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Tag: Speeches

  • Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2022 Speech to Conservative Party Conference

    Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2022 Speech to Conservative Party Conference

    The speech made by Anne-Marie Trevelyan, the Secretary of State for International Trade, in Birmingham on 4 October 2022.

    Conference, thank you.

    It’s wonderful to be back here with so many of you in Birmingham this year.

    Speaking to you today from the heart of the West Midlands – it serves as a powerful reminder that this region was the crucible from which much of the modern world was built.

    As the Mayor, Andy Street, is tireless in saying as he promotes this wonderful region.

    The infrastructure that powered that growth can still be seen today, and we are giving it a new 21st century boost.

    Less than a mile away from here, I visited Curzon Street – one of the first train stations built in the UK. It has facilitated passengers and freight for over a hundred years.

    Designed by Robert Stephenson – one of Newcastle’s finest exports, providing designs and inspiration for constructions around the world – it took 20,000 workers nearly five years to build.

    Today, 27,000 workers have spades in the ground, with so many of them working to reopen and transform stations. These will serve at the heart of our newest high-speed railway delivering additional capacity for the network, drawing in huge investment into the region – and of course, helping the whole country and our economy to grow.

    From land to sea, the UK also has a historic leadership in underwriting prosperity and trade.

    Shipping continues to drive the global economy today, just as it has done for millennia.

    Our seas are by far the most important arteries for global trade, carrying over 95% of all goods.

    But while our maritime industry normally conducts its business beyond the public gaze, recent events have thrust global supply chains into the spotlight-and in particular, the importance of resilient and secure shipping routes.

    At Transport, we are charged with ensuring the security of all networks that move goods, people and information around the world, and that underpin our way of life and our economy.

    We have seen Putin weaponise food by trying to crush the economic and humanitarian criticality of Ukraine’s agricultural economy.

    In blockading those Ukrainian ports, Putin has prevented the export of global grain supplies.
    Our maxim is to ensure the UK is and remains the most secure and reliable nation to trade with globally.

    Because at a time when Russian aggression is disrupting established trade routes,

    it has never been more important for the international community to come together and protect global shipping.

    So, we will work with all our partners to ensure maritime trade and travel continues to operate safely, securely and sustainably, right around the world.

    Now Conference, there is an elephant in the room today.

    We cannot ignore that nine out of ten train services were at a standstill last Saturday – with further strikes planned tomorrow and this coming Saturday.

    While our priority, our overwhelming objective, is to grow our economy and tackle the rising cost of living, we also have to deal with rolling strike action.

    Strikes disrupt everyday life for everyone and slow down our prospects for growth.

    The more quickly we can resolve these disputes, the sooner all our efforts can be spent on getting our economy motoring at full speed.

    Despite soaring international energy prices, the war in Ukraine and the continued global impact of COVID, we are taking the necessary action to help families and businesses.

    We can only do this through growth and having the infrastructure that makes this possible.

    We want to transform the rail industry to make it sustainable for the next 100 years.

    The very last thing our country needs right now is more damaging industrial disputes.

    My message to the trade union membership is simple: please take your seats at the negotiating table and let’s find a landing zone which we can all work with.

    Punishing passengers and inflicting damage on our economy by striking is not the answer.

    As a former Trade Secretary, I know something about making deals.

    And I can tell you, there is a deal to be done between the unions and our train operators. It’s a deal that will require compromise. So I want to see positive proposals to bridge the differences.

    As part of these, I am asking industry to launch consultations on reforming our ticket office provision across the country.

    The way we buy everything from groceries to holidays has transformed over the last decade. Online shopping is increasingly the norm, and all our favourite retail stores are using the latest self-service tech, making the in-store experience quicker and smoother, with fewer queues and more convenience.

    We’re seeing the same trend on the railways with a huge increase in online ticket sales – today, only 12% of transactions take place at ticket offices. We need to be looking at ways to move with the trend and support our customers in the most effective way possible.

    There will be some stations where the ticket office will be important to the running of the station. In other areas rail employees may be better in front of the glass helping passengers in other ways.

    This is not about cutting jobs – this is about putting the passenger at the heart of the Railway.

    We all want the same outcome – to modernise the railway so that customers can choose rail as their preferred travel method with confidence and with ease.

    I hope Union leaders together with employers will work with us to deliver the much-needed changes and resolution, so that together we can grow the economy for everyone.

    Conference –

    Just as coal power and steam propulsion powered a global revolution in growth and development – which transformed everything from medicines to transport and brought prosperity across the world – we are at the tipping point of another revolution that has the potential to transform.

    The way that all our modes of transport are powered is changing at pace.

    Hydrogen fuels. Net Zero Emission Vehicles. Sustainable Aviation Fuels. Green shipping corridors.

    Those markets that change first, and have the potential to grow fastest, will go the furthest. We want UK Business to lead the way on this new clean growth revolution.

    That’s why we are investing record amounts in our roads, in our railways and future green transport solutions, to provide the conditions that will make sure business can grow on the back of clean transport.

    Building the vital connections that will open up access to jobs, education and housing across the whole of the United Kingdom.

    This Government is unashamedly going for growth.

    Growth is key to delivering jobs, higher wages and more money to invest in world class public services.

    A key part of achieving that growth is keeping our promises and delivering for the people.

    Speaking as the Member of Parliament who has campaigned for dualling the A1 – a road improvement first promised in 1992 – and was elected on that promise, delivering on our promises is firmly on my mind.

    The A1 is just one example.

    The A303 is another. One of the main gateways to the South West, it acts as a bottleneck to growth. So we are committed to getting these road solutions delivered.

    Delivery is the key.

    Something my fantastic ministerial team are focussed on.

    Kevin Foster – is taking on the challenge of modernising our Railway.

    Katherine Fletcher – will deliver the Roads the Prime Minister has asked me to accelerate, which the Chancellor announced in his Growth Plan.

    Baroness Vere – will work to decarbonise the aviation industry.

    Lucy Frazer who will be working on the Future of Transport, making it fit for a modern world.

    And our Parliamentary Private Secretaries Marco Longhi, Anthony Browne, and Damian Moore in the Whips Office are going to help us stay on track.

    As a rural constituency MP, one of the most common issues that gets raised with me is the state of my local roads. Indeed – I became very popular overnight with many colleagues who have constituents raising similar issues with them.

    That’s why we have set aside a pothole fund to repair 10 million potholes a year.

    So motorway or local street, this is a government which will invest so that our country can grow. We are a team that is determined to get spades into the ground at pace.

    Conference, we’ve got a lot to do – it’s time to Get Britain Moving.

    Thank you.

  • Therese Coffey – 2022 Speech to Conservative Party Conference

    Therese Coffey – 2022 Speech to Conservative Party Conference

    The speech made by Therese Coffey, the Deputy Prime Minister and Health & Social Care Secretary, in Birmingham on 4 October 2022.

    Conference, I am delighted to be here in Birmingham for my first speech as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and as Deputy Prime Minister.

    I was here just a couple of months ago for the Commonwealth Games,

    And I was absolutely blown away,

    by the Games themselves,

    and also by how the city has been transformed since we were last here.

    And that is thanks to Conservative Mayor, Andy Street.

    Andy has shown,

    That being ambitious for the people and communities he represents,

    getting on with the job at hand,

    and focusing on delivery,

    is exactly what our voters want,

    and why he was re-elected,

    resoundingly.

    Conference, as a Conservative government,

    we believe in the Great British people,

    and we are ambitious for our country.

    Despite the severe challenges facing the global economy, in the wake of Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, and the aftershock of Covid,

    Now is the time we must come together,

    to tackle the issues that we have long faced.

    And we will take decisive action

    to get Britain moving again….

    … from getting Britain building,

    to channelling investment into local areas,

    to helping families get on in life.

    We will deliver, deliver, deliver…

    Conference,

    Our National Health Service has the admiration and gratitude of the British people, particularly for getting us through COVID.

    The doctors, the nurses, the midwives, the paramedics, the chemists, the cleaners, and all the clinical and support staff,

    As well as all the carers, working in care homes or our communities.

    They regularly go the extra mile.

    They are the pride of Britain.

    The NHS is and always has been a national endeavour.

    That was set out in 1944, when it was a Conservative politician, Sir Henry Willink, who put forward the proposals for “A National Health Service”.

    That’s right, a Conservative MP,

    from my home city of Liverpool,

    who conceived the NHS,

    – a good omen, I think!

    And I continue to be proud of the many doctors, nurses, and dentists serving as Conservatives in Parliament,

    far more than we see in the Labour Party.

    And it is because of our Conservative Party’s commitment to the NHS,

    …That we will be spending 173 billion pounds this year on health and social care, in England alone,

    …up from 124 billion pounds when we entered office in 2010,

    …and that’s accounting for inflation –

    This has resulted in more doctors and nurses than ever before.

    But, as Health Secretary, it’s my job to be honest, and level with you about the scale of challenge ahead of us.

    And frankly,

    I won’t be turning to Labour for solutions.

    If you want to see the Labour Party running the NHS,

    just look across the border into Wales,

    where around 60,000 patients are still waiting for more than 2 years for treatment, higher than last year.

    This isn’t the time for brickbats though.

    It is precisely because healthcare matters so much

    that we need to have honest discussion

    and be prepared to hold the NHS to account

    forging a partnership with them focused on delivery, not on dogma.

    So, let’s be honest.

    While most patients receiving care in our NHS have a good experience,

    Too many do not…

    …Whether it’s the 8am scramble to see a GP…

    …Or the long waits to get tests or treatment…

    Or the struggle to see an NHS dentist at all.

    Much of this has been made worse by the pandemic.

    And I must level with you,

    Backlogs are expected to rise before they fall,

    as more patients come forward for diagnosis and treatment.

    But this isn’t just about Covid.

    There is still too much variation in patient experience.

    I saw that for myself this July when I went to A&E.

    I waited nearly nine hours to see a doctor,

    before being asked to return the next day for treatment.

    Now I knew, from previous experience,

    that would be too late,

    so I took myself to a different hospital,

    and was treated that same day.

    That is the sort of variation we see across the NHS.

    From two hospitals just a couple of miles apart, and it must change.

    That is why my first job in the Department was creating Our Plan for Patients, which puts the needs of patients front and centre.
    Our new Plan for Patients deliberately places an emphasis on primary care, the gateway to the NHS for most people.

    It empowers doctors and nurses by reducing bureaucracy,

    …which gets in the way of them doing their jobs.

    And it seeks to improve performance across the country by unlocking data.

    Now,

    You may have heard ‘ABCD’ are my immediate priorities.

    No, I wasn’t broadcasting my A Level results to the nation.

    Nor was I reciting a new hip hop beat by Dr Dre.

    Those four letters represent my commitment to focus – resolutely – on the issues that affect patients most:

    Ambulances.

    Backlogs.

    Care.

    Doctors and Dentists.

    And with my excellent ministerial team,

    Robert Jenrick,

    Will Quince,

    Neil O’Brien,

    Nick Markham,

    and our very own in-house ministerial medic, Dr Caroline Johnson,

    Together, we WILL focus on the issues that affect patients most

    To deliver their priorities.

    AND be their champion.

    Starting with ‘A’ for Ambulances.

    Access to urgent treatment can be life-saving.

    When people phone 999 because they think they or their loved one is having a heart attack or a stroke, they want to know help will come,

    and will come soon.

    Let’s be clear,

    Average waiting times are too long,

    So, we are increasing the number of 999 call handlers.

    And we must also get ambulances back on the road from handovers at hospitals,

    so we are placing a laser-like focus on our most challenged trusts, because as we saw last winter,

    nearly half of all handover delays were at just 15 trusts.

    We also know to be able to admit more patients,

    we need to open up more space in hospitals.

    So we are acting immediately to create more capacity,

    the equivalent of 7,000 more beds, this winter.

    But it’s not just capacity in our hospitals we need,

    it’s also in our communities,

    to help support people…

    …who could be cared for more appropriately at home or in a care home, rather than being kept in hospital, unnecessarily.

    That is why the ‘C’ for care is such an integral part of Our Plan.

    And why we have invested a further 500 million pounds this winter,

    so local councils and the local NHS,

    can work together to tackle delayed discharges.

    It isn’t all about emergency care though.

    It is also about diagnosis and treatment.

    And that is where we go back to ‘B’ for backlogs.

    The waiting list for planned care, made worse by the pandemic, currently stands at about 7 million.

    This includes people waiting for diagnosis, to know if they need any treatment at all.

    While, in England, we have now virtually eliminated waits of over two years,

    we are speeding up our plans to roll out community diagnostic centres, as well as new hospitals.

    And we will maximise the use of the independent sector too, when patients are waiting too long for treatment.

    Lastly, but key is ‘D’ – for doctors and for dentists.

    Now, I think it is perfectly reasonable when people need to see a GP, they should expect to do so within a fortnight.

    Of course, I would like to be more ambitious, and while I will not be prescriptive on how GPs interact with their patients,

    I am clear Patients must be able to see their doctors promptly.

    To help achieve these priorities,

    I will publish a lot more information for patients,

    so they can see how their local NHS is performing, including their GP practice, and on access to NHS care and treatment.

    Another key element is personnel.

    I have listened to why people say they are leaving the NHS,

    or what is holding them back, from offering more services.

    And I am responding.

    I am empowering GPs to use their funding more flexibly for the recruitment of more support staff, and making significant changes to pension arrangements.

    I am extending the emergency clinical register,

    so that health professionals who have come out of retirement,

    can continue to practise for a further two years.

    I am opening up more prescription capability and services to pharmacists.

    I am investing in IT for telephony and digital appointments.

    And I am making it easier for clinicians registered outside England to be accredited, to get to work more quickly, treating patients.

    It is, frankly, bonkers, that we have restrictions on the recognition of doctors, dentists, and nurses within the UK itself.

    That is why I am laying regulations next week,

    …which will allow the General Dental Council to get on with accrediting dentists to work right across our United Kingdom,

    so we can have oases of oral care, rather than dental deserts.

    This is all on top of our existing commitments,

    to boost the health and care workforce,

    including our manifesto pledge to recruit 50,000 more nurses by 2024.

    Conference,

    Whether you live in a city or a town,

    in the countryside or on the coast,

    this Conservative Government will always be on your side,

    when you need care the most.

    This is just the start of our ambitions for health and care.

    Our Plan informs patients and empowers them to live healthier lives.

    Because we know prevention is better than cure.

    It is right we continue our longer-term health approach,

    Strengthening mental wellbeing and resilience,

    as well as the physical health of the nation,

    because that is also good for the economic health of the nation.

    We have a record number of people, in work, on the payroll, but there are many vacancies still to be filled.

    We know work is good for you,

    both physically and for mental wellbeing,

    as well as putting more pounds in your pocket.

    That is why I will strive to support

    those not working now due to ill health,

    to help them to start, stay, and succeed in work;

    building on the Prime Minister’s pledge to have more mental health support in communities.

    Because together, we can deliver a healthier, more productive society, all the stronger, to help grow our economy.

    As the Prime Minister said on the steps of Downing Street,

    she has three clear priorities:

    growing the economy,

    tackling energy security and costs for households and businesses;

    and the NHS.

    When I first went into the Department,

    I asked what the biggest risk was this winter and what we could do to help?

    I was told – help with energy bills,

    so older people would not worry about the cost of turning on the heating,

    and for health and care providers too.

    The Prime Minister and the Chancellor listened.

    They acted.

    They have delivered.

    And we need to act on growing the economy too.

    We need a strong economy to have a strong NHS.

    We need a resilient, sustainable economy,

    to have a resilient, sustainable NHS.

    And we need a compassionate, and considered, Conservative government,

    to deliver, deliver, deliver.

    And that, Conference,

    is what we will do.

    Thank you.

  • George Robertson – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II (Lord Robertson of Port Ellen)

    George Robertson – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II (Lord Robertson of Port Ellen)

    The tribute made by George Robertson, Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, in the House of Lords on 10 September 2022.

    My Lords, ordinarily on such occasions the repetition of words and sentiments can be tedious and unproductive. Too often we hear, “Everything’s been said, but not yet by everyone”, or the House of Lords equivalent, which is, “Everything’s been said, but not yet by me.” However, in the last 48 hours the repetition of such words as duty, service, honour, decency, commitment and dedication does not jar at all; it seems both appropriate and fitting when they apply to the 70 year-long reign of the late Queen Elizabeth. She set a standard and a vector against which all who serve in public life can and indeed should be measured, and we should be profoundly grateful for that example, as well as for so many other things. Indeed, she was the gold standard—the glue that kept a fractious country together when multiple pressures of populism and extremism were tearing, but never destroying, our communal fabric. With our latest Prime Minister and the nation facing serious crises in energy, the cost of living, health and a foreign war, her example of cool, clear thinking is more necessary than ever it was.

    As these two days of debate have shown, we all have memories of Her Majesty the Queen, especially those of us who had the opportunity to meet her. My latest one was of returning last year the insignia of the Chancellor of the Order of St Michael and St George by Zoom. I have to say that she was a lot more comfortable with the situation then I was. “Come forward”, she demanded, “I can’t see you”, as I nervously walked towards the screen at the end of the long room.

    However, I have another vivid memory, of her visit in 1996 with the Princess Royal to Dunblane after the ghastly murders in the primary school. The noble Lord, Lord Forsyth, was the Scottish Secretary at the time and the local MP. I was his shadow and both a local resident and a parent. We were, at that time anyway, tough political adversaries, but we had been welded together by the tragedy in that small community. We witnessed that day the monarch, with just her presence and simple words, speak to and for a grieving town and indeed a shell-shocked nation. It helped immeasurably to bind some of the gaping wounds of that time, and that was her powerful effect.

    Another, more pleasant memory I have is of when, as Defence Secretary, I brought the then Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed, to Balmoral to meet the Queen. After our lunch, he accepted an offer from her to see the estate but, boy, was he astounded, coming from a country which banned women from driving, to find the Queen behind the wheel of the Land Rover and rolling off without the rest of the party. I was at the castle entrance when they all came back. She looked at me and said, “I think he thought I was driving too fast.” I said nothing at all. Then she said, “I also think he thought I was lost.” I bravely said, “Well, you can’t get lost. You’re the Queen, and where you are is where you’re supposed to be.” She frowned at me and then said emphatically, “Quite right”, and marched away. Soon after that, the Crown Prince became King of Saudi Arabia, and belaboured every visiting Brit with stories of the Queen’s mad driving.

    My final point is to talk about the Queen’s deep loyalty to the Commonwealth; my noble friend Lord Boateng also mentioned that. When she made that famous pledge to preserve and protect the Commonwealth at the point when she took the Throne, it was not some nominal pledge or promise, it was to her a sacred commitment. That passionate commitment to the unique and precious club of like-thinking nations that is the Commonwealth was to matter to her over all her years, especially those years when not a few irritated politicians would quite happily have strangled the organisation. Getting past the Queen, dispassionate and non-partisan as she might well have been, would have required a lot more tenacity and political force than is possessed by any mere politician yet to be born. The Commonwealth survives and thrives because of Her Majesty and her promise.

    Last night, as so many have said, the new King spoke to the nation with raw personal feeling about the loss caused by the Queen’s death and what it meant to the Royal Family. It was a moving and incredibly significant address. The fact is, however, that we are all her family, and he spoke for us in our loss as well. He becomes King at a momentous time and we must, with memories of his mother fresh in our minds, wish him the very best in his demanding new role. The family that is his nation is with him.

  • George Carey – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II (Lord Carey of Clifton)

    George Carey – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II (Lord Carey of Clifton)

    The tribute made by George Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, in the House of Lords on 10 October 2022.

    My Lords, I was not intending to contribute to the tributes today until last night, when I realised that we are weaving a tapestry that all our memories, recollections and stories can be part of and which other generations can read in years to come, learning from the mistakes as well as the lessons that our generation can contribute in the light of the Queen’s amazing reign. I was her fifth Archbishop of Canterbury. We have had 15 Prime Ministers, but we archbishops seem to endure a little longer than our political colleagues. Long may that endure. However, that means that if you are an archbishop or a bishop, you have very close relationships with the Royal Family.

    I see it as like a hive in which there are lots of parts. Obviously there is Westminster, Sandringham, Windsor and the clergy, which together form a generous establishment. That generosity came out in the most reverend Primate the Archbishop’s speech yesterday when he referred to the umbrella. During the Queen’s time she gave access to that. She made us all feel very welcome. This is no longer the Church of England dominating. We have a Catholic presence in this country that is strong and vigorous, and we saw the impressive contribution that our present King Charles has made to Muslim-Christian secular dialogue.

    In my decades I had no royal wedding, sadly, and I even missed two baptisms because I was abroad. However, I had more than my fair share of funerals, such as that of Princess Margaret, who became a very dear friend. I anointed her on her deathbed, and my wife Eileen, who is here, was with me on that occasion. I spent a lot of time with the Queen Mother and learned a lot from that very loving and distinguished lady, who died at the age of 101, and I was able and privileged to preach at her funeral service.

    Princess Diana’s death moved me in a very sad way. I saw through her something of the value of a verse in Jeremiah 1 about the role of politics to destroy at times but then to build up. I have to say—I have discussed this with Her Majesty and members of the Royal Family—that I saw Her Majesty’s strong faith and fortitude as she resisted all the destructive power that could have destroyed the Royal Family but which did not because of her strength of character. However, I also saw something that is important for our own time as we now support King Charles III, which is to do with the fourth estate: the power of the press to destroy as well as to build up. I hope that we as part of Parliament can make our contribution to building up, strengthening and getting behind our King, as well as giving thanks to a remarkable woman, but also to say to the press today, “It’s your job also to join us in building up so that we can pass on the real lessons of what it is to be a land that is focused on building up the young and the strong today.” We give thanks to Her Majesty and we pray for King Charles III.

  • Simon Clarke – 2022 Speech to Conservative Party Conference

    Simon Clarke – 2022 Speech to Conservative Party Conference

    The speech made by Simon Clarke, the Secretary of State for Levelling up, Housing and Communities, in Birmingham on 4 October 2022.

    Hello conference, I’m delighted to be with you virtually today in my new role as Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities.

    I’m sorry I cannot be there in person as I would like, but I hope over the coming weeks and months I will get a chance to meet and talk to as many of you as possible as we work to deliver for our country, and earn the chance to do so again at the next general election.

    I want to start with a single, core proposition.

    Levelling up matters.

    It matters economically.

    It matters politically.

    It matters morally.

    This spring I visited St Pius X Catholic Primary in Park End in my constituency.

    Park End is a ward in Middlesbrough, not far from where I grew up.

    It is one of the most deprived communities not just on Teesside, but in the whole of the UK.

    But it is also home to people who are determined, resilient and proud of their community, their town and their country.

    I had lunch with the pupils at St Pius’. You could not find and a nicer, more thoughtful, polite and friendly group of children.

    They were an absolute credit to their headteacher Mrs Walker, their parents and each other.

    And it was a visit that has stayed with me.

    Because delivering on levelling up is about transforming the life chances of those children and children across the country.

    For too long, Middlesbrough has been one of the scores of places across this country that have been associated with economic decline, and all the social ills that come with that…

    High unemployment…

    Higher crime, and lives blighted by the fear of it…

    And lower life expectancy.

    I’ll return to the Teesside story in a moment.

    But it has much wider applicability.

    For Middlesbrough read Blackpool, or Burnley, or other northern towns.

    And not just to towns and cities in the North.

    I could equally well be speaking of parts of Glasgow, or the Welsh Valleys, or Jaywick in Essex, or Hastings on the south coast.

    Levelling up matters to all these places and more.

    The task of delivering it is the work of a generation.

    The prize of delivering it is enormous.

    If the performance of the bottom-performing quarter of places by productivity were to be “levelled up” to the median, the boost to productivity would be equivalent to a pay rise of around £2,300 for individuals in the poorest areas.

    Levelling up is about kickstarting growth in the areas where it is hardest, the areas of our country that have been left behind in previous pushes for growth.

    We want to turbocharge success, but to do that we must recognise that we are not working on a level playing field.

    It is my job and that of this Government and our Party to address this.

    And here I would say one thing above all else: we have no lessons to learn here from the Labour Party.

    The legacy of the last Labour government on these questions was one of failure.

    Their solution to a lack of jobs was an unsustainable expansion of the public sector, that did nothing to deliver economic opportunity or resilience.

    They squandered the opportunities of a time of global stability and affluence on gimmickry, ducking the hard challenges of public service reform.

    Labour ignored the Midlands and the North when they were in power. For every ten private sector jobs created in the London and the South between 1998 and 2008, only one was created in the Midlands and the North.

    And they patronised and ignored the voices of Britain’s left behind communities in a way that reached its logical nadir in their arrogant response to the people’s decision to leave the European Union, that was embodied by no one more than Sir Keir Starmer.

    Labour is no longer trusted by the places that need levelling up the most.

    Instead, we have been given the chance to deliver for them – and so far, our Conservative government and Conservative local leaders across the UK have made excellent strides in this direction.

    The work done by my predecessors to get the levelling up mission off the ground means that we are already seeing tangible change, from Stoke to Teesside.

    And I am absolutely determined that we should continue in this fashion. But we must also go further, be bolder, and more ambitious.

    We must continue to help rejuvenate our local areas, support our high streets, and re-instil a sense of community.

    But we must also take more fundamental action, to unleash our local economies, drive growth and boost opportunity too.

    In delivering this agenda, I am fortunate to have the support of a truly brilliant ministerial team…

    Paul Scully as Local Government Minister and Minister for London…

    Andrew Stephenson taking the lead on vital issues like homelessness and supporting Ukrainian refugees…

    Lee Rowley as Housing Minister, working tirelessly to unlock the homes we need…

    Dehenna Davison, my near neighbour in the North East, as Levelling Up Minister…

    Baroness Jane Scott, our champion in the House of Lords…

    As well as our whips Nigel Huddleston and Olivia Bloomfield, and our excellent PPSs Jason McCartney and Simon Jupp.

    I could not be more glad to have their support and advice, and I could not be more grateful to our Prime Minister for making it so clear how much of a personal priority this work is for her.

    Recent weeks should have quelled any doubts about this Government’s appetite for bold action.

    Last month’s fiscal statement was defined by its ambition and scope and at DLUHC, we really are hitting the ground running.

    I am proud that our work on Investment Zones holds its place among so many exciting announcements that fire the starting gun on our mission to grow our economy.

    Investment Zones represent an amazing opportunity for every corner of our country, and illustrate perfectly how this government intends to go further on levelling up.

    A truly exciting and meaningful offer to help accelerate homes, development and enterprise across the UK.

    They will bring jobs and opportunities to the areas that need them most, boosting growth on local people’s terms.

    They will roll back the bureaucracy that shackles our local economies to bring homes and jobs to families across the UK.

    We remain committed to the same outcomes we always have been clear on, on the environment and beyond, but are determined to speed up processes to get growth going.

    Investment Zones are ultimately defined by three things.

    The first is consent. We are absolutely clear that these zones must be led by the people who know best what their area needs and what it does not.

    There will be no top-down imposition of these arrangements on anywhere that does not want them.

    Don’t get me wrong, I am passionate about the benefits that these zones can bring and will advocate for them wherever I can.

    But ultimately if local people decide an investment zone isn’t for them – then that will be the final word.

    The second principle is of targeted and precise action.

    Investment Zones will target specific and effective sites that would benefit from accelerated development and a tax structure that incentivises investment.

    This is a practical proposal for change.

    Which brings me to the third principle – of pragmatic acceleration. This is an outcomes-focused policy that seeks to accelerate investment, development and growth.

    That means finding where things can be sped up and doing it, not revisiting already shovel-ready projects, slowing them down.

    I am delighted that we have already got the portal open for local areas to submit their applications to get an investment zone in their area…

    And let me give you a sneak preview conference – the reception from MPs, councils and Mayors alike has been fantastic.

    Investment Zones are the first major step that we have taken in this new look government to deliver on our promise to level up in a Conservative way.

    This conservatism will guide our agenda across the department’s portfolio. Which is why I am also steadfastly committed to increasing home ownership.

    Getting more people on the housing ladder, to give people security, a stake in society, and somewhere to call their own, is a fundamentally conservative goal.

    Investment Zones will help deliver many of the homes that we need, but we must go further.

    I want to reassure those hoping to get on the housing ladder, that you remain at the heart of our agenda for Government.

    In the coming weeks I will be fleshing out how we intend to get more homes on the market, and improve access to those homes.

    This will build on the work of both this government’s recent measures to lift the worst of the Stamp Duty burden, and of previous Conservative administrations, which is paying dividends in the form of record numbers of homes being built today.

    I want, like the Prime Minister, to build more houses, and to do so in the right way.

    Accelerating development of brownfield sites is of the upmost importance, as is building beautifully. We want to grow organic communities, not impose cardboard boxes across our shires. As with investment zones, local consent will sit at the heart of our plans.

    Because it is not the case that either home ownership, investment zones, or the wider challenge of levelling up, can be addressed from Whitehall.

    We know as Conservatives that decisions are best taken as close as possible to the people that they affect.

    I am proud and passionate about what devolution has brought to many of our regions and want to build on those successes.

    The people of Birmingham don’t need me to tell them that.

    Andy Street has truly led the way here in the West Midlands and we meet in a city and a region transformed by his leadership.

    His leadership and championing of this region are a fine example of the good that mayors can do.

    I want to create many more mayors, in areas like the East Midlands where Ben Bradley is leading the way, but also in the south of our country – where even if the title may differ, the principle of strong, directly-elected leadership is central to enabling the highest level of devolved government.

    I also want to strengthen and deepen the powers of our existing mayors, so that they can crack on with the work of delivery.

    People like Tees Valley’s Ben Houchen.

    I want to return for a moment to what has been happening on Teesside.

    I talked earlier in my speech about the challenges that my home area faces.

    But there are also huge opportunities, which Ben is helping to unlock.

    In so doing, he is showing just why elected Mayors can make such an extraordinary difference.

    Whether it be in saving Teesside Airport from closure…

    Securing thousands of new jobs in clean energy on sites like Teesworks, right next to our new Freeport…

    Ben champions our area both to central Government and to investors at home and abroad…

    Delivering opportunities that until recently, few would have dreamed of.

    He has shown what Conservatives can do locally when we are empowered to.

    And as we deliver, so we unlock pride and purpose.

    Teesside is becoming somewhere that successful people are moving to, rather than move from.

    And somewhere where a child studying today at a school like St Pius Primary can realise a bright future.

    So there is so much we can enable through devolution – and this is why I care so much about it.

    The flipside of devolving and empowering local government is that strengthening accountability is vital.

    I intend to support the Local Authority sector and be an advocate for it, but I will also crack down on mismanagement wherever I find it, such as in Thurrock, Nottingham or Croydon.

    I believe in local government because I believe that it delivers for our people, the taxpayers.

    Where it does not, there must be effective scrutiny, turnaround programmes and consequences – and I will say more about this in the weeks ahead.

    Conference, there is so much else that I am charged with delivering, and on which I will expand over the months ahead.

    When it comes to building safety, I want to finish what my predecessors started to fix our system for the long term, to protect leaseholders and ensure the industry fixes the problems it created.

    I will push on with pragmatic, common-sense reform that protects leaseholders…

    Facilitates an operable insurance industry…

    And ensures we never have to face a tragedy like Grenfell again.

    The legacy of Grenfell must be better standards and safer homes for everyone.

    That is why I am resolved to fix the cladding issue as soon as possible.

    As we enter into Autumn and Winter, the Government also remains focused on protecting the most vulnerable from rising energy costs and the wider cost of living in a world turned upside down by Putin’s aggression.

    Our measures to protect households during the pandemic worked, and to help those facing cost of living pressures now we are delivering thousands of pounds worth of support to households and businesses – as well as our new energy price guarantee.

    We remain committed as a Department, and I as a Secretary of State, to doing all that we can to limit homelessness and rough sleeping.

    I will be working closely with my new colleague Andrew Stephenson on this.

    Together, we will work to ensure that we build upon the fantastic support and dedication that this Government has already given to tackle the scourge of homelessness.

    I know I will have the support of you all in delivering on this work.

    And that is why I want to end this speech by saying thank you.

    I know the importance of the grassroots of our party to what we are trying to achieve.

    You, the boots on the ground, the activists and volunteers, the canvassers, the candidates and the Councillors, are the backbone of our great party.

    It is because of your delivery – of leaflets through doors, local services from our Conservative Councils, and our message of optimism and patriotism to every corner of the country, that we have the platform and ability to deliver for the country in Government.

    And as Secretary of State responsible for levelling up, for local government, and for communities, I want to ensure I am always working with and for you to deliver on the extraordinary opportunities that lie ahead.

  • Jacob Rees-Mogg – 2022 Speech to Conservative Party Conference

    Jacob Rees-Mogg – 2022 Speech to Conservative Party Conference

    The speech made by Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Business Secretary, in Birmingham on 3 October 2022.

    Well, Ladies and gentlemen. Thank you.

    Congratulations on arriving at the conference.

    In spite of the best efforts of Mick Lynch, who seemed to wish to get in the way.

    But thank you for being here, because you are the beating heart of the Conservative Party, you’re the stalwarts who do all the work for us and ensure people like me get elected.

    So, I thank you for all you do for conservatism, and supporting us so much. And you make it work, you ensure we have Conservative governments, and your getting here is proof of that.

    I must say, I think the unions need some of my little calling cards saying “I look forward to seeing you back at work soon”.

    Because actually, we have a tireless quest for productivity in this country, and we need to make sure that everyone is working efficiently, and we obviously want them to be working in their proper places of work.

    Also, thank you for giving me almost as warm a welcome as I got outside the hall.

    I think that’s rather marvellous. I happen to think that having a democracy where you can actually walk through the streets and people can exercise their right to peacefully protest, shows the strength of our society.

    And if people want to call me “Tory scum”, I don’t mind!

    And it has to be said, walking through the beautiful streets of Birmingham, turned blue once again- or turning blue once again- thanks to the great efforts of Andy Street; is a great privilege, and it’s lovely to be here, and to be here with this fantastic audience, and to be speaking to you as Business Secretary.

    I’m going to reintroduce a great tradition that Secretaries of State used to have when they came to the Conference, by introducing my brilliant ministerial team.

    So, my fellow Cabinet member Graham Stuart, Minister for Climate; Jackie Doyle-Price, who is here as Minister for Industry; Nusrat Ghani, Minister for Science and Investment Security; Dean Russell, Minister for Enterprise and Markets; and Lord Callanan, who I can’t actually see here but is nonetheless a great man, is Minister for Business, Energy and Corporate Responsibility.

    I am so lucky to be supported by what I think is the ‘A-Team’ of ministers, and you can tell that to all the other departments who only have ‘B-Teams’. So, let’s be clear that I have the ‘A-Team’ supporting me.

    It’s also quite fun to be speaking, for the first time in all the years I’ve been a Member of Parliament, from the main stage. I did once in the old days, when I was the candidate in Wrekin, get up to the main stage, but that was only for about three minutes, and I’ve got a bit longer now.

    It makes a change, I used to do the rounds of the fringes. Sometimes, I wasn’t entirely in line with what the Government was doing, and leaving the fringes to certain other Right Honourable Friends of mine, who seem to be having a jolly time.

    Instead, I am here in full support, and honoured to serve a first-class Prime Minister.

    And the Prime Minister, since she took office, has completed about a years’ Government business in a fortnight. And I’m glad to say I think the Prime Minister- and I say this as the Minister for Energy- is a genuine dynamo and is producing electric fields that are making sure things get done.

    And she knows how urgent the challenges we face are.

    Energy

    And the challenges are particularly in energy: first, affordability this winter; second, securing energy supplies; and third, what I would like to call Intelligent Net Zero.

    And how we are tackling those challenges? Rapidly is the answer.

    While the Opposition sniped, and cat-called, and did what it usually does, we got on with it.

    We worked properly, night and day. And actually, the Civil Servants in BEIS worked incredibly hard to create the Energy Price Guarantee for households and the Energy Bill Relief Scheme for businesses.

    We have ensured that the British people – families and businesses
    – will get help now, form the First of October with the energy price support that took effect on Saturday, regardless of where they live in the United Kingdom and however they get their energy.

    His Majesty’s Government has acted with speed and foresight to deliver this protection for households throughout the entire Kingdom.

    Thank you, somebody agrees with me! You’ve all been here a very long time so the fact that one person is paying attention is a great relief.

    The same is true for businesses, and we have averted genuine economic disaster by protecting businesses, charities and public services including schools and hospitals, and particularly care homes, from catastrophic rises in their energy costs.

    We did this because of Putin’s monstrous invasion of Ukraine. He seems to want to make Ivan the Terrible look like Padre Pio.

    His wicked acts forced up the price of gas to an extent that would have ruined almost every business and left virtually every family unable to afford their energy. I actually said a journalist from the Sun, the only person who could have afforded an energy bill this winter would’ve been the proprietor of the Sun, and everybody else would’ve been in penury.

    And that’s why, ladies and gentlemen, we have done what we have done, not some blunt instrument that our socialist counterparts would have used.

    But a well-designed, and effective way, of getting support to all. And a support that will decline as the energy price normalises.

    Now, you are proper conservatives, aren’t you? You are the bluest of the blue.

    And there may be some of you who think it’s not conservative to intervene in this way.

    But I would say that there was no question that we had to come to the British people’s aid. We could not let the people face this winter alone.

    This is actually what the state fundamentally is there for: to do things that people cannot do themselves.

    Some burdens are too great for individuals and families to bear and these must be borne by the nation herself – these are the burdens of security, of policing, of defence.

    This intervention is an act of defence for our people, every bit as much as making munitions or tanks.

    And our great hero, and I’m sure this man is a great hero of many of you: Adam Smith himself, the father of free marketeers, the pater familias of economic theory, put the defence of the nation above all else.

    He told that the Navigation Acts, which you’ll all recall from your O-Level history, against the Dutch.

    It’s quite interesting, you know all those things we say about ‘Dutch courage’ and so on all come from the 17th century wars we fought against the Dutch.

    But he said the Navigation Acts were “wisest of all the commercial regulations of England” because they stopped a then-hostile nation – and just for the record, we are now very friendly with the Dutch- harming Britain.

    Defence

    “Defence”, Adam Smith said, was “of much more importance than opulence”. He meant it was worth the short-term cost to defend Britain from “national animosity”.

    And as so often what was true in the 18th century is true today.

    The war may not be on our shores, but we will defend the United Kingdom against Mr Putin’s evil.

    Our decisive action will save millions of families and businesses from penury.

    And do you know what, imitation is the greatest form of flattery– we’re being imitated by our German friends who have rolled out almost a carbon copy scheme.

    So, this intervention helping families across the country from falling into debt and misery through crippling energy costs imposed on them by a tyrant in Moscow, has averted a disaster for Britain’s small businesses this winter, salvaging the livelihoods that would have been destroyed.

    So this winter, we are once again standing together with the British people.

    But there is more to do, because we have to make sure that this does not occur again.

    We must act to provide energy security, and to use our energy better.

    But the more we produce, the more affordable our scheme will become.

    Energy supply, cheap energy, is the foundation of our prosperity.

    Our reserves of coal and the pursuit of new technologies to dig it out,

    I’m going back to history; I’m not advocating going back to coal now,

    Digging it out of the ground spurred the Industrial Revolution.

    The discovery of North Sea oil and gas, combined with Mrs Thatcher’s visionary leadership, turbocharged the British economy in the 1980s.

    Now our future prosperity depends on our ability to secure affordable energy in abundance.

    High energy costs have made our industries uncompetitive and increased the cost of building roads and railways.

    They have often meant the difference between businesses choosing to invest in the UK or turning their backs.

    So the Energy Supply Taskforce, led by the esteemed Maddie McTernan, who delivered the vaccines that rescued us from the Covid pandemic, and she is moving to secure our energy supply in the coming months.

    Our aim is to secure cheap and plentiful supplies of energy, the veritable engine of economic growth.

    Now that may lead Socialist commentators to paint me as a fossil fuel junky.

    But I am neither a fossil fuel junky, nor a junky of any other variety.

    Let me reassure you. I am committed to Net Zero by 2050.

    But the green agenda does not mean an agenda of poverty. It does not contradict the growth agenda.

    We will go green in a way that makes the British people better off not worse off, drives growth instead of hindering it, and levels-up, by boosting industries in our regions instead of imposing costs that drive them to the brink of ruin.

    The faddish, Islingtonian Labour Party was happy to destroy industries like steel by imposing needless costs on their energy: this wasn’t just unfair, it was un-green, and simply forced manufacturing overseas, making us import more polluting products.

    We need intelligent greenery not religious zealotry.

    As for the socialist ideas of a nationalised energy dream:

    it will lead to nothing but shortages, rationing and intermittency.

    Ladies and Gentlemen, I’m sure you’ve heard me called the Right Honourable Member for the Eighteenth Century. But it’s not an insult to me.

    The Georgians were pioneers, innovators, inventors of the power loom and the spinning jenny, the fathers of the industrial revolution.

    Think of Jethro Tull, whose seed drill transformed agriculture – some of you thought I was talking about a pop star but actually I was talking about agricultural innovation.

    Or of Matthew Boulton of this great city, who with James Watt developed the steam engine that powered the Industrial Revolution.

    It is that same spirit of progress this government must capture.

    That is why we are moving full steam ahead with carbon capture and storage, expanding the world’s biggest windfarm at Dogger Bank, developing hydrogen and nuclear, including modular nuclear reactors.

    But perhaps the most exciting is fusion.

    Now, bear in mind, Isaac Newton believed in the Philosophers Stone and thought you could turn base metals into gold, so fusion is a great hope, a potential ace up our sleeve, but it would be silly of me to pretend it’s not difficult.

    It offers unparalleled potential for clean power production, promising a future of inexhaustible energy that could unshackle us from hydrocarbons,

    and make us truly self-sufficient and secure.

    The technological hurdles are big –

    fusion reactors must sustain a temperature 10 times hotter than our sun,

    Which whether you use Centigrade or like me use Fahrenheit is nonetheless very hot,

    the containment of which requires magnets so strong they could lift an aircraft carrier clean out of the ocean.

    We could get one of those and make Mr. Putin’s life rather difficult.

    But over decades we have established ourselves as pioneers in fusion science,

    and as a country, our capability to surmount these obstacles is unparalleled.

    I am delighted to make an announcement on the next step in that mission.

    We will build the UK’s first prototype fusion energy plant in Nottinghamshire,

    replacing the West Burton coal-fired power station with a beacon of bountiful green energy.

    This plant will be the first of its kind, built by 2040 and capable of putting energy on the grid,

    and in doing so, proving the commercial viability of fusion energy to the world.

    It will create thousands of high-skilled jobs throughout its lifetime,

    it will underpin an industry expected to be worth billions to the UK economy,

    and position the UK to design, manufacture and export the first fleet of fusion plants,

    placing us at the vanguard of a market with the potential to be worth trillions of pounds a year.

    But never fear, in the meantime, we got enough hot air from the Socialist conference to keep the turbines spinning for decades to come.

    From this year, the future of environmentalism will be about prosperity, about opportunity, not lectures.

    Now, we’ve been having a discussion about shale gas, and I know not everybody is keen on it and we have to get community support.

    Lord Deben wrote to my predecessor, saying that shale gas can provide 2 to 63 grams per kilowatt hour of carbon dioxide equivalent less, than from LNG being imported.

    This is what I mean about intelligent net zero. It’s about making decisions that reduce carbon but make us more prosperous. It doesn’t mean that everything I say will happen tomorrow,

    But it’s about having a programme that makes sure we don’t harm our industry, so we go green in a way that create, rather than destroy, prosperity.

    Cheap energy is essential to a flourishing economy, but this is only one part of our supply side reforms that go much further.

    At this conference we have announced that the definition of small and medium sized enterprises will expand from 250 employees to 500, extricating them from a host of regulatory burdens, including costly non-financial reporting requirements which are simply paper shuffling.

    Which in my case is not so much paper as parchment.

    The structural reforms we are about to deliver include the Brexit Freedoms Bill, a fantastic piece of legislation, a defining constitutional piece of legislation,

    … which is going to prize the dead hand of the EU from our statute book once and for all.

    As we review, repeal or amend the 2,400 pieces of European law on our books, any EU regulation which remains will no longer apply to these SMEs of up to 500 employees.

    And thanks to this Prime Minister, we will get it done by the end of 2023.

    This will take even more businesses out of the clutches of overbearing regulation,

    freeing the British economy still further.

    And while we’re talking about getting Britain moving, we will deal with strikes.

    We’ve got to keep Britain moving.

    In her campaign, the Prime Minister was clear that we would legislate for minimum service levels for essential services to ensure the modernisation of our economy is not held to ransom by union militancy.

    And bear in mind, Owen Jones came up to me today and had a go about the funders of the Tory Party.

    But the funders of the Tory Party don’t buy the right to have a say in the leadership. But in the socialist party they hold the leadership to ransom.

    Minimum service levels will make that reality harder, and we will be introducing that bill soon.

    And if I may use a rude word, it is a great modernisation.

    My department spends billions on research and development each year.

    And that must be a focus for value for money and turning our innovations into inventions.

    We wouldn’t have our nuclear technologies without this.

    But we need to make sure that every pound spent delivers.

    I’m delighted that Aria has such strong leadership, ensuring we can turn seed capital in R&D to real investment capital for the nation.

    Ladies and gentlemen, we know these are difficult times.

    And historic mistakes in energy policy have led us to where we are, but it’s always the Conservatives who are always best at dealing with difficult situations,

    And make us take those tough decisions that aren’t necessarily initially popular.

    This doesn’t matter whether its in nuclear, or shale, or deregulation.

    It is cheap energy and supply side reforms will provide us with economic growth – and the pressure of difficult times is forcing us in the direction we need to go.

    You, ladies and gentlemen, are so fundamental as advocates and ambassadors for that, because you are the Toriest of the Tory, and you know how the country should be governed,

    And it’s why we need your support.

    We have a nation-defining mission to complete, and I hope you will all join us in completing it.

  • Michelle Donelan – 2022 Speech to Conservative Party Conference

    Michelle Donelan – 2022 Speech to Conservative Party Conference

    The speech made by Michelle Donelan, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in Birmingham on 3 October 2022.

    Thank you Conference,

    It is an honour to be here as the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport working with such a fantastic team of ministers and back in Birmingham which this year became the second biggest tech city in the UK outside London. It is also a city that encapsulates every aspect of what I will deliver. Whether it is promoting British sporting excellence on the world stage by hosting the Commonwealth Games or helping to fuel our tech industry in the West Midlands, where an extra 52,000 new tech jobs will exist by 2025.This success is being seen across the country and will be turbo charged under the boldest Conservative government we have seen for a generation.

    And I will be ensuring my department is at the heart of this as a true engine of growth in the UK. And while the areas we cover at DCMS may seem at opposite ends of the policy spectrum, actually, my priorities in all of these areas boil down to a few common sense goals. In everything we do, I want us to create, connect and protect. Create more highly paid tech, digital and creative jobs that will provide genuine opportunities for you and your children – this will be the beating heart of our mission to grow the economy. I will also work to connect communities up and down the country to better deliver broadband, phone signal and 5G. It is fundamentally wrong that in today’s age people living in rural homes can still struggle to get a phone signal to call their loved ones, this is going to change.

    And finally, I will protect our children, our values and our history. That is why I am coming forward with strong, common sense, conservative, solutions that deliver on these priorities.

    And at the heart of everything I do, making people’s lives better by driving up economic growth will be my priority. But to create jobs, connect communities and protect British values, we have to be unashamedly conservative.

    As the Prime Minister has said from day one, we are the party that understands the need to grow the economic pie rather than simply slicing it up into thinner pieces. Where Labour are busy squabbling over how to divide wealth, we, the Conservatives, are getting on with the job of creating wealth.

    This includes creating more wealth and prosperity through our tech, digital, cyber, creative, cultural and arts sectors.

    But there remains a significant amount of red tape in our way, red tape that, as a newly independent nation free of EU bureaucracy, we can tailor to fit our country’s needs. One example of this is on data.

    We inherited GDPR from the EU, and its bureaucratic nature is still limiting the potential of our businesses. So much so that researchers at Oxford University estimated that it has directly caused businesses to lose over 8% of their profits. In a survey by my Department, 50% of businesses told us that the EU’s mainly one-size-fits-all GDPR scheme, had led to excessive caution amongst staff in the handling of data. We’ve even had churches write to the department, pleading for us to do something, so that they can send newsletters out to their communities without worrying about breaching data rules.

    Many of these smaller organisations and businesses only employ a few people each. They don’t have the resources or money to navigate the regulatory minefield that GDPR puts in their way. And yet right now, in the main, they’re forced to follow the same one-size-fits-all approach as a multinational corporation. That’s just not right, and it is certainly not conservative.

    That is why today Conference, I am announcing that we will be replacing GDPR with our own business and consumer-friendly, British data protection system. Our plan will protect consumer privacy and keep their data safe, whilst retaining our data adequacy so businesses can trade freely. And I can promise you here today, Conference, that it will be simpler and clearer for businesses to navigate.

    No longer will our businesses be shackled by unnecessary red tape. At the moment, even though we have shortages of electricians and plumbers, GDPR ties them in knots with clunky bureaucracy. In its place, we will co-design with business a new system of data protection. We will look to those countries who achieve data adequacy without having GDPR, like Israel, Japan, South Korea, Canada and New Zealand.

    Our new data protection plan will focus on growth and common sense, helping to prevent losses from cyber attacks and data breaches, while protecting data privacy. This will allow us to reduce the needless regulations and business-stifling elements, while taking the best bits from others around the world to form a truly bespoke, British system of data protection.

    Let me be clear, Conference, this is not another wave of legislation on business. Businesses won’t have to wrap their heads around complicated legislation – this is about simplification. In fact, it is this government seizing the opportunity to support our job creators. And I will be involving them right from the start in the design of a tailored, business-friendly British system of data protection. One that, protects the consumer, protects data adequacy and increases the trade that good data protection enables, whilst increasing productivity and also avoids the pitfalls of a one-size-fits-all system. It is time we seize this post Brexit opportunity fully, and unleash the full growth potential of British business. We can be the bridge across the Atlantic and operate as the world’s data hub.

    But Conference as you know, there is so much more to DCMS. As someone who is passionate about grassroots sport, especially having seen the impact that Chippenham Town and Melksham Town Football Clubs have had on my local community, I could not be happier to be the Secretary of State in charge of sport at a time where British sporting excellence is all around us. Our heroic Lionesses inspired millions of young girls and football fans this Summer, kicking off a new era in women’s football. The world also watched in awe as the Commonwealth Games took the nation by storm, exhibiting the very best of British talent and culture.

    What’s more, this Conservative Government didn’t just deliver the games on time and on budget, but delivered it on time and under budget – over 60 million under in fact. And today, I am delighted to announce that we are going to invest that money to really cement the legacy of the games – right back here in the West Midlands. Investing in pro-growth legacy projects for the people of the West Midlands, working with our driven, passionate, delivery machine for the West Midlands.

    So, while Labour try to choke growth in the West Midlands by backing crippling rail strikes, we are getting on with the job of injecting investment and producing growth not just here but around the country.

    This is also a Government that is connecting a new household to full fibre broadband every 7 seconds. And rolling out good broadband and 5G has the potential to revolutionise our country’s economy, accelerating growth, jobs and improving the quality of life for millions of people.

    For some people, better broadband and 5G will mean they are finally able to access streaming services on a stable connection in their home. For others, it might mean that they can get access to 5G connected mobile health scanners, bringing next generation healthcare to their local town. Or for farmers, it could enable them to use live sensors to detect in real time, about the fertilisation and moisture needed for their crops. The possibilities are endless, and the benefits extend far beyond simply loading up web pages faster. That’s why I will soon be announcing a package of measures in Parliament, that will make it easier for us to rollout fast broadband across the country, and that will massively accelerate progress.

    There are also huge opportunities for our growth agenda with the cultural, arts and creative industries including media and we want to continue this trend, ensuring that we accelerate it with the right skills – and let me take this opportunity to thank the BBC and all broadcasters for the excellent coverage and tribute they gave to Her late Majesty the Queen.

    Another area of growth is tourism, which we are also boosting, by re-introducing VAT-free shopping for overseas visitors. And we will replace the old paper-based system with a modern, digital system that will come into place very soon.

    The final part of my plan for DCMS is built on the soundly conservative principles of protecting the things that we love rather than tearing them down.

    As a former Children and Families Minister, I know first-hand that there is no greater duty than protecting our children, especially as they browse online. Our party, is founded on the principle that stronger families mean a stronger country, and a basic building block of a strong family is ensuring the safety of children.

    For too long, have social media giants been chipping away at children’s innocence by feeding them dangerous content contrary to their own terms and conditions. Which has led to devasting tragedies.

    Last week the inquest into the death of Molly Russell further highlighted the horrific failure of social media platforms to put the welfare of children first. We owe it, to Ian Russell and all of Molly’s family to do everything in our power to stop this happening again. Our online safety bill must be the answer and I will make sure that the bill’s key objective is ensuring social media firms protect children and young people. Conference, I can confirm that the bill will be returning to Parliament – and my dedicated ministerial team and I are working flat out to ensure the bill is delivered and we are strengthening the protections in place for children.

    But rest assured Conference that I am making changes to the Bill in relation to freedom of speech for adults. I am the Minister who brought forward the Higher Education Freedom of Speech Bill and so I know just how vital it is that we get this right and ensure that our rights to freedom of expression and free speech are protected. And there needs to be more accountability and transparency for users, so I will be bringing forward measures in the Bill to ensure that this is the case.

    Free speech underpins our British democracy – we are in fact a country with a long history of supporting and exporting free speech ideas. In many ways, Britain is the home of free speech. It is the beating heart on which all of our other freedoms rest. But – let’s remember, protecting children online and protecting free speech for adults do not need to be at odds with one another. As you can see fairness, honesty and common sense are the values that I rely on to tackle the big issues.

    I am an evidence-based politician and over the coming months you will see that I am not afraid to make tough decisions, and will stick to our conservative principles to make people’s lives better and fairer.

    Because, we are the party that delivers high paid jobs in tech and digital so that our economy grows. We are the party that connects our country to fast broadband and 5G so that families and businesses can prosper. And we are the party that protects British culture and institutions with common sense values. This bold Conservative Government is going to accelerate our delivery and stand true to our principles.

    Thank you, Conference.

  • Ranil Jayawardena – 2022 Speech to Conservative Party Conference

    Ranil Jayawardena – 2022 Speech to Conservative Party Conference

    The speech made by Ranil Jayawardena, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, in Birmingham on 3 October 2022.

    I am delighted to be standing before you today, as your Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

    And it is a great privilege to serve you in this role because I was raised in a rural county, the county that my family and I still live in, the fine county of Hampshire, the north east of which I represent today.

    It was when I was at Hook Infant School that I learnt how soap used to be made and began to speak up against whaling, which loopholes sadly still allow today.

    It was at Hook Junior School that I championed recycling, before separate kerbside collections existed, and everything was going to landfill.

    Like our Prime Minister, I am proud to say I was an environmentalist before it was fashionable.

    Having grown up in North East Hampshire, I understand the issues faced by those in rural communities too.

    I will be a champion for people who live in the countryside the length and breadth of our nation.

    And I look forward to visiting to farms, businesses and charities across the country, including PDM Produce in Shropshire where I was yesterday, and Mondelez in Bourneville, who I will be visiting on Wednesday.

    Thanks to everyone who has given me such a warm welcome already, here in Birmingham and across the West Midlands, even if the same can’t be said for Twitter.

    There is much to do.

    And I have been put here by the Prime Minister to deliver.

    At DEFRA, we’re all about EFG.

    The Environment.

    Food.

    And Growth.

    I am delighted to have a great team who are already getting on with the job –

    Trudy Harrison as your Minister for the Environment;

    Mark Spencer as your Minister for Food;

    and Scott Mann as your Minister for Growth;

    all ably supported by Lord Benyon as Minister for International Nature and Biosecurity,

    and Lord Harlech, Darren Henry, Laura Farris and Antony Higginbotham in the Whips Offices and as my Parliamentary Private Secretaries.

    And as we all get on with the job, top of the list – key to unlocking everything else we want – is growing our economy.

    Though our opponents would like to pretend otherwise, a strong, healthy environment and a strong, healthy economy are not incompatible.

    In fact, they are perfect partners.

    A strong environment and a strong economy is how we deliver in a Conservative way.

    That’s why I can assure you all today that my Department should no longer be seen as one that follows the EU, imposes rules and impedes innovation.

    Instead of being a regulatory department, we are now an economic growth department.

    Food and drink is our largest manufacturing sector.

    It is bigger than automotive and aerospace put together, with a presence in every constituency in this country.

    The opportunity for growth in the sector is enormous – and it will bring jobs, skills and prosperity across the nation.

    More than ever, we know the importance of food security – it is crucial for our national resilience and we must boost it further still.

    British food and British farming are the best in the world – premium products that should not just be enjoyed at home – rather they should be championed around the world.

    Here at home, we should be able to buy British with confidence and pride.

    But, to do that, we need to tighten up our labelling.

    We have some of the highest animal welfare standards in the world.

    Shoppers vote with their feet and choose to buy British for just that reason.

    And yet, did you know that Danish pork processed in Britain can be sold as British?

    But we don’t have to bow the knee to every bureaucratic Bonaparte in Brussels anymore.

    Haven’t we taken back control?

    That’s why we will be working with supermarkets and producers to improve the data they collect on where our food comes from – and we will launch new British labelling, so that the people of our great nation can have confidence that anything labelled as British IS British.

    And this has an extra Brexit bonus.

    Instead of keeping the world’s best food and drink a secret, we will sell more of it around the globe,

    with the Union Flag symbolising once again the quality that people around the world want to buy.

    Whilst at the Department for International Trade, the Prime Minister and I were determined to open new markets and we succeeded.

    British beef is back in America…

    … we are selling chicken to Mongolia.

    We are shipping Scottish salmon to Saudi Arabia…

    And our friends in Canada are enjoying Scotch Whisky too…

    This is just the beginning.

    Like the Prime Minister when she was Environment Secretary,

    in a fortnight, I will be in Paris at the world’s largest food fair…

    … bigging up British products.

    I will be working closely with my friends at Trade…

    … to make sure we are capitalising on every export opportunity for our premium produce to the world…

    … at the premium prices our farmers, fishermen and food producers deserve.

    We have huge opportunities – lamb to the Gulf, dairy to the Far East, the list goes on.

    The opportunity isn’t just demand-led though.

    Supply-side reforms are crucial.

    Now that we have left the EU, I am delighted to tell you that we are going to free our farmers, and we are listening to all sides for new ideas to get Britain growing, such as the review undertaken by Baroness Rock to back our tenant farmers.

    Unlike the Labour Party, we trust our farmers, so we will cut through the red tape that has held back our farms for too long.

    We announced in our growth plan that we would review farming regulations but – contrary to what you might have read in some corners of the media – we remain committed to our environmental schemes that support our farmers as they look after our countryside.

    Some rules in the past didn’t do what they set out to. The three-crop rule and greening requirements are already gone and we will be announcing more in the coming weeks.

    I bulldozed 400 trade barriers in my time at Trade and I will continue to get things done.

    We must look to the future too.

    We will use our new grant schemes to support farmers and food producers to invest in the technology that will boost their productivity and profitability.

    The technological advancements being made in the agricultural and horticultural sectors are astounding,

    producing more food whilst using fewer resources, including water.

    And using less water is vital.

    It’s been a long, hot summer.

    With crop failure being a very real worry, we need a little rain.

    And when the rain comes, we need our flood defences to be strong, to protect life and property, and we need our watercourses and beaches to be safe and sewage-free.

    I believe in private enterprise.

    We all do.

    It’s business that creates jobs, secures our prosperity and pays for public services.

    Private enterprise is intrinsic to our Conservative DNA.

    And yet

    we all know that government must step in if there is market failure.

    Our water companies have a lot to answer for.

    Too much water is wasted through leaks each year when we should be conserving it, and, in 2022,

    we still find sewage in our rivers

    and on our beaches.

    That is not on.

    On my first day in office, I met Water Company bosses to give them their report card.

    They caused 62 serious pollution incidents in 2021.

    I’ll be polite: could do better.

    I asked them to write to me with their plans to accelerate investment in infrastructure.

    They did –

    and now they must deliver.

    Privatisation has put in £170billion of investment into our water infrastructure already,

    and the private sector will now put in another £56billion more.

    And, if they don’t deliver, there will be consequences.

    I can confirm to you today that I will be taking forward plans to lift the Environment Agency’s maximum civil fine for each individual breach of the rules from up to just 250,000 pounds, to up to 250 million.

    This doesn’t only affect families going to our beautiful British lakes, rivers and beaches in the summer,

    or surfers braving the cold winter swells.

    It has repercussions for our environment,

    at a time when our biodiversity is seriously under threat.

    Biodiversity is declining faster than at any time in human history.

    We rely on nature to provide us with food, water and clean air,

    and biodiversity is crucial to enabling nature to be productive and resilient.

    More than half of global GDP is estimated to be dependent on biodiversity and nature.

    That’s over £40 trillion.

    When I was first elected, I founded the All Party Parliamentary Group on Endangered Species.

    I believe in halting the decline.

    Except, I should say, my friends, for the decline of the lesser but still too often spotted: the so-called Liberal Democrat.

    That’s a species I would be happy to see remain on the endangered list.

    I stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you, my friends.

    Like you, I have fought the Lib Dems and the Socialists in communities across the country –

    as an Association Officer,

    as a Councillor,

    and as a Member of Parliament.

    And, in this brief,

    at DEFRA,

    I will work day and night to preserve our green and pleasant land.

    Our rural landscapes – the clouded hills, the mountains green – are precious to all of
    us, and we have a duty to our children and our children’s children to protect them.

    I will honour that duty and I will not let leftists who seek to divide us undermine that
    collective responsibility we all share to protect our environment.

    It is this Conservative Government that has put in place world leading targets to halt the decline in nature by 2030, with particular thanks to the hard work of my immediate predecessors, George Eustice and Theresa Villiers.

    This is a challenge, and one that requires action by many to be achieved.

    But achieve it we must, for it is critical to the growth we want to see, the Conservative environmentalism we believe in.

    We are going for growth, where a strong, healthy environment, is part of a strong, healthy economy.

    This is a huge task.

    There is much to do.

    And we are determined to deliver.

  • Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Statement on the Situation in Ukraine (03/10/2022) – 222 days

    Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Statement on the Situation in Ukraine (03/10/2022) – 222 days

    The statement made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 3 October 2022.

    Dear Ukrainians! I wish you health!

    Important events took place today in Turkey during a visit of the First Lady of Ukraine, the head of the President’s Office and other our representatives.

    In the presence of Olena, the first corvette for our country from those, which will be built by the Turkish side, was launched. It is corvette Hetman Ivan Mazepa.

    Its building began in 2021 and will be completed in due time. I consider it very symbolic that it got this name. Despite a century of Russian false propaganda, historical truth and justice still prevail.

    And there is no reason for our project to build a new fleet for Ukraine to fail. We will implement all the shaped plans. Our goal is to create a full-fledged base for ship maintenance and building in Ukraine.

    Today, Andriy Yermak together with the Ukrainian delegation visited the facilities of the Baykar company, which produces, in particular, well-known Bayraktar UCAVs for us. On behalf of all Ukrainians, Andriy thanked the company’s managers and presented Selçuk Bayraktar, the chairman of the Baykar’s Board, with the Order of Merit, which was awarded to him on the anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence.

    However, this meeting is not symbolic, it is quite practical. We are preparing to create a training center and a plant of the Baykar company in Ukraine, as well as joint manufacturing of aircraft engines. We will definitely implement these projects.

    Ukraine has always been and will be one of the European centers of the military and aviation industry. And I am proud that I can say these words with absolute confidence and justification based on the results of the 221st day of Russia’s full-scale war against our state.

    Something went wrong with someone…

    And these meetings are not the end of our diplomatic activity today.

    There was also a meeting of the first ladies of Ukraine and Turkey – and I thank President Erdoğan and his wife Emine for their continued support of our efforts to restore peace.

    The First Lady of Ukraine and our delegation met with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. Patriarch Bartholomew’s view on the war unleashed by Russia and his position on supporting our state are well known. And today they sounded again – very powerfully. I thank you for this, thank you for understanding the needs of our people.

    The head of the Office held talks with the advisors to the President of the United States and the President of Turkey – Jake Sullivan and İbrahim Kalın. Very substantive negotiations. Absolutely in the interests of Ukraine. To strengthen our security.

    Today, I held talks with President of France Emmanuel Macron. We discussed in detail the situation on the front line, our successes at the front. President Macron clearly supported our state and condemned the Russian pseudo-referendums and the attempt to annex our territory. The strengthening of sanctions against Russia was discussed.

    We also discussed the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and the abduction of Director General of the ZNPP Ihor Murashov by the Russian occupiers. This is another manifestation of completely frank Russian terror, for which the terrorist state must bear an ever-increasing punishment.

    Today, we have a powerful joint statement from the leaders of nine NATO states: the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. They condemned Russia’s escalating moves and, most importantly, supported our aspiration to become a full member of NATO. We are moving in this direction. I am sure that we will implement this project.

    At least twice a day – in the morning and in the evening – I receive reports from our military. This week, the largest part of the reports is the list of settlements liberated from the enemy as part of our defense operation. The story of the liberation of Lyman in Donetsk region has now become the most popular in the media. But the successes of our soldiers are not limited to Lyman.

    This, you know, is the trend… Recently, someone somewhere held pseudo-referendums, and when the Ukrainian flag is returned, no one remembers the Russian farce with some pieces of paper and some annexations. Except, of course, law enforcement agencies of Ukraine. Because everyone who is involved in any elements of aggression against our state will be accountable for it.

    And I thank everyone who brings these moments of victory closer, who returns the Ukrainian flag to its rightful place on Ukrainian land. I thank everyone: from generals to ordinary soldiers, from professional soldiers, intelligence and special forces to volunteers and everyone who helps defend our state.

    And I would especially like to mention the 25th, 80th, 81st, and 95th brigades of amphibious assault troops for their successes in the east of our country; 14th and 92nd separate mechanized brigades; 1st, 4th and 17th tank brigades; Special Operations Forces; units of the National Guard and the National Police; SBU employees; and our intelligence – Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense. Thank you, warriors!

    And one more thing.

    Today, two professional holidays are celebrated in Ukraine – Teacher’s Day (Educator’s Day) and Territorial Defense Forces Day. Of course, a lot of kind and warm words have already been said to both educators and our Territorial Defense Forces men. But I want to add something.

    Effective defense is impossible without good national education. And there will be no good national education without effective defense. Fortunately, we have both of these elements. Thanks to the professionalism and conscientiousness of Ukrainian educators, teachers, and professors, we have soldiers who know what humanity is and appreciate everything that Ukraine represents. And thanks to our brave soldiers, Ukrainian education on Ukrainian land will transmit our values to all generations of our people.

    I thank every Ukrainian educator, teacher and lecturer! I thank each of our defenders!

    I’m thankful to the soldiers of the 127th Territorial Defense Brigade for defending the city of Kharkiv and liberating the territory of Kharkiv region. To the soldiers of the 110th brigade, who bravely repulsed the invaders in the Zaporizhzhia direction. To the soldiers of the 129th brigade of my native Kryvy Rih, who distinguished themselves with good results and liberated, in particular, Arkhanhelske and Myroliubivka. To the soldiers of the 115th Territorial Defense Brigade, who made a significant contribution to the defense of Zhytomyr region. And also to the soldiers of the 117th brigade, who defend the north-eastern direction in Sumy region.

    Ukraine will win!

    Glory to Ukraine!

  • Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Statement on the Situation in Ukraine (02/10/2022) – 221 days

    Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Statement on the Situation in Ukraine (02/10/2022) – 221 days

    The statement made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 2 October 2022.

    Dear Ukrainians!

    Dear all our defenders!

    Another week of our war for our independence comes to an end.

    The week that the enemy really wanted to make especially hard for us, but he made it really hard, but for himself. For Russia itself.

    Today, even more voices in the world have joined in condemning the pseudo-referendums and Russia’s attempt to annex our territory – the territory of Ukraine.

    I am grateful for every such voice.

    As a result, we already have dozens of statements that clearly support Ukraine and international law and condemn Russia for this new aggressive step.

    I would like to especially note the statement of UN Secretary General António Guterres.

    He bluntly said that Russia violates the goals and principles of the UN, the UN Charter and that the pseudo-referendums and attempted annexation will have no legal force.

    When such words are heard at the highest level in the UN, everyone in the world understands everything.

    And Russia has no such veto right that can stop or cancel this understanding of the world.

    Russia is losing the fight for the international community. The world will not allow a return to the times of colonial conquests, criminal annexations and total arbitrariness instead of international law.

    And the main thing… The main thing is our resistance with you, our protection with you, our movement with you towards the liberation of the entire Ukrainian territory.

    It is our movement that puts everything in its place.

    Russia has staged a farce in Donbas. An absolute farce, which it wanted to present as an alleged referendum.

    They depicted something there, drove machine gunners around the houses, carried pieces of paper, the propagandists filmed all this in the part of Donbas they controlled.

    And now a Ukrainian flag is there.

    During this week, there were more Ukrainian flags in Donbas. It will be even more in a week.

    What then is a pseudo-referendum? Are there two Donetsk regions? Two villages of Yampil, Donetsk region? Are there two villages of Torske?

    The Ukrainian movement will continue.

    The Ukrainian flag is already in Lyman, Donetsk region. Fighting is still going on there. But there is no trace of any pseudo-referendum there.

    It is logical for Ukraine. And for the enemy, there will be more and more such “mismatches.”

    By the way, they have already started biting each other there: they are looking for the culprits, accusing some generals of failures…

    This is the first bell that should be heard at all levels of the Russian government.

    Until you all solve the problem with the one who started it all, who started this senseless for Russia war against Ukraine, you will be killed one by one, making scapegoats, so as not to admit that this war is a historical mistake for Russia.

    Ukraine will return its own. Both in the east and in the south. And what they tried to annex now, and Crimea, which has been called annexed since 2014.

    Our flag will be everywhere.

    There will be punishment for those who committed this crime of aggression against our independent state.

    On October 1, 76 years ago, the Nuremberg Tribunal ended its work.

    In many ways, it was this process that laid the foundations of the modern world – the legal foundations of justice. Everything that ruscism is trying to destroy.

    Therefore, another tribunal will inevitably take place, which will put an end to the careers of all those responsible for this Russian “special operation” against the international system, which began in 2014 and became full-scale on February 24, and will end thanks to the heroism of our people.

    Today, we still do not know on which day it will happen. But we know that the day of our victory will come. It will definitely be. And after it the day of judgment for the ruscists will be. It will definitely be.

    I thank everyone who brings this time closer. Who is approaching it daily.

    Thanks to everyone who fights and works for our victory! Thanks to everyone who helps!

    Thank you to President Biden and the US Congress for providing more than $12 billion in supplemental support. It will definitely strengthen our common freedom.

    Glory to the invincible people of Ukraine!

    Glory to our soldiers!

    Glory to Ukraine!