Tag: 2025

PRESS RELEASE : Bureaucratic burden lifted to speed up building in growth agenda [March 2025]
The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 10 March 2025.

The government has confirmed further reforms to overhaul the planning system and put growth at the heart of the statutory consultee system.
- Review of statutory consultee system to promote growth and unblock building
- Consultation on limiting the scope of statutory consultees and removing a limited number of them, including Sport England, Theatres Trust and The Gardens Trust in planning decisions, while ensuring necessary community facilities and needs continue to be met
- Will also establish a new performance framework with greater ministerial oversight
- Reforms will reduce delays and uncertainty on planning proposals, demonstrating the government’s Plan for Change in action
Further reforms to overhaul the planning system have been set out today [Monday 10 March] putting growth at the heart of the statutory consultee system and helping deliver the government’s Plan for Change milestone of delivering 1.5 million new homes.

Under new plans organisations such as Sport England, Theatres Trust and The Gardens Trust will no longer be required to input on planning decisions. The scope of other statutory consultees will be narrowed to focus on heritage, safety and environmental protection, speeding up the building process and preventing delays to homes being built.

“Statutory consultees” are official stakeholders legally required to provide advice on planning decisions to ensure developments can consider essential environmental, transport, heritage and safety elements. They play an important role in the planning system, but councils and developers report that the system is not working effectively.

The changes are part of the government’s ongoing stream of work to break down barriers to growth and get Britain building. They come ahead of the government’s flagship Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which will be introduced this week and will support the government’s Plan for Change commitment to build 1.5 million homes.

Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary Angela Rayner said:

“We’ve put growth at the heart of our plans as a government, with our Plan for Change milestone to secure 1.5 million homes and unleash Britain’s potential to build.

“We need to reform the system to ensure it is sensible and balanced, and does not create unintended delays – putting a hold on people’s lives and harming our efforts to build the homes people desperately need.

“New developments must still meet our high expectations to create the homes, facilities and infrastructure that communities need.”

The list of statutory consultees has also grown haphazardly over time and now includes over 25 organisations. Problems expressed include statutory consultees:
- failing to engage proactively;
- taking too long to provide their advice;
- re-opening issues that have already been dealt with in local plans;
- submitting automatic holding objections which are then withdrawn at a late stage; and
- submitting advice that seeks gold-plated outcomes, going beyond what is necessary to make development acceptable in planning terms.
Problems with the operation of the system cause uncertainty, extensive delays, and increased costs. This is due to the time taken to provide advice and the complexities sometimes causing the provision of over extensive or unnecessary advice.

In the past three years over 300 applications were forced to be escalated for consideration by the Secretary of State because of disagreements from consultees.

In broader examples given to ministers, a government department reported a two-year delay to a simple planning application on the government estate because of inability to agree a position with a statutory consultee.

In Bradford, a development to create 140 new homes next to a cricket club was significantly delayed because the application was thought to have not adequately considered the speed of cricket balls.

While noting the broader role that statutory consultees play within the planning system in facilitating high quality development, the government is reforming the system to ensure it operates in a sensible, systematic way, and does not create unnecessary blockers.

The government recognises the importance of these organisations and their value to local communities. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) will continue to apply and these organisations will continue to engage with the planning system through development of local and strategic plans, and through the publication of guidance and advice.

Proposed changes will put support for growth at the heart of the statutory consultee process by;
- Consulting on reducing the number of organisations, including the impact of removing Sport England, the Theatres Trust and The Gardens Trust.
- Reviewing the scope of all statutory consultees, to reduce the type and number of applications on which they must be consulted – and making much better use of standing guidance in place of case-by-case responses.
- Clarifying that local authorities should only be consulting statutory consultees where necessary to do so, and decisions should not be delayed beyond the 21 day statutory deadline unless a decision cannot otherwise be reached or advice may enable an approval rather than a refusal.
- Instituting a new performance framework, in which the Chief Executives of key statutory consultees report on their performance directly to Treasury and MHCLG Ministers.
This follows the decision by the Deputy Prime Minister and the Chancellor earlier this year pausing the formation of new statutory consultees and a commitment to reviewing the existing arrangements.

The NPPF is clear that existing open spaces, sports, recreational buildings and land, including playing fields, should not be built on unless an assessment has shown the space to be surplus to requirements or it will be replaced by equivalent or better provision. These strong policy protections will remain firmly in place, with the government expecting them to be taken into account in planning decisions.

The government will consult this Spring on the impacts of removing a limited number of statutory consultees and narrowing the scope of others so they can focus on the most important applications.

This comes ahead of the introduction of the government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill this week, which will bring forward significant measures introduced to speed up planning decisions to boost housebuilding and remove unnecessary blockers and challenges to the delivery of vital developments like roads, railway lines and windfarms.
March 25, 2025
Peter Kyle – 2025 Speech at techUK Conference

The speech made by Peter Kyle, the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, on 10 March 2025.

Normally, it takes half an hour to get blood samples from the Guy’s Hospital, in London Bridge, to the lab over the road at St Thomas’ for testing.

Like anything in medicine, even that small delay can make a massive difference.

Between a quick recovery and weeks – months, even – spent bed-bound on a hospital ward.

The team at Guy’s are acutely aware of that fact. So – working with two innovative firms – Apian, a British start-up founded by NHS doctors, and Wing, a global drone delivery company – they decided to find a solution.

Fed up with being stuck in traffic jams, they’re using drones to deliver blood samples for high-risk patients who suffer from bleeding disorders like haemophilia. Instead of half an hour, delivery takes just 2 minutes.

Make no mistake. This will save lives.

The Civil Aviation Authority’s decision to extend the trial today is brilliant news.

Too often, though, pioneering projects like these can’t get off the ground in Britain. Or they flounder in the face of bureaucratic headwinds. Even for this trial, my officials were told that if a single noise complaint was made – the whole thing could be blown off course.

A single noise complaint – and vulnerable people are left waiting for the care they desperately need.

I think that tells you everything you need to know about what’s going wrong in Britain today.

In the last decade, we’ve had a succession of strategies.

Piecemeal plan after piecemeal plan.

And yet what has changed?

Growth is anaemic – at best.

Most households are barely better off now than they were in 2010. Across the country, communities are clinging on to industries that are disappearing.

Because no one has confronted the question of what comes next.

You have to ask yourself – why?

Why has government after government found it so difficult to design or deliver a coherent plan for our economy? I think part of the answer is a failure to imagine what a better future for our country could actually look like.

That is a failure of optimism. An inability to believe in Britain’s potential.

But – without a plan for realising that potential – it’s also a failure of pragmatism.

What other conclusion can you come to? When the data centres we need to power our digital economy get blocked because they ruin the view from the M25?

When life sciences firms are demanding millions of square feet in new lab space.

But over half of applications for lab space in Oxford are snarled up in our archaic planning process.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

There is 10 times as much lab space in Boston as there is in Oxford, Cambridge and London combined.

In San Francisco, it takes a couple of minutes to hail a self-driving taxi for you and your kids if you’re late for the school run.

In many cities in China, a drone delivering your takeaway is an ordinary, unremarkable part of everyday life.

While others have forged ahead, we risk being left behind.

And – as ever – it’s working people who have paid the price.

The stats are clear.

Mario Draghi’s recent report into European competitiveness showed that the vast productivity gap between the EU and the US is almost entirely down to the growth of the tech sector.

And Britain isn’t much better.

That’s not because we have a shortage of brilliant businesses or innovative entrepreneurs.

We’ve got the third largest tech sector in the world.

Between 2019 and 2023, our digital sector grew over five times faster than the rest of the economy.

But, for too long, government has failed to be a reliable partner for you.

Our industrial strategy – ‘Invest 2035’ – will change that.

It will set out a decade-long plan for our economy, squarely focused on the eight sectors with the greatest growth potential and anchored in a positive and pragmatic vision of what Britain’s future could look like.

There is no possible version of that future which does not have technology at its heart.

Just as there is no route to long-term growth, no solution to our productivity problem, without innovation.

That’s why I will be bringing forward – for the very first time – a dedicated plan for our digital and technologies sector.

That plan will be a partnership with you and with local leaders in regions with the highest growth potential.

And it will be rooted in a firm belief that technology can be a force for good in working people’s lives.

Whether that’s climate-resistant crops that will provide affordable food in the face of floods and droughts. Quantum scanners that will help us understand devastating diseases like dementia and epilepsy.

Semiconductors like the ones I saw last week in South Wales, which are powering every part of modern life.

New telecoms technologies that will allow people and businesses to access the internet anywhere in the UK – or protect our armed forces abroad.
Drones that can save lives – or simply deliver a takeaway to your door.

Too often, though, British businesses trying to bring technologies like these to market face a mountain of red tape.

That’s bad for growth.

And it’s bad for British people, who spend longer waiting for the products and services they want. I created the Regulatory Innovation Office (RIO) to change that, focusing on four of our fastest-growing, highest-impact sectors.

Engineering biology. AI in healthcare. Space. And, of course, autonomous technology like drones.

Today, we have announced that David Willetts will take on the role of Chair.

David brings with him an unparalleled wealth of experience.

He may have once sat on the other side of the House.

But few people know the UK science and technology landscape better than him. That’s just as well – because he’s got his work cut out.

David and Minister Vallance went to Guy’s last Friday.

The stifling straightjacket of rules that the team faced before they could start the trial isn’t just keeping drones grounded.

It’s everywhere you look.

That’s why transparent, adaptable, pro-innovation regulation will be the central pillar of the digital and technologies sector plan.

Today, I’ve set up a forum to get our regulators ready for the quantum revolution.

Because I want them to give British businesses the confidence they need to embrace a technology that will transform every part of our lives. I’ve also launched new funding for engineering biology sandboxes which will help us accelerate regulatory reform for products like lab-grown organs for transplant or cell-cultivated meat.

This approach is being replicated right across government – even in the places you’d expect it least.

Right now, the humble banana – Britain’s favourite fruit – is at risk.

Because almost all the bananas in the world are genetically identical clones, Panama disease could wipe them all out at once.

So Tropic Biosciences – a UK start-up based in Norwich – have come up with an alternative.

Their gene-edited, disease-resistant bananas offer hope for the future.

Better still – they’ve also developed bananas that ripen, but don’t go brown.

Those have already been licensed for consumption in the Philippines.

But not yet in the UK.

Soon, though, that might change.

Bolstered by the reinstatement of the precision breeding working group, Ministers in Defra are working on enabling a route to market for precision bred crops, that will help us to cope in a new era of climate change and food insecurity.

Britain must belong to the bold – not the blockers.

Government must not be afraid to reform the way we regulate to favour innovation.

Nor must we hesitate to embrace the unpredictable nature of research.

One of the challenges of designing a plan for this sector is just how rapidly technology is changing. Imagine if you’d published a ten-year plan for AI the day before ChatGPT was released.

You may as well rip it up and start again.

Though we can see glimpses of our future in places like Guy’s Hospital, there’s much we cannot predict.

We can be certain, though, that British science will have a pivotal role to play. To future proof our industrial strategy, we shouldn’t try and guess where research might end up before scientists have even started.

Instead, we’ve got to be a stable partner that our researchers can rely on – working with them to tackle the challenges that will define the decade to come.

R&D will be the anchor for this sector plan.

Today, we’ve invested another £23 million in cutting edge telecoms research that will cement the UK’s leadership in advanced connectivity and support projects delivering real, tangible change for people and businesses across Britain.

From using smart sensors to prevent damp and mould in social housing in Glasgow.

To using 5G to help farmers in Sussex monitor their vineyards and maximise their yields.

We’ve announced the winners of the Quantum Missions Pilot competition, too.

The ten pioneers we’ve selected will now get to grips with the barriers that are preventing us from commercialising and adopting quantum technologies across the country.

Every one of these investments sends a clear signal.

That Britain isn’t just the place where tomorrow’s companies are born.

But the place where they can scale and succeed.

A place where the people who are deciding what the next decade looks like will be proud to call home. Because every pound these people on British soil has the potential not just to change working people’s lives, but to secure our nation’s position as a maker, not a taker, of tomorrow’s technology.

That is why we published the AI Opportunities Plan.

We cannot afford to simply sit back and wait for the AI revolution to shape us.

We have got to step up and make sure that Britain is the place where the shape of that revolution gets decided.

That will require working with companies to deliver the compute infrastructure that the researchers leading it will rely on.

In the Action Plan, we committed to increasing the capacity of the AI Research Resource – our current network of cutting-edge super computers – by at least 20 times by 2030.

Today, we are launching market engagement for the private partnerships we will need to meet that commitment. Details of how to take part are now online.

If you want to work together to secure our stake in the future of this technology, I urge you to get in touch.

So we will be bold on regulation. On R&D. On infrastructure.

And I want businesses right across our economy to be bold, too. If we want British people to be the first to benefit from technologies like AI, we’ve got to empower companies large and small with the confidence to adopt them.

When I talk about partnership, this is what I mean.

Purposeful, long-term collaboration in pursuit of a common goal.

So we’ve asked Angela MacLean and Dave Smith to work with you to overcome the barriers to tech adoption in every sector of the industrial strategy.

But we’re also capitalising on our own position as a customer for our digital and technologies sector, using procurement to drive innovation and deliver a smaller, smarter state that offers better value for money for taxpayers. Everywhere you see, there is an imbalance of power in this country.

Rules which favour the blockers, not the bold.

It is that imbalance which has – for too long – made it impossible to imagine a better future for Britain.

When regulation empowers the people complaining about the sound of drones – not the patients waiting for life saving care.

When businesses lack the support they need to invest in risky R&D.

And researchers can’t access the infrastructure they need to make breakthroughs that will make British people better off. When procurement favours the same old suspects.

And firms struggle to adopt technologies that could keep them competitive in the decades to come.

We don’t know what 2035 will look like.

But we know that tech will have a pivotal – and positive – role to play.

Engineering biology and AI.

Semiconductors and cybersecurity.

Quantum and telecoms.

Every one of the technologies I have talked about today offers a chance to change working people’s lives for the better.

But that will only happen if we have the courage to take that chance.

And an understanding of the radical, far-reaching reform which will be required to do that.

We cannot afford to be cautious.

Together, we’ve got to shift the balance of power.

Away from stagnation and old ideas. Towards innovation and opportunity.

Away from the naysayers. Towards the can-doers.

Away from the blockers standing in the way of growth. Towards you – the bold people building a new future for Britain.

Thank you.

March 25, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Government ambition to end sewage discharges into Windermere [March 2025]
The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 9 March 2025.

Environment Secretary Steve Reed will today (Monday 10 March) set out government ambition to end sewage discharged into Windermere.
- The Government has pledged to work with local partners to eliminate sewage discharges into the lake including treatment facilities and storm overflows.
- Environment Secretary Steve Reed will today meet with local campaigners to pledge his support to cleaning up the iconic site.
- Visit marks start of Ministers’ week-long tour as part of government’s Plan for Change to upgrade our crumbling water infrastructure and boost economic growth using over £100 billion private investment.
Environment Secretary Steve Reed will today (Monday 10 March) pledge to ‘clean up Windermere’ setting out the Government’s support for the long-term ambition of ‘only rainwater’ entering England’s largest lake.

This comes ahead of a thorough feasibility study – established by the ‘Only Rainwater’ local coalition including United Utilities, the Environment Agency, Ofwat, Save Windermere, Love Windermere, the Lake District National Park authority, and Westmorland and Furness Council. The study will determine what would be needed to eliminate sewage discharges into the lake, drawing on successful examples and innovation from around the world to create a roadmap for delivery.

As a first step, government is working on new methods to reduce pollution from private sewage discharges into Windermere. Along with new treatment plants and enhanced maintenance, the government is supporting the delivery of First-Time Sewerage schemes which provide a mechanism for owners of septic tanks and package treatment works to request connection to the mains sewer under certain conditions. This will be vital in consolidating the wastewater infrastructure in the catchment, enabling our long-term objective.

The Environment Secretary will also reiterate his support for local action and regulation to protect and improve water quality, including 33 additional Environment Agency specialist officers in the region and a quadrupling of water company inspections.

Environment Secretary Steve Reed said:

Windermere is a stunningly beautiful national treasure – but it’s being choked by unacceptable levels of sewage pollution.

As part of our Plan for Change, the Government is committed to cleaning up this iconic lake.

That is why we are working with a range of local groups and organisations to stop all sewage going into the lake and restore it to its natural beauty.

The action forms part of this government’s work to transform the water sector and clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good. This includes the Water (Special Measures) Act that will create a level playing field through stronger regulation alongside securing £104 billion of private sector investment to upgrade our crumbling infrastructure, boost economic growth and create thousands of good, well-paid jobs right across the country.

Following approval by Ofwat last year, United Utilities are investing £200 million to upgrade 9 wastewater treatment works at Windermere and reduce the spills from all 6 storm overflows discharging into the lake to 10 per year by 2030. Across the country, over £100 billion of private sector money will be invested into the water sector – the largest investment into water in history. This will help to upgrade and build new water infrastructure in every region of the country with sewage pipes, water treatment works and nine reservoirs, supporting 1.5 million new homes, 150 major infrastructure projects and power new industries such as gigafactories and data centres.

This vital investment is a good start – but in the face of climate change, we must go further and faster to protect precious natural assets like Windermere, which is why government is backing the ambition to eliminate sewage discharges into the lake.

Windermere, part of the Lake District National Park UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is home to more than 14,000 people and its beautiful scenery, rare species and cultural heritage attract a further 7 million visitors per year, generating £750 million for the local economy. The lake faces pollution from a range of sources including rural and urban land use, wastewater from United Utilities and private sewage treatment – issues that are being made worse by climate change.

The Environment Secretary’s visit to Windermere is the first of seven visits that he and Water Minister Emma Hardy will make on a ‘Things Can Only Get Cleaner’ tour this week, to see where investment in water infrastructure will underpin the building of new homes, create jobs and turbocharge local economies – a cornerstone of the government’s Plan for Change.

The government also confirmed today that locally led schemes to clean up waterways are set to receive up to £11m, with money based on water company fines and penalties ringfenced to deliver local water projects. Applicants to the Water Restoration Fund, including some in the Lake District, will be notified today. Successful projects will begin this year and focus on improving the water environment in the same regions where the fines and penalties were issued. This could include projects to restore waters to good ecological status; support biodiversity in water-dependent habitats and build resilience to climate change.
March 25, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : COVID-19 Day of Reflection brings communities together to commemorate those who lost their lives during the pandemic [March 2025]
The press release issued by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on 8 March 2025.

Communities up and down the country are set to come together tomorrow (9 March) to mark the COVID-19 Day of Reflection.
- COVID-19 Day of Reflection on Sunday to be marked with local events in communities up and down the country
- Members of the public invited to take part in the COVID-19 Day of Reflection in ways that are meaningful for them
Hundreds of events and spaces for reflection have been organised by communities to remember and commemorate those who lost their lives during the pandemic. They will also be an opportunity to reflect on the sacrifices made, the impact on our daily lives, and pay tribute to the work of health and social care staff, frontline workers and researchers during what was an unprecedented time.

Events, gatherings and commemorations are taking place across the country, including:
- A procession along the National Covid Memorial Wall, followed by a ceremony and a minute’s silence, and flowers being cast from London’s Lambeth Bridge
- NHS Charities Together will be holding an event at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, which commemorates the thousands of people who tragically lost their lives since the pandemic began, and pay tribute to the critical role played by the NHS, its workforce and NHS charities in supporting patients and communities during the pandemic.
- Manchester Cathedral will host a special prayer service, honouring and reflecting upon the experiences felt by the Black, Caribbean and African community who faced unique challenges during the pandemic.
- Local authorities are recognising the day across the country. In Liverpool St George’s Hall will become the city’s focal point for the Day’s activities and in Sheffield the City Council is partnering with a community-led, NHS-funded programme, Compassionate Sheffield, for commemoration, speeches and a showing of the Stories from the Pandemic documentary.
- In Scotland, Covid19 Families Scotland will be hosting an event outdoors at Glasgow Green which includes a piper, choir and minute’s silence.
- In Treorchy, South Wales, the COVID-19 bereaved will gather and remember their loved ones and place named flags in a yellow heart made of local stones, which was created in 2021 on Bwlch Mountain. The yellow heart became a memorial to all those that died from COVID-19 in Wales and has been brought back to its former glory by the COVID-19 bereaved group this year.
In Belfast, Northern Ireland, Memory Stones of Love, who are a group set up by bereaved families during the pandemic, will be marking the day by holding a remembrance concert with music, poems and readings, as well as displaying their stones with inscriptions of those we lost during the pandemic.

Members of the public can find more information to help them to mark the day if they wish, including an interactive map that displays all the events taking place up and down the country, at gov.uk/day-of-reflection.

Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy said:

The pandemic impacted us all in different ways, with many sadly losing loved ones and others making great sacrifices in their lives. This COVID-19 Day of Reflection will allow people the space and time to reflect and I would encourage everyone to take part in a way that feels right for them.

Chair of the UK Commission on Covid Commemoration, Baroness Morgan of Cotes said:

It is right that, as a country, we take the time to remember the COVID-19 pandemic, to reflect on what happened, remember those whose lives were impacted in so many ways and honour those who tragically lost their lives. Today is an opportunity for communities to come together to reflect and commemorate their loved ones.

The COVID-19 Day of Reflection is one of the ten recommendations set out by the UK Commission on Covid Commemoration.

The government is giving careful consideration to the recommendations made by the Commission and a full response will be published in due course.

Notes to editors
- The UK Commission on Covid Commemoration recommended a Day of Reflection to be held on the first Sunday in March where possible to align – as far as possible – with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. They acknowledged that at times this would clash with other significant national events, for example, St David’s Day in Wales.
- This follows last year’s COVID–19 Day of Reflection on Sunday 3 March 2024.
- After working closely with bereaved family groups, and with other government departments and the devolved governments, it was decided that the COVID-19 Day of Reflection 2025 will be on Sunday 9 March to ensure it can be observed across the UK.
March 25, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Keir Starmer call with Prime Minister Albanese of Australia [March 2025]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 8 March 2025.

The Prime Minister spoke to the Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese this morning.

The Prime Minister began by expressing his support for all Australians affected by the Cyclone and paid tribute to the strength of the partnership between the two countries.

He welcomed Prime Minister Albanese’s commitment to consider contributing to a Coalition of the Willing for Ukraine and looked forward to the Chiefs of Defence meeting in Paris on Tuesday.

The Prime Minister also reiterated the UK’s commitment to the AUKUS programme.

The leaders agreed to stay in touch.

March 25, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Women’s rights to be championed by appointment of new UK Special Envoy [March 2025]
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 8 March 2025.

Harriet Harman to champion gender equality worldwide as new UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls.
- Harriet Harman announced as new UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls
- appointment underlines the UK’s ongoing commitment to empowering women and girls around the world
- new role will help champion gender equality worldwide and help deliver global economic growth as part of UK government’s Plan for Change
The Foreign Secretary has today appointed Harriet Harman as the new UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls. She will begin her appointment on International Women’s Day (Saturday 8 March 2025).

For International Women’s Day 2025, this government is accelerating action to change women’s lives. This plan is built on the foundations of our Plan for Change for this country to have a strong economy.

Creating opportunities for working women runs through the milestones of this government: from breaking down the barriers to opportunity which have held women back, making our streets safer, to rebuilding our public services and delivering growth that can be felt across every part of the country.

The government is supporting stability overseas to help deliver these milestones. In her role as envoy, Harriet Harman will coordinate efforts across the globe to ensure women and girls are empowered and have their rights protected, including sexual and reproductive health and rights, access to education, and freedom from gender-based violence.

Throughout her career, Harriet Harman has been a vocal advocate for women and girls, including on issues such as women’s political representation, maternity rights, and tackling violence against women and girls.

In her previous role as Solicitor General, Harriet led a successful drive within government to make tackling domestic violence a priority. The campaign led to the introduction of a new law – the Domestic Violence Crime and Victims Act – to ensure more effective prosecutions for domestic violence and a new network of 60 specialist domestic violence courts.

Harriet’s appointment underlines the UK’s ongoing commitment to empowering women and girls in the UK and around the world.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said:

I am delighted to appoint Harriet Harman as the new UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls.

Accelerating action on equality for women and girls is vital to delivering the global economic growth we need and, a safer, more secure world.

Harriet has spent her career championing women’s rights and gender equality. Her record of achievement and personal commitment make her a formidable advocate for the rights and empowerment of women and girls around the world.

Minister for International Development Baroness Chapman said:

Harriet Harman is a legend on women’s rights and is rightly regarded as a pioneer and an inspiration to women in the UK and across the world, including me. I am thrilled she has been appointed Special Envoy, and I look forward to working with her on protecting hard-won rights and creating more opportunities for women.

Special Envoy for Women and Girls Harriet Harman said:

Over the last decades we have made tremendous strides towards ending women’s inequality. But the job is far from done. Women and girls are still not equal, and many still face oppression, violence and discrimination.

It’s a great honour to have been appointed UK Special Envoy For Women and Girls and look forward to driving this important work.

The UK will, in coalition with women around the world, play a key role in standing up for the rights of all women and girls at a critical time.
March 25, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Women key to unlocking growth says Minister for Women and Equalities [March 2025]
The press release issued by the Office for Equality and Opportunity on 8 March 2025.

Women are key to unlocking growth says Minister for Women and Equalities, as groundbreaking figures highlight women’s untapped potential.
- UK economy could be boosted by up to £125 billion every year, as Minister for Women and Equalities sets out partnership with business on International Women’s Day (8 March 2025).
- Women’s economic inclusion accounted for 40% of UK economic growth since 2000 the government says.
- Government accelerates action to transform the lives of all women by breaking down barriers to opportunity since the election.
Striking figures show that women could drive £125 billion of growth to the UK economy every year, as the Minister for Women and Equalities sets out plans to work with business to support women in the workplace.

The analysis shows that women’s equality and economic growth go hand in hand, with the UK economy growing by up to £125 billion every year by a 5% increase in employment among women.

Since 2000, women’s economic inclusion has accounted for 40% of UK economic growth. Through our Plan for Change, the government will go faster and further to put more money directly into women’s pockets.

Since the election, the government has ramped up action to tackle the gender pay gap by:
- introducing better protections for pregnant women and those returning from maternity leave at work
- supporting women going through menopause with simple changes at work
We are also opening up access to childcare with further expansions of free hours and wraparound care so all families can benefit from these changes.

These measures have the power to not only increase the number of women in the workforce, but to increase productivity and innovation.

This International Women’s Day, Bridget Phillipson MP, Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities, said:

This International Women’s Day, I want every woman and girl to know that this is a government of change. I am determined to make sure every young woman, no matter her income, class, or background, has the best start in life and opportunity to succeed.

Women should not be held back at work by the caring responsibilities that disproportionately affect them, or insecurity after pregnancy or maternity. That’s why we’re tackling the gender pay gap with better protections at work and more free childcare, to get more money in women’s pockets and drive up household income.

We know that employers understand that when women succeed, so does business. That is why this government will work hand in hand with employers everywhere to harness the talent, creativity and brilliance of women in their workforce. Working collaboratively to support women will allow businesses to access untapped potential which can have profound knock on effects on the economy.

This will be done through initiatives such as the Women’s Business Council, Invest in Women Taskforce, and FTSE Women Leaders, which will find new ways for women to help grow the economy.

Women’s equality is a priority for this government, which is why the Chancellor has committed to close the gender pay gap once and for all. Not only is it vital to create the incentives for more women to continue entering the labour force, it will help drive further economic growth to help build the foundations of a stronger economy.

To break down barriers for women at work, we will deliver more choices for families, with further rollouts of free childcare, new school-based nurseries, and wraparound care in free breakfast clubs at primary schools.

Through our landmark Employment Rights Bill, we are taking the first steps towards requiring employers to publish gender pay gap and menopause action plans. The bill will also improve equality for women in the workplace, by introducing more robust measures to safeguard working people, including protections from sexual harassment, and enhanced rights for pregnant workers.
March 25, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Arab Plan For Reconstruction of Gaza – foreign ministers’ joint statement [March 2025]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 8 March 2025.

Foreign ministers of France, Germany, Italy and the UK gave a joint statement welcoming the Arab initiative of a Recovery and Reconstruction Plan for Gaza.

Joint statement:

We, the Foreign Ministers of France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom welcome the Arab initiative of a Recovery and Reconstruction Plan for Gaza. The plan shows a realistic path to the reconstruction of Gaza and promises – if implemented – swift and sustainable improvement of the catastrophic living conditions for the Palestinians living in Gaza. Recovery and reconstruction efforts must be based upon a solid political and security framework acceptable to both Israelis and Palestinians, which provides long term peace and security for both Israelis and Palestinians alike. We are clear that Hamas must neither govern Gaza nor be a threat to Israel any more. We explicitly support the central role for the Palestinian Authority and the implementation of its reform agenda.

We commend the serious efforts of all involved stakeholders and appreciate the important signal the Arab states have sent by jointly developing this recovery and reconstruction plan. We are committed to working with the Arab initiative, the Palestinians and Israel to address those issues together, including security and governance. We urge all parties to build on the plan’s merits as a starting point.

March 25, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Major new funding for music acts that supercharged careers of BRIT award winners [March 2025]
The press release issued by the Department for Business and Trade on 8 March 2025.

British artists are set to benefit from the latest round of government funding designed to boost music exports, drive growth and deliver the Plan for Change.
- £1.6m Music Export Growth Scheme to support 58 independent UK artists to tour the world
- Funding will boost UK’s creative industries – a key growth sector in the Government’s upcoming Industrial Strategy
- Creative Industries sector is worth almost £125 billion to the UK economy, and employs 2.4 million people
Up and coming British artists are set to benefit from the latest round of government funding designed to boost British music exports, drive faster growth and deliver the Plan for Change.

The Music Export Growth Scheme (MEGS) will support 58 UK artists to tour the world thanks to a fund of £1.6 million issued by the Department for Business and Trade and the Department for Culture Media and Sport.

This funding will directly support small and medium sized music companies to deliver high-quality marketing and promotion campaigns for their artists to tour abroad and attract new fans, overseas touring opportunities and revenue.

These opportunities will open up global music markets and international audiences to home-grown talent in the UK, paving the way for the next big band or artist to usher in a new British Invasion.

The UK is already one of the largest music exporters – a key part of the UK’s soft power. However, in one of the most competitive industries on the planet, government is clear that staying ahead of the pack means backing the next generation of talent to help deliver economic growth.

Gareth Thomas, Minister for Exports and Small Businesses, said:

The UK has always led the way with its world-renowned musical acts, and this funding is vital to supporting smaller music companies to seize opportunities abroad.

Not only will this help shine a spotlight on the best of British talent globally, but it will drive exports abroad, amplifying growth at home in the UK.

The support forms a key pillar of the government’s Industrial Strategy which focuses on eight essential areas identified to generate growth. This includes the Creative Industries which was worth almost £125 billion to the UK economy in 2023 and employed 2.4 million people.

The Strategy, as part of the Plan for Change, is designed to boost the UK’s industries, put more money into people’s pockets and secure jobs for the future.

Over 99% of the Creative Industries sector are highly innovative SMEs and when smaller businesses export more, the whole economy benefits.

This year, successful applicants include companies representing artists like Fat Dog, who last weekend performed at the 2025 BRIT Awards, as well as others from across the UK like Manchester’s indie-rock band Blossoms, Hertfordshire’s electronic music act Maribou State, Newcastle’s singer-songwriter Andrew Cushin, and Bangor’s indie-rock band :Panic :Over.

In the past, MEGS has also supported the international careers of top British artists including Jungle, Kae Tempest and 2025 BRIT award winners Ezra Collective, and nominees, Dave and beabadoobee.

Since the government began providing support in 2014, around £7.9 million has been given out in grants, which includes this funding round, to support almost over 4560 musical acts from across the UK.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said:

The Music Export Growth Scheme has helped so many of our talented homegrown artists launch their careers internationally.

As part of our Plan for Change, we are supporting our creative industries to reach their full potential including through this latest round of funding, which will help the next generation of artists to tour abroad, market themselves to new audiences and showcase the best of British culture and creativity to the world.

The music industry benefits from several other government funding schemes. In January, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport announced a £60 million fund for the Creative Industries, which included a further £2.5 million investment to support Grassroots Music which provide grants to rehearsal and recording studios, festivals and promoters, as well as live music venues.

Support for grassroots music provides an essential foundation on which future export success, as supported by schemes like MEGS, is built.

:Panic :Over said:

We’re thrilled to announce that we will be receiving funding from BPI MEGS board to help us progress our musical career! We are delighted to be able to use this amazing opportunity to play shows and gigs all across the Republic of Ireland over the rest of the year. This support means the world to us, and we can’t thank everyone involved enough for believing in our music and the journey ahead.

Dolores Forever said:

We are beyond thrilled to receive this funding from MEGS which will be a complete game changer for us. It will enable us to move forward with plans for album 2 and accept international live offers, reaching audiences which we haven’t had the resources to do so before. In the current music industry, support like this really is vital and we would like to say a huge thanks to the MEGS board.

The Bug Club said:

We’re really pleased to be a recipient of MEGS funding. In the current climate, it’s near impossible for artists to be able to broaden their horizons without additional financial support, so we would like to thank the MEGS board and everyone involved in making this happen. We’re looking forward to using the funding to embark on a headline European tour and proudly represent Wales overseas.

Punk Rock Factory said:

We are super excited to have been chosen for MEGS funding, this truly means so much to us. We are excited to be able to push our music growth outside of the UK and this funding will be a huge help to that. We would like to thank everyone on the MEGS board for their support and belief in us as a band.

Sophie Jones, BPI Chief Strategy Officer, said:

At a time where new acts face increasing global competition, the Music Export Growth Scheme (MEGS) is needed more than ever to enable the next generation of British talent to reach international audiences and grow their profile. It is a genuine game-changer for the artists supported through the scheme, a critical resource for the UK’s burgeoning independent sector, and a proven financial success with a significant return on investment and boost to exports.

The 58 incredible acts supported by this latest round of MEGS funding are testament to the diverse creative talent that exists across the whole of the UK. We welcome the Government’s continued support of this essential scheme and look forward to continuing our partnership in the years to come.
March 25, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Import ban of cattle, pigs, sheep and deer from Hungary and Slovakia to protect farmers after foot and mouth case [March 2025]

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 7 March 2025.

Import ban introduced to prevent the spread of foot and mouth disease.

The government has stepped up measures to prevent the spread of foot and mouth disease (FMD), following a confirmed case in Hungary.

The Government has acted immediately to prevent the commercial import from Hungary and Slovakia of cattle, pigs, sheep, goats and other non- domestic ruminants and porcines such as deer and their untreated products, such as fresh meat and dairy. This will protect farmers and their livestock.

The case has been found on a cattle farm in the North West of Hungary, near the border with Slovakia. Observed clinical signs were reported to national authorities who have now formally confirmed infection with FMD following testing.

Action is already underway with local authorities and traders to address possible risks from goods on the way to GB. Such goods must be pre-notified and wider border systems in place will prevent consignments entering GB. This is in addition to restrictions already in place for equivalent exports from Germany, following an outbreak in a water buffalo herd in Brandenburg on 10 January 2025.

In addition, as of 8 March, travellers will no longer be able to bring meat, meat products, milk and dairy products, certain composite products and animal by products of pigs and ruminants, or hay or straw, from Hungary and Slovakia to Great Britain.

The UK Chief Veterinary Officer is urging livestock keepers to remain vigilant to the clinical signs of FMD following the recent outbreaks in Hungary and Germany. There are no cases in the UK currently.

FMD poses no risk to human or food safety, but is a highly contagious viral disease of cattle, sheep, pigs and other cloven-hoofed animals such as wild boar, deer, llamas and alpacas. Livestock keepers should therefore be absolutely rigorous about their biosecurity.

FMD causes significant economic losses due to production losses in the affected animals as well as loss of access to foreign markets for animals, meat and milk for affected countries.

UK Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Christine Middlemiss said:

We remain in contact with our Hungarian counterparts to understand the latest situation following their confirmation of a single case of foot and mouth disease, measures are now being taken to contain and eradicate the outbreak.

I would urge livestock keepers to exercise the upmost vigilance for signs of disease, follow scrupulous biosecurity and report any suspicion of disease immediately to the Animal and Plant Health Agency.

Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner said:

The government will do whatever it takes to protect our nation’s farmers from the risk posed by foot and mouth disease.

That is why restrictions have immediately been brought in on animal products from Hungary and Slovakia to prevent an outbreak. We will not hesitate to add additional countries to the list if the disease spreads. We will continue to keep the situation under review working closely with the Hungarian and Slovakian authorities.

This comes as the government announced a £200 million investment in the UK’s main research and laboratory testing facilities at Weybridge to bolster protection against animal disease.

What you can do

If you’re an animal keeper, read about how to spot foot and mouth disease and report it.

If you’re an importer or exporter, read about the import restrictions for foot and mouth disease.

Clinical signs to be aware of vary depending on the animals, but in cattle the main signs are sores and blisters on the feet, mouth and tongue with potentially a fever, lameness and a reluctance to feed. In sheep and pigs, signs tend to manifest with lameness with potential for blistering.

While horses and companion animals are not susceptible to FMD, hay feed or straw bedding, if sourced from an infected area, could act as a fomite and therefore also prevented from entering GB.

Maintaining good biosecurity is essential to protecting the health and welfare of herds and critical to preventing the spread of diseases such as FMD and preventing an outbreak spreading.

Foot and mouth disease is a notifiable disease and must be reported. If you suspect foot and mouth disease in your animals, you must report it immediately by calling:

March 25, 2025