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Category: Press Releases

  • PRESS RELEASE : Cheaper bills and a more reliable heating supply for thousands of homes and businesses on heat networks [September 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Cheaper bills and a more reliable heating supply for thousands of homes and businesses on heat networks [September 2023]

    The press release issued by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero on 26 September 2023.

    Old and inefficient heat networks to be upgraded, to offer a more reliable service for thousands of homes and businesses.

    • 55 heat network projects to receive £13.9 million of government funding
    • Thousands of consumers will benefit from upgrades to old, inefficient heat networks
    • Funding will help to reduce bills, improve reliability and prevent breakdowns

    Thousands of homes and businesses on old and inefficient heat networks will benefit from lower bills and a more reliable heating supply thanks to government funding, announced today (Tuesday 26 September).

    Customers in more than 4,000 homes will see poorly performing heat networks improved, meaning fewer breakdowns where people can be left without heating and hot water.

    Twenty-four projects across England will receive a share of more than £13.2 million, while a further £667,000 will go to 31 projects to fund investigations into the improvements needed to ensure customers receive a reliable service, with heat network operators taking the required action.

    The funding announced today is the first round of awards to be made under the £32 million Heat Network Efficiency Scheme.

    Lord Callanan, Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance, said:

    Families and businesses shouldn’t have to worry about whether they will receive a reliable heating and hot water supply.

    This funding means improvements will be made to old and inefficient heat networks, preventing further breakdowns and ensuring they use less energy.

    We’re investing millions to build new heat networks, reducing emissions and providing low-cost heating to communities across the country. But it’s equally important we upgrade and maintain existing systems so everyone benefits.

    Heat networks offer carbon emissions savings by supplying heat to buildings from a central source, avoiding the need for households and workplaces to rely on individual, energy-intensive heating solutions – such as gas boilers. As such, heat networks provide a significant contribution to the UK’s carbon reduction commitment.

    But some heat networks haven’t been upgraded since they were installed more than 40 years ago, meaning many are inefficient due to not being installed properly, poorly maintained or the equipment wearing out.

    The Heat Network Efficiency Scheme (HNES), which opened in February this year, forms an important part of the government’s support for heat networks. This also includes the £288 million Green Heat Network Fund, which supports the creation of heat network projects that use a low carbon heating source, such as a heat pump, solar or geothermal energy, to provide heat and hot water to connected homes and businesses.

    Projects to receive funding today include:

    • Leeds City Council, which will receive more than £2.2 million to improve the efficiency of heat networks serving 837 residents through improving insulation levels, reducing heat losses and leakages
    • Great Places Housing Association, which has been awarded more than £1.6 million to improve the efficiency of the Richmond Park heat network in Sheffield, serving 299 residents. The funding will seek to correct high heat loss issues, bad insulation and old equipment
    • The Guinness Partnership, which has been awarded £2 million for the improvement of four heat networks serving almost 700 residents across sites in Aylesbury, Stockport, Gloucester, and Brixton. The funding will go towards reducing heat network costs and heat losses, improving insulation, and replacing outdated infrastructure

    Last month, government launched a consultation to shape and improve the future of heat networks.

    Under the proposals, homes and businesses supplied by heat networks would receive greater consumer protections currently only afforded to those on traditional gas and electricity contracts.

    This would ensure fairer prices through their inclusion in a potential future price cap on energy bills, consistent standards for quality of service and supply of heat, backed up with regular and clear bills.

    Notes to editors

    See a full list of successful projects.

    The regional breakdown of funding awards is:

    • East Midlands – £96,000
    • East of England – £59,976
    • London – £5,419,244
    • North East – £16,000
    • North West – £3,483,412
    • South East – £159,543
    • South West – £740,743
    • West Midlands – £62,443
    • Yorkshire and the Humber – £3,898,464

    The Heat Networks Consumer Protection consultation can be found on GOV.UK and will be live until 27 October 2023.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Dr Jo Saxton to stand down as Chief Regulator of Ofqual [September 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Dr Jo Saxton to stand down as Chief Regulator of Ofqual [September 2023]

    The press release issued by Ofqual on 26 September 2023.

    Statement on the resignation of Dr Jo Saxton as Chief Regulator.

    The Board of Ofqual is today announcing that Dr Jo Saxton will be stepping down as Chief Regulator. Dr Saxton will be leaving Ofqual at the end of December but will continue to play a central role in the education system, as she takes up post as Chief Executive of UCAS in January 2024.

    Dr Saxton has served as Chief Regulator since September 2021, and in that time has overseen the return of exams for GCSEs and A levels and reinstated pre-pandemic grading, giving grades currency and value indefinitely. She also introduced a new Level 3 results deadline and awarding process, which meant that vocational qualifications were delivered on time in summer 2023, following the significant delays experienced by too many students in the previous year. This will continue as a permanent feature of the qualifications system from here on.

    Dr Saxton, Chief Regulator, said:

    It is a significant honour to hold public office and I take my duties and commitments to students of all ages extremely seriously. Throughout my time at Ofqual I promised that students would be my compass and that promise remains intact.

    I am very proud of what we have achieved over the past 2 years. I fundamentally believe that a return to exams and pre-pandemic grading was the right and fair thing to do for students of all ages. I am also an ardent champion of parity – it was wrong that there were delays in students receiving their vocational qualifications in summer 2022, and I’m pleased we have been able to change the system so that can never happen again.

    I will be sad to leave so many brilliant colleagues and friends at Ofqual, but I know that the organisation has strong foundations and is extremely well positioned to continue to ensure public confidence in our qualifications system. For me, I am delighted that I am able to continue to serve students albeit in a different role, when I join UCAS early in 2024, returning to the sector where I started my career.

    Secretary of State for Education, Gillian Keegan said:

    I am hugely grateful to Jo for guiding Ofqual through the challenges that followed the pandemic, ultimately overseeing a smooth return to exams and normal grading.

    Jo’s knowledge and experience have been invaluable as we’ve navigated the past 2 years and returned to the exam arrangements that best serve young people.

    I look forward to continuing to work with Jo in her new role at UCAS, supporting students to progress onto university, degree apprenticeships and the world of work.

    Sir Ian Bauckham CBE, Chair of Ofqual said:

    While it is with sadness that we bid farewell to Jo Saxton as Chief Regulator, we are enormously grateful to her for her determined and principled leadership over the past 2 years. In that time Ofqual has led the re-introduction of examinations after the challenges of the Covid period, and re-established normal grading. Fairness to students has been Jo’s abiding priority, and there is no better legacy than fair examinations, graded equitably and delivered on time. We wish Jo well in her next role.

    A public appointments process will soon be underway for the new Chief Regulator. The existing senior leadership team and governance of Ofqual will provide continuity of leadership to the organisation and an interim Chief Regulator will be confirmed in due course.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Environment Secretary statement on Ofwat performance report [September 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Environment Secretary statement on Ofwat performance report [September 2023]

    The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 26 September 2023.

    Following the publication of Ofwat’s performance report the following statement has been issued by the Environment Secretary.

    This morning, Ofwat has published its Performance Report on the water sector, announcing that water companies will need to return £114m to customers for underperformance.

    Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey:

    Today’s Ofwat report is extremely disappointing. While I acknowledge there is good work ongoing in some companies – cleaning up waterways and investing in vital infrastructure – there is simply not enough of it. The fact that not a single water company is classified as ‘leading’ is unacceptable.

    “We have written to the CEOs of every water company in the lowest category of today’s report and my ministerial team and I will meet them in person to scrutinise their improvement plans.

    Billpayers should know we require the worst performers to return money directly to customers through their bills.

    The Government’s Plan for Water sets out how more investment, stronger regulation and tougher enforcement will transform the current system. I have been clear if these companies do not make improvements across a range of different measures, we and our regulators will not hesitate to use our powers to enforce it.

    We are pushing water companies to go further and have changed the rules on bonuses and dividends to ensure billpayers do not reward pollution – or pay for what should already have been delivered.

    Our water and sewerage systems are highly complex and under increasing pressure – but that is no excuse. The public has made it clear that a clean and plentiful water supply is a priority. Government and regulators will be closely securitising upcoming business plans to ensure they deliver the best possible deal for customers, the environment and our future water needs.

    Factsheet on government action in the water industry

    The Government’s Plan for Water sets out how more investment, stronger regulation and tougher enforcement is holding water companies to account and ensuring we have a water sector fit for the future.

    More investment

    • As part of the Plan for Water, over £2.2 billion of new, accelerated investment will be directed into vital infrastructure to improve water quality and secure future supplies, with £1.7bn of this being used to tackle storm overflows.
    • All water companies have been asked to provide actions plans for every storm overflow in England which we will publish shortly.
    • We have set stringent targets for water companies to reduce storm overflows – driving the largest infrastructure programme in water company history of £60 billion over 25 years. This includes front-loading action in particularly important and sensitive sites, including bathing waters.
    • In a recent recent High Court ruling on this plan, the Government won on all claims considered by the High Court, meaning the plans were considered lawful by the High Court. The ruling also outlined that the Government’s plan goes ‘substantially’ further than the law to drive a reduction in storm overflow discharges.

    Stronger regulation

    • We are driving up monitoring and transparency so the public can see what is going on – we have increased the number of storm overflows monitored across the network from 7% in 2010, to 91% now, and with 100% expected by the end of the year.
    • We are clear water companies must not profit from environmental damage and we have given Ofwat increased powers under the Environment Act 2021 to hold them account for poor performance.
      • On dividends: Using new powers granted to Ofwat by the government, Ofwat is ensuring company dividends are linked to environmental performance.
      • On bonuses for water company executives: Ofwat has outlined a new measure to ensure customers do not fund (via water bills) executive bonus payments where they have not been sufficiently earned through the company’s performance.

    Tougher enforcement

    • Since 2015, the Environment Agency has concluded 65 prosecutions, securing record fines of over £150 million against water companies. The Environment Agency has also launched the largest criminal investigation into unpermitted water company sewage discharges ever at over 2,200 treatment works.
    • We are also scrapping the cap on civil penalties and significantly broadening their scope to target a much wider range of offences. This is toughening our enforcement tools and expanding where regulators can use them. This will deliver a proportionate punishment for operators that breach their permits and harm our rivers, seas and precious habitats.
    • In 2022, 93% of bathing waters met the highest standards of ‘good’ or ‘excellent’, up from just 76% in 2010 and despite stricter standards being introduced in 2015.
  • PRESS RELEASE : UK signs sixth US state deal with Washington State

    PRESS RELEASE : UK signs sixth US state deal with Washington State

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 25 September 2023.

    The UK and the US state of Washington will today [25 September] sign a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to boost trade and investment.

    • Washington State, home to major businesses like Boeing and Amazon, becomes latest US state to agree trade Memorandum of Understanding with the UK
    • The UK now has deals with six US states with a combined GDP of more than £2 trillion
    • Industry Minister Nusrat Ghani to travel to Seattle to sign the pact, which targets the aerospace sector, and lead 35 hand-picked UK companies at a joint Boeing and Department for Business and Trade showcase

    The UK and the US state of Washington will today [25 September] sign a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to boost trade and investment.

    Washington State is home to major US business including Amazon, Starbucks, Microsoft and Boeing, and has a GDP roughly equivalent to Poland. The MoU marks the sixth delivered as part of the UK’s state-level strategy to boost trade with the US and means that the combined GDP of states the UK has MoUs with now totals £2.2 trillion.

    Minister for Industry and Economic Security Nusrat Ghani will sign the pact in Seattle alongside Washington State Governor Jay Inslee.

    The UK has signed MoUs with Indiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Utah, and now Washington. Collectively these states imported £5.1 billion of UK goods in 2022.

    The Government is actively engaging with further states including Florida, Texas, California, Colorado, and Illinois.

    Minister Ghani will also lead a delegation of 35 UK businesses attending the 2023 Boeing Supplier Showcase, handpicked by Boeing to meet with their procurement and supply chain teams. The event will showcase the best of the UK’s world leading aerospace industry as it continues to drive innovation through new technology, research and design.

    Aerospace will be a priority sector under the MoU, which seeks to facilitate more deals between UK and Washington State.

    Boeing has spent over £12 billion in the UK supply chain since 2015. Its most recent investment, a £80 million composite research facility in Sheffield, will establish new long-term partnerships and supply chains.

    Minister for Industry and Economic Security Nusrat Ghani said:

    Our pact with the state of Washington is a win for the UK, opening a door for our businesses to trade more openly and unlock new opportunities in key sectors.

    Each US state is a massive global market in its own right, and many have economies larger than the GDP of whole countries. By notching up our sixth such deal we’ve surpassed the £2 trillion mark for combined GDP of states who’ve done a deal with the UK, with many more in our sights.

    This particular deal will be fantastic for our aerospace industry through investor intros, trade missions, and increasing access to procurement markets. I’m delighted to join Boeing and our handpicked group of innovative UK companies to discuss how Government and industry can work together to create jobs and grow the economy.

    Washington State Governor Jay Inslee said:

    Today’s MOU makes the UK Washington’s latest global partner in trade and innovation focused on clean technology and industry.

    Washington is a leader in sustainable aerospace and aviation, attracting billions in new investments across the state’s urban and rural areas, boosting local economies while slashing our carbon emissions.

    We can’t ebb the tide of climate change and usher in this new future all on our own, it takes partnerships all over the world like the one announced today to realize our full economic potential and help curb carbon emissions worldwide.

    Maria Laine, President of Boeing in the UK, Ireland and Nordic region said:

    We are immensely proud of our long-standing relationship with the UK. Working closely with the UK Government, ADS and other key partners, we remain committed to developing and expanding the UK supply chain and creating opportunities for collaboration across Boeing’s global programmes.

    The MoU will strengthen the trade relationship between the UK and Washington. It will unlock new opportunities to develop new commercial partnerships, facilitate capital investment, foster innovation, and support global decarbonisation.

    Other priority areas include clean energy, digital, life sciences, supply chain resilience, agriculture, and innovation. It further seeks to broaden market access in areas such as government procurement and recognition of professional qualifications – to help Brits deliver services in Washington and vice versa.

    Matt Farnsworth, Commercial Director at the University of Sheffield AMRC, who are attending the trade show, said:

    As a research organisation, the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) has always found trade missions organised by the Department for Business and Trade to be extremely valuable. They provide a fantastic opportunity to broaden and strengthen existing industrial relationships and ecosystems, while developing new opportunities for collaboration.

    Despite having a close research relationship with Boeing for over 20 years, previous missions have successfully opened new, exciting opportunities for the AMRC with a number of Boeing business units and technology owners, we hadn’t previously engaged with.

    The AMRC is playing a key role in driving innovation, research and development for UK manufacturing, especially for the aerospace sector. The upcoming Boeing trade mission will further fuel and accelerate our journey to make the UK a world-leader for sustainable manufacturing in aerospace.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Harnessing the power of the private sector and multilateral banks to achieve the SDGs – UK statement at the UN Financing for Development High-level Dialogue [September 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Harnessing the power of the private sector and multilateral banks to achieve the SDGs – UK statement at the UN Financing for Development High-level Dialogue [September 2023]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 25 September 2023.

    Statement by Minister Andrew Mitchell at the UN Financing for Development High-level Dialogue.

    Excellencies,

    Our Prime Minister, at the G20, announced that Britain will provide 2 billion dollars for the Green Climate Fund – the biggest single commitment the UK has made to help the world tackle climate change.

    And Britain continues to want bigger, better Multilateral Development Banks. The UK supports, in due course, a conditional capital increase for the IBRD. We have provided more than 4.5 million pounds of guarantees to enable the Multilateral Development Banks to lend more money. We are also extremely focussed on sweating these Banks’ balance sheets. We have already seen an additional 200 billion dollars produced, and we want to see much more.

    In addition, Britain is very focussed on the issues of debt. At the Summit in Paris, Britain announced Climate Resilient Debt Clauses, which we are now using, and which means that countries faced with a pandemic or natural disaster have their liquidity freed up to help their citizens, rather than having to pay off capital and interest.

    We also want to see the G20 Common Framework used much better to help countries that need debt rescheduling. We have seen what happened recently in Zambia and Ghana and we know that that is not good enough.

    Our Prime Minister has also made clear that we will stand by our commitment to provide 11.6 billion pounds of international climate finance before the end of 2025/26, and play our part in the 100 billion promise that has been made. And we have recently announced that we will spend 500 million pounds on forestry programmes because we know the important role they play in tackling climate change.

    In November, we will have a summit in London on the issue of malnutrition, food insecurity and starvation, which I think will also make a very significant contribution.

    The final point I want to make is about the critical importance of all these different state funding mechanisms being able to link umbilically with the private sector, and in particular with the 60 trillion dollars we know is there of pension fund money. Many of the people who manage pension funds would want to see, subject to the necessary safeguards, this money being used as part of the common fight across the planet on tackling climate change.

    So, we think harnessing the role of the private sector is absolutely crucial. As we hope to help explain in a government white paper from Britain later this year on the future of international development. Just as BII – the British government’s development finance institution – is playing such an important role already, investing to support delivery of the SDGs.

    As we look ahead to the Annual Meetings and COP28, let’s seize this moment to increase ambition, galvanise action, and find new ways to deliver a bigger, better, fairer international financial system. One that helps countries thrive on their own terms and leaves no one behind.

    Thank you.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Urgent action needed to decarbonise high-emitting sectors – UK statement at Climate Ambition Summit [September 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Urgent action needed to decarbonise high-emitting sectors – UK statement at Climate Ambition Summit [September 2023]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 25 September 2023.

    Statement by Minister Graham Stuart at the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Ambition Summit on decarbonisation.

    We have to speed up decarbonisation to keep 1.5 in reach – while taking people with us.

    Since 1990 the UK has cut its emissions by more than any other major world economy, reducing them by 48% while growing its economy by 65%.

    We will prioritise economic growth while delivering both our 2030 NDC and net zero by 2050.

    As the PM said this morning, we will do this in a way that is both pragmatic and inclusive.

    Being practical and delivering real-world change is exactly what the Breakthrough Agenda is about.

    Last week’s report shows the progress being made. But some industries like steel and cement are not moving fast enough…

    Announcements for near-zero emission steel plants have fallen far short of the 100 megatonnes needed globally by 2030.

    For cement, there are only plans for around 6 percent of the near-zero emission capacity needed.

    We need urgent action to decarbonise these high-emitting sectors and meet the Paris goals.

    That means increasing research and development, scaling up clean technology finance, and boosting the market for green industry.

    Finance is critical: the UK is leading with our commitment to deliver £11.6 billion of climate finance. At the G20 we made a pledge of £1.62 billion for the Green Climate Fund.

    And I am pleased to announce today that the UK will provide a £160m package to support developing countries and ensure decarbonisation and economic growth go Hand-in-hand.

    This funding will support coordinated action towards COP28, working through initiatives including the Clean Energy Innovation Facility and the Mitigation Action Facility.

    The Breakthrough report’s recommendations set out how we can collaborate to make clean technologies more affordable and available – particularly in high-emitting sectors.

    For example, a new ‘Cement Breakthrough’, led by Canada, is in development – and I’m pleased to announce that the UK will join that initiative.

    We are also proud to co-lead the ‘Steel Breakthrough’ with Germany – endorsed by 31 countries.

    The Breakthroughs are working with the COP28 Presidency to make decarbonising steel a priority this year – and I hope we can build a stronger global alliance to put our industries on track for net zero.

  • PRESS RELEASE : UK investments, research, and revolutionary treatments can help end tuberculosis – UK statement at the UN Tuberculosis High-level Meeting [September 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : UK investments, research, and revolutionary treatments can help end tuberculosis – UK statement at the UN Tuberculosis High-level Meeting [September 2023]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 25 September 2023.

    Statement by Lord (Tariq) Ahmad at the UN Tuberculosis High-Level Meeting on ending tuberculosis.

    I thank the President of the General Assembly and distinguished colleagues from Poland and Uzbekistan for your leadership on this summit and its political declaration.

    In 2015 the world committed to ending TB by 2030.

    Now is the right time to come together and reaffirm our commitment to end TB, and our collective action to make that happen.

    The UK welcomes the declaration made at this meeting and the commitments in it.

    We know that investments against TB can strengthen health systems and support us to achieve universal health coverage.

    They can help us to prepare for future pandemics.

    And they can help us in the fight against Anti-Microbial Resistance.

    I am proud of the UK’s record in the fight against TB.

    The UK is the third largest donor to the Global Fund investing over four and a half billion pounds over the last twenty years.

    Our latest £1 billion pledge will provide TB treatment and care for over a million people and screen twenty million.

    We have reduced the price and improved access to key drugs through our support to Unitaid, the Clinton Health Access Initiative and MedAccess.

    And I’m very pleased that on Monday our Foreign Secretary acknowledged the importance of research, with a further £5 million to the TB alliance to support the development of new treatments.

    This brings our funding to nearly £70 million over 6 years.

    The TB Alliance has already brought revolutionary new treatments to market – more than a million courses of children’s medicines have been delivered to 123 countries.

    And their new treatment for drug resistant-TB is quicker, more effective, has fewer side effects and is estimated to save up to 43,000 more lives by 2025.

    We are also taking action to tackle TB in the UK.

    Despite falling cases, TB remains a risk to the most vulnerable, and progress towards elimination has stalled.

    Drug resistance remains an issue and we are taking the lead in using genome sequencing to identify resistance patterns and ensure effective treatment.

    And the UK Health Security Agency is working with partners to evaluate promising vaccine candidates.

    Our efforts to improve global health will continue into 2024, with next year’s High-level Meeting on Anti-Microbial Resistance a landmark opportunity to tackle AMR on a truly global scale.

    Thank you for your time today, and for your continued commitment to end this cruel disease.

  • PRESS RELEASE : UN HRC54 – UK Statement on Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela [September 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : UN HRC54 – UK Statement on Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela [September 2023]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 25 September 2023.

    Statement for Interactive Dialogue with the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela. Delivered by UK Human Rights Ambassador, Rita French.

    Thank you, Mr. President.

    We thank the Fact-Finding Mission for its update. Its work is critical to monitoring human rights violations and abuses.

    The report evidences intensified targeted persecution against human rights defenders and shrinking civic space. From the sentencing of six union leaders without due process to the continued arbitrary detention of human rights defenders, fundamental rights continue to be denied. Human rights violations must stop.

    The resolution of Venezuela’s humanitarian crisis requires tolerance of dissenting voices and democratic normalisation. Unconstitutionally banning opposition candidates moves Venezuela further from a solution. We stress the importance of an independent, credible electoral arbiter and the right of Venezuelans to register and vote in free and fair elections.

    We understand that these incidents are not isolated but are part of a context of continuous deterioration of the rule of law. We therefore believe that the situation in Venezuela continues to warrant the attention of the international community and the mandate of the Mission remains fundamental to deliver progress on human rights.

    Señora Valiñas, the UK encourages Venezuela to give effect to previous recommendations made by the Mission. What are the most urgent recommendations in the lead up to the electoral period?

  • PRESS RELEASE : Land purchased for flagship levelling up site in Darlington [September 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Land purchased for flagship levelling up site in Darlington [September 2023]

    The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 25 September 2023.

    The government’s levelling up programme is moving further ahead today, with land for the permanent site of the new Darlington Economic Campus being purchased.

    The Darlington Economic Campus (DEC) was established in August 2021 and Departments moved into Feethams House in June 2022.  It currently houses 600 government staff.

    Brunswick Street is the permanent site for the DEC, which is the Treasury’s second headquarters and will also accommodate the Department for Business and Trade. Construction of a new government hub will begin in October 2024 and is expected to be completed in 2026.

    The hub will help grow the economy in the region with 1139 roles committed to Darlington, and 674 relocated to date. The move of Civil Service roles to Darlington is expected to generate approximately £30 million per 1,000 roles relocated in economic benefits for the town, down to increased footfall and spending from staff.

    Minister for the Cabinet Office Jeremy Quin said:

    Levelling up is about tangible change on the ground and the purchasing of the Darlington Economic campus land shows that the government is putting down roots in the communities we serve.

    The campus will house 1400 civil servants and as the Treasury’s second headquarters is a visible signal of levelling up in action.

    It will not only create job opportunities for people in the local area, it also means a Civil Servant could pursue an entire career to the top of their profession without ever moving to London.

    The land purchase shows how the government is spreading opportunity across the country and putting down permanent roots in communities, as the country levels up.

    The DEC is an important part of the Government’s Places for Growth (PfG) programme, which is moving roles out of London to areas across the UK.

    The programme will see 22,000 roles move from London by 2030 and is part of ensuring that staff working in government are closer to the people and communities that they serve.

    Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office Alex Burghart said:

    The continued success of the Darlington Economic Campus shows that the Places for Growth programme is delivering high quality government jobs across the whole country.

    This is good for the local area and good for the Civil Service, as it ensures that Whitehall can take advantage of the wisdom and experience from people all over the UK.

    This new site will provide more capacity for civil servants to work from at least eight different government departments.

    Alongside the Treasury, the Campus will house teams from the Department for Business and Trade, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Office for National Statistics and the Competition and Markets Authority. They will be working alongside the Department for Education who already have a base in Darlington.

    Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury Gareth Davies said:

    People should be able to develop their careers within the Civil Service without moving to London and the Darlington Economic Campus is testament to that. It has a strong vision, which includes making government, policy, and delivery stronger through a diverse workforce which is more representative of the public we serve.

    With this new milestone there is a real sense of momentum. The Brunswick Street space will be a boost for local growth and jobs while bringing the people of Darlington and the Tees Valley closer to the heart of government decision-making.

    The building will accommodate over 1,400 civil servants in a highly sustainable, interoperable working environment. Campus locations such as the DEC provide an enduring sustainable model for PfG role relocations, enable more effective cross-Goverment collaboration and help to create a Civil Service that is more connected to and reflective of the communities it serves.

    The building, which will be highly sustainable, will be designed in line with the Government Workplace Design Guide. Once complete, it will offer an effective mix of flexible work spaces to support accessibility, neuro-diversity, collaboration and wellbeing, along with refreshment hubs, home zones and meeting rooms.

    Recruiting for the DEC is progressing well with several departments currently based in Feethams House, the interim DEC’s interim home.  Civil servants based in the interim facility will relocate to Brunswick Street on completion of the new building, and Feethams House will be used to support the wider DEC alongside Bishopsgate House.

    Clive Anderson, Director of Capital Projects said:

    The Government Property Agency plays a key role in the Government’s transformation agenda ensuring that people in all part of the United Kingdom receive opportunities as part of the Levelling Up programme.

    Working closely with Darlington Borough Council, Tees Valley Combined Authority and our clients, we will create unique opportunities for people across Darlington and the North East.

    Investing in a land purchase and a freehold solution, gives us the opportunity to design the hub as a landmark, sustainable, placemaking building, with high levels of inclusivity enabling access by all.

    It is expected the construction contract tender will be released via the CCS Construction Works Framework in Q4 2023.

  • PRESS RELEASE : UN HRC54 – UK Statement on Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine [September 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : UN HRC54 – UK Statement on Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine [September 2023]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 25 September 2023.

    UK statement for Interactive Dialogue with the International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine. Delivered by the UK’s Ambassador to the WTO & UN, Simon Manley.

    Thank you, Mr President and welcome Commissioners.

    A year ago, Russia attempted to annex Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, following its organisation of sham referendums on sovereign Ukrainian territory.

    Since then, Russia’s attempts to consolidate control in these regions have been characterised by repression, violence and a total disregard for human life. Evidence, including that collected through the invaluable work of this Commission, shows widespread and systematic atrocities committed by Russian forces, many of which may amount to war crimes.

    So, we have a simple message to Russia: we see through your farcical claims that this is a war of liberation. You can’t liberate people by shelling them, nor by torturing them, nor by deporting them and their children. Just as you can’t change borders by force – no matter how many sham referendums or elections you hold.

    It is time to end this war and withdraw your forces – in line with your obligations under the Charter.

    Commissioners, thank you from us all for the vital work over the last 16 months.

    Ukrainian children have been relentlessly targeted as part of Russia’s efforts to erase Ukrainian identity and culture – including through their large-scale forced transfer and deportation to Russia and Russian-controlled territory.

    So Commissioners, are you carrying out further investigations into the forcible transfer of children, including the widely reported use of so-called “summer camps” for systematic political indoctrination?

    Thank you.