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Tag: Press Release

  • PRESS RELEASE : North Korea missile launch on 22 November – FCDO statement [November 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : North Korea missile launch on 22 November – FCDO statement [November 2023]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 24 November 2023.

    Following North Korea’s ballistic missile launch on 22 November, a Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) spokesperson gave a statement.

    An FCDO spokesperson said:

    North Korea’s ballistic missile launch on 22 November is, again, a breach of multiple UN Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs). Unlawful ballistic missile launches continue to destabilise the peace and security of the Korean Peninsula.

    The UK strongly urges North Korea to refrain from further provocations, return to dialogue and take credible steps towards denuclearisation.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Changes to data protection laws to unlock post-Brexit opportunity [November 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Changes to data protection laws to unlock post-Brexit opportunity [November 2023]

    The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 24 November 2023.

    Common sense changes to the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill will safeguard the public, prevent fraud, and unlock post-Brexit opportunities.

    • Data Protection and Digital Information Bill amendments tabled to further improve data security, bolster national security and prevent fraud
    • changes include better use of data to identify fraud – tackling benefits cheats intent on ripping off the taxpayer
    • new measures also brought forward around preserving the data of deceased children, supporting bereaved families and coroner investigations

    A raft of common-sense changes to the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill will build an innovative data protection regime in the UK, crack down on benefit fraud cheats, and allow the country to realise new post-Brexit freedoms which are expected to deliver new economic opportunities to the tune of at least £4 billion.

    The changes include new powers to require data from third parties, particularly banks and financial organisations, to help the UK government reduce benefit fraud and save the taxpayer up to £600 million over the next five years. Currently, Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) can only undertake fraud checks on a claimant on an individual basis, where there is already a suspicion of fraud.

    The new proposals would allow regular checks to be carried out on the bank accounts held by benefit claimants to spot increases in their savings which push them over the benefit eligibility threshold, or when people send more time overseas than the benefit rules allow for. This will help identify fraud take action more quickly. To make sure that privacy concerns are at the heart of these new measures, only a minimum amount of data will be accessed and only in instances which show a potential risk of fraud and error.

    Another measure offers vital reassurance and support to families as they grieve the loss of a child. In cases where a child has died through suicide, a proposed ‘data preservation process’ would require social media companies to keep any relevant personal data which could then be used in subsequent investigations or inquests.

    Current rules mean that social media companies aren’t obliged to hold onto this data for longer than is needed, meaning that data which could prove vital to coroner investigations could be deleted as part of a platform’s routine maintenance. The change tabled today represents an important step for families coming to terms with the loss of a loved one, and takes further steps to help ensure harmful content has no place online.

    The use of biometric data, such as fingerprints, to strengthen national security is also covered by the amendments, with the ability of Counter Terrorism Police to hold onto the biometrics of individuals who pose a potential threat, and which are supplied by organisations such as Interpol, being bolstered.

    This would see officers being able to retain biometric data for as long as an INTERPOL notice is in force, matching this process up with INTERPOL’s own retention rules. The amendments will also ensure that where an individual has a foreign conviction, their biometrics will be able to be retained indefinitely in the same way as is already possible for individuals with UK convictions – this is particularly important where foreign nationals may have existing convictions for serious offences, including terrorist offences.

    Maintaining the UK’s high standards of data protection is central to both the wider Bill and the proposed amendments which have been laid today.

    Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Michelle Donelan, said:

    Britain has seized a key Brexit opportunity – boosting small businesses, protecting consumers and cracking down on criminal enterprises like nuisance calling and benefit fraud.

    These changes protect our privacy and data while also injecting common sense into the system – whether it is cracking down on cookies, scrapping pointless paperwork which stifles productivity, tackling benefit fraud or making it easier to protect our citizens from criminals.

    These changes help to establish the UK as a world-leading data economy; one that puts consumers and businesses at the centre and removes the ‘one-size-fits-all’ barriers that have held many British businesses back.

    The Bill’s focus is to create an innovative and flexible data protection regime which will maintain the UK’s high standards of data protection, streamline processes for companies, strengthen national security, and support grieving families. Making it easier to use personal data which will improve efficiency, lead to better public services, and enable new innovations across science, innovation, and technology.

    Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Mel Stride MP, said:

    These new powers send a very clear message to benefit fraudsters – we won’t stand for it. These people are taking the taxpayer for a ride and it is right that we do all we can to bring them to justice.

    These powers will be used proportionately, ensuring claimants’ data is safely protected while rooting out fraudsters at the earliest possible opportunity.

    Home Secretary, James Cleverly, said:

    My priority is to continue cutting crime and ensuring the public is protected from security threats. Law enforcement and our security partners must have access to the best possible tools and data, including biometrics, to continue to keep us safe.

    This Bill will improve the efficiency of data protection for our security and policing partners—encouraging better use of personal information and ensuring appropriate safeguards for privacy.

    The amendments tabled today show the practical steps being taken by the UK government to improve how the nation uses and accesses personal data, capitalising on the UK’s departure from the European Union to introduce measures which will protect the public purse, strengthen national security, and offer important support to grieving families.

    These amendments will also help the Bill realise its ambition of bulldozing burdens for businesses and removing restrictions for researchers, ensuring new advances in science, innovation, and technology can be fuelled by more practical ways to access data.

  • PRESS RELEASE : On the 90th anniversary of the Holodomor: UK statement to the OSCE [November 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : On the 90th anniversary of the Holodomor: UK statement to the OSCE [November 2023]

    The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 24 November 2023.

    Ankur Narayan, UK Delegation to the OSCE, marks the 90th anniversary of the Holodomor, paying tribute to all those who lost their lives, and condemning Russia’s current weaponisation of food against Ukraine.

    On this 90th anniversary, we remember the Holodomor as one of the darkest chapters in Ukrainian and European history. A vast and horrific man-made disaster that killed millions of innocent people. I regret to say that the period we are in now is also one of darkness, a chapter of premeditated and unprovoked Russian aggression.

    The UK pays tribute to all those who lost their lives. We also pay tribute to our Ukrainian friends, who continue to work to ensure that the truth of the Holodomor is recognised, after decades of suppression by the Soviet Union. We also commend the bravery of other organisations and individuals who have sought to expose these Soviet-era atrocities, particularly in Russia. We condemn their persecution by Russian authorities for trying to expose the truth.

    We must never stop learning from the horrors inflicted on the Ukrainian people during the Holodomor, nor allow the millions who perished to be forgotten.

    While marking the 90th anniversary of the Holodomor, Ukraine continues to face Russian aggression. Since its illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has used food as one of its many weapons of war. Alongside Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Russia has conducted hundreds of strikes against Ukraine’s ports, clearly intended to prevent Ukraine from exporting its grain. Ukrainian grain exports are crucial to ensuring global food security and resilient global markets.

    The UK Foreign Secretary’s visit last week to Odesa on the Black Sea coast underlined the UK’s support to Ukrainian efforts to defend itself from Russian attacks against its grain exports and infrastructure, including Ukraine’s new export corridor. The Foreign Secretary marked the launch of the new ‘Unity Facility’ between Marsh McLennan and the Ukrainian government which will provide affordable shipping insurance for companies’ grain and other critical food supplies from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports.  We would also like to welcome Ukraine’s Summit on 25 November, which will drive support for the ‘Grain from Ukraine’ initiative and consider concrete steps to counter the damage of Russia’s illegal invasion on global food security.

    Madam Chair, it is vitally important that we work collectively to promote global food security, to ensure that suffering such as that experienced during the Holodomor is not repeated. Thank you.

  • PRESS RELEASE : New Quantum Missions launched as Science Minister visits new advanced quantum lab [November 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : New Quantum Missions launched as Science Minister visits new advanced quantum lab [November 2023]

    The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 24 November 2023.

    Science Minister Andrew Griffith made his first ministerial visit yesterday to the National Physical Laboratory following the announcement of five Quantum Missions at the Autumn Statement.

    • The government has launched five new Quantum Missions, building on UK’s £2.5 billion Quantum Strategy
    • missions aim to galvanise academics, industry and private investors to commit time and resource towards hitting significant milestones, like embedding quantum sensing into the NHS
    • new Science Minister Andrew Griffith makes first visit to National Physical Laboratory, to see new Advanced Quantum Metrology Lab

    Science Minister Andrew Griffith made his first ministerial visit yesterday (Thursday 23 November) to the National Physical Laboratory and its new state-of-the-art lab. The visit marks the launch of five new Quantum Missions aimed at securing the UK’s status as a world leader in the technology, by setting clear milestones for inward investment and research in areas like computing, healthcare and navigation.

    On Wednesday, (22 November) the Chancellor launched the five new Quantum Missions as part of the Autumn Statement, with the stated aim of galvanising academics, industry and private investors to commit time and resource towards achieving specific key milestones over the next decade and a half.

    With the biggest impacts for quantum technologies expected in the long-term, these Missions will help crystallize the activity and investment needed in the public and private sectors to achieve ambitious milestones for this technology. The advent of quantum technology could see faster and more successful financial modelling that reduces risk for businesses, new sensors detecting cancers and other diseases more quickly and the creation of batteries far more efficient than ever before.

    The Missions, backed by our £2.5 billion Quantum Strategy, are:

    • By 2035, there will be accessible, UK-based quantum computers capable of running 1 trillion operations and supporting applications that provide benefits well in excess of classical supercomputers across key sectors of the economy.
    • By 2035, the UK will have deployed the world’s most advanced quantum network at scale, pioneering the future quantum internet.
    • By 2030, every NHS Trust will benefit from quantum sensing-enabled solutions, helping those with chronic illness live healthier, longer lives through early diagnosis and treatment.
    • By 2030, quantum navigation systems, including clocks, will be deployed on aircraft, providing next-generation accuracy for resilience that is independent of satellite signals.
    • By 2030, mobile, networked quantum sensors will have unlocked new situational awareness capabilities, exploited across critical infrastructure in the transport, telecoms, energy, and defence sectors.

    The Science Minister visited the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington, home to their Advanced Quantum Metrology Lab, a new, state-of-the-art facility used for the test and evaluation of clocks, which provides super-accurate timing that researchers and companies can access to test their own technology and validate their research.

    On the visit the Minister met with some of the leading quantum scientists and engineers in the country, as well as toured the state-of-the-art facilities, including those which provide the UK’s own exact time, as well as a 3 metres tall quantum refrigerator that is colder than deep space.

    Minister Griffith was appointed as Science Minister last week following a sterling career in the City of London and recently serving as City Minister within the Treasury.

    The Minister will leverage this experience to ensure the UK’s burgeoning science sector can secure both the domestic and foreign investment it needs to build scalable industries of tomorrow, including quantum technologies.

    Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation, Minister Andrew Griffith said:

    Quantum technology has the potential to revolutionise the way modern economies work through an exponential increase in processing speed and power.

    I want to ensure the UK is in a position to be one of the first and biggest beneficiaries of this game-changing technology, which is why we are investing £2.5 billion in quantum over the next ten years, and launching these Quantum Missions to focus the minds of investors and researchers on the key concrete steps we can take.

    The announcement of the Five Quantum Missions at the Autumn Statement comes alongside further support for UK compute, including an investment of £500 million into using compute for artificial intelligence (AI), spread over two years.

    Quantum technologies – one of the government’s five critical technologies – are devices and systems using quantum mechanics to provide capabilities that ‘classical’ machines like binary computers cannot. They could bring enormous benefits to the economy, such as making it possible to solve complex problems impossible to solve with even the most powerful high-performance classical computers, and opening entirely new frontiers in sensing, timing, imaging, and communications.

    Dr Peter Thompson, CEO, National Physical Laboratory (NPL) said:

    Our science and engineering facilities at National Physical Laboratory (NPL), which the Minister has seen today, are directly contributing to the realisation of the Quantum Missions. The significant investments at NPL in quantum, focus on ensuring that the UK sees the benefits to our economic prosperity, national security, and wellbeing.

    Innovative UK companies of all sizes are working with us to test their quantum technologies’, leading to greater investment and scale up, and accelerating both their ability to get technologies to market quicker, and to trade more effectively.

    The National Quantum Strategy, published in March 2023, commits a further £2.5 billion to developing quantum technologies in the UK over the ten years from 2024 which will aim to generate at least an additional £1 billion of private investment into the programme.

    This announcement comes off the back of continued support for the sector from the government. In October, Science and Technology Michelle Donelan opened PsiQuantum’s new state-of-the-art research and development (R&D) facility at Sci-Tech Daresbury, which is supported with £9 million from the Government. In June, Minister Freeman announced £45 million in funding to support universities and businesses working in the UK’s quantum technologies sector.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Iron Age gold brooches at risk of leaving UK [November 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Iron Age gold brooches at risk of leaving UK [November 2023]

    The press release issued by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on 24 November 2023.

    Export bar placed on Iron Age gold brooches to allow time for a UK institution to acquire them.

    Arts and Heritage Minister Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay has placed an export bar on a set of Iron Age gold brooches dating back to the first century BC, so that a domestic buyer can be found.

    The brooches, valued at £260,000 (plus VAT of £52,000), are at risk of leaving the UK permanently.

    They are a rare set of exceptionally preserved jewellery, consisting of two brooches and three chains connected by a pendant, made entirely from gold. The form of the two brooches and the style of gold working on the chain and pendant suggest they were made between 80–20 BC.

    The brooches are similar to the Winchester Hoard, which was discovered in Hampshire in 2000 and is now on display at the British Museum. In both examples, the makers used pre-Roman Mediterranean craft techniques on object forms particular to France during the time of the Gallic wars and Roman invasions of southern Britain.

    Arts & Heritage Minister Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay said:

    This intricate and rare jewellery, more than two thousand years old, demonstrates the quality craftsmanship of the British Isles in the late Iron Age.

    I hope this beguiling and well-preserved set can remain in the UK so that it can be studied and enjoyed for many years to come.

    The minister’s decision follows the advice of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest.

    Committee Member Tim Pestell said:

    This exquisite and rare set of brooches and chain is a remarkable survivor of the period when Roman rule was being exerted over the British Isles in the first century BC. First recognised when being sold in an English antiques shop, the set bears similarity to the pair of gold pins and linking chain found by a metal-detectorist near Winchester in 2000, now in the British Museum.

    Together, these brooch and chain sets provide an intriguing reminder of the wealth and sophistication of elite jewellery, and the strength of Roman cultural and political influence on native Iron Age peoples on both sides of the Channel.

    Despite their lack of provenance, the rarity and completeness of this brooch suite makes it an important example of Late Iron Age jewellery with few parallels and great research potential. I hope that a museum or private individual may come forward to enable it to be retained in the UK and made available to the public.

    The committee made its recommendation on the basis that the brooches met the second and third Waverley criteria for their outstanding significance for the study of goldwork and the Roman empire during the 1st century BC.

    The decision on the export licence application for the brooches will be deferred for a period ending on 23 February 2024 (inclusive). At the end of the first deferral period owners will have a consideration period of 15 Business Days to consider any offer(s) to purchase the brooches at the recommended price of £260,000 (plus VAT of £52,000 which can be reclaimed by an eligible institution). The second deferral period will commence following the signing of an Option Agreement and will last for three months.

    Offers from public bodies for less than the recommended price through the private treaty sale arrangements, where appropriate, may also be considered by the Minister. Such purchases frequently offer substantial financial benefit to a public institution wishing to acquire the item.

  • PRESS RELEASE : We’re putting veterans at the heart of government [November 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : We’re putting veterans at the heart of government [November 2023]

    The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 24 November 2023.

    An Op-Ed by Johnny Mercer, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, originally published in The Express.

    Every week I speak to veterans across the country about what we’re doing in government to make this the best place in the world to be a veteran.

    While in the past, services for veterans have often been lacking, now, under this Prime Minister, what it feels like to be a veteran is being fundamentally transformed.

    Over the last year we have seen £5m given to fund new healthcare innovations, a commitment to end veteran homelessness this year through Op Fortitude, including through a substantial investment in housing, and a new dedicated health pathway for the physical needs of veterans, called Op Restore. This will run alongside the dedicated veterans mental health pathway, Op Courage. And today’s Autumn Statement will also see more stepped up support for our veterans, with £10 million for mental health services, including those who are homeless, isolated or elderly.

    Sometimes in my conversations with veterans though, I hear frustration that the services that our ex-military are trying to access, can be too complicated, confusing and too slow.

    Whether it’s finding out about employment and skills, accessing healthcare, or looking for information on their Armed Forces pension, finding your way around the network of support services can be challenging.

    So that’s why, for the first time we asked an independent review to look back and take stock on the totality of veteran support available and look at how we can make it more effective and efficient.

    Today (Tuesday 21st Nov) I updated the House of Commons on how we will take improvements forward, accepting most of the review’s recommendations.

    The first major change is that the Veterans UK brand will be phased out and retired next year, with a replacement to be announced in due course. Many great staff work very hard delivering welfare services for veterans under this banner, but they have sometimes been held back by old fashioned processes. I know this has caused frustration in the veteran community and so we’ll deliver an improved service for them.

    So this change marks a vital step forward in better communicating the variety of services that the Ministry of Defence provides to not only veterans, but those in the military, their families and the bereaved community. The MOD’s digitisation programme, backed by £40 million in government funding, will also improve the services available to veterans.

    Second, to provide clarity on the roles and responsibility for veterans affairs, the word “Veterans” will be removed to the Minister for Defence People, Veterans and Service Families – now renamed Minister for Defence People and Families. This will further help veterans and stakeholder groups know that the Office for Veterans’ Affairs, which I head up, is responsible for coordinating veterans policy across government.

    And thirdly, we will improve the Veterans Gateway, which over one million veterans have already used to access support. The OVA is leading a project to refresh the Gateway, and we are already working with veterans on trials to make this service better.

    These changes – which we are making a start on now – will help veterans’ services become more effective, efficient and clear. I am focused on making the right changes which will benefit all veterans across the UK, step by step.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Two Trustees reappointed to the National Gallery [November 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Two Trustees reappointed to the National Gallery [November 2023]

    The press release issued by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on 24 November 2023.

    The Prime Minister has reappointed Catherine Goodman and Stuart Roden as Trustees of the National Gallery.

    Catherine Goodman LVO

    Reappointed for a four year term commencing 01 November 2023.

    Catherine Goodman is an artist, educator, and the Founding Artistic Director of the Royal Drawing School, which she co-established in 2000 with the former The Prince of Wales, now His Majesty King Charles III.

    She trained at Camberwell School of Arts & Crafts and at the Royal Academy Schools for her MA. In 1987 she won the Royal Academy Gold Medal and in 2002, she won First Prize in the BP Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery. She was made Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order for services to the Royal Drawing School in 2014.

    Catherine is represented by Hauser & Wirth and has had numerous solo exhibitions including ‘Portraits from Life’ at the National Portrait Gallery in 2014 and ‘the last house in the world’ at Marlborough Fine Art London in 2016; in 2019 she exhibited at Hauser & Wirth Somerset following five months as Artist in Residence, and at Marlborough Gallery New York with her solo exhibition, ‘the light gets in’. Goodman’s paintings are held in numerous private and public collections including the National Portrait Gallery, the Fitzwilliam Museum Cambridge, and the Royal Collection Trust. Goodman is included in ‘Great Women Artists’ published by Phaidon Press in 2019.

    Stuart Roden

    Reappointed for a four year term commencing 01 November 2023.

    Until January 2019 Stuart was Chair of Lansdowne Partners having previously co-managed the Developed Markets Fund since their inception in 2001. Stuart is non-Executive Chair of Hetz Ventures, Tresidor Investment Management and Chair of Lewis Advisors.

    On the non-profit side, Stuart is Chair and Founder of Unlocking Potential and Chair of The Design Museum. He is a trustee of The National Gallery, The Centre for Social Justice and the London School of Economics.

    Stuart started his career in the City in 1984, joining SG Warburg & Co, then McKinsey and prior to joining Lansdowne in 2001, was a Managing Director at Merrill Lynch. He received a first-class honours degree in Economics (BSc) from the London School of Economics.

    Remuneration and Governance Code

    Trustees of the National Gallery are not remunerated. 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. Catherine Goodman has not declared any significant political activity. Stuart Roden has declared that he has previously made a recordable donation to The Labour Party.
  • PRESS RELEASE : Technology Working Group publishes report on fund tokenisation [November 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Technology Working Group publishes report on fund tokenisation [November 2023]

    The press release issued by HM Treasury on 24 November 2023.

    The City Minister’s forum for examining the impact of technology on the UK’s investment management sector publishes its first report.

    Following its re-establishment in April 2023,  the Economic Secretary to the Treasury’s Asset Management Taskforce established a Technology Working Group –  chaired by Michelle Scrimgeour, CEO of Legal and General Investment Management – to examine the impact of new technology on the asset management sector.

    This group of industry experts – working closely with the Financial Conduct Authority and HM Treasury – have focused the first phase of their work on creating a blueprint for implementing fund tokenisation in the UK, recognising the revolutionary potential of this technology to propel the asset management sector forward.

    The Technology Working Group have today published UK Fund Tokenisation – A Blueprint for Implementation.

    The government warmly welcomes this publication. It will advance the wider conversation on the role of technology in asset management, and signals that the UK is welcoming of innovation and open for the exciting new business of the future.

    Background

    Tokenisation refers to the issuing of units that are recorded on a distributed ledger, as opposed to units that are recorded on more traditional systems of record-keeping. Transitioning the existing operational infrastructure underpinning investment funds onto a distributed ledger will drive further efficiency and transparency within the sector, and improve its competitiveness.

    Technology Working Group members

    • IA
    • LGIM
    • HMT
    • FCA
    • EY
    • Legal & General Investment Management
    • Fidelity International
    • Baillie Gifford
    • Blackrock
    • JP Morgan Asset management
    • M&G
    • Schroders
    • Archax
    • Aquis Exchange
    • Augmentum
    • Calastone
    • CMS
    • Copperco
    • Galaxy Digital
    • Hargreaves Lansdown
    • Innovate Finance
    • London Stock Exchange Group
    • NEST
    • Northern Trust
  • PRESS RELEASE : Autumn Statement ushers in new era of welfare reform [November 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Autumn Statement ushers in new era of welfare reform [November 2023]

    The press release issued by HM Treasury on 24 November 2023.

    A bold new vision for welfare backed by nearly £30 billion has been set out by Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride.

    • Millions of people will benefit from next generation of welfare reforms and extra support for those most in need, announced at Autumn Statement
    • Benefits increased by 6.7% and pensions by 8.5%, maintaining commitment to seeing the country through cost of living pressures
    • DWP Secretary Mel Stride heralds new era offering a “brighter future for millions”

    The plans offer unprecedented employment and health support to help over a million people, while protecting those in most need from cost of living pressures – including raising pensions and benefits and increasing help with housing costs.

    Long term decisions to provide unprecedented help for people to move off welfare and into work were at the heart of the Government’s plan for growth set out at the Autumn Statement.

    While unemployment has been almost halved since 2010, the £2.5bn Back to Work plan will help thousands of people with disabilities, long-term health conditions and the long-term unemployed, to move into jobs. This comes alongside new guarantees for those on the highest tier of health benefits around keeping benefit support to cushion those who try work.

    The transformative employment programme comes as the Government continues to protect the most vulnerable, delivering a Triple Lock-protected boost for pensioners and raising benefits in line with inflation next year, worth £20bn taken together.

    The changes mean the full rate of the new State Pension will go up by £17.35 per week, while families on Universal Credit will be on average £470 better off next year.

    Around 1.6 million households will also benefit from an increase to the Local Housing Allowance – and will be around £800 a year better off on average. Worth more than £7bn over five years, this commitment will support low-income families in the private rented sector with rent costs and help prevent homelessness.

    Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Mel Stride MP said:

    Work changes lives. With the next generation of welfare reforms, we will help thousands of people to realise their aspirations and move off benefits into work, while continuing to support the most in need.

    We are taking long term decisions that will build a brighter future for millions, offering unprecedented support to open up opportunity and grow the economy, building on our record that has seen almost four million more people in work since 2010.

    Our reforms will remove the barriers to work that we know some people still face, while we’re boosting benefits and pensions to help with cost of living pressures.

    Welfare reforms announced at the Autumn Statement include:

    • Uprating working age benefits in line with September’s CPI index figure of 6.7%.
    • Uprating state pensions in line with September’s earnings figure of 8.5%.
    • Increasing the Local Housing Allowance to cover the 30TH percentile – worth an average of £830 per year.
    • Expanded jobcentre support including intensive help for those on Universal Credit
    • Introducing the Chance to Work Guarantee, which will tear down barriers to work for millions of claimants to try work with no fear of reassessment or losing their health benefit top-ups.
    • Increasing mental health support for jobseekers by expanding NHS Talking Therapies treatment and the Individual Placement and Support programme, supporting almost 500,000 over five years.
    • Matching 100,000 people per year with existing vacancies and supporting them in that role through Universal Support.
    • Rolling out WorkWell to support people at risk of falling into long-term unemployment due to sickness or disability.
    • Reforming the Work Capability Assessment for new health benefit claimants to better reflect the opportunities available in the modern world of work.
    • Stricter sanctions for people who should be looking for work but aren’t engaging with jobcentre support.
    • Building on the Mansion House reforms with further steps to improve private pension returns and grow the economy.
    • Introducing new Government powers to request data from organisations such as banks when accounts are showing signals of fraud and error.

    The Government’s radical new plan will stem the flow people falling out of work and onto inactivity benefits due to physical or mental health problems, as it takes the long-term decisions to help people realise their dreams to find a job and build a better life.

    With this unprecedented level of employment support comes tougher enforcement of sanctions for fit and able people who should be looking for work but aren’t.

    Work coaches will use tools to track people’s attendance at jobs fairs and interviews, and close benefit claims of those able to work who have been sanctioned and no longer receiving money after six months.

    Taken together, the package will make sure those who are vulnerable or on the lowest incomes are protected, with intensive support to get them back into work, while ensuring fairness to the taxpayer.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Nissan triples investment in electric vehicle production in the UK [November 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Nissan triples investment in electric vehicle production in the UK [November 2023]

    The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 24 November 2023.

    Nissan is delivering up to £2 billion of new investment to produce two new electric vehicle models in Sunderland.

    • Car manufacturing giant Nissan to manufacture two new electric vehicle models and expand North East electric vehicle hub in Sunderland.
    • Deal is expected to support thousands of jobs and delivers on PM’s priority to grow the economy.
    • Comes as PM hosts Global Investment Summit next week which is expected to deliver billions more investment into the UK.

    Nissan is delivering up to £2 billion of new investment to produce two new electric vehicle models in Sunderland – helping to put more zero emission vehicles on UK roads which will make travel more sustainable and affordable in the long term, the Prime Minister has announced today (Friday 24 November).

    Nissan have said their direct investment of up to £1.12 billion to produce the two models will enable wider investment in infrastructure projects and the supply chain, including a new gigafactory, bringing a total new investment today of up to £2 billion.

    This builds on the £1 billion electric vehicle hub announced by Nissan and their battery partner AESC in 2021, and brings total investment since 2021 to £3 billion, safeguarding the future of Britain’s largest car factory as we move away from petrol and diesel cars.

    Today’s announcement doubles down on this with all-electric replacements for the Nissan Juke and Qashqai models in addition to the all-electric Leaf replacement announced in 2021, supporting the future of Nissan’s highly skilled 7,000 strong UK workforce as well as the 30,000 staff employed in the wider supply chain.

    This investment further cements the UK’s position as a global leader in Electric Vehicle manufacturing, delivers on the Prime Minister’s priority of growing the economy and drives forward the UK’s commitment to net zero.

    The Nissan Sunderland plant is a longstanding UK success story, having opened in 1986 and grown into one of Europe’s largest car plants with world leading productivity. Earlier this year, Nissan marked the milestone of building their 11 millionth vehicle at the Sunderland Plant since production started – meaning that, on average, a new car has been produced at the plant every two minutes, every hour of every day, for 37 years.

    Today’s investment takes the total Nissan investment in the UK past £6 billion and follows Nissan’s confirmation that all its new cars in Europe from now will be fully electric, with its passenger cars across Europe expected to be 100% electric by 2030.

    In addition, today we have confirmed £15 million funding has been awarded for a £30m collaborative project led by Nissan. It will strengthen the technical expertise and R&D zero emission vehicle capability of the Nissan Technical Centre (NTCE) in Cranfield, Bedfordshire, increasing opportunities for securing additional UK R&D investment in future vehicle models.

    It comes ahead of the Global Investment Summit next week, where the Prime Minister is expected to host over 200 of the worlds CEOs and financiers – including the CEO of Nissan Makoto Uchida – to showcase the UK as world leading place to invest.

    The summit is expected to raise billions of pounds of high value investment to create thousands of jobs across the UK, with a special focus on high tech sectors such as innovation, research and development.

    Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

    Nissan’s investment is a massive vote of confidence in the UK’s automotive industry, which already contributes a massive £71 billion a year to our economy. This venture will no doubt secure Sunderland’s future as the UK’s Silicon Valley for electric vehicle innovation and manufacturing.

    Making the UK the best place to do business is at the heart of our economic plan. We will continue to back businesses like Nissan to expand and grow their roots in the UK every step of the way as we make the right long term decisions for a brighter future.

    Nissan President and CEO Makoto Uchida said:

    Exciting, electric vehicles are at the heart of our plans to achieve carbon neutrality. With electric versions of our core European models on the way, we are accelerating towards a new era for Nissan, for industry and for our customers.

    The EV36Zero project puts our Sunderland plant, Britain’s biggest ever car factory, at the heart of our future vision. It means our UK team will be designing, engineering and manufacturing the vehicles of the future, driving us towards an all-electric future for Nissan in Europe.

    Today’s announcement comes as a new Investment Zone was confirmed for North East England which is expected to create more than 4,000 new jobs over the first five years and leverage significant private investment including the new £2 billion investment announced today by Nissan.

    Focusing on Advanced Manufacturing and Green Industries, the Investment Zone builds on the region’s key growth corridor the Arc of Innovation which runs from Northumberland down to Sunderland and Durham with opportunities along the Tyne Corridor and benefits felt across the wider region.

    Nissan’s announcement today will provide a key anchor investment for the Investment Zone, which will provide £160 million of support including tax incentives, skills, development infrastructure and innovation funding over the next ten years – addressing barriers to growth, strengthening the local area and ensuring that the UK continues to win investment in the face of global competition.

    At the Autumn Statement, the Chancellor announced further measures to back businesses and remove barriers to investment. This includes making the Full Expensing scheme permanent so businesses can invest for less – delivering an effective permanent tax cut of £11 billion a year for businesses who invest in IT equipment, plant and machinery. The move is set to boost business investment by £14 billion and help grow the economy.

    With the tax cut now permanent, the UK will continue to have both the lowest headline corporation tax rate in the G7 and the most generous capital allowances in the OECD group of major advanced economies, such as the United States, Japan, South Korea and Germany.  Since the introduction of the super deduction – the predecessor to full expensing – in 2021, investment in the UK has grown the fastest in the G7.

    Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt said:

    Today’s news is an enormous vote of confidence in the British economy, just days after we confirmed the most generous investment tax reliefs in the Western world.

    Nissan has a proud history in car manufacturing in Sunderland and their continued commitment to the UK shows how our support for business is getting results – helping create thousands of jobs and solidifying Britain’s place as the world’s 8th largest manufacturer.

    Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch said:

    The investment by Nissan in Sunderland shows once again that the Government’s plan for the automotive sector is working.

    The forthcoming Advanced Manufacturing Plan will build on this deal and other recent big investment wins for the UK car industry, helping to support thousands of jobs and drive growth across the UK.

    The automotive industry has a long, proud history in the UK, and a bright future. Supporting over 166,000 jobs and contributing £71 billion to our economy, it is integral to delivering on levelling up, net zero and helping to drive economic growth.

    This announcement also follows other automotive success stories including Tata’s investment of over £4bn in a new 40 GWh gigafactory, BMW’s investment of £600m to build next generation MINI EVs in Oxford, Ford’s investment of £380 million in Halewood to make Electric Drive Units and Stellantis’ £100m investment in Ellesmere Port for EV van production.

    Last week, the Chancellor announced that we’re making available £4.5 billion in strategic manufacturing sectors across the UK to unlock investment, support levelling up and enable the UK to seize growth opportunities through the transition to net zero. This includes making over £2 billion available to the automotive sector from 2025 for five years to support the manufacturing and development of zero emission vehicles, their batteries and supply chain – building on existing support.

    The UK has already overtaken France to become the eighth-biggest manufacturing nation in the world in the most recent data. Taken together, our manufacturing industries now contribute £205 billion to the economy and are boosting employment in every region of the country, including over 300,000 jobs both in the North West and Yorkshire and The Humber.

    The Business and Trade Secretary is also set to announce the publication of the government’s Advanced Manufacturing Plan which will set out our comprehensive offer to the UK’s manufacturing sector to continue to boost long term sustainability and prosperity.

    The Department for Business and Trade will also shortly publish the UK’s first Battery Strategy, outlining the Government’s activity to achieve a globally competitive battery supply chain in the UK by 2030 that supports economic prosperity and the Net Zero transition.