Tag: Downing Street

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 7 November 2022.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Italy, at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh today.

The leaders had a positive discussion on a range of shared issues and priorities, including tackling illegal migration and people smuggling gangs.

Reflecting on the UN climate summit, they noted the importance of addressing climate change for our long-term security and prosperity.

The Prime Minister highlighted the shock to global energy and food prices caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the leaders agreed to continue to take strong action to support Ukraine and hold Russia to account for its actions.

The Prime Minister and Prime Minister Meloni welcomed the opportunity to meet at the start of their respective premierships and looked forward to working closely together, building on the strong partnership between the UK and Italy.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 7 November 2022.

The Prime Minister met the President of the United Arab Emirates, High Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, at the COP27 climate summit.

The leaders discussed regional security, in particular the situation in Iran and Tehran’s destabilising behaviour in the region, as well as the negotiations around the JCPoA nuclear deal.

The Prime Minister and Sheikh bin Zayed agreed to continue working closely together on defence, security and trade, including progressing the UK-GCC trade deal next year.

They also welcomed cooperation on energy transition and green technology, and looked forward to COP28 in the Emirates next year.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 7 November 2022.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke to European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen at COP27 in Egypt today.

They reflected on the progress and challenges since COP26 in Glasgow, committing to work together to speed up the transition to renewables and mobilise finance for developing countries.

The Prime Minister noted that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and manipulation of energy prices had only strengthened the argument for ending our reliance on fossil fuels.

The leaders agreed the UK and European Union would remain steadfast in our military, economic and diplomatic support for Ukraine, and in countering Russian aggression.

On the Northern Ireland Protocol, the Prime Minister reiterated the need to find solutions to the very real problems it had created on the ground in Northern Ireland. They agreed on the importance of working together to agree a resolution.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 7 November 2022.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will cement the UK’s COP legacy with a series of announcements on energy transition, climate financing and forest and nature preservation, as he hands over the baton to Egypt at COP27 today [Monday 7th November].

The UK continues deliver on our key funding commitments, spending £11.6 billion on international climate finance. Recognising the existential threat climate change is already posing around the world – from catastrophic floods in Pakistan to drought in Somalia – the Government will commit to triple funding for climate adaptation as part of that budget, from £500m in 2019 to £1.5bn in 2025.

The Prime Minister will also host an event later today to launch the Forests and Climate Leaders’ Partnership. The new group, initially comprising 20 countries, will meet twice yearly to track commitments on the landmark Forests and Land Use declaration at COP26, which aims to halt and reverse forest loss by 2030.

To support the forest agenda, the UK is committing £90m today for conservation in the Congo Basin, a vital tropical rainforest which is home to some 10,000 species of tropical plants and several endangered species, including forest elephants, chimpanzees and mountain gorillas.

The PM will also confirm £65 million in funding for the Nature, People and Climate Investment Fund, which supports indigenous and local forest communities, and new financing for Treevive, which is working to conserve and restore two million hectares of tropical forest.

As we hand over the Presidency of COP, the Government is focused in particular on partnering with the private sector to facilitate green innovation and energy transition, at home and around the world. As well as helping the drive for net zero, reducing the global demand for oil and gas cuts off the funds for Russia’s brutal war machine.

In support of this, the Prime Minister will announce a further £65.5 million for the Clean Energy Innovation Facility today, which provides grants to researchers and scientists in developing countries to accelerate the development of clean technology. Since the BEIS-led fund was launched in 2019 it has supported the creation of biomass-powered refrigeration in India, prototype lithium-ion batteries in Nigeria and clean hydrogen-based fuels for steel production in Morocco, among other innovations.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to tell COP27 later today:

The world came together in Glasgow with one last chance to create a plan that would limit global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees. The question today is: can we summon the collective will to deliver on those promises?

I believe we can. By honouring the pledges we made in Glasgow, we can turn our struggle against climate change into a global mission for new jobs and clean growth.

And we can bequeath our children a greener planet and a more prosperous future. That’s a legacy we could be proud of.

As well as supporting innovation, the UK is working with G7 allies to provide countries with reliable, transparent sources of sustainable infrastructure financing. Ahead of an expected meeting later today between the Prime Minister and President Ruto, the UK and Kenya have reaffirmed their commitment to the UK-Kenya Strategic Partnership and agreed to progress a number of flagship green investment projects.

The projects include new and expanded solar and geothermal power plants in Kenya backed by British International Investment, UK export financing for Nairobi’s ground-breaking Railway City and a major Public-private Partnership on the $3 billion Grand High Falls Dam hydropower project led by UK firm GBM Engineering.

The UK will also confirm new financial support for Egypt’s flagship COP27 initiative, the ‘Nexus on Food, Water and Energy’. The funding will develop projects including solar parks and energy storage innovations, and is expected to mobilise billions in private sector finance.

The Prime Minister is also expected to hold a series of bilateral meetings at COP27 today, including with French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni.

He will also attend a roundtable discussion focused on energy transition partnerships, and will deliver a national plenary statement later in the day setting out the UK’s climate commitments.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 7 November 2022.

The Prime Minister will urge countries to deliver on the Glasgow Climate Pact and set out his intention to make the UK a clean energy superpower when he travels to COP27 in Egypt today [Sunday 6th November].

The UK has already cut carbon emissions faster than any other G7 country, with renewable sources like wind and solar now making up more than 40 percent of our energy supply – a four-fold increase on a decade ago.

Addressing COP27 tomorrow, Rishi Sunak will say that in light of the shock to the energy markets caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the UK will work with international allies to go further and faster to transition to cheaper, cleaner and safer sources of energy. We will only be able to ensure households and businesses have reliable, affordable fuel by solving the climate crisis and ensuring renewables are at the heart of our energy security.

There are already around 430,000 jobs in low carbon businesses and their supply chains across the country, supported by £30 billion in government support for the Green Industrial Revolution in the last 18 months. The transition to renewables will create more high wage, high skill jobs across the UK in the industries of the future.

As the UK hands over the presidency to Egypt, Rishi Sunak will urge leaders gathering in Sharm el-Sheikh not to backslide on the promise of COP26, where countries came together to sign the landmark Glasgow Climate Pact.

The Prime Minister will hold meetings with fellow world leaders to discuss new partnerships on energy security, green technology and environmental protection, and is expected to announce further funding for conservation in threatened tropical rainforests and support for countries on the frontline of climate change.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

When the world came together in Glasgow last year, nations agreed an historic roadmap for preventing catastrophic global warming. As I travel to COP27 in Egypt today, it is more important than ever that we deliver on those pledges.

Fighting climate change is not just a moral good – is it fundamental to our future prosperity and security. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and contemptible manipulation of energy prices has only reinforced the importance of ending our dependence on fossil fuels.

We need to move further and faster to transition to renewable energy, and I will ensure the UK is at the forefront of this global movement as a clean energy superpower.

The Prime Minister is expected to chair a meeting of world leaders on forests and nature, to drive progress on the landmark pledge signed by more than 100 countries last November to halt and reverse deforestation and damaging land use by 2030.

He will also attend a roundtable on energy transition partnerships, which are utilising public and private sector funds to support low and middle-income countries like South Africa to move away from fossil fuels and grow their green economies.

UK COP President Alok Sharma is in Sharm el-Sheikh today for handover ceremony to Egypt, ahead of two weeks of intensive climate negotiations. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly will also travel to COP27 with the Prime Minister, and other ministers are expected to attend throughout the summit.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 6 November 2022.

Bank holiday proclaimed in honour of the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III

The Prime Minister has decided to proclaim an additional bank holiday to mark the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III next year.

The bank holiday will fall on Monday 8 May, following the Coronation on Saturday 6 May.

In line with the bank holiday to mark Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation in 1953, this will be an opportunity for families and communities across the country to come together to celebrate.

The bank holiday will take place across the United Kingdom.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

“The Coronation of a new monarch is a unique moment for our country. In recognition of this historic occasion, I am pleased to announce an additional bank holiday for the whole United Kingdom next year.”

“I look forward to seeing people come together to celebrate and pay tribute to King Charles III by taking part in local and national events across the country in his honour.”

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Oliver Dowden said:

“The Coronation combines the sacred and the solemn but it is also celebratory.”

“This bank holiday will once again give people across the United Kingdom the opportunity to come together as families and communities to welcome His Majesty to the throne as we mark this important day in our nation’s long history.”

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 2 November 2022.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 1 November 2022.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke to the Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, this afternoon.

The Prime Minister thanked Prime Minister Rutte for his warm congratulations on his appointment, and said he looked forward to working closely with the Netherlands.

The leaders highlighted how as transatlantic facing countries, they both faced a unique set of challenges and opportunities.

Discussing illegal migration, the leaders reflected on the difficulties posed by people smuggling gangs and discussed how the UK and the Netherlands could work with partners on a joint approach.

Both agreed on the need for deeper cooperation on shared challenges.

The leaders agreed to stay in close touch in the coming weeks.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 1 November 2022.

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 28 October 2022.

The Prime Minister spoke to French President Macron this morning.

President Macron congratulated him on his appointment, and the Prime Minister stressed the importance he places on the UK’s relationship with France – our neighbour and ally.

The leaders agreed that there are a huge range of areas where UK-France cooperation is vital, including on Ukraine, climate, defence and the economy. The Prime Minister also noted the strong historic and cultural links between our countries, as exemplified by President Macron’s moving words following the death of Her Majesty The Queen.

The Prime Minister and President Macron discussed a range of global issues, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. They agreed on the importance of continuing to work in support of Ukraine. As people across Europe face a difficult winter, with rising energy costs resulting from Putin’s invasion, the leaders resolved to work together to secure a more stable energy future. This includes increasing cooperation on nuclear energy.

The Prime Minister stressed the importance for both nations to make the Channel route completely unviable for people traffickers. The leaders committed to deepening our partnership to deter deadly journeys across the Channel that benefit organised criminals.

The Prime Minister and President Macron looked forward to meeting soon, and to holding a UK-France Summit next year.