Tag: Press Release

PRESS RELEASE : Joint statement on the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee meeting [September 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 28 September 2023.

The FCDO Minister for Europe, Leo Docherty and the Deputy Secretary-General of the European Commission, John Watson gave a joint UK-EU statement on 28 September 2023.

Joint statement by the Alternate Co-chairs of the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee following their meeting on 28 September 2023:

The United Kingdom and the European Union today held a meeting of the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee, co-chaired at alternate level by the FCDO Minister for Europe, Leo Docherty MP and the Deputy Secretary-General of the European Commission, John Watson.

The Joint Committee took stock of discussions under the Withdrawal Agreement framework since the last meeting on 3 July 2023. The alternate co-chairs welcomed the progress made and reiterated their mutual commitment to continued work to ensure the full implementation of all the elements of the Windsor Framework in a faithful way.

In the context of the implementation of Joint Committee Decision No 1/2023, the European Union made a Declaration pursuant to Article 23(4)(a) and the United Kingdom made a Declaration pursuant to Article 23(4)(b). The Joint Committee also adopted Decision No 4/2023.

September 30, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Dormant Assets Scheme – statement of intent overview [September 2023]
The press release issued by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport on 28 September 2023.

Allocating £350 million of dormant assets funding equally across the four English purposes.

The Dormant Assets Scheme aims to reunite people with their financial assets, such as bank and building society accounts. Where this is not possible, the money is unlocked for important social and environmental initiatives across the UK. Over the last decade, the Dormant Assets Scheme has unlocked £982 million for social and environmental initiatives across the UK.

Following a public consultation, the government confirmed that the purposes of the English portion of the funds made available would be youth, financial inclusion and education, social investment wholesalers, and community wealth funds. The government also committed to publishing a statement of intent, outlining its intended allocations across these four causes.

The Dormant Assets Scheme is expected to release £350 million for England over 2024 and 2028. The government intends to allocate this equally between the four causes:
- £87.5 million for the provision of services, facilities or opportunities to meet the needs of young people
- £87.5 million for the development of individuals’ ability to manage their finances or the improvement of access to personal financial services
- £87.5 million for social investment wholesalers
- £87.5 million for community wealth funds
Further details of these intended allocations will be published in due course.

Find out more about the Dormant Assets Scheme.
September 30, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Thousands of veteran cards to be rolled out this year [September 2023]
The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 28 September 2023.

Thousands more veterans will receive HM Armed Forces Veteran Cards by the end of the year thanks to a £3 million injection to expand the roll-out to veterans who left service before 2018.
- Veterans’ Minister Johnny Mercer has visited a MOD printing facility at HMS Sultan in Gosport
- Government has invested £3m to scale up production of HM Armed Forces Veteran Cards to 50,000 cards a month
- Thousands of veterans will be able to apply for an ID card this year, with new option to apply online
Thousands more veterans will receive HM Armed Forces Veteran Cards by the end of the year thanks to a £3 million injection to expand the roll-out to veterans who left service before 2018.

The ID card will allow veterans to quickly and easily prove their veteran status where required, granting them simpler access to key support from the NHS, charities and local authorities. They can also be used to apply for Defence Discount Service Cards and the Veterans Railcard.

Veterans’ Minister Johnny Mercer visited a facility in Gosport today to see progress made on the ID card rollout, and met with veterans who are already benefiting from the scheme.

Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Rt Hon. Johnny Mercer MP said:

Veteran cards provide ex-service men and women with a tangible connection to the important contributions they have made to the defence of our nation.

We are honouring our commitment to getting ID cards into the hands of veterans by the end of the year so that they can more easily access support.

The veterans I met today are excited about the benefits on offer – benefits which will only continue to grow for them over the coming years as civilians.

Since December 2018, the MOD has been automatically issuing all service leavers with a physical veterans’ card as part of their service leavers pack. When the service opens up later this year, veterans – including all those who left service before 2018 – will be able to apply for a new ID card.

As of July 2023, 71,000 veterans’ cards have already been issued for those who left after 2018. Production will soon start to ramp up to 50,000 cards a month for those who left before that.

Lt Gen Sir Nicholas Pope, Chair of Cobseo, the Confederation of Service Charities said:

Veterans who need timely help, either from the state or from the charity sector, are often frustrated by delays in confirming their status. Veterans’ ID cards provide a significant step forward in speeding up this process and we look forward to supporting their delivery to the entire veteran community.

In the Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan (2022-2024) the government committed to exploring the secure, digital verification of veterans’ status, allowing veterans to access a wider range of government services, as well as speeding up Phase 2 of the rollout of ID cards.

With around 2.2 million veterans in the UK, the government has made a £3 million investment to build the technology and processes to deal with large volumes of card applications accurately and securely. This includes testing the online application process with 4,000 veterans to refine the system.

The launch date for this service will be announced by the end of the year. A paper-based application process will also be made available for veterans who are unable to use the online service.

The Office for Veterans’ Affairs has been leading government efforts to make the UK the best country in the world to be a veteran. This includes launching Op FORTITUDE, a new housing pathway earlier this year, and providing medallic recognition to nuclear test veterans.
September 30, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Government steps up digital skills with 2,500 new tech recruits [September 2023]
The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 28 September 2023.

2,500 ambitious tech talents will be recruited into digital roles in government by June 2025 through new apprenticeship and early talent programmes, the Cabinet Office has announced today.
Government to recruit 2,500 tech and digital roles via apprenticeships and talent programmes as part of skills drive

A new Digital Secondments Programme pilot is now open for applications, bringing in skills from the private sector

Moves build on Minister for the Cabinet Office’s vision to modernise and reform the Civil Service

2,500 ambitious tech talents will be recruited into digital roles in government by June 2025 through new apprenticeship and early talent programmes, the Cabinet Office has announced today.

This is being kickstarted by the new digital apprenticeship programme, which will support the recruitment of 500 early career entrants into digital roles this financial year across government.

This new programme will provide the opportunity for both civil servants and new entrants to be recruited into the most in demand data and technology roles, such as Cyber Security Technologists and Software Developers.

The remaining 2,000 opportunities will include 1,300 additional digital apprenticeship programme roles, and 700 roles created through an expansion of existing departmental digital programmes, such as the Software Developer Programme.

Meanwhile, some of the UK’s best technical minds from industry are being called to work on the country’s biggest challenges, such as cyber security and new emerging technology, with the launch of a new Digital Secondments Programme scheme which is now open for applications.

Both of these major digital skills announcements build on the vision of Minister for the Cabinet Office Jeremy Quin to modernise and reform the civil service, set out in a speech to Policy Exchange in July this year.

Alex Burghart, Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office, said:

We want the next generation of tech talent to be able to learn their trade helping government to make services better for the public.

These apprenticeships are going to build great new digital careers and capabilities both in Whitehall and across the country.

The Civil Service Digital, Data and Technology profession has grown by 19% between April 2022 and April 2023, and over 600 senior civil servants have been upskilled on digital and data essentials.

Both the digital secondments programme and new apprenticeship recruitment drive will also support a new target for 6% of the overall Civil Service workforce to be members of the digital, data and technology profession.

Minister for the Cabinet Office Jeremy Quin, said:

Today’s announcement drives forward our plans for a modern Civil Service equipped with the skills and capabilities needed to harness the power of digital, data and technology.

By attracting and retaining the best talent, we will keep pace with technological change and deliver more efficient services for the British public.

These announcements arrive as the Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) today publishes an update to the 2022-25 roadmap for digital and data.

The updated roadmap announces the publication of a new framework for the government’s use of generative AI, to ensure departments can confidently and responsibly use this technology to improve services. This comes as the UK is set to host the first AI Summit in November.

It also introduces a requirement for departments using out of date IT systems to boost plans for modernising technology, in a bid to save government time and money.

Megan Lee Devlin, Chief Executive of the Central Digital and Data Office, said:

The new roadmap commitments published today strengthen the government’s ability to harness the very best technology and data available to improve people’s lives and livelihoods in the UK.

We look forward to welcoming more purpose-minded technologists across government as we announce our skills drive today.

Significant progress has been made across government since the launch of the roadmap one year ago.

Notably, the roadmap has driven crucial digital initiatives across departments. For example, the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs has enhanced its digital and technical apprenticeships offering through the Digital, Data and Technology Services (DDTS) Academy, with a special focus on Cloud and Security roles.

Today’s announcements come as the government seeks to leverage the potential of technology and data to enhance UK public services and better deliver for the taxpayer.

Analysis undertaken when the roadmap was published in 2022 estimated potential savings of over £1 billion of taxpayer money through the digital transformation of services, by eliminating the unnecessary costs of paper-based services and processes.
September 30, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh risks jeopardising peace – UK statement to the OSCE [September 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 28 September 2023.

Deputy Ambassador Deirdre Brown says Azerbaijan’s decision to commence a military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh put at risk efforts to find a lasting peace settlement.

Thank you Chair.

Azerbaijan’s decision last week to commence a military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh put at risk efforts to find a lasting peace settlement. Like many others, the UK urged Azerbaijan to cease its use of force, refrain from further escalatory action, and return to dialogue. While the UK fully recognises Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, military might cannot be used to resolve tensions between communities.

We call on all parties to continue to respect the 20 September ceasefire, welcome the direct talks between Azerbaijan and representatives of the ethnic Armenian community in Nagorno-Karabakh which took place on 21 and 25 September, and call on Azerbaijan to protect the rights and security of that community.

We are concerned about the humanitarian situation, due to the limited access international aid organisations have into Nagorno-Karabakh, and the significant refugee flows from Nagorno-Karabakh into Armenia. We are liaising with the UN, ICRC and others to assess humanitarian need in the region and what further UK assistance is required.

The UK has raised its concerns at the UN Security Council, here at the Special Permanent Council last week, and directly with representatives of the Armenian and Azerbaijani governments. We will continue to monitor the situation, in close cooperation with our international partners.

It is only through diplomacy in line with the principles enshrined in the UN Charter and the Helsinki Final Act that we will see a sustainable settlement to this conflict. We urge both Armenia and Azerbaijan to restore substantive negotiations on a settlement to the wider remaining tensions in the region as soon as possible.

September 30, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Government sets out path to zero emission vehicles by 2035 [September 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 28 September 2023.

80% of new cars and 70% of new vans sold in Great Britain set to be zero emission by 2030, increasing to 100% by 2035.
- government sets out path for all new cars to be zero emission by 2035, providing clarity to manufacturers while safeguarding UK jobs
- proportionate approach to net zero will enable drivers to benefit from the rapidly-expanding charging infrastructure, which has already grown 43% on last year
- drive to electric vehicles has been backed by over £2 billion government investment – supporting economic growth and thousands of highly-skilled jobs
The government has today (28 September 2023) set out the percentage of new zero emission cars manufacturers will be required to produce each year up to 2030, following the Prime Minister’s proportionate and pragmatic decision to delay the ban on new diesel and petrol cars from 2030 to 2035.

The path will support manufacturers and families in making the switch to electric, providing flexibility while also helping grow the economy.

The zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate unveiled today means the country will have the most ambitious regulatory framework for the switch to electric vehicles (EVs) in the world. This requires 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans sold in Great Britain to be zero emission by 2030, increasing to 100% by 2035. The 2035 end of sale date puts the UK in line with other major global economies, including France, Germany, Sweden and Canada.

The move provides certainty for manufacturers and will help families make the switch to electric by providing more time for the second-hand EV market to grow and charging to roll out more widely across the country. The plans provide investors with confidence to invest in charging infrastructure – with 43% more public chargepoints this year than last, putting the country well on track for the government’s target of 300,000 chargepoints by 2030.

The mandate sets minimum annual targets, starting with a requirement for 22% of new cars sold in 2024 to be zero emission, as originally proposed. This will rise each year up to 100% by 2035, although some manufacturers already plan to reach 100% sooner. The UK’s ambition has already triggered investments in gigafactories and EV manufacturing, with over £6 billion in private sector chargepoint funding also ready to be unleashed. Today the government is confirming the trajectory to 2030.

The country is making strong progress on its world-leading ambition to phase out new fossil fuel vehicles, backed by more than £2 billion in government investment. Latest industry figures show 20% of new cars sold in August were zero emission, and there are now 48,100 public chargepoints, in addition to chargepoints installed in homes where most charging takes place.

Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, said:

The path to zero emission vehicles announced today makes sure the route to get there is proportionate, pragmatic and realistic for families.

Our mandate provides certainty for manufacturers, benefits drivers by providing more options and helps grow the economy by creating skilled jobs.

We are also making it easier than ever to own an electric vehicle, from reaching record levels of chargepoints to providing tax relief for EV owners.

The government has also introduced several schemes to lower the upfront and running costs of owning an EV. This includes a plug-in van grant of up to £2,500 for small vans and £5,000 for large vans until at least 2025 and £350 off the cost of homeplace chargepoints for people living in flats. This is in addition to EVs being cheaper to run than petrol and diesel cars, with research showing that electric cars are around £150 cheaper to maintain a year.

Jakob Pfaudler, AA CEO, said:

Our customers want to see both government action and realism in the move to electric vehicles as part of an ambitious drive to net zero. This means having certainty and a combination of the right information, infrastructure and incentives available to them.

Today’s announcement brings welcome clarity to help support investment in ZEVs and associated technologies and industries. Over time, and as part of a wider set of policies, it will help the UK’s motorists manage the transition and the AA will be working to give confidence to drivers during this period.

The used car market also continues to grow, providing more affordable options for drivers. In the first quarter of 2023, compared with the same period in 2022, used battery electric vehicle sales rose by 57%.

The measures give the wide range of manufacturers flexibility through a trading scheme, enabling them to bank compliance in years when they exceed annual targets for use in future years or trade them with other manufacturers that have fallen short. In the first year, car manufacturers can borrow for up to 75% of their annual target, falling to 25% in 2026, to support them in the early stages.

The ZEV mandate is a devolved policy and has been developed with the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland’s Department for Infrastructure.

Recent investment by major manufacturers has shown the UK is a world-leading country for the automotive sector. BMW has announced its intention to invest over £600 million in its UK factories, including a multimillion-pound investment to transform its Oxford plant, securing 4,000 high-quality jobs and strengthening the electric vehicle supply chain. This followed other major investments, including £4 billion from Tata to build a new gigafactory in the UK, and £1 billion from Nissan and AESC to create an EV manufacturing hub in Sunderland.

Mike Hawes, Chief Executive, The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), said:

The automotive industry is investing billions in decarbonisation and recognises the importance of the zero emission vehicle mandate as the single most important measure to deliver net zero.

We welcome the clarity the mandate’s publication provides for the next 6 years and the flexibilities it contains to support pragmatic, equitable delivery across this diverse sector. Manufacturers offer a vast range of zero emission vehicles, but demand must also match supply – that means making ZEVs affordable by incentivising drivers to make the switch now and delivering the infrastructure to meet consumer expectations.

The government is working at pace alongside private investment to grow charging infrastructure for EV drivers, supporting record installment rates this past month. Applications also recently opened for the first round of the government’s £381 million Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund, which will support the installation of tens of thousands of new chargers across the country, increasing EV infrastructure in every area and ensuring the UK’s charging network can support the increasing number of EV drivers and those considering the switch.

This is on top of significant private investments, with the UK now home to Europe’s largest electric vehicle charging site in Birmingham and over £6 billion committed by ChargeUK members with an ambition to double the UK’s charging network by the end of this year. A recent report from the National Infrastructure Commission points out, if chargepoint deployment grows at around 30% per year the 300,000 expectation will be met.

With transport providing the largest share of the UK’s carbon emissions, the switch to zero emission cars and vans will be the single biggest carbon saving measure in the UK’s journey to net zero.
September 30, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Russia is attempting to erase Ukrainian statehood – UK statement to the OSCE [September 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 28 September 2023.

Deputy Ambassador Deirdre Brown says that Russia’s brutal and illegitimate attempts to annex Ukrainian territory will not go unanswered.

Thank you, Chair. Good morning, colleagues. One year ago, Russia attempted to illegally annex the Ukrainian oblasts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. The illegitimate regional authorities, set up and supported by Russia, held sham referendums, fabricated the results and then announced their supposed control over sovereign Ukrainian territory. Despite international condemnation, Russia continues to claim it has control over these Ukrainian oblasts and continues to attempt to subjugate Ukrainians to its illegally claimed authority.

Mr Chair, we have seen countless occasions, such as these, where Russia has ignored the facts and repeated its patently false narratives. At the start of this month, Russia once again violated the UN Charter, staging illegitimate elections in Crimea and the Ukrainian oblasts it claimed to have annexed. As with last year’s sham referendums, Russia pre-determined the results. Russian authorities used intimidation to force residents to the polls at gunpoint. Russia has continued with the ludicrous claim that it is liberating Ukrainian civilians. But if that were true, then why did Russia need to use such tactics? Why over the past 12 months have we seen report after report of Russia inflicting appalling atrocities on these innocent civilians?

Reporting from the UN reveals that the continued use by Russian forces of torture on Ukrainian residents in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia is widespread and systematic. The UN has compiled accounts of beatings, electric shocks, sexual violence including rape, suffocation, waterboarding, strangling and deprivation of food and water. In some cases, such actions were inflicted with such brutality that it caused the victims’ deaths. Mr Chair, Russia’s true intentions are clear. Russia is attempting to instil fear and subjugate the Ukrainian people. Russia cannot hide its harrowing atrocities behind its blatant lies.

The UK will continue to highlight Russia’s repressive campaign against the Ukrainian people, including the deportation of citizens to Russia and temporarily Russian-controlled territory. As outlined in the third Moscow Mechanism report, deporting Ukrainian children forms a deliberate part of Russia’s strategy to wipe Ukraine off the map. The Russian authorities have forcibly deported over 19,500 Ukrainian children. That’s over 19,500 children who have been separated from their families and legal guardians. For each child, for each family, it is a tragedy. In February, the Conflict Observatory estimated that 6,000 Ukrainian children have been transferred to re-education camps in illegally annexed Crimea and mainland Russia. We also have information that this year, Russia aims to host around 100,000 Ukrainian children from Russian-controlled territories to participate in a summer camp programme, with the aim to politically indoctrinate children to align with Russia. These so-called summer camps seek to “Russify” Ukrainian children. Exposing them to a combination of Russia-centric academic, cultural, patriotic and military education.

Such appalling attempts to indoctrinate the most innocent expose the inhumanity of Putin and his proxies. The UK will not turn away. Last year, the UK sanctioned Russian Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova for her alleged involvement in the forced transfer and adoption of Ukrainian children. And this year the UK sanctioned an additional 11 parties for their role in Russia’s chilling programme of forced child deportation. We will not hesitate to impose further economic measures on those determined to contravene international law.

Mr Chair, the United Kingdom stands united with our international partners in condemnation of Russian atrocities. We will never recognise Russia’s attempts to annex sovereign Ukrainian territory. And we will never allow Russia to normalise its brutality with disinformation, distraction and lies. Thank you, Mr Chair.

September 30, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : £12.5m for robotics and automation to boost sustainable farming [September 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 28 September 2023.

Innovative projects will receive funding to develop technologies to predict strawberry yield, increase vineyard productivity and optimise harvesting schedules.

Nineteen innovative projects developing automation and robotic technologies will receive a share of £12.5 million in government funding to boost productivity, food security and sustainable farming practices, the Farming Minister Mark Spencer has announced today (28 September). This brings the total government funding announced to fund industry-led research and development in agriculture and horticulture to £120 million since 2021.

The projects – funded through the Farming Futures Automation and Robotics competition – include developing a system to accurately predict and enhance quality of strawberry yields, reduce waste and optimise labour and harvesting schedules; a new system to digitally map and monitor vineyards using drones, robots and sensors; and a navigation system for field-based robotic vehicles to improve accuracy and reliability and enable safe navigation in farmyard and field operations.

The funding comes through the Farming Futures Automation and Robotics competition, which is part of Defra’s £270 million Farming Innovation Programme (FIP) and is delivered by Innovate UK. The FIP has funded 17 competitions since opening in October 2021 which has already seen the development of new approaches to help farms be more sustainable and productive, from new ways to reduce or eliminate pesticide use through to projects to reduce emissions from livestock, and will help meet our commitment at the Farm to Fork Summit in Downing Street in May to continue to produce at least 60% of the food we eat here in the UK.

Speaking at the World Agri-Tech Summit in London, Farming Minister Mark Spencer said:

Farmers are always forward-looking, and innovation is key to driving a resilient, productive and sustainable agriculture sector that puts food on our tables.

The government stands firmly behind agri-tech innovation as the cornerstone of modern farming practices. By providing opportunities, funding and a supportive ecosystem within the sector, we aim to empower farmers, drive innovation and create a sustainable and prosperous future for agriculture across the UK.

Since 2021, the government has announced over £120 million to fund industry-led research and development in agriculture and horticulture, and the Farming Minister Mark Spencer reiterated this commitment to oversee the transformation of the UK into a world-leading agri-tech hub at the World Agri-tech Innovation Summit this week.

At the summit, the Farming Minister outlined the range of competitions under the Farming Innovation Programme that are supporting the sector to invest in new technology that will help grow their businesses, boost productivity and benefit the environment. This includes £10 million currently on offer through the third round of the Small R&D Partnerships competition to help businesses develop a new farming product and service and take it to commercialisation on the open market, and a further £4.5 million through the Feasibility Studies Competition to support businesses and researchers through the testing phase of an idea that will improve the productivity, sustainability and resilience of farming.

In addition the Farming Investment Fund is investing in equipment, technology and infrastructure and the recently launched Investor Partnership competition combines government grant funding with private investment to help smaller agri-tech business to grow and scale.

Florian Richter, CEO of Muddy Machines LTD, said:

Obtaining funding to research and develop such a key component of our technology is essential to our progression toward commercial operations.

We count ourselves truly privileged to be located in the UK and be able to benefit from this level of government funding support.

Oli Hilbourne, CEO and Co-Founder at Outfield Technologies, said:

The VISTA Project is a great example of the strength of UK innovation funding, bringing together technology companies, growers and academic partners to solve specific industry challenges.

The UK’s wine industry is growing rapidly, learning best practice from other wine growing regions. With VISTA, the UK wine industry has an opportunity to set the international standard and export our knowledge to the rest of the wine growing world. We are really excited to get started on the project and work with UK vineyards to drive productivity increases.

Dr Katrina Hayter, Challenge Director – Transforming Food Production Challenge at Innovate UK, said:

Robotics and automation are crucial drivers in addressing the challenges posed by a growing global population and the need for sustainable practices in various sectors, including agriculture.

By fostering innovation and research, we empower our farmers, growers, foresters and businesses to not only enhance productivity and economic growth but also to lead the way in sustainable practices. These projects are a testament to our commitment to improving environmental outcomes and reducing carbon emissions, ensuring a brighter and more sustainable future for our agricultural and horticultural communities.

Building on commitments at the Farm to Fork Summit at Downing Street earlier this year, the Farming Minister also pointed to opportunities such as the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act to unlock technologies to improve the productivity and resilience of crops, and support for farmers to attract investment and generate revenue through access to nature markets.

September 30, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Appointment of Bishop of Peterborough [September 2023]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 28 September 2023.

The King has approved the nomination of The Right Reverend Deborah Sellin for appointment to Bishop of Peterborough.

Background

Deborah was educated at St Andrew’s University and trained for ministry on the Southern Theological Education and Training Scheme. She served her title at St Saviour’s, Guildford, and was ordained Priest in 2008.

Deborah was appointed Vicar of St John the Baptist Wonersh with Blackheath in the Diocese of Guildford in 2010 and was additionally appointed Area Dean for the Deanery of Cranleigh in 2015. She became an honorary Canon of Guildford Cathedral in 2018.

In 2019 Deborah took up her current role as Suffragan Bishop of Southampton, in the Diocese of Winchester and, since 2021, has additionally served as the Acting Diocesan Bishop of Winchester.

September 30, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Further support for Ukraine promised as Defence Secretary meets President Zelenskyy in Kyiv [September 2023]

The press release issued by the Ministry of Defence on 28 September 2023.

The Defence Secretary met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his counterpart Rustem Umerov and promised further military support from the UK.

The UK will continue to support Ukraine to defend its sovereign territory, the Defence Secretary vowed during a meeting in Kyiv with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Travelling to Kyiv on Wednesday with the UK Chief of the Defence Staff, Grant Shapps held meetings with his counterpart, Rustem Umerov, and made a personal commitment to continue the UK’s resolute support to Ukraine as they reclaim land taken following Putin’s illegal invasion.

The visit provided an opportunity to hold further discussions on military support with Defence Secretary Umerov, after they first met in Ramstein, Germany, during a meeting of 50 nations at last week’s Ukraine Defence Contact Group.

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said:

It was an honour to meet President Zelenskyy in Kyiv to assure him that the UK will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine, as we have since Putin illegally invaded Crimea nearly ten years ago.

We have trained tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers, delivered hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition, and provided millions of pounds of economic and humanitarian aid to help Ukraine’s citizens reclaim and rebuild what has been taken from them by Putin’s barbaric invasion.

Having heard the experiences of so many Ukrainians affected by this war, including a family I hosted in my home for a year, I am committed to maintaining the UK’s military support – particularly as the freezing winter weather approaches.

The Defence Secretary previously visited Kyiv last month in his former role as Energy Security Secretary to discuss support for Ukraine’s recovery, visiting a children’s nursery previously attended by one of the Ukrainian children he hosted in his home.

The meetings provided an opportunity to discuss ongoing humanitarian support, as well as to discuss topics including Ukraine’s ambition to join NATO and its wider Euro-Atlantic integration.

Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, Chief of the Defence Staff, said:

It was a privilege to accompany the Defence Secretary to Kyiv and to meet with President Zelenskyy to underscore the continuity of the United Kingdom’s support for Ukraine.

We discussed new commitments of military aid that were made in Ramstein last week, which will help build Ukraine’s strength and resilience through the winter and beyond. The recent strikes on the Black Sea Fleet are another example of how Ukraine retains the initiative. Putin has lost control of the war he started, and Russia is diminished as a consequence. This visit, together with my visits over the summer, have reinforced my conviction that Ukraine will prevail. The UK will remain with them every step of the way.

The UK has led the way in global support for Ukraine, having been the first country to provide modern, Western main battle tanks and long-range precision strike cruise missiles, following decisions by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Further support has included more than 300,000 rounds of artillery ammunition, hundreds of vehicles and weapon systems, and thousands of items of personal protective equipment.

A UK-led international programme of training for Ukraine’s military, which is supported by ten other nations, has already trained more than 26,500 recruits and is on track to have trained more than 30,000 soldiers by the end of 2023.

Millions of pounds’ worth of economic aid has also been provided to Ukraine to help it rebuild its cities and infrastructure to ensure it can rebuild following the impact of Putin’s war. The UK hosted the Ukraine Recovery Conference in partnership with Ukraine this summer – raising more than $60 billion towards Ukraine’s reconstruction.

The Prime Minister pledged to further support Ukraine during the NATO leaders’ Summit in Vilnius in July.

The UK delivered £2.3bn in military aid to Ukraine in 2022 and the Prime Minister has pledged to do the same in 2023, with further support to be delivered in the coming weeks and months.

September 30, 2023