Tag: 2025

PRESS RELEASE : Online GP appointment requests available everywhere from today [October 2025]
The press release issued by the Department of Health and Social Care on 1 October 2025.

From today, patients will be able to request appointments online throughout the day rather than calling their surgery or visiting in person.
- Phone lines unclogged as all GP practices in England now required to keep online consultation tools open from 8am to 6:30pm, Monday to Friday
- Move takes best of the NHS to rest of the NHS – with one surgery already cutting waits from 14 to 3 days and most patients seen within one week
- Comes alongside an extra £1.1 billion funding for general practice and over 2,000 more GPs hired
GP phone lines across the country will be freed up as practices are now required to keep their online consultation tools running throughout the day, in a major step towards the government’s ambition of ending the 8am scramble.

From today (1 October 2025), patients will be able to request appointments, ask questions and describe symptoms online throughout the day rather than calling their surgery or visiting in person. This will help free up practice phone lines for those who need them most, and make it more convenient to access appointments.

Online access is not consistent across the country and is especially difficult in overlooked areas. Some GP practices turn online requests off when they reach a certain number, while others only have the online function available for a few hours a day. When patients can’t get through on the phone, 6.6% end up in A&E, which is worse for them and more expensive for the taxpayer. By fixing the front door of the NHS, these reforms will help to ease pressures on other parts of the health service.

Care Minister Stephen Kinnock said:

We promised to tackle the 8am scramble and make it easier for patients to access their GP practice – and through our Plan for Change, that’s exactly what we’re delivering.

We are bringing our analogue health service into the digital era, giving patients greater choice and convenience. We’ve learned from GPs who are already offering this service and reaping the rewards.

We’ve invested an extra £1.1 billion in general practice – the biggest increase in over a decade – and hired an extra 2,000 GPs across England. There’s more to do, but this government is fixing the front door to the NHS.

This change was agreed with the BMA back in April, as part of the reforms the government made to the GP contract.

To ensure all GPs provide this service and meet demand, the government is providing unprecedented support for general practice and shifting care and vital resources to the community. This includes investing an additional £1.1 billion in general practice – the biggest increase in over a decade – and hiring an extra 2,000 GPs since July 2024. This has led to 5 million more appointments being delivered this year compared to last, with latest ONS data showing 3 in 4 patients now find it easy to contact their practice.

The new requirement for online access represents best practice that some GP practices across England have already adopted successfully. Evidence shows that where practices have moved to this ‘modern general practice’ approach, both staff and patients report improved service quality.

One London GP surgery that adopted this approach to online requests reduced waits from 14 days to just 3, with 95% of patients seen within a week.

Online patient submissions have grown significantly, with almost 6 million submissions in July 2025 compared to 3.4 million in July 2024, demonstrating growing patient preference for digital access options that fit around their daily lives.

Dr Amanda Doyle, National Director for Primary Care and Community Services at NHS England, said:

Improving access to general practice is a top priority for the NHS and while latest data shows a record 3 in 4 people found it easy to contact their GP, there is much more to do – which is why requiring all practices to keep their online consultation tools open during core hours is so vital.

This step will help modernise general practice by making online access as easy as calling or walking in to your practice, ensuring the phone lines are available for those who need them most and making it easier for practices to triage patients based on clinical need.

NHS England has provided extensive support to help practices implement the changes, including a peer support programme and case studies from practices already offering online access throughout core hours.

Practices are now also required to publish a new patient charter dubbed ‘You and Your GP’ on their websites – informing patients what they can expect from their practice and how to give feedback or raise concerns. Practices are now required to have clear processes in place to receive patient feedback or concerns so they can be swiftly addressed.

Jacob Lant, Chief Executive of National Voices, said:

Online booking systems are a fundamental building block of a 21st century NHS, but until now implementation has been frustratingly patchy.

The best GP practices have shown what’s possible. Through this announcement the government, in keeping with the founding principles of the NHS, is rightly making this offer universal.

It is true that primary care is under immense pressure, but the answer to managing demand has to be in using these digital systems more effectively.

Dr Duncan Gooch, GP and chair of the Primary Care Network at the NHS Confederation said:

We know that access to GP services has consistently topped the public’s priorities. The ‘8am GP scramble’ is one of the most frustrating issues for the public when trying to book an appointment, and for practices – resulting in a strain on primary care. Providing patients with a range of routes to access their practice – such as by telephone, online or walk-in – can help ensure fair access to advice and treatment.

We also recognise that GPs may fear that this will lead to uncontrolled demand which impacts on patient safety. However, many of our members are operating in this way already and have been positive about the impact – not only on patients, but on the workforce too. Managing demand and providing better access has reduced stress on staff, conflict with patients and created a positive environment where job satisfaction is high.

This is not to take away from the fact that we still need more investment into general practice and GPs to help stem the increasing turnover and provide patients with the service they need.

Louise Ansari, Chief Executive of Healthwatch England, said:

Patients often tell us how frustrating they find the early-morning scramble for on-the-day GP appointments. Many people are stuck in long phone queues, only to be told all the appointment slots have gone. People also tell us that online booking systems can be unpredictable – switched on and off at different times during the day with little notice.

Giving people the ability to contact their GP using the booking method that most suits them, at any time during their surgery’s core hours, is a welcome shift. This move will help improve consistency, give patients greater choice, and mean they can fit appointment booking around work or caring responsibilities.

It’s now up to NHS commissioners to ensure this change is felt nationwide so patients no longer face a postcode lottery when booking a GP appointment.

To make sure those most in need are prioritised, GPs are now also being incentivised to identify patients who would benefit most from seeing the same GP at every appointment, so more patients see their regular doctor each appointment.

Patients will also benefit from over 8.3 million more appointments each year as over 1,000 doctors surgeries receive a bricks and mortar upgrade to modernise practices under the government’s Plan for Change.
October 4, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : The path to peace in Gaza must be through dialogue and diplomacy, not further bloodshed – UK statement at the UN Security Council [October 2025]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 1 October 2025.

Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on Gaza.

The United Kingdom voted in favour of the draft Security Council resolution proposed for adoption on 18 September, in line with our longstanding demand for urgent action to address the appalling humanitarian situation in Gaza, bring the hostages home and end the conflict.

Since Hamas’ atrocities of October 7, hostages have been held in unimaginable conditions in Gaza.

We reiterate our condemnation of Hamas and its terrorist ideology.

Hamas must have no role in the future of Gaza – they need to disarm and end their rule.

However, the path to peace must be through dialogue and diplomacy, not further bloodshed.

The UK condemns Israel’s reckless expansion of its military operation which has already cost the lives of 65,000 Palestinians.

We are witnessing an entirely man-made famine in Gaza, and are shocked by images of starving Palestinians killed while desperately seeking scraps of food for their families.

This is abhorrent.

We urge Israel to ensure the protection of civilians, and immediately lift its restrictions on the entry of aid, to allow the UN and humanitarian agencies to save lives, in line with its obligations under international humanitarian law.

As my Prime Minister said this week, we welcome US efforts to develop a plan for sustainable peace.

We call on all sides to come together and to work with the US Administration to finalise this agreement and bring it into reality.

Hamas should now agree to the plan and end the misery, by laying down their arms and releasing all remaining hostages.

Together with our international partners, we will continue work to achieve consensus on a permanent end to the conflict and a pathway towards a peaceful future.

The UK’s historic recognition of the state of Palestine last week is part of our commitment to protecting the viability of a two-state solution – the only path to a just and lasting peace and to security for Palestinians and Israelis alike.

October 4, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Prime Minister call with His Highness the Crown Prince of Kuwaitcall with His Highness the Crown Prince of Kuwait [October 2025]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 1 October 2025.

This morning the Prime Minister had a call with His Highness the Crown Prince of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah.

The Prime Minister said the UK would work with close allies including Kuwait to implement President Trump’s peace plan for Gaza. The Prime Minister added that he felt a strong sense of responsibility that this plan delivered an end to the fighting in Gaza and a long-term pathway to peace.

The Crown Prince commended the Prime Minister for recognising a Palestinian State, adding the UK, with other partners including Canada and Australia, were keeping alive the viability of a two-state solution.

Discussions then turned to other parts of our bilateral relationship with Kuwait. The Prime Minister and the Crown Prince said they would continue to secure closer trade, improve business ties and deepen investment as longstanding allies.

They agreed to stay in close contact in the coming days and beyond.

October 4, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Prime Minister call with His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates [October 2025]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 1 October 2025.

This morning the Prime Minister spoke to His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates.

The Prime Minister opened the call by saying President Trump had put forward a workable plan to end the conflict in Gaza that had the support of Israel, allies in the Middle East and partners beyond.

The President thanked the Prime Minister for recognising the State of Palestine. Both the Prime Minister and the President agreed that Hamas must now accept the terms of the deal put forward by President Trump to end the suffering, release the hostages and deliver a long-term pathway to peace.

The Prime Minister said he would remain in close contact with the President in the coming days. Both also said they would remain in touch about other parts of the bilateral relationship, including our collaboration on trade.

October 4, 2025
David Lammy – 2025 Speech at the UN on Using AI to Strengthen Peace

The speech made by David Lammy, the Deputy Prime Minister, in New York on 24 September 2025.

There is an urgency to this debate.

It was two years ago that the United Kingdom first brought artificial intelligence to this Council.

And since that time, its capabilities have grown exponentially.

This is a lightning strike of change.

Every one of us, diplomat, peacebuilder, terrorist, now carries superhuman expertise in our smartphones, better at maths, better at translation, better at diagnosis, than almost any human expert.

And now, superintelligence is on the horizon, able to operate, coordinate, and act on our behalf.

We are staring at a technological frontier of astounding promise and power.

No aspect of life, war, or peace will escape.

Deep AI analysis of situational data holds this promise for peacekeeping:

Ultra-accurate real-time logistics.

Ultra-accurate real-time sentiment analysis.

Ultra-early warning systems.

But there are also these challenges for armed conflict:

Ultra novel chemical and biological weapons, ultra accessible to malign actors.

And ultra rampant distortion and disinformation.

And, of course, this is what is at stake for our shared security:

The risk of miscalculation.

The risk of unintended escalation.

And the arrival of artificial intelligence-powered chatbots stirring conflict.

The risk of deeper instability is immense.

And this is why I so welcome the Secretary-General’s report on military AI.

This is an opportunity for collective understanding.

For us to build new safeguards and guardrails.

And reaffirm international law as the bedrock of responsible use.

We all know that artificial intelligence use is growing, of course, exponentially, offering us both extraordinary promise and intense challenges.

Nowhere is this clearer than in climate.

On current trends, artificial intelligence could add the equivalent of a new Japan to world electricity consumption.

Yet, it also promises to utterly transform efficiency and power our green transitions, fine-tuning electrical production to the minute to meet demand and eliminating astonishing levels of waste.

This is the power of AI.

We are crossing humanity’s most profound technological frontier.

Our lives, our world, our politics are about to be flooded with super-powerful AI.

There is only one way forward.

Resilience.

Learning how to use these tools and embedding them safely in society.

This is the United Kingdom’s mission.

Through our AI Security Institute, with more dedicated researchers than anywhere else in the world, and through the International AI Safety Report, with its secretariat based in the UK.

Under the chairmanship of Yoshua Bengio, one of our briefers today.

The United Kingdom is committed to using AI responsibly.

Safely, legally, and ethically.

And together, here at the United Nations, we must ensure AI strengthens peace and security.

I believe that it can.

And if we act together, we can get there.

October 2, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Communities to seize control over high streets and restore pride [September 2025]
The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 24 September 2025.

Local communities will be handed new powers to revitalise their high streets and restore pride in their towns.
- Communities will be handed unprecedented new powers to seize boarded shops, save derelict pubs and block gambling and vape shops on their high street.
- Prime Minister to announce “Pride in Place” Programme with historic funding to invest in over 330 of our most overlooked communities.
- The measures form the largest transfer of power from Whitehall to communities in history through the Plan for Change.
People will be given the power to revitalise their neglected high streets, create new spaces for young people and take back control of derelict pubs, to breathe new life into neglected communities up and down the country.

Communities will be handed new powers to seize boarded up shops, save their treasured local pubs or libraries and clean up the eyesores in their area.

Local people will finally have the powers to put things right after years of decline – an inheritance the government is determined to fix through the Plan for Change.

This is about choosing a future where communities are empowered to come together, rather than be divided, and where renewal is chosen over decline.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer will unveil the Pride in Place programme – an unprecedented programme backed by record funding – that lets local people call the shots on where and how money is spent in their communities, restoring local pride and helping them reclaim their streets. 

For far too long, communities have been dictated to rather than in control of their own destiny. This week marks a new way of governing. By choosing renewal over decline, this government is delivering lasting change working people will feel.

Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Steve Reed said:

“When people step out of their front doors, they know their communities are struggling. They see shuttered pubs, fading high streets and their local areas in decline.

“Yes, communities have been stretched – but they haven’t given up. They’re working hard to make things better, and we’re backing them.

“The Government is putting power into their hands so local people decide how best to restore pride in their neighbourhoods, not us in Westminster.

“That’s what real patriotism looks like: building up our communities and choosing renewal over division.”

The nationwide Pride in Place programme – which will be unveiled by the Prime Minister (Thursday, 25 September) – will deliver a record investment and support over 330 communities in total. It will tackle deep-rooted deprivation and regional inequality through wide-ranging action, including:
- Community Right to Buy: handing local people the power to buy beloved assets, helping them turn around derelict pubs, create new parks and regenerate treasured spaces in the heart of their communities.
- Compulsory Purchase powers: allowing communities in England to acquire assets and eyesores like boarded up shops and derelict abandoned businesses, allowing new local start-ups to thrive. For larger sites – like disused department stores or abandoned office blocks – it could even see new health centres opening up, or local housing to help reach our target of 1.5 million homes.
- Power to block unwanted shops: empowering councils in England to say no to new betting shops, vapes stores and fake barbers.
- Giving residents the power: we will only approve spending if community groups, local organisations and social clubs have been included in decisions on how the money should be spent – putting real power in local hands and giving them a proper say over their community.
Further information

We are looking at new powers that would give communities more control over where betting shops can open, and how many there can be in one area. This is about giving people a say over their high street, particularly where there are high numbers of these types of shop already, not blocking these shops altogether.

We are also looking at accelerating ways communities can take ownership of empty shops – helping to give them a greater say over what’s on their high streets, so they don’t just end up with rows of vape shops, gambling shops and barbers. The government is already bringing in new laws to crack down on dodgy vape shops through the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

We will only approve spending if Pride in Place Boards have genuinely engaged their communities, so that community groups, local organisations and social clubs have been included in decisions on how the money should be spent.

We are announcing a raft of new powers and programmes to empower communities across the UK. Please note that some powers and programmes will not apply in every nation of the UK.

The Pride in Place funding will be delivered in England, Scotland and Wales, with corresponding funding provided to Northern Ireland. The government will be working closely with the Scottish and Welsh Governments to design specific programmes which put the principles of the strategy of community engagement at the centre. Further detail on Northern Ireland, including support for Belfast, will follow.
October 1, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Government empowers disadvantaged pupils to reach university [September 2025]

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 24 September 2025.

Almost 10,000 high-achieving young people will receive letters from students at Kings College London encouraging them to consider a university education.

Thousands of teenagers in some of the country’s most deprived and under-represented areas are being inspired by their peers to apply for university through personalised letters in the post.

The letters contain real-life success stories written by current university students with similar upbringings, showing how it is possible to break the link between background and success.

Almost 10,000 pupils at schools and colleges with the lowest progression rates to higher education have been identified through Department for Education data and will be targeted by the initiative.

The letters, all written by students at King’s College London, will share personal stories and challenge the perception that university is only for the privileged.

They highlight how higher education, or an apprenticeship, can open the door to life-changing opportunities, as part of the government’s Plan for Change.

On average, disadvantaged pupils are more than a third less likely to go to university compared to their peers, according to the latest data.

The postcode gap is even greater, with teenagers in Redbridge in London being almost three times more likely to progress to higher education than those growing up in Knowsley, Merseyside.

The letters come ahead of major reforms to higher education that will boost access and participation as part of government’s Plan for Change.

The Department for Education is already expanding opportunities for young people from all backgrounds through the Youth Guarantee, encouraging them to take up high-quality technical qualifications and apprenticeships, ensuring choice is broadened and every pathway leads to success.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said:

Talent, aspiration and hard work – not postcode or background – should decide a young person’s future.

Universities need to do more to make sure they’re reaching the most talented people in our country wherever they come from – youngsters who need a bit of encouragement to see that a degree isn’t only for a privileged few.

I’m proud that we’ve been able to support this brilliant initiative – which comes ahead of further steps from government to break the link between young people’s background and success through our Post-16 and Skills White Paper.

Significant postcode divides exist not only in the number of pupils going to university, but also in the numbers of young people not in education, employment or training.

For example, the latest estimates shows that young people in Blackpool in the North West are almost twelve times more likely to be NEET at age 16 or 17 compared with young people in Barnet in North West London.

Through the government’s pioneering new Youth Guarantee, every 18-21-year-old in England will have help to access an apprenticeship, quality training and education opportunities or help to find a job.

The government is also recruiting 6,500 new teachers, rolling out careers advice, increasing opportunities through Skills England, improving mental health support in schools and delivering a cutting-edge curriculum to ensure pupils are set up for life, work and the future.

To tackle entrenched inequalities in higher education, the Department for Education has ringfenced funding to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Government has invested £265 million this financial year to help universities give extra support to students facing the toughest barriers.

This funding also supports Uni Connect, a programme which delivers targeted interventions aimed at increasing the number of young people from under-represented groups going into higher education.

Kemi Adeyemi, a letter writer from Kings College London said:

It’s so important that young people know that their background doesn’t determine where they can study.

It should be based purely on you, your grades and your choice alone, which I feel isn’t a message reiterated enough to pupils in state schools.

As a result of the letters I hope students feel empowered to apply for university and that they know they deserve to be there just like anyone else.

The University of Bristol recently opened a micro campus in a deprived area of Bristol in Hartcliffe to bring higher education into the community, supporting local people into work or further study.

Whilst some universities have taken positive steps like this, the Education Secretary is calling on the sector to go further and play a stronger role in tearing down barriers to opportunity and driving real improvements in outcomes for disadvantaged students.

Research shows young people from disadvantaged backgrounds remain far less likely to apply to university, held back not by ability, but by the absence of role models and peers who have taken that path.

Michael Sanders, Professor of Public Policy at Kings College London said:

One of the biggest barriers is young people feeling like university ‘isn’t for people like me’. This project sees current students act as role models, which helps to create a bridge between people’s current lives, and what they can experience at university.

A previous similar study showed that receiving letters like these made students significantly more likely to go to university, with around a third more likely to attend a Russell Group.

Our research shows that timely contact with a relatable role model can make a massive difference to young people’s lives and ability to seize the opportunities in front of them.

October 1, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Childcare offer exceeds target, benefiting over 500,000 children [September 2025]

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 24 September 2025.

New data reveals 530,000 children are now benefiting from government-funded childcare as government exceeds target.

New figures reveal over half a million children are now benefiting from the government’s rollout of funded childcare, easing pressure on household finances, giving children access to high-quality early education and supporting parents to work.

Already, the rollout has far surpassed the target of 500,000 children set when the 30 hours kicked off at the beginning of this month, with the government going further and faster to break down barriers to opportunity for every child.

Strong take-up is seen across the country – from over 78,000 validated codes in the North West to almost 92,000 in the South East – helping families save up to £7,500 a year per child and boosting the economy by helping parents get back to work.

And thanks to the continued growth of school-based nurseries, life is getting a little easier for families looking for new childcare places closer to home. According to the latest figures, schools are now providing over 5,000 new childcare places from September, well above the original school forecasts of 4,000.

These nurseries are based on school sites, helping parents manage the daily pressures of family life by making drop-offs and pick-ups easier and helping children familiarise themselves with a school setting.

Schools across the country are being urged to consider applying for the next round of funding for 300 more school-based nurseries which opens today, backed by £45 million to deliver up to 7,000 new places for local families, delivering on the Plan for Change.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said:

When we launched the 30 hours childcare expansion at the start of September, we said around half a million families were on track to benefit. Today’s figures show we have gone even further.

It is fantastic to see our Plan for Change delivering for families – helping them save up to £7,500 a year per child on childcare costs and supporting parents to balance work and home life. This is real cost-of-living relief that families can feel in their pockets today.

As the next bidding round of school-based nurseries kicks off today, we are not slowing down. This government is giving hard-working parents the support they need and ensuring every child gets the best start in life.

Increasing access to quality early education and making life easier for families sits at the heart of the government’s Plan for Change. Funding for early years entitlements is set to rise to over £9 billion next year to help more parents, especially mothers, balance work and family life. The government will continue to work closely with the early years sector – including private, voluntary and independent providers – whose partnership has been vital to the rollout so far.

And through the Best Start in Life strategy, backed by £1.5 billion to rebuild early years services, recruit more early years teachers and open a Best Start Family Hub in every local area, tens of thousands more children – a record share – will be school-ready at age five.

This will tackle long-standing barriers to early education and help teachers focus on teaching so every child can thrive, while the new Best Start in Life website brings trusted advice and support together in one place for parents from pregnancy through the early years.

October 1, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : UK continues to demand accountability for Russian violations of NATO airspace – Russia is undermining regional security: UK statement to the OSCE [September 2025]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 24 September 2025.

Ambassador Holland says that recent Russian airspace violations are part of a wider pattern of behaviour that seeks to test NATO’s resolve and distract from Russia’s illegal war of aggression in Ukraine. The UK demands an honest response from Russia. In the OSCE, credibility matters.

Thank you, Madame Chair. Russia’s brutal and unprovoked war of aggression war in Ukraine continues. I want to be clear to begin with that the international community should not allow Russia’s provocations elsewhere to distract from the urgent need to end this war.

That said, the United Kingdom remains gravely concerned by the dangerous violations of NATO airspace by Russian military aircraft, including the most recent incursions into the sovereign airspace of Estonia. These actions should not be considered in isolation. They are part of a wider pattern of increasingly irresponsible Russian behaviour that seeks to test NATO’s resolve and distract from Russia’s ongoing illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.

Russia continues to engage in reckless manoeuvres that risk escalation and undermine regional security. Let us be clear: NATO is a defensive alliance. Its purpose is to protect, not provoke. That is why the UK has contributed to EASTERN SENTRY to bolster NATO’s security along our entire Eastern Flank. Russia should be in no doubt that NATO and Allies will employ all necessary military and non-military tools, in accordance with international law, to defend ourselves and deter all threats in a manner, timing and domain of our choosing.

The FSC is mandated to foster military-to-military dialogue, build confidence and reduce risk of escalation between States. If Russia truly wishes to engage in meaningful dialogue, then full and honest participation in these organisations is the obvious mechanism. The UK will continue to ask constructive questions, but we expect honest and direct answers. If direct answers and participation in good faith are not forthcoming, then it will be clear that Russia continues to hide behind misinformation and false narratives. Madame Chair, in this forum, credibility matters.

At last week’s Opening Session of the Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC), the United Kingdom asked Russia whether they would directly confirm responsibility for the other airspace violations observed in Poland on 9th September. Russia did not respond directly. So, in this spirit we ask again about this violation. If the Russian delegation requires more time to secure an accurate response from Moscow, then we encourage them to do so. We will ask again next week. Our questions are (again):

Firstly, if the incursions are unintentional, what steps is Russia taking to prevent recurrence?

And secondly, if they are in fact deliberate, what is Russia’s intent?

Additionally, will Russia commit to preventing future incursions including assuring NATO members that such violations will cease?

The United Kingdom stands firmly with Ukraine and with our NATO Allies. We will not be deterred by Russia’s irresponsible acts. We will continue to fully support Ukraine, whose security contributes to ours, in the exercise of its inherent right to self-defence. And we will continue to demand accountability for violations of international law, whether in the skies over Europe or on the ground in Ukraine. Thank you, Madame Chair.

October 1, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Record fraud crackdown saves half a billion for public services [September 2025]
The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 24 September 2025.

Government stops over £480 million ending up in the pockets of fraudsters over twelve months since April 2024 – more money than ever before.
- Government stops over £480 million ending up in the pockets of fraudsters over twelve months since April 2024 – more money than ever before.
- New technology and artificial intelligence turns the tide in the fight against public sector fraud, with new tech to prevent repeat of Covid loan fraud.
- Over a third of the money saved relates to fraud committed by companies and people during the pandemic.
- Crackdown means more funding for schools, hospitals and vital public services to deliver the Plan for Change.
Fraudsters have been stopped from stealing a record £480 million from the taxpayer in the government’s biggest ever fraud crackdown, meaning more money can be used to recruit nurses, teachers and police officers as part of the Plan for Change.

Over a third of the money saved (£186 million) comes from identifying and recovering fraud committed during the Covid-19 pandemic. Government efforts to date have blocked hundreds of thousands of companies with outstanding or potentially fraudulent Bounce Back Loans from dissolving before they would have to pay anything back. We have also clawed back millions of pounds from companies that took out Covid loans they were not entitled to, or took out multiple loans when only entitled to one.

This builds on successful convictions in recent months to crack down on opportunists who exploited the Bounce Back Loan Scheme for their own gain, including a woman who invented a company and then sent the loan money to Poland.

Alongside Covid fraud, the record savings reached in the year to April 2025 include clamping down on people unlawfully claiming single persons council tax discount and removing people from social housing waitlists who wanted to illegally sublet their discounted homes at the taxpayers’ expense.

Announcing the record figures at an anti-fraud Five Eyes summit in London, Cabinet Office Minister Josh Simons said:

Working people expect their taxes to go towards schools, hospitals, roads and the services they and their families use. That money going into the hands of fraudsters is a betrayal of their hard work and the system of paying your fair share. It has to stop.

That’s why this government has delivered the toughest ever crackdown on fraud, protecting almost half a billion pounds in under 12 months.

We’re using cutting-edge AI and data tools to stay one step ahead of fraudsters, making sure public funds are protected and used to deliver public services for those who need them most – not line the pockets of scammers and swindlers.

The savings have been driven by comparing different information the government holds to stop people falsely claiming benefits and discounts that they’re clearly not eligible for.

The high-tech push brought around £110m back to the exchequer more than the year before, and comes as the government pushes to save £45 billion by using tech to make the public sector more productive, saving money for the NHS and police forces to deliver the Plan for Change.

The Minister will also unveil a new AI fraud prevention tool that has been built by the government and will be used across all departments after successful tests.

The AI system scans new policies and procedures for weaknesses before they can be exploited, helping make new policies fraud-proof when they are drafting them. The tool could be essential in stopping fraudsters from taking advantage of government efforts to help people in need amid future emergencies.

It has been designed to prevent the scale of criminality seen through the Covid pandemic, where millions were lost to people falsely taking advantage of furlough, Covid Grants and Bounce Back Loans.

Results from early tests show it could save thousands of hours and help prevent millions in potential losses, slashing the time to identify fraud risks by 80% while preserving human oversight.

The UK will also licence the technology internationally, with Five Eyes partners at the summit considering adoption as part of strengthening global efforts to stop fraud and demonstrating Britain’s role at the forefront of innovation.

The summit will bring together key allies and showcase the government’s unprecedented use of artificial intelligence, data-matching and specialist investigators to target fraud across more than a thousand different schemes.

At the summit, Cabinet Office Minister Josh Simons will describe how the record crackdown has been achieved:
- Over £68 million of wrongful pension payments were prevented across major public sector pension schemes, including the Local Government Pension Scheme, NHS Pension Scheme, Civil Service Pensions and Armed Forces pension schemes. These savings were achieved by identifying cases where pension payments continued after the individual had died, often with relatives continuing to claim benefits they were not entitled to.
- More than 2,600 people were removed from housing waiting lists they weren’t entitled to be on, including individuals who were subletting or had multiple tenancies unlawfully.
- Over 37,000 fraudulent single-person council tax discount claims were stopped, saving £36 million for local councils and taxpayers. These false claims, often made by individuals misrepresenting their household size to secure a 25% discount, were uncovered using advanced data-matching.
Today’s announcement follows extensive progress on fraud in the last 12 months, including the appointment of a Covid Counter-Fraud Commissioner, introduced the Public Authorities Fraud, Error and Recovery Bill, and boosted AI-driven detection, saving hundreds of millions and strengthening public sector fraud prevention – driven by the Public Sector Fraud Authority.

The majority of the £480 million saved is taxpayer money, with a portion from private sector partners, such as insurance and utilities companies, helping lower consumer costs and support UK business growth.
October 1, 2025