Tag: 2025

PRESS RELEASE : Drug dealer sentenced for terrorising neighbour and driver [December 2025]

The press release issued by the Attorney General’s Office on 9 December 2025.

A violent drug dealer who terrorised his neighbour and driver had his sentence increased after the Solicitor General intervened.

Dale Hamilton (30), from Middlesbrough, had his sentence increased by three years after the Solicitor General referred his case under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.

The court heard that during 2024 Hamilton ran a drugs line supplying cocaine. When he became aware his neighbour was a former police officer and recovering addict, Hamilton posted cocaine through their letterbox, so he would relapse and order more.

Hamilton threatened his neighbour with a zombie knife demanding money after he destroyed £500 worth of cocaine after police visited the neighbour for an unrelated matter.

Hamilton convinced his neighbour to give him a key to their flat before using the social accommodation as his own. Efforts were made to remove Hamilton from the victim’s flat, but Hamilton demanded more money and threatened to kill the neighbour before the victim escaped to emergency accommodation.

A second man, who worked for Hamilton as his driver, was also terrorised. While on bail for robbery, Hamilton accused the driver of stealing before extorting £160. Hamilton also demanded a further £200 while threatening to assault the driver and shoot his children if he didn’t pay.

In a Victim Personal Statement, his neighbour said the incident left him feeling vulnerable, anxious and living in fear.

The Solicitor General Ellie Reeves MP said:

Dale Hamilton is a dangerous and violent man, with no consideration of other people. He terrorised his neighbour who was vulnerable and a recovering drug addict before robbing and threatening to kill a second person’s children.

I welcome the Court of Appeal’s decision to increase Hamilton’s sentence, keeping this dangerous man off our streets. I would also like to offer my sincere sympathies to his victims who were brave in coming forward.

On 11 August 2025 at Teesside Crown Court, Dale Hamilton was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment after he was convicted of two counts of robbery, one count of kidnapping, one count of blackmail and one count supplying class A drugs.

On 9 December 2025 the Court of Appeal increased the sentence to 13 years.

December 11, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Update on Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs [December 2025]
The press release issued by the Home Office on 9 December 2025.

Baroness Anne Longfield CBE has been appointed to chair the Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs as part of a 3-person panel appointed under the Inquiries Act, finally getting answers for victims and survivors.

Longfield, a former Children’s Commissioner appointed in 2015 under the previous government, will be part of a 3-person panel. The three, appointed under the Inquiries Act, will investigate how young people were failed time and again by the very people who should have protected them. Longfield will work alongside Zoë Billingham CBE and Eleanor Kelly CBE as panellists.

Longfield will instigate and direct local investigations in areas where it is suspected serious failures occurred, including Oldham. These will examine the actions of the police, councils, social services and other agencies, both locally and nationally, making sure any wrongdoing or cover-ups are brought to light and holding those responsible to account. Any evidence and findings from the inquiry that could support putting perpetrators behind bars will be passed to the police.

The statutory inquiry will have full legal powers under the Inquiries Act to compel witnesses to give evidence, require organisations to hand over documents and records, and make recommendations, both locally and nationwide, to make sure nothing like this happens again.

It has also been confirmed that the inquiry will focus exclusively on grooming gangs and explicitly ask how ethnicity, religion and cultural factors impacted both the response from authorities and the perpetrators themselves. The government has committed £65 million to the inquiry and it must not take longer than 3 years, putting a stop to victims waiting endlessly for answers. The draft terms of reference will now be consulted on before being finalised by March.

Together the 3 panellists have extensive experience in championing children’s rights, holding policing to account and navigating local government systems. These 3 appointments reflect Baroness Casey’s recommendation that the inquiry be led by a panel of experts across the critical disciplines.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said:

For years, the victims of these awful crimes were ignored. First abused by vile predators, they then found themselves belittled and even blamed, when it was justice they were owed.

Today, I have announced the Chair and panel of an inquiry which will shine a bright light on this dark moment in our history.

They will do so alongside the victims of these awful crimes who have waited for too long to see justice done.

This inquiry is theirs, not ours. So I call on all those present to put politics aside, for a moment, and to support this Chair and her panel in the pursuit of the truth.

Baroness Anne Longfield CBE brings 4 decades of experience in children’s advocacy and safeguarding and was recommended by Baroness Casey, who has supported the set-up of the inquiry and has agreed to be an adviser to the inquiry for as long as is needed.

Longfield will be supported by Zoë Billingham CBE and Eleanor Kelly CBE as panellists, who have extensive experience in holding policing to account and local government systems. These 3 appointments reflect Baroness Casey’s recommendation that the inquiry be led by a panel of experts across the critical disciplines.

The panellists will work directly with victims and survivors throughout the investigation, ensuring their experiences are at the heart of the inquiry and that investigations are victim-centred and trauma-informed.

This comes amid a swathe of other activity announced by the government to tackle grooming gangs, including announcing a further £3.6 million to be invested into the policing response.

Baroness Longfield CBE said:

I am honoured to be asked to undertake this important role by the Home Secretary.

The findings in Baroness Casey’s report were truly shocking, and I recognise that behind every heinous crime is a person, a child, a teenager, a family. I will never lose sight of this.

The inquiry owes it to the victims, survivors and the wider public to identify the truth, address past failings and ensure that children and young people today are protected in a way that others were not. The inquiry will follow the evidence and will not shy away from difficult or uncomfortable truths wherever we find them. I am pleased to be working alongside Zoë Billingham CBE and Eleanor Kelly CBE as expert panellists in championing children’s rights, holding policing to account and local government systems.

The scourge of grooming gangs has not been adequately tackled over past decades. That must change and I will do everything in my power to make this happen. I am grateful to Baroness Casey for agreeing to act as adviser during the inquiry to ensure it stays true to this promise.

Baroness Louise Casey, adviser to the inquiry, said:

Baroness Longfield, Zoë Billingham and Eleanor Kelly have long-standing track records in advocating for children, holding police forces to account and leading on critical social issues. Together, they make a formidable team and have my full support.

I will continue to work closely with the government to ensure the successful delivery of all my recommendations. Only by righting the wrongs of the past through the national criminal investigation, delivering this national inquiry and reforming our rape laws to make it unequivocally clear that children cannot consent to their abuse, can we truly draw a line in the sand.

A statutory inquiry was a key recommendation in Baroness Casey’s recent audit into grooming gangs, which exposed serious failings in how institutions responded to child sexual exploitation. It forms part of the government’s Plan for Change commitment to halve violence against women and girls, ensure safer streets and protect the most vulnerable in our communities.

In the 6 months since the government accepted all of Baroness Casey’s recommendations, significant progress has been made.

Hundreds of previously closed investigations into abuse and exploitation are being reviewed as part of a national police operation, Operation Beaconport, focused on bringing more perpetrators to justice and getting justice for victims and survivors. The inquiry will also work closely with this police operation and any evidence or findings they uncover that could lead to a criminal charge will be passed to the police.

The government will also bring in an automatic disregard scheme for “child prostitution” convictions and cautions, so that survivors can get on with their lives free from unjust criminalisation and stigma.

A further almost £3.75 million will be invested into the policing response, support for survivors and research into how to stop grooming gangs, with:
- nearly £1 million for the National Crime Agency to support Operation Beaconport, with a further £2.6 million for local police forces to review closed cases identified
- £146,000 for a rapid assessment of Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVAs) services, to identify any gaps in services for supporting child victims of grooming gangs and technology-assisted sexual offences
The Home Secretary has commissioned new research from UK Research and Innovation to rectify the unacceptable gaps in our understanding of perpetrators’ backgrounds and motivations, including their ethnicity and religion.

This investment shows the government’s unwavering commitment to tackling group-based child sexual exploitation on multiple fronts – investigating past crimes and cover-ups, finding and prosecuting offenders, and preventing future abuse.
December 11, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Joint G7 Finance Ministers’ Statement [December 2025]

The press release issued by HM Treasury on 9 December 2025.

The G7 Finance Ministers met virtually on 8 December 2025.

We, the G7 Finance Ministers, held a virtual meeting on 8 December 2025, together with the Heads of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank Group (WBG), Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and Financial Stability Board (FSB). We were also joined by Canada’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources and Finance Ministers, or their representatives, from Australia, Chile, Mexico, India, and the Republic of Korea for parts of the meeting.

We welcomed the recent announcements at the G7 Energy and Environment Ministers’ Meeting that seek to secure resilient supply chains for critical minerals. Stable and reliable supply chains are essential to drive economic growth and security, and we will continue to collaborate with international allies and industry partners to reduce single-source dependencies and strengthen our economic resilience. We look forward to further discussions on how we can create a high standards market that will secure our supply chains.

We agreed that the use of non-market policies and practices to disrupt critical minerals supply chains can have significant negative global macroeconomic consequences. They can increase price volatility and undermine global growth prospects and stability, competitiveness and national and economic security. We expressed deep concern with the application of export controls on critical mineral supply chains and committed to work together to diversify and derisk supply chains.

Reaffirming the G7’s unwavering support for Ukraine in defending its territorial integrity and right to exist and its freedom, sovereignty and independence, we welcomed an update from the IMF on the situation in the country and the newly announced Staff Level Agreement. We will continue to work together to develop a wide range of financing options to support Ukraine, including potentially using the full value of the Russian Sovereign Assets, immobilized in our jurisdictions until reparations are paid for by Russia, to end the war and ensure a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. Our action will remain consistent with our respective legal frameworks. We will continue to support the Ukrainian authorities’ commitment to implement reforms, notably addressing informality, tackling corruption, and improving governance including in the state-owned enterprise sector. Together with other partners, we stand ready to support a new IMF program. We also stand ready to amplify the pressure on Russia should peace talks fail. We agreed on the importance of maintaining Ukraine at the top of the G7 agenda under France’s upcoming G7 presidency.

We agreed on the importance of strengthening G7 coordination with international partners and will continue to enhance our collective security and resilience.

December 11, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Her Honour Anne Molyneux MBE appointed Vice Chair of the Parole Board [December 2025]

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 9 December 2025.

The Secretary of State has approved the appointment of Her Honour Anne Molyneux MBE as the Vice Chair of the Parole Board.

The Secretary of State for Justice has approved the appointment of Her Honour Anne Molyneux MBE as a judicial member of the Parole Board for a 5-year term from 6 December 2025. In addition, the Chair of the Parole Board, Alexandra Marks CBE, has designated Her Honour Anne Molyneux MBE as the Board’s Vice Chair.

The Vice Chair will be expected to share in the leadership and governance of the Parole Board.

The Parole Board is an Executive Non-Departmental Public Body sponsored by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ). It works with its criminal justice partners to protect the public by risk assessing prisoners to decide whether they can be safely released into the community. It was established by the Criminal Justice Act 1967.

Appointments and re-appointments to the Parole Board (with the exception of Judicial members) are regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

Biography

Her Honour Anne Molyneux MBE was a Circuit Judge from 2007 to 2017; a Senior Circuit Judge, Central Criminal Court, from 2017 to 2022; and a Deputy High Court Judge, from 2013 until 2022. She also sat as an Additional Judge in the Court of Appeal Criminal Division. She was admitted as a solicitor in 1983 and was a Recorder from 2000 until 2007. In 2024 she was appointed as a trustee and member of the Board of the Access to Justice Foundation as the nominee of the Lady Chief Justice. She was an Independent member for the Parole Board (2003 – 2007) and later a Judicial member (2010 – 2019).

December 11, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Mark Hamilton appointed as member of the Prison Service Pay Review Body [December 2025]

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 9 December 2025.

The Secretary of State for Justice has announced the appointment of Mark Hamilton as member of the Prison Service Pay Review Body.

Mark Hamilton’s appointment will be for a tenure of 5 years from 1 December 2025 to 30 November 2030.

The PSPRB provides the government with independent advice on the remuneration of operational prison staff in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, as set out in The Prison Service (Pay Review Body) Regulations 2001 (SI 2001 No. 1161).

Appointments to the PSPRB are regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments and comply with the Governance Code on Public Appointments. This appointment has been made in line with the Commissioner’s Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies.

Public appointments to the PSPRB are made by the Prime Minister.

Mark Hamilton Biography:

Mark Hamilton’s career in policing began in 1994 with the Royal

Ulster Constabulary. He became the Deputy Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland in January 2020.

Mark’s tenure included significant responsibilities such as overseeing operational policing, professional standards and leading police reform in Northern Ireland. He was recognised with the title of Office of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in the 2019 Birthday Honours.

December 11, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Government crackdown on rogue university franchises [December 2025]

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 9 December 2025.

Education Secretary announces reforms to tighten rules on fraud in the student finance system that cost taxpayers £2m in 2022/23.

Students and taxpayers will have greater confidence in higher education as tough new reforms through our Plan for Change tighten controls on university franchising arrangements and make sure public money is used as intended, shoring up the reputation of our world-class sector.

Franchiser providers with 300 or more students will soon face mandatory regulation by the Office for Students and be required to meet the same standards as universities or be completely cut off from accessing student loan funding in 2028/29.

Franchising allows universities to subcontract teaching to other organisations—such as colleges or private training providers delivering specialist courses like health or business. When done well, it can widen access, however rapid growth and inconsistent oversight that this government inherited have left parts of the system open to abuse.

The government is determined to ensure every student receives high-quality education, with the new measures putting students and their outcomes before profits as regulators could face fines or suspension of their registration if they have concerns about poor-quality provision, financial exploitation, or fraudulent practices.

This poor practice has real consequences for young people’s futures and cost £2 million to the public purse in 2022/23 alone.

As part of the crack down, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson will write to all providers setting out the changes and warning that poor-quality or exploitative arrangements must be cleaned up or closed down.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said:

Too many rogue operators have treated students as a route to fast cash, not as people investing in their future.

Those days are over. If you use public money, you will be held accountable and face proper scrutiny.

Our higher education sector is one of Britain’s greatest strengths. Through our Plan for Change we are determined to protect its reputation, putting students first and making sure every pound from the public purse is well spent.

The number of students at franchised providers has more than doubled in five years, with nearly sixty percent taught at providers not directly regulated by the Office for Students.

With students on franchised courses currently far more likely to drop out and far less likely to progress into work or further study. Just three-quarters complete their courses – compared with almost nine in ten across the rest of the sector.

These measures will crackdown on courses where there are clear signs of exploitation, such as admitting students who are unlikely to succeed – for example, those with very poor English language skills or students who have low attendance rates and those who are using their place at the provider purely to access public money.

These robust reforms come as the Government publishes the outcomes of its consultation, proposing measures to strengthen oversight of higher education franchising. Regulations to enable the changes to HE franchising will be laid before Parliament in Spring 2026.

These reforms will work alongside tougher OfS registration conditions on management and governance standards, stronger system controls to prevent fraud, and cross-government work led by the Public Sector Fraud Authority.

Measures outlined in the Post-16 White paper to lift quality, shut down poor practice, and tighten controls on public money to ensure a higher education system that provides quality for all students regardless of where they study as part of our Plan for Change.

Vivienne Stern MBE, Chief Executive of Universities UK said:

It is vital that franchise provision is underpinned by high and robust standards and we support this step, which will help to protect the higher education sector’s world-renowned reputation for quality.

UUK’s members have been taking extensive actions to tighten controls, and we have long championed the introduction of measures requiring franchise partners to register with the OfS.

The Office for Students is also strengthening its own regulatory regime for franchising, including tougher initial registration conditions on governance and the management of public money, publishing annual data on outcomes for franchised students, and consulting on new requirements for universities overseeing franchise partnerships.

Office for Students, Director of Regulation, Philippa Pickford said:

Today’s announcement will help ensure students studying under subcontractual arrangements are getting a high quality higher education, as well as giving taxpayers confidence that public funding is being used appropriately.

We have been raising concerns about poor practices that have been exposed in some subcontractual arrangements for some time, and plan to announce a response to our own consultation on subcontractual arrangements in higher education in early 2026.

This summer, we also announced reforms to our registration process that will allow us to register institutions that will deliver high quality higher education and treat their students fairly.

Ministers will also legislate, when parliamentary time allows, to give the OfS stronger powers to act quickly where quality is compromised or public money is at risk, ensuring problems in franchised provision can be dealt with more rapidly in future.

December 10, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Chancellor kickstarts Britain’s new scale-up surge [December 2025]
The press release issued by HM Treasury on 9 December 2025.

Britain’s leading founders – including CEOs from Huel and Moneybox – head to No10 to celebrate the government’s multi-billion-pound pro-growth business package.
- Comes as the Budget unlocks billions for innovative firms and delivers the biggest shake-up of entrepreneur tax incentives in a generation.
- Alex Depledge to stay on as UK’s first Entrepreneurship Adviser, supercharging Chancellor’s reforms to support scale-ups and deliver the modern Industrial Strategy’s ambition to make Britain one of the best places in world to do business.
The Chancellor welcomed the UK’s top entrepreneurs to No10 Downing Street last night (8 December), celebrating a bold new plan to back homegrown founders and continue making Britain one of the best places in the world to scale a business as part of the government’s modern Industrial Strategy.

Founders, investors and innovators from across the UK – including meal-in-a-bottle firm Huel, savings app Moneybox and crime-busting tech company Quantexa – heard the Chancellor’s message loud and clear: economic growth is the government’s number one mission, and Britain’s entrepreneurs will be central to delivering it.

Last night’s reception follows the Budget, which delivered the most ambitious package for scale-ups in more than a decade: sweeping reforms to tax incentives so firms can attract world-class talent and investment, billions in long-term backing for science and technology firms, and changes to public procurement so taxpayer money is used to drive innovation.

That builds on efforts to cut burdensome rules and regulation holding back investment and innovation, with the Chancellor setting out how the government will deliver a 25% cut in the administrative cost of regulation over this Parliament worth £6 billion a year to businesses.

The Chancellor also confirmed that Alex Depledge MBE will continue as her Entrepreneurship Adviser until summer 2026, driving forward reforms to remove the barriers scale-ups face – from accessing finance to navigating complex regulation – so strategically important companies can realise their potential.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, said:

This government backs our entrepreneurs. That’s why we’re overhauling the rulebook – modernising tax incentives, unlocking billions in investment and making it easier for founders to hire, build and grow. Because when British businesses thrive, so does our economy.

Alex Depledge MBE said:

High-growth companies power national growth — if we’re serious about expanding the economy, this is the lever to pull. We don’t need handouts; we need a system that backs the people willing to take risks.

This Budget is a real step-change, and I’m genuinely excited to keep working with the Chancellor to clear the obstacles that stop scale-ups from reaching their full potential.

The government is doubling eligibility for key schemes such as the Enterprise Management Incentive  and raising investment limits under the Enterprise Investment Scheme. EMI hasn’t been updated in 15 years – and these changes will help high-growth firms reward teams, attract world-class talent and pull in more early-stage capital, boosting Britain’s competitiveness.

Tom Leathes, CEO and Co-Founder of Motorway.com, said:

The changes to the EMI scheme will make a huge difference. When Motorway hit 250 employees, we suddenly couldn’t offer new joiners the same equity opportunity as our early team. These reforms fix that. Extending option lifespans to 15 years and doubling the employee cap gives UK scale-ups far more firepower to compete for world-class talent much longer into the journey.

People who join scaling companies take a bet – and when it works, they should share in what they helped build. This is exactly the kind of policy that helps British companies scale and succeed for the long term.

Joshua Western, CEO and Co-Founder of Space Forge, said:

As a European advanced materials company, focused on providing a sovereign, secure and sustainable supply of semiconductor materials to the continent, Space Forge is pleased to be involved with boosting British entrepreneurship.

It is more important than ever to support entrepreneurship to deliver capability and growth and Space Forge is proud to be a part of that story across the European continent. The entrepreneurship budget announcements by the Chancellor are an important step in recognising the growth engine that start-ups are for the economy.

Alongside this, the government has launched an in-depth conversation with founders and investors about how the tax system supports entrepreneurs, ensuring it rewards people who take risks, reinvest in their businesses and create jobs. This work sits alongside the Entrepreneurship Prospectus, setting out a long-term plan to make the UK the easiest place to start and scale a business.

A £7 billion injection into UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) will help the UK’s most promising companies push breakthroughs from lab to market, while targeted programmes ensure high-growth firms can access the scale-up capital they need without leaving the UK.

A new £130 million Growth Catalyst from Innovate UK will deliver grants and hands-on support to cutting-edge science and tech firms. A previous version of this programme turned £156m of grants into £1.55bn of follow-on investment – a tenfold return.

Meanwhile, the British Business Banks will invest £5 billion in growing companies, crowding in billions more private capital and supporting firms through the risky “Valley of Death” stage so they can scale, hire and export from British soil.
December 10, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : UK clamps down on China-based companies for reckless and irresponsible activity in cyberspace [December 2025]
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 9 December 2025.

Two tech companies based in China have been sanctioned for reckless and indiscriminate cyberattacks.
- UK exposes two China-based companies that have carried out cyberattacks against the UK and its allies
- New sanctions clamp down on attempts to undermine UK security and prosperity
- Sanctioned businesses had launched global cyberattacks against over 80 government and private industry IT systems
Two tech companies based in China have been sanctioned today [Tuesday 9 December] for reckless and indiscriminate cyberattacks:
- Sichuan Anxun Information Technology Co. Ltd (known as i-Soon) for targeting over 80 government and private industry IT systems across the world, and for supporting others planning to carry out malicious cyber activity.
- Integrity Technology Group Incorporated (known as Integrity Tech) for controlling and managing a covert cyber network and providing technical assistance for others to carry out cyberattacks. Targets have included UK public sector IT systems.
I-Soon and Integrity Tech are examples of the threat posed by the cyber industry in China, which includes information security companies, data brokers (that collect and sell personal data), and ‘hackers for hire’. Some of these companies provide cyber services to the Chinese intelligence services.

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) assesses that it is almost certain that this ‘ecosystem’ or complex network of private sector actors, supports Chinese state-linked cyber operations.

The announcement follows the August 2025 exposure by the UK and international partners of three China-based companies linked to the cyber-espionage campaign known as SALT TYPHOON. Combined, they highlight the vast scale of cyberattacks by China-based companies targeting governments, telecommunications, military institutions, and public services worldwide.

These cyberattacks from unrestrained actors in China go against agreed UN cyber principles. The measures announced today are designed to reduce the risk of such threats to the UK’s security and broader international stability.

As the Prime Minister set out recently in a speech at the Guildhall, protecting our security is non-negotiable and the first duty of the government. The UK recognises that China poses a series of threats to UK national security. China is also a fellow permanent member of the UN Security Council, the world’s second largest economy and a nuclear power which has delivered almost a third of global economic growth over the past decade. We challenge threats robustly, enabling us to pursue cooperation where it is in our interest.

Notes to Editors
- In August 2025, the UK alongside 12 other countries co-sealed a cyber security advisory linking China-based technology companies to some of the activities associated with a China state-affiliated APT group (commonly known as SALT TYPHOON). These companies are: Sichuan Juxinhe Network Technology Co. Ltd, Beijing Huanyu Tianqiong Information Technology Co., and Sichuan Zhixin Ruije Network Technology Co. Ltd.
- This activity targeted governments, telecommunications, transportation, and military infrastructure globally, and sought to provide Chinese intelligence services with the capability to identify and track targets’ communications and movements worldwide.
- Together with France, the UK continues to lead the Pall Mall Process, an international initiative which seeks to establish a framework for responsible behaviour for those involved in the rapidly growing market in commercial cyber intrusion capabilities.
- The UK has consistently promoted the UN normative framework for responsible state behaviour in cyberspace. The UK remains the first and only country to publish guidelines for its National Cyber Force detailing the principles that we adhere to. We firmly believe that states should use cyber capabilities in a responsible manner, whether commercial or otherwise.
December 10, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : UK to boost peacebuilding efforts for Israel and Palestine [December 2025]
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 9 December 2025.

The UK will host a key peacebuilding conference next year to help establish an International Peace Fund for Israel and Palestine.
- Foreign Secretary to host Israeli and Palestinian civil society leaders in March next year to focus on delivering sustainable peace
- Meeting at Lancaster House will support the establishment of an International Peace Fund for Israel and Palestine
- UK to use peacebuilding expertise from Northern Ireland and ongoing Western Balkans work to support Middle East efforts
The UK will host a key peacebuilding conference on 12 March next year to help establish an International Peace Fund for Israel and Palestine.

The conference at Lancaster House will bring together civil society leaders from across the region and delivers on the Prime Minister’s pledge to host the event and set up a fund which can provide the long-term finance that is required for peacebuilding efforts to deliver genuine change.

October’s US-led ceasefire agreement – and President Trump’s 20-Point Plan – have presented a critical opportunity to achieve lasting peace and security in the Middle East. All living hostages have since been released and the UK continues to push for the remaining deceased hostage to be returned. Gradually, more aid is getting into Gaza but much more needs to be done and the UK is pressing for all restrictions to be lifted so that humanitarian supplies can be delivered at the pace and volume required, especially with winter drawing in.

Civil society organisations in Israel and Palestine have a vital role to play in reinforcing the forward momentum of recent months. Over the past year, the UK has been working with partners on the ground and internationally to ensure that civil society groups are ready to take the lead in advancing long-term stability, and driving progress towards a two-state solution, with peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said:

After two years of the most horrendous suffering, the US-led ceasefire agreement has now been in place for two months. But it remains highly fragile, and there is still a long journey ahead to implement the 20-point plan endorsed by the United Nations, and achieve a just and lasting peace.

This conference will be a crucial step in that journey, bringing together representatives of Palestinian and Israeli civil society to build common ground between their communities, challenge entrenched divisions, and work towards a future where both states can live side-by-side in peace and security.

With the UK’s experience of the reconciliation process in Northern Ireland and our ongoing support for peacebuilding in Western Balkans, we are well placed to host and facilitate these talks, and the new International Peace Fund we are helping to create will provide the practical support to drive this work forward.

The UK- hosted meeting will bring together international peacebuilding expertise and civil society organisations from the Middle East, to map existing peace-building work and support the establishment of an International Peace Fund for Israel and Palestine.

Discussions will focus on the practical steps that the Peace Fund can best support, and the best practice that can be learned from other similar initiatives, including the International Fund for Ireland that helped support dialogue and reconciliation between unionist and nationalist communities more than a decade before the Good Friday Agreement. The fund will support activities that bring Israelis and Palestinians together to reduce violence, build trust, and create the conditions for a lasting and just peace.
December 10, 2025
Steff Aquarone – 2025 Comments on Saving Sheringham Bus Shelter

The comments made by Steff Aquarone, the Liberal Democrat MP for North Norfolk, on 9 December 2025.

Sheringham residents did it.

In the face of bullying and intimidation from Conservative-run Norfolk County Council, our community stood its ground – literally – in freezing temperatures to protect the heritage bus shelter.

Last night, their grit paid off. Sheringham Town Council listened and voted to save the shelter.

Now it’s time for Norfolk County Council to engage properly with residents and deliver the transport improvements this town has been promised – with the bus shelter front and centre.

Throwing toys out of the pram isn’t an option!

Community power wins again.

December 10, 2025