The Prime Minister held a telephone call with US President Donald Trump this evening.
The Prime Minister began by congratulating the President on the safe return of three US citizens who had been held in prison in North Korea.
The two leaders looked forward to the summit which will take place between President Trump and Kim Jong-un in Singapore. The PM said the UK would continue to work with the US to keep up the pressure on North Korea to denuclearise.
The Prime Minister and the President condemned the Iranian rocket attacks against Israeli forces earlier this week, and strongly supported Israel’s right to defend itself against Iranian aggression. They agreed on the need for calm on all sides and on the importance of tackling Iran’s destabilising activity in the region.
The Prime Minister reiterated the Government’s position on the Iran nuclear deal, noting that we and our European partners remain firmly committed to ensuring the deal is upheld, as the best way of preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
The Prime Minister raised the potential impact of US sanctions on those firms which are currently conducting business in Iran. They agreed for talks to take place between our teams.
Finally, the Prime Minister and the President looked forward to the President’s visit to the UK in July.
A man who repeatedly sexually assaulted a young girl over a period of years has had his sentence increased after the Solicitor General, Robert Buckland QC MP, referred it for being too low.
Usmaan Ahmad, now 35, repeatedly sexually assaulted his victim over a period of 8 years, while she was between the ages of 3 and 11. Ahmad was between the ages of 14 and 21 at the time. The effect of these crimes has been lasting and severe, causing ongoing psychological struggles.
Ahmad was originally sentenced to 4 years and 6 months imprisonment at Sheffield Crown Court. Today, after the Solicitor General’s reference, the Court of Appeal increased his sentence to 8 years and 6 months in prison.
Commenting on the sentence increase, the Solicitor General said:
I am pleased that the Court of Appeal has agreed that Ahmad’s sentence should have been higher. He subjected a vulnerable child to consistent and repeated sexual abuse which has had a lasting impact. I hope this decision can bring some comfort to the victim.
Saturday June 30 will see hundreds of events held to mark the tenth version of the day, including parades and ceremonies right across the country. Men and women from the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force, both regulars and reserves, will be recognised alongside the wider defence family including cadets and veterans.
The national event will take place in Llandudno, North Wales and excitement is building ahead of the biggest Armed Forces Day ever, with a record number of flypasts, displays and exhibitions planned.
Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said:
Armed Forces Day is a valuable opportunity to honour our troops who work so hard to keep us safe.
Our servicemen and women are on hand every hour of every day to protect us from the threats we face and I encourage people across the UK to come together and salute them for their tireless commitment.
Since last year’s event in Liverpool the Armed Forces have had a busy year in the UK and around the world. From troops helping those struggling in heavy snowfall to the emergency assistance provided in the aftermath of the Salisbury attack. To further afield in Iraq and Syria where our Armed Forces continued to take the fight to Daesh, helping to drive the terrorists back and give ordinary people in those countries the chance to rebuild their lives.
Around the world our troops have worked day and night, from reassuring NATO allies in Europe to deploying over 2000 personnel to the Caribbean in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma.
The UK Armed Forces are currently involved in over 20 operations in more than 25 countries, from Estonia to Iraq. But many of those back at home will be in attendance at events across the country.
Also present will be many veterans that make-up the estimated 2.56 million Armed Forces veteran community living in the UK. Young Cadets will be present too; together the Sea, Army, and Air cadets have almost 100,000 members.
On the 30 June, a parade of around 1,000 serving personnel, veterans, cadets and marching bands will step off from the Llandudno War Memorial at 11am to signal the start of the Armed Forces Day celebrations.
The four-mile dual carriageway will complete a missing link in the A27 and could save commuters more than an hour and a half every week. It will draw traffic away from Arundel town centre and reduce rat-running on minor roads through the South Downs National Park, while keeping the impact on protected environments like ancient woodland to an absolute minimum.
The preferred route – a variation of Option 5a put forward at last year’s consultation – strikes the right balance between creating vital new road capacity and protecting the special environment and cultural heritage in and around Arundel.
Alan Feist, Highways England A27 programme lead said:
These ambitious plans will fill in a missing link on the A27, improving 21,000 journeys every day for drivers from Arundel and beyond.
Nearly 10,000 people took part in the consultation, and today’s announcement reflects their views and feedback. We will continue to work with people and take their views into account as we further develop the project’s design so we can deliver a project that successfully improves journeys, respects the environment and helps to enhance the historic town of Arundel.
The improvements will create vital extra capacity along the A27 and, on opening, will shave up to eight minutes off westbound journeys and 12 minutes off eastbound journeys.
The existing A27 Crossbush junction at Arundel
Three options were put to the public for views between August and October last year, and today’s announcement considers feedback made during the consultation and ongoing discussions with key stakeholders.
The plans also include improved routes for pedestrians and cyclists, including a continuous dedicated path along the existing road around Arundel.
As well as improving journey times, the plans will:
make journeys safer – the A27 at Arundel has an above average collision rate, with 14 casualties on the road in 2016. The improvements will make journeys safer, and over the next 60 years there will be 177 fewer accidents than there otherwise would have been
reduce congestion – the existing A27 through Arundel is operating at up to 150% capacity, with around 21,000 vehicles use the A27 through on a daily basis, this is predicted to increase to 26,300 in 2041
support economic growth – businesses across the region will benefit from efficiencies and improved journey times, while the additional capacity will enable the authorities to better manage population growth
The consultation ran for eight weeks last year. 2,062 people attended the exhibitions, with nearly 3,000 people completing a questionnaire. Over 7,000 responses were received by email or letter. 79% of people who responded trough the questionnaire agreed that improvements are needed, with 48% supporting Option 5a – more than either of the alternatives.
The consultation report has been published today on Highways England’s website and copies are available online or at a variety of locations like council offices and libraries in the local area.
Anyone interested in the scheme can sign up to receive updates via the project page on the Highways England website.
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.
I remain deeply concerned about the intense fighting between the Burmese Army and the Kachin Independence Army, which has since April led to over 6000 people being newly displaced. This has added to the humanitarian suffering already experienced across the state over several years.
I call on the Burmese military to fulfil its duty to respect international humanitarian law, ensure access for humanitarian organisations and allow the 2000 civilians trapped by the fighting to leave to safe areas. The new Burmese Northern Commander, Major-General Teza Kyaw, must ensure that the soldiers under his command show restraint and protect civilians. The UK will continue to offer substantial humanitarian support: in the last financial year we provided £6.1m in humanitarian relief to Kachin and northern Shan.
I call on all parties to the conflict to cease fighting, protect civilians, and return fully to peace talks, which the UK supports and which seek to bring to an end 70 years of internal conflict in Burma.
The UK will continue to raise, both with the Burmese authorities and the international community, our anxiety at the continued armed conflicts and the constraints on humanitarian access around the country. The UK restates its commitment to supporting the triple transition in Burma: from military rule to democratic civilian government, from conflict to peace, and from a closed economy to an open one.
Further information
Follow Foreign Office Minister Mark Field @MarkFieldUK
The consultation – ‘Addressing the legacy of Northern Ireland’s past’ – includes proposals to implement the four new legacy institutions set out in the 2014 Stormont House Agreement (SHA) and the Government’s manifesto for Northern Ireland 2017.
A key element of the Stormont House Agreement is that all of these bodies will be under statutory obligations to act in ways that are balanced, proportionate, transparent, fair and equitable.
The consultation will run until 10 September and provide an opportunity for all to see the proposed way forward and contribute their views. The consultation also provides important information about the implications of leaving the current system unchanged.
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Rt. Hon. Karen Bradley MP, said:
I welcome the opportunity to launch the consultation today, seeking views on how to address the legacy of Northern Ireland’s troubled past. Since my appointment as Secretary of State I have heard deeply moving stories about the suffering that victims and survivors have lived with for decades and the profound and lasting impact on individuals, families and communities.
This consultation provides the opportunity to begin a process that has the potential to provide better outcomes for victims, survivors and their families.There is broad agreement that the current complex system does not work well for anyone and we are determined to put that right.
In an area as sensitive as the troubled past in Northern Ireland, it is important that we recognise and listen to all views. Any way forward will only work if it can command confidence from across the community. Now is the time for everyone with an interest in addressing the legacy of Northern Ireland’s troubled past to have their say.
The UK Government has committed £150m over five years to help establish the SHA institutions, which together would put the needs of victims and survivors first.
Feedback from victims and survivors has been taken into consideration to facilitate participation from all interested individuals and groups, especially those directly impacted by the Troubles. This includes making consultation documents available in a variety of formats – including online and in easy read format – for an extended period until 10 September to ensure that everyone with an interest in the legacy issues of the Troubles has the opportunity to take part. The Northern Ireland Office will work with advocacy groups who wish to hold information events for their members during the consultation period.
The consultation will close on 10 September 2018. To have your say, please visit : www.gov.uk/nio
ENDS.
Notes to editors
The four institutions in the 2014 Stormont House Agreement are:
A Historical Investigations Unit (HIU) to take forward outstanding investigations into Troubles-related deaths. The consultation proposes that the HIU would take on the outstanding work of the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s (PSNI’s) Historical Enquiries Team and the outstanding legacy work of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland. The HIU will have significant improvements over the current police process, and will be tasked to finish its work in five years. The new legislation will also prevent new inquests being opened into cases that are in the caseload of the HIU, until the HIU completes its work on that case and then an inquest can only be reopened in exceptional circumstances.
An Independent Commission on Information Retrieval (ICIR) established by international agreement between the UK Government and the Irish Government, that enables family members to seek and privately receive information about the Troubles-related deaths of their relatives. Engagement with the ICIR would be entirely voluntary and the ICIR would only seek information in those cases where families have submitted a request. Families from the United Kingdom and from Ireland would be able to seek information from the ICIR.
An independent Oral History Archive (OHA) to enable people from all backgrounds to share experiences and narratives related to the Troubles. A research project would be established as part of the OHA to produce a factual historical timeline and statistical analysis of the Troubles. The archive would be the responsibility of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland.
An Implementation and Reconciliation Group (IRG) to promote reconciliation and anti-sectarianism and to review and assess the implementation of the other legacy institutions proposed in the Stormont House Agreement. After five years, the IRG would commission an independent academic report on themes using an evidence base established by the work of the other legacy institutions.
The Coal Authority has today called for local authority planners, surveyors, developers and geotechnical and engineering consultants to ensure coal mining legacy issues are considered in light of their findings from a recent subsidence event in north-east England.
The government body, which manages the effects of past coal mining across Britain, said it had issued the information to share its early recommendations.
Initial ground investigations were undertaken at a housing development in North Tyneside by the Coal Authority in July 2016, after it was contacted by the National House Building Council in relation to an extensive area of subsidence. It has since carried out further extensive ground investigations, including underground camera and laser void surveys, to identify the root cause of the subsidence, and installed 300 survey points above and below the ground to monitor for ground and property movement.
The Coal Authority’s ground investigations revealed coal mine workings at a depth in excess of 30 metres. These dated back around 120 years and had not been recorded on the historical mining plans held for the former colliery for this specific area.
The ground investigations proved this specific area had been extensively worked with extraction rates at over 70%, however the plans had showed an area of solid coal. Recorded workings adjacent to this area had typical extraction rates of between 45% and 50%.
This high level of extraction resulted in narrow residual supporting coal pillars and wide extraction rooms in the High Main coal seam, leading to compression on the remaining coal pillars and roof instability. This, together with a fractured sandstone layer above the coal seam, resulted in an underground collapse and subsequent movement at the surface that affected 35 properties on an estate and had an elliptical subsidence zone footprint of around 150 metres x 70 metres.
Coal Authority engineers designed a solution to stabilise the ground, and work to drill and grout the voids has been completed. Ground monitoring will continue to ensure the ground is stable for redevelopment.
Simon Reed, Chief Operating Officer, Coal Authority, said:
“We have released our initial recommendations to ensure there is awareness of the risks posed by historical coal mining legacy, in light of our findings from this recent subsidence event.
“In this instance, given the depth and age of the workings, and knowledge about risks of subsidence at the time, we cannot criticise the developer’s approach taken with respect to these mining circumstances, but we must now build on this new knowledge to address these risks better moving forward.
“This was an area of unrecorded mine workings and caution must be adopted in assuming that the absence of a record means the absence of mining. Although our historic plans did not, in this case, reveal the coal workings they are a vital part of any site assessment prior to development, therefore in future we may ask for more information, or for more works to take place, to reduce the likelihood of a similar subsidence event happening again.”
The Coal Authority expects to release further information in the form of a Technical Guidance Note later this year, after works are completed and following a period of monitoring.
Information issued by the Coal Authority
Historic mining plans are invaluable but don’t always give a true representation of the coal workings underground, meaning:
areas mined may vary from those shown on historical plans
extraction rates may vary from those shown on historical plans
plans held in historical records may not be the final abandonment plan for the seams and the mine
not all historical coal workings are recorded
Both desk-based research and ground investigations should be undertaken to confirm the:
potential for unrecorded shallow workings
accuracy of the shallow coal old working plans
competence of the strata overlying the coal
potential effects of groundwater, including assessment of recovering levels post mining which are still taking place today
The 10 times rock cover guidance outlined in CIRIA SP32* is only ‘a rule of thumb’:
in this case, the coal was at a depth that exceeded the 10 times rock cover
appropriate ground investigations should always be undertaken to confirm site specific conditions and local geology also needs to be considered
*Special Publication 32
Coal Authority press office
Communications Team 200 Lichfield Lane Mansfield Nottinghamshire NG18 4RG
Energy and Clean Growth Minister to visit start-up in Swindon to set out vision for future UK hydrogen economy
clean and green innovation is at the heart of the modern Industrial Strategy, with over £2.5 billion of government investment from 2015 to 2021
Today (11 May) Energy and Clean Growth Minister Claire Perry delivered a £20 million boost to businesses embracing the potential for a future UK hydrogen economy. The announcement was made during a visit to Swindon’s innovative Hydrogen Hub and Recycling Technologies.
Hydrogen fuel is a safe and low-carbon alternative for energy in buildings, industry, and transport – but is currently very costly to produce and transport. Today’s funding aims to change this.
It is the latest clean technology to receive a government boost – all part of the Clean Growth Strategy – which is already powering wind turbines up and down the country – and has the potential to revolutionise the automotive industry through clean green fuel.
Speaking at the Swindon Hydrogen Hub, Energy and Clean Growth Minister, Claire Perry, will say:
Clean, green and safe, hydrogen has an exciting role to play powering the UK but needs to be cheaper and more widely available to live up to its potential. Today’s £20 million funding boost, part of our modern Industrial Strategy, will help to address these challenges so that we can sustain the exciting momentum building in our low carbon hydrogen economy, creating high-value jobs up and down the country.
Clean Growth is at the heart of our modern Industrial Strategy and creates huge opportunities for the UK, securing our place as global leaders in this field.
The minister will meet with Hydrogen Hub members to discuss the UK’s strength in hydrogen and fuel cell technology development, and the potential for the UK to be at the forefront of a new hydrogen economy, helping us to meet our climate change targets.
The £20 million Hydrogen Supply programme will look to significantly reduce the high cost of producing large volumes of low carbon hydrogen, so that the technology can become a competitive, clean energy supply of the future.
During her visit to Swindon, the minister will also meet CEO of Recycling Technologies, Adrian Griffiths, to see how government support through the Energy Entrepreneurs Fund has enabled this dynamic start-up to develop a system to recycle mixed plastics waste back into a valuable hydrocarbon.
Recycling Technologies are helping in the fight against marine plastic by providing a chemical recycling solution that allows a wide range of plastics to be recycled, which are not practicably recyclable with existing processes.
The Minister will also host an energy roundtable with key stakeholders from the region to find out more about the role of low carbon energy technologies in Swindon and Wiltshire’s local economy.
Notes to Editors
The programme aims to accelerate the development of a lower cost low carbon bulk hydrogen supply (with a focus on UK production). This will be achieved through 2 phases:
(a) developing several hydrogen process engineering designs, alongside a supply / production plan, which details the development steps needed for each process
(b) a development phase which will demonstrate key components or further develop the design of the new hydrogen production process.
The Industrial Strategy sets out a long-term plan to boost the productivity and earning power of people throughout the UK. It sets out how we are building a Britain fit for the future – how we will help businesses create better higher-paying jobs in every part of the UK with investment in skills, industries and infrastructure.
The support of BEIS has enabled Recycling Technologies to transform its novel technology, from original concept developed in Warwick University to a system that is commercially viable. BEIS has supported the company from its laboratory test rig to near-full scale demonstrator beta plant and has enabled the company to resource investigations into the suitability of Plaxx® for application in different markets and to refine the beta plant for commercial operations.
The Queen has been pleased to appoint Mr Arvind Michael Kapur OBE DL as Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant for the County of Leicestershire to succeed Lady Gretton DVCO when she retires on 14 June 2018.
