The Prime Minister opened Cabinet by thanking those involved in
sending an aid support package, which included a number of oxygen
concentrators and ventilators, to India to assist their work in
tackling coronavirus. The first shipment arrived in the country
today.
The Prime Minister said he was proud the UK has been able to help
and that this sort of action - along with delivery of core
government commitments - is what the public want their government
to focus on.
The Prime Minister then moved onto a discussion on the
forthcoming Queen’s Speech; the focus of which will be to
demonstrate how we will build back better from the pandemic and
fulfil our pledge to unite and level up the country. The PM
thanked Cabinet colleagues and their departments for their
ongoing support in getting the content of the Speech ready for
May 11th.
The Prime Minister highlighted that departments are being asked
to take part in a savings and efficiency review ahead of the
Spending Review later this year. The purpose is to learn the
lessons from the last year in how we can run services more
efficiently and ensure that we focus our high levels of spending
on our key priorities. This is a standard part of the Spending
Review process.
Cabinet then received an update from the Northern Ireland
Secretary on the programme of events planned to mark the
Centenary year. Cabinet agreed that there is so much the UK has
gained from Northern Ireland and that it has gained from being
part of our Union, and how in the last 100 years, Northern
Ireland has contributed significantly to the rich fabric of the
UK’s cultural life and will continue to into the future.
The PM invited the COP President to update Cabinet on the work
that is being undertaken to ensure COP delivers on the
government’s desire to increase international ambition to tackle
climate change ahead of the summit in November. The PM
highlighted that tackling climate change remains our number one
international priority and that this will be achieved in a way
that benefits the UK public, creating sustainable, high wage jobs
for years to come.
Cabinet concluded with an update on the pandemic. The PM
re-iterated that the data continues to look good but warned that
we are not out of the woods yet as variants of concern continue
to pose a threat. The PM said that while the road ahead looks
positive, there will still be challenges and this Government will
continue to take tough decisions where necessary to protect both
lives and livelihoods.
