Nigel Farage

The Government is developing a steel strategy in partnership with the steel sector and trade unions that will set out a long-term vision for a sustainable steel sector, which we plan to publish in Spring 2025.

We have committed £500mn to Port Talbot’s transformation and up to £2.5bn for steel which will be available through the National Wealth Fund and other routes to help rebuild the sector.

Pubs, including in Clacton, are at the heart of our communities and play a vital role in supporting economic growth across the UK. We will restore consumer confidence through measures such as the plan to Make Work Pay, which sets out an ambitious agenda to ensure employment rights are fit for a modern economy, empower working people and contribute to economic growth. Furthermore, through the English Devolution Bill we will introduce a new ‘right to buy’ for valued community assets, empowering communities to reclaim empty premises including pubs, to stimulate local growth.

We have also established Skills England, a new partnership which will transform the existing Apprenticeship Levy into a more flexible Growth and Skills Levy to better support business and boost opportunity for people to work in pubs. This will address one of the key asks of the Hospitality Sector that the Levy should include shorter courses that would be more suitable to this sector.

Protecting communities around the country from flooding is one of the new Secretary of State’s five core priorities. That’s why this Government launched a Flood Resilience Taskforce to provide oversight of national and local flood resilience and preparedness ahead of and after winter flood season.

The Government is investing over £1.25 billion in 2024/25 to build and maintain flood defences to scale up national resilience. We continue to target investment where it’s most needed to ensure that communities are protected from the devastating impacts of flooding and coastal erosion.

In Jaywick, the Environment Agency (EA) recently completed the £12 million Cockett Wick seawall improvement scheme, ensuring 3,000 homes and businesses are better protected from tidal flooding.

At Point Clear, the EA is developing a scheme to strengthen flood defences, investing £3.5 million by 2029.

In Walton-on-the-Naze, the EA is delivering a £1.1 million scheme to improve the resilience of flood defences, and contributing £170,000 to support works to other defences in this area.

In Clacton constituency, including St Osyth, the EA spends £300,000 annually for routine operation and maintenance of flood defences. It will also be contributing £200,000 to support works delivered by Essex County Council between 2025-2028 to reduce the risk of flooding from surface water.

The Government will soon introduce the Tobacco and Vapes Bill which stands to be the most significant public health intervention in a generation. The bill will put us on track to a smoke-free United Kingdom, helping to reduce 80,000 preventable deaths, reduce the burden on the National Health Service, and reduce the burden on the taxpayer. To this end, Department officials regularly engage with local authorities and the Local Government Association.

This Government is unequivocally committed to the European Convention of Human Rights and will not withdraw from it. The UK government maintains profound respect for international law and remains fully committed to the international human rights framework and the important role that multilateral organisations like the Council of Europe play in upholding it.

The Government does not hold this information. The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) published their assumptions on the behavioural response of the affected population to the previous government’s announced policies in their Economic and Fiscal Outlook in March.

This Government is committed to addressing unfairness in the tax system, so that everyone who makes their home in the UK pays their taxes here.

The Government will therefore remove the outdated concept of domicile status from the tax system and implement a new residence-based regime, which is internationally competitive and focused on attracting the best talent and investment to the UK.

Further details of this policy will be announced at the Budget.

Since 5 July 2024, the UK has reintroduced visitor visa requirements for nationals of Jordan on 10 September 2024 and for nationals of Colombia on 26 November 2024.

The government’s protective security system is rigorous and proportionate. It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on protective security arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals’ security.

Decisions on security arrangements are independent operational decisions for the police.

On a daily basis, the Home Office publishes data on the number of small boats crossing the Channel that have been involved in uncontrolled landings. The latest such publication, and a time series dating back to 2018, can be found at: Small boat activity in the English Channel - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Expenditure and value for money are monitored closely, with a joint governance structure to ensure the suitability of proposed expenditure against the shared aim of the UK and French Governments of stopping these dangerous and unnecessary crossings.

So far in 2024 (to 6 October) a total of 607 boats have been prevented from crossing the Channel as a result of our joint work with the French.

The Government's first priority is ensuring the security of the nation and its citizens. The Prime Minister has confirmed that the UK will provide £3 billion a year in military support every year for as long as it takes.

The Prime Minister has launched the Strategic Defence Review to ensure that Defence is both capable and affordable now and into the future.

Readiness levels are regularly reviewed in relation to the threats faced by both the UK and NATO, and military assets are deployed accordingly. The Ministry of Defence remains fully engaged with industry, allies and partners to ensure both the continuation of supply to Ukraine, and that all equipment and munitions granted in kind from UK stocks are replaced as rapidly as possible.

Social housing stock is not used to accommodate asylum seekers. If a person's immigration status does not allow them recourse to public funds, as is the case in respect of asylum seekers, then they are not eligible for an allocation of social housing.

The National Planning Policy Framework sets an expectation that the provision of local services is to be taken into account when planning for development. The Government is also committed to strengthening the existing system of developer contributions to ensure that new developments provide appropriate affordable homes and infrastructure. Further details will be set out in due course.

As of 30 June 2024, there were 10,435 foreign nationals in HMPPS custody.

The number of foreign national offenders (FNOs) in prison in England and Wales is published quarterly in table 1_Q_11 of Offender Management Statistics, with the latest data (30 June 2024) available from: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66a1167cce1fd0da7b592c8d/Prison-population-30-June-2024.ods.

The removal of FNOs is an important priority of this Government. FNOs who commit crime should be in no doubt that the law will be enforced and, where appropriate, we will work with the Home Office to pursue their deportation. This will help to manage prison pressures, keep the public safe and reduce crime.

Offender Management Statistics will next be published on 31 October 2024, covering the prison population as of 30 September 2024. Please note, the above figures relate only to foreign nationals detained in prison in England and Wales. Queries concerning the numbers of foreign nationals detained in non-prison settings, such as Immigration Removal Centres or Secure Hospitals, would need to be directed to the relevant government department. Queries on the number of foreign nationals held in custody in other legal jurisdictions within the United Kingdom would need to be directed to the relevant jurisdiction.