Blog

  • PRESS RELEASE : Investigation launched into international aid charity over alleged links with Hamas [August 2026]

    PRESS RELEASE : Investigation launched into international aid charity over alleged links with Hamas [August 2026]

    The press release issued by the Charity Commission on 7 August 2026.

    The Charity Commission has opened a statutory inquiry into Al-Khair Foundation and has restricted certain transactions.

    The charity was set up to advance religion, promote education, support social welfare, build religious harmony and offer relief to victims of disasters. It operates in the UK and internationally.

    Last month the Commission received a complaint alleging the charity and its partners had connections to Hamas, a proscribed terrorist organisation. It also alleged the charity had funded the organisation. The regulator immediately started examining the serious concerns raised and gathered more information to inform its assessment. The Commission has now escalated its engagement to a statutory inquiry.

    The Commission is aware that Mohammad Yousef Hasna, an individual employed by an organisation that the Al-Khair Foundation works with to deliver aid in Gaza, has been arrested in the UK and charged by US authorities for conspiring to provide material support to Hamas. The regulator will be considering all relevant information as part of its investigation, which will include verifying his connection to the charity, and wider allegations made about the charity.

    The charity recorded an income of over £74 million pounds in financial year ending 31 July 2025. Due to the concerns of possible serious risk to charitable funds, the Commission has issued a legal order restricting certain financial transactions by the charity without the Commission’s prior consent.

    Scope of the inquiry

    The inquiry will examine the extent to which the trustees are complying or have complied with their legal duties in respect of the administration, governance and management of the charity. The investigation will seek to establish:

    • the nature and extent of the charity’s links to Mr Hasna
    • whether trustees have carried out appropriate checks and due diligence on international partners
    • whether trustees are effectively monitoring the end use of funds internationally and have appropriate policies and procedures in place to protect funds from risk of misuse
    • whether any failings or weaknesses identified in the administration of the Charity are a result of misconduct and/or mismanagement by the trustees

    The scope of the inquiry can be extended if additional regulatory issues emerge.

    As charity regulator, the Commission cannot investigate criminal matters. In line with the regulator’s policy, if evidence of criminal activity is found, this will be referred to the police which has the power to investigate.

    It is the Commission’s policy, after it has concluded an inquiry, to publish a report detailing the issues examined, any action taken, and the inquiry’s outcomes.

  • NEWS STORY : Chief constable says PC Harper offenders should serve remainder of sentences

    NEWS STORY : Chief constable says PC Harper offenders should serve remainder of sentences

    STORY

    Civil Nuclear Constabulary Chief Constable Simon Chesterman has joined calls opposing the potential early release of two men involved in the death of Thames Valley Police officer Andrew Harper. Chesterman said Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers should remain in prison for the remainder of their sentences, arguing that early release would damage public confidence and police morale.

    PC Harper, 28, was killed in August 2019 while responding to the theft of a quad bike in Berkshire. He was dragged behind a vehicle along a country road while carrying out his duties. Three teenagers involved in the incident were subsequently sentenced to a combined 42 years in prison, with Cole and Bowers each receiving 13-year sentences. Under current proposals, the pair could potentially become eligible for release after serving half of their custodial terms.

    Chesterman, who served with Thames Valley Police between 1984 and 2007, said he felt compelled to express solidarity with Harper’s family, friends and former colleagues. He said police officers routinely face dangerous situations while protecting the public and argued that allowing those involved in Harper’s death to benefit from early release would fail to reflect the seriousness of the offence and the continuing impact on his family and the policing community.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Venture capital access expanded for early-stage companies in UK [August 2026]

    PRESS RELEASE : Venture capital access expanded for early-stage companies in UK [August 2026]

    The press release issued by HM Treasury on 7 August 2026.

    Intention to invest £100 million through British Business Bank’s Investor Pathways Capital Initiative to boost growth in every postcode.

    • As many as 10 new venture capital funds to be launched across the UK expanding access to venture capital beyond London
    • Economic Secretary to the Treasury visited Sheffield and Leeds to meet businesses, lenders and investors supporting regional growth

    Investors in early-stage companies across the UK can access a multi-million-pound investment boost as the Chancellor backs growth in every postcode through the next £100m phase of the British Business Bank’s Investor Pathways Capital Initiative.

    Supporting talented, first-time venture capital investment fund managers from a wide range of backgrounds, the initiative, which will invest £400m in total, helps businesses scale up as the fund managers provide the catalytic early capital that innovative, early-stage businesses need to scale up drive local growth and create more good British jobs.

    Business large and small have felt the squeeze as the cost of business has risen. The Chancellor is backing investment outside of London into businesses to help tackle this, bolstering efforts to make Britain better off.

    Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey MP said:

    One of my priorities as Chancellor is wealth creation. That means building an economy that helps people live well. I know there is a cost of business and it will not go unnoticed.

    This must involve stepping up our support for the businesses who invest in people, and this £100m boost will help provide the fuel to drive new life into local economies up and down the country.

    In June, the British Business Bank committed up to £90m to 10 new microfunds as part of the first Investor Pathways Capital cohort. Applications for the next cohort, which is part of this £100m deployment, will open in Autumn 2026.

    Economic Secretary to the Treasury Lucy Rigby said: 

    We want growth in every postcode and businesses are integral to that as the absolute backbone of our economy.

    Unlocking investment and capital for British businesses, backing firms with practical support and ensuring businesses wherever they are can get the finance they need to grow, innovate and create jobs.

    Separately, the Economic Secretary to the Treasury yesterday met with businesses, lenders and investors from across Yorkshire in Sheffield and Leeds. They discussed how government will support the British Business Bank and industry to work together to ensure the most ambitious of British firms can access the finance they need to invest, create jobs and drive growth in every postcode.

    The visits came as the Government continues to deliver on commitments made at Mansion House to strengthen the UK’s business finance ecosystem. This approach is centred on ensuring growth reaches every part of the country – ensuring firms have the finance and support they need a at every stage of their growth journey – from start-up through to scale-up.

    Recent reforms to the Growth Guarantee Scheme will increase lending capacity by a further £2 billion per year by 2028/29, helping an additional 12,000 smaller businesses access finance each year while extending loan terms and broadening eligibility. These changes are designed to ensure more businesses can secure the funding they need to invest, expand and create jobs.

    The British Business Bank is playing a central role in helping deliver this ambition, supporting businesses throughout their growth journey through debt finance, venture capital and targeted investment programmes. Recent activity has included investments supporting innovative technology businesses, new venture capital funds and underserved communities across the UK’s Nations and regions.

  • PRESS RELEASE : 18th anniversary of Russia’s illegal invasion of Georgia – Joint Statement [Augugst 2026]

    PRESS RELEASE : 18th anniversary of Russia’s illegal invasion of Georgia – Joint Statement [Augugst 2026]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 7 August 2026.

    The UK has joined France, Germany and Italy in condemning Russia’s ongoing activities in the occupied breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

    Spokespersons for the governments of the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy said:

    August 7th is a date when we remember the grave consequences of Russian imperialism. On this day in 2008 the Russian Federation took military action against Georgia, further damaging Georgia’s territorial integrity by occupying the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

    18 years after the Russian aggression, we reaffirm our full support to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders. We welcome Republic of Naoero’s decision to withdraw its recognition of the so-called independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. We urge states that have established diplomatic relations with these entities to follow this example.

    We reiterate our condemnation of Russia’s ongoing military presence in the occupied breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in violation of international law as well as Russia’s obligations under the six-point agreement of 12 August 2008. Russia’s ongoing militarization of Georgia’s occupied territories poses a serious threat to the security of Georgia and to regional and European stability.

    In October 2025, the European Court of Human Rights found the Russian Federation guilty of a number of violations committed in the occupied breakaway regions, including excessive use of force, ill-treatment, unlawful detention and unlawful restrictions on day-to-day movement across the administrative boundary line between Georgian-controlled territory and Russian occupied territory. We urge Russia to implement the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights relating to this situation and to fully fulfil the commitments it made on August 12 and September 8, 2008.

    We are concerned about the latest developments in South Ossetia. The “Agreement on Deepening Alliance and Cooperation” signed on 9 May 2026 between Moscow and the de facto authorities of South Ossetia further violates Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, in clear breach of international law. This document, as well as the appointment of a Russian citizen to head the region raise concerns on a possible full-fledged annexation of the region, which would not go unanswered.

    We reaffirm our support for the “Geneva International Discussions” (GID) platform, co-chaired by the European Union, the OSCE, and the United Nations. This is the only framework that will enable the parties to work towards conflict resolution. We commend the work of the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM) and we will continue to support the role of the mission.

  • PRESS RELEASE : We call on the transitional government of South Sudan to cooperate fully with UNMISS – UK statement at the UN Security Council [August 2026]

    PRESS RELEASE : We call on the transitional government of South Sudan to cooperate fully with UNMISS – UK statement at the UN Security Council [August 2026]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 6 August 2026.

    Statement by Ambassador Kate Foster, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on South Sudan.

    As we have heard today, ongoing violence continues to displace civilians and to deepen an already acute humanitarian crisis.

    Women and girls continue to bear the brunt, including through conflict-related sexual violence.

    First, the United Kingdom reiterates the urgent need for an immediate cessation of hostilities and a return to the political process.

    We urge all parties to use this immediate period to engage in genuine and inclusive dialogue. 

    We welcome the work of AU Special Envoy President Kikwete, and the close cooperation between the UN, the AU, and IGAD in support of peace and dialogue.

    Second, any elections must strengthen, not undermine, peace and stability.

    The South Sudanese people should be able to choose their representatives, and hold them to account. 

    But this can only happen through elections that are credible, peaceful, and inclusive, or they risk a return to conflict.

    That means the conditions envisaged in the 2018 peace agreement must be in place, including sufficient political space, security, and inclusive participation. 

    An election in which major parties cannot participate freely would serve neither democracy nor peace.

    Third, public resources must be managed responsibly, transparently, and in the interests of the South Sudanese people.

    Essential services remain severely underfunded.

    The consequences are felt most acutely by ordinary South Sudanese: just 2 per cent of the national budget is currently spent on health and education.

    Functioning services, particularly healthcare, are increasingly critical as the risk grows of Ebola spreading into South Sudan.

    Finally, UNMISS continues to play a critical role in supporting peace and stability.

    The Mission provides a vital source of protection and support: helping to prevent and respond to intercommunal violence, maintaining a protective presence in areas at risk of conflict, facilitating humanitarian assistance, and supporting vital dialogue between communities.

    We call on the transitional government of South Sudan to cooperate fully with the Mission, and to ensure it can carry out its mandate freely and without obstruction.

    President, the people of South Sudan deserve a future defined not by violence and instability, but by peace, dignity, and accountable governance.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Change of His Majesty’s Ambassador to Bahrain [August 2026]

    PRESS RELEASE : Change of His Majesty’s Ambassador to Bahrain [August 2026]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 6 August 2026.

    Mr Thomas Allan has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain in succession to Mr Alastair Long.

    Mr Allan will take up his appointment during January 2027.

    Curriculum vitae

    Full name: Thomas Philip Allan

    DatesRole
    2023 to 2026FCDO, Deputy Director, Middle East and North Africa 
    2020 to 2022Cabinet Office, Deputy Director, National Security Secretariat 
    2018 to 2019DFID, Private Secretary to the Permanent Secretary 
    2014 to 2017Dar es Salaam, Deputy Head of Office, DFID Tanzania 
    2011 to 2014Sana’a/London, Economic Adviser, DFID Yemen 
    2009 to 2011Freetown, Economic Adviser, DFID Sierra Leone 
    2008 to 2009DFID, Economist, Policy Division 
    2005 to 2008Department of Health, Economist 
    2003 to 2005Addis Ababa, Policy Officer, UNESCO
  • NEWS STORY : Company director jailed after claiming to be in coma while avoiding court

    NEWS STORY : Company director jailed after claiming to be in coma while avoiding court

    STORY

    A disqualified company director who claimed to be in an induced coma when he was due to appear in court has been jailed after admitting that he continued to run a football magazine business while banned. Peter Etherington, 68, of Ilkley, West Yorkshire, was sentenced at Bradford Crown Court to 18 and a half months in prison, including five months from an activated suspended sentence. He was also disqualified from acting as a company director for a further ten years, taking the ban through to August 2036.

    Etherington admitted acting as a director of PP Global Media Limited between April 2019 and October 2022 while disqualified. The company produced Professional Player, described as a luxury lifestyle magazine for professional footballers and their families. The Insolvency Service said Etherington exercised control over the company’s finances, staffing and contracts despite other people being formally listed as directors. Bank records showed that he received more than £100,000 from the company account, more than any named director during the same period.

    Etherington had been due before Bradford Magistrates’ Court in January, but an email said to have been sent by a family member claimed that he was in an induced coma. The Insolvency Service contacted two local hospitals and found no record of him being a recent inpatient, while he had also updated his Facebook profile and signed a legal document during the same period. Officials said information suggested that he “may have been seen in Tesco”. Etherington had previously been disqualified as a director three times, in 2017, 2020 and 2022.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Two Trustees appointed to the National Gallery Board [August 2026]

    PRESS RELEASE : Two Trustees appointed to the National Gallery Board [August 2026]

    The press release issued by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport on 6 August 2026.

    Julie Gaskell and Simon Patterson have been appointed as Trustees to the National Gallery Board. These appointments were made by the previous Prime Minister.

    Julie Gaskell has been appointed for a four year term from 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2030. Simon Patterson has been appointed for a four year term from 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2030.

    Julie Gaskell 

    Julie Gaskell is a sponsorship strategist with extensive senior experience across the public, private and cultural sectors. She advises rights holders, charities and cultural organisations on partnership development, strategic sponsorship and stakeholder engagement.

    As Head of Partnerships at Wild in Art, Julie contributes to mass appeal public art initiatives. Julie has held senior leadership roles with United Utilities, Widnes Viking RLFC and Stobart Group, where she led corporate communications, sponsorship, stakeholder engagement and organisational strategy.

    Throughout her career, she has contributed to initiatives including the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, Liverpool’s 2008 European Capital of Culture, the International Festival for Business (2014 and 2016) and, more recently, We Invented the Weekend 2026 in Salford.

    Simon Patterson 

    Simon Patterson is Chair of the Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales, where he has served as a Trustee for 10 years, helping to design, build, fundraise and scale Their Royal Highnesses’ major social and environmental programmes, including The Earthshot Prize, The Centre for Early Childhood, Heads Together (mental health), and Homewards (homelessness). Simon is a Senior Partner of Silver Lake, the technology investment firm, where he has worked on many of the firm’s landmark investments over 20 years, including the successful transformation of Dell, collaborating closely with Michael Dell and serving as a board member for 10 years.

    He has also led Silver Lake investments in sports, including New Zealand Rugby and SailGP, and is personally a co-owner of MCC’s London Spirit cricket team in the Hundred tournament.

    He is a Senior Advisor at Chatham House and a Fellow of King’s College Cambridge. Prior roles include Non-Executive Director of Tesco plc and Trustee of the Natural History Museum, where he helped build and fundraise for the museum’s large-scale AI and digital programmes, and its ambitious garden redevelopment.

  • NEWS STORY : Permanent hiring stabilises after 45-month downturn, recruiters report

    NEWS STORY : Permanent hiring stabilises after 45-month downturn, recruiters report

    STORY

    Britain’s permanent jobs market showed signs of stabilising in July, with a survey of recruiters recording no fall in permanent placements for the first time in 45 months. The Recruitment and Employment Confederation and KPMG said their permanent placements index rose to 50.0 from 49.1, the level separating expansion from contraction.

    Temporary hiring remained in growth territory, with the temporary staff placements index at 51.9, compared with 52.7 in June. Temporary vacancies increased for the first time in two years, while the availability of temporary workers rose by the smallest amount since May 2023. Starting pay also strengthened, with salary growth for newly hired permanent staff reaching a six-month high and temporary pay growth its strongest in 26 months.

    The survey was based on responses from around 400 recruitment agencies between 9 and 27 July. KPMG said businesses would now be looking for evidence that policies from the new Government could translate into confidence to invest and recruit. The Bank of England is also monitoring pay pressures closely as it assesses inflation and the outlook for interest rates.

  • NEWS STORY : Record 230 people reported to have crossed Channel in a single small boat

    NEWS STORY : Record 230 people reported to have crossed Channel in a single small boat

    STORY

    A reported 230 people have arrived in Dover after crossing the English Channel in a single small boat, which would be the highest number recorded on one vessel. The boat arrived in the early hours of Monday after travelling from the French coast, surpassing the previous reported single-vessel record of 165 people set in July.

    The development comes as smugglers have increasingly placed larger numbers of people on individual boats. A vessel carrying 173 people capsized earlier this month after its engine caught fire. Overall small boat arrivals in 2026 have nevertheless been lower than in 2025, with the total at the end of July reported to be around 45% below the equivalent point last year.

    Reform UK leader Nigel Farage described the latest crossing as evidence of what he called a national security emergency. The Home Office has previously said criminal smuggling gangs are using increasingly dangerous tactics and the Government has expanded co-operation with France, including additional resources for enforcement activity on the French coast.