Tag: Downing Street

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 17 May 2023.

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

The Rt Hon. Sir Edward Young GCVO – Joint Principal Private Secretary to HM The King and Private Secretary to HM The late Queen Elizabeth II.

Additionally, The King has been graciously pleased to bestow the honour of Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) upon Sir Edward, conferred on 15 May 2023.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 17 May 2023.

The Prime Minister met European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen at the Council of Europe Summit in Iceland today.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 16 May 2023.

The Prime Minister met Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte at the Council of Europe Summit in Iceland.

The leaders reflected on the closeness of our two countries and on the importance of working together to tackle shared challenges such as illegal migration and the threat posed by Russia.

The Prime Minister updated Prime Minister Rutte on President Zelenskyy’s visit to the UK yesterday and discussions on how the international community can support Ukraine at this pivotal moment in the resistance to Putin’s invasion.

The Prime Minister and Prime Minister Rutte agreed they would work to build international coalition to provide Ukraine with combat air capabilities, supporting with everything from training to procuring F16 jets.

The Prime Minister reiterated his belief that Ukraine’s rightful place is in NATO and the leaders agreed on the importance of allies providing long-term security assistance to Ukraine to guarantee they can deter against future attacks.

The leaders agreed to continue working together both bilaterally and through forums such as the European Political Community to tackle the scourge of people trafficking on our continent.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 16 May 2023.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s opening remarks at the UK Farm to Fork Summit at Downing Street.

As an MP proudly from a farming constituency – that I didn’t grow up in but came to love and know much more about – I know that farming is more than just a job, it’s a vocation, it’s a way of life.

And as Prime Minister, I’m never prouder than when I’m out and about promoting the best of British like the stunning showcase in the Downing Street Garden that we all enjoyed earlier this morning.

But there’s something even more important. As a nation, our way of life depends on our food security. So we’ve got to meet the target that we’ve set to produce 60 per cent of the food we consume.

And if we want to keep one of those five promises that I’ve made – namely to grow our economy – that means we need to grow our food and farming industry too.

So my message today is very simple: this government is on your side. We unequivocally back British Farming.

It’s why we’ve already provided millions of pounds in support for energy bills.

It’s why we’re maintaining farming support in every part of the United Kingdom, worth a cumulative £3.7 billion a year, but now we’re doing that in a way that also recognises your stewardship of our countryside.

And I know this has been a challenging time with spiralling costs and the transition to new schemes and I get that and Therese and I were talking about that in Cabinet this morning.

And we know that if we want true resilience from farm to fork, we need to go further.

We need to change the way that our country works to support all of you. That’s the spirit in which Therese and I have invited you all here today.

And I just want to illustrate that commitment to you with a few initial steps.

So firstly, to avoid a repeat of the shortages we’ve seen on our shelves, we need to help all of you grow and sell more fruit and veg all year round.

So in addition to the £168 million we’re already investing in driving innovation, we’re going to make it easier to build glasshouses, and we’re going to look at how our industrial energy policies can provide further support for glasshouses and that type of farming.

We’re going to include glasshouses in our new and expanded Fruit and Vegetable Scheme.

And we’ll also intervene in the market for horticulture and eggs – just as we did with pork and dairy – to ensure that you get a fair price for your produce.

And because we recognise the unique nature of our world-leading horticulture, we’ll keep its regulator, the Grocery Code Adjudicator, separate from the wider CMA.

Second, we want to give British farmers greater freedoms to make the best use of their existing buildings, whether that’s for a Diddly Squat style farm shop or a processing facility.

So we’re going to consult on targeted changes to the planning system that enable exactly that and support our rural economy.

And thirdly, we’ve already expanded the Seasonal Worker visas for horticulture and poultry through to next year.

But for you to plan, we know that you need to know the numbers, so today I can confirm another 45,000 visas for next year, with the capacity for a further top up of 10,000 and I know that’s something many of you have asked for and I’m pleased that we can deliver that today.

And fourthly, we’re going to put British farming where it belongs at the very heart of British trade by setting out principles for our trade negotiators which build on the positive, engaged approach we had when it came to CPTPP.

And that includes protecting sensitive sectors, prioritising new export opportunities including with funding for seafood and dairy sectors today.

Removing market access barriers, and without exception, protecting UK food standards under all existing and future Free Trade Agreements.

So no Chlorine Washed Chicken. No hormone treated beef. Not now. Not ever.

And as I say, these are just the first steps we are taking today. And I look forward to continuing this conversation in the months ahead, including working with all of you to ensure affordable prices for our British consumers.

Because by backing British farming, by backing all of you – unequivocally and unapologetically – we can deliver the food security we need, we can grow our economy, and most importantly, we can enable the whole world to feast on the very best of British.

Thank you all for being here today.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 16 May 2023.

The Prime Minister met the President of the European Court of Human Rights, Judge Síofra O’Leary, at the Council of Europe Summit in Iceland today.

The Prime Minister congratulated President O’Leary on her election and paid tribute to her leadership on ensuring accountability in interstate and individual cases in relation to alleged human rights violations by Russia.

The Prime Minister and Court President discussed the importance of protecting human rights, democracy, and the rule of law throughout Europe.

The Prime Minister stressed the need to ensure all of Europe is working together to uphold these values and tackle the challenges we face, including illegal migration.

The Prime Minister and Court President also discussed procedures before the ECtHR, which the latter regularly reviews, including Rule 39 interim measures.

The press release issued by the 10 Downing Street on 15 May 2023.

The Prime Minister will use a meeting of leaders from across Europe to drive coordinated action to protect the security of our whole continent on Tuesday (16 May 2023).

At the Council of Europe Summit in Iceland, he will meet counterparts from across the continent as well as the heads of institutions including the European Union and the European Court of Human Rights.

He will use these meetings, as well as addresses to the whole Summit, to encourage leaders to ensure our governments and institutions are working in tandem to stop the humanitarian disaster caused by illegal migration.

The Council of Europe was established following the Second World War to uphold democracy and freedom throughout Europe – 46 countries are now members. This is only the fourth time in the institution’s history that leaders of the Council of Europe have gathered in this way, recognising the challenges we are facing cannot be solved without decisive and coordinated action with our neighbours.

The Prime Minister has made it one of his priorities to stop the boats and end the huge strain illegal migration places on the UK. We spend £5.5 million a day housing asylum seekers, with our overburdened system unable to prioritise the most vulnerable because of the overwhelming demands put on it by those who come here illegally and jump the queue.

Far from being a challenge unique to the UK, the scourge of illegal migration is placing unbearable pressures on countries throughout Europe, where we’ve seen a 50% rise in cases in the last year alone. While countries have opened their arms to people from Ukraine and elsewhere fleeing persecution, their systems have been put at risk by the rise in people traffickers and criminal gangs seeking to exploit the system. In parallel to the UK, France and Italy are pursuing legislation to address illegal migration.

At the Council of Europe, the Prime Minister will make the point that the measures individual countries are taking to address this crisis, such as the UK’s Stop the Boats Bill, must go hand in hand with international cooperation to establish a global asylum framework fit for purpose. We need a system that works both for the people of our countries and for the vulnerable people in desperate need of a functioning global asylum framework.

Since the Prime Minister took office, we have delivered successive, unprecedented small boats deals with France and have re-established the Calais Group of Northern European nations to disrupt traffickers all along the migration route. The Prime Minister has spent the past few months meeting leaders from across Europe, including the leaders of France, Italy and Albania, to drive forward progress.

This is alongside major domestic reforms such as our Stop the Boats Bill. This legislation is ambitious and novel, delivering the necessary reform of our immigration system while remaining party to the ECHR.

But at the same time, we need to ensure we have an international legal system which allows sovereign countries to take the domestic steps necessary to help those most in need. That includes reform to the ECHR’s Rule 39 process to ensure proper transparency, greater accountability and ensuring decisions can be reconsidered.

In his meeting with Court President Síofra O’Leary the Prime Minister will discuss the European Court of Human Right’s overall reform process, including its work on Rule 39.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

Every single point on each route used by people traffickers to smuggle people across our continent represents another community struggling to deal with the human cost of this barbaric enterprise.

It is very clear that our current international system is not working, and our communities and the world’s most vulnerable people are paying the price.

We need to do more to cooperate across borders and across jurisdictions to end illegal migration and stop the boats.

I am clear that as an active European nation with a proud history helping those in need, the UK will be at the heart of this.

This Tuesday’s meeting follows President Zelenskyy’s visit to the UK on Monday, where he and the Prime Minister discussed the importance of sustaining the huge international effort in support of Ukraine’s defence. As Ukraine prepares to intensify its defensive military operations to hold and reclaim swathes of its territory taken by Russia during Putin’s full-scale invasion last year, the Prime Minister will use engagements with fellow leaders to bolster our collective response to Putin’s war in Ukraine.

The Council of Europe took quick and decisive action in response to Putin’s actions, suspending Russia’s membership of the body within a day of the full-scale invasion commencing – the first time a country has ever been expelled from the organisation.

At Tuesday’s meeting of the Council of Europe, leaders – joined virtually by Ukrainian President Zelenskyy– will hold discussions focused on how we can continue to help Ukraine and hold Russia to account for their breaches of international law.

As part of this, the Prime Minister will sign the UK up to the Register of Damages to ensure the people of Ukraine are compensated for the losses incurred as a result of Putin’s war. This is a mechanism to record and document evidence and claims of damage, loss or injury as a result of Russian aggression against Ukraine.

The register is just one of a number of international initiatives set up to ensure accountability for the crimes inflicted in Ukraine, including the UK-led international referral to the International Criminal Court.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 15 May 2023.

Prime Minister sets out new support for farmers to strengthen food security and grow the economy.

Farmers will benefit from a commitment to protect their interests in future trade deals, support to boost domestic fruit and veg production and new investment in technologies, thanks to a package of support set out by the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ahead of a summit hosted at Downing Street today (16 May).

Representatives from the whole food supply chain will come together at No10 for the UK Farm to Fork Summit, to identify ways to boost growth, drive innovation and improve sustainability, fulfilling a commitment made by the Prime Minister last Summer to host the event as part of his pledge to back British farmers.

Ahead of the Summit, government confirmed a range of measures to help strengthen the long-term resilience and sustainability of the sector and provide greater stability for farmers following a difficult period caused by global challenges, including the illegal invasion of Ukraine which has contributed to rising costs. To give further certainty to the sector, government also announced that 45,000 visas will be available again to the horticulture sector next year, enabling them to plan ahead for the picking season.

Attendees at the Summit will include senior representatives in the UK’s farming, horticulture and agri-food sectors. The event will look at how government and industry can work together to increase investment, innovation and sustainability and support the long-term resilience at every stage of the food system, from farming to manufacturing, distribution and retail, and feature discussions on a set of key themes alongside a showcase of great British food and drink businesses and innovators.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

“I will always back British farmers, and I pay tribute to their hard work and dedication all year round which keeps shelves stocked and food on our tables.

“Supporting our farmers and food producers must, and always will be, at the heart of our plans to grow the economy and build a more prosperous country.

“That’s why I’m proud to host this summit, and working together, I’m determined to build resilience, strengthen our food security and champion the best of British at home and overseas.”

Secretary of State for Food and Farming Thérèse Coffey said:

“Food production is the primary purpose of farming, and our world-leading farmers and food producers work tirelessly day-in-day-out to keep the nation fed, despite global challenges including the illegal invasion of Ukraine.

“I am delighted that today we have embarked on our next step to back British farmers and ensure a thriving food and drink sector which will see more British produce on supermarket shelves and plates both in the UK and across the globe. I look forward to working together, right across the food supply chain, to boost growth, innovation and sustainability.”

The package of measures announced ahead of the summit aims to boost every element of the food supply chain, from farm to fork, and promote the UK’s world-renowned produce around the world to help boost British businesses and grow the economy.

NFU President Minette Batters said:

“I am absolutely delighted that the Prime Minister has honoured the commitments he made when he addressed our hustings event back in the summer to hold this food summit at Number 10, and we welcome the announcements made today.

“They show a recognition and an understanding of the strategic importance of British food and farming to the nation.

“These actions recognise the importance of coordinated action across government to support confidence, investment and growth in British food. We look forward to working with the Prime Minister, the Defra Secretary and the rest of the cabinet to Back British farming and bolster our domestic food security.”

UKHospitality Chief Executive Kate Nicholls said:

“It’s fantastic that the Prime Minister is convening the breadth of the food supply chain, from farm to fork, at his summit today and showcasing our superb hospitality offering here in the UK to highlight iconic produce and brands.

“Hospitality in the UK is recognised as one of the finest in the world and is frequently the launchpad to propel British products and brands to markets abroad. Further investment into the GREAT campaign is welcome news and, in addition to boosting exports, will help to promote the UK as a tourist destination and boost our hospitality venues.

“Hospitality plays a huge role in keeping the nation fed, whether it be through our restaurants and pubs or public sector catering in schools, hospitals and the armed forces, and I’m looking forward to discussing how we can all work together to overcome current challenges and grasp future opportunities.”

To boost trade and export opportunities to get more British food on plates across the world, building on the £24 billion a year generated by our food and drink exports, the government has confirmed that:

• Farmers’ interests will be put at the heart of trade policy through a new framework for trade negotiations, committing to protect the UK’s high food and welfare standards and prioritise new export opportunities. The Prime Minister has written an open letter to farmers today setting out how these new principles will help the industry benefit from the trade opportunities available to us outside the EU.
• We will invest £2m to boost our programme of global trade shows and missions, as well as providing £1.6m for the GREAT food and drink campaign.
• We will build on our existing overseas network with five additional agri-food and drink attaches who will spearhead the removal of restrictive market barriers
• We will extend funding to promote seafood exports around the world with an extra £1 million between 2025 and 2028, and create a new bespoke £1m programme to help dairy businesses, particularly SMEs, to seize export opportunities, particularly in the Asia pacific region.

The government will unlock the benefits of innovative technologies to strengthen our food security, cementing the UK’s leadership in this field through:

• Up to £30 million of investment to drive forward the use of precision breeding technologies, building on the £8 million already invested over the last five years and the passing of the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act earlier this year
• The creation of a new working group – bringing together plant breeders, food manufacturers and retailers – to get produce from farms to the shelves.

The government will protect the interests of farmers by making sure they get a fair price for their produce:

• We are already using new powers under the Agriculture Act to improve transparency and contracts in the pork and dairy markets;
• We are now announcing additional reviews into fairness in the horticulture and egg supply chains, in light of the impact of global challenges on these sectors in particular.
• Recognising the unique role and needs of the sector, and listening to the calls from the NFU, FDF and others, the Groceries Code Adjudicator will not be merged with the Competition and Markets Authority, in recognition of its importance in ensuring our food supply chains function as they should.

The horticulture sector is worth £5 billion across the UK and the government will support the industry to boost production and extend the growing season by:

• Confirming we will improve future support for horticulture by replacing the retained EU Fruit and Vegetable Producer Organisation Scheme when it closes in 2026 with an expanded offer as part of our new farming payment schemes.
• This will be tailored to the needs of our domestic growers and will be more inclusive than the EU scheme, ensuring it is a good offer for glasshouses as well as other growers.
• Helping the controlled horticulture sector overcome barriers to accessing government schemes, including by looking at how the sector is classified
• Making it easier to build new glasshouses through changes to national planning policy

Further announcements to increase the resilience of the sector and support its growth include:

• Plans to cut the red tape currently holding farmers back from delivering projects on their land to diversify their incomes, such as repurposing farm buildings to use as shops, with a call for evidence later this year.
• Increasing water security by accelerating work on water supply infrastructure, so that farmers can count on steady access to water, including in periods of intense dry weather.

The event will also build on progress made since the launch of the government’s Food Strategy last year, which committed to broadly maintain levels of domestic food production. This includes sustainably boosting production in sectors such as horticulture and seafood, where there are opportunities to grow outside the EU.

It also set out a range of measures to back our farmers by helping to support domestic production, spread jobs and grow the economy, alongside the work of the UK Agriculture Partnership which brings together key stakeholders from across the UK to identify how to address shared issues facing the agricultural sector.

Also today, 22 innovative and ground-breaking projects have been awarded a share of £6.2 million of funding through the Seafood Innovation Fund, as part of the government’s UK Seafood Fund. The winning projects will enhance the UK seafood sector’s productivity and sustainability, ranging from an on-land cultivation system for seaweed, to cutting-edge packaging developments that improve the shelf life of seafood.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 15 May 2023.

The Prime Minister welcomed Ukrainian President Zelenskyy to Chequers today.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 15 May 2023.

President Zelenskyy has arrived in the UK this morning for discussions with the Prime Minister on Ukraine’s ongoing military resistance to Putin’s brutal invasion.

• Prime Minister will welcome President Zelenskyy to Chequers today for discussions following the Ukrainian President’s tour of European capitals
• Visit comes ahead of this week’s Council of Europe and G7 Summits where the PM will call for sustained global support for Ukraine’s fight to reclaim their sovereign territory
• PM will announce more military aid to support this effort, following last week’s confirmation that the UK has donated long-range precision missiles

President Zelenskyy has arrived in the UK this morning for discussions with the Prime Minister on Ukraine’s ongoing military resistance to Putin’s brutal invasion.

The President will update the Prime Minister on his meetings with European leaders over the weekend as Ukraine prepares for an intensified period of military activity.

This visit also comes ahead of the Council of Europe Summit in Iceland, which the Prime Minister will attend and President Zelenskyy will attend virtually, and the G7 Summit in Japan. The Prime Minister will use these gatherings to push for sustained international support for Ukraine, both in terms of military aid and long-term security assurances.

Last week the UK confirmed that we have provided Storm Shadow precision missiles to Ukraine. This is the first long-range cruise missile in Ukraine’s arsenal and will be critical in helping the country defend  against the relentless bombardment of their critical national infrastructure.

Today the Prime Minister will confirm the further UK provision of hundreds of air defence missiles and further unmanned aerial systems including hundreds of new long-range attack drones with a range of over 200km. These will all be delivered over the coming months as Ukraine prepares to intensify its resistance to the ongoing Russian invasion.

This equipment will support Ukraine over the coming months in their anticipated military surge to counter Russian forces. During their meeting today the Prime Minister will discuss with President Zelenskyy what support Ukraine needs from the international community, both in terms of immediate military equipment and long-term defences.

The Prime Minister is working with partners in the G7, NATO and beyond to provide Ukraine with the kind of assurances and capabilities it needs to strengthen and guard its long-term security beyond the end of the war – putting Ukraine in the strongest possible position to seek a fair and lasting peace.

The Prime Minister said:

“This is a crucial moment in Ukraine’s resistance to a terrible war of aggression they did not choose or provoke. They need the sustained support of the international community to defend against the barrage of unrelenting and indiscriminate attacks that have been their daily reality for over a year.

“We must not let them down. The frontlines of Putin’s war of aggression may be in Ukraine but the fault lines stretch all over the world. It is in all our interest to ensure Ukraine succeeds and Putin’s barbarism is not rewarded.

“That is why the UK is sustaining our support to Ukraine – from tanks to training, ammunition to armoured vehicles. And this message of solidarity will ring loud in all my meetings with fellow world leaders in the days ahead.”

President Zelenskyy will hold talks with the Prime Minister at Chequers, becoming the first world leader the Prime Minister has hosted at the residence. This visit follows President Zelenskyy’s visit to the UK in February, which was only the second time the leader had left Ukraine since Putin’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

In their talks, the Prime Minister will reiterate the importance the UK places on providing a total package of support to Ukraine to put them in the strongest possible position to secure a lasting peace for their country.

This means the military equipment we provide must be bolstered by training, by economic support, by biting sanctions against Putin’s regime and by long-term security assurances to ensure Ukraine’s sovereignty can never be breached in this way again.

To that end, in the last year the UK has trained 15,000 Ukrainian troops to battlefield readiness. In February the Prime Minister announced the UK would develop a new training programme for Ukrainian pilots to support their efforts to build a new Ukrainian air force with NATO-standard, F16 jets.

This summer we will commence an elementary flying phase for cohorts of Ukrainian pilots to learn basic training. This will adapt the programme used by UK pilots to provide Ukrainians with piloting skills they can apply a different kind of aircraft. This training goes hand in hand with UK efforts to work with other countries on providing F16 jets – Ukraine’s fighter jets of choice.

Next month the UK will host a Ukraine Recovery Conference to galvanise international investment to support Ukraine’s reconstruction, promoting those emerging sectors where the country was thriving before Putin’s full-scale invasion such as clean energy and tech.

The UK provided £2.3 billion worth of military support to Ukraine in 2022 – more than any country other than the US – and the Prime Minister has committed to sustain that level of support this year.

So far in 2023 the UK has provided equipment including a squadron of Challenger 2 main battle tanks, self-propelled guns, hundreds of armoured vehicles and sophisticated missiles including Starstreak and Storm Shadow. Today’s announcements are further to these previous donations.

Since the outbreak of full-scale war the UK has also trained 15,000 Ukrainian troops in the UK, on top of the 22,000 troops trained in Ukraine between 2014 and 2022 under Operation Orbital.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 13 May 2023.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will undertake a packed tour of international engagements this week.