Strong communities are also built on values, on the golden rule: treat others as you would like to be treated yourself. But too often, a small minority break that golden rule
BY this Spring, we will have an extra 20,000 police officers, patrolling the streets, answering the call for help, and catching criminals. We’ve got to stop violence against women and girls – and let’s be frank…
…that means men taking responsibility for creating a culture and society where women are safe in their communities and at home. We’ve got to reduce reoffending – because a small number of career criminals account for disproportionate amounts of crime. And we’ve got to beat addiction – because heroin and crack addicts account for almost half of all robberies, Strong communities are also built on values, on the golden rule: treat others as you would like to be treated yourself.
But too often, a small minority break that golden rule. They spray graffiti on war memorials. Discard needles and Nitrous Oxide cannisters in children’s playgrounds.
Gang together and cause disorder and disruption. Anti-social behaviour isn’t inevitable or a minor crime. It makes life miserable for so many and it can be a gateway to more extreme crimes.
So, this government will work tirelessly to crack down on anti-social behaviour, giving police forces, mayors, and local authorities the tools they need…
…and giving communities confidence that these crimes will be quickly and visibly punished. Wherever you live in our United Kingdom, you should be able to feel proud of your community. And that’s what we’ll work together to achieve. So, we will create a better future by changing our economy and strengthening our communities.
We also need greater social justice. And the way we achieve that – is education. This is personal for me. Every opportunity I’ve had in life began with the education I was so fortunate to receive. And it’s the single most important reason why I came into politics: to give every child the highest possible standard of education.
Thanks to the reforms we’ve introduced since 2010, and the hard work of so many excellent teachers, we’ve made incredible progress. But with the right plan – the right commitment to excellence – I cannot see any reason why we can’t rival the best education systems in the world.
To do that, yes – we’ll need to fix the damage of Covid, especially for our youngest pupils. And yes – it’ll require more investment, which is why just weeks ago in the Autumn Statement we provided £2bn of extra funding for schools. But that’s not the limit of our ambitions. We’re not content with just catching up.
First, we need to support good teaching and spread best practice with a plan to improve attainment in primary schools. Next, we need to stop seeing education as something that ends aged 18 – or that sees university as the only option. With more technical education, lifelong learning, and apprenticeships. And one of the biggest changes in mindset we need in education today is to reimagine our approach to numeracy.
As Chancellor, I introduced Multiply, a new programme to give hundreds of thousands of adults the opportunity to get the basic numerical skills they need. But we’re one of the few countries not to require our children to study some form of maths up to the age of 18. Right now, just half of all 16–19-year-olds study any maths at all.
Yet in a world where data is everywhere and statistics underpin every job, letting our children out into that world without those skills, is letting our children down.
So we need to go further. I am now making numeracy a central objective of the education system. That doesn’t have to mean compulsory A level in maths for everyone. But we will work with the sector to move towards all children studying some form of maths to 18.
Just imagine what greater numeracy will unlock for people: The skills to feel confident with your finances, to find the best mortgage deal or savings rate; The ability to do your job better and get paid more; And greater self-confidence to navigate a changing world.
Improving education is the closest thing to a silver bullet there is. It is the best economic policy, the best social policy, the best moral policy. And that’s why it’s this government’s policy.
As we build this better future for our children and grandchildren… feel a deep responsibility to pass on a health service that will be there for them…ust as it was there for our parents and grandparents. When I talk about the NHS, I’m not just talking about a prized public service. I’m talking about my family’s life calling. My Dad was a Doctor. I grew up working in my Mum’s pharmacy. I saw day in day out the devotion they gave to their patients. And my record demonstrates how important those memories are to me.
We’ve significantly increased funding for health and social care. Recruited thousands more doctors and nurses. Upgraded more hospitals with cutting-edge technology. But Covid has imposed massive new pressures and people are waiting too long for the care they need. We’re fixing that. But we need to do more. At a time when we’re putting record sums into the NHS…
