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  • Alok Sharma – 2022 Speech to the Columbia University World Leaders Forum

    Alok Sharma – 2022 Speech to the Columbia University World Leaders Forum

    The speech made by Alok Sharma, the COP27 President, on 22 September 2022.

    Good morning everyone.

    And can I first start by thanking President Bollinger and Alex for the very warm welcome I’ve had today.

    I am now into the final weeks of my time as President of the 26th United Nations Conference on Climate Change, or COP26.

    It has been a near-three year journey in the thick of international climate politics and the maelstrom of wider geopolitics.

    And it remains an absolute privilege to have opportunities like this one,

    to speak as part of your World Leaders Forum,

    and to celebrate Columbia’s pioneering climate school, the first of its kind in the United States.

    Your school has had an auspicious start.

    Not least with your roundtable, at COP26, with President Obama.

    I understand the former President, and of course Columbia alumnus, noted the energy, and remarkable potential, of participating students.

    That is coming from a man who knows what it means to mobilise, and to inspire action.

    I have felt that same force when I’ve met youth climate activists around the world over the past few years.

    And I do understand the anger of young people.

    It is your future most at risk.

    You and your generation will have to live with the consequences of the actions, or inaction, of current world leaders.

    I have been directly challenged by young people on the need to push the world to go a lot faster to tackle global warming.

    I convened an international meeting for ministers, on implementing the Glasgow Climate Pact, in Copenhagen in May. We saw youth protesters make their feelings and frustrations plain.

    Every Minister saw that as they came into the meeting.

    And at the end of the meeting, I encouraged Ministers to leave the meeting with the voices of those young people ringing in their ears.

    Hearing those voices every time they made government decisions affecting the future of the planet.

    And that brings me to the focus of my address.

    You all know this, but it sometimes needs to be repeated.

    We are facing a climate crisis.

    The scientific evidence is absolutely clear, it’s unequivocal.

    We know that we are running out of time to avert catastrophe.

    The reality is that if we do not bend the curve of global warming downwards, in this decisive decade – eight and a half years left – we will go beyond the limits of our ability to adapt.

    Around the world, we are already seeing what that future could look like.

    And that future is absolutely terrifying.

    For some people across the world, it is here right now.

    In recent weeks, an area the size of the United Kingdom has been flooded in Pakistan.

    A monster monsoon bringing in its wake death, destruction and displacement of millions of people.

    Hurricane Fiona has barrelled through the Caribbean.

    This summer we have seen the US experience its worst drought in over a thousand years years.

    Europe has experienced its worst drought in 500 years.

    And China its worst ever drought, as record temperatures have dried up key parts of the Yangtze River.

    I could go on.

    You will all have examples as well.

    I was with the new UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell earlier this week, and he made the point that the reality of these events is a cycle of disaster, rebuild, disaster, rebuild, for millions of people around the world.

    We need to do better.

    And we also know that the increasing frequency, and ferocity, of these extreme weather events is set to worsen.

    So, in the context of the pressing need for more urgent climate action,

    I want to talk about my role, and the COP Presidency.

    Our drive to implement the outcomes of the Glasgow Climate Pact.

    The ability of global coalitions of the willing, including the United States, to deliver change.

    And, most importantly, the capacity of the young climate leaders in the room this morning to hold governments and businesses to account.

    The primary role of the COP President is to oversee a COP Summit, deliver a negotiated outcome, and then drive its implementation in the post-summit Presidency year.

    I am proud that, when the world came to Glasgow last November, the UK Presidency shepherded nearly 200 countries to forge the historic Glasgow Climate Pact.

    But the outcome of that Pact was not an inevitability.

    There was huge scepticism in the international community at the start of the UK Presidency about whether we really could make progress on the road to, and at Glasgow.

    And personally, COP26 was my very first COP – I had never been to one before.

    But because of that, very early on, I sought the advice of past COP Presidents.

    And from my very first day as COP President Designate, I sought to meet world leaders, ministers, chief executives, youth and civil society groups, and communities on the front line of climate change, around the world.

    This was all about ensuring an open and neutral Presidency.

    Underpinned by the principles of transparency, inclusivity, consistency of message and trust,

    And trust, I have to say to you, is an incredibly fragile commodity in climate negotiations.

    I wanted to ensure that those four principles would be the foundation on which we built an ambitious COP26 outcome.

    But, having spent two years talking to governments around the world, trying to craft the key elements of the Glasgow Climate Pact, we almost fell short in the final hours of COP26.

    We had an opacity in those one-minute-to-midnight negotiations.

    China and India raised objections to key language on coal and fossil fuel subsidies.

    We went behind the stage to negotiate.

    As we negotiated, I wrote out word-by-word the minimum changes which China and India could accept.

    I can tell you it was fraught.

    I still have the marked up piece of A4 paper at home on which we wrote out the text.

    For me, that is an eternal reminder that things could have turned out very differently.

    Because there were critical moments in those final hours when I was really concerned that a global deal, effectively two years in gestation, was about to collapse.

    For anyone watching, you will have seen me crossing the plenary floor, showing the proposed revised text to the Chairs of the UNFCCC negotiating groups.

    Yes, I did become emotional, when I put the final text to the floor.

    I was disappointed that, after such effort to run a transparent Presidency, the COP26 negotiating process was ending in hushed and rushed conversations.

    But I was, and continue to be, incredibly proud of what my UK COP Presidency team achieved in delivering the Glasgow Climate Pact.

    Our overall goal, right from the start, was to garner enough commitments to ensure that we were keeping alive the prospect of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.

    And we achieved that goal.

    Prior to the Paris Agreement, scientists were telling us that the world was on course for 4 degrees of global warming by the end of the century.

    Post-Paris it was 3 degrees.

    After Glasgow, we were able to say with credibility that we had kept 1.5 alive.

    And whilst 1.5 degrees was our North Star, we made critical progress on adaptation, on finance, on loss and damage, on empowerment, and on so many other issues.

    In fact the Chair of the Climate Vulnerables Forum recognised the steps we had taken “on all the priorities of the most climate threatened nations”.

    Yes, we achieved a Pact.

    But frankly, the Pact is nothing but words on a page.

    The pulse of 1.5 will remain weak until the Pact, every element of it, is implemented in full.

    And we have to be frank that implementation is very challenging.

    First, we did all sign up to an ambitious programme of work.

    And second, the world has changed markedly since last November, overshadowed by the Putin regime’s brutal and illegal war in Ukraine.

    Countries around the world are facing perilous economic and geopolitical conditions, and threats to energy security.

    We are grappling with soaring inflation, rising debt, and food insecurity.

    For many, climate has not been front of mind.

    But I do truly believe there remains cause for hope.

    I see climate leaders doing remarkable work.

    Take for example the Prime Minister of Viet Nam, who I saw again last month.

    He is utterly relentless in driving his country’s economic transformation, based on clean energy.

    And we as a G7 nation, and other developed nations, are supporting that effort with Viet Nam’s Just Energy Transition Partnership, which can be the gold standard for sustainable economic growth for developing countries around the world.

    Businesses and financial institutions are radically reimagining what it means to be a responsible, 21st century company.

    Bill Gates, who I spent time with earlier this week, rightly noted that COP26 was the COP where businesses came in force.

    And you will have seen, just last week, the founder of Patagonia, dedicating his company’s fortune to the climate cause.

    Now, where are we in this process?

    We will get a clearer sense that when the UNFCCC publishes its latest Synthesis Report.

    The deadline for countries to make submissions on their 2030 emissions reduction targets is tomorrow.

    I am sure that the report will make clear that the job is far from done.

    I was in Indonesia earlier this month at the G20 Climate, Energy and Environment Ministers Meeting.

    Unbelievably, our negotiators had to fight to simply restate commitments we have all previously signed up to.

    Inexplicably, there were debates about the unequivocal science of the IPCC reports.

    Some countries sought to push against language from the Glasgow Climate Pact, agreed just ten months ago, and the foundational Paris Agreement, on which that Pact is built.

    And there was even rowing back on the collective agreement that was reached by G20 leaders last year to lead on climate action.

    So my message here in New York this week has been frank.

    The Glasgow and Paris language must be the baseline of our ambition.

    We cannot retreat from that.

    And this is a critical moment to redouble our efforts, resist backsliding, and ultimately go further, and faster.

    Collectively, the world’s richest countries, and the biggest emitters, have looked too many climate vulnerable countries and communities in the eyes,

    and promised too much action,

    to step back now.

    To do so would be a betrayal.

    And the United States is a key player in all of these discussions.

    It is the second biggest emitter, and the largest by capita.

    The US therefore has a responsibility to lead on climate action.

    In all my travels as COP President, and all my time speaking with the world’s most vulnerable countries and communities, that is a firmly held view.

    They want to continue to see the US leading.

    Thankfully, the US also has unparalleled resources, and expertise.

    That was evident, as we all watched, with a mixture of hope and trepidation, the machinations surrounding the Build Back Better Bill,

    and the ultimate passage of the Inflation Reduction Act,

    the largest climate spending package in US history.

    I congratulate President Biden, and my very good friend John Kerry for their roles in securing that historic achievement.

    So now, I urge the Senate to now press home the advantage.

    Match the domestic ambition with international action.

    In particular, deliver the billions of international climate finance being asked of Congress for the coming years.

    Finance, my friends, is a key ask of climate vulnerable countries and we must all, including the United States, deliver on our promises.

    I want to turn now specifically to the role of the students in the room.

    I know there is much talk of the midterms right now, and of the partisan nature of climate policy at federal level.

    In fact because of this,

    I encourage you to run towards the heart of the climate debate, on both sides of the aisle, at national and subnational level.

    Of course I know that many of you will be considering the 30-minute hop on the 1 train, to Wall Street.

    That work will be pivotal too.

    All of the climate action I have talked about today, all the promises that have been made, has one thing in common: it requires us to turn the billions currently flowing in climate finance, into trillions.

    We need advocates like you in the boardrooms and on trading floors here in New York, and around the world.

    And there are similarly catalytic roles in civil society, particularly recognising climate justice is completely interlinked with economic and social justice for so many people around the world.

    In all of this work, I am heartened to know that you will be joined by colleagues from the increasing number of climate and sustainability schools,

    in the US and around the world.

    From the students who hosted me just up the coast at Tufts in March, to those I met last month at Can Tho University, in the Mekong Delta of Viet Nam.

    I had the privilege of attending on Monday, the State Funeral of our Late Monarch, Her Majesty the Queen.

    In a moment of quiet reflection in Westminster Abbey, I thought back to Her Majesty’s words, delivered to world leaders attending COP26.

    She said:

    “It is the hope of many that the legacy of this summit – written in the history books yet to be printed – will describe you as the leaders who did not pass up the opportunity; and that you answered the call of those future generations.”

    That history is still to be written.

    And I hope that the leaders of today, in my own country, in the United States, and across the world will heed the late Queen’s wise words.

    To those of you setting out on your own leadership journeys.

    Make them count.

    And whilst my formal role ends at COP27, I will be there with you, continuing to champion the cause of climate action, which is so vital.

    Thank you.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Human rights in Russia – UK statement on OSCE’s Moscow Mechanism expert report [September 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Human rights in Russia – UK statement on OSCE’s Moscow Mechanism expert report [September 2022]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 22 September 2022.

    Ambassador Neil Bush welcomes the publication of OSCE’s Moscow Mechanism report, which outlines how Russia has waged a repressive war against its own people.

    Thank you, Mr Chair. I wish to make a statement in my national capacity, to supplement the statement delivered by Ambassador Callan on behalf of the 38 States which invoked the Moscow Mechanism on Russia’s legal and administrative practices.

    I would like to thank the independent expert Professor Nußberger for her expertise and her drafting of a robust and important report.

    Mr Chair, the United Kingdom supported the invocation of this Moscow Mechanism because the issue of Russia’s repression of human rights is vitally important. It is important to the Russian people who face restrictions on their fundamental freedoms and it is important for peace and security in the OSCE region.

    I want to highlight 3 elements of this forensic report. First, President Putin’s Russia has waged a systemic and a repressive war against the freedoms of its own people over the last two decades. Repressive legislation is used to restrict the rights of Russian people, most notably through the “foreign agents” and “undesirable organisations” laws.

    Since the invasion, the Kremlin has implemented a wave of legislation targeting the dissemination of “knowingly false information” and “discrediting” of Russian armed forces. The real purpose is to criminalise the dissemination of the truth and for calling Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine what it is. Over 4,000 people have been prosecuted because of these laws, including dual British Russian national Vladimir Kara-Murza. As the report says, “this is military censorship”.

    Secondly, Russia has created a climate of fear and intimidation to silence independent voices further. President Putin and the authorities employ propaganda to de-humanise Russian civil society. Murders and physical attacks are either carried out on the direct orders of the Kremlin, or are tacitly welcomed with no follow-up investigations. Between 1992 and 2021, at least 58 journalists were killed in Russia in connection with their work.

    Police use violence and intimidation to suppress anti-war protestors. Over 16,000 people have been arrested. And overnight over 1,000 more were arrested for peacefully protesting mobilisation. The report highlights many cases of violence towards those detained. Grigory Yudin, a political scientist, was arrested at an anti-war protest and beaten in a police van until he lost consciousness. Female protesters were arrested, forced to undress, and physically attacked.

    Thirdly, Russia’s domestic repression is a key enabler of its aggression abroad. Professor Nußberger writes that “repression on the inside and war on the outside are connected to each other as if in a communicating tube.” A tightening of freedoms at home allows the State to pursue conflict abroad with limited domestic accountability. This state of perpetual war provides a justification for further restrictive measures domestically. And we are seeing the grim outcome of this interrelation play out in Ukraine.

    Mr Chair, this report reveals the horrifying scale of restrictive policies implemented by Russia over the last decade. Putin pursues these policies because he fears that a free society would hold him accountable for the abuses his regime have committed at home, and restrain his ability to commit abuses abroad. The tragedy is that both Russian and Ukrainian people, particularly vulnerable groups, are enduring the worst effects of this repression.

    The UK, with partners from across the OSCE and the world, will defend human rights and the fundamental freedoms of citizens everywhere. We call on Russia to heed the warnings and recommendations of this Moscow Mechanism report. In particular, to comply with its OSCE Human Dimension obligations, and to critically assess the short- and long-term consequences of the “foreign agents” law, amongst other repressive legislation, on civil society.

    I want to express the United Kingdom’s solidarity with all those who suffer repression at the hands of the Russian authorities. And to reiterate once again our resolute support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders.

  • PRESS RELEASE : HRC 51 – Statement for the Interactive Dialogue with UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria [September 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : HRC 51 – Statement for the Interactive Dialogue with UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria [September 2022]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 22 September 2022.

    The UK Permanent Representative to the UK in Geneva, Ambassador Simon Manley, delivered a statement on the ongoing conflict in Syria and it’s impact on families.

    Thank you, Mr President,

    Thank you, Commissioners, for your latest report and the clear and detailed account of the human rights violations, as well as war crimes and crimes against humanity that continue to take place across Syria. The Syrian regime and its allies will bear primary responsibility for these well documented horrors. Your valuable record provides an evidentiary basis on which the international community now must act to hold perpetrators to account.

    Mr President,

    Tens of thousands of Syrians have been forcibly disappeared and detained during the long years of this conflict. Thousands of families still wait to hear about their loved ones.

    The agony of not knowing, and the danger faced by families, particularly women, in their search for answers, must end.

    No more excuses. Just answers.

    Commissioners,

    What recommendations do you have to ensure that lessons from other international efforts on the missing, including detained and forced disappearances, can be applied to support Syrian families in their search for their loved ones?

  • Vicky Ford – 2022 Speech to the Global Funds Replenishment Pledging Session

    Vicky Ford – 2022 Speech to the Global Funds Replenishment Pledging Session

    The speech made by Vicky Ford, the Minister of State for Development, at the United Nations General Assembly on 21 September 2022.

    Excellencies, colleagues, friends.

    What the Global Fund has achieved to date is nothing short of extraordinary.

    Saving 50 million lives, investing billions in healthcare systems and providing leadership on COVID-19. The UK was a founding supporter of the Global Fund, and we are its third largest ever donor having contributed more than £4.4 billion to date. This is just one important part of our contribution to fighting preventable diseases.

    We have invested over £2 billion in Gavi – the vaccine alliance – helping them to save 15 million lives and help countries prepare for the roll out of new malaria vaccines. UK expertise in R&D gives us a unique ability to drive forward innovation that can make a step-change in progress.

    We have invested around £400 million in Product Development Partnerships, harnessing the best of British scientific excellence to fight diseases of poverty.

    Our support for the Innovative Vector Control Consortium, helped it develop ground-breaking technologies which have averted up to 27 million cases of malaria including a novel type of bed net, that kills mosquitoes resistant to traditional insecticides.

    And our £500 million investment in Unitaid supported innovations that cut the cost of the best paediatric HIV medicines by 75%.

    This year, we set out our approach to strengthening global health in our International Development Strategy. As part of that we will continue to be a strong supporter and contributor to the Global Fund, helping to save lives, strengthen health systems and help countries prepare for and prevent pandemics.

    We will work with the Global Fund to fight for what counts, and make the world a safer place for everyone.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Foreign Secretary and the foreign ministers of Ukraine and Poland joint statement [September 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Foreign Secretary and the foreign ministers of Ukraine and Poland joint statement [September 2022]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 22 September 2022.

    Foreign Secretary James Cleverly held a trilateral meeting with Polish Foreign Minister, Zbigniew Rau, and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

    Foreign Ministers of Poland, Ukraine and the United Kingdom met in New York on 21 September 2022 and agreed to:

    • continue the unwavering support of Ukraine by Poland and the UK in the face of Russia’s aggression until Ukraine prevails
    • elaborate further plans for the long-term support of Ukraine to help it deter and defend against future attacks
    • develop their trilateral co-operation including by strengthening the defence capabilities of the 3 countries and the NATO Eastern flank

    The Ministers also condemned Russia’s further mobilisation of forces, which can only set back the goal of peace.

  • PRESS RELEASE : New crackdown on fraud and money laundering to protect UK economy [September 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : New crackdown on fraud and money laundering to protect UK economy [September 2022]

    The press release issued by the Home Office on 22 September 2022.

    The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill will strengthen the UK’s reputation as a place where legitimate businesses can thrive while driving dirty money out of the UK. Through the reforms, anyone who registers a company in the UK will need to verify their identity, tackling the use of companies as a front for crime or foreign kleptocrats.

    The reforms to Companies House – its biggest upgrade in 170 years – will also see the organisation armed with new powers to check, challenge and decline incorrect or fraudulent information, making it a more active gatekeeper over company creation. The investigation and enforcement powers of Companies House will also be upgraded, enabling the organisation to cross check data with public and private partners, as well as reporting suspicious activity to security agencies and law enforcement.

    The Bill will also help prevent the abuse of limited partnerships – including those registered in Scotland, for money laundering and other nefarious purposes – by tightening registration and transparency requirements for these entities.

    Law-abiding businesses and investors across the UK will benefit from simplified filing requirements and a more reliable companies register to inform business and lending decisions. The reforms will ensure that small business owners, consumers and the public are better protected from fraudulent use of their identities and addresses.

    Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg said:

    We want the UK to be the best place in the world to invest and start a business, but we must not allow this openness to be exploited by fraudsters misusing the identities of innocent people, or corrupt elites attempting to disguise their dodgy dealings.

    This historic Bill will equip Companies House and law enforcement with the tools they need to root out criminals attempting to hide their activities without burdening law-abiding companies with unnecessary bureaucracy. Above all, via strict enforcement measures, we are telling investors that the UK is open for legitimate business only.

    Home Secretary Suella Braverman said:

    The UK is no home for dirty money. The government has taken unprecedented action to prevent kleptocrats and organised criminals from abusing our open economy, and this Bill will go even further.

    Through this Bill we are giving our law enforcement agencies greater powers and intelligence capabilities to stay one step ahead of the criminals intent on keeping their corrupt assets out of reach.

    Security Minister Tom Tugendhat said:

    As the former chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, I commended the government on the swift legislative action it took on dirty money following the invasion of Ukraine, but I implored them to go even further.

    I am delighted that today we are introducing reforms that will make it much harder for kleptocrats to shield their ill-gotten gains and treat the UK as their safe deposit box. As Security Minister, I am committed to delivering this vital piece of legislation to strengthen our fight against economic crime.

    Law enforcement will also benefit from greater powers to compel businesses to hand over information which could be related to money laundering or terrorist financing. Red tape around confidentiality liability will be eased to enable businesses to share information to more proactively prevent and detect economic crime including fraud and sanctions evasion.

    The new law will make it easier and quicker for law enforcement agencies such as the National Crime Agency to seize, freeze and recover cryptoassets – the digital currency increasingly used by organised criminals to launder profits from fraud, drugs and cybercrime.

    The use of this digital currency has significantly increased in recent years, with the Metropolitan Police reporting a big rise in cryptocurrency seizures last year. Strengthening powers in the Proceeds of Crime Act will modernise the legislation to ensure agencies can keep pace with the rapid technological change and prevent assets from funding further criminality.

    The package of measures will build upon the earlier Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act, brought in following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The act has made it much quicker to impose tough sanctions on Putin’s cronies – freezing their UK assets and cutting off funds to the Kremlin’s war machine – as well as establishing the recently launched Register of Overseas Entities to root out corrupt oligarchs attempting to hide ill-gotten gains through UK property.

    Director General of the National Crime Agency Graeme Biggar said:

    Domestic and international criminals have for years laundered the proceeds of their crime and corruption by abusing UK company structures, and are increasingly using cryptocurrencies. These reforms – long awaited and much welcomed – will help us crack down on both.

    Companies House Chief Executive Louise Smyth said:

    We welcome the measures outlined in this Bill, which represent the most significant and far-reaching changes to the UK’s company register in over 170 years of history and will enable us to play a much stronger role in making the UK a great place to do business.

    If agreed, these changes will allow us to actively improve and maintain the integrity of the register like never before; inspire greater trust in our data, crack down on economic crime and further drive confidence in the UK economy.

    While the scale and scope of these changes should not be underestimated, the work already done through our wide-ranging and ongoing transformation programme puts us in a strong position to implement them as quickly and efficiently as possible.

  • PRESS RELEASE : UK government to set its own laws for its own people as Brexit Freedoms Bill introduced [September 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : UK government to set its own laws for its own people as Brexit Freedoms Bill introduced [September 2022]

    The press release issued by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, on 22 September 2022.

    • UK government to end the special status of all retained EU law by 31 December 2023 under new Brexit Freedoms Bill introduced today
    • the Bill will enable the UK government to create regulations tailor-made to the UK’s own needs, cutting red tape and supporting businesses to invest, stimulating economic growth across the UK economy
    • Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg said: “The Brexit Freedoms Bill will remove needless bureaucracy that prevents businesses from investing and innovating in the UK, cementing our position as a world class place to start and grow a business”

    All EU legislation will be amended, repealed, or replaced under the new Brexit Freedoms Bill introduced to Parliament today (Thursday 22 September), which will end the special legal status of all retained EU law by 2023, and give the UK the opportunity to develop new laws that best fit the needs of the country and grow the economy.

    Many EU laws kept on after Brexit were agreed as part of a complex compromise between 28 different EU member states and were simply duplicated into the UK’s statute books, often not considering the UK’s own priorities or objectives.

    The Brexit Freedoms Bill will enable the UK government to remove years of burdensome EU regulation in favour of a more agile, home-grown regulatory approach that benefits people and businesses across the UK. By removing these legal restraints and replacing them with what works for the UK, our businesses and economy can innovate and grow to new levels.

    As a result of the bill, around £1 billion worth of red tape will be removed, giving businesses the confidence to invest and create jobs, while transforming the UK into one of the best regulated economies in the world.

    The Bill is an integral step in the Prime Minister’s mission to unlock growth and will support Britain’s most entrepreneurial businesses to capitalise on the UK’s global leadership in areas like clean energy technologies, life sciences and digital services. This in turn will help to spur real-life benefits and increased living standards for the British public – from advanced healthcare treatments and faster infrastructure projects to increased environmental standards such as cleaner air.

    Business Secretary, Jacob Rees-Mogg said:

    Now that the UK has regained its independence, we have a fantastic opportunity to do away with outdated and burdensome EU laws, and to bring forward our own regulations that are tailor-made to our country’s needs.

    The Brexit Freedoms Bill will remove needless bureaucracy that prevents businesses from investing and innovating in the UK, cementing our position as a world class place to start and grow a business.

    By giving the government new secondary powers to amend, replace or repeal any retained EU law, the amount of parliamentary time that is required has been dramatically reduced. They will also make it easier for departments to create agile regulation that keeps pace with technological change.

    The Bill will end the special status retained EU law has on the UK statute books by 2023, meaning domestic law will be reinstated as the highest form of law on the UK’s statute book again. The most burdensome and outdated EU laws can then be amended, repealed, or replaced.

    Consistent with the government’s approach to Brexit policy, the Bill will apply to the entirety of the UK, enabling joint working between the UK government and devolved administrations, and ensuring everyone can access the benefits of Brexit to stimulate economic growth, innovation, and job creation across the Union.

    The government has engaged, and will continue to work, with a range of organisations and stakeholders to ensure the best possible outcome when reforming retained EU law. This ensures the UK’s high standards in areas such as workers’ rights and the environment are kept, also giving the UK the opportunity to be bolder and go further than the EU in these areas.

    The Bill will maintain all commitments to the international obligations required of the UK. The Bill’s introduction will build on the significant progress the government has made since delivering Brexit on 31 January 2020, which include:

    • ending free movement and taking back control of our borders – replacing freedom of movement with a points-based immigration system and making it easier to kick out foreign criminals
    • restoring democratic control over our law making – giving the power to make and scrutinise the laws that apply to us back to our Parliament and the devolved legislatures so that they are now made in Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh, and London, not Brussels
    • restoring the UK Supreme Court as the final arbiter of the law that applies to the UK – UK judges, sitting in UK courts, now determine all the law of the land in the UK
    • securing the vaccine rollout – streamlining procurement processes and avoiding cumbersome EU bureaucracy to deliver the fastest vaccine rollout anywhere in Europe last year (2021)
    • striking new free trade deals – with over 70 countries including landmark deals with Australia and New Zealand.
    • capitalising on tax freedoms – including getting rid of the VAT on women’s sanitary products (the ‘Tampon Tax’), introducing VAT free installations of energy-efficient materials, working on replacing complex EU alcohol duty rates, and forging ahead to remove the ban on selling in pounds and ounces
    • replacing the Common Agricultural Policy – with a system in England that will enable better environmental outcomes
    • taking back control of our territorial waters – managing our fisheries and precious marine environment in a more sustainable way
    • making it tougher for EU criminals to enter the UK – EU nationals sentenced to a year or more in jail will now be refused entry to the UK
    • restoring fair access to our welfare system – ending the preferential treatment of EU migrants over non-EU migrants, ensuring that wherever people are born, those who choose to make the UK their home pay into a system for a reasonable period of time before they can access the benefits of it
    • giving UK regulators the ability and resources to make sovereign decisions about globally significant mergers – decisions about globally significant mergers and acquisitions are now made by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority, giving it the ability to block or remedy mergers it considers will harm UK consumers
    • establishing a new subsidy control regime – We passed the Subsidy Control Act, which allows us to establish our own subsidy regime to support British businesses and innovation. We will have greater freedom to design subsidies which deliver both local and national objectives
  • PRESS RELEASE : Health and Social Care Secretary sets out plan for patients with new funding to bolster social care over winter [September 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Health and Social Care Secretary sets out plan for patients with new funding to bolster social care over winter [September 2022]

    The press release issued by the Department for Health and Social Care on 22 September 2022.

    • Health and Social Care Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister, Thérèse Coffey, will set out an expectation that anyone who needs an appointment should get one at a GP practice within 2 weeks – and patients with the most urgent needs should be seen within the same day
    • To help people get out of hospitals and into social care support, the government is launching a £500 million Adult Social Care Discharge Fund
    • Plan also reflects changes to pension rules to retain more experienced senior clinicians and exploring strengthening how we use volunteers in the health service, including to support ambulance services

    ‘Our plan for patients’ will inject £500 million of additional funding into adult social care to help people get out of hospitals and into social care support. The plan was unveiled by the Health and Social Care Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister today (Thursday 22 September 2022).

    In her first major intervention in her new role, Thérèse Coffey announced a package of measures to ensure the public receives the best possible care this winter and next. The Adult Social Care Discharge Fund will help speed up the safe discharge of patients from hospital this winter to free up beds as well as helping to retain and recruit more care workers. With 13,000 patients in beds who should be receiving care in the community, this will improve the flow in emergency departments and help reduce ambulance delays.

    The plan also sets out interventions to improve access to general practice appointments, with the expectation that everyone who needs one should get an appointment at a GP practice within 2 weeks – and that the patients with the most urgent needs should be seen within the same day.

    As well as more support staff, an enhanced role for pharmacists and new telephone systems, changes will also be made to NHS pension rules to retain more experienced NHS clinicians and remove the barriers to staff returning from retirement, increasing capacity for appointments and other services.

    This includes extending retirement flexibilities to allow retired and partially retired staff to continue to return to work or increase their working commitments without having payment of their pension benefits reduced or suspended, and fixing the unintended impacts of inflation, so senior clinicians aren’t taxed more than is necessary.

    Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Thérèse Coffey, said:

    Patients and those who draw on care and support are my top priority and we will help them receive care as quickly and conveniently as possible.

    That is why we are publishing ‘Our plan for patients’, which will help empower and inform people to live healthier lives, while boosting the NHS’ performance and productivity.

    It sets out a range of commitments for our health service, ensuring we create smoother pathways for patients in all parts of health and care.

    Alongside the government’s plan to ensure patients get the best possible care, the Health and Social Care Secretary called for a ‘national endeavour’ to support the NHS. This includes encouraging more volunteering across the health service, as well as exploring strengthening how we use volunteers, such as supporting NHS ambulances in the areas of greatest need.

    Local health and care partners will be able to decide how best to use the social care funding to improve hospital discharge, and to retain and recruit social care staff.

    Funding of £15 million this year will help increase international recruitment of care workers. The funding will enable local areas to support care providers with activities such as visa processing, accommodation and pastoral support for international recruits. This will complement a national domestic recruitment campaign, which will launch shortly.

    The Health and Social Care Secretary acknowledged the scale of the challenges facing the NHS in the wake of the pandemic and the plan for patients builds on the NHS Winter Plan, including the rollout of COVID boosters and flu jabs already underway to help protect the most vulnerable. The plan sets out actions to ensure the best possible care for patients under each of her A, B, C and D priority areas – ambulances, backlogs, care, and doctors and dentists.

    Prime Minister Liz Truss said:

    On the steps of Downing Street this month, I pledged that one of my earliest priorities as Prime Minister would be to put our health and care system on a firm footing.

    These measures are the first part of that plan and will help the country through the winter and beyond. Ultimately my mission in government is to grow our economy, because that is the best way to support the NHS and social care system and ensure patients are receiving the frontline services they deserve.

  • PRESS RELEASE : National Insurance increase reversed [September 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : National Insurance increase reversed [September 2022]

    The press release issued by HM Treasury on 22 September 2022.

    • April’s National Insurance increase to be reversed from November – delivering on key PM pledge to cut tax burden and promote economic growth
    • Health and Social Care Levy will be cancelled through Bill introduced today – Chancellor has confirmed funding for health and social care services will be protected and will remain at the same level as if the Levy were in place
    • Almost 28 million people will keep an extra £330 of their money on average next year, whilst 920,000 businesses are set to save almost £10,000 on average next year thanks to the change

    Delivering on the Prime Minister’s pledge to slash taxes to help drive growth, scrapping the rise will reduce tax for 920,000 businesses by nearly £10,000 on average next year as they will no longer pay a higher level of employer National Insurance and can now invest the money as they choose.

    The government will also cancel the planned Health and Social Care Levy – a separate tax which was coming into force in April 2023 to replace this year’s National Insurance rise. This will help almost 28 million people across the UK keep more of what they earn, worth an extra £330 on average in 2023-24, with an additional saving of around £135 on average this year.

    The Health and Social Care Levy (Repeal) Bill, legislating for the tax change, has been introduced into the House today. As part of the cancellation of the Levy, The Chancellor is also set to confirm that the increases to dividend tax rates will be scrapped from April 2023 in his Growth Plan tomorrow. The increased dividend tax was introduced in April 2022 to ensure those who gained income from dividends contributed the same amount to help fund health and social care.

    The Levy was expected to raise around £13 billion a year to fund health and social care. The Chancellor confirmed today that the funding for health and social care services will be maintained at the same level as if the Levy was in place, protecting the NHS through the winter and ensuring long-term investment in social care.

    Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng said:

    Taxing our way to prosperity has never worked. To raise living standards for all, we need to be unapologetic about growing our economy.

    Cutting tax is crucial to this – and whether businesses reinvest freed-up cash into new machinery, lower prices on shop floors or increased staff wages, the reversal of the Levy will help them grow, whilst also allowing the British public to keep more of what they earn.

    The previous government decided to raise National Insurance by 1.25 percentage points in April 2022 to fund health and social care. The rate was due to return to 2021-22 levels in April 2023, when a separate new 1.25% Health and Social Care Levy was due to take effect. Today’s legislation reverses the rise from earlier this year and cancels next year’s introduction of the Levy.

    This is part of the government’s pro-growth agenda, backing business to invest, innovate and create jobs and helping raise living standards for everyone across the UK.

    920,000 businesses will see a cut in National Insurance bills, with 20,000 taken out of paying National Insurance entirely due to the Employment Allowance, which rose in April 2022 from £4,000 to £5,000.

    In particular, many small and medium businesses (SMEs) – who employ over 13 million people in the UK – will see a cut to their National Insurance bills. Next year this will be worth £4,200 on average for small businesses and £21,700 for medium sized firms who pay National Insurance. In total 905,000 micro, small and medium businesses will benefit from 2023-24.

    National Insurance thresholds increased in July 2022 to lift 2.2 million of the poorest people in the UK out of paying the tax. The Chancellor has committed to retaining the level of these thresholds to support families. Taken together, the higher thresholds and the Levy reversal mean that almost 30 million people will be better off by an average of over £500 in 2023-24.

    With immediate action pledged by the Prime Minister to maximise the cash benefit for people and businesses this year, the government is implementing the changes as soon as possible. Most employees will receive a cut to their National Insurance directly via payroll in their November pay, with some receiving it in December or January, depending on the complexity of their employer’s payroll software.

    In addition, the Chancellor is expected to announce in his fiscal event tomorrow that the 1.25 percentage point increase to income tax on dividends announced alongside the Levy, and introduced in April 2022, will be reversed from April 2023. Those who pay tax on dividends will save an average of £345 next year. The reversal of the ‘dividend tax’ rise signals renewed support for entrepreneurs and investors as part of the government’s drive to grow the economy and improve the standard of life for families across the UK.

    Overall funding for health and social care services will be maintained at the same level as if the Levy were in place, and the government will be doing this without a tax increase. The additional funding used to replace the expected revenue from the Levy will come from general taxation. The Chancellor is committed to reducing debt-to-GDP ratio over the medium-term and boosting growth, which will help sustainably fund public services.

  • PRESS RELEASE : The Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill 2022 [September 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : The Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill 2022 [September 2022]

    The press release issued by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, on 22 September 2022.

    On the 31st January, to mark the two-year anniversary of getting Brexit done, the Government set out its plans to bring forward the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill.

    Retained EU Law is a category of domestic law created at the end of the transition period and consists of EU-derived legislation that was preserved in our domestic legal framework by the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.

    Retained EU Law was never intended to sit on the statute book indefinitely. The time is now right to end the special status of retained EU Law in the UK statute book on 31st December 2023. The Bill will abolish this special status and will enable the Government, via Parliament to amend more easily, repeal and replace retained EU Law. The Bill will also include a sunset date by which all remaining retained EU Law will either be repealed, or assimilated into UK domestic law. The sunset may be extended for specified pieces of retained EU Law until 2026.

    The retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill is part of the Government’s commitment to put the UK statute book on a more sustainable footing. By ending the special status of retained EU Law, we will reclaim the sovereignty of Parliament, and restore primacy to Acts of Parliament.

    Background

    The Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill is the culmination of a journey that began on 23rd June 2016 when more than 17 million citizens of the UK and Gibraltar voted for the UK to leave the European Union (EU).

    Our approach to making the UK ‘the best regulated economy in the world’ is set out in the Benefits of Brexit document published in January 2022. This approach is supplemented by the reviews into the substance and status of retained EU law which commenced in September 2021. The Bill will provide the means for Government, via Parliament to update legislation in response to the outcome of the substance and status reviews.

    From these reviews, also came the retained EU law dashboard, which is a catalogue of over 2,400 pieces of retained EU law across 300 unique policy areas and 21 sectors of the economy. It was published on the 22nd of June, as part of the Prime Minister’s promise to empower the public to scrutinise EU-derived law that remains on the UK statute book. The dashboard enables the public to hold the government to account on retained EU law reform.

    Content of the Bill

    Now that the Government has mapped where EU-derived legislation sits on the UK statute book, we are bringing forward this Bill in order to fully realise the opportunities of Brexit, and to support the unique culture of innovation in the UK.

    To achieve this, the Bill will include the provisions outlined below.

    Sunsetting Retained EU Law

    The Bill will sunset the majority of retained EU law so that it expires on 31st December 2023. All retained EU law contained in domestic secondary legislation and retained direct EU legislation will expire on this date, unless otherwise preserved. Any retained EU law that remains in force after the sunset date will be assimilated in the domestic statute book, by the removal of the special EU law features previously attached to it. This means that the principle of the supremacy of EU law, general principles of EU law, and directly effective EU rights will also end on 31st December 2023. There is no place for EU law concepts in our statute book.

    Before that date, Government departments and the devolved administrations will determine which retained EU law can expire, and which needs to be preserved and incorporated into domestic law. They will also decide if retained EU law needs to be codified as it is preserved, in order to preserve policy effects the Government intends to keep.

    The Bill includes an extension mechanism for the sunset of specified pieces of retained EU law until 2026. Should it be required, this will allow departments additional time where necessary to assess whether some retained EU law should be preserved.

    Ending of Supremacy of retained EU law from UK law by 2023

    Currently, retained direct EU legislation takes priority over domestic UK legislation passed prior to the end of the Transition Period when they are incompatible. The Bill will reverse this order of priority, to reinstate domestic law as the highest form of law on the UK statute book. Where it is necessary to preserve the current hierarchy between domestic and EU legislation in specific circumstances, the Bill provides a power to  amend the new order of priority to retain particular legislative effects

    Assimilated law

    Following the removal of the special features of EU law from retained EU law on 31st December 2023, any retained EU law that is preserved will become “assimilated law” to reflect that EU interpretive  features no longer apply.

    Facilitating Departures from Retained EU Case Law

    The Bill will provide domestic courts with greater discretion to depart from retained case law. It will also provide new court procedures for UK and Devolved Law Officers to refer or intervene in cases regarding retained case law.

    Modification of Retained EU Legislation

    The Bill will downgrade the status of retained direct EU legislation for the purposes of the amendment. The Bill will also modify powers in other statutes, to facilitate their use to amend retained direct EU legislation in the same way they can be used on domestic secondary legislation. This will enable retained direct EU legislation to be amended more easily, with an appropriate level of scrutiny.

    Powers relating to Retained EU Law

    The Bill will create powers to make secondary legislation so that retained EU law can be amended, repealed and replaced more easily. The Bill also takes powers to specify, after the sunset, the body of law that will continue to apply in place of retained EU law, and how it should be interpreted. Using these powers, the Government will ensure that only regulation that is fit for purpose, and suited for the UK will remain on the statute book.

    Business Impact Target

    Having left the EU, the UK has an opportunity to reform its regulatory regime. The UK government published its consultation response to the ‘Reforming the Better Regulation Framework’ and is in the process of implementing the wider reforms outlined.

    As part of these reforms, the Bill repeals the Business Impact Target (BIT). The replacement of the BIT, when combined with the other wider reforms, will ensure that regulation is fit for the UK economy, business and households, as well as the future.

    Other Government Priorities

    The Government will continue to deliver policies to stimulate business growth, innovation and job creation.

    This Bill will also not undermine any existing Government enquiries or commitments, for example regarding the Government’s response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy. The Government remains committed to learning the lessons from the tragedy and delivering on building safety.

    More generally, all required legislation relating to tax and retained EU law will be made via the Finance Bill (or subordinate tax legislation) which is usual and appropriate for tax provisions.The government will also introduce a bespoke legislative approach for retained EU law concerning VAT, excise, and customs duty in a future Finance Bill. This approach will revoke any remaining retained direct EU law that the government did not repeal in the Taxation (Cross-border) Trade Act 2018, and make clear that UK Acts of Parliament and subordinate legislation are supreme.

    For further information, documents related to the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill can be found on the Parliament website.