UKPOL.CO.UK

Category: Press Releases

  • PRESS RELEASE : Minimum income – more effective support needed to fight poverty and promote employment [September 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Minimum income – more effective support needed to fight poverty and promote employment [September 2022]

    The press release issued by the European Commission on 28 September 2022.

    Today, the Commission calls on Member States to modernise their minimum income schemes as part of the ongoing pledge to reduce poverty and social exclusion in Europe. The proposed Council Recommendation on adequate minimum income ensuring active inclusion sets out how Member States can modernise their minimum income schemes to make them more effective, lifting people out of poverty, while promoting the labour market integration of those who can work.

    Minimum income is cash payments that help households who need it to bridge the gap to a certain income level to pay the bills and live a life in dignity. They are particularly important in times of economic downturns, helping to cushion drops in household income for people most in need, thereby contributing to sustainable and inclusive growth. They are generally complemented with in-kind benefits giving access to services and targeted incentives to access the labour market. In this way, minimum income schemes are not a passive tool but act as a springboard to improve inclusion and employment prospects. Well-designed minimum income schemes strike a balance between alleviating poverty, incentivising work and maintaining sustainable budgetary costs.

    Minimum income and social safety nets must incorporate sufficient incentives and support for beneficiaries who can work to reintegrate in the labour market. Their design should therefore also help to fully realise the potential of the green and digital transitions by supporting labour market transitions and active participation of disadvantaged people.

    The social and economic advantages of adequate and targeted social safety nets became even more important during the lockdowns linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. Adequate minimum income is highly relevant in the current context of rising energy prices and inflation following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as income measures can be targeted to specifically benefit vulnerable groups.

    The proposal will help achieve the EU’s 2030 social targets to reduce the number of people at risk of poverty of exclusion by at least 15 million people as set in the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan. It will also help Member States reach the goal that at least 78% of the population aged 20 to 64 should be in employment.

    Executive Vice-President for an Economy that Works for People, Valdis Dombrovskis, said: “Social protection systems help to reduce social inequalities and differences. They ensure a dignified life for those who cannot work – and for those who can, encourage them back to a job. At a time when many people are struggling to make ends meet, it will be important this autumn for Member States to modernise their social safety nets with an active inclusion approach to help those most in need. This is how we can fight poverty and social exclusion, and help more people into work during this challenging period.”

    Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Nicolas Schmit, said: “Today, more than one in five people in the EU are at risk of poverty and social exclusion. Minimum income schemes exist in all Member States, but analysis shows that they are not always adequate, reach all those in need, or motivate people to return to the labour market. Against a backdrop of soaring living costs and uncertainty, we must ensure our safety nets are up to the task. We should pay particular attention to getting young people back into work also through income support, so they do not get trapped in a vicious cycle of exclusion.”

    Well-designed social safety nets to help people in need

    While minimum income exists in all Member States, their adequacy, reach, and effectiveness in supporting people vary significantly.

    Today’s proposal for a Council Recommendation offers clear guidance to Member States on how to ensure that their minimum income schemes are effective in fighting poverty and promoting active inclusion in society and labour markets.

    Member States are recommended to:

    • Improve the adequacy of income support:
    • Set the level of level of income support through a transparent and robust methodology.
    • While safeguarding incentives to work, ensure income support gradually reflects a range of adequacy criteria. Member States should achieve the adequate level of income support by the end of 2030 at the latest, while safeguarding the sustainability of public finances.
    • Annually review and adjust where necessary the level of income support.
    • Improve the coverage and take-up of minimum income:
    • Eligibility criteria should be transparent and non-discriminatory. For instance, to promote gender equality and economic independence, especially for women and young adults, Member States should facilitate the receipt of income support per person, instead of per household, without necessarily increasing the overall level of benefits per household. In addition, further measures are needed to ensure the take-up of minimum income by single-parent households, predominantly headed by women.
    • Application procedures should be accessible, simplified and accompanied by user-friendly information.
    • The decision on a minimum income application should be issued within 30 days from its submission, with the possibility of reviewing this decision.
    • Minimum income schemes should be responsive to socio-economic crises, for instance by introducing additional flexibility regarding eligibility.
    • Improve access to inclusive labour markets:
    • Activation measures should provide sufficient incentives to (re)enter the labour market, with particular attention to helping young adults.
    • Minimum income schemes should help people to find a job and keep it, for instance through inclusive education and training as well as (post)placement and mentoring support.
    • It should be possible to combine income support with earnings from work for shorter periods, for instance during probation or traineeships.
    • Improve access to enabling and essential services:
    • Beneficiaries should have effective access to quality enabling services, such as (health)care, training and education. Social inclusion services like counselling and coaching should be available to those in need.
    •  In addition, beneficiaries should have continuous effective access to essential services, such as energy.
    • Promote individualised support:
    • Member States should carry-out an individual, multi-dimensional needs assessment to identify barriers that beneficiaries face for social inclusion and/or employment and the support needed to tackle them.
    • On this basis, no later than three months from accessing minimum income, beneficiaries should receive an inclusion plan defining joint objectives, a timeline and a tailored support package to reach this.
    • Increase the effectiveness of governance of social safety nets at EU, national, regional and local level, as well as monitoring and reporting mechanisms.

    EU funding is available to support Member States in improving their minimum income schemes and social infrastructure through reforms and investments.

    Better impact assessments for fair policies

    Today, the Commission also presents a Communication on better assessing the distributional impact of Member States’ reforms. It offers guidance on how to better target policies in a transparent way, making sure that they contribute to addressing existing inequalities and taking into account the impact on different geographical areas and population groups, like women, children and low-income households. The Communication covers guidance on the policy areas, tools, indicators, timing, data and dissemination of the assessment. The guidance presented today is also relevant for Member States when designing their minimum income schemes.

    Next steps

    The Commission proposal for a Council Recommendation on adequate minimum income ensuring active inclusion will be discussed by Member States with a view to adoption by the Council. Once adopted, Member States should report to the Commission every three years on their progress on implementation. The Commission will also monitor progress in implementing this Recommendation in the context of the European Semester. The proposed instrument – a Council Recommendation – gives Member States enough leeway to determine how to best achieve the objectives of this initiative, taking into account their specific circumstances.

    Background

    Over one in five persons – or 94.5 million people in total – were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the EU in 2021. Social safety nets play a key role in supporting these people and helping them to (re)enter the labour market if they can. However, more effective social protection systems are needed, with around 20% of jobless people at risk of poverty not being eligible to receive any income support and estimates of around 30% to 50% of the eligible population not taking up minimum income support.

    The European Pillar of Social Rights includes principle 14 on the right to adequate minimum income. To promote social inclusion and employment and ensure that no one is left behind, the Commission has presented many additional initiatives, which complement today’s proposal. This includes the proposal for a Directive on adequate minimum wages to ensure that work pays for a decent living; the European Child Guarantee to give children free and effective access to key services; and the European Care Strategy to improve the situation especially of women and people in the care sector. The Commission Recommendation for Effective Active Support to Employment (EASE) offers guidance on active labour market policies, including upskilling and reskilling. The Council Recommendation on ensuring a fair transition towards climate neutrality, sets out specific guidance to implement policies for a fair transition, with particular attention to vulnerable households. Finally, the Commission proposal for a Regulation on an emergency intervention to address high energy prices seeks to address the dramatic energy price increases by reducing consumption and sharing the exceptional profits of energy producers with those who need help the most.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Almost 6 million £150 Cost of Living Payments processed for disabled people [September 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Almost 6 million £150 Cost of Living Payments processed for disabled people [September 2022]

    The press release issued by the Department for Work and Pensions on 30 September 2022.

    This follows the government’s announcement on 20 September that those who had confirmed payment of their disability benefit for 25 May will receive the £150 automatically, with the vast majority to be paid by early October.

    The vast majority of eligible claimants who were due to receive the one-off £150 payment from the DWP by early October have now had their payment processed.

    The payment will help disabled people with the rising cost of living, acknowledging the higher costs they often face, such as for care and mobility needs.

    There will be some cases – such as those who gained entitlement to this payment at a later date or where payments were rejected due to invalid account details – who will not be paid by the beginning of October. These will be paid automatically as soon as possible.

    The £150 cost of living payments for disabled people from the government are part of a £37 billion package of support, which will see millions of low income households receive at least £1,200 this year to help cover rising costs.

    This also follows the Prime Minister’s announcement of a new Energy Price Guarantee for the next two winters, saving households on average £1,000 a year on their energy bills.

    Further information

    • The Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) will apply from 1 October and will discount the unit cost for gas and electricity use. This guarantee, which includes the temporary suspension of green levies, means that from 1 October a typical household will pay no more than £2,500 per year for each of the next two years. This is in addition to the £400 Energy Bill Support Scheme.
    • On top of the EPG and £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment, there is an extra £150 for properties in Council Tax bands A-D in England. On top of this, disabled people on low incomes may also be eligible for the other Cost of Living payments totalling up to £650 – households in receipt of a means-tested benefit received the first of the two automatic Cost of Living payments of £326 from 14 July. The second means-tested payment of £324 will be issued later this year.

    Eligibility

    • Those who receive the following disability benefits may be eligible for the one-off payment of £150 in September: Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, Attendance Allowance, Scottish Disability Benefits (Adult Disability Payment and Child Disability Payment), Armed Forces Independence Payment, Constant Attendance Allowance and War Pension Mobility Supplement.
    • The majority of those who had confirmed payment of their disability benefit for 25 May have now been paid. For those who have still to be paid, are awaiting confirmation of their disability benefits on 25 May, or who are waiting to be assessed for eligibility to receive disability benefits, the process may take longer but payments will still be automatic.
    • You must have received a payment (or later receive a payment) of one of the qualifying benefits for 25 May 2022 to get the payment.
  • PRESS RELEASE : Sanctions in response to Putin’s illegal annexation of Ukrainian regions [September 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Sanctions in response to Putin’s illegal annexation of Ukrainian regions [September 2022]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 30 September 2022.

    • today Putin has announced the illegal annexation of the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia following sham referendums
    • under new sanctions Russia will lose access to major western services that Russia depends on, including: IT consultancy, architectural services, engineering services, and transactional legal advisory services for certain commercial activity
    • UK also bans the export of nearly 700 goods that are crucial to Russia’s industrial and technological capabilities
    • the Foreign Secretary has summoned the Russian Ambassador, Andrey Kelin, to protest in the strongest terms against the illegal annexation of sovereign Ukrainian territory

    New services and goods export bans, targeted at vulnerable sectors of the Russian economy, have been announced by the Foreign Secretary today (30 September) in response to Russia declaring the illegal annexation of 4 regions of Ukraine – violating their territorial integrity and political independence.

    Russian-installed officials in 4 temporarily-controlled regions of Ukraine have conducted sham referendums in an attempt to justify their illegal seizure of Ukrainian land. The Russian regime has now announced the illegal annexation of these regions against the will of the Ukrainian people and in flagrant breach of international law.

    The UK is moving in lockstep with international partners to target key sectors of the Russian economy. The new measures will ramp up economic pressure on the Russian regime by targeting vulnerabilities and disrupting crucial supply chains.

    Russia imports 67% of its services from sanctioning countries. Building on previous action, the UK will prevent Russian access to:

    • IT consultancy services
    • architectural services
    • engineering services
    • advertising services
    • transactional legal advisory services
    • auditing services

    The UK has also sanctioned Elvira Nabiullina, the Governor of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation. In her role, Nabiullina has been instrumental in steering the Russian economy through the Russian regime’s illegal war against Ukraine and extending the ruble into the Ukrainian territories that are temporarily controlled by Russia. Nabiullina has been sanctioned and is personally subject to an asset freeze and travel ban.

    The Foreign Secretary has instructed that the Russian Ambassador, Andrey Kelin, be summoned to the department, to protest in the strongest terms against the illegal annexation of sovereign Ukrainian territory.

    Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said:

    The UK utterly condemns Putin’s announcement of the illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory. We will never recognise the results of these sham referendums or any annexation of Ukrainian territory.

    The Russian regime must be held to account for this abhorrent violation of international law. That’s why we are working with our international partners to ramp up the economic pressure through new targeted services bans.

    What happens in Ukraine matters to us all, and the UK will do everything possible to assist their fight for freedom.

    Russia is highly dependent on Western countries for legal services with 85% of all legal services being imported from G7 countries – given London is an international legal centre, the UK accounts for 59% of these imports. The new legal advisory measures will cover certain commercial and transactional services and hamper Russia’s businesses’ ability to operate internationally.

    IT consultancy services will also be banned, including designing IT systems and software applications. Alongside the UK’s previous ban on quantum computing exports and computing services, and with over 170,000 IT specialists fleeing Russia since the invasion began, these measures will erode further Russia’s ability to maintain technological development with the rest of the world.

    The UK is also working with international partners to cut off Russia from our engineering services and architectural services. Russia imports 77% of these services from the G7 and today’s measures will severely debilitate the future growth of Russia’s key industries.

    These measures will also prohibit Russia’s access to other world-class professional services, including auditing and advertising services. With estimates suggesting that 80% of Russian imports in accounting, audit, bookkeeping and tax consultancy come from the UK, EU and US, these measures will further disrupt and degrade the capability of Russian businesses to keep pace in the international market.

    The export of almost 700 goods from the UK to Russia are also being banned. The list includes hundreds of goods that are critical for production in Russia’s manufacturing sector, with imports from the UK totalling over £200 million last year. In total, £19 billion worth of UK-Russia trade has been wholly or partially sanctioned, based on 2021 trade flows.

    Finally, the UK will suspend the process by which actions taken to manage the orderly failure of Russian banks are recognised under the laws of the United Kingdom, in cases where the bank is a sanctioned entity. This will prevent those Russian actions from taking legal effect in the UK and potentially providing economic benefit to the Russian state.

    Alongside today’s measures, the UK continues to work with the G7 to finalise and implement the proposed price cap on Russian oil.

    Many businesses have already taken significant steps in condemnation of the Russian regime’s illegal invasion – 75% of foreign companies have responded to the invasion with 25% having fully withdrawn – a clear marker of international condemnation.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Defence Secretary meets Ukrainian counterpart in Kyiv [September 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Defence Secretary meets Ukrainian counterpart in Kyiv [September 2022]

    The press release issued by the Ministry of Defence on 30 September 2022.

    Defence Secretary Ben Wallace travelled to Ukraine this week for high level talks with his counterpart about the UK’s continued support amid Russia’s brutal invasion.

    The Defence Secretary met with Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov to discuss the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s ongoing offensive to recapture and liberate territory seized in Putin’s illegal war.

    They spoke about how UK equipment has been brought to bear on the battlefield, along with the effectiveness of soldiers trained by the UK and other partners.

    The pair also talked about the next steps in the war as Ukraine battles to free itself from Russia’s occupation, and what further support the UK can provide.

    Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:

    I was delighted to have visited my good friend Oleksii Reznikov in Kyiv this week to discuss more military aid and help to Ukraine.

    Our support to their fight against Russian aggression goes from strength to strength and will continue all through 2023 and beyond.

    The visit came in the same week as Russia orchestrated sham referenda in the Ukrainian regions of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Donetsk ahead of a plan to illegally annex them, while the Ukrainian offensive continues to take back territory in the north-east of the country.

    The UK is one of the leading donors of military aid to Ukraine, committing £2.3 billion in 2022 – second only to the US – and the PM last week announced that this amount would be matched or exceeded in 2023.

    Just weeks before the Defence Secretary’s visit, the UK committed to donating more than 120 logistics vehicles in the latest tranche of gifted military equipment.

    The UK has also trained more than 27,000 members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine since 2015, including thousands of new recruits in the UK this year, with help from allies and partners.

    The training teaches troops key skills such as weapons handling, first aid, fieldcraft, patrol tactics, vehicle-mounted operations and trench and urban warfare, which will give them a crucial edge on the battlefield.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Over 500 criminals and immigration offenders removed [September 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Over 500 criminals and immigration offenders removed [September 2022]

    The press release issued by the Home Office on 30 September 2022.

    More than 500 foreign criminals and immigration offenders have been removed from the UK by the Home Office during September.

    In total, 533 people were returned, including 105 to Albania on 3 dedicated charter flights and scheduled flights this month.

    The Home Office also returned 26 Romanian nationals and 9 individuals to Zimbabwe on separate charter flights.

    The foreign national offenders removed had received combined prison sentences of more than 337 years and were convicted of crimes including sexual and violent offences, supplying Class A drugs and facilitating illegal entry to the UK.

    More than 300 people who had no right to remain in the UK, including 3 Albanian nationals who entered the UK illegally – 1 via small boat and 2 through other clandestine means – have also been removed.

    Home Secretary, Suella Braverman said:

    We are taking a zero-tolerance approach to anyone who comes to the UK and breaks our laws.

    Returning such a high number of dangerous criminals sends a clear message that they are not welcome here.

    We are also clamping down on those who come here illegally, and I am exploring every avenue to accelerate their removal.

    Since signing our returns agreement with Albania in 2021, we have removed over 1,000 Albanian criminals and immigration offenders, including some who crossed the Channel illegally to come to the UK.

    To date this year, the UK has removed 8,175 people via enforced, voluntary and other return types, including 2,250 foreign national offenders.

    The Nationality and Borders Act will further deter illegal entry into the UK, breaking the business model of people-smuggling networks and speeding up the removal of those with no right to be in the UK.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Welsh Secretary sees community renewal projects in Torfaen [September 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Welsh Secretary sees community renewal projects in Torfaen [September 2022]

    The press release issued by the Welsh Office on 30 September 2022.

    Secretary of State for Wales Robert Buckland has viewed two community projects in Torfaen which are receiving UK Government funding to increase the amount of locally-produced food and combat food poverty.

    The Welsh Secretary was in Cwmbran on Wednesday 28 September to see how £618,403 allocated to the Food4Growth initiative under the UK Government’s Community Renewal Fund, was being used in the community.

    The launch of the Community Renewal Fund in Autumn 2021 saw £46m granted to 160 projects across Wales, including £3.8m allocated to seven different local initiatives in Torfaen, including Food4Growth.

    On Wednesday, Robert Buckland visited two of Food4Growth’s projects – radio station Able Radio which has opened a community food shop and food distribution scheme Tasty Not Wasty.

    Secretary of State for Wales Robert Buckland said:

    It was fantastic to be in Cwmbran to see how the injection of funding we made a few short months ago is doing good in our communities.

    We want to unlock the potential of all our local areas and target significant funding to places that need it and where it can make a real difference to people’s lives.

    Councillor Joanne Gauden, Executive Member for Skills and Regeneration, said:

    We were thrilled that the Secretary of State for Wales came to visit two projects in Torfaen.

    We are really proud of these projects. They have worked so hard to get these projects off the ground and are dedicated to helping the community.

    The costs of living crisis really is being felt by all, so it’s lovely to see projects like this helping people. It would be wonderful to see more projects like these in Torfaen.

    Shaun O’Dwyer- Managing Director, Able Radio, said:

    The Food4Growth grant has allowed Able to provide suitable opportunities for those we support.

    Importantly it has allowed Able to redevelop our site and install poly tunnels, a sustainABLE shop that operates a pay as you feel model.

    Supporting the community is an important objective for Able, the engagement opportunities and relationships fostered from this funding has created strong network in Torfaen, allowing communities to access fresh, sustainable produce whilst recognising the abilities and strengths of the people with learning disabilities we support.

    Sabrina Cresswell, Director, Tasty Not Wasty, said:

    With support from the Food4Growth project we are now able to increase usage and train local volunteers. It has enabled us to provide healthy food at a lower cost whilst helping to reduce food waste and bring the community together.

    Last year UK Government launched three new funds including the Levelling Up Fund which saw £121m allocated to 10 major projects in Wales and the Community Renewal Fund which saw £46m allocated to 160 new programmes in Wales that invest in people, boost skills and support local business.

    The £200 million UK-wide funding through the Community Renewal Fund will help local areas prepare for the launch of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the scheme that will see UK-wide funding at least match EU money, reaching around £1.5 billion a year.

    Food4Growth is a cooperation project between Torfaen, Caerphilly and Monmouthshire with the aim to find new ways to help develop food supply chains and create a whole system approach

    With a huge rise in numbers of people in food poverty the project also launched a Community Food Scheme, where third sector organisations, community groups or public sector services were encouraged to apply for a grant to help create sustainable solutions to food poverty.

    The Food4Growth project is funded by the UK Government through the UK Community Renewal Fund.

  • PRESS RELEASE : North Korea ballistic missile launch – FCDO statement [September 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : North Korea ballistic missile launch – FCDO statement [September 2022]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 30 September 2022.

    A Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office spokesperson said:

    The UK is deeply concerned by North Korea’s decision to carry out further ballistic missile tests on 29 September in violation of UN Security Council Resolutions.

    We urge North Korea to refrain from provocations and take concrete steps towards complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation. Alongside our allies and partners, the UK is committed to peace on the Korean Peninsula, upholding the rules-based international system and securing an end to North Korea’s unlawful activities. We strongly encourage North Korea to return to dialogue with the US.

  • PRESS RELEASE : British airman laid to rest 78 years after fatal flight [September 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : British airman laid to rest 78 years after fatal flight [September 2022]

    The press release issued by the Ministry of Defence on 30 September 2022.

    Brydie Hurrell from outside Melbourne and other family members attended the service for for RAF pilot Flight Sergeant (Flt Sgt) William Robert Stephen Hurrell, at Jonkerbos War Cemetery on Thursday 29 September. Also there were representatives of the RAF, the British Embassy in the Netherlands, and dignitaries from the municipality of Lochem. Members of the RAF’s Queen’s Colour Squadron (QCS) bore his coffin.

    The ceremony was led by Rev. (Squadron Leader) Josephine Critchley, Chaplain at RAF Honington, and organised by the MOD’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC), also known as the ‘MOD War Detectives’.

    The remains of Flt Sgt Hurrell were discovered in 2019 after an excavation of an aircraft by the Joint Aircraft Recovery Team of the Netherlands MoD on farmland near the village of Eefde in the municipality of Lochem, as part of the Netherlands WWII National Aircraft Recovery Program, of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

    Working alongside the Recovery and Identification Unit of the Royal Netherlands Army and The RAF Air Historical Branch, JCCC reviewed documents confirming the plane recovered was from a Typhoon MN582 of No. 175 Squadron RAF which crashed on 26 September 1944. Flt Sgt Hurrell was flying in a formation of six aircraft on an armed reconnaissance north of Arnhem when they were attacked by up to 60 enemy ME109’s.

    Tracey Bowers, JCCC said:

    It has been an absolute privilege to arrange this ceremony for Flt Sgt William Hurrell and I am grateful for the help given by the community of Lochem. I am honoured to stand alongside his military and blood family to pay him this final tribute.

    William Robert Stephen Hurrell was born on 1 May 1923 in London to Sydney and Daisy Hurrell. His enlistment service records from March 1941 state his religious denomination as “C of E” and show he lived in the East Ham area of London. Prior to his RAF career he was an apprentice fitter and turner. After joining the RAF, he served in India and America before receiving his pilot’s wings in 1942. He was promoted to Flt Sgt a year later.

    Brydie, Flt Sgt Hurrell’s great niece, said it was important she travelled to the Netherlands:

    We grew up knowing that Bill was shot down at the end of the war and that his parents had never found him. We knew he was in the Netherlands – we just weren’t sure where exactly. When we heard about the salvage project we were over the moon. Representing the rest of my family back home means a lot. Bill’s parents and his brother, my grandfather, died never knowing where he was , but we know have closure for them and for ourselves.

    The ceremony included poems and readings by serving RAF personnel, family, and dignitaries from Lochem; a town instrumental in the recovery of Flt Sgt Hurrell’s remains.

    Rev.Critchley, said:

    As we have committed Bill’s body to the ground, we go from here knowing that his selfless actions ensured the security of so many; as he laid down his life, we are assured that he rests in God’s loving presence and is at peace.

    Director for the Central and Southern European Area at the CWGC, Geert Bekaert, said:

    We are privileged to host this ceremony today, dedicated to Flt Sgt Hurrell and the ultimate sacrifice he paid fighting for his country 78 years ago. It is our honour to commemorate him and care for his grave in perpetuity.

     

  • PRESS RELEASE : Readout of the Prime Minister and Chancellor’s meeting with the OBR [September 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Readout of the Prime Minister and Chancellor’s meeting with the OBR [September 2022]

    The press release issued by the Treasury on 30 September 2022.

    • This morning the Prime Minister Liz Truss and Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng met with the OBR’s Budget Responsibility Committee, including the Chair Richard Hughes, at No10 Downing Street.
    • They discussed the process for the upcoming economic and fiscal forecast, which will be published on 23 November, and the economic and fiscal outlook.
    • They agreed, as is usual, to work closely together throughout the forecast process and beyond.
    • The Prime Minister and Chancellor reaffirmed their commitment to the independent OBR and made clear that they value its scrutiny.
  • PRESS RELEASE : UK strongly condemns all attacks on journalists and media workers – UK statement to the OSCE

    PRESS RELEASE : UK strongly condemns all attacks on journalists and media workers – UK statement to the OSCE

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 30 September 2022.

    Ms Saffienne Vincent-Neal highlights at OSCE’s Human Dimension Conference that independent media and journalists are essential to keep governments accountable.

    Mr Chair, strong, independent media and journalists are part of the bedrock of democratic societies and are essential to hold governments to account. We support the vital work of ODIHR and the Representative on Freedom of the Media as an early warning mechanism when fundamental freedoms are challenged.

    In times of war, the media’s role in providing timely and accurate information is even more important. As Ukraine liberates more territory, journalists expose the atrocities caused by Russia’s military aggression.

    We are appalled by the findings of the Moscow Mechanism reports on Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. Journalists have been subjected to unlawful detentions, abductions, enforced disappearances and torture. At least 15 killed so far; with reports that hundreds more have been shelled, shot, or detained. In the parts of Ukraine temporarily controlled by Russia, the information space has been severely restricted. We share the condemnation by the UN and other international organisations of the cyber-attacks on Ukraine’s media and internet infrastructure.

    The Moscow Mechanism report on Russia’s internal repression exposes a systemic and repressive war against the freedom of the Russian people. Propaganda, repressive legislation, and violence have created a climate of fear and intimidation. From 1992-2021 reportedly at least 58 journalists were killed in Russia for their work.

    Since February, legislation has suppressed freedom to express dissent and criminalised the “discrediting” of Russia’s Armed Forces. How is this legislation and practice compatible with the human dimension obligations that Russia freely signed up to as an OSCE founding member? And, what message does this send? Be quiet or be persecuted.

    As we have seen, most independent journalists and media outlets have left Russia or closed. The Russian government is isolating the Russian people from credible information, from the world outside of Russia’s borders. Those reporting accurately on Ukraine, face jail, including dual British-Russian national Vladimir Kara-Murza. As the Moscow Mechanism report clearly says, “this is military censorship”. We remind the Russian Government of the Milan Decision on Safety of Journalists in 2018, and urge them to comply with the 1991 Moscow Declaration which stressed the importance of protecting vulnerable groups in armed conflict, including journalists.

    And we call for accountability – for Ukrainians persecuted in occupied territories and for Russians seeking simply to be able to tell the truth.