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  • PRESS RELEASE : UK announces major sanctions in support of Ukraine [May 2025]

    PRESS RELEASE : UK announces major sanctions in support of Ukraine [May 2025]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 20 May 2025.

    As President Putin ruthlessly intensifies his strikes against innocent Ukrainians, the UK is ramping up pressure with raft of 100 new sanctions.

    • UK announces wide-ranging sanctions on Russia as Putin launches his biggest ever drone attack against Ukraine
    • 100 sanctions targets across Russian military, energy, financial sectors and those conducting Putin’s information war against Ukraine
    • UK and partners are also working to tighten the Oil Price Cap, further restricting critical oil revenues for Putin’s war machine

    As President Putin ruthlessly intensifies his strikes against innocent Ukrainians, the UK is ramping up pressure with raft of 100 new sanctions.

    The latest sanctions targets include entities supporting Russia’s military machine, energy exports and information war, as well as financial institutions helping to fund Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

    On Saturday, Russia fired 273 drones at Ukrainian cities, the biggest drone onslaught of the war. A strike on a bus in Sumy killed 9 civilians.

    Putin has so far not put in place the full, unconditional ceasefire that President Trump has called for, and which President Zelenskyy endorsed over 2 months ago.

    The UK’s latest sanctions action comes as the EU prepares to announce its 17th package of sanctions against Russia, in a co-ordinated effort to secure a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.

    Today’s measures sanction the supply chains of deadly Russian weapons systems, including Iskander missiles.  This will protect Ukrainian lives, and our collective security by disrupting Russia’s military machine.

    Putin has repeatedly fired Iskander missiles into crowded civilian areas with a callous disregard for life. He used these weapons during the strike against Sumy on 13 April that killed 34 civilians including children, some of them heading for Palm Sunday services.

    UK and other Western sanctions are having a severe effect on Russia’s economy.  Russian GDP shrank in the first quarter of the year and the non-defence economy has been in recession for some time. Security and defence spending is now over 40% of the federal budget, and Putin has had to raise taxes and slash social spending in order to continue the war.

    Every rouble by which we cut Kremlin revenues diminishes Putin’s ability to sow chaos, division and disorder across the world and protects the British people, increasing security and prosperity at home.

    As the Prime Minister set out at the European Political Community summit on Friday, people in Ukraine and across the world have paid the price for Putin’s aggression and now he must pay the price for avoiding peace.

    Foreign Secretary, David Lammy said:

    Putin’s latest strikes once again show his true colours as a warmonger.

    We urge him to agree a full, unconditional ceasefire right away so there can be talks on a just and lasting peace.

    We have been clear that delaying peace efforts will only redouble our resolve to help Ukraine to defend itself and use our sanctions to restrict Putin’s war machine.

    Today’s sanctions also target 14 more members of the Social Design Agency (SDA), which carries out Kremlin-funded information operations that are designed to undermine sovereignty, democracy, and the rule of law in Ukraine and across the world.

    The UK previously sanctioned the SDA and several of its leaders in 2024.  We are now targeting all levels of the organisation.

    In addition, today’s measures will strike at the heart of Putin’s efforts to get around our sanctions and help block his failing attempts to reconnect to the international economy.

    Today’s action targets 46 financial institutions that help Russian attempts to evade sanctions, as well as the St Petersburg Currency Exchange, and the Russian Deposit Insurance Agency which insures Russian banks. These new sanctions will further isolate the Russian economy and disrupt Russia’s revenue streams.

    Finally, the UK will also sanction 18 more ships in the ‘shadow fleet’ carrying Russians oil, along with the fleet’s enablers. The Prime Minister announced 110 shadow fleet related sanctions ahead of his visit to Kyiv earlier this month.

    Today’s targets include John Michael Ormerod, a British national who procured ships for Russia’s shadow fleet, and 2 Russian captains of shadow fleet tankers. This action imposes a personal cost on those who are supporting Russia’s trade in oil and is another step in the Foreign Secretary’s personal mission to constrain the Kremlin and a crucial part of the Plan for Change to ensure a secure Britain.

    The UK is also working with partners to tighten the Oil Price Cap that limits the price that Russia can charge for its oil if transported using G7 services like insurance and shipping. We are reviewing the $60 crude price level, with a view to lowering the cap closer to the cost of production and hitting Putin where it hurts by striking at his oil revenues.

    Background

    The Full list of today’s targets can be found here

  • PRESS RELEASE : UK and Ukraine hail scientists’ role in the fight for freedom [May 2025]

    PRESS RELEASE : UK and Ukraine hail scientists’ role in the fight for freedom [May 2025]

    The press release issued by the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology on 20 May 2025.

    • From healthcare to energy, collaboration with UK researchers is supporting Ukraine’s defence and reconstruction, and the UK’s Plan for Change
    • Academic, business and political leaders gather in London later today to celebrate UK-Ukrainian joint science endeavours – and look ahead to more
    • Science, tech and innovation are a key pillar of UK-Ukraine 100 Year Partnership: the long-term pact to support long-term security and growth for both our countries

    The critical role that Ukraine’s scientists and researchers are playing in the battle for their country’s freedom, and its hopes for a brighter future, working hand-in-hand with UK colleagues, will be celebrated at an event at the British Academy in London later today (Tuesday 20 May).

    The UK is resolute in its support for Ukraine, as the country defends itself in the face of Russia’s illegal and barbaric invasion. Our backing is cemented by the landmark 100 Year Partnership, unveiled by the Prime Minister and President Zelenskyy in January, of which strong and deep science and technology ties form a key part.

    Joint work by the UK and Ukraine’s researchers is not only supporting Ukraine’s freedom and future, but also unlocking benefits to the UK economy, and more besides, all of which bolsters the Plan for Change. In one joint project, on health, the University of Warwick have worked with Kharkiv National University of Radio Electronics to train AI models to quickly and accurately triage shrapnel wounds. And work by Manchester, Aston and Aberystwyth Universities and Ukrainian experts to boost Ukraine’s electricity grid with green energy, is also being applied to help Britain adapt as we get more energy from renewables, and as energy-intensive industries like data centres grow.

    Meanwhile efforts like the UK-Ukraine Techbridge are helping bring innovative new technologies to bear on critical tasks like clearing landmines and unexploded bombs. The TechBridge is also focused on AI, health, cyber security, education, and agritech, and is building opportunities in both countries for trade, upskilling, and investment.

    Much of this important work will be showcased at London’s historic British Academy later, at an event hosted by the UK’s Science Minister and Ukraine’s Deputy Minister for Education and Science, who will be joined by a host of academic, business and research leaders. Lord Vallance will announce an additional £100,000 for the UK-Ukraine Techbridge at the event, as well as £400,000 for trilateral efforts to harness digital technologies to improve government across the UK, Ukraine and Estonia.

    UK Science Minister Lord Vallance said:

    Freedom is an essential ingredient for scientific progress. Without it we are denied the ability to act on the curiosity that sparks so many breakthroughs, or to get the answers that make us think that maybe we have been wrong about the way we have thought about something in the past.

    Science is also international, which means that Ukraine’s inventions and innovations are ones that the UK and the entire world ultimately benefits from, and vice versa. We only stand to gain from working with Ukraine to keep the flame of freedom alive, and it is only natural, that the joint endeavours of our researchers, are critical to those efforts.

    Ukraine’s Minister for Education and Science, Oksen Lisovyi, said

    For Ukraine, science is not only about development — it is also about resistance. Today, our researchers are working side by side with international partners not only to support the country in its most difficult times, but also to lay the foundations for recovery. This collaboration is a mutual investment in freedom, humanity, and the future. We are grateful to the United Kingdom for a partnership built on shared values and trust.

    The UK-Ukraine partnership on science, innovation and technology has already delivered important work, starting with the:

    Since it was launched in 2022, it has helped over 170 Ukrainian experts endangered by the war to relocate to just under 70 UK universities, and continue their work on a temporary basis – as well as funding their research with £22.5 million. The UK Government has also supported the UK-Ukraine Twinning Initiative, which has enabled Ukrainian researchers to keep making progress, despite wartime disruption, by pairing up UK and Ukrainian universities. This has provided remote access to UK facilities and equipment, and avenues for joint funding, including £5 million of Research England grant funding to support new research partnerships.

    We are also harnessing the AI, data science and digital expertise of the UK, Ukraine and Estonia with a view to enhancing digital government and public services through technology and innovation under an initiative on trilateral cooperation.

  • NEWS STORY : MHRA Celebrates Faster Trial Approvals and Seeks Input on Real-World Data Use

    NEWS STORY : MHRA Celebrates Faster Trial Approvals and Seeks Input on Real-World Data Use

    STORY

    Marking International Clinical Trials Day, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) today hailed “remarkable” progress under its new risk-proportionate clinical trial regulations and launched a six-week public consultation on using real-world data to support future trial designs. Since introducing the most significant overhaul of UK trial rules in over 20 years, the MHRA reports that 100% of clinical trial applications have met statutory approval timelines, with the combined MHRA–Health Research Authority review now taking an average of 40 days, down from 150. Chief Executive Lawrence Tallon emphasised that one in eight trials in the UK test treatments in humans for the first time, and that these reforms will help bring cutting-edge therapies to patients more swiftly.

    Lord O’Shaughnessy, author of the landmark 2023 review into the UK’s commercial trial landscape, praised the agency’s delivery on his recommendations, saying that the MHRA is once again taking a global lead with world-class approval times and fresh reforms to boost speed and flexibility. Professor Sir Martin Landray, CEO of Protas, added that this “regulatory enlightenment” is vital if the UK is to remain at the vanguard of innovative trial methodologies against life-threatening diseases.

  • Keir Starmer – 2025 Comments at Business Reception in Downing Street

    Keir Starmer – 2025 Comments at Business Reception in Downing Street

    The comments made by Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, in Downing Street on 19 May 2025.

    Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

    Commissioner Sefcovic.

    It’s fantastic to welcome you all to mark the strategic partnership that we have agreed today with the EU.

    Trade deals are much talked about.

    People tried for a long time to get a trade deal with India, and it didn’t happen for eight years. We came along and did that deal with India.

    People tried and talked about a deal with the US, we came along and did that deal with the US.

    Nobody believed we could do a better deal with the EU, and we’ve just done a better deal with the EU.

    I always said, I’m not particularly keen on the performance side of politics. I think it’s the delivery that matters.

    And this has happened because of the serious, pragmatic way that we’ve gone around our negotiations, and when I met Ursula and Antonio at the beginning of the exercise, we committed to each other that we wouldn’t do it by megaphone diplomacy.

    We would do the hard yards of real diplomacy and negotiation, and that’s the base on which we got this deal today.

    And so, in the space of just under two weeks, three trade deals.

    That tells you something about serious pragmatism.

    It tells you something about our commitment to growth, but it also tells you something about the country, because others only want to do trade deals with businesses and economies that they want to tie themselves to going forward.

    It reflects the strength of all those that are represented here and many, many others, because we have dramatically improved our trading ties with the largest economy in the world, the US, the fastest growing economy in the world, India, and the largest trading bloc in the world, the EU.

    And that is, as I say, a vote of confidence in this country.

    We’re living in a different world. It’s a different era, and notwithstanding that instability, that uncertainty, the decisions that we’ve taken to stabilize the economy and lead the way internationally have made Britain a place that people want to do business with once again.

    And I’m really proud to be leading a government and a country where others are telling me that they’re very pleased to see the UK back leading on the world stage, whether it’s defense and security, whether it’s trade or the economy or many of the other global issues that face us.

    And to underline that Britain is a place where people want to do business. Once again,  I’m delighted that we’re announcing major new European investments into Britain today.

    Rheinmetall investing £60 million in Telford.

    Knauf Insulation…

    Investing £170 million in North Wales.

    And NewCold investing £235 million in Corby.

    Together, creating hundreds of new jobs across the UK.

    We also have news today of great British companies – like Octopus energy – expanding in Europe.

    So I want to say a huge thank you to everyone here…

    For backing Britain.

    And let’s just take a closer look at the deal we’ve struck today.

    It gives us unprecedented access to the EU market –

    The best of any country outside the EU or EFTA.

    All while sticking to our red lines.

    It’s good for bills, good for jobs, good for borders…

    Good for businesses large and small.

    By 2040 it will increase Britain’s GDP by around £9 billion.

    Our SPS agreement will make food and agriculture trade cheaper and easier…

    Cutting admin costs that can reach thousands for a single lorry…

    Opening up EU markets for British food exporters…

    Lifting the de facto ban on British burgers, bangers and shellfish…

    And bringing down prices for British consumers.

    Our new Defence and Security Partnership…

    Will strengthen our security…

    And open the door to working with the EU’s new defence fund –

    Boosting Britain’s defence industry.

    By increasing our co-operation on emissions trading…

    We’re saving UK businesses…

    From having to pay £800 million in EU carbon taxes.

    By increasing cooperation on energy…

    We’re bringing down bills over the long term,

    And boosting our renewables industry in the North Sea.

    The deal also protects our steel exports from new EU tariffs,

    Saving the industry £25 million each year.

    And it puts the fishing industry on a stable footing…

    Protecting our access, rights and fishing areas…

    With no increase in the amount that EU vessels can catch in our waters.

    And our fishing industry will also benefit from that new SPS agreement, slashing costs and red tape.

    So this a new deal for a new era…

    One that will bring huge benefits to the British people.

    And by the way –

    For business travellers – and tourists –

    We confirmed today…

    That you’ll be able be able to use e-Gates in Europe –

    Ending those huge queues at passport control.

    That really is something to celebrate!

    You know, when I became Prime Minister…

    Almost a year ago…

    I said I would deliver in the national interest.

    And I think we’ve shown today, once again –

    That I meant it.

    So thank for you for your support –

    Now let’s build on this progress…

    Let’s keep showing that Britain is open for business…

    And working with all our partners –

    To deliver for the British people.

    Thank you all.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Joint donor statement on humanitarian aid to Gaza [May 2025]

    PRESS RELEASE : Joint donor statement on humanitarian aid to Gaza [May 2025]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 19 May 2025.

    Joint statement on behalf of 27 humanitarian partners on aid to Gaza and the proposal for a new aid delivery model.

    Joint statement:

    “Whilst we acknowledge indications of a limited restart of aid, Israel blocked humanitarian aid entering Gaza for over two months. Food, medicines and essential supplies are exhausted. The population faces starvation. Gaza’s people must receive the aid they desperately need.

    “Prior to the aid block, the UN and humanitarian NGOs delivered aid into Gaza, working with great courage, at the risk of their lives and in the face of major access challenges imposed by Israel. These organisations subscribe to upholding humanitarian principles, operating independently, with neutrality, impartiality and humanity. They have the logistical capacity, expertise and operational coverage to deliver assistance across Gaza to those who need it most.

    “Israel’s security cabinet has reportedly approved a new model for delivering aid into Gaza, which the UN and our humanitarian partners cannot support. They are clear that they will not participate in any arrangement that does not fully respect the humanitarian principles. Humanitarian principles matter for every conflict around the world and should be applied consistently in every warzone. The UN has raised concerns that the proposed model cannot deliver aid effectively, at the speed and scale required. It places beneficiaries and aid workers at risk, undermines the role and independence of the UN and our trusted partners, and links humanitarian aid to political and military objectives.  Humanitarian aid should never be politicised, and Palestinian territory must not be reduced nor subjected to any demographic change.

    “As humanitarian donors, we have two straightforward messages for the Government of Israel: allow a full resumption of aid into Gaza immediately and enable the UN and humanitarian organisations to work independently and impartially to save lives, reduce suffering and maintain dignity. We remain committed to meeting the acute needs we see in Gaza. We also reiterate our firm message that Hamas must immediately release all remaining hostages and allow humanitarian assistance to be distributed without interference. It is our firm conviction that an immediate return to a ceasefire and working towards the implementation of a two-state solution are the only way to bring peace and security to Israelis and Palestinians and ensure long-term stability for the whole region.”

    This statement has been signed by:

    • The Foreign Ministers of Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the UK.
    • The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, the EU Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management and the EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean.
  • PRESS RELEASE : UK Trade Envoy Visits Ghana to Deepen Bilateral Economic Relations [May 2025]

    PRESS RELEASE : UK Trade Envoy Visits Ghana to Deepen Bilateral Economic Relations [May 2025]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 19 May 2025.

    This is Bell Ribeiro-Addy’s first official visit to Ghana since her appointment as Trade Envoy in January 2025 to strengthen UK-Ghana economic partnerships.

    The British High Commission Accra is pleased to announce that Bell Ribeiro-Addy, the UK’s Trade Envoy to Ghana, will undertake her first official visit to Ghana from 19 –22 May 2025. The four-day mission will include engagements in Accra and Kumasi, underscoring the UK’s commitment to deepening bilateral trade relations and fostering economic growth.

    Appointed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer in January 2025, Ms. Ribeiro-Addy is part of the UK government’s global network of Trade Envoys, working to promote British trade interests in over 70 countries. Her visit to Ghana marks a significant milestone in her role and reflects the UK’s strategic focus on strengthening partnerships across Africa.

    During her visit, Ms. Ribeiro-Addy will meet with a range of high-level stakeholders, including:

    • Hon. Dr. Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, Minister of Finance
    • Hon. Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, Minister of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry
    • Hon. Dr. Clement Abas Apaak, Deputy Minister of Education
    • Senior government officials, traditional leaders, and academic representatives
    • UK businesses operating in Ghana and the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC)

    These discussions will focus on expanding trade and investment opportunities, enhancing economic cooperation, and identifying areas for mutual growth.

    In Kumasi, Ms. Ribeiro-Addy will tour two major UK Export Finance (UKEF)-backed projects: the Kumasi Airport and the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital maternity block. These initiatives highlight the UK’s ongoing support for infrastructure development in Ghana’s Ashanti Region.

    She will also host a roundtable with the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus, aimed at fostering collaboration on gender-inclusive economic development and leadership.

    Ms. Ribeiro-Addy said:

    I am honoured to represent the UK in Ghana and look forward to engaging with our Ghanaian partners. This visit is an important step in strengthening our trade relations and exploring new avenues for collaboration. I am confident that our discussions will pave the way for a brighter economic future for both our countries.

    British High Commissioner to Ghana, Harriet Thompson, added:

    We are thrilled to welcome Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP to Ghana. Her visit reflects our shared commitment to building stronger international partnerships, promoting global trade, and realising a vision of inclusive prosperity.

  • Keir Starmer – 2025 Remarks at Press Conference with EU leaders

    Keir Starmer – 2025 Remarks at Press Conference with EU leaders

    The remarks made by Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, on 19 May 2025.

    Ladies and gentlemen – Britain is back on the world stage.

    Working with our partners. Doing deals that will grow our economy and putting more money in the pockets of working people.

    In the last two weeks alone, we’ve delivered trade deals with India and the US. That means: jobs saved, jobs created, more growth and a huge vote of confidence in this country.

    It shows that – as global instability is rising, the decisions we have taken to stabilise the economy and lead the way internationally have made Britain a place where people want to do business once again.

    And from that position of strength – today we have struck this landmark deal with the EU – a new partnership between an independent Britain and our allies in Europe.

    This is the first UK-EU summit, that marks a new stage in our relationship. And this deal, is a win-win. It delivers what the British public voted for last year.

    It gives us unprecedented access to the EU market – the best of any country outside the EU or EFTA.

    All while sticking to our red lines in our manifesto about. Not rejoining the single market, no rejoining the customs union and no return to freedom of movement.

    This deal is good for both sides – and let me set out why it is good for Britain. We’ve struck an SPS deal to make food and agriculture trade with the EU cheaper and easier.

    Slashing red tape and bureaucracy. That will mean lower food prices at the checkout.

    More choice on our supermarket shelves – and more money in people’s pockets.

    It will boost British exporters because, once again after a long absence, we’ll be able to sell great British burgers, shellfish and other products into the EU.

    We’ve also struck a new Defence and Security Partnership to strengthen our cooperation and strengthen our security – which is vital in this dangerous new era.

    And it will open the door to working with the EU’s new defence fund – providing new opportunities for our defence industry, supporting British jobs and livelihoods.

    We are also increasing our co-operation on emissions trading. Saving UK businesses from having to pay £800 million in EU carbon taxes. Once again: supporting British businesses, backing British jobs.

    Next, we are increasing our cooperation on energy to drive down bills in the long term.

    The agreement negotiated by the last government left us with more disconnected with our closest neighbours despite being physically connected to the European grid by our undersea cables.

    Today’s deal will see us work to bring these systems together again – benefitting bill payers and boosting our renewables industry in the North Sea.

    Today’s deal is also good for British steel, protecting our steel exports from new EU tariffs. Saving the industry £25 million each year. Another example of this government backing our steel sector to the hilt.

    We’ve reached a deal today on fish, protecting our access, rights and fishing areas with no increase in the amount that EU vessels can catch in British waters.

    Our fishing industry will also benefit from the new SPS agreement which slashes costs and red tape for our exports into the European market. And we already sell 70% of our seafood into that market so it’s really significant. It is also opening the gates to sending shellfish back into the EU.

    And I can announce today that we’re investing £360 million into our fishing industry – to help them take advantage of this deal.

    We have acted today to strengthen our borders. The previous deal left a huge gap in our ability to work together to tackle illegal migration.

    So this deal closes that gap so that we can work across the migration routes to end the migration crisis and smash the criminal gangs.

    We are boosting our cooperation on law enforcement. Combating terrorism and serious organised crime with better sharing of intelligence and data – including facial imaging, for the first time.

    Today’s deal will also help British holidaymakers as we are confirming that they will able to use e-Gates when they travel to Europe – ending those huge queues at passport control.

    And I call on all EU members states to help make this a reality without delay.

    Finally – we have agreed today cooperate on a youth experience scheme to allow our young people to travel and work freely in Europe. And I’m clear – this will come with all the appropriate time-limits, caps and visa requirements.

    So – it’s a long list – and it just shows how much we have achieved here today – real benefits for the British people.

    Because, it’s time to look forward. It’s time to move on from the stale old debates and political fights to focus on delivering common sense, practical solutions which get the best for the British people.

    We’re ready to work with all our partners.

    If it means we can improve people’s lives here at home.

    And that’s what this deal is all about: facing out to the world once again in the great tradition of this nation. Building the relationships we choose, with the partners we choose and closing deals in the national interest.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Change of UK Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York: Christian Turner [May 2025]

    PRESS RELEASE : Change of UK Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York: Christian Turner [May 2025]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 19 May 2025.

    Dr Christian Turner CMG has been appointed UK Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York in succession to Dame Barbara Woodward DCMG, OBE.  Dr Turner will take up his appointment at the end of 2025.

    Curriculum Vitae

    Full name:  Christian Philip Hollier Turner

    Year Role
    2023 to present FCDO, Director General Geopolitics & Political Director
    2019 to 2023 Islamabad, British High Commissioner
    2017 to 2019  Prime Minister’s International Affairs Adviser & Deputy National Security Adviser
    2016 to 2017  FCO, Director General MENA & Africa
    2016  No10, Director, London Syria Conference
    2012 to 2016  Nairobi, British High Commissioner
    2009 to 2012  FCO, Director, Middle East & North Africa
    2008 to 2009  FCO, Deputy Director, Middle East & North Africa
    2007 to 2008 Cabinet Office, Deputy Director, MENANA, Overseas & Defence Secretariat
    2007 No10, Private Secretary to Prime Minister
    2002 to 2006 Washington, First Secretary
    1998 to 2002 Cabinet Office Fast Stream including roles in Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit, Private Secretary to Minister of State, Secretary to Economic & Domestic Committees of Cabinet
  • PRESS RELEASE : Recruitment consultant, Rico Iheagwara, sentenced after fraudulently using Covid loans for personal purposes [May 2025]

    PRESS RELEASE : Recruitment consultant, Rico Iheagwara, sentenced after fraudulently using Covid loans for personal purposes [May 2025]

    The press release issued by the Insolvency Service on 19 May 2025.

    Suspended sentence for Bounce Back Loan fraudster.

    • Rico Iheagwara fraudulently applied for two £20,000 Bounce Back Loans during the summer of 2020
    • Iheagwara’s SJR Recruitment Limited company was not trading at the time of the applications
    • SJR Recruitment was placed into liquidation in 2021 with liabilities of more than £67,000

    A recruitment consultant who fraudulently spent Covid support funds for personal purposes has been handed a suspended sentence.

    Rico Iheagwara secured two Bounce Back Loans worth £20,000 each from different banks for his Essex-based SJR Recruitment Limited company when businesses were only entitled to a single loan under the scheme.

    Iheagwara, 36, of River Meads, Stanstead Abbotts, Hertfordshire, was sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for 18 months, for fraud when he appeared at St Albans Crown Court on Friday 16 May.

    He was also ordered to complete 120 hours of unpaid work and 15 days of rehabilitation activity.

    David Snasdell, Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service, said:

    Rico Iheagwara blatantly abused a taxpayer-backed scheme designed to support genuine small businesses through the pandemic. He knew he was not entitled to support yet continued with his fraudulent applications nonetheless.

    Iheagwara’s business was not trading at the time of his application so he was not entitled to a single penny from the scheme, let alone the £40,000 he fraudulently secured.

    Tackling Covid support scheme abuse remains a key priority for the Insolvency Service and we will not hesitate to prosecute fraudsters such as Iheagwara who stole from the public purse during a national emergency.

    SJR Recruitment was incorporated in January 2017 with Iheagwara as its sole director. The company’s registered office address was on High Road in Loughton.

    Iheagwara was also the sole signatory on both company bank accounts which were opened in May 2020, just one month before his first fraudulent application.

    For both applications, made in June and July 2020, Iheagwara claimed the company’s turnover was £82,000.

    Iheagwara transferred the first £20,000 loan into his personal account on the same day he received the funds. For the second loan, he moved all £20,000 into his personal account the following day.

    None of the £40,000 was used for the economic benefit of his business. Insolvency Service analysis of bank statements suggested that the funds were used for everyday expenses and paid to various family members.

    In interviews, Iheagwara said he spent the funds on rent, paying off personal finance and supporting his children.

    SJR Recruitment went into liquidation in April 2021. No repayments were made on the loans.

    The Insolvency Service is seeking to recover the fraudulently obtained funds under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

    Further information

    • Rico Iheagwara is of River Meads, Stanstead Abbotts, Hertfordshire. His date of birth is 21 August 1988
  • PRESS RELEASE : Summoning of the Iranian Ambassador to the United Kingdom [May 2025]

    PRESS RELEASE : Summoning of the Iranian Ambassador to the United Kingdom [May 2025]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 19 May 2025.

    The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has today summoned the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Kingdom.

    An FCDO spokesperson said:

    Today, upon instruction from the Foreign Secretary, the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Kingdom was summoned to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. His Excellency Seyed Ali Mousavi was summoned in response to three Iranian nationals charged under the National Security Act.

    The UK Government is clear that protecting national security remains our top priority and Iran must be held accountable for its actions.

    The summons follows this weekend’s announcement which stated that three Iranian nationals had been charged with engaging in conduct likely to assist a foreign intelligence service.