Tag: Cabinet Office

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 1 December 2025.

The Plan for London has reached a significant milestone after the Civil Service completed its exit from another building in the capital.

The Government Property Agency (GPA) is set to secure a further £8.8 million in annual savings with the imminent closure of another Civil Service office space in London.

On Thursday (November 27) all civil servants based at 10 Victoria Street officially completed their departure from the building, which is the third workspace being closed as part of the government’s Plan for London.

Approximately 1,000 staff from a number of Civil Service departments, including the Cabinet Office, had occupied the space.

They have now transferred to various offices in the capital, including 100 Parliament Street and 26 Whitehall.

The GPA is overseeing the closure of 10 Victoria Street, which will now be cleared of furniture and equipment before being handed back over to the landlord in February 2026.

Sean Webb, Plan for London Programme Manager at the GPA, said:

“The Civil Service exit from 10 Victoria Street is a significant milestone for the GPA and the Plan for London. We worked closely with our client departments to ensure staff affected by the building’s closure have been well-informed and supported throughout the move to their new workspaces as we looked to ensure a smooth transition across our portfolio. We aim to continue making strong progress on the consolidation of the office estate in the capital, supporting the government’s priorities and securing substantial savings.”

Staff began moving to their new bases in June, with the final teams completing their transfer last week.

In September, the GPA saved £8.7 million in annual costs after closing down both The Rookery and Clive House as approximately 1,500 civil servants in total were transferred to spaces in the office estate. 

The Plan for London was launched in May this year and will involve the closure of no fewer than 11 buildings by 2030, delivering annual savings of £94 million. Most notably, 102 Petty France, Caxton House and 39 Victoria Street will all be closed during the programme, as it consolidates the central London estate.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 3 November 2025.

We offer our sympathy to all those who have been affected by this horrific attack.

Victims injured in this attack can apply to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) for compensation.

Compensation is payable to applicants who meet the eligibility criteria of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012.

You do not need a paid representative, such as a solicitor or claims management company, to apply for compensation. Free independent advice may be available from the Victim and Witness Information website or other charitable organisations.

If you have been directly affected by this attack you can find out more about the Scheme and apply online.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 6 October 2025.

The latest Gallantry Awards have been announced today, with 20 extraordinary people being awarded one of three types of awards; The George Medal, The King’s Gallantry Medal and The King’s Commendation for Bravery.

• 20 extraordinary people have been awarded a Gallantry Award today for their courage and bravery. 
• The awards include 2 George Medals, 3 King’s Gallantry Medals and 15 King’s Commendations for Bravery.
• The list includes Grace O’Malley-Kumar, Richard O’Brien, Alicia Richards and Molly Bulmer. 

The latest Gallantry Awards have been announced today, with 20 extraordinary people being awarded one of three types of awards; The George Medal, The King’s Gallantry Medal and The King’s Commendation for Bravery.

Gallantry Awards are given out to people in recognition for their courage and bravery in the face of danger. Three of the awards on the list are being awarded posthumously, and will be presented to the individuals’ next of kin. 

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said:

This is what true courage looks like. In moments of unimaginable danger, these extraordinary people acted with selflessness and bravery that speaks to the very best of who we are as a nation.

We owe each of them – and their families – our deepest thanks. Their actions remind us of the strength and compassion that run through our communities.

I want to pay tribute to all of the recipients, including Grace O’Malley Kumar who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect her friend. Her legacy will live on as a powerful example of heroism.

Recipients receiving a gallantry award include:

Grace O’Malley-Kumar, who has received The George Medal for intervening in an armed attack in Nottingham on 13th June 2023. 

Richard O’Brien has received the King’s Gallantry Medal for intervening in an armed attack in Barnet on 21 September 2021. 

Alicia Richards and Molly Bulmer have received the King’s Commendation for Bravery after intervening in an armed attack at a school in Sheffield on 1 May 2024. 

PC Mark Sutton and PC Thomas Dransfield have received the King’s Commendation for Bravery for rescuing a man falling from a bridge on 22 November 2023.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 2 October 2025.

A joint statement from European Leaders on managing the challenges of illegal migration following the European Political Community Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Today, at the European Political Community Summit in Copenhagen, the leaders of Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, Malta, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden and the United Kingdom, in the presence of the President of the European Commission and the President of the European Parliament, set out a number of steps to be taken collectively to help manage the complex challenges of illegal migration.

They underlined the need for a ‘whole-of-route approach’, and for innovative solutions to keep pace with the ever-evolving challenges of illegal migration. They committed to support one another in their efforts, along the following key themes:

• Take the strongest action against smugglers and secure our borders: ensuring that law enforcement have the powers, data and capabilities to work across borders to target this threat and its enablers effectively, and to manage our external borders. And work together on new ways to target smuggling gangs, such as the use of sanctions regimes.
• Ensure our legislative frameworks and asylum systems are robust: protecting against exploitation, deterring those trying to undermine our systems, and ensuring international frameworks, including the European Convention on Human Rights and the Refugee Convention, are implemented in a way that safeguards against abuse and so that governments can tackle modern challenges.
• Take an unequivocal approach to returns: developing common principles using all the tools available – including diplomatic and visa leverage – to enact efficient and effective returns. And forge new and innovative partnerships, including with third countries, to accelerate processing and alleviate domestic pressures.
• Strengthen migration management at the earliest opportunity: working with countries at source and on transit routes, including supporting the work and mandate of agencies like the IOM and UNHCR, on initiatives spanning themes like development, job creation, education, and voluntary returns, to deliver on mutually beneficial partnerships.
• Put innovation at the heart of migration reform: recognising that without a system-wide shift in how we approach this issue we will not be able to secure our borders effectively.
• New frameworks, partnerships, capabilities and pilots that are fair, regulated and fit for the future need to be taken forward to undermine the smuggling gangs’ model and limit illegal migration.

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.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 23 September 2025.

• New rules issued to all Civil Service staff networks to ensure they remain impartial and represent the Civil Service.
• All events will need to be signed off by a senior civil servant and must take place outside of working hours
• New guidance introduces strict controls to crackdown on recent examples of inappropriate events hosted by networks.

New rules have been issued to all Civil Service staff networks to ensure their activities remain within the Civil Service Code. 

Civil Service staff networks can support staff in a number of areas and support a productive working environment. 

However, Ministers and Civil Service leaders have been concerned by recent reports of inappropriate events being conducted by some networks in the Civil Service. 

The new guidance states that all events must now be signed off by a senior civil servant before preparations even begin. The changes also make clear that events should always take place outside working hours, unless they directly benefit the organisation, such as learning and development – in these instances sign off from an individual’s line manager is required to attend the event.

The rules also re-confirm that all networks must remain impartial at all times and must not attempt to influence government policy in any way – as already set out in the Civil Service Code.

Any employees who breach the Civil Service Code, including in relation to network activity, may be subject to disciplinary action. Under the guidance, network activity may be suspended or ceased if networks do not comply with the new rules

Minister for the Cabinet Office, Nick Thomas-Symonds, said:

We are taking action to prevent inappropriate uses of networks in the Civil Service.

While the vast majority of networks and their events are run within the rules, this new guidance delivers clarity. It will ensure all network members and leaders are aware of the need to remain impartial at all times and fulfil the expected behaviours set out in the civil service code.

Alongside new rules on events, the guidance provides further clarity to all networks to ensure any activities, communications or meetings comply with the Civil Service Code. The code sets out that all civil servants must act impartially and with integrity – putting the obligations of public service above any personal interests.

The guidance also provides further clarity for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) networks specifically. Including the need to promote all view points equally, and ensure their role – to promote equality and inclusion in the Civil Service for everyone – is not lost in pursuit of a particular issue.

The new guidance ensures that all networks have a better understanding of their obligations under the Civil Service Code, ensuring they can continue to operate effectively, and fulfil their intended purpose.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 20 August 2025.

With just weeks to go, people across Northern Ireland are being reminded to expect the second ever national Emergency Alert test. The system is designed to help protect lives by delivering urgent safety advice directly to mobile phones during major emergencies.

Mobile phones connected to 4G and 5G networks across the country will receive the alert at approximately 3pm on Sunday 7 September. During the test, phones will vibrate and emit a loud, siren-like sound for up to ten seconds. A message will appear on screen, making it clear the alert is a drill and that no action is needed.

The drill follows the live deployment of the system in Northern Ireland during Storm Éowyn in January this year. UK Government minister Pat McFadden authorised that message to help save lives after widespread red weather warnings were issued. Approximately 4.5 million mobile phones received the alert, in the largest-ever live deployment of the system.

Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, said:

We saw the Emergency Alert system’s value first-hand during Storm Éowyn in January and this test will be important in making sure we are prepared for future emergencies

We need to ensure the system is working effectively so people in Northern Ireland get critical information when lives are on the line.

Storm Éowyn, an intense extratropical cyclone, struck Northern Ireland on Friday 24 January 2025.  A red wind warning was issued by the Met Office for the entire region for the peak of the storm.  The Emergency Alert was broadcast at approximately 6pm on 23 January 2025, warning of the threat to life posed by the storm and urging people to stay indoors.

During the national test on September 7, mobile phones will vibrate and emit a loud siren-like sound for up to ten seconds. A test message will appear on screens, making it clear the alert is a drill.

Ahead of the test, the government is running a public information campaign to notify people it is taking place, including communications targeted at vulnerable groups such as victims of domestic abuse. The campaign has featured the first national information video in British Sign Language.

Last week, the full text of the test message was revealed for the first time, saying:

This is a test of Emergency Alerts, a UK government service that will warn you if there’s a life-threatening emergency nearby.

You do not need to take any action. In a real emergency, follow the instructions in the alert to keep yourself and others safe.

Find simple and effective advice on how to prepare for emergencies at gov.uk/prepare.

Visit gov.uk/alerts for more information or to view this message in Welsh. Ewch i gov.uk/alerts am ragor o wybodaeth neu i weld y neges hon yn y Gymraeg.

This second test follows a government commitment to test the system regularly to make sure it works optimally and familiarise the public with the alerts. This is in line with standard practice in other countries, such as Japan and the USA.

As well as making clear the test is just a drill, the message will point the public to GOV.UK/PREPARE, a one-stop website offering practical advice about steps households can take to prepare for emergencies.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 19 August 2025.

Greg Jackson has been appointed as a Non-Executive Member of the Cabinet Office Board for a period of three years.

His term started on 21st July 2025 and will conclude in 2028.

The Cabinet Office Board provides strategic leadership for the department, comprising Cabinet Office ministers, senior executives, and non-executives from outside government.

The Non-Executive Board Members are responsible for providing support and challenge to the department’s ministers and senior officials on the delivery of key policies and programmes.

Greg Jackson is the CEO of Octopus Energy Group. He has previously worked as the Co-founder and Chairman of Consultant Connect Ltd (2015-2022), Managing Director of HomeService Alliance (2013-15), Non Executive Director at Zopa (2010-18), CEO of Tangent Labs (2008-10) and CEO/Founder of C360 UK Ltd.

Greg is also an Honorary Fellow at Pembroke College Cambridge, and holds an Honorary Doctorate at the University of Teesside.