Eurovision 2023: Decision to ban Volodymyr Zelenskyy from making address 'disappointing'

So, very good morning to you, and I do want to talk about Eurovision in just a moment. But before we get on to that, a couple of stories around today that I want to ask you about. Firstly, comments by the former Conservative Home Secretary, Preeti Patel today, saying that Rishi Sunak needs to offer more hope and optimism for conservatism, or she says he risks presiding over a managed decline of the party and defeat of the next election. Is she right? So, you know, I have a marginal seat. I am reliant on the grassroots of the party to help me. They are determined, as I am, and I think most people within the party, to support the Prime Minister in the endeavours that he has to try and grow the economy and tackle the issues that are the people's priorities. So, I think what they want us to do is to unite, to work together, tackle those issues and then go on to work towards winning the next election.

So, comments like this from Preeti Patel are not helpful then. Are they going to be seen as sour grapes from aggrieved Boris Johnson supporters? Look, I am not. You know, it is a privilege for me to work with my colleagues. I am not going to criticise them. It is right that we have discussion about the direction of the party. But I think what is really crucial is that we focus on those issues that the Prime Ministers rightly identified, because that is what people tell us they want us to deal with. And that is what we will be focusing on.

Well, yes. But some Tory members might have some sympathy with her views, mightn't they? They may say we didn't actually vote for Rishi Sunak as leader, and we have now just seen him presiding over terrible local election losses with a thousand seats gone. Well, they were difficult elections, of course they are. And, you know, I know from my own constituency that hard-working councillors had a really difficult night. But they equally want us to focus on the issues that matter to the people of this country. That is what we are doing. That is what we need to concentrate on.

And then work towards the next election. It is great to have debate, but let's also focus and unite behind those key issues so that we can work towards victory in the next election. Do you think he does need to work on a more conservative vision for the country rather than just spending his time trying to fix crises and problems? Well, look, we have undoubtedly gone through a very difficult time, and it was right that we were there to support people through those cost of living issues. But now he is focusing very rightly on making sure that we are growing the economy. That is what people want. They want security. They want to see better standards of living.

And that is what we are focusing on doing. Well, meanwhile, Keir Starmer is promising a vision. He is talking about a radical general election vision. He says that the Tories are being unconcervative, that they are failing to understand people's need for stability, order and security. And that might ring true for some Tories, mightn't it? Well, I am afraid I have heard Keir Starmer relaunch himself so many times that I have lost count. And when I speak to people on the doorstep, I have to say that he is not particularly resonating with them. He can do whatever he likes.

The fact is that we are concentrating on growing the economy, making sure that we cut inflation, deal with the small boats and make sure that the NHS waiting lists are reduced. So, these are key priorities of the people I speak to in my constituency, and it is right that we focus on those and we will continue to do so. A quick thought on how you think that is going so far. The Bank of England this week has revised its projections for inflation up by the end of the year. And also, the latest growth figures yesterday showed that in March, the economy shrank by 0.3%. So, those two priorities that you highlight there aren't going so well at the moment, are they? Well, because we have gone through an incredibly difficult period.

There is no doubt about that. We haven't made the promise that this will be sorted out overnight. But we are on a plan. The budget that the Chancellor announced specifically looked at many of those issues to help us to grow the economy. And those are the issues that we are focusing on, rightly so. OK, and one other issue that I did want to ask you about, because there are a number of headteachers, as well as parents who are concerned about it. And this is the SATS test, and one paper in the SATS test.

This is for year six pupils who are 10 and 11. They say that that was extremely hard. I think one headteacher is talking about the test, including some GCSE level questions. What's your take on this? Was it too hard? So, my view is that I want all children in this country to have the very best education possible, because it is the foundation for their whole lives. And testing children and encouraging their skills is an important element of their education. I think, therefore, that the test seemed to me to be fine, and we need to continue to do that. There's a lot of work going on in education to raise our standards, so that we have the best educated children to compete in a very difficult global economy.

To turn our attention to Eurovision, you are in Liverpool, of course. And we've seen the Prime Minister and Boris Johnson as well both expressed disappointment that President Zelensky isn't going to be able to address the contest tonight. First of all, do you agree with them? Would you like to see an address from him? I think, yeah, I think it is disappointing that he's not able to make that address. That is a decision for the EBU. It is their contest. But actually, if you come to Liverpool, what you see, everywhere you go, are great contributions from Ukraine, from Ukrainian artists. You cannot escape the fact that this.

Although this contest is being held here in Liverpool, you cannot escape the fact that people know that it should be held in Ukraine. And I spent time yesterday with the Ukrainian ambassador and the culture ministers from Ukraine, and they were, frankly, overwhelmed by what they had seen. Liverpool have put on an amazing show and really made sure that that Ukrainian influence is felt in every element of this festival and competition here. We understand that the Mayor of Liverpool, Steve Rotherham, has said that he's going to also speak to the Ukrainian ambassador and the Mayor of Lviv, who I think are both there, to discuss what could be done about providing some sort of platform for President Zelensky. What have you heard about that and what form could that potentially take? So, I was speaking to both the ambassador and the minister last night about options. My understanding is the President is very, very busy, but he has already sent a message saying how grateful he is to the United Kingdom and to Liverpool for hosting this show on their behalf. And I think everybody here now is just focused on ensuring that this contest continues to be as successful as it has been all week.

And I can get a sense from the people here now that they're just wanting to get on with the party. I'm sure they are, but there'll be no sight of President Zelensky at all tonight. Is your take on it, yeah? That's my understanding. That's a decision the EBU have made. But despite that, Liverpool City Council, the combined authority and us in DCMS have worked together to make sure that there are lots of Ukrainian things to see here, lots of cultural elements that have been installed for people to look at. And there will, of course, be mentioned of the fact that we are hosting this on behalf of Ukraine in the contest this evening. OK, and very briefly, who's going to win? Well, of course, the United Kingdom, but I think also Scandinavian countries, from what I can see from the action of the audience, they're going to get a good night, too.

So, who knows, it's Eurovision Song Contest. Anything can happen. That's so true. Stuart Andrews, thanks very much, indeed, for your time. We appreciate it.

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