UKPOL.CO.UK

Tag: Press Release

  • PRESS RELEASE : Latest data on listeriosis [May 2025]

    PRESS RELEASE : Latest data on listeriosis [May 2025]

    The press release issued by the UK Health Security Agency on 8 May 2025.

    The infection can cause severe illnesses in the elderly, immunocompromised or those with underlying chronic conditions.

    There were 179 cases of listeriosis reported in England and Wales in 2024, according to new data published today by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

    Listeriosis is caused by Listeria bacteria and is usually contracted by eating contaminated raw, chilled, or ready-to-eat foods. Most people with listeriosis won’t have any symptoms or will have mild gastroenteritis. However, the infection can cause severe illnesses in the elderly, immunocompromised or those with underlying chronic conditions. Infection during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage or stillbirth, or severe infections in newborn babies.

    The 179 cases reported in 2024 are comparable to the previous year’s figures (177 cases in 2023), and to levels seen in the years preceding the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest data show that while listeriosis can affect people of all ages, it poses a significantly greater risk to vulnerable groups, with the highest numbers seen in people aged 80 and over. Of the 28 deaths reported among 142 non-pregnancy cases, 12 were aged 80 years and over. Among pregnancy-associated infections, which accounted for approximately one-fifth of all cases, 43.7% resulted in stillbirth or miscarriage where outcomes were known.

    In England, London had the highest levels of listeriosis (0.39 cases per 100,000 population), whilst the East of England had the lowest (0.23 cases per 100,000 population).

    Vanessa Wong, UKHSA Consultant in gastrointestinal infections, said:

    Listeriosis is a rare infection and most people only experience mild symptoms of gastroenteritis that usually pass within a few days without the need for treatment. However, severe listeriosis is more likely to affect the elderly, very young babies, pregnant women and those with a weakened immune system. The best way to prevent listeriosis is to practise good food hygiene and avoid high-risk foods if you are in a vulnerable group. Foods that carry a greater risk of Listeria include: soft cheeses, pâté, smoked fish, chilled sliced meats and other chilled ready-to-eat products.

    Those at higher risk from severe Listeria infection include:

    • elderly people (risk increases with age)
    • those with malignancies or undergoing immunosuppressive or cytotoxic treatments
    • pregnant women and their unborn or newborn infants
    • organ transplant recipients
    • people with chronic kidney and liver diseases
    • those with uncontrolled diabetes, HIV, alcohol dependency or iron overload

    In most people, listeriosis has no symptoms or only causes mild symptoms for a few days, such as:

    • high temperature
    • aches and pains
    • chills
    • feeling or being sick
    • diarrhoea

    If you’re pregnant, you may also have a stomach ache or notice your baby moving less than usual.

    For advice on avoiding listeriosis during pregnancy or if you are in a high-risk group, please visit the NHS website at Listeriosis – NHS

    In 2024, UKHSA investigated 7 listeriosis outbreaks across England and Wales, linked to various food products including smoked fish, chocolate and strawberry mousse, garlic sausage and pre-packed sandwiches.

  • PRESS RELEASE : President Putin’s transparently cynical pauses do not create the conditions for talks on a lasting peace – UK statement to the OSCE [May 2025]

    PRESS RELEASE : President Putin’s transparently cynical pauses do not create the conditions for talks on a lasting peace – UK statement to the OSCE [May 2025]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 8 May 2025.

    Ambassador Holland urges Russia to respond substantively to the Moscow Mechanism recommendations and prove they are serious about peace by agreeing to a full and unconditional ceasefire.

    Thank you, Mister Chair.  Minister Betsa, thank you for your address today.  What an excellent exposé of what is at stake.  Thank you being here and for reminding us once again.

    We welcome Ukraine’s continued commitment to achieving a just and lasting peace, as you have reaffirmed in your statement.

    President Zelenskyy has shown his commitment to peace by agreeing in principle to a full and unconditional ceasefire.  By contrast, President Putin has not only refused to agree to that but has further stepped-up attacks on Ukrainian cities with drones and missiles.  In April Russia intensified strikes on Ukrainian cities, killing at least 151 civilians. And just yesterday, as Russia spoke of yet another artificial ceasefire, Moscow launched a ballistic missile and drone attack on a residential area of Kyiv, killing at least 2 people and injury 8, including 4 children.

    If President Putin were serious about peace, Russia would agree to a full and immediate ceasefire, as Ukraine has done. His 72-hour Victory Day proposal is another transparently cynical pause which does not create the necessary conditions for talks aimed at achieving a lasting peace.  It cannot be taken seriously, particularly given Ukraine’s experience of President Putin’s so-called truce over Easter: the UK’s Defence Intelligence found no indication that a ceasefire on the frontline was observed by Russia, despite President Putin’s promises.

    We will judge President Putin by his actions not his words, and his actions suggest he has no interest in peace.  To prove he is serious about peace he must agree to the full and unconditional ceasefire offered by Ukraine and supported by the United States.

    Mister Chair, earlier this week the Human Rights Centre Zmina organised a side event in the margins of the Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting on the issue of civil society resistance and losses during Russia’s war against Ukraine.  It placed a spotlight on the vital work of Ukraine’s brave civil society members and the high price that too many of them have tragically paid for their work amid Russia’s war.

    Russia continues to arbitrarily detain thousands of Ukrainian civilians, including human rights defenders and journalists.  This was established by a mission of independent experts who, a little over a year ago, reported to the Permanent Council following the invocation of the Moscow Mechanism.

    The Mission found that detainees had been subjected to torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, sexual violence and other forms of serious mistreatment.  The Mission also recorded cases of extrajudicial killings of arbitrarily detained Ukrainian civilians.

    The expert mission made a range of recommendations to the Russian Federation.  A year later, these remain unanswered; just like those from the other four Moscow Mechanism reports.  We urge the Russian Federation to respond substantively to all these recommendations and release, without delay, all Ukrainian civilians who continue to be held arbitrarily.

    Thank you, Mister Chair.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Sentence increase for child groomer following intervention by Solicitor General [May 2025]

    PRESS RELEASE : Sentence increase for child groomer following intervention by Solicitor General [May 2025]

    The press release issued by the Attorney General’s Office on 8 May 2025.

    A man who groomed and sexually abused a child has had his sentence increased after the Solicitor General intervened.

    Yusuf Kayat, 54, from Leeds has had his sentence increased by four years after the Solicitor General Lucy Rigby KC MP referred his case to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.

    The court heard that the offences took place more than 30 years ago between 1989 and 1992. Kayat, who was known to the victim as ‘Kosh’, met the victim when he was 19 years old, and she was 10 years old.

    Kayat started the offending by grooming the victim, driving her around in his car and buying her gifts, including alcohol, cigarettes, and cannabis.

    After gaining her trust, he had sexual intercourse with the victim in various locations including in his car.

    Kayat also forced the victim to perform sexual acts on his friends. Sometimes there would be multiple men, and Kayat would reward the victim with food from takeaways.

    In a Victim’s Impact Statement, the victim said that since the offending she has experienced constant fear, anxiety, flack backs and panic attacks. The impact on the victim’s life has been profound and devastating.

    The Solicitor General Lucy Rigby KC MP said:

    Yusuf Kayat’s crimes were abhorrent. His grooming of the victim was highly calculated, who was only 10 years old when the abuse first began, before carrying out multiple sexual offences over several years.

    I welcome the court’s decision to increase Kayat’s sentence. Today my thoughts are with Kayat’s victim & her family.

    On 5 February 2025, Yusuf Kayat was sentenced to 20 years and a further one year on licence, after he was found guilty on 17 charges at Leeds Crown Court.

    On 7 May 2025, Kayat’s sentence was quashed and substituted with a 24-year sentence and a further one year on licence after it was referred to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Change of His Majesty’s Ambassador to Ireland [May 2025]

    PRESS RELEASE : Change of His Majesty’s Ambassador to Ireland [May 2025]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 8 May 2025.

    Ms Kara Owen CMG CVO has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to Ireland in succession to Mr Paul Johnston.  Ms Owen will take up her appointment during September 2025.

    Curriculum vitae

    Full name: Kara Justine Owen

    Year Role
    July 2024 to present Projects/ pre-posting preparation with FCDO
    2019 to 2024 Singapore, British High Commissioner
    2016 to 2019 FCO, Director, Americas
    2012 to 2016 Paris, Deputy Head of Mission
    2011 to 2012 FCO, Head of Strategy and Network Department, Consular
    2009 to 2011 FCO, Director for Diversity and Equality
    2005 to 2009 Hanoi, Deputy Head of Mission
    2003 to 2005 FCO, Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary
    2001 to 2003 FCO, Assistant Private Secretary to Junior Ministers
    2000 to 2001 FCO, EU Policy Officer
    1996 to 2000 Hong Kong, Vice Consul and later Vice Consul political
    1995 to 1996 FCO, Cantonese language training
    1993 to 1995 FCO, Joint Assistance Unit (Know How Fund)
    1993 Joined FCO
  • PRESS RELEASE : Appointment of Law Commissioners to the Law Commission [May 2025]

    PRESS RELEASE : Appointment of Law Commissioners to the Law Commission [May 2025]

    The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 8 May 2025.

    The Lord Chancellor has approved the appointment of Professor Solene Rowan and Professor Lisa Webley as Commissioners of the Law Commission of England and Wales.

    The Lord Chancellor has approved the appointment of:

    • Professor Solene Rowan as the Law Commissioner for Commercial & Common Law from 8 September 2025 to 7 September 2030
    • Professor Lisa Webley as the Law Commissioner for Property, Family & Trust Law from 1 September 2025 to 31 August 2030.

    Professor Solène Rowan

    Professor Solène Rowan is currently the Chair of Contract Law, the Vice-Dean for Students, Culture & Community, and the Director of the LLB / Master 1 programme at the Dickson Poon School of Law, King’s College London. She is also an Honorary Professor at the Australian National University and a Visiting Professor at Paris Panthéon-Assas University.

    Solène’s principal areas of expertise are contract law, commercial law, and comparative law, all with a particular focus on remedies. She is an award-winning author of two monographs and articles in leading international legal publications, and a member of the editorial team of Chitty on Contracts. Her work has been widely cited by law reformers and courts domestically and abroad.

    Solène was previously a Professor at the University of Oxford, an Associate Professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science and the Australian National University, and a Fellow and College Lecturer in Law at Queens’ College, Cambridge. She read law as an undergraduate at King’s College London and Paris Panthéon-Sorbonne University and obtained an LLM and a PhD from the University of Cambridge.

    Professor Lisa Webley

    Since 2018, Professor Webley has been the Chair in Legal Education and Research for the Birmingham Law School, University of Birmingham. From 2019 –2023, she served as Head and Dean of Birmingham Law School.

    Both did not declare any political activity.

    The Law Commission aims to ensure that the law is as fair, modern, simple and as cost-effective as possible. It conducts research and consultations to make systematic recommendations for consideration by Parliament.

    Appointments of Commissioners to the Law Commission are made by the Lord Chancellor under the Law Commissions Act 1965.  Appointments are regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments and recruitment processes comply with the Governance Code on Public Appointments.

  • PRESS RELEASE : VE Day boost for veterans’ healthcare [May 2025]

    PRESS RELEASE : VE Day boost for veterans’ healthcare [May 2025]

    The press release issued by the Department of Health and Social Care on 8 May 2025.

    Government announces £1.8 million investment to transform NHS care for veterans, serving personnel and their families.

    • New training for NHS workers to improve healthcare support for veterans.
    • Programme will improve access and outcomes for veterans, serving personnel and their families.
    • Regional trainers will work with GP practices and mental health services to embed expertise where it is needed most

    Armed forces veterans and their families will benefit from improved and targeted healthcare, the government has announced as the nation marks the 80th anniversary of VE Day.

    A new training programme will ensure NHS staff across the country are supported to meet the unique health needs of veterans, serving personnel and their families.

    The new programme will see NHS staff across England receiving dedicated training to help them identify and support patients with military backgrounds. GPs, doctors and NHS nurses will work with regional trainers to make sure they embed this support into their services.

    Veterans can require specialised care for injuries sustained in combat, as well as mental health support for conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression.

    Many also struggle to navigate civilian healthcare systems and may not self-identify as veterans to NHS staff, putting them at risk of missing out on the additional services and bespoke services that are already available.

    Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said:

    As we mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, we’re honouring our Armed Forces not just with words, but with action.

    Too many veterans face a system that doesn’t fully understand their needs – that changes today.

    This new training programme will help NHS staff across England give our veterans the personalised care they deserve. Through our Plan for Change the NHS will deliver for those who have delivered for Britain.

    As of April 2025, every NHS Trust in the country became officially ‘Veteran Aware’, a status which means they have been recognised for demonstrating their understanding of military healthcare needs. The three-year training programme will build on this success and will be rolled out from October 2025 across England.

    The programme, backed by £1.8 million, will support NHS bodies to demonstrate their commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant, which ensures those who serve or have served, and their families, are treated fairly and not disadvantaged because of their military service.

    The training will support healthcare providers to improve identification of Armed Forces personnel, deliver more personalised care, and ultimately improve health outcomes for veterans and their families.

    Kate Davies CBE, National Director for Armed Forces Health, NHS England said:

    On the 80th anniversary of VE Day, we honour the extraordinary legacy of our Armed Forces— and reaffirm the NHS’s commitment to those who’ve served.

    As part of the Armed Forces Covenant, we’re launching our most comprehensive training programme yet to meet the unique healthcare needs of veterans.

    Developed with frontline experts in veterans’ health and those with lived experience, this national initiative ensures those who’ve served receive the high-quality, specialised care they deserve.

    Carol Betteridge OBE, Deputy Services Director at Help for Heroes said:

    We’re pleased to see this important step forward in supporting veterans’ healthcare. Help for Heroes has already been delivering similar training through our Veteran Champion programme in NHS settings, and we look forward to working with NHS England to share our experience and help improve care for veterans and their families.

    The announcement follows a £50 million boost in funding to ensure veterans across the UK will have easier access to essential care and support under a new UK-wide veteran support system, called VALOUR.

    Through the Plan for Change, the government has delivered an extra 3 million appointments since July to cut waiting lists and provided the biggest boost to GP funding in years – an extra £889 million, and on Tuesday 6 May, the government announced a further major cash injection of over £102 million to upgrade and modernize GP practices.

    The government is also bringing back the family doctor, recruiting an additional 1,500 GPs since October, and cutting red tape so GPs spend more time caring for patients.

    Background

    • The National Training and Education Plan will cost £1.8 million over three years (2025/26 – 2027/28), with funding already secured.
    • All NHS Trusts have achieved Veteran Aware Accreditation under the programme led by the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance.
    • Key objectives of the programme include:
      • Driving down health inequalities and unwarranted variation in healthcare for the Armed Forces community
      • Increasing awareness of the unique characteristics of the Armed Forces community
      • Supporting NHS systems to deliver their statutory responsibilities under the Armed Forces Covenant
    • The Training and Education leads will:
      • Provide standardised national Armed Forces awareness training for NHS staff at all levels
      • Help inform NHS commissioning bodies in developing health needs assessments for the Armed Forces community
      • Assist Integrated Care Boards to support armed forces families to better access health services
  • PRESS RELEASE : Tech companies urged to join drive to cut crime [May 2025]

    PRESS RELEASE : Tech companies urged to join drive to cut crime [May 2025]

    The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 8 May 2025.

    Top tech experts are meeting the Justice Secretary as part of a Government drive to use AI and technology to transform the justice system and cut crime.

    • New study shows tags monitoring curfews cut reoffending by 20%
    • Top tech experts assemble to address criminal justice challenges
    • Ambition to use technology to deliver safer streets as part of Plan for Change

    Today around 30 companies including Microsoft, Amazon Web Services and Google will explore how revolutionary tech could be used to tackle violence in prison, better monitor offenders in the community and improve risk assessments of offenders.

    The meeting comes as new research shows curfew tags, which keep offenders at home and off the streets during certain times, can reduce reoffending by 20 per cent. This demonstrates how even older technology is supporting punishment in the community and cutting crime.

    The challenge now is to see how newer technology can contribute to help deliver the Government’s Plan for Change to make streets safer.

    Today’s gathering will be chaired by James Timpson, the prison and probation minister, and opened by Lord Chancellor, Shabana Mahmood.

    Lord Chancellor, Shabana Mahmood, said:

    We inherited a justice system in crisis, with prisons close to collapse and staff overburdened and under pressure.

    We need bold ideas to address the challenges that we face – supporting our staff, delivering swifter justice for victims, and cutting crime.

    Today, we have an analogue justice system in a digital age.

    The UK has a world-leading and growing tech sector, and I know our tech firms have a huge role to play in delivering our Plan for Change to make streets safer.

    The roundtable marks the first time key players in the UK’s tech ecosystem will meet with justice ministers to discuss some of the toughest challenges our courts, prisons and probation system face.

    Discussion will focus on the potential for even more effective tracking of offender movement, using data to aid probation officers to perform better risk assessments and whether digital platforms can help offenders rehabilitate and integrate back into society, cutting reoffending.

    It has been organised in partnership with techUK which is the trade association that brings together companies and organisations to promote digital technology.

    techUK CEO, Julian David OBE said:

    We’re honoured to be hosting this roundtable discussion with the Ministry of Justice – It presents an excellent opportunity for the tech sector to highlight the transformative role that technology is playing in modernising our criminal justice system.

    techUK and our members believe that collaboration and open dialogue are essential to fostering innovation and driving meaningful reform – particularly in how offenders are rehabilitated – and that digital tools can be a powerful force in sustaining this positive impact across society.

    Other companies attending include:

    • Allied Universal: an industry leader technology and service company for three decades
    • Cognizant Worldwide Limited: focuses on modernising technology, reimagining processes and transforming experiences
    • TPXimpact​: a UK-based company focusing on digital transformation and creating positive change for people, places, and the planet

    Microsoft Ltd. UK Public Sector General Manager, Amanda Sleight said:

    We’re thrilled to be part of this groundbreaking initiative with the Ministry of Justice.

    Microsoft is committed to advancing the ethical use of AI technology to reduce the administrative burden on prison and probation staff, allowing them more time to focus on delivering high-quality frontline services, reducing recidivism and helping integrate offenders back into society.

    The aim is for a follow up to this meeting with an event open to the whole of industry to apply to come back and present their groundbreaking ideas and solutions in the coming months.

    Earlier this year, the Lord Chancellor set out her vision for the Probation Service, which included a bold new £8 million pledge to introduce new technology to help risk assess offenders and cut back on admin, increasing focus on those offenders who pose the greatest risk to the public.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Prime Minister to set out vision for ‘defence dividend’ in a changed world [May 2025]

    PRESS RELEASE : Prime Minister to set out vision for ‘defence dividend’ in a changed world [May 2025]

    The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 8 May 2025.

    As the nation marks VE Day, remembering the triumph of our values and the sacrifices made to secure them eight decades ago, the Prime Minister will share his vision for working people, once again, to feel the benefit of Britain stepping up.

    • As the nation marks VE Day, PM will deliver keynote speech at the London Defence Conference
    • He is expected to say that the benefits of boosting defence investment in a changing world must be felt directly in the pockets of working people
    • Seizing on the conference theme of Alliances, he will set out how state, businesses and society must join hands on security and prosperity
    • He will also unveil a £563 million contract for Rolls-Royce, becoming the latest investment in Britain’s first class engine building industry

    As the nation marks VE Day, remembering the triumph of our values and the sacrifices made to secure them eight decades ago, the Prime Minister will share his vision for working people, once again, to feel the benefit of Britain stepping up.

    Delivering the keynote speech at the London Defence Conference this morning, he will describe the government’s task to seize upon the ‘defence dividend’ presented by our increased investment in defence, in order to create jobs, wealth and opportunity in every corner of the country.

    In doing so he will highlight how the government’s boost to defence spending – the highest since the Cold War – will not only provide safety and security for the United Kingdom, but also cement the UK’s status as a defence industrial leader, with more high skilled jobs for people proud to keep our country safe.

    Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to say:

    Our task now is to seize the defence dividend – felt directly in the pockets of working people, rebuilding our industrial base and creating the jobs of the future.

    A national effort. A time for the state, business and society to join hands, in pursuit of the security of the nation and the prosperity of its people.

    An investment in peace, but also an investment in British pride and the British people to build a nation that, once again, lives up to the promises made to the generation who fought for our values, our freedom and our security.

    The Prime Minister will use his speech to deliver a tribute to the bravery of the veterans who secured victory 80 years ago and the remarkable men and women who carry the vital task of protecting our security today. It follows a street party on Downing Street on Monday where the Prime Minister welcomed Second World War veterans and cadets from across the country, and comes ahead of his attendance at the service at Westminster Abbey this afternoon.

    He will say:

    Britain’s victory was not just a victory for Britain. It was a victory for good against the assembled forces of hatred, tyranny and evil, for the light of our values – in a world that tried to put them out.

    Now, as you know, there are people who would happily do likewise today. Our values and security are confronted on a daily basis. We must use this moment to deliver security and renewal for our country.

    At the Conference the Prime Minister will address policymakers, military figures, defence firms and academics from around the world.

    In the face of global instability, he will reflect on how the conference theme ‘Alliances’ should mean not only our iron-clad commitment to NATO and Western Values but also an opportunity to double down on efforts to work hand-in-hand with business and society to make the UK better off and more secure.

    He will announce the latest significant investment in British expertise with a £563 million contract for Rolls-Royce for the maintenance of Britain’s fleet of Typhoon fighter jets. The work to maintain 130 Typhoon engines will take place at Rolls-Royce’s sites, supporting hundreds of jobs in Bristol and beyond.

    The announcement supports the government’s priority of continuing the UK’s great tradition of building the ships, missiles, artillery, vehicles, aircraft and more that keeps us safe – cementing the British defence industry’s place as the engine of national renewal.

    It comes less than a week after the Prime Minister hailed the RAF’s new UK-made StormShroud drones. The groundbreaking new technology will make the RAF’s world-class combat aircraft more survivable and more lethal by delivering high-tech signal jammers to disrupt enemy radar at long ranges, protecting our aircraft and pilots.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Russia has acted to obfuscate and embolden the DPRK’s unlawful pursuit of weapons of mass destruction – UK statement at the UN Security Council [May 2025]

    PRESS RELEASE : Russia has acted to obfuscate and embolden the DPRK’s unlawful pursuit of weapons of mass destruction – UK statement at the UN Security Council [May 2025]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 7 May 2025.

    Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on North Korea.

    Analysis from organisations like the Open Source Centre has become even more vital in the wake of the expertise gap left by the 1718 Panel of Experts.

    One year on, the UK deeply regrets Russia’s decision to veto the mandate renewal of the 1718 Panel of Experts.

    This was a deliberate act used to obfuscate and embolden the DPRK’s unlawful pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, and to conceal Russia’s own erosion of the UN sanctions architecture, which it has a responsibility to uphold as a permanent member of this Council.

    The Panel’s credible, objective and independent reporting enabled this Council and the international community to effectively monitor the implementation of UN sanctions on the DPRK.

    Most importantly, the Panel helped prevent the DPRK’s unlawful and dangerous development of nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

    Since Russia’s veto last year, there have been over 40 missile tests, including one intercontinental ballistic missile test and one intermediate-range ballistic missile test.

    This escalation represents multiple breaches of UN Security Council resolutions, for which we have been deprived of further analysis.

    Colleagues, it is obvious that Russia’s objective was to clear the path for the expansion of their military relationship with the DPRK.

    The DPRK is believed to have supplied 20,000 containers of munitions to Russia, and its artillery and mortar shells account for 60% of those used in Russia’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine.

    And as we’ve heard, in the past week, Russia and the DPRK publicly flaunted their agreement to use DPRK troops as mere cannon fodder in that war.

    Let me be clear, we cannot allow this brazen disregard towards UN sanctions to become normalised.

    The UK will continue to work closely with partners to monitor sanctions evasion, to hold both Russia and the DPRK to account, and to call out those complicit in the DPRK’s violations of UN Security Council resolutions.

    As we have heard over the course of the NPT Prepcom, this Council should stand firm in its defence of the global non-proliferation regime.

    The UK remains steadfast with partners in our shared goal for the DPRK to abandon all nuclear weapons, other weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner.

  • PRESS RELEASE : The UK will continue to pay tribute to the victims of war by pressing for a just and lasting peace in response to conflicts around the world – UK Statement at the UN General Assembly [May 2025]

    PRESS RELEASE : The UK will continue to pay tribute to the victims of war by pressing for a just and lasting peace in response to conflicts around the world – UK Statement at the UN General Assembly [May 2025]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 7 May 2025.

    Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN General Assembly meeting on the Eightieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

    Today, we remember the enormous contributions and sacrifices made, and honour the lives lost, in pursuit of peace and security 80 years ago.

    Allied forces, united in their mission to liberate Europe from Nazi oppression, were victorious.

    But we must never forget the tragic human cost of the Second World War.

    Over 70 million lives lost around the world.

    And as the world wars begin to fade from living memory, we must ensure the stories of those who lived through and fought in them are remembered by generations to come.

    This organisation was founded in the wake of that conflict, to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, underpinned by a Charter which united the world with the aim of maintaining international peace and security, reaffirming our shared faith in Human Rights, and promoting development.

    The United Kingdom remains deeply committed to those principles and to the UN Charter.

    In the UN’s 80th year, our shared mission is more important than ever.

    The world faces the highest number of conflicts globally since the UN’s inception.

    The human costs are rising.

    In Europe, security is once again threatened by blatant disrespect for the principles of sovereign equality of States and respect for territorial integrity.

    These principles matter for all states.

    President, my grandfather served as a British Army officer in France and in Italy during the Second World War. Decades later, even at the height of the Cold War, he spoke warmly of the Soviet forces he had fought alongside to defeat fascism.

    Russia’s claims that the Ukrainian government is akin to the regime of the German Nazis is false and malicious propaganda that insults the memory of the Soviet forces who fought and died during the Second World War.

    We were called here today for one solemn purpose: to commemorate the victims of the Second World War.

    The fact that Russia sees fit to use this meeting to peddle blatant disinformation about is shameful, but it will not distract us.

    As my Prime Minister said, this is a time to celebrate hard-won peace, honour the memory of those who lost their lives and remember the sacrifices made by so many to secure our freedom.

    The United Kingdom will continue to pay tribute to the victims of war by pressing for a just and lasting peace in response to conflicts around the world.

    As we join together today, we encourage all Member States to consider this anniversary a stark reminder that peace cannot be taken for granted.

    We must all redouble our efforts to bring about the peace and security the people of the world need and which they deserve.