Prime Minister Keir Starmer will address the Commons this afternoon as questions mount over his appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States.
Oppostion leaders have all called for his resignation and there is growing disquiet among his own backbenchers over Starmer’s decision to appoint Mandelson – a man who had previously been forced to resign TWICE for dishonesty and whose links to disgraced paedophile Jeffrey Epstein were in the public domain.
Despite Mandelson’s controversial background, Starmer appointed the lobbyist to a senior diplomatic post only to dismiss him in September when more Epstein revelations came to light.
Starmer is now claiming he was unaware that Mandelson failed security vetting and that, had he known, he would not have appointed the disgraced peer. The vetting process actually took place after the announcement of Mandelson’s appointment.
Exactly what Starmer knew, and when, may just become a little clearer this afternoon. ‘Furious’ Starmer will doubtless come out fighting, and Cabinet colleagues have been circling the wagons to protect their leader, but whether Westminster will believe the Prime Minister’s version of events is another matter.
The Mandelson affair is another self-inflicted wound, and an unwelcome distraction for a government facing elections across the country in just three weeks time.
The Foreign Affairs Committee has written to Sir Olly Robbins, former Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of the United Kingdom, to request he give evidence next Tuesday (21 April) on the vetting of Lord Mandelson.
Following recent reporting by The Guardian exposing Lord Mandelson’s failure to pass developed vetting and the decision of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to overrule this, Sir Olly resigned as Permanent-Under Secretary at the FCDO.
Correspondence: Foreign Affairs Committee Chair to Sir Olly Robbins
New measures to strengthen appointment and vetting processes following Mandelson revelations
National Security Vetting process to be reviewed following Peter Mandelson case
Ethics and Integrity Commission tasked with tightening financial disclosures, lobbying and business appointment rules
Further reforms build on ambitious programme of standards and ethics reform
The Westminster Government has ordered an overhaul of standards in Whitehall to boost ethics and integrity in political and public life following the Peter Mandelson case.
Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones confirmed the work builds on the significant action this Government has already taken to deliver reforms to standards and ethics.
However, the Mandelson case has also shown more needs to be done and raised further questions about how the direct ministerial appointment process, and wider operation of government, can be strengthened.
The Government will continue to go further to strengthen standards in public life, including by looking again at how ministers and senior officials declare and publish their financial interests, how transparency around lobbying is enforced, and whether the rules on post‑employment activity are fit for purpose in preventing unfair access to, or influence within, government.
The Prime Minister has written to the Ethics and Integrity Commission, asking them to review current arrangements relating to financial disclosures for ministers and senior officials, transparency around lobbying and the Business Appointment Rules. The Government will swiftly respond to any recommendations to bolster standards in public life.
Alongside this, the Government will review the National Security Vetting system, including lessons learned from Peter Mandelson’s developed vetting.
The Government has already confirmed that, in future, diplomatic appointments will not be announced until security vetting has been completed.
To drive this work forward, Baroness Anderson, Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office, has been appointed to work on standards policy and to deliver the Government’s agenda on ethical standards and constitutional affairs.
Ministers have asked the Lords Conduct Committee to review the Code of Conduct to consider what changes are required to ensure peers can be removed when they have brought the House into disrepute. Ministers are also exploring whether the Committee can tighten rules on lobbying and paid advocacy to bring the Lords in line with the Commons.
In parallel, the Government has also committed to bringing forward legislation to remove peerages from disgraced peers as soon as possible. This work will build on progress to reform the second chamber, such as the upcoming removal of hereditary peers from the House of Lords.
These further steps add to the action the Government has already taken to raise standards — including publishing a new Ministerial Code, establishing the Ethics and Integrity Commission, strengthening the powers of the Independent Adviser, and reforming the business appointments system.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is supporting the strengthening of the due diligence and security vetting processes for politically appointed Heads of Mission. This includes introducing individual due diligence-specific interviews with proposed candidates and ensuring politically appointed Ambassadors will have to undergo security vetting before they are appointed.
The government is also looking at assurance processes for high-profile Direct Ministerial Appointments across government, ensuring there are robust measures in place with further details on this work to be set out in due course.
The Government recognises that the Mandelson case has raised serious concerns about standards and inflicted real damage on people’s trust in politics. While the specifics of that case are now a matter for the police, it has exposed the gaps in whether the systems designed to uphold integrity are strong enough.
Taken together, these measures show this Government’s determination to address the issues raised and uphold integrity in public life by strengthening the rules, improving transparency, and restoring confidence in how government operates.
European leaders set to arrive in London today for a meeting of the ‘Coalition of Willing’ as Ukraine’s allies ramp up pressure on Russia heading into winter
Global leaders set to convene this afternoon both in person in London, and virtually, to discuss how they can pile pressure on Putin
Prime Minister will urge leaders to act to take Russian oil and gas off the global market, finish the job on Russian sovereign assets to unlock billions of pounds to fund Ukraine’s defences, and step up the gifting of long-range capabilities
Meeting comes as the Prime Minister announces acceleration of missile delivery programme to deliver 140 lightweight-multirole missiles to Ukraine this winter, supporting UK jobs
PILING PRESSURE ON PUTIN?
European leaders are set to arrive in London today for a critical meeting of the ‘Coalition of Willing’ as Ukraine’s allies ramp up pressure on Russia heading into winter.
Leaders will convene this afternoon, both in person and virtually, to discuss how they can pile pressure on Putin as he continues to kill innocent civilians with indiscriminate attacks across Ukraine, including hitting a nursery filled with toddlers and children this week.
The London hosted meeting comes after Putin proved yet again that he is not serious about ending his illegal war, failing to engage with President Trump’s most recent proposals for meaningful peace talks.
Leaders are expected to use the meeting to focus the world’s attention on how they can further strengthen Ukraine’s hand and cripple Russia’s ability to continue to wage war.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “The only person involved in this conflict who does not want to stop the war is President Putin, and his depraved strikes on young children in a nursery this week make that crystal clear.
“Time and again we offer Putin the chance to end his needless invasion, to stop the killing and recall his troops, but he repeatedly rejects those proposals and any chance of peace.
“From the battlefield to the global markets, as Putin continues to commit atrocities in Ukraine we must ratchet up the pressure on Russia and build on President Trump’s decisive action.
“After all, Ukraine’s security matters to us all, and what happens on the frontline of Donetsk today is shaping our collective future for years to come.”
In the past fortnight, the international community has stepped up its decisive action to force President Putin back to the negotiating table and secure a just and lasting peace for Ukraine.
That has included the US’ decisive action this week to place a chokehold round Putin’s finance flows and sanction two of the largest Russian oil companies, following the UK action taken last week.
The European Union has also adopted its 19th sanctions package against Russia, further targeting the Russian oil trade and cracking down on financial loopholes, and Ukraine’s allies have accelerated work to use the full value of immobilised Russian Sovereign Assets to support Ukraine – a move that would be unprecedented and finance Ukraine’s war efforts for years to come.
The government has been clear that the UK’s national security – the foundation of the Government’s Plan for Change – starts in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister Dick Schoof, as well as the NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, are all expected to attend the meeting in person at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office today.
They will be greeted by children from St Mary’s Ukrainian School, which has welcomed hundreds of displaced Ukrainian children since Russia’s full-scale invasion.
A further 20 leaders are expected to dial into the call.
During the call, the Prime Minister is expected to call on leaders to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position going into the winter. He will urge leaders to act to take Russian oil and gas off the global market, finish the job on Russian sovereign assets to unlock billions of pounds to fund Ukraine’s defences, and step up the gifting of long-range capabilities to ensure Ukraine can build on its success of this week.
Leaders will also discuss how more can be done to protect energy infrastructure, as Russia continues to systematically destroy critical national infrastructure, plunging millions of innocent Ukrainians into the cold and dark.
The Prime Minister will announce that a UK missile building programme has been accelerated to deliver more than 100 extra air defence missiles ahead of schedule to bolster Ukraine’s defences through the depths of winter.
The package forms part of the £1.6bn deal between UK industry and Ukraine in March to provide more than 5,000 lightweight-multirole missiles (LMM) to support Ukraine’s defence, creating 200 jobs and supporting 700 existing jobs at Thales in Belfast.
The contract tripled the LMM production capacity and as work has progressed quicker than expected the delivery of an extra 140 LMMs will be accelerated to provide to Ukraine in the winter months.
Migrants granted asylum in the UK will no longer be automatically given settlement and family reunion rights, under ‘landmark policy changes’ outlined by the Prime Minister
Changes to the leave granted to asylum seekers in the UK will mean they are no longer automatically given settlement and family reunion rights, balancing protection against persecution with controlling our borders
Will make the system fairer, in line with our European allies and reduce incentives for asylum seekers travelling illegally to the UK, bypassing other safe countries
Came as Prime Minister ‘drives forward progress on tackling illegal migration’ at Thursday’s EPC Summit in Copenhagen
Migrants granted asylum in the UK will no longer be automatically given settlement and family reunion rights, under landmark policy changes outlined by the Prime Minister today (Thursday 2 October).
In her forthcoming asylum policy reform, the Home Secretary will introduce a fundamental change to the rights provided to those granted asylum in the UK, looking to end automatic family reunion rights and altering the requirements for long-term settlement in the UK.
The Prime Minister announced the reforms ahead of his attendance at the European Political Community Summit in Copenhagen, where he co-chaired a roundtable with leaders on innovative approaches to tackling illegal migration.
The fundamental reforms will be the basis of a fairer system where – as the Home Secretary indicated in her speech to Conference – the route to settlement should be longer, and be earned via contribution to the country. They are also aimed at addressing the pull factors driving high levels of illegal migration to the UK.
The latest step in unpicking the business model of criminal people smugglers and securing our border under the Plan for Change, it builds on progress in recent weeks to show those who come here illegally that the UK is not a soft touch. This follows the first small boat migrant returns to France under the UK-France Treaty and the government unveiling plans to crack down on illegal working through digital ID.
The changes will bring an end to the unfair system that sees those crossing the channel in a small boat having greater rights to settlement and family reunion than those who arrive through proper legal routes and even British citizens.
In line with ‘our values as a tolerant and fair minded country’, genuine refugees will not be returned to their home country – and will be entitled to a package of core protection should they receive a positive decision – but they will face a new, longer route to settlement requiring them to contribute, replacing the current 5 years, and they will not have the automatic right to family reunion.
Full detail of the reforms will be set out in an Asylum Policy Statement set to be unveiled later in the Autumn.
The asylum core protection announcement builds on plans set out by the Home Secretary earlier this week for a series of further conditions that migrants will have to meet before gaining indefinite leave to remain (settlement) in this country.
This includes being in work, making a certain level of National Insurance contributions, not taking any benefits payments, learning English to a high standard, having a spotless criminal record, and giving back by, for example, working in your local community.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “I believe that if you want to come to the UK, you should contribute to our society. That is the tolerant and fair approach to migration that our communities are built on, but the current system is not fit for purpose.
“That is why we’re making fundamental changes to what those granted asylum are afforded in the UK. Settlement must be earned by contributing to our country, not by paying a people smuggler to cross the channel in a boat.
“The UK will continue to play its role in welcoming genuine refugees fleeing persecution. But we must also address the pull factors driving dangerous and illegal small boats crossings. There will be no golden ticket to settling in the UK, people will have to earn it.”
The Prime Minister is set to discuss the changes, as well as other ways European countries can work together to tackle the shared challenge of illegal migration, at the EPC Summit.
In a meeting with Danish Prime Minister Mette Fredriksen, the leaders are set to announce a new partnership backed by up to £3 million to tackle the causes of migration upstream in Western Balkan countries, including by encouraging people to stay in the region and take up jobs there.
Having boosted international cooperation with key partners, the PM will also take the opportunity to reflect on progress made to date to disrupt and deter people smuggling upstream, and discuss how to go further, including through reform of implementation of the ECHR.
This will include the fact the UK is contributing up to £5.75 million under Italy’s Rome Process to tackle migration upstream in key African source and transit companies, reducing movements of migrants towards Europe and supporting the voluntary return of people to countries of origin.
The UK and Germany will deepen collaboration between their respective justice systems to combat migrant smuggling by strengthening law enforcement efforts to bring migrant smuggler networks to justice.
This will include a focus on efforts to seize and disrupt the supply of dangerous small boats equipment and prosecute smugglers, taking full advantage of Germany’s law change to criminalise facilitation of irregular migration to the UK, expected before the end the year.
Starmer statement on the new US initiative to deliver an end to the war in Gaza:
‘The new US initiative to deliver an end to the war in Gaza is profoundly welcome and I am grateful for President Trump’s leadership.
‘We strongly support his efforts to end the fighting, release the hostages and ensure the provision of urgent humanitarian assistance for the people of Gaza. This is our top priority and should happen immediately.
‘We call on all sides to come together and to work with the US Administration to finalise this agreement and bring it into reality. Hamas should now agree to the plan and end the misery, by laying down their arms and releasing all remaining hostages.
‘Together with our partners, we will continue work to build consensus to put into place a permanent ceasefire. We are all committed to a collective effort to end the war in Gaza and deliver a sustainable peace, where Palestinians and Israelis can live side by side in safety and security.’
Prime Minister Keir Starmer appoints Chief Secretary and Chief Economic Advisor
Today the Prime Minister is ‘bolstering the Downing Street operation’ as the government attempts to deliver on the country’s priorities: growth people feel in their pockets, secure borders and getting the NHS back on its feet.
The return of parliament marks a new term and a ‘ramping up’ of the next phase of the Labour government’s domestic agenda – ‘relentless delivery on our Plan for Change’.
The Prime Minister has today appointed Rt Hon Darren Jones MP as the Chief Secretary (Minister of State) to the Prime Minister and No10 Downing Street.
The Chief Secretary role is a new appointment which will work collaboratively across UK Government to drive forward progress in key policy areas, reporting directly to the Prime Minister.
The Ministerial role, based within No10 Downing Street, will directly oversee work across Government to support the delivery of the Prime Minister’s priorities and the Government’s Plan for Change.
The Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister (Minister of State) will attend Cabinet.
In addition, the Prime Minister has directly appointed Baroness Shafik as his Chief Economic Advisor to support the Prime Minister on economic affairs.
This role and the additional expertise will support the Government to go further and faster in driving economic growth and raising living standards for all.
Baroness (Minouche) Shafik is a world leading economist, whose career has straddled public policy and academia.
She served as the Permanent Secretary of the UK’s Department for International Development, Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund and Deputy Governor of the Bank of England, where she sat on the monetary, financial and prudential policy committees.
She was also President and Vice Chancellor of the London School of Economics and Columbia University and taught at the Wharton Business School and Georgetown University.
She was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in 2015 and became a crossbench peer in the House of Lords in 2020.
PM SAYS STATE OF PALESTINE WILL BE RECOGNISED– UNLESS ISRAEL ‘TAKES SUBSTANTIVE STEPS TO END THE APPALLING SITUATION IN GAZA’
THE Prime Minister said:
On the 7th of October 2023 Hamas perpetrated the worst massacre in Israel’s history.
Every day since then, the horror has continued.
The hostages are still being held today.
The Palestinian people have endured terrible suffering.
Now, in Gaza because of a catastrophic failure of aid, we see starving babies, children too weak to stand: Images that will stay with us for a lifetime.
The suffering must end.
Yesterday I discussed this with President Trump.
And we are mounting a major effort to get humanitarian supplies back in.
By air, and UK aid has been air dropped into Gaza today.
And – crucially – by land.
We need to see at least 500 trucks entering Gaza every day.
But ultimately – the only way to bring this humanitarian crisis to an end is through a long-term settlement.
So we are supporting the US, Egyptian and Qatari efforts to secure a vital ceasefire.
That ceasefire must be sustainable and it must lead to a wider peace plan, which we are developing with our international partners.
This plan will deliver security and proper governance in Gaza and pave the way for negotiations on a Two State Solution.
Our goal remains a safe and secure Israel, alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state. But right now – that goal is under pressure like never before.
I’ve always said we will recognise a Palestinian state as a contribution to a proper peace process, at the moment of maximum impact for the Two State Solution.
With that solution now under threat, this is the moment to act.
So today – as part of this process towards peace I can confirm the UK will recognise the state of Palestine by the United Nations General Assembly in September unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, agree to a ceasefire and commit to a long-term, sustainable peace, reviving the prospect of a Two State Solution.
And this includes allowing the UN to restart the supply of aid, and making clear there will be no annexations in the West Bank.
Meanwhile, our message to the terrorists of Hamas is unchanged and unequivocal.
They must immediately release all the hostages, sign up to a ceasefire, disarm and accept that they will play no part in the government of Gaza.
We will make an assessment in September on how far the parties have met these steps.
But no one should have a veto on our decision.
So this is the way forward. We will keep working with all our international partners to end the suffering, get aid flooding into Gaza and deliver a more stable future for the Middle East.
Because I know that is what the British people desperately want to see.
Statement on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the recognition of a Palestinian State
Our overwhelming concern is for the Israeli hostages and for the people of Gaza. We must do all we can to end the current suffering and change the situation on the ground.
We demand an immediate ceasefire to stop the slaughter, that the UN be allowed to send humanitarian assistance into Gaza on a continuing basis to prevent starvation, and the immediate release of the hostages. We support the US, Qatari and Egyptian governments in their attempts to bring about a ceasefire.
We also need a comprehensive plan to end this misery and to get to a long-term settlement. We are committed to working together with our international partners to develop a credible peace plan for the next phase in Gaza that establishes transitional governance and security arrangements, and ensures the delivery of humanitarian aid at the necessary scale.
This must be accompanied by the withdrawal of Israeli forces and the removal of Hamas leadership from Gaza as key steps towards a negotiated two-state solution. We welcome the steps announced by President Abbas and these should be the basis for a comprehensive reform of the PA.
We have long been committed to recognising a state of Palestine. As our election manifesto said, Palestinian statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people. It is not in the gift of any neighbour and is also essential to the long-term security of Israel.
We are committed to recognising a Palestinian state as a contribution to a renewed peace process which results in a two-state solution with a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state.
Hamas are a terrorist organisation responsible for the October 7th atrocities. They must never be rewarded. We have been unequivocal in our condemnation of those evil attacks, and our support for the right of the State of Israel to self-defence.
Hamas must immediately release all the hostages, sign up to an immediate ceasefire, accept that they will play no part in the government of Gaza, and commit to disarmament.
We are determined to protect the viability of the two-state solution, and so we will recognise the state of Palestine in September before UNGA; unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza and commits to a long term sustainable peace, including through allowing the UN to restart without delay the supply of humanitarian support to the people of Gaza to end starvation, agreeing to a ceasefire, and making clear there will be no annexations in the West Bank.
We will make an assessment ahead of UNGA on how far the parties have met these steps. No one side will have a veto on recognition through their actions or inactions.
But recognition by itself will not change the situation on the ground.
We are therefore taking additional immediate steps to alleviate the humanitarian situation, including air drops of humanitarian supplies along with Jordan, and getting injured children out of Gaza and into British hospitals alongside pressing strongly for UN deliveries of humanitarian assistance to resume.
We also believe that a ceasefire will not last without urgent work on governance and security in Gaza, and the prospect of a long-term political settlement. We are therefore preparing a plan with our key allies for longer-term political negotiations and a two-state solution.
First Minister: Recognition should be irreversible and not conditional
First Minister John Swinney has responded to the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s announcement that the UK intends to recognise the State of Palestine.
The First Minister said: “Having called on the UK Government to recognise the State of Palestine, I welcome the intent behind this announcement. However, recognition of a Palestinian state should be irreversible.
“Recognition must not be conditional and must be backed by sanctions against Israel if the violence continues.
“Israel must today agree to a ceasefire and allow humanitarian aid to flow in much more volume to address the starvation being faced in Gaza.
“A two-state solution is the only way that the Palestinian and Israeli peoples can have a future, living side-by-side in peace and security. The Palestinian people deserve no less.
“This announcement comes on the day that the number of deaths reported passed 60,000, a truly horrific milestone that shames us all.
“The Israeli government must commit to end the killing and comply with its international obligations on the investigation of genocide and war crimes. We must see the unconditional release of all hostages.”
Former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said: “Palestinian statehood is not a bargaining chip. It is not a threat. It is an inalienable right of the Palestinian people.
“Our demands on this shameful government remain the same: end all arms sales to Israel, impose widespread sanctions, and stop the genocide, now.”
ISRAELI leader Benjamin Netanyahu said the UK stance is ‘rewarding Hamas terrorism’.
The Prime Minister will travel to Scotland today to meet the President for talks on his golf course in Turnberry
The leaders are expected to discuss progress on implementing the UK-US trade deal, hopes for a ceasefire in the Middle East and applying pressure on Putin to end the war in Ukraine
The leaders will travel on together for a further private engagement in Aberdeen
Prime Minister Keir Starmer will meet US President Donald Trump in Scotland today for wide-ranging talks.
The Prime Minister will travel to the President’s golf course in Turnberry, ahead of Trump’s landmark second State Visit to the UK in September.
Over the course of the visit, the leaders are expected to talk one-to-one about advancing implementation of the landmark Economic Prosperity Deal so that Brits and Americans can benefit from boosted trade links between their two countries.
The Prime Minister is also expected to welcome the President’s administration working with partners in Qatar and Egypt to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza.
He will discuss further with him what more can be done to secure the ceasefire urgently, bring an end to the unspeakable suffering and starvation in Gaza and free the hostages who have been held so cruelly for so long.
Securing peace in Ukraine will also be high on the agenda, with the Prime Minister and President set to talk about their shared desire to bring an end to the barbaric war. It is expected they will reflect on progress in their 50-day drive to arm Ukraine and force Putin to the negotiating table.
It’s quite possible that President Trump may change that agenda, of course.
After their meeting they will travel on together to a private engagement in Aberdeen.
The UK and the US have ‘one of the closest, most productive alliances the world has ever seen’, working together to cooperate on defence, intelligence, technology and trade.
The UK was the first country to agree a deal with the US that lowered tariffs on key sectors and has received one of the lowest reciprocal tariff rates in the world.
Businesses in the aerospace and autos sectors are already benefitting from the ‘strong relationship the UK has with the US’ and the deal agreed on 8 May.
The Government says it is ‘working at pace with the US to go further to deliver benefits to working people on both sides of the Atlantic and to give UK industry the security it needs, protect vital jobs, and put more money in people’s pockets through the Plan for Change’.
This week, the Prime Minister will strike ‘yet another deal that will deliver in the national interest of this country. It will be good for growth, good for jobs, good for bills, and good for our borders’, says the UK government.
In the last two weeks alone, the government has delivered trade deals with India and the United States. Jobs saved, faster growth, wages rising.
These deals are a huge vote of confidence in the United Kingdom. They show that, even though times have been tough, the decisions the government have taken to stabilise the economy and lead the way internationally have made this a country people want to do business with again.
Tomorrow, the Prime Minister will set out how a strengthened, forward-looking partnership with the European Union will deliver for working people and lead to more money in pockets as part of our Plan for Change – and sticking to the red lines set out in our manifesto.
Because the British public deserve better than the deal reached under the previous government, which isn’t working for anyone.
It will be better for UK producers – who face red tape and checks just to export to our nearest and biggest trading partner. Or sometimes can’t export at all.
It will be better for British supermarkets, who have to pass these costs onto consumers and reduce the availability of products on shelves.
And it will be better for British families who face higher bills, queues on holiday and whose safety and security is harmed by a lack of cooperation between neighbouring countries facing the same global challenges.
First India, then the US, now the European Union. This is what outward-looking, independent sovereign nations do – we look at the problems facing our country and we work hard, alongside our allies, to find solutions that deliver for our people (says the UK Government).
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “In this time of great uncertainty and volatility, the UK will not respond by turning inwards, but by proudly taking our place on the world stage – strengthening our alliances and closing deals in the interests of British people.
“First India, then the United States – in the last two weeks alone that’s jobs saved, faster growth and wages rising. More money in the pockets of British working people, achieved through striking deals not striking poses.
“Tomorrow, we take another step forwards, with yet more benefits for the United Kingdom as the result of a strengthened partnership with the European Union. It will be good for our jobs, good for our bills and good for our borders.
“That’s what the British people voted for last year, and it’s what my government will deliver.”
