Tag: Downing Street

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

The Prime Minister met the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, in Munich today.

He paid tribute to the role Chancellor Scholz has played in eliminating Germany’s energy dependence on Russia and transforming Germany’s defence.

The leaders agreed on the need to sustain the record level of international support for Ukraine. They agreed recent international offers of main battle tanks and other equipment would be transformational on the ground.

The Prime Minster stressed the need for allies to think not just about securing peace in the short term, but about strengthening Ukraine’s long-term defences.

The leaders also discussed the importance of strengthening NATO, and expressed their support for Swedish and Finnish accession.

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

The Prime Minister hosted President Andrzej Duda of Poland at Downing Street this afternoon.

The Prime Minister paid tribute to Poland’s resilience and international leadership following the Russian invasion of Ukraine last year, and said it was clear the UK and Poland were entirely aligned on their steadfast support for the country.

Reflecting on the wider impact of the invasion, the Prime Minister reiterated his commitment to European security and said the recent extension of the UK’s Sky Sabre deployment to Poland underlined that.

They both agreed it was important that support to Ukraine was accelerated in the coming weeks, and the leaders discussed the training of Ukrainian pilots on NATO standard jets that would begin in the UK shortly.

Looking ahead to the NATO Summit in Vilnius in the summer, the leaders reiterated the importance of all partners agreeing the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO.

They agreed to stay in close touch.

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

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Bill Gates met this afternoon at Imperial College London to discuss the United Kingdom’s innovation leadership in low-carbon technology and life sciences, and to attend the launch of Cleantech for UK, a coalition of leading cleantech entrepreneurs and investors committed to working together to supercharge the UK’s green economy.

During their bilateral meeting, the Prime Minister and Mr Gates discussed strategic challenges facing citizens in the United Kingdom and the rest of the world, as well as the opportunity for the UK to lead a global push for innovative solutions across energy security, food supply, and global public health.

Following their bilateral meeting, the Prime Minister and Mr Gates spoke with three promising UK cleantech startup companies at the forefront of unlocking zero-carbon innovations in energy and agriculture, showcasing the UK’s capacity to lead the world in building a cleaner, more secure future.

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

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke to the Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravind Jugnauth, this morning.

The leaders reflected on the strong and historic relationship between the UK and Mauritius, as close Commonwealth partners.

The Prime Minister welcomed opportunities to work even more closely together, including on tackling regional and global security challenges and growing trade and investment.

They also covered the ongoing negotiations on the exercise of sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory / the Chagos Archipelago.

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

The Prime Minister spoke to the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Chris Hipkins, this evening.

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

The Prime Minister has today confirmed the appointment of Lady Arden as an Independent Member of the Committee on Standards in Public Life.

Lady Arden has today been confirmed as an Independent Member of the Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL). Her term will begin on 13 February 2023.

The appointment follows a recent open campaign.

The Right Hon Lady Arden of Heswall DBE

Lady Arden served as a Justice of the UK Supreme Court from October 2018 to January 2022. Prior to that she was a Judge of the High Court of Justice (1993 to 2000) and a Lady Justice of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales (2000 to 2018).

Lady Arden was also Chair of the Law Commission of England and Wales (1996-9), a member of the Steering Group for the DTI’s Company Law Review (1999-2001), Chair of the Judges’ Working Party on Constitutional Reform (2004-6), and Judge in Charge, then Head, of International Judicial Relations for England and Wales (2005 to 2018). She is a member of the UK’s National Group for nominating candidates for the International Court of Justice.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe DBE CMG, Minister of State, Cabinet Office welcomed Lady Arden’s appointment saying:

I would like to congratulate Lady Arden on her appointment to the Committee. She has a distinguished judicial career and her extensive experience will benefit the Committee.

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

The King has approved the appointments of Ms Tanvir Hasan; Ms Erin Walsh; and Dr Emma Wells as Members of the Churches Conservation Trust.

Tanvir Hasan is a practising conservation architect, a field in which she has worked for over 25 years. She is Deputy Chairman and lead Director of Donald Insall London. She is an accredited conservation architect with extensive experience of conservation and regeneration. She undertakes both conservation architecture, and the design of new buildings in historic environments. Tanvir has delivered several complex heritage projects and implemented work in difficult historic settings. She has worked on many restoration and regeneration projects of Grade I listed churches such as Wren’s St. Edmund King and Martyr, recently for St. Mark’s North Audley Street, and St. John’s Smith Square. Her projects focus on managing change and unlocking the potential of historic fabric and sensitive heritage sites, and this work has been the subject of award-winning schemes along Regent Street, and North Audley Street. Tanvir has been a trustee of the Museum of the Home, is a trustee of the Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain and sits on the Fabric Committee of the Royal Albert Hall.

Erin Walsh has over 18 years’ experience leading major programmes in the Built Environment across the not for profit, private, public and academic sectors. As a senior urban designer for Liverpool City Council, Erin developed design and place strategies for the city and neighbourhoods in collaboration with communities, including work with the conservation team on historic buildings. She negotiated with stakeholders to retain and preserve Aigburth Methodist Church, former St. Peter’s Wesleyan Methodist Church in Toxteth, and St. Oswald’s Community Hall, an E. W. Pugin complex. As the Director of Built Environment at Connected Places Catapult, Erin develops and leads programmes that innovate traditional markets and sectors such as housing, planning, net zero place making, and infrastructure; working in partnership with central and local government, industry, academia and communities to provide more innovative and sustainable approaches to the built environment.

Emma Wells brings significant expertise and a broad range of knowledge in the area of ecclesiastical history. She is an author, broadcaster, currently a Principal Historic Buildings Consultant, and was a former Lecturer in Ecclesiastical and Architectural History at the University of York. Emma’s connection to CCT extends back to 2015, as programme leader of the first postgraduate degree in the UK devoted to parish churches (and the MA in English Building History), and run in partnership with the Trust.

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

The Prime Minister hosted President Zelenskyy for a bilateral meeting during his visit to the UK today.

He paid tribute to President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people’s courage and sacrifice. The Prime Minister thanked the President for his visit and powerful address to Parliament.

President Zelenskyy thanked the Prime Minister for his and the UK’s enduring support, including today’s announcement that the UK will start training to put Ukraine on the path to NATO-standard air combat capability, and that the UK will provide long-range weapons.

The leaders discussed the need to accelerate Ukraine’s counter-offensive, backed by support from the UK and other allies. That means providing the kind of advanced capabilities that the UK has announced today, and delivering the same level of equipment that was previously given in months in a matter of weeks.

They agreed that Ukraine’s counter-offensive against the Russian invasion can and will prevail, heralding in a more secure future for Ukraine.

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

President Zelenskyy will visit the UK today to meet Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and address parliament as the UK steps up its delivery of lethal aid into the country, and prepares to train fighter jet pilots and marines.

The leaders will discuss a two-pronged approach to UK support for Ukraine, starting with an immediate surge of military equipment to the country to help counter Russia’s spring offensive, and reinforced by long-term support.

The Prime Minister will also offer the UK’s backing to President Zelenskyy’s plans to work towards a just and lasting peace for Ukraine.

As part of today’s talks, the Prime Minister will offer to bolster the UK’s training offer for Ukrainian troops, including expanding it to fighter jet pilots to ensure Ukraine can defend its skies well into the future.

The training will ensure pilots are able to fly sophisticated NATO-standard fighter jets in the future. As part of that long-term capability investment, the UK will work with Ukraine and international allies to coordinate collective support to meet Ukraine’s defensive needs.

He will also offer to begin an immediate training programme for marines.

That training will be in addition to the recruit training programme already running in the UK, which has seen 10,000 Ukrainian troops brought to battle readiness in the last six months, and which will upskill a further 20,000 Ukrainian soldiers this year. The UK will continue to work with the Ukrainian Armed Forces and international community to scale the programme up in 2023.

Just last week, Ukrainian troops arrived in the UK to learn how to command Challenger 2 tanks, following the Prime Minister’s decision to send the main battle tanks to Ukraine.

The Prime Minister will also offer to provide Ukraine with longer range capabilities. This will disrupt Russia’s ability to continually target Ukraine’s civilian and critical national infrastructure and help relieve pressure on Ukraine’s frontlines.

The President and his team will also meet defence and security chiefs, including the Chief of Defence Staff and Chief of the Air Staff, to discuss the details of the training programme.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

President Zelenskyy’s visit to the UK is a testament to his country’s courage, determination and fight, and a testament to the unbreakable friendship between our two countries.

Since 2014, the UK has provided vital training to Ukrainian forces, allowing them to defend their country, protect their sovereignty and fight for their territory.

I am proud that today we will expand that training from soldiers to marines and fighter jet pilots, ensuring Ukraine has a military able to defend its interests well into the future. It also underlines our commitment to not just provide military equipment for the short term, but a long-term pledge to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine for years to come.

The UK will also announce further sanctions today in response to Russia’s continued bombardment of Ukraine, including the targeting of those who have helped Putin build his personal wealth, and companies who are profiting from the Kremlin’s war machine.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 7 February 2023.