Category: Press Releases

PRESS RELEASE : New Peterborough hub officially opened as part of £120 million investment [March 2023]
The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 14 March 2023.

A new government hub in Peterborough has been officially opened by Cabinet Office Minister Alex Burghart today.
Cabinet Office Minister Alex Burghart to officially cut the ribbon on new Hub, calling it an “important day for Peterborough”

Fletton Quays site to house over 1,000 staff from several departments and government bodies including Home Office and DEFRA

New Hub forms part of £120 million Peterborough regeneration project

A new government hub in Peterborough has been officially opened by Cabinet Office Minister Alex Burghart today.

The Hub is in Fletton Quays, an area undergoing a £120 million regeneration, and will house more than 1,000 government staff from a number of departments and agencies. Staff from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and the Home Office’s Passport Office will be based there permanently, with room for more roles which may relocate to the city from London.

Cabinet Office Minister Alex Burghart said:

It’s fantastic to be in Peterborough to open our brand new Government Hub. This is a very important day for the city.

As today shows, this Government is investing in Peterborough and the East of England to create jobs and opportunities for the long-term.

The project is part of the government hubs programme, which has also seen the announcement of new hubs across the country including Glasgow, Belfast, Newcastle, Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham, Cardiff, Birmingham and Bristol.

These hubs will support the government’s drive to move 22,000 government roles out of London by 2030, moving them into communities across the United Kingdom.

Lord Murray, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Home Office, said:

Being part of this new Government hub continues to reinforce HM Passport Office’s long-term commitment to the city of Peterborough.

Quay House offers brand new, purpose built, facilities that will help us to deliver increasingly high standards of service for our customers in the East and Midlands for many years to come.

To date, more than 900 roles have been relocated out of the capital and into the East Midlands and East of England, with departments including the Ministry of Justice expanding their presence there.

The government will also launch a civil service recruitment campaign in the region in April as part of the drive to offer roles previously located in Whitehall to people in the East of England and East Midlands, ensuring the government is maximising use of the area’s vast talent pool.

The new Hub is part of a £120m regeneration of the Fletton Quays site led by the Peterborough Investment Partnership and the site’s developer, Bride Hall, which is expected to generate over £340 million of private sector revenue for the area.

Clive Anderson, Director of Capital Projects at the Government Property Agency, said:

Quay House in Peterborough is the Government Property Agency’s first new build Hub. It will provide inclusive, flexible, digitally-connected workspaces to support greater productivity, create cost efficiencies and enhance carbon reduction. This has been achieved by consolidating four remote sites into one new city centre building, with 1,000 civil servants now supporting local businesses.

We are all extremely proud to deliver this new Hub in Peterborough, and to be delivering the Government Hubs Programme in support of key government initiatives such as Levelling Up, Civil Service Reform and Net Zero. I welcome our clients and customers to their new place of work.
March 15, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : New framework to ensure road and rail development projects protect the environment [March 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 14 March 2023.

Announcing a consultation on an updated national networks national policy statement (NNNPS) for developers of new road, rail and rail freight schemes.
- consultation launched on an updated framework for new major road, rail, and rail freight schemes, which incorporates latest environmental standards
- changes will help meet the country’s environmental commitments and net zero ambitions, while strengthening connectivity and growing the economy
- government is also launching a review of the planning framework for major developments at ports around England
An updated framework with measures to protect the environment in new major road, rail, and rail freight schemes has been unveiled by the government today (14 March 2023).

The framework has been updated to reflect legislation set out in the Environment Act, which requires developers to recognise new environmental targets and sets out further details on biodiversity net gains. The new framework also recognises the proposed environmental outcome reports, allowing the government to set clear and tangible environmental outcomes against which transport schemes are assessed.

A consultation has been launched on an updated national networks national policy statement (NNNPS) with measures to require developers of new road, rail and rail freight schemes to show how they meet environmental targets, consider biodiversity net gains and the impact of their proposals on carbon emissions.

Roads and rail are a critical part of the transport network in facilitating connectivity and boosting economic links. The government is committed to continuing to develop these networks, while protecting the environment, strengthening connectivity and growing the economy.

The consultation is seeking views on an updated framework used by developers and the government when developing major road, rail and freight schemes.

Transport Minister Richard Holden said:

Transport has a vital role to play in levelling up our country, connecting people with good jobs and education opportunities across our cities, town and villages and in growing the economy.

This new framework is part of our mission to build a more sustainable transport system which protects our wonderful English countryside and wildlife while delivering opportunity by levelling up our transport network across the country.

The updated framework supports plans recently set out by the government to ensure the planning system can speed up the delivery of major infrastructure by making the system greener, faster and more resilient.

The consultation will run for 12 weeks until 6 June 2023.

The government has also announced that the framework used to assess major port development proposals is being reviewed to ensure that it reflects the issues facing ports today.

The national policy statement for ports (NPSP) was designated in 2012, and will now be reviewed by the Transport Secretary in light of more recent trends in port freight traffic, and a range of institutional changes and evolution of wider policy, notably in the environmental sphere.
March 15, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : UN HRC52 – Statement on torture and other inhuman treatment [March 2023]

The press release issued on 14 March 2023.

During the 52nd session of the UN Human Rights Council the UK delivered a statement on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Thank you, Mr. Vice-President

We thank the Special Rapporteur for her report.

The UK considers torture to be an abhorrent violation of human rights and human dignity. The UK continues to stand in solidarity with torture victims around the world. We owe it to survivors to hold perpetrators of torture to account.

We must take a survivor-centred approach in investigating and prosecuting this serious crime. We must also work together to ensure real accountability when torture is used, including instances of rape and sexual and gender-based violence.

The UK is a long-standing, vocal supporter of the Subcommittee for the Prevention of Torture, and other international mechanisms focussed on ending torture. We are committed to upholding our obligations under international law and call upon all states to do the same.

The UK welcomes the Special Rapporteur’s report and recommendations. We note her grave concern about the lack of investigations into torture and other ill treatment. What steps would she advise to ensure more states uphold their duty to investigate crimes of torture in national law and practice?

Thank you.

March 15, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Developer remediation contract – Developers Who Have Signed and Not Signed Document [March 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 14 March 2023.
Details

The government wrote to housebuilders and mixed-use developers on 30 January 2023 saying that it expected them to sign the newly published developer remediation contract by 13 March 2023.

Once signed, the contract requires developers to:

Take responsibility for all necessary work to address life-critical fire-safety defects arising from design and construction of buildings 11 metres and over in height that they developed or refurbished over the last 30 years in England.

Keep residents in those buildings informed on progress towards meeting this commitment.

Reimburse taxpayers for funding spent on remediating their buildings.

These requirements reflect a public pledge signed by 49 developers last year. Once signed, the contract makes the pledge commitments legally binding.

As of 14 March 2023, 39 developers had signed the contract.

Four developers who signed the pledge were subsequently found not to have developed buildings within the scope of the contract. Those developers have therefore not been required to sign the contract at this stage. They may be asked to sign the contract in future if information emerges indicating that they did in fact develop buildings which are in scope.

The government has made clear that eligible developers who refuse to sign the contract or fail to comply with its terms face significant consequences.

Developers who have signed the contract:

1. Allison Homes Group Limited
2. Barratt Developments PLC
3. Bellway PLC
4. The Berkeley Group Holdings PLC
5. Bewley Group Limited
6. Bloor Investments Limited
7. The British Land Company PLC
8. Cala Group (Holdings) Limited
9. Canary Wharf Group PLC
10. C.G. Fry and Son Limited
11. Churchill Retirement PLC
12. Crest Nicholson Holdings PLC
13. Croudace Homes Group Limited
14. Fairview Holdings Limited
15. Frasers Property (UK) Ltd
16. MJ Gleeson PLC
17. Grosvenor Group Limited
18. Hill Holdings Limited
19. Hopkins Home Group Limited
20. Jelson Holdings Limited
21. Keepmoat Limited
22. Land Securities Group PLC
23. Lifestory Holdings Limited (also covers Anthology Group)
24. McCarthy & Stone Limited
25. Miller Homes Limited
26. Morgan Sindall Group PLC (parent company for Lovell and Muse)
27. Morris Homes Group Limited
28. Persimmon Public Limited Company
29. Redrow PLC
30. Rowland Group Limited
31. Sorbon Group Limited (parent company for Shanly Homes)
32. St Modwen Group Holdings Company Limited
33. Story Homes Limited
34. Strata Homes Group Limited
35. Taylor Wimpey PLC
36. Tilia Homes Limited
37. Vistry Group PLC
38. Weston Group PLC
39. William Davis Homes

The list of signatories will be kept up to date.

Developers who signed the pledge but were subsequently found not to have developed buildings which are within its scope:

1. Davidsons
2. MacTaggart & Mickel
3. Robertson
4. Wain Homes

Developers who have yet to sign the contract:

1. Abbey Developments
2. Avant
3. Ballymore
4. Dandara
5. Emerson Group (Jones Homes)
6. Galliard Homes
7. Inland Homes
8. Lendlease
9. London Square
10. Rydon Homes
11. Telford Homes
March 15, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Developers sign Gove’s building safety contract [March 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 14 March 2023.

Thirty-nine of the country’s biggest developers have signed the contract providing relief for thousands of leaseholders and tenants.
Michael Gove has secured the signatures of the country’s biggest housebuilders on the developer remediation contract, a major step toward ending the building safety scandal.

Thirty-nine developers – including the top ten biggest housebuilders in the UK – all put pen to paper on the legally binding document before yesterday’s deadline and irreversibly committed themselves to fix unsafe buildings they developed or refurbished.

Signatories represent a substantial proportion of the housing market, and the signed agreements will raise at least £2 billion for remediation costs.

This will come as a welcome relief for the thousands of innocent leaseholders and tenants whose homes are covered by the contract. Developers will be legally bound to pay to fix their unsafe buildings and eligible developers who fail to sign will not be able to operate freely in the housing market.

Following the contract deadline passing, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Michael Gove, said:

I have been clear all along – those that are responsible for this crisis must pay. So, I am grateful to those developers who have done the right thing today by signing this legally binding contract. We will be monitoring their progress on remediation very closely, to ensure this work is completed urgently and safely. For those developers that have taken responsibility, today offers the chance for a reset, so we can get on and build more of the safe, decent and affordable homes we so desperately need.

To those developers that have failed to sign the contract without good reason, let me be very clear – we are coming after you. If you do not sign, you will not be able to operate freely in the housing market. Your investors will see that your business model is broken – only responsible developers are welcome here.

But today should not be about developers, or about government. Today is about innocent leaseholders. I want to put on record my apology to all leaseholders for the years of misery and hardship you have endured. You should never have been ignored, asked to pay and let down.

Today marks a turning point – and an important step towards resolving this crisis. There is so much more to do, but I will always act to protect leaseholders and end this injustice.

Signatories are required to fix all life-critical fire-safety defects in all English buildings over 11 metres they had a role in developing or refurbishing. It also requires them to reimburse the taxpayer where government funds have already paid for remediation, with that money being used to make other buildings safe faster.

For developers who have signed, their obligations start immediately. Leaseholders will benefit from a common framework of rights and responsibilities that will get their buildings fixed without them having to pay, and developers will be required to inform residents in affected buildings how they will be meeting these commitments.

The Government will publish further information next week on how developers will be prohibited from carrying out major development or from receiving building control approval unless they sign and adhere to the contract, using Building Safety Act 2022 powers.

Regulations will establish the Responsible Actors Scheme and set out the criteria for eligibility and the conditions of membership. Eligible developers who do not sign the contract will not be able to join the Scheme and will be subject to the prohibitions.

Further information:

A list of developers who signed and did not sign the contract is published here.
March 15, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : UK addresses Security Council meeting on ‘Russophobia’ – UK at the UN [March 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 14 March 2023.

Statement by Political Coordinator Fergus Eckersley at the Security Council meeting on ‘Russophobia’.

Thank you President.

Colleagues, Russophobia is one of the ever-growing list of excuses that Russia has come up with to justify its war in Ukraine.

The fact that they are inventing so many of these is itself a good indication that they know none of them stands up to full scrutiny.

Let me be clear, on behalf of the UK, and let me say it in Russian.

Мы не русофобы. Наоборот, у нас есть исторические отношения между нашими странами.

Мы вместе сражались в двух мировых войнах. Мы глубоко уважаем богатое культурное наследие России.

Я сам семь лет изучал русский язык, его историю и замечательную литературу.

[Translation: We do not suffer from Russophobia. We have a long history between our two countries. We fought together in two world wars. Across our country people respect and admire Russia’s rich cultural heritage.

[I myself spent seven years studying Russia’s language, its history and its remarkable literature.]

We do not want Russia to fail as a state, as the Russian delegation sometimes claims. Quite the opposite, in fact. We want Russia to be a stable and prosperous nation – just one that does not invade and try to annex its neighbours.

What Ukraine wants, what we all want, is peace in line with the UN Charter.

The problem in Ukraine today is not caused by Russophobia. It is caused by President Putin’s desire to annex a sovereign nation, in breach of the most fundamental principles of the UN Charter.

So when the Russian state complains about Russophobia, what they actually object to, very simply, is Ukraine’s determination that it should remain an independent nation: its refusal to bend to Russia’s will and to give Russia its land.

And in pursuit of Ukraine’s land, the Russian military has killed and injured many tens of thousands of Ukrainians, and displaced millions. There have been widespread reports of atrocities, with the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine recording more than 70,000 potential war crimes so far.

Hundreds of Ukrainian apartment buildings, train stations, hospitals and schools have been hit. Ukrainian cultural property has been looted and cultural heritage sites destroyed.

And more than that. To build domestic support for his war, Putin’s government is pushing out propaganda about Ukraine, to dehumanise the people it is killing, and to delegitimise the country it is invading. All while falsely claiming that Russia is somehow the victim.

In the run up to the invasion, President Putin called Ukraine an intolerable “anti-Russia” and declared that it was an “inalienable part of Russia’s own history, culture and spiritual space”.

We have since heard relentless false claims, including from President Putin, that the Ukrainian government are ‘neo-Nazis’. And from former President Dmitry Medvedev that Ukrainians are “scum and freaks”, “cockroaches” and “grunting pigs”.

The Russian government may believe that this propaganda will help to justify at home the lives of the tens of thousands of Russian soldiers who have been sacrificed.

But the consequences for innocent civilians, for Ukraine as a nation state, and for the rest of the world are catastrophic.

Colleagues, Russia is not under attack. There is only one aggressor here. So we must all tell the Russian government, very clearly, to turn off its war machine: to stop the invasion, to stop the killing, and to stop the propaganda.

Thank you.

March 15, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : North Korea ballistic missile test [March 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 14 March 2023.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has issued a statement following reports that a missile has been launched by North Korea.

“North Korea’s ballistic missile launches on 14 March are a breach of multiple UN Security Council resolutions. Unlawful ballistic missile launches pose a threat to regional peace and stability.

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

March 15, 2023

PRESS RELEASE : Change of His Majesty’s Ambassador to Turkmenistan [March 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 14 March 2023.

Mr Stephen Conlon has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to Turkmenistan in succession to Ms Lucia Wilde who will be transferring to another Civil Service appointment. Mr Conlon will take up his appointment during May 2023.

Curriculum vitae

Full name: Stephen Austin Conlon

Married to: Ruta Conlon (née Taraskeviciute)

Children: Two

Date	Role
2022 to present	Full Time Language Training (Russian)
2020 to 2022	Brussels, UK Mission to the EU, Head of European Parliament Team
2017 to 2020	United Kingdom Permanent Representation to the European Union, Head of European Parliament Team
2014 to 2017	United Kingdom Permanent Representation to the European Union, Food Safety and Veterinary Attaché
2009 to 2014	Vilnius, Deputy Head of Mission, Chargé d’Affaires and Her Majesty’s Consul
2004 to 2008	Helsinki, Director of UK Trade and Investment
2004	FCO, Desk Officer, EU Department (Internal), later Full Time Language Training (Finnish)
2003	Stockholm, Trade Attaché
2001 to 2003	FCO, Desk Officer for EU Environment & Food Safety, EU Department (Internal)
1997 to 2001	The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and the World Economic Forum, Desk Officer, Economic Policy Department

March 14, 2023

PRESS RELEASE : UN HRC52 – Statement on human rights while countering terrorism [March 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 14 March 2023.

At the 52nd session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, the UK delivered a statement on human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism.

Thank you, Mr Vice-President.

The UK would like to thank the Special Rapporteur for her latest Report on the implications of the development, use and transfer of new technologies, and for her contribution to the promotion of human rights in countering terrorism over the course of her six-year mandate, which is drawing to a close this summer.

The UK strongly believes that to be truly effective, our counter terrorism and counter violent extremism efforts must respect human rights.

In line with this, the UK welcomes the recommendations of the Special Rapporteur. The use of biometric information helps us combat terrorism, but it must be used in compliance with human rights law. The UK stands ready to engage with member states to support this objective, building our capability and capacity to counter terrorism whilst protecting and promoting human rights around the world.

With this in mind, we would like to ask the Special Rapporteur what more could be done by States to ensure that human rights are respected in the deployment of new technologies when it comes to countering terrorism.

Thank you.

March 14, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Rural Payments Agency opens application windows for farm payments for 2023 [March 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 14 March 2023.

Farmers can now apply for the Basic Payment Scheme and claim for their existing Countryside Stewardship revenue and Environmental Stewardship agreements.

The application window for the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and the claim window for existing Countryside Stewardship (CS) revenue and Environmental Stewardship (ES) agreements has opened today (Tuesday 14 March).

Basic Payment Scheme

Last year, BPS advance payments were made in the summer for the first time to help farmers with their cashflow, with balance payments made from December. This change to the BPS payment cycle will continue and this year advance payments of around 50% of the total will be made from the start of August 2023.

Direct Payments, currently paid through BPS, are being steadily phased out through to 2027 as the government introduces the Environmental Land Management schemes. As part of this process, we plan to replace BPS with delinked payments based on a farmer’s average BPS payments for the 2020 to 2022 scheme years. The payments will be reduced each year as they are phased out. Farmers must claim and be eligible for BPS payments in the 2023 scheme year to receive delinked payments for 2024 to 2027.

Cross compliance will end after the 2023 scheme year and will not apply to delinked payments, although the vast majority of strong legal standards for the environment and animal health and welfare will continue and these will be enforced in a fair and proportionate way. We will work with farmers to get it right and give them a chance to self-correct before taking stronger action, for example by increasing the use of warning letters, where appropriate, rather than immediately defaulting to payment penalties.

Countryside Stewardship and Environmental Stewardship

For 2023 the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) has supplemented the existing online claim process for CS with a more straightforward annual declaration option in cases where no changes are required. This will be available in the Rural Payments service, with farmers able to generate and submit an automated revenue claim without needing to complete each section of the claim form.

All farmers must submit a claim or annual declaration for CS and ES to receive payment for works carried out in 2023.

Rural Payments Agency Chief Executive Paul Caldwell said:

I know the importance of cashflow to rural businesses at this time. I am pleased that we have continued to achieve a strong performance to help farmers deliver sustainable food production alongside environmental actions to enhance and support nature.

I encourage all eligible farmers to submit their applications and claims as soon as possible to ensure that no one misses out.

The government is committed to investing £2.4 billion per year into the farming sector for the rest of this parliament – with all the money from reduced BPS payments being reinvested into the sector through our ongoing payments and one-off grants under our Environmental Land Management schemes.

In January, the government set out detailed plans on the improved and expanded Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and Countryside Stewardship, as well as increased payment rates through Countryside Stewardship and a new SFI Management Payment worth up to £1,000 to help manage costs.

The schemes offer something for every farmer, with six further SFI standards open for applications this summer, and even more actions to be added to both schemes next year.

March 14, 2023

Category: Press Releases

Details

Curriculum vitae

Basic Payment Scheme

Countryside Stewardship and Environmental Stewardship