The Prime Minister opened Cabinet
by paying tribute to the King and said all of our thoughts would
be with His Majesty and we are wishing him a speedy
recovery.
The Prime Minister then provided
an update on the strikes to protect shipping in the Red Sea which
have had a significant effect in degrading Houthi capability.
The Prime Minister added that while we will always act in
self-defence to protect freedom of navigation and the safety of
British lives at sea, the UK is not seeking confrontation and our
fundamental aim is to de-escalate tensions in the region and
deter further attacks.
The Foreign Secretary added that
we continue to build a broad coalition of support for these
strikes with countries part of the military coalition and 24
countries signing the most recent statement of support.
The Education Secretary provided
an update on Apprenticeship Week which will see Ministers out
visiting projects across the country. She added that the UK has a
world-leading apprenticeships system, with 70% of occupations now
covered by apprenticeships, compared to 33% in Germany, and that
we’ve now seen 5.7 million apprenticeships delivered since 2010,
powering growth in the economy.
Finally, Cabinet discussed the Home Office’s latest protest
measures to be set out in full on Thursday.
The Prime Minister said that while peaceful protest is
fundamental to democracy, it is important that the Government
takes every action necessary to close loopholes and aid police,
prosecutors and the courts in tackling unfair disruption and
criminal activity.
He set out measures to be
introduced to close loopholes and support our police, for example
a new offence for climbing on war memorials and that the
government will not allow protest to be used as an excuse to
block roads, cause criminal damage, or ignore a police officer’s
instructions.
The Levelling Up Secretary also
set out the work the government is undertaking to tackle the root
causes of extremism and antisemitism.
The Prime Minister wrapped up
Cabinet by thanking the Northern Ireland Secretary for his work
to restore the Northern Ireland Executive and reflected on the
optimism and relief he saw from people during his visit to have
their government back up and running and focused on their
priorities.
