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  • PRESS RELEASE : £111 million awarded to Wales from the Levelling Up Fund [November 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : £111 million awarded to Wales from the Levelling Up Fund [November 2023]

    The press release issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 20 November 2023.

    Seven projects are awarded grants from round three of Levelling Up Fund to support long-term regeneration and growth.

    • Projects include regeneration schemes in Port Talbot and Rhyl, creating a vibrant public area in Barry Dock and upgrading cycle routes in Powys
    • Chancellor announces intention to work with Welsh government to extend window for Freeports and Investment Zones to unlock further investment

    Regenerating Port Talbot town centre, creating a public area on Barry’s waterfront and upgrading cycle routes in Powys are some of the transformational projects awarded a share from the UK Government’s flagship Levelling Up Fund.

    Seven projects have been allocated £111 million in Wales which will help create jobs, drive economic growth and spread equality to historically overlooked areas – restoring pride in the places people live. This will drive forward the Prime Minister’s priority to grow the economy by levelling up and provide foundations for building a better future in communities across the UK.

    This announcement builds on previous Levelling Up investment into Wales through funds such as the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Freeports and the Long-Term Plan for Towns. This takes the total figure to over £1.2 billion in addition to other investments in local growth, such as £790 million of UK Government investment in City and Growth Deals in Wales.

    Levelling up Secretary Michael Gove said:

    Levelling Up means delivering local’s people’s priorities and bringing transformational change in communities that have, for too long, been overlooked and undervalued.

    Today we are backing 55 projects across the UK with £1 billion to create new jobs and opportunities, power economic growth, and revitalise local areas.

    This funding sits alongside our wider initiatives to spread growth, through devolving more money and power out of Westminster to towns and cities, putting in place bespoke interventions to places that need it most, and our long-term plan for towns.

    A total of £27 million has today been awarded to Neath Port Talbot after two successful bids, including £15 million to regenerate Port Talbot town centre with improvements to Civic Square, the refurbishment of Princess Royal Theatre and improvements to green space at Riverside.

    A fund of £12 million has also been awarded to restore and reopen the historic Grade II listed Newbridge bridge to pedestrians and cyclists, whilst Newbridge Road and Riverside Road will also be upgraded.

    A further £20 million has been awarded to the Barry Dock waterfront to create a vibrant public area with a new business centre and food and drink outlets, along with almost £18 million to encourage healthier ways of travel in Powys. This includes restoring footbridges and improving the National Cycle Network by resurfacing several paths and improving connectivity to popular tourist destinations.

    Secretary of State for Wales David TC Davies said:

    This is another hugely significant investment in transformative projects across Wales. From town centre regeneration to improving travel infrastructure, these schemes will have a positive impact for generations to come.

    The UK Government continues to invest in communities throughout Wales as we work towards our aims of growing the Welsh economy and levelling up the UK.

    Wales has been very successful in the first two rounds of the Levelling Up Fund, with a total of 21 projects receiving over £329 million. It means the UK Government has significantly exceeded the minimum 5% it originally ringfenced for Wales at the outset of the fund, with Wales receiving over 9% across the three rounds totalling £440 million overall for 28 projects.

    Previous investments across the first two rounds of the fund include the Porth Transport Hub, which will rejuvenate the town’s pre-existing railway station into a modern, centralised and accessible transport centre for locals and visitors. It also includes electric car charging points, a new taxi rank and cycle storage, plus upgrades to the local travel network.

    Growing the economy and making the long-term decisions to deliver the change the country needs is a priority for the Prime Minister.

    Today the Chancellor has confirmed the Investment Zones programme in England will be extended from five to 10 years and the window to claim Freeport tax reliefs in England will be extended from five to ten years until September 2031.

    The UK Government will work with the Welsh government with the intention of delivering the same extension to Investment Zones and Freeports in Wales.

    Projects awarded Levelling Up Fund money in Wales today:

    • Almost £18m to encourage healthier ways of travel in Powys including by restoring footbridges and improving the National Cycle Network by resurfacing several paths and improving connectivity to popular tourist destinations.
    • £20m to transform a site on the Barry Dock waterfront into a vibrant public area, with a new business centre, food and drink outlets, and recreational and marina facilities.
    • More than £15m towards renovating a number of derelict buildings and creating more green areas in Llanelli town centre
    • £20m for projects to develop and boost areas in Denbighshire, such as Rhyl, which will include regenerating the town centre, creating more community centres, improving cycle and footpaths, and improving routes between the town and coast.
    • £12m to restore and reopen the historic Grade II listed Newbridge bridge to pedestrians and cyclists, whilst Newbridge Road and Riverside Road will also be upgraded.
    • £15m to regenerate Port Talbot town centre with improvements to Civic Square, the refurbishment of Princess Royal Theatre, and improvements to green space at Riverside.
    • More than £10m to improve public accessibility across Pembroke town, focusing on Westgate, Eastgate and overall improvements to the environment.
  • Rishi Sunak – 2023 Remarks at the Food Security Summit

    Rishi Sunak – 2023 Remarks at the Food Security Summit

    The remarks made by Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, at Lancaster House in London on 20 November 2023.

    Welcome to the Global Food Security Summit.

    I’d like to start by thanking our summit partners – Somalia, the UAE, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation…

    And I also want to thank my friend Andrew Mitchell for his incredible work on the International Development White Paper – which we’re proud to be launching today.

    hank you all for your participation and support today.

    We live in a dangerous world – a time of growing threats, strategic competition and conflict.

    Many of these challenges, like the war in Ukraine, have a direct impact on the poorest around in world.

    Others threaten to draw attention away from their plight, putting at risk the vital progress made over recent years.

    With this White Paper, we’re answering those challenges…

    …changing our approach to deliver in a changing world.

    Because we know that you don’t lead merely with strength – but with compassion.

    So we’re going further to help the poorest and support those suffering in humanitarian crises.

    We’re not just applying our aid budget to deliver results on the ground, but also Britain’s expertise in development and our leadership in science, technology and innovation.

    And we’ll do all of this not by acting alone or seeking to dictate the way forward…

    …but through building even deeper partnerships around the world, based on mutual respect.

    It’s only by working together that we will get the Sustainable Development Goals back on track.

    And that starts with redoubling our efforts to deliver the goal on “zero hunger”.

    It can’t be right that today in 2023, almost one billion people across the world regularly do not have enough to eat…

    …that millions face hunger and starvation…

    …and over 45 million children under five are suffering acute malnutrition.

    In a world of abundance, no one should die from lack of food.

    And no parent should ever have to watch their child starve.

    I’m proud of everything the UK is doing to provide immediate relief.

    We’re one of the top 4 donors to UN crisis response.

    We’ve doubled our aid for Palestinian civilians – with an additional £30 million.

    We’re clear that Israel has the right to defend itself…

    …it has been attacked in the most brutal manner possible by an enemy that hides itself in hospitals.

    It must act within international humanitarian law. The situation on the ground is truly tragic and getting worse.

    We’re pressing hard for unhindered humanitarian access in Gaza… and for urgent and substantive humanitarian pauses to get in food, fuel and medicine…

    …because the suffering of innocent civilians must end.

    We’re also leading the way in helping Ukraine get its grain out through the Black Sea and into the hands of those in need.

    But because the scale of the global hunger crisis is so staggering, today we’re going further…

    …providing up to £100 million now for those worst hit, particularly across East Africa, the Sahel, and Afghanistan…

    …and in countries like Malawi which are reeling from climate-related cyclones and drought.

    Yet, as everyone here knows, simply responding in the wake of crisis is not enough.

    Climate change, conflict and population rise mean ever greater challenges to food supplies.

    So we need a fundamental shift in the way we approach food security…

    …with a focus on long-term solutions to stop food crises before they start.

    And we need to harness the full power of science and technology to ensure supplies are resilient to threats like conflict, drought and floods.

    That’s why the UK is working to deliver lasting solutions.

    And we’re doing so in four important ways.

    First, by preventing the worst forms of child malnutrition.

    We played a leading role in the design of the Child Nutrition Fund, which supports vital supplies of life-saving food.

    And today I’m pleased to announce we’re building on that with a further £16 million…

    … and helping to bring in more funding, including from our fantastic philanthropic partners.

    Second, we’re using technology to anticipate and prevent food security crises.

    Together with our partners, we’re applying AI to model the impact of climate change on agriculture, so that we can find ways to avoid future crises.

    And we know just how effective this can be.

    Our work with the Government of Somalia helped them avert famine last year.

    And today, I’m pleased to announce that will we help Somalia avoid future crises with up to £100 million of future support…

    …enabling thousands of communities manage water supplies, adapt their farming, and increase their resilience to droughts, floods and other climate shocks.

    Third, we’re supporting developing countries to build more sustainable and resilient food systems.

    We helped set up the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program to crowd-in public and private sector finance.

    And now we’re driving reform of development banks, stretching their balance sheets even further to unlock more resources for food security…

    … and that includes UK guarantees which are releasing $6 billion of the Banks’ resources for development in countries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific.

    Finally, we’re applying our leadership in science to this crisis.

    As the country that over the last few years has led the development of the world’s first and second malaria vaccines…

    …we’re also driving scientific advances in food security which benefit millions globally…

    …as well as supporting our brilliant farmers here at home.

    We’ve already helped develop crops that are drought-resistant and even richer in vitamins…

    …now feeding 100 million people across Africa.

    And we’re going further… launching a new UK CGIAR Science Centre to drive cutting-edge research on flood tolerant rice, disease resistant wheat and much more.

    These innovations will reach millions across the poorest countries…

    … as well as improving UK crop yields and driving down food prices.

    In conclusion, this is the difference that Britain makes – using all our expertise and tools at our disposal – helping people now and for the long term.

    But we cannot do this alone.

    That’s what this summit is all about. And it’s why our approach is all about partnership.

    With your help, we can get the Sustainable Development Goals back on track…

    …deliver a world of zero hunger…

    …and transform millions of lives for years to come.

    Thank you – have a great summit.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Biggest prostate cancer screening trial in decades to start in UK [November 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Biggest prostate cancer screening trial in decades to start in UK [November 2023]

    The press release issued by the Department of Health and Social Care on 19 November 2023.

    The trial will use innovative screening methods like an MRI scan and see hundreds of thousands of men across the country participating.

    • On International Men’s Day (19 November 2023), government joins Prostate Cancer UK to unveil £42 million screening trial to find ways of detecting country’s most common male cancer earlier
    • Hundreds of thousands of men across the country will participate, with 1 in 10 participants set to be black men who have a much higher prostate cancer risk
    • NHS England to carry out suite of improvements to men’s health pages online, and first ever Men’s Health Ambassador set to be appointed by government

    Thousands of men’s lives could be saved, and their loved ones spared the tragedy of losing someone to cancer, as a major new prostate cancer screening trial is set to get under way in the UK backed by £42 million from the government and Prostate Cancer UK.

    The first-of-its-kind trial – called TRANSFORM – will use innovative screening methods like an MRI scan to detect prostate cancer, and it will see hundreds of thousands of men across the country participating.

    Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK and has no screening programme. It usually has no symptoms until it has grown large and may be more difficult to treat and, sadly, 12,000 men die of it every single year.

    A way of effectively screening for prostate cancer could find these men before their cancer spreads and save their lives.

    The trial has the potential to see new screening methods give more accurate results than the current blood tests, which can miss some cancers and often suggest prostate cancer when no cancer exists.

    Crucially, screening could also spot the disease even when no symptoms are displayed.

    Health and Social Care Secretary Victoria Atkins said:

    Cancer survival rates continue to improve in the UK, with the disease being diagnosed at an earlier stage more often. But more must be done.

    Our hope is that this funding will help to save the lives of thousands more men through advanced screening methods that can catch prostate cancer as early as possible.

    Laura Kerby, Chief Executive at Prostate Cancer UK, said:

    12,000 men die of prostate cancer each year and it’s the most common cancer that doesn’t have a national screening programme.

    It’s about time that changed. That’s why we’re launching our biggest and most ambitious trial ever. It will finally give us the answers we need to develop a routine testing system and save thousands of men each year.

    Prostate Cancer UK’s unique focus and expertise made us the only organisation that could really deliver this paradigm-shifting trial, and we’re delighted that the government has backed our vision to revolutionise diagnosis.

    One in 4 black men will develop prostate cancer – double the risk of other men. Therefore, to ensure the trial helps reduce their risk of dying from this disease, 1 in 10 men invited to participate will be black men. Participating men in the screening trial will be aged 50 to 75, with black men eligible from the lower age range of 45 to 75.

    Men at higher risk of prostate cancer due to age and ethnicity will be recruited through their GP practice and invited to a screening visit.

    More than 52,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year in the UK on average – that’s 144 men every day. Around 490,000 men are currently living with and after prostate cancer.

    Sports broadcaster Steve Rider, 73, shared his prostate cancer diagnosis last month:

    It was from talking with friends that I explored my risk of prostate cancer. I didn’t have any symptoms and wasn’t expecting to be diagnosed.

    Luckily, my cancer was all contained within the prostate, giving me the opportunity to have significant surgery to deal with it, but for too many men they are diagnosed late.

    £16 million will be invested by the government for the trial through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and Prostate Cancer UK, who have led the development of the trial, will provide £26 million. The trial is due to start in spring 2024 with recruitment likely to begin in autumn 2024.

    The government has already opened 127 community diagnostic centres to offer quicker, more convenient checks outside of hospitals for conditions such as cancer, with over 5 million additional tests delivered so far.

    The major conditions strategy will also consider the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and management of conditions including cancer. The UK is already working with world-renowned scientists to deliver new cancer vaccine trials and is growing the size of the specialist workforce.

    Daniel Burkey, 58, from Yorkshire, was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in June 2021. He said:

    Men need prostate cancer screening so that if we’ve got it, we can find out early enough to treat it and get rid of it. I got my diagnosis in my fifties, and the doctor told me the horrible news that it can’t be cured.

    It was an awful shock, and I still find it hard to accept that I’ll always have this disease, but I’m doing everything I can to control the cancer with chemotherapy, radiotherapy and 2 kinds of hormone therapy; one by injection, one orally.

    Things could have been different if I’d been tested routinely and caught it early enough. If the UK gets prostate cancer screening, so many lives will be saved. Knowing that this trial is going to find a way to do that makes me optimistic for other men.

    Professor Lucy Chappell, NIHR Chief Executive, said:

    New research into harnessing innovative screening methods is crucial in finding ways to detect this serious disease earlier, in the race against time to save lives.

    That’s why setting up this landmark new trial in partnership between NIHR and Prostate Cancer UK is so important.

    Together we can aim to generate high quality long-term evidence to benefit men at risk of developing this condition, and to inform those who plan and deliver NHS services of how best to test for the disease.

    Other measures announced today

    Men’s Health Ambassador

    The government will be recruiting for the UK’s first ever Men’s Health Ambassador, we are inviting applications from anyone with an interest and expertise in men’s health.

    The successful candidate, to be announced in the coming months, will be responsible for increasing awareness of certain conditions and health needs faced by men. They will help dispel taboos and stigmas and encourage more open conversations among men about their general health.

    The role will be open for applications on GOV.UK shortly.

    NHS website updates

    NHS England will deliver a host of important improvements and updates to pages on its website most used by men.  This will make it easier for men to both find and understand the help and support on offer for certain conditions.

    Pages on issues like prostatitis, testicular cancer and low sperm count will be updated in the coming months.

    Men’s health task and finish group

    The government will establish the first men’s health task and finish group. Membership will include behavioural scientists, men’s health campaigners, experts and academics.

    Together, they will help us identify how we can get more men to engage with their health, including a focus on better understanding male access to primary care services, such as GPs and male uptake of the NHS Health Check.

  • PRESS RELEASE : New initiatives for regional peace – Lord Ahmad’s statement at the IISS Manama Dialogue 2023 [November 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : New initiatives for regional peace – Lord Ahmad’s statement at the IISS Manama Dialogue 2023 [November 2023]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 18 November 2023.

    Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, spoke at the International Institute for Strategic Studies Manama Dialogue 2023.

    It’s a pleasure to be back in Bahrain.  Indeed, I was saying to our Ambassador, and indeed Bahrain’s excellent ambassador to London, Sheikh Fawaz, for me over the last few years has become home away from home; according to my wife is it my home and I see her occasionally.  But this is an incredible country.  A country which has really demonstrated – as it’s doing so again today – its convening power.

    Since then – since my last visit in Bahrain – the bilateral relationship has grown even stronger, including the visit that we celebrated of His Royal Highness Prince Salman’s visit in July.  And more recently, I’m proud to say that the 2 countries – the United Kingdom and Bahrain – have elevated our exchanges to our first strategic dialogue, which I had the honour to co-chair with my dear friend, his Excellency Dr Al Zayani in London.  And may I therefore thank the Kingdom of Bahrain for hosting us today for another important and timely event.

    And I assure you the UK delegation here is in strengths.  They say you normally have one Lord; I can certainly look across this room and see several more: Lord Sedwill, Lord Maud, as well as other parliamentarians and business leaders are here, demonstrating the United Kingdom’s commitment to Bahrain; but also, importantly, the region.

    Last year, when the then Foreign Secretary addressed you, he spoke in glowing terms about the transformation of the region; but also, importantly, of the threats that continue to face the region, indeed all of us.

    In this context, Bahrain has shown, under His Majesty’s vision, continued leadership on peaceful coexistence and regional security.  We have seen the benefit of the Gulf region’s approach to foreign policy over the last year, including efforts to end the conflict in Sudan, hosting Ukrainian peace talks and, most recently, bringing the Arab world together in response to the crisis that we are all facing up to today in Israel, across Gaza and the West Bank.  These efforts have reconfirmed what we already knew: that you remain a vital partner now and for the future.

    And as we’ve heard from the Secretary General and His Royal Highness in his detailed sense of experience over the years, we together face a daunting set of challenges.  And in this regard let me be absolutely clear: we, the United Kingdom, remains a reliable and a committed partner for the region in responding to the challenges and availing the opportunities that lie in front of us.

    A partner working to constrain Iranian weapons proliferation and the destabilising activity of Iran and its aligned groups that are responsible for much instability across the region and further afield; a partner also holding Tehran to account for its escalatory nuclear programme.

    A partner working together with other key partners in the region for security and peace in Yemen, in Libya.

    A partner for prosperity with, and between, the nations of the Gulf.

    And a partner working to support this region’s transition to net zero, that will help avert the most disastrous impacts of climate change that threaten the Gulf – indeed the world.

    I say all of this because, despite and notwithstanding the importance and urgency of these and other challenges, it is natural, given the scale of the attack that occurred on Israel on the 7th of October, the scale of the suffering of innocent Palestinian civilians in the weeks since – that we are still seeing today – that our focus is on this region; on Gaza; on the Occupied Palestinian Territories; and the relationship between Israelis and Palestinians.

    This ongoing conflict is not only a disaster for the region, it is a disaster for all of us: it is a disaster for our common humanity.

    The people of Gaza were already living under desperate conditions prior to this conflict; but now they are suffering more, without adequate food, water and access to the most basic of services we all take for granted, and in constant fear of their own live. They deserve better from all of us – and I agree with you, your Royal Highness, it means a collective, collaborative effort.

    It is also a disaster for the region and the world because conflict stokes division. It has led to alarming spikes of anti-Semitism; of Islamophobia; and yes, that has impacted my own country, the United Kingdom.

    And therefore, if we do not work together, collectively, collaboratively, this conflict will spread.  These aren’t just words, these are alarming signals we are seeing.  And we need to work together to stop this conflict from spreading.

    The regional and international fault lines we have worked so hard over many, many years to bridge will tragically reopen, and the progress I have spoken of will be undermined.

    Therefore what to do?  What should the international community be doing?

    Well, coming together; discussing; exchanging views; candid, open public discussions – yes.  But private diplomacy and exchanges as well.

    All focussed that in the immediate term we must stem the bloodshed, and do all we can to provide aid and security as quickly as possible to all people.

    Let me be clear, the UK has been very clear on this: that Israel had the right to defend itself against Hamas, against the act of terrorism that took place on the 7th of October.

    Hamas, let us not forget, acted erroneously in the name of religion I follow, that many of you follow in this room, but has nothing to do with religion. Hamas do not believe in peace.  The horrific atrocities against many nationalities – not just Israelis – also took the lives of the Jewish community in Israel, but there were a number of other faiths, including Muslims, as well.

    Therefore Hamas poses an immediate threat to many, indeed to us all.  It itself has insisted it will repeat such atrocities, and, of course, an ultimate aim of ending the state of Israel.

    Therefore it’s our collective interest that the kind of abhorrent events we saw on the 7th of October, the terrorism we see around the world – indeed the United Kingdom itself has been impacted by indiscriminate terrorism – that we work collectively to ensure these events do not happen.

    But the UK has equally been clear that in defending such a right, Israel must – Israel must – respect international humanitarian law, and take every possible step to minimise harm to civilians.  Israel is a country, is a nation, with obligations to international law.

    This also includes respecting the sanctity of hospitals, so that doctors – who do an incredible job as we are seeing for ourselves – can continue to care for the ill; the injured; the sick. And the situation in much of Gaza now – particularly in hospitals as well, such as al-Shifa, where, tragically, young innocent children, babies have died as the result of lack of electricity – has become acute.

    Too many people; too many innocent children; too many babies; too many lives lost.  Every life matters, irrespective of Israeli or Palestinia; Jewish, Muslim or Christian.  Every life matters; humanity matters.

    And that is why the UK, led by the Prime Minister, has been engaged widely, with our friends and allies, and partners in this region, including many of you here.  And, importantly, with the incredible aid agencies including the United Nations, to get life-saving aid to those in Gaza.  And let us pay tribute to those brave workers from the UN and other agencies who continue to work in conflict-affected zones.

    We have more than doubled our support to the people of Gaza, committing over £30million.  And we continue to support through NGOs as well.

    We are looking constructively at what can be done immediately. We believe that land-borders present the best option for getting support where it is most needed, and we have been urging the Israeli government to allow for more access – not just through Rafah, but to open up the Kerem Shalom crossing as well.

    We have consistently called for those spaces to be created for the delivery of unhindered and sustainable humanitarian aid through pauses.  Those spaces need to be created now, to allow for aid to be delivered.

    The 4-hour pauses we have seen in northern Gaza are a first, but initial step only; we need longer corridors, time across all of Gaza, if we are to deliver what is needed.  And we need a collective effort to get this done.

    On Wednesday, the UN Security Council called – and I quote – for “urgent extended humanitarian pauses for sufficient number of days to allow for aid access”.  And we must work towards this end.

    And as we’ve heard time and time again from this platform during the course of our deliberations: yes, we must work together for a durable, long-term two-state solution; but it must not be paper-based.  The time has come for action; we need to pull out the stops now.  The time is critical to act.

    The UK believes that lasting peace can only be achieved through that two-state solution.  Not as a vision, but as a reality.

    We agreed on Gaza at the G7 and with other countries.  The steps were laid out by Secretary Blinken, and we stand by those.  Not a path that exists only in principle, or in the minds of diplomats or officials; but – as we’ve seen today – not again a cycle of repeated resolutions that make too little difference on the ground.  We need a real pathway: a pathway to peace; a pathway which is real: to restore hope in the future for all the peoples of the region; a hope – ladies and gentlemen, your Excellencies – that has been lacking for too long.

    I end my comments with a quote; a quote many of you in this room will recognise – I know your Royal Highness, you will recognise it; Secretary General, you will recognise it. In 1994, the words were: “There is only one radical means of sanctifying human lives.  Not armoured plating, not tanks, not planes, or concrete fortifications.  The real radical solution is peace.”  The words of Yitzhak Rabin.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Chancellor to cut admin workloads to free up frontline staff [November 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Chancellor to cut admin workloads to free up frontline staff [November 2023]

    The press release issued by HM Treasury on 18 November 2023.

    The Chancellor will set out the case for reform across public services to unlock productivity.

    • Productivity Programme reveals some public servants waste a whole working day each week on admin.
    • New tech and cutting admin workloads would save millions of working hours, including around 750,000 policing hours every week.
    • Al already helping NHS treat stroke victims and build high-quality lesson plans for teachers.

    The Chancellor will set out the case for innovation and reform across public services to unlock productivity as a new review finds that some public servants are forced to waste a day each week on administrative tasks.

    Improvements being considered could free up over 38 million police hours each year – almost 750,000 hours every week – for police officers to perform frontline duties and cut a teacher’s workload by up to five hours a week.

    An update to the Treasury’s Public Sector Productivity Programme, which will be published in the Autumn Statement, has revealed huge opportunities to cut admin, safely harness AI and deliver early interventions to relieve pressure on public services.

    Ahead of a visit to a Blue Light Hub which brings together police, ambulance and fire services, Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt said:

    Our public servants are among the best in the world, but we don’t help them or taxpayers when a day every week is wasted on admin.

    We must do better by cutting admin, preventing problems before they emerge and safely introducing new technology like AI. This will deliver happier workforces, better public services and a stronger economy.

    The Productivity Programme brings together expertise from the world of technology, business and public service. Recognising the challenges facing public services in the UK as the population changes in the coming years, it found three areas for improvement: workforce; AI and new technology; and prevention.

    Workforce

    The Chancellor has already announced a Civil Service Numbers Cap, which will save taxpayers £1 billion during the current spending period, and a review of equality and diversity spending in the Civil Service is also underway.

    There are large opportunities for reform in the shape, size and culture of public services, but there are opportunities to go further. Some public servants spend up to 8 hours every working week on administrative tasks. While some of these tasks are needed, others are not and take time away from NHS staff treating the sick and police officers catching criminals. There has already been progress in identifying the specific tasks public servants perform and finding ways to ease the burden, with expert taskforces looking at the police and teaching professions.

    The Home Office will publish a series of recommendations on Monday (20th November) that could save police up to 38 million hours per year and 750,000 hours every week, as part of the independent Police Productivity Review. That is the equivalent of an additional 20,000 police officers’ time. These proposals range from building on recently introduced measures that cut unnecessary bureaucracy to driving greater productivity through the adoption of new and improved technology. The recommendations are intended to divert police time back to their primary priorities of keeping the public and our streets safe.

    The Government also has an ambition to reduce teacher workload by up to 5 hours each week within the next three years, particularly through helping teachers cut down on tasks like lesson planning, inputting data or marking, which will improve recruitment and retention – and ultimately raise pupil outcomes.

    AI and new technology

    The potential productivity benefits from applying AI to routine tasks across the public sector are estimated to be worth billions. But while the UK was placed third in the Government AI Readiness Index and has attracted over £18 billion of private investment since 2016, it sits tenth in the public sector category.

    The Chancellor wants to seize the opportunity presented by safely introducing AI. Across England, 90 percent of stroke units are now using cutting-edge AI tools to help clinicians treat stroke patients more quickly, halving the time it takes to receive treatment and tripling the chances of a patient living independently following a stroke.

    Thousands of teachers have already signed up to a pilot AI-powered lesson planner and quiz builder – backed by £2 million in government funding – which marks the first step towards providing every teacher with a personalised AI lesson-planning assistant.

    The Productivity Programme will go on to consider how AI can be used to improve public services safely ahead of the spring.

    Prevention

    The update also highlights the need to relieve pressure on public services in the face of demographic changes, such as an ageing population.

    The Government has published the first-ever Long-Term Workforce Plan for the NHS, charting a path to an NHS fit for the future. Prevention is a key part of this plan, with a greater focus on care in the community, mental health provision and other ways of supporting people before they require hospital care. £150 million has been invested up to April 2025 to better support people experiencing – or at risk of experiencing – mental health crises to receive care and support in more appropriate settings outside of A&E, helping to ease pressures facing the NHS.

    The Government will also publish the first-ever national kinship care strategy at the end of the year, in recognition of the crucial support kinship carers provide for some the most vulnerable children. There will also be a dedicated training and support programme and the establishment of peer support groups for kinship carers, backed by £9 million in funding and alongside a £47 million programme to help more children stay in loving stable homes, including with kinship carers.

    Home Secretary, James Cleverly said:

    I am committed to keeping the British public safe, so if that means removing red tape from policing, that is the action I will take.

    We have already made a start by cutting bureaucracy and reducing the time officers spend attending mental health callouts that should not require a policing response, but we must go further.

    I will work with the police to consider how we can take the review’s other recommendations forward.

    Chief Secretary to the Treasury Laura Trott said:

    Improving schools, hospitals and our justice system isn’t always about reaching for the spending tap. By safely wielding new technology, cutting down bureaucracy and tackling issues earlier, we can improve morale and performance – while ensuring our public services are ready for the challenges of tomorrow.

    The Productivity Programme will continue to engage with industry experts, academics, public sector organisations in the UK and other governments ahead of the spring. This will drive the Government’s approach to increasing public sector productivity growth, which is needed to prevent the state growing ever-larger – paid for by increased borrowing and tax.

    Notes to editors:

    • The Productivity Programme update will be published as part of the Autumn Statement.
    • The recommendations from the Police Productivity Review will be published on Monday 20th November. The Home Office will formally respond in the new year.
    • The Teacher Workload Reduction Taskforce recommendations will be published in due course.
  • PRESS RELEASE : Middle East Minister visits Bahrain and Qatar for talks on crisis in Israel and Gaza [November 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Middle East Minister visits Bahrain and Qatar for talks on crisis in Israel and Gaza [November 2023]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 18 November 2023.

    Minister of State for the Middle East Lord Ahmad is travelling to Bahrain and Qatar for high-level talks on the crisis in Israel and Gaza.

    • Middle East Minister Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon visits Bahrain and Qatar for discussions on the crisis in Israel and Gaza
    • in a speech to senior decision makers from the region, Lord Ahmad will reiterate urgent calls for sustained humanitarian pauses and discuss longer term routes to end hostilities and bring about a two-state solution
    • visit follows UK commitment of an additional £30 million in humanitarian aid to Palestinians

    Minister of State for the Middle East Lord Ahmad is travelling to Bahrain and Qatar for high-level talks on the crisis in Israel and Gaza.

    In Bahrain, the minister will give a speech at the Manama Dialogue, a forum of senior decision makers from the Middle East.

    He will set out the UK’s commitment to securing sustained humanitarian pauses to allow the flow of significantly more life-saving aid into Gaza and to preventing the crisis from spreading across the region.

    He will stress the UK’s position that Israel has a right to defend itself but their actions must comply with international humanitarian law, and discuss ways to bring about long-term regional stability and a viable two-state solution. The minister will also meet with Middle East counterparts, including the Secretary General of the Arab League.

    View Lord Ahmad’s statement at the IISS Manama Dialogue 2023.

    In Qatar the minister will have various bilateral meetings, including with the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, HE Mohammed Al Khulaifi and with Minister of Labour, HE Dr Ali bin Samikh Al Marri. He will thank Qatar for their role in negotiations to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

    Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, United Nations and the Commonwealth said:

    Together with our partners in the Middle East, the UK is working to increase the amount of aid getting into Gaza and prevent the crisis from spreading across the West Bank and the wider region. This includes the conditions to allow for safe, unhindered and sustainable access of humanitarian aid.

    I will also be discussing the prospects of a renewed effort towards delivering on the reality of a two-state solution which delivers peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians.

    The visit to Bahrain and Qatar follows Lord Ahmad’s recent visits to Israel, the West Bank and Morocco and Minister of State for Development and Africa Andrew Mitchell’s visit to Cairo earlier this week. This is in addition to travel to the region by the Prime Minister, former Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary. These diplomatic efforts have centred on calls for access to lifesaving aid for Gaza, the return of British nationals and the prevention of dangerous regional escalation.

    The UK recently allocated £30 million in additional aid for the Occupied Palestinian Territories – more than doubling the existing aid commitment for this year [£27 million]. This will allow trusted partners, including the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and others, to provide Palestinians with essential humanitarian relief items and services such as food, water and shelter.

    Lord Ahmad will also use to visit the Qatar to discuss bilateral matters. This includes overseeing the signing of the Labour Rights Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), providing a framework for further reform of labour rights in Qatar and building on progress made around the recent World Cup.

    The minister will also open the UK Pavilion at the International Horticultural Exposition in Doha. The exposition aims to promote horticultural solutions to the challenges of climate change and water scarcity.

  • PRESS RELEASE : A humanitarian response to this crisis in Gaza is vital – UK statement at the UN General Assembly [November 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : A humanitarian response to this crisis in Gaza is vital – UK statement at the UN General Assembly [November 2023]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 17 November 2023.

    Statement by Ambassador Barbara Woodward at the UN General Assembly meeting on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.

    Thank you, President.

    And I’d like to start by thanking the United Nations, particularly today’s briefers, and all the humanitarians for their truly heroic efforts. And I extend again my condolences to the UN family and the families of those 103 staff members in Gaza who have lost their lives in the past six weeks.

    President, as I said in the Security Council on Wednesday, it is impossible to comprehend the pain and loss that civilians are enduring in this conflict. Too many civilians are losing their lives and the protection of civilians and alleviating suffering is the top priority for the UK.

    This is why we strongly welcomed the passage of the Security Council’s humanitarian resolution this week. This calls for a humanitarian pause for a period of days for long enough to get lifesaving aid to those who need it. This will establish a safer environment for humanitarians, and support urgent efforts to secure the immediate and safe release of all hostages.

    We must now turn these words into action.

    The UK is committed to the urgent implementation of this resolution, in particular in three areas.

    Firstly, we are working with our partners to provide and to get lifesaving items into Gaza. This includes food, water, medical supplies and crucially, fuel. The priority must be for Israel to allow sufficient fuel into Gaza so that humanitarian operations can run unimpeded and so hospitals and desalination plants can operate.

    Secondly, we are supporting efforts to scale up the response. We are urging, and I urge again here today, that the priority must be improved land access, including at Kerem Shalom, as well as scaled-up access at Rafah, so aid can reach the levels needed.

    Third, we remain clear that both sides must comply with international humanitarian law and take every possible step to minimise harm to civilians. That includes respecting the sanctity of hospitals so that healthcare professionals can care for the sick and injured.

    President, a humanitarian response to this crisis is vital. But our responsibility does not end there. We will redouble our efforts, with our partners, to create a new political horizon to deliver on the promise of peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians, and make the two-state solution a reality.

    I thank you.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Billions of investment for British manufacturing to boost economic growth [November 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Billions of investment for British manufacturing to boost economic growth [November 2023]

    The press release issued by HM Treasury on 17 November 2023.

    The government has today announced £4.5 billion in funding for British manufacturing to increase investment in eight sectors across the UK. The funding will be available from 2025 for five years, providing industry with longer term certainty about their investments.

    • £4.5 billion for strategic manufacturing sectors including £960 million earmarked for clean energy
    • Funding will be delivered to eight sectors key to economic growth, energy security, and levelling-up
    • Part of wider government support to ensure UK is the best place to start, grow, and invest in manufacturing

    Over £2 billion has been earmarked for the automotive industry and £975 million for aerospace, supporting the manufacturing, supply chain and development of zero emission vehicles, and investment in energy efficient and zero-carbon aircraft equipment.

    Alongside this, the government has committed to £960 million for a Green Industries Growth Accelerator to support clean energy manufacturing, and £520 million for life sciences manufacturing to build resilience for future health emergencies and capitalise on the UK’s world-leading research and development.

    With the entire manufacturing sector making up over 43% of all UK exports and employing around 2.6 million people, this funding is targeted at the UK’s strongest, world leading sectors; including where the industry is undergoing fundamental changes to remain at the forefront of the global transition to net zero, like the move to zero emission vehicles in the automotive industry.

    The Green Industries Growth Accelerator investment will support the expansion of strong, home-grown, clean energy supply chains across the UK, including carbon capture, utilisation and storage, electricity networks, hydrogen, nuclear and offshore wind. This will enable the UK to seize growth opportunities through the transition to net zero, building on our world-leading decarbonisation track record and strong deployment offer.

    The funding forms part of the Prime Minister’s pledge to grow the economy, and his focus on making decisions for the long-term, ensuring this funding doesn’t just focus on the most successful sectors today but looks ahead to how we keep pace internationally and build the UK’s expertise for the industries of the future.

    Together with our existing manufacturing support and plans for net zero transition, this package will help unlock private investment, provide certainty to investors, boost energy security, and protect and create jobs. This approach has already mobilised £198 billion in public and private investment in low carbon energy deployment since 2010.

    Today’s announcement comes ahead of the second Global Investment Summit later this month, which will showcase innovative companies from across the UK, with significant investment opportunities in sectors such as technology, sustainability, life sciences, advanced manufacturing, and creative industries.

    It will also help ensure that the UK remains at the forefront of the global transition to net zero and can seize growth opportunities in the new green economy. The UK remains a world-leader in cutting emissions, having decarbonised faster than any G7 country since 1990 and set out clear plans to meet all our climate targets and deliver energy security.

    Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, said:

    “Britain is now the 8th largest manufacturer in the world, recently overtaking France. To build on this success, we are targeting funding to support the sectors where the UK is or could be world-leading.

    “Our £4.5 billion of funding will leverage many times that from the private sector, and in turn will grow our economy, creating more skilled, higher-paid jobs in new industries that will be built to last.”

    Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch said:

    “The UK is a global hub for advanced manufacturing, with world-leading automotive, aerospace and maritime sectors. This package builds on recent investment wins, such as the £4 billion gigafactory, and the £600m invested to build the next generation of electric Minis, and ensures that the government can continue to help create jobs, grow the economy, and secure the future of great British manufacturing.”

    Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary Claire Coutinho said:

    “Today we are announcing nearly £1bn to back our green industries. While we’ve already attracted £200 billion in low carbon investment since 2010, with another £100 billion expected by 2030, this will unlock even more. We have long been energy pioneers in advanced manufacturing, and this will allow us to carry on that great British tradition.”

    Today, the government has also published its response to Professor Dame Angela McLean’s review of the role that regulation and standards can play in driving innovation and growth in advanced manufacturing.

    The government accepts all 14 recommendations in the industry expert-backed report which builds on the UK’s role as a global leader in setting industrial standards and sets out how, with the right regulations, advanced manufacturing processes can enhance safety and support the drive to net zero and a more sustainable economy.

    Among the recommendations accepted is to accelerate the deployment of digital twins, which enables companies to create accurate digital replicas of the full manufacturing process. Used across a range of sectors, digital twins have seen significant uptake in the automotive sector including car production where they offer a transformative approach to product development, manufacturing and maintenance, helping firms test how to fix problems or make processes more efficient.

    To boost growth in small and medium sized manufacturing businesses more widely, it has also been announced today that the government will expand the Made Smarter Adoption programme, offering the scheme to all English regions in 2025-26 before working with the Devolved Administrations to explore making the programme UK-wide from 2026-27.

    The programme helps small and medium sized manufacturing companies to use advanced digital technologies which can reduce carbon emissions and drive-up productivity, and its expansion will also involve inclusion of digital internships.

    Stephen Phipson, CEO of Make UK, the manufacturers’ organisation said:

    “Make UK has long campaigned for Made Smarter to be a fully national scheme so that all SME manufacturers can benefit from the expertise the programme delivers and we are delighted at today’s decision from government to commit to a national rollout.

    “Made Smarter has already transformed thousands of companies in the North East, North West, West Midlands and Yorkshire & the Humber and now it can help turbo-charge industrial digitalisation in SMEs across the whole of the country. The end-to-end specialist support the programme delivers has successfully helped smaller businesses dramatically boost productivity, improve energy efficiency, drive growth, upskill roles and deliver new jobs in digital skills to create workforces of the future which will allow Britain’s smaller manufacturers to continue to grow and remain globally competitive.”

    Additionally, the government has today committed to extend the Connected and Automated Mobility Research and Development programme with up to £150 million of funding between 2025-26 and 2029-30. This will help the UK secure first-mover advantage in the deployment of self-driving vehicles and services.

    The UK’s first Battery Strategy is also expected to be published next week, which will outline the Government’s activity to achieve a globally competitive battery supply chain in the UK by 2030 that supports economic prosperity and the Net Zero transition.

    We have also set out our plan to launch a Hydrogen industry taskforce, delivered in partnership with the Hydrogen Innovation Initiative and Innovate UK, supporting our ambition to maximise investment opportunities for UK manufacturing of hydrogen propulsion systems.

    The government will set out more about its offer to the manufacturing sector next week with the publication of the Advanced Manufacturing Plan.

    Further information

    • Further information, including on the application processes, will be made available by the government in due course.
    • The eight manufacturing sub-sectors that will be able to apply for funding are:
      • Automotive
      • Aerospace
      • Life sciences
      • Clean energy (carbon capture, utilisation and storage, electricity networks, hydrogen, nuclear, and offshore wind)
    • This targeted funding for sectors of economic strategic importance is in addition to wider support for the manufacturing sector such as:
      • the British Industry Supercharger ensuring energy costs for key industries like steel, metals, chemicals, and paper producers are in line with other major economies around the world
      • the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund supporting the deployment of technologies that is enabling hundreds of businesses with high energy use to transition to a low carbon future
      • the lowest corporation tax in the G7
    • The UK also has a world-leading track record on green deployment, and comprehensive, clear, and considered plans for our net zero transition.
    • In Powering Up Britain, we have set out detailed deployment plans for every sector of the economy through the net zero transition. These include long-term frameworks to provide investors with certainty, from the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) to the Contracts for Difference Scheme. These are supported by public spending, with £30 billion for the green industrial revolution confirmed at Spending Review 2021, and a further £6 billion for energy efficiency and up to £20 billion for Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) announced since then.
  • PRESS RELEASE : Over 100 religious sites have been damaged or destroyed since the Russian invasion of Ukraine: UK statement at the UN Security Council [November 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Over 100 religious sites have been damaged or destroyed since the Russian invasion of Ukraine: UK statement at the UN Security Council [November 2023]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 17 November 2023.

    Statement by UK Political Coordinator Fergus Eckersley at the UN Security Council meeting on threats to international peace and security.

    Thank you, President, and thank you to our briefers.

    I also thank the Russian delegation for bringing human rights issues to the Security Council. The United Kingdom has long believed in the link between human rights and matters of peace and security, and we are glad that the Russian delegation now appears to share this view. We look forward to further discussions on human rights in the Council.

    The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief for all around the world. We condemn all persecution on the grounds of religion or belief.  Ukraine shares these values. It is a pluralist and multi-faith society, with the right to freedom of religion or belief enshrined in its constitution. Its lawmakers have sought the advice of experts on freedom of religion and belief as they respond to threats to Ukraine’s national security.

    Russia does not share this commitment. Religious leaders are among those targeted by Russian forces and subjected to torture and enforced disappearances. Russian authorities are carrying out house searches and arbitrary arrests of Crimean Tatars, accusing them of extremism and terrorism just for peacefully practicing their faith.

    Russian Orthodox priests have been disciplined for expressing opposition to the Russian invasion of Ukraine – even defrocked for praying for peace instead of victory. Over 100 religious sites have been damaged or destroyed since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

    This includes the devastating destruction to the Transfiguration Cathedral – Odesa’s largest Orthodox church – in July this year, previously destroyed under Stalin in 1936. Our Foreign Secretary saw the extent of the damage first hand during his visit to Odesa yesterday.

    Colleagues, the Russian delegation is presenting itself today as the defender of the Orthodox Christian faith and its values.

    But is it Christian to covet and steal your neighbour’s land?

    Is it Christian to disrupt the global supply of food?

    Is it Christian to kill civilians?

    The Orthodox faith of course does not encourage these things. It does however encourage confession of sins, and repentance.

    President, the best way to ensure that Ukrainians can enjoy their freedom of religion and belief – and all of their human rights – is for Russia to end its war of aggression, withdraw its forces and respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.

  • Penny Mordaunt – 2023 Speech to the UK Youth Parliament

    Penny Mordaunt – 2023 Speech to the UK Youth Parliament

    The speech made by Penny Mordaunt, the Leader of the House of Commons, in the Commons on 17 November 2023.

    Thank you for being here.

    Many powerful men and women have sat in the seats you are sitting in today.

    What may surprise you is that all of them, for at least for some of their careers, would feel nervous, just as I’m sure some of you are nervous about today.

    You might be feeling fear and dread as to how well you are going to do today.

    But to be here, many of you, in fact all of you, will have had to show courage. To overcome the dread and many other obstacles to be here.

    The dread that says that you don’t belong here, or that you’re not good enough to be here.

    So as Leader of the Commons let me give you some advice for today.

    The dread is your friend.

    The dread means you are never going to be underprepared or complacent.

    The dread means you have already overcome your fears because you feel so strongly a call to serve others, and that means you’re going to be good at what you’re going to do today.

    The dread compelled you to know yourself and what is in your hearts.

    So if you are nervous today, that is good, be reassured and use that energy to do something wonderful here. Listen, learn and inspire others.

    I wish you well today and you have chosen an excellent theme and topics, and it has been my privilege to help some of you from my neck of the woods prepare for today – in one of my schools, with teachers, dinner ladies, local authority directors, testing your ideas and answering your questions.

    And I wanted to give you some words of advice to spur you on today and forever to live fulfilled lives in the service of one another.

    The words I am going to say to you now are not the words of Wilberforce or Churchill.

    They are from a student called Keith.

    People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centred.

    Love them anyway.

    If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.

    Do good anyway.

    If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.

    Succeed anyway.

    If you do good today it will be forgotten tomorrow.

    Do good anyway.

    Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.

    Be honest and frank anyway.

    The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.

    Think big anyway.

    People favour underdogs but follow only top dogs.

    Fight for underdogs anyway.

    What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.

    Build anyway.

    People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.

    Help people anyway.

    Give the world the best you have and you will get kicked in the teeth.

    Give the world the best you have anyway.

    Members, do not underestimate what you can accomplish, do not doubt the good you can do. And do not forget the importance of having fun while you are doing it.

    Welcome to the House of Commons.