Tag: Downing Street

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 5 July 2024.

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

The Prime Minister began by setting out that it was important to him to reiterate the UK’s unwavering commitment to Ukraine on his first day in office.

He added that the change of government in the UK would make no difference to the UK’s support for Ukraine, and that the UK would continue supplying the defensive support Ukraine needed in the face of Russian aggression.

The leaders discussed the upcoming NATO and European Political Community Summits this summer, and the Prime Minister said he hoped to meet in person soon.

The leaders agreed to stay in close touch.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 5 July 2024.

The Prime Minister spoke to the President of the United States Joe Biden this afternoon. The President congratulated the Prime Minister on his election victory and the Prime Minister thanked him for his kind words.

The leaders discussed their shared commitment to the special relationship between the UK and US, and their aligned ambitions for greater economic growth.

Discussing geopolitical challenges, the leaders reiterated their steadfast commitment to Ukraine and the Prime Minister underscored that the UK’s support for Ukraine was unwavering.

The Prime Minister said he looked forward to working side by side across the breadth of the relationship, including the AUKUS partnership and ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific. The leaders reflected on their shared commitment to protecting the gains of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement.

The Prime Minister and President looked forward to seeing each other at the NATO Summit in Washington next week.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 4 July 2024.

The King has been graciously pleased to signify His intention of conferring the following Peerages of the United Kingdom for Life.

The King has been graciously pleased to signify His intention of conferring Peerages of the United Kingdom for Life upon the undermentioned:

Nominations from the Leader of the Conservative Party

1. The Rt Hon Sir Graham Brady PC – Lately Member of Parliament for Altrincham and Sale West, and Chairman of the 1922 Committee.
2. The Rt Hon Chris Grayling PC – Lately Member of Parliament for Epsom and Ewell, and former Secretary of State for Transport, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice and Leader of the House of Commons.
3. The Rt Hon Dame Eleanor Laing DBE PC – Lately Member of Parliament for Epping Forest, lately Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons.
4. Craig Mackinley JP – Lately Member of Parliament for South Thanet.
5. The Rt Hon Theresa May PC – Lately Member of Parliament for Maidenhead, former Prime Minister and Home Secretary.
6. The Rt Hon Sir Alok Sharma KCMG PC – Lately Member of Parliament for Reading West and former Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Secretary of State for International Development and President for COP26.
7. Liam Booth-Smith – Lately No10 Downing Street Chief of Staff.

Nominations from the Leader of the Labour Party

1. The Rt Hon Dame Margaret Beckett GBE PC – Former Foreign Secretary and former Deputy Leader of the Labour Party.
2. John Cryer – Lately Member of Parliament for Leyton and Wanstead.
3. The Rt Hon Harriet Harman KC PC – Lately Member of Parliament for Camberwell and Peckham, and formerly Deputy Leader of the Labour Party.
4. The Rt Hon Dame Margaret Hodge DBE PC – Lately Member of Parliament for Barking and former Minister of State for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
5. The Rt Hon Kevan Jones PC – Lately Member of Parliament for North Durham and former Minister for Veterans at the Ministry of Defence.
6. Barbara Keeley – Lately Member of Parliament for Worsley and Eccles South and formerly Shadow Minister for Music and Tourism.
7. The Rt Hon John Spellar PC – Lately Member of Parliament for Warley and formerly Comptroller of the Household in the Whips’ Office.
8. The Rt Hon Dame Rosie Winterton DBE PC – Lately Member of Parliament for Doncaster Central and former Deputy Speakers in the House of Commons.

Nominations from the Liberal Democrat Party

1. Caroline Pidgeon MBE – Lately Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the London Assembly.

Nominations from the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)

1. Thomas Elliott MLA – Member of the Legislative Assembly for Fermanagh and South Tyrone and former leader of the Ulster Unionist Party.

Nominations for Crossbench Peerages

1. Minette Batters – Former President of the National Farmers’ Union of England and Wales.
2. Dr Hilary Cass OBE FRCN FRCGP – Former president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

All individuals nominated for peerages have gone through vetting checks, and the Chair of the House of Lords Appointments Commission has confirmed to the Prime Minister that all individuals are supported by the Commission.

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

The King has approved the nomination of The Reverend Canon Dr Stephen Edwards, Interim Dean of Worcester, to be appointed as Dean of Worcester in succession to The Very Reverend Peter Atkinson following his retirement.

Background

Stephen was educated at Lancaster University and trained for ministry at Westcott House, Cambridge. He served his title in the parish of Colwyn Bay, in the Diocese of St Asaph, Wales and in 1997 he was ordained Priest. From 1999 he served as Priest-in-Charge of Bryn-y-Maen.

In 2002, Stephen was appointed Priest-in-Charge at St Agnes Birch-in-Rusholme, with St John with St Cyprian Longsight, in the Diocese of Manchester. From 2012 he served as Team Rector of Wythenshawe and in 2013 he was additionally appointed Area Dean, Withington.

In 2019 Stephen was appointed Residentiary Canon at Worcester Cathedral and he took up his current role as Interim Dean in 2023.

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

The Prime Minister will travel to Switzerland today to reiterate the UK’s support for Ukraine, as the first leader level peace summit focused on the future of the country gets underway.

More than 50 heads of state and governments are expected to attend the summit near Lucerne, making it the largest world leader gathering solely focused on Ukraine since the invasion began.

Speaking at the summit this evening, the Prime Minister will say:

Those who aid Russia by providing the weapons of war, or components for those weapons should look at this summit today. They should look at Bucha, Mariupol, Kharkiv, and they should reflect on the choice they have made.

They are placing themselves on the side of the aggressor – and on the wrong side of history. Putin has no interest in a genuine peace. He has launched a sustained diplomatic campaign against this summit ordering countries to stay away, spinning a phoney narrative about his willingness to negotiate.

We should ask Russia why they feel so threatened by a summit discussing the basic principles of territorial integrity, food security and nuclear safety.

He will add:

From a position of strength, we must work with President Zelenskyy to set out the principles for a just and lasting peace, based on international law and the UN Charter.

That is the path to a permanent cessation of hostilities. It will show Ukraine that we’ll stand by them when they are ready for negotiations.

And it will show Putin’s allies in North Korea, Iran and elsewhere that we will protect the right of all nations to determine their own future.

While at the summit, the Prime Minister is expected to meet President Zelenskyy to reiterate the UK’s support for Ukraine, including ensuring any future peace deal is sustainable, and crucially, on Ukraine’s terms.

The summit follows the meeting of the G7 in Italy this week, where the UK, alongside G7 partners, announced 50 new sanctions designations and specifications to degrade Putin’s war machine, and committed to providing £242m in bilateral assistance to Ukraine, to support immediate humanitarian, energy and stabilisation needs.

The UK also agreed with the G7 to provide a new loan for Ukraine worth $50bn, which will be repaid by the extraordinary revenues that come from the frozen assets of Russia’s central bank, both in Europe and around the world.

National Security Advisor Sir Tim Barrow is also expected to attend the two-day Swiss summit.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 14 June 2024.

The Prime Minister met with Joe Biden, President of the United States, at the G7 Summit in Italy today.

They discussed the strength of the US-UK relationship and their shared commitment to international security.

The leaders welcomed the progress at the G7 on making Russia pay for its illegal war in Ukraine.

They discussed the situation in the Middle East and agreed that Hamas should accept the deal and release the hostages.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 14 June 2024.

The Prime Minister met with Fumio Kishida, the Prime Minister of Japan, at the G7 Summit in Italy.

The Prime Minister said he looked forward to the State Visit of Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress to the UK later in the month.

The two leaders reflected on the one-year anniversary of the Hiroshima Accord, the significant progress made in delivering on its commitments, and discussed continued areas of deeper cooperation including on AI.

The Prime Minister thanked Prime Minister Kishida for Japan’s steadfast support for the UK’s accession to CPTPP and reaffirmed the close friendship between the UK and Japan.

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

The King has approved the nomination of Professor Luke Bretherton, Robert E. Cushman Distinguished Professor of Moral and Political Theology at Duke Divinity School, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, to be appointed as Canon and Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology at Christ Church Oxford, in succession to The Reverend Canon Professor Nigel Biggar C.B.E.

Background

After completing his PhD, Professor Bretherton was appointed as Director of Studies at St Augustine’s Theological College before moving back to King’s College London in 2004 where he became Reader in Theology and Politics. In 2012 he was appointed to Duke University as Associate Professor in Theological Ethics, becoming the Robert E Cushman Distinguished Professor of Moral and Political Theology in 2020. Additionally he has been a Visiting Professor at St Mellitus Theological College since 2022.

Professor Bretherton has a BA (Hons) in History from Cambridge University and a PhD from the University of London in Moral Philosophy and Theology.  Prior to commencing his undergraduate studies he served in the British Army, undertaking a short service limited commission in the 7th Parachute Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery, between 1987 and 1988.

Professor Bretherton’s primary area of research and writing focuses on the relationship between religion and democracy. Professor Bretherton will be made Deacon in June 2024 by the Bishop of London in a service at St Paul’s Cathedral.

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

The King has approved the nomination of The Reverend Canon Professor Andrew Davison, Starbridge Professor of Theology and Natural Sciences in the University of Cambridge and Fellow in Theology and Dean of Chapel at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, to be appointed as Canon and Regius Professor of Divinity at Christ Church, Oxford, in succession to The Reverend Canon Professor Graham Ward.

Background

Professor Davison trained for ministry at Westcott House, Cambridge. He served his title at St Dunstan, Bellingham in the Diocese of Southwark and was ordained Priest in 2004. In 2006 he was appointed Tutor and Fellow at St Stephens House and Junior Chaplain at Merton College Oxford. In 2010 he moved to Cambridge as a Tutor at Westcott House and in 2014 became a Lecturer in the University of Cambridge’s Faculty of Divinity and Fellow of Corpus Christi College where he was appointed Dean of Chapel in 2019. In 2023 he was given the title of Professor.

Professor Davison has an MA in Chemistry and a DPhil in Biochemistry from the University of Oxford and a second undergraduate degree and doctorate, in Divinity, from the University of Cambridge.

 

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 6 June 2024.

The King has approved the nomination of The Venerable Alastair Cutting, Archdeacon of Lewisham & Greenwich, for nomination to the Suffragan See of Woolwich in the Diocese of Southwark in succession to the Right Reverend Karowei Dorgu following his untimely death.

Background

Alastair was educated at Westhill College, Birmingham University, trained for ministry at St. John’s, Nottingham, and gained a Masters at Heythrop College, London University. He served his title at All Saints Woodlands, Doncaster, in the Diocese of Sheffield and was ordained priest in 1988. He served as Assistant Curate at Wadsley from 1989 and in 1991 he was appointed Chaplain to The Nave Arts Centre and the Town Centre, Uxbridge, in the Diocese of London.

In 1996, Alastair was appointed Vicar of Copthorne, West Sussex, in the Diocese of Chichester, and from 2010 he served as Vicar of Henfield and Rector of Shermanbury and Woodmancote. He was elected twice to General Synod, in Chichester and Southwark Dioceses, and twice also elected as ProProlocutor of the House of Clergy.

Alastair has served in his current role as Archdeacon of Lewisham & Greenwich in the Diocese of Southwark since 2013.