conservativehome--2020-10-02--Joe Porter: In Staffordshire Moorlands, we are taking practical action to help tackle climate change

Cllr Joe Porter is the Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Biodiversity on Staffordshire Moorlands District Council .
If anything positive is to emerge from the last six months , it is that we have seen people connecting with the nature on their doorsteps more than ever before .
A recent poll by the National Trust has found that “ more than half the population plans to make a habit of spending as much time in nature once things go back to normal .
As we continue to pay close attention to the advice of scientists in the wake of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heed their warnings about the urgency to act on climate change .
Coronavirus has provided a stark reminder of what happens when humanity ’ s relationship with nature breaks down .
Last week , during New York ’ s Climate Week , the world rallied together and sought to use this window of opportunity to reset our economy and society for a more sustainable and inclusive future , as outlined by the Prince of Wales .
Unless we act swiftly , he says , climate change will become a catastrophe that will ‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic .
This year has been challenging for us all , but we have seen an increased interest in , and appreciation of , the natural world around us .
The global lockdown , with fewer cars on the roads and planes in the sky , led to a dramatic drop in greenhouse gases and air pollutants .
Here in Staffordshire Moorlands , we have seen our carbon emissions halve this year .
A green recovery could significantly alter the long-term outlook and keep the world from exceeding 1.5C of warming by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make this happen we must act now .
Since being appointed as Cabinet Member for Climate & Biodiversity at Staffordshire Moorlands District Council , I have seen first-hand how local solutions are amongst the best ways of addressing the climate and biodiversity crises .
Like many councils across the country , we declared a Climate Emergency last year and have been getting our own house in order , by putting together a work programme to become carbon-neutral by 2030 .
So what steps did we take ?
In year one , we identified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commitment to net-zero CO2 emissions into our policies and strategies across the entire organisation .
We also investigated larger scale projects : investment in green energy such as solar and wind farms ; electric vehicle charging points ; and local offsetting of greenhouse gas emissions .
A partnership approach to climate action enabled us to strengthen and support our local links .
We have worked closely with Friends groups to improve our country parks ; engaged young people and school eco-clubs through our £10,000 Staffordshire Moorlands Community Climate Change Fund ; and supported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ River Trust to develop local projects to take real action on the ground .
One of the most important initiatives is our flagship Green Infrastructure Delivery Plan , helping us to deliver a robust nature recovery network in partnership with the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust .
Our planning officers have worked with their conservation team to map out our green spaces , identifying existing habitats and finding opportunities for creating new wildlife corridors .
This will be crucial to making our area more climate resilient , long-term .
Over the next few years , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of nature-based projects , such as community orchards , wildflower meadows , peatland restoration , and woodland expansion , to lock in a green recovery and establish a Nature Recovery Network .
As a member of DEFRA ’ s Local Adaptation Advisory Panel , I will continue to promote nature-based solutions to climate change to the national government and other councils across the country .
Nature-based solutions to climate change benefit not only the local environment , but also the local economy .
A recent study by Oxford University has found that supporting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ returns , in both the short- and long-term , than pouring cash into a conventional fossil-fuelled recovery .
Growing the green economy can and should form part of the government ’ s ‘ levelling up ’ agenda to increase investment in left-behind areas such as North Staffordshire .
Fifty percent of people in the West Midlands agree with me that tackling climate change as part of the recovery will create new jobs and boost the economy .
Here in Staffordshire Moorlands , we have worked to increase our knowledge of climate change science @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its impacts , and spend time building strong partnerships with the industries and communities that are critical to our success .
World-leading climate experts at Keele University have worked with us to assess the impacts of decision-making within the council so that every report we issue highlights climate change impacts .
They have also delivered climate literacy training to our councillors and officers to ensure the science is understood , as we make important decisions about the future on behalf of the residents we serve .
As Climate Week showed , we now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to change our behaviour and take climate action .
Locally , I am proud of the ground we have covered so far – but this is work without end and we have much to do .
I am determined that our economic recovery in Staffordshire Moorlands will be a science-led , clean and resilient one – and that we address the linked challenges of poor public health , climate change , and biodiversity loss .
The actions we take today must ensure that we leave our environment in a better state than we @ @ @

Cllr Joe Porter is the Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Biodiversity on Staffordshire Moorlands District Council.
If anything positive is to emerge from the last six months, it is that we have seen people connecting with the nature on their doorsteps more than ever before. A recent poll by the National Trust has found that “more than half the population plans to make a habit of spending as much time in nature once things go back to normal. As we continue to pay close attention to the advice of scientists in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, we must also heed their warnings about the urgency to act on climate change. Coronavirus has provided a stark reminder of what happens when humanity’s relationship with nature breaks down.
Last week, during New York’s Climate Week, the world rallied together and sought to use this window of opportunity to reset our economy and society for a more sustainable and inclusive future, as outlined by the Prince of Wales. Unless we act swiftly, he says, climate change will become a catastrophe that will ‘dwarf’ the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
This year has been challenging for us all, but we have seen an increased interest in, and appreciation of, the natural world around us. The global lockdown, with fewer cars on the roads and planes in the sky, led to a dramatic drop in greenhouse gases and air pollutants. Here in Staffordshire Moorlands, we have seen our carbon emissions halve this year. A green recovery could significantly alter the long-term outlook and keep the world from exceeding 1.5C of warming by the middle of this century, but to make this happen we must act now.
Since being appointed as Cabinet Member for Climate & Biodiversity at Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, I have seen first-hand how local solutions are amongst the best ways of addressing the climate and biodiversity crises. Like many councils across the country, we declared a Climate Emergency last year and have been getting our own house in order, by putting together a work programme to become carbon-neutral by 2030.
So what steps did we take? In year one, we identified opportunities for the Council to embed our commitment to net-zero CO2 emissions into our policies and strategies across the entire organisation. We also investigated larger scale projects: investment in green energy such as solar and wind farms; electric vehicle charging points; and local offsetting of greenhouse gas emissions.
A partnership approach to climate action enabled us to strengthen and support our local links. We have worked closely with Friends groups to improve our country parks; engaged young people and school eco-clubs through our £10,000 Staffordshire Moorlands Community Climate Change Fund; and supported Staffordshire Wildlife Trust and the Canal & River Trust to develop local projects to take real action on the ground.
One of the most important initiatives is our flagship Green Infrastructure Delivery Plan, helping us to deliver a robust nature recovery network in partnership with the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust. Our planning officers have worked with their conservation team to map out our green spaces, identifying existing habitats and finding opportunities for creating new wildlife corridors. This will be crucial to making our area more climate resilient, long-term. Over the next few years, the plan will result in a range of nature-based projects, such as community orchards, wildflower meadows, peatland restoration, and woodland expansion, to lock in a green recovery and establish a Nature Recovery Network. As a member of DEFRA’s Local Adaptation Advisory Panel, I will continue to promote nature-based solutions to climate change to the national government and other councils across the country.
Nature-based solutions to climate change benefit not only the local environment, but also the local economy. A recent study by Oxford University has found that supporting a green recovery would produce greater financial returns, in both the short- and long-term, than pouring cash into a conventional fossil-fuelled recovery. Growing the green economy can and should form part of the government’s ‘levelling up’ agenda to increase investment in left-behind areas such as North Staffordshire. Fifty percent of people in the West Midlands agree with me that tackling climate change as part of the recovery will create new jobs and boost the economy.
Here in Staffordshire Moorlands, we have worked to increase our knowledge of climate change science, to better understand how to mitigate its impacts, and spend time building strong partnerships with the industries and communities that are critical to our success. World-leading climate experts at Keele University have worked with us to assess the impacts of decision-making within the council so that every report we issue highlights climate change impacts. They have also delivered climate literacy training to our councillors and officers to ensure the science is understood, as we make important decisions about the future on behalf of the residents we serve.
As Climate Week showed, we now have a once in a lifetime chance to change our behaviour and take climate action. Locally, I am proud of the ground we have covered so far – but this is work without end and we have much to do. I am determined that our economic recovery in Staffordshire Moorlands will be a science-led, clean and resilient one – and that we address the linked challenges of poor public health, climate change, and biodiversity loss. The actions we take today must ensure that we leave our environment in a better state than we inherited it.


conservativehome--2020-10-03--WATCH: Milling announces new Party HQ in Leeds

🔴 LIVE : Watch Conservative Party co-Chairman @ AmandaMilling introduce our first ever virtual Conference at # CPC20 👇 https @ @

🔴 LIVE: Watch Conservative Party co-Chairman @AmandaMilling introduce our first ever virtual Conference at #CPC20 👇 https://t.co/U9ZCVGyW44
— Conservatives (@Conservatives) October 3, 2020


conservativehome--2020-10-03--Today’s ConservativeHome online fringe event line-up: Barclay, Buckland, Ford, Glen, Afolami and Cou

Today’s ConservativeHome online fringe event line-up: Barclay, Buckland, Ford, Glen, Afolami and Courts

And we ’ re off !
Welcome to Day One of our online Party Conference fringe programme .
All of @ @ @ @ @ are listed below , including a range of MPs , ministers , industry voices and @ @ @ @ @ , including economic recovery , protecting low-income families , future trade and the prevention of @ @ @ @ @ of our events is completely free of charge and is open to Party members and @ @ @ @ @ part , simply register for your free Party Member or Observer ( member of the @ @ @ @ @ the Conservative Party Conference here , and visit the ConservativeHome events area in the Fringe @ @ @ @ @ Conference Programme is kindly sponsored by TheCityUK .

And we’re off! Welcome to Day One of our online Party Conference fringe programme. All of today’s ConservativeHome events are listed below, including a range of MPs, ministers, industry voices and experts discussing numerous essential topics, including economic recovery, protecting low-income families, future trade and the prevention of crime.
If you missed an event, or if you’d like to share it with friends, please find the videos embedded below. Event videos from Sunday 4th October are here, and those from Monday 5th October are here.
9am-10.30am
In Conversation with Steve Barclay MP
Held in partnership with Heathrow.
11am-12.30pm
The role of responsible business in preventing offending and reoffending
Held in partnership with FTSE 100 Landsec.
1pm-2.30pm
How to ensure low-income families with children get through the crisis
Held in partnership with Save the Children.
3pm-4.30pm
Supporting UK economic recovery: how can the financial and related professional services industry accelerate the return to growth?
Held in partnership with TheCityUK.
5pm-6.30pm
Firing up the engines of the economy – the key to future trade resilience
Held in partnership with Port of Dover.
The ConservativeHome 2020 Conference Programme is kindly sponsored by TheCityUK.


conservativehome--2020-10-03--Swire’s diaries help show how Johnson entered Downing Street, and has so far managed to remain there

Diary of an MP ’ s Wife : Inside and Outside Power by Sasha Swire “ When the wives get nasty , you know the men have a problem.
” So says Sasha Swire after Sarah Vine , wife of Michael Gove , and Samantha Cameron , wife of David , “ fur flying , have a set-to ” at the 50th birthday party of Andrew Feldman , on 29th February 2016 .
For “ Dave feels he is being stabbed in the back by Gove ” , who has come out for Leave .
According to Swire ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Number Ten , Dave “ is taking it very personally ” .
What is a trailing spouse to do ?
The Duke of Edinburgh and Denis Thatcher are among the men who had to work out an answer .
In both cases they used humour carried well past the point of self-parody to ease the boredom and insignificance of the role .
But the trailing spouse is still more often a woman , and Swire knows what it is like .
Her husband , Hugo Swire , was Conservative MP for East @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early supporter of Cameron and a Minister of State from 2010-16 .
Sasha worked for Hugo as his researcher .
Towards the end of the diary entry quoted in the first line of this review , she describes what she and H , as she calls him , have been doing down at their house in Devon : This is of some interest , for it reminds one that not everyone who supported Remain really believed in that cause .
In Hugo ’ s case he only does so out of loyalty to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Remainers argued their case with fanatical zeal .
But as Harry Williams remarks in one of his sermons , “ All fanaticism is a strategy to prevent doubt from becoming conscious.
” Swire ’ s diary is not particularly well written .
She often lapses into the bland editorialising to which one fears she resorted when drafting articles to appear under her husband ’ s name .
She is not a new Alan Clark .
She is not even a new Chris Mullin , of whom I found myself writing , when reviewing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does not avoid inflicting gratuitous pain , does betray confidences and is often vulgar , though she clearly thinks it is rather grand , and even gentlemanly ( a characteristic she attributes to her husband ) , to behave in this way .
And she has often not actually been at the events she describes .
As far as one can tell ( but rather irritatingly one can ’ t at first reading be sure ) she was not at the Feldman birthday party .
If she had been , she would surely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On many occasions , she relates what Hugo told her when he got home from some event .
There is a second-hand flavour to these reports .
Her diary reminds one of the disappointment which can be seen on the faces of so many MPs .
Hugo had hoped to make the Cabinet .
As for Sasha , she is cross that her father , Sir John Nott , Defence Secretary during the Falklands War , has never been made a peer , and she finds that she herself is either ignored , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ career of her own : “ It ’ s always a weak point for me.
” In other words , like many loud people , she wants to conceal her own insecurities .
Her inadequate command of tone springs from a fundamental indecision about how to behave : Sasha veers between these different approaches , but is temperamentally inclined to be lippy .
She observes with a caustic eye the deficiencies of the men around her .
In August 2011 , when they stay for three days in Cornwall with the Camerons at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , or in some cases because of them , this is an entertaining and informative book , and will be a valuable source for historians who want to see how opinion changed within the Conservative Party .
How did Boris Johnson become leader ?
Sasha is quite illuminating about this .
In 2012 , she is a loyal Cameroon , who writes : In March 2016 , as the EU Referendum campaign gets under way , Hugo reports back from a dinner in Mayfair that Cameron “ is very fired up about Boris @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In October 2017 , she says Johnson ’ s star is sinking : “ the past few weeks have highlighted how he is clearly not a leader-in-waiting ” .
In November 2018 , Hugo is recruited to the Dominic Raab leadership campaign .
In March 2019 , she observes that the Johnson leadership campaign is “ always shambolic ” , an assumption which will prove unsound .
She also quotes Rory Stewart going “ completely insane ” and telling some MPs , “ It ’ s going to be Boris against me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take Boris down.
” In July 2019 , by which time Johnson is on course for victory , she says “ the odds that he will be the shortest-serving PM are pretty high ” .
In August 2019 , she goes to a “ small and select ” dinner at Number Ten and sits on the PM ’ s right : The PM has seduced her , though she also thinks he “ is desperately lonely and unhappy on the inside ” .
These diaries show how Johnson got where is today , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there .
He knows how to mend fences .

Diary of an MP’s Wife: Inside and Outside Power by Sasha Swire
“When the wives get nasty, you know the men have a problem.” So says Sasha Swire after Sarah Vine, wife of Michael Gove, and Samantha Cameron, wife of David, “fur flying, have a set-to” at the 50th birthday party of Andrew Feldman, on 29th February 2016.
For “Dave feels he is being stabbed in the back by Gove”, who has come out for Leave. According to Swire’s friend, Kate Fall, who works at Number Ten, Dave “is taking it very personally”.
What is a trailing spouse to do? The Duke of Edinburgh and Denis Thatcher are among the men who had to work out an answer. In both cases they used humour carried well past the point of self-parody to ease the boredom and insignificance of the role.
But the trailing spouse is still more often a woman, and Swire knows what it is like. Her husband, Hugo Swire, was Conservative MP for East Devon from 2001 to 2019, an early supporter of Cameron and a Minister of State from 2010-16.
Sasha worked for Hugo as his researcher. Towards the end of the diary entry quoted in the first line of this review, she describes what she and H, as she calls him, have been doing down at their house in Devon:
“Meanwhile, down at Chaffcombe we are having difficult conversations about why we are backing remain when our instincts are to leave. I have to somehow justify it to myself as well as convincing H. I spend the whole weekend drafting an article for Hugo for the local press on why he is supporting in, and we finally decide to do it from a foreign affairs perspective.”
This is of some interest, for it reminds one that not everyone who supported Remain really believed in that cause. In Hugo’s case he only does so out of loyalty to Cameron.
It is true that some Remainers argued their case with fanatical zeal. But as Harry Williams remarks in one of his sermons, “All fanaticism is a strategy to prevent doubt from becoming conscious.”
Swire’s diary is not particularly well written. She often lapses into the bland editorialising to which one fears she resorted when drafting articles to appear under her husband’s name.
She is not a new Alan Clark. She is not even a new Chris Mullin, of whom I found myself writing, when reviewing a volume of his diaries:
“Mullin is a gentleman. He avoids inflicting gratuitous pain in his diary. He observes with a keen and even mocking eye the deficiencies of Blair and Gordon Brown, but is never ungenerous about their gifts. He does not betray confidences. The social connotations of the word ‘gentleman’ are foreign to Mullin, who is a plain-living socialist. The Tories who cause him most pain are those who behave in an ungentlemanly way, while the vulgarity of New Labour causes him distress.”
Sasha does not avoid inflicting gratuitous pain, does betray confidences and is often vulgar, though she clearly thinks it is rather grand, and even gentlemanly (a characteristic she attributes to her husband), to behave in this way.
And she has often not actually been at the events she describes. As far as one can tell (but rather irritatingly one can’t at first reading be sure) she was not at the Feldman birthday party. If she had been, she would surely have told us more about it.
On many occasions, she relates what Hugo told her when he got home from some event. There is a second-hand flavour to these reports.
Her diary reminds one of the disappointment which can be seen on the faces of so many MPs. Hugo had hoped to make the Cabinet.
As for Sasha, she is cross that her father, Sir John Nott, Defence Secretary during the Falklands War, has never been made a peer, and she finds that she herself is either ignored, or else reproached for not having a career of her own: “It’s always a weak point for me.”
In other words, like many loud people, she wants to conceal her own insecurities. Her inadequate command of tone springs from a fundamental indecision about how to behave:
“Political wives are deeply involved but have no official status. Do we play submissive? Do we play supportive? Do we get lippy?”
Sasha veers between these different approaches, but is temperamentally inclined to be lippy. She observes with a caustic eye the deficiencies of the men around her. In August 2011, when they stay for three days in Cornwall with the Camerons at Polzeath,
“D talks a lot about sex, as does H – they are typical of a certain type of Englishman who no longer knows how to flirt because they have become terrified of causing offence. What they do instead is become lewd and chauvinistic with each other, which is the safe zone, instead of with us. In fact if a woman actually came on to them I think their eyes would pop out of their heads.”
For all its glaring deficiencies, or in some cases because of them, this is an entertaining and informative book, and will be a valuable source for historians who want to see how opinion changed within the Conservative Party.
How did Boris Johnson become leader? Sasha is quite illuminating about this. In 2012, she is a loyal Cameroon, who writes:
“There seems to be something of a campaign going on at the moment to push Boris back into Parliament… worryingly, it seems to have captured the public imagination… Unfortunately the Olympics have given him a platform to parade his populist touch… The idea of His Blondness with a finger on the nuclear button scares the shit out of me; it also scares the shit out of me that people don’t see him as the calculating machine he really is. This is a man who has no obvious political identity or any proven ability to grasp difficult questions and decisions.”
In March 2016, as the EU Referendum campaign gets under way, Hugo reports back from a dinner in Mayfair that Cameron “is very fired up about Boris and determined to finish him off”.
In October 2017, she says Johnson’s star is sinking: “the past few weeks have highlighted how he is clearly not a leader-in-waiting”.
In November 2018, Hugo is recruited to the Dominic Raab leadership campaign.
In March 2019, she observes that the Johnson leadership campaign is “always shambolic”, an assumption which will prove unsound. She also quotes Rory Stewart going “completely insane” and telling some MPs, “It’s going to be Boris against me, and I’m going to take Boris down.”
In July 2019, by which time Johnson is on course for victory, she says “the odds that he will be the shortest-serving PM are pretty high”.
In August 2019, she goes to a “small and select” dinner at Number Ten and sits on the PM’s right:
“Boris is about the best placement you can get. Cheeky. Flippant. Enthusiastic. Bombastic. Ebullient. Energetic. We have a good laugh… “I look at his rotund build, thick, creased neck, pale, sweaty face, and characteristic dishevelled appearance; he looks back, as if he is working out if I’m shaggable or past my sell-by date… “I don’t know what will happen to him, because events make politicians, but I have changed my view of him. Yes, he is an alley cat, but he has a greatness of soul, a generosity of spirit, a desire to believe the best in people, a lack of pettiness and envy which is pretty uncommon in politics, and best of all a wonderful comic vision of the human condition.”
The PM has seduced her, though she also thinks he “is desperately lonely and unhappy on the inside”. These diaries show how Johnson got where is today, and has so far managed to stay there. He knows how to mend fences.


conservativehome--2020-10-04--A message from Ross to the Government – and Cummings. They’ve no excuse not to make the Union their

A message from Ross to the Government – and Cummings. They’ve no excuse not to make the Union their top priority.

In a conference which has so far been pretty light on major cut-through moments , Douglas Ross ’ s speech to ( from ? )
the Scottish Conservative fringe ( if you missed it , catch it here ) stands out .
Rather than simply focusing his fire on the Scottish National Party , the new Tory leader opens with a blunt message for Tory colleagues south of the border : shape up on the Union , or ship out .
Too many Conservatives , he says , have either given up on the United Kingdom or are even antipathetic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Many , including some who govern our country , want to see a UK government focused on England.
” Where is this message directed ?
His deployment of the charge of ‘ English nationalism ’ , a well-worn Remainer trope , has some thinking it could be a shot across the bows of Dominic Cummings and those conducting the negotiations with the EU .
Leaving with a deal , in this few , might help to win back some of those former ‘ No ’ voters who have switched to independence in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ others are sceptical about the Brexit aspect of this argument , arguing that the detail of it simply doesn ’ t have the cut through in Edinburgh and Glasgow that politicians and commentators based in London might expect .
If the Scottish Nationalists can ’ t even get traction for their latest grievance campaign against the Internal Market Bill , this argument runs , its not likely that a crucial slice of the electorate is waiting avidly to hear from David Frost .
Instead , Ross ’ s speech was about waking the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , up to just how serious the situation in Scotland has become .
Whilst out-and-out ‘ English nationalists ’ may still be relatively rare creatures , at least amongst the upper echelons of the parliamentary party , complacency is a much more serious problem .
Even Tory MPs who are well-disposed to the Union are often not aware of the scale of the challenge .
Fortunately for Ross , the lack of interest he attacks is far from universal .
On the parliamentary side , the newly-launched Union Research Group suggests that there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Union amongst Tory MPs .
On the grassroots side , there may soon be a new Friends of the Union group , and independent outfit Conservative Progress recently gathered senior figures from the voluntary party for the launch of their own ‘ Love our Union ’ campaign .
But these efforts can ’ t compensate for a lack of direction from the top .
The Prime Minister has at his disposal the whole machinery of Her Majesty ’ s Government , not to mention that of the national Conservative Party and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Johnson might not have come into politics to fight for the Union – any more than did May to deliver Brexit – but it is the challenge which now confronts him and will , if he loses , define his premiership .
If some of his senior lieutenants don ’ t place much personal value on the future of the UK , he must impress on them in the strongest terms that it is his personal priority – and , therefore , theirs too .

In a conference which has so far been pretty light on major cut-through moments, Douglas Ross’s speech to (from?) the Scottish Conservative fringe (if you missed it, catch it here) stands out.
Rather than simply focusing his fire on the Scottish National Party, the new Tory leader opens with a blunt message for Tory colleagues south of the border: shape up on the Union, or ship out.
Too many Conservatives, he says, have either given up on the United Kingdom or are even antipathetic to it, saying that: “Many, including some who govern our country, want to see a UK government focused on England.”
Where is this message directed? His deployment of the charge of ‘English nationalism’, a well-worn Remainer trope, has some thinking it could be a shot across the bows of Dominic Cummings and those conducting the negotiations with the EU. Leaving with a deal, in this few, might help to win back some of those former ‘No’ voters who have switched to independence in the aftermath of the 2016 vote.
Yet others are sceptical about the Brexit aspect of this argument, arguing that the detail of it simply doesn’t have the cut through in Edinburgh and Glasgow that politicians and commentators based in London might expect. If the Scottish Nationalists can’t even get traction for their latest grievance campaign against the Internal Market Bill, this argument runs, its not likely that a crucial slice of the electorate is waiting avidly to hear from David Frost.
Instead, Ross’s speech was about waking the Government, and indeed the wider Party, up to just how serious the situation in Scotland has become. Whilst out-and-out ‘English nationalists’ may still be relatively rare creatures, at least amongst the upper echelons of the parliamentary party, complacency is a much more serious problem. Even Tory MPs who are well-disposed to the Union are often not aware of the scale of the challenge.
Fortunately for Ross, the lack of interest he attacks is far from universal. On the parliamentary side, the newly-launched Union Research Group suggests that there remains a strong current of goodwill towards the Union amongst Tory MPs. On the grassroots side, there may soon be a new Friends of the Union group, and independent outfit Conservative Progress recently gathered senior figures from the voluntary party for the launch of their own ‘Love our Union’ campaign.
But these efforts can’t compensate for a lack of direction from the top. The Prime Minister has at his disposal the whole machinery of Her Majesty’s Government, not to mention that of the national Conservative Party and the Tory donors’ address book. Boris Johnson might not have come into politics to fight for the Union – any more than did May to deliver Brexit – but it is the challenge which now confronts him and will, if he loses, define his premiership.
If some of his senior lieutenants don’t place much personal value on the future of the UK, he must impress on them in the strongest terms that it is his personal priority – and, therefore, theirs too.


conservativehome--2020-10-04--WATCH: The Prime Minister says there are still “some difficult issues that need to be fixed” for an

WATCH: The Prime Minister says there are still “some difficult issues that need to be fixed” for an EU trade deal

# Brexit : There is a trade deal to be done but there are difficult issues that need to be @ @ @ @ @ # Marr he doesn ’ t want a no-deal “ but we can more than @ @ @ @ @ : //t.co/dd03yTHEPy pic.twitter.com/V8wT1bND3A

#Brexit: There is a trade deal to be done but there are difficult issues that need to be fixed
PM Boris Johnson tells #Marr he doesn’t want a no-deal “but we can more than live with it”
https://t.co/dd03yTHEPy pic.twitter.com/V8wT1bND3A
— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) October 4, 2020


conservativehome--2020-10-04--WATCH: Northern Ireland Secretary denies he was “thrown under a bus” over breaking international law

WATCH: Northern Ireland Secretary denies he was “thrown under a bus” over breaking international law claims

SR `` Do you think you were thrown under a bus ? ''
BL `` No not at all '' @ @ @ @ @ said the Internal Market Bill breaks international law in a `` specific and limited way @ @ @ @ @ reading from a script '' and that it was put together in the Northern Ireland @ @

SR "Do you think you were thrown under a bus?"
BL "No not at all"
Brandon Lewis says when he said the Internal Market Bill breaks international law in a "specific and limited way" he was "clearly reading from a script" and that it was put together in the Northern Ireland office pic.twitter.com/DeyxWCG7iz
— Sophy Ridge on Sunday (@RidgeOnSunday) October 4, 2020


conservativehome--2020-10-04--WATCH: Johnson – “I know people are furious with me”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson on local restrictions : `` I know people are furious with me and they ’ re @ @ @ @ @ it 's going to continue to be bumpy through to Christmas .
It may even @ @ @ @ @ Marr # Covid_19 https : //t.co/iUFQLFuY4J pic.twitter.com/YVAKc3CzuW

Prime Minister Boris Johnson on local restrictions: "I know people are furious with me and they’re furious with the government but… it's going to continue to be bumpy through to Christmas. It may even be bumpy beyond"#Marr #Covid_19 https://t.co/iUFQLFuY4J pic.twitter.com/YVAKc3CzuW
— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) October 4, 2020


conservativehome--2020-10-04--As housing day opens at the Tory conference, our survey finds Party members split on Johnson’s plann

As housing day opens at the Tory conference, our survey finds Party members split on Johnson’s planning reforms

It ’ s housing day at the Conservative Party conference – with Robert Jenrick and his ministerial team leading an interactive event in the main virtual auditorium at 13.30 , which will cover local government and other departmental responsibilities too .
The Prime Minister teed policy debate up yesterday with his trailing of a new long-term fixed-rate mortgages plan to encourage higher home ownership among young people .
But his flagship plan for housing will be contained in the forthcoming Bill on planning reforms .
The centrepiece of these is top-down housing targets for local authorities – which has provoked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this site since the start of September , and seized the attention of Tory-held councils and Conservative councillors in England .
Our survey finding reflects the differences and arguments that have gone back and forth on ConHome .
Forty-six per cent of our survey respondents back the plans .
Forty per cent don ’ t .
Fourteen per cent are don ’ t knows – a relatively high number for this section .
Everything we ’ ve seen on this site , the Commons chamber and the media suggests that these plans will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and local councillors , particularly in greenfield-rich seats outside cities in the south and the midlands .

It’s housing day at the Conservative Party conference – with Robert Jenrick and his ministerial team leading an interactive event in the main virtual auditorium at 13.30, which will cover local government and other departmental responsibilities too.
The Prime Minister teed policy debate up yesterday with his trailing of a new long-term fixed-rate mortgages plan to encourage higher home ownership among young people. But his flagship plan for housing will be contained in the forthcoming Bill on planning reforms.
The centrepiece of these is top-down housing targets for local authorities – which has provoked six pieces by MPs and others on this site since the start of September, and seized the attention of Tory-held councils and Conservative councillors in England.
Our survey finding reflects the differences and arguments that have gone back and forth on ConHome. Forty-six per cent of our survey respondents back the plans. Forty per cent don’t. Fourteen per cent are don’t knows – a relatively high number for this section.
Everything we’ve seen on this site, the Commons chamber and the media suggests that these plans will get a rough ride from Tory backbenchers and local councillors, particularly in greenfield-rich seats outside cities in the south and the midlands.


conservativehome--2020-10-04--Today on the ConservativeHome online fringe: Truss on trade, Donelan on universities, Zahawi on the

Today on the ConservativeHome online fringe: Truss on trade, Donelan on universities, Zahawi on the digital revolution

Welcome to Day Two of the ConservativeHome online fringe programme .
After a stonking Day One , that you can @ @ @ @ @ s papers , we ’ re back with six more events ranging from trade to @ @ @ @ @ to global education , from driving productivity to medical cannabis innovation .
NB today ’ @ @ @ @ @ on the Party Conference site *and* on Zoom – so anyone without access to the @ @ @ @ @ latter .
Please find the Zoom links for each event enclosed below .
Back in @ @ @ @ @ universities do to support Britain ’ s recovery ?
Held in partnership with MillionPlus and @ @ @ @ @ with Save the Children .
Medical Cannabis and the UK : Becoming a global leader @ @ @ @ @ Centre for Medicinal Cannabis .

Welcome to Day Two of the ConservativeHome online fringe programme. After a stonking Day One, that you can read about in Sunday’s papers, we’re back with six more events ranging from trade to universities, from electric cars to global education, from driving productivity to medical cannabis innovation.
If you missed an event, or if you’d like to share it with friends, please find the videos embedded below. Event videos from Saturday 3rd October are here, and those from Monday 5th October are here.
9am-10.30am
Setting the standard: exporting our values
Held in partnership with National Farmers Union (NFU).
11am-12.30pm
Back in business: what can modern universities do to support Britain’s recovery?
Held in partnership with MillionPlus and Hepi.
1.30pm-2.45pm
Unleashing Great British Enterprise: delivering on digital to drive a productivity revolution
Held in partnership with Atos.
3pm-4.30pm
Protecting a Generation: UK Leadership in the Global Education Emergency
Held in partnership with Save the Children.
5pm-6.30pm
Turbocharging the UK’s transition to electric vehicles
Held in partnership with Uber.
7pm-8.30pm
Medical Cannabis and the UK: Becoming a global leader
Held in partnership with The Centre for Medicinal Cannabis.
The ConservativeHome 2020 Conference Programme is kindly sponsored by TheCityUK.


conservativehome--2020-10-05--“This Government stood between the people and the danger and we always will.” Sunak’s Conference spe

“This Government stood between the people and the danger and we always will.” Sunak’s Conference speech – full text.

Rishi Sunak MP , Chancellor of the Exchequer , speaking today at Conservative Party Virtual Conference “ Being appointed Chancellor in February this year was an immense honour .
Even though my first conference speech as Chancellor isn ’ t quite how I expected it to be , it remains a privilege to talk to you today .
And I am here today because of so many different people .
My family , whose love sustains me .
My colleagues in Government and in Parliament , whose backing has never wavered .
My association in Richmond , North Yorkshire , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and gave me their loyalty , support and this opportunity to serve .
And my party , whose members , councillors and activists worked tirelessly to deliver a Conservative government in December last year .
Politics is a team sport , and there is always a multitude of hardworking people behind any effort .
So , I want to thank my ministerial team ; Steve , Jessie , John , Kemi , Theo , Claire and James .
I also want to thank my predecessors : George , Phillip and Sajid .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sound Conservative management of our economy that this government has been able to act with the pace and scale we have in responding to Coronavirus .
And I want to thank the Prime Minister , for entrusting me with this job and whose friendship has been invaluable .
I ’ ve seen up close the burden the Prime Minister carries .
We all know he has an ability to connect with people in a way few politicians manage .
It is a special and rare quality .
But what the commentators don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , is the concern and care he feels , every day , for the wellbeing of the people of our country .
Yes , it ’ s been difficult , challenges are part of the job , but on the big calls , in the big moments , Boris Johnson has got it right and we need that leadership .
Because we are only part way through this crisis .
What began in March as a health emergency has grown and now reaches deep into our economy and society .
Not only does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ education .
It separates friends and family .
This government has never been blind to the difficult trade-offs and decisions coronavirus has forced upon on us .
If we had , we never would have deployed one of the most comprehensive and generous packages of support in the world .
But more than the measures themselves , it is the values behind them that I want to impress upon you .
Conservatives believe in the importance of community and belonging .
We believe in personal responsibility and pragmatism .
We believe in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And we believe in the unbreakable bond of union that unites the four nations of our United Kingdom .
Our values are old and true and have withstood tests of strife , of terror , and even war .
They are timeless because they are a wisdom earned over generations .
And they are universal , because they are rooted in the fundamental belief that individual freedom enables both the greatest achievement and the gentlest kindness .
People looked at us last December and saw this Conservative party .
They saw a party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those of the British people .
They saw a party prepared to act at a scale commensurate with the challenges our country faces and they were not wrong .
EAT OUT TO HELP OUT A VAT cut for the tourism and hospitality sectors The PAY AS YOU GROW SCHEME £35bn of BOUNCE BACK LOANS to over 1million small businesses Over £8 billion of extra funding to SUPPORT OUR MOST VULNERABLE And yes , THE FURLOUGH SCHEME , a first of it ’ s kind intervention in UK political history , delivered at scale @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protected millions of British families at the most acute stage of this crisis .
I could go on… all these measures and more… delivered by a Conservative government as part of our plan to support jobs and livelihoods .
And whilst we would not have wished for this burden , it has been for many , for the first time in their lives , a moment in which government ceased to be distant and abstract , but became real , and felt , and something of which people could be proud .
Action @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between the people and the danger and we always will .
But we haven ’ t done it alone .
You , the people , have been with us .
Wherever I look , I see acts of decency and bravery .
Barbara and Richard Wilson in Cumbria who furloughed the staff from their butchers ’ shop but topped up their wages , so they didn ’ t have any extra worries about bills .
Kevin Butler , who used the self-employed support scheme to help meet the cost of living whilst his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their daughter .
John , Norma and Richard King who run the Bull ’ s Head Inn in Shropshire , who did the right thing when we asked , made their pub Covid compliant , and re-opened using Eat Out to Help Out in August .
Thank you to all those business owners , large and small , who are making the right decisions for workers and customers .
We are now seeing our economy go through changes as a result of coronavirus that can ’ t be ignored .
I have always @ @ @ @ @ @ @ job or every business .
No chancellor could .
And even though I have said it , the pain of knowing it , only grows with each passing day .
So , I am committing myself to a single priority – to create , support and extend opportunity to as many people as I can .
Because even if this moment is more difficult than any you have ever faced , even if it feels like there is no hope , I am telling you that there is , and that the overwhelming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ placed at your service .
We will not let talent wither , or waste , we will help all who want it , find new opportunity and develop new skills .
Through more apprenticeships , more training and a lifetime skills guarantee .
Our Kickstart Scheme will help hundreds of thousands of young people into good quality work .
And we will help small businesses adapt .
That ’ s why we have delivered Government backed loans , tax deferrals and tax cuts .
In a free market economy it is the entrepreneur @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will make it easier for those with the ambition and appetite to take risks and be bold , to do what they do best and create jobs and growth .
And we will protect the public finances .
Over the medium term getting our borrowing and debt back under control .
We have a sacred responsibility to future generations to leave the public finances strong , and through careful management of our economy , this Conservative government will always balance the books .
If instead we argue there is no limit on what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ simply borrow our way out of any hole , what is the point in us ?
I have never pretended there is some easy cost-free answer .
I won ’ t stop trying to find ways to support people and businesses .
I will always be pragmatic .
The Winter Economy Plan announced only two weeks ago is but the latest stage of our planned economic response .
I will keep listening , keep striving to be creative in response to the challenges our economy faces , and where I can , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up , no matter how difficult it is .
The British people and British businesses won ’ t give up .
I know this because of what I said at the beginning .
We share the same values .
The Conservative party and the country .
And these values are not devoid of meaning to people .
They are about protecting that which is meaningful to them .
Their family , their home , their job , their ability to choose for themselves what is best for them and those they love .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ potential met , and to extend the awesome power of opportunity to all who seek it .
To answer questions of character with action not rhetoric .
To put the people first , their hopes and their aspirations .
And above all , to be worthy of the great trust they have placed in us .
”

Rishi Sunak MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer, speaking today at Conservative Party Virtual Conference
“Being appointed Chancellor in February this year was an immense honour.
Even though my first conference speech as Chancellor isn’t quite how I expected it to be, it remains a privilege to talk to you today.
And I am here today because of so many different people. My family, whose love sustains me. My colleagues in Government and in Parliament, whose backing has never wavered. My association in Richmond, North Yorkshire, who placed their trust in me, and gave me their loyalty, support and this opportunity to serve. And my party, whose members, councillors and activists worked tirelessly to deliver a Conservative government in December last year.
Politics is a team sport, and there is always a multitude of hardworking people behind any effort. So, I want to thank my ministerial team; Steve, Jessie, John, Kemi, Theo, Claire and James. I also want to thank my predecessors: George, Phillip and Sajid.
It is only because of ten years of sound Conservative management of our economy that this government has been able to act with the pace and scale we have in responding to Coronavirus. And I want to thank the Prime Minister, for entrusting me with this job and whose friendship has been invaluable.
I’ve seen up close the burden the Prime Minister carries. We all know he has an ability to connect with people in a way few politicians manage. It is a special and rare quality. But what the commentators don’t see, the thing I see, is the concern and care he feels, every day, for the wellbeing of the people of our country.
Yes, it’s been difficult, challenges are part of the job, but on the big calls, in the big moments, Boris Johnson has got it right and we need that leadership. Because we are only part way through this crisis.
What began in March as a health emergency has grown and now reaches deep into our economy and society. Not only does it endanger lives, but jobs and education. It separates friends and family.
This government has never been blind to the difficult trade-offs and decisions coronavirus has forced upon on us. If we had, we never would have deployed one of the most comprehensive and generous packages of support in the world. But more than the measures themselves, it is the values behind them that I want to impress upon you.
Conservatives believe in the importance of community and belonging. We believe in personal responsibility and pragmatism. We believe in the nobility of work and free enterprise. And we believe in the unbreakable bond of union that unites the four nations of our United Kingdom.
Our values are old and true and have withstood tests of strife, of terror, and even war. They are timeless because they are a wisdom earned over generations. And they are universal, because they are rooted in the fundamental belief that individual freedom enables both the greatest achievement and the gentlest kindness.
People looked at us last December and saw this Conservative party. They saw a party whose values and priorities were aligned with those of the British people. They saw a party prepared to act at a scale commensurate with the challenges our country faces and they were not wrong.
The SELF-EMPLOYED SUPPORT SCHEME
EAT OUT TO HELP OUT
Our PLAN FOR JOBS
The JOB SUPPORT SCHEME
A VAT cut for the tourism and hospitality sectors
The PAY AS YOU GROW SCHEME
A STAMP DUTY holiday
A £2 billion GREEN HOMES GRANT programme
The £2 billion KICKSTART SCHEME
Nearly 1million BUSINESS GRANTS
A 12-month BUSINESS RATES HOLIDAY
£35bn of BOUNCE BACK LOANS to over 1million small businesses
Over 60,000 CORONAVIRUS BUSINESS INTERRUPTION LOANS
The FUTURE FUND TAX DEFERRALS
Support for our brilliant CHARITIES
Over £8 billion of extra funding to SUPPORT OUR MOST VULNERABLE
A SIX-MONTH MORTGAGE HOLIDAY
And yes, THE FURLOUGH SCHEME, a first of it’s kind intervention in UK political history, delivered at scale, devised in rapid time, that protected millions of British families at the most acute stage of this crisis.
I could go on… all these measures and more… delivered by a Conservative government as part of our plan to support jobs and livelihoods. And whilst we would not have wished for this burden, it has been for many, for the first time in their lives, a moment in which government ceased to be distant and abstract, but became real, and felt, and something of which people could be proud. Action met words.
This Conservative government stood between the people and the danger and we always will.
But we haven’t done it alone. You, the people, have been with us. Wherever I look, I see acts of decency and bravery.
Barbara and Richard Wilson in Cumbria who furloughed the staff from their butchers’ shop but topped up their wages, so they didn’t have any extra worries about bills.
Kevin Butler, who used the self-employed support scheme to help meet the cost of living whilst his partner worked so he could home school their daughter.
John, Norma and Richard King who run the Bull’s Head Inn in Shropshire, who did the right thing when we asked, made their pub Covid compliant, and re-opened using Eat Out to Help Out in August.
Thank you to all those business owners, large and small, who are making the right decisions for workers and customers.
We are now seeing our economy go through changes as a result of coronavirus that can’t be ignored.
I have always said I couldn’t protect every job or every business. No chancellor could. And even though I have said it, the pain of knowing it, only grows with each passing day.
So, I am committing myself to a single priority – to create, support and extend opportunity to as many people as I can. Because even if this moment is more difficult than any you have ever faced, even if it feels like there is no hope, I am telling you that there is, and that the overwhelming might of the British state will be placed at your service.
We will not let talent wither, or waste, we will help all who want it, find new opportunity and develop new skills.
Through more apprenticeships, more training and a lifetime skills guarantee.
Our Kickstart Scheme will help hundreds of thousands of young people into good quality work. And we will help small businesses adapt.
That’s why we have delivered Government backed loans, tax deferrals and tax cuts.
In a free market economy it is the entrepreneur, who is critical. And we will make it easier for those with the ambition and appetite to take risks and be bold, to do what they do best and create jobs and growth. And we will protect the public finances. Over the medium term getting our borrowing and debt back under control.
We have a sacred responsibility to future generations to leave the public finances strong, and through careful management of our economy, this Conservative government will always balance the books.
If instead we argue there is no limit on what we can spend, that we can simply borrow our way out of any hole, what is the point in us?
I have never pretended there is some easy cost-free answer.
Hard choices are everywhere.
I won’t stop trying to find ways to support people and businesses. I will always be pragmatic.
The Winter Economy Plan announced only two weeks ago is but the latest stage of our planned economic response.
I will keep listening, keep striving to be creative in response to the challenges our economy faces, and where I can, I will act. I will not give up, no matter how difficult it is.
The British people and British businesses won’t give up. I know this because of what I said at the beginning.
We share the same values. The Conservative party and the country. And these values are not devoid of meaning to people.
They are about protecting that which is meaningful to them. Their family, their home, their job, their ability to choose for themselves what is best for them and those they love.
To create second chances, to see potential met, and to extend the awesome power of opportunity to all who seek it. To answer questions of character with action not rhetoric. To put the people first, their hopes and their aspirations.
And above all, to be worthy of the great trust they have placed in us.”


conservativehome--2020-10-05--Javid floats a zero based spending review as economy day opens at the Tory conference

The former Chancellor was being interviewed by Anand Menon at a ConservativeHome / UK in a Changing Europe fringe event earlier this morning .
He said – “ I know from having been Chancellor , having run for other spending departments , that there are savings to be made .
So for example , one thing that the government could do is… [ have ] a zero based [ spending ] review .
You say to every government department that they have to justify every single pound that they want to spend for … the next four to five years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and justify that programme .
“ What I found in every government department that I inherited… if you ask the officials for a spreadsheet , a list of every programme that department is working on , the cost , the number of full time equivalent people on it , how much has been spent , how much is programmed to be spent – you will find programmes that are no longer necessary .
Perhaps a priority of your predecessor… or programmes that can be done much more cheaply .
That kind of very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We agree – making much the same case last month .
• None Urged the Government to work towards a balanced budget “ Rishi has been right to say he ’ ll do whatever it takes .
… But he ’ s also said again , rightly , that we need to bring public spending back under control .
That won ’ t happen overnight , it shouldn ’ t happen overnight – you don ’ t want to sort of blow out any nascent recovery by having too sharp a change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has to be clear , we have to start heading towards a balanced budget on day to day.
” • None Called for local government reform , and more devolution in decision-making “ There does need to be a fresh look at local government and how it ’ s set up .
We are very fragmented as a country when it comes to local government .
And with multiple layers that can be quite confusing .
But I think that should all be looked at together with devolving power .
“ Another thing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investment ] is more devolution of decision making .
When it comes to infrastructure , when it comes to skills investment , we should be more trusting of local people to make decisions about their daily lives .
“ That ’ s why the last conference I announced on stage that the government will be publishing a new white paper on English devolution .
I can understand why we haven ’ t gotten around to that with COVID , and everything .
But that should be a priority , because I think that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and getting the right investments across the country.
” • None Suggested that Police Commissioners might be abolished • None Pushed the skills strategy that he was drawing up as Chancellor “ One of the most important things is skills , and training .
We still have too many people leaving school or full time education with either no particular skills , or a very low level of skill , and people that have gone on to higher education or further education of some type but not picked a skill that is going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ We need to make sure that young first of all have access to the right courses , and they ’ re available in their local areas .
That means we need to invest a lot more in further education .
In particular further education has been a bit of a second cousin to higher education .
As a society we ’ re a bit snobbish about this .
Someone goes to university and they graduate with these nice gowns and take lots of pictures , and it looks great .
But what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a college and done a fantastic engineering apprenticeship , or plumbing ?
Those are equally important skills .
“ The government started to do a lot about this , particularly Boris Johnson – look at this announcement recently about the lifetime skills guarantee .
“ But we need to go a lot further .
What I ’ d set out just before I left the Treasury was an embryonic plan for a long term skill strategy .
What Boris has announced recently is a part of that .
But there ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ None Said that the Government has “ work to do ” on racial justice , but that Black Lives Matter “ is not a force for good “ If I may , I distinguish between the Black Lives Matter movement and the fight for racial justice , and I ’ m not sympathetic to the actual organisation , Black Lives Matter , I think it ’ s a sort of Neo Marxist organisation that wants to overthrow capitalism and get rid of the Police , I think the organisation itself is not a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the movement of people whether through demonstrating or other ways of fighting for racial justice , of course , that is important .
And I understand why – I mean Britain is not the United States and we ’ ve got a lot to be proud of , but also I ’ d be the first to say that we ’ ve still got work to do , you know , the things that we can point to where we ’ ve learned from the past , and made progress , like after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the McPherson report , and the changes that lead to , but if we look at our prison system the disproportionality in terms of black inmates in the UK is higher than the United States .
“ So we ’ ve got to still do work .
That ’ s why I supported Theresa May , for example , when she launched this work that was called the Race Disparity Audit bid that Boris Johnson has rightly continued , is to try and get the facts .
Let ’ s get the data @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from it and see what more we can do.
” • None Described differences in life expectancy between London and the North-East as a “ disgrace ” “ Look at that election from 2019 .
As well as winning support from more traditional Tory areas , we were very fortunate to win support from other parts of the country – the northeast , for example – where we normally haven ’ t done well .
…The Prime Minister rightly said that many people , when they put a cross against the conservative candidate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they might have felt they ’ re lending us their vote .
“ But they were doing that , because we rightly as Conservatives were saying … as a one nation party we have to recognise that the talent is equally distributed throughout our country… but opportunity is not .
“ As Conservatives you can not stand by and just see the southeast doing well .
In the Northeast… compared to London , the average wage is 30 % lower , productivity measured by the ONS is 60 % , lower , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ London .
I mean , that ’ s a disgrace.
” “ If conservatives aren ’ t standing up for that and trying to spread opportunity across the country , then what are we for ?
…It ’ s very conservative to think about the whole nation , and think about spreading opportunity , because ultimately , that is to the benefit for all of us , not just those regions of the of the UK.
” • None On the UK/EU trade talks , he has “ a feeling that we ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ I think you can absolutely get a trade agreement that is like this Canada style agreement that gives us the flexibilities that we want , but also is good for us , is good for the Europeans .
If we can ’ t get the deal that we want , we shouldn ’ t be afraid to walk away .
I ’ ve never thought that , that we should accept any deal on the table .
And I think Boris would walk away if they if they kept being unreasonable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know we ’ re in the final weeks .
I ’ ve got a feeling that we ’ re going to get a trade deal , and it ’ s going to be good for us.
” The link to the full interview is here .

The former Chancellor was being interviewed by Anand Menon at a ConservativeHome / UK in a Changing Europe fringe event earlier this morning. He said –
“I know from having been Chancellor, having run for other spending departments, that there are savings to be made. So for example, one thing that the government could do is… [have] a zero based [spending] review. You say to every government department that they have to justify every single pound that they want to spend for … the next four to five years. You have to start at zero and justify that programme. “What I found in every government department that I inherited… if you ask the officials for a spreadsheet, a list of every programme that department is working on, the cost, the number of full time equivalent people on it, how much has been spent, how much is programmed to be spent – you will find programmes that are no longer necessary. Perhaps a priority of your predecessor… or programmes that can be done much more cheaply. That kind of very focused review could produce billions of savings.
We agree – making much the same case last month.
He also –
Urged the Government to work towards a balanced budget
“Rishi has been right to say he’ll do whatever it takes. … But he’s also said again, rightly, that we need to bring public spending back under control. That won’t happen overnight, it shouldn’t happen overnight – you don’t want to sort of blow out any nascent recovery by having too sharp a change in public spending. But the direction has to be clear, we have to start heading towards a balanced budget on day to day.”
Called for local government reform, and more devolution in decision-making
“There does need to be a fresh look at local government and how it’s set up. We are very fragmented as a country when it comes to local government. And with multiple layers that can be quite confusing. But I think that should all be looked at together with devolving power. “Another thing that needs to go alongside [infrastructure investment] is more devolution of decision making. When it comes to infrastructure, when it comes to skills investment, we should be more trusting of local people to make decisions about their daily lives. “That’s why the last conference I announced on stage that the government will be publishing a new white paper on English devolution. I can understand why we haven’t gotten around to that with COVID, and everything. But that should be a priority, because I think that is also a key to spreading opportunity and getting the right investments across the country.”
Suggested that Police Commissioners might be abolished
“Well, I think that that is worth reviewing, in that I can understand the case for when it happened, but I think there’s a genuine debate to be had about whether we need to continue with that system.”
Pushed the skills strategy that he was drawing up as Chancellor
“One of the most important things is skills, and training. We still have too many people leaving school or full time education with either no particular skills, or a very low level of skill, and people that have gone on to higher education or further education of some type but not picked a skill that is going to help them get a job. “We need to make sure that young first of all have access to the right courses, and they’re available in their local areas. That means we need to invest a lot more in further education. In particular further education has been a bit of a second cousin to higher education. As a society we’re a bit snobbish about this. Someone goes to university and they graduate with these nice gowns and take lots of pictures, and it looks great. But what about the guy who’s gone to a college and done a fantastic engineering apprenticeship, or plumbing? Those are equally important skills. “The government started to do a lot about this, particularly Boris Johnson – look at this announcement recently about the lifetime skills guarantee. “But we need to go a lot further. What I’d set out just before I left the Treasury was an embryonic plan for a long term skill strategy. What Boris has announced recently is a part of that. But there’s a lot more to do.”
Said that the Government has “work to do” on racial justice, but that Black Lives Matter “is not a force for good
“If I may, I distinguish between the Black Lives Matter movement and the fight for racial justice, and I’m not sympathetic to the actual organisation, Black Lives Matter, I think it’s a sort of Neo Marxist organisation that wants to overthrow capitalism and get rid of the Police, I think the organisation itself is not a force for good. “I think the movement of people whether through demonstrating or other ways of fighting for racial justice, of course, that is important. And I understand why – I mean Britain is not the United States and we’ve got a lot to be proud of, but also I’d be the first to say that we’ve still got work to do, you know, the things that we can point to where we’ve learned from the past, and made progress, like after the tragic murder of Stephen Lawrence and the McPherson report, and the changes that lead to, but if we look at our prison system the disproportionality in terms of black inmates in the UK is higher than the United States. “So we’ve got to still do work. That’s why I supported Theresa May, for example, when she launched this work that was called the Race Disparity Audit bid that Boris Johnson has rightly continued, is to try and get the facts. Let’s get the data. And then let’s learn from it and see what more we can do.”
Described differences in life expectancy between London and the North-East as a “disgrace”
“Look at that election from 2019. As well as winning support from more traditional Tory areas, we were very fortunate to win support from other parts of the country – the northeast, for example – where we normally haven’t done well. …The Prime Minister rightly said that many people, when they put a cross against the conservative candidate in those areas, hesitated a bit, they might have felt they’re lending us their vote. “But they were doing that, because we rightly as Conservatives were saying … as a one nation party we have to recognise that the talent is equally distributed throughout our country… but opportunity is not. “As Conservatives you cannot stand by and just see the southeast doing well. In the Northeast… compared to London, the average wage is 30% lower, productivity measured by the ONS is 60%, lower, life expectancy is three years lower than London. I mean, that’s a disgrace.” “If conservatives aren’t standing up for that and trying to spread opportunity across the country, then what are we for? …It’s very conservative to think about the whole nation, and think about spreading opportunity, because ultimately, that is to the benefit for all of us, not just those regions of the of the UK.”
On the UK/EU trade talks, he has “a feeling that we’re going to get a deal”.
“I think you can absolutely get a trade agreement that is like this Canada style agreement that gives us the flexibilities that we want, but also is good for us, is good for the Europeans. If we can’t get the deal that we want, we shouldn’t be afraid to walk away. I’ve never thought that, that we should accept any deal on the table. And I think Boris would walk away if they if they kept being unreasonable. “But that said, I know we’re in the final weeks. I’ve got a feeling that we’re going to get a trade deal, and it’s going to be good for us.”
The link to the full interview is here.


conservativehome--2020-10-05--Today on the ConservativeHome online fringe: Wallace, Sharma, Scully, Davison and more

Welcome to Day Three of the ConservativeHome online conference fringe programme .
After a jam-packed weekend , today we present @ @ @ @ @ a former Chancellor and a host of other great speakers across six events .
All @ @ @ @ @ be live on the Party Conference site , and several will be live on Zoom @ @ @ @ @ those without a conference login .
We ’ ll post the full videos of each @ @ @ @ @ Enjoy !
Held in partnership with UK in a Changing Europe .
Social care and @ @ @ @ @ voters in the ‘ Red Wall ’ A new generation of good jobs to secure @ @ @ @ @ of us In conversation with Ben Wallace MP , Secretary of State for Defence The @ @ @ @ @ MP : How to make small business the centre of a post-Covid UK The ConservativeHome @ @ @ @ @ sponsored by TheCityUK .

Welcome to Day Three of the ConservativeHome online conference fringe programme. After a jam-packed weekend, today we present two Secretaries of State, a former Chancellor and a host of other great speakers across six events.
If you missed an event, or if you’d like to share it with friends, please find the videos embedded below. Event videos from Saturday 3rd October are here, and events from Sunday 4th October are here.
7.30am-8.45am
In Conversation with Sajid Javid MP
Held in partnership with UK in a Changing Europe.
11am-12.30pm
A digital strategy for a digital society
Held in partnership with Atos.
1pm-2.30pm
Social care and beyond: delivering for older voters in the ‘Red Wall’
Held in partnership with Age UK.
3.30pm-4.30pm
A new generation of good jobs to secure an economic recovery for all of us
Held in partnership with JRF.
5pm-6.30pm
In conversation with Ben Wallace MP, Secretary of State for Defence
Held in partnership with Raytheon.
7pm-8.30pm
The Business Conversation with Alok Sharma MP: How to make small business the centre of a post-Covid UK
Held in partnership with FSB.
The ConservativeHome 2020 Conference Programme is kindly sponsored by TheCityUK.


conservativehome--2020-10-05--Neil O’Brien: A locally targeted approach to the Coronavirus is the best way to preserve lives, libe

Neil O’Brien: A locally targeted approach to the Coronavirus is the best way to preserve lives, liberty and livelihoods

Matt Hancock is doing a good job in unprecedented circumstances .
Britain is now testing far more people than similar countries , testing more than France , Germany or Spain .
Technology upgrades that could have taken years have happened much faster : 99 per cent of GPs now offer video consultation , up from just three per cent pre-pandemic .
As we head into the autumn we face a tricky balancing act : to keep the economy open on the one hand , and fight the virus on the other .
The one thing that we can be sure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ areas where local outbreaks require targeted measures .
My constituency saw the first local ‘ lockdown ’ early this summer , in which shops , pubs and cafes were shut .
No-one here wanted to have such restrictions , but they worked : Leicester was on the edge of a massive breakout , and the restrictions brought the virus back under control .
Part of the constituency , Oadby and Wigston , currently has some measures in place again , banning households from socialising .
Again , not something anyone wanted , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and rates of infection are falling .
As an MP who ’ s been trying to help constituents understand why we have been through such local measures , it ’ s been helpful that the NHS has improved the publication of local data .
I know first-hand how seeing our alarming local data changed people ’ s behaviour .
Over recent months the Government has published data on the number cases of the virus at the local authority level , and now even by neighbourhood .
It has started publishing the number of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But having been through two rounds of local restrictions , it strikes me that there are certain small things we could do to make the published data more useful to people .
First , we should change the Government ’ s “ Coronavirus data ” website so that it gives seven-day average rates for local authorities , not just absolute numbers .
People have sometimes said to me that such and such a place has more cases than another : but without realising that the first place may have many times more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ useful .
The website should chop off ( or at least put a massive disclaimer on ) the data for recent days .
At present , if you look at the data you will always see that recent days for your local authority show few or no cases .
Hurray !
Actually , no – all this means is that this new data is incomplete so far , and will get revised up later .
But because there ’ s no warning about this , some people see the zeroes for recent days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and so there ’ s no need to worry .
Where rates are high , we should start adding some contextual information about how a local area ’ s rates compare to the rest of the country : e.g .
this is the Xth highest rate out of Y local authorities , or Z times the national average , or above the 20 per 100,000 rate at which we impose quarantines on people returning from other countries .
Even rates , on their own , don ’ t mean much to people .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ by side comparisons of different areas , like the DFE does for schools , and the Financial Times does for international coronavirus comparisons .
For the neighbourhood level data , we should change it to show rates over a period as well as absolute numbers .
It should let people easily see how the numbers have changed over time .
Last but not least , the Government should publish test numbers and test positivity rates on a local authority basis .
One thing that happens ( rightly ) when an area goes into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testing goes right up .
This means more cases are flushed out , but some people then ask : is the higher number of cases is just because of the extra testing ?
Local authority public health officials have data on the proportion of tests that are positive , but it should be regularly put in the public domain .
Where there ’ s a local problem , that would help people understand what ’ s really going on ( not just more testing but more real cases ) .
The creation of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and people ’ s experience of the NHS , has already increased transparency and dragged NHS technology into the 21st century .
Until recently the NHS was one of the few remaining buyers of new fax machines , and owned a tenth of all the remaining pagers in the world .
That ’ s ending , to the relief of staff .
Opening up Covid-19 data has been similarly positive , leading others to create useful tools , which the Government website should now adopt .
Russ Garrett has created a useful map @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Carl Baker has an animation showing how they have changed over time .
The brilliant staff of the Commons Library have made a map of areas with local restrictions , and open data guru Matthew Somerville has made a postcode lookup tool so people can find what rules apply where .
Government should add these features to its own website .
The overall approach the Government is taking is the right one : keeping the virus under control until we can get to a vaccine ( or rapid mass testing ) that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The PM is right to flag up how “ a stitch in time saves nine , ” and how early measures can prevent more disruption later .
The approach of targeting problem areas is right too : the virus is very unevenly spread around the country .
I ’ m writing this from just outside Leicester , which has had nearly twenty times as many cases per head as places up in the Highlands .
The targeted approach we are taking is the only realistic way to preserve freedom and lives at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called for a “ Swedish style ” approach .
I ’ m not convinced : Sweden has had ten times more deaths per head than its Nordic neighbours .
Intrusive social distancing measures are now in place just as they are here , so it is not like everything is normal there .
Sweden had massive advantages : a sparse population and more people living alone than anywhere else .
If we ’ d applied the same approach here , with large , dense cities and much larger households ( particularly in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a catastrophe .
The Government ’ s approach is already as targeted and light as possible consistent with avoiding exponential growth of the virus .
With hospitalisations due to coronavirus ticking up , ( see chart ) there ’ s little room for manoeuvre .
There ’ s no middle way between what we ’ re doing and a “ let it rip ” approach .
Going for herd immunity is always one option .
But as Sir Bernard Jenkin pointed out on this website , its proponents should be honest about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ likely entail to get there .
In reality , the locally targeted approach we ’ re following is the best way to preserve lives , liberty and livelihoods .
Better data is one of the things we need to make it work as we head into a tough winter .
The officials who have worked to improve the data so far deserve our thanks .
Now , as we go into the next round of the fight against the virus , we should take the next steps forward .

Neil O’Brien is MP for Harborough.
Matt Hancock is doing a good job in unprecedented circumstances. Britain is now testing far more people than similar countries, testing more than France, Germany or Spain. Technology upgrades that could have taken years have happened much faster: 99 per cent of GPs now offer video consultation, up from just three per cent pre-pandemic.
As we head into the autumn we face a tricky balancing act: to keep the economy open on the one hand, and fight the virus on the other. The one thing that we can be sure of is that there will be more areas where local outbreaks require targeted measures.
My constituency saw the first local ‘lockdown’ early this summer, in which shops, pubs and cafes were shut. No-one here wanted to have such restrictions, but they worked: Leicester was on the edge of a massive breakout, and the restrictions brought the virus back under control.
Part of the constituency, Oadby and Wigston, currently has some measures in place again, banning households from socialising. Again, not something anyone wanted, but again, the restrictions are working, and rates of infection are falling.
As an MP who’s been trying to help constituents understand why we have been through such local measures, it’s been helpful that the NHS has improved the publication of local data. I know first-hand how seeing our alarming local data changed people’s behaviour.
Over recent months the Government has published data on the number cases of the virus at the local authority level, and now even by neighbourhood. It has started publishing the number of tests being done, which is helpful.
But having been through two rounds of local restrictions, it strikes me that there are certain small things we could do to make the published data more useful to people.
First, we should change the Government’s “Coronavirus data” website so that it gives seven-day average rates for local authorities, not just absolute numbers. People have sometimes said to me that such and such a place has more cases than another: but without realising that the first place may have many times more people in it. Rates are more useful.
The website should chop off (or at least put a massive disclaimer on) the data for recent days. At present, if you look at the data you will always see that recent days for your local authority show few or no cases. Hurray!
Actually, no – all this means is that this new data is incomplete so far, and will get revised up later. But because there’s no warning about this, some people see the zeroes for recent days and think everything has miraculously got better and so there’s no need to worry.
Where rates are high, we should start adding some contextual information about how a local area’s rates compare to the rest of the country: e.g. this is the Xth highest rate out of Y local authorities, or Z times the national average, or above the 20 per 100,000 rate at which we impose quarantines on people returning from other countries. Even rates, on their own, don’t mean much to people.
We should enable people to make side by side comparisons of different areas, like the DFE does for schools, and the Financial Times does for international coronavirus comparisons.
For the neighbourhood level data, we should change it to show rates over a period as well as absolute numbers. It should let people easily see how the numbers have changed over time.
Last but not least, the Government should publish test numbers and test positivity rates on a local authority basis. One thing that happens (rightly) when an area goes into special measures is that the rate of testing goes right up. This means more cases are flushed out, but some people then ask: is the higher number of cases is just because of the extra testing?
Local authority public health officials have data on the proportion of tests that are positive, but it should be regularly put in the public domain. Where there’s a local problem, that would help people understand what’s really going on (not just more testing but more real cases).
The creation of NHSX last year, to improve data and people’s experience of the NHS, has already increased transparency and dragged NHS technology into the 21st century. Until recently the NHS was one of the few remaining buyers of new fax machines, and owned a tenth of all the remaining pagers in the world. That’s ending, to the relief of staff.
Opening up Covid-19 data has been similarly positive, leading others to create useful tools, which the Government website should now adopt.
Russ Garrett has created a useful map of case rates across the country, and Carl Baker has an animation showing how they have changed over time. The brilliant staff of the Commons Library have made a map of areas with local restrictions, and open data guru Matthew Somerville has made a postcode lookup tool so people can find what rules apply where.
Government should add these features to its own website.
The overall approach the Government is taking is the right one: keeping the virus under control until we can get to a vaccine (or rapid mass testing) that would let us get back to normal. The PM is right to flag up how “a stitch in time saves nine,” and how early measures can prevent more disruption later.
The approach of targeting problem areas is right too: the virus is very unevenly spread around the country. I’m writing this from just outside Leicester, which has had nearly twenty times as many cases per head as places up in the Highlands.
The targeted approach we are taking is the only realistic way to preserve freedom and lives at the same time.
Some people have called for a “Swedish style” approach. I’m not convinced: Sweden has had ten times more deaths per head than its Nordic neighbours. Intrusive social distancing measures are now in place just as they are here, so it is not like everything is normal there.
Sweden had massive advantages: a sparse population and more people living alone than anywhere else. If we’d applied the same approach here, with large, dense cities and much larger households (particularly in the virus hotspots) it would have been a catastrophe.
The Government’s approach is already as targeted and light as possible consistent with avoiding exponential growth of the virus. With hospitalisations due to coronavirus ticking up, (see chart) there’s little room for manoeuvre. There’s no middle way between what we’re doing and a “let it rip” approach.
Going for herd immunity is always one option. But as Sir Bernard Jenkin pointed out on this website, its proponents should be honest about the hundreds of thousands of deaths it would likely entail to get there.
In reality, the locally targeted approach we’re following is the best way to preserve lives, liberty and livelihoods. Better data is one of the things we need to make it work as we head into a tough winter. The officials who have worked to improve the data so far deserve our thanks. Now, as we go into the next round of the fight against the virus, we should take the next steps forward.


conservativehome--2020-10-05--David Simmonds: After six months of disruption, refugee resettlement must not be forgotten

David Simmonds is the MP for Ruislip , Northwood and Pinner and the Conservative principal of the cross-party Refugee , Asylum and Migration Policy Project ( RAMP ) As chairman of the Local Government Association ’ s , Asylum , Migration and Refugee Task Group , I had a privileged insight into the efforts required to make a success of resettlement .
The joined-up approach , with international agencies working with refugees in conflict areas , and local authorities receiving the necessary funding and support from the government , made a meaningful and lasting difference to people in need of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the UK ’ s refugee resettlement programme has been one of the quiet success stories of Conservative governments since 2015 .
By the end of last year , nearly 20,000 refugees displaced by the conflict in Syria were settled into communities across the country through the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme ( VPRS ) .
Half of all those resettled have been vulnerable children .
This has been achieved with strong community support , in contrast to the concerns provoked by trafficker-driven , illegal channel crossings .
Understandably , given the disruption to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the government and local authorities because of the pandemic , the resettlement scheme was paused in March , and the new Global Resettlement Scheme – under which various existing schemes will be brought together – has yet to launch .
However , the need for safe , legal , managed routes into the UK remains as important as ever .
As we maintain our proud record of welcoming those in need , and address practical concerns regarding our borders , this is an opportunity for us to reflect on why the VPRS worked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resuming refugee resettlement at the earliest opportunity .
During the summer , the focus has been on the increasing number of people making the dangerous journey across the Channel , often at the mercy of criminal gangs exploiting their misery and desperation .
We need to discourage people from making a journey that puts their lives at risk and undermines the legal processes by which people should come to this country and make it their home .
Human traffickers prey on the misery and desperation of those seeking sanctuary and safety , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continue to profit in this way .
Along with my Conservative colleagues , I was elected on a manifesto that commits to granting asylum and support to refugees fleeing persecution .
Much has changed since the general election , but it remains within our power to meet the commitment made to those who have experienced violence .
Given that asylum claims can only be made by those who are physically in the UK , we need to offer safe , legal routes for people to come , rather than risk people arriving on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not , as it is often unhelpfully framed , a choice between compassion and robust management of our borders .
Offering safe legal routes into the country is part of our commitment to protecting the most vulnerable .
Resettlement allows us control over how many refugees come into the country , and the voluntary aspect of the scheme means local authorities can welcome people on the basis of their capacity and the particular needs of their community .
Crucially , we have shown over the past five years that we can resettle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ international agencies working with refugees on the ground and the coordination between national and local government led to a scheme described by the United Nations Refugee Agency ( UNHCR ) as meeting the ‘ gold standard ’ .
UNHCR selects people on the basis of need – with a particular focus on families , children at risk , and those who have survived violence or torture – and the International Organisation for Migration arranges their relocation .
The Home Office considers referrals and matches them to participating local authorities , and the accommodation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ local authorities that have opted into the scheme and been given the necessary funding to house people and help them integrate smoothly into their new surroundings .
We know who is arriving , because applicants have been through a robust selection process on the ground and vetted by the Home Office , and there is a community ready to welcome them here in the UK .
The voluntary nature of the scheme has meant that communities across the country , in urban and rural areas , have benefitted from the positive contribution of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to work immediately , and put their skills to good use .
In areas where depopulation is a significant issue , the VPRS has provided an opportunity for local authorities to address the needs of their community , from unused housing , to dwindling workforces , to schools struggling to stay open because of declining pupil numbers .
This community participation and support makes resettlement considerably more effective than the dispersal scheme , under which destitute asylum seekers are not evenly spread around the country , live in cheap and often substandard accommodation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whilst they wait for their case to be determined .
This situation simply wastes the skills of people who are here , and often does not garner community acceptance because of the disproportionate number of asylum seekers in certain local authorities and the lack of funding available to support them .
The recent fire at a migrant camp in Lesbos , which has left approximately 13,000 asylum seekers homeless , is a stark reminder that displacement is not an issue that will disappear as we confront other challenges .
As France and Italy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the moment has arrived for us to consider how we can contribute constructively through similar provision .
In 2015 , when the resettlement scheme was extended rapidly in response to the growing humanitarian need , we demonstrated our ability to increase our support in difficult circumstances .
Resuming resettlement now will allow us to support those in need , manage our borders effectively , and demonstrate our enduring commitment to tackling global challenges .

David Simmonds is the MP for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner and the Conservative principal of the cross-party Refugee, Asylum and Migration Policy Project (RAMP)
As chairman of the Local Government Association’s, Asylum, Migration and Refugee Task Group, I had a privileged insight into the efforts required to make a success of resettlement. The joined-up approach, with international agencies working with refugees in conflict areas, and local authorities receiving the necessary funding and support from the government, made a meaningful and lasting difference to people in need of protection and a new start.
Indeed, the UK’s refugee resettlement programme has been one of the quiet success stories of Conservative governments since 2015. By the end of last year, nearly 20,000 refugees displaced by the conflict in Syria were settled into communities across the country through the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS). Half of all those resettled have been vulnerable children. This has been achieved with strong community support, in contrast to the concerns provoked by trafficker-driven, illegal channel crossings.
Understandably, given the disruption to international travel and the unprecedented challenges facing the government and local authorities because of the pandemic, the resettlement scheme was paused in March, and the new Global Resettlement Scheme – under which various existing schemes will be brought together – has yet to launch.
However, the need for safe, legal, managed routes into the UK remains as important as ever. As we maintain our proud record of welcoming those in need, and address practical concerns regarding our borders, this is an opportunity for us to reflect on why the VPRS worked so effectively, with a view to resuming refugee resettlement at the earliest opportunity.
During the summer, the focus has been on the increasing number of people making the dangerous journey across the Channel, often at the mercy of criminal gangs exploiting their misery and desperation. We need to discourage people from making a journey that puts their lives at risk and undermines the legal processes by which people should come to this country and make it their home. Human traffickers prey on the misery and desperation of those seeking sanctuary and safety, and we must ensure that they cannot continue to profit in this way.
Along with my Conservative colleagues, I was elected on a manifesto that commits to granting asylum and support to refugees fleeing persecution. Much has changed since the general election, but it remains within our power to meet the commitment made to those who have experienced violence. Given that asylum claims can only be made by those who are physically in the UK, we need to offer safe, legal routes for people to come, rather than risk people arriving on small boats across the channel.
This is not, as it is often unhelpfully framed, a choice between compassion and robust management of our borders. Offering safe legal routes into the country is part of our commitment to protecting the most vulnerable. Resettlement allows us control over how many refugees come into the country, and the voluntary aspect of the scheme means local authorities can welcome people on the basis of their capacity and the particular needs of their community.
Crucially, we have shown over the past five years that we can resettle refugees successfully. The effective interaction between international agencies working with refugees on the ground and the coordination between national and local government led to a scheme described by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) as meeting the ‘gold standard’.
UNHCR selects people on the basis of need – with a particular focus on families, children at risk, and those who have survived violence or torture – and the International Organisation for Migration arranges their relocation. The Home Office considers referrals and matches them to participating local authorities, and the accommodation and support on arrival is offered by local authorities that have opted into the scheme and been given the necessary funding to house people and help them integrate smoothly into their new surroundings.
We know who is arriving, because applicants have been through a robust selection process on the ground and vetted by the Home Office, and there is a community ready to welcome them here in the UK. The voluntary nature of the scheme has meant that communities across the country, in urban and rural areas, have benefitted from the positive contribution of those who have resettled, are entitled to work immediately, and put their skills to good use. In areas where depopulation is a significant issue, the VPRS has provided an opportunity for local authorities to address the needs of their community, from unused housing, to dwindling workforces, to schools struggling to stay open because of declining pupil numbers.
This community participation and support makes resettlement considerably more effective than the dispersal scheme, under which destitute asylum seekers are not evenly spread around the country, live in cheap and often substandard accommodation, and are unable to work legally whilst they wait for their case to be determined. This situation simply wastes the skills of people who are here, and often does not garner community acceptance because of the disproportionate number of asylum seekers in certain local authorities and the lack of funding available to support them.
The recent fire at a migrant camp in Lesbos, which has left approximately 13,000 asylum seekers homeless, is a stark reminder that displacement is not an issue that will disappear as we confront other challenges. As France and Italy have resumed their refugee resettlement programmes, the moment has arrived for us to consider how we can contribute constructively through similar provision.
In 2015, when the resettlement scheme was extended rapidly in response to the growing humanitarian need, we demonstrated our ability to increase our support in difficult circumstances. Resuming resettlement now will allow us to support those in need, manage our borders effectively, and demonstrate our enduring commitment to tackling global challenges.