ALOK SHARMA

Achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050, identifying treatments to diseases like cancer, and harnessing the power of robotics and artificial intelligence to support everyday tasks are all within our grasp. The first country that gives birth to these discoveries will change life as we know it.

As we build back better from Covid-19, we must not waste the golden opportunity to take back control.

India and the U.K. share a dynamic future on the world stage.

By protecting our internal market, the Union and its people will be stronger than ever before.

The U.K. wants and needs closer trading partnerships with African nations - and Africa needs much more capital.

I am delighted that India will be my first official visit since taking up my appointment as a Foreign Office Minister.

Coronavirus has challenged daily life in Britain in a way not seen for generations.

The world is rapidly changing - and with it, we face new global challenges.

Infrastructure is the backbone of economic growth. It improves access to basic services such as clean water and electricity, creates jobs and boosts business.

The U.K. is open for investment, but not for exploitation.

If you aspired and wanted to get on in life, as so many immigrants families did, Margaret Thatcher was your champion, your role model, your heroine.

One of my earliest political memories was watching the then-Labour Home Secretary Merlyn Rees on television during the Winter of Discontent telling the nation that the lights were, literally, about to go out.

The U.K. is leading the way to build sustainable economies.

Too often, researchers on the cusp of a new discovery are held back by needless red tape and paperwork, meaning their innovative work cannot be capitalised on.

Giving every girl in the world the chance of a healthy, educated, and economically independent life is essential if we are to end poverty around the world.

The U.K. and India are vital strategic partners and we are striving further to strengthen our cooperation in facing global threats and challenges.

While satellite operators can dodge large pieces of debris and armour satellites to withstand the impact of smaller fragments, with the need for a growing number of satellites in orbit we must be able to monitor the space highways and to gradually clear it of obstructions.

Investment in businesses creates sustainable jobs.

From the radio and the world wide web, to the steam engine and penicillin, for generations the U.K. has been a world-leader in science and research.

Diseases are a threat to us all. And so is climate change.

In spite of the tireless efforts of our scientist, it is possible that we may never find a successful coronavirus vaccine.

For 47 years, the U.K. has been forced to follow rules set by Brussels bureaucrats, many of whom have never set a foot on British soil.

Some of our best and unexpected discoveries have been born out of crises - from the Second World War, for example, came Alan Turing's decoding machine, widely considered as the precursor to modern day computers and artificial intelligence.

Every one of us has a small but critical part to play in the battle against coronavirus. From washing our hands to wearing a face covering on public transport and in shops, every time we take one of these actions, we push the virus further into retreat.

In my immigrant family we revered Margaret Thatcher. She was aspiration personified. She understood what it took to smash the glass ceiling. She shared our values and she empathised with our experiences. She really was the first British Asian Prime Minister.