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Tag: Speeches

  • Grant Shapps – 2023 Speech at Conservative Party Conference

    Grant Shapps – 2023 Speech at Conservative Party Conference

    The speech made by Grant Shapps, the Secretary of State for Defence, in Manchester on 1 October 2023.

    When people think of the Blitz they tend to think of London – the burning Docklands and St Paul’s shrouded in smoke.

    But Manchester endured its own Blitz early on, in 1940, where some 680 people were killed.

    Fortunately for our country, that kind of systematic destruction on this scale is a thing of memory.

    But imagine if a trip to the market or restaurant could be your last; that you or those that you love might fall victim to a sudden attack by a cruise missile or suicide drone plunging from the sky.

    This is daily life in Ukraine; on freedom’s front line.

    Even as the fighting falls deep into its second year, it’s still hard to believe that a full-scale war is raging here, in Europe.

    And Ukraine is not some long away distant country of which we know nothing.

    It is part of the family of European democratic nations, and they are fighting for their very survival.

    Fighting for freedom against an invader as ruthless as any in modern times.

    A tyrant who sees civilians as collateral damage in a failed war of conquest he cannot win, but he also cannot find a way to exit either.

    Putin hoped to take Ukraine by bluff.

    A swift armoured invasion designed to seize Kyiv and install a puppet government.

    Ukraine would be quickly, it would be overwhelmed, it would be reduced to a vassal state, its identity and freedom crushed.

    But the Ukrainian people were not going to let that happen. And neither were we.

    The United Kingdom stepped up.

    We have provided billions in military aid – second only to the contribution of the United States.

    We have consistently been first in responding to Ukraine’s needs.

    The N-LAW anti-tank missiles wisely sent in advance by Britain – thank you to Ben Wallace – were crucial in those first early weeks when the fate of Ukraine hung in the balance.

    And as N-LAWs struck fear into the hearts of invading Russian tank crews at the beginning, so our long-range cruise missiles do the same for Russian commanders today.

    With weapons like Storm Shadow, everywhere in Russian-occupied Ukraine, is on the front line.

    But we cannot – we must not – let up now.

    The war is consuming weapons, ammunition and, yes, people at an appalling rate.

    If Ukrainians are to prevail against the evil assault on their homeland, we must remain steadfast.

    That’s why we’re helping to train their F16 pilots.

    It’s why by the end of this year we’ll have trained more than 50,000 Ukrainian recruits, starting well in advance of the war.

    And of course, it’s why Ukrainians have been welcomed by so many British families under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

    Including – for a year – in my own home.

    Now, my wife and I were partly moved to act because our own ancestors fled to this country to escape the pogroms of Eastern Europe in an earlier age.

    But what really moved us most, was the palpable sense of generosity from the British public for our new arrivals to Britain.

    Complete strangers came forward with clothes, with schoolbooks for six-year-old Nikita, and most precious of all, their time to help ensure the three-generation Ukrainian family that came to live with us felt truly at home in the United Kingdom.

    You know, we should never be complacent about this country, whatever our grumbles. This is a precious and incredibly generous land.

    On my first visit to Ukraine this summer, I visited Nikita’s nursery in Kyiv.

    I saw the apartment block across the road from his Kindergarten that had been destroyed by one of Putin’s rockets at the start of the war.

    This was the attack that made Nikita, his mother, his grandmother, together with their dog – Max – flee from Ukraine.

    Only, as I glanced across the street from his nursery this summer, there was no bombed out shell to view. The apartment block has already been completely rebuilt. Re-inhabited.

    What I was witnessing was the iron resolve of the Ukrainian people. Ordinary people, maintaining a semblance of life even amongst air raids sirens.

    Rebuilding their homes, the moment they get the chance.

    And last week, as Defence Secretary, I visited Kyiv again.

    And this time, I met with the steely resolve of President Zelenskyy himself.

    At a time when he could have left the capital. At a time when he could have become a leader in exile. He did not, he stayed put. Providing inspiration for his people and he showed remarkable bravery.

    Ukraine has taught us a lesson.

    The war reminds us of the unprovoked aggression by one nation against another is still a reality in global affairs.

    Left unchecked – we are all in danger.

    And this is why we must invest in our defence.

    That’s why, under the Conservative government, defence spending has exceeded £50 billion a year for the first time ever.

    And conference, it is why we will maintain our leading position in NATO by increasing the defence budget to 2.5 per cent of GDP when conditions allow.

    Because we know the world is changing. So as a result, we’re working ever closer with our allies.

    Developing the latest naval technology to protect our Commonwealth kith and kin in the Pacific as they face up the challenge of the rapidly expanding Chinese navy.

    Deploying two of the world’s largest and most advanced carriers in history the Royal Navy has ever seen, in the Queen Elizabeth, HMS, and HMS Prince of Wales.

    We are ploughing billions into our own naval shipbuilding program, as well as civilian construction to create jobs and grow our economy.

    And Britain is one of the few nations capable of operating in every ocean of the world, simultaneously.

    Our ultimate national insurance policy is, of course, our at sea nuclear deterrent.

    So, we’re building the new Dreadnought-class submarines that will carry Britain’s nuclear deterrent into the middle of the century.

    And today I can announce that we have signed contracts worth £4 billion with leading British businesses to drive forward the development of the most powerful attack submarines ever operated by the Royal Navy.

    These hunter-killer AUKUS submarines will empower the Royal Navy to maintain our strategic advantage under the sea – enabling us to compete with emerging navies anywhere in the world as our world becomes more unpredictable and dangerous.

    Today’s announcement will support thousands of jobs, from Barrow-In-Furness where these submarines will be built, to Derby where our reactor-build facilities will be expanded.

    And by backing British businesses to develop them, we are taking the long-term decisions we need to boost our defence industry and to grow our economy.

    Under our Prime Minister’s leadership, the Conservatives are putting the UK at the heart of NATO.

    Vladimir Putin shattered peace across Europe, but in doing so he made our collective will and our resolve more important than ever.

    And in response, the UK is taking a leading role in ensuring NATO remains the bedrock of our security for us and our allies.

    We are one of NATO’s very few members exceeding the critical 2% of GDP target for the amount of money which is spent on our defence. And, of course, we are the largest defence spender in Europe and we are delivering the capabilities our alliance needs.

    Today, I can announce that the UK has stepped up again, with two new deployments.

    First, in response to a request from our Polish friends, RAF Typhoons are landing in Poland as I speak, to support our NATO ally with the growing threat of Russian interference.

    Deploying ahead of Poland’s elections, they will be a powerful way of undeniably showing Putin that this Conservative government will protect democracy and freedom from any despotic tyrant that threatens our allies.

    Second, at the end of what I think has been a concerning week, there’s been a request from NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, and so I have authorised the full deployment of a battalion-sized UK Strategic Reserve Force to NATO’s Kosovo peacekeeping mission.

    In the days ahead, hundreds of soldiers from the 1st Battalion, Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment will join the 400 British service men and women already in Kosovo.

    And, as the best of the best, I know our soldiers will do the United Kingdom proud.

    We have been unwavering in our support for NATO – contributing to every allied mission that they have and supporting them this weekend, so that when NATO contact us, they knew the answer from the United Kingdom would be yes.

    As Conservatives, we put our nation’s security first.

    Which is more than can be said for Labour.

    So, what is Keir Starmer’s approach to our fundamental security?

    Simple. He personally campaigned to make one Jeremy Corbyn, Prime Minister. The man who called for NATO to be disbanded.

    Starmer actually backed plans for Britain to adopt a ‘non-nuclear, non-aligned defence policy’.

    In plain English, that meant scrapping Trident, abandoning NATO and leaving us naked in the face of nuclear threats from the Kremlin.

    And that isn’t just the Starmer of the past.

    Since then, he has gone further – appointing a Shadow Foreign Secretary who has repeatedly voted against renewing our nuclear deterrent.

    You know, in the military sphere, it’s sometimes good to keep your enemy guessing.

    The problem with Kier Starmer is that on policy, he keeps everyone guessing.

    Including himself.

    What would Britain’s armed forces look like after five years of Labour?

    Who knows?

    The man will say anything – anything – to get himself elected.

    But one thing we do know is that you just cannot trust Labour on Defence.

    And if – perish the thought – Labour get back into power, the old habits will resurface. Defence – always dismissed and disparaged by the Left – will be the first casualty.

    Our service people and defence industries, and our veterans all deserve much better.

    Conference, we must not let that happen.

    But there is one area in which we absolutely must do better.

    Service life is tough enough on families – service men and women – without having to put up with sub-standard accommodation.

    There are too many old and creaking buildings in our estate, and that lowers morale.

    Our accommodation estate is in fact very large. Indeed, if the Ministry of Defence was a Housing Association, it would rank amongst the biggest in the land.

    So, I am making it a personal priority to improve its quality.

    Which is why we’re injecting £400 million to ensure that we provide the modern accommodation that our service families deserve.

    And while resolving this problem will not be instantaneous, I am determined that we fix it in order to support our brave men and women at home, as well as on the front line.

    And while we’re on the subject of morale, I want to end by saying something about our Party.

    One of the things I most admire about the military is that they don’t gloss over the harsh realities.

    Now, times are tough. We are behind in the polls. The pundits tell us that Labour is a shoo-in. And we wouldn’t be human if we didn’t sometimes feel the pressure.

    But for those who think that this conference is going to be nothing more than inward looking or downcast, I say this: This country faces an important choice; Rishi Sunak, who will make the hard but necessary long-term decisions to get the country on the right path for the future…

    … or Sir Keir Starmer – a man focused on the short-term and lacking the backbone to make the big changes that Britain needs.

    In Rishi Sunak, we have a leader who has weathered a brutal baptism of fire and is coming through. His mettle has been tested and not found wanting.

    He has stuck to his course, trusting in what he believes to be right for the country. It doesn’t always make him popular in the short term – but that is the price of doing the right thing.

    We need leadership that puts the national interest over self-interest, and does what is right, not what is easy.

    Now, I trust the British people, their good sense. They can spot a serious man to take the tough decisions.

    And they can spot an opposition leader who has made an art out of political opportunism.

    So, let’s take the fight to Say-Anything-Starmer.

    He’s measuring the curtains. He thinks he’s home and dry. He thinks that he can take Downing Street by bluff.

    But as the steely Sir Claude Auchinleck said before the first battle of El Alamein – when the British had their backs to the wall and Rommel seemed to be triumphant:

    ‟Let’s show him where he gets off.”

    Thank you.

  • Alister Jack – 2023 Speech at Conservative Party Conference

    Alister Jack – 2023 Speech at Conservative Party Conference

    The speech made by Alister Jack, the Secretary of State for Scotland, in Manchester on 1 October 2023.

    Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

    I’d like to thank a few people.

    Firstly, obviously, Douglas who gave a very kind introduction, for his support at Westminster and most important of all for his strong leadership of the Scottish Conservatives in Holyrood.

    Secondly, I’d like to thank my Scotland Office Ministers, Malcolm Offord and John Lamont, my ministerial team, they’re sitting here at the front of the auditorium, and they do excellent work for Scotland. I want to thank them for everything they do, thank you gentlemen.

    Conference, I am here with a very clear message today.

    The United Kingdom has never been stronger.

    And that is not by accident.

    Yes, it’s true the Nationalists are doing everything they can to strengthen the Union for us.

    They have shredded whatever credibility they once had.

    But I’m not going to comment on a live police investigation, however, I think we can all agree that the people of Scotland have been shocked by the investigation into the SNP’s finances; The arrests of leading SNP figures. The searches. The blue and white evidence tent in the garden. The campervan.

    So, it is no surprise that people in Scotland have quite rightly become very angry at the abject failure of the Scottish Government to deliver on the things that matter most to them.

    They are sick and tired of record NHS waiting times.

    Of poor standards in our schools.

    And then, of course, there’s the ferries, or lack of them.

    The SNP and their Green coalition masters, are dragging Scotland down more and more every day and people have come to the obvious conclusion: if the Nationalists can’t even organise a Bottle Deposit Return Scheme properly, all their talk of removing Scotland from the United Kingdom is pure fantasy.

    Ladies and gentlemen, the SNP are increasingly looking like a busted flush.

    But that’s not the only reason why the United Kingdom is stronger than ever.

    The Union is stronger than ever thanks to this Government – the most active and effective UK Government in Scotland in the devolution era.

    And I am very proud of that.

    And I’m very proud of that because we have a great story to tell.

    We have delivered record funding for the Scottish Government, so they really have no excuses for their poor performance in areas such as health and education.

    We have supported families across Scotland facing cost of living pressures.

    We have pledged to halve inflation, to get the economy growing – creating better jobs – and to bring down the national debt.

    We are reaching out across the world to maximise the benefits of Brexit, striking trade deals worth billions of pounds to our distillers, our salmon producers, and our defence industry.

    And we’re not just seeing the benefits of Brexit for the UK with trade deals, either.

    The Chancellor has introduced new financial services regulations.

    We’re backing our fishing industry now it is out of the hated Common Fisheries Policy; and we’ve passed legislation allowing farmers to use cutting edge gene editing technology.

    Cutting edge technology that has been pioneered in Scotland, but which is sadly banned in Scotland by the SNP-Green government of Holyrood, despite the wishes of our farmers and the NFU Scotland.

    As Secretary of State, I’ve also been clear that we will use our post-Brexit internal market legislation to protect Scotland’s free flowing trade across the whole of the United Kingdom.

    Because sixty per cent of our trade is with the rest of the UK and I will not allow the Nationalists to create unnecessary obstacles.

    Ladies and Gentlemen, I am pleased to say we are also supporting our globally successful oil and gas industry.

    This government is clear: we should continue to use our own North Sea resources as we move to Net Zero, our own resources as we bring down prices and improve our energy security.

    Both Labour and the SNP are threatening to shut down our oil and gas industry prematurely and I believe that is sheer madness. It cannot be in Scotland or the United Kingdom’s best interests.

    We must support oil and gas industry, just as we support renewables, as we transition to a much better future.

    At a time of war in Europe and wider global uncertainty we’ve also backed our amazing Armed Forces to the hilt – so much of which is based in Scotland.

    So perhaps now is a very good moment to pay tribute to my friend and fellow Scot, Ben Wallace, an outstanding Defence Secretary who has served this Party, this Government, and our country with the greatest distinction.

    Ladies and gentlemen, there is more.

    This Government is going further than any previous Government of the devolution era in delivering for Scotland.

    As Secretary of State for Scotland it has been my privilege and passion to drive forward direct UK Government investment in Scotland.

    It is now worth £2.5 billion, and that is over and above the Scottish Government’s record funding settlement.

    I was absolutely delighted with the announcement today that seven towns in Scotland will receive around £20 million each as part of our Long-Term Plan for Towns.

    It is the latest in a long line of Levelling Up initiatives reaching every corner of the country.

    It is creating jobs, transforming communities, and delivering high profile projects that people really care about.

    We are backing small-scale, grassroots initiatives; high profile arts projects; cutting edge research in our universities; and more.

    We’ve also led the way creating Freeports based around the Firth of Forth and the Cromarty Firth.

    The Prime Minister and I visited the Cromarty Firth when the news was announced and I know that he, as a long-time champion of Freeports, is as excited as I am about the impact this will have on the Highland economy.

    We’re following up that by creating Investment Zones in Aberdeen and Glasgow.

    Ladies and Gentlemen, we recognised some time ago we had to change the damaging old philosophy of ‘devolve and forget’ – leaving too much in the hands of the devolved administration in Holyrood and allowing the role of the UK Government to fade into the background.

    Well, today, I can announce the era of ‘devolve and forget’ is well and truly over.

    It is dead. It is Finished. And I promise you, it is not coming back under my watch.

    On scores of projects, we are now working directly with local councils and other responsible delivery partners, and I call that real devolution.

    No longer can the failing SNP-Green administration hoard decision-making powers and resources in Holyrood, using it for their own political purposes, rather than the priorities of most people in Scotland.

    My view of devolution is straightforward.

    It is about Scotland’s two governments at Westminster and Holyrood respecting each other’s roles and working together where we can.

    We know that is how devolution works best and we know it is what the vast majority of Scots want and what they expect.

    But unfortunately, my view is not shared by the Nationalists.

    Time and time again they have sought to undermine the devolution settlement in order to provoke unnecessary disagreement between the two governments.

    When they took Nicola Sturgeon’s Referendum Bill to the Supreme Court, they wasted taxpayers’ money confirming what everyone already knew:
    the constitution and the Union are matters reserved to Westminster.

    When they tried to introduce a new system of self-ID for trans people – their Gender Recognition Reform Bill – they ignored the harmful impact on safeguards for women and girls in existing reserved legislation.

    And when they tried to bring a Bottle Deposit Return Scheme, they failed to consider the impact of cross-border trade.

    In each case, I felt it was my duty as Secretary of State for Scotland, to step in.

    I will not stand by, and I will not allow Nationalist ministers to undermine, or abuse, the devolution settlement for their own political purposes.

    Not now, not ever.

    Sadly, I am not surprised by the Nationalists’ approach.

    They do not support devolution so why would they respect it?

    But what concerns me are the consequences.

    The waste of time, money and resources that should be focused on people’s real priorities in Scotland.

    Struggling businesses left out of pocket by the collapse of that shambolic Bottle Deposit Return Scheme.

    The anxiety felt by so many women at the potential erosion of safeguards afforded by the Equality Act.

    The Scottish Government need to understand their political game-playing causes real damage and as Douglas Ross said so forcefully earlier this afternoon, they need to drop their narrow obsession with breaking up Britain and do the job they were elected to do.

    They need to respect devolution; they need to take that record budget they receive from the Treasury, and they must use it to deliver public services that Scots can rely on.

    So, ladies and gentlemen, in conclusion:

    We know this Union – this great, enduring partnership between Scotland, England, Wales, and Northern Ireland – creates opportunity and drives success for us all.

    Quite simply, we achieve more together.

    And that is why I’m so proud to play my part in a UK Government that has done more than any other to strengthen the United Kingdom.

    And we are doing it daily, right across Scotland, investing directly in projects that create jobs and level up communities.

    We are doing it by supporting our key industries, by protecting cross-Border trade and boosting the economy.

    And we are doing it by defending devolution robustly against the Nationalists’ attempts to bend and twist it for their own, narrow political purposes.

    There could not be a clearer contrast between a Nationalist, SNP Scottish Government that is in chaos, that is failing, and that is letting people down by putting their obsession with leaving the UK above everything it does. And this United Kingdom Government, under the outstanding leadership of Rishi Sunak, that is 100 per cent focused on the issues that really matter most to the people in Scotland and across the whole of the United Kingdom.

    More and more, people in Scotland are seeing the benefits of having a United Kingdom that is energetically and visibly on their side because that is what people want.

    It is what’s best for Scotland.

    And it is what we will continue to deliver.

    Thank you very much.

  • Douglas Ross – 2023 Speech at Conservative Party Conference

    Douglas Ross – 2023 Speech at Conservative Party Conference

    The speech made by Douglas Ross, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, in Manchester on 1 October 2023.

    Thank you, Conference.

    It is fantastic to speak to this gathering of the Conservative AND Unionist Party.

    We in this hall are all Unionists by definition.

    It is in our party’s DNA.

    To be a Conservative is to be a Unionist.

    Unlike our opponents, Conservatives don’t apologise for being British, we embrace it.

    We celebrate our common history and heritage and look forward to the shared future that Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland will continue to build together.

    Conference, I know that Rishi Sunak and this UK Conservative and Unionist Government are taking the long-term decisions to build a brighter future for Scotland and the whole of the United Kingdom.

    I was with our Prime Minister in Aberdeenshire in the summer – when he announced over 100 new oil and gas licences in the North Sea.

    And gave the go-ahead to a new carbon capture cluster facility in Peterhead.

    These announcements will strengthen energy security for the whole of the UK.

    But they will also secure tens of thousands of skilled Scottish jobs.

    Jobs that Labour and the SNP would put on the scrapheap as soon as possible to appease green extremists like Just Stop Oil.

    Well, the last thing that Scotland needs is a Miliband millstone round our neck.

    This Conservative and Unionist Party will never abandon North Sea workers, like Keir Starmer would.

    We are now the only party you can trust to stand up for Scotland’s oil.

    And these announcements are just one part of what the Conservatives are delivering for Scotland.

    From freeports to spaceports, roads to ferries, supercomputers to agriculture technology.

    We are investing in projects that will drive growth across our whole country, secure and create Scottish jobs and businesses and strengthen the essential contribution Scotland makes to our United Kingdom.

    Well conference, it has been a pretty interesting year in Scottish politics.

    I have more than a few things to update you on since we last met.

    In fact, I am struggling on where to begin….

    Well Nicola Sturgeon is gone.

    Can I repeat that for those at the back – Nicola Sturgeon is gone.

    For years we were told that she was unstoppable.

    That she could, apparently, do no wrong.

    How many times did the media proclaim that Scotland was on the cusp of independence under her leadership?

    Or that she would wipe out the Tories.

    Well, I can proudly say that her career lies in tatters, and we – conference – are still here.

    It was our party – the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party – that was the constant thorn in her side.

    We stopped the SNP from winning a majority in election after election.

    We fought her dangerous gender reform bill – which, let’s not forget conference, was backed at each stage by Labour.

    And we stood up to Nicola Sturgeon’s plans for a second independence referendum every step of the way.

    Now, since she left, the SNP have been having some difficulties.

    A police investigation into party finances.

    The luxury campervan seized.

    And Humza Yousaf as leader.

    The best the SNP now have to offer is a poor Nicola Sturgeon tribute act.

    But we cannot be complacent.

    His government are already spending millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money on promoting independence.

    And Humza Yousaf is treating next year’s election as a proxy referendum.

    Nicola Sturgeon may have quit but the SNP haven’t gone away.

    They are down but far from out.

    They are just as dangerous to the future of our country as they have ever been.

    We still need to fight for every vote, to win as many seats as possible.

    Because next year we can deal a fatal blow to the campaign for independence.

    We can ensure the nationalists fall short again and put Humza Yousaf’s Government on notice.

    And in so many seats only the Scottish Conservatives can beat the SNP.

    Conference, this Conservative UK Government delivers for Scotland.

    And on energy, financial services, food & drink, tourism and so much more Scotland delivers for the whole of the UK.

    If we remove the SNP, if we can kick them out of power in every part of our nation, Scotland can finally move on from the independence neverendum

    And we can build a stronger, more prosperous United Kingdom together.

    Now to speak more on strengthening our country, let’s welcome to the stage the man who puts Scotland at the heart of the UK Government.

    The scourge of SNP globetrotting.

    The binman for the Greens’ recycling scheme.

    The defender of women’s rights.

    My friend, our Scottish Secretary, Alister Jack.

  • Andrew Davies – 2023 Speech at Conservative Party Conference

    Andrew Davies – 2023 Speech at Conservative Party Conference

    The speech made by Andrew Davies, the Leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd, in Manchester on 1 October 2023.

    Well it’s great to be here in Manchester, and to see you all once again. And I want to start by saying a big thank you.

    A big thank to our hardworking party members who put in the graft to deliver our message across Wales.

    A big thank you to our team of Welsh MPs, led by our brilliant Secretary of State David TC Davies.

    A big thank you to our Senedd members, who work tirelessly every day holding Mark Drakeford and Labour to account.

    And a big thank you to our Prime Minister.

    Taking the tough decisions is never easy.

    But that’s exactly what Rishi is doing:

    Taking long term decisions for a brighter future.

    As a Party, we all want to protect our environment and reduce emissions. But we must do it in a way that doesn’t hit working families in the pocket. Rishi’s common sense approach will achieve that.

    The contrast with Wales, the only part of the UK where Labour are in government, couldn’t be more stark.

    Rather than take a common sense approach, they’re motivated by an extreme ideology.

    In the past month, they’ve introduced blanket 20mph speed limits across Wales.

    Labour’s own figures show it’ll cost the Welsh economy up to £9billion.

    The cost of changing the road signs alone is up to £40million.

    And nearly half a million people have signed a petition calling for Labour’s blanket 20mph speed limits to be scrapped.

    But Mark Drakeford won’t listen.

    And the Labour minister who imposed blanket 20mph speed limits on Wales arrogantly dismissed the decent Welsh people who signed the petition as “anti-road safety”.

    What’s worse, blanket 20mph speed limits aren’t the only extreme policy Labour have imposed on Wales.

    They’ve also banned all major new road building projects. And that’s not all.

    Our Prime Minister has introduced tough measures to secure our borders through our Illegal Migration Act.

    But in Wales, Labour want to pay illegal immigrants £1,600 a month.

    And Labour’s other big priority in Wales? Spending £120million on 36 more politicians.

    This extreme ideology Labour has imposed on Wales isn’t just dangerous in itself.

    It also distracts from the things that matter.

    Let’s take our Welsh NHS, which has been run by Labour for the past 24 years.

    Waiting lists are far longer than in England.

    Ambulance response times are slower.

    And cancer outcomes are worse.

    And unlike in England, where Conservatives have protected the health budget, Mark Drakeford and Labour voted to cut our Welsh NHS.

    And just a fortnight ago, Welsh Conservatives once again voted to protect our Welsh NHS from cuts, while Labour and the nationalists voted against.

    Their priority isn’t our Welsh NHS – it’s spending £40million on blanket 20mph speed limits and £120million on 36 more politicians.

    They are out of touch.
And their extreme ideology is also hurting our Welsh economy. Their barmy road building ban has deterred investment.

    And their toxic tourism tax has hit a key Welsh industry.

    But there’s one other thing you mustn’t forget, and this matters to everyone across our United Kingdom.

    Keir Starmer has described Mark Drakeford’s Wales as his “blueprint for the whole UK”.

    That’s right.

    Starmer will deliver longer NHS waiting lists.

    He’ll deliver open borders.

    And he’ll wage a war on motorists.

    Drakeford has cosied up to the Welsh nationalists, who prop up his administration.

    And Starmer would do exactly the same with the SNP.

    That’s what’s at stake at the next General Election.

    And why as Conservatives, it’s our duty to win.

    So as we leave Manchester, we must all get out on the campaign trail and hammer this home.

    I’m as proud a Welshman as they come.

    It pains me to see what Labour have done to Wales.

    And I don’t want to see them do it across the UK.

    So together, let’s stop that happening.

    Let’s take the fight to Labour.

    Together, we’re taking long term decisions for a brighter future. And we’re delivering for our great country.

  • Chris Heaton-Harris – 2023 Speech at Conservative Party Conference

    Chris Heaton-Harris – 2023 Speech at Conservative Party Conference

    The speech made by Chris Heaton-Harris, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, in Manchester on 1 October 2023.

    Hello Conference!

    For the last 391 days I’ve had the best job in Government – being Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

    In that time I’ve travelled the length and breadth of Northern Ireland and it has truly been an honour to see and meet so many amazing people, social enterprises, businesses, and voluntary organisations.

    I’ve been to places like Harland and Wolff – world-leaders in ship building, where, thanks to a Ministry of Defence contract, ship building is returning to Belfast.

    Places like the Game of Thrones Studios – the TV series that has generated huge amounts of money for the Northern Ireland economy.

    Places like Hinch Distillery – the home of some of Northern Ireland’s finest whiskey and gin. As my SpAds will know, that was a really tough visit., I can tell you…

    Northern Ireland has so much to offer – not just to the 1.9 million people that live there, or the 5 million tourists who visit every year, but to us all as an integral part of the United Kingdom.

    This was demonstrated to me yesterday, down the road in Leigh where I had an excellent visit with our MP there, the brilliant James Grundy, to a company called O’Neills, a sportswear company with a factory in Northern Ireland, and a design centre in Leigh that employs 40 people.

    You will no doubt have seen their name emblazoned on rugby and football kits of teams across the United Kingdom, including the brilliant Leigh Rugby Union Football Club who I also met yesterday.

    O’Neills is just one example of how Northern Ireland contributes to our economy and the Union.

    And I’m proud it’s my job to represent Northern Ireland and I’m proud it’s the job of my great Ministerial team too and I have superb support from Steve Baker and Lord Caine and our amazing PPS Tom Hunt and our brilliant Whips, Rob Largan, Lord Courtown and Lord Mott.

    And it’s our job to bang the drum for that small, bustling, proud part of our country and that’s what we do day in and day out and I thank you all for it.

    Conference, I don’t need to remind you we are the Conservative AND Unionist Party. This party and this government will never shy away from our support for the Union.

    Northern Ireland is stronger for it, its future is strengthened by it and the United Kingdom is and will be greater for it.

    I didn’t mention Harland and Wolff earlier by accident – no, those 900 jobs are being created by the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence for ships that will protect the United Kingdom – a contract that is an obvious and direct benefit of our Union.

    And let’s not forget, it wasn’t too long ago that Sir Keir Starmer loyally served under a Labour Leader who wanted to break up our precious Union.

    Under Starmer Labour have flipped from saying they’d campaign for the Union in a border poll to bravely failing to pick a side.

    But we know all too well that Starmer’s positions on all sorts of policies change more than a weather vane.

    It is only our Party that will relentlessly advocate for the Union, because we know just how important Northern Ireland is to it.

    When I started in the role of Secretary of State many in Northern Ireland were unbelievably frustrated with the Northern Ireland Protocol.

    Agreed with the best of intentions, its flaws became quickly apparent.

    Too many businesses based in Great Britain, unsure of the regulatory environment they found themselves in, decided to pull back from servicing consumers in Northern Ireland.

    There were problems that affected everyday lives regarding the movement of pets, plants and parcels – and with even medicine supplies coming under threat.

    The Prime Minister recognised this too and sought to change it, focusing on the practical concerns that had been raised and always, always, keeping the protection of the Union as his priority.

    And so we agreed the Windsor Framework.

    After months of negotiations we reached a deal with the European Union that:

    – Removes trade barriers

    – Allows goods available on shelves in Great Britain to move freely into Northern Ireland

    – Ensures Northern Ireland benefits from the same VAT and alcohol taxes as the rest of the United Kingdom

    – Safeguards Northern Ireland’s place in the United Kingdom internal market through agreements on medicine and state aid

    – Protects the economic rights of the people of Northern Ireland and provides a basis to move forward as one United country

    Now I know concerns remain in Northern Ireland about the Windsor Framework and we will continue to work to address them. There is scope to do so, based on the principle that the UK internal market must be promoted as well as protected.

    But let us also remind ourselves of the fundamental truth – the vast majority of Northern Ireland’s economic life is dependent on its connection with the rest of the United Kingdom and that reality will not change.

    It’s time to get on with business.

    So today Conference I can tell you that the first stage of implementing the Windsor Framework agreement has commenced – removing barriers that existed for Great Britain based businesses to trade with Northern Ireland.

    This morning bright and early I visited Peel Port in Birkenhead to see the smooth flow of trade goods able to travel between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. I am also actively exploring how we can support a new ferry route between Larne and Liverpool so we can seize the moment to increase trade within the UK further.

    And let me give you just one stat to demonstrate how the Windsor Framework is a major improvement on the Protocol, and how it will be noticed by people in Northern Ireland itself.

    Over 1,600 new businesses have signed up to our new internal market scheme meaning more traders than ever want to do business in Northern Ireland.

    And Conference, I want to say something else about the future of Northern Ireland. There has always been a lot of doom and gloom around this subject for too long. In reality, Northern Ireland’s economic prospects are unbelievably promising.

    A couple of weeks ago, I, alongside the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Kemi, hosted an Investment Summit in Northern Ireland.

    160 international businesses came along – some visiting Northern Ireland for the first time. They came because business truly recognises the opportunities that exist.

    Nothing could be more important to the strength of the Union than a thriving local economy, underpinned by political stability.

    It is this Government that takes as you know the long-term decisions in the national interest.

    If Labour were in charge, we would have a very different situation.

    Remember Keir Starmer he backed Remain. Then he said he accepted Brexit. But as Shadow Brexit Secretary, he worked to block Brexit 48 times.

    He and his newly appointed Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary called for a second referendum…

    In May, Starmer said Britain’s future is outside the European Union, but only two weeks ago he said he didn’t want to diverge from EU rules.

    That’s more flips flops than you’d see on a beach in Mallorca. And obviously you can buy some of those outside as well.

    Short-Termist Starmer only offers endless instability which would not just weaken the Brexit dividends we are seeing but also take a sledgehammer to our Union.

    Conference, for 605 days there has been no functioning devolved government in Northern Ireland.

    That means the people of Northern Ireland have been without a government – no new policies developed and no Ministers taking decisions on the issues that matter to voters.

    Since starting this job, I have been working to get politicians back to Stormont because I believe that the people of Northern Ireland are best served by the MLAs they elected to take positions for them.

    People in Northern Ireland need their locally-elected politicians to take action to make Northern Ireland’s finances more sustainable; and to improve the health service there, where 22% of the population are on a waiting list – and there is, I’m afraid, a very long list of other things that need to be sorted.

    So I say to my friends in the unionist community we will continue working to answer your remaining concerns.

    You know and we know progress has been made and we are working in a constructive spirit. And it is clear that the vast majority of people and their political leaders want to get this done.

    Conference, it is the 25th anniversary year of the signing of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement.

    Since then Northern Ireland has come a tremendously long way.

    But for those 25 years victims, families, survivors, some of them, have been left without answers about what happened during the 30 years of The Troubles.

    This Conservative Government recently passed the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act.

    And whilst it delivers on a manifesto commitment we made to our Veterans – it’s also of genuine help to all those affected by the Troubles.

    It sets up a body that aims to provide answers and accountability to those who want it and is open to all victims of the Troubles.

    Conference, if I may, I’d very much like to thank Lord Caine sitting here at the front for steering this piece of legislation through – it’s massively changed over the course of the last year and it needed all of his immense skill and diplomacy throughout that time to get it over the line so thank you Jonathan.

    Keir Starmer wants to repeal this Act altogether but offers absolutely no alternative. Labour have flip-flopped on this issue going back to the days of Tony Blair and Peter Hain.

    Yet again it is a Conservative Government that’s made a hard but long-term decision to solve a problem that had been left unaddressed by Labour and would be undone by Starmer.

    Conference, Northern Ireland has come a long way and I know it can go even further.

    It’s thriving as a centre of creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship.

    Those 160 investors from across the globe who descended on Northern Ireland last month for our Investment Summit did so because they know that Northern Ireland has a very bright future.

    A bright future that’s brighter as being part of the United Kingdom.

    With its troubled past behind it;

    with its Executive back up and running – the opportunities available to the people of Northern Ireland are endless

    and the Union of the United Kingdom will be strengthened for decades to come.

    And this Conservative and Unionist Party

    And this Conservative Government will do all it can to help Northern Ireland on its journey to a brighter, prosperous future as an integral part of our United Kingdom.

    Thank you Conference.

  • Greg Hands – 2023 Speech at Conservative Party Conference

    Greg Hands – 2023 Speech at Conservative Party Conference

    The speech made by Greg Hands, the Conservative Party Chairman, in Manchester on 1 October 2023.

    Ladies and gentlemen, after a unique introduction it gives me great pleasure to welcome you to Conservative Party Conference 2023, here in the dynamic city of Manchester.

    When the Prime Minister asked me to take on this role – as your Party Chairman – I couldn’t have been more excited.

    Having been a member for 37 years and a representative at every level – Chairman of my university Conservatives, an elected student union officer, a ward chairman, a councillor, a Group Leader, an MP, a government Whip and a Cabinet Minister, I can truly say there is no greater privilege than to lead our great party into the next General Election, alongside our Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak.

    But we cannot do this alone and I am incredibly lucky to have a fantastic team of Conservatives who work tirelessly behind the scenes, and whom I’d like to thank personally for their dedication to our Party:

    Right here in the front row – Peter Booth, Chairman of the National Convention.

    Pete Smallwood, the Chairman of this years Conservative Party Conference, who you’ve just met.

    Stephen Massey, CCHQ’s Chief Executive Officer, who has helped to transform the Party’s finances since a year ago.

    Douglas Ross and Andrew RT Davies, you’ll hear from them shortly for their outstanding work in exposing the hypocrisy of what life is like under the SNP in Scotland, and Labour in Wales.

    And finally, my fantastic team of Deputy and Vice Chairmen;

    Nickie Aiken, Luke Hall, Lee Anderson, Jack Lopresti, Matthew Vickers, Craig Tracey, Saqib Bhatti, Mo Ali, and PPS Dr Ben Spencer.

    So, ladies and gentlemen – we are one big Conservative family – whether you have been a member for 50 years, like Edna from Brecon and Radnorshire.

    Or a member for a little over 12 months, like Leo from Bristol.

    As Chairman, I’ve had the great pleasure of campaigning in over 50 constituencies, and if I haven’t got to you yet, you can expect a visit very soon.

    And we have seen what happens when you do great campaigning.

    Look at Uxbridge: The week before, Labour was 25-1 on favourite – think about that, if you put £100 pounds on Labour winning, you’d only get £4 back – but we had strong policies, a superb turnout at all levels of the Party, and a first-class candidate in Steve Tuckwell…

    Please stand up. Steve Tuckwell MP! And he’s already getting stuck in at the House of Commons – a fantastic Parliamentary voice for the people of Uxbridge and South Ruislip. And proof that we can come from behind to win, as we have done so often before.

    I would ask that everyone takes the energy which went into winning in Uxbridge and gets out to support our fantastic current by-election candidates in Tamworth and Mid Bedfordshire, Andy Cooper and Festus Akinbusoye.

    By-elections aside…

    We will, of course, have several elections next year.

    A full set of local elections in May, with our Conservative councillors and council candidates, battling to control town halls, and run them better than Labour or the Lib Dems.

    Police and Crime Commissioner elections, led by our fantastic group leader, Katy Bourne, where we’ll be taking our message to voters, across the country that you are safer with a Conservative PCC.

    We also have our fantastic Mayors and candidates across the country standing for election next year; in the West Midlands, we have Andy Street, the East Midlands Ben Bradley, Tees Valley Ben Houchen, North Yorkshire Keane Duncan.

    And in London, GLA and Mayoral elections, as Pete has already said, a chance to throw out a Labour Mayor who’s been an unmitigated disaster for our great capital city:

    Proof that when Labour run things, they run them badly.

    But Londoners are starting to see through it, and we have a brilliant candidate, in Susan Hall, who will, on 2nd May, prove to Sadiq Khan, that, actually, Sadiq Khan’t.

    And we will – I don’t think I’m breaking any state secrets here – also have a general election, too.

    This is likely to be a general election, that the Conservatives enter as the underdogs.

    And I know in recent years, you will have had difficult conversations with voters: I certainly have.

    But I would say three things about those conversations:

    First, every single conversation I have had on the doorstep has been improved by the mention of Rishi Sunak and the job that he does as our Prime Minister

    Second, there is no enthusiasm for Keir Starmer, and even less trust in him

    Third, wherever Labour run something in the country, they run it badly

    Let me tell you first about our great Prime Minister.

    And the message coming across, loud and clear, from the doorstep, is that people can see we’re moving in the right direction,

    that the Conservatives are getting on with the job,

    and that Rishi Sunak, is the right man to steer this country through extremely challenging times.

    They understand, also, the tough choices, and trade-offs, that true leadership entails.

    They look at our Prime Minister, and see someone, who is prepared to make the tough, long-term, decisions to get the country, on the right path for our future. Someone who is not afraid to challenge the old style Westminster politics of short-termism that we have seen so much of in the past.

    That earns respect. It wins trust. And it will be, by continuing to win that trust and respect, that we will also win nationally, next year.

    Which takes me to my second point – that there is no liking for Sir Keir. And no trust.

    Who is the real Sir Keir Starmer?

    The friend and supporter of Jeremy Corbyn? The puppet of Tony Blair? Or the mouthpiece of Just Stop Oil?

    All we do know is that he has broken every single leadership pledge and flip-flopped almost sixty times in just three years. This is a man who will literally say anything that suits him at the time.

    I always thought that the best leaders wake up each morning, and ask themselves ‘What am I going to do today?’.

    Some leaders ask themselves ‘What am I going to say today?’

    Sir Keir wakes up and asks ‘What am I going to believe today?’

    Ladies and Gentlemen, can I let you into a secret – if anyone likes the association of Sir Keir with flip flops, I have these: available for just £16.99 here at the Conservative Party shop and also online at Conservatives.com, your own pair of Sir Keir Starmer flip flops and I’d warmly recommend them to you.

    But, not once, has there been any clear plan for Britain from Sir Keir. He is not honest with people about the challenges the country faces – he has no new ideas, criticises from the side-lines, calling for yet more money to be magicked up.

    Here’s another thing we know.

    That wherever Labour run something, they run it badly.

    I’ve already mentioned London. Look at Wales. We’re going to hear from Andrew RT Davies later this afternoon and David TC Davies, the Secretary of State for Wales. Patients almost twice as likely to be on the NHS waiting list as they are in England. But, according to Sir Keir, Labour in Wales is a “blueprint for what they would do in Westminster”.

    That’s not a blue print, Ladies and Gentlemen – it’s a red flag, and it’s running Wales to a standstill.

    Look at Labour-run Birmingham City Council. Its leader handpicked by Sir Keir and his union paymasters to sort out the finances. Praised by Sir Keir just a few months ago.

    So what did they do? They voted unanimously to bump up their own pay-packets, blow millions on consultants, all paid for by hiking council tax for hard-working local people by the maximum amount – this is Europe’s largest local authority.

    …before being hit by a £760 million legal bill for – and here’s the irony – equal pay claims. £760 million for one local authority.

    A Labour council that spent more time thinking up – you might remember this from the height of the pandemic – woke street names than looking after the finances. Birmingham City Council really did have a Diversity Grove, they had Inspire Avenue. And now they’re up Bankruptcy Avenue.

    And from what we do know of Labour’s plans for the UK, the entire country would go the same way.

    Labour’s plan for energy, lovingly crafted by Just Stop Oil, would leave us gasping for energy imports from unfriendly foreign powers.

    Their plan for immigration would see the numbers coming into this country decided not by us, but by Brussels.

    And their plan for the economy has already signed the UK up to £90 billion of uncosted funding commitments.

    Because putting money on the credit card didn’t work out so well for them so well last time…

    You can probably work out where this is going!

    ‘Dear Chief Secretary. No money left’

    That reminder is why we must work to stop Labour getting back in. We cannot let them do the UK what they have done in Wales, what they have done to London and what they have done to Birmingham.

    There is a sure-fire way to stop them in their tracks. It’s through effective campaigning, ladies and gentlemen, and winning next year at all levels.

    Let me tell you something about someone who knew a thing or two about campaigning…

    … a much-loved member of our Conservative family who represented his constituents with the utmost dedication.

    Sir David Amess, Member of Parliament first for Basildon and then for Southend West.

    Many of us will remember his campaigns on issues including the honouring of Raoul Wallenberg for his amazing humanitarian works in WW2, support for those suffering from endometriosis, and of course the awarding of city status to his beloved Southend-on-Sea.

    And I know many of us remember well – I’ll never forget the day – the deeply shocking circumstances of his murder in the course of duty.

    Today, in his memory, I am proud to launch the Sir David Amess Fund, to support more dedicated local campaigning.

    The Sir David Amess Fund will be available to all Members of Parliament to apply for.

    The fund will be focused on supporting local campaigns which transcend party politics, such as campaigning to secure city status for your town.

    There will be two successful applicants each year, with funding made available to support them campaign on and better promote their local worthy cause.

    And I’m delighted to confirm that Anna Firth MP, Sir David’s successor in Southend West who’s watching this now on the train up to Manchester, will work with me to pick those successful applicants.

    So today I make one other announcement: to help get local campaigns up and running.

    As Chairman, I know the value of being well organised locally and the importance of CCHQ having a strong network of Campaign Managers has in helping make that happen.

    That is why since the start of the year we have more than doubled the number of Campaign Managers that CCHQ employs.

    And for the first time ever, we have also started to hire Digital Campaign Managers aswell.

    They are helping to build our social media presence, collecting more emails and filming engaging local content.

    We saw just how important our Digital Campaign Managers were in Uxbridge where we campaigned relentlessly on social media and email against the ULEZ.

    And Conference: I want to ensure you know; we will be expanding the number of Campaign Managers we have in advance of the General Election to support you on the ground.

    Whilst we will be growing the number in the period up to the next General Election, I have also challenged my colleagues in CCHQ to find sensible and creative solutions for the long-term, to ensure the feast and famine of Campaign Managers we’ve seen in recent years ends.

    I want to ensure that we are looking forward and growing a sustainable, well trained, and experienced campaigning organisation.

    Conference, I will leave you with one final thought.

    As we go out and campaign…

    As we make our arguments…

    We shouldn’t be apologetic about what a Conservative government led by Rishi Sunak means. It means strong and decisive long-term action on the things that matter most to people, action that the country needs to put us on the best footing for the future.

    When I look back at the achievements of this country under the Conservatives, I take great pride. I have been a Minister in this government almost continually for 12 years.

    Pride that, back in 2010, we made the tough choices to get the country’s finances back under control. That has made us more able to withstand the headwinds that have come our way since.

    Pride that we kept our great Union together in 2014 – and thank you, Nicola, for your help cementing that this year as well.

    Pride that when the British people asked us to deliver on the result of the EU Referendum, we kept true to our word and got it done.

    Pride that we used those new freedoms to deliver a world-leading vaccination programme and help beat Coronavirus, and provide the financial support that British families and businesses needed.

    And pride that, just a year and a half ago, it was the UK that stood tall, and galvanised the rest of the world in support of Ukraine.

    So, Ladies and Gentlemen, conference, the United Kingdom is a great country.

    It faces profound and complex challenges like the whole of the Western world world.

    But our best days in Britain are still to come.

    This country is best served by strong decisive leadership that is focused on delivering a brighter future for everyone.

    The leadership of our Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and this great Conservative Party,

    And by working together, as a great Conservative family, we can ensure victory in 2024, economic renewal, and a stronger, happier United Kingdom.

    Thank you very much.

  • John Whittingdale – 2023 Speech at Connected Britain 2023

    John Whittingdale – 2023 Speech at Connected Britain 2023

    The speech made by John Whittingdale, the Minister for Digital Infrastructure, in London on 20 September 2023.

    Good afternoon and thank you to Connected Britain for inviting me to speak and for convening an event that is more interesting and important than ever.

    I’m delighted to be here in the Docklands today – there are few better places to celebrate the things which keep us connected.

    Because for centuries, it was the Docklands around us that brought Britain to the world – and the world to Britain, bringing growth, prosperity and opportunity for millions.

    Today, connectivity matters just as much – the economy of the future won’t be powered by sail or coal, boat or barge – it will be powered by digital infrastructure.

    Because it is only with connectivity that we can deliver on our ambition to build the most innovative economy in the world.

    Embedding innovation in our economy must deliver real benefits for each and every British person. For that very reason, this government is on a mission to ensure that communities and businesses up and down the country have the secure, reliable and high-quality connectivity they need.

    That connectivity is, and will continue to be, an engine of economic growth – creating jobs, and delivering the kind of bold new discoveries which will put the UK right at the cutting edge of science and technology.

    Our plan to make that mission a success is clear, comprehensive, and unapologetically ambitious.

    First and foremost, we remain relentlessly focused on working with the telecoms industry to drive the deployment of fixed and wireless broadband, to deliver the connectivity which British people need today.

    But even as we do that, we’re looking ahead to tomorrow, by investing in the technologies that will transform the telecoms industry and the global economy.

    And finally, we’re ensuring at every stage that our telecoms networks are secure and resilient.

    So I want to take today as an opportunity to talk through this 3-step plan for success, and what it means for you.

    Extending fixed and wireless coverage

    Driving the deployment of fixed and wireless broadband is a centrepiece of the government’s work.

    We have set an ambitious goal to ensure future proof and resilient gigabit broadband to 85% of the UK by 2025 and to over 99% by 2030 and we continue to make progress towards meeting this ambition. Working in partnership with industry and Ofcom, our policies have helped us collectively increase gigabit broadband to 77% up from just 6% in 2018, largely driven by competition.

    We remain firmly committed to wholesale competition in the broadband market being the best strategy to meet our strategic objectives.

    And so we continue to establish an environment which encourages competition and investment by removing practical barriers to deployment and reducing regulatory barriers to investment and innovation where necessary.

    The Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act, passed last year, sets out a number of measures that will make a real difference in the pace at which apparatus can be installed, upgraded and shared.

    A number of the provisions have already come into play and we are firmly committed to implementing all provisions in the Act before the end of 2024.

    We are funding a further trial of a more flexible permitting system for street works in England, giving fixed line operators more freedom when installing fibre in the ground. Launching in early 2024, these new ‘flexi-permits’ could significantly accelerate broadband rollout.

    Through the government’s Geospatial Commission, we are also working with asset owners, to build a digital map of the pipes and cables beneath our feet.

    The National Underground Asset Register is revolutionising the way we install, maintain, operate and repair our buried infrastructure and will deliver at least £350 million per year of economic growth, whilst also improving worker safety.

    The emerging service has been launched in parts of England with plans to extend it to the rest of England this autumn, and to Northern Ireland in spring. If you’re not yet taking part – I’d urge you to join others like CityFibre, Virgin Media O2, COLT, Gigaclear and Nynet by getting involved as soon as possible.

    We continue to deliver on our mission to bring fast and reliable connectivity to hard-to-reach places across the UK. Under the £5 billion Project Gigabit, we already have 39 procurements and contracts underway, making over £2 billion of funding available to improve broadband connections for up to 1.1 million premises.

    In addition, our voucher scheme has already benefited communities across the country; with the help of our partners, we recently passed a major milestone: 100,000 vouchers have now been used to fund gigabit broadband connections for people in rural places from the Scottish Highlands to the Jurassic Coast.

    We are trialling satellite connectivity and other innovative technologies to provide faster and reliable connectivity to the most remote areas of the UK.

    Earlier this year the government announced an £8 million fund to provide capital grants to further promote new satellite connectivity to the most remote 35,000 premises.

    On the deployment of mobile connectivity – through the Shared Rural Network, the government and industry are jointly investing over £1 billion to increase 4G mobile coverage to 95% of the UK’s landmass by the end of the programme, up from 93% today and 91% when the SRN deal was signed back in March 2020.

    We also want to ensure that all parts of the UK benefit from 5G. Basic non-standalone 5G has been made available to outside 85% of premises.

    But this is only the start of the UK’s 5G future. Widespread adoption of 5G could see up to £159 billion in productivity benefits by 2035.

    We recognise that the deployment of basic, non-standalone 5G, will not be enough to unlock these benefits.

    Our Wireless Infrastructure Strategy, published in April this year, announced an ambition – backed by the industry – to deliver high-quality, standalone 5G to all populated areas by 2030.

    But we recognise that operators will continue to face challenges when investing in 5G. Through the Strategy, we have set out how we will improve the investment climate for 5G by reducing costs, increasing revenues, and making sure that regulation is not a barrier to innovation.

    To support this, we have asked Ofcom to review its approach to setting spectrum licence fees to ensure they continue to promote the efficient use of spectrum and support a strong investment environment. We are also working closely with Ofcom as it updates the net neutrality guidelines to provide clear and up to date guidance for industry.

    We will also continue with our work through the Barrier Busting Task Force to tackle the barriers preventing the fast, efficient and cost-effective deployment of gigabit-capable and 5G networks.

    Supporting rural communities and businesses to access high quality connectivity is a [personal] priority for both myself and the Secretary of State.

    Our 10 point plan for rural connectivity restated our commitment to ensuring that rural economies benefit from the opportunities that come with better connectivity.

    To support this plan, is the appointment of Simon Fell MP as Rural Connectivity Champion. I know Simon has already met many of you here today. He will report to DSIT and Defra Secretaries of State next year on how government can continue to support rural communities to access and adopt advanced wireless connectivity.

    Earlier this year, we launched our 5G Innovation Regions programme, which will invest up to £40 million to help local and regional authorities realise the benefits of 5G and advanced wireless connectivity. Each 5G Innovation Region will develop a framework to stimulate the adoption of 5G-enabled technologies and services. I am looking forward to announcing the successful regions later in the autumn.

    Accelerating 5G adoption will be key to unlocking additional growth and productivity gains.

    I am pleased to say that today we are announcing the winners of our Smart Infrastructure Pilots Programme. The winning local authorities are Cambridgeshire County Council, Oxfordshire County Council, North Ayrshire Council, Westminster City Council Tees Valley Combined Authority, and the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames.

    The 6 winning pilots authorities will share £1.3 million of funding to procure and test smart multi-purpose street columns for wireless coverage and other uses, such as electric vehicle charging and environmental monitoring. – We are thoroughly looking forward to seeing how the successful local authorities can make a difference.

    Looking ahead, we know that upgrades are a critical element of modernising our telecoms networks. We are working closely with Ofcom and the industry to ensure consumers and sectors are protected and prepared for the Public Switched Telephone Network switch off and the sunsetting of 2G and 3G mobile services.

    Connectivity is essential for full participation in society and we know that the recent rise in the cost of living has been difficult for many households across the country.

    I want to recognise the great work of the industry in ensuring that households, including low income families are able to get and stay online. There are now 27 providers of social tariffs and government continues to work in partnership with Ofcom and industry to support those who are struggling to pay.

    Connectivity for the future

    As well as delivering connectivity today we are also looking ahead to focus on the opportunities that telecoms will bring to the UK tomorrow.

    The government has identified future telecoms as one of the 5 critical technologies that will underpin the transformation of modern British society and our economy.

    The next generation of telecoms, including 6G, should see a huge leap in digital transformation. From the expansion of satellite communications to provide near universal coverage and reducing the rural connectivity divide – to the use of drones in networks to provide energy efficient and flexible deployment.

    We will build our existing strengths in foundational research and early-stage innovation to ensure that new discoveries benefit the British public and put us at the heart of the global telecoms market, delivering our ambition to be a science and tech superpower.

    Earlier this year, we announced our plans to initially invest up to £100 million to support innovators and ensure the UK is a pioneer in future telecoms and 6G research and development. We expect competitions to launch in early October and welcome the robust enthusiasm from the sector to-date! I’m excited to see the pioneering work the winners will be working on over the next few years.

    We also continue to ensure the UK has a leading voice on the global stage and the opportunity to work closely with international partners to shape the rules and standards that govern global telecoms networks.

    We are already delivering on our 6G strategy, most recently at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in June, by ensuring that national priorities such as coverage, sustainability, security and interoperability are recognised internationally as a minimum expectation for 6G.

    And at the heart of all of this work to ensure advanced connectivity is the effective management of Spectrum which we set out in our Spectrum Statement earlier this year which sets out our plans to ensure that spectrum supports growth while protecting critical services and that we will also continue to advocate for the UK at key international fora, including this year’s World Radio Congress.

    A key element of this work is to develop and enhance spectrum sharing in the UK. Ofcom’s 2019 spectrum sharing framework was a ground-breaking step, but industry let us know that more can be done to improve the framework and help us to get more out of this finite resource. We’re working closely with Ofcom on options for spectrum sandboxes and we’re looking forward to the introduction of automation across shared spectrum bands early next year.

    Security and resilience

    As connectivity becomes more central to our lives and to the economy, so does the importance of secure and resilient digital infrastructure.

    I am pleased that, thanks to new laws, we now have one of the strongest telecoms security regimes in the world. We have introduced a robust new telecoms security framework, through the Telecommunications Security Act and subsequent regulations. The Act placed new obligations on telecoms operators and also created new national security powers, which we have used to issue directions to telecoms operators to control their use of Huawei’s goods and services within the UK’s telecoms networks.

    As technologies grow and evolve, we are firmly committed to protecting our networks, shielding our critical national infrastructure and understanding how we should ensure new telecoms networks are designed, built and managed securely.

    Following the government’s decision to remove Huawei from UK 5G networks and the need to mitigate the risks of long-term consolidation in the telecoms equipment market, our 5G Supply Chain Diversification Strategy sets out a plan to ensure the UK has a healthy and competitive telecoms supply chain market.

    The strategy is backed by the £250 million Open Networks R&D Fund which will accelerate the adoption of OpenRAN technology, allowing more suppliers to provide equipment and help diversify the market.

    I was delighted to announce last week 19 new projects which will be recipients of funding through the Open Networks R&D Fund. These projects were successful in applying for the Open Network Ecosystem (ONE) competition. With £88 million of funding, the ONE projects will help boost the technical capabilities of the UK’s open telecoms ecosystem. The UK will see trials of new mobile tech designed to increase the resilience of the UK mobile network.

    To further strengthen our network resilience, we have set an ambition, jointly with the mobile operators, for 35% traffic to be carried over OpenRAN by 2030.

    We are strengthening our collaboration with international partners to shape and stimulate the global market, putting the UK at the forefront of the global debate.

    I was pleased to open the UK’s first International Telecoms Conference in June, where we announced a new Memorandum of Understanding to deepen our cooperation with Australia. We are also working closely with partners in industry and academia to help ensure the standards shaping our networks are fit for purpose and enable the open and interoperable technologies that we need.

    So as the government creates the right policy framework for digital connectivity across the UK, we need to work together to use this as a springboard to drive investment, adoption and innovation, to really level up and boost our economy across the union.

    We can only build an economy that delivers for communities across the country together.

    With this 3-step plan, I am confident that we will.

    Thank you.

  • Helen Whately – 2023 Speech at the NHS Confederation Conference

    Helen Whately – 2023 Speech at the NHS Confederation Conference

    The speech made by Helen Whately, the Health Minister, on 27 September 2023.

    Thank you, Layla [Dr Layla McCay] and thank you all for being here.

    I wanted to be here, even with this broken ankle, because the NHS Confederation is a very important organisation and it is a great opportunity to meet lots of you here today.

    But the topic of today’s conference – health beyond the hospital – to me, that is the clincher.

    It’s something I have been wanting to talk about since the Prime Minister appointed me. But I rarely get the chance, in public, because it’s not what most people ask me about.

    For instance, if I’ve got the joy of the notorious morning media round, notorious among ministers that is, I’ll likely be asked about acute hospital performance, A&E waits, and possibly discharge into social care, because of how that affects hospitals.

    It often feels like the acute hospital is like the sun in the NHS solar system with everything else spinning round it. But it doesn’t have to be that way, and I suspect many of you are here because you don’t believe it should be that way.

    I scarcely need to remind you of the context for this conversation. Firstly, the fact that more people are living longer with multiple health conditions. Over half of people over 55 have at least one long term condition, and that goes up to 80% of people aged over 80. And more people are living to a much greater age when they are also likely to be frail.

    There are a bit under 2 million people aged over 85. And over half of people over 85 are affected by frailty. In a couple of decades that number – people over 85 – will double.

    I don’t need to tell this audience about the challenges of an ageing population for our health system. But, as the Prime Minister said last week, governments must reckon with reality.

    This reality means we need to do healthcare differently, for the sake of individuals and for the sake of the system as a whole.

    We should start with what people want. If any of you have heard me speaking about hospital visiting, you will know that my mum has been pretty unwell this year. Even so, my mum doesn’t want to go in and out of hospital. In fact, she has to be practically dead before she agrees to going. She’s not alone in that.

    We probably all know someone who is, or has been, through this – bouncing in and out of hospital. We know that it is miserable.

    What most people want is to be able to stay at home, and have their healthcare on hand, from clinicians who understand them and what they need. Giving them control over what’s going on, and without being wheeled into an emergency department time after time.

    Then looking at our health system, we know our emergency departments are struggling with the number of people turning up. They’ve got really good at triage and developing new models like having GPs on site and same day emergency care. But it’s really hard to get care right in an emergency department for someone who’s frail with really complex care needs – and for those people, once they are in hospital, it can be so much harder for them to get home.

    Now here there is some good news: what people want and what would help our stretched acute hospitals is the same.

    Now I won’t be simplistic – ministers are always looking for the silver bullet, but I have been in this job long enough to know that there is no such thing. There is no one magic thing, but what there is, is a cluster of things that make a difference.

    Several of these were brought together in the Urgent and Emergency Care Recovery Plan, and are already well on their way to being offered in every area – like consistent urgent community response services, which do a great job of keeping people out of hospital when there’s a crisis.

    Like virtual wards, or hospitals at home, which mean people can get the hospital-level care they need in their own home, avoiding admission or allowing earlier discharge. Like the ‘Enhanced Health in Care Homes’ model.

    And scaling up intermediate care for patients following hospital discharge, to which end NHS England has just published the intermediate care framework. Among other things, this guides systems on demand and capacity planning to make sure that the amount of step-down care commissioned in each area will be enough to meet the needs of patients, particularly as demand increases during the winter months.

    But there’s a particular approach which I want to focus on today, which to me is the next big thing we have to do. That is to put in place really good, proactive, community-based, multidisciplinary, proactive, anticipatory care.

    Many of you will have heard of the Jean Bishop Centre in Hull, but for those of you who haven’t, I’ll give you a whistle-stop introduction.

    It’s named after, obviously, Jean Bishop. For 30 years Jean paced the streets of Hull, rattling her tin, and urging passers-by to donate to charity. She borrowed a stripy outfit from Age UK and quickly became known as Hull’s ‘bee lady’ – a local legend.

    She went out in all seasons – sunshine or rain, for anyone who knows Hull. This remarkable woman raised more than £125,000 for charity. She passed away 2 years ago, but her legacy lives on: Hull’s Jean Bishop Integrated Care Centre opened in 2018.

    Now people talk a lot about integrated care. This is it in action. The centre’s team includes geriatricians, advanced nurse practitioners, GPs, pharmacists, therapists and social workers, all under one roof.

    GPs across Hull identify patients at risk of severe frailty and refer them for a comprehensive assessment. They’ll see whoever they need to see in that multidisciplinary team. And they’ll get a tailored care plan shared with them, their GP and the hospital. A plan that reflects what they want – to help them manage their own care and stay healthy.

    The centre offers the same service to care home residents too. And it works. Between 2019 and 2022, for patients aged over 80, emergency hospital admissions fell by more than 13% and A&E attendance for patients in care homes fell by almost a fifth.

    And they are not the only ones doing this. For example, the ‘Age Well Team’ in Northamptonshire, with a proactive care model and a multi-disciplinary team, have seen a 5% drop in unplanned hospital admissions.

    Another example – one that means a lot to me because it’s just on my doorstep in Kent – is the proactive integrated care provided by the Estuary View practice in Whitstable, which was one of the vanguards that informed the inclusion of integrated community health services and expanded neighbourhood teams in the NHS Long Term Plan.

    I imagine those of you here today also have some great examples in your areas, which I’d like to learn about.

    So what now? Well, I meet with James Sanderson, who you heard from just before the break, every couple of weeks, and pretty much every time we meet, I ask him about this.

    Over the last few months, James and colleagues at NHS England – working with organisations like Age UK and the British Geriatrics Society, drawing from best practice across the country and the world – have been developing the proactive care framework, focused on frailty. Which will set out the combination of things that good proactive care involves – the effective use of data, holistic assessments, personalised care, multidisciplinary working, co-ordinated care and targeted support for individual patients and their carers.

    The framework is coming soon to help systems put this into practice, and then the job will be to make it happen.

    Now, making stuff happen can’t just be by ministerial decree – me saying it is not enough. Making things happen involves thousands of people who work in the NHS thinking, and doing, something differently. And in my experience, just telling people to do something doesn’t work – at least, not very well. We need people across the NHS to believe in this, to want to do it, and then to have the support to be able to do it.

    And what I would love from you, and I recognise I am preaching to the converted here today, is to do what you can to make this happen. Because if I know anything, the answers to the problems are out there, not up here.

    Before I sit down and take your questions, on my part, I can give you this assurance. People often talk about the NHS like it’s the National Hospital Service, not the National Health Service. And when the chips are down, the focus tends to be the hospitals and what’s going on in them. But I don’t let that happen on my watch.

    I’m always the one who says, ‘Hold on – what about the rest of the system?’

    If I go back to my solar system analogy earlier, the sun at the centre actually should be the person, the individual, whose health this is all about. Hospitals, community health services, mental health services, social care providers and so on – these are all important parts of the system.

    And the future of healthcare is as much about what happens out of the hospital, as what happens in it.

  • Tom Tugendhat – 2023 Speech at the International Security Expo

    Tom Tugendhat – 2023 Speech at the International Security Expo

    The speech made by Tom Tugendhat, the Security Minister, on 26 September 2023.

    Thank you very much indeed for the invitation and opportunity to address you  again. This is my second time speaking here. It was a year ago that I was able to immerse myself among some of the most fantastic and innovative companies that the UK and indeed countries around the world are bringing together here.

    It’s fantastic as well to see such innovation even in the last twelve months. While many of us have been focused on other security challenges, and in my case of course the death of her late majesty, the Queen, and the coronation of our new King, have dominated many of the security issues I have been particularly focused on.

    We’ve also been sadly witnessing Russia’s brutal, illegal, vile and unprovoked attack on Ukraine.

    It saddens me that a year on, that war has not only continued  but it has cost many many more lives The UK remains absolutely steadfast in our commitment to the defence of a free and democratic people in Ukraine and their ability to determine their own future, free from Russian aggression.

    Russia’s actions have provided us all with a very clear and stark reminder of the delicate nature of global peace and stability. And once again we are being challenged to stand up for those values.

    That challenge is one we must meet head on because, although the world is changing some core elements are not. We still have a very fundamental choice between us, the decision to defend our freedom and our democracy, and we are very clear on what side we stand.

    But that also means standing with friends and partners. Because our security, the bedrock on which all our freedoms is built doesn’t stand alone and is not set apart from those of NATO, Europe, Five Eyes and indeed many partners around the world.

    The defence of our nation, the defence of our national security and of our citizens has been the guiding light of my working life. As many people know I have been a public servant in uniform and out of it for many years focusing entirely on the security of our people and our friends.

    So I pay tribute to everyone across government, but particularly those in law enforcement, security and the intelligence community and of course in defence for everything they do in support of our nation.

    As you know better than anyone, that mission goes beyond the state. It goes into industry, the private sectors, into academia and into individual ideas and innovations that are happening across the world and across the United Kingdom. So I pay huge tribute to all those in private sector who contribute to our security as well.

    The relentless focus on the security of our people, our institutions, our economy and our values does not change.

    That is not to say, however, that we can simply continue doing what we have always done.

    In fact, that would be a mistake. The threats we face now, not only to life, but to our way of life, are as varied as they have ever been and are continuing to get more so.

    The reality is that our adversaries are no longer as easily identifiable as the days when I was training at Sandhurst..

    They don’t wear uniforms, they don’t carry flags, they don’t walk around in the open..

    The reality is that today’s enemies, sadly are lurking on the internet and in the shadows.

    They are using non-state actors, criminal groups and indeed private companies to undermine our security.

    That danger comes from entire states and also from lone actors alike.

    Now I don’t say this to sound alarmist indeed, what I have seen over the last year has filled me with enormous confidence that the response that many companies here have made against these target, against these threats, and to protect ourselves.

    But it is also important we underline a new era of warfare and security we live in.

    So, what have we done about it? What have the last 12 months looked like? Well we’ve taken some very significant steps.

    I’ve mentioned Russia and Ukraine, and all of the activity to support Ukraine and how we’ve manage security implications for the UK over that time. How we’ve learnt from what we’ve seen there, and made sure that those lessons are embedded.

    Closer at home, well, I’ve been working to make sure our apparatus for fighting terrorism is as strong, precise and agile as it needs to be to keep the public safe.

    Our counter-terrorism strategy, which many people know, CONTEST, has been in place now for over 20 years.

    Over that time, it has been established as, let’s face it, the best approach that we’ve seen around the world. It’s based on the four pillars which many of you will be able to recite by heart: prevent, pursue, protect and prepare. I normally forget one of them.

    There is no change to that core framework, but as the public would expect, we are constantly asking ourselves what we need to do to modernise it.

    That culminated in the publication this summer of a refreshed version of CONTEST which many of you will have seen, to make sure the UK remains ahead of the enduring and evolving threat we face from terrorism, both here in the UK and to our interests abroad.

    This updated strategy describes a need to respond to a domestic terrorist threat which is less predictable and harder to detect and investigate, a persistent and evolving threat from Islamist groups overseas, and an operating environment in which technological advances present both opportunities and risks.

    CONTEST sets out how the UK’s counter-terrorism response will remain agile in the face of an evolving threat, integrated so that we can bring the right interventions to bear at the right time to reduce risk, and aligned with our international allies to ensure that we can continue to deliver together.

    And I will add that our partnerships with academia, the private sector and industry are critical in this endeavour, not only in supporting our counter-terrorism efforts with technological achievements, but also by injecting a drive for continuous improvement throughout our approach.

    Now I mentioned earlier that we have to contend with threats not only to life but to our way of life, and that has perhaps been the most significant element of my work as Security Minister

    Over the last 10 or 20 years, terrorism was quite rightly been the focus of my predecessors, the emergence of what we call state actors has now opened up a whole new dimension.

    State threats are growing and diversifying as systematic competition intensifies. This can manifest itself in many forms, including espionage; interference; sabotage; physical threats to individuals; and attempts to undermine the rules based international system. Essentially, we are talking about is activity that seeks to undermine our security, our prosperity and our democracy.

    So, I’ve placed a huge amount of emphasis on the need to bolster our response to state threats. One of the most important questions we have to ask ourselves when confronting emerging dangers like this is ‘do we have the powers we need’ ‘are our laws up to date’, ‘do we have the tools for the task?’

    The truth is we didn’t. And that’s why we brought forward the National Security Act which was made law and the King signed only a few months ago. The Act brings together vital new measures to protect our national security. It overhauls and updates our outdated espionage laws, and creates a whole suite of measures designed to enable our law enforcement and intelligence agencies to deter, detect and disrupt the full range of modern-day state threats.

    This is a genuine operational change in our ability to protect ourselves, the state and you as companies from the threat you may be facing to your intellectual property and your ability to provide essential defence.

    Fraud is another area where we have sharpened up our response. These crimes pose a significant threat not just to individuals, but also to our collective prosperity and security. Earlier this year, we unveiled a new Fraud Strategy to stop scams at source, to boost protections for the public and strengthen the enforcement.

    So that’s a small flavour of the progress we’ve made over the last year. But, as I made clear at the beginning, we cannot afford to be complacent.

    That need to be indefatigable in our thirst to learn, to improve our response and to bolster our capabilities was brought home in the starkest possible fashion by the heinous attack at the Manchester Arena only a few years ago.

    That atrocity that occurred that night was an act of – call it what it is – an act of absolute, pure evil. While we cannot bring back those whose lives were so brutally cut short, we can do everything possible to prevent more families suffering in the way that the victims and their  loved ones suffered that night.

    A huge amount of work has already been undertaken since the attack, not least the Manchester Arena Inquiry itself, which ended in August.

    But we must never stop To ensure we learn the lessons, the Home Office has established the Manchester Arena Inquiry Assurance Programme. The assurance programme will work closely with our emergency service partners to oversee the continued delivery of the Manchester Arena Inquiry recommendations now that the Inquiry has closed.

    As with all Home Office work, it will be accountable to the Home Affairs Select Committee for its progress, and, crucially, it will also provide a range of engagement events for victims of the Manchester Arena attack. In so doing, the assurance programme will provide updates on recommendation delivery to those most affected by their work.

    In May, we published the Terrorism  (Protection of Premises) Draft Bill.

    This bill is truly known, correctly, as ‘Martyn’s Law’ because we named it after Martyn Hett, who was killed in the Manchester Arena attack. I’m very pleased to see Figen, Martyn’s mother, here today.

    As many of you will know, Figen Murray has campaigned tirelessly for this change in the law. I pay enormous tribute to the work that she has done to make people aware of the changes, some of them incredibly small that we can make to make our communities safer and better prepared. It is no exaggeration to say that without her I would not be discussing this draft legislation today.  She has been a tireless campaigner.

    Martyn’s Law will ensure that  there is better preparedness for terrorist attacks in public venues.

    Our expert security partners assess that individuals are more likely to take action that can mitigate harm and save lives if they have considered what they would do, and how, before an attack occurring.

    Throughout the development of the legislation, I have been extremely conscious of the need for proportionality, balancing the requirements with other pressures facing venues and owners.

    That’s why for larger venues and events, we are asking more than in those smaller venues because not only are they more likely to be targets and sadly they are more likely to have more people in. That means that larger venues will need to implement security measures, develop a security plan and provide terrorism protection training to workers.

    The duty is not entirely dissimilar to consideration venues will already be giving to health and safety and fire safety.  A suite of guidance, good practice examples and templates will be available to support owners and operators. High quality advice is already available through the online platform ProtectUK, which I know many of you already use and I would advise those who aren’t, please do.

    We are also making progress in our mission to tackle state threats. Let me tell you a little bit about some of the other work we’re doing. We passed the National Security Act but that is only just the beginning.

    Always a major area of interest to me is the Defending Democracy Taskforce, which I have been asked to lead on behalf of the government.

    Through the Taskforce, we are embedding a whole-system approach to protect the UK’s democratic processes, institutions and society and deliver a secure and resilient UK, free from threats of foreign interference.

    Looking ahead, we must also continue working to understand the risks and opportunities flowing from technological advancements.

    The pace of change has been so rapid and rampant that it can be difficult to keep track. But we must.

    I believe the UK should lead the world in shaping the future. Many of you already do that with technology and the ways your companies prepare security.

    That’s why I’m also delighted that we will be hosting the AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park in November.

    The Summit will focus on promoting our wider vision for AI and on safety risks in ‘frontier AI’ to drive coordinated international action.

    The United Kingdom government’s overall objective is to ensure the safe and reliable development and use of frontier AI globally.

    We recognise that AI presents both a generational challenge and  generational opportunities, and will have lasting impact on humankind in terms of how we live and work, and our security, domestically and internationally.

    To keep the UK safe, secure, and prosperous, we must ensure that as the technology evolves, it does so in a safe, responsible, and fair way.

    Many organisations outside of national governments, in particular private companies, have been pivotal to the most recent advances in AI. It will therefore be absolutely critical to work with private companies around the world to make sure the safety measures we need are embedded not just government-to-government basis.

    It has been my absolute pleasure to join you again today.

    Security in 2023, as you all know very well, is about so much more than government, the police and security services.

    It’s about all of you, it’s about making sure the entire mission   and buy-in from right across society and that people understand what we’re trying to do to keep our whole community safe. I am really grateful to all of you who, who day in day out, continue to prepare the United Kingdom and our friends and allies to respond.

    Thank you very much indeed for your time today. I am very confident that the work you are doing, that we are doing together, is going to keep us safe for many years into the future. The work that you do will also build into our economy a level of resilience and that level of control that means you are able to succeed.

    Thank you very much indeed for being here today, it is very nice to see some old friends and indeed many new ones. Thank you very much for inviting me.

  • James Cleverly – 2023 Statement at the OSCE Reinforced Permanent Council

    James Cleverly – 2023 Statement at the OSCE Reinforced Permanent Council

    The statement made by James Cleverly, the Foreign Secretary, on 26 September 2023.

    Thank you for convening this reinforced Permanent Council and for the strength of your leadership in these difficult circumstances. I welcome this discussion. The Euro-Atlantic region faces its greatest security challenge since 1945. The importance of the OSCE therefore cannot be overstated – not least as a forum to hold Russia to account and help Ukraine prevail. But it currently faces its greatest ever threat.

    Like any organisation, the OSCE needs strong leadership and adequate resources to function. You and your team along with Secretary General Helga Schmid and the institution heads have provided leadership. And our flexible approach has so far provided the resources. But Russia’s insistence on blocking progress on institutional matters puts all of those things at risk. If Russia feels isolated, it is because it has isolated itself through its illegal war and through its blatant disregard for civilized norms of behaviour.

    There is of course a way to fix this – Russia can change its approach, and we call on Russia to do so. Not to do so will imperil the existence of an organisation that has helped ensure peace and security for five decades. The organisation needs a budget, it needs effective leadership, and it needs a Chair.

    The UK is grateful for Estonia’s offer to Chair in 2024. Estonia should know that it has our full support, as well as the support of most other members. We are also grateful to the Chair and the staff for providing options for managing the budget. But our ultimate aim is a properly functioning OSCE, no matter by which means. If Estonia’s candidacy does not secure consensus, we will support another state willing to Chair in line with the Helsinki principles. These are not normal times so we are willing to consider unorthodox options. If no alternative exists, the UK will support North Macedonia’s serving again or continuing as Chair. We applaud the exemplary leadership shown by the current four leaders in the OSCE under extremely difficult circumstances. The chances of us finding a consensus on replacements at this moment frankly are minimal. Let them then continue their work into 2024.

    We should be here preparing for a Ministerial Council and discussing the important work the OSCE does for all our citizens. Instead, sadly, we are forced to focus on these procedural matters. So I ask those who would block progress, if you oppose Estonia’s candidacy, if you would block colleagues from remaining in post, if you would prevent agreement of an adequate budget – what then do you propose in its place? History will not judge those kindly those who undermine the important work of this organisation and its just causes.

    Thank you.