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NEWS STORY : King’s Gurkha Artillery Unit Established to Strengthen British Army Amid Recruitment Challenges

STORY

The UK Ministry of Defence has announced the formation of the King’s Gurkha Artillery (KGA), a new regiment within the Brigade of Gurkhas. This marks the first time Gurkha soldiers, traditionally recruited from Nepal, will serve in artillery roles in the British Army. Over the next four years, 400 Gurkha personnel will join the KGA, which will operate within the Royal Regiment of Artillery. The establishment of this unit aims to bolster the UK’s military capabilities and address a reported 700-soldier shortfall in the Royal Regiment of Artillery.

A new Gurkha cap badge—the first in 14 years—has been created to represent the unit, symbolising the expanded roles Gurkhas will undertake. Recruits will complete initial training by November 2025 before proceeding to trade training at Larkhill Garrison in Wiltshire. They will be trained on advanced artillery systems, including the Archer, Light Gun, and the upcoming remote-controlled Howitzer 155.

Minister for Veterans and People, Alistair Carns, stated:

“The Brigade of Gurkhas has rightly earned a reputation as being amongst the finest soldiers in the world, and the formation of The King’s Gurkha Artillery recognises the outstanding contribution that they have made through their years of dedicated … .”

Currently, approximately 4,000 Gurkhas serve across various trades in the British Army. The creation of the KGA not only enhances the UK’s artillery capabilities but also provides new career development opportunities for Gurkhas, reflecting their longstanding service and commitment to the UK.

April 28, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : New King’s Gurkha Artillery Unit to boost Armed Forces Capabilities [April 2025]
The press release issued by the Ministry of Defence on 28 April 2025.

Gurkhas are to take on artillery roles for the first time with the creation of a new regiment.
- Over the next four years, 400 Gurkha personnel will join the unit known as The King’s Gurkha Artillery, bolstering UK security through the Plan for Change
- New unit will offer career and development opportunities for Gurkha soldiers in recognition of their service to the UK
- A new Gurkha unit is being created to bolster the Army – with the famous Nepalese soldiers taking up artillery roles for the first time.
The King’s Gurkha Artillery (KGA), announced today, will be a new unit in the Brigade of Gurkhas and will operate within the Royal Regiment of Artillery.

The regiment will strengthen the UK’s military capabilities by taking on 400 Gurkha personnel, yet another example of Government action to deliver national security for Britain as part of our Plan for Change.

A new Gurkha cap badge has also been created – the first in 14 years – to represent the new unit and the expanded breadth of specialisms that the Brigade of Gurkhas deliver, continuing their proud tradition of military service to the UK.

The KGA will become an integral part of the UK Armed Forces’ artillery capabilities. As part of the new offer for Gurkha soldiers, and in recognition of the demands of modern warfare, personnel who join the KGA will be trained on advanced equipment, including the Archer and Light Gun artillery systems. In the future they will also train on the remote-controlled Howitzer 155 artillery system.

Today’s announcement follows the Prime Minister’s historic commitment to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP, recognising the critical importance of military readiness in an era of heightened global uncertainty.

Minister for Veterans and People Alistair Carns said:

The Brigade of Gurkhas has rightly earned a reputation as being amongst the finest soldiers in the world, and the formation of The King’s Gurkha Artillery recognises the outstanding contribution that they have made, through their years of dedicated service.

Our government is already delivering for defence through our Plan for Change, and this latest development will support retention efforts amongst Gurkhas while protecting and defending UK interests at home and abroad.

The first recruits will finish initial training in November 2025 before going to Larkhill Garrison in Wiltshire, the home of the Royal Artillery for trade training.

Currently, around 4,000 Gurkhas serve across many trades in the British Army. All Gurkhas are recruited from Nepal, with thousands of candidates competing annually for a limited number of places.
April 28, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : UK Resilience Academy to help secure Britain’s future with “generational upgrade” in emergency training [April 2025]
The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 28 April 2025.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden has launched the UK Resilience Academy.
- Academy to train more than 4,000 public and private sector workers in crisis skills and expertise every year, strengthening resilience in communities across the UK.
- Biggest upgrade to resilience workers’ occupational standards in a generation to help keep the public safe as part of the Plan for Change.
- Pat McFadden unveils Risk Vulnerability Tool to help Ministers and civil servants support vulnerable groups during a crisis and learn lessons from the Covid pandemic.
Communities up and down the country are set to be better protected in the face of national crises from today as the government opens the UK Resilience Academy – helping to secure Britain’s future as it delivers on the Plan for Change.

The cutting-edge centre will transform crisis training for thousands of public and private sector workers, with at least 4,000 people set to be trained at the Academy’s North Yorkshire campus every year, on courses covering everything from business continuity planning, to crowd management and crisis communications.

The UK Resilience Academy, which will train citizens, businesses, the emergency services, the Armed Forces and the Civil Service, will sit at the heart of a newly formed network of public and private sector organisations – including the College for National Security and the Defence Academy – who have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together to improve the quality and accessibility of resilience training.

Today’s announcement comes as the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster unveils new software that will allow decision makers to identify groups that are vulnerable to particular risks, by mapping real-time crisis data alongside demographic statistics.

The Risk Vulnerability tool is now available to 10,000 ministers and civil servants across Whitehall and the Devolved Nations. It has been developed by the National Situation Centre and the Office for National Statistics, and will feed directly into government decision making during future crises.

Pat McFadden, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said:

Our first duty is to keep people safe – and through our Plan for Change, we are creating strong and resilient communities across the country.

Today, we’re making a generational upgrade to crisis training for thousands of workers, and helping decision makers identify vulnerable groups in a crisis. This is all part of our plan to secure Britain’s future.

In extreme cold weather, the software would show demographic data, such as households that rely either on gas or electricity, or areas with elderly people who would need support with food supplies, alongside near real-time data such as live weather warnings and power outages, helping decision-makers target support to those most in need. When planning for potential flooding, ministers and officials can identify areas where people have less mobility, and target these if evacuation is needed.

This capability will strengthen the government’s approach to crisis management and better protect vulnerable people – learning from past events such as the Covid-19 pandemic.
April 28, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : The UK is working to tackle the root causes of displacement, including war, instability and repression – UK statement at the UN Security Council [April 2025]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 28 April 2025.

Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council briefing by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

I want to start by underlining our wholehearted support for UNHCR and High Commissioner Grandi’s passionate leadership. You have steered the organisation through a decade of global change.

A decade of increasing conflict, climate shocks and instability.

All these factors continue to push people from their homes, driving displacement ever higher.

In the world today, over 123 million people are forcibly displaced.

In the face of such challenges, we must focus on solutions.

I will highlight three that are priority areas for the UK.

First, we will continue to do all we can to tackle the root causes of displacement, including war, instability, and repression.

We will work at all levels, including through this Council to protect the rules-based international system and promote peace.

We will work with international partners to tackle people smuggling and human trafficking, which exploits vulnerable people for financial gain.

Just this month, the UK led a successful Border-Security Summit, where we secured agreements between participating countries, to drive efforts to disrupt organised immigration crime and save lives.

Second, we will seek solutions to regional and country-specific crises.

Many of which, from Ukraine to the Middle East, are the focus of this Council.

This month, the UK hosted a conference on Sudan with humanitarian and political objectives, including support for an end to the conflict and easing the impact on the region and we were grateful for the participation of Commissioner Grandi along with other parts of the UN leadership.

In Cox’s Bazar, we have funded UNHCR to support refugees’ access to healthcare, clean water and hygiene.

We will continue to advocate for safe, dignified and sustainable solutions for refugees, including at the UN Rohingya Conference in September.

And third, we continue to push for innovative approaches to addressing displacement.

We support the High Commissioner’s Sustainable Responses Initiative, which supports refugee inclusion and self-reliance, and ownership of solutions by host countries.

We look forward to the Global Compact for Refugees meeting in December – a key moment to review progress on pledges we made in 2023, to deliver better outcomes for displaced people and host communities.

And we encourage others to join and sustain our collective efforts to achieve the Compact’s goals.

In conclusion, President, to reverse the growing trend of displacement, we need to focus on solutions to the causes we have all discussed today.

The UK is committed to working with UNHCR and other international partners and institutions to achieve this.

April 28, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Secretary of State Extends Timeframe for Legacy Investigation Reports [April 2025]

The press release issued by the Northern Ireland Office on 28 April 2025.

The Secretary of State has today signed a six month extension to a transitional provision made under the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023, to allow investigating bodies to carry out post-investigative tasks until 31st October 2025.

A transitional provision was made under the Act which specified that, where all that remains to be carried out by the investigating body is the preparation of the investigation report or something subsequent to that, it may carry out those post-investigative tasks until 30th April 2025.

The Government received requests from the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland, KENOVA and the Police Service of Northern Ireland to extend that provision in order to allow remaining post-investigative tasks to be carried out.

The Government is committed to ensuring families receive information as soon as possible about what happened to their loved ones, so has agreed to extend the provision until 31st October 2025.

The Government is committed to repeal and replace the Act. On 4 December 2024 the Secretary of State began this process by laying a proposed draft Remedial Order under the Human Rights Act. If adopted by Parliament, the Order will remedy all of the human rights deficiencies in the Act identified by the Northern Ireland High Court in February 2024 in the case of Dillon and Others and one issue from the Court of Appeal judgment in September 2024.

The Secretary of State has also committed to introduce primary legislation when parliamentary time allows, which will reform and strengthen the independence, powers and accountability of the Independent Commission on Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR).

April 28, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Cost of living boost for millions as prescription charges frozen [April 2025]
The press release issued by the Department of Health and Social Care on 28 April 2025.

Millions of patients are getting a cost of living boost as the government freezes prescription charges for the first time in three years.
- NHS prescription charges in England will be frozen for the first time in three years, keeping the cost of a prescription below a tenner.
- The decision means £18 million saving to help with cost of living for millions who regularly pay for prescriptions as the government delivers security for working people through its Plan for Change.
- Freeze comes weeks after this government agreed record investment for community pharmacies to fund local services for patients.
Millions of people across the country will see the cost of their prescriptions frozen for the first time in three years from today – as the government puts money back into the pockets of working people as it delivers on the Plan for Change.

The move will save patients around £18 million next year – keeping prescriptions under the cost of a tenner, at £9.90 for a single charge. Those who are already exempt from paying their prescription will continue to be so.

Three month and annual prescriptions prepayment certificates will also be frozen for 2025/26.

Annual charges can be made in instalments meaning those requiring regular medicines will be able to get them for just over £2 a week.

The prescription charge freeze builds on wider government action to tackle the cost of living crisis, including the rollout of free breakfast clubs, expanded childcare through 300 new school-based nurseries, lowering the cost of school uniforms, and extending the fuel duty freeze – all aimed at easing financial pressures on families across the country.

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, said:

This government’s Plan for Change will always put working people first, and our moves today to freeze prescription charges will put money back into the pockets of millions of patients.

Fixing our NHS will be a long road – but by working closer with our pharmacies we’re saving money and shifting care to the community where it’s closer to your home.

We made the difficult but necessary choices at the Budget to fund moves like this and change our NHS so it can once again be there for you when you need it.

The announcement follows news last month of the government agreeing funding with Community Pharmacy England worth an extra £617 million over 2 years.

And the investment comes alongside reforms to deliver a raft of patient benefits, as part of the government’s agenda to shift the focus of care from hospitals into the community, so that people can more easily access care and support on their high streets.

This freeze is only possible thanks to the government’s difficult but necessary choices at the Budget to bring in a £26 billion boost to the health service.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, said:

We promised to build an NHS fit for the future, and that started with the £26 billion funding boost I delivered at the Budget, to repair and improve the many vital services it provides.

Since then, waiting lists are falling, staff are better paid and supported, and today, £18 million has been kept in patient’s pockets by freezing prescription charges – easing the cost of living through our Plan for Change, delivering for all.

Jonathan Blades, Head of Policy at Asthma + Lung UK, said:

The freezing of prescription charges is a welcome first step and will provide some short-term relief for people with lung conditions during the ongoing cost of living crisis. Living with a long-term lung condition like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is expensive and rising prescription costs only make it harder for people to manage their condition and stay well.

Around 89% of prescriptions in England are already dispensed free of charge to children, over-60s, pregnant women, and those with certain medical conditions. This freeze will not impact that scheme.

In addition to the freeze on charges, the NHS low income scheme offers help with prescription payments, with free prescriptions for eligible people in certain groups such as pensioners, students, and those who receive state benefits or live in care homes.

Alongside action to rebuild the NHS, the government’s Plan for Change is focused on growing the economy to improve living standards across the country. This further freeze will only improve that.

Notes to editors:
- NHS prescription charges apply in England only
- A 3-month prescription prepayment certificate (PPCs) will be frozen at £32.05 and a 12 month PPCs will remain at £114.50.
- Groups exempt from prescription charges include:
o   Children under 16 and those in full-time education aged 16-18

o   People aged 60 and over

o   Pregnant women and those who have had a baby in the last 12 months

o   People with specified medical conditions like diabetes or cancer and have valid exemption certificates

o   Those receiving qualifying benefits including Universal Credit (with criteria)

o   NHS inpatients
- The freeze will also apply to NHS wigs and fabric supports; these prices will remain at current levels:
·       Surgical brassiere                        £32.50

·       Abdominal or spinal support    £49.05

·       Stock modacrylic wig                 £80.15

·       Partial human hair wig £212.35

·       Full bespoke human hair wig    £310.55
- Patients on a low income, who do not qualify for an exemption, can apply for help with help costs through application to the NHS Low Income Scheme. People can check whether they are eligible for help here.
April 28, 2025
NEWS STORY : Ricky Harrison Jailed for £200,000 COVID Loan Fraud

STORY

Ricky Harrison, a 41-year-old director from Hertford Heath, Hertfordshire, has been sentenced to three years and two months in prison after fraudulently obtaining £200,000 through the government’s Bounce Back Loan Scheme during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was also disqualified from acting as a company director for ten years.

Harrison secured four £50,000 loans for companies he controlled, including Hackney Works Ltd, Tower Hamlets Works Ltd, Ricky Harrison Holdings Ltd, and Newham Works Ltd. Three of these companies were dormant at the time of application, and he significantly overstated the turnover of Newham Works Ltd to qualify for the maximum loan amount.

Investigations revealed that Harrison used the funds for personal expenses, including the purchase of a vehicle, and attempted to dissolve the companies shortly after receiving the loans to avoid repayment. He made only a single repayment of £833.

David Snasdell, Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service, commented:

“Ricky Harrison’s actions were deeply cynical. He exploited an opportunity to help himself to taxpayers’ money during what was a national emergency.” 

April 28, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Director of education support companies jailed after spending £200,000 in Covid loans ‘as he saw fit’ [April 2025]
The press release issued by the Insolvency Service on 28 April 2025.

Bounce Back Loan fraudster convicted after Insolvency Service investigations.
- Ricky Harrison fraudulently obtained four Covid Bounce Back Loans, including three for dormant companies
- Money from the loans was used by Harrison for his own personal benefit and he attempted to avoid having to make any repayments by applying to have all four of his companies struck-off the Companies House register
- Harrison has been sentenced to more than three years in prison following Insolvency Service investigations into his conduct
A director who secured maximum-value Covid loans for three dormant companies and overstated his turnover to secure a fourth during the pandemic has been jailed.

Ricky Harrison received a total of £200,000 in Bounce Back Loans during 2020, when he was entitled to just £16,000 at most. He also spent the money for personal purposes, not for business use as was required.

Three of his companies, Hackney Works Ltd, Tower Hamlets Works Ltd and Ricky Harrison Holdings Ltd, were not trading at the time he made his fraudulent applications to the bank.

The 41-year-old also exaggerated his turnover by more than £150,000 for a fourth company, Newham Works Ltd.

Harrison, of Beacon Court, Hertford Heath, Hertfordshire, was sentenced to three years and two months in prison when he appeared at St Albans Crown Court on Friday 25 April.

He was also disqualified as a director for 10 years.

David Snasdell, Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service, said:

Ricky Harrison’s actions were deeply cynical. He exploited an opportunity to help himself to taxpayers’ money during what was a national emergency.

Harrison did not co-operate with Insolvency Service investigations, failing to attend a pre-arranged interview and instead producing a typed statement where he implausibly claimed he was entitled to all the loans and was at liberty to spend the funds as he saw fit.

The reality is that Harrison was not entitled to the vast majority of the money he received and was required to spend the funds for the economic benefit of his business.

This was public money and we will continue to prosecute those who made such obvious false representations to secure Covid support.

Harrison’s four companies were incorporated within a three-week period in December 2018 and January 2019.

Hackney Works, Tower Hamlets Works, and Newham Works were all described on Companies House as providing “educational support services”. Ricky Harrison Holdings was described as a holding company.

Only Newham Works appeared to have any trading income in 2019.

Harrison himself admitted to an accountant that Hackney Works and Tower Hamlets Works were dormant and that there was no need to prepare any accounts for them.

Analysis of the accounts of Ricky Harrison Holdings revealed no evidence that the company had begun trading in its own right.

Despite this, Harrison falsely declared the companies had an annual turnover of £245,000, £232,000, and £315,000 respectively when he made the applications for three £50,000 Bounce Back Loans across a two-day period in May 2020.

At the same time, Harrison made a fraudulent application for a £50,000 Bounce Back Loan for Newham Works. He declared on the application form that the company’s turnover was £215,000 when it was actually only £64,000.

Harrison transferred some of the money he received to his other companies, including Newham Works, and paid a percentage into his own personal account.

A total of £85,000 also appeared to be used for the purchase of a vehicle in June 2020.

Harrison told the bank he would repay the funds, as was required under the terms of the scheme.

However, in July 2020, just weeks after securing the loans, Harrison applied to have Hackney Works and Tower Hamlets Works struck-off the Companies House register.

Harrison subsequently attempted to strike-off Ricky Harrison Holdings and Newham Works in 2021 but was unsuccessful.

No loan repayments were made by Harrison aside from a single payment of £833.
April 28, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Alex Ely has been appointed as Chair of the Museum of the Home [April 2025]

The press release issued by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on 28 April 2025.

The Secretary of State has appointed Alex Ely as the Chair of the Museum of the Home for a term of four years, which commenced on 23 March 2025.

Alex Ely

Alex is Founder Director of Mæ, an architecture and urban design studio based in London. Alex is a RIBA Chartered Architect and a Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute, he graduated from the Royal College of Art. Under his leadership, Mæ has gained international recognition for its innovative and socially responsive design approach, delivering acclaimed projects across masterplanning, housing, healthcare, and cultural buildings.

Alex oversees Mæ’s design direction, and has won numerous accolades including the RIBA Stirling Prize 2023. He is a leading voice in the built environment, and has shaped national housing policy having advised the Government and the Mayor of London on urban and planning policy promoting an agenda of design excellence. He has taught at a number of UK Schools of Architecture, written several books, and exhibited internationally.

Alex Ely quote:

“I am delighted to be appointed by the Secretary of State as Chair of the Museum of the Home. The Museum plays a crucial role in the advancement of education and promoting debate about the importance of home in and for societies. As one of our foremost cultural institutions I look forward to helping advance its mission and build on its purpose to reveal and rethink the ways we live, in order to live better together.”

Remuneration and Governance Code

The Chair of the Museum of the Home is not remunerated. This appointment has been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments.

The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election. Alex has not declared any significant political activity.

April 28, 2025
NEWS STORY : Sir David Holmes Appointed Chair of Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel

STORY

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has appointed Sir David Holmes as the new Chair of the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel. He will commence a four-year term starting on 23 June 2025. The panel, established in July 2018, is an independent body that reviews serious child safeguarding incidents—cases where children have died or suffered serious harm due to abuse or neglect. It aims to improve the safeguarding system by identifying national learning from these tragedies.

Sir David brings 19 years of experience in developing and providing high-quality services for children and families. He currently serves as CEO of Family Action, a charity supporting families through various challenges. His previous roles include Deputy Director of Children’s Services in local government, senior civil servant positions in the Department of Health and Department for Education, and practising as a solicitor. This appointment coincides with plans to establish the Child Protection Authority (CPA) in England, which aims to create a clearer and more unified child protection system. Under Sir David’s leadership, the panel will expand its analytical capacity and provide high-quality materials for practitioners. A roadmap for establishing the CPA and a consultation on its development are expected later this year.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson stated:

“Sir David Holmes’ track record in working on the ground with children and families, supporting them through the toughest times, makes him well-placed to help us build a system where background does not determine destiny.”

Sir David Holmes expressed his commitment to the role:

“I am honoured to have been chosen to undertake this role. No child should suffer harm, abuse or neglect, and the panel’s role in working with the whole safeguarding system to review practice, identify learning and encourage and enable improvement is crucial.”

He succeeds Annie Hudson, who served as Chair for five years. Ms Hudson reflected on her tenure:

“I feel immensely privileged to have served as Chair of the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel for the past 5 years. The panel has worked hard to ensure that, as a nation and as safeguarding professionals, we learn from tragic incidents where children have died or been seriously harmed because of abuse and neglect.”

The panel’s work will continue to focus on improving learning, professional practice, and outcomes for children across England.

April 28, 2025