Tag: Downing Street

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 26 September 2024.

The Prime Minister met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at UNGA this afternoon.

The Prime Minister expressed his condolences for the civilian death toll in Gaza.

He said that we need an immediate ceasefire, the release of the hostages and unrestricted humanitarian aid.

The Prime Minister also condemned the increase in settler violence and settlement expansion in the West Bank.

The Prime Minister reiterated the UK’s strong support for the Palestinian Authority, and they agreed to continue close collaboration.

He underlined that the only solution to the cycle of violence was to create a credible and irreversible pathway to a Palestinian State, alongside the State of Israel.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 26 September 2024.

The King has approved the nomination of The Reverend Mark Birch, Minor Canon and Precentor at Westminster Abbey as Canon Rector of Westminster Abbey and Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons, in succession to The Venerable Tricia Hillas following her appointment as Bishop of Sodor and Man.

Background

Mark was educated at Bristol, Cambridge and Oxford Universities, initially in Veterinary Science. He trained for ministry at Westcott House Cambridge, served his title at the parish of Cirencester with Watermoor in the Diocese of Gloucester, and was ordained priest in 2001. In 2003 Mark was appointed Chaplain and Fellow of Exeter College, Oxford and in 2006 moved to become Chaplain and co-ordinator of spiritual care at Helen & Douglas House, a children’s hospice, in Oxford. In 2010 he was appointed as Chaplain at Lord Mayor Treloar’s School and College before moving into parish ministry as Priest in Charge of St Faith, Winchester, in 2012, alongside which he continued in chaplaincy work as Chaplain of the Hospital of St Cross, Winchester. In 2015 Mark was appointed Minor Canon and Chaplain at Westminster Abbey, becoming Sacrist in 2018. He was appointed to his current role as Precentor in 2020.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 26 September 2024.

The Prime Minister met Kenyan President William Ruto at UNGA this afternoon.

The two leaders stressed how pleased they were to meet each other for the first time, and agreed the UK and Kenya share a close and important partnership.

They agreed to take forward work to further strengthen the bilateral relationship, building on the existing Strategic Partnership between our two countries.

In particular, both leaders shared their determination to deliver world-leading action to tackle climate change and accelerate the energy transition.

The Prime Minister praised President Ruto’s extensive and pioneering leadership in this area, both in Kenya and through his international work across Africa and the world to accelerate the clean energy transition, and reiterated his ambition to turn the UK into a clean energy superpower.

Both looked forward to working together more closely and agreed to take forward work to champion clean power internationally– including leveraging the power of private sector investment and international financial institution reform to deliver on their climate ambitions.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 26 September 2024.

The Prime Minister met President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at UNGA this afternoon.

They discussed their shared commitment to tackling global challenges, including the importance of global ambition on climate change and poverty.

The Prime Minister congratulated President Lula on his leadership on tackling both these challenges as President of the G20 and looked forward to the Summit in Rio.

The leaders shared their plans to accelerate the energy transition at home and internationally, and agreed to work closely on this agenda including for COP30.

The Prime Minister also confirmed strong support for President Lula’s G20 Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty.

They also discussed the conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, and Lebanon. The Prime Minister set out his steadfast support for Ukraine and upholding the UN Charter. On the Middle East, the Leaders underlined the importance of ceasefires in both Lebanon and in Gaza.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 25 September 2024.

The Prime Minister met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at UNGA this afternoon.

The two leaders had a productive meeting, with the Prime Minister paying tribute to the continued courage of the Ukrainian people in the face of Russian aggression.

The Prime Minister acknowledged that Ukraine is at a critical point in the war, but he reiterated the UK’s support is ironclad and will continue for as long as it takes.

President Zelenskyy set out his ambitions for the coming months and thanked the Prime Minister for the UK’s continued backing.

They agreed to keep in close contact in the coming weeks.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 25 September 2024.

A major £10 billion investment which will create thousands of jobs in the North East of England has been announced by the Prime Minister in New York today.

A major £10 billion investment which will create thousands of jobs in the North East of England has been announced by the Prime Minister in New York today.

The deal with US investment company Blackstone, facilitated by the Office for Investment, will create the biggest AI data centre in Europe, boosting the UK’s world leading capabilities in the AI sector and driving growth in the local community.

Over 4,000 jobs will be created as a result, including 1,200 roles dedicated to the construction of the site in Blyth, Northumberland. Construction on the site is expected to begin next year, with the data centres set to store the vast amount of data needed to power AI, and to store the information generated by AI systems.

The Prime Minister’s number one mission for government is economic growth, and foreign investment will be a key part of driving it – by creating jobs which will put money into the pockets of hard-working British people.

The local community in Blyth – which suffered as a result of the failure of BritishVolt – will also directly benefit from the investment, with Blackstone confirming it will invest £110 million into a fund – supporting further skills training and transport infrastructure in the area.

The UK is already home to the highest number of data centres in Western Europe and just last month, the government classed data centres as ‘Critical National Infrastructure’ in the first designation in almost a decade to provide greater reassurance to businesses that the UK is a secure place to invest in and develop data centres.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:

The number one mission of my government is to grow our economy, so that hard-working British people reap the benefits – and more foreign investment is a crucial part of that plan.

New investment such as the one we’ve announced with Blackstone today is a huge vote of confidence in the UK and it proves that Britain is back as a major player on the global stage and we’re open for business.

Jon Gray, President and Chief Operating Officer of Blackstone, said:

The UK is a top investment market for Blackstone because of its powerful combination of talent and innovation along with a highly transparent legal system.  We are making significant commitments to building social housing, facilitating the energy transition, growing life sciences companies and developing critical infrastructure needed to fuel the digital economy. This includes a projected £10 billion investment to build one of Europe’s largest hyperscale data centres supporting 4,000 jobs. Blackstone is committed to Britain.

The Prime Minister will meet Blackstone President Jon Gray in New York this morning, as he seeks to rebuild Britain’s reputation as an investment destination in order to drive growth and create opportunities for British people.

This comes ahead of the UK’s International Investment Summit in October, which is set to bring together hundreds of leading CEOs and investors set to attend representing the best of business across the globe, with an ambitious programme to showcase the UK’s economic strengths.

The summit will rebuild Britain’s reputation as an investment destination to drive growth and create opportunities for British people and cement the government’s enduring partnership with businesses to give them the certainty they need to invest and grow in the UK.

Today’s investment also bolsters the UK’s bilateral trading relationship with the US which is already worth over £340 billion – making the US our largest single trading partner.

Every day, 1.2 million Americans go to work for UK-owned businesses and 1.3 million Brits work for US owned companies. Just last year the UK and US together invested over $1.2 trillion in each other’s economies, across key sectors like financial services, green infrastructure, real estate and technology.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 24 September 2024.

Britain will return to responsible global leadership under my watch, the Prime Minister will tell the UN General Assembly in New York this week.

• Prime Minister will travel to New York today to participate in United General Assembly meetings with important international partners.
• He will contribute to sessions on major global challenges such as the situation in Ukraine, the Middle East and climate change.
• PM will pledge to return the UK to responsible global leadership to tackle the issues that rebound on British people at home.

Britain will return to responsible global leadership under my watch, the Prime Minister will tell the UN General Assembly in New York this week.

He will use several interventions across his two-day visit to argue that our participation and reputation abroad is directly linked to our security, stability and prosperity at home.

In a speech to the UN General Assembly on Thursday, he will say that it is only by being a reliable and trusted international partner, working together to solve global problems such as war, poverty and climate change – that we can build a safer and more prosperous UK.

The Prime Minister will say:

We are returning the UK to responsible global leadership. This is the moment to reassert fundamental principles and our willingness to defend them. To recommit to the UN, to internationalism, to the rule of law.

Because I know that this matters to the British people. War, poverty and climate change all rebound on us at home. They make us less secure, they harm our economy, and they create migration flows on an unprecedented scale.

The British people are safer and more prosperous when we work internationally to solve these problems, instead of merely trying to manage their effects. So, the responsible global leadership that we will pursue is undeniably in our self-interest.

He will use his speech to set out how the UK will step up to play its part, guided by the rule of law, in tackling these challenges in a world that is increasingly dominated by conflicts – including those in Ukraine, the Middle East and Sudan.

It follows a major drive by the Prime Minister in his first few months in office to reset the UK’s relationship with its key allies and prove that Britain is back as a major player on the world stage – a key part of his ambition to drive growth and improve the lives of hardworking British people.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 24 September 2024.

Reforms to apprenticeship system in England announced, alongside publication of first Skills England report highlighting nationwide skills gaps.

The government is boosting opportunities for young people through ambitious apprenticeship reforms in England.

The Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson today announced a new growth and skills levy which will replace the existing apprenticeship levy and include new foundation apprenticeships.

These new apprenticeships will give young people a route in to careers in critical sectors, enabling them to earn a wage whilst developing vital skills.

The new levy will also allow funding for shorter apprenticeships, giving learners and employers greater flexibility over their training than under the existing system – where apprenticeships must run for at least 12 months.

The training eligible for funding under the new levy will develop over time, informed by Skills England’s assessment of priority skills needs.

The Department for Education will set out further details on the scope of the offer and how it will be accessed in due course.

To fund this, employers are being asked to rebalance their funding for apprenticeships, asking them to invest in younger workers. This will also involve businesses funding more of their level 7 apprenticeships – equivalent to a master’s degree and often accessed by older or already well qualified employees – outside of the levy.

The first report from Skills England, the government’s new body for the skills system, has also been published today [24 September 2024]. It provides an initial assessment of the nation’s working skills, as well as future skills needs and gaps which employers are struggling with across the country.

The report has found that employer investment in training has been in steady decline over the past decade, with training expenditure at its lowest level since records began in 2011, with investment per employee down by 19% in real terms. This highlights the need for government reforms to the skills and apprenticeships system.

It also shows that, across the UK, almost 1 in 10, or over 2.5 million roles are in critical demand, with more than 90% being in roles that require training or education.

The government launched Skills England in July to help identify skills needs. Skills England will play a crucial role in determining which types of training will be eligible for the expanded growth and skills levy and will set out shortly how they will work with stakeholders to inform their advice to DfE.

The need for jobs and skills varies across industries, with the health and social care sector experiencing the highest demand, followed by education, manufacturing, and science and technology.

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

Prime Minister Keir Starmer, U.S. President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese released a joint statement today.

We the leaders of Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, mark the third anniversary of AUKUS – an enhanced security partnership that promotes a free and open Indo-Pacific that is secure and stable. We reaffirm our shared commitment to this historic partnership and acknowledge the considerable progress to date.

Pillar I – Conventionally-Armed, Nuclear-Powered Submarines

In March 2023, our nations announced a pathway to deliver Australia’s conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarine (SSN) capability, while setting the highest non-proliferation standard.

We are steadily building Australia’s capabilities to steward and operate its own fleet of conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarines from the early 2030s. The United Kingdom and the United States welcomed Australian naval officers and sailors into their submarine training schools and embedded Australian personnel into the UK Ministry of Defence and U.S. naval shipyards. Our nations have made enormous strides towards the establishment of a rotational presence of U.S. and UK SSNs at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia as early as 2027. Increased visits by U.S. SSNs to Australia have supported steady progress in Australian workforce development, and, in August 2024, Australian personnel demonstrated their progress through participation in the first maintenance activity conducted on a U.S. nuclear-powered submarine in Australia.

We have made significant investments to lift our respective submarine industrial bases.  The United Kingdom has made an initial allocation of nearly £4 billion to continue work on SSN-AUKUS, and £3 billion to expand production capabilities across its Defence Nuclear Enterprise. The United States decided to invest USD 17.5 billion into its submarine industrial base. Australia has committed to invest over AUD 30 billion in the Australian defense industrial base and make proportionate contributions to the United Kingdom and the United States to support the production of SSN-AUKUS and to accelerate the delivery of Virginia class submarines respectively. In March 2024, Australia announced the selection of ASC Pty Ltd and BAE Systems to build SSN-AUKUS and ASC Pty Ltd to sustain Australia’s SSNs. These respective investments and decisions will deliver thousands of highly skilled jobs across our three nations.

In August this year, the AUKUS partners signed an historic international agreement for cooperation relating to naval nuclear propulsion. Once it enters into force, this agreement will enable AUKUS partners to go beyond sharing naval nuclear propulsion information to include allowing the United States and the United Kingdom to transfer the material and equipment required for the safe and secure construction, operation, and sustainment of Australia’s conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarines.

The agreement reaffirms AUKUS partners’ existing non-proliferation obligations and Australia’s safeguards agreements with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The agreement will make our non-proliferation commitments under AUKUS legally-binding between the partners. Our nations continue to consult with the IAEA to develop a non-proliferation and safeguards approach that sets the highest non-proliferation standard.

Pillar II – Advanced Capabilities

When AUKUS was first announced, we pledged to pursue information and technology sharing and unprecedented integration of our innovation communities, industrial bases, and warfighter capabilities in support of a shared goal to build the advanced capabilities needed to bolster deterrence in support of security and stability in the Indo-Pacific.

This work is delivering as our Navies are strengthening undersea warfare capabilities by integrating the ability to launch and recover undersea vehicles from submarine torpedo tubes to deliver effects such as strike and reconnaissance. We are also deploying advanced Artificial Intelligence algorithms across our shared military systems to process sonar-buoy data, assisting anti-submarine operators in making better decisions, faster. We are strengthening maritime autonomy through a series of joint exercise and experimentation known as the Maritime Big Play, where we will conduct ground-breaking tests on the collective use of autonomous and un-crewed systems in maritime operations. Together, we are making further strides in quantum technologies, cyber capabilities, hypersonics, and electronic warfare.

In April 2024 our Defence Ministers announced principles for additional AUKUS Pillar II partner engagement on specific projects where new partners could contribute to, and benefit from, AUKUS. Following initial consultations this year and leveraging Japan’s deep technical expertise, AUKUS partners and Japan are exploring opportunities to improve interoperability of their maritime autonomous systems as an initial area of cooperation. Recognising these countries’ close bilateral defence partnerships with each member of AUKUS, we are consulting with Canada, New Zealand, and the Republic of Korea to identify possibilities for collaboration on advanced capabilities under AUKUS Pillar II.

To promote innovation and realise the goals of AUKUS, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States have implemented momentous amendments to our respective export control regimes, including reforms to the U.S. International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). These critical reforms will facilitate billions of dollars in secure, licence-free defence trade and maximise innovation across the full breadth of our defence collaboration and mutually strengthen our three defence industrial bases.

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

The Prime Minister met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome this afternoon – the latest in his series of visits with European leaders to reset and strengthen the UK’s relationship with its closest partners.

They had a warm and constructive discussion, focused on the vital importance of the UK-Italy relationship, particularly as NATO allies and G7 partners. They both agreed to continue deepening our friendship across areas including trade, migration and defence to further benefit the British and Italian people.

Both welcomed the significant sum of Italian investment into the UK announced today, worth nearly half a billion pounds – demonstrating the strength of our bilateral trade relationship to create jobs and drive economic growth.

They acknowledged the growing problem of irregular migration, with the incident in the Channel yesterday serving as yet another devastating reminder of the impact of vile people smuggling gangs who continue to profit from people’s suffering.

The Prime Minister reflected on his visit to the National Coordination Centre in Rome this morning, accompanied by the UK’s newly appointed Border Security Commander Martin Hewitt. They agreed to take immediate steps to enhance our cross-border collaboration, learning from Italy’s success at reducing illegal migration by 60% in the last year through upstream work and enforcement.

They both reaffirmed their support for Ukraine, agreeing that the UK and Italy will stand with them for as long as it takes for Russia to withdraw. On the Middle East, they agreed on the need for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and more aid flows into Gaza.

Against an increasingly challenging international backdrop, the leaders agreed it was more important than ever to work closely on our defence and foreign policy alongside other like-minded partners, to preserve peace and stability.

They agreed to keep in close contact in order to build on the progress made today.