Speeches by Kyle.

“Yes. I am not here to say that everything is perfect. We want to get energy costs down for every consumer and every business, and get them down in a sustainable and universal way that is secure into the future. We are having to do it from having come into government at a point at which the infrastructure for energy gen…”

“I appreciate it.”

“When it comes to the number of pubs going under—one type of small business—we have slowed the pace, even though I am not saying that slowing the pace is where we need to get to, because we need to stop the pace in its tracks.”

“Thanks to the Committee for asking me back, and for Amanda as well, who has done an outstanding job as interim Permanent Secretary. One observation I have from my time in this job is just how outstanding the Department and its officials are. This is a quite turbulent period in global economic life, and Departments such…”

“It is not just my Department. The main Department for climate change is obviously DESNZ, which will have a whole range of other interventions in different sectors. When it is specific climate investment into transition, most of those programmes are being led out of DESNZ. For my Department and when it comes to specific…”

“As you know, that is an HMT decision. We have reformed them, lifted a third of hospitality companies out of business rates, and on top of that introduced 15% business rates relief. These are the first steps. That is now frozen for two years into the future. This gives us the footprint to think about where we go next. A…”

“I can speak from only one of those Departments here in front of you today, and that is the Department for Business and Trade. I can tell you that the voice of businesses, including small businesses, hospitality and retail, is heard loud and clear around the table. You will know that, when it comes to hospitality, I hav…”

“I have only taken one lesson from President Trump, in that he moves very quickly and is not bogged down by convention. President Trump has taken equity stakes. The Administration in the most free market economy in the world has started taking equity stakes in companies that it sees are important to national life and ec…”

“Let me run through a few things. The first one is a foundational one. The foundational factor that every business, large and small, needs, but particularly those on the high street, which need customers with cash in their pockets, is economic growth. That is why doubling down on overall economic growth for the country …”

“I do not have permission to think about what it would look like if I was to lower energy costs for everyone, because I am dealing with finite resources. That is the world that all of us are living in at this moment in time. I can tell you that I have never had a meeting with Cabinet colleagues who do not accept and sha…”

“We are two years into a five-year Parliament and taking steps down that road, but we are not at the destination yet.”

“You will see it later this year. I am working very closely with MHCLG on it. There is a whole range of different areas. I accept that many of the issues that you are already raising in this session are cross-departmental. You mentioned crime, and I have been working very closely with the Home Office, or certainly givin…”

“These are things that are balanced by Government in the transition to zero, if you are manufacturing. For example, if you are an automotive manufacturer, we will have DRIVE35. We will have a £4 billion fund to help with that transition. There will be parts where, because of the increased profitability that will go with…”

“These are very important ones. When it comes to automotive, we have DRIVE35, but also energy support. We have the supercharger and BICS.”

“You raise a really important point. I can tell you that, in my experience of less than two years, but in two Departments, I have never held on to a policy that I thought would have a more tangible, singular impact on a community or on our country’s economic wellbeing.”

“As you are being such a brilliant advocate for Weston-super-Mare, I will say that, if there are singular issues that you think are impacting the economy, economic wellbeing and security or the potential for growth in your area over which I could have any agency, while you batter me over the phone fairly often anyway, y…”

“Do not forget that, earlier in this year, ahead of the Iran war situation, we had started to lower bills by up to £150 by shifting some of the burdens of regulatory and other costs.”

“It is domestic bills. No, of course. Already we are drifting out of DBT-held policies here and into areas that are fully owned by DESNZ. We have to do everything we can do to lower the cost of energy for our country. We are uncompetitive. It is extraordinary that we have been able to incentivise the amount of inward in…”

“There are other sectors that face specific challenges. I am frustrated that hospitality finds itself in a position where it faces specific challenges. Every day you turn on the news in the morning and hear about another sector, whether it be defence or universities and student fees, facing issues because of the inherit…”

“I am trying to phrase this right. You cannot change the fundamentals of our nation, which is a country of 73 million people, and all the businesses, the advanced manufacturing and the high energy-intensive sectors that we have, with their energy needs, in 18 months. I understand your frustration. Believe me, I share it…”