Tag: Downing Street

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 17 December 2024.

The Prime Minister met Prime Minister Kristen Michal ahead of the Joint Expeditionary Force summit in Tallin this morning.

The Prime Minister began by thanking Prime Minister Michal for hosting such a successful and important summit at a crucial time for European security.

The leaders reflected on the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) dinner last night and the group’s strong support for Ukraine, which was underscored by action, rather than warm words. They discussed the importance of increasing pressure on Putin through further military and economic support for Ukraine, and the strategic use of sanctions.

Estonia and the UK were vital defence and security partners, and that cooperation continued to go from strength-to-strength, the leaders agreed.

It was further exemplified by the opening of a new London headquarters for Estonian defence firm Frankenburg Technologies today, the Prime Ministers noted.

Updating on his EU reset, the Prime Minister said that he believed a closer relationship between the UK and EU countries would bring benefits for both British and EU citizens across a wide range of areas, including in growth and security.

Turning to the clean energy agenda, the Prime Minister updated on his successful visit to Norway yesterday, and his mission to deliver clean power by 2030 and accelerate to net zero. The leaders agreed on the need to go further and faster to support energy security and lower costs for bill payers.

They looked forward to speaking again at the JEF summit.

The press release issued by Downing Street on 17 December 2024.

The UK has provided £35 million of emergency support to help Ukraine repair its energy grid and support the most vulnerable through a third winter of war, the Prime Minister has announced today.

The UK has provided £35 million of emergency support to help Ukraine repair its energy grid and support the most vulnerable through a third winter of war, the Prime Minister has announced today.

It comes as the UK also reinforces its iron-clad support for Ukraine by launching fresh sanctions targeting Russia’s energy sector.  Today’s sanctions target 20 shadow fleet ships carrying illicit Russian oil, including Ocean Faye, Andaman Skies and Mianzimu, which have each carried more than four million barrels of Russian oil in 2024.

Key lynchpins in enabling the trading of Putin’s precious oil, 2Rivers DMCC and 2Rivers PTE LTD have also been slapped with sanctions. These new measures will further drain Putin’s war chest, by clamping down on the oil revenues he so desperately needs to fuel his illegal war and put those who enable Russia’s oil exports on notice.

The UK has now sanctioned over 100 ships for transporting Russian energy, including 93 oil tankers, more than any other nation. Due to sustained efforts to lead the charge against the shadow fleet, its ships are left idling uselessly outside ports, which is costing Putin and his war effort millions in wasted funds.

As the UK continues to bear down on the Kremlin, we are also working to protect against shadow fleet activity in the Baltic and North Sea. The UK has already spearheaded new action to challenge suspected shadow vessels passing through the English Channel to provide proof of insurance.

It comes as Denmark, Sweden, Poland, Finland and Estonia, alongside the UK, have now agreed to work together to challenge suspected shadow vessels in the same way along the Baltic route, and in doing so hold shadow vessels and their enablers to account for the risks they pose and the support they provide to Russia’s war machine.

This new drive for an international crack down on Putin’s illicit oil shipping delivers on the Prime Minister’s commitment to tackle the shadow fleet at the EPC earlier this year.

It follows the worst period of Russian missile attacks since the start of the full-scale invasion, with an attack last month believed to have left a million Ukrainians without electricity.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:

As Putin’s oil revenues continue to fuel the fires of his illegal war, Ukrainian families are enduring cold, dark nights, often without heating, light or electricity, targeted by Russia’s relentless missile attacks.

But these systematic attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure will not grind Ukraine down. It will only deepen our resolve and support.

These sanctions will add further pressure to Putin’s stalling war economy, just as we strengthen Ukraine’s hand with new funding for emergency support to meet its humanitarian needs and for vital repairs to the energy system, to help Ukrainians living through the third winter of Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion.

The package of funding support includes a £20 million uplift to support emergency energy needs, as well as support for carrying out vital repairs to the electricity transmission network and providing further power generation capacity and critical protection for energy infrastructure.

This includes a project to generate an additional 20MW of power supply, enough to provide power to up to 20,000 homes.

A further £15 million will provide lifesaving humanitarian support to the most in need as temperatures in Ukraine plummet, while £5m will go to UNICEF to provide basic necessities. The UK is also reinforcing its iron-clad support for Ukraine by launching fresh sanctions targeting Russia’s energy sector today.

£10 million will be delivered through UNHCR to provide more than 21,000 families with rapid thermal kits, shelter repairs, and additional cash payments for winter, as well as generators and support to local winterisation of collective centres housing vulnerable people who have been displaced from their homes by Russian aggression.

Russia has launched 11 large scale attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in 2024. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, at least two thirds of power generation has been damaged or destroyed. As winter bites, Ukrainians are suffering without power, lacking light and heating in sub-zero temperatures and dark evenings.

More than 14.6 million Ukrainians require humanitarian assistance, as months of attacks force more and more people from their homes. The UK’s funding will support communities to stem displacement.

More than two thirds of Ukraine’s energy generation capacity has been occupied, damaged or destroyed.

Notes to editors:

• The UK’s support to Ukraine is detailed here: UK support to Ukraine: factsheet – GOV.UK
• The Nordic-Baltic 8+ joint statement detailing a coordinated approach to requesting proof of insurance from suspected shadow vessels can be found here: Joint statement on further action to counter Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’
• Sanctioned today are:
  • 2Rivers DMCC
  • 2Rivers PTE LTD
  • IMO 9296822 (“SAGITTA”)
  • IMO 9408205 (“FAST KATHY”)
  • IMO 9248801 (“MU DAN”)
  • IMO 9321689 (“OCEAN FAYE”)
  • IMO 9318539 (“SWIFTSEA RIDER”)
  • IMO 9282479 (“MINERVA M”)
  • IMO 9288693 (“ANDAMAN SKIES”)
  • IMO 9257022 (“LACONIA”)
  • IMO 9253325 (“NURKEZ”)
  • IMO 9292981 (“SAGAR VIOLET”)
  • IMO 9292503 (“BULL”)
  • IMO 9288746 (“MARATHON”)
  • IMO 9281011 (“MOTI”)
  • IMO 9258868 (“ASHER”)
  • IMO 9332781 (“LANG YA”)
  • IMO 9323986 (“GARASAN”)
  • IMO 9255660 (“PONTUS I”)
  • IMO 9271951 (“FACCA”)
  • IMO 9299666 (“MIANZIMU”)
  • IMO 9293155 (“JUNIA”)

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 16 December 2024.

The Prime Minister met Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in Bergen, Norway, today to sign a new Strategic Partnership.

Norway was one of the UK’s closest allies and an important defence and security partner, and a critical supporter of European security, the Prime Minister said.

Turning to the situation in Ukraine, the Prime Minister said he was focused on putting the Ukrainians in the strongest possible position going into 2025. That included using mechanisms such as economic sanctions and the shadow fleet initiative to crack down on critical revenue sources funding Putin’s war machine.

The UK and Norway’s steadfast support for Ukraine was amplified throughout the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), a grouping made up of some of Ukraine’s strongest and most ardent supporters, the leaders agreed.

Both Prime Ministers underscored the importance of the JEF, which was vital to supporting security in the North Atlantic and the Nordic and Baltic regions.

Discussing the need to outpace evolving threats, including in the cyber domain, the leaders agreed on the importance of working closely with NATO allies in all areas of defence and security.

The leaders also discussed the important cultural and education ties between the UK and Norway and welcomed the new North Sea University Partnership between the two countries. It was a further signal of the strong friendship between the two countries, the leaders said.

They looked forward to the JEF Summit later this evening.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 16 December 2024.

The Prime Minister has appointed The Lord Evans of Weardale KCB DL to be the Chairman of the Crown Nominations Commission for Canterbury. The Crown Nominations Commission is the Church of England committee that nominates the candidate to be the next Archbishop of Canterbury to succeed the Most Reverend and Right Honourable Justin Welby.  Archbishop Welby has announced that he will complete his duties on 6th January 2025.

Notes for Editors

Jonathan Evans has been a Crossbench member of the House of Lords since 2014. Until October 2023 he was Chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life. He is currently Chair of the HALO Trust, the anti-landmine charity, and of the Public Interest Committee at KPMG UK. He is a former Director-General of the Security Service, MI5. He is an active and communicant member of his local parish church.

The Church of England’s standing orders state that the Chair of the Crown Nominations Commission for Canterbury is appointed by the Prime Minister and must be an actual communicant lay [i.e. not ordained] member of the Church of England.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 16 December 2024.

An Estonian tech start up manufacturing low-cost air defence missiles is expected to open a new UK headquarters, delivering on the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change.

An Estonian tech start up manufacturing low-cost air defence missiles is expected to open a new UK headquarters, delivering on the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change.

Defence company Frankenburg Technologies is planning to open a new office in London initially employing upwards of 50 people, in a boost for the UK defence sector.

Specialising in the manufacture of low-cost air defence missiles, the rapidly growing company already collaborates closely with the UK defence industry, sourcing a significant portion of its subsystems locally.

The Prime Minister will meet the founder of the business, Taavi Madiberk, as part of a business breakfast in Tallinn tomorrow morning [17 December 2024].

Delivering on his Plan for Change to boost jobs across the UK and put money back in the pockets of hardworking people, the Prime Minister will meet business leaders from major Estonian players and market disruptors, including Bolt, Nortal, Starship Technologies, Cachet, Skeleton Tech, Frankenburg Technologies, Salv, LHV Group, Pipedrive and Veriff.

Frankenburg Technologies, which already has a footprint in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Ukraine, will invest €50 million into the UK for research and development into low-cost rocket motors.

It comes after the Business Secretary last week held a roundtable as part of this Government’s ‘pro-growth, pro-business’ approach to realise the economic potential of the defence sector and change perceptions of it among investors – which is essential to kickstarting economic growth and provide greater investment across the UK.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:

Frankenburg Technologies’ vote of confidence in the UK is another signal that our plan is working, which is why I am focused on how we can continue to make the UK a magnet for foreign investment, greater growth and innovation.

Estonia is an incubator of innovation, while the UK is a launchpad for global growth, and I believe closer collaboration between our countries will deliver for hardworking British people for years to come.

Supporting more than 400,000 jobs up and down the country, the UK defence industry is vital to my Plan for Change, both underpinning our foundation of security and driving growth.

The tech start up is another example of how the rapid development and procurement of low-cost military equipment is supporting Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s barbaric invasion and transforming the European defence industry. The company’s mission is to develop missile systems that are ten times more affordable and a hundred times faster to produce.

The UK defence industry is a major driver of growth in the UK, supporting 1 in 60 jobs through 434,000 good, well-paid roles across the country.

Estonia is renowned as a tech start-up hub, with the largest number of unicorns and highest level of venture capital investment per a head in Europe.

Many of the companies the Prime Minister will meet tomorrow, such as Wise, LHV, Pipedrive, Nortal, Bolt and Starship Technologies have shown how expanding to the UK is an important step in these companies’ path to global growth.

Following breakfast with Estonian business leaders, the Prime Minister will attend the Joint Expeditionary Force summit, joining leaders from the Nordics and Baltics to discuss support for Ukraine, the sustained threat posed by Russia and wider European security.

He is then expected to visit British forces serving in the region to deter malign Russian threats.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 15 December 2024.

• Ambitious new Green Industrial Partnership will see enhanced cooperation across a range of sectors, including future clean energy innovations.
• Potential to create thousands of new, skilled jobs in the UK, including by seizing on cross-border carbon capture opportunities under the North Sea.
• Follows groundbreaking new deal to build the UK’s first carbon capture projects in the North East.

The UK and Norway are set to launch a new Green Industrial Partnership today (16 December) to combine their world-leading capabilities on clean energy, drive economic growth and deliver on the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change.

As one of the UK’s most important and longstanding energy partners, with Norway being the single biggest supplier of gas after the UK Continental Shelf, the new agreement – which the two countries have a joint ambition to sign in spring 2025 – will support our aim to secure home-grown energy, protect billpayers, and put us on track to make Britian a clean energy superpower by 2030.

The Prime Minister will visit a cross-border carbon transport and storage facility in Norway to see how the benefits of such projects for the UK will reignite industrial heartlands, create jobs, and turbocharge growth for decades to come.

It comes days after the Government signed first carbon capture usage and storage (CCUS) contracts in the UK. BP, and Norwegian company Equinor are playing a major role in the first projects, called the Northern Endurance Partnership and the Net Zero Teesside. The projects will deliver thousands of skilled jobs to the region, and Net Zero Teesside will provide up to 1 million homes with clean power from 2028.

In a further example of Norwegian and UK collaboration, today’s announcement also comes as pioneering floating offshore windfarm Green Volt announces it has awarded front-end engineering and design contracts to progress the project.

Based off the Northeast coast of Scotland, it is the first major commercial floating wind development in Europe, and a joint venture between Norwegian Vårgrønn and UK firm Flotation Energy.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:

“This Green Industrial Partnership will allow us to seize the opportunities from a new era of clean energy, driving investment into the UK and boosting jobs both now and in the future.

“It will harness the UK’s unique potential to become a world-leader in carbon capture – from the North Sea to the coastal south – reigniting industrial heartlands and delivering on our Plan for Change.

“Our partnership with Norway will make the UK more energy secure, ensuring we are never again exposed to international energy price spikes and the whims of dictators like Putin.”

Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said:

“We need cooperation, knowledge and innovation to better equip us to face the future. The partnership with the UK will be important to facilitate more green jobs both in Norway and the UK, and for advancing the green transition.

“We work closely with the UK in a wide range of areas. We have cooperated in the field of carbon capture and storage for more than 20 years, and further strengthening our cooperation with the UK will help us to cut emissions and create green jobs.

“It is important to show our partners what Norway can bring to the table in our joint efforts to achieve our common goals.”

Alongside the new Green Industrial Partnership, the two countries have committed to initiate work to identify gaps and challenges to the development of our common North Sea as a hub for carbon storage and to develop a bilateral agreement or arrangement on cross-border transport of CO2 under the London Protocol.

Today’s announcement follows urgent action already taken to deliver on the mission since July, including lifting the onshore wind ban, establishing Great British Energy, consenting almost 2 GW of nationally significant solar, delivering a record-breaking renewables auction, and kickstarting carbon capture and hydrogen industries. In October, Britain also became the first industrialised nation to end its 150-year usage of coal to produce power.

It also comes as Norway’s Statkraft broke ground on the Swansea Greener Grid Park in Swansea just days before the Prime Minister’s visit, which will use low carbon technology to improve grid stability and reduce the need to use fossil fuel power plants.

The £70 million investment is one of a pipeline of similar grid stability schemes to be developed in the UK, and Statkraft has already to date delivered two. The company has already invested £1.4 billion in renewable energy infrastructure in the UK.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 13 December 2024.

The Prime Minister joined a virtual meeting of G7 Leaders this afternoon.

Discussing the unfolding situation in Syria, the Prime Minister said that the fall of Assad’s brutal regime should be welcomed, but we must be mindful about what comes next. The priority should be the safety of the Syrian people while supporting a political transition which leads to credible, inclusive, and non-sectarian governance on behalf of all Syrians.

All leaders agreed that Syria’s territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty must be respected throughout the transition process and in future.

Turning to Ukraine, the Prime Minister said that with Putin showing no sign of relenting, it is vital that we bolster our support to put them in the best possible position for the future.

He called on fellow G7 leaders to continue maximising Putin’s pain by increasing military support to the Ukrainians and ramping up economic pressure, including via further sanctions where possible.

All leaders agreed the unity of the G7 will be critical during a volatile time in the world, and that as like-minded allies, we must work together to ensure international stability and security.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 12 December 2024.

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Keir Starmer and the President of the European Council António Costa met in Downing Street this afternoon.

In their first meeting, the two leaders affirmed the intention to strengthen the relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union, agreeing on the vital importance of closer collaboration between like-minded partners at an increasingly volatile time for the world.

The President invited the Prime Minister to attend a session of the informal meeting of the EU leaders in Brussels on 3 February. The Prime Minister was pleased to accept the invitation and looked forward to discussing enhanced strategic co-operation with the EU, notably on defence.

The two leaders also discussed current geopolitical challenges. They reiterated their unwavering commitment to providing continued political, financial, economic, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support to Ukraine and its people for as long as it takes and as intensely as needed.

They also discussed the situation and the latest developments in the Middle East. Turning to Syria, they agreed on the importance of ensuring a peaceful transition towards long-term political stability following the fall of Assad’s brutal regime.

They reaffirmed that the Withdrawal Agreement, including the Windsor Framework and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, are the foundation of relations between the UK and EU, and restated their joint commitment to the full and faithful implementation of those agreements.

They also looked ahead to the first EU-UK Summit in early 2025, agreeing this would provide an important opportunity to make further progress on key areas to deliver tangible benefits for the people of the UK and the EU.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 12 December 2024.

The King has approved the nomination of The Reverend Canon Esther Tamisa Prior, Vicar of St John the Baptist Egham and Honorary Canon at Guildford Cathedral, for appointment as Suffragan Bishop of Aston in the Diocese of Birmingham, in succession to The Right Reverend Anne Hollinghurst following her resignation and appointment as Principal of the Queens Foundation.

Background

Esther was educated at the University of Zimbabwe and trained for ministry at Trinity College, Bristol. She was ordained priest in 2004 and served her title at Redland Parish Church in the Diocese of Bristol, and St John’s, Deptford, in the Diocese of Southwark.

In 2008, Esther was appointed Associate Minister at St Matthew’s, Borstal, additionally serving as Chaplain at Blackheath Bluecoat Church of England School until 2009 and as Prison Chaplain for Cookham Wood from 2010. Esther was appointed Team Vicar at St John, Cove, in the Diocese of Guildford, in 2011 and in 2018 took up her current role as Vicar of St John the Baptist, Egham.

Esther is married to Matt, who is also ordained, and they have two teenaged children.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 28 November 2024.

The Prime Minister spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this morning.

The Prime Minister began by reiterating the UK’s steadfast support for Ukraine. The leaders discussed the egregious Russian missile strike in the early hours of this morning, which had deprived more than a million people of heat, light and electricity.

Russia’s systematic attacks on Ukraine’s energy sector was depraved, the Prime Minister said.

Both leaders underlined the importance of putting Ukraine in the best possible position ahead of another challenging winter of conflict.

The leaders also discussed Ukraine’s long-term future, and how investment in the country’s security today would support Europe’s broader security for generations to come.

They looked forward to speaking again soon.