Tackling extremism a 'delicate balancing act' - Health Secretary Victoria Atkins

Summary

In this transcript, Victoria Atkins discusses the government's stance on engaging with extremist groups, emphasizing the importance of upholding democratic values and societal norms. She addresses concerns about the potential banning of groups based on their views, highlighting the balance between freedom of speech and public safety. Additionally, Atkins talks about the budget, tax cuts, and the government's approach to managing debt, as well as the Prime Minister's plans to encourage people back to work, particularly those with long-term health conditions. She also reflects on Theresa May's decision not to return to politics and her impact on women in the Conservative Party.

Takeaways

• 🗣️ The government aims to counter extremist views that contradict British values and threaten democracy.
• 🚫 There is a distinction between not engaging with certain groups and banning them based on their views.
• 🤝 The Prime Minister emphasizes the importance of addressing the rise of extremist ideologies to ensure citizen comfort and safety.
• 📈 The budget includes tax cuts for 29 million workers, with an average salary earner potentially saving up to £900.
• 💰 The government's approach to tax policy is to protect day-to-day spending on the NHS while managing debt from the pandemic and war in Ukraine.
• 📊 The budget aims to balance tax reductions with the need for increased revenue, without borrowing or reducing spending across departments.
• 👩‍🏫 The government is considering a shift from 'sick notes' to 'fit notes' to encourage people with manageable conditions to return to work.
• 🏥 The Health Secretary is looking into ways to help people with long-term illnesses, particularly mental health issues, to re-enter the workforce.
• 📉 There is a concern about the increasing number of people on long-term sick leave, which the government aims to address.
• 🎓 Theresa May's decision not to return after the next election is noted, and her contributions to women's issues and the Conservative Party are acknowledged.
• 🌐 The Conservative Party's stance on all-women shortlists is cautious, with a focus on making progress through other means.

Q & A

What was the main point of discussion regarding the government's stance on extremism?

The main point was the government's commitment to not engage with individuals or groups that hold views contrary to the country's values, and the challenge of balancing freedom of speech with the need to protect society from extremist ideologies.

How did the government justify its approach to dealing with extremist groups?

The government justified its approach by citing the need to protect society from extremist views that can make citizens feel uncomfortable and unsafe, while also emphasizing the importance of upholding British values and democratic processes.

What was the government's response to the issue of large-scale demonstrations and the associated concerns?

The government expressed concern about the potential for a minority within large demonstrations to hold and promote objectionable views, which can lead to discomfort and fear among certain communities, such as Jewish residents in London.

How did the government address the issue of hate crime legislation?

The government acknowledged the existence of hate crime legislation and the importance of addressing criminal acts such as criminal damage and public order offenses, while also discussing the need for a broader conversation about extremist behavior.

What was the government's stance on the budget and tax policy?

The government defended its budget and tax policy by highlighting cuts to National Insurance for 29 million workers, tax reductions for those on average salaries, and the protection of day-to-day spending on the NHS, despite the need to address debt from the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

How did the government explain the increase in tax burden and its impact on workers?

The government explained that while it aims to reduce taxes, the increase in tax burden is necessary to address debt and protect future generations. They also mentioned that the tax cut measures in the budget would benefit workers, although there are concerns about inflation and threshold freezing affecting some individuals.

What is the government's plan to address the issue of long-term sickness and incapacity benefits?

The government plans to change the focus from providing sick notes to fit notes, encouraging people with manageable conditions to return to work. They aim to support individuals with long-term health issues to help them reintegrate into the workforce.

How did the government respond to the question about Theresa May's decision not to return to politics after the next election?

The government paid tribute to Theresa May's contributions to politics, particularly in areas like domestic abuse and diabetes, and expressed hope for the future of female representation in the party, despite the different approaches to all-women shortlists compared to the Labour Party.

What was the government's perspective on the importance of a strong NHS for the economy?

The government believes that a strong and productive NHS is essential for supporting a growing economy, as it helps pay for healthcare services and also contributes to the well-being and recovery of individuals, which in turn benefits the economy.

How did the government address the issue of mental health and its impact on work productivity?

The government acknowledged the importance of mental health and its impact on work productivity. They mentioned the Prime Minister's aspiration to help people with manageable conditions return to work, which would not only have financial benefits but also improve mental health and recovery.

Outlines

00:00

🗣️ Government's Stance on Extremists

The government is considering not engaging with certain extremist groups and individuals. The discussion revolves around the Prime Minister's statement about not allowing extremist views to influence society and democracy. There is concern about the potential for banning groups based on their views rather than actions, and the balance between freedom of speech and the safety of citizens. The conversation also touches on the impact of large demonstrations and the need for a clear distinction between defending British values and creating new divisions, particularly in relation to labor and its Muslim voters.

05:01

💼 Budget and Taxation

The government's budget strategy is under scrutiny, with a focus on raising the tax burden to over 37%, the highest since World War II. Despite claims of being a tax-cutting party, the budget includes tax cuts for some workers, particularly those earning an average salary, while also addressing the debt accumulated during the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. The discussion highlights the government's commitment to not passing on debt to future generations and the challenges of balancing tax revenue needs with the impact on workers, especially those affected by inflation and threshold freezing.

10:03

🏥 Health and Employment

The health secretary addresses the issue of over 9 million working-age adults being off work, particularly due to long-term illnesses and mental health issues. The government aims to encourage people back into work by changing the focus from sick notes to fit notes, emphasizing the benefits of work for both financial and mental health. The secretary also discusses the Prime Minister's aspirations for reducing long-term sick leave and the investment in technology to support these goals. Additionally, the conversation includes a tribute to Theresa May's contributions to politics and women's representation in the Conservative Party.

Keywords

💡Extremists

In the context of the video, extremists refer to individuals or groups holding views that are considered contrary to the values of the country. The government aims to prevent these views from influencing society and democracy. The term is used to discuss the government's stance on engaging with such entities and the potential for banning them based on their ideologies rather than their actions.

💡Democracy

Democracy, as discussed in the video, is the system of government where citizens exercise power by voting. It is a fundamental value that the government seeks to protect from extremist ideologies that could alter the democratic process. The term is used to emphasize the importance of maintaining the integrity of democratic institutions and practices.

💡Freedom of Speech

Freedom of speech is the right to express one's opinions without censorship or restraint. It is a core principle in democratic societies, allowing individuals to voice their beliefs, even if they are objectionable or controversial. The video discusses the balance between protecting this freedom and preventing the spread of extremist views that could harm society.

💡Hate Crime

A hate crime is a criminal act motivated by prejudice or bias against a particular group, often based on race, religion, or sexual orientation. In the video, the mention of hate crime legislation highlights the government's efforts to address and prevent acts of violence or hostility that target individuals because of their identity.

💡Tax Cut

A tax cut refers to a reduction in the amount of tax that individuals or businesses are required to pay. In the video, the government's budget plans include tax cuts for workers, which is presented as a way to support the economy and help people cope with the cost of living, despite the overall tax burden increasing.

💡National Insurance

National Insurance is a social security system in the UK that provides benefits and services, funded by contributions from workers, employers, and the government. In the video, the government's budget includes cuts to National Insurance for certain workers, which is intended to lighten the tax burden and stimulate economic growth.

💡Debt

Debt refers to an obligation to pay money that is owed, often due to past spending. In the video, the government expresses a commitment to dealing with the national debt accumulated during the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, aiming to avoid passing this financial burden onto future generations.

💡Mental Health

Mental health pertains to an individual's psychological and emotional well-being. The video addresses the issue of mental health in the context of long-term sickness and the government's plans to support individuals with mental health conditions to return to work, emphasizing the importance of work for both financial stability and overall well-being.

💡Productivity Plan

A productivity plan is a strategy designed to increase the efficiency and output of an economy or workforce. In the video, the government's budget includes an investment in technology and resources to improve productivity, particularly in the NHS, with the aim of supporting a growing economy and reducing the number of people on incapacity benefits.

💡Women in Politics

The representation of women in politics refers to the inclusion and participation of women in political decision-making processes. The video discusses the impact of Theresa May's decision not to return to politics after the next election and her role in promoting women in the Conservative Party, as well as the current gender balance among MPs.

Highlights

The government's stance on not engaging with extremists and the Prime Minister's speech on upholding national values.

The distinction between not speaking to certain groups and potentially banning them based on their views.

Concerns about large demonstrations and the impact on minority communities, such as Jewish residents in London.

The balance between freedom of speech and the right of citizens to feel safe in their daily lives.

The government's approach to tackling extremist views and the importance of not allowing them to influence society or democracy.

The budget and the government's claim of being a tax-cutting party despite raising the tax burden to over 37%.

The impact of the budget on National Insurance for 29 million workers and the tax cut for those on average salaries.

The government's commitment to not passing on debt to future generations and the difficult decisions made in the budget.

The issue of over 9 million working-age adults being off work due to sickness, particularly mental health.

The plan to encourage people back into work by changing the conversation from sick notes to fit notes.

The investment in technology to address big issues facing the state, as part of the productivity plan announced in the budget.

Theresa May's decision not to return after the next election and her contributions to women's issues and domestic abuse.

The discussion on the Conservative Party's stance on all-women shortlists and the progress made in female representation.

The importance of a strong and productive NHS in supporting a growing economy.

The government's efforts to reduce taxes in practical ways for working people without increasing borrowing.

The challenge of dealing with the rise in extremist ideas and the discomfort it causes among citizens.

Transcripts

Victoria Atkins uh Michael go says this

morning that you're going to stop

talking to extremists last week the

chancellor couldn't give me the name of

a single group or individual it's a bit

surprising because there are already two

or three that I can name that the

government doesn't talk to are we likely

to see additions to this list uh this

week well uh what Michael uh was has

been talking about is a continuation of

what the Prime Minister said A week ago

on the steps of Downing Street namely

that there are some people sadly who

hold views that are contrary to the

values that we hold as a country and we

should not allow those views to

percolate through Society or indeed

allow them to uh try and change the way

we as a society conduct our democracy

the way we allow Parliament to uh set

its own rules and conventions and so on

and so Michael as you all know full well

has taken a longstanding interest in

this uh and uh is uh setting out his

ideas as to what we should do to tackle

some of these uh very very extreme views

that we are sadly seeing expressed

around our streets but also of course

people going I mean yesterday I saw uh

somebody had ripped apart a painting and

you think this is not the way that we

conduct democracy and express our views

in this country yeah I want to come to

to yesterday a moment but just let's be

absolutely clear what is it

that the government is now aiming at are

we talking about groups to which the

government will not speak or are we

talking about groups who will be

banned because it's quite it's quite a

big step if we're talking about banning

groups because of views they hold as

opposed to things they have done well of

course we have a long-standing uh uh

convention in this country of uh

prescription for those groups that meet

the very very strict criteria under the

legislation that is if you like at the

most most extreme end um but also I

think there is you know at the other end

of the scale there is concern that uh

when for example we have uh

demonstrations in London that uh as

happened yesterday there is concern that

with these large scale demonstrations

there can be a minority of people who

hold and uh extol views that make the

rest of us feel not just deeply

uncomfortable but if you you if you were

a Jewish resident of London

some have said that they feel worried

about walking around London when these

demonstrations happen and that's not

right I understand that and we've

discussed that on this program before

but we're talking now about as it were

punishing or prescribing groups for

their views and we we you talked about

long-standing Traditions um I think

we've got an even longer standing

tradition uh I think the words Magna

carter come into my mind which are about

people being able and free to say what

they think think even if it is

objectionable possibly even frightening

to others and Trevor you're exactly

right to draw that distinction and by

the way you know what I hope I made

myself clear when I was talking about

the existing legislation that is the

prescription as I say under very strict

criteria for groups of people who do or

intend to do very real harm here in the

UK and elsewhere but and and so that

that as I say is at the sort of extreme

end of the range but uh I do think we

have to have a conversation about um

people uh behaving as they did as I say

in this Art Gallery we saw over the last

day or so the demonstrations where

people are um projecting images onto Big

Ben these are Del Balancing Act we we

have laws against that it's called Crim

that one called criminal

damage supic eming here this is apply

for the for the for the projection on

Big Ben that would not apply for the

picture of course it does but the but we

we also have hate crime you're exactly

right we have hate crime legislation

there there's a suspicion that what's

emerging here is really not you know a

noble defense of uh of British values

but actually a new dividing line with

labor because in in essence what you

think is this is going to be really

difficult for labor because a lot of the

groups involved here would be islamist

groups and you think that that will give

labor trouble with its Muslim voters I

fundamentally dis agree with that our

prime minister is a principled man uh

when he spoke on the steps of Downing

Street uh he spoke I thought with a

great deal of um personal conviction as

well about the pain that racism that uh

you know ideology extremist ideology can

have and and that is absolutely not why

we are trying to uh tackle these ideas

it is precisely because we have seen

sadly in the last six months month or so

uh we have seen um this rise in

extremist ideas which is making people

you know other citizens in our country

feel deeply uncomfortable and so it is

that Balancing Act between as you say

the freedom of speech but also the right

of citizens to go about their daily

lives forgive me um uh we haven't got

sorry that too much time I just want and

I want to bring you on to I guess the

big issue of the week which is the

budget every Minister I've interviewed

uh here in the past few years as

declared himself or herself a tax

cutter um how is it that a party which

is going to raise the tax burden to over

37% the highest it's been since the

second world war um has the goal to tell

us that it's a tax cutting party because

that's exactly what we've done not just

in this budget but also the previous

taxes up 7 million people will be

dragged into a higher tax B by 29 let me

just let just give me a moment just to

unpack this so in this uh budget and in

the Autumn statement we have provided

cuts to National Insurance for some 29

million workers what that means is that

someone on the average salary of let's

say

35,400 we'll see a tax cut of up to £900

in their pay packets that matters

because that will make a real difference

to the nurses the hospital porters the

receptionists and other people who work

in the NHS but it is also important

because it shows that we we know that

the last couple of years have been tough

they've been very tough because we spent

400 billion pounds looking after us all

in the pandemic and uh with the cost of

living pressures arising out of the war

in Ukraine but we as conservatives

believe that we have to deal with that

debt ourselves we do not want to pass

that debt onto our children and our

grandchildren which is why we had to

make some very difficult decisions but

we've done this whilst also protecting

day-to-day spend NHS forgive me I get

all of that but your person on

35,000 they'll get an inflation uh

increase and they might get a little

promotion and suddenly they're into a

40% tax Band so you've given them a bit

on on National Insurance but actually by

freezing the thresholds you're actually

taking more from them and in fact what

we know is you're getting an extra 7

billion or so but actually you're taking

because of threshold freezing something

north of 20 M billion year now why not

be level with us well in reasons you're

just given probably the government needs

more tax revenue why not just be

straight and say we're taking more money

from you so Trevor In fairness I was

Financial secretary to the treasury when

we had to make that very difficult

decision about uh thresholds and I was

completely straight uh every single

interview I did about that and we do not

resile from that what we're saying is

that our conviction that we cannot pass

these debts on to our children and our

grandchildren still stand but we want to

help reduce taxes in practical ways for

people who are working and we've

achieved this just not just in the

spring budget as I say but also in

Autumn statement and we have done that

without borrowing without uh uh you know

um increasing reducing um spending

across departments and so we have here a

budget that has delivered a tax cut

whilst also protecting as a health

secretary day-to-day spending on the NHS

and importantly also with high interest

High income child benefit which I know

many of your viewers have um felt you

know very strongly about we're trying to

reduce that so that more fewer people

are caught by that and we make it fairer

for those families that have single

incomes let's just spend a minute on on

on your own specific area of

responsibility which of course does have

an impact um uh the biggest break on

growth uh I think the Chancellor's

acknowledged is that over 9 million uh

working age adults are off work because

of sickness and uh about a third of

those are off because um of uh some

long-term uh illness and particularly

mental health uh three million or

thereabouts on incapacity benefits uh

what are you going to do about that as

health secretary surely you've got a

contribution to make here in getting

people back to work very much so and uh

as we we've always said in the past that

a strong econom helps pay for the NHS I

also think actually a strong and

productive NHS supports a growing

economy and as you've set out in the

figures there is a we have to try to

encourage people back into work now the

prime minister to make it worth their

while because actually they they don't

they clearly don't feel they have to go

back to work well so as the Prime

Minister has set out today in an

interview in one of the Sunday papers we

want to tackle uh the uh increase that

we've seen over the last decade or so of

people being able to sign off long-term

sick when they may well be living with

conditions that we can help you know if

we can help um look after those

conditions with them then they will be

able to return to work of course there

will always be people who need help and

cannot return to the workplace but that

interview and I I noticed the Prime

Minister says that what his aspiration

was but he hasn't said how is it your

plan to make it tougher for people to

claim that benefit well we want to I as

health secretary I'm looking into how we

can uh change the conversation from

getting a sick note to getting a fit

note so changing this emphasis that

somehow uh musco skeletal conditions for

example which is a very common reason

for people being signed off sick that

that um means that you can't do any work

whatsoever because we know not only does

work have uh you know Financial benefits

for us it also is important for our

well-being it can help with uh our

mental health it can help with uh

recovery and so there's a huge amount of

work that Mel stride is doing in the

department for work and pensions on this

but as health secretary I really want to

help him and through the productivity

plan that the chancellor announced at

budget some 3.4 billion pounds invested

into the technology that's going to help

us with some of these big issues facing

the whole of the state not just their

can I I get that um can I just ask you

one last question which is I I guess a

straightforward one as a woman

parliamentarian big news of the week is

that Theresa May has decided that she's

not coming back after the next

election um she opposed all women short

list but she was a sponsor of the

conservative women to win uh campaign um

you've got 88 female Tory MPS now but

that's actually a quarter of your total

compared to labor

52% half which came about largely

because of all women short list was um

Theresa May right well first of all can

I play tribute to Theresa it has been an

absolute privilege uh to work with

Teresa not just when she was prime

minister but also the work she's

continued since then including in topics

such as domestic abuse uh we brought

forward of course the Domestic Abuse Act

and Theresa as prime minister was

critical in driving that forward but

also her work uh surrounding diabetes as

well so and she's she she will be so so

sorely missed in terms of women to win I

should declare an interest they help me

into politics um and we've always as as

a party we've always been cautious about

all women short list because we think

actually uh we can make real progress

and I've been meeting some of the female

candidates we have coming forward for

the next election they are brilliant and

I really look forward to welcome

welcoming them to the green benches in

the House of Commons Victor Atkins thank

you so much for your time this morning

than you