Category: Press Releases

PRESS RELEASE : Over 100 arrested in record breaking illegal working crackdown  [June 2023]

The press release issued by the Home Office on 16 June 2023.

The Home Office deployed over 300 immigration officers on over 150 enforcement visits in one day to crack down on illegal working across the UK.

The Home Office has conducted a record number of visits targeting illegal working in one day, as part of a nationwide operation.

During the operation, which took place across the UK yesterday, Immigration Enforcement officers arrested 105 foreign nationals found working without the right to do so during 159 illegal working visits.

The arrests took place at commercial premises including restaurants, car washes, nail bars, barber shops and convenience stores.

Suspects were arrested for offences including illegal working and possession of false documentation, with sums of cash seized at some locations.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak attended an early morning visit in Brent, North London, to observe Immigration Enforcement officers at work as part of the day of action.

Home Secretary, Suella Braverman said:

Illegal working harms our communities, cheats honest workers out of employment and defrauds the public purse as no taxes are paid. As the Prime Minister has set out, we are committed to tackling the abuse of our laws and borders.

We know the prospect of black-market employment is a significant attraction for migrants considering making dangerous and illegal journeys to the UK.  Operations such as today send a clear message that we will not stand for this.

Of those arrested, over 40 were detained by the Home Office, pending their removal from the UK, with the remaining suspects being released on immigration bail. It is also expected that a number of the arrests will result in voluntary departure from the UK.

Offenders of over 20 different nationalities were found to be working without the right to do so in the UK.

The operation builds on the ongoing work by Immigration Enforcement officers to clamp down on illegal working which is a key part of the government’s approach to stopping the boats. This work tackles illegal migration by breaking the business model of criminal gangs who use the offer of black market jobs as one way to draw people to the UK illegally.

In the first quarter of 2023, Immigration Enforcement teams delivered 1,303 enforcement visits, a 57% increase on the same period last year, and since the PM set out his plan to stop the boats in December, arrests have now doubled since the same period last year.

Director of Enforcement, Compliance and Crime, Eddy Montgomery, added:

This result demonstrates the dedication and professionalism of our officers to take action against immigration offenders, as well as employers who are not complying with the rules. Our enforcement teams are working around the clock to deter immigration offending and help protect the public.

Working closely with partners and agencies including the police and the National Crime Agency, we are tackling illegal working at every level. It is vital that we not only identify individuals in breach of immigration law but target the people smuggling networks behind this type of criminal activity.

June 17, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : UK and South Carolina State hold inaugural Working Group meeting [June 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Business and Trade on 16 June 2023.

First South Carolina Working Group meeting under the UK – South Carolina trade MoU takes place in Columbia, SC.

On Friday 16th June 2023, the UK and the State of South Carolina held the inaugural government to government working group under the auspices of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation and trade relations between the US state of South Carolina and the United Kingdom in Columbia, SC.

Consul General for the United Kingdom in Atlanta, Rachel Galloway, and Deputy Secretary of Commerce for the State of South Carolina, Ashely Teasdel, led the working group attended by officials from the respective governments. The discussion focused on improving cooperation and sharing best practice. This is in addition to exploring opportunities for increasing bilateral trade in the automotive, advanced manufacturing, life sciences sectors, and state procurement.

The UK and South Carolina have a strong trading relationship, with the state exporting £1.2 billion worth of goods to the UK and importing £1.3 billion worth of UK goods in 2022. Several UK companies have subsidiaries based in South Carolina including, Doncasters Trucast Inc, GKN Aerospace, and Sigmatex. UK companies employ over 12,000 South Carolinians in the state and almost 5000 jobs in the Palmetto state are supported by exports to the UK.

South Carolina and the UK agreed to facilitate further bilateral policy and research and development exchange ahead of a future session to be held in late 2023, which will involve representatives from industry as part of continued work to deliver for businesses in the UK and South Carolina.

June 17, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : UK urges Malian authorities to uphold responsibilities and allow the UN Mission to fulfil its mandate – UK statement at the Security Council [June 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 16 June 2023.

Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki at the UN Security Council meeting on Mali.

Thank you, President. And thank you SRSG Wane for your briefing. I welcome the participation of Foreign Minister Diop in our meeting today. I want to underline our unwavering support for the hard work and courage of MINUSMA’s peacekeepers and other UN staff. On behalf of the United Kingdom, I pay tribute to the two Burkinabe peacekeepers killed and the seven injured in the recent attack in Timbuktu region.

President, no one can deny the scale of the challenges facing the Malian people. Severe security and humanitarian threats. Political instability. A fragile Peace Agreement.

Malian civilians, and armed forces, have paid a heavy price.

Through MINUSMA, and other UN agencies – as well as bilateral security, development and humanitarian efforts – we have made huge investments in pursuit of the stable, prosperous, democratic society the Malian people deserve. This has come at great cost over the past decade. Not just financial, but also in terms of human lives, many of them UN peacekeepers.

MINUSMA still has an important role to play in supporting the Malian people. Following the Secretary-General’s review, we stand ready to adapt the mission to improve its impact. But for the Mission to function properly, the four parameters set out in the review must be met.

These parameters are not unreasonable. They are not imposed upon Mali from outside. They are commitments that have been made by the Malian transitional authorities. To their people, their neighbours and to the international community. To deliver a timely political transition; to implement the Peace Agreement; to uphold UN freedom of movement in accordance with the Status of Forces Agreement, and to respect the mandate set by this Council.

So against the four parameters, first, we urge progress on a timely and peaceful transition to constitutional order by March 2024. We call for the full participation of civil society in this Sunday’s constitutional referendum and in presidential elections next February.

Second, urgent efforts are needed to revive dialogue between the signatories to Mali’s faltering Peace Agreement, building on the International Mediation proposals.

Third, restrictions on MINUSMA’s movements – on which there has been no improvement – need to be lifted.

Fourth, obstruction of MINUSMA’s mandated human rights tasks must end. The tragic massacre in Moura of over 500 people by Malian forces and the Wagner Group is deeply concerning. There must be accountability for these crimes. MINUSMA must be allowed to fulfil its human rights mandate without fear of reprisals. Ultimately it is for the Malian transitional authorities to choose its partners. But let’s be clear: the Wagner Group, whether operating autonomously or under direct control from Moscow, is not the answer – in Mali or anywhere else.

President, the United Kingdom – with most members of this Council – remains committed to supporting MINUSMA’s efforts to help build the future Mali’s people deserve. We sincerely hope the Malian transitional authorities will live up to their responsibilities and allow the UN Mission to fulfil its mandate.

This is a choice only they can make.

Thank you.

June 17, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : New child maintenance powers to protect victims from domestic abusers [June 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Work and Pensions on 16 June 2023.

A government-backed Bill ensuring victims of domestic abuse can receive financial support for their children without contact from their abuser, has been approved by Parliament today (Friday 16 June).
- Parliament approves new powers to stop child maintenance economic abuse
- New law will allow Child Maintenance Service to intervene in payments
- More financial protection for children in separated families
The new law will allow the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) to intervene on behalf of parents where abuse is evident, using its powers to collect and make payments.

This set-up, called Collect and Pay, is already used by 37% of parents using the CMS. It provides extra protections for parents who have experienced domestic abuse by avoiding the need for contact and preventing perpetrators from inflicting financial abuse and control.

Work and Pensions Minister Viscount Younger of Leckie said:

“Domestic abuse and coercive control are abhorrent crimes. This positive change will enhance our existing support for domestic abuse victims and ensure they can make a child maintenance claim without the fear of having to deal with an abusive ex-partner.”

The Child Support Collection (Domestic Abuse) Bill will gain Royal Assent in the coming weeks after successfully passing both Houses of Parliament. It will build on the CMS’s existing procedures to protect both paying and receiving parents who are vulnerable to domestic abuse, ensuring more children in separated families are supported. The Private Members’ Bill was taken through Parliament by Sally-Ann Hart MP and Lord Farmer, with support from the Government.

The change comes following recommendations by a leading expert on domestic abuse, Dr Samantha Callan, who led an independent review into the CMS’s support for victims.

Dr Samantha Callan said:

“I am heartened that the Government have so quickly legislated to strengthen support for parents experiencing domestic abuse following my Review. This extra layer of protection for both parents and children was an important one of my recommendations to build on the CMS’s substantial reform in this area.”

Another government-backed Bill – the Child Support (Enforcement) Bill – which is soon also to become law, will simplify the court process of recouping child maintenance arrears, while continuing to protect paying parents’ appeal rights. This change in this Bill will make it easier and quicker for the CMS to take enforcement action and recoup money owed to families.

Together these changes will significantly strengthen the CMS’s existing support for vulnerable families.
June 17, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : UK commits £60 million to NATO’s Ukraine fund [June 2023]
The press release issued by the Ministry of Defence on 16 June 2023.

As defence ministers meet in Brussels, the Defence Secretary announced a £60 million contribution to the Comprehensive Assistance Package.
UK providing £60 million to NATO Comprehensive Assistance Package, bringing UK contribution to more than £80 million

NATO Ministers agree new UK-based Maritime Centre to support the security of undersea infrastructure

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace is in Brussels with NATO counterparts where the expansion of the ammunition warehousing project was agreed

An additional £60 million of funding from the UK to NATO’s Comprehensive Assistance Package (CAP) has been announced by the Defence Secretary, bringing the UK’s total contribution to over £80 million since February last year.

The CAP is the way that NATO’s support to Ukraine has been organised since 2016, and the funding supports a wide range of capacity-building programmes that are focused on key areas including cyber and logistics.

The package provides secure communications; combat rations, fuel, medical supplies; body armour; winter clothing and equipment to counter mines and chemical and biological threats. The UK and NATO allies continue to deliver on a shared and unwavering commitment to support Ukraine.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:

The international community is working together to secure a stable Europe including our critical infrastructure, and to support Ukraine.

This new contribution for NATO’s Ukraine fund is part of our ongoing commitment to provide Ukraine with the equipment and training it needs.

The funding from the UK is in addition to the extensive and ongoing bilateral support that the UK is providing Ukraine, and initiatives such as the International Fund for Ukraine (IFU). Earlier this week, the UK announced two significant air defence support packages with allies and partners.

The £60 million contribution to the CAP was announced by the Defence Secretary at a meeting of NATO Defence Ministers in Brussels. The meeting of the 31 NATO members focused on European security and stability, and Ministers agreed to establish a new Maritime Centre for the Security of Critical Undersea Infrastructure at NATO Maritime Command in the UK. This new centre is part of a long term plan for the alliance to better secure critical undersea infrastructure.

The centre will result in better coordination between allies and with industry to share expertise, creating a NATO-wide picture of the threat and best way to tackle the challenges including best practice and innovative technologies, such as the UK’s two Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance (MROS) ships – the first of which, HMS Proteus, is due to sail shortly.

The meeting also saw Multinational Ammunition Warehousing Initiative (MAWI) partners (Belgium, Canada, Czechia, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden and the UK) welcome four new nations to the project – Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany and Luxembourg.

MAWI is a NATO project that was established in 2021 to enable partners to explore opportunities for common stockpiling solutions, facilitate information sharing and develop minimum standards for ammunition warehouses. This will strengthen cooperation across allies in managing the storage of munitions and should result in lower costs and increase the availability of weapons.

The project will see a network of munition storage facilities that can host munitions in support of NATO’s multinational battle groups, including the UK-led group in Estonia.

During the NATO meeting, the Defence Secretary also reiterated the UK’s support to Sweden’s accession to the alliance, and held meetings with his counterparts from Türkiye, Canada, Greece, and Italy. He also met with Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Cavoli, and Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Radford.

Before the meeting began on Thursday, the Defence Secretary and Chief of the Defence Staff, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, attended the 13th Ukraine Defence Contact Group where the delivery of hundreds more air defence missiles was announced, following an agreement between Denmark, the Netherlands, the US and the UK.

The international community is committed to providing ongoing support to Ukraine – including equipment and training.
June 17, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Government to strengthen learnings after domestic homicide [June 2023]

The press release issued by the Home Office on 16 June 2023.

The government has launched a consultation to ensure domestic homicide reviews reflect the full range of domestic-abuse related deaths, including suicide.

We are considering changes to ensure domestic homicide review (DHR) legislation reflects the legal definition of domestic abuse, and amend the name to better reflect the range of deaths which fall in their scope, the Minister for Safeguarding announced today.

A domestic homicide review is a multi-agency review which seeks to identify and implement lessons learned from deaths which have, or appear to have, resulted from violence, abuse or neglect. Their aim is to better protect victims in future and prevent further tragedies.

We have launched an 8-week public consultation to consider changes to domestic homicide reviews, bringing them in line with the statutory definition of domestic abuse enacted in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.

This would mean that a DHR can be commissioned whenever there is a death that has, or appears to have, resulted from domestic abuse. This includes controlling or coercive behaviour, emotional and economic abuse, in addition to physical abuse, and will help to ensure that lessons are learned from fatal domestic abuse cases.

The consultation will also consider renaming DHRs as ‘domestic abuse fatality reviews’ to reflect cases where the death was not a result of homicide, such as in the case of suicide.

Safeguarding Minister, Sarah Dines said:

Domestic abuse is a devastating crime which can have tragic outcomes, including murder and suicide.

The government is committed to protecting people from this horrific abuse in all its forms and we are striving to make changes that will bring justice to victims and some comfort to their loved ones.

Through the consultation, the public, key stakeholders, researchers, and bereaved families will share their views.

The changes are being considered in response to concerns from charities and bereaved families that the current system does not reflect the full range of domestic abuse related deaths.

CEO of Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse, Frank Mullane MBE said:

Renaming these reviews and incorporating the statutory definition of domestic abuse, reflects the findings of the extensive forensic work achieved over 12 years.

We do not know how many deaths are fully, or in part attributable to domestic abuse, but these reviews have revealed many of them, for example some suicides and deaths from neglect.

Commissioning these reviews sends the signal that the state takes very seriously any deaths caused by domestic abuse.

The Home Office is taking action across the board to protect vulnerable people. Last month we allocated up to £39 million to 50 projects across England and Wales supporting initiatives to weed out domestic abuse and stalking.

We are also implementing tougher measures on the most dangerous domestic abuse offenders, including ensuring that offenders convicted of controlling or coercive behaviour and sentenced to 12 months or more will be managed in the same way as the most dangerous physically violent offenders, and recorded on the Violent and Sex Offender Register.

June 17, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Appointment of Dean of Durham [June 2023]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 16 June 2023.

The King has approved the nomination of The Reverend Canon Dr Philip Plyming, Warden of Cranmer Hall, St John’s College, Durham, to be appointed as Dean of Durham, in succession to The Very Reverend Andrew Tremlett following his appointment as Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral.

Background

Philip studied German and Russian at Cambridge University followed by Theology at Durham University while training for ministry at Cranmer Hall. His PhD was awarded by Edinburgh University for research into Paul’s hardship narratives in 1 and 2 Corinthians. He served his title at Christ Church, Chineham, in the Diocese of Winchester, and was ordained priest in 2002.

In 2006 Philip was appointed Vicar of Claygate, in the Diocese of Guildford, and from 2012 he additionally served as Area Dean of Emly.

Philip was appointed to his current role as Warden of Cranmer Hall, St John’s College, Durham, in 2017. He was made an Honorary Canon of Durham Cathedral in 2022.

Philip is married to Annabelle, who works as a palliative care consultant for a local NHS Trust, and they have two teenage sons.

June 17, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : UK statement on latest developments in the north of Kosovo [June 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 16 June 2023.

We call for the immediate release of the three Kosovo policemen detained on 14 June.

We urge Kosovo and Serbia to exercise maximum restraint, avoid unilateral measures and take immediate action to reduce tensions.

We reiterate our calls for Prime Minister Kurti and his government to ensure that elected mayors carry out their transitional duties from alternate locations outside municipal buildings and that special police units are withdrawn from municipal buildings.

New, inclusive elections should be announced as soon as possible. We expect and encourage Kosovo Serbs to participate in these elections.

We expect Kosovo and Serbia to engage immediately in the EU-facilitated Dialogue and in particular to start work without further delay to establish an Association of Serb Majority Municipalities.

June 16, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : North Korea ballistic missile launches – FCDO statement [June 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 15 June 2023.

A Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office spokesperson statement on North Korea’s ballistic missile launches on 15 June.

A Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office spokesperson said:

North Korea’s ballistic missile launches on 15 June are a breach of multiple UN Security Council resolutions. Illegal ballistic missile launches continue to destabilise the peace and security of the Korean Peninsula.

The UK will always call out these violations of UNSCRs. We strongly urge North Korea to return to dialogue and take credible steps towards denuclearisation.

June 16, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Appointment of Lord Chief Justice Dame Sue Carr [June 2023]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 15 June 2023.

Dame Sue Carr has been appointed the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales from 1 October 2023.

His Majesty The King has been pleased to approve the appointment of Dame Sue Carr as the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales from 1 October 2023. This appointment follows the retirement of The Rt Hon. the Lord Burnett of Maldon on 30 September 2023.

Dame Sue Carr was called to the Bar in 1987. As a barrister she specialised in general commercial law and took silk in 2003. She became Chair of the Professional Negligence Bar Association in 2007, Chair of the Bar Standards Board Conduct Committee in 2008, and was appointed as the Complaints Commissioner to the International Criminal Court in the Hague in 2011.

Her judicial career began in 2009 in crime, when she became a Recorder. She was appointed to the High Court, Queen’s Bench Division in 2013, and became a nominated Judge of the Commercial Court and the Technology and Construction Court in 2014. In the same year she became a member of the Investigatory Powers Tribunal until 2016. She became a Presider of the Midland Circuit in 2016 until 2020, when she was appointed as a Lady Justice of Appeal. In the same year she was also appointed as the senior Judicial Commissioner and Vice Chair of the Judicial Appointments Commission, a position she held until January 2023.

Dame Sue Carr was educated at Wycombe Abbey School and read law at Trinity College Cambridge.

Background

The appointment of the Lord Chief Justice is made by His Majesty The King on the advice of the Prime Minister and the Lord Chancellor following the recommendation of an independent selection panel chaired by Helen Pitcher OBE, Chair of the Judicial Appointments Commission . The other members were Lord Lloyd-Jones of the Supreme Court, Sue Hoyle OBE and Sarah Lee (lay and professional members of the Judicial Appointments Commission), and Lord Justice Edis (Senior Presiding Judge).

This selection exercise was run under the relevant sections of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 as amended by the Crime and Courts Act 2013. In accordance with section 70 of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, as amended by the Crime and Courts Act 2013, the panel determined the selection process to be followed and consulted the Lord Chancellor and the First Minister of Wales on the process followed.

In accordance with s.10(3) of the Senior Courts Act 1981 c.54, the selection exercise was open to all applicants who satisfied the judicial-appointment eligibility condition on a 7-year basis, or were judges of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, or High Court.

Given the challenges of reducing the outstanding caseloads across jurisdictions and the drive for modernisation across the Courts and Tribunals, candidates were expected to be able to serve for at least 4 years.

June 16, 2023