Tag: Downing Street

The Prime Minister has announced that the UK will ramp up investment in defence to meet the challenges of an increasingly volatile and complex world, as the Government launches an update to the 2021 Integrated Review.

The 2023 Integrated Review Refresh [IR23] confirms that an additional £5 billion will be provided to the Ministry of Defence over the next two years, to help replenish and bolster vital ammunition stocks, modernise the UK’s nuclear enterprise and fund the next phase of the AUKUS submarine programme. It follows a £24 billion four-year uplift in defence spending in 2020, the largest sustained increase since the Cold War.

The Prime Minister will also set out an ambition to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP in the longer term, and the UK will lead a conversation with Allies on future posture and burden sharing at the NATO Summit in Lithuania this summer. We will review defence spending after 2025 in light of this ambition.

IR23 was commissioned to respond to emerging geopolitical threats, from Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine to China’s economic coercion and increased competition between states. These trends were identified in the original IR and have intensified in the last two years, with far-reaching consequences for the security and prosperity of the British people.

The report identifies a number of priorities to tackle those threats head-on. The first and foremost is dealing with the fundamental risk posed to European security by Russia, and denying Moscow any benefit from their illegal invasion of Ukraine.

The IR Refresh also sets out how the UK will adapt our approach on China to deal with the epoch-defining challenge presented by the Chinese Communist Party’s increasingly concerning military, financial and diplomatic activity.  It contains new measures to bolster the UK’s economic security, technology capabilities and international development offer in the face of that threat. The Prime Minister has set the direction across government for a consistent, coherent and robust approach to China, rooted in the national interest and aligned with our allies.

IR23 confirms that the UK will continue to play a leading role in Euro-Atlantic security, while also consolidating the strategic shift we achieved with the Indo-Pacific tilt. As the first step to deliver on those priorities, the Prime Minister is in San Diego today [Monday 13 March] for a meeting with President Biden and Prime Minister Albanese to advance the next phase of the AUKUS submarine programme.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

As the world becomes more volatile and competition between states becomes more intense, the UK must be ready to stand our ground.

By investing in our armed forces for the long-term, we will be ready for the challenges of today and of the future. As I will discuss with our American and Australian allies in the US today, the UK will remain a leading contributor to NATO and a reliable international partner, standing up for our values from Ukraine to the South China Seas.

We have seen all too clearly in the last year how global crises impact us at home, with Russia’s appalling invasion of Ukraine driving up energy and food prices. We will fortify our national defences, from economic security to technology supply chains and intelligence expertise, to ensure we are never again vulnerable to the actions of a hostile power.

The Prime Minister spoke to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg this morning, before travelling to the United States to launch the next phase of the AUKUS nuclear submarine partnership.

He updated the Secretary General on the UK’s Integrated Review Refresh, due to be published tomorrow [13th March], which will set out the Government’s evolving global strategy in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and growing international volatility and competition.

The Prime Minister also reaffirmed the UK’s intention to remain a leading contributor to NATO, recognising the importance of continuing to invest in collective Euro-Atlantic security. Secretary General Stoltenberg welcomed the valuable role of the United Kingdom as a staunch NATO ally.

The Prime Minister and Secretary General agreed to continue working together in the lead-up to the NATO Leaders’ Summit in Vilnius this June, to ensure the Alliance is addressing the threat on Europe’s eastern flank and is ready for the conflicts of the future.

Hundreds of extra French law enforcement officers will use enhanced technology and intelligence insight to prevent illegal Channel crossings under a new agreement struck by the Prime Minister and President Macron in Paris today.

For the first time, the UK will help fund a detention centre in France to enhance the country’s ability to cope with the level of people being trafficked across the Channel. This new centre will support French efforts to increase detention capacity, allowing more migrants who might otherwise travel by dangerous and illegal routes to the UK to be removed from the French coast.

Building on our existing partnership, which saw twice as many illegal crossings stopped in 2022 than 2021, today’s agreement will also more than double the number of personnel deployed in northern France to tackle small boats, with over half of these in place by the end of the year. The UK will contribute funding towards this.

Efforts will be bolstered by a new, highly trained, permanent French mobile policing unit dedicated to tackling small boats. Additional drones, aircraft and other technologies like surveillance will also be deployed, as the UK and France step up intelligence sharing to clamp down on people trafficking routes.

These French efforts will be overseen by a new 24/7 zonal coordination centre, with permanent UK liaison officers. The coordination centre will bring all relevant French law enforcement partners together for the first time to coordinate the response to an alarming trend which has seen a 50% rise in illegal migration across Europe in the last year. The UK has our own Small Boats Operations Command which has ensured that 99% of those who enter British waters are intercepted.

This enhanced cooperation aims to increase the increase the interception rate for attempted crossings and drastically reduce the number of crossings each year, supporting our long-term, shared goal of completely stopping this illegal migration route.

The Prime Minister said:

I have made it one of my five priorities to stop the boats. We are delivering on that priority to stop people coming to the UK illegally.

Last year I agreed the largest ever small boats deal with France to increase UK-funded patrols by 40 per cent. This week I announced measures to ensure nobody who enters the UK illegally can remain here.

We don’t need to manage this problem, we need to break it. And today, we have gone further than ever before to put an end to this disgusting trade in human life. Working together, the UK and France will ensure that nobody can exploit our systems with impunity.

In addition to the extra steps taken to patrol the beaches in the north of France, today’s agreement will also see further UK and French cooperation upstream to stop illegal migration at source. This includes further coordination between the National Crime Agency and its French counterpart via officers based in countries along the routes favoured by people traffickers.

Alongside last year’s deal with France, the Prime Minister has taken a number of steps to curb illegal migration since taking office. This includes re-establishing the Calais Group of Northern European nations to disrupt traffickers and setting a long-term ambition for a UK-EU wide agreement on returns – an ambition France has confirmed today that they share.

This week the UK Government has announced a Bill to end illegal entry as a route to asylum in the UK.

These measures will remove the incentive for people to risk their lives through dangerous and unnecessary journeys and pull the rug from under the criminal gangs profiting from this misery once and for all.

Illegal migrants will be detained and swiftly removed to their home country if safe, or another safe third country, such as Rwanda, where they will be supported to rebuild their lives.

Anyone illegally entering the UK will be prevented from accessing the UK’s world-leading modern slavery support or abusing these laws to block their removal.

The only challenges that will suspend removal will be where someone claims that their removal to a safe third country would lead to a real risk of serious and irreversible harm, or on the basis that they do not fall within the cohort of persons liable to removal under the Bill. Any other challenges or human rights claims can also only be heard after removal, remotely.

By ending illegal immigration as a route to asylum, stopping the boats and taking back control of our borders the Bill will ensure the UK can better support people coming through fair, safe and legal routes.

Women from all walks of life have stepped into Downing Street this week to celebrate International Women’s Day 2023.

This afternoon, female leaders and students from business, tech and the arts sector attended a reception in Downing Street. They browsed a showcase of some of the best female-led small businesses from across the UK, including Bag&Bones which, inspired by urban street culture, creates unique neon artwork that is both eco-conscious and energy efficient. Others, such as Luminary Bakery, use baking to provide employment and training for vulnerable women, and last year created 6820 hours of paid work for women coming from disadvantaged circumstances.

Speaking at the event, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

It’s fantastic to be marking International Women’s Day with this celebration of women in business….

I know the phenomenal work that goes into running a business. I know too from watching my mum running our family pharmacy, the huge sacrifices that are made. It takes guts, stamina and perseverance.

You do an amazing job. You create jobs. You enrich our country. And together, you demonstrate the power of women in business – with the huge amount of social good that you do…

To grow our economy, create jobs and build a more productive and innovative country, we need the transformative power of women. That’s what I will be championing as Prime Minister.

Also showcasing at the event were Saskia Patel, India Taylor-Smith and Jess Patel, co-founders of DeMoo, a clothing company that upcycles pre-loved clothes into unique hand-finished pieces, who said:

The energy in the room was infectious. To be surrounded by so many remarkable female business women was incredibly uplifting. A memory we will never forget.

Joelle Drummond and Sarah McNena of UK’s top rated brewer of non-alcoholic beers,  Drop Bear Beer Brewery said:

It has been an absolute honour to be invited to No 10 Downing Street. As two LGBT+ women in a male-dominated industry such as brewing, it’s so important to drive representation and it has been a fantastic opportunity to meet influential politicians and people from big business. When we started with just a big saucepan and a bigger dream, we could never have imagined we’d end up in No 10.

During the event, the Prime Minister awarded Points of Light awards– to recognise four outstanding individuals from across the country who are making a positive change within their community and inspiring others.

This week’s award recipients are:

• Deana Uppal – a British Indian entrepreneur, documentary-maker and Bollywood actress from London who set up charity ‘DKU Kindness Diaries’. The charity has supported thousands of disadvantaged families in India through weekly food and medicine donation drives.
• Lisa-Marie Tonelli – a film producer from Newcastle who created the ‘North East International Film Festival’ in 2020. Entirely voluntary-led, it is one of the fastest-growing film festivals in the world, showcasing local creative talent alongside work byfilm-makers from 15 countries.
• Matilda Handy, aged 9 from Nottingham, who created the ‘Postbox to Heaven’ scheme, allowing people to send cards and letters to loved ones who have passed away through a dedicated postbox. Following the popularity of the project, in which 100 letters were posted within a month, 36 other postboxes are being set up in cemeteries UK-wide.
• Patricia White from Birmingham who leads ‘Suited for Success’, an organisation tackling unemployment in the city by giving out free application advice, interview coaching, and interview wear.

Today, the government confirmed a package worth over £600 million to support schools to improve their sport offer for all pupils and introduce a new school standard to offer girls and boys the same access to sports at school.

Former Lioness midfielder Jill Scott, Lionesses Beth Mead and Ellen White joined the Prime Minister in Downing Street to lead a football training session for local primary and secondary schoolgirls.

The week kicked off with a speed mentoring session hosted by Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer on Monday, where girls and young women were given the chance to be mentored by leading women from across several sectors including: Ella Mills of Deliciously Ella, Stemette Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE and designer Kelly Hoppen CBE.

The event was delivered together with The Girls’ Network, a charity organisation which partners with secondary schools and colleges across England to offer girls,  aged 14-19,  a year-long mentoring programme to support their ambitions.

On Tuesday, the Minister for Women, Maria Caufield [SIC – Maria Caulfield], and the government’s Women’s Health Ambassador Professor Dame Lesley Regan hosted a roundtable attended by clinicians, female GPs and women’s health charities.  They discussed the progress made on implementing the Women’s Health Strategy and the next steps to improve women’s experiences of health services.

This followed a visit by the Minister for Women to the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust on Monday, where she met leading researchers and discussed their work to improve health outcomes for women and babies and the importance of women working in STEM.

Finally, on Friday, tech entrepreneur Anne Boden MBE will chair a meeting on the Women’s High Growth Enterprise Taskforce in Downing Street, where the taskforce will examine hot and cold spots for female-led high growth enterprises across the country to inform the next stage of their work to identify how we can support the growth of female-led business.

In the run up to this International Women’s Day, this government has been delivering on the priorities of women across the board, including on health, safety and careers.

On health

Today, we have announced £25 million investment over the next two years to create new women’s health hubs, which will provide essential services for menstrual problems, contraception, pelvic pain and menopause care.

This week we announced Helen Tomlinson as the first-ever menopause employment champion earlier this week to improve workplace support, following on from last month’s launch of a new pre-payment certificate for HRT to help around 400,000 women save hundreds of pounds a year on prescription charges.

In January we announced new funding to speed up cancer diagnosis for tens of thousands of women with new NHS mobile breast cancer screening units and life-saving upgrades to service.  Additional funding has also been made available to 16 organisations across England who are implementing innovative ways to raise awareness, tackle the stigma and improve outcomes for women in the workplace, including Maternity Action, Mind and Fertility Network UK.

On safety

No woman or girl should ever have to feel unsafe in her home or community and the government is taking action to stamp out appalling crimes against women.

Last month, the Home Secretary announced that we are – for the first time – requiring police forces to treat tackling violence against women and girls as a national threat, and set out a range of measures to crack down on domestic abusers. This includes toughening up the way offenders are managed and taking action to ensure the most dangerous domestic abusers are recorded on the Violent and Sex Offender Register, including those convicted of controlling or coercive behaviour where they are sentenced to twelve months or more.

The Home Office is also well on its way to putting an extra 20,000 more police officers on our streets, and continues to roll out crime prevention measure including improved CCTV and street lighting through our Safer Streets Fund.

The Justice Secretary has also raised the age of marriage and civil partnership to 18 in England and Wales, and made it a criminal offence to exploit vulnerable children by arranging for them to marry, under any circumstances.

On business

This government is also committed to supporting the growth of female-led business and providing opportunities for girls to get into high-skilled, high paid jobs.

Last week, Business and Trade Secretary and Women & Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch announced that FTSE 350 companies have met the target of 40% Women on Boards three years ahead of the 2025 deadline and has urged business to keep up this momentum to achieve balance in leadership positions as well as in boardrooms.

In order to help even more women into business, the government-founded women-led high growth enterprise taskforce, has been working to identify the barriers that women entrepreneurs face and look at how we can work together to remove these and pave the way for our ambition to increase the number of female entrepreneurs by 50% by 2030, equivalent to 600,000 new entrepreneurs.