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Tag: 2025

  • David Lammy – 2025 Speech in Lviv on the Special Tribunal

    David Lammy – 2025 Speech in Lviv on the Special Tribunal

    The speech made by David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, in Lviv on 9 May 2025.

    It is a fitting time and place for this discussion.

    It is remarkable that eighty years ago, Allied governments were dealing with detained Nazis, and thinking about accountability for the atrocities.

    Some considered simple revenge.   But others favoured a different approach.

    Holding those criminals accountable under international law.

    Drawing in part on work by two great sons of this great city, Rafael Lemkin Sir Hersch Lauterpacht.

    The resulting Nuremberg trials were a milestone in building a global order rooted in the rule of law and human rights.

    Today, the pursuit of such a global order again seems a tall order.

    Russia is waging a war of aggression, with mounting evidence that Russian soldiers are committing atrocities we would have hoped to consign to history – attacks which rain down on civilians, the deportation of children, torture and sexual abuse of civilians and prisoners of war.

    Russian leaders show not the slightest concern for the lives of individuals or the laws of war.

    But we need to remember figures like Lemkin were not naïve idealists.  Indeed, Sir Hersch wrote about anchoring his philosophy of international law in the ‘realities of international life’.

    Precisely our task today.

    We have it in our hands to hold those responsible for the invasion of Ukraine to account.  The UK is proud to have supported the idea of a Special Tribunal since the outset.

    A Tribunal is an essential part of the armoury of justice, alongside the efforts of Ukrainian authorities to bring prosecutions inside Ukraine, and the work of the ICC.

    As the country where Sir Hersch made his home, we are proud to support the Lviv Joint Statement and endorse the legal foundations for this Tribunal.

    It will take time for a Tribunal to become operational. We support using the framework of the Council of Europe. But also believe we must expand the Core Group to more partners from beyond Europe.

    The whole world is outraged at Russian crimes. The whole world should now come together to hold Russia to account. We must rally all countries in support of justice.

    Our friends in Ukraine are staying true to the legacy of VE Day.

    The legacy of Lemkin and Sir Hersch.

    Thank you.

  • PRESS RELEASE : New Second Permanent Secretary to the Treasury appointed [May 2025]

    PRESS RELEASE : New Second Permanent Secretary to the Treasury appointed [May 2025]

    The press release issued by HM Treasury on 14 May 2025.

    Jim O’Neil has been appointed as a new Second Permanent Secretary to the Treasury.

    Jim brings a wealth of experience from investment banking and corporate finance to the Treasury, after a long career at Bank of America. He also has experience in the public sector, spending three years at UK Financial Investments. As Chief Executive of UKFI, he managed the government’s holdings in Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds Banking Group, and UK Asset Resolution.

    His appointment is part of the government’s plan to deliver its number one mission to kickstart economic growth as part of the Plan for Change, and follows the Chancellor’s commitment to lead the most pro-growth Treasury in the country’s history.

    Jim’s experience will help the government to secure private investment, boost the economy, and ultimately put more pounds in people’s pockets. His deep knowledge of the private sector will help the government to rip out the barriers to growth, provide support for the key industries at home, and work to secure open and fair trade abroad.

    Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said:

    I’m very pleased to welcome Jim as our new Second Permanent Secretary, his extensive knowledge of the private sector will be vital in helping us deliver our number one mission to grow the economy. It’s fantastic to have him join the Treasury’s top team.

    Jim O’Neil said:

    I am delighted to have been appointed Second Permanent Secretary to the Treasury at this important time for our country and our economy. We are living through a time of great change globally, making the need for an economy of stability, resilience, and growth all the more important. I look forward to working with the Chancellor, her ministers, and officials across the department to deliver on these missions so the Treasury can bring positive change to the lives of people right across the country.

    Jim is expected to start in his new position in July and will work alongside the two other Second Permanent Secretaries in HM Treasury, Beth Russell who is based at the Darlington Economic Campus and Sam Beckett who is also Chief Economic Adviser. As well as overseeing tax and spending, Beth will continue to be responsible for devolution and regional growth including engagement with regional and local government and others in the north.

    Jim was appointed through a fair and open competition and has completed all of the necessary declarations of interest.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Alexandra Jones, Sally McInnes, Sally Sheard, James Strachan, Aruna Verma and Simon Wessely appointed to the ACNRA Board [May 2025]

    PRESS RELEASE : Alexandra Jones, Sally McInnes, Sally Sheard, James Strachan, Aruna Verma and Simon Wessely appointed to the ACNRA Board [May 2025]

    The press release issued by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on 14 May 2025.

    The Secretary of State has appointed 6 Board Members to the Advisory Council on National Records and Archives for four years from 10 March 2025 to 09 March 2029.

    Alexandra Jones

    Alexandra Jones, the Director of Anti-Money Laundering at the Solicitors Regulation Authority, brings a wealth of experience in governance, compliance, and leadership to her role. At the SRA, Alexandra leads the development and implementation of AML policies, ensuring regulatory compliance across the legal sector. Her career spans diverse sectors, including finance and regulation, providing her with a unique perspective on risk management and ethical considerations.

    Before joining the SRA, Alexandra served as CEO of the Registry Trust, where she gained deep insight into legal and ethical issues related to data access, copyright, and privacy. She also held senior roles at the Financial Ombudsman Service and HSBC Bank, where she managed teams while upholding confidentiality and compliance standards. Her leadership experience is complemented by her commitment to professional development, including studying data ethics at the London School of Economics.

    Alexandra’s career reflects a dedication to promoting transparency and integrity. She is motivated by the vision of safeguarding collective heritage and leveraging it as a resource for education and public engagement.

    Sally McInnes

    Sally McInnes was formerly Head of Unique and Contemporary Content at the National Library of Wales. A professionally trained archivist, she has extensive experience in promoting, preserving and providing access to unique content of national significance, as well as policy development within the Welsh cultural sector.

    Sally has a particular interest in managing digital content, as well as improving professional competence in digital preservation, for which she has earned international recognition. As a former Director of the Digital Preservation Coalition, she worked to raise public and institutional awareness of digital preservation issues in Wales and beyond.

    She has played a leading role in a number of national and international professional networks. In recognition of her contribution to recordkeeping, she was awarded an MBE in 2024 for Services to Documentary History. She is a Fellow of the Archives and Records Association.

    Sally Sheard

    Professor Sally Sheard is Executive Dean of the Institute of Population Health at the University of Liverpool, where she also holds the Andrew Geddes and John Rankin Chair of Modern History. She is a health policy analyst and historian, with a research focus on the interface between expert advisers and policymakers.

    Sally has extensive experience of using history in public and policy engagement, including working with national and local government organisations and health authorities. She has written for and appeared in numerous television and radio programmes. In 2018 she wrote and presented the twenty-part BBC Radio 4 series National Health Stories, to mark the seventieth anniversary of the NHS. Her books include The Passionate Economist: how Brian Abel-Smith shaped global health and social welfare (Policy Press, 2013); Making Genetics and Genomics Policy in Britain: from Personal to Population Health (co-authored with Philip Begley; Routledge, 2022) and NICE: A Contemporary History of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (co-authored with Paul Atkinson; Routledge, 2025).

    James Strachan

    James is Chief Executive of Eastleigh Borough Council in south Hampshire, and has been a senior leader in Hampshire local government for 16 years.  In addition to overseeing local services such as waste collection, planning, homelessness support and elections, James is ultimately responsible for information governance at the Council.  Prior to moving to Hampshire, James was Director of Public Services and Marketing at The National Archives, and served as Secretary to the official review of the 30-year rule, which was commissioned by Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

    James has also worked at the Cabinet Office, and had a career in publishing prior to joining the civil service.  He oversaw the online launch of Encyclopaedia Britannica in Europe and was among the first employees of the mobile network ‘3’, negotiating the first ever mobile highlights deal with the Premier League.  James lives in Salisbury and serves as a magistrate on the West Hampshire Bench, based in Southampton.

    Aruna Verma

    Aruna Verma is a distinguished lawyer, associate professor, and Campus Dean at The University of Law, Moorgate. With a strong background in legal education and practice, she has played a pivotal role in shaping the next generation of legal professionals. As an academic leader, she combines her expertise in law with a passion for teaching, ensuring that students gain both theoretical knowledge and practical skills essential for success in the legal profession.

    Her career spans legal practice, academia, and educational leadership, making her a respected figure in the field. At The University of Law, she oversees academic programs, fosters student engagement, and works closely with industry professionals to bridge the gap between law school and legal practice.

    Beyond academia, Aruna is known for her contributions to legal scholarship, mentorship, and commitment to advancing diversity in the legal profession. Her leadership ensures that the Moorgate campus remains a hub for aspiring solicitors and barristers, preparing them for the challenges of the ever-evolving legal Landscape.

    With her wealth of experience and dedication to legal education, Aruna Verma continues to make a lasting impact on both students and the legal community. Aruna also sits as a Chair at The Valuation Tribunal and the Chair of Governors at a local school. Aruna is a trained mediator and online dispute resolution specialist.

    Simon Wessely

    Sir Simon Wessely FRS is the Regius Chair of Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IOPPN), part of King’s College London (KCL), the first such chair in the United Kingdom. He is also a Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist at the Maudsley and King’s College Hospitals.

    After studying medicine and History of Art at Cambridge, he finished his medical training at Oxford. He is an active clinical academic psychiatrist with >1000 publications, a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS). He is a Past President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Royal Society of Medicine. He was Dean of the IOPPN (2022-23) and is now a Non Executive Director of NHS-England.

    In 2003 he founded the King’s Centre for Military Health Research, which is now ranked 1st globally for publications on military health. He remains the Honorary Consultant Advisor in Psychiatry to the British Army, and works with several charities for Veterans. He was knighted in 2013 for services to military health and psychological medicine. He continues to have a broad interest in how people and populations react to adversity, past present and future.

    He chaired the government’s Independent Review of the Mental Health Act (2017-19), which should receive Royal Assent at Easter. He also was a member of the Judicial Appointments Commission (2017-23). His amateur interests revolve around history, and he is proud of having written some papers in “proper” history journals. Finally, if you are a follower of “Desert Island Discs” you will know his favourite occupation is arguing in Viennese cafes , perhaps reflecting the fact that his father was born in Central Europe, coming over to the UK in 1939.

    Remuneration and Governance Code

    Board Members will be remunerated at a rate of £386 per day. James Strachan requested not to be remunerated for this role. This appointment has been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments.

    The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election. None of the candidates have declared any significant political activity.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Thousands of Civil Service roles moved out of London in latest reform to the state [May 2025]

    PRESS RELEASE : Thousands of Civil Service roles moved out of London in latest reform to the state [May 2025]

    The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 14 May 2025.

    Civil servant roles, including senior leadership, will be relocated to 13 locations across the UK to develop and deliver policy closer to communities.

    • Thousands of Civil Servants – including senior leaders – will be based in towns and cities across the UK to work with frontline workers and local leaders.
    • New digital and AI campus in Manchester and energy campus in Aberdeen to turbocharge local talent and expertise in these communities.
    • As part of our Plan for Change to re-wire the state, 11 central London offices will be closed including one of the largest Whitehall buildings – saving £94m per year – as the number of roles in the capital is reduced by 12,000.

    Thousands of civil service jobs will be relocated to 13 towns and cities across the country as part of our Plan for Change.

    The shake up will require more senior and policy roles to be based outside London. This will deliver and develop government policy closer to the communities it affects as part of a more productive and agile state.

    The plans will see officials working closely with frontline workers, facilitating greater understanding of the real issues facing local services and people, and how central government policy can support them.

    Changes will be introduced so talented young people from across the UK are able to progress straight from school or university into the Civil Service and rise all the way up to the most senior roles, without ever having worked in Whitehall.

    Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden, said:

    To deliver our Plan for Change, we are taking more decision-making out of Whitehall and moving it closer to communities all across the UK.

    By relocating thousands of Civil Service roles we will not only save taxpayers money, we will make this Government one that better reflects the country it serves. We will also be making sure that Government jobs support economic growth throughout the country.

    As we radically reform the state, we are going to make it much easier for talented people everywhere to join the Civil Service and help us rebuild Britain.

    As part of the spending review, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden has written to all departments requiring them to relocate key roles and strengthen the Government’s presence around the UK.

    Government departments now will submit plans for how many roles they plan to move to each of the locations as part of the spending review.

    Departments will be assessed on their commitments to the programme as part of the spending review. As well as increasing the number of officials working in Greater Manchester and Aberdeen, where two new government campuses will be created, roles will be created in Birmingham, Leeds, Cardiff, Glasgow, Darlington, Newcastle and Tyneside, Sheffield, Bristol, Edinburgh, Belfast and York.

    The changes are projected to bring £729m in local economic benefits to these areas between 2024 and 2030.

    New Regional Government Campuses

    Under the plans and to accelerate the delivery of the Missions, three major new Government campuses will be created.

    Government campuses involve departments moving skilled roles to the same town or city to boost collaboration – bringing civil servants with different skills and expertise but the same policy or delivery focus, to solve issues and improve services for working people across the country.

    The first two of these, the new Government Digital and AI Innovation Campus and Energy Campus, will be in Manchester and Aberdeen.

    Manchester is already home to the second HQs of DSIT and DCMS, as well as a key base for GCHQ. The new campus will harness the city’s reputation as a global digital hub.

    Aberdeen is the site of DESNZ’s second HQ, and the new HQ for Great British Energy.

    The new campuses will partner with local government and universities to deliver the government’s missions, improve the talent pipeline into Government and boost growth and opportunity.

    Supporting Senior Civil Service Careers Outside London

    To ensure those based outside of London have equal professional growth and development opportunities, with full end-to-end careers, the Government will locate 50% of UK-based Senior Civil Servants in regional offices by 2030.

    This will be supported by a new ambition for the Fast Stream programme to have 50% of placements offered outside of London by 2030, making it increasingly possible for future leaders and managers to progress in their careers without ever needing to work in the capital.

    A new ‘Career Launch Apprenticeship’ programme will also open for applications this Summer, starting in 2026. The Level 3 Business Administrator apprenticeship programme will train up future civil servants based in Birmingham and Manchester, as well as London.

    A new secondment scheme will also be developed and launched, in partnership with the Local Government Association, with Civil Servants placed directly with local authorities, building links within regions, and ensuring those delivering policy, experience first hand the work of local government and the services they provide.

    Making Savings in London

    Alongside the relocation of jobs, 11 London office buildings will be closed over the next five years and the number of London based civil servants will reduce by 12,000 by 2030 – down from 95,000 FTE staff to 83,000 – as the government focuses on saving taxpayer money and delivering better public services across all parts of the UK.

    The move is set to deliver £94 million in savings annually by 2032, by getting rid of large, expensive London real estate. The plans include the closure of two major Westminster government buildings – 102 Petty France, one of the largest government buildings in London and home to 7,000 FTE staff, and 39 Victoria Street – which together cost tens of millions of pounds a year.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Government-built “Humphrey” AI tool reviews responses to consultation for first time in bid to save millions [May 2025]

    PRESS RELEASE : Government-built “Humphrey” AI tool reviews responses to consultation for first time in bid to save millions [May 2025]

    The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 14 May 2025.

    A government-developed AI tool has been used for the first time to review public responses to a consultation – helping save time and improve efficiency.

    • AI technology, ‘Consult’, built by the UK government as part of the Humphrey suite has been used to speed up analysis of what the public and experts told the Scottish Government in a recent consultation
    • Nearly identical results were found by AI after expert review, ranking themes that were most important for policymakers to take on board
    • While currently in trial with more development taking place, AI will analyse other consultations responses in a bid to save officials from 75,000 days of manual analysis every year, which costs £20m in staffing costs, helping to create a more agile, effective state refocused on delivering Plan for Change

    A new AI tool has summarised what the public have told the government in response to a consultation for the first time – providing nearly identical results to officials.

    The tool, called ‘Consult’, was first used on a live consultation by the Scottish Government when it was seeking views on how to regulate non-surgical cosmetic procedures – like lip fillers and laser hair removal – as use of the treatments has risen.

    The tool now set to be used across departments in a bid to cut down the millions of pounds spent on the current process, which often includes outsourcing analysis to expensive contractors – helping to build a productive and agile state to deliver the Plan for Change.

    Reviewing comments from over 2,000 consultation responses using generative AI, Consult identified key themes that feedback fell into across each of six qualitative questions. These themes were checked and refined by experts in the Scottish Government, the AI tool then sorted individual responses into themes and gave officials more time to delve into the detail and evaluate the policy implications of feedback received.

    As this was the first time Consult was used on a live consultation, experts at the Scottish Government manually reviewed every response too. Identifying what an individual response is saying, and putting it in a ‘theme’ is subjective, humans don’t always agree. When we compare Consult to the human reviewer, we see they agree the majority of the time – with differences in view having a negligible impact on how themes were ranked overall.

    ‘Consult’ is part of ‘Humphrey’, a bundle of AI tools designed to speed up the work of civil servants and cut back time spent on admin, and money spent on contractors. It forms part of the government’s plan to make better use of technology across public services, in a bid to target the £45 billion in productivity savings that it offers while creating a more agile state that can more effectively deliver the Plan for Change.

    Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said:

    No one should be wasting time on something AI can do quicker and better, let alone wasting millions of taxpayer pounds on outsourcing such work to contractors.

    After demonstrating such promising results, Humphrey will help us cut the costs of governing and make it easier to collect and comprehensively review what experts and the public are telling us on a range of crucial issues.

    The Scottish Government has taken a bold first step. Very soon, I’ll be using Consult, within Humphrey, in my own department and others in Whitehall will be using it too – speeding up our work to deliver the Plan for Change.

    The Scottish Government’s Public Health Minister Jenni Minto said:

    Using the tool was very beneficial in helping the Scottish Government understand more quickly what people wanted us to hear and our respondents’ range of views. Officials were reassured through the process that the AI was doing a good job, supporting us to undertake the analysis that will inform our next steps.

    Using this tool has allowed the Scottish Government to move more quickly to a focus on the policy questions and dive into the detail of the evidence we’ve been presented with, while remaining confident that we have heard the strong views expressed by respondents.

    While these early results are promising, ‘Consult’ is currently in trial. More evaluation covering the accuracy and efficiency of the tool will take place to ensure it’s working properly ahead of final rollout decisions.

    Across the 500 consultations the government runs annually, the tool could help save officials from around 75,000 days of analysis every year, which costs the government £20 million in staffing costs.

    In doing this, the technology will help create a more agile state that can more easily respond to new challenges and effectively deliver the Plan for Change.

    Officials who worked with Consult from the Scottish Government on this first live test commented that they were “pleasantly surprised” that AI analysis provided a “useful starting point” in its initial analysis, with others noting that it ultimately “saved [them] a heck of a lot of time” and allowed them to “get to the analysis and draw out what’s needed next”.

    They also added that the use of Consult “takes away the bias and makes it more consistent”, by removing opportunities for individual analysts to “project their own preconceived ideas”.

    With some consultations receiving tens or hundreds of thousands of responses, and given the strong levels of accuracy demonstrated in early tests, Consult will soon be used on major consultations without officials manually reviewing every response individually.

    That said, Consult has been designed to keep the experts in the loop throughout. Officials will always review the themes and how responses are sorted into them through an interactive dashboard that will allow them to filter and search for insights.

    Notes to editors

    The response to the Scottish Government consultation will be published before the end of June. The consultation will inform the content of a Non-Surgical Cosmetic Procedures Bill that was announced on 6 May.

    The first live evaluation of Consult shows that it secured an F1 score (a common measure of alignment for AI tools) of 0.76, widely considered ‘good’ when evaluating the performance of AI tools.

    The full evaluation, published today, can be found here. We expect further testing and evaluation of the tool to happen in coming months, ahead of any decisions about wider rollout.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Great British Energy funding boost for Scottish communities [May 2025]

    PRESS RELEASE : Great British Energy funding boost for Scottish communities [May 2025]

    The press release issued by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero on 14 May 2025.

    £4m Great British Energy funding scheme to target clean energy projects in Scottish communities.

    • Community-owned energy projects in Scotland to get access to funding from Great British Energy
    • new investment will help communities install clean power projects to cut bills and provide energy security
    • joint fund with the Scottish Government will give communities a stake in their local energy supply

    Communities across Scotland can today apply for new funding from a £4 million Great British Energy scheme.

    The funding targets local clean energy projects – from community-led onshore wind, to solar on rooftops and hydropower in rivers – generating profits which could be reinvested into community projects or take money off people’s bills.

    Great British Energy, the government’s publicly-owned clean power company, is giving communities a stake in generating their own energy so people can reinvest profits where it really matters.

    Great British Energy’s £4 million funding is part of the £8 million Community Energy Generation Growth Fund, with the remaining funding coming from the Scottish Government.

    Minister for Energy Michael Shanks said:

    This is our clean energy superpower mission in action – putting communities in the driving seat of energy generation and making sure people profit.

    Great British Energy wants to kickstart a community energy revolution, empowering our towns and villages to become mini energy producers and reinvest profits back into the local community.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Boost for British green aviation fuel production to support jobs and lift off emerging industry [May 2025]

    PRESS RELEASE : Boost for British green aviation fuel production to support jobs and lift off emerging industry [May 2025]

    The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 14 May 2025.

    New sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) measures will support aviation expansion and meet decarbonisation goals.

    • new laws introduced today will increase homegrown sustainable aviation fuel, positioning the UK as a world leading destination for the new emerging market
    • UK revenue certainty for green fuel producers will boost jobs across the country and enable the UK to go further and faster with expansion plans
    • passengers will be a step closer to more eco-friendly flights, as £400,000 announced to get new fuels to market quicker, delivering on the UK’s clean energy ambitions and powering up economic growth as part of the Plan for Change

    New measures to help the UK take off as a world leader in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), supporting the growth in the industry and jobs across the country, were introduced today in Parliament (14 May 2025).

    With decarbonisation key to accelerating expansion plans, the government has also announced an additional £400,000 of funding for producers so that new clean fuels can get to market quicker, speeding up the UK’s path to green flying.

    SAF is an alternative to fossil jet fuel, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions on average by 70% on a lifecycle basis. While the fuel is more costly to produce than jet fuel, the government’s SAF measures protect industry and consumers from excessive costs.

    In addition, the revenue certainty mechanism (RCM) will keep ticket price changes minimal – keeping fluctuations to £1.50 a year on average – and will be industry funded through a levy on aviation fuel suppliers. The Department for Transport (DfT) will continue to engage with industry on the details of the RCM, including pricing.

    A new round of government funding is also being announced, to offer fuel producers a share of £400,000 to support the testing and qualification of green fuels, helping to get them to market quicker. This support for producers follows £63 million of funding made available through the Advanced Fuels Fund this year.

    Taken together, the government’s commitments on green fuels will help deliver on its missions to kickstart economic growth via job creation, become a clean energy superpower and will allow the UK to go further and faster with expansion plans, giving a boon to the tourism industry.

    Aviation Minister, Mike Kane, said:

    I want to see a golden age for green aviation and today sees take off for sustainable flights.

    Aviation continues to be one of the fastest growing and most integral parts of the UK’s economy, offering more jobs across engineering, tourism and hospitality – and as we support aviation expansion, we need to move at full throttle towards decarbonisation.

    We are making the UK one of the best places in the world to produce sustainable aviation fuel, putting the pedal down on growth and boosting job opportunities across the country as part of the Plan for Change.

    The new legislation will help industry meet its requirements under the SAF Mandate, introduced in January this year, which specifies that at least 10% of all jet fuel used in flights taking off from the UK from 2030, be made with sustainable fuel, rising to 22% by 2040.

    The new financial mechanism is another display that the UK is rock solid in its commitment to building a prosperous hub for homegrown sustainable fuel production. Furthermore, this vital update provides SAF producers and the industry at large the confidence and stability to plough investment into clean energy.

    The government’s approach on low carbon fuels could add up to £5 billion to the economy by 2050 and position the UK as a global hub for SAF production.

    Tim Alderslade, Chief Executive of Airlines UK, said:

    This is a welcome announcement given the importance of the RCM to commercialising and scaling-up SAF production in the UK, a technology key to decarbonising aviation by 2050. A UK SAF industry, kick-started by the RCM and SAF Mandate, can create tens of thousands of jobs across the country whilst supporting our world-class aviation sector to deliver economic growth.

    We look forward to working with government on scheme design and how contracts are allocated, so that we balance the need to deliver the SAF required to support mandate compliance, whilst keeping costs as low as possible through a competitive and transparent bidding process that places the consumer at its heart.

    Duncan McCourt, Chief Executive of Sustainable Aviation, said:

    We hugely welcome the publication of this important legislation. SAF is a crucial element in the plan to decarbonise aviation as it can be used in existing aircraft with existing infrastructure.

    The challenge now is to scale the industry, ensuring we have enough SAF to meet the mandate whilst keeping costs low and create thousands of jobs in the process. This legislation will help to do that.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Change of His Majesty’s Ambassador to Kuwait – Qudsi Rasheed [May 2025]

    PRESS RELEASE : Change of His Majesty’s Ambassador to Kuwait – Qudsi Rasheed [May 2025]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 14 May 2025.

    Mr Qudsi Rasheed OBE has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to The State of Kuwait in succession to Ms Belinda Lewis who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment.  Mr Rasheed will take up his appointment during September 2025.

    Curriculum vitae

    Full Name: Qudsi Rasheed

    Year Role
    2021 to 2024 Cairo, Deputy Head of Mission
    2020 to 2021  Full Time Language Training (Arabic), FCDO four months as Deputy Director Covid Task Force
    2018 to 2020  FCO later FCDO, Deputy Director Multilateral Policy and Head of Sanctions Unit
    2017 to 2018 Beirut, Head of UK Syria Office
    2014 to 2017 UKRep Brussels, External Relations (Relex) Counsellor
    2011 to 2014 FCO, Legal Adviser, Legal Directorate
    2011 Joined FCO
    2008 to 2011 Barrister (called to the Bar of England and Wales)
    2007 to 2009  UCL and King’s College London, Visiting Lecturer
  • Wes Streeting – 2025 Speech on Men’s Health

    Wes Streeting – 2025 Speech on Men’s Health

    The speech made by Wes Streeting, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, at Central Hall in Westminster, London on 13 May 2025.

    It is a genuine pleasure to be here alongside so many friends – people I don’t yet know, but people we want to work with.

    It’s great to have such a wide range of people and organisations represented around the room, who are creating spaces for men to fight loneliness.

    Encouraging open conversations about masculinity and providing positive role models for boys across our country.

    I want to thank you, Richard, for picking up this agenda and helping to force it into the mainstream.

    Society has been slow to wake up to the fact that a lot of men and boys are really struggling today, and you’re playing a big role in correcting that.

    And, as you alluded to in your remarks, making sure that this is a mainstream agenda and not one that is surrendered to the margins and the extremes.

    So, I’m looking forward to working with you and your institute as we begin to develop solutions to the inequalities and injustices that men and boys face in our country today.

    The truth is it can be quite tough to be a young man in today’s society.

    Lots of boys, particularly those from working class backgrounds like mine, are falling behind at school and are worried about their futures.

    The proliferation of toxic influences and content on social media is leading a lot of boys astray.

    A lot of content on social media that provided a real challenge for girls in terms of positive body image and what it meant to be a perfect girl or a woman in our society – those challenges are now applying to men and boys in similar if sometimes different ways.

    And all of this is contributing to a crisis in masculinity.

    Since taking on the health and social care brief in opposition 3 and a half years ago, I’ve been very outspoken about the fact that it takes 7 and a half years for women to receive a diagnosis for a common condition like endometriosis, or that a universal experience like menopause is still treated as if it’s a rare condition affecting alien species.

    And I feel just as enraged about the inequalities in men’s health, frankly.

    Men are living 4 years less than women.

    The gap widens if you just look at working class communities.

    Men are disproportionately affected by cancer, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

    The tragedy is that many of these conditions are treatable and even preventable.

    Black men are twice as likely to die from prostate cancer as White men.

    And suicide is the number one killer of men under the age of 50, which was a fact so shocking that I nearly fell off my chair when I first heard it and actually asked for the statistic to be checked. And the fact that it’s now more commonly cited should not make the fact itself less shocking or outrageous.

    Nothing frustrates me more than when men’s health and women’s health are pitted in opposition to each other, as if by focusing on the men’s health strategy, we are in any way detracting from the work we’re doing on women’s health.

    This is not an either or.

    It very much has to be hand in hand, and we will address both.

    And it also does a disservice to lots of women in our society, as if somehow women don’t care about their fathers and grandfathers, their brothers, their sons, their nephews any less than we care about our mothers or grandmothers, our sisters.

    It’s really serious.

    So I actually think that we are all in this together, and we will succeed as a society if we’re working together to tackle the injustices and inequalities that affect men and women.

    There’s a common problem across the NHS that women’s voices are not heard, and women are not listened to.

    When it comes to men, I think the problem is often we’re more reluctant to speak up in the first place.

    One in 3 men have never had a conversation with a brother, father or grandfather about their health.

    The same number would prefer to suffer in silence than go to the doctor about their mental health.

    So, I think we’ve got to teach men from a young age that it’s okay to feel, to hurt and to ask for help.

    Doing so doesn’t make you any less of a man.

    And I think that making sure this generation of young men and boys are aware of that fact is how we make them less likely to channel their emotions into anger, aggression or depression.

    This is all why we’re doing the first ever men’s health strategy.

    I announced this last year at the Emirates Stadium to coincide with Movember, alongside a large number of men’s groups and organisations, charities and men’s health ambassadors.

    It was a great event, but one of the things that came out of it on the day and since has never ceased to amaze me. And that is just how many people said, “thank you”.

    That’s not just because as a politician, it’s rare for someone to say thank you.

    I mean, to be fair, we’ve got to give people something to be grateful about.

    But, actually, I was saying to people, look, you can thank us when we’ve done something.

    All I’ve done is say we’re going to have a strategy.

    We hadn’t even launched the call for evidence at that point.

    When we’ve done something, when we’ve had an impact and we’ve started to change those statistics and change things about their lives and futures.

    But actually the pushback I got was, no, actually, we’re genuinely grateful because we’ve been fighting for this for so many years and haven’t had a hearing, let alone someone being prepared to launch a call for evidence that will lead to a strategy.

    And that tells us something about the extent to which men’s health has been overlooked, and particularly men’s mental health.

    So we launched our call for evidence for the men’s health strategy in April, and I was about to say, I want to ask everyone who hasn’t responded yet to do so and spread the word further.

    But actually, we have been really overwhelmed and really struck by just how positive and engaged such a large number of organisations have been.

    But nonetheless, we want to make sure we engage as many men, as many organisations and as many different types of men and different parts of the country from different communities as we have.

    Which is right.

    We have to look at the data and we will take an evidence-based approach.

    But as we know, statistics paint a picture to an extent, but what we also need to do is understand the story that we want to tell.

    We’re talking about the experience of men and boys today and how we’re going to make it so much better, so we could do with more insight as well as data, especially from those grassroots organisations in this room and beyond, in a range of communities across the country, whether on physical health or mental health, whether we’re talking about White men or Black men, whether we’re talking about class inequality as well, which is at the heart of a lot of mental health. Any serious attempt to address mental health must confront these inequalities head on.

    So, we’ve got our work cut out for us. Doing is a lot more important than talking.

    We’ve done the easy bit, in my view.

    We’ve committed to having a strategy to making a difference and making sure that we’re proud of the impact.

    But in order to be successful, this isn’t just a challenge that government can address.

    This is about government playing its part, but working in partnership with civil society, with businesses, with all of us as citizens to try and tackle what are a wide range of challenges and problems facing men and boys.

    And that’s why this gathering is really important to me, the department and the government, because we need to do this with you rather than to you. And with this level of enthusiasm, this level of energy, we genuinely think we can do something impactful that we’ll be able to look back on for the rest of our lives with pride, knowing that we were prepared to confront the problems and the challenges head on, and make sure that boys growing up in this country today, whoever they are, whatever their background, can achieve their fullest potential and look forward to a life well lived, rather than experience the deep anxiety and despair far too many boys in our country are experiencing today.

    So thank you very much in advance.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Serious concerns over use of £22 million triggers investigation by charity regulator [May 2025]

    PRESS RELEASE : Serious concerns over use of £22 million triggers investigation by charity regulator [May 2025]

    The press release issued by the Charity Commission on 14 May 2025.

    The Charity Commission has launched a statutory class inquiry into several charities and issued orders to temporarily restrict the issuing of cheques.

    The charity regulator for England and Wales has launched a statutory class inquiry into a group of charities where there is evidence that they are issuing or have issued cheques, which are then exchanged for cash.

    Following an unannounced visit by HMRC to a company in Hackney, 105 charities were found to have cashed cheques with it to a value of £22 million between December 2021 and March 2023.

    The 10 charities initially under inquiry are: Inspirations (1109974), Beis Aharon Charitable Trust Limited (1010420), Mifal Hachesed Vehatzedokoh (1139320), Friend of Beis Soroh Schneirer (1153647), One Heart – Lev Echod (1167227), Yad Vochessed Association Limited (1112797), Friends of Beis Chinuch Lebonos Trust (1153187), Chasdei Dov Trust (1181900), Friends of Mercaz Hatorah Belz Macnivka (1126075), The Rehabilitation Trust (288622).

    These 10 charities have been prioritised following an assessment of a range of factors, including the number of cheques issued, and total value of cheques cashed. The Commission expects to extend the number of charities under investigation over time.

    Using powers available to the Commission during an inquiry, the regulator will determine the facts around how these charities have transferred funds. It will also investigate how trustees had oversight of what happened to funds exchanged for the cheques, and if this cash has been used properly to support what the charities were set up to do. The Commission will seek to establish how trustees determined that these financial transactions were in their charity’s best interests.

    The regulator has issued an immediate order to temporarily stop any of the charities under inquiry from issuing cheques without its prior consent.

    The scope of the inquiry may also be extended if additional regulatory issues emerge during the Commission’s investigation.

    Notes to editors:

    1. The Charity Commission is the independent, non-ministerial government department that registers and regulates charities in England and Wales. Its ambition is to be an expert regulator that is fair, balanced, and independent so that charity can thrive. This ambition will help to create and sustain an environment where charities further build public trust and ultimately fulfil their essential role in enhancing lives and strengthening society. Find out more: About us – The Charity Commission – GOV.UK
    2. A statutory inquiry is a legal power enabling the Commission to formally investigate matters of regulatory concern within a charity, or class of charities and to use protective powers for the benefit of the charity and its beneficiaries, assets, or reputation. An inquiry will investigate and establish the facts of the case so that the Commission can determine the extent of any misconduct and/or mismanagement; the extent of the risk to the charity, its work, property, beneficiaries, employees or volunteers; and decide what action is needed to resolve the concerns.
    3. Under section 76(3)(f) of the Charities Act 2011, the regulator has issued a restricted transactions order which will prohibit the issuing of cheques without the Commission’s written consent.
    4. The Commission’s guidance on internal financial controls can be found via this link: Internal financial controls for charities: protect your charity from fraud and loss (CC8)  – GOV.UK. It makes clear that pre-signed blank cheques should be prohibited under charities’ financial control policies.