A thousand new paramedics will be trained to work in the ambulance service over the next five years, the Scottish Government has committed today. Continue reading A thousand new Paramedics to be trained
Day: July 13, 2016
‘my only wish is continued success for this great country that I love so very much’.
David Cameron made a statement in Downing Street on his departure as Prime Minister:
When I first stood here in Downing Street on that evening in May 2010, I said we would confront our problems as a country and lead people through difficult decisions, so that together we could reach better times.
It has not been an easy journey, and of course we have not got every decision right, but I do believe that today our country is much stronger.
Above all it was about turning around the economy. And with the deficit cut by two-thirds, two and a half million more people in work and one million more businesses, there can be no doubt that our economy is immeasurably stronger.
Politicians like to talk about policies, but in the end it is about people’s lives.
I think of the people doing jobs who were previously unemployed.
I think of the businesses that were just ideas in someone’s head and that today are making a go of it and providing people with livelihoods.
I think of the hard-working families paying lower taxes and getting higher wages because of the first ever National Living Wage.
I think of the children who were languishing in the care system and who have now been adopted by loving families.
I think of the parents now able to send their children to good and outstanding schools, including free schools that simply didn’t exist before.
I think of over 200,000 young people who have taken part in National Citizen Service, the fastest growing youth programme of its kind in the world, something that, again, wasn’t there 6 years ago.
I think of the couples who have been able to get married, who weren’t allowed to in the past.
And I think of the people on the other side of the world who would not have clean drinking water, the chance to go to school, or even be alive, were it not for our decision to keep our aid promises to the poorest people and the poorest countries in our world.
And we have used our stronger economy to invest in our health service. When I walked in there, there were 18,000 people waiting over a year for their operation. Today it’s just 800. Too many. Still too long.
But our NHS is a national treasure, and one whose staff perform miracles as I’ve seen every day.
And we’ve strengthened our nation’s defences, with submarines, destroyers, frigates and, soon, aircraft carriers, rolling out of our shipyards to keep our country safe in a dangerous world.
These are the choices and the changes that we have made.
And I want to thank everyone who has given so much to support me personally over these years.
The incredible team in No10, the civil servants, whose professionalism and impartiality is one of our country’s greatest strengths.
And my political advisers, some of whom have been with me since the day I stood for my party’s leadership 11 years ago.
I want to thank my children, Nancy, Elwen and Florence, for whom Downing Street has been a lovely home over these last 6 years. They sometimes kick the red boxes full of work. Florence, you once climbed into one, before a foreign trip, and said take me with you. No more boxes.
And above all, I want to thank Samantha, the love of my life. You have kept me vaguely sane and, as well as being an amazing wife, mother and businesswoman, you have done something every week in that building behind me to celebrate the best spirit of voluntary service in our country.
We will shortly be heading to Buckingham Palace to see Her Majesty the Queen, where I will tender my resignation as Prime Minister and I will advise Her Majesty to invite Theresa May to form a new administration.
I am delighted that for the second time in British history the new Prime Minister will be a woman, and once again, a Conservative. I believe Theresa will provide strong and stable leadership in fulfilling the Conservative Manifesto on which we were elected, and I wish her well in negotiating the best possible terms for Britain’s exit from the European Union.
Let me finish by saying this. The spirit of service is one of this country’s most remarkable qualities.
I have seen that service day in and day out in the incredible work of our armed forces, our intelligence agencies and our police. It is something I always knew. But as Prime Minister you see it so directly that it blows you away.
And of course writing those heart-breaking letters to the families who have lost loved ones is a poignant reminder of the profound scale of what these men and women give for us in the defence of our freedoms and our way of life. We must never forget that.
In a different way, I have seen that same spirit of service in the amazing contributions of countless volunteers in communities up and down our country who are making our society bigger and stronger.
And I am proud that every day for the past 2 years I have used the office of Prime Minister in a non-political way to recognise and thank almost 600 of them as Points of Light whose service can be an inspiration to us all.
For me politics has always been about public service in the national interest. It is simple to say but often hard to do.
But one of the things that sustains you in this job is the sense that, yes, our politics is full of argument and debate, and it can get quite heated, but no matter how difficult the decisions are, there is a great sense of British fair play, a quiet but prevailing sense that most people wish their Prime Minister well and want them to stick at it and get on with the job.
So I want to take this moment to say thank you to all those who have written letters and emails offering me that support, people who I will never get to meet and never get to thank personally.
It has been the greatest honour of my life to serve our country as Prime Minister over these last six years, and to serve as leader of my party for almost eleven years. And as we leave for the last time, my only wish is continued success for this great country that I love so very much.
Call for clarity on EU workers
The UK Government must reassure workers they will not lose out after the EU referendum outcome, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and STUC General Secretary Grahame Smith said yesterday. The STUC also supported the call to give all EU citizens currently resident in the UK reassurance they can continue to live, work and study here without restriction.
The appeal comes as Theresa May prepares to take over as Prime Minister later today.
On Monday the Westminster government said there has been no change to the rights and status of EU nationals in the UK, and UK nationals in the EU, as a result of the referendum.
In a joint statement, the Cabinet Office, the Home Office and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office said:
The decision about when to trigger Article 50 and start the formal process of leaving the EU will be for the new Prime Minister. The UK remains a member of the EU throughout this process, and until Article 50 negotiations have concluded.
When we do leave the EU, we fully expect that the legal status of EU nationals living in the UK, and that of UK nationals in EU member states, will be properly protected.
The government recognises and values the important contribution made by EU and other non-UK citizens who work, study and live in the UK.
I have lived in the UK for more than 5 years. What does the vote to leave the EU mean for me?
- EU nationals who have lived continuously and lawfully in the UK for at least 5 years automatically have a permanent right to reside. This means that they have a right to live in the UK permanently, in accordance with EU law. There is no requirement to register for documentation to confirm this status.
- EU nationals who have lived continuously and lawfully in the UK for at least 6 years are eligible to apply for British citizenship if they would like to do so. The eligibility requirements can be found here.
What if I have lived in the UK for less than 5 years?
- EU nationals continue to have a right to reside in the UK in accordance with EU law. EU nationals do not need to register for any documentation in order to enjoy their free movement rights and responsibilities. For those that decide to apply for a registration certificate, there has been no change to government policy or processes. Applications will continue to be processed as usual.
- Non-EU family members of EU nationals must continue to apply for a family permit if they wish to enter the UK under EU law, and they do not have a residence card issued by a member state. There has been no change to government policy or processes, and applications will continue to be processed as usual.
- Extended family members of EU nationals must continue to apply for a registration certificate (if they are an EU national) or residence card (if they are a non-EU national) if they wish to reside in the UK. There has been no change to government policy or processes, and applications will continue to be processed as usual.
- Irish nationals enjoy separate rights, under various pieces of legislation, which allow Irish nationals residing in the UK to be treated in the same way as British nationals in most circumstances. There is no change to this position.
- Croatian nationals might continue to need to apply for a registration certificate to be allowed to work in the UK under the transitional arrangements that were put in place when Croatia joined the EU in 2013. The type of registration certificate that they might need will depend on whether they need permission to work in the UK, and what they will be doing. There has been no change to government policy or processes, and applications will continue to be processed as usual.
Does the government plan to remove EU nationals from the UK?
There has been no change to the right of EU nationals to reside in the UK and therefore no change to the circumstances in which someone could be removed from the UK.
As was the case before the referendum, EU nationals can only be removed from the UK if they are considered to pose a genuine, present and sufficiently serious threat to the public, if they are not lawfully resident or are abusing their free movement rights.
However the First Minister is seeking reassurance from Theresa May that these exisiting EU workers rights will be protected.
Ms Sturgeon met the STUC General Council yesterday to discuss fair work and progressive workplace practices in light of the immediate and long-term implications for the Scottish economy of the referendum result, where she also reiterated her message that her government will pursue all options to protect Scotland’s position in Europe.
The First Minister said: “I welcome today’s discussions with the STUC General Council. I want to stress that this government will work with STUC and trade unions to share information, listen and understand priorities and concerns, and make clear, here and further afield, that Scotland remains a stable, attractive and fair place to do business.
“Scotland has a fundamentally strong economy and we will continue to work with employers and trade unions to boost productivity, innovative workplaces and inclusive growth. We will pursue every option to protect Scotland’s position in Europe and, by extension, the interests of EU citizens who live and work here.
“I call on the new Prime Minister, Theresa May to give an immediate guarantee that the existing rights of the 173,000 EU nationals in Scotland will be protected.
“In Scotland we have fostered a distinctive and a positive approach to fair work focusing on economic and social benefits for all.
“The European Union has been instrumental in strengthening and protecting workers’ rights and enshrining key employment rights relating to pay, safe working conditions and the right to unionise. I firmly believe that EU membership delivers many social, economic and cultural benefits for individuals, business and communities across Scotland.
“We will pursue every option to protect Scotland’s position in Europe, and all the many benefits which that brings in terms of workers’ rights and social protections. That includes our place in the single market and the free movement of people.”
Grahame Smith, General Secretary STUC said: “We share the view of the First Minister that the best place for Scotland is firmly within the European Union. We are further assured that the FM is exploring every available option to retain Scotland’s membership within the European Union and is moving to positively address some of the challenges that have arisen in respect of the attitude of the Westminster Government. We look forward to continuing to work closely with the Scottish Government to ensure that our shared commitments to inclusive sustainable economic growth continues.”