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  • Maithripala Senanayake – 1976 Letter to Harold Wilson Following His Resignation

    Maithripala Senanayake – 1976 Letter to Harold Wilson Following His Resignation

    The letter sent by Maithripala Senanayake, the then Acting Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, on 17 March 1976.

    My dear Prime Minister,

    Your High Commissioner in Sri Lanka has delivered your message informing me of your decision to relinquish the office of Prime Minister.

    I was extremely sorry to receive this news. We are greatly appreciative of the distinguished role you have played in the affairs of the Commonwealth. We particularly value the initiatives taken by you to make the Commonwealth responsive to the needs and aspirations of the developing countries. I am sure that your colleagues will feel your absence not only in their dealings with your country but also at the Commonwealth Meetings.

    I should like to express my sincere appreciation for the personal interest you have taken in fostering the relations between our two countries. I share your conviction that these close relations will continue to grow in strength.

    I send you my best wishes for your good health and happiness.

    Maithripala Senanayake,
    Acting Prime Minister.

  • Henry Kissinger – 1976 Letter to Harold Wilson Following His Resignation

    Henry Kissinger – 1976 Letter to Harold Wilson Following His Resignation

    The letter sent by Henry Kissinger to Harold Wilson on 18 March 1976.

    Dear Harold,

    The announcement of your decision to retire as Prime Minister has left me with a profound sense of loss. I have known you as long as any political leader in the world either in or out of office. In addition to the privilege of being associated with you in political life, I have always considered you a personal friend as well and have had, throughout these years, tremendous respect and admiration for your vision, dedication and leadership. We will miss you.

    Warmest regards,

    Henry A. Kissinger

  • Harold Wilson – 1966 Letter to Cabinet Colleagues on the Hawker Siddeley P.1127

    Harold Wilson – 1966 Letter to Cabinet Colleagues on the Hawker Siddeley P.1127

    The letter sent by Harold Wilson, the then Prime Minister, to cabinet colleagues on 20 December 1966.

    We have to take a decision by the end of the year on whether or not we should continue with the P.1127. In discussion in the Defence and Oversea Policy Committee there was a division of view and, although preponderant opinion was in favour of continuation, the decision is one which the Cabinet will wish to take.

    I attach a note by officials setting out the considerations on either side.

    H.W.

    10, Downing Street, S.W.1.

    20th December, 1966

    SECRET

    P1127

    Note by Officials

    Introduction

    The P1127 is an aircraft intended to provide close support for our ground forces. It is a major advance in this field through the exploitation of its unique ability to operate from very short rough strips in the forward area (short take off and landing capability or STOL) and to operate from small landing sites in the vertical take off and landing (VTOL) mode with a bomb or rocket load. At the time of the Defence Review it was hoped that the VTOL performance, which is limited in range and load, could be appreciably improved through incorporating plenum chamber burning, but further studies have established that this is not the answer and the most likely alternative would be costly in both development and production. There are, however, indications that engine thrust increases can be achieved in the normal course of development which will lead to worthwhile improvements in aircraft performance.

    There is no aircraft which can replace the special V/STOL characteristics of the P1127, but it is possible — admittedly with some detriment to the operational efficiency of our forces — to provide close support for the Army by means of different combinations of the Spey-Phantom and of the Anglo-French Jaguar. The latter course would be cheaper, but would involve additional expenditure in foreign currency and would have industrial implications for the future of the United Kingdom aircraft industry. The question is the degree of priority to be accorded to the gain in operational efficiency.

    Defence Requirements

    The Defence Review made provision for the purchase of 110 P1127 aircraft (93 solos and 17 duals). In considering the Review in February (CC(66) 9th Conclusions) the Cabinet agreed that the P1127 was important for United Kingdom industrial reasons and that at that stage we should plan on the assumption that it would be developed. The Cabinet, however, reserved the right to take a different decision should technical developments or the escalation of costs make it desirable to do so. Following their discussion, the Defence and Oversea Policy Committee agreed in March (OPD(66) 15th Meeting, Item 1) that an order should be placed for 60 aircraft, with an option for a further 40, and that the issue should be further considered in the autumn in the light of feasibility studies, the cost of production and the prospect of export orders.

    The present position is that the programme is going well, the first two aircraft are flying and development should be completed within the estimate of last March. Our commitments to the end of December in respect of both research and development and production will total about £45 million, which is over one-third of the estimated cost of the development and production of the first 60 aircraft (£120 million to £125 million) and 13 per cent of the total ten year programme cost of £336 million. In addition, we have spent, including contributions from the United States and German Governments to the Kestrel programme and payments on the cancelled P1154, a further £70 million on the technology of vectored thrust.

    The further defence studies might call also for a review of the number of P1127 (or alternative aircraft) which will be required. These studies will not be completed until July, 1967 and, theoretically, the decision on the future of the P1127 should be taken then in the light of the cost and implications of the alternative courses. By then, however, a further £26 million will have been committed on the P1127 and effectively deferment now would be equivalent to a decision to continue with the aircraft. The choice on whether to continue or cancel the P1127 is therefore open to us only until the end of the year.

    The argument for cancellation

    The argument for cancelling the P1127 is its cost and its low defence priority. Pressure on the Defence Budget has increased. There is still the problem of attaining the Defence Review target of £2,000 million at 1964 prices in 1969-70: and further defence studies are being undertaken to consider the possibility of substantial additional savings by 1970-71. To provide the total 110 P1127 aircraft which would be necessary for the defence commitments envisaged in the Defence Review would cost £130 million more over a ten-year period than a likely alternative. Such an alternative, although cheaper in budgetary terms, could, however, involve expenditure of £40 million in dollars, plus perhaps a further £25 million for the foreign currency element of the additional Anglo-French Jaguars. (Until the further defence studies are completed it is uncertain whether this requirement for a number of P1127, or alternative aircraft, can be reduced: it is therefore impossible to calculate with any precision the additional budgetary cost of the P1127 and the cost in foreign exchange of the alternative.)

    Although the P1127 is desirable on grounds of operational efficiency the priority to be accorded to it on defence grounds alone is not such as to justify its continuation in view of the pressure on the Defence Budget. The incidence of expenditure on the P1127 would moreover give rise to awkward budgetary problems in 1969-70 and 1970-71 and although alternatives to it, giving us a similar capability, could also do this, there would be greater room for manoeuvre. If the continuation of the P1127 is approved, then the Defence Budget will be higher than the total to which it could otherwise be reduced in consequence of the Defence Review and the further defence studies.

    The argument for continuation

    The argument for continuing with the P1127, apart from the gain in operational efficiency and the saving in foreign currency, is that it is the only advanced military aircraft at present under development in the United Kingdom and the only major national aircraft project this Government has initiated. Its adoption as a part replacement for the Hunter was intended to mitigate the cancellation of the TSR 2, P1154 and HS 681. If it were to be cancelled now the effect on the aircraft industry could be disastrous, particularly in the context of the uncertainty of the future of the Anglo-French variable geometry (VG) aircraft. Although the balance of probability is that the French will agree to the continuation of the latter, this is not certain, and if they withdrew we should then have to consider whether or not to continue with the development of a somewhat simpler form of this aircraft in the United Kingdom alone. This uncertainty is relevant to the future of the United Kingdom industry.

    Although the main work for a design team in the immediate future would be on a VG aircraft and not on the P1127, the loss of confidence from the abandonment of the P1127 alone would be such that it is doubtful if men of the right industrial, scientific and technological standing could be retained in the industry. In particular, this is the major project in the programme for Hawker Siddeley. It is around this firm, and its management, that the Government’s proposals for reorganising the airframe industry are built. If this project were now cancelled, Hawker Siddeley’s willingness to remain in the industry could evaporate: in that event any prospect of an effective United Kingdom aircraft industry on the basis of the Government’s proposals would disappear.

    Furthermore, the development of the VTOL and STOL capability is the only part of aircraft technology in which at present the United Kingdom is in advance of the rest of the world. To abandon the P1127 would be permanently to throw away that lead, with wider consequences for our technological capacity.

    Export Prospects

    The export prospects of the aircraft are necessarily uncertain until it is clear whether or not the Government intend to go ahead with production, since we cannot expect to sell military aircraft unless the RAF order them. However, a number of countries have shown interest. The most promising prospects so far appear to be Israel, India and Finland. In general, the Head of Defence Sales considers the export prospects are good but of course there can be no certainty of them.

    Numbers to be ordered

    If a decision were taken in favour of the continuation of the programme there would then be a choice between ordering now 60 single and ten dual aircraft (essential for training purposes) at a programme cost of £242 million while keeping an option open for a further purchase, the cost of which cannot be quantified until the end of the defence studies, or ordering now the full number of 110 (including 17 duals) at a programme cost of £336 million. The advantage of the former course is that it would leave options open if the defence studies showed either a requirement for fewer than 110, or that alternative cheaper aircraft should be provided for the full remaining requirement. The advantage of ordering the full 110 now is that if this number is required it would be marginally cheaper and that it would give greater industrial certainty and enhance exports prospects.

    The Choice

    The choice lies between:

    (1) cancelling the P1127 and

    (2) continuing the programme, in which case the choice is between:

    (a) ordering 70 aircraft now and keeping the option open on the remainder until mid-1967; and

    (b) ordering the full 110 now.

  • Harold Wilson – 1964 Christmas Letter to Cabinet Colleagues

    Harold Wilson – 1964 Christmas Letter to Cabinet Colleagues

    The letter sent by Harold Wilson, the then Prime Minister, to his Cabinet colleagues on 23 December 1964.

    I should like to take this opportunity to wish all my colleagues in the Government a very happy Christmas.

    I hope that we can all feel that, having regard to the circumstances which we found when we came into office, we have not done too badly since 16th October. We have launched important new initiatives in economic and industrial policy, in defence and foreign policy and in the field of the social services; and in many other respects we have set in hand a good deal of work, which will bear fruit in due course, to achieve the objectives which we set ourselves in our Election Manifesto. We must maintain this momentum; and we must be ready to tackle 1965 with no less energy and determination.

    Meanwhile I trust that all my colleagues will have a well-earned rest over the holiday. I hope that they will also take the opportunity to do a little quiet stock-taking in the light of the first few weeks of office and to consider how we can improve still further our handling of Government business. I suggest that, among other things, we should all study afresh the memorandum on Questions of Procedure for Ministers (C. (64) 1) which I circulated on 19th October, 1964. I know that Ministers were very busy at the time when it was circulated and now is a good time to look at it again. It contains a lot of valuable guidance, which has been tested by experience; and it gains added force when it is re-read against the background of a few months of practical Ministerial responsibility. The sections dealing with contacts with the Press, television and public opinion in general are particularly worth attention. Recently, there have been one or two occasions when information about our intentions seems to have leaked prematurely; and this kind of thing, if it continues, is not only bad in itself but tends to undermine the whole concept of collective responsibility. I ask my colleagues to take particular care in this respect; and I would suggest that, for their own protection, they should preferably be accompanied by some responsible witness when they meet representatives of the Press, even if only informally, and that they should also ensure that their Departmental Information Officers are promptly informed of all such meetings and of what has passed on such occasions in order that any follow-up action which may be necessary can be taken. A few simple precautions of this kind can save a lot of subsequent trouble.

    H.W.

    10 Downing Street, S.W.1.

    23rd December, 1964

    CONFIDENTIAL

  • PRESS RELEASE : Keir Starmer meeting with Prime Minister Takaichi of Japan [June 2026]

    PRESS RELEASE : Keir Starmer meeting with Prime Minister Takaichi of Japan [June 2026]

    The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 14 June 2026.

    The Prime Minister hosted the Prime Minister of Japan Sanae Takaichi for a meeting in Downing Street today. 

    The leaders celebrated upgrading the strategic partnership between the UK and Japan and bringing in a new era of cooperation between our two countries.

    They welcomed the signing of the UK-Japan Frontier Technology Partnership, enhancing world-leading British research capabilities with Japan’s advanced manufacturing, along with a joint Economic Security Declaration for advancing cooperation on economic security.

    The Prime Minister also welcomed significant new Japanese investment into the UK, supporting tens of thousands of jobs, including in real estate and financial services.

    The leaders discussed the conflict in the Middle East, Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, stability in the Indo-Pacific region and the importance of resilient global supply chains and free trade. 

    On defence, they agreed to deepen industrial collaboration, including through a new Defence Capability and Industrial Council. They also welcomed closer work together including the shared commitment to the Global Combat Air Programme.

    They looked forward to meeting again at next week’s G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains and building further on the close partnership in the months ahead.

  • PRESS RELEASE : UK-Japan Frontier Technology Partnership [June 2026]

    PRESS RELEASE : UK-Japan Frontier Technology Partnership [June 2026]

    The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 14 June 2026.

    Context

    The UK-Japan relationship has reached an all-time high, anchored by a powerful alliance in science and technology. This momentum is driven by high-impact collaboration – including our Strategic Cyber Partnership (2026), Economic Security and Industrial Strategy Partnerships (2025), Semiconductor Partnership (2023), and Digital Partnership (2022) – all of which build upon the enduring foundation of the 1994 Agreement on Cooperation in Science and Technology.

    As each other’s closest security partners in Europe and Asia respectively, the UK and Japan are uniquely positioned to harness our shared innovation capabilities. By working together as like-minded nations, our science and technology relationship will deliver high-value growth and technological agency. This collaboration will leverage our complementary strengths to enhance our economic and national security in an era of growing geopolitical unpredictability with the overarching goal of achieving peace, prosperity and stability for the international community.

    In January 2026, UK Prime Minister Starmer and Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi announced their intent to work together to progress high priority frontier technology challenges, harnessing our foundational science and technology strengths to bolster mutual economic growth and economic resilience.

    Commitment

    This Frontier Technology Partnership will deliver that commitment, combining the UK’s world-class software and research leadership with Japan’s unparalleled hardware and manufacturing power to support collaboration across our distinct yet highly compatible industrial bases. It accelerates and advances our nations’ ambitions as set out in the UK’s Industrial Strategy and Japan’s Growth Strategy.

    We will build on our deep and valued science and technology relationship, setting out a shared ambition to go further, with a focus on the technologies that are most crucial for the future and with innovation ecosystems based on security, safety, trust and cooperation.

    • We will promote and protect these critical and emerging technologies through government co-operation and coordinated, targeted R&D support.
    • We will generate growth and build a competitive edge by mobilising private capital towards strategic technologies​, fostering commercial collaboration and supporting high-potential companies to emerge and scale.
    • We will shape the development of critical technologies and safeguard our shared values through multilateral coordination on international standards and regulation.

    Cooperation

    Both the UK and Japan have identified emerging technologies that are critical for the flourishing of each nation. These are technologies that are already fundamentally disrupting economies and societies across the world.

    The UK and Japan recognise that now is the moment to invest in these technologies and work together as like-minded and complementary innovation ecosystems.

    We have a shared vision and ambition:

    • Together, the UK and Japan will be AI makers and not just AI takers, fostering resilient, safe, secure, and trustworthy AI ecosystems and enhancing our national AI capabilities. We have committed to promoting ties between our respective AI innovation ecosystems, advancing joint research to unlock the power of AI for Science, and exploring formal pathways to interlock our AI semiconductor strengths. We reaffirm the need for a stable and safe AI supply chain, and recognise the importance of promoting efforts, in cooperation with diversified partners and suppliers to enhance the resilience of AI supply chains. We will deepen cooperation between Japan AISI and UK AISI in driving forward the science of AI evaluation through the International Network for Advanced AI Measurement, Evaluation and Science. Furthermore, we will work to further promote the Hiroshima AI Process and to explore synergies between our respective initiatives on AI cooperation with the Global South in co-creating a safe, secure, and trustworthy AI ecosystem globally. We concurred on establishing a high-level dialogue on AI to advance cooperation in these priority areas and supporting Japan toward hosting a successful AI Summit following Switzerland in 2027.
    • We will develop globally competitive, commercially scalable and deployable quantum technologies, including computing, sensing and communications, building on our Quantum Memorandum of Cooperation (2025). We will strengthen the connection between the UK and Japan’s quantum computing capabilities. UK and Japanese businesses will export, invest, and conduct R&D in one another’s markets, and both governments are committed to joint, long-term collaboration on quantum high-performance computing (HPC) integration. In parallel, we will advance practical applications of quantum technologies across computing, sensing, communication and networking domains through strengthened cooperation on testbeds, evaluation frameworks and system integration.
    • We will work in close collaboration to explore new approaches to mobilise investment and accelerate innovation in the next generation of defence and dual-use technologies.
    • We will deepen our efforts to counter and deter novel and emerging biological threats as part of our broader approach to dual-use S&T, strengthening our shared commitment to non-proliferation, and our strategic approaches to enhancing biological security as part of our wider cooperation on science and technology.
    • We will drive forward shared priorities on space through the UK-Japan Space Consultation, including space security, space sustainability, and commercial development, pursuing opportunities for joint industry-led research under JAXA and the UK Space Agency, including on satellite communications technologies to protect and enhance the vital networks that underpin our nations’ shared security and prosperity.
    • We will shape advanced connectivity technologies to ensure that future telecoms networks are secure and resilient and address the needs of our societies and economies. This will include delivering on our joint research programme and working through the Global Coalition on Telecommunications to implement the 6G Security & Resilience Principles.
    • We will deepen efforts to decommission our nuclear legacies more efficiently and safely, furthering the collaboration between our cutting-edge robotics capabilities to solve some of the world’s most complex engineering challenges—more efficient and safer decommissioning of nuclear sites like Sellafield and TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.
    • We will deepen efforts to develop civil nuclear collaboration, including advanced nuclear technologies and fusion energy, by strengthening practical cooperation between industry and research institutions in the UK and Japan.
    • We will build resilience to cyber threats, reinforcing and strengthening long term cyber cooperation through the UK-Japan Strategic Cyber Partnership, welcoming industry-led initiatives that harness complementary capabilities and working together to strengthen the resilience of critical national infrastructure against the full range of cyber threats facing the UK and Japan.
    • We will work together to protect critical and emerging technologies through deepening cooperation on research security, recognising the need to manage risks associated with those technologies, while supporting open, secure, and trusted international research collaboration. We commit to working bilaterally and with like-minded partners to share information on policy measures to reduce loss of critical technology. This work will be complementary to the Joint Declaration on Economic Security Cooperation.
    • We will work together to promote research and development in the field of healthcare whilst building our capabilities as globally connected world-leading hubs for drug discovery.

    Commercial Announcements 

    Alongside this Statement, the UK and Japan welcome commercial announcements by industry partners launching collaborative projects in critical technology sectors identified in the UK-Japan Industrial Strategy Partnership such as Quantum, AI and Cybersecurity. These commercial initiatives demonstrate the real-world practical and economic benefit of our partnership on Frontier Technology.

    This Frontier Technology Partnership does not constitute or create any legally binding obligations.  Nothing in this Partnership is intended to alter or affect any existing agreements between the Participants. Cooperation is intended to take place within the framework of applicable national legislation and international obligations.

    Signed in duplicate at London on 14 June 2026 in the English language

    For the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland:

    Prime Minister Keir Starmer

    For the Government of Japan:

    Prime Minister TAKAICHI Sanae

  • PRESS RELEASE : UK-Japan Joint Declaration on Economic Security Cooperation [June 2026]

    PRESS RELEASE : UK-Japan Joint Declaration on Economic Security Cooperation [June 2026]

    The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 14 June 2026.

    UK-Japan Joint Declaration on Economic Security Cooperation.

    1, We, the Prime Ministers of Japan and the United Kingdom, acknowledge that UK-Japan relations are the strongest in living memory, grounded in deep cooperation on economic and security priorities. This Joint Declaration on Economic Security Cooperation, complementing the Hiroshima Accord in 2023, and accompanied by the Japan-UK Frontier Technology Partnership on critical and emerging technologies, sets out our strategic and coordinated vision to advance our bilateral cooperation on economic security.

    Bilateral Economic Security Cooperation

    2, We will deepen our collaboration on economic security through bilateral dialogues such as the Economic 2+2 and the Japan-UK Strategic Economic Policy and Trade Dialogue, the Japan-UK Financial Dialogue, the Japan-UK Energy and Climate Dialogue, the Ministerial Digital Council, and the Joint Committee Meeting on Science and Technology Cooperation, as well as through the Industrial Strategy Partnership and the Economic Security Partnership. 

    Bilateral Trade and Investment

    3, We will enhance cooperation to promote trade and investment opportunities in strategic sectors, increasing the predictability and transparency of the investment environment in a way that is consistent with market principles and private-sector ownership. To do this, we will promote our countries as favourable destinations for bilateral investment and trade, and facilitate deeper coordination between our strategic finance agencies. We will deepen collaboration on investment security through furthering information sharing on investment screening policies and practices.

    Public-Private Partnership

    4, We will strengthen our public-private partnerships to maximise opportunities and enhance collective resilience, including by proactively seeking input from industries. We recognise, as embodied in the Joint Statement issued by the Keidanren and CBI in November 2025, the importance of dialogue between the business communities of Japan and the UK on economic security. We will jointly explore approaches to encourage corporate behavioural change across both Japan and the UK to enhance economic security through efforts such as joint initiatives to promote secure and resilient growth in and through critical technologies. We will encourage further exchanges on policy and research in our two countries, and deepen collaboration between our respective policy research institutions, including with the economic security focused think-tank to be established by the Government of Japan.      

    5, In this context, we welcomed the announcement of concrete cooperation projects across the spectrum of our Industrial Strategy Partnership sectors. These include offshore wind, with the launch of the “Offshore Wind Industrial Compact” to promote finance, R&D, and supply chain development collaboration.

    Supply Chain Resilience including Energy

    6, Transparent, diversified, secure, sustainable, trustworthy and reliable supply chains and access to key sectors are central to our economic security and resilience. We will further enhance cooperation to develop resilient and reliable supply chains, complemented by efforts to enhance collective resilience among Japan, the UK and our strategic partners. Recognising heightened risks to the global economy amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, especially through pressures on energy supply chains, we reaffirm the importance of ensuring energy trade flow, effective emergency response measures including through national oil reserve systems, and close international cooperation including with relevant international organisations such as the IEA, coordination between producer and consumer countries, and via initiatives including Global Clean Power Alliance (GCPA) and Partnership On Wide Energy and Resources Resilience Asia (POWERR Asia). We underscore the importance of restoring free navigation of critical commodities that underpin the resilience of our economies, and recognise the heightened impact of disruption on vulnerable countries.

    7, We express our grave concerns regarding economic coercion and arbitrary export restrictions, including on critical minerals, that destabilise global supply chains and undermine economic security and resilience. We reiterate that, whenever implemented, export control measures should be narrowly defined, non-discriminatory, and in line with international law and practice, so as not to disrupt strategic supply chains, notably those for critical minerals. We will work together to share information and consult on instances of economic coercion and consider appropriate responses.     

    Critical Minerals and Related Supply Chains

    8, We will deepen cooperation on critical minerals under the 2023 Japan-UK Memorandum of Cooperation on Critical Minerals. We will work together with partners to reduce critical dependencies by enhancing cooperation among G7 members and like-minded countries in areas such as mining, refining, processing, recycling, and stockpiling. We will encourage closer engagement between relevant public finance institutions and other agencies. We have tasked officials to take forward a focused dialogue on projects of mutual interest, including in battery materials and recycling, and on opportunities for cooperation in third countries.

    9, We further recognise the importance of maintaining and strengthening our midstream and downstream industries’ competitiveness, including in relation to critical minerals, by protecting critical technologies, and commit to working bilaterally and with like-minded partners to coordinate on policy measures for technology control.

    Innovation

    10, Jointly maintaining and developing our respective strengths and indispensability in critical technologies will help drive resilience, productivity and economic growth in both our countries and sustain essential manufacturing and technological capability. We remain committed to deepening cooperation on Critical and Emerging Technologies, including in areas outlined in the Frontier Technology Partnership (FTP).

    11, Both innovation and protection of such technologies are equally important. We will coordinate our efforts to do this, for example on research security and research integrity where we will work together to manage risk in international research collaboration while supporting open, secure and trusted research.

    12, We will increase collaboration among our innovation, VC and startup ecosystems and relevant agencies, including by encouraging greater two-way investment and supporting joint commercialisation in emerging technology, including dual-use, and jointly explore approaches to understand and mitigate potential risks to innovation and commercialisation.

    13, Collaboration in critical and emerging technologies, including in the defence industry, plays a vital role in strengthening our collective resilience and economic security. We are committed to further deepening cooperation between our defence industries through industrial and supply chain collaboration, leveraging technology transfer, and expertise sharing, with GCAP as a catalyst for promoting such cooperation.

    The Rules-Based International Economic Order

    14, We reaffirm that a well-functioning rules-based multilateral trading system regulated by the set of trade rules within the World Trade Organization (WTO) should continue to serve as the bedrock of our economic prosperity, resilience and security. To this end, we will work towards the meaningful and necessary reform of the WTO to ensure that it is fit for purpose and addresses the challenges we face. We also reaffirm our shared concerns about the use of non-market policies and practices (NMPPs) leading to harmful overcapacity and market distortion, which could deepen economic dependencies and vulnerabilities.

    15, We will work together to ensure that the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) continues to support the prosperity of our economies including through implementation and continued expansion in line with the Auckland Principles, while reaffirming our commitment to adhering to the CPTPP, the Japan-UK Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and WTO rules. We will update and enhance the CPTPP, including through the areas of supply chain resilience, economic coercion, and market-distorting practices.

    16, We share the importance of further enhancing cooperation with Global South countries, including those in the Indo-Pacific, to enhance their economic resilience and security and to maintain and strengthen a rules-based international economic order through respective and coordinated outreaches in providing assistance and sharing best practices and knowledge including on relevant legislations and systems to address economic security challenges.

    Signed in duplicate at London, UK, on 14 June 2026 in the English language.

    For the Government of the United Kingdom                          For the Government of Japan

    Keir Starmer                                                                 Takaichi Sanae     

    Prime Minister                                                               Prime Minister

  • NEWS STORY : Community Anger Following One Stop Worker Sacked After Tackling Suspected Shoplifter

    NEWS STORY : Community Anger Following One Stop Worker Sacked After Tackling Suspected Shoplifter

    STORY

    Eileen Fox has been dismissed from her job at a One Stop convenience store in Bootle after trying to stop a suspected shoplifter. Fox, 56, said the woman was known locally and had been stealing from the shop over a period of years.

    The incident involved an attempt to take packets of bacon from the store. Fox said she grabbed the woman’s coat sleeve and that, during the scuffle, the woman bumped into a metal stand. Fox said no one was injured.

    Fox was called to an investigatory meeting with senior managers and was suspended the following day. She said she was later dismissed from her job on 11 May.

    A dismissal letter reported by the BBC and cited by the Guardian said Fox had “followed” the suspected shoplifter and then “grabbed her and slammed her into a metal stand”. Fox disputed that description, saying she had approached the woman while she was taking items from a shelf and had taken hold of her sleeve.

    A spokesperson for One Stop said the safety of customers and colleagues was the company’s priority. The company said staff were told not to risk their own safety and were given training on how to respond to incidents, alongside investment in security measures and work with police.

    Local customers and a number of businesses have supported Fox, stating that the problem of shoplifting has been getting worse and that One Stop should focus more resources on protecting team members.

  • NEWS STORY : Social Housing Bill Begins Lords Committee Stage

    NEWS STORY : Social Housing Bill Begins Lords Committee Stage

    STORY

    Peers are due to begin detailed scrutiny of the Social Housing Bill in committee stage on Monday. The House of Lords has scheduled two days of line by line consideration, with further sessions possible depending on progress.

    Amendments tabled for the first day include proposals relating to the Right to Buy scheme, home ownership, first refusal on acquiring social rent dwellings, social housing provision and protection for vulnerable groups. Committee stage allows members to test the wording of the legislation and suggest changes.

    The Bill forms part of the Government’s housing agenda and will continue through the Lords before returning to the Commons if amendments are made.

  • NEWS STORY : Steel Nationalisation Bill to Receive Lords Second Reading

    NEWS STORY : Steel Nationalisation Bill to Receive Lords Second Reading

    STORY

    The Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Bill is due to receive its second reading in the House of Lords on Tuesday. Members will debate the principles of the Bill before it moves to further stages if approved.

    The legislation relates to public ownership of the steel industry and follows continuing political debate over the future of UK steelmaking, industrial capacity and support for strategic industries. The House of Lords debate will allow members to question the Government’s approach and propose concerns for later scrutiny.

    The Bill will proceed to committee stage if it receives a second reading. At that stage, peers would be able to consider amendments and examine the text of the legislation in detail.