Category: Press Releases

PRESS RELEASE : Russia must end the unlawful detention of our OSCE colleagues in Ukraine: UK statement to OSCE [May 2024]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 9 May 2024.

Ambassador Holland calls on Russia to release members of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission who have been unlawfully detained in Ukraine for more than two years.

Thank you, Madam Chair. It is with regret that we feel compelled, once again, to raise the cases of Vadym Golda, Maxim Petrov, and Dmytro Shabanov. All three are members of the Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (SMM) and have been unlawfully deprived of their liberty for more than two years by the Russian Federation and its proxies in Ukraine.

The SMM was established in 2014 through a decision of this body. Its mandate was agreed by all participating States, including Russia. For eight years the SMM, through its monitoring and reporting, acted as the eyes and ears of the international community, giving us much needed insight on the security situation in Ukraine.

In the years leading to Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion, independent and objective reporting of the SMM – which was provided equally to all participating States – was of significant value. It observed that an overwhelming majority of ceasefire violations took place in non-government-controlled areas of Ukraine. It observed advanced weaponry in these areas, weaponry that we know could only have been supplied by Russia. And it observed no unusual military build-up on the Ukrainian government-controlled side of the Line of Contact, demonstrating that Russia’s claims of a Ukrainian threat to the Donbas region were a fabricated pretext for Russia’s aggression.

So, you can see why Russia feared the impartial and fact-based reporting of the SMM. The truth was an inconvenience.

So, over several years, Russia picked away at the ability of the SMM to operate; critically undermining the Mission’s freedom of movement and levelling unjustified criticisms. Ultimately Russia was able to close down the SMM by blocking consensus on the extension of their mandate in the same way that it had closed down the Border Observation Mission.

Madam Chair, my government has previously put on record our sincere gratitude to the brave women and men of the SMM in Ukraine. They performed their OSCE-mandated roles with integrity and professionalism. They did so despite the risks to their safety, a risk underlined by the tragic loss of our two late colleagues: Joseph Stone and Marina Fenina. We should all be proud of them.

What none of us imagined was that our colleagues faced the risk of unlawful detention by the very people who asked them to do this difficult and dangerous job. Russia signed the SMM mandate, contributed to its operating costs and then betrayed their – and our – colleagues. It is truly shocking. The suffering that they and their loved ones are enduring remains a constant concern to us.

Russia’s actions fit a pattern, one that was set out very clearly in the report by the latest Moscow Mechanism expert mission. This found that: Russia had detained thousands of Ukrainian civilians, cutting them off from access to, or communication with, their loved ones; detainees were often subjected to torture and other ill treatment; and, the Russian authorities were restricting access to lawyers and denying fair trials.

As the expert mission noted “The continued detention of staff members of the OSCE SMM is incompatible with OSCE commitments”.

Madam Chair, we continue to call on Russia to end its unlawful detention of our colleagues and all Ukrainian citizens it has illegally detained. Thank you.

May 11, 2024
PRESS RELEASE : Secretary of State visits Air Ambulance NI operational base [May 2024]

The press release issued by the Department of Northern Ireland on 9 May 2024.

The visit highlighted the crucial work the Air Ambulance carry out and how the UK Government can continue to support the charity.

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Chris Heaton-Harris, has visited the Air Ambulance site in Lisburn to show the UK Government’s continuing support to this vital service.

Along with touring the base, the Secretary of State met some of the HEMs crew members and was able to hear how the service has impacted the lives of local people and the generosity that keeps the charity going.

The Air Ambulance works in partnership with Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) to provide the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) for the region.

The Secretary of State also heard how on average, every single day in Northern Ireland, two individuals find themselves in critical need of Air Ambulance Northern Ireland.

Secretary of State Chis Heaton-Harris said:

It has been a real privilege to visit the Air Ambulance site today and hear about the amazing work that is ongoing to help people all across Northern Ireland.

Over 4,000 people have benefited from this service since it started in 2017, and that is thanks to the generosity and kindness of those who fundraise and donate.

As the prime minister said during his trip here a few months ago, Northern Ireland faces a brighter future and today’s visit highlights the vital work that can be done when people work together.

Ian Crowe, Joint Vice-Chair of Air Ambulance Northern Ireland

Together with our Partners Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, we are delighted to welcome the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to our operational base.

It is only with continued support of our donors that we can continue to be there for every patient that needs the service.

May 11, 2024

PRESS RELEASE : Change of His Majesty’s Ambassador to Paraguay – Ms Danielle Dunne [May 2024]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 9 May 2024.

Ms Danielle Dunne has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Republic of Paraguay in succession to Mr Ramin Navai who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment. Ms Dunne will take up her appointment during January 2025.

CURRICULUM VITAE

Full name: Danielle Dunne

Date	Role
2021 to present	Abuja, Head of Counter-Terrorism Network West Africa & Sahel
2017 to 2021	FCDO (formerly Department for International Development), Head of Evaluation Unit
2016 to 2017	DFID, Senior Evaluation Adviser
2015 to 2016	DFID, Evaluation Adviser on Methods
2013 to 2015	DFID, Evaluation Adviser for Afghanistan and Pakistan
2012 to 2013	Office of Security and Counter-Terrorism, Senior Researcher Officer
2009 to 2012	National Policing Improvement Agency, Research Officer
2005 to 2009	Queen Mary’s University, Research Associate

May 11, 2024

PRESS RELEASE : Prime Minister to call on university leaders to protect Jewish students [May 2024]
The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 9 May 2024.

Vice Chancellors from some of the country’s leading universities will join forces with the government today (9 May) to discuss actions to address the rise in antisemitic abuse on campus and disruption to students’ learning.
- Vice Chancellors from some of the country’s leading universities will meet in No10 on Thursday to discuss efforts to tackle antisemitism on campus.
- £500,000 funding boost for the University Jewish Chaplaincy Service to provide welfare services to Jewish students.
- Meeting comes amidst violent protests on campuses in the USA and escalating antisemitic abuse towards Jewish students in the UK.
Vice Chancellors from some of the country’s leading universities will join forces with the government today (9 May) to discuss actions to address the rise in antisemitic abuse on campus and disruption to students’ learning.

The Prime Minister, Education Secretary, Communities Secretary and Security Minister will call on university leaders to ensure a zero-tolerance approach to antisemitic abuse is adopted on all campuses.

The government has made clear that debate and the open exchange of views in universities is essential, but that this can never tip over into hate speech, harassment or incitement of violence.

The meeting will also help to inform upcoming government guidance on combatting antisemitism on campus. Meanwhile, the Office for Students (OfS) has committed to publishing the response to its consultation on a new condition of registration, which could give OfS the power to impose sanctions where there is clear evidence that universities are failing to take sufficient or appropriate action to tackle harassment, including antisemitic abuse.

In the Autumn Statement, the Chancellor announced £7 million of extra support to tackle antisemitic abuse in educational settings. £500,000 of this will be dedicated to supporting the work of the University Jewish Chaplaincy, boosting support for Jewish students on campus.

The University Jewish Chaplaincy helps students deal with incidents of antisemitism and intimidation and currently supports over 8,500 students at over 100 universities in 13 regions.

Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, said:

Universities should be places of rigorous debate but also bastions of tolerance and respect for every member of their community.

A vocal minority on our campuses are disrupting the lives and studies of their fellow students and, in some cases, propagating outright harassment and antisemitic abuse. That has to stop.

Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan, said:

I have made it absolutely clear that universities must crack down on antisemitism and ensure that protests do not unduly disrupt university life.

I am looking welcoming vice chancellors to No10 today to make sure together we have clear steps in place to protect Jewish students on campus.

The Union of Jewish Students (UJS) have criticised the “toxic environment” faced by Jewish students across the country. According to the Communities Security Trust, there was an increase of 203% in university-related antisemitic incidents between 2022 and 2023.

Ministers will make clear that universities must take immediate disciplinary action if any student is found to be inciting racial hatred or violence – and contact the police where they believe a criminal act has been committed.

The Education Secretary wrote to Vice Chancellors on Sunday setting out government expectations in respect of the support being provided to Jewish students.

Representatives from the Union of Jewish Students will also attend the roundtable to share their experiences and perspective.

The PM and Education Secretary will invite Vice Chancellors to share best practice and lessons learned and seek views on how government can continue to support them in this area.
May 11, 2024
PRESS RELEASE : Simpler bin collections for England to boost recycling [May 2024]

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 9 May 2024.

New approach puts an end to confusing recycling and excessive bins.

A new, common-sense approach to recycling will make bin day simpler and boost recycling rates for the nation, Recycling Minister Robbie Moore announced today (9 May).

New simpler recycling collections will see the same materials collected from homes, workplaces and schools, ending the confusing patchwork of different approaches across England.

Today the government has set out how the drive to better and simpler recycling will work, listening to councils who want to avoid streets cluttered with bins while doing what is best for the local community. Councils will be allowed to collect plastic, metal, glass, paper and card in one bin in all circumstances. Similarly, food and garden waste will also be allowed to be co-collected.

This will reduce confusion over what items can be recycled, as people will no longer have to check what their specific council will accept for recycling. It will also reduce complexity for councils and other waste collectors, ensuring they retain the flexibility to collect recyclable waste in the most appropriate way for their local areas.

Additionally, the Government is supporting more frequent and comprehensive bin collections. A minimum backstop means councils will be expected to collect black bin waste at least fortnightly, alongside weekly food waste collections. This will stop the trend – seen outside England – towards three-weekly or four-weekly bin collections. Councils are also being actively encouraged to make collections even more frequent, to prevent smelly waste from building up outside homes.

Together, these new proposals will ensure regular and simpler bin collections from people’s homes across England – making recycling simpler for everyone.

Recycling Minister Robbie Moore said:

We all want to do our bit to increase recycling and reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill – but a patchwork of different bin collections across England means it can be hard to know what your council will accept.

Our plans for Simpler Recycling will end that confusion: ensuring that the same set of materials will be collected regardless of where you live.

Paul Vanston, CEO of the Industry Council for Packaging and the Environment (INCPEN), said:

Householders can take this government announcement as a pledge that, wherever we live across the nation, our local councils will all speedily implement recycling collections of the full range of materials that will match on-pack recycling labels citizens rely on for guidance.

Those paying the very substantial costs for councils’ local packaging recycling services – especially citizens, brands and retailers – can rightly set high benchmarks of great customer service, superb packaging recycling performance and demonstrable value-for-money being achieved everywhere.

The plans will apply to all homes in England, including flats. Similar measures will apply to non-household municipal premises, including businesses, hospitals, schools and universities.

As well as these developments, the list of premises in scope of these requirements has been expanded. Places of worship, penal institutes, charity shops, hostels and public meeting places will all come under the scope of the Simpler Recycling regulations.

This update builds on wider efforts to increase recycling and reduce waste. New restrictions on single-use plastic plates, trays, bowls, cutlery, balloon sticks, expanded and extruded polystyrene food and drinks containers came into force on 1 October 2023 in order to reduce plastic pollution and keep streets clean. We are also moving forward with the implementation of our Deposit Return Scheme for drinks containers and our Extended Producer Responsibility scheme for packaging to boost recycling and clamp down on plastic pollution and litter.

At the beginning of 2024 we confirmed that disposable vapes will be banned in the UK to protect children’s health and tackle the environmental impact of these items.

We have already introduced a ban on microbeads in rinse-off personal care products, restrictions on the supply of single-use plastic straws, drink stirrers and cotton buds, and our world-leading Plastic Packaging Tax.

Meanwhile, our single-use plastic carrier bag charge has successfully cut sales by over 97% in the main supermarkets.

May 11, 2024
PRESS RELEASE : Government ensures long-term certainty for food labour needs [May 2024]
The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 9 May 2024.

The government has set out plans to make the UK food supply chain most cutting-edge in the world.

The government is tackling labour shortages in the food supply chain, funding technology to reduce the reliance on migrant labour and providing certainty and clarity for farms and other food businesses across the UK.

In its response to John Shropshire’s Independent Review into Labour Shortages in the Food Supply Chain, the government will implement a series of new measures to support the industry. These include:
- extending the seasonal worker visa route for five years until 2029 to give businesses time to plan effectively;
- up to £50 million of further funding for new technology to support fully automated packhouses and more support to follow to bring robotic crop pickers on a par with human pickers in three to five years;
- creating a comprehensive strategy to enhance skills provision and attract domestic workers.
Recognising the need for farmers and growers to have time to invest in automation and move away from a reliance on migrant labour, the seasonal worker visa route has been extended for five years from 2025 to 2029 to address this immediate need. 43,000 visas will be available to the horticulture sector in 2025, with another 2,000 visas for poultry. Further detail of the number of visas available for 2026 to 2029 will be set out later this year.

The government has ramped up its support for the use of automation in the sector to reduce the reliance on migrant workers whilst introducing measures to promote British workers into agriculture.

This will start with immediate work to fully automate a group of major packhouses in 12 to 18 months, which will improve understanding of the government support needed to make fully automated packhouses universally viable. Information learned from this will help inform our planned £50 million package of packhouse automation funding, with further details to be announced later this year to cover 2024-25 and 2025-26.

The government will also work with technology companies to accelerate the development of robotic crop harvesters – aiming to bring prototypes on a par with human pickers in three to five years. This will help make the UK food supply chain the most cutting-edge in the world.

The announcement comes after the Prime Minister announced the largest ever round of farming grants at the NFU Conference earlier this year – with a total of £427 million on offer to farmers, doubling the investment in productivity schemes.

It comes ahead of the second annual Farm to Fork Summit, which will be hosted by the Prime Minister in Downing Street on 14 May, bringing together representatives across the UK food supply chain to drive forward work to ensure British farming has the support and backing it needs to thrive for generations to come.

Environment Secretary Steve Barclay said:

We have a world-class food and drink sector, and the measures announced today will strengthen this by boosting funding for the cutting-edge technology that will reduce reliance on migrant labour in the long term.

Businesses do best when they can plan effectively for the future, which is why we’ve extended the seasonal worker visa route until 2029 to give farmers and growers the certainty they need to thrive.

The government will also work to improve the attractiveness of the sector for domestic workers, delivering regional recruitment strategies to support jobseekers into roles in food and farming, and building greater collaboration between government, industry and education providers. This includes:
- Collaborating with the Food and Drink Sector Council’s Sector Attractiveness Project Group to improve awareness of the diverse range of opportunities and career paths across the UK food chain.
- Provided seed funding to establish the Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture (TIAH), a new industry body that will support professional career development.
- Working with the Department for Work and Pensions to deliver regional recruitment strategies that utilise its Jobcentre Plus network to give jobseekers the skills and knowledge they need to enter roles across the food and farming sector.
May 11, 2024
PRESS RELEASE : Armed Forces minister hails unity of support for Ukraine and Black Sea security during Europe visits [May 2024]
The press release issued by the Ministry of Defence on 9 May 2024.

Armed Forces minister has met with defence leaders and military chiefs in Romania and Bulgaria. This follows the UK government announcing a further £500m in military support for Ukraine and to increase UK defence spending to 2.5% of GDP.
- Armed Forces minister met defence leaders and military chiefs in Romania and Bulgaria
- Follows UK government announcing a further £500m in military support for Ukraine and to increase UK defence spending to 2.5% of GDP
- Minister visits UK troops deployed on Operation Biloxi, the UK’s contribution to NATO’s enhanced air policing missing in Romania
Working together to strengthen collective security in the Black Sea and the urgency of increasing military support for Ukraine were the focus of visits by the Minister for the Armed Forces to Romania and Bulgaria this week.

In a series of meetings with defence ministers and military chiefs in Bucharest and Sofia on Wednesday and Thursday, Minister Leo Docherty highlighted the UK’s recent commitment of a further half a billion pounds to provide urgent additional military support for Ukraine.

He also highlighted the Prime Minister’s recent commitment to increase UK defence spending to 2.5% of GDP in 2030, emphasising the importance of NATO member states following the UK’s lead in investing in their Armed Forces to help deliver stability and deter against potential threats.

Minister for the Armed Forces, Leo Docherty, said:

Putin’s illegal invasion has strengthened defence relationships between democratic countries across Europe and united us in support of Ukraine and freedom.

To uphold the rules-based international order, protect our daily freedoms and deter against potential threats, it is important like-minded nations band together and invest more to ensure our collective security.

In my meetings with defence ministers and chiefs in Romania and Bulgaria, I emphasised how the UK is increasing military support for Ukraine as part of the international effort to ensure Putin fails and democracy prevails.

The Minister’s visits began on Wednesday when he met UK personnel working at the International Donor Coordination Centre in Wiesbaden, Germany, through which the logistics of military aid deliveries to Ukraine are organised.

He then travelled to Bucharest, where he held meetings with Romanian Minister of National Defense Angel Tîlvăr, State Secretary for Defence Policy, Simona Cojocaru, and Chief of Defence, General Gheorghiță Vlad.

The UK is currently contributing six Typhoon fighter jets and more than 200 Royal Air Force aviators to defend Romania’s airspace as part of Operation Biloxi – the UK’s contribution to NATO’s enhanced air policing mission in southern Europe. Minister Docherty met personnel deployed for the next three months as part of the mission.

After travelling to Sofia, the minister met Bulgarian Defence Minister, Atanas Zapryanov, Chief of Defence Admiral, Emil Eftimov, and Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ivan Kondon.

He then delivered a keynote speech at Bulgaria’s National Defence College, where he hailed the growing defence relationship between the UK and Bulgaria, as set out through the signing of a 2018 Defence Declaration and further symbolised through the UK’s first deployment to Bulgaria as part of a NATO mission in 2022.

NATO forms the bedrock of our shared security with like-minded countries in the North Atlantic and Europe, and the UK’s £75 billion defence uplift over the next six years will ensure it remains the biggest defence spender in Europe.
May 11, 2024
PRESS RELEASE : Call for evidence launched on how to future-proof classic cars and back drivers [May 2024]
The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 9 May 2024.

Have your say on potential changes to registering historic, classic, rebuilt, and electrically converted vehicles.
- classic car industry and driving enthusiasts can help shape future policy on how to protect motoring icons and make them fit for the modern age
- registering a James Bond style Aston Martin DB5 after it’s been restored or retrofitting an electric motor to the iconic DMC DeLorean could become easier, supporting jobs in the £18 billion classic car industry
- follows the Plan for Drivers and the biggest ever £8.3 billion investment to resurface local roads across England, as government continues to back drivers
Car enthusiasts and industry can now have their say on how to best preserve iconic classic cars like the DMC DeLorean, MkII Jaguar and James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5 for decades to come.

Today (9 May 2024), the government is launching a call for evidence to gather views on how classic and historic cars can be preserved for future generations and boost jobs in the £18 billion classic car sector.

Registering historic, classic, rebuilt vehicles and vehicles converted to electric: call for evidence.

Since the 1980s, policies on how classic cars are registered after being restored and upgraded have largely remained the same, and do not account for improving historic vehicles with modern technology.

The call for evidence from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) will ask drivers, classic car enthusiasts and the industry to share their proposals to help historic vehicles into the 21st century, while prioritising road safety and retaining accurate vehicle records.

Changes could make it easier to register vehicles to fully recognise their value while protecting prospective buyers, modify classic cars to improve their performance and retrofit them with electric powertrains.

With James Bond’s iconic Aston Martin DB5, Inspector Morse’s MkII Jaguar and the Belfast-built DMC DeLorean from ‘Back to the Future’ firmly embedded in popular culture, today’s call for evidence is an opportunity for classic car enthusiasts and the motoring industry to have their say on how these and other motoring icons can remain an example of British excellence in the UK and around the world.

Better preserving classic cars can also help drive tourism to iconic classic car shows such as Goodwood Revival. With the classic car industry employing around 113,000 skilled people and worth £18 billion a year, the call for evidence will help support jobs in the heritage car industry and help grow the economy.

Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, said:

The way we restore and protect classic cars has not kept up with the times and evolving technologies, which is why we are calling for industry and enthusiasts to have their say on how to best protect these British classics for decades to come.

Alongside our record £8.3 billion increase to resurface local roads and the 30-point Plan for Drivers, today’s call for evidence is the latest part of the government’s plan to back drivers, support skilled jobs, and grow the economy.

The call for evidence is the latest measure to back drivers across the country, following £8.3 billion to resurface roads across England, the biggest ever funding boost to local road maintenance as we tackle potholes and improve local roads.

The government is also delivering for motorists through the Plan for Drivers, including ensuring traffic schemes like Low Traffic Neighbourhoods and 20mph speed limits have buy-in from local people, consulting on measures to stop councils treating drivers as ‘cash cows’ and accelerating the rollout of electric vehicle chargepoints for those choosing to switch.

Drivers will also be able to enjoy smoother journeys following the introduction of new measures to crack down on disruptive street works, with utility companies that allow works to overrun facing increased fines, which could generate up to £100 million extra to improve local roads.

Julie Lennard, DVLA Chief Executive Officer, said:

As evolving technologies continue to improve the way classic, historic and rebuilt vehicles can be modified and restored, we want to ensure that we keep the policies and registration processes for these vehicles up to date.

This is one of the many ways we are looking to make things easier and simpler for our customers and we want to encourage enthusiasts and those individuals and organisations with a keen interest and expertise to share their views with us.
May 11, 2024
PRESS RELEASE : Second US-UK Strategic Sanctions Dialogue – joint statement [May 2024]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 9 May 2024.

The UK government hosted a senior US government delegation for the second United States-UK Strategic Sanctions Dialogue.

Joint statement by the US Department of State and UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office:

On Wednesday 8 May 2024, the UK government hosted a senior US government delegation for the second US-UK Strategic Sanctions Dialogue.

Talks, which took place in London and followed the inaugural Dialogue held in Washington DC in July 2023, delivered on the commitment under the 2023 Atlantic Declaration for a Twenty-First Century US-UK Economic Partnership to strengthen coordination on sanctions and export controls. This brought together both countries’ departments and agencies for strategic discussions on priorities across geographic and thematic sanctions and export controls regimes. The UK delegation was led by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and included senior officials from His Majesty’s Treasury, and the Department for Business and Trade. The US delegation was led by the State Department and included senior officials from the US Department of the Treasury and Department of Commerce.

The United States and the United Kingdom reaffirmed that sanctions and export controls are essential tools of national security policy. The delegations discussed the uses of targeted, coordinated sanctions and export control measures to deter and disrupt malign activity and to defend international norms.

In response to Russia’s war against Ukraine, together with our allies and partners, we have imposed unprecedented costs on the Kremlin through sanctions and export controls. These measures are starving Russia’s military of essential components and technology, along with other items, and constraining Putin’s ability to wage war on Ukraine. We will continue to work with allies to restrict sources of Russian revenue, including from services and key commodities such as energy and metals that allow Russia to fight. Beyond Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom reaffirmed our shared commitment to opposing those who threaten peace, security, and stability in the Middle East, reflected in recent coordinated actions targeting Iranian malign actors, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad leaders and financiers, and those enabling Houthi Red Sea attacks. We are committed to holding to account those responsible for conducting or supporting terrorist and other destabilising activities in the Middle East.

The United States and the United Kingdom continue to intensify our coordination on United Nations and autonomous sanctions regimes, bilaterally and with other partners. This includes action to promote accountability for human rights violations and abuses, tackle corruption, counter terrorism, and weapons proliferation, and target cyber-criminal networks.

Across our programmes, we commit to continue to work together and with allies to ensure the effectiveness of our sanctions and export control measures. We will continue to collaborate to counter circumvention occurring in third country jurisdictions to strengthen our measures in support of shared national security and foreign policy goals.

May 11, 2024
PRESS RELEASE : UK forces airdrop 100 tonnes of aid for Gaza civilians [May 2024]
The press release issued by the Ministry of Defence on 9 May 2024.
- The Royal Air Force completed its 11th airdrop today, delivering a total of 110 tonnes of aid from 120 parachutes
- UK has provided ready-to-eat meals, water, rice, tinned goods and flour for the people of Gaza
- Airdrops are alongside UK’s continued support to get aid in via land routes and international efforts to open a maritime aid corridor
The UK has completed its 11th airdrop into Gaza today, reaching the milestone of over 100 tonnes of life-saving aid delivered by air.

Over the course of 11 Royal Air Force flights, the UK has delivered ready-to-eat meals, water, rice, tinned goods and flour, with a total of 12 tonnes dropped into Northern Gaza today.

The UK began conducting airdrops in late March, as part of the Jordanian international initiative. The Royal Air Force has used A400Ms, flying from Amman, Jordan, where aid pallets attached to parachutes are collected and loaded by RAF and British Army personnel.

The aid is dropped along the northern coastline of Gaza, with drop zones regularly surveyed to ensure civilians are not harmed. Each flight takes around one hour and British personnel work closely with the Royal Jordanian Air Force to plan and conduct each mission.

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said:

Our commitment to delivering large quantities of aid to those most in need is unwavering, this milestone is both testament to that and a demonstration of where our focus lies over the coming weeks and months.

Given the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, we deployed RFA Cardigan Bay to the Eastern Mediterranean to support efforts to build a temporary pier to deliver crucial humanitarian assistance.

We continue to pressure Israel to fully open Ashdod Port as well as more land crossings.

Foreign Secretary David Cameron said:

The UK is playing a leadership role in alleviating the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Through our partnership with Jordan, we have now delivered 100 tonnes of life-saving aid by air.

But it is only by land that we will be able to transport the full amount of humanitarian assistance needed. We have seen an encouraging increase in the number of aid trucks getting in, but we must see further action so that more aid gets over the border and is safely distributed.

Royal Navy support ship RFA Cardigan Bay recently set sail from Cyprus to support international efforts to open a maritime aid corridor to Gaza. The ship is providing accommodation for hundreds of US sailors and soldiers building a temporary pier off the coast of Gaza. According to US estimates, this pier will initially facilitate the delivery of 90 truckloads of aid into Gaza and scale up to 150 truckloads once fully operational.

As land routes remain the quickest and most effective means of delivering aid, the UK also continues to engage with Israel to open more land crossings into Gaza.
May 11, 2024

Category: Press Releases

CURRICULUM VITAE

Minister for the Armed Forces, Leo Docherty, said:

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said:

Foreign Secretary David Cameron said: