Tag: Downing Street

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 20 September 2023.

UK’s over-delivery on reducing emissions provides space to take a more pragmatic, proportionate, and realistic approach to reaching net zero.

The Prime Minister vows to take forward a pragmatic, proportionate and realistic path to reach net zero by 2050 today (Wednesday 20 September), reducing costs on British families while still meeting international commitments.

The UK has set the most ambitious target to reduce carbon emissions by 68% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels – and is the only major economy to have set a target of 77% for 2035.

This follows progress over the past decades to cut emissions faster than any other G7 country, with the UK having already slashed emissions by 48%, compared to 41% in Germany, 23% in France and no change at all in the United States. The UK has even surpassed the targets most countries have set for 2030, such as Australia, Canada, Japan and the US, and overdelivered on all its previous targets to date.

Thanks to this progress already made, reaching the UK’s 2030 and 2035 targets do not have to come at the expense of British citizens who are continuing to face higher costs of living – particularly as the UK’sshare of global emissions is less than 1%.

This means some measures that were planned are no longer needed to fulfil them.

The Prime Minister has made clear that the plans to meet net zero will only succeed if public support is maintained or we risk losing the agenda altogether, unable to meet our goals.

The UK will remain the country with the most ambitious, stringent de-carbonisation targets in the world even after these changes are made.

Under revised plans, the Government will:

• Move back the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by five years, so all sales of new cars from 2035 will be zero emission. This will enable families to wait to take advantage of falling prices over the coming decade if they wish to.
• Delay the ban on installing oil and LPG boilers, and new coal heating, for off-gas-grid homes to 2035, instead of phasing them out from 2026. Many of these homes are not suitable for heat pumps, so this ensures homeowners are not having to spend around £10-15,000 on upgrading their homes in just three years’ time.
• Set an exemption to the phase out of fossil fuel boilers, including gas, in 2035, so that households who will most struggle to make the switch to heat pumps or other low-carbon alternatives won’t have to do so. This is expected to cover about a fifth of homes, including off-gas-grid homes – those that will need expensive retrofitting or a very large electricity connection.
• Scrap policies to force landlords to upgrade the energy efficiency of their properties, but instead continue to encourage households to do so where they can.
• Raise the Boiler Upgrade Grant by 50% to £7,500 to help households who want to replace their gas boilers with a low-carbon alternative like a heat pump.
• Rule out policy ideas that would require people to share cars, eat less meat and dairy, be taxed to discourage their flying, or have seven bins to hit recycling targets – removing worrying proposals that would interfere in the way people live their lives.

These changes will not require the UK to change or abandon its upcoming emissions targets and the Prime Minister is unequivocal that we’ll meet our international agreements including the critical promises in Paris and Glasgow to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees.

The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

This country is proud to be a world leader in reaching Net Zero by 2050. But we simply won’t achieve it unless we change.

We’ll now have a more pragmatic, proportionate, and realistic approach that eases the burdens on families.

All while doubling down on the new green industries of the future. In a democracy, that’s the only realistic path to Net Zero

We are going to change the way our politics works. We are going to make different decisions. We will not take the easy way out.

There will be resistance – and we will meet it. Because I am determined to change our country and build a better future for our children. Nothing less is acceptable.

Therefore, the Prime Minister has pledged to ensure that Parliament gives full scrutiny to all future measures that might be needed to fulfil the Carbon Budget. This means more accountability from elected representatives and more transparency for the British public on how we plan to reach net zero.

Underpinning our net zero ambitions is the commitment to boosting energy security and protecting nature. Today, the Prime Minister announced:

• The first ever spatial plan for energy infrastructure set out to give industry certainty over where it will be and give every community a say.
• A “fast track” through the nationally significant infrastructure project planning regime, available for major eligible transmission projects, to ensure they are prioritised, helping businesses and households connect to the grid sooner.
• A new approach to grid connections, where energy projects that are ready first will connect first – and ultimately get online quicker.
• The new Green Futures Fellowship, backed by a £150m endowment, to support at least 50 leading scientists and engineers to develop practical, breakthrough green technologies and climate change solutions over five years – building on the £1 billion invested into the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio.

The Chancellor and Energy Security Secretary will bring forward comprehensive new reforms in due course.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 18 September 2023.

The King has been pleased to approve the following appointments:

• Jacob Young MP as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities;
• Gagan Mohindra MP as an Assistant Government Whip.

This follows the departure from Government of Dehenna Davison MP.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 14 September 2023.

Smith’s extensive expertise and leadership in the tech sector will ideally place him to guide the UK’s tech aspirations.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 12 September 2023.

Technology Secretary meets nation’s best-known personalities to discuss new laws which would make the UK the safest place in the world to be online.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 10 September 2023.

UK will provide $2 billion to the Green Climate Fund – the biggest single funding commitment the UK has made to help the world tackle climate change.

As a gathering of G20 leaders in India concludes today (Sunday), the Prime Minister has announced the UK’s biggest single financial contribution to helping the world’s most vulnerable people adapt to and mitigate the impact of climate change.

The UK will contribute £1.62 billion ($2 billion) to the Green Climate Fund (GCF), which was established by 194 countries following the Copenhagen Accord at COP15. The GCF is the largest global fund dedicated to supporting developing countries to reduce global emissions and helping communities adapt to the effects of climate change.

Today’s pledge represents a 12.7% increase on the UK’s previous contribution to the GCF for the period of 2020 to 2023, which was itself a doubling of our initial funding to establish the fund in 2014.

At the G20 Summit the Prime Minister has called on leaders to work together ahead of the COP28 Summit this December to both reduce their countries’ own carbon emissions and support vulnerable economies to deal with the consequences of climate change.

Addressing G20 leaders, the Prime Minister said:

The UK is stepping up and delivering on our climate commitments, both by decarbonising our own economy and supporting the world’s most vulnerable to deal with the impact of climate change.

This is the kind of leadership that the world rightly expects from G20 countries. And this government will continue to lead by example in making the UK, and the world, more prosperous and secure.

The UK has led international efforts to help developing countries tackle climate change, including by pledging to spend £11.6 billion on international climate finance between 2021 and 2026.

Today’s announcement marks a major contribution towards this commitment and follows the Prime Minister’s announcement at COP27 that the UK would triple our funding for climate adaptation.

Since 2011 UK climate aid spending has helped over 95 million people cope with the effects of climate change and reduced or avoided over 68 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.

This goes hand in hand with the UK’s domestic leadership transitioning to clean forms of energy. The UK has cut emissions faster than any other G7 country, with low carbon sources now accounting for more than half of our electricity.

We saw renewables generate a record 47.84% of UK electricity in the first three months of 2023 and output from wind, solar and hydro reached a record high last year. Last year, we saw the biggest increase ever in the installation of offshore wind capacity, with the UK home to the four largest working wind farms in the world.

Alongside this uplift in the UK’s contribution to the GCF, which is expected to again make us one of the largest donors to the fund, the UK Government will continue to stress the importance of the GCF delivering results with even greater speed, demonstrating value for money in all of its activities. This includes asking the GCF to further improve its delivery for those countries most vulnerable to climate change, particularly Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 9 September 2023.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 9 September 2023.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the G20 Summit in India today.

The leaders praised today’s agreement of the UK-Singapore Strategic Partnership. They underlined the document’s importance in elevating our already strong partnership and strengthening the work we do together across trade, security, and science and technology.

The Prime Minister said that the Strategic Partnership is the latest example of the UK’s tilt to the Indo-Pacific, a significant diplomatic move which is seeing us invest more in this increasingly crucial region. Prime Minister Lee welcomed this heightened engagement.

The leaders discussed the challenges and opportunities presented by AI. They agreed on the need for further work between international partners to ensure proper regulation of AI. The Prime Minister updated on progress towards the UK’s AI Safety Summit, and he and Prime Minister Lee looked forward to working together on this issue.

You can read the full Strategic Partnership Declaration here.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 9 September 2023.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G20 Summit in New Delhi today.

He congratulated Prime Minister Modi on his country’s consummate presidency of the G20 this year, which has demonstrated India’s vital global leadership and influence. Prime Minister Modi noted the warm reception the Prime Minister has received in India.

The leaders reflected on the close and growing ties between the UK and India, exemplified in the ‘living bridge’ between our people. They agreed it was important to build on the past and focus on the future, cementing a modern partnership in cutting-edge defence technology, trade and innovation. They also discussed a number of consular issues.

The leaders had a productive conversation about negotiations on a UK-India Free Trade Agreement. The Prime Minister reiterated the UK’s ambition to deliver a landmark trade deal which benefits businesses and workers in both countries and grows our trade in both goods and services.

They agreed that ministers and negotiating teams would continue to work at pace towards an FTA.

The Prime Minister and Prime Minister Modi welcomed the opportunity to meet again in person and the Prime Minister congratulated Prime Minister Modi again on delivering a successful G20 Summit.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 9 September 2023.

The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has signed a new strategic partnership with Singapore to grow the UK’s economy and enhance shared security.

The UK’s economy will be bolstered and our security strengthened under a new bilateral partnership with Singapore agreed by the Prime Minister today (Saturday 9th September).

The Prime Minister will meet Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in the margins of the G20 Summit in India to sign a new UK-Singapore Strategic Partnership. This agreement will set the direction of UK-Singapore relations for the next decade, upgrading the UK’s trade and investment relationship with one of Southeast Asia’s leading economies in recognition of our shared expertise and interests in areas like technology and clean energy.

Following the Strategic Partnership, the UK and Singapore will work to conclude a new and modern bilateral investment treaty – the first the UK has negotiated since we left the EU. This will give Singaporean companies more confidence to invest in the UK and vice-versa, creating jobs and growing our economies.

Singapore is one of the UK’s closest and most dynamic partners in the region, with our £21 billion trade relationship accounting for 40% of our total trade with Southeast Asia. Singaporean entities have a total of £226 billion invested in the UK. Last year the UK and Singapore signed a first-of-its-kind Digital Economy Agreement, to help businesses in both our countries seize new trade opportunities.

In addition to enhanced economic cooperation, the new UK-Singapore Strategic Partnership will strengthen security cooperation, science and technology innovation, and research and development. This includes collaboration to counter new and emerging threats in domains like cyber, through a first of its kind partnership between Singapore’s new Digital and Intelligence Service and the UK.

The Prime Minister said:

I am totally committed to delivering on my priorities to halve inflation, grow the economy while reducing government debt, cut NHS waiting lists and stop the boats. But none of these priorities can be achieved without working with our international partners.

As Prime Minister, I’ve put the interests of the British people front and centre of my international engagement. I am ensuring that diplomacy delivers.

You have already seen that through deals that will stop illegal migration, make our economy more secure and increase trade with our international partners.

This new agreement with Singapore will take us even further in delivering our priorities and ensure that, as we map the future of the world economy, we are doing so alongside our closest partners.

Since becoming Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak has forged a number of new bilateral and multilateral partnerships which are already helping to deliver on the UK Government’s priorities.

This includes agreements with countries such as France, Albania and Turkey to stop illegal migration, the Hiroshima Accord with Japan and Atlantic Declaration with the United States which will strengthen our economy, and the AUKUS pact with Australia and the US to build a new fleet of nuclear-powered submarines.

Earlier this year, the UK also became the first new country to accede to the CPTPP Pacific trade agreement. We are in the process of negotiating further free trade agreements, including a deal with India which would be the first the country has signed with a European country.

And on Thursday, the Prime Minister announced that UK scientists will have access to the world’s largest research collaboration programme, Horizon Europe, after he secured a bespoke deal with the EU.

In his engagements at the G20 today, the Prime Minister will stress the need for leaders in attendance to drive action on the biggest challenges facing the world, including stabilising the global economy and strengthening global security.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 8 September 2023.

UK will host international food security summit later this year and increase support for vulnerable people worst hit by rising food prices.

Global leaders must make it clear Putin’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative has increased Russia’s global isolation and protect those whose lives have been devastated by Putin’s illegal war, the Prime Minister will say as he travels to the G20 Summit in India today (Friday).

Families both in Ukraine and across the world continue to suffer as a direct result of Putin’s brutal invasion 18 months ago. Russia has displaced 11 million people from their homes, manipulated global energy prices and made daily life more difficult for households across the planet.

In July Putin demonstrated his indifference to the human consequences of his actions yet again when he withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Initiative. Under this initiative, brokered in July 2022, ships carrying Ukrainian grain were freely able to transit from Black Sea ports without fear of attack.

The deal was providing a lifeline for millions of people around the world who depend on Ukrainian grain exports. In its first year, the agreement enabled 33 million tonnes of food to reach those who needed it in 45 countries around the world. Putin’s decision to rip up the initiative has reduced global grain supply at a critical time for vulnerable people – when prices rise, the poorest pay.

Since July, Russia has also damaged or destroyed at least 26 civilian port facilities, warehouses, silos and grain elevators. These attacks have directly reduced Ukraine’s export capacity by one third and destroyed enough grain to feed more than 1 million people for an entire year.

Tomorrow, G20 leaders will gather in Delhi to discuss the biggest challenges the world is facing, including the spike in the cost of living driven by Putin’s actions. For the second year in a row, the Russian President is not expected to attend.

At the summit, the Prime Minister will stress the importance of those who do choose to attend demonstrating their leadership, both in helping the world’s most vulnerable people to deal with the terrible consequences of Putin’s war and in addressing wider challenges like climate change and the stability of the global economy.

The Prime Minister said:

Once again, Vladimir Putin is failing to show his face at the G20. He is the architect of his own diplomatic exile, isolating himself in his presidential palace and blocking out criticism and reality.

The rest of the G20, meanwhile, are demonstrating that we will turn up and work together to pick up the pieces of Putin’s destruction.

That starts with dealing with the terrible global consequences of Putin’s stranglehold over the most fundamental resources, including his blockade of and attacks on Ukrainian grain.

Before Putin’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine was the world’s 5th largest wheat exporter, 4th largest corn exporter and 3rd largest rapeseed exporter. Grain ordinarily accounts for 41% of Ukrainian export revenue, and almost two thirds of the grain exported by the country goes to the developing world.

Russia’s sudden withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, and the consequent spike in global food prices, will cost lives around the world – further destabilising economies and putting people at risk of starvation.

The UK is spearheading efforts to help vulnerable people and economies deal with the impact of Putin’s actions. The Prime Minister will announce today that the UK will convene an international food security summit in November.

Supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, the event will bring together government representatives from across the world, including vulnerable countries, with international organisations, NGOs, researchers and private sector companies, to tackle the causes of food insecurity and malnutrition.

We will use our intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance to monitor Russian activity in the Black Sea, call out Russia if we see warning signs that they are preparing attacks on civilian shipping or infrastructure in the Black Sea, and attribute attacks to prevent false flag claims that seek to deflect blame from Russia.

As part of these surveillance operations, RAF aircraft are conducting flights over the area to deter Russia from carrying out illegal strikes against civilian vessels transporting grain.

Since pulling out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Russia has declared that all ships transiting to Ukrainian Black Sea ports will be treated as military vessels – irrespective of the cargo they are carrying. It has acted upon this assessment by firing shots and boarding a cargo ship bound for one of Ukraine’s Danube ports, action which may constitute a violation of International Humanitarian Law.

Alongside military efforts to deter Russian attacks, the UK will also contribute £3 million in funding for the World Food Programme to continue work started under President Zelenskyy’s ‘Grain from Ukraine’ initiative, which was established in November last year to send Ukrainian grain to countries whose people are suffering from the high global price of staple foods.

In its first six months, the Grain from Ukraine programme allowed 170,000 tonnes of Ukrainian grain to be delivered to countries including Somalia and Yemen. The uplift in UK funding announced today will enable further grain shipments to go to countries in need as identified by the World Food Programme. Ukraine has been a hugely important source of food for the World Food Programme this year. This year- up until July when Russia pulled out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative- WFP procured 80% of its global wheat grain from Ukraine.