Day: July 24, 2018

At the event, also attended by the Thai Ambassador Mr Pisanu Suvanajata, Theresa May praised the heroism of those involved in the extraordinary cave rescue.

The group of rescuers, who have been cave diving for over 20 years, battled zero visibility conditions and narrow cave passages to reach the trapped boys.

Among those attending with their families was John Volanthen, one of the British divers who was part of the team which first discovered the boys. He was also one of the three divers who went out as the initial team and who helped place guides in the cave to assist others in navigation. Also at the event was Robert Harper, who was part of the team which pinpointed the boys’ exact location, and Vernon Unsworth, who first alerted cave divers in the UK to the situation in Thailand.

Divers who took part in the final stages of the rescue were also honoured at the reception, including Chris Jewell who successfully guided the second-to-last boy to safety.

Speaking at the reception the Prime Minister said:

It’s a pleasure to welcome you to Downing Street today. This was an amazing rescue mission. On hearing about the boys who were trapped most people would have just stood by but you chose to go out there and do something about it.

The eyes of the world were on you and I think I can speak for everyone when I say a huge thank you.

John [Volanthen] you have said that you’re not heroes…well to most of us you are.

Sadly we know that a Thai diver, Saman Kunan, died during this mission. He lost his life saving the lives of others – a danger you also faced.

The Thai PM has written to me to say thank you for the fantastic job you did and I know that everyone in this country would agree. We are all very proud of you.

Bill Whitehouse, Vice Chairman of British Cave Rescue Council, said:

The Thailand operation was a unique occasion when individual cave divers and cave rescuers from many teams came together and worked as a truly national team under the BCRC banner.

In total eight cave divers and three other cave rescuers travelled out to Thailand to help with the search and then the rescue. They were backed up by a support team in the UK of BCRC officers and members of various teams.

It has been both gratifying and humbling to experience how cave rescuers, cave divers and the wider caving world worked together during the eighteen day operation to play such a significant part in pulling off what many thought to be an impossible task.

It has undoubtedly been one of the most incredible cave rescues ever.

John Volanthen, one of the lead cave divers involved in the rescue, said:

It was an honour to join the incredible effort to rescue of these boys and their coach, and I would like to personally add particular reference to the skill and dedication of the many military groups and civilians we worked alongside, especially the Thai navy seals.

I would also like to extend my thoughts to the family of Saman Kunan.

A Downing Street spokesperson said:

The Prime Minister held bilateral talks earlier today with the Amir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani at Downing Street, covering mutual prosperity, defence and security cooperation, regional stability, and wider foreign policy issues.

They agreed that the trade and investment relationship between the UK and Qatar was already strong, welcoming the fact that half of Qatar’s 2017 £5 billion investment commitment had already been allocated to projects in the UK. They agreed a shared desire to see investment flows both ways continuing to grow, noting the significant commercial opportunities on offer for both countries across a wide range of sectors. The Prime Minister welcomed Qatar’s commitment to continue to invest not just in London but across the country.

They agreed the bilateral defence and security relationship was also strong and growing, noting the recent £6 billion Typhoon deal. They discussed how the UK could continue to support Qatar to deliver a safe and successful World Cup 2022, with the Prime Minister highlighting our particular expertise in this area. They agreed to intensify joint counter-terrorism work, recognising the importance of tackling the root causes of terrorism including the ideology that underpins it.

They discussed a range of regional security issues and the Prime Minister reiterated our strong desire to see Gulf Cooperation Council unity restored at the earliest possible opportunity, observing that Gulf security is our security.

They also discussed Russia, agreeing on the importance of continuing to approach Russia from a position of strength and unity. They noted the particular importance of the international community continuing to work together to stand firm against malign activity, and to protect the global rules and norms.

• The Global Disability Summit has resulted in 170 ambitious commitments from all over the world to take action on stigma and discrimination against people with disabilities
• The commitments follow the call to “move from rhetoric to action” from the International Development Secretary, Penny Mordaunt, in the build up to the Summit
• 301 organisations and governments have signed the Charter for Change – an action plan to implement the UN International Convention on Disability

The UK Government’s first ever Global Disability Summit has yielded ambitious commitments from a host of governments and other organisations to tackle discrimination and stigma against people with disabilities.

This comes after Penny Mordaunt, International Development Secretary, called on other governments and donors before the summit to follow the UK’s lead and “stand alongside people with disabilities in their country, commit to ending stigma, and fully value the contribution they can make to the success of their nations”.

Among the most significant pledges made were commitments to pass transformative new laws to protect the rights of people with disabilities, as well as assurances to help those affected by humanitarian crises. There were also commitments to help people with disabilities to access vital technology and work with the private sector around the world to reduce their prices.

• Nine national governments have committed to passing or formulating new or revised laws to give people with disabilities greater rights in the countries in which they live
• 18 governments and other organisations have committed to new action plans on disability inclusion
• 33 governments and other organisations have pledged to specifically support more people with disabilities affected by humanitarian crises – this includes the Australian government who will give $17m to support disability inclusive action in response to the Syria crisis
• Nine organisations and governments, including USAID, The World Health Organisation and UNICEF, have, along with the UK, joined the Global Partnership on assistive technology, aimed at transforming access to, and the affordability of, life changing devices and basic technology, like wheelchairs and glasses

Seven UN agencies attended the Summit, and they committed to change the way they include people with disabilities into their work.

For example:

• UNICEF will help an additional 30 million children with disabilities gain a high quality education by 2030 through programmes in more than 140 countries; and 18 governments have committed to improve the way children with disabilities learn and invest in teacher training
• by 2021, 80% of UN Women’s country programmes will include a focus on women and girls with disabilities
• this year, the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women will spend $3m on 9 programmes which will reach 8,000 women and girls

And crucially, nine African governments have committed to creating safety nets to ensure that people with disabilities are not forgotten about in their societies. 19 governments, businesses and other organisations have also pledged to develop the skills of people with disabilities and help them access decent work.

International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt said:

It is fantastic to see such ambitious commitments made from countries and organisations from around the world at today’s Global Disability Summit.

But, if we are going to help people with disabilities to fulfil their true potential, today cannot just be about words – it has to be about action.

That’s why we need to hold ourselves and our partners to account and make sure these commitments produce genuinely transformative results for people with disabilities worldwide.

Notes to editors

You can see a full list of the commitments made at the Summit here.

For images and videos of the stories of people with disabilities around the world go to this link. If used, please credit DFID.

Less than two weeks after the Government confirmed its comprehensive plans for the UK’s future relationship with the EU, it has published a further White Paper explaining how the UK’s Withdrawal Agreement will be put into law.

The EU (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill – formerly known as the Withdrawal Agreement and Implementation Bill – will legislate for the major elements of the Withdrawal Agreement we reach with the EU, including issues such as the agreement on citizens’ rights, the financial settlement and the details of a time-limited implementation period.

The precise details of the Bill will be subject to the ongoing negotiations with the EU but today’s White Paper provides yet more legal certainty as we prepare to leave the EU in March next year.

It confirms that the Bill will:

• be the primary means by which the rights of EU citizens will be implemented and protected in UK law;
• amend some parts of the EU (Withdrawal) Act to ensure that our statute book functions correctly during the time-limited implementation period; and
• create a financial authority to manage the specific payments to be made under the financial settlement, with appropriate Parliamentary oversight.

With UK and EU negotiators continuing to work through outstanding parts of the Withdrawal Agreement, including on Northern Ireland and other separation issues, more detail on how they will be legislated for will be provided in due course.

The Secretary of State for Exiting the EU, Dominic Raab said:

“This White Paper on the EU (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill explains the pragmatic approach we are taking to legislating for our Withdrawal Agreement, including the time-limited implementation period that we agreed with the EU in March.

“It also provides further certainty at home and in the negotiations that the UK is getting on with the job of delivering a smooth and orderly Brexit while giving Parliamentarians an opportunity to consider the detail of the EU (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill before it is introduced.

“We look forward to working with MPs and peers on this crucial piece of legislation which will give effect to our exit Treaty in law.”

The Bill was announced in November last year, but this is the first time that the Government has presented detail on how key parts of the Withdrawal Agreement will be made reality in UK law.

It follows the EU (Withdrawal) Act which received Royal Assent on 26 June 2018 and will ensure that our statute book functions when we leave, regardless of the outcome of the negotiations.