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Tag: Press Release

  • PRESS RELEASE : Venki Ramakrishnan has been reappointed as a Board Member of the British Library [November 2024]

    PRESS RELEASE : Venki Ramakrishnan has been reappointed as a Board Member of the British Library [November 2024]

    The press release issued by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on 13 November 2024.

    The Secretary of State has reappointed Venki Ramakrishnan as Board Member for the British Library for a 4 year term from 15 June 2024 to 14 June 2028.

    Venki Ramakrishnan

    Appointed for a 4 year term commencing 15 June 2024 to 14 June 2028.

    Venki is a scientist at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge. He is best known for his work on how the ribosome, a large molecular complex, translates genetic information to synthesize the thousands of proteins required for life, and how this process is regulated. For his work, he shared the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Venki was the President of the Royal Society from 2015-2020.

    He is the author of two books: Why We Die: The New Science of Aging and the Quest for Immortality (2024), and Gene Machine (2018), a memoir about the race for the structure of the ribosome.

    Remuneration and Governance Code

    Trustees of the British Library are remunerated £9,130 per annum. This appointment has been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election. Venki Ramakrishnan has not declared any significant political activity.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Universal Periodic Review 47 – UK Statement on Qatar [November 2024]

    PRESS RELEASE : Universal Periodic Review 47 – UK Statement on Qatar [November 2024]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 13 November 2024.

    Statement by the UK’s Human Rights Ambassador, Eleanor Sanders, at Qatar’s Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

    Thank you, Madam Vice President,

    I’d like to warmly welcome the delegation and congratulate Qatar on its re-election to the Human Rights Council. We recognise progress since its 2019 review including on improved protections for migrant workers, particularly the removal of the Kafala system.

    We call on Qatar to recognise the importance of Freedom of Expression and Freedom of Religion or Belief for all, and to make its death penalty moratorium permanent.

    We have three recommendations :

    1. Adopt legislation that ensures effective prosecution of violations against domestic workers, while protecting their rights to remain in Qatar.
    2. Adopt legislation to ensure workers’ rights are protected when employers issue a certificate of good conduct.
    3. Adopt legislation to ensure non discrimination on the grounds of disability, gender, sexual orientation, race, religion or belief.

    Thank you.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Reforms to flood funding and investment to protect farming communities [November 2024]

    PRESS RELEASE : Reforms to flood funding and investment to protect farming communities [November 2024]

    The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 13 November 2024.

    £50 million investment into internal drainage boards and plans to consult on new strategic vision for floods investment.

    The government is bolstering England’s resilience to flooding through additional financial support to farmers and rural communities, as well as refreshing its approach to delivering funding to make sure it works for communities, Floods Minister Emma Hardy will announce today (Wednesday 13 November).

    Recognising the significant impact of flooding on farmers, an additional £50 million will be distributed to internal drainage boards (IDBs), the public bodies responsible for managing water levels for agricultural and environmental needs in a particular area.

    This transformational investment will put IDBs on a firm footing to deliver their vital role in flood and water management for years to come. IDBs that submit successful bids will be able to spend the £50 million on projects over the next two years. This will benefit projects that will improve, repair or replace IDB assets – including flood barriers, embankments and maintenance of watercourses. The funding will support projects which reduce risks and impacts from flooding to farmers and rural communities across England. The Environment Agency has begun work with IDBs to distribute the funding from today.

    But the government has also committed to going further to protect communities from flooding. The government inherited an outdated funding formula for allocating money to proposed flood defences. Established in 2011, the existing formula slows down the delivery of new flood schemes through a complex application process, and also neglects more innovative approaches to flood management such as nature-based approaches and sustainable drainage.

    A consultation will be launched in the new year which will include a review of the existing formula to ensure that the challenges facing businesses and rural and coastal communities are adequately taken into account when delivering flood protection.

    The government has also today confirmed payments to farmers impacted by last year’s severe weather through the Farming Recovery Fund. A total of £60 million will be distributed to eligible farmers, via recovery payments of between £2,895 and £25,000 to around 13,000 farm businesses. Payments are expected to land in farmers’ accounts from 21 November.

    Floods Minister Emma Hardy said:

    Farmers are the backbone of the nation, with their hard work helping to put food on the family tables across the country.

    More intense weather events are destroying homes, businesses and livelihoods across the country, with farming communities facing the heaviest consequences.

    That is why this Government is reforming how flood funds are distributed to protect businesses, rural and coastal communities as we invest over £2.4 billion in flood defences across the country.

    The government is investing £2.4 billion until March 2026 to improve flood resilience and better protect communities across the country, including from coastal erosion, with further decisions for 2026/27 and beyond made at the next Spending Review.

    In September, the Secretary of State also convened the first meeting of the new Floods Resilience Taskforce. This brings together representatives from central and local government, Local Resilience Forums, emergency responders and the National Farmers Union, among others, to discuss how they will speed up and co-ordinate flooding preparation and resilience.

  • PRESS RELEASE : These sanctions are crucial to maintaining pressure on the Houthis – UK explanation of vote at the UN Security Council [November 2024]

    PRESS RELEASE : These sanctions are crucial to maintaining pressure on the Houthis – UK explanation of vote at the UN Security Council [November 2024]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 13 November 2024.

    Explanation of vote by Ambassador Barbara Woodward, UK Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on Yemen.

    We thank the Council for its show of unity in the adoption of a twelve-month technical rollover. The Council’s continued positive engagement on this file is crucial to rejuvenating the Yemeni peace process.

    This demonstration of consensus sends a clear signal that the Council continues to value the critical role Resolution 2140 plays in maintaining pressure on the Houthis, who continue to block the pathway to peace in Yemen.

    The international community continues to strongly support the UN’s institutions and mandates, which ensure effective implementation of sanctions, contained in 2140, and the arms embargo, contained in Resolution 2216.

    These tools play a vital role in limiting the ability of the Houthis to destabilise Yemen, threaten the Red Sea and hamper peace efforts.

    As a Council, we stand ready to support the efforts of UN Special Envoy Grundberg and Yemeni stakeholders in securing a durable peace in Yemen.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Next steps set out to permanently cut business rates for the high street [November 2024]

    PRESS RELEASE : Next steps set out to permanently cut business rates for the high street [November 2024]

    The press release issued by HM Treasury on 13 November 2024.

    Legislation has today been introduced to allow government, for the first time, to permanently cut business rates for retail, hospitality and leisure properties.

    • To fund this sustainably, the top one percent of high-value properties, such as large warehouses used by online giants will be asked to pay more to support the high-street.
    • 865,000 employers will not pay National Insurance next year as Employment Allowance increase set to become law.

    Draft legislation has today been published to, for the first time, permanently cut business rates for retail hospitality and leisure properties from 2026.

    High streets across the UK will benefit from business rates for retail, hospitality and leisure properties being permanently cut for the first time from 2026, following the introduction of legislation in Parliament today.

    This begins the delivery of the government’s promise to reform business rates and help the high street.

    The tax cut will be funded by a tax rise for the very largest business properties, such as online sales warehouses.

    Until then, 250,000 retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties will receive 40% relief off their business rates bills up to £110,000 per business to help smooth the transition to the new system. This support is alongside the Budget announcement to freeze the small business multiplier, together with Small Business Rates Relief protecting over a million properties from inflationary increases. Taken together, this is a package worth over £1.6 billion in 2025-26.

    To further support retailers, the government is today also introducing legislation to increase the Employment Allowance from £5000 to £10,500, meaning 865,000 employers will not pay employer national insurance next year.

    James Murray, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, said:

    For too long the business rates system has been working against our high streets.

    Today is a major step towards our new system that will support retail, hospitality and leisure businesses on our high streets to succeed.

    This Bill paves the way for a permanent cut to their tax rate, helping to level the playing field between them and online and out-of-town businesses.

    The government today is also legislating to increase the Employment Allowance – a discount in National Insurance bills – from £5,000 to £10,500 from April 2025.

    The increase to the Employment Allowance will mean that 865,000 employers will not pay any employer National Insurance next year, and 250,000 employers will pay less National Insurance than they are now.

    It will allow firms to employ up to four National Living Wage workers full time without paying employer National Insurance on their wages.

    The eligibility of the allowance will also be expanded to include all eligible employers, rather than just those with a wage bill of less that £100,000 a year.

    Craig Beaumont, Federation of Small Businesses Executive Director, said:

    We are pleased to see James Murray and the whole Treasury team take this important step forward today – legislating for the significant increase to the Employment Allowance which FSB strongly championed, to protect smaller businesses with employment costs. But also taking a decisive step forward on business rates reform.

    For far too long, permanent business rates reform has been put into the too difficult box. It is extremely encouraging on rates to see Ministers standing up for small firms in retail and hospitality and taking long-term action necessary to the future of our high streets – we look forward to continuing to work in partnership with the new Government to make sure no small businesses whatsoever are blocked from achieving their ambitions by a rates system that has not simply not kept pace with the needs of a modern economy.

    This follows important action announced by the Business Secretary to tackle the scourge of late payments and to take forward an Industrial Strategy to unblock the supply side barriers holding small firms back from their full potential.

    To calculate a property’s business rates bill, the rateable value of a property is multiplied by the relevant multiplier (tax rate).

    Today’s Non-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) Bill means that new permanently lower multipliers for RHL properties can be introduced from 2026. This permanent tax cut will ensure that they benefit from much-needed certainty and support.

    This will help the government achieve its goal for a fairer business rates system that protects the high-street and supports investment – one that is fit for the 21st century.

    With public services crumbling and a £22 billion fiscal hole to address, ministers have been clear that the new RHL tax rates must be sustainably funded.

    This will be achieved by a higher tax rate for the top 1% most valuable properties – those with a rateable value of at least £500,000. Large distribution warehouses, including those used by online giants, will help fund the high street tax cut.

    Until 2026, 250,000 RHL premises will see 40% relief off their bills next year up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business.

    The new RHL tax rates will provide meaningful support to RHL businesses of all sizes in recognition of the role RHL chains play in attracting footfall to the high-street. A discussion paper has also been published to engage with businesses over the next six months on how to further reform the system outside of retail, hospitality and leisure.

    Sebastian James, former CEO of Boots and Dixons Carphone, said:

    It is very welcome to see the Government take steps to rebalance the heavy business rates load on bricks and mortar retail and hospitality as businesses, both large and small, in this vital sector seek to mitigate cost pressures in order that our high streets up and down the country can flourish as the centres of their communities.

    The National Insurance Contributions Bill which will increase the Employer Allowance, also increases National Insurance for businesses to invest in public services, including to help fund the NHS by an extra £22.6 billion over two years compared to 2023/24, as well as other measures to avoid austerity.  This will support the NHS to deliver its First Step on its Health Mission of 40,000 extra elective appointments a week and make progress towards the commitment that patients should expect to wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Zero tolerance for failure under package of tough NHS reforms [November 2024]

    PRESS RELEASE : Zero tolerance for failure under package of tough NHS reforms [November 2024]

    The press release issued by the Department of Health and Social Care on 13 November 2024.

    Health and Social Care Secretary will outline how government and NHS leaders have a duty to patients and taxpayers to get the system working well.

    • Wes Streeting to reveal package of reforms and announce new league table of NHS providers, with top talent attracted to most challenging areas and persistently failing managers to be sacked
    • Turnaround teams sent into struggling hospitals, while best performers given greater freedoms over funding to modernise technology and equipment
    • No more rewards for failure, with reforms to ensure every penny of extra investment into NHS is well spent and waiting times for patients slashed

    NHS league tables will be introduced to help tackle the NHS crisis and ensure there are ‘no more rewards for failure’, as part of a tough package of reforms to be announced by the Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting today (13 November 2024).

    Addressing the nation’s health leaders at the NHS Providers annual conference in Liverpool, he will outline how government and NHS leaders have a duty to patients and taxpayers to get the system working well and get better value for money.

    NHS England will carry out a no holds barred sweeping review of NHS performance across the entire country, with providers to be placed into a league table. This will be made public and regularly updated to ensure leaders, policy makers and patients know which improvements need to be prioritised.

    Persistently failing managers will be replaced and turnaround teams of expert leaders will be deployed to help providers which are running big deficits or poor services for patients, offering them urgent, effective support so they can improve their service.

    High-performing providers will be given greater freedom over funding and flexibility. There is little incentive across the system to run budget surpluses as providers cannot benefit from it. The reforms today will reward top-performing providers and give them more capital and greater control over where to invest it in modernising their buildings, equipment and technology.

    The government will deliver a health service fit for the future, fixing the foundations while delivering change with investment and reform to deliver growth, get the NHS back on its feet and rebuild Britain.

    Health and Social Care Secretary,Wes Streeting, said:

    The budget showed this government prioritises the NHS, providing the investment needed to rebuild the health service. Today we are announcing the reforms to make sure every penny of extra investment is well spent and cuts waiting times for patients.

    There’ll be no more turning a blind eye to failure. We will drive the health service to improve, so patients get more out of it for what taxpayers put in.

    Our health service must attract top talent, be far more transparent to the public who pay for it, and run as efficiently as global businesses.

    With the combination of investment and reform, we will turn the NHS around and cut waiting times from 18 months to 18 weeks.

    Amanda Pritchard, NHS Chief Executive, said:

    While NHS leaders welcome accountability, it is critical that responsibility comes with the necessary support and development.

    The extensive package of reforms, developed together with government, will empower all leaders working in the NHS and it will give them the tools they need to provide the best possible services for our patients.

    The NHS Oversight Framework, which sets out how trusts and integrated care boards are best monitored, will be updated by the next financial year to ensure performance is properly scrutinised.

    Deep dives into poorly performing trusts will be carried out by the government and NHS England to identify the most pressing issues and how they can be resolved.

    Louise Ansari, Chief Executive of Healthwatch England, said:

    People value the hard work of NHS staff, but it’s frustrating when services fail to operate effectively. So, a fresh approach to improving NHS performance is welcome.

    Currently, living in an area with either an outstanding or poorly performing NHS trust feels like a postcode lottery. When a service is underperforming, it often takes far too long for patients to see the necessary improvements.

    This is because the current system focuses on evaluating service performance based on the number of tasks it completes and it does not do enough to measure patients’ overall outcomes and experiences.

    Establishing a better system that encourages NHS managers to focus on delivering the best care as efficiently as possible, and leads to quicker changes at struggling trusts, would be good news for everyone.

    NHS senior managers who fail to make progress will also be ineligible for pay increases. There will be financial implications for very senior managers (VSMs) such as chief executives if they are failing to improve their trust’s performance, or letting patients down with poor levels of care.

    A new pay framework for VSMs will be published before April 2025. Senior leaders who are successfully improving performance will be rewarded, to ensure the NHS continues to develop and attract the best talent to the top positions.

    The changes are made in response to Lord Darzi’s investigation into the NHS, which found that:

    The only criteria by which trust chief executive pay is set is the turnover of the organisation. Neither the timeliness of access nor the quality of care are routinely factored into pay. This encourages organisations to grow their revenue rather than to improve operational performance.

    The cost to the health service of hiring temporary workers sits at a staggering £3 billion a year. Under joint plans to be put forward for consultation in the coming weeks, NHS trusts could be banned from using agencies to hire temporary entry level workers in bands 2 and 3, such as healthcare assistants and domestic support workers. The consultation will also include a proposal to stop NHS staff resigning and then immediately offering their services back to the health service through a recruitment agency.

    Rachel Power, Chief Executive, Patients Association, said:

    We welcome today’s commitment to improving NHS performance and accountability. These reforms signal an important drive for positive change in our health system. The focus on tackling poor performance and rewarding excellence sends a clear message about raising standards across the NHS.

    At the same time, we know from the experience of patients that real transformation comes through genuine partnership with patients. We look forward to working with NHS England to ensure patient voices help shape how any league tables are developed and how success is measured.

    The proposed support teams for struggling trusts could be particularly effective if they include patient representatives and focus on building a culture of patient partnership. This is an opportunity to combine better management with deeper patient involvement – creating an NHS that is both more efficient and more responsive to people’s needs.

    We hope trusts who receive greater funding freedom will use this money wisely – to cut waiting times, make the waiting experience better for patients, and strengthen the ways they work with patients to improve services. These are the things that matter most to people using the NHS.

    Lord Darzi’s investigation into the NHS found that hospital productivity has nosedived in the past 5 years. During that time resources have increased by 20%, but the number of patients treated has only increased by 3%.

    This comes a month after the Health and Social Care Secretary kicked off the biggest national conversation about the future of the NHS since its birth, calling on the entire country to share their experiences of our health service and help shape the government’s 10 Year Health Plan.

    Members of the public, as well as NHS staff and experts, are sharing their experiences, views and ideas for fixing the NHS via the Change NHS online platform, which will be live until the start of next year, and available via the NHS App.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Transport Secretary launches review of train company revenue protection practices [November 2024]

    PRESS RELEASE : Transport Secretary launches review of train company revenue protection practices [November 2024]

    The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 13 November 2024.

    The review will help restore passengers’ confidence in the system.

    • rail regulator asked to review how train operators tackle suspected fare evasion
    • rigorous enforcement against deliberate fare evasion, abuse, and violence will continue

    The Transport Secretary has commissioned a review into the way train companies tackle suspected fare evasion.

    This will include how clear terms and conditions are for passengers and how they are communicated, as well as when prosecution is an appropriate step.

    Train operators are able to use a variety of methods to ensure customers are paying the correct amount – including, in some cases, prosecuting. However, reports have emerged of instances where a disproportionate approach might have been taken to those making a genuine mistake.

    The Transport Secretary has therefore requested the independent regulator, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), carry out a review of the issue and assess operators’ enforcement and broader consumer practices in this area, including the use of prosecutions.

    Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said:

    Make no mistake, deliberate fare-dodging has no place on our railways and must be tackled, but innocent people shouldn’t feel like a genuine mistake will land them in court.

    An independent review is the right course of action, and will help restore passengers’ confidence in the system.

    It is clear that ticketing is far too complicated, with a labyrinth of different fares and prices which can be confusing for passengers. That’s why we have committed to the biggest overhaul of our railways in a generation, including simplifying fares to make travelling by train easier.

    ORR director of strategy, policy and reform Stephanie Tobyn said:

    We welcome the opportunity to conduct this review.

    It is important passengers are treated fairly and dealt with consistently and proportionately when ticketing issues arise, whilst also balancing the legitimate revenue protection interests of operators and taxpayers.

    In commissioning the review, the Transport Secretary encouraged the ORR’s review team to draw upon advice from independent experts, including legal and industry specialists, as well as engaging fully with passenger representatives.

    Officials at the Department for Transport will work at pace with the ORR to finalise the scope, timings and terms of reference.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Over 4,700 newly funded post-graduate places in UK universities to create new generation of engineers and scientists [November 2024]

    PRESS RELEASE : Over 4,700 newly funded post-graduate places in UK universities to create new generation of engineers and scientists [November 2024]

    The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 13 November 2024.

    Thousands of post-graduate students will be backed by government to study biological, engineering and environmental sciences at 45 universities across the UK.

    • New funding will support thousands of students and universities to reap the benefits of talent and expertise for UK’s people and economy
    • Past funding has led to discoveries working to change lives for the better and multi-million-pound spinout companies
    • Package will support the next generation of world-class researchers in biological, engineering and physical sciences and more

    Thousands of postgraduate students will study cutting-edge science at universities across the UK as part of a £500 million skills drive announced today (Wednesday 13 November) by the Science Secretary Peter Kyle.

    This backing of our higher education sector will unearth new discoveries and bring through the expert workforce that can grow our economy and improve lives for years to come.

    Support will be targeted to areas of study where universities are particularly strong, with over 4,700 talented students and 45 of our world-class higher education institutions unlocking the next generation of transformative discoveries, from pursuing the next lifesaving drug to investigating the clean energy of the future, and beyond.

    The Doctoral Landscape and Doctoral Focal Awards, provided by UKRI and announced on National Engineering Day, will open doors to bright students to study projects in biological, engineering and physical, and natural and environmental sciences. The funding has been made available to universities and prospective students will apply in the coming months ahead of beginning their studies next year.

    It supports our world-leading universities by creating opportunities to commercialise discoveries which could in time bring in millions of pounds to institutions, reflecting the key role they play in getting ambitious projects off the ground. These successes also enhance the reputation of our great universities, signalling them as centres of excellence in their subjects, which can attract more of the brightest researchers to study there and funding to support further research in their areas of expertise.

    Similar funding packages supported former University of Leicester PhD student, Dr Roland Leigh, to create a tool now available to millions around the world to reduce the harm of air pollution by monitoring its levels. His work as Chief Technical Officer at UK-firm Earthsense continues to tackle its impact – with bases in six continents – as the largest environmental risk to public health in the UK, linked to shorter lifespans and chronic diseases like asthma.

    It also led to the foundation of Wild Bio by former University of Oxford student Ross Hendron – a spinout launched with £12 million of seed capital, the largest ever seed fundraise in plant science in Europe. The project is working to make crops such as wheat and maize grow faster by integrating expertise in plant biology with computer algorithms to analyse crop genetics, to tackle the challenges of global food security and climate change.

    Science and Technology Secretary, Peter Kyle, said:

    Backing the next generation of great scientific minds to fulfil their potential is crucial to unlocking the discoveries which improve our lives and keep our economy growing over the long term through highly skilled jobs.

    This £500 million investment will support our vitally important higher education sector while supporting more bright students to pursue their talents and in turn deliver the life-saving drugs and clean energy alternatives of the future, that benefit all of our lives.

    The aim of this funding is to support the next generation of researchers in further groundbreaking work across the breadth of scientific discovery, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in health, physics, engineering and more, and driving the economic growth we need in the UK.

    Other past recipients of similar funding packages include Dr Jennifer Olsen, who was named among the Women in Engineering Society’s ‘WE50 Engineering Heroes’ for her PhD work at Newcastle University to improve the function and comfort of prosthetic limbs, with her research continuing into improving the safety of prosthetic sockets.

    Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said:

    Our universities are vital engines of growth, and this government is backing them to cement this status by building a pipeline of skills that will drive the country’s economic recovery.

    We have also been clear that we want to work with the higher education sector on a wider programme of reform, with Skills England helping ensure young people and adults have the training they need to access real opportunities in tomorrow’s economy, particularly those essential to advancing our clean energy goals and achieving a sustainable future.

    UKRI Chief Executive, Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser, said:

    UKRI’s investments in Doctoral Training are pivotal for the UK’s research and innovation endeavour.

    The awards provide funding for Universities across the UK to nurture a cadre of creative, talented people to develop their skills and knowledge, to build partnerships and networks, and to pursue the discoveries that will transform tomorrow, with diverse benefits for society and economic growth.

    Dr John Lazar CBE FREng, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, said:

    We warmly welcome this announcement on National Engineering Day, which celebrates the transformative power of engineering to shape the world around us and improve our lives. UK engineering research has a strong global reputation and today’s support from government is an investment in our future economy.

    Research advances in engineering and science provide the foundation for new products and services that generate jobs and benefit society. Engineering traverses the modern economy and engineers are involved in almost every economic sector, including many ‘non-engineering’ industries like financial services and the media.

    Notes to editors

    More than £564 million of funding announced will be allocated through three of UKRI’s research councils:

    • Jointly, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and Natural Environment Research Council Doctoral Landscape Awards will invest £293 million in more than 2,300 studentships across five cohorts.
    • The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council will invest £279 million in doctoral landscape awards, supporting 2,400 studentships at 40 universities.
    • The Natural Environment Research Council will invest a further £11.4 million to support around 90 studentships through 4 focal awards.
  • PRESS RELEASE : Closure of the Office for Place [November 2024]

    PRESS RELEASE : Closure of the Office for Place [November 2024]

    The press release issued by the Department of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 13 November 2024.

    The Office for Place will be closed down and the expertise of its staff redeployed within the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government across the country, where support for design and placemaking will continue.

    The decision was announced through a Written Ministerial Statement on 12 November 2024.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Keir Starmer meeting with President Aliyev of Azerbaijan [November 2024]

    PRESS RELEASE : Keir Starmer meeting with President Aliyev of Azerbaijan [November 2024]

    The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 12 November 2024.

    Today the Prime Minister met with President Aliyev at the COP29 summit in Baku.

    The Prime Minister congratulated the President on a successful summit opening, and remarked on the importance of international engagement on this urgent challenge.

    The Prime Minister said he was looking forward to working together on the clean energy transition, including solar and other renewable innovations.

    Turning to Ukraine, the leaders updated each other on latest events. The Prime Minister reiterated the UK’s unwavering commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.