And because we are a country that does not duck our responsibilities, that is, remember the amazing work being done in Afghanistan today. One of the legacies of years of conflict in that country is the deadly phenomenon of landmines that still lie strewn across hundreds of acres of that land.
文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/2409.html
But thanks to UK Aid – and in particular, thanks to the work of organisations such as the Halo Trust that has its headquarters right here in Scotland – almost 100 square kilometres of contaminated land has been cleared. And around half a million people have benefitted as a result.文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/2409.html
文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/2409.html
We will continue with that work, and continue to support Afghanistan’s security, because that is in the interests of Afghanistan and in the interests of Britain, too.文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/2409.html
文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/2409.html
UK Aid is a badge of hope for so many around the world – and I hope that everyone here feels proud to be able to play their part in bringing light where there is darkness, and hope where there is despair.文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/2409.html
文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/2409.html
But that badge – UK Aid – says something else. It appears on the side of buildings, school books, medical supplies and food parcels in some of the toughest environments and most hard-to-reach countries on the planet.文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/2409.html
文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/2409.html
And it says this: that when this great union of nations – England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – sets its mind on something and works together with determination, we are an unstoppable force.文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/2409.html
That is why the Plan for Britain I have set out – a plan to get the right deal for Britain abroad as well as a better deal for ordinary, working people at home – has as its heart one overarching goal: to build a more united nation.
Because I believe when we work together, there is no limit to what we can do. A more united nation means working actively to bring people and communities together by promoting policies which support integration and social cohesion.
In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that means fully respecting, and indeed strengthening, the devolution settlements. But never allowing our Union to become looser and weaker, or our people to drift apart.
So in those policy areas where the UK government holds responsibility, I am determined that we will put the interests of the Union – both the parts and the whole – at the heart of our decision-making.
International development is a prime example of that, and your work here, on behalf of your fellow citizens across the United Kingdom, has a huge impact.
Indeed, the work we do as a United Kingdom on the world stage makes an eloquent case for our Union as a whole.
It is about the values we share in our family of nations. Values of freedom of speech, democracy, respect for human rights, the rule of law.
This proud shared heritage provides the bedrock of our lives together in the UK. And on that foundation, we have built a country where we share the challenges that we face, and bring all the expertise, ingenuity and goodwill we share across this Union to bear to tackle them. That allows us to do amazing things, like the life-saving work which is led from this building.
So as Britain leaves the European Union, and we forge a new role for ourselves in the world, the strength and stability of our Union will become even more important.
Not just for the good that standing together brings to our own people here at home. But also for the good we can do together in the world, as a global Britain. A force for good, helping to build a better future for everyone.
So as we look to that future – and as we face this great national moment together – I hope you will continue to play your part in the great national effort we need to build the stronger Britain, the fairer Britain, the more outward-looking Britain and the more united Britain that I am determined we should be once we emerge from this period of national change.
Because as you prove every day through the work you do – and as some of the most vulnerable people in some of the most desperate conditions around the world can attest – this United Kingdom, and the values at its heart, is one of the greatest forces for good in the world today.
And when we work together and set our sights on a task, we really are an unstoppable force.
Thank you.
