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An FCO spokesperson said:

The OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission to the Russian Presidential elections has now issued their initial report.

The report makes clear that restrictions on fundamental freedoms, in particular freedom of expression and assembly, including the detention of activists, resulted in a lack of genuine competition in the election. The Russian Central Election Commission also placed restrictions on candidate registration, and President Putin benefited from dominating coverage in the state media.

We continue to call on the Russian Government to comply with its international commitments in the Council of Europe and OSCE to ensure respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression.

Further information

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More communities across England will be able to get free access to expert advice and guidance to help make their neighbourhood vision a reality, Housing Minister Dominic Raab announced today (19 March 2018).

A £23 million fund – being delivered by Locality and Groundwork – will help local groups to develop a neighbourhood plan. These plans give local people a say in the development of their area, including where homes, schools and businesses should be built, how they should look and what infrastructure is needed to support them.

Community groups will be able to access a range of free help including financial support and latest planning expertise from trained professionals, to guide them through the process of preparing a neighbourhood plan.

Housing and Planning Minister Dominic Raab said:

Neighbourhood plans are a powerful tool to help communities shape their local area, making sure the right homes are built in the right places.

It’s vital that communities have the right support and advice available to help deliver a plan that meets their own ambitious aspirations. That’s why I’m making £23 million available that will help more groups to do this.

Over 2,300 communities across England have started the process of neighbourhood planning, with 530 plans approved in local referendums.

Previous government support has helped around 7 out of 10 of these communities progress their plans, with 365 neighbourhood plans finalised using support provided by the government.

The maximum grant available has also been increased by £2,000 to £17,000, helping communities to access more resources to develop a plan for their area.

Community groups can find our more information about how to apply for funding via a new website at www.neighbourhoodplanning.org. Applications to bid for funding will open on 3 April 2018.

Further notes

Locality and Groundwork UK were appointed to oversee the fund following a full and transparent procurement process.

Locality will use its expertise, skills and track record advising on development to help communities to reach the full potential of their neighbourhood plan from start to finish.

Their dedicated website will provide clear information on neighbourhood planning and signpost to highly qualified specialists from a range of organisations, including design and engineering professionals at AECOM and the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.

Groundwork UK has been appointed to administer application process for grant funding, ensuring finance is available for groups to cover the costs associated with producing a successful neighbourhood plan.

Drivers can experience what their journey through Britain’s second longest road tunnel will be like once it opens in 2027 following the release of a video by Highways England today (Monday 19 March).

In the new video, Highways England takes drivers on a journey through the two mile long crossing, which will feature two tunnels taking a three lane road under the River Thames between Gravesham, Kent and Thurrock, Essex.

The video also illustrates how the 13 mile route, that will include the tunnel, will link drivers to the M25, the A2 and the A13, including the new junctions and link roads being built as part of the £4.4 – £6.2 billion project.

The animation shows the tunnelled section, the three junctions north of the River Thames and a map of the full alignment of the proposed route. It has been published to provide an early impression of what the road and tunnel could look like once completed in 2027.

LTC video.

Highways England has also released drawings showing the vertical alignment of the route, which demonstrates where the route is above and below existing ground levels.

Highways England plans to carry out a statutory consultation later this year. The consultation will enable stakeholders and communities to shape the proposed design of the route ahead of a development consent order application for permission from the Secretary of State for Transport to build the Lower Thames Crossing.

Work is continuing on the design ahead of the statutory consultation and the video released today represents the design of the route at the time of production. There have been changes to the route and these and future changes will be reflected in further materials, which will be published in the run up to and during the Lower Thames Crossing statutory consultation.

Highways England Project Director Tim Jones said:

The video fly-through of the Lower Thames Crossing will give people a better understanding of how the proposed road and tunnel could look once built. We are continuing to develop the design based on feedback from stakeholders and local communities so that we put forward a route which maximises the positive opportunities the Lower Thames Crossing could bring, while minimising impacts on communities and the environment. This video does not represent the final design, and we will continue to share our thinking and designs as we approach statutory consultation later this year.

Tim Jones will be speaking to businesses, stakeholders and partners on the Lower Thames Crossing later this week when he presents at the Southend Business Partnership on Thursday to provide an update on this once-in-a-generation project.

Highways England will be responsible for delivering the crossing, which will increase capacity for crossing the Thames east of London by 70 per cent, easing pressure on the existing Dartford Crossing – currently the only road crossing of the river east of the capital.

The new crossing will be linked to the road network by a new road north of the river, which will join the M25 between junctions 29 and 30, and a new road south of the river which, will join the A2 east of Gravesend.

The Lower Thames Crossing will deliver an £8 billion economic stimulus, and create some 6,000 jobs. The crossing will enable sustainable local development and regional growth leading to a stronger economy and will open opportunities for investment in housing. It will allow businesses to grow, creating more jobs, apprenticeships and training, while also connecting local communities to jobs, leisure and retail.

Around 55 million journeys are made each year on the Dartford Crossing, six million more than it was designed for, and it suffers from closures due to incidents almost daily.

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.

Thank you Michel, both for your words and for your kind words about our team.

In December we reached an important milestone by achieving agreement on the first phase of negotiations.

And today, we’ve taken another significant step by reaching agreement on the next phase.

Which I am confident will be welcomed by the European Council when it meets later this week.

Our teams have worked hard and at pace to secure the terms of a time-limited implementation period that gives the certainty demanded by businesses and citizens across the European Union and United Kingdom.

And at this point I’d like to join Michel in commending both our negotiating teams for their skill, their commitment and from time to time their ability to go without sleep.

In my speech in Teesport in January, I set out a framework for delivering a bridge to the future.

One that sees the UK formally leave the European Union on the 29th of March. Which gives everyone time they need to prepare for the future, by ensuring our access to each other’s markets continues on current terms.

The deal we’ve reached today does just that.

As Michel outlined we’ve taken a decisive step by translating much of December’s Joint Report into the legal text of the Withdrawal Agreement.

In only a few weeks we have managed to finalise the chapters on the financial settlement and citizens’ rights — delivering on our commitment to provide certainty to citizens.

So let me take each point in turn, starting with the implementation period.

Throughout this process, one message has been clear from businesses in the United Kingdom and across the European Union — that they need to be able to plan for the future with confidence.

Businesses need not delay investment decisions, or rush through contingency plans based on guesses about the future deal.

Instead they now have certainty about the terms that will apply immediately after our withdrawal.

Meaning that they can continue to operate and invest with confidence, as the design of our future partnership with the European Union becomes clear.

And this is true across the whole United Kingdom family — because the territorial scope of the Withdrawal Agreement makes clear it includes Gibraltar.

We continue with our positive dialogue with the Spanish on how we improve cooperation in the future.

Platform for the future

The implementation period is not only about providing certainty in the short term. It’s also about beginning life outside the European Union, serving as a platform on which we build our future relationship.

Which is why, as Michel said, the United Kingdom will be able to step out, sign and ratify new trade deals with old friends — and new allies — around the globe for the first time in more than 40 years

These will come into force when the implementation period is over.

Providing new opportunities for businesses across the United Kingdom and seizing one of Brexit’s greatest opportunities.

International agreements

And during this period, we have agreed those international agreements which arise from our European Union membership continue to apply as now.

This provides further certainty for businesses, who can be confident there will be no disruption to their existing trade relationship as we leave the European Union

Safeguards

To ensure our agreement is faithfully and fully implemented we are establishing a Joint Committee made up of representatives from the United Kingdom and the European Union.

This committee will provide a way to resolve concerns as they arise.

And will be underpinned by a clear commitment from both sides to act in good faith.

One of the key objectives I set out in my Teesport speech was that the United Kingdom would be able to make its voice heard during this period and ensure our interests are protected.

This delivers on that objective.

Fisheries

We’ve also agreed specific safeguards when it comes to annual fishing negotiations.

These arrangements will only apply for the negotiations in 2019, since we will still be a Member State for those that take place at the end of this year.

Through 2020 we will be negotiating fishing opportunities as an independent coastal state, deciding who can access our waters and on what terms.

For the year where it is relevant, we have agreed the European Union will have to consult us ahead of the negotiations.

And the United Kingdom’s share of the total catch cannot be changed, protecting the interests of the United Kingdom fishing community.

Foreign policy and defence collaboration

The final way in which the implementation period serves as a platform for the future is in foreign and defence policy.

As recent events demonstrate, close cooperation with our allies is central to standing up for a rules-based international order.

So when it comes to foreign policy and defence collaboration, we have set out a plan for an ambitious partnership.

One that goes beyond the relationship the European Union has with any other third country.

And I know this desire is shared by our European Union partners.

The deal we have reached today envisages us moving to that partnership at the soonest possible moment.

And in the intervening period, our valued cooperation will continue.

However, as is the case today there may be occasions when our vital national policy means we cannot agree with European Union decision.

In those cases the United Kingdom could choose not to apply it.

Wider progress on the Withdrawal Agreement

Securing an implementation period, with these key flexibilities, is a major achievement.

And if it was all we had achieved since December I’d be proud of my team.

But in addition we have made rapid progress across the wider Withdrawal Agreement — reaching agreement on much of the legal text, and locking down entire chapters on citizens’ rights and the financial settlement.

Most importantly this means that, just as we’re giving certainty to businesses, we’re also providing the same for citizens.

And in doing so we’ve reached agreement on the package that should apply to those who arrive during the implementation period itself.

A few weeks ago, we proposed a pathway to settlement for EU citizens, which was welcomed by Member States.

Today we have delivered on the spirit of this offer, and also made it reciprocal, using the December deal as the basis.

In doing so, we have made sure the voluntary reference mechanism we agreed in December will start when we leave in March 2019 for any challenges relating to applications for settled status.

The reference mechanism relating to other rights, such as social security, which are only relevant after the implementation period, will begin in December 2020.

Northern Ireland and Ireland

Of course, there are areas where there is more to do before we can finalise the agreement as a whole — one of which is Northern Ireland.

Make no mistake — both the United Kingdom and the European Union are committed to the Joint Report in its entirety.

And in keeping with that commitment, we agree on the need to include legal text detailing the ‘backstop’ solution for the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland in the Withdrawal Agreement that is acceptable to both sides.

But it remains our intention to achieve a partnership that is so close as to not require specific measures in relation to Northern Ireland, and therefore we will engage in detail on all the scenarios set out in the Joint Report.

We have also reached consensus on the full set of issues which need to be addressed in any solution in order to avoid a hard border, which is why, last week, we set out a work programme to tackle them.

There are also some elements of the draft protocol — such as the Common Travel Area — on which we agree.

So while there is as yet no agreement on the right operational approach, we know what we need to do — and we’re going to get on with it.

Conclusion

In December, we set out a shared ambition to reach agreement on the implementation period as soon as possible.

Today we have achieved that ambition, thanks to the hard work and late nights of both our dedicated teams.

Now, alongside progressing the outstanding issues in the Withdrawal Agreement, our attention must turn to the future.

In Munich and at Mansion House, the Prime Minister set out a powerful vision. One which will ensure our economic and security cooperation reflects our unique starting point and our shared history.

My job and that of my team is to deliver on that vision — and in doing so, we must seize the moment and carry forward the momentum of the past few weeks.

The deal we have struck today, on top of that agreed in December, should give us confidence that a good deal for the United Kingdom and the European Union is closer than ever before.