Tag: 2023

PRESS RELEASE : Rishi Sunak call with President Macron of France [October 2023]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 29 October 2023.

The Prime Minister spoke to French President Macron today following the expansion of Israel’s military operation against Hamas.

The leaders stressed the importance of getting urgent humanitarian support into Gaza. They agreed to work together on efforts both to get crucial food, fuel, water and medicine to those who need it, and to get foreign nationals out.

They expressed their shared concern at the risk of escalation in the wider region, in particular in the West Bank. The Prime Minister and President Macron updated on the conversations they have had with leaders in the region to stress the importance of working to ensure regional stability.

The Prime Minister and President Macron agreed that it was important not to lose sight of the long-term future of the region and, in particular, the need for a two-state solution. They underscored that Hamas does not represent ordinary Palestinians and that their barbarism should not undermine the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people.

The leaders said they would stay in close contact with one another and with leaders in the region.

November 2, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Letter to police on AI enabled facial recognition searches [October 2023]

The press release issued by the Home Office on 29 October 2023.

The Policing Minister writes to police chiefs to set out the importance of harnessing innovative technologies to support police in preventing and solving crimes.

Dear Chief Constables and PCCs,

The government is committed to working with policing to deliver the tools and technology needed to catch criminals. As technology changes so does the nature of crime. Criminals will be sure to exploit advances, and so must we. I am determined that we invest in identifying, developing, and then deploying new and innovative technologies across a range of fields.

There are so many emerging technologies we can already embrace (for example, new AI tools that largely automate redaction, or that help control room triage) but I would like to specifically address Facial Recognition in this letter. Developing Facial Recognition as a crime fighting tool is a high priority and I have been working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) to ensure confidence, clarity, and consistency in its use so that we can bring more criminals to justice and keep people safe. The UK is leading the way with our approach which is open, transparent, and includes key safeguards.

Retrospective – or Passive – Facial Recognition (RFR) entails a crime scene image with a suspect’s face being retrieved from CCTV, mobile phone, dash cams or video doorbells and then checked against the police’s database of images. Every force uses RFR to some extent already, but its use is very variable between Forces and could be greatly increased. Algorithms have advanced hugely in recent months and even blurred, or partially obscured images can now be successfully matched against custody images, leading to arrests. Searching the whole Police National Database (PND) image set rather than just local force ones will maximise the chance of a match, and I encourage routine use of RFR across the entire range of crimes. There are many powerful examples of RFR helping investigators to identify people suspected of murder, sex offences, domestic burglary, assault, car theft and shoplifting, where identification might otherwise have been impossible or taken much longer.

I welcome the significant increase in the use of RFR since 2021 and expect all forces to use it to its full potential. Essex has been conducting the highest number of RFR searches per officer on the PND in recent months. With a concerted effort it should be possible to double the number of searches by May 2024, so they exceed 200,000 across England & Wales, and I am reviewing progress regularly with NPCC leads. There is no question that a combination of the proliferation of video footage available and recent improvements in the matching algorithm will enable many, many more offenders to be identified and prosecuted for the whole range of crimes.

I am also very supportive of the use of Live – or Active – Facial Recognition (LFR) to deter and detect crime in public settings that attract large crowds. LFR entails the rapid identification of people on a watchlist in high footfall locations using special purpose cameras. There is College of Policing Authorised Professional Practice in place and a sound legal basis for LFR. Recent testing by the National Physical Laboratory has provided the necessary assurance about accuracy and the absence of gender or racial bias in the algorithms and at the settings the Met and South Wales Police have been using, and the immediate deletion of non-matched biometric data addresses privacy concerns. Both forces have led the way with the use of LFR, but they have always taken care to communicate to the public both the benefits and the safeguards in place. As their records show, recent deployments have led to arrests that would otherwise have been impossible and there have been no false alerts. No number of officers could have picked those people out of the crowd. The technology is now very accurate, but investment in equitability testing and the fact that trained officers always carefully checked possible matches is crucial to maintaining public confidence. In the past few weeks, the Met recently used LFR at an Arsenal v Tottenham game where it led to the arrest of three people: one charged with being in breach of a football banning order, one wanted on recall to prison for sexual offences, and one who admitted using threatening and abusive words and being in breach of a court order. This technology has great potential to pick up wanted persons who would otherwise go undetected, and to protect public events from specific threats.

Looking further ahead, we have been working with industry to develop a capability roadmap for facial recognition. By the end of financial year 2025/26 government has committed £17.5m to enabling a resilient and highly accurate system that offers the potential for further innovation and seamless searching of all databases of images the police can access. Officer Initiated FR to check the identities of people of interest encountered on the streets in near real time will also be possible in the future, subject to proper governance and safeguards.

Further support is available from the National Facial Recognition Technology Board, and I look forward to working with you all to develop this and other important technologies. Please do get in touch if you would like to discuss this any further or if you have cases studies or best practice to share.

Yours Sincerely,

Rt Hon Chris Philp MP

Minister of State for Crime, Policing and Fire

November 2, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Police urged to double AI-enabled facial recognition searches [October 2023]

The press release issued by the Home Office on 29 October 2023.

Policing Minister challenges police to double retrospective facial recognition searches to track down known offenders by May 2024.

Police should double the number of searches they make using retrospective facial recognition technology to track down known offenders by May 2024, as the Policing Minister urges forces to increase their use of this artificial intelligence (AI) crime-fighting tool.

In a letter to police chiefs, Chris Philp has set out the importance of police harnessing the benefits of innovative technologies to support them in preventing and solving crimes, as well as to keep pace with the changing nature of criminal activity.

He notes that with a concerted effort from all forces in England and Wales, it will be possible to exceed 200,000 searches of still images against the Police National Database by early summer using facial recognition technology, which will help to catch perpetrators and keep our streets safe.

The minister also encourages the police to operate live facial recognition more widely. This state-of-the-art technology captures live footage of crowds and compares it with a watch list of suspects wanted by the police, who pose harm to others. When there is a match, an alert will go out to nearby police officers. Not only does this allow police to quickly identify suspects in a dense crowd, it can also have a strong deterrent effect.

AI technology, such as facial recognition, can help the police quickly and accurately identify those wanted for serious crimes, as well as missing people. It also frees up police time and resources, meaning more officers can be out on the beat, engaging with communities and carrying out complex investigations.

Police use a range of other AI programmes to support their role in keeping the public safe, including those which help speed up the investigation of digital evidence, redaction of evidence files and tools which undertake back-office tasks, freeing up officers’ time.

Crime and Policing Minister Chris Philp said:

AI technology is a powerful tool for good, with huge opportunities to advance policing and cut crime. We are committed to making sure police have the systems they need to solve and prevent crimes, bring offenders to justice, and protect the public.

Facial recognition, including live facial recognition, has a sound legal basis that has been confirmed by the courts and has already enabled a large number of serious criminals to be caught, including for murder and sexual offences.

This is not about acquiring new kit and deploying new tech for the sake of it; it is about staying one step ahead of criminals; delivering smarter, more effective policing and, ultimately, making our streets safer.”

We know these technologies work in catching criminals. Craig Walters was jailed for life in 2021 after attacking a woman he followed off a bus. He was arrested within 48 hours of the incident thanks to South Wales Police using CCTV footage to identify him. A murder suspect in Coventry was apprehended after images, taken by a member of the public in a nightclub where the incident occurred, were matched to a known individual.

It is also being used to tackle shoplifting, with the Retail Crime Action Plan setting out advice for retailers on how to provide the best possible evidence for police to pursue in any case, including CCTV footage of the whole incident and an image of the shoplifter.

Live facial recognition technology has also been used successfully, including at last month’s Arsenal v Tottenham north London Derby, where police caught three wanted suspects, including one for sexual offences. Another wanted sex offender was identified at the King’s Coronation and sent back to prison the same day.

To ensure transparency with the public, the police will put up notices in areas where they will be using live facial recognition. If the system does not make a match against a watch list, a person’s data is deleted immediately and automatically. Anyone caught with the help of facial recognition and then charged, would still face trial in the normal way.

The accuracy of facial recognition technology has developed rapidly. An independent study by the National Physical Laboratory of the algorithm the Met and South Wales Police use, found that the technology was 100% accurate when used on still images and only 1 in 6,000 false alerts when used on live images. The police have not had any false alerts this year over 25 deployments. The study also found no statistically significant differences in the performance based on gender or ethnicity at the settings the police use.

Facial recognition use is strictly governed by data protection, equality, and human rights laws, and can only be used for a policing purpose where it is necessary and proportionate. The College of Policing also sets clear guidance on when officers can use live facial recognition and requires that a person’s data is automatically deleted if the system does not match it to the watchlist of suspects.

The government has invested in and continues to build on a tool which uses AI to help officers to identify and grade child sexual abuse material more quickly. It highlights images of interest for officers to focus on to aid investigations, enabling them to more rapidly identify and safeguard children, as well as identify offenders. It also supports the improvement of police office welfare, as they reduce officers’ prolonged exposure to indecent images. This is in addition to other tools already in use, for example facial matching technology, and others in development which will use AI to safeguard children and identify perpetrators more quickly.

The government is also supporting industry innovation to tackle the threat from AI generated child sexual abuse images, recognising that criminals are also exploiting the technology. Last month, the UK and US issued a joint statement in which they committed to working together to explore the development of new solutions to fight the spread of AI-generated child sexual abuse imagery.

The Home Secretary is also convening an event on Monday which will bring together government, law enforcement and the tech industry to discuss how best to tackle child sexual abuse images which have been created using AI.

It comes as the government, whilst recognising the significant benefits of AI, is taking a leading role in ensuring we are researching and investing in appropriate safety measures. The UK is hosting the first ever major global AI Safety Summit next week at Bletchley Park, supported by the Frontier AI Taskforce which was created with £100m of initial funding to spearhead the country’s leadership in this area.

November 2, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : New £100 million fund to capitalise on AI’s game-changing potential in life sciences and healthcare [October 2023]

The press release issued by the Department of Health and Social Care on 29 October 2023.

A new mission announced by the Prime Minister will accelerate the use of AI in life sciences to tackle the biggest health challenges of our generation.

In a speech on Thursday, the Prime Minister announced that a £100 million in new government investment will be targeted towards areas where rapid deployment of AI has the greatest potential to create transformational breakthroughs in treatments for previously incurable diseases. The AI Life Sciences Accelerator Mission will capitalise on the UK’s unique strengths in secure health data and cutting-edge AI.

The Life Sciences Vision encompasses 8 critical healthcare missions that government, industry, the NHS, academia and medical research charities will work together on at speed to solve – from cancer treatment to tackling dementia.

The £100 million will help drive forward this work by exploring how AI could address these conditions, which have some of the highest mortality and morbidity.

For example, AI could further the development of novel precision treatments for dementia. This new government funding for AI will help us harness the UK’s world-class health data to quickly identify those at risk of dementia and related conditions, ensure that the right patients are taking part in the right trials at the right time to develop new treatments effectively, and give us better data on how well new therapies work. By using the power of AI to support the growing pipeline of new dementia therapies, we will ensure the best and most promising treatments are selected to go forwards, and that patients receive the right treatments that work best for them.

AI driven technologies are showing remarkable promise in being able to diagnose, and potentially treat, mental ill health. For example, leading companies are already using conversational AI that supports people with mental health challenges and guides them through proactive prevention routines, escalating cases to human therapists when needed – all of which reduces the strain on NHS waiting lists.

This funding will help us to invest in parts of the UK where the clinical needs are greatest to test and trial new technologies within the next 18 months. Over the next 5 years, we will transform mental health research through developing world-class data infrastructure to improve the lives of those living with mental health conditions.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

AI can help us solve some of the greatest social challenges of our time. AI could help find novel dementia treatments or develop vaccines for cancer.

That’s why today we’re investing a further £100 million to accelerate the use of AI on the most transformational breakthroughs in treatments for previously incurable diseases.

Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Michelle Donelan said:

This £100 million Mission will bring the UK’s unique strengths in secure health data and cutting-edge AI to bear on some of the most pressing health challenges facing the society.

Safe, responsible AI will change the game for what it’s possible to do in healthcare, closing the gap between the discovery and application of innovative new therapies, diagnostic tools, and ways of working that will give clinicians more time with their patients.

Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said:

Cutting-edge technology such as AI is the key to both improving patient care and supporting staff to do their jobs and we are seeing positive impacts across the NHS.

This new accelerator fund will help us build on our efforts to harness the latest technology to unlock progress and drive economic growth.

This is on top of the progress we have already made on AI deployment in the NHS, with AI tools now live in over 90% of stroke networks in England – halving the time for stroke victims to get the treatment in some cases, helping to cut waiting times.

Building on the success of partnerships already using AI in areas like identifying eye diseases, industry, academia and clinicians will be brought together to drive forward novel AI research into earlier diagnosis and faster drug discovery.

The government will invite proposals bringing together academia, industry and clinicians to develop innovative solutions.

This funding will target opportunities to deploy AI in clinical settings and improve health outcomes across a range of conditions. It will also look to fund novel AI research which has the potential to create general purpose applications across a range of health challenges – freeing up clinicians to spend more time with their patients.

This supports work the government is already doing across key disease areas. Using AI to tackle dementia, for example, builds on our commitment to double dementia research funding by 2024, reaching a total of £160 million a year. Our Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Mission is at the heart of this, enabling us to accelerate dementia research and give patients the access to the exciting new wave of medicines being developed.

November 2, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Condemning Hamas’ terrorism should not be controversial – UK at the UN General Assembly [October 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 27 October 2023.

UK statement following the UN General Assembly vote on the Jordanian draft resolution on the situation in Gaza, Friday 27 October 2023.

The UK abstained on the Jordanian-drafted resolution.

We welcome the draft’s call for all parties to respect International Humanitarian Law, including the protection of civilians, for the immediate release of hostages and for full and sustained humanitarian access.

These are UK priorities and we have been working tirelessly with partners to achieve these on the ground, including the UK Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary’s engagements with Egypt to open the Rafah crossing to get aid to the Palestinian people.

We are proud to have pledged an additional $37 million in UK aid to help civilians in Gaza since the beginning of the crisis. The UK Prime Minister has been clear that we recognise the need for humanitarian pauses to deliver this aid safely and in a sustained way.

We also welcome the draft’s emphasis on preventing regional escalation of the conflict. It is in no-one’s interest for this conflict to spread.

However, we are deeply disappointed with the draft’s omission of an unequivocal condemnation of Hamas’ terrorist attacks that killed over 1,400 people and took over 200 hostages last week. This should not be controversial.

That is why we voted in favour of the Canadian amendment which would have corrected this.

But we cannot vote for a resolution that is silent on the largest terror attack in Israel’s history.

Hamas has embedded itself in civilian populations, is still holding civilians hostage, and firing rockets at Israel while using Palestinians as human shields. It is clear that Israel is under attack by terrorists and is entitled under international law to defend itself. Any resolution on the situation in Gaza and Israel should be unequivocal on that too.

This is why we abstained on this resolution.

We will continue to work closely with Israel, Palestine, the UN and our partners in the region to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. To ensure that civilians are protected and have access to food, water, medicine, and shelter. And to work towards the peace and stability which can only be achieved by working towards a sustainable Two State Solution.

November 2, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Russia’s sourcing of weapons from sanctioned states poses a serious risk to international peace and security – UK statement at the UN Security Council [October 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 27 October 2023.

UK Political Coordinator Fergus Eckersley at the UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine.

Thank you, President.

Colleagues, Russia wishes to address weapons proliferation. In a happy coincidence, the UK would also like to address weapons proliferation. But that may be the only thing we agree on today.

Russia has spent the last two decades flouting its obligations in arms control and disarmament. Its systematic efforts to undermine this architecture has only accelerated since its invasion of Ukraine. Russia’s withdrawal from the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty is yet another step in this direction. Along with its announcement that it will withdraw ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.

This follows rejection of the Vienna Document modification, withdrawal from Open Skies, violation of the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty and suspension of its participation in New Start.

Let us turn to the situation in Ukraine. Russia’s sourcing of weapons from heavily sanctioned states such as North Korea and Iran violate UN Security Council resolutions, undermines Security Council credibility, and pose a serious risk to international peace and security.

The Russian delegation held up Western weapons fragments today as if that was a big reveal. It isn’t. We are open about the support we provide. Russia on the other hand, still deny that they receive weapons from Iran and North Korea because they know that it is illegal.

Russia has destroyed schools, hospitals, grain silos and energy facilities. It has deployed hypersonic missiles, one-way attack drones and a cruise missile with a range of over 2,000km. Its use of conventional anti-personnel mines and improvised booby traps, including in children’s toys.

The UK and others’ provision of weapons to Ukraine is in support of Ukraine’s defence of its sovereign territory against Russia’s illegal invasion.

The weapons the international community are providing to Ukraine are not what is prolonging this war.

The only obstacle to peace here is Russia.

Thank you.

November 2, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Hope and humanity must win out against the scourge of aggression and terrorism – Lord Ahmad statement at the UN General Assembly [October 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 27 October 2023.

Statement by Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon at the UN General Assembly tenth emergency special session on Gaza.

Thank you, Mr President.

May I begin by expressing our deep appreciation, our deep appreciation for this institution, the United Nations, and indeed all of our humanitarian partners for their incredible efforts, life-saving efforts, in what are the most challenging of circumstances.

And at this point, I also want to share our sincerest of condolences for the 30 UNRWA staff and the 16 medical staff who have lost their lives since the 7th of October. Equally, we record our sincere condolences to the victims and the families of the horrendous Hamas’ terrorist attacks on the 7th of October on Israel. And equally, we extend our condolences to the families of the innocent Palestinians who have been killed in this tragic conflict. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un. To God we belong to God. We return. Your Excellencies, Mr. President, every life, every life that is lost is a tragedy, not just for a family in Israel or Gaza or the West Bank, but it is a loss for all of humanity, an Israeli life or a Palestinian life, irrespective of being Jewish, Christian or Muslim. Every life matters. Every life lost is a tragedy. Therefore, as we recall the tragic consequences of what we are witnessing, we call on all parties to respect international humanitarian law. Yes, this means the unconditional release of the hostages and taking every possible step to avoid the harming of civilians and importantly, enabling unhindered humanitarian access.

We all know it has been said from this podium countless times during this debate that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is growing. On our part, the United Kingdom has provided an additional $37 million to help provide water, to help provide food and medicine and fuel in Gaza. And in this regard, may we put on record our thanks to the tireless work of the Secretary-General and the United Nations to ensure this lifesaving aid reaches those most in need. Whilst we welcome the important first step of 54 trucks passing through Rafah Border Crossing, we urge the scaling up of this assistance, including to enable fuel for civilian use to pass into Gaza, vital to keep hospitals and the humanitarian response running. And these humanitarian pauses are an important part of ensuring that this can happen. Turning to the attacks on Israel on the 7th of October, my Prime Minister has been clear: the United Kingdom stands with Israel in the face of Hamas’ terrorist attacks. We will always support an ally against a terrorist attack and its right to self-defence. But this must be, I assure you, Mr President, and we make that case, it must be within international humanitarian law. And if I may just put also from a personal perspective as a muslim: terrorism is evil.Every terror act is against humanity, and we should condemn it unequivocally.

So, Mr President, the draft resolution in front of us could have been clearer on this very point. It should also, in our view, unequivocally condemn these terror attacks, Hamas’ terror attacks that killed over 1400 people. And as we know at this very time, hold over 200 hostages. However, we have equally been clear that all possible precautions and steps are taken to minimise harm to civilians in this conflict and indeed, for any movement of civilians to be both voluntary and safe.

Mr President. We stand at a crucial juncture. Yet in this moment of darkness. Let us come together, this United Nations, that we come together and not lose sight of the promise that this United Nations holds true of a two-state solution: a secure, safe Israel side by side with a viable Palestinian state. And I assure you of this, that we, the United Kingdom, will continue to work closely with all partners in the region and beyond in these efforts, because peace must prevail, and to prevent the situation from spreading and causing wider insecurity and instability.

It was my Prime Minister who said hope and humanity must win against the scourge of aggression and terrorism. Love over hate. Light over darkness. Peace. Shalom. Salam.

Thank you.

November 2, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Japan opens doors to British cooked poultry meat [October 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 27 October 2023.

British cooked poultry meat will soon reach Japanese tables thanks to a new market access deal that will benefit UK farmers, meat processers and exporters. The industry estimates that this market could be worth over £10 million in the next 5 years.

UK poultry meat has been exported to Japan since a market access deal for fresh and cooked poultry was secured in 2021, but Avian Influenza outbreaks in the UK have led to restrictions on the trade.

The new agreement enables smoother trade of cooked poultry meat, meaning that additional high value exports to Japan can be made. Moy Park, one of the UK’s largest poultry meat producers, is the first to be officially registered to export cooked poultry to Japan under this agreement from one of its facilities in Grantham, Lincolnshire.

Japan is renowned internationally for its stringent food safety and import control regime, as well as for its taste for high-quality, varied cuts of meats. The opening of this market for UK cooked poultry products demonstrates Japan’s confidence in the high standards of UK poultry production methods.

Negotiations were led by Defra and their Agriculture Attaché and colleagues based at the British Embassy in Tokyo, with support from the British Poultry Council (BPC), South Kesteven District Council and the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

Food and Farming Minister Mark Spencer said:

British poultry is rightly celebrated as some of the best in the world and I’m delighted that new high value products can now be enjoyed in Japan.

I’d like to pay tribute to our Agri-food Attaché network who work hard to secure trade opportunities like this and fly the flag for UK farmers.

Dr Jorge Martin-Almagro, UK Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer, said:

This market access agreement is one more positive step forward for the UK poultry industry and is testament to the quality of their meat.

In the face of ongoing challenges posed by Avian Influenza, it is a real achievement to have secured a deal which allows the exports of these valuable UK poultry products.

Minister for International Trade Nigel Huddleston said:

This is a significant win for British poultry farmers and producers who can now export their top-notch produce to this vast and lucrative market.

Unlocking trade barriers around the world increases opportunities for British businesses and is key for growing exports, driving economic growth and creating new jobs as we look to hit £1 trillion of exports every year by 2030.

British Poultry Council Chief Executive, Richard Griffiths said:

We welcome the good news of market access for cooked poultry meat exports to Japan. Industry has worked closely with Government over the years to open doors for businesses producing world class standards of safe, affordable, nutritious food and high value poultry breeding stock.

Following today’s announcement, we thank the Defra market access team and all Government officials involved for securing exciting opportunities for BPC members, putting food on every table round the world despite the big challenges at hand, including successful negotiations of regionalisation for highly pathogenic avian influenza. We look forward to continuing our work building, maintaining and enhancing crucial markets and relationships – both existing and new.

Ayeisha Kirkham, Head of Service (Public Protection) at South Kesteven District Council said:

The district council has overseen food hygiene regulation at Moy Park in Grantham, one of Lincolnshire’s largest employers, for several decades. It has been a pleasure working with the company and other agencies to help them satisfy the high expectations of the Japanese officials who visited the site in March.

Supporting economic growth and local businesses is a priority for the council, including global food export at a time when import and export has presented national challenges.

Beatriz Curran, International Business Development Manager at Moy Park said:

We are incredibly proud to be the first UK business set to benefit from this fantastic export opportunity. As a company, we are wholly focused on the highest standards of food safety, integrity and animal welfare and so we are thankful to collaborate with industry and partners to successfully reach this new market.

With the momentum from this progress, we are confident that we can grow this export opportunity even further across our facilities given the technical excellence, focus and energy of our talented team and partners.

Japan is also a valuable market for high quality UK breeding poultry, with a further market access agreement secured in recent weeks. The agreement ensures that any future avian influenza outbreaks only lead to temporary restrictions on exports from affected regions, rather than a countrywide ban. The UK are world leaders in the supply of poultry genetics, and this deal will allow Japanese poultry companies to continue access to UK high-grade stock.

November 2, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : UK drives new international rules to claw back ill-gotten gains [October 2023]
The press release issued by HM Treasury on 27 October 2023.

The landmark change will mean more criminal proceeds are recovered.
- New standards for confiscating proceeds of crime confirmed today to ensure crime does not pay.
- Landmark change requires countries to have non-conviction confiscation powers already in use in the UK.
- More criminal proceeds to be recovered as implementation of higher minimum standards enable improved cross border cooperation.
International action on confiscating the proceeds of crime is to be toughened after a global standard setter today, 27 October, unveiled new rules that represent a major step forward in the fight against economic crime.

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) as the global Anti-Money Laundering standard setter has announced it is adopting a new set of strengthened standards for seizure and confiscation, as a two-year project co-led by the UK reached its conclusion.

Law enforcement needs a suite of tools to disrupt and disincentivise criminals and strip them of their ill-gotten gains. Over 200 countries worldwide are signed up to the new wide-ranging standards, which for the first time include requirements for non-conviction based confiscation – a useful alternative or supplement to criminal proceedings and an already well used route in the UK to disrupt crime.

The UK’s domestic confiscation powers have been expanded in recent years, leading to the record recovery of almost £340m in 2022 to 2023 – a 75% increase compared to £194m in 2017 to 2018. Of this, £160.1 million was recovered using the UK’s non-conviction based powers.

Treasury Lords Minister Baroness Penn said:

“These new requirements for countries around the world make a difference here at home too – helping disrupt economic crime even when it crosses borders.

“Britain has been consistently driving higher standards in recovering proceeds of crime at the international table and the news today is both long overdue and hugely welcome.”

Security Minister Tom Tugendhat said:

”Criminals shouldn’t be allowed to enjoy their ill-gotten gains. Stripping them of their profits sends a clear signal that we will not tolerate their actions.

“The new standards set by the Financial Action Task Force are an important step in the right direction and send a powerful message.

“We will continue working with the global community to proactively target criminals, take their dirty money and use it for the public good.”

Further information
- The full text of the changes is to be published by the Financial Action Task Force in the coming months. The FATF was set up by the G7 in 1989 to tackle dirty money from drug trafficking. Its mandate has since expanded to look at illicit financial flows across different crime types.
- The Government’s second Economic Crime Plan committed to “Strengthen[ing] international asset recovery standards to improve cross-border asset recovery outcomes”. The updated standards deliver on this commitment.
- Under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA) £339.1 million of assets were recovered from Confiscation, Forfeiture, and Civil Recovery Orders in the financial year 2022 to 2023. This represents another high year of asset recovery and is a 75% increase compared to £193.8 million in 2017 to 2018.
- Of this, £160.1 million was recovered using the UK’s non-conviction based powers – £97.2 million was recovered through Forfeiture Order receipts; and £62.9 million was recovered through Civil Recovery Order Receipts, the highest value ever recorded, driven by a £53.9m order obtained by the National Crime Agency (NCA).
November 2, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Support for Online Safety Act as rules making UK the safest place in the world to be online become law [October 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 27 October 2023.

Raft of voices below have thrown their support behind Act protecting children from online harm, while empowering adults with more choices over what they see online.

Overwhelming support for Online Safety Act as rules making UK the safest place in the world to be online become law

The Online Safety Bill yesterday (Thursday 26 October) received Royal Assent, heralding a new era of internet safety and choice by placing world-first legal duties on social media platforms.

The new laws take a zero-tolerance approach to protecting children from online harm, while empowering adults with more choices over what they see online. This follows rigorous scrutiny and extensive debate in Parliament.

A raft of voices below have thrown their support behind the Act, ranging from groups representing children’s voices, women’s rights and consumer rights.

Andrea Simon, Director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition said:

Along with survivors, other experts and over 100,000 members of the public, we called for the Online Safety Bill to tackle and prevent violence against women and girls. We welcome this landmark new guidance for tech companies to reduce harm to women and girls online, which is a step in the right direction for tackling this abuse. But we also know that implementation and enforcement is key if we are to address the rapid spread of misogyny and online abuse, and we will work with government and Ofcom to ensure it is as robust as possible and well enforced.

Lynn Perry MBE, Chief Executive of Barnardo’s, said:

We’re delighted that the Online Safety Bill has received royal assent and will now become law. This is an important first step towards making the UK the safest place for a child to be online.

Through our frontline work across the UK, we support children whose mental health and understanding of healthy relationships are damaged by what they see online. We welcome how this bill places a duty on pornography sites to verify that users are over 18 which will help to stop children from viewing this type of harmful content.

There is much more work to be done here and we will continue to work with the government on implementing this legislation, the forthcoming review into pornography and ensuring we keep ahead of emerging online threats, such as AI, to protect our children.

William Perrin, a trustee at Carnegie UK, said:

The new Online Safety Act will bring social media companies in line with other industries by introducing a regulatory regime designed to reduce harm, particularly to children and other vulnerable groups.

An exceptionally broad coalition of more than 50 charity and civil society organisations have played a vital role in making these new laws a reality. The number of bodies making the case for these changes shows that our previous approach to social media regulation hasn’t been working and put too many people in harm’s way.

While the implementation of this new regulation will clearly be key to its success, UK lawmakers deserve credit for taking action to protect our collective wellbeing.

Imran Ahmed, CEO and founder of the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), said:

The Center for Countering Digital Hate welcomes the Online Safety Act – a momentous step towards a safer digital world.

The Online Safety Act ensures social media platforms are held responsible for the content they host, requiring platforms to remove illegal content, protect child users and empower adults with choice over the content they see. It is now up to the regulator Ofcom to enact a robust regime of oversight and enforcement alongside which CCDH will continue to advocate for an online world free from hate and disinformation.

Baroness Kidron, Chair of 5Rights Foundation:

I am delighted that the Online Safety Bill is now law. I congratulate the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology and pay tribute to the many organisations and individuals that have played a part, in particular the broad coalition of children’s charities and the Bereaved Families for Online Safety. The wisdom and advocacy of these groups has made for a much better law.

The mantel of responsibility for child online safety now falls firmly on the shoulders of the tech sector who under the watchful gaze Ofcom must use the Act to make meaningful changes to children’s online experiences.

This is just one small step toward building the digital world children deserve.

Rocio Concha, Which? Director of Policy and Advocacy, said:

Which? led the campaign for consumers to have stronger protections against scam adverts on social media platforms and search engines that can have devastating financial and emotional consequences for victims. These new Online Safety laws are a major step forward in the fight back against fraud by forcing tech firms to step up and take more responsibility for stopping people being targeted by fraudulent online adverts.

Ofcom must now develop codes of practice that will hold platforms to a high standard and be prepared to take strong enforcement action, including fines, against firms if they break the law.

Marc Allera, CEO BT’s Consumer brands, said:

We welcome this new legislation and hope it marks a turning point in improving safety and raising standards of behaviour online. From 5G misinformation to the way social media can perpetuate violence against women and girls, online harms have real world consequences. It’s great to see the UK leading on this and we hope others will follow.

Oliver Chantler, Head of Policy & Public Affairs at The Mental Health Foundation, said:

The Online Safety Act is hugely welcome and will help protect people’s mental health across the UK.

The online world can be a great source of support and help to people who are struggling, but as the government has recognised, it can also expose users to material which can be incredibly harmful to their mental health, including promoting eating disorders and self-harm.

This new legislation takes a proportionate approach, by giving people the tools to stay safe online and control their experience, and clamping down on the most dangerous content that is a risk to public health.

Kick It Out chair Sanjay Bhandari, speaking on behalf of English football organisations, said:

Online abuse in football has risen significantly in recent years, but new laws passed by the government should offer some hope to all those who participate in football. Change will take time, but it’s a big step in the right direction to make everyone in football feel safer online.

Ellen Miller, Interim CEO of Refuge, said:

After 2 years of tireless campaigning, Refuge is pleased to see that the Online Safety Bill has been granted Royal Assent.

We are glad that the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology, have listened to us and other organisations in the Violence Against Women and Girls sector and that the Bill now contains specific protections for women and girls.

We are pleased to see coercive and controlling behaviour recognised as a priority offence in the Act This means social media platforms are required to respond to these abusive behaviours and take steps towards preventing them from being able to happen in the first place.

After campaigning alongside other organisations to get a ‘Violence Against Women and Girls Code of Practice’ in the Bill, including in our report “Marked as Unsafe”, Refuge welcomed the amendment requiring legislators Ofcom to publish guidance for social media platforms to make online spaces safer for women and girls. These guidelines will make it so that social media companies must make the safety of women and girls on their platforms a higher priority.

It is our hope that the protections included in the Act, will allow women and girls to exist online safely, without abuse.

November 2, 2023