Tag: Press Release

PRESS RELEASE : Attorney confirms progress to implement Calvert-Smith review recommendations [May 2023]

The press release issued by the Attorney General’s Office on 24 May 2023.

The Attorney General has updated Parliament that significant action has been taken across all 11 of Sir David’s recommendations.

The Attorney General Victoria Prentis KC MP said:

Last November I updated Parliament confirming that the SFO had made significant progress in delivering nine of Sir David Calvert-Smith’s recommendations following his independent enquiry into the Court of Appeal’s judgment in the Unaoil case.

Today I am pleased to announce that significant action has been taken across all 11 of Sir David’s recommendations, with further activity planned.

HMCPSI have verified that positive progress has been made and the Chief Inspector has kindly agreed to consider my invitation to carry out a further inspection to assess whether the SFO’s actions have been effective.

The Director of the SFO and her team are now focused on embedding the changes that have been made and monitoring their effectiveness.

Delivering what has been promised remains one of my key priorities, ensuring the SFO can continue to carry out their important mission of tackling the scourge of serious financial crime.

The Attorney General laid a Written Ministerial Statement to Parliament today and the AGO has also published a detailed progress update.

The SFO has also published an update on its progress to date against the recommendations set out in Brian Altman KC’s independent review of R. v Woods & Marshall.

June 2, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Ukraine will win. Russia is denying the reality of its horrific war of choice – UK statement to the OSCE [May 2023]

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

UK military advisor, Ian Stubbs, says Russia repeatedly underestimates the strength of the Ukrainian people and our unwavering resolve to support them in defending their homeland.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Despite our Russian colleagues’ futile attempts to portray it otherwise, the simple truth is that Russia is responsible for this horrific war, which is in breach of the UN Charter, and for the needless deaths of thousands of innocent men, women and children. To characterise such a situation as anything other than a human tragedy for both sides denies the reality.

However, that is what the Kremlin does – it denies the reality to itself and to the Russian people. Here in Vienna, we have watched our Russian colleagues use this Forum as a mouthpiece to try to justify the unjustifiable. They have perpetuated a campaign of lies, threats and propaganda which has no solid foundation whatsoever. They have complained of confrontation and professed to seek dialogue. Yet, it is our Russian colleagues who have become increasingly contemptuous of this Forum, belligerent towards the Chair, and threatening towards fellow delegates.

Let us step back and remind ourselves of Russia’s approach to dialogue and diplomacy:

Russia repeatedly lied in this and other multilateral fora over the true purpose of its extraordinary military build-up on Ukraine’s borders and in illegally annexed Crimea.

Russia not only ignored its commitments under the Vienna Document, but weaponised this Confidence and Security Building measure to support its disinformation campaign.

Russia rejected calls for dialogue and de-escalation and instead pursued a path of confrontation.

Russia said there would be no war.

Russia said it had no intentions of invading Ukraine.

Russia conducted an unprovoked, premeditated and barbaric attack against a sovereign democratic State to conquer it by force and failed.

Madam Chair, whilst Russia persists in launching large-scale missile and drone strikes on towns and cities across Ukraine, we are thankful that most continue to be successfully intercepted by Ukraine’s air defences, including with those systems gifted by Ukraine’s international partners.

Russia also continues to struggle to achieve air superiority. Last week, we reported that four Russian military aircraft lost over Russia’s Bryansk region indicated that Russia’s ability to operate safely in its own airspace was now compromised. This increased air threat over Russia’s border region will be of exceptional concern to the Russian Air Force because it uses the area to launch air power in support of its illegal war. Ukraine’s repeated success in shooting down the Kinzhal hypersonic ballistic missile, once lauded by Putin as “undefeatable”, will add to Russia’s concern.

Madam Chair, Russia has repeatedly underestimated the strength and determination of the courageous Ukrainian people to defend their homeland. In addition, Russia has severely underestimated our unwavering resolve to support Ukraine, alongside our friends and partners, for however long it takes.

Russia has also clearly underestimated NATO’s resolve. Russia’s own aggressive actions have directly resulted in NATO growing stronger: welcoming new members; strengthening its forward presence; transforming the NATO Response Force; and boosting its ability to defend every inch of Allied territory.

Madam Chair, Russia could end this all now. It could end the pain and suffering of so many. It could end the terrible impact on the Russian people – needless deaths; grieving families; discontent; and isolation. It could end all this if it stopped its brutal and barbaric invasion of its sovereign neighbour and withdrew its forces from Ukraine.

Ukraine has regained territory and liberated thousands of Ukrainian people thanks to the awe-inspiring bravery of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the resilience of the Ukrainian people and the overwhelming international support. Together, the UK and partners are ensuring that Ukraine will win. Our united approach of providing Ukraine with the support it needs to defend itself and push Russia out of Ukraine’s sovereign territory is the swiftest, and only, path to a just and lasting peace. Thank you.

June 2, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Appointment of Bishop of Lincoln [May 2023]

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

The King has approved the nomination of The Right Reverend Stephen Conway, Bishop of Ely and previously Acting Bishop of Lincoln, for election as Bishop of Lincoln, in succession to The Right Reverend Christopher Lowson following his retirement.

Background

Stephen was educated at Keble College, Oxford, and trained for ordained ministry at Westcott House, Cambridge. He served his title at St Mary, Heworth, in the Diocese of Durham, and was ordained priest in 1987. Stephen served as Director of Ordinands from 1990 and, in 1994, he was appointed Priest in Charge, later Vicar, of St Mary, Cockerton.

From 1998, Stephen served as Bishop’s Senior Chaplain, Press Officer and Diocesan Communications Officer and, in 2002, he was appointed Archdeacon of Durham and Residentiary Canon of Durham Cathedral.

In 2006, Stephen was appointed Area Bishop of Ramsbury, in the Diocese of Salisbury and, in 2010, he took up his current role as Bishop of Ely. Additionally, Stephen was Acting Bishop of Lincoln from the beginning of 2022 until Easter 2023.

June 2, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Thousands more ex-prisoners in work following major drive to boost employment [May 2023]
The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 24 May 2023.

More than double the number of ex-offenders found work following a major government drive to reduce reoffending and plug labour shortages to help grow the economy.
- 116% rise in ex-offenders finding jobs within 6 months
- boost follows raft of measures to reduce reoffending
- Justice Secretary opens new DHL workshop staffed by prisoners
New statistics show rapid progress has been made to boost employment for prison leavers, with the number of ex-offenders who have been successfully steered into jobs within 6 months more than doubling from 14% to 30% since April 2021.

It is helping to cut crime and tackle the £18 billion annual cost of reoffending as ex-prisoners in steady jobs are known to be up to 9 percentage points less likely to commit further crimes.

Business chiefs from household firms such as Co-op and Greggs have helped spearhead initiatives such as Employment Advisory Boards, which have been rolled out in 92 prisons to help improve the education and training on offer.

Education programmes and workshops geared to local workforce needs are also helping offenders learn new skills and access a vibrant business network as they prepare for release.

The Lord Chancellor, Alex Chalk, officially opened one such workshop run by international logistics firm, DHL at HMP High Down in Surrey yesterday (23 May). It will function as a DHL warehouse for sorting and picking goods to be shipped to other prisons across the country giving prisoners experience of managing the movement of stock within the warehouse and the processing of goods.

Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, Alex Chalk MP KC, said:

Our drive to improve prison education and business links is helping cut crime, with more prisoners going straight into work on release than ever before.

Helping reformed offenders kickstart a new, law-abiding career is a win-win – it makes our streets safer while providing businesses with the reliable staff they need to help drive the British economy.

Eight prisoners also worked on the construction of the workshop, with 2 now in full-time employment with major construction firm Galliford Try following their release.

Simon, who assisted with the construction of the workshop during his sentence at HMP High Down said:

Helping to build the workshop has taught me new skills and given me the confidence I need to pursue a career when I walk out the prison gates.

I now have a job waiting for me on the outside and that makes me hopeful I can make positive choices and stay on the straight and narrow.

The Lord Chancellor’s visit followed him meeting representatives from some of the UK’s leading businesses, at the annual Employment Advisory Board conference on 11 May.

Since April 2022, the proportion of prison leavers finding work within six weeks of release has increased from 15% to 19%, with a further 30% in work after 6 months, up from 23%.

These significant increases come after the government rolled out one-stop hubs in prison where prisoners can access career advice and help with CV writing – akin to job centres in the community. The Prison Service has also been running nationwide, month-long recruitment drives focused on getting offenders into particular sectors that are facing recruitment challenges, including hospitality, construction and manufacturing.

Building on this momentum, next month marks the launch of a campaign to get more ex-prisoners into the UK’s retail and logistics sectors, in jobs such as warehouse workers, shop assistants and online sales advisers.

Over the course of the campaign, business experts from the sector will deliver tailored workshops and jobs fairs to give them the skills and the insight they need to provide a positive contribution to the community as soon as they step out of the prison gates.

Prisoners are also supported by the Department for Work and Pension’s (DWP) Work Coaches, who help them to get job-ready through mock interviews and sharing tips on how to secure further training opportunities on release.

Mims Davies, Minister for Social Mobility, Youth & Progression, said:

The best route towards prosperity is through work, which is especially true for those re-entering society after time spent in prison. That’s why DWP employs prison Work Coaches across the country who work directly with offenders to boost their skills and get them job-ready for their release.

It’s great to see so many people following that route, and we will continue to highlight to employers, through our Jobcentre network, the contribution prison leavers can make to their business.

The new data follows a recent report by the Centre for Social Justice which sets out the benefits to the economy and society by getting more ex-offenders into work.

Joe Shalam, Policy Director at the Centre for Social Justice, said:

We welcome the work of the Ministry of Justice to unlock both aspiration and opportunities for people leaving prison. As well as a punishment and deterrent, prison time must be used to ensure that the cycle of reoffending is broken, protecting more would-be victims of crime.

Employment is proven to cut reoffending, while also providing prison leavers with the keys to a better and more stable life. It’s a rare win-win that we should be doing everything to achieve.
June 2, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : New specialist fraud squad to help departments prevent fraud in public services [May 2023]
The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 24 May 2023.

A new team of experts will surge into departments to help prevent fraud in public services.
- New team part of the government’s £1billion crackdown on fraud, lead by the Public Sector Fraud Authority.
- Central team of experts will help to prevent fraud by identifying areas of services which are most at risk.
- Specialists will also help Civil Servants to ‘design out’ fraud when new schemes and services are being launched.
A new team of experts will surge into departments to help prevent fraud in public services.

The team, which starts work today, is the latest tool in the government’s £1bn crackdown on fraud against the public sector, led by the Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA).

The new service will provide expert advice and support to help departments and public bodies to better understand how fraudsters attack government schemes and services and take action to make those attacks less likely to succeed.

It will deploy teams of experts into critical points, such as when the government announces new spending programmes or policies, to scrutinise and improve oversight of spending before funds are issued, to ensure that fraudsters cannot profit from the public purse.

The team is made up of counter-fraud experts, who have had specialist training and are experienced in preventing and detecting fraud. They will help services to harness the latest tools and techniques, such adopting a fraudsters mindset to stress test fraud controls, in a similar way to how ethical hacking operates, to strengthen the government’s fraud defences.

Cabinet Office Minister Baroness Neville-Rolfe said:

We know that fraudsters, both in the UK and overseas, are targeting public funds and so we must do everything we can to stop them.

The public expects us to protect taxpayers money, so this new service steps up the government’s fraud defences through more rigorous identification of the threats we face and specialist support for public services.

The Risk, Threat and Prevention Service is a global first, with no other government in the world currently providing such a cross-government resource and capability to identify and counter fraud.

It will develop new tools for government to use, including the Global Fraud Risk Assessment, which will track and analyse common fraud patterns so that teams can ensure that services are designed in a way which does not leave them exposed to fraud.

The team will also develop a High Fraud Risk Portfolio which will identify the areas of the public sector most at risk of fraud. This will enable departments to better prioritise the allocation of counter fraud resources and expert advice, so that fraud risks are mitigated more efficiently.

These new tools will allow the government to better target counter-fraud resource. The Risk, Threat and Prevention Service will lead fraud squads, which will surge into departments, to analyse and design services which are far less open to the risk of fraud.

This early intervention will help ‘design out’ fraud at the early stages of a new government service or policy starting, preventing the need for investigators to have to try and recoup money in the future. The savings delivered by the new team will help deliver the Prime Minister’s commitment to growing the economy, by reducing public money lost to fraud and ensuring funding reaches the services it is intended for.

The service has been built over the past eight months. The government appointed Mark Cheeseman OBE, an internationally recognised expert, as the Authority’s first Chief Executive last week.

He said:

Across the world fraud is getting more complex and pervasive, but we know that the investment in understanding and preventing fraud pays off.

The creation of the new Risk, Threat and Prevention Service, a first for the government, will help us to continue innovating, and improving, across the system at finding, fighting and stopping fraud.

Government has invested £1bn in taking action against public sector fraud in this spend review period, and has recovered more than £3.1bn of fraud losses in the last two years, including within Covid-19 schemes. Significant progress has been made by establishing the PSFA which is stepping up the government’s efforts to protect taxpayers’ money. Government continues to expand its Counter Fraud Profession, develop new technologies and boost skills and training to further protect the public purse.
June 2, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : UK and Albania agree groundbreaking new arrangement on prisoner transfers [May 2023]
The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 24 May 2023.

Hundreds of Albanian prisoners to be returned to their home country in exchange for UK support to help modernise the Albanian prison system.
200 Albanian prisoners will be sent home to serve remainder of jail sentences

arrangement saves taxpayers’ money while improving Albanian prison system

part of long-term partnership agreed between UK and Albanian Prime Ministers

The UK and Albanian governments have agreed a ground-breaking arrangement that will see hundreds of Albanian prisoners returned to their home country in exchange for UK support to help modernise the Albanian prison system.

Under the new arrangement 200 Albanian nationals in prisons in England and Wales serving sentences of 4 years or more will be sent back to see out the remainder of their terms in Albanian prisons while helping to modernise prisons in Albania.

Today’s (24 May 2023) deal builds on the Joint Communiqué signed by the British and Albanian Prime Ministers in December 2022 and the discussions they held in London in March 2023.

Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, Alex Chalk MP KC, said:

I am grateful to my Albanian counterpart, HE Mr Ulsi Manja, for his efforts to shape our growing partnership on justice issues. The public expects that foreign criminals should serve their sentences overseas – not in our prisons at the expense of the taxpayer.

This deal will speed up the removal of these offenders and give victims confidence that serious criminals will continue to face justice and spend the remainder of their sentence behind bars. Collaboration with our international partners is an essential part of making this possible.

Ulsi Manja, Albanian Minister of Justice, said:

This new arrangement demonstrates the strong partnership between the UK and Albanian governments. Two years after the agreement for the transfer of prisoners from the United Kingdom to Albania was ratified, we have concluded a technical arrangement that will benefit both countries.

At its core, every Albanian convict in the United Kingdom shall be given the opportunity to serve the remaining sentence in Albania, near their families, while we also increase our efforts to ensure the modernisation of the Albanian penitentiary system.

Through the agreement, the UK government will provide support modernising and expanding the Albanian prison system, to make sure they have the capacity to hold these prisoners. These improvements will also speed up future transfers.

The deal builds on an earlier agreement and means that offenders must spend at least the same amount of time in custody as they were sentenced to by a judge in the UK. They are also barred from returning to the UK.

It will also free up prison capacity in England and Wales by speeding up the removal of foreign offenders. Between 27 April 2021 and 27 April 2023, the government repatriated 112 sentenced foreign offenders under Prisoner Transfer Agreements. Today’s deal will double the number removed annually.

Notes to editors

It currently costs nearly £40,000 a year to house each prisoner in England and Wales.

The total cost of the deal for the MOJ is expected to be in the region of £8 million over 2 years, equating to £32 per prisoner per day, compared to £109 per day to house them in prisons in England and Wales. Home Office funding of around £4.4 million will also support the arrangement.

MoJ funding will be paid per prisoner transferred – not up front.

At 31 March 2023, there were 1,393 Albanian Foreign National Offenders in prisons in England and Wales. Source: Offender Management Statistics Quarterly, 27 April 2023, table 1.7

The deal builds on the prisoner transfer agreement signed between the UK and Albania in 2021, which came into force in May 2022. This implementation package will ensure Albania has the right processes and prison capacity in place, meaning transfers can now proceed at pace.

In the past 3 years 10,000 foreign offenders from around the world have been deported from the United Kingdom to their home country. The majority have been deported via other schemes, such as the Early Removal Scheme, which allows offenders to be deported before the conclusion of their prison sentences. This Prisoner Transfer Agreement means prisoners still serving long sentences can be removed and serve the remainder abroad.
June 2, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : First dedicated government fund to build space infrastructure launched with £50 million [May 2023]

The press release issued by the UK Space Agency on 24 May 2023.

The UK Space Agency is launching a £50 million fund to support the development of cutting-edge research and development facilities, the government announced today.

The Space Clusters and Infrastructure Fund (SCIF) – the first dedicated fund for UK space infrastructure – will award match funding to UK organisations to develop the R&D infrastructure needed to make space products mission-ready and sell them into commercial markets.

Investment in space R&D infrastructure is essential for building and testing new UK space and satellite capabilities, supporting innovative missions that can benefit people, businesses and communities across the country.

Minister of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology George Freeman MP said:

The UK space industry – worth £17.5 billion to the UK economy and creating new companies and careers all around the country from Glasgow Space City to Spaceport Cornwall – is a key part of the UK Innovation Economy.

This £50 million Space Clusters and Infrastructure Fund is the UK’s first fund dedicated to support the space industry develop the R&D facilities key to growing the space clusters across the UK, helping to generate investment, create jobs and enable UK space companies’ cutting-edge technology to be made mission-ready for new commercial satellite markets.

The funding is available to industry and academia who can deliver projects to procure, build or upgrade R&D facilities and equipment that will bring high potential, high value space technologies to market. SCIF is a pilot project that will support approximately 5-10 projects of up to £10 million each.

These projects will provide critical anchor points at the local level for new businesses, investment and research and aim to create hundreds of jobs in areas of the UK that need it most.

Dr Paul Bate, Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency, said:

The UK has a thriving space sector, which is well-established and globally respected. We are growing this exciting sector further, by catalysing investment, delivering missions and capabilities, and championing the power of space to improve lives.

The Space Clusters and Infrastructure Fund demonstrates the government’s commitment to space and will help deliver the ambition set out in the National Space Strategy to build one of the most innovative and attractive space economies in the world, developing new skills and creating jobs.

Levelling Up is a priority of the UK Space Agency and SCIF will allocate the majority of its budget outside of the Greater South-east, although proposals are welcome from anywhere in the UK.

Lizzie Kerr, Director of UKspace, the industry trade association, said:

R&D underpins so much of the UK space industry’s activities and continued innovation. UKspace therefore welcomes this funding commitment from the Government which has the potential to impact many of our members, by developing and renewing facilities, and bringing growth and employment across the UK.

The government has previously invested in space infrastructure such as the National Satellite Test Facility (NSTF) and National Space Propulsion Test Facility on a case-by-case basis. The NSTF, due to open later this year in Harwell, features the UK’s largest vacuum test chamber, where satellites the size of a double decker bus will be exposed to extremes of hot and cold for months at a time, and a vibration facility that replicates the conditions of a rocket launch. The National Space Propulsion Test Facility in Westcott allows UK organisations to test state-of-the-art engines which move small satellites in space, at a more affordable rate than having to go abroad.

The UK Space Agency’s funding for national projects, including SCIF, is in addition to £1.84 billion invested through the European Space Agency in November, ensuring the UK’s space and commercial satellite sector will play a leading role in future international missions and innovative commercial programmes.

June 2, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Government puts business first with Brexit regulation shakeup [May 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Business and Trade on 24 May 2023.

Plans unveiled to ease costly reporting burdens on business, freeing up companies to focus on growth.

Plans to reduce costly and time-consuming regulatory burdens on business have been revealed by the Government today [Wednesday 24 May].

A wide range of UK companies, investors and industry experts have been invited to give their views on non-financial reporting regimes, in a new call for evidence that aims to find ways to reduce reporting regulation burdens on businesses so that they can focus on growth.

Non-financial reporting provides valuable information to investors and is a way for companies to tell their ‘story’ beyond financial information. This includes future strategy, and detail on how a wide range of factors may affect the company’s performance, providing insight into the business and culture of the company.

However, companies and investors have been calling for the simplification of these requirements in the wake of the deregulatory opportunities offered by Brexit. Annual reports now run at an average of 200 pages for the largest companies in the UK, creating unnecessary burden for businesses. With this review, the Government will aim to:

Save businesses time and money with a more streamlined and focused corporate reporting regime
Ensure company annual reports contain clearer, more useful information, by asking investors what really matters to them
Make the UK an even more competitive place to do business by placing growth and investment at the heart of reporting requirements
Business Minister Kevin Hollinrake said:

We want to shred unnecessary paperwork so businesses can focus on what’s important to them – growing and making profit.

By seizing on the opportunities of Brexit to streamline our non-financial reporting regime, we’ll make the UK an easier and more competitive place to do business, while delivering on our priority to grow the economy.

As part of this, we will also review the size thresholds that determine some of the information a company needs to produce in their annual report, in particular the definition of micro-enterprises. This threshold, a relic of an EU directive, could be forcing too many of Britain’s smallest businesses to spend time and money preparing information to a level of detail only needed for larger companies, distracting them from focusing on growth and creating jobs.

The call for evidence will end on 16 August. The Government will then use the information collected to develop detailed proposals for public consultation next year.

Subject to the views shared, the Government will then look to legislate for any changes.

This builds on the “Smarter regulation to grow the economy” policy paper (10 May 2023) which set out how the government would improve regulation across the board to reduce burdens and drive economic growth now that the UK has left the European Union.

Our departure from the EU allows us to shape rules and processes so that they work for the UK’s specific circumstances and businesses, including for non-financial reporting, while upholding our strong record on workers’ rights.

June 2, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : £165 million fund launched to transform local skills [May 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 24 May 2023.

Local employer skills gaps to be addressed with a funding boost to transform training and grow the economy.

Local communities across the country are set to benefit from a share of £165 million to transform skills training in their area and help get more people into jobs closer to home.

Further education providers are invited to apply for cash from the Local Skills Improvement Fund, which will be used to renovate facilities with up-to-date equipment, help to upskill teachers, and deliver new courses in key subjects such as green construction, carbon capture and cyber security that meet the needs of local employers. This means that wherever there are skills black holes, they will now be filled.

Thousands of people will benefit from this boost to skills training, helping them secure good jobs close to where they live. It will also provide a boost to local economies, as employers will have access to a workforce which is equipped with the specific skills businesses need to grow.

Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education Robert Halfon said:

Building a world-class skills and apprenticeships nation means listening to the specific needs of local people, businesses, and institutions.

This funding will revolutionise how we plug local skills gaps and provide a boost to the economy. Supporting colleges to better meet the needs of local employers not only boosts businesses, it extends the ladder of opportunity to even more people from all backgrounds who will be equipped with the skills they need to secure a rewarding job close to home.

Successful applicants will receive funding to invest in a broad range of initiatives that respond to the specific priorities identified in each area’s Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP). The plans have been created by employer representative bodies in every region of the country and set out the key priorities and changes needed in each area to make post-16 technical training more closely aligned to local labour market needs.

The initiative builds on the success of the Strategic Development Fund, which has already made £157 million available to the further education sector to invest in a range of projects that have had a huge impact on plugging skills gaps in communities up and down the country. This includes investment in the equipment and facilities needed to upskill people in areas such as electric and hybrid vehicle maintenance, automation and artificial intelligence.

New City College is part of the collaborative Green Academy Partnership of 13 colleges across London which received a share of £961,000 revenue and £1.5 million capital SDF funding for Green Labs, with investment in key technologies in the low carbon and renewables sector.

Jamie Stevenson, Group Executive Director at New City College said:

Being the project lead for the Central London Forward SDF project has enabled us, alongside local employers and stakeholders, to pioneer a new way of working. From the project’s inception, we have worked collaboratively to identify and meet the local need for high quality technical training to develop green skills. This has included upskilling teaching staff and setting an industry-leading standard for low carbon energy learning labs.

The SDF has made an important contribution to local people and employers in central London by providing access to green skills training which supports people to get a good job or further develop their career in the low carbon energy sector, enabling us to work towards meeting the 2050 net zero challenge.

Weston College is 1 of 4 colleges in the West of England which received a share of £1.2 million revenue and £1.5 million capital SDF funding to invest in training and state-of-the-art equipment for the Aerospace, Advanced Engineering and Health and Social Care sectors to meet the urgent skills needs of the region and the pace of technological development.

Sir Paul Phillips CBE, Principal and Chief Executive of Weston College said:

This funding has been a catalyst for change for our delivery of skills in the West of England, bringing together educational providers and employers around the table to ensure partnerships are both proactive and effective.

We have been able to use the funds to tailor provision to employer needs but also to ensure it fits with the regions we serve. It is absolutely important that this ground breaking work continues to advance with the flexibilities to match each area’s priorities and the specialist skills needed for the industries that are so key to both our regional and national economic growth.

June 2, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : UK pledges support for over a million people in East Africa [May 2023]
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 24 May 2023.

The UK Minister for Development Andrew Mitchell has announced a new package of humanitarian support for people affected by food insecurity, drought, conflict and climate change in East Africa.
- UK today pledges vital life-saving assistance to East Africa to support vulnerable communities
- new funding will support people facing the drastic impacts of drought, conflict, food insecurity and climate change in countries across East Africa including Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya
- UK support will also provide humanitarian assistance to Sudan, to help address people’s urgent needs, one month after conflict broke out in the country
The Minister for Development and Africa Andrew Mitchell will announce humanitarian aid to East Africa at the UN Horn of Africa pledging conference today [Wednesday 24 May].

This vital assistance will enable the UN and NGO partners to continue the delivery of cash support; the delivery of water and sanitation services; and the supply of specialised health and nutrition treatment.

As vulnerable countries are impacted by more frequent and more severe weather events, the UK is supporting them to adapt and build resilience for the long term. Funding will boost the climate resilience of communities and provide support for those displaced due to drought and extreme weather.

The conference is co-hosted by the UK, Qatar, Italy and the US and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). In a video statement to the UN, Minister Andrew Mitchell will pledge £143 million for East Africa, £96 million of which is going to the drought-impacted countries of the Horn.

The minister will call for long-term solutions to break the cycle of crises afflicting the region, sustainable development, and adapting to climate change.

The Minister for Development and Africa Andrew Mitchell said:

The Horn of Africa faces one of the most devastating humanitarian crises in the world. The catastrophic drought over the last 2 years has brought unimaginable suffering and millions cannot access adequate water for drinking, cooking and cleaning.

As we’ve sadly seen in Sudan, conflict across East Africa is tearing apart communities, with women and girls bearing the brunt of the violence.

Our funding could not come at a more critical moment, and it is clear that we must act now, and do all we can to save lives.

Across the Horn of Africa around 43 million people require humanitarian aid due to the devastating effects of conflict and climate change. The Horn of Africa has also experienced a drought of an unprecedented nature following 5 seasons of failed rains, with livelihood systems collapsing, millions displaced and hundreds of thousands of children forced to drop out of school.

The new UK funding will address the crisis by supporting victims of gender-based violence, providing families with access to basic services, nutritional support, emergency food and cash assistance and sustainable water supplies. As part of the UK, US and Qatar’s pledges made today, all 3 countries have partnered to commit £8.4 million for drought response and resilience support in Somalia.

The UK is also pursuing all avenues to secure safe humanitarian access in Sudan, and UK support pledged today includes £21.7 million to help address people’s urgent needs.

The UK continues to call on the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces to uphold international humanitarian law and allow life-saving humanitarian access in Sudan.

Background
- the UK has committed £143 million to East Africa for the financial year 2023 to 2024. The funding includes:
  - £42 million for Ethiopia
  - £5.8 million for Kenya
  - £48 million for Somalia
  - £18.9 million for South Sudan
  - £21.7 million for Sudan
  - £7 million for Uganda
- as a longstanding and committed donor to Sudan, the UK has contributed more than £250 million in humanitarian aid in the past 5 years
- across East Africa the UN estimates that almost 72 million people require humanitarian aid this year due to a combination of pressures, following 5 seasons of failed rains, conflict and flooding
- the FCDO will host a conference at Wilton Park 17 to 19 July to bring together key stakeholders to look at how we can improve access to climate finance for countries with high humanitarian needs
- as part of the UK’s commitment to Somalia, the US, Qatar and the UK have jointly pledged/provided £8.4 million to support urgent assistance and build resilience to the drought through the Building Resilience Communities in Somalia (BRCiS) consortium. The UK contribution to this partnership is £2 million, with the UK taking on grant management and technical leadership
- the London School of Tropical Medicine estimate 43,000 excess deaths occurred in Somalia in 2022 due to drought, half of which were children under 5 years old
June 2, 2023