This evening the Government has won the confidence of Parliament.

This now gives us all the opportunity to focus on finding a way forward on Brexit.

I understand that to people getting on with their lives, away from Westminster, the events of the past 24 hours will have been unsettling.

Overwhelmingly, the British people want us to get on with delivering Brexit, and also address the other important issues they care about.

But the deal which I have worked to agree with the European Union was rejected by MPs, and by a large margin.

I believe it is my duty to deliver on the British people’s instruction to leave the European Union. And I intend to do so.

So now MPs have made clear what they don’t want, we must all work constructively together to set out what Parliament does want.

That’s why I am inviting MPs from all parties to come together to find a way forward.

One that both delivers on the referendum and can command the support of Parliament.

This is now the time to put self-interest aside.

I have just held constructive meetings with the leader of the Liberal Democrats, and the Westminster leaders of the SNP and Plaid Cymru.

From tomorrow, meetings will be taking place between senior Government representatives, including myself, and groups of MPs who represent the widest possible range of views from across Parliament – including our confidence and supply partners the Democratic Unionist Party.

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It will not be an easy task, but MPs know they have a duty to act in the national interest, reach a consensus and get this done.

In a historic vote in 2016 the country decided to leave the EU.

In 2017 80% of people voted for Parties that stood on manifestos promising to respect that result.

Now, over two and a half years later, it’s time for us to come together, put the national interest first – and deliver on the referendum.

Thank you Mr President.

Let me also thank Assistant Secretary-General Keita for her briefing and wish her well in her new role, since it’s the first time since I’ve seen her in her new role. And I also welcome the presence of Her Excellency Foreign Minister Camara and welcome her to the Council.

Mr President, I will focus largely on the implementation of the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in my statement.

2018 saw renewed commitments by the Government of Mali and the signatory armed groups to the expedited and full implementation of the 2015 Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation. In March, we saw the parties commit to a roadmap for the implementation of priority actions and in October, the Pact for Peace was signed, recommitting to the swift and inclusive implementation of the Agreement.

The United Kingdom welcomes recent progress, notably the launching of the accelerated disarmament, demobilisation, reintegration (DDR) and integration process and the establishment of a working group on the participation of women in the peace process. We welcome the efforts of the Malian Prime Minister in support of the implementation of the Agreement, including the establishment of a new Ministry.

Mr President, these developments are welcome and they underscore the genuine importance that the Government attaches to the process. And having heard the Minister speak with passion and conviction, I know that she is also personally committed. However, there must be considerable and rapid further action in order to achieve the full implementation committed to by all parties to the Agreement.

For example, as noted in the Secretary-General’s report, progress has been made to establish ten district level interim administrations. But steps must now be taken to operationalise these interim administrations. Of 72 civil administrators appointed in June of last year, only seven, we understand, have been deployed to their duty stations.

It is now three and a half years since the Agreement was signed. Timelines in the March 2018 roadmap have passed unfulfilled. We are encouraged by the Government’s plans for 2019 and we hope that these will be successful in order for the Malian people to enjoy a more peaceful and prosperous future.

As ASG Keita recalls and the parties to Agreement will recall the Security Council’s decision last month to place three individuals on the 2374 sanctions list for impeding the peace process. The parties will also recall our expressed readiness to take further such measures if needed.

The United Kingdom therefore reiterates our previous calls on the Government of Mali and the Plateforme and Coordination armed groups to redouble their efforts and take the additional steps needed for the immediate and full implementation of the Agreement. As ASG Keita said there is an impatience around the table about the missed milestones we have heard about session after session in this Council.

Mr President, turning to the situation on the ground, we recognise the challenging circumstances in which the Malian Government and MINUSMA operate. The United Kingdom unequivocally condemns recent attacks against MINUSMA personnel and supporting contractors. We express our condolences to the families of those who have tragically lost their lives and we thank the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Mali and all of his staff for their important work in very challenging circumstances.

The United Kingdom is deeply concerned by the large numbers of civilians who continue to be affected by targeted terrorist attacks and intercommunal clashes, particularly in the centre of Mali.

We welcome the steps taken by the Government of Mali to re-establish state presence via their integrated security plan for the centre. However, to ensure that the root causes of the instability in the centre are sustainably addressed, and to enable MINUSMA to provide complementary support, the United Kingdom encourages the Government to also develop a comprehensive political strategy for the centre.

Mr President, the human rights situation remains concerning. However the United Kingdom welcomes the progress that has been made in the prosecution of members of the Malian defence and security forces who were accused of perpetrating human rights violations. To increase the people’s confidence in those defence forces, it is critical to thoroughly investigate all human rights violations and ensure justice and accountability.

Mr President, in conclusion, the United Kingdom welcomes recent steps that have been taken to foster stability in Mali. Now is the time for further action. Rapid progress is needed on the implementation of the peace agreement in a full, effective and inclusive manner while political, security and development efforts – particularly in central Mali – are intensified. And the United Kingdom stands ready to support. We are increasing our diplomatic presence in Mali, Niger and Chad. We have deployed Chinook helicopters to Operation Barkhane which provides logistical support to the G5 Sahel force. Our Department for International Development is spending $370 million across the Sahel in the last four to five years, and we will significantly increase our development assistance in coming years.

Thank you Mr President.

On a point of order, Mr Speaker, I am pleased that this House has expressed its confidence in the government tonight.

I do not take this responsibility lightly.

And my government will continue its work to increase our prosperity, to guarantee our security, and to strengthen our Union.

And yes, we will also continue to work to deliver on the solemn promise we made to the people of this country to deliver on the result of the referendum, and leave the European Union.

I believe this duty is shared by every member of this House.

And we have a responsibility to identify a way forward that can secure the backing of the House.

To that end, I have proposed a series of meetings between senior parliamentarians and representatives of the government over the coming days.

And I would like to invite the leaders of parliamentary parties to meet with me individually, and I would like to start these meetings tonight.

Mr Speaker, the government approaches these meetings in a constructive spirit and I urge others to do the same.

But we must find solutions that are negotiable and command sufficient support in this House.

And, as I have said, we will return to the House on Monday to table an amendable motion and to make a statement about the way forward.

The House has put its confidence in this government.

I stand ready to work with any member of this House to deliver on Brexit, and ensure that this House retains the confidence of the British people.

Thank you Henrietta for those very moving words. I recently moved house and I was moving some of my books and one of the oldest books I’ve got – which I’ve had since about the age of 10 – is called God’s Smuggler by Brother Andrew and I only realised literally as I was walking over today the connection between Brother Andrew and Open Doors and it’s a great privilege to be here and an extra thrill for me in that context. But that book is the extraordinary story of daring do of Brother Andrew, a Dutchman who smuggled Bibles behind the Iron Curtain and the incredible courage and extraordinary adventures he had in doing that.

Since then of course we had in 1989 the fall of the Berlin Wall and that ushered in a great era of freedom for the world. In fact in the period directly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, 45 more countries became democracies across the world which is about a quarter of all the countries in the UN so it was an immensely positive period. But I think we also became a little bit complacent that this was the inevitable direction of human history and unfortunately in the last three years according to Freedom House, which is an American think tank, 71 countries have seen a net decline in their freedom and that is why I think this is a particularly important issue and I want to thank everyone at Open Doors for the work they’ve been doing in shining a spotlight on this issue. I think it is an extraordinary figure that nearly a quarter of a billion people are suffering persecution today because of their Christian faith. It’s also extraordinary to think that 80 percent of people who are suffering persecution because of their faith are Christian. And when you look at the countries on that watch list, countries like Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan, Libya, North Korea you realise that life is very very tough indeed for some of the people that you’re going to hear from later this evening.

I want to think about what Britain’s role could be. We are not a superpower but we are a global power and just as we shouldn’t overestimate our strength we shouldn’t underestimate it either and one thing we have despite all the travails of Brexit that we brilliantly timed this event to coincide with is we do have the most fantastic links around the world through our links with the Commonwealth our alliance with the United States, our links with our European friends and neighbours. And I want us to use those links to be an invisible chain that binds together countries that share our values. And I’m very pleased that we have Lord Ahmed here who is my Foreign Office Minister responsible for Freedom of Worship and who has been banging the drum for this for much much longer than I have and does an absolutely fantastic job and is himself someone who has a faith that is a branch of Islam that had to leave Pakistan because they were being persecuted in Pakistan. So this is someone who himself understands from his own family what religious persecution is about. We’ve also got Mark Fields who is the Foreign Office Minister for Asia. And Henrietta mentioned issues in both India and China where we need to draw attention to the issues.

So I want us to think about what we can do to use those connections that we have as a country and I’ve asked Bishop Philip Mounstephen, the Bishop of Truro, to do an independent report looking at what the FCO does. And what I want to do is to remove any nervousness or sense of political correctness that might have said that Britain shouldn’t be championing the rights of Christians around the world for whatever reasons, reasons of history and empire and all that sort of thing which may have been an issue that we have been a bit shy about in the past and we mustn’t be. And I think it’s also very important to remember that although we are a western country and a very wealthy country and a Christian country, the vast majority of people we’re talking about are Christians in much much poorer countries and they are entitled to our thoughts and prayers and action just as any persecuted minority are anywhere in the world and I think that must be part of our mission.

So, let me just finish by making two requests; firstly for those of you that are Christians the next time you go to church, please hold in your thoughts and prayers those people in other parts of the world for whom that very simple act is an act of great courage. For me when I go to church the biggest stress is trying to get my kids to come along with me. But for other people who have much much more serious issues and we must remember that indeed Christianity has its heart in the story of persecution and so we should always be alive to those people suffering it today and secondly, please don’t just hold it in your prayers but also remember there are things that we can do about this and this is not something that is just about making speeches. This is something where I want Foreign Office Ministers when we’re interacting with countries where there are these issues for it always to be high on our list to raise with our Foreign Minister counterparts whether in private or in public. And I also want those people suffering this terrible persecution to think that there are people who understand what they’re going through and are sincerely trying to do everything they can about it. So let me leave you with the words of a great American thinker Margaret Mead who said “never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed people can change the world indeed it’s the only thing that ever has.”

Thank you very much.

Further education providers across the country are being invited to apply to be the first to deliver the next wave of T Levels to be taught from 2021, Apprenticeships and Skills Minister Anne Milton has announced today.

T Levels will be the technical equivalent of A Levels combining classroom theory, practical learning and an industry placement. The first three T Level courses in Digital Production, Design and Development; Design, Surveying and Planning; and Education will be taught in over 50 further education and post-16 providers from September 2020.

In December 2018, the Government announced the next 7 T Levels to be taught from 2021 as: Health; Healthcare Science; Science; Onsite Construction; Building Services Engineering; Digital Support and Services; and Digital Business Services. Today it is inviting providers to apply to deliver these new courses.

Apprenticeships and Skills Minster, Anne Milton said:

This is a truly exciting time. I’m absolutely thrilled at the progress we have made to deliver new T Levels. These transformational reforms have been designed in partnership with industry experts so employers can access the skilled workforce they need, and so more young people gain the skills they need to get a great job, go on to do a higher level apprenticeship or further study.

I would absolutely urge further education providers that meet the criteria to consider applying to be the first to teach the next wave of T Levels from 2021. It is a fantastic opportunity to be part of education history and help change lives for the better.

Deputy Chief Executive of The Association of Colleges, Julian Gravatt said:

We are delighted to see the publication of the Expression of Interest for 2021 T Level providers. The commitment that both good and outstanding providers will be eligible to deliver the first 10 T Levels from 2021 will ensure that many more young people from across England will have access to these new, innovative study programmes.

Principal at The College of Richard Collyer, Sally Bromley said:

Collyer’s was successful in a bid to be one of the first providers of the T Level in the country. The courses will be available from September 2020 and there has already been lots of interest from prospective students. Employers have been involved in the course design because there is a significant work place element and I think this is what is attractive to students.

The Government has also set out that UCAS points will be awarded for T Levels in line with three A Levels – so young people, parents and employers know they are as stretching as their academic equivalents and will act as a stepping stone to progress to the next level whether that is a degree, higher level technical training or an apprenticeship.

T Levels will be backed by an additional half a billion pounds of investment every year when the new qualifications are fully rolled out. The Government also has announced an extra £38 million to support the first T Level providers to invest in high quality equipment and facilities. As well as this, the Government is investing £20 million to support the further education sector to prepare for new T Levels. This includes the £5 million Taking Teaching Further programme, which aims to attract more industry professionals to work in the sector, and the £8 million T Level Professional Development offer to help teachers and staff prepare for the roll-out of the new qualifications. The introduction of new T Levels are just one part of the Government’s wider ambition to transform technical education and create a highly trained and competitive workforce that is a match for the best in the world. The Government has also worked with employers to overhaul the apprenticeship system so that it delivers higher quality, more flexible apprenticeships that cover a wider range of sectors and professions Expressions of Interest are being invited until midnight on Thursday 28th February. Successful providers are expected to be announced in June 2019. For more information on the criteria, visit here.