Tag: 2024

PRESS RELEASE : £1.8 billion benefits through public sector productivity drive [March 2024]
The press release issued by HM Treasury on 2 March 2024.

New plans for public sector productivity will deliver up to £1.8 billion worth of benefits by 2029.
- New plans for public sector productivity will deliver up to £1.8 billion worth of benefits by 2029.
- Marks first step in plan to boost productivity. OBR say a return to pre pandemic levels would save the equivalent of £20bn.
- Plan will free up thousands of police officer hours spent on admin, to instead help tackle crime, and expand the violence reduction unit model, stopping tens of thousands of violent offences
The Chancellor has today outlined plans to deliver up to £1.8 billion worth of benefits by 2029 by improving public sector productivity, including releasing police time for more frontline work.

The Chancellor is promoting public sector productivity as an alternative to accepting an ever-increasing bill for public services as the government sticks to its plan to move on from the high spending and high tax approach that was necessary to get the UK through the shocks of Covid and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. A new focus is needed on the long-term decisions required to strengthen the economy and give people the opportunity to build a wealthier, more secure life for themselves and their family.

Covering frontline services, the plan is designed to help public servants get back to doing what is most important: teaching our children, keeping us safe and treating us when we’re sick.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt said:

We shouldn’t fall into the trap of thinking more spending buys us better public services. There is too much waste in the system and we want public servants to get back to doing what matters most: teaching our children, keeping us safe and treating us when we’re sick.

That’s why our plan is about reaping the rewards of productivity, from faster access to MRIs for patients to hundreds of thousands of police hours freed up to attend burglaries or incidents of domestic abuse.

According to the Office for Budget Responsibility, returning to levels of productivity pre-pandemic could save £20 billion a year. This will help manage the size of the state in the long term, whilst maintaining public service quality and delivering savings for taxpayers.

Today’s announcement marks the first step towards delivering these savings. Over 130,000 patients a year, including those waiting for cancer results, will receive their test results sooner as a result of over one hundred MRI scanners in England being upgraded with Artificial Intelligence designed to recognise patterns in scans through machine learning which will cut scan times by over a third.

The government also plans to repeat the success of Violence Reduction Units which together with the Grip hot spot policing programme are estimated to have prevented 3,220 hospital admissions from violent injury and stopped 136,000 violent offences since 2019. We are committing £75 million over 3-years to expand the Violence Reduction Unit model across England and Wales, supporting a prevention first approach to serious violence.

Plans are also underway to deliver on the Police Productivity Review which found that up to 38 million hours of officer time could be saved every year. If just a fraction of this time, 500,000 officer hours, was saved then police officers in England could attend an additional 250,000 incidents of domestic abuse or over 300,000 burglaries.

To help get these police officers back to these frontline tasks, over £230 million will fund the rollout of time-saving technology including funding automated redaction of personal information such as name badges in shoplifting incidents, irrelevant faces from body worn cameras and number plates from video evidence.

Interviewing witnesses and victims via video call to improve speed of service; piloting the use of drones as first responders in some police incidents like traffic accidents, to feed information back to first responders on the seriousness of the incident and the resource required; and using AI to triage 101 calls to get members of the public the right support faster.

Today’s plan represents a total £800 million investment by 2029 to deliver £1.8 billion worth of productivity benefits.

This includes:
- Saving up to 55,000 hours a year of administrative time in the justice system through digitising jury bundles, new software to streamline probation decisions and provide probation officers with more robust data on whether offenders are safe to release. £170 million will be invested into the justice system to support this.
- Reducing Local Authority overspends on children’s social care places across England by making 200 additional child social care places available and reducing local government reliance on costly emergency places for children. £165m of funding will be used to create the additional places to help tackle last year’s overspend of £670 million.
- Saving £100m for the public purse by reducing fraud thanks to expanding the use of AI across government to make it easier to spot and catch fraudsters, funded by £34m.
- Accelerating delivery of DWP’s existing programme to modernise DWP services and move away from paper-based communications. This will be funded through a £17m commitment.
- Cutting the time it takes for planning officers to process applications by 30% through a new AI pilot.
- Ensuring more children with additional needs get the support they need to thrive through a £105m to fund an additional wave of 15 special free schools.
Further information:
- In the OBR’s November 2023 Economic and Fiscal Outlook they said: ‘Raising public sector productivity by 5 per cent would be the equivalent of around £20 billion extra in funding.’
- VRU’s enable local public services such as health boards, schools and police leaders to coordinate their joint strategy to tackle serious violence among young people.
- Allocations for 20 VRUs in 2023/24 can be found here: Serious violence: funding allocations – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- The most recent evaluation of VRUs can be found here: Violence Reduction Units 2022 to 2023 – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- We saw productivity growth of 9.1% in 2021, and 2.9% in 2022. We expect to see the public sector return, and then exceed, levels of productivity pre pandemic. This would save £20 billion, helping us manage the size of the state in the long term, whilst maintaining public service quality.
- The government will provide £45 million match funding to local authorities to build an additional 200 open children’s home placements, and invest £120 million to fund the maintenance of the existing secure children’s home estate and rebuild Atkinson Secure Children’s Home and Swanwick Secure Children’s Home.
March 20, 2024
Rishi Sunak – 2024 Speech on Extremism

The speech made by Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, outside Number 10 on 1 March 2024.

In recent weeks and months, we have seen a shocking increase in extremist disruption and criminality.

What started as protests on our streets, has descended into intimidation, threats, and planned acts of violence.

Jewish children fearful to wear their school uniform lest it reveal their identity.

Muslim women abused in the street for the actions of a terrorist group they have no connection with.

Now our democracy itself is a target.

Council meetings and local events have been stormed.

MPs do not feel safe in their homes.

Long standing Parliamentary conventions have been upended because of safety concerns.

I need to speak to you all this evening because this situation has gone on long enough…

…and demands a response not just from government, but from all of us.

Britain is a patriotic, liberal, democratic society with a proud past and a bright future.

We are a reasonable country and a decent people.

Our story is one of progress, of great achievements and enduring values.

Immigrants who have come here have integrated and contributed.

They have helped write the latest chapter in our island story.

They have done this without being required to give up their identity.

You can be a practising Hindu and a proud Briton as I am.

Or a devout Muslim and a patriotic citizen as so many are.

Or a committed Jewish person and the heart of your local community…

…and all underpinned by the tolerance of our established, Christian church.

We are a country where we love our neighbours.

And we are building Britain together.

But I fear that our great achievement…

…in building the world’s most successful multi-ethnic, multi faith democracy…

…is being deliberately undermined.

There are forces here at home trying to tear us apart.

Since October 7th there have been those trying to take advantage of the very human angst that we all feel…

…about the terrible suffering that war brings to the innocent, to women and children…

…to advance a divisive, hateful ideological agenda.

On too many occasions recently, our streets have been hijacked by small groups…

…who are hostile to our values and have no respect for our democratic traditions.

Membership of our society is contingent on some simple things…

…that you abide by the rule of law, and that change can only come through the peaceful, democratic process.

Threats of violence and intimidation are alien to our way of doing things: they must be resisted at all times.

Nearly everyone in Britain supports these basic values but there are small and vocal hostile groups who do not.

Islamist extremists and the far right feed off and embolden each other.

They are equally desperate to pretend that their violence is somehow justified…

…when actually these groups are two sides of the same extremist coin.

Neither group accept that change in our country can only come through the peaceful democratic process.

Both loathe the pluralist, modern country we are.

Both want to set Briton against Briton…

…to weaponise the evils of anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim hatred for their own ends.

The faith of Islam, peacefully practised by millions of our fellow citizens…

…is emphatically not the same thing as the extremist political ideology of Islamism…

…which aims to separate Muslims from the rest of society.

Islamist extremists and far rights groups are spreading a poison, that poison is extremism.

It aims to drain us of our confidence in ourselves as a people, and in our shared future.

They want us to doubt ourselves, to doubt each other, to doubt our country’s history and achievements.

They want us to accept a moral equivalence between Britain and some of the most despicable regimes in the world.

They want us to believe that our country, and the West more generally, is solely responsible for the world’s ills…

…and that we, along with our allies, are the problem.

In short, they want to destroy our confidence and hope.

We must not allow that to happen.

When these groups claim that Britain is and has been on the wrong side of history, we should reject it, and reject it again.

No country is perfect, but I am enormously proud of the good that our country has done.

Our place in history is defined by the sacrifices our people have made,

…in the service of our own freedom and that of others.

And when these groups tell children that they cannot – and will not – succeed because of who they are…

When they tell children that the system is rigged against them or that Britain is a racist country…

This is not only a lie, but a cynical attempt to crush young dreams, and turn impressionistic minds against their own society.

I stand here as our country’s first non-white Prime Minister, leading the most diverse government in our country’s history…

…to tell people of all races, all faiths and all backgrounds…

…it is not the colour of your skin, the God you believe in or where you were born, that will determine your success…

…but just your own hard work and endeavour.

We must be prepared to stand up for our shared values in all circumstances, no matter how difficult.

And I respect that the police have a tough job in policing the protests we have seen and that they are operationally independent.

But we must draw a line.

Yes, you can march and protest with passion…

You can demand the protection of civilian life…

…but no, you cannot call for violent Jihad.

There is no “context” in which it can be acceptable to beam antisemitic tropes onto Big Ben in the middle of a vote on Israel/Gaza.

And there can be no cause you can use to justify the support of a proscribed terrorist group, like Hamas.

Yes, you can freely criticise the actions of this government, or indeed any government: that is a fundamental democratic right.

But no, you cannot use that as an excuse to call for the eradication of a State – or any kind of hatred or antisemitism.

This week I have met with senior police officers and made clear it is the public’s expectation…

…that they will not merely manage these protests, but police them.

And I say this to the police, we will back you when you take action.

But if we are asking more of the police, we in government must also back up that call with action.

To that end, this month the government will implement a new robust framework for how it deals with this issue.

To ensure that we are dealing with the root causes of this problem…

…and that no extremist organisations or individuals are being lent legitimacy…

…by their actions and interactions with central government.

You cannot be part of our civic life if your agenda is to tear it down.

We will redouble our support for the Prevent programme to stop young minds being poisoned by extremism.

We will demand that universities stop extremist activity on campus.

We will also act to prevent people entering this country whose aim is to undermine its values.

The Home Secretary has instructed that if those here on visas…

…choose to spew hate on protests or seek to intimidate people…

…we will remove their right to be here.

And our Britain must not be a country in which we descend into polarised camps…

…with some communities living parallel lives.

It is not enough to live side-by-side, we must live together…

…united by shared values and a shared commitment to this country.

And I want to speak directly to those who choose to continue to protest:

Don’t let the extremists hijack your marches.

You have a chance in the coming weeks to show that you can protest decently, peacefully and with empathy for your fellow citizens.

Let us prove these extremists wrong and show them that even when we disagree…

…we will never be disunited from our common values of decency and respect.

I love this country.

My family and I owe it so much.

The time has now come for us all to stand together to combat the forces of division and beat this poison.

We must face down the extremists who would tear us apart…

…there must be leadership, not pandering or appeasement.

When they tell their lies, we will tell the truth.

When they try and sap our confidence, we will redouble our efforts.

And when they try and make us doubt each other…

…we will dig deeper for that extra ounce of compassion and empathy…

…that they want us to believe doesn’t exist, but that I know does.

If we can do that, we can build on our great achievement in creating today’s Britain…

…a country of kind, decent, tolerant people.

We can make this a country in which we all feel a renewed sense of pride.

This is our home.

So let us go forward together, confident in our values and confident in our future.

March 20, 2024
PRESS RELEASE : UN Human Rights Council 55 – Core Group Statement on the Human Rights Situation in Sudan [March 2024]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 1 March 2024.

UK statement for the Enhanced Interactive dialogue on the report of the High Commissioner on the situation of human rights in the Sudan (with assistance of designated Expert). Delivered by UK Human Rights Ambassador, Rita French.

Madame Vice-President,

This statement is on behalf of the Core Group for Sudan – Germany, Norway, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

Thank you, High Commissioner and Mr Nouicer, for your continued reporting on the situation in Sudan to this Council, and your engagement with the warring parties and other key actors to push for an end to the fighting.

Madame Vice-President,

We welcome the strong statements from the international community condemning the continued violence and supporting the need for accountability, including the latest resolution from the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights, which welcomed the establishment of the Fact Finding Mission.

The situation in Sudan is catastrophic. No part of the country, or indeed any neighbouring country, has been unaffected. We again call on the leaderships of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to stop the fighting, end the obstruction of humanitarian assistance, implement immediately the Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan, and start talking peace rather than waging war.

We will continue to support all efforts to silence the guns and achieve justice, particularly those by the UN, African Union (AU), Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Sudanese civilians and other key actors, in the hope that Sudan might finally know a lasting peace and a democratic future, with full respect for human rights.

Thank you.

March 20, 2024

PRESS RELEASE : Change of His Majesty’s Ambassador to Belgium – Anne Sherriff [March 2024]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 1 March 2024.

Anne Sherriff has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium in succession to Mr Martin Shearman CVO.

Ms Anne Sherriff has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium in succession to Mr Martin Shearman CVO who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment. Ms Sherriff will take up her appointment during September 2024.

Curriculum vitae

Full name: Anne Martha Sherriff

Dates	Role
2023 to 2024	Full Time Language Training
2023	Paris, Interim Deputy Trade Commissioner Europe and Country Director France
2017 to 2022	FCDO, Deputy Director, Europe Directorate
2014 to 2017	FCO, Deputy Director, Human Resources Directorate
2011 to 2014	FCO, Programme Manager, Human Resources Directorate
2009 to 2011	FCO, Head, Business Engagement Group
2007 to 2009	FCO, Head of Communications, Information and Technology Directorate
2004 to 2007	Dublin, Head, EU/Global Issues Section
2000 to 2004	FCO, Europe Directorate
1995 to 2000	Department of Trade and Industry, Fast Stream Graduate Programme

March 18, 2024

PRESS RELEASE : Ministerial Appointments [March 2024]
The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 1 March 2024.

The King has been pleased to approve the following appointments under the provisions in the Ministerial and other Maternity Allowances Act 2021:
- Baroness Penn as a Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State);
- Baroness Swinburne as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
The Prime Minister gives his very best wishes to Baroness Penn for her maternity leave.

In addition, His Majesty has been pleased to approve the appointment of Lord Offord of Garvel as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State solely in the Department for Business and Trade.
March 18, 2024
PRESS RELEASE : UN Human Rights Council 55: UK National Statement on Sudan [March 2024]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 1 March 2024.

Enhanced Interactive dialogue on the oral update of the High Commissioner on the human rights situation in Sudan. Read by Minister for Africa and Development, Rt Hon Andrew Mitchell MP.

Mr President,

Nearly a year ago, the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces plunged Sudan into a bloody conflict.

The human cost has been unbearable.

An estimated 12,000 people dead … thousands injured … almost 18 million facing acute hunger.

The warring parties are fighting in heavily populated areas, committing appalling acts of sexual violence, and recruiting mere children as soldiers.

To the Sudanese people bearing the brunt of these appalling human rights violations: the UK stands with you.

Those responsible must be held to account.

This is why Britain helped establish the mandate for the High Commissioner and his Expert, as well as the new Fact-Finding Mission.

The African Union, United Nations and Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) have made valiant, and commendable, efforts to mediate.

The warring generals must demonstrate the political will to stop the fighting – now – and make space for democratic, civilian-led transitional government in Sudan. One with full respect for human rights.

Mr Nouicer, High Commissioner, let me end by asking: With the first anniversary of this conflict approaching, what opportunities are there for the UN to exert pressure on the warring parties to commit to a sustainable peace process?

March 18, 2024
PRESS RELEASE : UN Human Rights Council 55 – Joint Statement on South Sudan [March 2024]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 1 March 2024.

Joint Statement for the Enhanced Interactive Dialogue on South Sudan, as delivered by the UK’s Human Rights Ambassador, Rita French.

Thank you, Mr. President,

This statement is on behalf of the Item 2 Core Group for South Sudan –Albania, Norway, the United States of America and the United Kingdom.

We thank the Commissioners for their important report and their presentation today. We also thank the Government of South Sudan for its continued co-operation with the Commission, and for the Minister of Justice’s contribution to this dialogue.

Mr. President,

Reporting from the Commission, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and others show ongoing human rights violations and abuses being committed in South Sudan with impunity, as well as a deteriorating climate for civic and political space. We share these grave concerns, and are also deeply worried by the lack of progress in implementing the Revitalized Agreement more broadly.

As friends of the people of South Sudan, we stand ready to play our part in supporting South Sudan’s path to peace, reconciliation, accountability, and full respect for human rights. The Commission plays a vital role in this regard, and our Core Group believes firmly that its mandate must therefore be extended in full in this Session, to ensure continued and robust human rights scrutiny by this Council, We will continue to engage with South Sudan in the hope that this extension can be agreed by consensus.

Thank you.

March 18, 2024
PRESS RELEASE : UN Human Rights Council 55 – UK Statement on South Sudan [March 2024]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 1 March 2024.

UK Statement for the Enhanced Interactive Dialogue on South Sudan, delivered at the UN Human Rights Council.

Thank you, Mr President,

Let me start by thanking the Commissioners for their report, and their vital work which makes such an important contribution towards peace and reconciliation in South Sudan. We also welcome the presence of the other speakers on this panel, including the Honourable Justice Minister of South Sudan.

Mr President we regret that the situation in South Sudan remains grave, according to a wide range of UN and other reporting. Civic space and media freedom remains severely restricted. Civil society actors face reprisals for exercising their right to the freedom of expression and sub-national conflict continues to provoke appalling acts of conflict-related sexual violence.

The UK is clear that the Revitalized Agreement must be honoured and fully implemented, including by establishing the Chapter Five transitional justice mechanisms intended to ensure accountability for violations and abuses. We regret that these institutions have still not been established and the Revitalized Agreement remains severely off track, including the recent failure to renew the Joint Action Plan for Armed Forces on Conflict Related Sexual Violence.

We therefore believe that there must be continued, robust scrutiny of South Sudan’s human rights situation by the Commission, and we call on the government to deliver on its commitment to ensure democratic elections, accountability and full respect for human rights in South Sudan.

Commissioners, Mr Volkmann,

What more in your assessment can the international community do to protect the role of journalists, human rights defenders, and civil society in the run up to the 2024 elections?

Thank you.

March 18, 2024
PRESS RELEASE : UN Human Rights Council 55 – UK Statement on Interactive Dialogue on Myanmar [March 2024]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 1 March 2024.

Interactive Dialogue: High Commissioner’s Update on Myanmar. Delivered by the UK’s Human Rights Ambassador, Rita French.

High Commissioner, we share your deep concern about rising atrocity risks across Myanmar.

Military airstrikes and the shelling of civilian targets continues to demonstrate a shocking disregard for innocent lives.

The systemic discrimination of the Rohingya continues. The Rohingya are denied citizenship, they are denied freedom of movement and access to services, leaving them vulnerable to human trafficking.

This suffering has been compounded by further restrictions on humanitarian access and the escalation of the conflict in Rakhine state.

The UK is grateful to the Government of Bangladesh for its continued hosting of nearly 1 million Rohingya refugees, and we remain committed to supporting those Rohingya until conditions are suitable for their return. Since 2017, we have provided over £370 million to Bangladesh and over £30 million for the Rohingya and other Muslim minorities in Myanmar.

Any returns of the Rohingya to Myanmar must be voluntary, safe, and dignified.

Accountability is paramount. In November, the UK with partners filed a joint declaration of intervention at the International Court of Justice, in the case brought by The Gambia against Myanmar. The UK also continues to support the collection of evidence, including by the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM).

High Commissioner,

What more can the Council do to respond to the risk of further atrocities?

March 18, 2024
PRESS RELEASE : Armed Forces Minister visits Kenya and Somalia to strengthen defence ties [March 2024]

The press release issued by the Ministry of Defence on 1 March 2024.

The Minister for the Armed Forces visited East Africa this week to discuss regional security with defence leaders.

The UK’s Minister for the Armed Forces has concluded a visit to Somalia and Kenya, meeting senior leaders and defence officials for discussions on strengthening regional defence cooperation and observing exercising troops.

Visiting Mogadishu, the Armed Forces Minister met with Somali President His Excellency Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, to reaffirm the UK’s commitment to supporting Somalia’s long-term security. He also visited British soldiers delivering training to the Somali Security Forces and discussed the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) with the UN Special Representative to the Secretary General. ATMIS has supported the drawdown of African Union peacekeeping operations in Somalia, to transition to the Somali national armed forces.

The UK has been working closely with the Federal Government of Somalia in its efforts to counter the extremist group al-Shabaab and the Minister reiterated the UK’s enduring support to tackling the threat posed by the group.

The Minister continued his visit by conducting meetings in Kenya, including with Cabinet Secretary for Defence Aden Duale. They discussed an ambitious vision for strengthening the defence partnership, enhancing Kenyan military capacity and promoting regional peace through the UK and Kenya’s Defence Cooperation Agreement.

Minister for the Armed Forces, James Heappey, said:

Our defence relationships in Africa are paramount to supporting the security and safety of the region. In a more dangerous world, it is critical we support our partners in developing their capabilities, through training and engagement between our armed forces, in order to respond to threats.

In my meetings with the President of Somalia and Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Defence, I emphasised the UK’s enduring interest in deepening our defence relationships and discussed ways in which we can deepen our support.

Jointly with the US and Kenya, the UK also supports the development and operation of the Counter Insurgency Counter Terrorism and Stabilisation Operations Centre project (CITSO), which is due to commence delivery of training later this year. The Minister visited the project, which will build on international efforts to improve regional security, through a multi-agency approach to joint training.

Minister Heappey also attended a US-led and UK supported regional training exercise including troops from across East Africa conducting readiness training and preparing for regional and international missions. He also visited a joint training exercise between UK trained Kenya Marines and the Royal Marines.

March 18, 2024

Tag: 2024

Curriculum vitae

Minister for the Armed Forces, James Heappey, said: