Category: Press Releases

PRESS RELEASE : New partnership to boost research into vaccines for cancer [January 2023]
The press release issued by the Department of Health and Social Care on 6 January 2023.
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Steve Barclay to sign Memorandum of Understanding with BioNTech SE today to bring innovative vaccine research to England with the potential to transform outcomes for cancer patients.

The collaboration will aim to deliver 10,000 personalised therapies to UK patients by 2030 through a new research and development hub creating jobs and strengthening the UK’s position as a leader in global life sciences.

The new partnership will help accelerate clinical trials of personalised immunotherapies for cancer and infectious disease vaccines.

Trials into vaccines for cancer and wider diseases will accelerate after the government reached a historic agreement with a leading biopharmaceutical firm to bring revolutionary research to England.

A Memorandum of Understanding will be signed today by Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Steve Barclay and the Germany-based company BioNTech that previously developed a world-leading Covid-19 vaccine with Pfizer.

The agreement means cancer patients will get early access to trials exploring personalised mRNA therapies, like cancer vaccines. No two cancers are the same and mRNA vaccines will contain a genetic blueprint to stimulate the immune system to attack cancer cells.

Access to the trials will be via the Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad which is being developed by NHS England and Genomics England.

The launch pad will help to rapidly identify large numbers of cancer patients who could be eligible for the trials and explore potential vaccines across multiple types of cancer. Trials for innovative treatments could start as early as Autumn 2023.

The partnership will aim to help patients with early and late-stage cancers. If successfully developed, the cancer vaccines could become part of standard care.

Health and Social Care Secretary, Steve Barclay said:

Once cancer is detected, we need to ensure the best possible treatments are available as soon as possible, including for breast, lung and pancreatic cancer.

BioNTech helped lead the world on a Covid-19 vaccine and they share our commitment to scientific advancement, innovation and cutting-edge scientific technology, making them perfect partners for a deal to work together on cancer vaccines.

This partnership will mean that, from as early as September, our patients will be among the first to participate in trials and tests to provide targeted, personalised and precision treatments using transformative new therapies to both treat the existing cancer and help stop it returning.

This agreement builds on this government’s promise to increase research and development spending to £20 billion per year and demonstrates the UK remains one of the most attractive places in the world for innovative companies to invest in research, trial new treatments and treat patients more effectively

Building on the lessons learnt during the pandemic – including the development of a Covid-19 vaccine – the partnership will enable the government and BioNTech to harness the country’s world-leading expertise in organisations such as the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and Genomics England.

The launch pad will complement the ongoing work of the NHS Genomic Medicine Service which helps patients access the latest testing technologies and ensures they are given more targeted precision treatments for their cancer with transformative approaches and better outcomes.

BioNTech’s investment will include setting up a new research and development hub and offices in the UK creating jobs and strengthening the UK’s position as a leader in global life sciences.

Minister for Health and Secondary Care, Will Quince said:

Getting a cancer diagnosis can be heart-breaking for patients and families. This partnership represents a giant leap towards achieving better outcomes for patients.

BioNTech has a proven and distinguished record in vaccine technology and contributed significantly to the development of a Covid-19 vaccine.

This partnership now has the potential to develop research leading to cancer therapies which could save lives.

Prof. Ugur Sahin, M.D, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of BioNTech:

The UK successfully delivered Covid-19 vaccines so quickly because the National Health Service, academia, the regulator and the private sector worked together in an exemplary way.

This agreement is a result of the lessons learnt from the Covid-19 pandemic. Drug development can be accelerated without cutting corners if everyone works seamlessly together towards the same goal. Today’s agreement shows we are committed to do the same for cancer patients.

Our goal is to accelerate the development of immunotherapies and vaccines using technologies we have been researching for over 20 years. The collaboration will cover various cancer types and infectious diseases affecting collectively hundreds of millions of people worldwide.

If successful, this collaboration has the potential to improve outcomes for patients and provide early access to our suite of cancer immunotherapies as well as to innovative vaccines against infectious diseases – in the UK and worldwide.

National Clinical Director for Cancer, Professor Peter Johnson said:

As we continue to drive forward efforts to diagnose cancers at the earliest possible stage, we also need to make sure we are looking at every opportunity to improve treatments. This new partnership will unlock the potential to develop revolutionary treatments in the UK to benefit NHS patients.

mRNA technology has the potential to be a transformative approach in a number of illnesses, and we hope that by finding out how to vaccinate people against their own cancers we can further improve their chances of staying cancer-free.
January 6, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Millions of homeowners and tenants to get better access to faster broadband [January 2023]
The press release issued by the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on 6 January 2023.
- New laws will also mean it is easier for home buyers, renters and some leaseholders to get upgrades to lightning-fast broadband
- Measures will end the problem of unresponsive landlords preventing tenants from receiving faster connections.
New homes in England will be built with gigabit broadband connections and telecoms firms will be able to get faster broadband to nine million people living in blocks of flats across the UK, thanks to new laws the government has brought into force.

Ministers have amended the Building Regulations 2010 to ensure that new homes constructed in England will be fitted with infrastructure and connections capable of delivering gigabit broadband – the fastest internet speeds on the market.

Gigabit broadband is now available in over 72 per cent of the UK and is already boosting boost productivity for millions working at home through lightning fast download speeds, as well as enabling entire families to stream movies, TV and video games in high quality 4K and 8K definition onto multiple devices at the same time with no slowdowns in speed.

The updated regulations mean that more people moving into new homes will have a gigabit-capable broadband connection ready when construction is completed, avoiding the need for costly and disruptive installation work after the home is built and enabling residents to arrange the best possible internet service at the point they move in.

In a further boost to people’s access to better broadband, another new law has made it easier to install faster internet connections in blocks of flats when landlords repeatedly ignore requests for access from broadband firms.

The Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Act (TILPA), now in force in England and Wales, makes it easier for broadband providers to gain access to install equipment in blocks of flats, when a faster connection is requested by a tenant. It is estimated that an extra 2,100 residential buildings a year will be connected as a result.

Digital Infrastructure Minister Julia Lopez said:

Nothing should stop people from seizing the benefits of better broadband, whether it is an unresponsive landlord or a property developer’s failure to act.

Thanks to our new laws, millions of renters will no longer be prevented from getting a broadband upgrade due to the silence of their landlord, and those moving into newly built homes can be confident they’ll have access to the fastest speeds available from the day they move in.

Driven by government policy, the market has made significant strides to ensure availability of gigabit connectivity in new homes – but thousands of homes each year do not get access.

Data referenced in the government’s technical consultation suggested that approximately 12 per cent, around 25,300 homes, still did not have access to a full fibre connection upon construction in a typical year.

The updated building rules mean home developers will be legally required to future-proof new homes in England for next-generation gigabit broadband as standard practice during construction.

Connection costs will be capped at £2,000 per home for developers and they will work together with network operators to connect developments to the gigabit network. It is estimated over 98 per cent of premises fall within this cap, meaning moving into a new build property without lightning-fast internet speeds will become a thing of the past for the vast majority of people across England.

Where a developer is unable to secure a gigabit-capable connection within the cost cap, developers must install the next fastest connection available.

And even where a gigabit-capable connection is not available within the cost cap, gigabit-ready infrastructure, such as ducts, chambers and termination points, still needs to be installed. This will ensure that homes are fit for the digital age but may not be connected straight away.

Making broadband upgrades easier in blocks of flats

Previously, tenants living in the UK’s estimated 480,000 blocks of flats and apartments (also known as multi-dwelling units, or MDUs) would usually have had to wait for a landlord’s permission to have a broadband operator enter their building to install a faster connection. These access rights are essential for the delivery of broadband upgrades as operators are unable to deploy their services without first obtaining permission, either from the landowner or a court, to install their equipment.

Broadband companies have said around 40 per cent of their requests for access to install connections receive no response, which means they may lose out on the revolutionary benefits of faster speeds.

Now, providers in England and Wales will be able to seek rights to access a property or shared land if the person required to grant access is unresponsive. The law does this by creating a new route through the courts that operators can use to access blocks of flats and apartments.

It will prevent situations where a tenant is unable to receive a service simply due to the silence of a landlord. From the point where a company makes the first request to the landlord, it will take 35 days for this new rule to kick in.
January 6, 2023
HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : UK and France push for ambitious climate deal [December 2009]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 11 December 2009.

Britain and France have agreed to work for an ambitious deal in Copenhagen which would keep global warming to within two degrees and enable the EU to reduce its emissions by 30 per cent by 2020.

In a joint press conference with French President Nicolas Sarkozy at the European Council in Brussels, Gordon Brown said the two leaders are also pushing for a “fast-start launch fund” to help developing countries adapt to the effects of climate change.

The Prime Minister said Britain will provide at least £1.5billion over the next three years to this fund.

The two leaders released a joint statement setting out their ambitions for the Copenhagen summit, including goals to reduce deforestation.

The PM said:

“This is the time for more than words – it is the time for action, backed up by strong commitments. It is strong commitments that President Sarkozy and I are making here today.”

Speaking through an interpreter, President Sarkozy said:

“France and Britain want an agreement with a draw down of 30 per cent on emissions by 2020. We are the two countries that are spearheading Europe, pushing Europe to achieve this high-flying, far sighted and ambitious goal.”

January 5, 2023
HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : UK pledges climate aid for developing countries [December 2009]

The press release issued by Downing Street on 11 December 2009.

Britain will provide £1.5 billion towards a three-year fund to help the poorest countries adapt to the effects of climate change, the Prime Minister has announced.

The money will form part of a £6.5 billion “fast start” fund agreed by EU leaders at a European Council meeting in Brussels today.

In a press conference following the summit, Gordon Brown also confirmed that the EU will offer to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30 per cent by 2020 if other countries are willing to commit to ambitious reductions at the Copenhagen climate conference.

The PM said:

“Britain’s contribution is one that we are proud we are making, and that is $800 million or £500 million a year. That makes it possible for the poorest countries to come to the table knowing that they can mitigate carbon emissions and adapt to climate change.”

The PM said he and other EU leaders would do “everything in our power” to secure an ambitious deal at the UN summit in Copenhagen, which concludes next week.

He said:

“I believe there is goodwill now, that there is a determination that things move forward. Obviously we are hoping that other countries respond to the generous offers that Europe has made but we look forward to a successful outcome.”

Earlier, the Prime Minister released a joint statement with French President Nicolas Sarkozy committing the UK and France to work together for an ambitious deal in Copenhagen which would keep global warming to within two degrees.

January 5, 2023
HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Government committed to delivering prosperity – Gordon Brown [December 2009]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 12 December 2009.

The Prime Minister has said the best policy for economic recovery in Britain is greater investment in the future.

In his latest podcast, Gordon Brown said the Pre-Budget Report has laid out a plan for encouraging growth and employment in the years ahead, and the Government was prepared to make the “tough choices necessary” to halve the deficit and protect frontline services.

The PM said the Government would focus on greater investment in highly-skilled jobs and infrastructure.

The plans will be put into action in the coming week with the opening of the first high-speed railway line in the UK. And the Government will launch the Back to Work White Paper which aims to create and support “thousands of new jobs and opportunities” for young people.

“We are a Government committed both to growth and jobs and to a better future for you and your family.

“Britain has been through a difficult year, but I am confident that this Pre-Budget Report and the policies we are announcing in the next week mean we are able to look forward to a stronger, more prosperous Britain in the years to come.”

Mr Brown said some people, especially the wealthiest, would be asked to contribute more in the future: “But in return we are able to guarantee a plan for growth that safeguards our schools, our police and our NHS.”

January 5, 2023
HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Prime Minister Gordon Brown visits Afghanistan [December 2009]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 13 December 2009.

The Prime Minister has visited Afghanistan this weekend where he has met British forces and held talks with President Karzai and Afghan authorities.

Gordon Brown stayed overnight at Kandahar Airfield, the coalition headquarters for the region.

During the visit, the PM was briefed by senior military staff in Kandahar as well as meeting troops and inspecting new equipment purchased in recent months.

The Prime Minister later flew to Camp Bastion, in Helmand Province, where the bulk of the UK’s troops are based.

At a joint press conference with the Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, Gordon Brown said the rising level of British troops was being met by increases in equipment, including helicopters and IED surveillance devices.

“We have ramped up our counter-IED efforts to give the best protection possible to our troops on the ground.”

The PM said the plan was to continue to weaken the Taliban and to strengthen the Afghan authorities.

“I think the next few months are obviously critical. We need to show there support for our forces back in Britain, which I know there is, and a determination to take on the Taliban.”

Gordon Brown thanked troops for their “bravery, professionalism and dedication” in what he described as a difficult year. And he paid tribute to service personnel who would be apart from loved ones over Christmas.

It is the Prime Minister’s third visit to Afghanistan this year.

January 5, 2023
HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Gordon Brown hails the launch of UK high-speed train travel [December 2009]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 14 December 2009.

Gordon Brown called the Javelin train’s first weekday journey, “a momentous day in the long and glorious history of British railways” during the official launch of the UK’s first domestic high-speed rail service at St Pancras International station this morning.

The new Southeastern Rail service, which runs from London to Kent, can reach speeds of up to 140 mph and will mean a reduction of journey times from up to 69 minutes for commuters.

The Prime Minister said that investment in high-speed rail networks would continue, and that the Government would publish plans by the end of March for a North-South network. He also said that Transport Secretary Lord Adonis would announce the electrification of rail lines between Manchester and Liverpool and Preston later today:

“I know some people who think this is not the time to be investing in infrastructure but I believe it is essential to do so and we will be investing £20 billion in our rail infrastructure in the next few years.”

Mr Brown was joined by Lord Adonis and Olympic gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes after whom the train taking its maiden voyage was named.
Lord Adonis said of the new era in UK train travel:

“These fantastic new services, made possible by the government’s investment in this £5.8bn high-speed new line, are changing the transport map of Kent.

“Journey times have shrunk dramatically, bringing regeneration and new opportunities for investment.

“This shows the potential of high-speed rail and we now must consider what it can do for the rest of the country.”

January 5, 2023
HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Prime Minister Gordon Brown announces more equipment and support for troops [December 2009]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 14 December 2009.

The Prime Minister has announced that the Government “will go further” in providing equipment and support to troops serving in Afghanistan.

In a statement to the House of Commons following his visit to Kandahar and Camp Bastion in Helmand Province, Gordon Brown said the Defence Secretary is due to announce plans for more equipment, including specialist counter-IED support.

“The latest tranche of urgent operational funding from the treasury will include an extra £10 million for handheld mine detectors to follow the £12 million set aside earlier this year for new explosive disposal robots, over 30 of which are now in operation. And I can also announce a package of longer-term investment in our counter-IED capability including new facilities for training and for intelligence – an extra 50 millions pounds a year – £150 million in total this year and over the next two years.”

The PM said the announcement follows a doubling in helicopter numbers over the past three years; an increase of almost 80 per cent in mastiff vehicles and double the number of Ridgback vehicles since the summer; and a 20 per cent increase in aerial surveillance to track and target Taleban Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

Gordon Brown said he also began preparations with president Karzai on the London conference in January. He said the focus for the conference would be on security, reintegration, economic development, and the coordination of international efforts in Afghanistan.

The Prime Minister also thanked British Armed Forces in a year in which “100 of their colleagues have made the ultimate sacrifice”.

On the EU Council meeting held on 10-11 December 2009, the Prime Minister said European leaders addressed the economic recovery and how Europe can move forward a climate change deal at Copenhagen.

Leaders also expressed their “grave concern” over Iran’s nuclear weapons intentions.

January 5, 2023
HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Gordon Brown pledges to tackle youth unemployment [December 2009]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 15 December 2009.

The Prime Minister assured young jobseekers that new measures would bring down unemployment in the coming year during a visit to the Acton Jobcentre Plus in London today.

Whilst hearing the stories of a number of young people who had been helped by their local Jobcentre, he said:

“We really don’t want to have a generation of young people who are out of the labour market for too long because it does hurt ambition and it causes a cycle for the next generation.”

Gordon Brown was joined by Work and Pensions Secretary Yvette Cooper as it was announced that 100,000 new jobs, apprenticeships and training opportunities for under 25s would be created in 2010.

Yvette Cooper, who today launched the employment white paper “Building Britain’s Recovery, achieving full employment” made the point that youth unemployment has historically continued rising after a recession and should remain a focus for Government:

“Unemployment is around 400,000 lower than we expected it would be at the time of the Budget as a result of a lot of the extra support and help that has been put in place.

“But it is still causing a big problem for families right across the country and we still expect unemployment to keep increasing in the New Year.

“That is why we need to do more to help people, especially young people, get back into work.”

“Our aim is to work with employers to get youth unemployment falling in the second half of next year.”

The Government will guarantee employment or training for all under-25s who have been out of work for six months or more. The white paper also sets out plans to change the benefits system to help motivate older unemployed people, single parents, carers and those starting up new-businesses.

January 5, 2023
HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Prime Minister Gordon Brown in Copenhagen for climate talks [December 2009]
The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 15 December 2009.

The Prime Minister is in Copenhagen where he will work towards securing an ambitious agreement that limits global warming to a maximum two degrees.

Gordon Brown is calling on developed and developing countries at the United Nations Climate Conference to work together to advance shared goals at a “critical moment”.

After arriving in Copenhagen, the PM went straight into talks with the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, and Australian PM Kevin Rudd.

He said:

“It is possible that we will not get an agreement and it is also true that there are many issues to be sorted out. But I am determined – with the conversations I have had already today with President Obama, with Chancellor Merkel, with President Sarkozy, and with President Meles of Ethiopia and now I have been talking to the prime minister of Bangladesh, to do everything I can to bring the world together.”

Shortly before leaving for Copenhagen, the Prime Minister met his Ethiopian counterpart, Prime Minister Meles, who has played an important role in bringing together the views of African countries.

In a statement released after their meeting, Gordon Brown said Africa’s survival now depends on a climate change deal.

“Some degree of climate change cannot now be prevented; but we can avert the utter catastrophe that would be the 4, 5 or 6 degree rise implied by a business as usual path of emissions. And we can provide the nations of Africa with the financial support they need to cope with its effects.”

The PM said he supported proposals presented by Prime Minister Meles, saying they offer a basis for agreement in Copenhagen on the “difficult financing question which lies at the heart of the talks”.

Prime Minister Meles has proposed:
- A commitment to predictable and long-term finance, with a clear trajectory from the fast start period of 2010-12 to 2020. I have argued for this to reach 100 billion euros annually by 2020.
- A commitment to additonality, ensuring that we do not use climate finance to detract from our determination to meet the Millennium Development Goals.
- And a focus on the use of innovative financing mechanisms, such as a global transactions tax, to raise funds.
During the UN Climate Conference Mr Brown will also meet leaders from other African nations and the European Union, the UN Secretary General and representatives from hard-hit, small island states.
January 5, 2023