“WORDS OF THE WEEK”
“We will establish Great British Railways – a single, directing mind to control our railways in the passenger interest. Yes, we are keeping the name. I’m afraid I was overruled on calling it Rail Britannia” – Shadow Transport Secretary, Louise Haigh, as Labour pledged to renationalise the railways if elected.
“In a world that is the most dangerous it has been since the end of the Cold War, we cannot be complacent. As our adversaries align, we must do more to defend our country, our interests and our values” – Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised an extra £75bn in defence spending over the next six years.
“I am humbled, grateful and staggered to have been made a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter by His Majesty King Charles III. This is the greatest honour of my life” – Composer Lord Lloyd Webber.
“If we can stop the boats of course it will be worth it because what we’ve got to recognise is the cost of human lives and the financial cost of not dealing with this is huge” – Home Secretary James Cleverly as the Rwanda Bill became law after receiving royal assent, paving the way for deportation flights to get off the ground.
“It is no longer guaranteeing a stable arrangement in Parliament, the events of recent days have made that clear, therefore, after careful consideration, I believe going forward it is in the best interest of the people of Scotland to pursue a different arrangement” – Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf has called time on the power-sharing agreement between the SNP and Scottish Greens at Holyrood.
“Huw Edwards has today resigned and left the BBC. After 40 years of service, Huw has explained that his decision was made on the basis of medical advice from his doctors. The BBC has accepted his resignation, which it believes will allow all parties to move forward” – A BBC statement after the newsreader resigned after being suspended last year following allegations that he paid a young person for sexually explicit photos.
“Frank Field was a decent, moral and thoughtful man. He was a great parliamentarian – he made our politics better and raised the level of national debate in this country” – Rishi Sunak pays tribute to former Labour minister Frank Field after his death aged 81.