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Tag: 2022

  • PRESS RELEASE : Making Women’s Leadership and Participation in Peace and Humanitarian Processes a Norm [October 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Making Women’s Leadership and Participation in Peace and Humanitarian Processes a Norm [October 2022]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 24 October 2022.

    Statement by Colonel Carl Harris, UK Military Advisor to the UN, at the High-level Peacekeeping and Humanitarian Leadership Dialogue.

    Good morning and thank you for the opportunity to address today’s meeting. I would like to pay thanks to our fellow co-hosts, especially the German Mission for hosting us here, and to our esteemed panel of experts for joining us today.

    The United Kingdom firmly believes that the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in peace and humanitarian processes is crucial to effectiveness. Women’s participation in decision-making, peace operations and humanitarian interventions is not only a moral imperative, but it also improves the quality of policymaking and interventions. That is why peacekeeping, humanitarian action and women’s leadership are central to the UK’s new National Action Plan on Women Peace and Security.

    Driven by this belief, we have consistently supported the UN’s Senior Women Talent Pipeline and the Elsie Initiative to improve the gender balance in UN Peace Operations. We are proud to have committed $7.4mil to Elsie since its inception.

    Women’s involvement in peace processes and political transitions is also an imperative for lasting peace. It is vital for UN peace operations to support women’s participation in such contexts: such as in Mali’s political transition and ongoing peace agreement implementation, and in the DRC through the Nairobi process and the government’s new DDR process.

    In humanitarian crises, the UK works closely with our partners to support women’s leadership on the frontline of responses. Women’s meaningful participation and leadership in humanitarian action not only improves outcomes for women and girls, but also strengthens the impact of the entire humanitarian response.

    But endemic violence against women and rollbacks on gender equality are major barriers. We see this in contexts around the world, but it is particularly the case in Afghanistan today. We must continue to press the Taliban to ensure women’s full inclusion and promote their rights, including to education.

    The benefits of women’s participation are clear. So let’s act to build more effective humanitarian interventions and stronger, more resilient peace process, with women involved at every stage. I look forward to today’s discussion and hearing from our panel. Thank you.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Statement on the Chief of the Defence Staff’s call with the Russian Chief of the General Staff [October 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Statement on the Chief of the Defence Staff’s call with the Russian Chief of the General Staff [October 2022]

    The press release issued by the Ministry of Defence on 24 October 2022.

    A statement on the Chief of the Defence Staff’s call with the Russian Chief of the General Staff, General of the Army Valery Vasilyevich Gerasimov.

    At the request of the Russian Ministry of Defence, the Chief of the Defence Staff, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, spoke with his Russian counterpart, General of the Army Valery Vasilyevich Gerasimov, this afternoon.

    The Chief of the Defence Staff rejected Russia’s allegations that Ukraine is planning actions to escalate the conflict, and he restated the UK’s enduring support for Ukraine.

    The military leaders both agreed on the importance of maintaining open channels of communication between the UK and Russia to manage the risk of miscalculation and to facilitate de-escalation.

    The conversation followed the Defence Secretary’s call with his Russian counterpart yesterday and a call between the Foreign Ministers of France, the UK, and the USA last night.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Nick de Bois CBE appointed as British Tourist Authority Chair [October 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Nick de Bois CBE appointed as British Tourist Authority Chair [October 2022]

    The press release issued by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on 24 October 2022.

    The Secretary of State has appointed Nick de Bois as Chair of the British Tourist Authority for a term of three years.

    Nick de Bois CBE

    The term of appointment will be for three years, commencing on 1 November 2022 until 31 October 2025. Interim Chair Dame Judith Macgregor will resume her duties as a BTA Board Member.

    Nick de Bois has been Chair of the VisitEngland Advisory Board for three years since June 1 2020, until his appointment as Chair of the British Tourist Authority. During this time and acting in an independent capacity, he led the government’s review into the funding and structures of England’s Destination Management Organisations.

    Nick de Bois was Member of Parliament for Enfield North from 2010 to 2015. Prior to his election, he was founder and Managing Director of Rapiergroup, an international events and exhibitions management agency that he set up in 1988 delivering conferences, exhibitions and digital content for U.K. and International based clients.

    In 2016, he was appointed Chairman of the UK Government’s first U.K. Events Industry Board bringing together industry and government agencies to advise the government on the implementation of its Business Events Strategy launched in 2015. This strategy set about securing an increase of inbound international visitors by winning new international events hosted at U.K. destinations. In addition, the board advised on securing growth of international visitors to established domestic events.

    He resigned as Chair of the U.K. Events Industry Board in July 2018 to join the Department for Exiting the European Union as Chief of Staff and Special Advisor to the Secretary of State Dominic Raab MP.

    Nick lives with his wife Helen in Hertfordshire. He is also an author of “Confessions of a Recovering MP” and his first novel Fatal Ambition as well as being a contributory program host and broadcaster.

    Nick was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list 2022.

    Remuneration and Governance Code

    This appointment has been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Nick will be offered remuneration of £40,000 per annum. The Government’s Governance Code requires that any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years is declared. This is defined as holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation or candidature for election. Nick has declared he was the Conservative Party candidate for the constituency of Enfield North in the 2017 General Election.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Fiona Pollard appointed as VisitEngland Advisory Board Interim Chair [October 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Fiona Pollard appointed as VisitEngland Advisory Board Interim Chair [October 2022]

    The press release issued by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on 24 October 2022.

    The Secretary of State has appointed Fiona Pollard as VisitEngland Advisory Board Interim Chair for 9 months, whilst the appointment process for a permanent Chair is conducted.

    Fiona Pollard

    Nick de Bois CBE has stepped down as Chair of the VisitEngland Advisory Board to become Chair of the British Tourist Authority. Fiona Pollard has been appointed Interim Chair, with her term of appointment commencing on 1 November 2022 until 31 July 2023.

    Fiona joined the VisitEngland Advisory Board in March 2018, and was reappointed for a second term in March 2022.

    Fiona runs her own events company and sits on several boards, including the Roman Baths, one of the most visited tourist attractions in England.

    After a career in The City working in the derivatives sector with a number of international banks, Fiona ran the Hop Farm Country Park in Kent until 2006. She still has close connections with the County organising the Leeds Castle Classical Concert each summer. She is a former Board member of the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) and the Kent Messenger group of radio stations. Fiona was also a founding member of the Kent Tourism Alliance and one of the original Trustees behind the Turner Contemporary art gallery in Margate.

    Remuneration and Governance Code

    This Interim Chair appointment has been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. This role is remunerated at £345.00 per day. The Government’s Governance Code requires that any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years is declared. This is defined as holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation or candidature for election. Fiona has declared no activity.

  • PRESS RELEASE : What works in youth justice – ideas for now and the future [October 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : What works in youth justice – ideas for now and the future [October 2022]

    The press release issued by the Home Office on 24 October 2022.

    Keith Fraser, Chair of the YJB, summarises a report which brings together thoughts on achieving a Child First system from 200+ youth justice experts.

    For decades academics, policy makers, practitioners and other experts have deliberated on how best to create safer communities by preventing offending by children. For the past 20 years or more, the body of evidence known as the ‘Child First’ approach has been proven to be the best way of achieving this.

    With that in mind, at the YJB we set out to answer two questions:

    How far do we think we are from achieving a “Child First” system?
    What could we do to achieve a “Child First” system?
    To provide answers we brought together more than 200 stakeholders – all experts in their fields within or connected to youth justice. They came together in groups across England and Wales to provide their thoughts on the current system and ideas for the future.

    Using a systems map methodology, with independent validation generously provided by Professor Kate Williams from University of South Wales, we looked at the themes which appeared in stakeholders’ answers.

    The results were fascinating. Not just the themes suggesting where we could improve, but also the breadth of ideas for change. It’s difficult to distil the thousands of thoughts we collated into just a few key messages, so I encourage everyone to view the full presentation. But to give you a flavour, across both England and Wales experts consistently raised the need to do the following:

    recognise the youth justice system as part of a wider system and make changes beyond – like improving understanding of why children offend
    collect the right data and to share it with agencies effectively
    enable greater child and workforce participation and collaboration
    challenge current reforms to go further, including police and courts, and to reflect this in changes to inspection
    review training for youth justice staff, including supporting staff to deal with trauma, and in Wales to build on in-depth trauma informed training already delivered
    From the above, it’s clear there’s lots to work on to finally achieve a system which fully utilises Child First evidence, but we didn’t just receive a ‘wish list’ from partners, they also came full of brilliant ideas – from quickly implementable, no-cost ideas to long-term ideas involving complex changes to law, policy or investment.

    We recognise that with complex systems there is no quick and free panacea. At the YJB we’ve committed to continue bringing together experts and to provide spaces for collaboration and further discussion. We will also consider how we can act on ideas for change within our gift and support others to make changes that are within their power.

    As youth justice experts we all agree that the success of the youth justice system is reliant on many organisations and individuals. That’s why I’m asking all of you who are directly and indirectly involved in youth justice to read the findings, share them with colleagues and to consider how you and your organisation can use this information to support your own work and contribute to the changes suggested.

    I take great heart in the number of ideas for improvement. For me it shows that there are solutions, that there is great hope and that there are many of us that care deeply for the communities and children who are most affected by crime. Thank you to all of you who took part in discussions and offered your expertise, to those who have helped make sense of the evidence and to everyone who continues to work tirelessly to improve the lives of children and our communities.

     

  • John Whittingdale – 2022 Comments on Rishi Sunak Becoming Prime Minister

    John Whittingdale – 2022 Comments on Rishi Sunak Becoming Prime Minister

    The comments made by John Whittingdale, the Conservative MP for Maldon, on Twitter on 24 October 2022.

    We need strong and experienced leadership to tackle unprecedented challenges at home and abroad. I will be supporting Rishi Sunak as our next Prime Minister.

  • James Cleverly – 2022 Comments Changing Support to Rishi Sunak in Conservative Leadership Contest

    James Cleverly – 2022 Comments Changing Support to Rishi Sunak in Conservative Leadership Contest

    The comments made by James Cleverly, the Foreign Secretary, on 24 October 2022.

    We face great challenges at home and abroad.

    I said we needed experience at the top of Government and I stand by that.

    The candidate with the most experience is clearly Rishi Sunak. He can count on my full support as our Prime Minister and I will be voting for him.

  • Royston Smith – 2022 Comments on Rishi Sunak Becoming Prime Minister

    Royston Smith – 2022 Comments on Rishi Sunak Becoming Prime Minister

    The comments made by Royston Smith, the Conservative MP for Southampton Itchen, on Twitter on 24 October 2022.

    If we are to deliver for the British people, the Conservative Party needs to show determination and unity. I have therefore decided that it is in the national interest to support Rishi Sunak to become Prime Minister and deliver for our country.

  • Gina Miller – 2022 Statement on Standing in Epsom and Ewell Constituency

    Gina Miller – 2022 Statement on Standing in Epsom and Ewell Constituency

    The statement made by Gina Miller on 24 October 2022.

    *News* – I have just announced that I will be standing against Chris Grayling in Epsom and Ewell at the next General Election.

    The True & Fair Party has also announced 8 candidates to stand against Conservatives in constituencies around England and Wales.

  • Robert Buckland – 2022 Comments on Rishi Sunak Becoming Prime Minister

    Robert Buckland – 2022 Comments on Rishi Sunak Becoming Prime Minister

    The comments made by Robert Buckland, the Conservative MP for South Swindon, on Twitter on 24 October 2022.

    Achieving maximum economic stability is in our national interest and must be the number one priority for our next Prime Minister. I believe Rishi Sunak is best placed to do this. We are one Conservative Party and we must now come together to deliver for our country.