Author: Pulse Assent

The special session of the Conference of States Parties in The Hague has today agreed that the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) will immediately start work to help identify those responsible for chemical attacks in Syria. This is very important because it fills a crucial gap left when the United Nations Security Council was prevented from renewing its own investigation in November.

This initiative has been led by the UK, and championed by the Foreign Secretary, who spoke at the special session on Tuesday and personally lobbied Ministers from 25 countries as part of the diplomatic effort. 82 countries voted in support of the proposal tabled by the UK at the Conference of States Parties.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said:

Chemical weapons are an affront to human dignity and have no place in the 21st century. The international community has quite rightly come together today to strengthen the ban on chemical weapons and prevent impunity for their use.

The UK has led the diplomatic efforts to secure this action. We look forward to working with all countries who are members of the Chemical Weapons Convention to implement the decisions taken today, and we will continue to push back on any efforts to undermine the ban on these vile weapons.

Notes to Editors:

• Following the vote today, 27 June 2018, the OPCW’s work to uphold the ban on chemical weapons has been enhanced. It can now support countries in meeting their obligations to uphold the chemical weapons convention and arrangements have been made to attribute responsibility for chemical weapons attacks in Syria, filling the gap left after the ending of the OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism mandate in November 2017.

Further information

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The Queen has been pleased to approve the appointment of Mrs Justice Nicola Davies, Mrs Justice Rose and Mrs Justice Simler as Lady Justices of Appeal and the following as Lord Justices of Appeal: Mr Justice Baker, Mr Justice Green, Mr Justice Haddon-Cave and Mr Justice Males.

These appointments will fill current and forthcoming vacancies in the Court of Appeal.

Further information

These appointments are to be made in light of the appointment of Sir Andrew McFarlane as the President of the Family Division, forthcoming appointments to the Supreme Court and retirements from the Court of Appeal.

The appointment of Lord and Lady Justices of the Court of Appeal are made by Her Majesty The Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister and the Lord Chancellor following the recommendation of an independent selection panel.

Notes for Editors

The selection panel was chaired by the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Burnett of Maldon. The other panel members were Sir Terence Etherton, the Master of the Rolls; Lord Kakkar, the Chairman of the Judicial Appointments Commission; and two lay Commissioners of the Judicial Appointments Commission: Dame Valerie Strachan and Mr Andrew Kennon.

In accordance with section 79 of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 as amended by the Crime and Courts Act 2013, the panel determined the selection process to be followed. In accordance with s10(3) of the Senior Courts Act 1981, the selection exercise was open to applicants that satisfied the judicial eligibility condition on a 7 year basis or were Judges of the High Court.

Biographical notes

Sir Jonathan Baker: Called to the Bar (Middle Temple) in 1978 and took Silk in 2001. He was appointed a Recorder in 2000 and a High Court Judge in the Family Division in 2009. He was the Family Division Liaison Judge on the Western Circuit from 2011 until 2017. He was appointed as the Senior Family Liaison Judge in October 2017.

Dame Nicola Davies DBE: Called to the Bar (Gray’s Inn) in 1976 and took Silk in 1992; she was made a Bencher in 2001. She was appointed a Recorder in 1998 and a Deputy High Court Judge in 2003. She was appointed a High Court Judge in the Queen’s Bench Division in 2010. In 2012 she was appointed a Senior Liaison Judge for Diversity. She was Chair of the Equal Treatment Advisory Committee of the Judicial College in 2012 and Chair of the Lord Chancellor’s Standing Committee for the Welsh Language 2016-2017. She was appointed as a Presiding Judge of the Wales Circuit in 2014.

Sir Charles Haddon-Cave: Called to the Bar (Gray’s Inn) in 1978 (and Hong Kong in 1980) and took Silk in 1999; he was made a Bencher in 2003. He was appointed a Recorder in 2000. He conducted the Nimrod Inquiry from 2007 to 2009. He was appointed a High Court Judge in the Queen’s Bench Division in 2011. He was Chair of the Advocacy Training Council 2007-2011, Master of Education at Gray’s Inn 2012-2016, Chair of the Judicial College International Committee 2013-2017 and a member of the Criminal Procedure Rules Committee since 2018. He was a Presiding Judge for the Midland Circuit from 2014 until 2017. He was appointed Judge in Charge of the Terrorist List in 2017.

Sir Nicholas Green: Called to the Bar (Inner Temple) in 1986 and took Silk in 1998. He was appointed a Recorder in 2004. He was Chairman of the Bar Council in 2010 and Chairman of the Advocacy Training Council 2011-2015. He was appointed a High Court Judge in the Queen’s Bench Division in 2013. He was appointed as a Presiding Judge for the South Eastern Circuit in 2017.

Sir Stephen Males: Called to the Bar (Middle Temple) in 1978 and took Silk in 1998. He was made a Bencher in 2007. He was appointed a Recorder in 2000 and authorised as a Deputy High Court Judge in the Administrative Court and Commercial Court in 2008. He was appointed a High Court Judge in the Queen’s Bench Division in 2012. He was appointed a Presiding Judge for the North Eastern Circuit in 2015.

Dame Vivien Rose DBE: Called to the Bar (Gray’s Inn) in 1984. After ten years in private practice as a barrister she joined the Government Legal Service in 1996. She worked as an advisory lawyer in HM Treasury until the end of 2001; was promoted to the Senior Civil Service as a legal advisor in the Ministry of Defence and between 2005 and 2008 she worked as Deputy Counsel in the Office of Counsel to Speaker of the House of Commons. She was appointed a chairman of the Competition Appeal Tribunal in 2005 and as a judge of the Charities Tribunal (later the First-tier Tribunal (Charities)) in 2008. She sat as a Recorder between 2010 and 2013. She was appointed a High Court Judge in the Chancery Division in 2013 and became President of the Upper Tribunal (Tax and Chancery Chamber) in 2015.

Dame Ingrid Simler DBE: Called to the Bar (Inner Temple) in 1987 and took Silk in 2006. She was appointed a Recorder in 2002 and was authorised to sit as a Deputy High Court Judge. She was appointed a High Court Judge in the Queen’s Bench Division in 2013 and she became President of the Employment Appeal Tribunal in 2016.

The Queen has been pleased to approve the appointment of Lady Justice Arden DBE, Lord Justice Kitchin and Lord Justice Sales to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom as Justices.

Lady Justice Arden DBE and Lord Justice Kitchin will join the Supreme Court on 1 October 2018, followed by Lord Justice Sales on 11 January 2019.

The appointments follow the retirement of Lord Mance, former Deputy President of the Court, in June 2018, and comes as Lord Hughes and Lord Sumption are due to retire in August and December 2018 respectively.

• immediate action on safety and living conditions
• greater resource from national teams to improve safety and reduce violence and self-harm
• living conditions improved with further refurbishments to take place
• commitment to further long-term measures as part of action plan

The Justice Secretary today (27 June 2018) published a strategy to drive up standards at HMP Exeter following an Urgent Notification by the prisons inspectorate. Ministers set up the Urgent Notification system last year to ensure that immediate action could be taken to rectify serious issues identified by inspectors.

A team of specialists, including former prison Governors and Senior Civil Servants from around the country, is working with the prison to transform its safety strategy and address the drivers of violence and self-harm.

Living conditions were immediately re-assessed and cells that were identified as not fit for purpose have been taken out of use for repairs. Faulty cell bells at the time of the inspection have already been identified and repaired – with new processes put in place to ensure swifter staff responses to them.

The prison is making particular improvements to support vulnerable prisoners in their first night and early days in custody and an updated safety strategy will be put in place by the end of July. This includes creating an additional constant supervision cell to closely monitor those assessed to be at an acute risk of suicide or self-harm.

The national drugs taskforce is also supporting a full analysis to identify what more can be done to tackle drugs entering the prison.

Justice Secretary David Gauke said:

We created the Urgent Notification process for HMIP to flag serious concerns early so that we can grip them quickly and start turning the prison around.

We are delivering swift improvements at Exeter while looking at how we raise and maintain standards in the long-term.

Safe and decent living conditions are basics we need to get right and we are now refreshing the prison’s safety strategy, taking action to reduce violence and carrying out repairs. This will ensure that staff at Exeter can focus on getting prisoner’s lives back on track.

The action plan published today also outlines:

• Extra money has been provided to the prison to address maintenance concerns, including replacing broken windows, repairing observation panels and repairing leaking toilets, sinks and privacy screens for toilets.
• Prisoner cells will be refurbished and receive new toilet seats, fittings and guard rails for beds.
• Key workers will be assigned to prisoners to help staff manage violent offenders and better understand the causes of violence.
• Improved measures to stem the flow of drugs into the prison.
• Additional managerial support to the prison Governor to deliver progress against recommendations made by inspectors.

The Secretary of State’s full action plan can be found on GOV.UK. It also sets out how Exeter’s progress over the coming year will be regularly reviewed.

The final inspection report for HMP Exeter will be published by HM Chief Inspector later this year.

Highways England traffic officers joined Road Safety Engineer Irene Stewart at the M5 Junction 19 service area to provide information and practical tips to all motorists with caravans, trailers and horse boxes.

Behind the North East, the South West region has experienced the highest number of caravan/trailer incidents statistically, with 850 incidents across the network between January 2017 and May 2018, and 460 of those occurring in the summer months of May to September last year.

And as part of an ongoing campaign, Highways England is encouraging drivers to carry out a few simple safety checks before setting off on journeys.

Beverley Hannah, South West Regional Safety Co-ordinator for Highways England, said:

Safety is always our priority and we’re delighted that so many people came along to speak to us while we were at the event.

We received interest from general motorists, as well as caravan and motorhome owners, and it was a great opportunity for us to meet people that were taking their caravans or trailers away on holiday this summer and offer them pointers on how to stay safe while towing.

Those stopping off at the services were able to learn more about Highways England and how it manages the safety of drivers and controls traffic following incidents, and also received key tyre safety tips and guidance from the Tyresafe awareness group.

Both Highways England and Avon and Somerset Police, advise anyone towing a caravan, boat, horse box or trailer to take some simple steps to ensure a trouble-free journey, including:

• Carry out a final maintenance check before setting off, and leave plenty of time for your journey
• Be aware that driving while towing will inevitably affect the vehicle’s performance, especially braking distances
• Check that the vehicle and load are secure and the weight is correctly distributed in accordance with the manufacturers’ specifications
• Make sure you are adequately covered for recovery and breakdown
• Know the correct speed limit for your vehicle and the roads you travel on, and don’t drive faster than the speed limit for the type of road
• Towing mirrors not only allow you to view to the rear, in most cases they are a legal requirement when towing a wider trailer
• Driving licences place restrictions on the trailers that you can tow, you may need to take a further test to progress to towing larger trailers
• If your caravan or trailer starts to snake or swerve, it’s a sign you’re going too fast or the trailer is loaded incorrectly. Ease off the accelerator and reduce your speed gently
• Don’t brake harshly on a bend, as it makes the trailer unstable. Reduce your speed in plenty of time for any hazard
• You shouldn’t drive in the right hand lane of a motorway with three or more lanes

Supt Andy Williams, Head of Road Safety for Avon and Somerset Police, said:

We want everyone to arrive safely at their destination so if you’re towing any sort of trailer please take extra steps to ensure you’re prepared before the start of your journey.

Remembering these simple road safety rules while you’re driving can also reduce the risk of having an incident.

Stuart Jackson, TyreSafe chairman, said:

TyreSafe is a firm supporter of Highways England’s engagement activities with motorists as both organisations seek to reduce the number of incidents on the roads.

Tyre checks are essential to reduce risks as they are the only part of the vehicle in contact with the road and, if they’re not roadworthy, steering and braking will be compromised, too. TyreSafe encourages all drivers to check their tyres at least once a month and before long journeys.

Three further towing and tyre safety events are planned at Gordano Services – on Friday, 29 June, Monday, 2 July, and Friday, 6 July, between 10am and 3.30pm – and similar events are also planned for other areas of the South West.

Media opportunity

Highways England interviewees will be available at Gordano Services on Friday, 29 June between 10am and 12 noon. Please contact Neville Smith on 0300 470 4337 or Nicola Wesson on 0300 470 6218 to arrange.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

China has today lifted its longstanding ban on exports of beef from the UK, in a landmark move for British producers estimated to be worth £250 million in the first five years alone.

More than 20 years after the Chinese government first imposed a ban on British beef in the wake of the BSE outbreak, today’s milestone is the culmination of several years of site inspections and negotiations between UK and Chinese government officials.

China is currently the UK’s eighth largest export market for agri-food, with over £560 million worth of food and drink bought by Chinese consumers last year.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove said:

This is fantastic news for our world-class food and farming industry and shows we can be a truly outward looking Britain outside the European Union. It is the result of painstaking and collaborative work by industry and the Defra team over many years.

Today’s milestone will help to unlock UK agriculture’s full potential and is a major step to forging new trading relationships around the globe.

The Government, and its team of trade specialists, continues to encourage and support UK businesses as they consider launching into overseas markets or expanding their current global customer base.

Food exports from the UK continue to soar with record exports of over £22 billion in 2017. Our food and drink businesses are now selling their products to 217 markets.

Today’s announcement will allow official market access negotiations to begin, a process which typically takes around three years.

It follows the Prime Minister’s trade mission to China earlier this year, where she agreed new measures to improve market access to China.

It also follows a successful inspection visit in April 2018 hosted by Defra and the Animal Plant Health Agency, the Food Standards Agency, Food Standards Scotland, DAERA, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board and the UK Export Certification Partnership.

AHDB International Market Development Director Dr Phil Hadley said:

We are delighted that China has lifted the ban on UK beef. This marks an important milestone in growing our meat exports to this all-important market.

Today’s news follows years of collaboration between AHDB, government and industry to make this a reality and we now look forward to seeing UK beef exported to the country for the first time in over 20 years. We will now begin the work on the export protocols and approvals to allow commercial shipments to begin.