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PRESS RELEASE : Serial waste crook, Varun Datta, forced to pay over £1.4 million for widespread illegal dumping [February 2026]
The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 19 February 2026.

Company boss handed suspended prison sentence and massive bill for illegally dumping thousands of tonnes of waste across England.

A prolific waste criminal has been ordered to hand over more than £1.4 million for illegally dumping in excess of 4,275 tonnes of waste across England.

A nationwide investigation by the Environment Agency uncovered a network of 16 illegal dumping sites, stretching from the northeast to the south coast. Farms, a historic manor house and a nature reserve were among the locations trashed.

Varun Datta, 36, of Little Chester Street, London, must now pay £1.1 million, reflecting the financial benefit from his crimes, plus £100,000 in compensation and £200,000 in prosecution costs. He was also slapped with a prison sentence of four months suspended for 18 months, as well as 30 days’ rehabilitation and 200 hours of unpaid work.

The shocking case, which concluded in Birmingham Crown Court last Friday (13 February), involved the prosecution of two other men, with one being fined and the other facing a suspended sentence, rehabilitation and unpaid work. Warrants for the arrest of two other men are still active.

Emma Viner, Enforcement and Investigations Manager in the Environment Agency’s National Environmental Crime Unit, said:

We are glad to see the perpetrators brought to justice in this appalling case.

Despite their attempts to conceal their criminality, our in-depth investigation spanning the length and breadth of the country ultimately uncovered those responsible.

We will never stop fighting to end the scourge of waste crime which scars our environment and communities.

Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds said:

This is a shocking case of illegal waste dumping, orchestrated by a group of shameless crooks who thought they could operate above the law.

I welcome the punishments secured by the Environment Agency – which send a clear message to criminals that they have nowhere to hide.

This government is committed to stamping out this type of criminality across the country by boosting funds to tackle waste crime and introducing tougher checks and penalties for those who break the law.

In 2018, the Environment Agency seized £131,520 in cash from Datta’s home address. In 2022, a restraint order was applied to two bank accounts ensuring that any future confiscation order could be paid. After pleading not guilty in 2023, Datta subsequently pleaded guilty in June 2025 to knowingly causing controlled waste to be deposited at sixteen sites. The total weight of the waste was around 4,275 tonnes – roughly the weight of 600 African elephants.

The offences were branded “reckless” by Judge Paul Farrar KC. “Smell and flies were a feature at some of the illegal sites and caused a localised adverse effect to air quality,” he said, with landowners “forced to incur substantial costs in removing the illegal waste.” No environmental permit or valid exemption was in place at any of the sites, which were spread across Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Lancashire, Kent, Surrey, Rutland and Middlesborough.

The court heard that Datta became a registered waste broker through his company, Atkins Recycling Ltd, in 2015. He acted recklessly by claiming the waste the company handled was being sent to a legal site at Kiveton Park, near Sheffield. However, the loads were actually diverted to unlicensed dumps around the country. It is alleged that an associate, Sandeep Golechha, 55, of Wheatley Close, London, helped to falsify weighbridge documents to cover up the illegal acts.

The £100,000 in compensation to be paid by Datta relates to the dumping at the former Sulzer Dowding Mills Factory site in Middlesbrough, as well as the Middleton Nature Reserve in Lancashire. Middlesborough Council will receive £70,000 towards the cost of the clean-up, while £30,000 will be awarded to the Lancashire Wildlife Trust for the future management of the Middleton Nature Reserve.

Anyone who suspects illegal waste activity is asked to report it to the Environment Agency’s 24-hour hotline – 0800 80 70 60 – or anonymously contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

NOTES FOR EDITORS
- Datta has been ordered to pay £1,116,432.78 by way of a Confiscation Order. This figure was agreed by the parties. It represents the financial gain to the defendant from knowingly causing the deposit of waste.
- Mohammed Saraji Bashir, 45, of Windmill Street, Peterborough, had pleaded guilty on 3 June 2025 for knowingly causing controlled waste to be deposited at three sites. He was given a prison sentence of four months suspended for 18 months. He must also complete 30 days of rehabilitation activity and 200 hours of unpaid work.
- Robert William McAllister, 55, of Iveagh Close, Northwood, London, had pleaded guilty on 7 November 2024 for failing to comply with the duty of care imposed on brokers of waste, in relation to controlled waste that was deposited at two sites. He was fined £750.
- The Court was told that Bashir and McAllister acted as brokers. They both failed to ensure that the waste transferred was going to permitted sites.
- Warrants for Sandeep Golechha, 53, of Wheatley Close, London, and Jason Newman, of no fixed abode, are still active.
- The majority of the waste dumped was mixed municipal waste, wrapped in plastic to form bales.
The Sites
1. Unit P, Continental Approach, Westwood Business Park, Margate, Kent
2. Trelawny House, Straight Drove, Farcet, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire
3. Somersbury Manor, Horsham Lane, Ewhurst, Cranleigh, Surrey
4. The Drift, Sewstern, Grantham, Lincolnshire
5. Stockenhall Farm, Stretton, Rutland
6. Yaxley Lodge Farm, Yaxley, Cambridgeshire
7. Conquest Drove, Farcet, Cambridgeshire
8. Humby Mills Farm, Grantham, Lincolnshire
9. Sycamore Farm, Lower Bassingthorpe, Grantham, Lincolnshire
10. Peacock Farm, Muston, Leicestershire
11. Lime Tree Farm, English Drove, Thorney, Lincolnshire
12. Gill Bridge Farm, Boston, Lincolnshire
13. The Limes, Spalding, Lincolnshire
14. The Former Sulzer, Dowding and Mills Factory, Lower East Street, Middlesbrough
15. Middleton Nature Reserve, Lancashire
16. Rhyddings Mill, Stonebridge Lane, Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire
February 23, 2026
PRESS RELEASE : Dame Antonia Romeo appointed as first female Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service to drive change and implement the government’s agenda [February 2026]

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 19 February 2026.

The appointment marks the first time a woman has held the role in its over 100 year history.

The Prime Minister has appointed Dame Antonia Romeo as the Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service, following a process approved by the independent First Civil Service Commissioner.

Dame Antonia is currently Permanent Secretary of the Home Office. Building on 25 years of public service leadership, as Cabinet Secretary she will lead the Civil Service to drive change and implement the government’s agenda.

Dame Antonia Romeo is currently the longest-serving permanent secretary in government and will become the first female Cabinet Secretary in the more than 100-year history of the role.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:

I am delighted to appoint Dame Antonia Romeo as the new Cabinet Secretary. She is an outstanding public servant, with a 25‑year record of delivering for the British people.

Since becoming Prime Minister, I’ve been impressed by her professionalism and determination to get things done. Families across the country are still feeling the squeeze, and this government is focused on easing the cost of living, strengthening public services and restoring pride in our communities. It is essential we have a Cabinet Secretary who can support the government to make this happen.

Antonia has shown she is the right person to drive the government to reform and I look forward to working with her to deliver this period of national renewal.

Dame Antonia Romeo said:

It is a huge privilege to be asked to serve as Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service.

The Civil Service is a great and remarkable institution, which I love. We should be known for delivery, efficiency and innovation, working to implement the Government’s agenda and meet the challenges the country faces.

I look forward to working with all colleagues across the Civil Service to do this, in support of the Prime Minister and the Government.

Dame Antonia has spent nearly a decade leading economic, public services and security departments. As Permanent Secretary of the Department of International Trade, Dame Antonia set up the new department from scratch as the UK left the EU, bringing together trade policy with promotion and finance for the first time.

As Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice she led the official response to the civil unrest of summer 2024, working across the criminal justice system to keep the country safe, and launched the Sentencing Review.

At the Home Office she has launched a plan to restore order and control to the asylum system and the biggest reform of policing in decades, and led the publication of the strategy to build a safer society for women and girls in support of the Home Secretary.

Appointment process:

Following the departure of Sir Chris Wormald as Cabinet Secretary, the Prime Minister and the First Civil Service Commissioner agreed a process to appoint a new Cabinet Secretary.

Once this process was complete, the First Civil Service Commissioner confirmed that Dame Antonia Romeo is an exceptional candidate of the highest calibre, having run two of the largest operational departments in Government, and confirmed her track record makes her the right candidate for the role.

First Civil Service Commissioner Baroness Gisela Stuart said:

I approved the comprehensive due diligence process and agreed the conclusions drawn, to form the basis for the Prime Minister to make an appointment decision.

Dame Antonia Romeo has an excellent track record in leadership positions across the civil service, including three Permanent Secretary roles in some of the most complex operational departments in Government.

Dame Antonia was found to be a suitable candidate for the role during the previous recruitment process in 2024. Under the direction of the First Civil Service Commissioner, consideration has been given to her performance at the Ministry of Justice and Home Office since the previous recruitment process took place.

An enhanced due diligence process has also been undertaken by the Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Office and the interim Government Chief People Officer, which will form the basis for the appointments to the Cabinet Secretary role in future.

Dame Antonia takes up the role with immediate effect.

February 23, 2026
PRESS RELEASE : Bold bet on AI to keep UK at forefront of science and research breakthroughs from healthcare, to better public services [February 2026]
The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 19 February 2026.

First-ever AI Strategy for UK Research and Innovation marks bold plan to make AI deliver for UK’s cutting-edge science and research efforts.
- First-ever AI Strategy for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) marks bold plan to make AI deliver for UK’s cutting-edge science and research efforts, supporting breakthroughs from health to clean energy and beyond
- AI ambitions for UK’s largest public research funder backed by record £1.6 billion, directly targeted at the AI sector between now and the end of the decade
- From screening for cancer to harnessing clean energy, research and innovation is critical to making AI work for good: a key theme of this year’s AI Impact Summit
AI will be put to work to transform cutting-edge research into innovations that benefit us all – from better healthcare and new public services to cutting edge products.

The UK’s largest public research funder UKRI has set out its first-ever plan to put AI to work for the nation’s world-leading innovators today (Thursday 19 February) – building on the UK’s historic strengths in fields like computing and agentic AI.

UKRI-backed work on AI is already making a difference across society and the economy – from the world-leading RADAR AI system that detects faults on the railway network in real time, to the IXI Brain Atlas which is supporting more than 40 clinical trials into degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s by helping to analyse brain scans.

In the recent Spending Review settlement, UKRI committed a record £1.6 billion of funding directly targeted at the AI sector over the next 4 years, its biggest single investment area for 2026 to 2030. This includes funding for specific activity that UKRI will deliver on behalf of  the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) – which is subject to change as delivery plans are finalised. It also sits alongside significant additional AI investment woven through the broader UKRI budget.

The new strategy signals UKRI’s intention to make major investments in mathematics, computer science and engineering research which underpin AI expertise. World-class researchers and businesses across the UK will also benefit from better access to the right tools, training and infrastructure to unlock new growth across the UK. This will help bring to life innovations that make people’s lives better – a key theme of the India AI Impact Summit which continues this week.

Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, who is leading the UK delegation at the India AI Impact Summit, said:

The UK is backing its pioneering AI leadership with more than £1.6 billion in investment to make sure the best of British expertise develops the next wave of AI innovations. Together we are turning potential into progress and that’s the ambition I am bringing to the AI Summit in India this week.

From spotting cancers earlier to cutting backlogs in public services, new research into AI will be a game-changer, bringing the promise of tomorrow’s technologies to the UK today.

UK AI Minister Kanishka Narayan said:

The potential of combining our AI expertise with our peerless R&D community is a game-changer. This plan will harness AI to accelerate both the pace and possibility of scientific endeavour.

We are already seeing AI change the game for what’s possible in fields from health, to energy, and beyond. Boldly backing this technology is how we push our Great British innovators to further success, and build a path to breakthroughs that boost our health, wealth, and wellbeing.

The strategy also commits to expanding doctoral and fellowship routes co-designed with businesses. It will also support recognised career frameworks for research software engineers, data scientists and ethics specialists – supporting the high-paying jobs of the future.

AI is one of the central growth sectors in the UK’s industrial strategy. UKRI’s plan will turn the UK’s scientific excellence into economic advantage by supporting regional clusters, creating new jobs and backing technologies with high-growth potential.

Professor Charlotte Deane, Senior Responsible Owner for the UKRI AI Programme and Executive Chair of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, said:

The UK has deep strengths in AI. From the country of Alan Turing and Ada Lovelace, we have a world-class tradition in mathematics and computer science. This strategy will turn that research excellence into national advantage.

To do that, we must make bold choices in areas where the UK can genuinely lead the world. UKRI will play a central role in backing the full innovation pathway from fundamental research to prototypes to scale-up.

By uniting universities, businesses, industry and government we can unlock the potential we have long had but have not yet fully mobilised.

Areas of focus

Under the new strategic framework, investment will focus on 6 priority areas:
- advancing technology development
- transforming research through AI
- developing AI skills and talent
- accelerating innovation for economic growth and societal benefit
- championing responsible and trustworthy AI
- building world-class AI data and infrastructure
Central to UKRI’s plan is building a strong research and innovation community which will support them with the skills they need to become the AI leaders of the future.

UKRI-backed AI research is already making a difference to everyday life, from the world’s first system spotting railway faults before they cause delays to a tool detecting online harm to keep us safe. In healthcare, AI-powered brain imaging is helping to identify early signs of Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Now UKRI is now putting its weight behind AI. Under the new strategy, it will help to deliver:
- up to £137 million as part of DSIT’s AI for Science Strategy to back AI-enabled scientific discovery starting with drug discovery and new treatments
- £36 million to upgrade the University of Cambridge’s “DAWN” supercomputer supporting breakthroughs in areas like healthcare and environmental modelling.
Today’s AI is built on decades of curiosity-driven research across mathematics, computer science, neuroscience and linguistics.

The strategy will create an environment where discovery-led research continues to thrive. It will simplify programmes and remove barriers, supporting researchers through the journey from fundamental research to prototypes to scale-up.
February 23, 2026
NEWS STORY : Andrew Gorrell Found Guilty of Murder

A 54-year-old man has been found guilty of murder following a horrific and random arson attack that claimed the life of an 82-year-old pensioner in Wednesbury. Andrew Gorrell, of Moss Grove, Saltney, was convicted at Wolverhampton Crown Court yesterday afternoon after jurors took less than four hours to reach their unanimous verdict. The court heard how Gorrell travelled from North Wales to the West Midlands in May last year before embarking on a series of deliberate acts that resulted in the death of John Edwards and left several family members with life-altering injuries.

The fatal incident occurred in the early hours of 11 May 2023 at the Edwards’ family home on Holyhead Road. CCTV evidence presented during the trial showed Gorrell loitering in the area and appearing near the property shortly before the blaze began. Prosecutors detailed how Gorrell intentionally moved a wheelie bin and positioned it directly against the front door of the terraced house before setting its contents alight. This strategic placement not only ensured the fire would spread rapidly into the structure but also effectively blocked the primary escape route for the occupants sleeping inside.

John Edwards suffered catastrophic burns in the fire and passed away in hospital on 25 May 2023. His wife, Doreen, and their two adult sons, Carl and Mark, were also present during the attack. Mark Edwards sustained severe burns to his face, hands, and eyes while attempting to alert his parents and brother, while Carl was forced to escape through a rear window. Investigators from the West Midlands Police homicide team noted that Gorrell had no prior connection to the Edwards family or the Wednesbury area, describing the targeting of their home as utterly random.

A particularly chilling detail noted by the prosecution was Gorrell’s attire at the time of the offence. He was captured on CCTV wearing a Chicago Bulls jacket and a T-shirt promoting the horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street, which depicts a character who was burned alive. Following the fatal blaze, Gorrell continued through the streets of Wednesbury and admitted to setting three additional fires in various commercial and council waste bins that same morning.

While the defence argued that Gorrell’s actions were the result of chaotic behaviour while heavily intoxicated, the prosecution successfully maintained that he was capable of thinking through the consequences of his actions. In addition to the murder conviction, Gorrell was found guilty of two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent, and arson with intent to endanger life

February 19, 2026
NEWS STORY : Lobbying Giant Global Counsel to Enter Administration

STORY

London-based advisory firm Global Counsel has announced its intention to collapse into administration, bringing a sudden end to one of the most influential political consultancies in Westminster. The firm, which was co-founded by the former Labour minister Peter Mandelson, confirmed today that it could no longer withstand the commercial fallout from a mounting scandal involving Mandelson’s past ties to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In a statement released to staff and clients, the firm described the current situation as a maelstrom that has made continued operations untenable.

The collapse follows a week of rapid disintegration for the consultancy. Major corporate clients, including the investment giant KKR and Barclays, had already moved to sever ties with the firm after new details emerged from a tranche of unsealed emails. These documents reportedly suggested that Epstein had been involved in the very early stages of the firm’s founding in 2010. While Global Counsel had recently attempted to distance itself from the controversy by facilitating the sale of Mandelson’s remaining 21% stake to the new chief executive Rebecca Park, the move was ultimately unable to stem the loss of institutional trust.

The crisis deepened further when Benjamin Wegg-Prosser, a co-founder and former director of strategic communications for Tony Blair, resigned as chief executive earlier this month. His departure was triggered by revelations that he and Mandelson had met with Epstein on multiple occasions during the firm’s infancy. The company will continue to operate only in a limited capacity during administration, with around 100 jobs feared to have been lost.

February 19, 2026
Yvette Cooper – 2026 Statement on El Fasher

The statement made by Yvette Cooper, the Foreign Secretary, on 19 February 2026.

The findings of this UN report are truly horrific – atrocities including systematic starvation, torture, killings, rape and deliberate ethnic targeting used on the most horrendous scale during the Rapid Support Forces siege of El Fasher.

The UK called for this report to be commissioned by the UN in November to hold perpetrators of these vile atrocities to account, and today I will take its conclusions to the chamber of the Security Council and ensure that the voices of women of Sudan who have endured so much are heard by the world.

Today’s report describes the most unimaginable and chilling horrors – including people forced to choose between starvation or eating animal feed, children subjected to mass rape, civilians ambushed and slaughtered as they fled the sieged city, patients and staff killed in their hospital, perpetrators boasting of mass crimes on social media, and calling for “extermination”.

We need urgent action from across the international community including urgent international criminal investigations into the mounting evidence of atrocities in El Fasher to ensure accountability for vile perpetrators, justice for victims and to break the cycle of bloodshed.

We urgently need an end to arms flows. Reports into breaches of the arms embargo which we agree should be extended and enforced, must be investigated. The obstructions to the Fact Finding Mission from both warring parties are shameful and unacceptable – the UN needs unimpeded access to bring atrocities and breaches to account.

Most important of all we need global action and pressure in pursuit of a ceasefire, and essential humanitarian access with support for survivors.

Our response must be emphatic: the UK has sanctioned four senior RSF commanders accused of committing heinous atrocities in El Fasher. And this week we joined the US and France in proposing they will be designated in the UN too – these crimes must not go unanswered.

The world is still failing the people of Sudan. When the stories started to emerge about the horrors of El Fasher it should have been a turning point, but the violence is continuing. Today, in the Security Council, the UK as President will make sure the world does not look away. It is time to listen to the women of Sudan not the military men who have been prosecuting this war. We need action for justice, accountability and peace.

February 19, 2026
PRESS RELEASE : Tech firms will have to take down abusive images within 48 hours under new law to protect women and girls [February 2026]
The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 19 February 2026.

New law requires tech platforms to take down non-consensual intimate images within 48 hours or face fines.
- Government orders tech platforms to detect and remove intimate images shared without consent
- Firms put on notice that any non-consensual intimate image that is flagged to them must be taken down in under 48 hours
- Government clear that tackling intimate image abuse should be treated with the same severity the same as child sexual abuse material and terrorist content
Tech companies will be ordered to take down intimate images shared without a victim’s consent within 48 hours, under new laws to protect women and girls from this distressing abuse.

Through an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill, companies will be legally required to remove this content no more than 48 hours after it is flagged to them, and platforms that fail to act could face fines of up to 10% of their qualifying worldwide revenue or having their services blocked in the UK.

The government is determined to make sure that victims will only need to report an image once. This would mean where an image is reported, they are removed across multiple platforms in one go, and from then on, they are automatically deleted at every new upload.

As part of that work, plans are currently being considered by Ofcom for these kinds of images to be treated with the same severity as child sexual abuse and terrorism content, digitally marking them so that any time someone tries to repost them, they will be automatically taken down.

In a further step to protect victims, we will publish guidance for internet providers setting out how they should block access to sites hosting this content, targeting rogue websites that may fall outside the reach of the Online Safety Act.

In recent years, there has been a worrying trend of intimate images being used to threaten, intimidate and distress, and the Prime Minister is determined to hand back control to victims and end their fear that even when an image is taken down, it will only be put up somewhere else.

Prime Minister Keir Stamer said:

As Director of Public Prosecutions, I saw firsthand the unimaginable, often lifelong pain and trauma violence against women and girls causes. As Prime Minister, I will leave no stone unturned in the fight to protect women from violence and abuse.

The online world is the frontline of the 21st century battle against violence against women and girls. That’s why my government is taking urgent action: against chatbots and ‘nudification’ tools.

Today we are going further, putting companies on notice so that any non-consensual image is taken down in under 48 hours.

Violence against women and girls has no place in our society, and I will not rest until it is rooted out.

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said:

The days of tech firms having a free pass are over. Because of the action we are taking platforms must now find and remove intimate images shared without consent within a maximum of 48 hours.

No woman should have to chase platform after platform, waiting days for an image to come down. Under this government, you report once and you’re protected everywhere.

The internet must be a space where women and girls feel safe, respected, and able to thrive.

Minister for Violence Against Women and Girls, Alex Davies-Jones said:

Intimate image abuse devastates lives. These new measures send a clear message: tech platforms can no longer drag their feet. When harmful content is flagged, it must come down, and fast.

By requiring companies to remove non‑consensual intimate images within 48 hours, we are finally putting the onus where it belongs – on the tech firms with the power and resources to act.

It’s a vital step towards making the online world safer, fairer, and more respectful for women and girls.

The government was elected on a pledge to recognise violence against women and girls (VAWG) as a national emergency, and halve this crime in the next decade. Central to this pledge is keeping women and girls safe online.

Just weeks ago, the government called out abhorrent non-consensual intimate images being shared on Grok, which led to the function being removed. Ministers are also legislating to make ‘nudification’ tools illegal and bringing chatbots – like Grok – within scope of the Online Safety Act.

Creating or sharing non-consensual intimate images will also become a ‘priority offence’ under the Online Safety Act, meaning this crime is treated with the same seriousness as child abuse or terrorism.

This builds on the government’s VAWG strategy, the first step in the government’s plan to transform how society response to these awful crimes, this included more than 200 pledges spanning prevention, supporting victims and pursuing offenders, and this laid out a whole of government, and a whole of society approach.

The Prime Minister has been clear this is the first step in the mission to halve violence against women and girls in the next decade, and his government is now focused on delivery.
February 19, 2026
PRESS RELEASE : British research expertise to deliver faster cancer diagnosis and cleaner energy [February 2026]
The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 19 February 2026.

Major new backing for medical imaging centres across the UK including tidal energy testing expansion in Orkney and cutting-edge materials.
- Major new research programmes backed by the government and delivered through UKRI will drive innovation in healthcare, cleaner energy and advanced manufacturing.
- Pioneering medical imaging centres across the UK will help doctors detect diseases earlier and speed up treatment for patients.
- Tidal energy testing expanded in Orkney – cementing Scotland’s place as a clean energy superpower and unlocking greener power for communities.
- £80 million pumped into efforts to produce cutting-edge materials, supporting everything from lighter and more efficient aircraft parts to long-lasting medical implants.
Patients will see faster cancer diagnoses and doctors will gain new insights into how diseases develop and resist treatments, as part of 3 new research programmes which harness cutting-edge tech to deliver benefits for hardworking people across the country.

Unveiled by Science Minister Lord Vallance today (Thursday 19 February), a combined pot of £150 million will support 3 key projects spanning healthcare, clean energy, and the development of state-of-the-art materials. This will help deliver on the government’s plans for national renewal, by growing the economy, improving lives, and helping turn the brightest UK research ideas into new businesses.

The investment is part of UKRI’s record £38 billion funding settlement, which will specifically target curiosity-driven research, R&D addressing government priorities, and support for innovative companies to start, scale and stay in the UK.

The UK’s research community has already been backed by a record £86 billion in R&D investment over the coming years, with today’s announcements highlighting how that support is helping researchers go further and faster to deliver positive change and tangible impact for the British public.

One key area is in the treatment and diagnoses of cancer – a disease which will touch all of us over the course of our lifetimes. The earlier a disease is caught, the better a patient’s chances, while the ability for researchers to understand why a treatment works for one person but not others holds the potential to transform care for millions.

Backed by £55 million, a new medical imaging programme will create ‘Centres of Imaging Excellence’ in England, Scotland and Wales. These hubs for cutting-edge med tech will bring together the latest scanning technology with clinical expertise to unlock new insights into how diseases develop and why some infections resist drugs. For patients, this means faster, more accurate diagnoses and treatments tailored to them. For the NHS, it means staying at the forefront of medical science while easing pressure on services.

A project backed by £15 million meanwhile will tap into Britain’s coastline – one of our greatest natural assets – to help generate reliable, clean power. Blue Horizon will expand the European Marine Energy Centre’s world-leading tidal test facilities in Orkney, meaning more companies can trial their turbines in real world conditions, accelerating the journey from prototype to power grid. The investment brings tidal energy closer to becoming a mainstream part of Britain’s energy mix, creating skilled jobs in coastal communities and supporting the government’s mission to make the UK a clean energy superpower.

Scotland’s natural strengths as a renewable energy powerhouse have already seen the country taking on an increasingly pivotal role to deliver growth and opportunity. Lanarkshire’s new AI Growth Zone announced just weeks ago will not only create 3,400 high-value local jobs but will also be powered by on-site renewables. This pioneering approach highlights the potential of renewable energy to power the UK’s science, innovation, and technology ambitions for generations to come.

Science Minister Lord Vallance said:

Britain has world-class researchers and a proud history of turning insight and ideas into innovation. Our job is to make sure those ideas don’t just stay in the lab, but become the treatments, technologies and products that improve lives in hospitals, homes and communities across the country.

Government investment in projects like these – from helping to spot diseases earlier and developing new cancer therapies to taking advantage of our coastline to power the nation – will make a real difference to people and spark the economic growth hardworking communities deserve.

This represents British research at its best – bringing together ideas, expertise, and technical know-how and turning it into impact.

Dr Zubir Ahmed, Health Innovation Minister, said:

After 20 years of frontline NHS experience, I know how vital it is that cancer is caught early to give patients a fighting chance.

Cutting edge research like this could save lives by giving patients faster diagnoses and individually-tailored treatments.

This is another step on our journey to shift our NHS from analogue to digital, as part of our 10 Year Health Plan.

As part of today’s announcements, the government is also rolling out an £80 million National Materials Innovation Programme (NMIP) – helping deliver on the ambition of its Modern Industrial Strategy. Advanced materials are already part of daily life – they stop our phone screens from shattering when they’re dropped and help electric car batteries charge faster and last longer. They’re also behind critical innovations in healthcare, defence and clean energy.

Britain has world-leading researchers developing these materials, but promising discoveries too often end up manufactured abroad. The programme unveiled today will bridge that gap, helping UK innovations reach market faster and keeping production in Britain. This sort of innovation is already delivering positive change for the public. Only 3% of UK adults with glioblastoma – the most aggressive brain cancer – currently survive for 5 years, with Cheshire-based QV Bioelectronics now using advanced materials to develop a world-first implant device which delivers targeted therapy directly to the brain. The company has secured £4.5 million, including Innovate UK funding, to now begin first-in-human trials.

The money announced today will help bring together industry, academia, and government to streamline access to funding, and support targeted pilots which could lead to the eventual development of everything from lighter, more efficient aircraft parts through to long-life medical implants.

Mike Biddle, Executive Director Net Zero at Innovate UK, said:

Working alongside Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) will help establish a coordinated approach for the UK advanced materials sector and accelerate the pull through of impactful innovations into industry, boosting productivity, resilience and growth nationwide.

The programmes announced today highlight how curiosity-driven research and a focus on national priorities and support for companies to scale up and grow will deliver sustainable, positive change for British people. This agile, focused, and impactful approach won’t just put British expertise at the heart of innovations and breakthroughs delivering for people here at home, but which are transforming lives for the better all over the world.

Notes to editors

The National Materials Innovation Programme will fund 5 areas of activity:
- connecting researchers with businesses – new networks bringing together universities, companies and government
- backing high-potential projects – targeted support for the most promising innovations
- protecting strategic supplies – ensuring the UK can produce materials critical to national security,
- improving testing and data – developing better ways to measure and verify how new materials perform
- building international partnerships – working with global partners to attract investment, share expertise and strengthen the UK’s reputation as a world leader in materials science
The Blue Horizon project is delivered by the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney, with funding from UKRI’s Infrastructure Fund.
February 19, 2026
Yvette Cooper – 2026 Statement on the Situation in the Middle East

The speech made by Yvette Cooper, the Foreign Secretary, at the United Nations in New York on 18 February 2026.

Colleagues, let me begin by welcoming my fellow Ministers joining today’s session and also by thanking Under-Secretary-General Di Carlo for her briefing, as well as Hiba Qasas and Nadav Tamir for their powerful remarks which remind us of the opportunity that lies before us, an opportunity to end the cycle of violence and suffering, and to build a better future, free from terror, free from occupation, and to bring lasting peace and security to the region, and to come together in the very spirit of this United Nations.

For more than two years, the human cost has been unimaginable. Families shattered. Communities destroyed or displaced.

Trauma that will reverberate for generations.

The pain of the horrific Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel on October 7th, the suffering of the hostages, and the devastation of the war that followed in Gaza, with over 70,000 Palestinians killed. That is ever-present.

With thanks to the leadership of the United States, Egypt, Qatar and Türkiye – alongside a wider intense intense diplomatic drive from many of the nations represented here today – a ceasefire was secured and endorsed by this Council, in Resolution 2803.

The hostages are home, and the families of those deceased can finally lay their loved ones to rest.

And we have an international determination to deliver Phase 2 of the Peace Plan.

But the ceasefire itself remains fragile.

And the progress we all seek is at risk.

We have seen ceasefire violations on both sides.

Hamas has continued to attack Israeli forces.

And over 600 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire began.

And this is deeply disturbing and undermines Phase 1 of President Trump’s peace plan.

Gaza must not get stuck in a no-man’s land between peace and war.

So to deliver Phase 2, we see four priorities for urgent action.

Firstly, we must begin the serious process of decommissioning Hamas’s weapons.

In line with the 20 Point Plan, Hamas must destroy its terrorist infrastructure and weapons production sites as a first step towards full demilitarisation. And we stand ready to play our part.

Hamas must have no future role in running of Gaza.

Because that is crucial for the security of Israelis and Palestinians alike. Alongside this we need to see the Palestinian police strengthened, the International Stabilisation Force deployment, and IDF withdrawal from the Strip.

Second, we need to build stable Palestinian governance.

The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza must be supported to succeed.

This crucial body which was included alongside the Board of Peace in Resolution 2803 now needs to be supported to deliver for the Palestinian people, leading day-to-day service, delivery and recovery efforts, establishing its legitimacy and credibility.

That is the best way to weaken Hamas and render them irrelevant.

And there must be a clear plan for the links and transition from the Committee to a reformed Palestinian Authority.

Because Palestine must be run by Palestinians.

Third, we must prevent the destabilisation of the West Bank and preserve the viability of a Palestinian state.

We have seen the Palestinian economy face strangulation, including the Israeli government withholding some of the Palestinian authority’s own tax revenues.

We are witnessing an all-time high of Israeli settlement expansion and settler violence, in flagrant breach of international law.

With Palestinian families and communities driven from their homes, beaten while farming in their own land.

Attacks that sow terror among civilians.

This is deeply deeply wrong, and a clear contravention of the resolutions of this Council, and counter-productive. It only makes the Israeli and Palestinian people less secure.
Fourth and most important of all, most immediately, we must address Gaza’s catastrophic humanitarian situation.

Families, repeatedly displaced, are spending this winter desperately seeking shelter amidst the rubble.

Without electricity. Without water supplies or healthcare.

Children have frozen to death, and died while awaiting medical evacuations.

This is unconscionable and, crucially, it is preventable.

To address these dire needs the United Kingdom has contributed over $100m for humanitarian support in Gaza this year.

Since the ceasefire, aid flows have increased, more crossings are partially reopened, but the level of need cannot be met unless more restrictions are lifted covering essential medical equipment, components for field hospitals, basic shelter items.

Because delays and restrictions cost lives. And we also risk now going dangerously backwards.

The Israeli government policy of deregistering and shutting down the operations of international NGOs in Gaza – including British organisations like Save the Children – risk choking off essential access to people in desperate need and closing fragile health facilities, so we need an urgent change in course.

So I urge the authorities to urgently ensure that experienced and long-standing organisations can continue to operate, and the UN and its partners must remain at the heart of the response throughout the whole of Gaza, including the proper protection of all UNRWA and UN staff, premises, and operations.

Colleagues,

Last September, I came to the UN and – and alongside allies – affirmed the UK’s recognition of the State of Palestine.

This historic step, 75 years after Britain’s recognition of the State of Israel, reflected our commitment to a two-state solution, to the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and the security of Israel.

And I spoke then about the profound peril facing the two-state solution and the need for the world to come together and take action for peace.

That remains true today.

So Britain remains steadfast in our support for the security of Israel and its people.

Because a two-state solution can be the gateway to transform the region: with normalisation, regional integration and peaceful coexistence.

But security cannot be achieved by an indefinite or humiliating occupation that denies security and sovereignty to the Palestinian people.

So despite the trauma; despite the suffering of recent years, there remains the hope for a better future.

As we have heard from the powerful testimonies of our civil society briefers today.

In March this year the UK will hold a Peacebuilding Conference to bring together Israel and Palestinian civil society leaders to build trust and challenge divisions, because peace is built not just by governments, but by whole societies.

The UK has its own experience of peacebuilding in Northern Ireland, which was a conflict that many said could never be resolved and communities that many said could never co-exist.

There are other members of this Council who have equivalent or deeper insights. And we know that we cannot undo the trauma of the past. But we can chart a different course for generations to come.

To help realise Palestinian self-determination.

To help provide Israel with long-term security.

And to secure the two-state solution as the only path to lasting peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis alike.

February 19, 2026
King Charles III – 2026 Statement on the Arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor

The statement made by King Charles III on 19 February 2026.

“I have learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and suspicion of misconduct in public office.

What now follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities.

In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and co-operation.

Let me state clearly: the law must take its course.

As this process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter.

Meanwhile, my family and I will continue in our duty and service to you all.

Charles R.”

February 19, 2026