Category: Press Releases

PRESS RELEASE : New Civil Service Commissioners appointed [October 2022]

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 3 October 2022.

Elizabeth Walmsley, Stephen Cohen, Christopher Pilgrim and Atul Devani have been appointed as Commissioners as part of the Civil Service Commission.

Together they bring valuable skills and experience from both public and private sector backgrounds.

The Civil Service Commission is an independent statutory body that oversees appointments to the Civil Service, ensuring that they are made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition. Commissioners also promote and hear appeals brought under the Civil Service Code.

The new Civil Service Commissioners have been appointed after an open competition which took place in 2022.

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Nadim Zahawi said:

I would like to congratulate the four new commissioners on their appointments. They bring a variety of expertise that will help ensure that civil servants are recruited on merit and on the basis of fair and open competition, helping safeguard an impartial Civil Service.

Baroness Gisela Stuart, the First Civil Service Commissioner, said:

I am delighted that Atul, Christopher, Elizabeth and Stephen will be joining our board of Civil Service Commissioners. Their extensive experience and expertise from leadership roles and boards in other sectors will enrich the Commission’s work both as an independent regulator of recruitment into the Civil Service and in hearing complaints under the Civil Service Code. I look forward to working with them as Commissioners, helping to ensure we have an effective Civil Service, appointed on merit, to develop and deliver government services across the country.

The new Commissioners announced today join the Commission from 3 October 2022 for a 5 year non-renewable term. Commissioners work part-time, typically between 4 and 8 days a month.

October 3, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : North Korea ballistic missile launch – FCDO statement [October 2022]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 3 October 2022.

A Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office spokesperson said:

North Korea’s decision to carry out its fourth ballistic missile test in a week on 1st October is in complete violation of UN Security Council Resolutions.

The UK continues to work closely with our partners to urge North Korea to return to dialogue and take credible steps towards denuclearisation in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner.

October 3, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : UK wins seat on top UN telecoms council [October 2022]
The press release issued by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on 3 October 2022.
- The UN agency allocates spectrum, coordinates satellite orbits and develops technical standards for mobile phones, TV and sat-navs
- Election gives UK a major role in promoting a free, open and secure internet and connecting the unconnected
The UK has been elected to the governing council of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the UN agency which enables the world’s phone, internet and satellite networks to operate.

The ITU coordinates the global allocation of spectrum, the radio waves used for sending and receiving information. It also oversees the network of orbiting satellites which enable everyday technologies such as mobiles, wifi, terrestrial television, GPS navigation, weather information and online maps to function.

The organisation is behind the technical agreements on country codes (for example +44 in the UK) that make international phone calls possible. Its radio frequency allocations enable people’s phones to roam overseas and its technical standards have helped enable people to stream video on their devices. It also works to widen access to the internet to the 2.7 billion people across the world that aren’t connected.

The UK has been an active member of the ITU, one of the oldest international organisations still in existence, for more than 150 years. The council acts as the union’s governing body to guide the ITU’s work in telecoms and information and communication technology (ICT) policy issues which affect every country in the world.

The UK received the second highest number of votes in the Western Europe group, securing 151 votes out of a possible 179. Technology minister Damian Collins and Foreign Office minister and UK Special Envoy to the ITU Lord Ahmad attended the ITU’s Plenipotentiary Conference in Bucharest last week to support the UK’s election campaign.

Tech and Digital Economy Minister Damian Collins said:

The UK is a technology superpower and has always played a leading role setting international standards for telecoms and innovations which have improved billions of people’s lives across the globe.

With a seat on the ITU’s governing council, we will champion tech as a solution to the world’s biggest challenges, redouble our efforts to close the divide between those cut off from technology and those in the digital fast lane and make sure the internet remains free and open.

Foreign Office Minister of State and UK Special Representative to the ITU, Lord Ahmad said:

I’m delighted the UK has been selected to help lead the ITU’s mission in realising everyone’s right to communicate freely and securely, wherever they are in the world.

Through our seat in the governing council, we’ll work with all states to ensure the organisation delivers for its members and bridges the digital divide.

Becoming a member of the ITU’s Council will bolster UK efforts to promote collaboration and consensus among the ITU’s 193 member states to tackle some of the biggest issues affecting the technology, telecoms and space sectors.

Issues include the growing demand for radio spectrum caused by the growth of new wireless technologies and the ITU’s mission to ‘connect the world’ – bridging the global digital divide and increasing prosperity in developing countries by boosting digital inclusion and people’s skills.

The UK will also use its membership to ensure the ITU focuses on keeping information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the hands of industry and the free market and making sure they remain interoperable – benefiting UK technology businesses through access to the biggest possible global market.

The UK’s success comes as US candidate Doreen Bogdan-Martin was elected on Thursday as the first female Secretary General of the ITU, defeating Russia’s Rashid Ismailov. The result was welcomed by the UK as a significant win for the efforts of western democracies to block attempts by authoritarian regimes to put greater government controls on the internet.
October 3, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : Violence affects women and girls everywhere – UK statement to the OSCE [October 2022]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 3 October 2022.

At OSCE’s Human Dimension Conference, Eily Craig voices UK’s deep concern about rising reports of gender-based violence in Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine.

Thank you, Mr Convenor.

Global estimates show that 1 in 3 women will experience physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetimes. Violence affects women and girls everywhere.

Gender equality and fighting all forms of violence against women and girls are crucial to the OSCE’s comprehensive concept of security and stability and the UK commends the work of the OSCE executive structures in implementing the Women, Peace and Security agenda.

I’d like to highlight the utility and value of two OSCE sponsored toolkits. Firstly, the toolkit for “Inclusion of Women and Effective Peace Processes”, a valuable resource for conflict mediation in all OSCE conflicts. And, secondly, the Gender and Security toolkit, which provides practical policy and programmatic guidance for governments, for regional and international organisations and for justice institutions.

I’d like to thank all those who have contributed to advancing gender equality and the Women, Peace and Security agenda at the OSCE.

We know that violence against women and girls further escalates in scale and severity in conflict and crisis, and this has been seen in the detrimental impact that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has had on women and girls.

We welcomed the publication of the OSCE’s Moscow Mechanism reports, which help expose the truth of Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine. We remain deeply concerned about rising reports of gender-based violence, including horrific acts of sexual violence, with most cases committed in areas controlled by Russian armed forces.

In April, the UK launched the Murad Code, a code of conduct for documenting the experiences of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence in a way that upholds survivors’ rights. We are now urging governments, national authorities, international organisations and civil society to commit to taking a survivor-centred approach to such documentation – in line with the standards set out in the Code.

In November the UK are hosting an ambitious international conference that marks 10 years since the launch of the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative. We will use this to strengthen global action and deliver real change for survivors.

Mr Convenor, we know that violence against women and children is preventable. The UK remains steadfast in its commitment to working toward a future for women and children that is free from discrimination and violence.

Rigorous evaluations have shown that harmful attitudes and norms can change in less than three years – this does not have to take generations.

Thank you.

October 3, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : UN Human Rights Council 51 – UK statement following Putin’s annexation of four Ukrainian regions [October 2022]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 3 October 2022.

The UK’s Human Rights Ambassador, Rita French, underlines the UK’s support for Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity in a statement at the UN Human Rights Council.

The Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action stressed the importance of democracy for the enjoyment of human rights. And it states, in the clearest terms, that democracy is based on the freely expressed will of the people to determine their own political, economic, social and cultural systems and their full participation in all aspects of their lives.

Yet what we have seen last week in Ukraine sought to make a mockery of these long-recognised principles. Putin’s sham referenda must be seen for what they are: a desperate attempt to justify an unprovoked and illegal land grab of sovereign Ukrainian territory. A blatant continuation of the Kremlin’s playbook, as seen before in Crimea in 2014. And a clear violation of international law.

This is not democracy, nor the will of the Ukrainian people. This is a farce – carried out with complete disregard for Ukraine’s legal and constitutional framework, and down the barrel of a gun.

Let me be clear: the United Kingdom will never accept the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia as anything other than Ukrainian territory.

Mr President,

The principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, so central to the UN Charter, are principles which all of us have a responsibility to uphold. As the UN Secretary General said last week, Putin’s decision to proceed with the annexation of these regions has no legal value and must be condemned in the strongest terms.

We call on the international community to join us in unequivocally rejecting Russia’s attempts to illegally annex Ukrainian territory, and to restore the ability of all people in Ukraine to express their will in a free and democratic society.

Thank you.

October 3, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : Offenders to face mandatory testing to cut drug-fuelled crime [October 2022]
The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 3 October 2022.
- new enhanced tests will detect more drugs to tackle substance abuse and cut crime
- offenders who fail tests face being recalled to prison
Thousands of offenders will face compulsory drug testing after release from prison to help keep them clean and cut drug-fuelled crime.

From today (3 October 2022), offenders supervised in probation hostels, known as Approved Premises, will be randomly tested for 14 different types of drugs as part of a £1.2 million initiative to reduce reoffending.

Offenders whose drug habits are directly linked to their crimes, such as heroin addicts, will be legally required to take a urine test up to once a week to prevent their addiction from spiralling into further crimes. All other offenders will be tested at least twice whilst being supervised in Approved Premises.

New enhanced tests will also make it easier to spot a range of drugs including heroin, cocaine and synthetic substances like Spice, with around 30,000 tests being carried out each year.

Those who test positive will be required to undergo intensive drug treatment or face being recalled to prison.

These changes were first introduced as a Private Members Bill by Rob Butler MP, who recently became Prisons and Probation Minister.

Rob Butler, Prisons and Probation Minister, said:

I’ve seen first-hand how drug addiction is too often at the heart of criminal activity and I have campaigned to change that.

This mandatory testing will act as a deterrent to anyone tempted to abuse drugs again, help cut crime and make our communities safer.

Illegal drug use costs the taxpayer nearly £22 billion each year, including NHS, prison and police costs. Clamping down on drug use will help break the cycle of crime which addiction causes.

This type of testing has been successfully rolled out in dozens of Approved Premises in England and will now be expanded across the whole estate by spring 2023.

‘Ian’, an offender currently housed in an Approved Premise, said:

Before I got clean from drugs, my life was chaotic, and I would do anything to get my next hit.

Regular testing in Approved Premises will reduce drug deaths and give people something to focus on and work towards.

At first, I was worried about being tested for fear of being recalled to prison but it was an incentive for me to stay clean, rebuild broken trust with family and loved ones and start applying for jobs so I can look for my own place.

The initiative represents one of the largest expansions of drug testing in the Probation Service and supports the government’s wider 10-year Drugs Strategy which is backed by £900 million of extra investment.

As part of this, the government is investing £120 million to roll out three pilot substance misuse problem-solving courts in the community to make offenders face their addictions. The investment will help establish 18 new drug recovery wings ensuring prisoners tackle their addiction head-on or face tough consequences – including further time in jail where necessary.

Approved Premises are used by the Probation Service to closely supervise and support offenders after their release from prison.
October 3, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : Government pays tribute to Nuclear Test Veterans as UK marks 70th anniversary of first weapons test [October 2022]

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 3 October 2022.

Veterans of Britain’s nuclear testing programme have “played a crucial role in keeping Britain and our NATO Allies safe and secure”, Minister of Veterans Affairs James Heappey has said.

His comments come 70 years to the day since Britain first tested an atomic weapon. The veterans who participated in the United Kingdom’s nuclear test programme, known as Op Hurricane, made the UK the third nuclear power and contributed to achieving the ultimate guarantee of UK sovereignty, and continues to keep us safe today.

To further recognise the contribution of veterans of Britain’s nuclear tests, the government is investing £450,000 into projects which will commemorate and build further understanding of the experiences of veterans who were deployed to Australasia. The Government will host an event to recognise the contribution of nuclear test veterans later this year.

Minister for Armed Forces and Veterans James Heappey said:

Veterans who supported the creation of our nuclear deterrent have played a crucial role in keeping Britain and our NATO Allies safe and secure.

Their sacrifice contributed to achieving the ultimate guarantee of UK sovereignty and they forever have this nation’s gratitude.

In the year of the seventieth anniversary of Op Hurricane, I look forward to commemorating the incredible service and efforts of our veterans.

As part of this year’s commemoration, the Office for Veterans’ Affairs will launch a £250,000 oral history project to chronicle the voices and experiences of those who supported the UK’s effort to develop a nuclear deterrent.

The aim of this will be to create a digitised oral record of the experiences of nuclear test veterans which can be preserved for posterity. The project will expand the existing historical records to focus on the lived experience of nuclear test veterans, and can be used for exhibitions and educational resources in the future. Academic and cultural institutions will be able to apply for funding through an open competition to support the oral history project, with funding available from April 2023.

Charities will also be able to bid for a portion of a seperate £200,000 fund, to support activities for nuclear test veterans, and educate the public on the United Kingdom’s nuclear deterrence efforts.

The government sponsored event to mark the 70th anniversary will provide an opportunity to bring together veterans, their families, representative groups and parliamentarians to celebrate the unique and significant contributions of those involved in testing and developing our nuclear deterrent.

The Prime Minister has previously spoken about the importance of recognising the sacrifice made by veterans, including by considering the case for medallic recognition. This case is being actively considered and any decisions will be made public in due course.

October 3, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : Vast former industrial sites set to be one of UK’s largest urban nature reserves [October 2022]
The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 3 October 2022.
The Flashes of Wigan and Leigh set to become one of the biggest urban nature reserves with new declaration

738-hectare green beacon close to major urban areas will provide access to nature for over 300,000 local people

Nationally important habitat will help protect rare willow tits, bitterns and water voles

A former industrial wasteland which is now a nationally important site for rare wildlife such as willow tit and bittern is set to become one of England’s largest urban nature reserves.

The Flashes of Wigan and Leigh – a 738-hectare area of species-rich wetland, meadows and woodlands – will today (3 October) join England’s network of National Nature Reserves.

The designation, which will be the first in the Greater Manchester area, recognises the incredible transformation of the Flashes over the last 100 years. Lakes formed as a result of mining subsidence became home to wildlife like the ‘booming bittern’ as natural recolonisation and large-scale reclamation works healed the scars of industry.

The former industrial landscape is declared not only for its importance in protecting wildlife and natural capital but for its recreational value to the community. It is hoped the site, which is home to a variety of pursuits from fishing to cycling, nature walks and birdwatching, will provide new opportunities for sustainable tourism and visits from local residents and those further afield.

The new protected reserve will create an oasis for nature, with Wigan also now recognised as one of the greenest urban boroughs in the United Kingdom. The mosaic of shallow open water and wetland habitats (swamp, reedbed, tall herb fen, wet marshy grassland and wet woodland) supports a rich diversity of birds and other species. This includes over 52 pairs of willow tit, accounting for approximately 2% of England’s population, as well as the heron-like bittern, water voles and great crested newts.

Natural England Chief Executive, Marian Spain said:

National Nature Reserves help reconnect people with our natural world, providing much needed opportunities to explore our incredible landscape for our health and wellbeing.

A healthy natural environment and economic growth go hand in hand. By working together to build strong partnerships such as those we see here in the Flashes of Wigan and Leigh, we can provide space for rare species and provide vital greenspace. That will make Wigan and Leigh great places to live and great places to do business in, so helping to attract inward investment.

The unique wetlands in Wigan and Leigh were forged by nature reclaiming former industrial land. Today’s designation demonstrates how it is possible to reverse the decline in nature.

Nature underpins the British economy with our natural capital estimated in 2019 to be worth £1.2 trillion. The site will benefit over 300,000 people who live locally to the area, making sure communities and young people have accessible outdoor space for health, recreation, and wellbeing.

Working in partnership with communities has been key to realising this new National Nature Reserve. Declared by Natural England with Wigan Council, Lancashire Wildlife Trust and Forestry England, the NNR brings together a total of 13 sites, including Wigan Flashes, Amberswood, Three Sisters, and Bickershaw Country Park. It also includes Viridor woodland, planted by Forestry England just over 20 years ago.

National Nature Reserves were established to protect some of the most important habitats for vulnerable species, and to provide ‘outdoor laboratories’ for research. They create vital opportunities for the public, schools, and specialist interest groups to experience wildlife first-hand and to learn more about nature conservation .

This year is the 70th anniversary of the creation of England’s first nature reserve – highlighting a long history of restoring nature and helping to bring green space and wildlife to everyone.

There are now 220 National Nature Reserve sites, spanning a total of more than 103,000 hectares. These nature hotspots are key to efforts to restore nature across England, and will play a key role in the nation’s nature recovery network in line with the Government’s key target to halt the decline in wildlife populations by 2030.
October 3, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : COP President Alok Sharma to attend pre-COP negotiations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo ahead of COP27 [October 2022]
The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 2 October 2022.
- The pre-COP meeting in Kinshasa, hosted by the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Egypt, is the final formal multilateral opportunity for ministers to shape climate negotiations ahead of COP27 in November
- The COP President will represent the UK at the meeting to lay the foundations for a successful COP27 in Egypt that strengthens global climate commitments and builds on COP26
- He will also highlight the importance of the Congo Basin rainforest as the Earth’s most efficient carbon sink, as he calls on countries to honour their COP 26 promises to halt and reverse forest loss, whilst supporting sustainable development
COP President Alok Sharma will travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for pre-COP, which runs from 3-5 October. Pre-COP is the annual preparatory meeting ahead of the UN Conference of the Parties (COP). Ahead of COP27 in Egypt, the COP President will continue to work alongside Ministers to build the foundations for successful negotiations at COP27 and progress on adaptation, mitigation, loss and damage and finance.

This year’s pre-COP is being held in Kinshasa, the first time in six years that the event has been held in Africa. The DRC is home to the largest proportion of the Congo Basin forest, which is the world’s second largest tropical rainforest region and part of the solution to climate change.

At COP26 in Glasgow, former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, US President Joe Biden, President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and President Ali Bongo Ondimba of Gabon announced a donor pledge from 12 donors of $1.5 billion for the Congo Basin forests over 2021-25. Whilst in Kinshasa, the COP President will give an update on the progress of the pledge, ahead of its formal reporting on the Pledge at COP27.

This pledge will protect and maintain the Congo Basin forests, peatlands and other critical global carbon stores whilst meeting local sustainable economic development needs.

The COP26 Presidency recently invited world leaders to come together at COP27 to establish the Forests & Climate Leaders Partnership. This new Partnership will accelerate implementation of the unprecedented commitment made at COP26 by more than 140 countries to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation, while delivering sustainable development and promoting an inclusive rural transformation.

Pre-COP will be the last time that ministers collectively gather ahead of COP27.

COP President Alok Sharma said:

“With just over a month to go until COP27, discussions here in the DRC take on an ever greater urgency.

“As the impacts of climate change become more extreme, the focus must remain on implementation and action – driving progress on what was collectively agreed in Glasgow. And we should be clear: the Glasgow Climate Pact and Paris Agreement must be the baseline of our ambition.

“Our hosts the DRC are the primary stewards of the second largest forest in the world. Forests are the lungs of our planet, absorbing one third of the CO2 which fossil fuel burning releases every year.

“COP26 laid the groundwork for more ambitious action, with more than 140 leaders committing to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030. COP27 must be a moment for delivering on these commitments made to protect and restore forests.”
October 3, 2022
PRESS RELEASE : Red tape cut for thousands of growing businesses [October 2022]
The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 2 October 2022.
- more businesses to be categorised as small businesses, meaning less red tape
- move will potentially exempt tens of thousands of the UK’s growing businesses from relevant future regulations, saving them thousands of pounds
- start of a sweeping package of reforms to cut red tape for business and stimulate growth
Thousands of the UK’s fastest-growing businesses will be released from reporting requirements and other regulations in the future, as part of plans aimed at boosting productivity and supercharging growth, Prime Minister Liz Truss announced earlier today (Sunday 2 October).

Currently, small businesses are presumed to be exempt from certain regulations. However, many medium sized businesses – those with between 50 and 249 employees – still report that they are spending over 22 staff days per month on average dealing with regulation, and over half of all businesses consider regulation to be a burden to their operation.

The Prime Minister has announced plans to widen these exemptions to businesses with fewer than 500 employees for future and reviewed regulations, meaning an additional 40,000 businesses will be freed from future bureaucracy and the accompanying paperwork that is expensive and burdensome for all but the largest firms.

The exemption will be applied in a proportionate way to ensure workers’ rights and other standards will be protected, while at the same time reducing the burden for growing businesses.

Regulatory exemptions are often granted for SMEs, which the EU defines at below 250 employees. However, we are free to take our own approach and exempt more businesses to those with under 500 employees. We will also be able to apply this to retained EU law currently under review, which we would not have been able to do without our exit from the EU.

The changed threshold will apply from tomorrow (Monday 3 October) to all new regulations under development as well as those under current and future review, including retained EU laws. The government will also look at plans to consult in the future on potentially extending the threshold to businesses with 1,000 employees, once the impact on the current extension is known.

This is the first step in a package of reforms to ensure UK business regulation works for the UK economy. The reforms will harness the freedoms the UK has since leaving the EU to remove bureaucratic and burdensome regulations on businesses, while streamlining and making it easier for them to comply with existing rules, ultimately saving them valuable time and money.
October 3, 2022