With your permission, Mr Speaker, I’d like to make a statement.
First, I would like to thank Sue Gray and all those who contributed to this report. I have placed it in the Library of this House, while the government has published the entire document today for everyone.
Its findings will be addressed in this statement. But first, I want to apologize. We are sorry for things that we did not do right, and for how this matter was handled. It doesn’t matter if this or that was allowed under the rules. It doesn’t matter if people worked hard.
The pandemic was difficult for all. We asked citizens across the country to make extraordinary sacrifices. They were not required to see loved ones or visit relatives before their deaths. I can understand the anger people feel.
It is not enough to just say sorry, Mr Speaker. We must now look in the mirror at ourselves and learn from this moment. While the Metropolitan Police still have to complete their investigation, which means that Sue Gray’s report does not contain details about specific events, I accept Sue Grays general findings and, above all, her recommendation that we learn from these events so that we can act now.
She said that she was not drawn to any conclusions or draw inferences from the events under investigation by the police. It is up to the police to review the relevant material regarding those incidents.
She also believes that there is a lot to be learned from these events, and this must be addressed immediately by all levels of Government. This doesn’t need to wait until the police investigations are completed.
We are making changes to Downing Street’s and the Cabinet Office’s operations now so we can do the job I was elected for and that this government was elected.
It is time to first sort out Sue Gray’s “fragmented, complicated” leadership structures at Downing Street that she calls “fragmented and complex”. She claims they are not sufficiently developed to handle the growing demands of Number ten.
We will, and we will, even by creating an Office for the Prime Minister with a Permanent Secretary to lead Number ten. Second, Mr Speaker. It is evident from Sue Gray’s report that it is now time to not only review the Civil Service/Special Adviser codes, but also to ensure that they are properly enforced.
Third, I will speak more about the steps that we are taking to improve Number ten’s operation and the work done by the Cabinet Office to strengthen Cabinet Government.
It’s okay, Mr Speaker. I understand it. And that is what I would like to tell the citizens of this country. It is not whether the government can deliver, that is the problem. I can tell you that we can be trusted and can deliver.
We promised to deliver Brexit. Freeports are being set up across the United Kingdom. I was there today and it is creating thousands of jobs, Mr Speaker.
We promised that we would make this country a Covid-free nation. In fact, we made it happen. We delivered the fastest vaccination rollout in Europe and the most efficient booster programme in any major economy. This has allowed us to restore freedoms faster than any other economy. At the same time, we have cut crime by 14 percent, built 40 new hospitals, and have also rolled out gigabit internet. All of these are just a few of the promises we made in 2019, so we will have the G7’s fastest economic growth
We have proven that we are capable of doing things that were previously thought impossible, and that we can deliver on behalf of the British people.
We are moving out of Covid quickly, at least partially because we doubled speed of the booster rollout. I can tell the House as well as this country that we will bring the same energy and commitment in order to deliver for the British people.
This Statement is my recommendation to the House
