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Tag: Speeches

  • Priti Patel – 2022 Statement on the Inquiry into the Death of Dawn Sturgess

    Priti Patel – 2022 Statement on the Inquiry into the Death of Dawn Sturgess

    The statement made by Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, in the House of Commons on 10 March 2022.

    I announced on 18 November 2021 the Government decision to establish an inquiry under the Inquiries Act 2005, to investigate the death of Dawn Sturgess in Amesbury on 8 July 2018, after she was exposed to the nerve agent Novichok.

    The inquiry will now be chaired by the Lord Hughes of Ombersley.

    Lord Hughes is a retired judge who was a former judge of the Supreme Court, as well as a Lord Justice of Appeal and vice-president of the criminal division. Lord Hughes is also a judicial commissioner to the Investigatory Powers Commissioner’s Office (IPCO).

    In accordance with section 3(1) of the Act, this inquiry will be undertaken by Lord Hughes alone as chair.

    The Government are establishing this inquiry after careful consideration of advice from Baroness Hallett, who led the inquest, that this is necessary to permit all relevant evidence to be heard.

    This is an important step in ensuring that the family of Dawn Sturgess get the answers they need.

    The current inquest will be suspended after the establishment of the inquiry. The inquiry will formally start on 17 March.

    I will today place a copy of the terms of reference, which remain unchanged, for the inquiry in the Libraries of both Houses.

    The inquiry’s investigations will be a matter for the chair. As the sponsoring Department, the Home Office will provide support and ensure that the inquiry has the resources that it needs.

  • Julia Lopez – 2022 Statement on Digital Identity and Attributes

    Julia Lopez – 2022 Statement on Digital Identity and Attributes

    The statement made by Julia Lopez, the Minister for Media, Data and Digital Infrastructure, in the House of Commons on 10 March 2022.

    I wish to inform the House that the Government have today published their response to the digital identity and attributes consultation.

    In our increasingly digital world, and as technology devices become ever more integral to everyday life, being able to prove identities digitally is a tool which will give people more convenience, choice and security in how they access products and services. From making purchases, starting a new job, or moving house, it is important now more than ever that people and organisations can trust who they are dealing with as easily when transacting online as they do when dealing with others in the physical world.

    Published in July 2021, the digital identity and attributes consultation sought views on three main proposals that could achieve a safe and secure digital identity system for the whole UK. Extensive engagement informed these proposals and the contents of the consultation response. We are determined to put the needs of individuals first with a strong focus on privacy, security and inclusion.

    Based on the views received from respondents to the consultation, our response details the Government’s intent to legislate, when parliamentary time allows, to enable the development of a secure and trusted marketplace for digital identities and attributes across the UK economy.

    First, the Government will seek to introduce legislation that will establish a digital identity and attributes governance function. This will help to build a trusted ecosystem in which digital identities and attributes can be used safely and securely across the economy. The governance function will have oversight of the UK digital identity and attributes trust framework and will be responsible for the issuance of a trust mark to organisations certified against it. This will give confidence to individual users of digital identities and attributes that they can trust certified organisations to offer safe and secure digital products because they have a trust mark to show they are adhering to the standards of the UK trust framework.

    The Government will also seek to introduce legislation to enable public bodies to allow secure digital checks by trust-marked organisations against personal data they hold for the purposes of identity and eligibility verification. This will allow people and businesses to have confidence that digital identities in the UK can be built on trusted datasets in a way which upholds UK standards of privacy and data minimisation.

    Finally, the Government will seek to introduce legislation which will establish that data held by public bodies which are then shared digitally through the legal gateway, are equivalent to the same data shared through traditionally accepted forms of identification, such as physical passports. This will provide all parties that rely on these data with the clarity and confidence that digital identities and attributes can be trusted.

    Further details can be found in the consultation response, available at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/digital-identity-and-attributes-consultation/outcome/government-response-to-the-digital-identity-and-attributes-consultation.

    A copy of the consultation response will also be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

  • Nadhim Zahawi – 2022 Speech to the Association of School and College Leaders Conference

    Nadhim Zahawi – 2022 Speech to the Association of School and College Leaders Conference

    The speech made by Nadhim Zahawi, the Secretary of State for Education, on 11 March 2022.

    Ladies and gentlemen, I am really pleased and honoured to be here for my first ASCL conference.

    I have been looking forward to being with you.

    As we gather today, the Ukrainian flag flies over the Department for Education. It does so because we stand shoulder to shoulder with all Ukrainians against the barbaric, criminal invasion of their sovereign, democratic country.

    For us in our country, it is almost impossible to imagine the horror they are going through, because we know that more unites us than separates us, and we are lucky to live in a safe, secure country where we resolve our differences through debate, discussion and of course through and the ballot box.

    We will continue to support Ukrainians in any way we can. I know schools and colleges are doing what they can to support their students make sense of what they are seeing on television.

    And we have a team that’s already making plans for a capacity of 100,000 Ukrainian children that will come in and take their places in our schools.

    To support schools’ efforts, I asked Oak National Academy to roll out an auto-translate function across all 10,000 of its online lessons. And I can share with you today that they have delivered on this, meaning Ukrainian children arriving in the UK can access education in their native language as they transition into life and safety here.

    In that same spirit of unity and support, after the two years we’ve just been through, I’d like to thank you on such a well-chosen and positive theme.

    I think all leaders should aim to be ambitious but there has never been a more critical time for leaders to make ambition really count.

    Actually, ambition is what gets me racing to the office in the morning …

    And before you say it, well there’s a surprise… he’s another politician…

    My ambition isn’t for me, but for every child, every teenager, every adult learner to get the absolute best chance to succeed in life.

    Which I know is exactly what you want for every child.

    So, with that in mind, as I speak to you, I want us to ask ourselves, why are we here today?

    Before I go any further, I just want to say thank you for the magnificent way you have responded to Covid – I know the past two years have been absolutely bruising.

    Now, typically when you hear from an Education Secretary, you might expect to hear about accomplishments in the sector – and certainly, in this room, there are enough accomplishments to fill the entirety of my speech.

    I will in a moment talk about what we have achieved together.

    But before I do that, I want to tell you why this is so important to me personally.

    I came here aged 11, unable to string a sentence of English together. I hid at the back of the class.

    Even the thought of going to school was a scary one.

    If my parents hadn’t had the wherewithal to push me to take advantage of the education this great country provides, I don’t know where I would have ended up.

    And if my teacher Bob Hiller hadn’t reminded me to funnel my – how should I put it – creative, disruptive energy into something good, I certainly wouldn’t be here today. Bob, wherever you are, thank you.

    Skills, schools, families. These are my priorities, and these are informed in many ways by my own life story.

    They are what made the difference to me and what I think can make a real difference in the lives of children across our country.

    Because there are children in our country, right now, who need the support that I needed.

    And those children will achieve incredible things if given that chance.

    Colleagues, we are going on a journey – I hope together – to do exactly that.

    The next chapter of this journey is the Schools White Paper.

    Since 2010 we have been on a mission to give every single child a great education, and I think we’ve made huge progress, but we have not yet achieved every goal that we need to.

    Too many children still do not get the start in life that will enable them to go on and fulfil their potential.

    Even before the Covid pandemic, about one in three primary school students did not reach expected standards in reading, writing and maths.

    And we all know that children who are on free-school meals or who have special educational needs are less likely to achieve the standards we want for them, and that gap widens as children get older, making it harder and harder for them to catch up…

    I know you’ll agree with me that this has to change. This is going to change.

    I want us to really come together… work together… so that we can work out how we are going to achieve this.

    The biggest asset we have in changing the lives of children for generations to come is the energy and expertise of our teachers, and of course the school and college leaders in this room and around the country.

    You can’t have a great education if you don’t have a great teacher.

    You will already know that I have set an ambitious target that 90% of children leaving primary school should meet the expected standards in literacy and numeracy, up from 65% today.

    Every child must be able to read, write and do basic maths fluently.

    They’re important in their own right, but also act as a door to other wonderful and joyful subjects that can inspire young minds as they make their way through school, college and beyond.

    Let me be clear: these are ambitions for the whole system. They are about making sure that we are ambitious for every child across our country.

    The White Paper sets out a plan to deliver on this strategy, and it is an achievable vision only because I know that in this room, we have the excellence and leadership to make it a reality.

    I know that investing in teachers and leaders – in you and your staff – is the single most important way to improve pupil outcomes.

    I am determined to make our system of training and support for teachers and school and college leaders world-class.

    We will deliver our promised 500,000 teacher training opportunities to make sure that every teacher, in every corner of our country, benefits from evidence-based professional development at every stage of their career.

    I am proud to be able to confirm today that more than 25,000 teachers and almost 23,000 mentors have taken part in our flagship Early Career Framework programmes this year.

    This is beyond even my most optimistic estimate, and, I think, testament to the support you as leaders are providing.

    But I also know that embedding this programme has been a huge undertaking for you and your colleagues, particularly mentors. We are listening to your feedback and we will be making improvements in areas that you have told us are causing real difficulties.

    And I want to keep working with you now and in the future to make sure we take forward this shared priority and to ensure that we achieve our shared goal of giving every early career teacher their entitlement to a high-quality, structured induction to the teaching profession.

    Building on this success, our golden thread of high-quality teacher development programmes includes a new Leading Literacy National Professional Qualification, available from this autumn.

    This will mean every school can have a trained literacy expert, driving higher standards of literacy teaching, kick-starting our 90% literacy mission.

    With this, as with the rest of the reformed suite of National Professional Qualifications, these will be freely available to all teachers and leaders in state-funded schools and colleges.

    What I ask, for those here or watching this speech, is that every leader here today walk away from this with a commitment to enrol their staff on a National Professional Qualification from the autumn.

    Alongside world-class training, we will also continue to invest in top graduates with generous bursaries and scholarships for those who choose to train to teach.

    And we will deliver on our manifesto commitment to the £30,000 starting salary.

    As an engineering graduate, I know the wonders of science and I want more children to be exposed to and inspired by science – not least to help save the planet.

    I want them to be taught by well-trained science teachers, equipped to give future generations of scientists the knowledge they need to tackle climate change, develop new vaccines and maintain our place as a scientific superpower.

    Through our Levelling Up Premium worth up to £3,000 tax-free for maths, physics, chemistry and computing teachers, we will retain more teachers in some of the most important subjects and of course in places where they are needed most.

    And because teaching is an increasingly global profession, I want to attract the very best teachers from across the world.

    That is why we will also introduce a new relocation premium to help with visas and other expenses for teachers and trainees moving here from abroad.

    But even this is not enough: I want our country to be known around the world as the place to train and practise teaching, rivalling the likes of Shanghai, Canada and of course Finland.

    But of course, great teachers need support.

    I want to empower teachers to focus on delivering the best possible lessons, and support schools by giving them access to resources and approaches that have proved their effectiveness.

    Oak National Academy has certainly been one of our great achievements.

    It was created by teachers, for teachers, and showed brilliantly what the profession was capable of in the hour of need.

    Over 500 teachers from over 50 schools, trusts and partners worked together, delivering over 140 million lessons during the pandemic.

    Building on this success, we will now establish Oak as a new arms-length curriculum body, working independently of government and collaboratively with the sector.

    Why is this important?

    The data backs up what you all know anecdotally: a recent survey showed 46% of primary teachers plan lessons from scratch. This is a drain on teachers’ time and I want to help fix that.

    Curriculum design is complex, and we want to share the very best practice so teachers can draw inspiration from examples of evidence based, carefully sequenced curriculum design.

    Instead of each teacher reinventing the wheel, they will be able to access content, for free, that continuously evolves and gets better and better on the back of feedback from teachers across the country – saving time and of course improving lessons immeasurably.

    Under the framework already provided by our excellent national curriculum, the curriculum body will lead the creation of curriculum maps and thousands of downloadable lessons and resources… and all freely available to all teachers, parents and children.

    These will help schools in a variety of ways depending on their needs. They will be also entirely optional and of course these materials will not be mandated by Ofsted.

    Teachers, who know their pupils best, can then adapt these, and the curriculum body will work closely with teachers to ensure it is meeting their needs, including those supporting children with additional needs.

    And the body will continue work with the Education Endowment Foundation – the EEF – to ensure its work is informed by the best available evidence and aligns with best practice.

    At the heart of this body will be collaboration and partnership, I am committed to building on the “by teachers, for teachers” approach that has been a key success factor for Oak National Academy.

    And with the same motivation to use evidence wherever we can, we will permanently put evidence at the heart of the teaching profession by re-endowing the EEF.

    As independent evidence guardians in the system, they will continue to generate and spread world-leading education evidence. The EEF will lead an ongoing cycle of reviews of the underpinning frameworks for teacher development at all levels to make sure they’re always based on “what works” to improve pupil outcomes.

    They will keep these frameworks updated in line with the best available evidence from this country and of course from abroad, giving an independent badge of assurance to our teacher development programmes… and all the while making sure teachers in England get the cutting-edge training they need to drive up standards.

    And we will continue to work with the EEF to scale up and spread effective teaching practice in literacy and numeracy to ensure pupils have the best chance of catching up following the pandemic.

    Colleagues, we must be sky-high in our ambitions for every pupil. If we don’t aim for excellence, we’re not going to achieve it by chance.

    I’ve listened to you, acted on your insight, and looked at the evidence across the whole educational landscape. And evidence shows that a family of schools that are tightly managed and well supported achieve the right outcomes for their students and deliver those important opportunities for staff.

    How? There are three things I want to highlight.

    A resilient profession… because high performing families of schools support leaders and give great opportunities to teachers for training and career progression.

    Collaboration… because schools can benefit from working together, creating opportunities to share resources and reduce workload, while reinvesting back into frontline teaching.

    And Freedom… because leaders spend less time worrying about managing facilities and more time making sure children learn and teachers teach.

    I’ve been clear before that I see this future as involving all schools being part of a strong trust – and I will say more about this in my White Paper.

    But I will say now that I underline the word strong because, and we mustn’t sugar coat this, some trusts are not high performing. The White Paper will set out how I plan to deal with that challenge as well.

    You are the future my friends, and you are going to produce other leaders of the future. We need you – I need you – on this journey.

    I know that everyone in this room will have an opinion on this – I’d expect nothing less, but I ask you to consider the data, the evidence, with an as open mind as possible.

    What I will pledge to you is that I will be guided by the data and the evidence.

    I want evidence to be our watchword, just as it was mine as vaccines Minister and continues to be now as Secretary of State for Education.

    In fact, following what the data tells me has shaped the new Schools White Paper.

    But that doesn’t mean I expect everyone to agree with me all the time. I am not afraid to disagree with you, and I know you – certainly Geoff – are not afraid to challenge me.

    What is important is that we follow what the evidence says. If we have a divergence of views on the evidence, then we will have a healthy debate and I will make my case as I am sure you will make yours.

    But no matter what, the priority must be working together.

    Because we can’t level up, we can’t deliver for children, if we don’t work together.

    Everything we are doing as a government comes back to one core mission and that is that we make life fairer for every child, in every school in our country.

    One of the most effective tools we have at our disposal to meet our ambition is targeted support.

    A huge part of that is tutoring, which I know will be going on in all of your schools right now.

    It’s important to step back and look at what we’ve achieved with the National Tutoring Programme.

    Tutoring used to be something only richer parents could afford.

    Thanks to the NTP, today it’s benefitting all children who need it, from Bristol to Blackpool and Newquay to Newcastle, helping them realise their potential.

    I am proud to be able to say that more than one million tutoring courses have been delivered since we rolled out this programme last year. ASCL, this is incredible.

    But there are still children who need this targeted tuition, and I know that many of you have had challenges with the programme. I have listened and I have heard you, and we are making improvements as I speak to you today.

    This includes the immediate transfer of up to £65 million into School Led Tutoring from the other two routes. It’s become clear to me that by far the most popular route is the one run by you – the school.

    I hope you will agree with me that what we are doing together on tutoring is an invaluable addition to our education system, and I am continuing to look at how we can make sure it is having as big an impact as we can make it.

    In addition to this, one of my priorities in the White Paper will be the schools and areas of the country most in need of support.

    Areas including County Durham, Cornwall and Hartlepool will get extra investment, to build strong trusts, enabling them to retain and recruit the best teachers and tackle those problems that have stopped them achieving what they should be achieving.

    I want to get this right, and I want you to have your say, so I will be announcing a consultation shortly on tackling school underperformance.

    Ahead of that, we must build on what we have already accomplished.

    We must make the most of the £7 billion increase in core spending 2024-25 – with an increase in real terms per pupil funding of 4% next year alone – really count.

    And, we cannot say we care about children’s education if we ignore those most in need. So, we must protect the pupil premium to support schools in improving outcomes for disadvantaged students.

    Because I have the same high ambitions for children with special educational needs and disabilities as I do for every child. And I know that they benefit from excellent teaching that allows them to fulfil their potential.

    I also know that headteachers are doing an incredible job at supporting children with SEND, and worked tirelessly to support them throughout the pandemic.

    So, before I come to a close, I want to say that the plans I am setting out today – for teacher development, for evidence-based practice, and for high quality curriculum – will all help to support children with SEND. But there is further to go.

    The forthcoming SEND Review will set our ambitious proposals for how we will deliver a system that ensures every child and young person gets the right support in the right place and at the right time.

    Geoff, I began by asking everyone why we are here today.

    I am here today to deliver on the promise in this room.

    I am here to embark on a journey together – one that means every single child and learner gets the start in life to be the best version of themselves….

    I couldn’t hope to deliver this vision if it wasn’t for you…

    Thank you.

     

  • Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Statement on the Situation in Ukraine (09/03/2022)

    Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Statement on the Situation in Ukraine (09/03/2022)

    The statement made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 9 March 2022.

    Europeans! Ukrainians! Mariupol residents!

    Today is the day that defines everything. Defines who is on whose side. Russian bombs fell on a hospital and maternity hospital in Mariupol. Children’s hospital. Maternity hospital that is functioning! Buildings are destroyed. As of now, there are 17 wounded. Disassembly of the debris is still ongoing. People began to hide from the air threat in time.

    From 500 kg aviation bombs dropped by the invaders on Ukrainian cities. Many times already.

    Children’s hospital. Maternity hospital. What did they threaten the Russian Federation with? What kind of country is this – the Russian Federation, which is afraid of hospitals and maternity hospitals and destroys them? Were there little Banderivtsi? Or were pregnant women going to fire at Rostov? Did someone in the maternity hospital abuse Russian-speakers? What was that? Was it the denazification of the hospital?

    It is beyond atrocities already. Everything that the invaders are doing to Mariupol is beyond atrocities already. Europeans! Ukrainians! Mariupol residents! Today, we must be united in condemning this war crime of Russia, which reflects all the evil that the invaders brought to our land.

    All destroyed cities. What they did to Volnovakha, Kharkiv, Izyum, Okhtyrka, Chernihiv, Borodyanka, Hostomel, Zhytomyr and dozens of other Ukrainian cities, which never posed any threat to the Russian Federation.

    Destroyed hospitals. Destroyed schools, churches, houses. And all the people killed. All the children killed.

    The air bomb on the maternity hospital is the final proof. Proof that the genocide of Ukrainians is taking place.

    Europeans! You won’t be able to say that you didn’t see what happened to Ukrainians, what happened to Mariupol residents. You saw. You know.

    Therefore, you must increase sanctions against Russia so that it no longer has any opportunity to continue this genocide.

    You must put pressure on Russia to force it to sit down at the negotiating table and end this brutal war.

    Moscow knows very well that Mariupol is also the Donetsk region. We have heard so much from Russia about the inhabitants of the Donetsk region. So many accusations, so many demands… And now we see how Russia actually treats the residents of the Donetsk region. Treats ordinary people who live in the houses of Mariupol, work at the enterprises of the city of Mariupol, are treated in hospitals of Mariupol and give birth to children, imagine, people like you give birth to children in the maternity hospitals of Mariupol.

    We have not done and never would have done anything similar to this war crime to any of the cities of the Donetsk, Luhansk or any other region. To any of the cities on earth. Because we are people. And you?

    I spoke today with European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. We also worked and spoke with Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, with Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson. Thank you for your support, Boris.

    The partners are fully informed about what is happening in our Mariupol. And about the situation in all other regions of Ukraine, where hostilities continue. We are working to make Russia feel the consequences of its actions. We are doing everything to finally secure our sky. I am grateful to the vast majority of Ukrainians who support this position. Those who collect signatures, who convince their acquaintances in the West, write on social networks, organize rallies.

    Together we must return courage to some Western leaders. So that they finally do what they had to do on the first day of the invasion. Either close the Ukrainian sky from Russian missiles and bombs, or give us fighter jets so that we can do everything ourselves. A pause without a decision has become simply deadly.

    Today we managed to organize the work of three humanitarian corridors. From the city of Sumy, from the cities and towns of the Kyiv region and from Enerhodar.

    In total, about 35,000 people were rescued. We will continue tomorrow. We are preparing six corridors. We pray that people will be taken out of Mariupol, Izyum, Volnovakha, etc. Taken to safe cities of our free Ukraine.

    And I am sure that every Ukrainian whose help these people need will do everything possible to make them feel our care. Until they can return home.

    And finally. Every year on March 9, the winners of the Shevchenko Prize are announced. Our national award for the most significant contribution to the preservation and development of the Ukrainian spirit, our national culture.

    I believe that our traditions must be observed during martial law and the fierce battles for our freedom. We must not betray them so that we preserve all ours, Ukrainian, completely while we are heading to victory. While we are heading to peace.

    The decree was signed. Now I look forward to meeting the winners. But after the victory. After the victory of Ukraine.

    Glory to Ukraine!

  • Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Statement on the Situation in Ukraine (09/03/2022)

    Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Statement on the Situation in Ukraine (09/03/2022)

    The statement made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, on 9 March 2022.

    Brave Ukrainians of the unconquered country!

    It is already the 14th day of our defense. The 14th day of our unity. Truly all-Ukrainian. The scale of the threat to the state is maximum. The invasion contingent has already brought into our territory almost everyone who was gathered to invade Ukraine. But the scale of our answer is maximum as well. And these are two different words “maximum”.

    They have only equipment. At the maximum. We have our people in addition to the equipment. Up to the mark. They only have orders. To attack, to kill, to abuse. And we have a real desire of millions of Ukrainians to win. Defend ourselves. Clear our state…

    And on the renewed land

    There will be no enemy, adversary,

    And there will be a son, and there will be a mother,

    And there will be people on the land.

    Today is Taras Shevchenko’s birthday. This is our old dream. It is his dream to clean the land. And it is alive! And quite real.

    Ukrainians!

    Everything is in our hands! We withstood and inspired the whole world with our determination. There is no such place on earth where they are not aware of the heroism with which the Ukrainian people defend our beautiful land. Even where we are not supported, they know well what we have achieved. And they feel what else we will achieve if we save the country. If we maintain unity. National force. If we continue to respond wisely and boldly to the activity of the enemy who can destroy the walls of our homes, our schools, our churches, who can destroy Ukrainian enterprises, but will never reach our soul, our heart, our ability to live freely and fight boldly.

    Our military and territorial defense units managed to replenish the arsenal of our equipment due to the many trophies they took on the battlefield. Enemy tanks, armored vehicles, ammunition will now work for our defense. For our lives. For our country. What could be more humiliating for the invaders? We will beat the enemy with his own weapons. In addition to ours, which the Russian troops have already felt well, so that more and more enemy soldiers and commanders are asking themselves a simple question: why were they sent to this foreign land, to this war? And we have no answer. Except for one word – death.

    Russian soldiers!

    You still have a chance to survive. Almost two weeks of our resistance have shown you that we will not give up. Because this is our home. These are our families and children. We will fight until we regain our land and take revenge for all our killed people. For the killed children. You can still be saved if you just leave. Do not believe your commanders when they tell you that you still have a chance in Ukraine. Nothing is waiting for you here. Except for captivity, except for death. You take our lives and give yours. And we know – we have communications interception – that your commanders already understand everything.

    This war must be ended. We must return to peace. Leave our home, go back to yours.

    14 days of a full-scale brutal war. Terror against our people.

    Destruction of cities, blockade of entire districts, constant bombing… 14 days of absence of a vital decision. Not our decision! We would make that decision in hours if we had to help our friends.

    From the first day of the Russian invasion, Ukraine has been repeating to its partners that if you do not close the sky, you will also be responsible for this catastrophe, a large-scale humanitarian catastrophe.

    Russia uses missiles, aircraft, helicopters against us, against civilians, against our cities, against our infrastructure. This is the world’s humanitarian duty to respond. But… There is no decision.

    We are grateful to Poland for the alternative – for its readiness to provide Ukraine with combat aircraft. The problem is in logistics. In fact, it is a technical issue. It must be solved! Immediately.

    There is an official decision of Poland to transfer the planes to the relevant base – the American base. We also have confirmation – we have all heard – that the agreement between the American party and Poland has been reached. But at the same time we hear that Poland’s proposal is allegedly unfounded. And that’s what they say in Washington. We also read this. So when will the decision be made? Listen: we have a war! We do not have time for all these signals. This is not ping pong! This is about human lives! We ask once again: solve it faster. Do not shift the responsibility, send us planes.

    Yesterday we finally managed to organize a humanitarian corridor. From the city of Sumy to Poltava. 1,600 students and 3,500 residents were rescued. Evacuation of people from cities and towns of the Kyiv region continues. More than 18,000 people have already been rescued from Dymer, Vorzel and Irpin. Today we will do everything to continue the functioning of humanitarian corridors. Sumy – Poltava. Izyum – Lozova. Enerhodar – Zaporizhzhia. Mariupol – Zaporizhzhia. Vorzel, Bucha, Borodyanka, Hostomel to Kyiv. Our government officials are working on this, our servicemen have created all the conditions. If there is at least one shot, full responsibility lies with the invaders.

    And you have already seen the world’s response. Powerful. Sanction packages.

    In the morning I spoke with Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau. We have full understanding. Full support. Our delegation returned from Belarus last night, from negotiations. I will listen to their report. We will prepare for the next rounds of talks. For the sake of Ukraine. For peace.

    And finally. Concerning our unity. This is our strength. This is what is needed at this time. We are receiving a lot of signals that someone in Ukraine has decided that he or she may not fight anymore together with everyone. And tries somehow separately, for something personal, for some personal benefit…

    We are receiving various signals that some politicians are looking for threads to Russia again.

    And some others are again working for a split, contrary to unity.

    I want to say one thing and only once: I see what you are doing. If I hear another signal, the answer will be quick. As befits wartime.

    Thank God, our people have already sorted everything and everyone out.

    Glory to Ukraine!

  • George Freeman – 2022 Comments on Government Loan Scheme

    George Freeman – 2022 Comments on Government Loan Scheme

    The comments made by George Freeman, the Science Minister, on 10 March 2022.

    As the success of our extraordinary vaccine development and roll-out made clear, the UK is home to some of the most brilliant and innovative minds in the world.

    Supporting our talented innovators, not only to develop their ideas but to see these ideas through to commercialisation, will be essential to growing an economy built on the technologies of the future, and securing the UK’s status as a true Innovation Nation.

    So, I am thrilled that after an extremely successful pilot programme, Innovate UK are launching this substantial new series of loans to support SMEs working across the country on the most innovative projects for the future economy, entrenching our position as a science superpower.

  • Boris Johnson – 2022 Comments on Shipbuilding

    Boris Johnson – 2022 Comments on Shipbuilding

    The comments made by Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, on 10 March 2022.

    Shipbuilding has been in our blood for centuries and I want to ensure it remains at the heart of British industry of generations to come.

    The National Shipbuilding Strategy will transform this important and crucial industry, creating jobs, driving technology development and upskilling the shipbuilders of tomorrow, ensuring we are levelling up across every dock, port and shipyard in the UK.

    This will ensure the UK is rightly seen as a shipbuilding power across the world .

  • Chris Philp – 2022 Statement on Online Advertising

    Chris Philp – 2022 Statement on Online Advertising

    The statement made by Chris Philp, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, in the House of Commons on 9 March 2022.

    I am today, along with my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Security and Borders (Damian Hinds), announcing a package of work regarding the regulation of online advertising.

    Recognising the devastating impact of scam adverts on people in the UK and the need for immediate action, the Government will be making a change to the Online Safety Bill to require the largest online platforms and search services to implement proportionate systems to prevent the publication of fraudulent adverts on their service.

    This change responds directly to calls from the Online Safety Bill Joint Committee, the Treasury Select Committee and the Work and Pensions Select Committee, as well as others, who recommended that the Online Safety Bill be used to combat online fraudulent advertising.

    The new duty will apply to the services that are designated as category 1 and 2A services: the largest user-to-user and search services. This will ensure that people using the largest platforms and where there is greatest risk of harm are protected from scams, and ensure these services do not profit from illegal activity. Ofcom will create and publish specific codes of practice that will set out how services can comply with the new duty.

    In addition, the Government will publish a consultation on the Online Advertising Programme, to seek views on a range of options for regulatory reform to improve transparency and accountability across the online advertising supply chain. Led by my colleague, Julia Lopez MP, the Minister for Media, Data and Digital Infrastructure, the aim of the programme is to create a more holistic approach to regulating online advertising that builds trust and tackles the underlying drivers of harm in online advertising.

    In relation to fraud specifically, the Online Advertising Programme will address whether other actors in the supply chain, such as intermediaries, have the power and capability to do more. It will focus on the role of intermediaries in onboarding criminal advertisers and facilitating the dissemination of fraudulent content through using the targeting tools available in the open display market. This will ensure that we close down any vulnerabilities and add defences across the supply chain, leaving no space for criminals to profit.

    The Online Advertising Programme’s wider objective is to determine whether the current regulatory regime is sufficiently equipped to tackle the challenges posed by the rapid technological developments in online advertising. The consultation identifies a broad range of both illegal and legal harms to consumers, including misleading and offensive content, as well as fraudulent adverts. It also looks at the impact of targeting and placement of adverts and how these practices can exacerbate harmful content for consumers. The roles and responsibilities of all actors involved in the supply chain of online advertising will be considered as part of the consultation.

    Any subsequent changes to regulation of online advertising as a result of the consultation will build on the fraud-specific duties in the Online Safety Bill. This will ensure a coherent, comprehensive regulatory framework for all actors across the online advertising supply chain, where individuals are protected from harmful online advertising content, wherever they encounter this.

    Together, the Online Safety Bill and Online Advertising Programme will complement the Government’s wider reforms on competition, data protection and user-generated content, ensuring that the online advertising market—which is at the heart of our digital economy—protects consumers and users while continuing to thrive.

  • Sajid Javid – 2022 Statement on Healthcare Reform

    Sajid Javid – 2022 Statement on Healthcare Reform

    The statement made by Sajid Javid, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in the House of Commons on 8 March 2022.

    I wish to update the House on my vision on health reform, “Our Health System: the Government’s reform agenda”. In today’s address, I outlined our intention to take bold action on healthcare reform, setting out our agenda for transforming the healthcare system. This agenda addresses the enduring issues facing the system, and recognises the challenges and opportunities arising from the pandemic—building on our recent elective recovery plan and the publication of the integration White Paper.

    The NHS has many strengths and is rightly regarded as a national treasure. However, it faces long-term challenges, including an ageing population and people increasingly living with multiple long-term conditions. All of these have been exacerbated by the covid-19 pandemic, which has added extra pressure on the system, highlighted existing issues, and created new challenges.

    At this critical moment, we must now seize the opportunity to put our healthcare system on a more sustainable path for the future while meeting the immediate recovery challenge we face as we emerge from the pandemic.

    The Health and Care Bill will, subject to Parliament, create the structures for the future, but we need to consider how we will work within those structures. I recognise waiting time recovery is a significant challenge. However, this is not a reason to back away from those changes, but to double down and ensure we deliver the full benefits.

    In the face of growing demand, we will focus on taking a more prevention-centred approach to healthcare, where the emphasis is on preventing needs from arising in the first place—prevention; putting people in control of their own care—personalisation; and driving up the quality of care by working smarter—performance.

    As we do this, we must build on existing progress and work with the brilliant individuals and teams in our healthcare system who are already making change happen on a daily basis—which will include continuing to invest in the workforce.

    We will build on the announcements made during my speech and set out wider Government policy in this area in due course.

  • Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Televised Speech to the House of Commons

    Volodymyr Zelenskyy – 2022 Televised Speech to the House of Commons

    The speech made by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, televised to the House of Commons on 8 March 2022.

    Mr Speaker, Prime Minister, Members of Parliament, ladies and gentlemen, I am addressing all the people of the United Kingdom, a country with a big history. I am addressing you as a citizen and the President of another big country with a dream. I want to tell you about the 13 days of war—a war that we did not start and did not want. However, we have to conduct this war. We do not want to lose what is ours—our country—just as you once did not want to lose yours to the Nazis and you had to fight for Britain.

    On day one, at four o’clock in the morning, we were attacked by cruise missiles. Everybody woke up—people, children, the whole of Ukraine—and we have not slept since. We have all been fighting for our country alongside our army.

    On day two, we suffered airstrikes, and our heroic military servicemen on the island of Zmiinyi fought when Russian forces demanded that they lay down arms. However, we continued fighting, and they felt the force of our people, who will oppose the occupiers until the end.

    The next day, artillery started firing at us. Our army showed us who we are, and we saw who are people and who are beasts.

    On day four, we started taking people captive. We did not torture them, remaining humane even on day four of this terrible war.

    On day five, the terror against us affected our children and cities, and constant shelling happened around the country, including on hospitals. That did not break us, but gave us a feeling of great certainty.

    On day six, Russian rockets fell on Babyn Yar, where the Nazis killed thousands of people during the second world war. Eighty years later, the Russians hit them for the second time.

    On day seven, even churches were getting destroyed by shelling.

    On day eight, we saw Russian tanks hitting the nuclear power station, and everybody got to understand that this is a terror against everyone.

    On day nine, a meeting of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly ended without the result we were looking for. We learned that, unfortunately, alliances do not always work properly, and the no-fly zone was not enforced.

    On day 10, Ukrainians started protesting en masse, stopping armoured vehicles with their own hands.

    On day 11, children, cities and hospitals were hit with rockets and constant shelling. On that day, we realised that Ukrainians have become heroes—entire cities, children and adults.

    On day 12, the losses of the Russian army exceeded 10,000 people killed, including a general. We were given hope that there will be some kind of responsibility for these people in court.

    On day 13, the city of Mariupol was attacked by the Russian forces, and a child was killed. The Russians did not allow any food or water, and people started panicking—they do not have water.

    Over those 13 days, over 50 children have been killed. Those children could have lived, but these people have taken them away from us.

    Ukraine was not looking for this war. Ukrainians have not been looking to become big, but they have become big over the 13 days of this war. We are saving people despite having to fight one of the biggest armies in the world, with its helicopters and rockets. The question for us now is, “To be, or not to be”. This Shakespearean question could have been asked over the past 13 days, but I can now give you a definitive answer: it is definitely, “To be”.

    I remind you of the words that the United Kingdom has already heard because they are important again. We will not give up, and we will not lose. We will fight until the end at sea and in the air. We will continue fighting for our land, whatever the cost. We will fight in the forests, in the fields, on the shores and in the streets. We will fight on the banks of our rivers, like the Dnipro.

    We are looking for help from civilised countries, and we are thankful for this help. I am very grateful to you, Boris. Please increase the pressure of sanctions against Russia and please recognise that country as a terrorist state. Please ensure that our Ukrainian skies are safe. Please make sure that you do what needs to be done and what is required by the greatness of your country. I wish my best to Ukraine and to the United Kingdom. [Applause.]