[0:00]I entered politics later in life. I did so after a career in the criminal justice system, including as director of
[0:10]public prosecutions. I entered politics not for personal gain, not for status,
[0:20]and not to live a life detached from the reality that most people face. I entered politics because I wanted to
[0:30]change our country for the better, to make it fairer, safer, more secure.
[0:40]And I still believe that most people who serve in public life, whether as civil servants or elected politicians,
[0:50]do so for the same reason. because they believe in service, because they believe in duty,
[1:00]because they believe in the public good. But that is not why some people do it.
[1:09]And that is not why Mandlesen did it. And that sense of duty only matters if
[1:17]the standards of public life are upheld. And in recent days, serious allegations and serious evidence
[1:28]has emerged concerning Mandlesson's conduct, including his relationship with Epstein, a convicted sex offender.
[1:39]It had been publicly known for some time that Mandolson knew Epstein, but none of us knew the depth and the darkness
[1:51]of that relationship. What has come to light has raised serious questions.
[2:00]Information that was not known at the time of his appointment. Before he was appointed ambassador,
[2:11]Mandlesson was asked directly about the nature of his relationship with Epstein. He was asked whether he had stayed at
[2:21]Epstein after his conviction. And when later further information came to light,
[2:31]he was asked whether he had accepted gifts and hospitality about whether he had been fully transparent
[2:41]about the relationship. The information now available makes clear that the answers he gave
[2:52]were lies. He portrayed Epstein as someone he barely knew. And when that became clear,
[3:03]and it was not true, I sacked [snorts] him. Such deceit is incompatible
[3:12]with public service. Let me be clear. No one is above accountability
[3:20]and no one, however well-connected, however experienced, however senior, should hold public office if they cannot
[3:31]meet the basic test of honesty. I also want to address the publication
[3:39]of the information Mandlesson provided during the appointment process. I understand the strength of public
[3:49]feeling. I share the anger that people feel when powerful individuals appear to escape scrutiny. And I want to be able to release those
[4:00]documents as quickly as possible. I wanted to release them yesterday in fact and to talk about them at prime minister's questions
[4:12]but the police have advised that releasing certain information now could risk prejudicing a future investigation or legal process
[4:23]and however frustrating from my personal point of view that is and it is I will not take any step however politically tempting
[4:34]however popular that risks justice for victims because this is not and must never
[4:44]become a political game. The victims of Epstein have lived with trauma that most of us can barely
[4:55]comprehend and they've had to relive it again and again. They have seen accountability delayed
[5:05]and too often denied to them. I want to say this. I am sorry.
[5:17]Sorry for what was done to you. Sorry that so many people with power failed you. Sorry for having believed Mandlesson's
[5:27]lies and appointed him. and sorry that even now you're forced to watch this story unfold in public once again.
[5:39]But I also want to say this in this country we will not look away. We will not shrug our shoulders and we
[5:48]will not allow the powerful to treat justice as optional. We will pursue the truth. We will uphold
[5:57]the integrity of public life and we will do everything within our power and in the interests of justice to ensure
[6:06]accountability is delivered. That is what the public expects. That is what the victims deserve
[6:16]and it is what I will do. [applause] >> [applause]
[6:33]>> Now I'm here today in h in Hastings for similar reasons because I love this country. It is the
[6:43]greatest country in the world. the progress and prosperity I've seen throughout my life, the journey that I've been on personally
[6:54]from a workingclass background to this. I owe everything to this country and its values. I've spent most of my professional life
[7:05]serving them, not just in politics. And I believe that pride shared by millions
[7:14]is the key not only for uniting our country but also for finding in each other the strength to create
[7:24]in defiance of an increasingly volatile world a Britain built for all. Now you heard it from Kevin uh or I think I
[7:35]should address you as Mr. Hastings. And I want to thank you and everyone else like you who give their heart and
[7:44]soul to the ground beneath their feet. I believe in that pride. I believe in that purpose. I believe in British
[7:53]values, in rules that protect those in need, in the freedom to live and let live, in decency and tolerance, in
[8:03]respect for difference under the same flag. a common good. The idea fundamental to the Labor Party
[8:14]that a nation is not just a collection of individuals, but rather that we're bound by values, by common endeavor, and by responsibilities that we owe one
[8:26]another as partners in the project of this nation. I believe in our way of doing things when it comes to integration. a British
[8:37]way that has always been grounded in the fairness of the two-way street in rights and responsibilities in contribution that the common sense
[8:48]that says people who come here who work hard contribute to our success embrace our rules buy into this project they can
[9:00]become not just citizens but neighbors friends, equals, part of us.
[9:12]But most of all, I believe that these values make us strong than in a world that increasingly prays on weakness. I believe Britain is stronger as a
[9:22]tolerant, decent, and respectful c country. [applause] >> [applause]
[9:38]>> But we must be honest because while I will always believe in these values, we cannot be blind to the reality that in recent years their practice has often
[9:48]become poor and that when it comes to our shared responsibilities, we've taken our eye off the ball and that our social contract is currently
[10:00]nowhere nowhere near strong enough to weather the storms of this world because [clears throat] it's been undermined. Undermined by political neglect. The
[10:10]scorched earth of Tory austerity, high streets, libraries, youth clubs, the places that shape a life, that bring different people together, that create
[10:21]the bonds of memory and pride. In so many towns, they were just abandoned. Until [clears throat] you see now, sometimes from the very same people, a
[10:32]politics that has no interest in rebuilding any of that, only in exploiting the social scars. You see it in the industrialized
[10:42]grievance factory, in parts of social media. miserable video after miserable video telling you that entire cities and
[10:52]towns, the great communities of this country are wastelands. No go zones and worse selling the lie defied every day
[11:04]by millions of people in this country that people who look different cannot really live together. I reject that completely.
[11:15]>> [applause] [applause] >> And you see it in politicians like the
[11:27]reform candidate for Gorton and Denton who look at people like RashiSunak, Shabbana Mammud and presumably Marcus
[11:36]Rashford, Shirley Bassie and Asal and say they can't really be English or
[11:45]Welsh or Scottish because they are not white and a front to British values as I see them. >> And I tell you, as long as I've got
[11:56]breath in my body, I will always fight against that politics. [applause] And on that, honestly, I never thought I
[12:12]would see the day when the Conservative Party would tolerate for months a man who went to Birmingham and said that the
[12:24]city had failed at integration because he didn't see enough white faces. That is a disgrace. And he should have been
[12:32]sacked months ago. [applause] But look, it's it's not just the right. Britain's also been let down by a
[12:44]mindset on the left of politics that is either too slow to defend core British values or that ducks the challenge of integration entirely clinging to a kind
[12:55]of remote liberalism that is content merely to dispense transfers and targets from white rather than nurture pride belonging and responsibility from the
[13:06]ground up in our communities. You know, the Labor Party is the institution that stood with workingclass communities in cities like Glasgow and
[13:17]Liverpool and door by door, street by street turned a politics shaped by grievance and religious sectarianism into one of national renewal.
[13:29]That is our task again. Because politics in this dangerous era, it's no longer about left and right, but
[13:39]a contest between renewal and grievance, between those who believe society is a zero sum competition and those who believe we can unite for the higher
[13:50]purpose of our community, our country, our common good. This government chooses the path of unity because that is the only way we can change Britain.
[14:01]the only way we can take control of our future, stand up to the world, and walk forward together.
[14:10]And mark my words, it is a vital task, enemies of Britain are active in this country trying to
[14:21]destabilize us. And so a strong society is imperative not just on its own terms but also for national security.
[14:32]To put it more bluntly, any country that cannot keep its high streets alive, its bills down, and its people feeling respected will struggle
[14:43]to meet the test of our times. So we must strengthen our society because it's vital for the future of this country.
[14:53]Now, it starts with the economy. That's fundamental. If we're going to defeat the politics of grievance, we must tackle the cost of living crisis. And we must raise living
[15:04]standards, not just in a few cities or regions, but across the entire country. And it's not hard to understand why.
[15:16]If you're simply battling through the days, it's hard to look forward with hope, let alone find the strength in each other. And so all the decisions we took at the
[15:27]budget, getting inflation down, freezing rails, freezing fuel duty, slashing the cost of child care for working parents, supporting people with their energy
[15:37]bills, but also investing in every community in this country, backing a proper industrial policy, raising the national minimum wage. That is all the
[15:48]absolute foundation of a strong society essential for restoring hope in Britain. Second, [snorts]
[15:58]we need to reform the state so that it recognizes contribution as the common sense basis for integration,
[16:07]most of all on migration. Now, I know that migration is bound up with who we are. Of course it is. It's
[16:17]fundamental for the stories people tell about themselves, their family, their history and relationships. And I will never denigrate the
[16:27]contribution migrants make to our society and our story. Quite the opposite.
[16:35]And yet it seems obvious to me that failures in Britain's migration system under the tries were so shocking that
[16:44]they weakened trust in politics, faith in democracy to deliver what people vote for and now exploited by politicians of
[16:54]grievance support the idea that diverse people can ever truly come together. Now I reject that politics with every fiber in my being.
[17:05]But if you're serious about bringing this country together, you cannot ignore this issue. And so, yes, our reforms on migration are about
[17:15]taking control of our borders, but they're also about contribution. I mean, go back to Wind Rush, which is
[17:26]such an important moment in our national story. The people who came here, they weren't victims. They weren't vulnerable.
[17:37]Britain Britain didn't invite them here as an act of compassion. That is liberal vanity. No, they came here because Britain
[17:48]needed them, because they wanted to come and Britain wanted them to make a contribution. And they did. They helped rebuild this country.
[18:00]Now, I think there's far more dignity in that story, the real story, than in this kind of fairy tale of Britain's charity. There's a mutual respect in it, a
[18:11]fairness grounded in contribution that I believe has always been the basis of trust in migration policy for the vast majority of people in this country. And
[18:21]so our reforms to migration, they will boost integration, they will restore trust, and they will help return us to a situation where the migration policy
[18:32]cannot be exploited by people who think that whiteness is the same thing as Britishness. And third, we need to be more vigilant
[18:45]in asserting British values and call out those who want to divide us, whoever they are. Now, obviously that goes for any form of
[18:55]extremism, whether that is extreme right ideologies and their hatred of Muslims or Islamist ideologies and their hatred of Britain and Jews.
[19:07]But it also means we've got to fight a more insidious passive tolerance. I mean, it's not hard to support the
[19:15]just cause of a Palestinian state without being anti-semitic. Millions of people do that, and I'm one of them. It is the policy of this government and
[19:26]this country to recognize Palestine. And yet on the marches that supposedly support that cause, you will often see
[19:36]clearly racist banners, anti-semitic hate, a fact that leaves a minority community in this country scared and intimidated.
[19:45]A community which, let us not forget, suffered the most recent terrorist attack on these shores. How can that be right for a country with
[19:56]values like ours? How can it be right to turn a blind eye to racist hatred of any kind? Whether victims are Jews, Muslims,
[20:06]or any minority, it can't. And so, frankly, we do need to be much clearer as a society about what we expect of people and the responsibilities that
[20:16]come with rights. And that means much stronger powers to the Charity Commission to shut down charities that promote extremism. It means tougher
[20:26]regulation of homeschooling because schools are so important for integration and so we need a higher bar for people who want to opt out of that responsibility
[20:38]and it means we need to improve across the state English language provision. Now it's a simple argument. Everyone who
[20:47]comes here, who lives here should have an opportunity to learn English because it's essential for participation in our society.
[20:58]And so they should be expected to learn English and yet for years we've simply not asked people to do that. That is a
[21:07]recipe for exclusion. A and frankly for people being vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. So we will change that and we will stand united and together
[21:18]against any individual or organization that does not want to shoulder the responsibility of British values. Fourth and finally, we've got to reverse
[21:30]the devastating decline in our communities. give power, agency, and control to people who want to improve their community. Now, you can see the
[21:41]signs over here. Pride in place led by you, backed by the government. That is a5 billion pound program with an extra
[21:50]800 million pounds today. Investing in 284 neighborhoods in every corner of our country,
[21:59]including here. [applause] Because pride is the social glue, the
[22:12]force that holds together a community and a country. And yet there's a paradox. This is the country where local
[22:21]identities down to the village level burn more fiercely than any other. where accents can change over a very small distance. Where you get, amongst other
[22:33]things, a football league pyramid of 92 teams, 92 identities, 92 passions, and
[22:42]countless local rivalries. That's unique. We're a country of four nations, distinct and proud, where, as
[22:52]this weekend's rugby will show, tribal rivalry is part of who we are. And yet, four nations who time and again run through the fire together. A country
[23:04]forged by the solidarity of working people. But this is also a country and this is certainly for England where the state is one of the most centralized in the world
[23:15]and where all that ferocious pride is completely ignored by politics. Take a man some of you know Bernard Stone Street who I think is here.
[23:26]Where's Bernard? Bernard very good to see you here. 24 years of service in the Royal Marines. I believe tours of the Far
[23:38]East, the Middle East, Europe, and Northern Ireland. Now, for many of us, that may seem enough service, but not for Bernard, because Bernard works
[23:49]tirelessly for Sussex Hastings, the ground beneath your feet. He's opened a center for veterans where they can come and get support for mental health advice
[24:00]particularly from people who've been there. He's opened a veterans cafe too and he's looking to help homeless veterans as well. Thank you. [applause] [applause]
[24:18]Or what about Miranda who got so fed up with fly tipping and litter in Edinburgh that she started picking it up herself? And then when people started saying they
[24:30]wanted to help, she set up litter busters. Now their community is cleaner. And that may not sound like a lot, but it makes a huge difference. It changes
[24:42]how you feel about your town, your future, even your country when you look out the window and see that people care. Now, ask yourself this question.
[24:53]Wouldn't politics be better if we truly back that kind of pride? And this is what the Tory leveling up scheme never really understood. Yes, people want
[25:03]investment and this government will back them. We're rebuilding our public services, opening new nurseries, breakfast clubs, health centers, investing in community infrastructure.
[25:14]But investment is a means and not an end. It's about power as well as pounds and pence. A way for communities in a
[25:24]insecure world to take control of their own fate. So let's regenerate the town center in Beexill. Let's bring a dance and arts center to the Grimby docks.
[25:36]Invest in the youth center in real. Run bingo nights in Colorado. Clean up Coke bridge. Create better sports facilities right here in Hastings. But most of all,
[25:48]let's do it together because I've always believed that people with skin in the game make better decisions about their community and their future. And so that
[25:58]is what we will do. A program that backs people to change what matters to them. The very definition of a two-way street,
[26:07]a partnership of pride. That is how the state should work. And with my government, it will. Because I tell you, if you want to know
[26:16]where hope lives in Britain, it's in our communities. That is where people come together. It is where you'll find our common good. And that is where we will
[26:26]discover once again the courage in each other. Communities backed by the state, fired up by pride, taking responsibility
[26:35]for the renewal of this great nation. So whatever your politics, if you're proud of your community, join
[26:45]us because this is a cause that will give you control over your future, strengthen us on the world stage, create a Britain truly built for all and show
[26:57]in defiance of the politics of grievance that we can walk forward together. Thank you very much indeed. Thank you. >> [applause] [applause]
[27:20][applause] >> Thank you very much. [applause] I'm now going to take a number of
[27:33]questions from the media. Um, can I start with Chris from the BBC? Chris, >> thank you. Uh, Chris, [laughter] thank you. Chris Mason, uh, BBC News.
[27:47]Prime Minister, why was it that a man who had already twice resigned from government and crucially had a publicly known ongoing friendship with a
[27:57]convicted pedophile was appointed by you as ambassador to Washington? And given all of this, what do you say to those in
[28:05]the country and those in your own party who say frankly that you have run out of steam? Well, Chris, let me just um
[28:14]address that head on and um perhaps clarify something I said at Prime Minister's Questions yesterday um about the relationship between Mandlesson and
[28:24]Epstein because um what I meant was it has been known publicly for some time um that they knew each other.
[28:35]Um and that is precisely why uh when we were going through the appointment process for the ambassador role um we asked questions about the nature and
[28:46]extent of that relationship and what I didn't say yesterday partly uh inhibited by the approach of the police is that that is precisely why
[28:57]those questions were asked questions about the nature and extent of the relationship whether Mandlesson had stayed as was suggested at Epstein's premises.
[29:08]Um, and the answers given to those questions were intentionally intended to create the impression that Mandlesson
[29:19]barely knew Epstein. Deliberately to create that impression. I had no reason at that stage to think
[29:30]that was anything other than the truth and therefore we proceeded. What I learned in September was that it was not the truth when further emails
[29:39]came to light. I think Bloomberg and um having asked some further questions including questions about whether Mandlesson received gifts and
[29:50]benefits and hospitality, the nature of the relationship. Um I sacked Madison from the role. Now I regret making the
[30:02]decision to have appointed him in the first place. Had I known at the time what I know now or knew in September, I'd have never done it. And that's why today I've apologized for the fact that I appointed him in the first place and I
[30:13]believed his lies. Thank you very much, Chris. And uh look, we're moving forward as a country today. You've just heard the speech about Pride in Place, one of the most important projects that we're
[30:24]running um that will put money in communities right across um the country. Um, and that is the driving purpose of this government, changing lives for the better, focusing on pride in place where
[30:35]people live in their own communities and making sure we're utterly focused on the cost of living. Thank you, Chris. Beth, can I come to you? >> Thank you. Um, thank you, Prime Minister. Um, Prime Minister, we can all
[30:45]hear your anger, your regret, and most importantly, your apology to victims uh of Epstein for appointing Mandolen as
[30:55]your UN s ambassador. But look, whatever he said or didn't say, it has proved a catastrophic error of your judgment to put him back into
[31:06]your government. Some of your MPs believe you must take responsibility for this in order to restore trust in politics amongst the
[31:17]public. And some are staying publicly now that you should stand down because your positions become un untenable.
[31:27]Why are they wrong? Thank you. >> Well, Beth, as I've said a number of times, I regret the decision to appoint Mandlesson as ambassador. He was asked questions about the nature and extent of
[31:39]his relationship with Epstein, and he told lies. I had no reason at the time to know they were lies. Subsequently, I found out them to be
[31:50]lies. And this week we found out way beyond the lies that we found out in September. We found out uh what he was up to in the aftermath of the '08 crash
[32:02]when most of the government and most of the country was doing its level best to make sure people didn't lose their jobs, their livelihoods and their savings. And at that time he chose to disclose
[32:13]sensitive secrets to Epstein almost simultaneously was receiving them and that is what I meant when I said
[32:23]earlier about the deceit and the standards that I stand for in public life. Yes, at the time I appointed him, I got answers from him which I believe
[32:33]to be true. He painted a picture of barely knowing Epstein. I didn't know that was lies at the time. I regret I didn't know. I've apologized
[32:44]for the fact that I appointed him in the first place, having believed those lies. Thank you, Beth. Uh Robert, >> what do you say to your MPs? Someone publicly saying this morning they think
[32:55]your position is untenable. What what directly what do you say? >> Firstly, um let me say I understand their anger and frustration. I am angry and frustrated like them because nobody
[33:06]wants to see uh these uh deceits in public life. They are angry um about his association with Epstein as am I. They're angry about what he did at the
[33:17]tail end of the last Labor government and frustrated as am I uh that um the full information of what was asked and answered when he was appointed can't be in the public uh domain. That is
[33:28]frustrating. Um, as I say, I had hoped uh to deploy some of that at PMQs yesterday because I wanted people to know what was said um and um what I received, but frustrating that can't be
[33:39]done. So, I understand uh their frustration, but we must remain focused on what we were elected into government to do, which is to change this country for the better for millions of people and that's what we will do. Uh and today
[33:51]in pride in place, what we've done on the economy are examples, but only examples of what we're doing. Thank you, Beth. Uh, Robert, well, hang on. Um, Robert, ITV,
[34:01]>> uh, Prime Minister, uh, time and again during the general election campaign, you promised to end chaos in politics. You failed miserably, and there is no one to blame but yourself. If your MPs
[34:12]were to decide that they wanted another leader, and if somebody else put themselves forward as leader, would you fight that? Well, uh, Robert, I was elected in on a mandate in 2024 to
[34:23]change the country, uh, for the better, and that is what we're doing. Um and if you look at what we've done for example on the economy with inflation coming down and the Bank of England says coming
[34:33]down to target in the first half of this year uh with interest rates being cut now six times which is the um highest rate of uh reduction since the '08 crash
[34:45]um with the work we've done to lift half a million children out of poverty. That is the change that we're and the pride in place uh work that we're doing examples of which I've just gone through. That is what we were elected uh
[34:57]to do as a government. That is the change we're bringing about. And am I frustrated uh that the focus uh is not on that and on other things because of the misbehavior and deceit of other
[35:08]people? Of course I am. But of course I am. I understand that. But I was lied to. I was lied to. Deceit. Now, um, am I frustrated and angry that the good work
[35:19]we're doing, um, uh, gets out of focus because of that and that tomorrow's front pages are unlikely to be about the Pride in Place project? Uh, of course I
[35:29]am. Of course I'm angry and frustrated um about that. But that is the work that is the change that will affect millions of life of lives and I will remain
[35:38]focused on it. Um, LB, when you just [applause] Uh, [applause] I've got Natasha from
[35:54]LBC. Natasha. >> Natasha from LBC. Prime Minister, you mentioned national security in your speech just now being vital for our future. Donald Tusk has said Poland will launch an investigation into links
[36:04]between Jeffrey Epstein and Russian intelligence. Would you like to do the same? And Mandlesson, obviously you are a distinguished lawyer. I think the question many of our listeners and viewers have is when you had that
[36:15]evidence about Lord Mandlesson handed to you, why did you then believe him? >> Well, um just on the first um point, I think um whether it's Poland or elsewhere, we're obviously always
[36:26]working with our allies on any issues of national um security. on the question of um why I look the
[36:36]questions were asked of Mandlesson and he provided answers to those questions. They were about the nature and extent of his relationship uh with Epstein. They were about issues such as did you stay
[36:46]at the premises because that was in the public domain. That was something we needed answers to. And when he provided answers to that, I had no reason to believe he was telling anything other
[36:57]than the truth. In September, Bloomberg produced some emails which made it clear to me and others that what I'd been told at the
[37:07]time was clearly not truthful, which is why I sacked it. What we've learned this week um is um the further deceit
[37:18]um that has been carried out in relation to uh government secrets that were released during the very course of the recovery when the government was working so hard to the 08
[37:30]um crash. Um but um I believed what he said to me. I regret that. I apologize for having believed him. He gave answers to the questions that were asked of him.
[37:41]I assumed and treated those answers as true. That was obviously a mistake. Thank you. I've got Seafir from Sun. Thank you, Prime Minister. Um, you've
[37:52]spoken passionately today about victims and apologized to them. So, I have to ask, even though you did not know the full extent of Mandlesson's ongoing friendship with Epstein, it was never a
[38:04]good look at the time. Did you not personally have any reservations? whatsoever about what you did know about that ongoing friendship, any doubts, any curiosities, and do you feel confident
[38:15]you can ride out this storm? >> Well, um the original due there was a due diligence exercise. Um that culminated
[38:25]in questions being asked um because I wanted to know the answer to certain issues. That's why those questions were asked. The answer to those questions were not uh truthful. There was then, I
[38:35]should add, security vetting um carried out um independently by the security services which is an intensive um exercise that gave him clearance uh for
[38:46]the role and you have to go through that before you take up the post. Clearly both the due diligence and the security um vetting need to be looked at again. I've already strengthened the due process. I think we need to look at the
[38:58]security vetting because um it now transpires that what was being said was not true and had I known then what I know now, I'd never have appointed him um in the first place. Um in relation to
[39:09]your question, I was elected in uh with this Labor government to bring about change for millions of people. That's what I intend to do. Um the examples today are only examples. The pride in
[39:19]place that makes a massive difference to so many communities and it's not just a question of the money we're putting into communities. It's the power we're giving to them to make the choice over what the money is used for which is vitally um
[39:30]important and the work we're doing on the economy to stabilize it which is what we've done will be to the huge benefit of millions of people across the country. Can I have Dave from the mirror please? Dave
[39:41]>> Dave back from um could I just clarify on the basis of what you said today and what you said yesterday um what was your understanding of what the relationship with between Manderson and Epstein was I mean were you under the impression then
[39:52]that he had completely broken off contacts uh friendship at the point of conviction uh and at the point you knew that there had been a relationship in the past you knew that this was potentially a very dangerous uh
[40:04]situation that could come back to haunt you did you as it were make a deal with the devil that you knew that this could be damaging but the same time Donald Trump is equally uh sort of impacted by this.
[40:14]>> No, the the the questions were precisely to get to that question of what was the nature and extent of the relationship um and then details about um places he
[40:26]may have stayed. Um and the picture painted the impression deliberately given by the information that was provided and the information that wasn't
[40:36]provided. Um, so the information that was provided and that which wasn't was deliberately intended by Mandlesson to make my team believe that he barely knew Epstein.
[40:47]That's the picture he painted. That was a lie. But that's the lie that he painted and that's the base on which we made our decision. Uh, can I have um
[40:56]Kieran from the Guardian? >> Thank you, Prime Minister. Kieran Stacy from the Guardian. Uh, Prime Minister, I wanted to read out some of the things that Labour MPs have told us in the last
[41:07]24 hours about you. One told us, "I'm personally not sure I could trust myself to back the prime minister in a confidence vote." Another said, "It's like Chris Pincher on steroids. It's
[41:18]over." Another said, "This government is on the run." One former minister said, "It's time for a fresh start. The sooner the better." Isn't the real lesson from yesterday that you can no longer command
[41:29]the majority in the Commons? And if so, isn't your authority fatally undermined? >> Well, look, I understand the anger and frustration amongst uh Labour MPs um
[41:40]about uh what has happened, the deceit um both in the appointment of Mandlesson as ambassador and what happened at the tail end of the last Labor government. I actually share that anger and
[41:51]frustration. Uh it was palpable uh yesterday. I'm not surprised. As I said, most people come into public life to serve the common good. Actually,
[42:02]whichever political party they're in, we may have different approaches, different politics, different ideologies, but the vast majority of people come into public life to do their best to improve their communities, to improve their country.
[42:13]And so when people who've been elected into power with that mindset find out that somebody else who's held a position of power does not share that mindset, has undermined it, they're angry and
[42:23]frustrated not just at the deceit and the lies in the individual cases, but because they know it undermines what they stand for, the politics that they
[42:32]believe in. Now I understand that. But we are changing this country for the better. We had 14 long years of failure under the Tory government and we're
[42:42]correcting that. We've stabilized the economy. We put a huge amount of investment into our public services and we're rebuilding our communities and I intend to go on doing that vital work for our country because I believe it is
[42:53]the absolute focus and the first importance for this government. Um [applause] I've got Hugo
[43:03]from the eye. Thank you, Prime Minister. Hugo Jai from the IPAP. You've talked today about what you see as some of the successes of your government, including the pride in place
[43:13]program. You've also issued a warning about uh the prospect of a reform or conservative government, which which you say would undermine national cohesion.
[43:24]Is your message to your own MPs who are now skeptical about your leadership that removing you would destroy the work your government's done and make a reform-ledd
[43:34]government more likely? My message is that every minute we spend talking about anything other than the cost of living, pride in place, how we stabilize our
[43:44]economy, and how we make the massive argument that we need to make, the argument of our time, that we must unite this country, understand that to be British is to be tolerant, reasonable,
[43:55]compassionate, and diverse and fight for it against the toxic division of reform. Every minute we spend not talking and focusing on that is an absolute minute
[44:06]wasted. Thank you very much indeed. Thank you all. [applause] >> [applause]