PM's remarks at the Farnborough Airshow: 22 July 2024
Prime Minister Keir Starmer's remarks at the Farnborough Airshow, announcing the launch of Skills England.
Good morning, everyone.聽
It바카라 사이트檚 really good to see so many of you here. Many people that I바카라 사이트檝e met before and had intense discussions with before about the important work that you do, that has informed my thinking and informs the thinking of the Labour government 바카라 사이트� which is why you see some of those measures reflected in the King바카라 사이트檚 Speech of last week.
So I am absolutely delighted to be able to be here again with you, but this time no longer as Leader of the Opposition. This time as Prime Minister 바카라 사이트� and please take that, in the beginning of week three in government, as a real statement of intent. It바카라 사이트檚 intended to be, and that is why we바카라 사이트檝e got so many senior ministers here during the course of the show.聽
Now look, as you all know, better than most 바카라 사이트� we live in a dangerous, volatile and increasingly insecure world.聽
And that makes events like this, and the role that you play바카라 사이트�
Ever more important for the defence and security of our country.聽聽
And as you may have seen, I have spent quite a lot of time at summits in the last week or two바카라 사이트�
At NATO and the European Political Community바카라 사이트β�
And on Friday I had the pleasure of meeting the leader of Ukraine, President Zelenskyy, who came into Downing Street.聽聽
And at those meetings, whether it바카라 사이트檚 NATO, whether it바카라 사이트檚 the EPC, or whether it바카라 사이트檚 seeing President Zelenskyy as I did on Friday, it always gives me great comfort,
To know that Britain is at the cutting edge of defence and aerospace manufacturing바카라 사이트β�
So thank you not only for being here today바카라 사이트�
But also for everything that you do for the security of our country.聽
Now we are just beginning week three of government.
The work of change has begun.聽
The patient rebuilding of our country has started.
And we바카라 사이트檝e launched our Strategic Defence Review.聽
We바카라 사이트檝e taken the brakes off Britain with a plan for wealth creation in every community.聽
Planning reform 바카라 사이트� to get Britain building again. Something many of us in the room have discussed with you on many occasions.
And we바카라 사이트檙e getting started on a new Industrial Strategy. Again, a concept that came very much from you to us in terms of the sort of way in which you want the partnership between government and your sector to work.聽
They are all signals of our intent바카라 사이트β�
To deliver high living standards for working people바카라 사이트β�
Economic security and national security.聽
But of course we know that national renewal is not going to happen overnight.聽
We are fixing the very foundation of our country바카라 사이트β�
And that is long and patient work.聽
But 바카라 사이트� I can announce another step along that road today바카라 사이트β�
Another marker of the future바카라 사이트β�
With the launch of a new organisation that we hope will transform, not just how we train our young people and adults바카라 사이트β�
But also the relationship between business and the education system.聽
A plan to make sure that we are training young people, not just for any business바카라 사이트�
But for the businesses that exist in聽their聽community.聽
The skills you聽and聽they need바카라 사이트β�
To take each other forward.聽
So I am delighted that today we바카라 사이트檙e launching Skills England바카라 사이트�
And appointing Richard Pennycook as the interim chair.聽
And I바카라 사이트檓 excited for the work that we can do together.聽
I바카라 사이트檝e just met this morning some fantastic apprentices.
Bright, energic, intelligent바카라 사이트β�
An absolute credit to Airbus and Rolls Royce.
Now I바카라 사이트檝e met the apprentices in both Airbus and Rolls Royce many times before 바카라 사이트� almost all of my speeches in the last two or three years have featured examples of the work that they are doing.聽
And it was brilliant to meet them here again this morning. Some of them were from a group that I met just a few months ago in Derby. So to review that, one of them was just two weeks into her apprenticeship. And so they were an incredible reminder of the talent that we have going forward.聽
And I was allowed to speak to them without anybody else listening in because I wanted to hear directly from them. And ask them, as I always do, what inspired them to do it, what gave them that spark.
And then towards the end of the time I had with them this morning, I said, 바카라 사이트渨hat do you want me to think about? Because this is a government of service, you바카라 사이트檙e entitled to have your say. What do you want me to think about as the Prime Minister heading a new government?바카라 사이트澛�
And after a few moments, they were pretty clear in their collective view that they wanted me and the government to think about the value of apprentices, and to make sure that that was valued alongside the other things that so many young people do.
And that was them to me, and for all of you, I think you바카라 사이트檇 be very proud that that was their first thought. That was what they wanted me to think about as I go home from here.
And so they are a reminder of the incredible talent that we do have in this country.聽
Young people, with drive, ambition and hopes of a better future.聽
But we do have also to be honest바카라 사이트β�
All too often young people in our country have been let down.聽
Not given access to the right opportunities or training in聽their聽community.聽
And that has created an overreliance in our economy on higher and higher levels of migration.聽
Now 바카라 사이트� I don바카라 사이트檛 for a second want to demean any of that바카라 사이트β�
I do not criticise business who hire overseas workers바카라 사이트β�
And I certainly don바카라 사이트檛 diminish the contribution that migration makes바카라 사이트�
To our economy, to our public services and of course to our communities.聽
Migration is part of our national story 바카라 사이트� it always has been and always will be.聽
And yet 바카라 사이트� if you stand back바카라 사이트β�
As a system, it cannot be right that some people don바카라 사이트檛 get to feel the pride of making a contribution바카라 사이트�
The dignity of work바카라 사이트β�
Just because we can바카라 사이트檛 find a way of creating a coherent skills system. That can바카라 사이트檛 be right.
So 바카라 사이트� I have to say 바카라 사이트� we won바카라 사이트檛 be content just to pull the easy lever of importing skills바카라 사이트�
We are turning the page on that.
But I want to be clear as well바카라 사이트�
We聽are聽going to make sure that there are highly motivated, ambitious, talented young people바카라 사이트�
Who want to work in your business.聽
That is our long-term ambition.聽
We바카라 사이트檙e going to fire up the training of more UK workers바카라 사이트β�
And match peoples바카라 사이트� aspirations 바카라 사이트� which I know are there바카라 사이트�
With more opportunity.聽
And in doing this we will drive growth.
Because if there is one thing we know that will drive innovation and accelerate productivity바카라 사이트�
It바카라 사이트檚 having the skilled workers聽you聽need to grow your business.
So from the get go바카라 사이트β�
Skills England will work with the Migration Advisory Committee바카라 사이트�
We will identify current and future skills gaps바카라 사이트�
Put in place plans to address those gaps바카라 사이트β�
And reduce our long-term reliance on overseas workers.
We will also identify the training on which the Growth and Skills Levy can be spent바카라 사이트�
Something that I바카라 사이트檝e spent many hours discussing with many people in this room.
You told me it was not flexible enough, didn바카라 사이트檛 work well enough for you.
Well we will change that with the Growth and Skills Levy, giving you more flexibility to spend funds on the training that you think is really necessary.聽
And Skills England will also bring together central and local government바카라 사이트β�
Training providers and unions바카라 사이트�
Working together in broader partnership with business.聽
And this is key.
I said on the steps of Downing Street, two weeks ago Thursday, that I wanted to govern for the whole country바카라 사이트�
And part of that is making sure we all understand each others바카라 사이트� needs바카라 사이트β�
That we move beyond old antagonisms바카라 사이트β�
And work for the common cause of national renewal.聽
A partnership.聽
So today with the launch of Skills England바카라 사이트�
We바카라 사이트檙e putting that partnership into action바카라 사이트�
Now we listened to you during the campaign and over the last few years바카라 사이트�
We listened to you when we were developing our Plan for Growth바카라 사이트�
And that informs it, some of your fingerprints are on our plan and I hope that they reflect the conversations that we바카라 사이트檝e had. And we will carry on listening바카라 사이트�
Because that바카라 사이트檚 how a partnership works.
We are making demands. We want growth. We want you to power up that growth.
But you equally can say to us in order for that to work, this is the framework you need to put into place.
That is how a partnership works, when both sides understand what their part is, but recognise they바카라 사이트檙e not the same part 바카라 사이트� government and business do different things.
And that바카라 사이트檚 why we바카라 사이트檒l have our new Industrial Strategy바카라 사이트�
On the Strategic Defence Review바카라 사이트�
And on much, much more.聽
Together, I do believe we can deliver that growth and security.
聽Fix the foundations바카라 사이트�
Put our economy on a stable footing바카라 사이트�
And create a coherent skills system.聽
And everyone here has a vital part to play in this mission on growth바카라 사이트�
You already do an incredible amount바카라 사이트β�
And I believe that with a government of service on your side바카라 사이트�
We can do even more.
And in that spirit, it really is a huge honour, so early in this government, to open the Airshow, and to hope that you all have a productive time which I바카라 사이트檓 sure that you will.
Use it obviously intensely in the time that we바카라 사이트檝e got here together.
Please keep talking and impressing on us the things that are important to you.聽
Thank you so much for allowing me to make these remarks. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you so much for your huge contribution to our country.聽
Thank you.