The Prime Minister began by inviting the leaders of the House of
Commons and the Lords to update Cabinet on business in the House.
This includes the government's flagship Crime & Policing
Bill, introduced today, which will give police powers to better
tackle anti-social behaviour, target phone thieves and provide
greater protections to children and vulnerable people from
criminal gangs; the Great British Energy Bill will also have
its Third Reading in the Lords today.
The Cabinet then had a discussion on Ukraine and security in
Europe. following the third anniversary of Russia's invasion
of Ukraine yesterday. The Prime Minister said the government must
be unequivocal in its condemnation of Russia's illegal war and in
its support for Ukraine.
The Prime Minister updated on his recent discussions with allies
across NATO and Europe, including President Zelenskyy, and
reiterated his clear view that the current talks must be about a
durable peace, not a temporary ceasefire that allows Putin to
re-arm.
He reiterated that Ukraine must be at the negotiating table and
that any peace deal must be backed by strong security guarantees,
which the UK is prepared to play a leading role in supporting
with a strong US backstop. He also reiterated that the
UK must step up to safeguard European security and remain at the
forefront of standing with Ukraine.
The UK has provided significant capability and resource to
Ukraine, the training of troops, ramped up sanctions on Russia
which are hurting the Russian economy, but the frontline remains
fragile and Putin has shown a complete disregard for the number
of Russians he is prepared to sacrifice to fuel his war machine.
The Prime Minister confirmed he would be making a statement
shortly in the House of Commons.
