Day: June 25, 2018

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson flew into Kabul today, 25 June, to show support for recent positive developments in Afghanistan. On the back of the ceasefires over Eid, which saw Government and Taliban forces talking rather than fighting in cities across the country, the Foreign Secretary held talks in Kabul with Afghanistan’s President, Chief Executive, and Deputy Foreign Minister.

The Foreign Secretary underlined that Britain was fully committed to helping build a stable, peaceful, and prosperous Afghanistan. He welcomed the National Unity Government’s determination to achieve a peaceful political settlement to the conflict with the Taliban, including through holding timely and credible Parliamentary and Presidential elections.

He also highlighted the UK’s strong support for girls’ education in Afghanistan by meeting Afghan girls who are getting access to sports education through UK funding.

The Foreign Secretary also met General Nicholson, the Commander of Resolute Support, NATO’s training and assistance mission in Afghanistan, and had a chance to talk to – and ride in an armoured vehicle with – some of the Welsh Guards helping to mentor the Afghan National Security and Defence Forces.

The Foreign Secretary said:

At this important moment when Afghan-led efforts towards peace and a political settlement have gained considerable impetus, I was proud and inspired to be in Kabul to see how the UK is working in support of the Afghan Government to achieve this goal.

In my meetings with President Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah, I welcomed their historic offer of unconditional talks earlier this year, and their determined recent efforts towards a political process with the Taliban.

I urge all countries with influence in Afghanistan, especially in the neighbourhood, to use it constructively at this crucial moment.

My visit comes just as the UK is considering the request from the US and NATO to give additional assistance to Resolute Support. I was hugely impressed by the work done by British troops as a part of this NATO mission and I believe there is still a lot the UK could contribute to this vital operation. The Government will be taking a decision very soon.

I was also delighted to meet a talented group of Afghan girls to see how excited they were about their prospects, thanks to British funding and the Afghan Government’s determination to do more in this area. A good education for them will help Afghanistan’s development and is a big part of the UK’s commitment towards a brighter future for Afghanistan. I am proud that UK Aid has helped 300,000 marginalised Afghan girls into education and trained over 10,000 teachers over the last six years.

During his visit the Foreign Secretary met President Dr Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Dr Abdullah Abdullah, and Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Karzai.

This is the Foreign Secretary’s second visit to Afghanistan, where the UK is currently investing more than £750m in development assistance to support the Afghan people.

Notes to editors

• The UK is contributing £750m in development spend between 2016 and 2020. UK Aid is helping improve access to education, services and justice for the Afghan people, offering humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable and supporting good governance and anti-corruption efforts.
• The UK has also committed £70m per year until 2020 in non-military support to help sustain the Afghan National Security and Defence Forces. Over 650 UK troops are currently serving in Afghanistan in non-combat roles as part of NATO’s Resolute Support Mission to help train, assist and advise the Afghan Security Forces

Further information

• Follow the Foreign Secretary on Twitter @BorisJohnson and Facebook
• Follow the Foreign Office on Twitter @foreignoffice and Facebook
• Follow the Foreign Office on Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn

Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific Mark Field said:

The UK was instrumental in delivering today’s introduction of targeted sanctions on seven individuals from the Burmese military responsible for human rights violations in Rakhine. We were involved in identifying the individuals in question, and led on collecting the evidence required to build the legal case for sanctions against them. We also worked hard to secure the necessary EU consensus to introduce sanctions.

These sanctions are a direct response to the appalling violence, including sexual violence, that took place in Rakhine last year. The individuals listed were responsible for units that have been identified as the perpetrators of this violence.

This is a message to the Burmese military. The international community is watching. We can and will identify those responsible for atrocities committed. Further names can be added to this list. We will continue to monitor closely the Burmese military’s behaviour across Burma, and build evidence as necessary.

The human rights violations in Rakhine on which these listings are based are horrific. While we have welcomed Burma’s announcement of a Commission of Inquiry to look into what took place, UK pressure – and international pressure – will not stop until there is accountability for the perpetrators, and justice for the victims.

Further information

• Follow Foreign Office Minister Mark Field @MarkFieldUK
• Follow the Foreign Office on Twitter @foreignoffice and Facebook
• Follow the Foreign Office on Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn

Today the government will launch a package of new measures designed to promote a healthy and diverse marketplace of companies bidding for government contracts.

In a speech at the Reform think tank in central London, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, David Lidington, will reinforce the government’s commitment to the private and voluntary sector delivery of public services. He will say:

We are determined to build a society where people from all parts of our country can access the best public services, and for those services to run efficiently and smoothly for them and their families. Whether that service is delivered by public, private or voluntary sectors, what matters is that it works for them and their everyday needs, while providing value for money for the taxpayer.

And whether it is operating our call centres; building our railways; or delivering our school meals – the private sector has a vital role to play in delivering public services, something this government will never cease to champion.

He will also say that we need to build a diverse, vibrant marketplace of different suppliers – which take into account wider social values, as well as cost. He will set out new measures to encourage and make it easier for small businesses, mutuals, charities, co-operatives and social enterprises to take on government contracts. He is expected to say:

We want to see public services delivered with values at their heart, where the wider social benefits matter and are recognised. That means government doing more to create and nurture vibrant, healthy, innovative, competitive and diverse marketplaces of suppliers that include and encourage small businesses, mutuals, charities, co-operatives and social enterprises – and therefore harness the finest talent from across the public, private and voluntary sectors.

That is why I can announce today that we will extend the requirements of the Social Value Act in central government to ensure all major procurements explicitly evaluate social value where appropriate, rather than just ‘consider’ it.

By doing so, we will ensure that contracts are awarded on the basis of more than just value for money – but a company’s values too, so that their actions in society are rightly recognised and rewarded.

The new measures will extend the requirements of the 2013 Social Value Act to level the playing field for mutuals, co-operatives and social enterprises bidding to win government contracts.

In a further change, the government will use its purchasing power – some £200 billion is spent per year on private companies providing public services – to challenge its major suppliers to do better on equality and diversity. The minister is expected to say:

If we are to build a fairer society, in which the public has greater trust in businesses not just to make a profit, but also to play a responsible role in society, then we must use the power of the public sector to lead the way.

We will now develop proposals for government’s biggest suppliers to publish data and provide action plans for how they plan to address key social issues and disparities – such as ethnic minority representation, gender pay, and what they are doing to tackle the scourge of modern slavery.”

And he will make clear that the government cannot do this alone, but needs the industry to step up to the challenge. He is expected to say:

But government cannot do this alone – we need the industry to come with us on this journey. We need them to put right failings where they have occurred; demonstrate their ability to respond to changing circumstances; and show their capacity for innovation and creativity as well.

That is because we believe in an economy that works for everyone – what you might call a ‘responsible capitalism’ – where true fairness means everyone playing by the same rules as each other, and where businesses recognise the duties and obligations they have to wider society.

By doing so, we will go some way to restoring trust between government, industry and the public – and build public services that have the confidence of the people they are there to serve

The Minister will also announce further measures, including requiring key suppliers to develop ‘living wills’ which will allow contingency plans to be rapidly put into place if needed, increased transparency for major contracts by publishing key performance indicators, improved training for government procurers, and enhanced measures to protect suppliers from cyber attacks.

Mark Fox, Chief Executive of the British Services Association, said:

This is a robust and welcome challenge by the government to all those involved in the delivery of public services across the private, voluntary and public sectors.

The challenge to the industry is to improve management practices, increase transparency and develop new arguments for the private sector to deliver public services – a challenge we embrace.

We welcome these proposals and look forward to working with the government to create more diverse, vibrant markets which can make the most of talent from across all parts of the United Kingdom, and deliver quality public services to the benefit of the taxpayer.

Andrew Haldenby, Director of Reform, said:

Public services depend on private sector delivery, from the education of children with special educational needs to the maintenance of the nuclear deterrent. Reform polling has consistently found that around 60 per cent of voters don’t mind who delivers a public service, whether public sector, private or charitable, as long as there is fair access to it.

Rachel Law, Chief Executive of Possabilities, a Manchester-based social enterprise, said:

Winning a public sector contract such as day services or respite care could make a massive difference to a company like ours – enabling us to grow and boost our revenue so we can continue to support many more vulnerable people in the local community.