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PRESS RELEASE : Government completes review of airport ground operations to increase sector’s resilience [March 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 30 March 2023.

Areas set out for the aviation industry to focus on to avoid a repeat of the travel disruption seen last summer.
- ministers have agreed 10 areas for the aviation industry to focus on to address the issues with ground handling at airports seen last summer
- aim to help the aviation industry to rebuild its strength and resilience, so they can deliver for passengers for years to come
- follows an in-depth review of how the ground handling industry works and wide-ranging consultation with industry
The government has today (30 March 2023) set out 10 areas for the aviation industry to focus on to ensure airport ground operations get back to full capacity and avoid a repeat of the travel disruption seen last summer.

It concludes its review of the ground handling market, which the government committed to as part of its wider 22-point plan for tackling aviation disruption last June.

The report finds that staffing shortages were a major factor in last summer’s disruption, with ground handlers struggling to recruit enough staff in time for the peak travel season after coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions were lifted and facing issues with onboarding processes.

Aviation Minister Baroness Vere of Norbiton said:

The misery passengers faced last year when their flights were severely delayed or cancelled at the last minute was simply unacceptable.

We’ve made it clear that improvements can and must be made, so the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) are working closely with the industry to build a resilient ground handler market for years to come.

Since then, the aviation industry has made significant progress to improve its resilience. To ensure this progress continues, the government has also proposed:
- further exploration of how to improve how ground handlers’ performance is measured and monitored
- better engagement between ground handlers and the government, including through the new Aviation Services UK trade association
- continued support from the government and industry’s flagship Generation Aviation programme for recruitment, retention, upskilling and outreach
- establishing a series of working groups involving airports, airlines and ground handlers to address areas including airport ID processes and performance standards
Ground handlers undertake several activities including baggage handling, check in, catering and refuelling. But last year as the industry began its recovery, companies were unable to meet demand.

Shortages of staff at airports, including drops in ground handler performance, had a domino effect on the rest of airport operations, causing delays and last-minute cancellations for passengers around the country.

While the aviation industry operates in the private sector, and is responsible for managing demand and resourcing, passengers should have confidence the government is doing everything it can to help ahead of this summer season. With Baroness Vere meeting industry representatives to discuss Easter preparedness last week, it’s important that both the private sector and the government move in lockstep.

By focusing on these areas, the aviation industry, the government and CAA can build a sector that provides a world-leading service for passengers long into the future.
30/03/2023
PRESS RELEASE : New fire safety guidance comes into force on 1 October 2023 [March 2023]
The press release issued by the Home Office on 30 March 2023.

Commencement regulations for new fire safety legal provisions within section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022 have been laid in Parliament.
Section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA) makes a number of amendments to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO) to improve fire safety in all buildings regulated by the FSO. These improvements form Phase 3 of the Home Office’s fire safety reform programme, building on Phase 1 (the Fire Safety Act 2021) and Phase 2 (the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022).

Phase 3 further strengthens fire safety in all FSO regulated premises by:

improving cooperation and coordination between Responsible Persons (RPs)

increasing requirements in relation to the recording and sharing of fire safety information thus creating a continual record throughout a building’s lifespan

making it easier for enforcement authorities to take action against non-compliance

ensuring residents have access to comprehensive information about fire safety in their building

We are not at this stage commencing a requirement for RPs to ensure that anyone they appoint to do a fire risk assessment is competent. We are actively working with the sector to develop a robust roll out plan and will provide more information on this in the coming months.

Guidance to support RPs in understanding and meeting these new requirements will be published before they come into force.

We have today published 3 new fire safety guides on small non-domestic premises, small blocks of flats and for small sleeping accommodation. These replace the old short guide to making your premises safe from fire. We have also published and updated the fire risk assessment checklist.
30/03/2023
PRESS RELEASE : State Pension Age Review published [March 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Work and Pensions on 30 March 2023.
- State Pension age rise to 67 will take place as planned between 2026-2028.
- Review within two years of next Parliament to reconsider rise to age 68.
- Delivers on Government responsibility to ensure the State Pension remains sustainable and fair across the generations.
The Government has confirmed the State Pension age will rise to 67 by the end of 2028, following a review published today.

After carefully considering expert evidence, including two independent reports, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has concluded the planned pension age rise from 66 to 67 for those born after April 1960 remains appropriate.

The Pensions Act 2014 requires the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to regularly review State Pension age. To inform this Review, two independent reports were commissioned – analysis from the Government Actuary based on life expectancy projections and the proportion of adult life spent in retirement, and findings from Baroness Neville-Rolfe which considered relevant factors including life-expectancy trends.

As the number of people over State Pension age increases, the Government must ensure it remains sustainable and fair for current and future generations.

The Government plans to have a further review within two years of the next Parliament to reconsider the rise to age 68.

This gives the Government appropriate time to take into account evidence which is not yet available on the long-term impact of recent challenges, including the Covid pandemic and global inflationary pressures. These events bring a level of uncertainty in relation to the current data on life expectancy, labour markets and the public finances.

This will ensure that the Government is able to consider the latest information to inform any future decision on the State Pension age. This will include life expectancy and population projections updated with 2021 Census data and the latest demographic trends, the economic position and the impact on the labour market of the recently announced package of measures to tackle inactivity.

Given the wide-ranging impacts of changing the State Pension age, it is important to take the time to get any changes right.

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Mel Stride said:

It’s essential the State Pension remains sustainable and fair across the generations. Our balanced approach will help achieve this and ensure we continue to provide security and dignity in retirement for millions of people across the country.

The Government remains committed to the principle of providing 10 years notice of changes to State Pension age, enabling people to plan effectively for retirement. All options for the rise to the State Pension age from 67 to 68 that meet the 10 years notice period will be in scope at the next review.
30/03/2023
NEWS FROM 100 YEARS AGO : 30 March 1923

30 MARCH 1923

The Consolidated Fund Act and the Unemployment Insurance Act received Royal Assent in the Lords.

There was a debate on education in the House of Commons with concerns about the size of classes, the number of teachers and training.

Coal was struck in County Tyrone, thought to be the largest seam in the UK.

A large number of Irregulars were arrested in Ireland with the organisation starting to struggle financially.

30/03/2023
Andrew Griffith – 2023 Speech at the Funds Congress

The speech made by Andrew Griffith, the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, in London on 30 March 2023.

Introduction

Thank you, John. As a former public company CFO, it’s certainly a relief to know that you’re introducing rather than interrogating me today.

And thank you to everyone here at the Funds Congress for having me this morning.

I was, of course, delighted to be asked to speak at London’s largest asset management conference.

And even better that I can be with you today in person, given this is the first time Funds Congress has met physically since 2020.

What a lot has changed since then. But what hasn’t changed is the vital importance the asset management industry holds for the UK and the global economy.

An engine for UK growth and long-term economic prosperity. A world leader in portfolio management and sustainable finance. The second largest asset management centre in the world with a market share higher than France, Germany and Switzerland combined. And an innovative spirit coupled with a diversity of expertise unrivalled anywhere to boot.

Growth: The role of the asset management

Before I come on to what we can achieve together, let us consider where we are today.

A major source of high value jobs in the UK – employing 42,000 people directly and supporting many tens of thousands in adjacent services.

A unique lynchpin of the UK financial services ecosystem, existing at the heart of many concentric circles of value in the industry across the UK.

But more importantly, the performance that you deliver to help lift up the standard of living of millions, tens of millions are benefitting today as they save for a pension through auto-enrolment.

You generate close to 1% of the UK’s GDP.

And 3.6% of total UK service exports.

But that data doesn’t do justice to your impact today, let alone what we could achieve.

And while we have the legacy to lead in this space, we can’t be complacent.

Productive Finance

As the Chancellor outlined in his Bloomberg Growth speech, we want the UK to be among the most prosperous countries in Europe.

We want to spur economic growth.

And we have a plan to get there.

I want to pay particular attention to the role of enterprise.

Within this, I want to highlight reward for risk, access to capital and smarter regulation.

Because enterprises need funding, just as all our long-term priorities do.

It’s why we’ve been working hard to better facilitate investment in long-term assets that will be a crucial ingredient in the UK’s economic success over the years ahead.

Because we all know that there are global and domestic priorities we need to tackle. It’s why we’re a leader in green finance, it’s why we are working to level up, it’s why we want to be the next Silicon Valley – but these priorities need to be funded.

Currently, the UK has the fourth largest pensions market in the world.

If we can unlock just a fraction of Defined Contribution pensions schemes’ capital for investment into productive finance assets, ordinary pension savers could retire with more security and money to enjoy.

And simultaneously, we would increase the supply of private finance for innovative companies, and productive assets.

When talking about productive UK assets I mean infrastructure, I mean growth, I mean venture capital.

It’s why the launch of the Long-Term Asset Fund – or LTAF – is such an important step in unleashing long-term investment.

At the beginning of December, I spoke about how, together, we have created the LTAF to help unlock access to long-term illiquid assets.

Our conclusion is that it will lead to a significant boost to the productive capacity of the UK economy – including much-needed infrastructure and decarbonisation products.

Because we know that client demand for illiquid investments is increasing. So it’s welcome that additional work such as the Productive Finance Working Group’s guides to illiquid investments is helping to set direction for DC pension schemes.

And I’m excited to hear of firms that are formally submitting their LTAF applications to the FCA.

It may sound like a niche, technical area to get animated over. But it’s far from it. It has the power to be transformative for our sector, the economy and society as a whole.

Funds Regime

The work on LTAFs is best understood alongside the wider work to review the UK’s funds regime.

Here our ambition is to further build on the UK’s world-leading position in asset management by making the UK a much more attractive place for funds to domicile.

And by ensuring the investors can access a suitably wide range of fund vehicles, so they can pursue the exciting investment strategies of tomorrow from the UK.

With your support and expertise we will continue striving to make this a reality. We will make the taxation of funds more efficient. We will expand the range of investment products available in the UK. And we will facilitate the kind of innovation which helps investors and the wider economy.

Global Opportunities

My responsibility is to ensure the UK financial services industry is the very best that it can be.

On making sure we have agile and effective regulation.

The Edinburgh Reforms take forward the government’s ambition for the UK to be the world’s most innovative, open and competitive global financial centre.

To drive growth and competitiveness in this crucial sector, while retaining our commitment to high international standards.

The Chancellor has committed to move rapidly to review retained EU law over the next year to identify reforms which have the greatest potential to unlock growth in key areas, including in financial services.

The Edinburgh Reforms themselves, of course, do not directly impact many of you here today. But what they show is our direction of travel: to use our new freedoms to tailor regulation to our industries and untether parts of our economy that have been held back.

To what end? To becoming the most innovative, productive, well-oiled financial services sector in the world that delivers for communities across all four nations of the UK.

I want to harness your strengths, unlocking institutional investment so that we can channel money to where it can do the most good: infrastructure, technology and innovation, the journey to net zero.

I want our country to be the best country in the world for businesses to invest, grow and flourish.

And I need your help in directing ever-more investment to these cutting edge-firms and long-term priorities.

On the subject of long-term priorities, could anything be more important than our country’s security?

It is my view that our security and freedom might just rely on our willingness to invest in defence over the long-term. So, I ask, as a sector, are we undervaluing defence and if so, what can each of us do about it?

FSM Bill

And the truth is we need to think long-term. We live in a globally competitive landscape. Our competitors are not taking a break.

Our Financial Services and Markets Bill, therefore, has competitiveness baked into it, aiming to enhance the UK’s position as a global leader in financial services.

The Bill introduces secondary statutory objectives for the PRA and the FCA to provide for a greater focus on growth and international competitiveness.

Technology

If we are to realise that ambition, we need to also ensure that UK financial services are at the forefront of technological advancements. To unlock the untapped potential new technology can bring to every town and city, and to grow the economy.

It’s already enabling us to embrace green finance – on which we want to lead the world – and exploit the great opportunities provided by AI, Quantum Computing.

And the asset management industry has the unique capability to harness the opportunities of innovative technologies, and one development I’d like to highlight is on digital assets – those made possible by the rise in blockchain technology.

We are establishing a framework for regulating cryptoassets and stablecoins.

This includes ensuring that the Treasury has the powers to regulate cryptoassets within the existing financial services framework which could cover those relating to the trading and investment of cryptoassets.

Just last week, we published a consultation setting out comprehensive proposals for regulating the sector.

At the end of last year, we made regulations to expand the Investment Manager Exemption tax rules to include transactions in cryptoassets, to remove disincentives to UK fund managers investing on behalf of overseas investors from including cryptoassets in their portfolios.

This will provide greater tax certainty for UK fund managers and foreign investors and put the UK at the forefront of the developing global cryptoasset fund management sector.

Sustainable Investments

Finally, I cannot speak about the global context without acknowledging ESG and the importance of sustainable investment.

I want the UK to be the best place in the world for sustainable finance and we have taken world-leading action to green the financial system.

London was recently ranked as the world’s leading hub for sustainable finance for the third consecutive time.

And I’m very proud that so many asset managers are signatories to the Financial Reporting Council’s Stewardship Code and members of the Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative – reflecting the importance the Government places on responsible and productive stewardship of capital.

Conclusion

I’ll end by repeating my thanks to you all for having me at the Funds Congress.

It’s an exciting time for asset management and we’re depending on this trusted industry to invest in the future of the UK.

I know we will work closely as we continue to promote growth and enable a competitive, thriving financial services sector. Thank you.

30/03/2023
PRESS RELEASE : New plan puts UK at the forefront of fight against economic crime [March 2023]

The press release issued by the Home Office on 30 March 2023.

Government, law enforcement and private sector agree on a new plan to crack down on money laundering, kleptocracy and sanctions evasion.

Corrupt elites and criminal gangs who abuse our financial system will be identified and stripped of their cash through a new plan to tackle economic crime.

The Economic Crime Plan 2 builds on the foundations of its predecessor with new actions to improve the system-wide response to economic crime through enhanced cooperation between government, law enforcement, supervisory agencies and the private sector.

Our response to economic crime will be bolstered by 475 new highly trained financial crime investigators, spread across intelligence, enforcement and asset recovery at key agencies. This increased capacity will be targeted toward the detection and disruption of money laundering, and the recovery of an additional £1 billion in criminal assets over the next 10 years.

Building on our unprecedented package of sanctions in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, we are now expanding the National Crime Agency’s Combatting Kleptocracy Cell to target more corrupt elites and their enablers, while consolidating the effectiveness of UK sanctions.

As criminals seek new ways to launder their profits, we are investing £100 million in cutting edge technology, including data analytics, to equip law enforcement with the tools they need to stay one step ahead. A new multi-agency crypto cell will be established that combines law enforcement and regulators to pool expertise and more effectively identify, seize and store illicit crypto assets.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said:

Economic crime undermines the integrity of our financial system and weakens our national security.

Through robust legislation and a strengthened law enforcement response, we’ve come a long way in cracking down on dirty money, but this plan helps us go further.

Backed by our partnership with the private sector, we have the resources and expertise we need to identify criminal networks and confiscate the proceeds of their illicit activities.

Cooperation with the private sector is critical to the plan’s success, which is why we will develop a new approach to public-private prioritisation, which will maximise our collective intelligence and resource to detect and disrupt economic crime.

The UK’s supervisory regime will be strengthened, with increased information sharing between partners, and greater government oversight to ensure effectiveness and compliance with Money Laundering Regulations.

Treasury Lords Minister Baroness Penn said:

Economic crime harms our economy and destroys lives. More funding from government and the new contribution from industry through the new levy will allow us to deliver a step change in our response.

While the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill progresses through Parliament, this multi-stakeholder plan ensures that we can maximise the new powers through strengthened capacity and greater expertise. This will enable us to swiftly and effectively act to identify fake companies and hold criminals to account.

The 3 year plan is backed by £400 million in additional investment to tackle economic crime over the Spending Review Period. This includes £200 million HMG investment and £200 million from the Economic Crime (Anti-Money Laundering) Levy raised from the private sector. This funding will ensure a step-change in our response by supporting the delivery of critical economic crime reforms, including those set out in the Economic Crime Plan. The Plan also commits us to exploring new ways to reinvest suspected illicit funds back into combatting economic crime and supporting victims.

Bob Wigley, Chair of UK Finance said:

Tackling economic crime is a key priority for the banking and finance industry and we welcome the launch of the Second Economic Crime Plan.

Partnerships between the private sector, law enforcement, regulators and government are vitally important. Through this new plan we will continue to work together to ensure our collective system more effectively combats all forms of economic crime.

Graeme Biggar, Director General of the NCA said:

The NCA’s National Economic Crime Centre has led the way in bringing together the public and private sectors to ensure systems are in place to tackle high harm financial crime to protect the UK’s public, financial structures and reputation.

The reforms detailed in the Economic Crime Plan are crucial to move us to the next level in our fight against the dirty money that fuels serious and organised crime. They will enhance our capabilities to identify illicit finance and drive it out of the UK; targeting corrupt elites, and the money launderers criminal gangs rely on.

Michael Izza, Chief Executive of ICAEW, said:

We are supportive of the measures set out in this plan which will help in the fight against economic crime, and we will continue to invest in robust supervision, education and intelligence-sharing.

A key success of the first Economic Crime Plan was developing the partnership between accountancy and the public sector to crack down on money-laundering.

Tackling economic crime and driving dirty money out of the UK’s financial systems will be best achieved by Government working closely with professional body supervisors, and we look forward to collaborating on the actions outlined in the second Economic Crime Plan.

Read the Economic Crime Plan

30/03/2023
PRESS RELEASE : Call for veterans and civilian staff from across the Commonwealth to claim commemorative Nuclear Test Medals [March 2023]
The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 30 March 2023.

In recognition of their significant contribution to the UK’s nuclear deterrent testing programme, potentially thousands of veterans and civilian staff, and next of kin, across the UK and Commonwealth can now apply for a commemorative medal.
- Nuclear test programme veterans, civilian staff and their descendants urged to come forward and claim commemorative medals
- Around 22,000 military personnel and civilian staff from the UK and Commonwealth nations are thought to be eligible
- Due to be rolled out from late summer, the medal recognises the critical role of veterans and civilian staff contribution to the UK’s nuclear deterrent testing programme in the 1950s and 1960s
In recognition of their significant contribution to the UK’s nuclear deterrent testing programme, potentially thousands of veterans and civilian staff, and next of kin, across the UK and Commonwealth can now apply for a commemorative medal.

From late summer, the UK Government will be issuing Nuclear Test Medals to eligible service personnel and civilian staff, including posthumous awards to next of kin.

Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Johnny Mercer said:

This important step moves us closer to recognising the work of those civilians and veterans who played a critical role in establishing the UK’s nuclear deterrent and contributing to our enduring international security.

I strongly encourage all eligible veterans and civilian staff to apply for the award, which demonstrates the important role they played in making the UK the third nuclear power, and wear their new medals with pride.

The medal will be awarded free of charge to individuals who participated in the UK Nuclear Test Programme, including the preparatory and clear-up phases, from 1952 to 1967.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:

Nuclear Test Veterans have made an invaluable contribution to the safety and security of the UK and it’s right that we recognise and value their enduring service to our nation.

The medal also recognises the contribution made by veterans and civilian staff from across Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Kiribati. All service personnel and civilians under UK command, including close partners from the Commonwealth and Pacific region, who participated in, or were present at, the British or American nuclear tests at the Montebello Islands, Christmas Island, Malden Island and Maralinga & Emu Field, South Australia between 1952 and 1967 will be eligible for the medal. This also includes scientists and local employees.

To further recognise the contribution of veterans of Britain’s nuclear tests, the government invested £450,000 into projects which will commemorate and build further understanding of the experiences of veterans who were deployed to Australia and the Pacific.

As part of that funding, the Office for Veterans’ Affairs is launching an oral history project to chronicle the voices and experiences of those who supported the UK’s effort to develop a nuclear deterrent.

Due to start in April 2023, the project will run for two years, giving nuclear test veterans the opportunity to be interviewed, and contribute to an accessible digital archive of testimonies about their time working on the tests.

A further £200,000 fund was launched in February 2023, to support community projects designed to provide bespoke direct support to Nuclear Test Veterans and their families, memorialise and raise public awareness of their service.
30/03/2023
PRESS RELEASE : Green Finance Boost for Nature in UK [March 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 30 March 2023.

New Green Finance Strategy and Nature Markets Framework to develop growth of green finance.
Plans to accelerate investment in nature have been set out by the Government today (Thursday 30 March) as part of its drive to net zero by 2050.

The Green Finance Strategy published today will set out how the government will encourage green finance for nature-based solutions such as tree planting and peatland restoration and support farmers to access new private sector revenue streams whilst protecting our natural environment.

The government has set a target to raise at least £500 million in private finance to support nature’s recovery every year by 2027 in England, rising to more than £1 billion per year by 2030.  This will support greater biodiversity and contribute to achieving our Environment Targets.

Environment Secretary, Thérèse Coffey MP said:

We need a healthy and thriving natural environment to meet our Net Zero goals and build our resilience to climate change.

Our announcement today sends a signal that the opportunities from investing in our farmland, forestry, peatlands and marine areas are great and offer long term rewards for people and nature.

Alan Lovell, Chair of the Environment Agency, said:

The appetite to invest in nature exists, and the Green Finance Strategy and the Nature Markets Framework will help unlock that potential and develop markets for a greener UK.

The Environment Agency is working with government to support private sector investment in climate adaptation and nature recovery, including through the Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund. Financing work like nature-based flood alleviation schemes will help us reduce the economic costs of climate impacts in the coming decades.

Tony Juniper, Chair of Natural England:

A healthy environment and a vibrant economy go hand in hand. Green finance can unlock Nature’s solutions and help us meet a wide range of goals, from restoring clean water to promoting long term food security, and from resilience to climate change impacts to helping sustain public health. By going high Nature we can also help to go low carbon. Through setting standards and creating a clearer pathways for investment, we can achieve economic goals at the same time as environmental ones.

Measures set out to support green growth today include:

An agreement that by 2024 farmers will be supported to better measure their emission sources through carbon audits and a harmonised approach to measuring carbon emissions.

These changes will support farmers and land managers so they can earn income from Government led environmental land management schemes as well as attract finance from the private sector for sequestering carbon, improving water quality, and greater biodiversity alongside food production.

Publishing a Nature Markets Framework, which sets out the government’s approach to supporting and accelerating growth of these markets and will enable revenue streams from different markets to be combined to support projects with multiple objectives for example increasing biodiversity and improving water quality. To date uncertainty about market development, how public funds interact with private markets, and tax impacts have limited long-term investment – the new Framework will help overcome this.

Providing four pioneering local and combined authority areas (Cornwall; Northumberland, Cumberland, and Westmoreland & Furness; West Midlands Combined Authority; and York and North Yorkshire) with funding of up to £1 million each as part of the Local Investment in Natural Capital (LINC) programme. This two-year programme delivered by the Environment Agency and the four local authorities to test ‘what works’ in attracting investment into local priorities for nature.

Working with the British Standards Institution (BSI) to develop a range of nature investment standards. Building on the experiences of the UK Woodland Carbon Code and UK Peatland Code, this will increase the range of trusted standards that market participants, including farmers and landowners, can use to access the nature markets.

Government has also set out today how it will support climate and nature action across the world with the publication of its 2030 Strategic Framework for international climate and nature action and International Climate Finance Strategy.

The 2030 Strategic Framework sets an ambitious vision for global climate and nature action up until 2030 to keep 1.5oC alive, build resilience to current and future climate impacts, and halt and reverse biodiversity loss. It will be supported by the new International Climate Finance (ICF) strategy that outlines our commitment to spend £11.6 billion of International Climate Finance between 2021/22 and 2025/26 to help developing countries mitigate, respond and adapt to the challenges of climate change, and has been at the forefront of tackling the twin challenges of nature loss and climate change globally.

During the UK’s presidency of COP26, more than 140 countries which are home to over 90 per cent of the world’s forests made a historic promise to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by the end of this decade. More recently, the UK played a leading role in helping to secure agreement to the ground-breaking COP15 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework to halt and reverse the destruction of nature.
30/03/2023
PRESS RELEASE : Home Secretary ramps up security measures to protect Jewish communities [March 2023]

The press release issued by the Home Office on 30 March 2023.

Jewish communities are to be better protected from vile antisemitic attacks with a £1 million funding boost and a new dedicated police taskforce.

Synagogues and faith schools will be given £15 million for protective security measures in 2023 to 2024 as part of the Jewish Community Protective Security grant, a £1 million increase on last year. This will fund increased protective security, including security guards and other security measures such as CCTV and alarm systems to protect against persistent hate crime, anti-social behaviour, terrorism and state threats.

In addition, senior policing leaders, ministers, the Community Security Trust (CST), and other stakeholders will form a new Jewish Community Police, Crime and Security Taskforce. The taskforce will strengthen accountability and enhance efforts to combat antisemitic crime and violence against Jewish communities. It will provide a regular forum to discuss with operational partners, communal security concerns relating to policing, terrorism, state threats, hate crime, and public order matters. Chaired by the Home Secretary, it will meet for the first time in late spring, and 3 times a year thereafter.

The first meeting is likely to consider whether it is necessary to review operational policing guidance in light of concerns shared by the Jewish community. This could include guidance on specific chants, banners and emblems which are antisemitic, and ensuring that the police and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) are using their powers to arrest and charge criminals who pose a threat to the Jewish community.

The measures follow the latest Home Office hate crime statistics which show that despite making up less than 1% of the population, almost a quarter of recorded religiously-motivated hate crimes in the UK were against Jewish people in 2021 to 2022.

The Home Secretary announced new measures in a speech at the Community Security Trust’s annual dinner on 29 March.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said:

Antisemitism is one of the great evils in the world. It is vital that all people, but especially political leaders, challenge antisemitism whenever and wherever they encounter it.

Attacks on the Jewish community are abhorrent. I applaud the police’s efforts to tackle these crimes, but we must go further to ensure the vile criminals who threaten the peace and safety of Jewish communities feel the full force of the law.

I am proud to be working closely with the Community Security Trust and colleagues in policing and beyond to help protect the UK’s Jewish community, go after antisemitic offenders, and stamp out racism in all its forms.

Minister for Security, Tom Tugendhat said:

Antisemitism is abhorrent and I stand hand in hand with the Jewish community against all its manifestations.

We must continue to strive to ensure that every community can live and worship in safety, free from threat.

CST Chief Executive Mark Gardner MBE said:

This announcement by the Home Secretary is hugely welcome, given the continuing threats of terrorism and antisemitism that are faced by British Jews. CST will continue to do everything we can in partnership with the Home Office so as to ensure the best possible security for Jewish schools, synagogues and communities throughout the country.

National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) Lead for Hate Crime, Deputy Chief Constable Mark Hamilton, said:

It is vital that all citizens are able to live their lives free from targeted abuse, and the NPCC supports this funding to help reduce antisemitic hostility suffered by Jewish people in the UK.

The right to live free from targeted abuse is a fundamental right that we all share and we will continue to work to bring offenders to justice. I would encourage anyone who suffers such a crime to report it, either to the police or to the CST. In an emergency, always call 999.

The Home Secretary has also pledged to write to all Home Office public bodies and every chief constable and police and crime commissioner, as well as the National Police Chiefs’ Council, the College of Policing and the Crown Prosecution Service, to reaffirm the government’s support for the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, and encourage its further adoption.

The new funding will bring the total amount allocated through the Jewish Community Protective Security Grant to £122 million since 2015.

30/03/2023
PRESS RELEASE : We will never forget the cruelties the people of Bucha have been forced to endure – UK statement to the OSCE [March 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 30 March 2023.

Deputy Ambassador Brown says the UK is fully committed to holding Russia to account for its illegal and barbaric actions in Ukraine, including in Bucha.

Thank you, Mr Chair. Russian forces took full control of Bucha by 5 March 2022, and remained there until 30 March. That is one year ago, today. Since then, Bucha has become synonymous with the some of the most despicable horrors unleashed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. My statement today will set out just some of the cruelties the people of Bucha were forced to endure.

When Ukrainian forces liberated Bucha, and foreign journalists arrived shortly after, they saw dozens of dead bodies. First on the streets. Then in gardens, apartments, basements, vehicles, forested areas and improvised individual and collective graves. Many bore signs of summary execution. According to the OHCHR, some civilians were “killed on the spot” and others were detained before being executed – sometimes “several weeks later”. Over time, more and more bodies have been recovered in Bucha. As of 13 September 2022, Kyiv’s regional police force put the total death toll at 422.

Mr Chair, innocent civilians are at the heart of this suffering. People like 69 year old Valeriy, who was killed in his own garden. People like 14 year old Yurii, who was shot in the arm by the same Russian soldier who killed Yurii’s father at a Russian checkpoint. And people like 52 year old Iryna who was found dead, on the side of the road – like so many others. Photos of Iryna’s muddy upturned hand, and her bright red fingernails, became a potent symbol of the human suffering in Bucha.

Two Moscow Mechanism reports have documented clear patterns of serious violations of international humanitarian law, “attributable mostly to the Russian forces”. This includes in Bucha, where experts noted reports of bodies found with their hands tied behind their backs, including in the basement of a children’s health centre; a mass grave containing more than 70 bodies; bodies bearing obvious signs of torture and mutilation; and of torture chambers discovered in a summer camp. In one village in the Bucha district, 18 mutilated bodies of men, women and children were reportedly discovered, some with their ears cut off, others with their teeth pulled out.

The growing body of evidence shows that Russian authorities have committed a wide range of violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law. In Bucha, Irpin, Izyum, Kherson and more. Too many more. The atrocities committed in these locations will forever be a moral stain upon the Russian armed forces. And a moral stain on the Russian diplomats who continue to peddle the Kremlin’s lies to obscure and distract from these crimes. Lies which will never work.

The UK is fully committed to holding Russia to account for its illegal and barbaric actions in Ukraine. These should be independently investigated. Alongside supporting the International Criminal Court, the UK, United States and European Union have established the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group in support of Ukraine’s domestic war crimes prosecutions. Those responsible will face justice.

Mr Chair, when President Zelenskyy was asked recently about his worst memory of Russia’s invasion, he answered “Bucha”. We will never forget those who have been killed in Putin’s barbaric, senseless invasion – including those in Bucha. We will never abandon those who remain. We will stand by Ukraine for as long as it takes. Ukrainians have shown tremendous courage and resilience in the face of such wanton destruction and evil. Ukraine will prevail, rebuild and flourish.

30/03/2023