Tag: Press Release

PRESS RELEASE : UK commits £60 million to NATO’s Ukraine fund [June 2023]
The press release issued by the Ministry of Defence on 16 June 2023.

As defence ministers meet in Brussels, the Defence Secretary announced a £60 million contribution to the Comprehensive Assistance Package.
UK providing £60 million to NATO Comprehensive Assistance Package, bringing UK contribution to more than £80 million

NATO Ministers agree new UK-based Maritime Centre to support the security of undersea infrastructure

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace is in Brussels with NATO counterparts where the expansion of the ammunition warehousing project was agreed

An additional £60 million of funding from the UK to NATO’s Comprehensive Assistance Package (CAP) has been announced by the Defence Secretary, bringing the UK’s total contribution to over £80 million since February last year.

The CAP is the way that NATO’s support to Ukraine has been organised since 2016, and the funding supports a wide range of capacity-building programmes that are focused on key areas including cyber and logistics.

The package provides secure communications; combat rations, fuel, medical supplies; body armour; winter clothing and equipment to counter mines and chemical and biological threats. The UK and NATO allies continue to deliver on a shared and unwavering commitment to support Ukraine.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:

The international community is working together to secure a stable Europe including our critical infrastructure, and to support Ukraine.

This new contribution for NATO’s Ukraine fund is part of our ongoing commitment to provide Ukraine with the equipment and training it needs.

The funding from the UK is in addition to the extensive and ongoing bilateral support that the UK is providing Ukraine, and initiatives such as the International Fund for Ukraine (IFU). Earlier this week, the UK announced two significant air defence support packages with allies and partners.

The £60 million contribution to the CAP was announced by the Defence Secretary at a meeting of NATO Defence Ministers in Brussels. The meeting of the 31 NATO members focused on European security and stability, and Ministers agreed to establish a new Maritime Centre for the Security of Critical Undersea Infrastructure at NATO Maritime Command in the UK. This new centre is part of a long term plan for the alliance to better secure critical undersea infrastructure.

The centre will result in better coordination between allies and with industry to share expertise, creating a NATO-wide picture of the threat and best way to tackle the challenges including best practice and innovative technologies, such as the UK’s two Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance (MROS) ships – the first of which, HMS Proteus, is due to sail shortly.

The meeting also saw Multinational Ammunition Warehousing Initiative (MAWI) partners (Belgium, Canada, Czechia, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden and the UK) welcome four new nations to the project – Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany and Luxembourg.

MAWI is a NATO project that was established in 2021 to enable partners to explore opportunities for common stockpiling solutions, facilitate information sharing and develop minimum standards for ammunition warehouses. This will strengthen cooperation across allies in managing the storage of munitions and should result in lower costs and increase the availability of weapons.

The project will see a network of munition storage facilities that can host munitions in support of NATO’s multinational battle groups, including the UK-led group in Estonia.

During the NATO meeting, the Defence Secretary also reiterated the UK’s support to Sweden’s accession to the alliance, and held meetings with his counterparts from Türkiye, Canada, Greece, and Italy. He also met with Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Cavoli, and Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Radford.

Before the meeting began on Thursday, the Defence Secretary and Chief of the Defence Staff, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, attended the 13th Ukraine Defence Contact Group where the delivery of hundreds more air defence missiles was announced, following an agreement between Denmark, the Netherlands, the US and the UK.

The international community is committed to providing ongoing support to Ukraine – including equipment and training.
June 17, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Government to strengthen learnings after domestic homicide [June 2023]

The press release issued by the Home Office on 16 June 2023.

The government has launched a consultation to ensure domestic homicide reviews reflect the full range of domestic-abuse related deaths, including suicide.

We are considering changes to ensure domestic homicide review (DHR) legislation reflects the legal definition of domestic abuse, and amend the name to better reflect the range of deaths which fall in their scope, the Minister for Safeguarding announced today.

A domestic homicide review is a multi-agency review which seeks to identify and implement lessons learned from deaths which have, or appear to have, resulted from violence, abuse or neglect. Their aim is to better protect victims in future and prevent further tragedies.

We have launched an 8-week public consultation to consider changes to domestic homicide reviews, bringing them in line with the statutory definition of domestic abuse enacted in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.

This would mean that a DHR can be commissioned whenever there is a death that has, or appears to have, resulted from domestic abuse. This includes controlling or coercive behaviour, emotional and economic abuse, in addition to physical abuse, and will help to ensure that lessons are learned from fatal domestic abuse cases.

The consultation will also consider renaming DHRs as ‘domestic abuse fatality reviews’ to reflect cases where the death was not a result of homicide, such as in the case of suicide.

Safeguarding Minister, Sarah Dines said:

Domestic abuse is a devastating crime which can have tragic outcomes, including murder and suicide.

The government is committed to protecting people from this horrific abuse in all its forms and we are striving to make changes that will bring justice to victims and some comfort to their loved ones.

Through the consultation, the public, key stakeholders, researchers, and bereaved families will share their views.

The changes are being considered in response to concerns from charities and bereaved families that the current system does not reflect the full range of domestic abuse related deaths.

CEO of Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse, Frank Mullane MBE said:

Renaming these reviews and incorporating the statutory definition of domestic abuse, reflects the findings of the extensive forensic work achieved over 12 years.

We do not know how many deaths are fully, or in part attributable to domestic abuse, but these reviews have revealed many of them, for example some suicides and deaths from neglect.

Commissioning these reviews sends the signal that the state takes very seriously any deaths caused by domestic abuse.

The Home Office is taking action across the board to protect vulnerable people. Last month we allocated up to £39 million to 50 projects across England and Wales supporting initiatives to weed out domestic abuse and stalking.

We are also implementing tougher measures on the most dangerous domestic abuse offenders, including ensuring that offenders convicted of controlling or coercive behaviour and sentenced to 12 months or more will be managed in the same way as the most dangerous physically violent offenders, and recorded on the Violent and Sex Offender Register.

June 17, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Appointment of Dean of Durham [June 2023]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 16 June 2023.

The King has approved the nomination of The Reverend Canon Dr Philip Plyming, Warden of Cranmer Hall, St John’s College, Durham, to be appointed as Dean of Durham, in succession to The Very Reverend Andrew Tremlett following his appointment as Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral.

Background

Philip studied German and Russian at Cambridge University followed by Theology at Durham University while training for ministry at Cranmer Hall. His PhD was awarded by Edinburgh University for research into Paul’s hardship narratives in 1 and 2 Corinthians. He served his title at Christ Church, Chineham, in the Diocese of Winchester, and was ordained priest in 2002.

In 2006 Philip was appointed Vicar of Claygate, in the Diocese of Guildford, and from 2012 he additionally served as Area Dean of Emly.

Philip was appointed to his current role as Warden of Cranmer Hall, St John’s College, Durham, in 2017. He was made an Honorary Canon of Durham Cathedral in 2022.

Philip is married to Annabelle, who works as a palliative care consultant for a local NHS Trust, and they have two teenage sons.

June 17, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : UK statement on latest developments in the north of Kosovo [June 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 16 June 2023.

We call for the immediate release of the three Kosovo policemen detained on 14 June.

We urge Kosovo and Serbia to exercise maximum restraint, avoid unilateral measures and take immediate action to reduce tensions.

We reiterate our calls for Prime Minister Kurti and his government to ensure that elected mayors carry out their transitional duties from alternate locations outside municipal buildings and that special police units are withdrawn from municipal buildings.

New, inclusive elections should be announced as soon as possible. We expect and encourage Kosovo Serbs to participate in these elections.

We expect Kosovo and Serbia to engage immediately in the EU-facilitated Dialogue and in particular to start work without further delay to establish an Association of Serb Majority Municipalities.

June 16, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : North Korea ballistic missile launches – FCDO statement [June 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 15 June 2023.

A Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office spokesperson statement on North Korea’s ballistic missile launches on 15 June.

A Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office spokesperson said:

North Korea’s ballistic missile launches on 15 June are a breach of multiple UN Security Council resolutions. Illegal ballistic missile launches continue to destabilise the peace and security of the Korean Peninsula.

The UK will always call out these violations of UNSCRs. We strongly urge North Korea to return to dialogue and take credible steps towards denuclearisation.

June 16, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Appointment of Lord Chief Justice Dame Sue Carr [June 2023]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 15 June 2023.

Dame Sue Carr has been appointed the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales from 1 October 2023.

His Majesty The King has been pleased to approve the appointment of Dame Sue Carr as the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales from 1 October 2023. This appointment follows the retirement of The Rt Hon. the Lord Burnett of Maldon on 30 September 2023.

Dame Sue Carr was called to the Bar in 1987. As a barrister she specialised in general commercial law and took silk in 2003. She became Chair of the Professional Negligence Bar Association in 2007, Chair of the Bar Standards Board Conduct Committee in 2008, and was appointed as the Complaints Commissioner to the International Criminal Court in the Hague in 2011.

Her judicial career began in 2009 in crime, when she became a Recorder. She was appointed to the High Court, Queen’s Bench Division in 2013, and became a nominated Judge of the Commercial Court and the Technology and Construction Court in 2014. In the same year she became a member of the Investigatory Powers Tribunal until 2016. She became a Presider of the Midland Circuit in 2016 until 2020, when she was appointed as a Lady Justice of Appeal. In the same year she was also appointed as the senior Judicial Commissioner and Vice Chair of the Judicial Appointments Commission, a position she held until January 2023.

Dame Sue Carr was educated at Wycombe Abbey School and read law at Trinity College Cambridge.

Background

The appointment of the Lord Chief Justice is made by His Majesty The King on the advice of the Prime Minister and the Lord Chancellor following the recommendation of an independent selection panel chaired by Helen Pitcher OBE, Chair of the Judicial Appointments Commission . The other members were Lord Lloyd-Jones of the Supreme Court, Sue Hoyle OBE and Sarah Lee (lay and professional members of the Judicial Appointments Commission), and Lord Justice Edis (Senior Presiding Judge).

This selection exercise was run under the relevant sections of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 as amended by the Crime and Courts Act 2013. In accordance with section 70 of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, as amended by the Crime and Courts Act 2013, the panel determined the selection process to be followed and consulted the Lord Chancellor and the First Minister of Wales on the process followed.

In accordance with s.10(3) of the Senior Courts Act 1981 c.54, the selection exercise was open to all applicants who satisfied the judicial-appointment eligibility condition on a 7-year basis, or were judges of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, or High Court.

Given the challenges of reducing the outstanding caseloads across jurisdictions and the drive for modernisation across the Courts and Tribunals, candidates were expected to be able to serve for at least 4 years.

June 16, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : More action to fight fraud, bribery and other economic crime [June 2023]

The press release issued by the Home Office on 15 June 2023.

Plans have been submitted to modernise the identification doctrine, a legal principle which can hold corporations criminally liable for an offence.

Businesses who commit fraud, money laundering and bribery will be subject to stricter scrutiny under new Home Office plans.

The government has collaborated with prosecutors, the Law Commission, and the private sector to introduce the biggest reform of the identification doctrine – legislation used to hold companies criminally liable for offences – in more than 50 years.

Under the proposal, added to the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill today, senior managers will be brought within scope of who can be considered the ‘directing mind and will’ of a business. It means if they commit an economic crime, the company can also be held criminally liable and fined for the offence.

Security Minister Tom Tugendhat said:

Alongside our new Failure to Prevent Fraud Offence, these measures demonstrate our commitment to improved transparency.

We will ensure that those responsible for economic crime, whether individuals or companies, can be brought to justice.

The identification doctrine is a principle used to hold companies criminally accountable for the actions of its ‘directing mind and will’.

This has generally been interpreted to be a member of the board, such as chief executives, but complex management structures can conceal who key decision makers are.

For example, a recent multi-billion-pound fraud trial determined a banking group’s chief executive and chief financial officer could not be viewed as the company’s ‘directing mind’. This has left prosecutors with a very high bar to prove who fits the criteria.

Senior executives often possess a huge amount of influence and autonomy but cannot currently be considered a part of the ‘directing mind’.

Minister for Enterprise, Markets and Small Business Kevin Hollinrake said:

This reform will help small business owners play on a level playing field with corporate giants, whilst holding larger companies to account for committing economic crimes.

We stand firm in striking the right balance between the need to tackle economic crime whilst keeping burdens for the law-abiding majority low.

The move is another tool that can be used in the government’s robust plan to fight fraud. This includes the recent publication of the Fraud Strategy, which sets out how the government will work with law enforcement, and the private sector, to block scams at source, bring offenders to justice, shut down fraudulent infrastructure and ensure the public have the support they need.

It also builds on recommendations made by the Law Commission and feedback received from prosecutors and business groups. The consensus from these engagements was the current regime does not effectively cover the way modern businesses are structured.

In practice, a test will be applied to consider the decision-making power of the senior manager who has committed an economic crime, rather than just their job title. The corporation may then be liable in its own right.

This will reduce the ability for corporations to use complex management structures to conceal who decision makers are and therefore level the playing field for businesses of all sizes.

Andrew Penhale, Chief Crown Prosecutor for the CPS, said:

The scale of fraud in the UK – which now comprises over 40% of all criminal activity – is so widespread that extra measures to help prevent it and protect people and organisations from falling victim to this crime is a welcome step in tackling this type of offending.

The reform of the identification doctrine for economic crime is another important measure to drive better corporate behaviours and will further enhance the tools available to prosecutors.

We recognise and support the government’s commitment to legislate for identification doctrine reform across all crime types in the future.

Lisa Osofsky, Director of the Serious Fraud Office, said:

We have a mission to investigate and prosecute those responsible for fraud, bribery and corruption, but currently face a perverse situation where some companies have no liability for misconduct and no incentive to prevent it.

We welcome the range of measures introduced by this bill – including the expansion of our pre-investigation powers and the ‘failure to prevent fraud’ offence – which, together with a review of the disclosure regime, would strengthen our ability to hold corporate criminals to account.

An influential piece of legislation currently used to determine a ‘directing mind’ comes from a House of Lords ruling in 1971.

That case concluded a supermarket group was not liable for the actions of an individual store manager, who was selling washing powder for one shilling more than the advertised price. The store manager was not a part of the corporation’s ‘directing mind’ and the corporation was therefore not guilty.

Senior executives are, consequently, generally viewed within the same light as the store manager.

The government’s reform will reset the balance and ensure greater accountability.

The identification doctrine reform, which applies to economic crime only, is another major development in the government’s drive to reform corporate criminal liability. Another reform – the creation of the Failure to Prevent Fraud offence – was tabled in April.

The Failure to Prevent Fraud offence states that a large business must have measures in place to prevent fraud. If an employee commits fraud for the company’s benefit, the organisation could receive an unlimited fine unless it is able to prove it had adopted reasonable safeguards.

A list of these measures will be published by the government in due course.

June 16, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : UK funding for Syrians reaches almost £200 million this year [June 2023]
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 15 June 2023.

UK funding for vulnerable Syrians and the region reaches almost £200 million this year.
- The UK pledges up to £150 million at a pledging conference in Brussels
- Earlier this year, the UK also committed up to £43 million to support the response to the earthquakes in Syria and Türkiye.
- Funds pledged today will support food production, protect women and girls from violence, provide lifesaving assistance, and ensure access and improved humanitarian service provision.
At the ‘Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region’ pledging conference in Brussels today (Thursday 15 June) the UK has pledged up to £150 million to support millions of vulnerable Syrians and help mitigate the destabilising impact of the conflict in refugee-hosting nations.

This year’s pledge is in addition to the £43m committed earlier this year in response to the earthquakes in Syria and Türkiye, bringing the UK’s contribution to Syria and the region to £193m in 2023.

Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for the Middle East, said:

The UK’s commitment to supporting the Syrian people is unwavering.

On top of 12 years of harrowing conflict, Syrians have faced further tragedy this year in the form of February’s earthquakes.

The international community must ensure the Syrian people are not forgotten. The UK will continue to play a leadership role in supporting Syrians to rebuild their lives and promote a long-term political settlement for lasting and sustainable peace.

The funding announced today will support the humanitarian response both within Syria and across the region. It will enable around 65,000 Syrians in need per year to be less dependent on emergency aid, provide access to high-quality primary education in Northwest Syria and deliver specialised sexual and reproductive health services and gender-based violence services to help survivors recover.

UK funding earlier in the year for earthquake relief in Syria included immediate support to the White Helmets for search and rescue operations, the delivery of urgent relief items – such as family tents, blankets, water purification kits – as well as a bolstered package of support to aid agencies to help those most in need. Last year, UK funding for the humanitarian needs of Syrians also provided thousands of people with drinking water and access to formal education, as well as delivering immunisation campaigns, medical consultations and sexual, gender-based violence and reproductive services.

The UK is one of the largest bilateral donors to the Syria Crisis, having spent over £3.8 billion to date. It is the UK’s largest-ever response to a single humanitarian crisis.
June 16, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : UK joins international partners in delivering air defence equipment to Ukraine [June 2023]
The press release issued by the Ministry of Defence on 15 June 2023.

A major new fund will deliver hundreds of vital air defence missiles, the result of a partnership between Denmark, the Netherlands, the UK and the USA.
A major new fund announced today will deliver hundreds of vital air defence missiles.

Result of a partnership between Denmark, the Netherlands, the UK and the USA.

Announcement comes on the eve of the Defence Secretary discussing the future of NATO at a meeting of Alliance defence ministers in Brussels.

The UK will contribute to the rapid delivery of a significant package of vital air defence equipment for Ukraine, working alongside international partners, the Defence Secretary has announced today.

The announcement was made today by the defence ministries of Denmark, the Netherlands, the UK and the USA, during a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG). The UDCG brings together some 50 nations providing a variety of military support to Ukraine.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:

Working with our international partners we are able to provide vital air defence equipment, which will help Ukraine support offensive operations and protect critical national infrastructure.

Hundreds of short and medium range air defence systems will be procured via the fund. Delivery of the equipment has already begun and is expected to be completed within weeks. The package consists largely of Soviet-era missiles, supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s most pressing needs for systems to support offensive operations and protect critical national infrastructure.

As well as attending the UDCG, the Defence Secretary will also be attending a meeting of NATO defence ministers at NATO HQ, Brussels, ahead of next month’s summit of the Alliance’s leaders in Vilnius. The Defence Secretary will reiterate the UK’s ambition for Sweden’s accession to the Alliance to be ratified ahead of the NATO Leaders’ Vilnius summit.

Ministers will also discuss changes to NATO’s military structures, strengthening ties with defence industry, and making sure the Alliance has the resources it needs to tackle threats across all domains – laying the groundwork for the biggest transformation of NATO for decades.

Funding for air defences is the latest UK support for Ukraine to be announced, following the recent delivery of long-range Storm Shadow missiles, and the announcement from the Prime Minister last week that the UK is donating other air defence systems and long range attack drones.

Earlier this week, the Defence Secretary met his Joint Expeditionary Force counterparts in Amsterdam, and announced that the UK will commit a further £250 million to the International Fund for Ukraine (IFU), as well as a new package of vital air defence capabilities worth £92 million. The equipment will be procured in the coming months through the IFU to bolster Ukraine’s ability to protect its critical national infrastructure, civilian population, and front-line personnel. The package will provide radars to help protect from indiscriminate Russian strikes as well as guns and a significant amount of ammunition. Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland and Lithuania have all contributed to the fund.

Other recent support for Ukraine has included the granting of Challenger 2 main battle tanks, armoured vehicles, and self-propelled guns, as well as running training programmes for Ukrainian infantry, marines, and pilots.
June 16, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Coronation flypast rearranged for the King’s Birthday Parade [June 2023]

The press release issued by the Ministry of Defence on 15 June 2023.

Aircraft from across the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force will take part in a spectacular flypast for the King’s Birthday Parade, marking the first Birthday Flypast for His Majesty King Charles III.

Around 70 aircraft will take to the skies above the crowds on The Mall and over Buckingham Palace watched by Their Majesties the King and Queen, alongside other members of the royal family.

The aircraft will take off from 15 different locations across the UK before joining up across the south-east of England and flying across the capital.

Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton said:

We are very proud to be able to showcase our capabilities to our Commander-in-Chief, on this historic occasion for His Majesty the King.

We have planned a fitting and appropriate tribute for our monarch, that should be a true spectacle for the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.

The event will feature a mix of aircraft ranging from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight dating back to the 1940s and the C-130 Hercules on its final ceremonial flight before retiring from service, to multiple Typhoon fighter jet aircraft and the Envoy IV CC1, making its flypast debut.

At the front of the flypast will be a Juno HT1 piloted by Flight Lieutenant Tom Knapp from 60 Squadron, No.1 Flying Training School based at RAF Shawbury. The event will culminate in a spectacular show of red, white and blue from the pilots of the RAF Red Arrows.

A similar sized flypast was planned for the King’s Coronation in May but was scaled down due to poor weather conditions. Therefore, this Birthday Flypast has been increased in size to pay tribute to the new monarch.

Air Officer Commanding 1 Group, Air Vice-Marshal Mark Flewin said:

It is a great honour to be part of His Majesty the King’s Birthday celebrations, where the flypast is an opportunity for us to showcase formation, precision and excellence in the air to our Commander-in-Chief on such a special occasion.

The aircraft of the Armed Forces have a long and proud history of taking part in this occasion, with the first King’s Birthday Flypast taking place in 1913; and, most recently, formed part of Their Majesties’ Coronation in May and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee last year.

Many of the aircraft taking part in the flypast have been actively involved in operations around the world this year including the NATO Air Policing mission in Eastern Europe and the evacuation of British citizens from Sudan.

The King’s Birthday Flypast follows Trooping the Colour which takes place on Horse Guards Parade in the morning. The ceremony dates back to the reign of King Charles II, and became an annual event in 1760. This year, the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards will troop their colour in the presence of His Majesty the King.

June 16, 2023