that straight. Our farming roadmap will be the most forward-looking plan for farming in our country’s history; the blueprint that will make farming and food production sustainable and profitable for the decades to come. It will be built on our vision for the future of the farming sector. A vision that depends on three strands. First, a farming sector that has food production at its core. Second, a sector where farm businesses can diversify their income to make a fair profit and remain viable in challenging times.Third, a sector that recognises restoring nature is not in competition with sustainable food production, but is essential to it. It is only through pursuing all three that we will achieve long-term food security. That is our destination.

    Taking the first strand, the primary purpose of farming has – and always will be – to produce the food that feeds the nation. Whitehall too often loses sight of that fact. This Labour Government is putting food production back on the agenda. For generations, farmers have produced the food we love from the family favourites at the dinner table to world-renowned British classics. A resilient food system relies on domestic production.

    At the NFU conference last year, the previous Prime Minister declared ‘farmers are not in it for the money’, words repeated by the Shadow Environment Secretary. They misunderstand that farms are businesses that deserve to thrive. Of course, farmers feel great pride in producing the food on our shelves and stewarding our beautiful countryside. Farming is in their blood. But farming is not some sort of hobby project. The food and farming sector employs over 4 million people, providing jobs in every corner of the UK. If we are serious that ‘food security is national security’, farming must be recognised as a serious business that needs to turn a decent profit.

    Right now, too many farmers don’t make enough money for the food they produce. People feel we’re becoming too reliant on imports. Climate change and external shocks will keep challenging the sector. We’re offering a New Deal for Farmers to help address this.

    Our manifesto committed to use the Government’s own purchasing power to back British produce, with an ambition for 50% of food in hospitals, army bases and prisons to be local or produced to high environmental standards. For the first time, Government will now monitor where food bought by the public sector comes from, the critical first step in helping the public estate buy more British food, and ensuring farmers get a fairer share of the £5 billion pounds a year spent on public-sector catering contracts.

    Our New Deal will tear down the barriers to trade with a new veterinary agreement with the EU to get food exports moving again.  We will expand global trade opportunities, like increasing access for UK pork exports to China worth an additional £80 million pounds a year. And uphold and protect our high environmental and animal welfare standards in future trade deals.  Risks and rewards are not spread evenly across the food chain. We will act on supply-chain fairness so food producers and growers aren’t forced to accept unfair contracts. We will introduce new rules for the pig sector this Spring to ensure contracts clearly set out expectations and only allow changes if agreed by all parties. Regulations for the milk sector are in place, those for eggs and fresh produce will follow, and we’re working with all sectors to intervene where needed to guarantee fairness.

    Technology and innovation are vital for farmers to produce food sustainably – and profitably – into the future. Through the Farming Innovation Programme, a farm in Kent is collaborating with the University of Greenwich and a Cambridge manufacturer to mount transparent solar panels on soft fruit polytunnels. Researchers in Lancaster, North Wales and London are developing a system that distinguishes and counts insects to help farmers manage pests. In Torquay and York, researchers are using sensors and AI to capture data on pollinators in the field and create land strategies that could improve crop yields.

    We need to make it easier for farmers to take part in research and benefit from agri-tech, so that it is directed at the problems farmers face. The latest part of our Farming Innovation Programme, the ADOPT fund, will launch in the Spring. It will fund farmer-led trials to bridge the gap between new technologies and their real-world application. Some of those who worked with us to develop ADOPT are here today – your input is invaluable and a testament to what can be achieved through genuine co-design. Precision breeding offers huge potential to transform the plant breeding sector in England, enabling innovative products to be commercialised in years instead of decades.

    I can today confirm we will introduce secondary legislation to Parliament by the end of March, unlocking new precision breeding technology that will allow farmers to grow crops that are more nutritious, resistant to pests and disease, resilient to climate change and benefit the environment.

    As we’re seeing right now, flooding is becoming increasingly frequent, and can leave farmland under water for months on end, impacting crops and yields. We have paid out £60 million pounds to help farmers affected by unprecedented flooding last year, and are delivering a refreshed approach to bolster England’s resilience to flooding and protect crops in the ground. We’re investing £2.4 billion pounds to build and maintain flood defences, with a further £50 million pounds for internal drainage boards; our Floods Resilience Taskforce will ensure better coordination between government and frontline agencies; and we’re reviewing the existing flood funding formula to speed up new flood schemes and make sure funding goes where it’s most needed.

    To make the most of new business opportunities and produce the food we need for long-term food security, farmers need to be able to be able to weather these storms of the future. Not only more severe and frequent flooding and droughts caused by climate change, but strains on our water supply, pressures on land use, changes to our ecosystems, and rising geopolitical tensions creating an unpredictable global economy. Food production will always be the primary purpose of the farming sector.

    But for all farm businesses – tenants, uplands and others – to stay viable in an increasingly uncertain world, and make sure you can keep producing the food we need, you must be able to profit from other activities. This is the second strand of our vision. We will introduce reforms to support all farmers to innovate and diversify their businesses. Building business resilience so you can plan for the future, even if there’s a bad harvest or disease outbreak.

    The Government will get Britain building again with the biggest planning reform in a generation. I am working with the Deputy Prime Minister to ensure farmers and rural businesses benefit from that.

    In Spring we will consult on national planning reforms to make it quicker for farmers to build farm buildings, barns and other infrastructure they need to boost their food production. And we will shortly begin a series of planning roundtables with the sector.

    Planning rules have got in the way for too long. We will speed up the system so you can grow and diversify your business. Like chicken producers who want a larger shed to boost the amount of food they produce. Or vegetable growers who want to upgrade or expand greenhouses, polytunnels, packhouses or other facilities so they can become more productive.

    We will ensure permitted development rights work for farms so they can convert larger barns into a farm shop, a holiday let, or sports facility. And we will support farms to reduce water and air pollution, through improved slurry stores or anaerobic digesters that can lower business costs and increase resilience, or build small reservoirs to provide an extra water supply for crop irrigation.

    Working with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, we want to make it easier for farm businesses to connect to the energy grid. Whether a solar panel or wind turbine, small scale energy offers farmers the chance to diversify their income and reduce their bills. But too many farm businesses and rural communities are waiting too long for a grid connection. We are working with Ofgem to dismantle the queue so we can free up capacity for electricity generation in rural areas.

    We have updated the National Planning Policy Framework so applications for renewable or low carbon energy are more likely to be approved.And our Onshore Wind Taskforce is tackling barriers to small scale renewable energy on farms. These reforms will enable more farm businesses and rural communities to connect to the grid from their own electricity generation, so you can sell surplus energy and diversify your income.

    For farmers to invest confidently in measures that will make their business more resilient, you need to operate under clear and fair expectations. Just like any other business.  Currently many farmers are looking after their soil or cleaning up water, then look over the hedge and see others not upholding their side of the bargain.

    Regulation as it stands is holding farm businesses back. In our latest farm opinion tracker, only 28% of farmers fully understood the purpose of regulations that applied to their farm. That’s no surprise, there are over 150 pieces of legislation covering animal health and welfare and environment regulations alone.

    We need to move away from a patchwork of regulations to a coherent system that is less time-consuming and easier to understand. That allows farmers to focus on growing their business, rather than what forms they have to fill in. In some instances this means rules may have to change – and where that’s needed, I’ll ensure there’s time to adapt. It requires Defra keeping our side of the bargain too – and we are reviewing our own regulations and how we apply them, to ensure they’re fit for purpose.

    The third strand of our vision is nature. Restoring nature is vital to food production, not in competition with it.

    Healthy soils rich in nutrients and organic matter, abundant pollinators and clean water are essential for sustainable food production. They are the foundations farm businesses rely on to produce high crop yields and turn over a profit.

    Without nature, we cannot have long-term food security. That’s why we’re investing in the biggest ever budget for sustainable food production in our country’s history, with a total of £5 billion pounds over the next two years, to help all farmers – tenants, commoners and landowners – transition to more nature-friendly farming methods.

    More than half of farmers are now signed up to our farming schemes. Under the Sustainable Farming Incentive, almost 2 million acres of arable land will be farmed without insecticides, 700 thousand acres of low-input grassland will be managed sustainably, and 75,000 kilometres of hedgerows will be managed to support nature.

    Through our Upland Farmers and Tenancy forums , we’re working in partnership with the sector to design solutions to the specific challenges they face.

    Looking forward, we will work with all of you across our schemes to evaluate what’s worked, what hasn’t, and make improvements. I know you need our help to move off old Higher Level Stewardship schemes into Higher Tier. We’re making changes and getting more farmers into Higher Tier than ever. But the pace is lower than your ambitions and I am pushing to increase that.

    A cast-iron commitment to food production, more resilient farm businesses, and nature as the foundation. These are the elements that will underpin our farming roadmap as we work towards a more sustainable sector with food production at the centre. It will not tell farmers what to do. It will be led by farmers. It will involve Government and farmers working together to find answers to the challenges we face. It will support farm businesses to succeed.

    The road map won’t exist in isolation. We will deliver a land use framework that protects food security, working for farm businesses and for nature. It will also be part of a wider reform of the whole food system, with a food strategy encompassing economic growth, food security, public health and the environment.

    We will work in partnership with farmers, growers, manufacturers, processors, supermarkets, and all those across a fairer supply chain, to shape a long-term plan for the future of farming.

    Farms deserve to be successful, profitable businesses. The prize is long-term food security, resilient farm businesses, healthy ecosystems, beautiful countryside, and nutritious food on our plates.

    We will work in partnership to achieve our vision for the farming sector. A sector with food production at its core. Where farm businesses can diversify their income to make a fair profit and remain viable in challenging times. And which recognises restoring nature is not in competition with sustainable food production, but is essential to it.

    Change is coming. It won’t always be easy but it brings real opportunity. There’s a place for every farmer in that future. Farmers will lead us along the road that gets us there.

    Let’s seize this opportunity together and give farming back its future.

  • David Lammy – 2025 Speech on the Future of the UK’s Foreign Policy

    David Lammy – 2025 Speech on the Future of the UK’s Foreign Policy

    The speech made by David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, on 9 January 2025. We are trying to source a version of the speech which doesn’t have the political sections redacted.

    Well can I just begin by thanking Philip Barton for all the work he’s done, 30 years of public service. He is the personification of public service on behalf of our country for which we are incredibly grateful. And I am particularly grateful for the way you have led the transition for this new government over the last 6 months, and I think we all wish you a very, very happy retirement.

    So 6 months after becoming Foreign Secretary, I’ve gathered you here, in the Foreign Office, to talk about the future.

    But I want to begin by looking back. Because it was here that Ernest Bevin developed a plan that has kept us safe for almost eighty years.

    Six months after Attlee’s great government began. In January 1946, Bevin stared into geopolitical fog at that time. The Second World War had only just ended. It was hard to see 6 months, let alone 6 years ahead.

    But Bevin did not sit waiting for the fog to clear. He was a minister of action, who saw that what matters is not just what Britain say but what it does.

    What matters is not just what Britain wants but what it builds. And what matters, what makes us matter, is having a strategy. Which is why Attlee’s manifesto was called ‘Let Us Face The Future’.

    In foreign affairs, this meant pooling defences in a new transatlantic alliance. Acquiring a nuclear deterrent – which still protects the UK and NATO.

    And a robust commitment to international law and new institutions like the United Nations. A strategy that was both progressive and realist. That took the world as it is. Whilst working for the world that we want to see.

    Today, we must face the future once again with our Plan for Change. Fixing the foundations at home of economic stability, secure borders and national security. So that we can deliver the priorities of hard-working people and a decade of national renewal.

    But to succeed in that task, we must navigate an increasingly volatile world. To deliver at home, and this department must deliver our international strategy abroad. Such a strategy is not about crystal gazing on what might happen next week in X or Y or in the Middle East.

    That’s not what I am focused on today. Rather I want us to be looking at how we can get to a more progressive 2035. And that means confronting some hard truths, about the state of the country, about the state of the world, and the need for reform.

    First, we must recognise that foreign policy begins at home.

    [Political content redacted]

    Second, we have to accept that there is no going back. We must stop the 1990s clouding our vision. The post-Cold War peace is well and truly over. This is a changed strategic environment.

    The number of conflicts higher than at any time since 1945. The spectre of famine from Gaza to Sudan. And the most refugees and displaced people on record.

    I am occasionally asked on my travels, here and of course on the doorstep around the country, when will the Kremlin threat, this upheaval that we’re experiencing, end? When will things get back to normal? My answer is that they will not. Europe’s future security is on a knife-edge.

    Bevin warned in 1948 that we would only preserve peace by mobilising such force and I quote, “As will create confidence and energy on the one side and inspire respect and caution on the other.” And this is exactly what we need now.

    That’s why our foreign policy has had to change. Inspired by Bevin, I call our new approach Progressive Realism. Taking the world as it is not as we wish it to be. Advancing progressive ends by realist means.

    Through a storm of crises we have been putting this into practice. In Europe, progressive realism means working with our European neighbours rather than bickering and isolating ourselves from them.

    New defence and migration agreements with Germany, an ambitious UK-France Summit in the works, a new era in relations with Ireland, a new foreign policy dialogue with the European Union, the first step towards a UK-EU Security Pact.

    With the United States, our closest ally, progressive realism means strengthening our friendship with both sides of the aisle.

    Joining them to defend Israel from Iranian attacks, together with Australia, further progressing the AUKUS partnership and making a breakthrough for UK defence companies thanks to the ITAR changes.

    Against Russia, progressive realism means not allowing Putin’s mafia state to act with impunity. And showing the world our resolve to stand by Kyiv until they prevail, guaranteeing 3 billion a year in military aid for as long as it takes and unlocking new funding backed by frozen Russian assets.

    As well as stepping up action with allies on Kremlin disinformation and making it my personal mission to choke off Russian revenues through our sanctions, imposing the most of any country against Russia’s Shadow Fleet and driving forward our campaign against kleptocracy.

    In the face of conflicts in the Middle East and beyond, progressive realism means standing firm against terrorism and behind international law. Doubling our aid for Sudan, helping hundreds of Brits leave Lebanon, restoring funding for UNRWA, standing up for international courts, taking tough decisions on export licences.

    But not flinching from defending Israel against an Iranian regime that wants to destroy it, while at the same time working for that ceasefire in Gaza so we can surge in the aid and bring all the hostages home and advance a two-state solution.

    And when it comes to China, progressive realism means consistency, not oscillation. As I set out when I was visiting Beijing and Rachel Reeves is continuing this week. Pragmatic engagement to cooperate with China where we can, such as on trade, climate, global health, AI regulation.

    But also a very robust dialogue and challenge where there are clear threats. Sanctioning Chinese firms who supply technologies to support Putin’s war, working for the release of Jimmy Lai, calling for an end to human rights abuses in Xinjiang, an end to cyber-attacks on the UK, and an end to sanctions on our parliamentarians.

    And on the climate and nature crisis, progressive realism sees global action as fundamental to our energy independence and national security. We have launched the Global Clean Power Alliance bringing twelve countries on board in its first mission to turbocharge the rollout of clean energy and drive green jobs and investment at home.

    And with the Global South, progressive realism means working together – no more lectures. Showing respect. Renewing partnerships, and new agreements, like those that I’ve launched with India, Indonesia, South Africa and Nigeria.

    That’s all just in the last 6 months. This is just the beginning. And I am determined for my tenure to be more than day-to-day crisis management kind of Foreign Secretary. That’s why I want to lay out 3 realist principles that will guide our foreign policy to get us to a more progressive 2035.

    First, we and our allies must relearn the Cold War manual. Long-term thinking, not short-termism. Consistent deterrence, not constant distraction. Adapting as emerging technology reshapes the strategic environment. Securing strategic stability in an unstable world.

    Our opponents are coordinating ever more closely. With Iranian drones fired on Ukrainian cities and North Korean troops now fighting against Ukraine.

    We too need a whole new level of global engagement with our closest allies in the United States, Europe and the Five Eyes our strategic partners in Japan and South Korea and with all those committed to the principles of the UN Charter. That’s why we will engage with China. We have to challenge them not to throw their lot in with Putin.

    And second, to be taken seriously by opponents and allies alike we must put our money where our mouth is. That starts by facing the facts. Donald Trump and JD Vance are simply right when they say that Europe needs to do more to defend its own continent. It is myopia to pretend otherwise, with Russia on the march.

    So this government will lay out a clear pathway to reaching 2.5% of our GDP on defence.

    [Political content redacted]

    And with John Healey, we will lead and we will change to convince all of our NATO allies that rising defence spending is a strategic necessity.

    And third, we must forge closer partnerships with the Global South. Because the world is larger than the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean. We cannot divorce the Euro-Atlantic from the Indo-Pacific, and the Kremlin has spread its tentacles across the world spewing out disinformation on every continent, dispatching mercenaries to Africa and seeking closer relations within the BRICs formation.

    A grim vision of unending competition is not compelling to the vast majority of states. We must avoid repeating the mistake of the early Cold War where the West lost ground to the so-called Third World. From Jakarta to Kampala, the Non-Aligned Movement was the result. And today many of those same states are structuring their foreign policy to avoid harm from US-China competition.

    To shape 2035, we must offer a new vision of partnership, which approaches those countries as equals. Working with pioneers like Mia Mottley to reform the global financial system. More climate finance, delivered faster and with greater impact is not a luxury but a geopolitical necessity.

    Failing to deliver means failing the Global South. And that only advantages Vladimir Putin. When the world changes, you need to see it as it really is and the same goes for your institutions.

    Again and again, realism has meant progressive reform. The Hardinge-Crowe reforms of 1905, created a modern policy bureaucracy, which helped Britain keep pace with its rivals in the years preceding the First World War.

    The Eden reform of 1943, creating a modern diplomatic service during a World War, made it open to women for the first time, paid for the first time, and fit to keep the peace. And Robin Cook’s foresight in 2000. First putting climate on the Foreign Office agenda.

    Over the last 6 months I have seen in the FCDO the most dedicated public servants I have ever met in my life working all over the world to avert disasters and bring countries closer together.

    But we must do more to harness the strengths of the Foreign Office and deliver the government’s Plan for Change.

    That’s why I set in train 3 reviews and I’m very grateful to Martin Donnelly to Ngaire Woods to Minouche Shafik for all their work into the FCDO’s role and capabilities, looking particularly at our economic capability in this department, at our global impact in this department, and our fusion of development and diplomacy.

    And in each case asking how can we ensure that the tools at our disposal provide maximum benefits to UK prosperity and security.

    The stories of the reviews is a world where the foreign and the domestic, the political and the economic, have blurred. Vladimir Putin has mastered this with his hybrid playbook. And this department needs to reflect this reality. That’s why diplomacy and development belong together. While poverty reduction is an end in itself, our development work cannot be siloed off from geopolitics.

    And that’s why I am reforming this department, connecting its work better to 2 domestic priorities of the British people that cannot be solved without work abroad. Tackling irregular migration. And boosting economic growth.

    On irregular migration, the FCDO is critical to trying to solve this issue. A realistic strategy involves transactional, hard-headed diplomacy and to agree with partners smart interventions at every stage along the international people smuggling pathway so together we can strengthen borders, smash the gangs, and get those with no right to be here returned to their countries.

    There are those who have told me that this isn’t a progressive issue. I’m afraid they are wrong. There is nothing progressive about leaving the most vulnerable exploited, letting criminal gangs get rich and commit more crime on British streets.

    [Political content redacted]

    Make no mistake. This government, from the Prime Minister down, see the challenge for what it is. And that’s why I am working so closely with Yvette Cooper, using our Departments’ new joint irregular migration unit to deploy every tool at our disposal to restore control to our borders. Improving cooperation on returns is how we send people home.

    Conflict prevention is how we stop people fleeing their homes in the first place. Development work upstream is how we encourage people to stay in their homes, like the projects that we’ve now got in Albania, Vietnam and Iraq.

    And we must use our sharpest diplomatic weapons to help restore control of our borders.

    Today, I am very pleased to announce, after a lot of hard work, that the UK is set to be the first country in the world to develop legislation for a new sanctions regime specifically targeting irregular migration and organised immigration crime. This will help to prevent, combat, deter and disrupt irregular migration and the smuggling of migrants into the UK. That’s playing our full part on the issue of irregular migration.

    But what about growth? This department needs to change to help deliver and invest by 2035, the government’s modern industrial strategy.

    When I visit the world’s largest and fastest-growing economies and the cities and regions which are driving their growth, it’s crystal-clear how much their businesses and investors want to work with us, particularly now that we have begun to rebuild the UK’s reputation for economic competence.

    And this is as true in Europe – [political content redacted] – as it is in the United States, the Gulf and Asia.

    The FCDO’s network needs to work hand-in-glove with the Department for Business and Trade and the Office for Investment. To spot opportunities abroad and help overseas firms to grasp those opportunities from doing business with Britain. To get better at delivering on this agenda overseas, we need to recruit more diplomats with more private sector skills and experience.

    More expertise in sectors like tech, data, life sciences particularly, where the UK is at the cutting edge.

    More understanding of the everyday economy right across the country, not just in the City of London. And I am making it a priority in my time in this job to get more of our staff with these skills and experience posted across the most important markets for UK growth.

    Because we have a compelling story to tell of the world’s second largest exporter of professional and business services, with 4 of the world’s top 10 universities, and ranking first in Europe when it comes to tech unicorns.

    And one of our great strengths, of course are our creative industries – [political content redacted] – which account for almost 15% of our service exports as well as being a force multiplier for wider British influence, influence through their power to attract, not to compel.

    Together with Lisa Nandy, I will therefore shortly be launching the new UK Soft Power Council so that the government can be a partner to those in business and beyond who are so important for our prosperity at home and our standing abroad.

    Across both these priorities, we will do much more, much more quickly if we embrace the greatest enabler of our time – technology.

    I am less interested in admiring the FCDO as a historic institution than fulfilling its potential to be a cutting-edge institution, which is why I am also planning to bring AI into the heart of our work.

    By the end of this parliament, our reform agenda will deliver a radically reshaped organisation with redeployed resources and a completely modernised way of working.

    I believe that AI can be transformative for the practice of diplomacy. And I am determined for the Foreign Office to be a pioneer in harnessing its power. An upgraded data science team will sit at the core of this office, bringing more empirical rigour to everything that we do.

    This is not a far-fetched vision. The capability frankly already exists. In use by our friends in the US, and even some departments in Whitehall.

    Now is the time to mainstream it. Liberating more diplomats from their desks in the UK. And getting them out into the global network, combatting irregular migration and driving growth, delivering for hardworking people at home.

    Friends, this country has had its mettle tested before, often there have been those who have written us off, but British leaders saw our potential and in their plans for change, they pulled out strength and depth from within us.

    In 1946, amid the ruins of the war, Bevin and his colleagues built NATO and the National Health Service. In the 1960s, Harold Wilson embraced the white heat of technology. In the 1980s, Margaret Thatcher unleashed the City of London. And as I entered politics, it was Tony Blair modernising Britain at home and abroad.

    In 2025, we need to look within and see our power and our potential.

    Our potential to secure our borders and reform the National Health Service, our potential to unlock growth and drive the clean energy transition, our potential to reconnect with the world through a foreign policy which enables and empowers change at home, and through a long-term international strategy.

    We can be realists and optimists. We can seize the opportunities coming into view. And we can show the world what a more progressive 2035 can be like and deliver the promise of a decade of national renewal.

    Thank you very much.

  • Keir Starmer – 2025 Speech on the NHS

    Keir Starmer – 2025 Speech on the NHS

    The speech made by Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, at the South West London Elective Orthopaedic Centre, Epsom on 6 January 2025.

    A happy new year to you all!

    I hope you had a refreshing Christmas break.

    I do recognise and realise that for so many people in the NHS, those words ‘Christmas’ and ‘break’ don’t very often go well together.

    So before I say anything else – can I just say to all of you, and through you to all of your colleagues who work in the NHS. Thank you.

    Thank you for the service to our country. And for the countless lives that you save and change – every single day. A massive thank you to you.

    Now, this year of course is the 80th anniversaries of VE and VJ day.

    And on the 8th of May and the 15th of August we will come together to celebrate the greatest victory of this country and the greatest generation that achieved it.

    It will be a wonderful moment – and we intend to do them proud.

    But what that generation knew is that the strength and prosperity of a nation rests on the security of working people.

    And that the fundamental job of government is to deliver that security so working people can realise their aspirations and drive a country forward.

    And so for this Government that is what this year is about, what next year is about, what every waking moment is about.

    The goal of our Plan for Change. And this year – we will deliver.

    And let me tell you there is no institution more important for the security of our country than the National Health Service built by that generation eight decades ago now.

    It’s the embodiment of British values and humanity.

    Fairness and equal respect.

    But look at it now. And I’m looking at the staff here.

    Because the feeling of record dissatisfaction.

    Millions of people – waiting, waiting, waiting on waiting lists.

    Their lives on hold.

    The potential of the country, if you like – blocked.

    So 2025 is about rebuilding Britain.

    And rebuilding our NHS is the cornerstone of that.

    We will protect the principles we all cherish and that you all work to every day.

    Care – free at the point of use.

    Treatment according to need. Key principles.

    But to catapult the service into the future.

    We need an NHS reformed, from top to bottom.

    Millions of extra appointments signed, sealed and delivered with the plan we are launching today.

    National renewal in action.

    You know, people have long said we couldn’t do this.

    The wallowing in a fatalism about the potential of this country.

    The change we can deliver for working people.

    Well – this plan is a comprehensive rebuttal of that mindset.

    A National Health Service that treats patients more quickly. That is closer to their lives.

    Gives them a level of convenience that they take for granted in nearly every other service they use every day.

    Just think about, every day, with just few swipes of their phone millions of people buy food or clothes for their family. They book holidays. They even find love!

    There’s no good reason why a public, free at the point of use, NHS can’t deliver that kind of convenience.

    In fact – it must.

    And we talked about some of these this morning. We need an NHS hungry for innovation as you are at this centre.

    That is the only way to face up to the challenges of the future.

    The wonder of us living longer and longer.

    And with that hunger – together we will save countless lives.

    Improve care from where it is now, beyond belief.

    Do not doubt this can be done.

    A system like ours with vast amounts of patient data, with scale, with the extraordinary resilience of our NHS staff.

    We are well-placed for the AI revolution in healthcare.

    Trust me – that is coming.

    And Britain is a world leader.

    So we can do this.

    But first – we must confront the reality of what is needed.

    Because the NHS can’t become the national money pit.

    Productivity can’t bump along 11% lower than it was before the pandemic.

    Working people can’t be expected to subsidise the current level of care with ever rising taxes.

    That is the price of ducking reform – and I won’t stand for it.

    I believe in public service, I believe in the NHS, I will fight for it – day and night. But I will never stand for that.

    And look as many of you will know, and as we talked about this morning – my wife, my sister, my mum.

    They all worked or work for the NHS. And as you know nobody works in the NHS for an easy life – you know that and I know that.

    Indeed, I’ve said many, many times before – I wouldn’t be standing here in front of you today if it wasn’t for the NHS.

    Because my Mum had Still’s disease – she was diagnosed when she was eleven. And one of the things she was told was that she would never have children.

    Well the NHS never gave up on her. And that’s why I’m standing here today, so thank you to the NHS – as every family has a story like that to thank the NHS for.

    And every day, in this hospital and throughout the service NHS staff give their all to save lives and look after the families of other people.

    And then just get up the next day and just to do it all again. Every single day.

    So when I think about what they’ve been through over fourteen years.

    It makes me angry.

    I am angry – that you are working harder and harder yet the system just isn’t delivering results that we need for patients or for staff.

    That is the cut and dry argument for reform.

    And it’s not just about money.

    At the budget we invested over £25 billion in the National Health Service.

    A record amount, and rightly so over £1.8 billion since July on cutting waiting times – alone.

    And that’s investment that will deliver 40,000 extra appointments every single week, picking up on some of the techniques that you are using here.

    And that’s an outcome that is wanted by everyone. Wished for by everyone. But it’s only possible because of the difficult choices we confronted.

    But let me be crystal clear that money will not be used, not as it has been in the past just to paper over cracks.

    That’s the definition of the sticking plaster politics that we were elected to change.

    No, this is the year we roll up our sleeves and reform the NHS.

    A new era of convenience in care. Faster treatment – at your fingertips. Patients in control. An NHS fit for the future.

    It’s not just about giving patients greater flexibility over appointments or leveraging the power of the NHS App.

    And we are doing to do that.

    But there’s a bigger principle here.

    It’s about unlocking the huge untapped potential if we organise services around patient control.

    And you see it with Martha’s Rule which was really important.

    It’s about a shift in the balance of power away from a passive deference to doctors and towards patients being able to get that second opinion.

    Play a greater role in deciding their care and treatment.

    And the early results of Martha’s Rule are in.

    Lives of some of the sickest patients in our care:

    Transformed, extended, saved.

    And so it’s a rule that’s now being recognised as a potentially groundbreaking innovation.

    So look – across the NHS we will put patients in control of their care.

    And to meet that demand we will also move care closer to their lives.

    Shift treatment away from hospitals and centres.

    And deliver more care at their GPs, in their community, in their home.

    And you gave me some brilliant examples of what a difference that makes – shifting care towards people’s communities and their homes this morning when we were walking through what you do right here.

    Because as you know – this will make a massive difference to waiting times.

    If we can get more GPs consulting immediately with specialists. Diagnosing even more quickly than that will avoid an extra 800,000 unnecessary referrals and appointments – every single year.

    Another game-changer – community diagnostic centres.

    We will open them, more of them – and they will be seven days a week, twelve hours a day.

    So that if you need a scan or an X-ray, you get it done much more quickly – and at your convenience.

    That alone – will deliver 440,000 extra tests and scans every year.

    We’ll also let patients with long-term conditions monitor themselves at home. Give them the technology to do that.

    That will cut another half a million unnecessary appointments.

    We’ll also reform funding incentives.

    Focus our investment on what will actually cut waiting times.

    Far too much money is wasted on inefficient care. That has to stop. Because we can’t afford it.

    Artificial Intelligence will help us here as well.

    I’ve seen it in action at the hospital I was at the tail end of last year.

    AI-enhanced stethoscopes that can tell, literally in a heartbeat whether you’re at risk of cardiac failure.

    And just think about that.

    A patient saved, in an instant.

    From a possible future that they may have had, where they collapse, possibly more than once.

    Rushed, on trolleys, into acute services in a hospital. All of that avoided because AI was able to pick it up much earlier.

    Think of the impact not just on the individual patient, the person that might happen to, and of course their families, but also on the NHS.

    Artificial intelligence is a technology with almost unlimited power to cut waste, speed things up and save lives. And with this plan – the NHS will harness it properly.

    And finally – to cut waiting times as dramatically as possible our approach must be totally unburdened by dogma.

    Working people would expect nothing less.

    So today – I welcome a new agreement that will expand the relationship between the NHS and the private healthcare sector.

    Make the spaces, facilities and resources of private hospitals more readily available to the NHS.

    That’s more beds, more operations, more care – available to the NHS. Treating patients – free at the point of use. Targeted – at where we need them most.

    A partnership – in the national interest. Cutting waiting times, working for you. Delivering our plan for change.

    I know some people won’t like this, but I make no apologies.

    Change is urgent.

    I’m not interested in putting ideology before patients and I’m not interested in moving at the pace of excuses.

    All through this project that we have been involved in people have been saying – slow down…

    “You won’t win in every nation in Britain…”

    “You won’t deliver that plan…”

    They’ll say it again this year – I have no doubt about that.

    It’s that anthem of decline.

    But they’ve been wrong at every stage so far and they’ll be wrong again.

    Because this year – we will show that Britain can. We can change our country.

    Politics can be a force for good.

    We can unite the NHS behind a plan for reform.

    An NHS that is faster, easier and more convenient with waiting times – cut.

    Patients in control.

    Technology – at your service.

    And outstanding care in your community.

    That is the change we will deliver.

    Another step along the road to a country and a people…

    Strong, secure, confident.

    That the future will be better for their children.

    Thank you.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2024 Speech on Working with Partners to Defeat Economic Crime

    Dan Jarvis – 2024 Speech on Working with Partners to Defeat Economic Crime

    The speech made by Dan Jarvis, the Security Minister, in London on 12 December 2024.

    Let me start by thanking UK Finance for inviting me and for organising the Economic Crime Congress.

    The irony hasn’t escaped me that we’re in Angel today to discuss how we tackle the devils of economic crime.

    It’s especially good to be here in the Business Design Centre.

    It’s a magnificent institution with a long, illustrious history that can trace its origins back to the Smithfield club, established by the fifth Duke of Bedford.

    Now he’s someone who’s famous for his opposition to the hair powder tax, which was levied to fund a war with France.

    I’m sure that you will be very relieved to know that this government has no plans to bring back the hair powder tax or to go to war with France.

    Turning to more pressing matters, let me put on record this government’s wholehearted support for the financial services, which are so vital for our country’s success.

    And they are by no means confined to the City of London.

    And I want to pay tribute to UK Finance for the sterling work that they do on behalf of more than 300 firms.

    And this, I think, is a really important event today, because it brings together the whole community involved in fighting economic crime.

    Economic crime drives many other crimes and security threats, as well as being a hugely destabilising phenomenon in its own right.

    And as Security Minister, these issues cross my desk every single day.

    So, I know too well, just like all of you in the room, about the pernicious nature and the vast scale of economic crime.

    We also know that fraud is only a subset of economic crime, and yet fraud alone is the most prevalent crime, accounting for around 39% of all surveyed crime.

    39%.

    And anyone could all too easily become a victim.

    Around one in 16 adults were victim to fraud the year ending June 2024.

    Fraudsters have a demonic talent for hurting us in our homes, whether by knocking on our door or getting us on the phone or online.

    The agony of the financial crime, the harm that they wreak is compounded by the psychological damage they leave behind.

    I think that national security and economic growth are key foundations for long term change of the government’s missions, and it’s clear that economic crime presents a major threat both to our national security and our economic prosperity.

    Money laundering, for example, has been allowed to run riot in our country for too long. This is not some abstract, victimless crime.

    Money laundering directly enables the organised crime groups which bring such misery to our communities, drawing young people into crime and fuelling violence on our streets.

    Inevitably it is difficult to quantify, but the impact on UK corporate structures costs hundreds of billions of pounds annually.

    But the problem runs even deeper, because the proceeds of economic crime are not just fuelling criminal empires and terrorist threats, but rogue states too.

    Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine placed the spotlight on the trade craft associated with illicit finance.

    The Russian government is powered by dirty money and kleptocracy illicit financial flows linked to Russia pose serious risk to our national security.

    The cyber-attack and ransomware gangs which operate out of Russia with the consent and the approval of the Putin regime pose a daily threat to our infrastructure, our public services and our companies, large and small.

    And, as a new-ish government, we are determined to lead the world when it comes to standing up against economic crime, because everything else we want to achieve as a government is undermined if we do not.

    Fraud undermines the personal and financial security of our families and communities.

    Money laundering undermines legitimate businesses and financial organisations.

    Bribery and corruption undermines the institutions which are fundamental to our economy and our society.

    The UK’s economic growth depends upon our reputation for strong institutions and the rule of law. That’s how we persuade investors to come here.

    Economic crime undermines all of that, so we need to treat it, yes, as a crucial economic vulnerability, but also as a crucial national security vulnerability.

    Now, tackling economic crime requires a team effort.

    It demands a system wide response with a pivotal role for the financial sector and the UK’s public private approach is admired right around the world, and I’m pleased to confirm that this government will maintain that approach and completely deliver the economic crime plan too.

    Banks have invested significantly in trying to prevent fraudulent transactions, but we recognise that the banking sector can’t do everything on its own.

    This is a massive challenge that affects us all, and it requires a joint response, government, law enforcement and from wider industry partners.

    For example, data sharing is a vital piece of the puzzle.

    Both the public and the private sectors hold vast amounts of data that can be better utilised.

    The benefits of public private partnership have been seen in the data fusion pilot, which has reinforced the importance of sharing data across the system and working together to detect and disrupt organised crime.

    The government is very pleased to be developing with UK finance, a joint economic crime and data strategy which will help to create a unified data system, because without a fundamental shift in our approach, we risk being left further behind, and we have to be more responsive to technological changes and to the modus operand of criminals.

    And we have to do this together.

    So the government has worked with the private sector to define a clear set of priority areas to cover the highest money laundering harms.

    This will enable us to focus resources on key threat areas and maximise our collective impact.

    I’m very grateful for all the work the financial sector has done, and I wanted us to continue this close working relationship the tech the telecommunication sectors and other key players in the fight against fraud.

    Data from the City of London Police and the banking sector suggest that the amount of fraud originating online could be as high as 80%.

    Following a call to action from the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Mansion House speech, the Chancellor, the Home Secretary and the Secretary of State for DSIT wrote to tech and telco companies to urge them to go further and faster on fraud and to impress that the government would be closely monitoring their progress.

    It is only right that companies accept their responsibility for keeping their customers safe.

    Government will do its bit by putting in place the right incentives to encourage industry constantly to improve protections.

    The Online Safety Act will provide a framework for that, as will a continuous dialogue between government and industry.

    Emerging technologies such as AI bring both significant risk and potential solutions.

    They can help protect customers from fraud, detect money-laundering and improve customer service.

    We want to work with you to keep people safe.

    This government will go further.

    We have been clear about the need for stronger action against organised criminals, fraudsters, corrupt oligarchs and kleptocrats.

    My excellent colleague Lord Hanson of Flint has been tasked with overseeing the government’s response to fraud.

    He is working closely with law enforcement and industry, including some of you here today, to better protect the public and businesses from this appalling crime.

    He will be speaking later on about the government’s work on fraud, and I hope you will join him.

    And, over the coming months, we will be developing our new fraud strategy.

    But before then, we will publish a new UK Anti-Corruption strategy to address the UK’s vulnerabilities to corruption.

    We will make it harder for corrupt actors to operate in the UK and overseas by tackling the movement of corrupt funds.

    Our new strategy will improve global resilience to corruption through improved international partnerships.

    Now, just on Monday, we announced the appointment of Margaret now Baroness Hodge, as our new Anti-Corruption Champion to drive action in government, build partnerships and advocate for international action.

    Margaret is immensely capable and experienced and has been a tireless campaigner on Anti-Corruption and illicit finance, and I am excited that she is bringing with her this wealth of knowledge and expertise.

    Currently, the UK’s response to corruption suffers from a variety of challenges and problems due to the hidden nature of corruption and the complexity of cases.

    Our understanding of the true nature of the corruption threat in the UK is still limited.

    Despite the Home Office’s 2020 Economic Crime Survey estimating there could have been as many as 130,000 bribes in the previous 3 years offered to UK businesses across 7 key sectors.

    Police in England and Wales recorded just 169 corruption offences in the year ending June 2024, 19 of which were bribery offences.

    That is a very concerning gap.

    Now, at the moment, UK law enforcement doesn’t have the capacity to uncover and investigate cases, and this has to change.

    So, I’m announcing today that the Home Office and the City of London Police have established a new pilot Domestic Corruption Unit.

    It will considerably enhance intelligence development capabilities and provide useful insights on the corruption landscape and threat.

    Crucially, it will lead proactive investigations, providing much needed capacity and a dedicated response in areas where previously this has been lacking.

    This unit will bring together the different pieces of the system, such as national agencies, local forces, devolved policing bodies will work in unison to bring corrupt individuals to justice.

    To conclude, dirty money, fraudsters and crimes of any kind are not working in the United Kingdom.

    If left unchallenged, economic crime will continue to damage our families and our communities, our businesses and our economy and our international reputation.

    Driving down economic crime is, therefore, central to the government’s goals to reduce crime, deliver growth and keep the people of Britain safe.

    I know sometimes talk can be cheap, but this government will walk the walk.

    And, with a bigger and better fraud strategy and a new UK Anti-Corruption strategy, we will take stronger, more effective action against economic crime – a corrosive force that undermines our prosperity, threatens our security and destroys trust in on our institutions.

    This body demands a united front with the public and the private sectors working shoulder to shoulder together.

    I know that we will commit to delivering the justice, security and integrity that the people of our country rightly deserve.

    Thank you.

  • G7 – 2024 Statement on Syria

    G7 – 2024 Statement on Syria

    The statement made by the G7 leaders on 12 December 2024.

    We, the leaders of the Group of Seven (G7), reaffirm our commitment to the people of Syria, and lend our full support for an inclusive Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political transition process in the spirit of the principles of UN Security Council Resolution 2254. We call on all parties to preserve Syria’s territorial integrity and national unity, and respect its independence and sovereignty. We reiterate our support for the UN Disengagement Observer Force monitoring the Golan Heights between Israel and Syria.

    We stand ready to support a transition process under this framework that leads to credible, inclusive, and non-sectarian governance that ensures respect for the rule of law, universal human rights, including women’s rights, the protection of all Syrians, including religious and ethnic minorities, transparency and accountability. The G7 will work with and fully support a future Syrian government that abides by those standards and results from that process.

    Furthermore, we emphasize the importance of holding the Assad regime accountable for its crimes and will continue to work with the OPCW and other partners to secure, declare and destroy Syria’s remaining chemical weapons stockpiles.

    After decades of atrocities committed by the Assad regime, we stand with the people of Syria. We denounce terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms. We are hopeful that anyone seeking a role in governing Syria will demonstrate a commitment to the rights of all Syrians, prevent the collapse of state institutions, work on the recovery and rehabilitation of the country, and ensure the conditions for safe and dignified voluntary return to Syria of all those who were forced to flee the country.