The Prime
Minister opened Cabinet by underlining the importance of stopping
the boats and curbing the use of hotels for asylum seekers, which
is costing taxpayers millions of pounds every
day.
He said the
people of the UK could be proud of the support provided to those
forced to flee Afghanistan and asked the Minister for Veterans’
Affairs to outline the new package of measures to accelerate
efforts to help those currently in hotel bridging accommodation
into their own homes, which will be announced in Parliament
today.
The Minister
for Veterans’ Affairs said it was right to take these steps to
ensure we can help eligible Afghans start a secure life in the
UK.
Turning to
the wider challenge of housing asylum seekers the Prime Minister
said the UK was a compassionate country that does want to offer
protection and support to those most in need. He said the cost of
the current approach and the pressure it puts on local areas
meant it was not sustainable.
The
Immigration Minister said he would be providing an update this
week on the latest government work to deal with the challenge of
illegal immigration.
Looking ahead to
Thursday, the Prime Minister said that the Energy Secretary will
announce an ambitious, positive, and practical set of plans for
securing the nation’s energy security and reaching net zero by
2050.
The
Energy Secretary said Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine demonstrated
the need to take action, with everyone’s bills forced up by a
spike in energy costs. He highlighted the Government’s support
for households, where an increase in taxes on profits from energy
companies was used to help pay around half of everyone’s energy
bills, worth around £1,500 a year.
He
said the UK was well ahead of many advanced economies in
transitioning to renewable energy. He said the UK will soon have
all four of the world’s biggest offshore windfarms, with wind
power increasing by 25% in 2022.
He
said the Government’s plan would set out where we can go further,
including through the use of more nuclear power, to curb
emissions while growing the economy and creating jobs.
The
Prime Minister concluded Cabinet by saying that the UK would
build on its record of innovation to make the UK the premier
location for investment in green technology.
