00:00And therefore it's really important that I reiterate where I stand and where this government
00:06stands. Because this is not our war. And we are not going to be dragged into it.
00:13We're facing a war on two fronts. The Ukraine war now, four and a bit years in. And let's
00:20salute the bravery of the Ukrainians over so many years, both on the front line and
00:25the civilians, as they fight for the values that matter to us. And now the other front,
00:30the other war, which is the Iran war, which I know is causing huge concern. People look
00:35at their screens and they're worried when they see explosions, infrastructure blown up,
00:40the rhetoric that goes with it, worried about whether this is going to escalate even further.
00:46And therefore it's really important that I reiterate where I stand and where this government
00:52stands. Because this is not our war. And we are not going to be dragged into it.
01:06Yes, of course, we will defend British lives and British interests in the region. We'll stand by
01:13our allies in the Gulf region. But we're not going to get dragged in. That's my values.
01:18That's my principles. And that's what we've applied to our decisions, whatever the pressure
01:23and whoever it's coming from. But what a contrast. If you took Kemi Bader-Nock or Nigel Farage,
01:31what did they want to do? They wanted to go straight in with both feet into the war without
01:36thinking through the consequences. Now, they're in opposition at the moment. Maybe that doesn't
01:42matter very much. But it's terrible judgment. Because taking your country to war is the single
01:47most important decision a prime minister can ever take. And if they had been in government,
01:53would be in a war with no plan. Then you've got Polanski. He thinks that with a war on two
02:01fronts,
02:01now is the time to give up our NATO membership. Now is the time to start negotiating with Putin
02:09over our nuclear deterrent. We'd be left so weak and so exposed if any of those individuals were
02:16in government. And it's really important, therefore, that we stick to our principles,
02:21stick to our values, and show the leaderships that needed in a time like this. And I know that
02:27in addition to worrying about what they see on screen, so many people across the country,
02:32when they see the war, particularly in Iran, they're beginning to think, how's this going to impact
02:38on me, my family, my household, and my bills going up? And that's a perfectly understandable
02:46concern. And it's a real concern to the government that we make sure that we do what we can to
02:52support
02:53families across the country. That's why I'm really pleased that the last budget, Rachel Reeves,
02:59our Chancellor, who steadied the way on our economy, took the decision that we would reduce household
03:05energy bills. And this Wednesday, that decision comes into effect. So for households across the
03:12country who are really worried about the impact on their bills, I can be really clear today that on
03:18Wednesday, your energy bills will come down by about an average £100, just over £100, and they will
03:26stay down until the end of June, whatever happens in the conflict in Iran. Really important we get
03:34that message across. People are very worried about this. Bill's coming down this Wednesday,
03:39staying down until the end of June. And so there's that reassurance for people. Fuel duty as well,
03:46frozen until September. And for those that use oil to heat their homes, which happens in rural areas,
03:52we put some support in there as well, because we know the costs are going up. Really important,
03:58when we're looking at international conflict, that we stay focused on the cost of living,
04:03which whatever's going on in the world, whatever's going on in politics, and there's a lot in both,
04:08most people are concerned, most of all, about the cost of living. And it's not just energy bills.
04:14We're taking so many other measures. But Sarah spoke about childcare. What a change that's made
04:21for Sarah and her twins. She showed me a picture of the twins earlier on, by the way. They're
04:25fantastic. What a difference it makes for her and for families across the country. And I'm so proud
04:31that we've taken the decision to do this on so many fronts. It reduces the cost. Childcare is
04:36expensive. Sarah gave us an insight into how much it would have cost her. It's really expensive.
04:42It saves families a lot of money. It's really good for parents and carers, because if they want to,
04:48they can get back to work and get more money coming into their household. And it is brilliant
04:54for children, because as politicians, we visit a lot of schools. All of us do. Every time I go to
05:03a
05:03primary school, there's concern about children arriving in reception aged four. And the concern of the
05:10teachers and the backup staff in schools is always the same. They say to me, Keir, the problem we've
05:16got is that aged four, some children are coming in ready to learn in really good shape, ready to get
05:24going with their education. And others are coming in barely out of nappies, unable to do the basics that
05:31will give them the chance to learn. That is inequality baked in at aged four. Our childcare free means that
05:38all children get the chance to have that support before they get to school, because it's nine
05:43months to four years, every child will start their education on an equal footing. That is
05:49a generational change under this Labour government.
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