Tag: Downing Street

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 18 June 2025.

The Prime Minister spoke to the Amir of Qatar His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani this evening.

The leaders began by discussing the developments in the Middle East in recent days, and both echoed the need for de-escalation and diplomacy.

Underscoring the deep defence and security relationship between the two countries, the Prime Minister reiterated the UK’s support for Qatar and leaders discussed how both countries could further support regional stability.

Turning to Gaza, the Prime Minister reiterated the intolerable situation on the ground and underlined the UK’s support for an immediate ceasefire.

The leaders agreed to stay in close touch.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 18 June 2025.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 17 June 2025.

The Prime Minister met President Zelenskyy of Ukraine at the G7 Summit this afternoon.

Their meeting followed an extensive session with wider partners, focused on maintaining momentum to secure a just and lasting peace for Ukraine.

The Prime Minister and President agreed to drive forward the next stage of military support – adding that a strong Ukraine is essential to guarantee peace in the long term. They agreed to convene the next Coalition of the Willing meeting in the coming weeks.

They also discussed ramping up the economic pressure on Putin, with the Prime Minister updating the President on the new sanctions announced by the United Kingdom today.

They agreed there should be no place to hide for those who fund Putin’s war machine.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 9 June 2025.

The Prime Minister hosted NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at Downing Street this afternoon.

The Prime Minister began by updating on the UK’s new NATO-first Strategic Defence Review, announced last week, which underscored the UK’s steadfast commitment to the Alliance.

NATO was vital to the security of working people in the UK and had been the cornerstone of Euro-Atlantic peace and security for more than eight decades, the Prime Minister added.

Turning to the upcoming summit in The Hague, the leaders agreed that NATO was more united than ever, but Allies still needed to go further and faster to ensure stability and security and reinforce defence industries for the future.

The NATO Secretary General said that approach had been brought to life for him during his visit to Sheffield Forgemasters earlier in the day, where he had heard from a man who had faced losing his job, but through a new government contract for the production of artillery barrels for the first time in almost two decades, was now training his team in a skillset that could have been lost.

That exemplified the importance of embracing rapid innovation, while fostering the skills and lessons learned across the past 80 years, the leaders agreed.

The leaders also discussed future funding proposals for NATO and underscored the importance of going further to step up on national resilience and protect critical national infrastructure. The Prime Minister welcomed the Secretary General’s focus on ensuring the Alliance was fit for the future.

The leaders looked forward to speaking again at the upcoming G7 summit.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 9 June 2025.

Axel Heitmueller has been appointed as the Prime Minister’s Expert Adviser on Health.

The Prime Minister’s Expert Adviser will advise ministers and drive forward the Government’s vision for health and social care.

Axel brings with him extensive experience working in the healthcare sector as CEO of Imperial College Health Partners and Executive Director of Strategy at the Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust Hospital.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 9 June 2025.

Planning permissions will be sped up as the Government rolls out a new AI tool which can scan hundreds of files in seconds – making it easier to make home improvements, while turbocharging the Plan for Change milestone to build 1.5 million homes.

Planning permissions will be sped up as the Government rolls out a new AI tool which can scan hundreds of files in seconds – making it easier to make home improvements, while turbocharging the Plan for Change milestone to build 1.5 million homes.

Speaking at London Tech Week, the Prime Minister announced the launch of “Extract” – an AI assistant for planning officers and local councils, developed by government with support from Google.

For the first time, this cutting-edge technology will help councils convert decades-old, handwritten planning documents and maps into data in minutes – and will power new types of planning software to slash the 250,000 estimated hours spent by planning officers each year manually checking these documents. This will dramatically reduce delays that have long plagued the system.

Around 350,000 planning applications are submitted a year in England, yet the system remains heavily reliant on paper documents – some hundreds of pages long. Once submitted, each of these documents needs to be manually validated and approved by a planning officer.

In test trials across Hillingdon, Nuneaton & Bedworth, and Exeter councils, Extract digitised planning records, including maps, in just three minutes each – compared to the 1–2 hours it typically takes manually. This means Extract could process around 100 planning records a day – significantly speeding up the process.

This represents a step-change in productivity, freeing up thousands of hours for planning officers to focus on decision-making to speed up housebuilding. It will also accelerate the delivery of much-needed housing, improve reliability in the planning process and reduce costs and save time for councils and developers.

Extract is expected to be made available to all councils by Spring 2026. The government’s ambition is to fully digitise the planning system – making it faster, more transparent, and easier to navigate for working people, councils, businesses and developers.

The rollout will help deliver the government’s Plan for Change milestone to build 1.5 million homes over the next Parliament and is part of the government’s efforts to harness tech and AI to deliver change and renewal for working people.

It also comes alongside the government’s wider efforts to digitise the planning system, building on an estimated £59.4m per year spent by councils on digital planning and housing software, delivering an estimated time and cost saving of £527m for the public sector each year.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:

For too long, our outdated planning system has held back our country— slowing down the development of vital infrastructure and making it harder to get the homes we need built.

This government is working hand in hand with business to change that. With Extract, we’re harnessing the power of AI to help planning officers cut red tape, speed up decisions, and unlock the new homes for hard-working people as part of our Plan for Change.

It’s a bold step forward in our mission to build 1.5 million more homes and deliver a planning system that’s fit for the 21st century.”

Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary Angela Rayner said:

From day one we made an unwavering promise to use every tool at our disposal to build the 1.5 million homes and vital infrastructure through our Plan for Change that our local communities desperately need.

By using cutting-edge technology like Extract we can fix the broken planning system, cut delays, save money, and also reduce burdens on councils to help pave the way for the biggest building boom in a generation.”

Co-Founder & CEO of Google DeepMind, Demis Hassabis said:

We build our AI models to understand all types of information – from text to handwritten notes and technical drawings – so it’s really exciting to see the UK government choose Gemini to help speed up the planning process and support planners and people across the country.

Hillingdon Council’s Chief Operating Officer Matthew Wallbridge said:

‘The UK Planning System relies on paper-based processes, and AI can help to read and then extract the key information from it, to help both residents and planning officers. The productivity benefits will allow for a faster and cheaper service’.

Tom Shardlow, CEO Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council said:

Just like many local authorities, Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council has many plans and documents in storage from historic planning applications over the years. Working with the Extract team, we have seen the outputs from Extract, and how these could improve our service, providing high quality, digital, GeoSpatial data and how this could speed up the process for our Planning Team.”

The government is now working with Google to develop and expand Extract to all local authorities in England using its Gemini model. The government will expand Extract to handle all planning document types with the aim of supporting local authorities to digitise all planning documents by the end of 2026.

The planning data, unlocked through Extract, will be uploaded to a publicly accessible gov.uk service page. Open, public data will ensure the planning system is more transparent, accessible and understandable to the public. The government will also explore the best and most efficient ways to deploy Extract into local authorities – this might also include developing an app to scan documents instantly.

This government is turning the page on the decline of the past and choosing growth with a significant number of planning decisions already made by Ministers since July.

This includes 18 planning decisions taken by Ministers over 85% of which within the target timeframe, and 18 nationally significant infrastructure projects approved, collectively spanning airports, data centres, solar farms and major housing developments such as the Expansion of London City Airport, a data centre in Buckinghamshire and a new M&S store in Oxford Street, London.

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will also provide the powers to accelerate the infrastructure and homes needed to deliver on the government’s ambitions – and fast track critical infrastructure such as wind farms, power plants, and major road and rail projects.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 6 June 2025.

The Prime Minister hosted His Majesty the King of Jordan Abdullah II at Downing Street this afternoon.

The leaders discussed the gravity of the intolerable situation in Gaza, and the concerning developments in the West Bank.

The Prime Minister reiterated that if Israel did not cease the renewed military offensive and lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid, the UK and its partners would take further concrete actions in response.

It was vital a sustainable ceasefire and the release of all hostages was secured, and humanitarian aid was delivered at speed and volume, the Prime Minister added.

Both leaders agreed on the importance of the Palestinian Authority’s reform agenda as part of the path to a two-state solution and lasting peace and security for both Israelis and Palestinians.

The leaders also discussed the wider bilateral relationship between the UK and Jordan, and the opportunity to deepen business and investment links between the two countries.

Both looked forward to speaking again soon.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 3 June 2025.

The King has approved the nomination of The Venerable Moira Anne Elizabeth Astin, Archdeacon of Reigate, in the Diocese of Southwark, to the Suffragan See of Crediton in the Diocese of Exeter.

Background

Moira was educated at Clare College Cambridge and trained for ministry at Wycliffe Hall Oxford. She served her title at St Nicolas, Newbury, in the Diocese of Oxford, and in 1996, she was ordained Priest. From 1999 Moira served as Team Vicar of Thatcham Team Ministry and Lead Minister of Dunston Park Ecumenical Partnership and in 2005 she was appointed Team Vicar, later Vicar, of St James Woodley.

From 2011, Moira served as Priest-in-Charge, then Vicar, of Frodingham and New Brumby, Scunthorpe, in the Diocese of Lincoln, additionally serving as Ecumenical Officer for the Diocese and Area Dean North Lincolnshire.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 2 June 2025.

From the Highlands to the Borders, Scottish people are set to benefit from the UK’s landmark trade deals with India, US and EU announced in recent weeks.

From the Highlands to the Borders, Scottish people are set to benefit from the UK’s landmark trade deals with India, US and EU announced in recent weeks.

The Prime Minister discussed the huge growth opportunities and benefits for Scotland during a visit Clydeside Distillery in Glasgow today.

Visit comes after Prime Minister visited BAE Govan this morning to announce the Strategic Defence Review, which will see significant investment in Scotland . More than £2 billion a year is already spent by the Ministry of Defence with industry organisations of all sizes in Scotland, supporting over 25,000 skilled jobs in Scotland.

The world-renowned Scotch Whisky industry is set to boom globally – with the Scotch Whisky Association announcing they forecast £1 billion of extra exports in five years, plus 1,200 new jobs thanks to the tariff reductions as part of the UK-India Free Trade Agreement.

India is an important market for Scotland, with 457 Scottish businesses exporting a total of £610 million in goods there last year.

Under the India trade deal, tariffs have been cut on a range of iconic Scottish goods, from whisky tariffs halved from 150% to 75% and dropping to 40% after 10 years to salmon reduced from 33% to 0%. Iconic Scottish brands like Irn Bru and Scottish shortbread will also see reduced tariffs.

Scotland’s thriving life sciences and health tech hubs will be strengthened by IP commitments on areas such as trade secrets and copyright, helping companies export to India with confidence.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:

Our trade deals with India, US and the EU will slash tariffs on key industries and open markets set to help drive growth in Scotland and put money in the pockets of the hardworking Scottish people, delivering on our Plan for Change.

Scotland is home to some of the most world-renowned products, which can now be enjoyed across the globe – all whilst saving Scottish businesses money.

That is why we have secured these deals, and why we will continue to go further and faster to improve the lives of everyone in the UK.

Secretary of State for Scotland Ian Murray said:

Our trio of trade deals shows we are championing Scottish products and businesses on the global stage. From our world-renowned whisky distilleries to our cutting-edge green energy sector, Scotland has so much to offer international markets. But more importantly as part of our Plan for Change this means more money in people’s pockets.

By securing better access to the European Union, United States and India, we’re creating real opportunities for Scottish businesses to grow, supporting jobs in communities from the Highlands to the Borders.

Mark Kent, Chief Executive Officer of the Scotch Whisky Association, said:

As the UK’s largest food and drink export to 180 markets worldwide, Scotch Whisky producers welcome the work being done to reduce trade barriers around the world. The landmark UK-India free trade agreement will be transformational for the Scotch Whisky industry over the longer term and has the potential to increase exports to India by £1bn over the next 5 years and creating 1,200 jobs across the UK.

It’s also constructive to see a potential reduction in the burden on exporters through the UK agreement with the EU. We continue to support the UK government’s efforts to address the issue of tariffs with the US and establish a pathway to return to the zero-for-zero tariff arrangement we have had with the US on spirits for more than 30 years.

The new agreement with the European Union, the UK’s largest trading market, will directly address challenges faced by Scottish exporters since 2019. The Scottish salmon industry has estimated that between 2019 and 2023, Scottish Salmon export values experienced a net loss of around £75 million. The deal with the EU makes it significantly easier to sell Scottish goods to European markets.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 29 May 2025.

The King has approved the nomination of The Reverend Leah Beverley Vasey-Saunders, Vicar of Lancaster Priory in the Diocese of Blackburn, to the Suffragan See of Doncaster in the Diocese of Sheffield in succession to the Right Reverend Sophie Jelley, following her translation to the See of Coventry.

Background

Leah Vasey-Saunders was educated at Huddersfield University and trained for ministry at Cranmer Hall, Durham.  She served her title at St. John’s Church, Whorlton and St George’s Church, Jesmond in the Diocese of Newcastle, and in 2004, was ordained Priest.  From 2008, she served as Team Vicar of St. John’s Church Heath Hayes, Cannock, in the Diocese of Lichfield and was appointed Vicar in 2010.  In 2013, she was appointed Priest-in-Charge of All Saints Church, Harworth and Bircotes, in the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham.

From 2016, Leah served as Canon Precentor at Wakefield Cathedral, in the Diocese of Leeds. Leah is also the chair of trustees for On Fire Mission. Leah has served in her current role as Vicar of Lancaster Priory in the Diocese of Blackburn since 2021.

Leah is married to Mark and they have four children.