The Prime Minister opened Cabinet by asking the Leaders of the
Commons and the Lords to update on business in both Houses. The
Leader of the House said that over the past year the government
has passed 21 bills, with 24 currently before parliament, and
more to come before the end of the session, making it the most
ambitious legislative agenda of any incoming government for
generations. Looking ahead before recess the Football Governance
Bill is in its final stages in the House of Lords before Royal
Assent, and there will be further progress on Renters' Rights and
Planning and Infrastructure bills.
Turning to last week's French State Visit, the Prime Minister
said this government's vital work to reset international
relationships had directly led to a groundbreaking new agreement
with France to tackle illegal Channel crossings. He also spoke
about the significance of the agreement on – for the first time –
coordinating nuclear matters, which was a product of discussions
he had first had with President Macron soon after the election,
and showed the commitment of the UK and France to leading on
defence and security. He said the visit to the Permanent Joint HQ
at Northwood for the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing
means we have a ready-to-go operational plan, HQ and command
structure in the event of a ceasefire. He said it was the first
time the US had joined the discussions, which also covered
sanctions and tariffs – which we had seen President Trump talk
about over the past 24 hours, as well as reaffirming his
commitment to NATO following the crucial summit earlier in the
month. The Prime Minister also looked forward to Chancellor
Merz's visit later this week, which will further strengthen the
leadership of the E3 in Europe.
The Home Secretary added that previous governments had tried to
reach an agreement with France on illegal migration, but had not
invested in the relationship sufficiently to land it. She said
the agreement included joint working upstream to tackle people
smuggling gangs in Europe and beyond, stronger law enforcement, a
stronger border including the use of improved maritime tactics by
the French – some of which we have seen evidence of in the last
few weeks – a commitment to cracking down on illegal migration in
the UK – where we have seen a 50% increase in illegal working
raids and arrests – and the groundbreaking returns agreement
which will be operational in the coming weeks.
The Defence Secretary said that the defence agreement built on
the 2010 Lancaster House agreement, and included increased joint
working on nuclear research, testing, and coordination. It also
stepped up military coordination through the Combined Joint
Force, and closer working between our defence industries
including on Storm Shadow and its replacement.
The Prime Minister then turned to the Union, saying it was the
government's duty to serve every part of the United Kingdom, with
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland key to the overall success
of the UK. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster led a
discussion on how the reset of the relationship with the devolved
governments was delivering for all people, right across the UK,
anchored in a respect for the devolution settlement and
arrangements set up when the government was last in power.
