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Tag: 2022

  • Boris Johnson – 2022 Comments on Australian and UK Defence Partnership

    Boris Johnson – 2022 Comments on Australian and UK Defence Partnership

    The comments made by Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, on 31 August 2022. There is an associated press release.

    HMS Anson is the perfect example of where levelling up the UK and generating jobs, skills and growth across our country goes hand-in-glove with Global Britain.

    From the Pacific Ocean to the Baltic Sea, our submarine service is protecting the UK and our allies 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and the deployment of Australian submariners alongside our British crews epitomises the strength of the AUKUS partnership.

  • Ben Wallace – 2022 Comments on Australian and UK Defence Partnership

    Ben Wallace – 2022 Comments on Australian and UK Defence Partnership

    The comments made by Ben Wallace, the Secretary of State for Defence, on 31 August 2022. There is an associated press release.

    Today is a significant milestone in the UK and Australia’s preparation to confront growing threats to the liberal democratic order, especially in the Indo Pacific.

    Not only have we progressed our defence planning but Minister Marles participated in the commissioning of our latest attack submarine, on which will Royal Australian Navy submariners will be embarked as we develop our shared capabilities in the years ahead.

    Built in a UK shipyard, HMS Anson demonstrates the very best of British industry, sustaining our world-leading sub-surface capabilities and underlining the UK’s readiness to contribute them to shared security, especially with our closest allies Australia and the United States under the AUKUS initiative.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Australian submariners to join Royal Navy crews as UK and Australia deepen defence ties through AUKUS pact

    PRESS RELEASE : Australian submariners to join Royal Navy crews as UK and Australia deepen defence ties through AUKUS pact

    The press release issued by the Ministry of Defence on 31 August 2022.

    • Royal Australian Navy submariners will join UK crews to train on newly commissioned HMS Anson
    • Prime Minister and Defence Secretary host new Australian Deputy Prime Minister at Barrow to see commissioning
    • Australian visit strengthens international defence ties in light of trilateral AUKUS partnership, working with the US

    It came as he and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace emphasised the importance of the deep defence ties between the UK and Australia, following the development of the trilateral AUKUS partnership working with the United States, who were represented today by their Defence Attaché Captain Leland.

    Hosting Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles on his first official visit to the UK since the new Australian government came to power, the Prime Minister and Ministers attended the commissioning of the fifth of seven new Astute-Class Royal Navy submarines, HMS Anson.

    With naval capability at the centre of the two powers’ future defence relationship, the visit reinforced the priorities of the Integrated Review and significance of the AUKUS partnership – which links the UK, the United States and Australia in promoting stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

    The UK and US have already welcomed Royal Australian Navy personnel on its specialised nuclear training courses, and more will follow next year, before Australian submariners go to sea. The training and exchanges mark the beginning of a multigenerational naval partnership between the three AUKUS nations.

    The Australia Deputy Prime Minister – who is also Minister for Defence – visited Barrow having yesterday also seen the Type 26 frigate shipbuilding facility in Govan, accompanied by the First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Ben Key.

    Prime Minister Boris Johnson, said:

    HMS Anson is the perfect example of where levelling up the UK and generating jobs, skills and growth across our country goes hand-in-glove with Global Britain.

    From the Pacific Ocean to the Baltic Sea, our submarine service is protecting the UK and our allies 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and the deployment of Australian submariners alongside our British crews epitomises the strength of the AUKUS partnership.

    Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, said:

    Today is a significant milestone in the UK and Australia’s preparation to confront growing threats to the liberal democratic order, especially in the Indo Pacific.

    Not only have we progressed our defence planning but Minister Marles participated in the commissioning of our latest attack submarine, on which will Royal Australian Navy submariners will be embarked as we develop our shared capabilities in the years ahead.

    Built in a UK shipyard, HMS Anson demonstrates the very best of British industry, sustaining our world-leading sub-surface capabilities and underlining the UK’s readiness to contribute them to shared security, especially with our closest allies Australia and the United States under the AUKUS initiative.

    One of the most sophisticated underwater vessels ever built, HMS Anson represents £1.3 billion of UK investment. Capable of defending the UK’s interests at home and overseas, HMS Anson will be armed with up to 38 Spearfish Heavyweight Torpedoes, and Block V Tomahawk land attack missiles, able to tackle targets at a range of up to 1,000 miles.

    Building on commitments made in the Integrated Review, the completion of HMS Anson demonstrates the strength of British industry and its world-leading nuclear technology that will be leveraged to deliver the trilateral AUKUS defence and security partnership between the US, UK and Australia.

    First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Ben Key said:

    HMS Anson is the cutting edge in submarine design and construction, ensuring operational advantage in the underwater battlespace, the last great stealth domain.

    Given the world we live in, there is no more important tool in the United Kingdom’s arsenal: silent, unseen, and a key instrument of our global, modern, ready Royal Navy.

    In the last year 17,700 Defence jobs were supported through direct spending with UK industry in the North West. More than 11 years in the making and built in BAE Systems’ Barrow-in-Furness site, more than 10,000 coders, engineers, scientists, submariners and technicians across the UK were involved in HMS Anson’s construction. Powered by a Rolls-Royce nuclear reactor, the boat will be operational for 25 years without refuelling.

    At 97 metres long, HMS Anson stands at around the length of two Olympic swimming pools, with 240 kilometres of cabling – enough to stretch from Barrow-In-Furness to its new home in Faslane, Scotland.

    HMS Anson will remain in Barrow for the coming weeks while undergoing final checks and rigorous testing to the numerous complex systems that make up a nuclear-powered submarine, before sailing to HM Naval Base Clyde in Faslane to prepare for sea trials.

    BAE Systems Chief Executive Charles Woodburn said:

    The Astute class submarines are among the finest engineering accomplishments in the world. As the custodian of the UK’s submarine design and build capability, we’re incredibly proud of the role we play in the delivery of this strategic national endeavour.

    The UK has built and operated world-class nuclear-powered submarine capability for over 60 years.

    HMS Anson will join four other Astute Class submarines in service with the Royal Navy –HMS Astute, HMS Ambush, HMS Artful and HMS Audacious.

    Two further boats – Agamemnon and Agincourt – are in various stages of construction at BAE Systems’ Barrow-In-Furness site as part of £11.2 billion overall investment in the whole Astute-Class programme.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Amy Rees appointed to lead HMPPS

    PRESS RELEASE : Amy Rees appointed to lead HMPPS

    The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 31 August 2022.

    The Ministry of Justice has today (31 August 2022) announced the appointment of a new Chief Executive for Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS).

    Amy Rees – previously the Director General of Probation, Wales and Youth for HMPPS – will succeed Dr Jo Farrar who will focus on her wider role as Second Permanent Secretary at the MOJ, including digital transformation of justice services.

    Under the restructure, following an operating model review led by the MOJ Permanent Secretary Antonia Romeo, Phil Copple will become Director General of Operations for Prisons and Probation.

    Both roles will begin on 1 September 2022 and are part of a wider, ongoing agency transformation placing greater focus on the delivery of frontline services – keeping the public safe, delivering modern prisons that rehabilitate offenders and reducing reoffending.

    Having joined HMPPS in 2001, Amy worked in frontline positions at several prisons including HMP Lewes, High Down and Bristol before being appointed Governor at HMP Brixton in 2008.

    She has since acted as Executive Director for HMPPS in Wales and was the lead official with the Welsh Government on behalf of the MOJ.

    Amy also took on responsibility for the Youth Custody Service, including day-to-day operations and supporting its work to shape the future of children’s services in custody.

    Phil has been in the Prison service for over 30 years, joining in 1990 as a prison officer. He has governed in a number of prisons including HMP Deerbolt and HMP Frankland and led prisons and probation in the North East region, as NE Director of Offender Management.

    Phil took up post as Executive Director Prisons in 2017, before becoming Director General of Prisons in 2019.

     

  • David Heathcoat-Amory – 2002 Speech to the European Convention

    David Heathcoat-Amory – 2002 Speech to the European Convention

    The speech made by David Heathcoat-Amory to the European Convention on 22 March 2002.

    Our prime task is to create a Europe on the firm foundations of democratic involvement and consent. If we don’t get this right everything else will fail. To do this we must be honest with ourselves: the present EU is widely regarded as remote, unaccountable and wasteful. The gap between the political class in Europe and the public has never been wider. Our task this year is to close it. This will not be done by juggling with the existing EU institutions, each seeking more powers. That would intensify the problem, not solve it. Instead we must ask a very basic question: How do people feel themselves to be democratically represented? The answer is overwhelmingly at the level of the nation state. There is no European demos which compares with this. It follows that the only solution is to transfer back to national level a substantial number of powers exercised at EU level.

    Second, the acquis commounitaire must not be exempt from our scrutiny. It runs to 5,000 pages, the supreme expression of bureaucratic man. It is also an unfair burden on the applicant countries which struggle to implement and enforce it. The acquis must be radically pruned back. The EU must find a reverse gear to match its forward gears.

    Third, we must find new decision-making mechanisms for those matters which we agree should be decided supranationally. Again there is an inescapable role here for national parliaments. To do this we must be bold and creative. It is a strength of this Convention that we can step outside the confines of the traditional debate and look for new solutions.

    Does this mean a retreat for Europe? Possibly, for some vested interests and established conventions. But for Europe as a whole it would be an advance, and an advance on secure foundations.

  • Matthew Parris – 2022 Article on Liz Truss

    Matthew Parris – 2022 Article on Liz Truss

    A paragraph from the article in The Times by Matthew Parris, published on 19 August 2022.

    Liz Truss is a planet-sized mass of overconfidence and ambition teetering upon a pinhead of a political brain. It must all come crashing down. Her biggest job has been foreign secretary. Does she join her new best friend, Tom Tugendhat, in condemning the UN security council for its criticism of illegal Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory? Does she really want to “review” (as she’s suggested) Britain’s decision not to join the Americans in moving our embassy to Jerusalem? What did she mean by saying Britain’s civil service culture “strays into antisemitism”? These explosive hip shots are only indicative.

    And now that she moves her attention to domestic politics, does she really believe that “freedom” and deregulation will help red-wall England? Mansfield isn’t being held back by big government; it’s being held together by it. What are her instincts — not the corrections she’s been forced to row back to, but her personal instincts — on help for the poor, on Theresa May’s “good that government can do”? I think we know.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Covid Alert Level Reduced to Two

    PRESS RELEASE : Covid Alert Level Reduced to Two

    The press release issued by the Department of Health and Social Care, on 31 August 2022.

    Based on UKHSA advice, the UK Chief Medical Officers and NHS England National Medical Director have recommended to Ministers the COVID Alert Level moves from Level 3 to Level 2.

    Hospitals and the wider health systems remain extremely busy overall but the summer BA.4 and BA.5 wave is subsiding and direct COVID severe illness is now a much smaller proportion of this. Severe COVID cases, direct COVID healthcare pressures, direct COVID deaths and ONS community positivity estimates have decreased. COVID remains present in the community and we may see an increase in cases with BA 4.6 and BA.2.75 circulating but do not expect this to lead to an immediate increase in hospital pressures. This will continue to be kept under review. Further COVID surges are likely so please be prepared by getting a vaccination when it is offered.

    Chief Medical Officer for England, Professor Sir Chris Whitty
    Chief Medical Officer for Northern Ireland, Professor Sir Michael McBride
    Chief Medical Officer for Scotland, Professor Sir Gregor Smith
    Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Wales, Professor Chris Jones
    NHS England National Medical Director, Professor Sir Stephen Powis.

    Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay and ministers from the devolved administrations have accepted the advice.

    Background

    The Covid alert levels are as follows:

    level 1: COVID-19 is present in UK, but the number of cases and transmission is low
    level 2: COVID-19 is in general circulation but direct COVID-19 healthcare pressures and transmission are declining or stable
    level 3: a COVID-19 epidemic is in general circulation
    level 4: a COVID-19 epidemic is in general circulation; transmission is high and direct COVID-19 pressure on healthcare services is widespread and substantial or rising
    level 5: as level 4 and there is a material risk of healthcare services being directly overwhelmed by COVID-19

  • PRESS RELEASE : President of Ukraine met with the Director General of the IAEA

    PRESS RELEASE : President of Ukraine met with the Director General of the IAEA

    The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 30 August 2022.

    President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi who will lead the agency’s mission to the Zaporizhzhia NPP.

    The Head of State highly praised the arrival of the IAEA mission, as the situation around the nuclear power plant is escalating, and Russia, whose troops are illegally stationed at the nuclear power plant, is blackmailing the world with a new nuclear disaster.

    “There are risks of incidents at the plant, failure of nuclear reactors and the disconnection of Zaporizhzhia NPP units from our network. There are Russian weapons at the plant. That is why it is a global threat,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.

    The President of Ukraine noted that the state leadership would like the IAEA mission headed by Rafael Grossi to find an opportunity to prevent all these threats.

    “We trust your specialists,” he said.

    “Zaporizhzhia NPP is located on the territory of Ukraine. It is and will remain the property of our state. This should be an axiom for the IAEA mission,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized, adding that the plant should be returned under Ukrainian control.

    The Head of State emphasized the importance of immediate demilitarization of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

    “The nuclear power plant is not the place where weapons and explosives should be stored. Existing risks can be eliminated only by demilitarizing the plant,” the President noted.

    During the meeting, it was emphasized that Rafael Grossi is well aware of the situation around Zaporizhzhia NPP.

    The interlocutors were also unanimous about the importance of an urgent visit of the IAEA mission to the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, since any incidents at it will not just affect Ukraine, but have global consequences.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with US Senators Robert Portman and Amy Klobuchar

    PRESS RELEASE : Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with US Senators Robert Portman and Amy Klobuchar

    The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 30 August 2022.

    President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with US Senator, co-chair of the Ukrainian Support Group in the Senate Robert Portman and US Senator, member of the Ukrainian Support Group Amy Klobuchar.

    Greeting the guests who are once again visiting our country, the Ukrainian Head of State noted: “This is an important signal of support for Ukraine and its territorial integrity. I would like to express gratitude for the bipartisan and bicameral support in the US Congress. I would like to personally thank President Biden and his administration for their constant work.”

    Volodymyr Zelenskyy informed the Senators in detail about the situation at the front. In this regard, the President of Ukraine noted the importance of security assistance coming from the United States and the need for its continuation and increase. The President also emphasized that Ukraine provides reliable control over weapons and military equipment received from foreign partners.

    Noting the leadership positions of the US in the comprehensive support of Ukraine during the counteraction to the Russian armed aggression, Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized the importance of intensifying financial assistance to our state. The President expressed his belief that the United States of America will continue to support Ukraine as a leader among all states that provide assistance to our country.

    Separately, the President emphasized the need to strengthen the sanctions policy against Russia.

    “These are big joint efforts. They yield results. Although they have not yet fully worked. There is a lot of work ahead. I expect that the sanctions pressure will increase. One of the elements of such pressure should be the introduction of visa restrictions for the citizens of the Russian Federation. So that the Russians feel the consequences of their own support for aggression against Ukraine,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

    During the meeting, particular attention was paid to the situation at the Zaporizhzhia NPP. The President of Ukraine emphasized that Russia’s actions are a manifestation of nuclear terrorism and pose a global threat. First of all, it concerns the European continent.

    “The Zaporizhzhia NPP must be demilitarized and returned under the control of Ukraine,” the Head of State noted, adding that in this regard, high hopes are placed on the IAEA mission.

    During the meeting, the work carried out by our state was separately discussed, in particular in the format of the Group on International Security Guarantees for Ukraine, which is co-chaired by Head of the Office of the President Andriy Yermak and former Secretary General of NATO Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

    “Developing effective security guarantees is crucially important for our state today,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.

    The interlocutors also noted the importance of the recent visit to Washington by First Lady Olena Zelenska, which contributed to raising the awareness of American society and politicians about the consequences of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, as well as increasing support for our state.

    The President separately emphasized the importance and effectiveness of ongoing cooperation between Ukraine and the United States at the level of Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov and United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Head of the Office of the President Andriy Yermak and US National Security Advisor to the President Jacob Sullivan.

    At the end of the meeting, Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented the Order of Merit of the 1st degree to the Senators, with which they were awarded by the Decree of the Head of State of August 23, 2022 for significant personal merits in strengthening interstate cooperation, support of the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, significant contribution to the popularization of the Ukrainian state in the world.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Andriy Yermak emphasizes the importance of Ukraine’s fastest possible gaining of membership in the OECD Working Group, which will contribute to strengthening the trust of partners in the process of rebuilding our state

    PRESS RELEASE : Andriy Yermak emphasizes the importance of Ukraine’s fastest possible gaining of membership in the OECD Working Group, which will contribute to strengthening the trust of partners in the process of rebuilding our state

    The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 30 August 2022.

    The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development should become one of the key participants in the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine, and our country’s membership in the OECD Working Group on Bribery in International Business Transactions will play an important role in strengthening anti-corruption policy. This was said by Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak during an event dedicated to cooperation with the OECD.

    The event is held in the context of strengthening cooperation between Ukraine and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the desire of our country to become a member of the OECD. During the Ukraine Recovery Conference, which took place on July 4-5 in Lugano (Switzerland), the Prime Minister of Ukraine handed over to Secretary-General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Mathias Cormann our country’s application for membership in the OECD.

    A prerequisite for this is joining the Working Group on Bribery in International Business Transactions as a full member. The government of Ukraine submitted an application for joining this group on August 2 of this year.

    Andriy Yermak, who heads the group on approaching membership in the OECD Working Group on Bribery in International Business Transactions, emphasized that the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development is a unique intergovernmental center of knowledge and a powerful player on the international arena, whose opinions and conclusions are listened to by the European Union, the IMF, the World Bank, the EBRD, the USA and the G20.

    The Head of the President’s Office noted that the OECD is participating in the development of the Recovery Plan for Ukraine.

    “The experience and capabilities of the Organization are extremely valuable, even unique for post-war reconstruction. Therefore, the OECD should be one of the key international players during the reconstruction of Ukraine,” he said.

    According to Andriy Yermak, today Ukraine is fighting for its future, and therefore transparency in relations with other states, which is the basis of trust, is of particular importance.

    “We are doing everything to increase trust in Ukraine. Every Ukrainian is fighting on his own front: the Armed Forces, volunteers, doctors, rescuers, civil servants. The entire Ukrainian nation. But we understand that trust is a phenomenon that must be nurtured all the time. And we are working on it,” said the Head of the Office of the President.

    He emphasized that post-war Ukraine should become attractive for investments, and that is why our state institutions should inspire confidence among investors.

    “It is important for us not just to rebuild Ukraine. Our goal is to build a successful and comfortable country. With a dynamic and extensive economy according to the best world standards, with improved legislation,” he noted.

    According to Andriy Yermak, our state is working on strengthening anticorruption institutions, because the fight against corruption is one of the fundamental values for Ukraine.

    “That is why the status of a candidate, and then membership in the OECD Working Group on Bribery in International Business Transactions is extremely important for us,” he emphasized.

    OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann, for his part, noted that the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development stands with Ukraine and is determined to help together with international partners in the post-war reconstruction of our country.

    He emphasized that the OECD is ready to help Ukraine so that corruption risks do not stand in the way of the reconstruction process.

    The Secretary-General said that the OECD has been extremely active in cooperating with our country since 2014, in particular helping build institutions. And in the last report of the Organization, which came out in May, significant progress in Ukrainian anticorruption legislation was noted.

    Mathias Cormann emphasized the importance of efforts to increase transparency in the public sphere, in particular, in the issue of avoiding conflicts of interest and ensuring integrity. Also, according to him, it is extremely important to protect anticorruption bodies from attacks.

    The Secretary-General of the OECD noted that he was extremely pleased to receive Ukraine’s application for participation in the OECD Working Group, the process of joining which brings our country closer to the standards of the Organization and the UN Convention against Corruption.

    He emphasized that the submission of the application is a confirmation of the determination of the Ukrainian authorities to advocate anticorruption reforms and adhere to OECD standards.