Thank you Mr Chair. I would like to thank Ambassador Villadsen, dear Henrik, for his detailed briefing on the work of the Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine (PCU).

The UK welcomes the progress made during this reporting period across its objectives: to support the Government’s reform effort, promote a culture of dialogue and help mitigate the effects of conflict. We fully support its wide range of activity. However, for the purposes of this statement I will focus on three themes: delivering activity despite COVID-19, improvements in gender mainstreaming, and the impact of the Russia-fuelled conflict in eastern Ukraine.

We commend the PCU for its continued efforts to adapt activities and projects in response to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In light of this, we thank the PCU for its work with Ukraine’s Central Election Commission for October’s local elections. The PCU’s online training for election commissioners, and its introduction of an online chat-bot which provided information on the elections to 28,000 users, amongst other examples, supported an election which proceeded in a generally calm, well-organised and transparent manner, despite the COVID-19 backdrop.

COVID-19 has resulted in greater risks to cyber security. Increased levels of remote working and use of new technology have raised cyber vulnerability threats. Hostile actors have utilised the pandemic to launch attacks on Ukrainian Ministries and critical infrastructure. The UK is proud to fund the OSCE PCU’s project to provide core cyber hygiene training to the Ukrainian civil service, and to identify and address common cybersecurity threats. 

We would like to highlight the PCU’s concerted efforts since June to ensure gender mainstreaming in all of its projects and activities, including through introducing a gender perspective in newly developed projects and collecting gender disaggregated data for all its events. This is reflected in recent projects such as on constitutional complaints and gender equality in the armed forces.

These efforts build on the success of recent PCU projects where gender has been a key focus. We congratulate the PCU on completing its 3-year efforts in training police hotline call-centre personnel to combat gender stereotypes and properly identify domestic violence cases. This is of particular importance as many States have seen a rise in violence against women and girls during the pandemic.

Regarding the PCU’s work to mitigate the impact of the conflict, the UK commends the PCU for its continued work on humanitarian demining, especially in eastern Ukraine. It is a difficult but life-saving area of work. The PCU has been instrumental in bringing together a range of humanitarian demining stakeholders to discuss the latest changes to the Mine Action Law and to facilitate public involvement in state mine action policy formation. Continued support on developing policy, training and raising mine awareness is even more important as we seek to overcome the Covid-19 operational challenges.

Lastly, as well as working to mitigate the physical impacts of the conflict, the PCU has provided psychosocial support to conflict-affected populations. We welcome the training provided by PCU for representatives of Psychological Support Services within the Ministry of Internal Affairs on psychological support and rehabilitation and we hope this will help alleviate some of the stress and trauma felt by those who go on to receive these services.

The UK remains committed to the long-term security, stability and prosperity of Ukraine. We thank the PCU for promoting reform across a broad range of issues, some of which have been highlighted today. We reiterate that the mandate of the PCU applies to all Ukrainian territory including in eastern Ukraine, and illegally annexed Crimea. We thank Ambassador Villadsen and his team for their work supporting Ukraine, and I wish them continued success.

Thank you Mr Chair.

The United Kingdom joins our colleagues in welcoming the Minsk Group Co-Chairs; Mr. Schofer, Ambassador Visconti and Ambassador Popov. We also welcome the Personal Representative of the Chairperson in Office, Ambassador Kasprzyk and the Head of the High Level Planning Group, Lieutenant Colonel Mustafaraj.

The United Kingdom express full support for all of your work over the last 12 months, including throughout the recent military action and also in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Your unparalleled efforts, as detailed in your recent reports, serve as a timely reminder of the efforts of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs. It is clear, the Minsk Group should remain the primary format through which any final settlement should be reached.

The renewal of active hostilities in recent months has been deeply concerning. The United Kingdom reaffirms its support for the deal agreed between the Governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan which has prevented further loss of life.

The United Kingdom welcomes the report by Ambassador Kasprzyk. In particular we note the efforts to continue providing mediation support in order build confidence between the parties earlier this year despite the disruption of COVID-19. We are grateful for the assessment of the current situation on the ground and echo the emphasis on the importance of ensuring the respectful return of the remains of the deceased. Keeping neutral OSCE communication channels open has never been more important.

Ambassador Kasprzyk’s report has made clear the need for the OSCE to remain fully engaged on this file and reinforces the value of an OSCE presence in the region. The United Kingdom remains ready to provide support to Ambassador Kaspryzyk and the Co-Chairs going forwards.

The United Kingdom also appreciates the efforts by Lieutenant Colonel Mustafaraj and the HLPG. We welcome your cooperation with the Co-Chairs and Ambassador Kasprzyk, as well as your engagement with relevant international organisations.

To conclude, the United Kingdom once again reaffirms its full support for the Co-Chairs of France, the United States and Russia and urges all Minsk Group members to provide their full support for their efforts. The Minsk Group and the OSCE have a vital role to play in the coming months and we encourage full engagement between the Co-Chairs and Ambassador Kaspryzyk and Lieutenant Colonel Mustafaraj. The United Kingdom stands ready to assist, however necessary, and is committed to providing support for the humanitarian response and ongoing conflict resolution efforts.

Mr Speaker, thank you and with permission, I will update the House on the Government’s Integrated Review of foreign, defence, security and development policy.

Our Review will conclude early next year, setting out the UK’s international agenda,

but I want to inform the House of its first outcome.

For decades, British governments have trimmed and cheese-pared our defence budget

and if we go on like this,

we risk waking up to discover that our armed forces – the pride of Britain –

have fallen below the minimum threshold of viability,

and once lost, they could never be regained.

That outcome would not only be craven, it would jeopardise the security of the British people,

amounting to a dereliction of duty for any Prime Minister.

So I refused to vindicate any pessimistic forecasters there have been by taking up the scalpel yet again.

Based on our assessment of the international situation and our foreign policy goals,

I have decided that the era of cutting our defence budget must end – and it ends now.

I am increasing defence spending by £24.1 billion over the next four years,

That’s £16.5 billion more than our manifesto commitment –

raising it as a share of GDP to at least 2.2 percent,

exceeding our NATO pledge,

and investing £190 billion over the next four years,

more than any other European country

and more than any other NATO ally, except the United States.

The Ministry of Defence has received a multi-year settlement because equipping our armed forces requires long term investment,

and our national security in 20 years’ time will depend on decisions we take today.

I have done this in the teeth of the pandemic, amid every other demand on our resources,

because the defence of the realm,

and the safety of the British people,

must come first.

I pay tribute to my Right Honourable Friends the Chancellor and Defence Secretary, who believe in this as fervently as I do.

Reviving our armed forces is one pillar of the Government’s ambition to safeguard Britain’s interests and values

by strengthening our global influence,

and reinforcing our ability to join the United States and our other allies to defend free and open societies.

The international situation is now more perilous and intensely competitive

than at any time since the Cold War.

Everything we do in this country – every job, every business, even how we shop and what we eat –

depends on a basic minimum of global security.

Our people are sustained by a web of lifelines, oxygen pipes that must be kept open

open shipping lanes, a functioning internet, safe air corridors, reliable undersea cables, and tranquillity in distant straits.

This pandemic has offered a taste of what happens when elemental requirements are suddenly in question.

We could take all this for granted, ignore the threat of terrorism and the ambitions of hostile states, and hope for the best,

and we might get away with it for a while, before calamity strikes, as it surely would.

Or we could accept that our lifelines must be protected, but we are content to curl up in our island and leave the task to our friends.

My starting point is that either of those options would be an abdication of the first duty of Government to defend our people.

My choice – and I hope it will carry every member of this House – is that Britain must be true to our history,

To stand alongside our allies, sharing the burden

and bringing our expertise to bear on the world’s toughest problems.

To achieve this, we need to upgrade our capabilities across the board.

We have already united our international effort into a new department combining aid and diplomacy,

Led with grit and purpose by my RH Friend the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Secretary.

Next year will be a year of British leadership, when we preside over the G7,

host COP-26 in Glasgow

and celebrate the 75th anniversary of the first United Nations General Assembly in London.

We are leading the world towards net zero with our ten-point plan for a Green Industrial Revolution,

and we are campaigning for our values, particularly freedom of religion and the media, and giving every girl in the world access to 12 years of quality education.

But extending British influence requires a once-in-a-generation modernisation of our armed forces,

and now is the right time to press ahead

because emerging technologies, visible on the horizon,

will make the returns from defence investment infinitely greater.

We have a chance to break free from the vicious circle, whereby we ordered ever-decreasing numbers

of ever more expensive items of military hardware, squandering billions along the way.

The latest advances will multiply the fighting power of every warship, aircraft and infantry unit many times over,

and the prizes will go to the swiftest and most agile nations, not necessarily the biggest.

We can achieve as much as British ingenuity and expertise allow.

We will need to act speedily to remove or reduce less relevant capabilities – and this will allow our new investment to be focused on the technologies that will revolutionise warfare,

forging our military assets into a single network designed to overcome the enemy.

A soldier in hostile territory will be alerted to a distant ambush by sensors on satellites or drones,

instantly transmitting a warning,

using Artificial Intelligence to devise the optimal response,

and offering an array of options,

from summoning an air strike to ordering a swarm attack, by drones

or paralysing the enemy with cyber weapons.

New advances will surmount the old limits of logistics.

Our warships and combat vehicles will carry “directed energy weapons”, destroying targets with inexhaustible lasers

and for them the phrase “out of ammunition” will become redundant.

Nations are racing to master this new doctrine of warfare

and our investment is designed to place Britain among the winners.

The returns will go far beyond our Armed Forces.

From aerospace to autonomous vehicles, these technologies have a vast array of civilian applications,

opening up new vistas of economic progress,

creating 10,000 jobs every year – 40,000 in total –

levelling up across our country

and reinforcing our Union.

We shall use our extra defence spending to restore Britain’s position as the foremost naval power in Europe,

taking forward our plans for eight Type 26 and five Type 31 frigates,

and support ships to supply our carriers.

We are going to develop the next generation of warships,

including multi-role research vessels and Type 32 frigates.

And this will spur a renaissance of British shipbuilding across the UK

– in Glasgow and Rosyth, Belfast, Appledore and Birkenhead –

guaranteeing jobs and illuminating the benefits of the Union in the white light of the arc welder’s torch.

If there was one policy which strengthens the UK in every possible sense, it is building more ships for the Royal Navy.

Once both of our carriers are operational in 2023, the UK will have a Carrier Strike Group permanently available,

routinely deployed globally and always ready to fight alongside NATO and other allies.

Next year HMS Queen Elizabeth will lead a British and allied task group on our most ambitious deployment for two decades,

encompassing the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean and East Asia.

We shall forward deploy more of our naval assets in the world’s most important regions, protecting the shipping lanes that supply our nation,

and we shall press on with renewing our nuclear deterrent.

We shall reshape our army for the age of networked warfare,

allowing better equipped soldiers to deploy more quickly,

and strengthening the ability of our Special Forces to operate covertly against our most sophisticated adversaries.

Our security and intelligence agencies will continue to protect us around the clock from terrorism and new and evolving threats,

We shall invest another £1.5 billion in military research and development, designed to master the new technologies of warfare,

and we will establish a new centre dedicated to Artificial Intelligence

and a new RAF Space Command, launching British satellites and our first rocket from Scotland in 2022.

I can announce that we have established a National Cyber Force, combining our intelligence agencies and service personnel,

which is already operating in cyberspace against terrorism, organised crime and hostile state activity.

And the RAF will receive a new fighter system, harnessing Artificial Intelligence and drone technology to defeat any adversary in air-to-air combat.

Our plans will safeguard hundreds of thousands of jobs in the defence industry,

protecting livelihoods across the UK and keeping the British people safe.

The defence of the realm is above party politics

and we all take pride in how British resolve saved democracy in 1940,

and British internationalism – directed by Clement Attlee – helped to create NATO and preserve peace through the Cold War.

The wisdom and pragmatism of Margaret Thatcher found a path out of confrontation when she met Mikhail Gorbachev in 1984.

In each case, Britain tipped the scales of history and did immense good for the world.

Now we have a chance to follow in this great tradition,

to end the era of retreat,

transform our armed forces,

bolster our global influence,

unite and level up across our country,

protect our people,

and defend the free societies in which we fervently believe.

Mr Speaker, I commend this statement to the House.

During the week of 5 to 11 November, 1,997,623 tests were processed for pillars 1 and 2, an increase of 9% (158,444) compared with the previous week.

A record number of positive cases (156,853) were transferred to contact tracers between 5 and 11 November, an 11% increase on the previous week. Of those, 84.9% were reached and told to self-isolate, 11,788 more than the previous week.

In total, NHS Test and Trace successfully reached 323,080 people during the week of 5 to 11 November and asked them to self-isolate. These people might otherwise have unknowingly spread the virus.

People are also being reached more quickly, with 72.8% of positive cases being reached within 24 hours, up slightly from 72.5% in the previous week.

313,771 people were identified as coming into close contact with someone who had tested positive. Of these, where communication details were available, 77.9% were reached and asked to self-isolate.

NHS Test and Trace has been boosted by the introduction of local tracing partnerships with over 150 local authorities. This means local authorities are provided with extensive data and supported to manage local outbreaks, working closely with ring-fenced group of NHS contact tracers to follow up positive cases in the area and implement public health measures.

Over 100 more of these partnerships are in the process of being implemented in the next few weeks.

Acting on feedback the service has received from families, changes to the contact-tracing process, coming in this week, should see a reduction in the number of calls received by households with children. These changes mean that under-18s in a household will not each have to be contact traced individually, as long as the parent or guardian in the household confirms they have completed their legal duty to inform their child to self-isolate. If no parental permission is provided, NHS Test and Trace will follow the standard contact-tracing routes.

From the end of November, changes will be extended to cover adults in the same family so they can be traced via a single phone call, further reducing the number of calls made to the same household. This change will also optimise the productivity of the tracing service by minimising the number of calls made.

Since its launch in May, 82.8% (764,897) of people who have tested positive and been transferred to contact tracing have successfully been contacted. More than 2.3 million people have been reached by the service, including those who tested positive and their contacts.

Nearly 680 test sites are now in operation across England, including more than 300 local walk-through testing sites, meaning the average distance to a test centre has halved since the beginning of September to a median distance of 2.6 miles.

Nearly 35 million tests have now been processed in the UK since the service began, while increases in capacity – now at more than 500,000 a day – should lead to improvements in test turnaround times. The announcement this week of 2 new ‘megalabs’ confirmed that capacity will increase by a further 600,000 in early 2021, meaning faster turnaround times for test results.

For in-person test routes, the median time taken to receive a test result remained at 25 to 29 hours.

For this reporting period, 69.1% of in-person test results were received the next day after the test was taken, slightly lower than the 70.8% reported in the previous week.

For all routes combined, this week’s figure was 41.7%, compared with 40.9% the previous week. 85.8% of pillar 1 test results were made available within 24 hours, compared with 87.9% the previous week.

Royal Mail announced this week that they will begin Sunday collections from 15,000 priority boxes from this weekend, which is expected to have a positive impact on turnaround times for home testing kits.

The weekly statistics from the 24th week of NHS Test and Trace show in the most recent week of operations (5 to 11 November):

• a total of 1,997,623 tests were processed (pillars 1 and 2), a 9% increase from the previous week
• 133,195 (84.9%) people who tested positive and were transferred to the contact-tracing system were reached and asked to provide information about their contacts, compared with 121,407 (85.6% ) the previous week
• 77.9% (189,885) contacts where communication details were given were reached and told to self-isolate, compared with 190,835 (78.4%) the previous week
• 69.1% of in-person test results were received the next day after the test was taken, compared with 70.8% the previous week
• 38% of in-person test results were received within 24 hours after the test was taken, compared with 37.5% the previous week
• 91.3% of satellite (care home) tests were received within 3 days after the day they were taken, compared with 93.9% the previous week

Since NHS Test and Trace launched, over 2.3 million contacts have been identified, and 79.9% of all contacts where communication details were given have been reached and told to self-isolate.

Figures also show that, as of 11 November, the NHS COVID-19 app has been downloaded more than 19.8 million times.

Interim Executive Chair of the National Institute for Health Protection Baroness Dido Harding said:

Our first defence against this virus is washing our hands, wearing face coverings and following governmental guidelines on social distancing. Alongside this, NHS Test and Trace is a valuable tool to stop transmission and drive down the R rate.

This week we have seen more tests processed and more positive cases contacted than ever before, which means we are finding the virus where it hides and reducing its spread.

As the number of people using NHS Test and Trace continues to increase, so the service is constantly evolving and improving. This week sees the introduction of changes to the contact-tracing programme to reduce calls to the same family household, which should reduce duplicate calls, as well as the introduction of Sunday collections of tests from priority boxes by the Royal Mail, which should improve home test turnaround times.

Meanwhile, our commitment to increasing capacity continues, with our announcement this week of 2 new ‘megalabs’ that will see testing capacity grow by 600,000 a day by next year, while generating local employment.

I’m grateful to everyone, including our partners in local government, who are working tirelessly every day to make sure the service continues to evolve and improve.

Health Minister Lord Bethell said:

Through a massive concerted effort by everyone involved in NHS Test and Trace, we have now processed more than 35 million tests, rolled out nearly 680 test centres (meaning the average distance to travel to one is now 2.6 miles), boosted testing capacity to more than 500,000 a day, and seen more than 2.3 million people successfully contacted by our contact tracers. This is a great achievement, in which all involved should feel rightly proud.

Our efforts do not end there, however. The mass testing pilot currently underway in Liverpool, the rapid testing being made available to directors of public health, and the latest mass testing pilot, launching this week in Methyr in Wales, are proof of our ongoing commitment to expanding and improving the NHS Test and Trace programme.