Regional Cabinet Meeting: 12 May 2022
The Prime Minister hosted a Regional Cabinet meeting in Stoke-on-Trent.
The Prime Minister opened by welcoming Cabinet to Stoke-on-Trent and provided updates on his recent visits to Finland and Sweden to help strengthen our close defence and security partnership with two key allies.
Turning to the issue of Northern Ireland, the Prime Minister said the people of Northern Ireland deserve effective governance to drive growth and investment, and stressed the importance of working to get the executive back up and running. He reiterated that we need to fix the protocol to protect the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement.
Cabinet then discussed the continued focus on levelling up, saying it is morally, socially and economically the right way forward for the UK. The Prime Minister said the Queen’s Speech and bills including the levelling up and regeneration bill were examples of how the Government is continuing to deliver for the people.
The Levelling Up Secretary pointed to Stoke-on-Trent as an historic world-renowned success for business and innovation, but said there is more to do here and across the UK to better level up education, health and housing.
The Prime Minister reiterated that tackling the global cost of living pressures must be at the forefront of all work to help continue to support people during a difficult financial period.
The Culture Secretary concluded with an update to Cabinet on plans for upcoming major events that will enable people to come together in celebration, including the Queen’s Jubilee and the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.